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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Pentagon Chief Says U.S. Military Has 'Sufficient Capability' In Middle East RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he sees no need to boost the number of U.S. forces in the Middle East, a day after a Pentagon official suggested Washington was considering sending additional troops to the region.
• US Doesn't Rule Out Sending Additional Troops to Syria - Esper Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper commented on a variety of issues on Saturday while delivering remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum. The forum is an annual event that takes place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
• US and Taliban resume talks 'from where they were broken off' Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- The United States has resumed talks with the Taliban militant group in Qatar, according to a US source, days after President Donald Trump paid a surprise visit to the war-torn country and hinted at a resumption of the negotiations.
• US resumes negotiations with Taliban to end Afghan war Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- The United States has resumed talks with the Taliban militant group, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted negotiations aimed at ending America's longest war.
• US Relaunches Peace Talks with Afghan Taliban VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- The United States and the Taliban restarted peace negotiations Saturday, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly stopped the yearlong process aimed at finding a political settlement with the insurgent group and ending the war in Afghanistan.
• US Military Claims American Drone Was Downed by Russian Air Defences Near Libya Last Month - Report Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- Moscow hasn't yet commented on the incident, but the American military claims that a UAV was hit by either Russian contractors, or by the Haftar-led Libyan National Army (LNA.)
• Russia downed American drone in Libya last month: US Army Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- The US military claims that Russian air defenses shot down an American drone over the Libyan capital last month, demanding Moscow return the aircraft's wreckage.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Concerned Russia Cultivating Sympathy Among US Troops VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- Russian efforts to weaken the West through a relentless campaign of information warfare may be starting to pay off, cracking a key bastion of the U.S. line of defense: the military.
• Bret Baier Interviews Secretary Esper at Reagan National Defense Forum DoD 07 Dec 2019 -- Secretary Of Defense Mark T. Esper; Bret Baier, Moderator
• Ship's Sponsor Christens PCU John F. Kennedy NNS 07 Dec 2019 -- With more than 20,000 attendees, President John F. Kennedy's daughter, the Honorable Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, officially christened Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) during a Huntington-Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) division ceremony in Newport News, Dec. 7.
• Esper Outlines Global Challenges, Opportunities DoD News 07 Dec 2019 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper discussed issues ranging from the budget and National Defense Strategy to global Defense Department activities today at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.
• Two US B-52 Bombers Fly Over East China Sea - Reports Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- At least two B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers believed to have taken off from the US' Andersen Air Force Base in Guam flew over parts of the East China Sea Thursday, according to Taiwanese newspapers.
• US, South Korea military cost-sharing talks fail to achieve results Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- South Korea and the United States have once again failed to achieve tangible results in the latest round of military cost-sharing talks after a breakdown in negotiations last month.
• No Place for Right-Wing Extremists in Ranks, German Army Says VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- As reports about the threat of far-right recruitment among Europe's law enforcement and military grow, German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, told VOA that they are working to keep far-right extremists away from their units or to remove them once they have been identified.
• 'Hand in Hand': India and China Kick Off Joint Military Counter-Terror Exercise Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- This year's exercise comes against the backdrop of China objecting to India's decision to declare the region of Ladakh a central government-administered territory. Beijing claims that this move undermines "China's territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law".
• Iranian Army unveils new drone IRNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Iranian Army unveils domestically-made Simurgh drone on Saturday.
• Homegrown combat drone "Simorgh" joins Iran's Navy ISNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle, dubbed Simorgh, joined Iran's Navy on Saturday.
• Turkey's new combat drone conducts test flight, manufacturer says Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- Turkey's latest domestically-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is equipped with smart technology, has successfully conducted its maiden flight in the northwest of the country, the manufacturer says.
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 07 Dec 2019

Defense Industry

• Whistleblower Accuses MRAP Maker of Overcharging US Marine Corps by $1.3 Billion Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- A lawsuit unsealed Wednesday alleges vehicle maker Navistar defrauded the US government of at least $1.28 billion by forging invoices, catalog prices and other data in deals to make Mine Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) trucks for the US military.

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni army, allies shoot down 4th Saudi-led surveillance drone in week Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have intercepted and targeted the fourth unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition in a week, in retaliation for the alliance's military aggression against their conflict-stricken country.
• Turkish Military Will Stay in Syria Until Syrians Say 'Thank You, You May Leave Now' - Erdogan Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- Turkey launched a major offensive in the northern part of Syria in October in order to move the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) further away from its border.
• Haftar's Jet Downing Proves Tripoli Fall Won't Happen – Libyan Minister Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- The downing of a fighter jet belonging to Khalifa Haftar's forces proves that his army will not be able to take the Libyan capital, a foreign minister in the Government of National Accord stated.
• External Meddling in Libyan War Grows, New Types of Arms Come to Country - UN Envoy Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- External interference in the Libya war is growing with new kinds of weapons arriving in the country, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the Support Mission in Libya Ghassan Salame said.
• Kyiv Gives ICC Evidence Of 'Executions' Of Ukrainian Soldiers By Separatists In Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- Evidence that Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine killed soldiers in their captivity execution-style has been forwarded to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

News Reports

• House Judiciary Committee Releases Staff Report on Constitutional Grounds for Impeachment U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary 07 Dec 2019 -- Today, the House Judiciary Committee released a report by the majority staff entitled "Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment." The report details the history, purpose and meaning of the Constitution's Impeachment Clause. It addresses legal questions about the impeachment process and rebuts false claims about impeachment.
• Democrats Continue Work on Impeachment Probe VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- U.S. Democratic lawmakers met privately Saturday to work on the investigation into President Donald Trump, inching closer to an impeachment vote, possibly before the Christmas holiday recess.
• US House Judiciary report laying out grounds for impeachment Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's Democratic lawmakers have released a 55-page report detailing offenses that could warrant impeachment against President Donald Trump.
• White House Says It Won't Participate In Next Round Of Impeachment Hearings RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- The White House says it will not take part in the next impeachment hearing by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
• Trump Denies Reports That He Uses Personal Cell Phone for Calls Despite 'Security Warnings' Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- US President Donald Trump has refuted reports of using a personal mobile phone, despite the alleged threat of confidential conversations and messages being intercepted by foreign intelligence agencies.
• North Korea Reports 'Very Important Test' at Rocket Launch Site VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- North Korea conducted "a very important test" at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, the country's state media said Sunday.
• 'We'll See': Trump Reacts to DPRK Ambassador Statement That 'Denuclearisation Is Off the Table' Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- On Saturday, North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, said in a statement that the "sustained and substantial" dialogue the US was looking for appeared to be a "time-saving trick", highlighting that "denuclearization is already gone out of the negotiating table".
• Russia: No instrument prohibits Iran's missile and space technology IRNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Russia Permanent Representative to the United Nations in a letter to UN Chief declared that Iran is a full member of the UN and no international indtrument has prohibited Iran from national missile program.
• Joint Commission terms JCPOA as multilateral achievement IRNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Friday described the international deal as a multilateral achievement which is considered a major key to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• Iran's Araqchi, IAEA chief hold talks in Vienna ISNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Iranian deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi held a meeting in Vienna.
• Iran problems largely emanate from illegal US sanctions: Russia Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has blamed the recent turmoil in Iran mainly on the illegal sanctions the US imposed on the Islamic Republic after unilaterally withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal.
• Amid Tensions, Iran And United States Swap Detainees RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- Iran and the United States have exchanged nationals in a move that could mark a breakthrough between Tehran and Washington after months of tensions.
• 'We Can Make Deal Together': Trump Thanks Iran for Prisoner Swap Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted that Iran and the United States were conducting an exchange of US-held Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani and Chinese-American Princeton scholar Xiyue Wang, detained in Iran.
• Iranian professor detained illegally in US comes back home IRNA 07 Dec 2019 -- Iranian Professor Masoud Soleimani was released after one year illegal detention in the US and came back home after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed him in Zurich.
• Trump Thanks Iran for Freeing Chinese American in Prisoner Swap VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Iran for releasing a Chinese American academic it had detained since 2016 in exchange for the U.S. freeing an Iranian scientist arrested last year.
• Levinson Family Court Testimony Raises Pressure on Iran for American's Release VOA 07 Dec 2019 -- An American family suing Iran in a U.S. court for the 2007 disappearance of family patriarch Robert Levinson on an Iranian island has emerged from two days of tearful testimony more determined than ever to press Tehran for his release.
• State Councilor meets Hong Kong police commissioner People's Daily 07 Dec 2019 -- State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi met with Tang Ping-keung, commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on Friday in Beijing.
• Hong Kong Police to Use 'Hard', 'Soft' Approaches During Upcoming Mass Rallies - Reports Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- The Hong Kong police will use "hard" and "soft" approaches to deal with the upcoming mass pro-democracy demonstrations after nearly six-month-long anti-government protests, Malaysia's The Star Online news website reported on Saturday.
• CPC leadership discusses 2020 economic work, anti-corruption People's Daily 07 Dec 2019 -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting Friday to analyze and study the economic work for 2020 and make plans for improving conduct and building integrity as well as fighting corruption.
• Scholar releases Xinjiang report, identifying three major fallacies in Western media Global Times 07 Dec 2019 -- A Chinese scholar with renowned expertise on Xinjiang studies on Friday released a report analyzing the so-called leaked files on Xinjiang. The report pointed out three big mistakes made by Western media outlets when they hyped the files.
• China launches new optical remote sensing satellite Global Times 07 Dec 2019 -- China sent a new optical remote sensing satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Shanxi Province at 10:55 a.m. Saturday (Beijing Time).
• China sends six satellites into orbit with single rocket Global Times 07 Dec 2019 -- China sent six satellites into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province at 4:52 p.m. Saturday (Beijing Time).
• Denouncing attacks against Baghdad protesters, UN warns 'violence risks placing Iraq on dangerous trajectory' UN News 07 Dec 2019 -- The top UN official in Iraq has strongly condemned the shooting of unarmed protesters in Baghdad on Friday night, which left a high number of deaths and injuries among innocent citizens, calling for the perpetrators to be "identified and brought to justice without delay".
• Iraqi MPs slam US' blacklisting of anti-terrorism commanders Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- Iraqi lawmakers have slammed the US' blacklisting of a number of the country's anti-terrorism commanders amid reports of a drone strike that hit somewhere near the residence of an influential anti-American Iraqi leader.
• US imposes sanctions on three Iraqi Hashd al-Sha'abi leaders Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump has slapped sanctions on three leaders of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces or Hashd al-Sha'abi, an umbrella paramilitary group that has actively cooperated with the national army in sweeping counter-terrorism operations.
• Iraqi Leader al-Sadr's Najaf Home Attacked by Drone Strike of Unknown Origin - Report Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- Muqtada Al-Sadr's popularity has been coming under strain in recent days among both protestors and Iran-backed forces. The latter has been frustrated by his continued declarations of support for the ongoing anti-government protests that have brought the country to a near total political and economic standstill.
• US 'Will Temporarily Hold Off' Designating Mexican Drug Cartels As Terrorists - Trump Sputnik 07 Dec 2019 -- US President Donald Trump earlier considered designating as terrorist organizations Mexican drug cartels operating near the US border and reportedly engaging in the human-trafficking of Central American migrants.
• IMF Agrees To Three-Year Lending Plan With Ukraine Worth $5.5 Billion RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva says the lender has reached agreement with Ukraine on a new three-year loan program worth $5.5 billion.
• Hundreds Protest In Minsk As Putin, Lukashenka Discuss 'Integration' Under Union Treaty RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- Hundreds of people marched through the Belarusian capital on December 7 to protest plans to further integrate with Russia in what correspondents hve called one of the biggest unsanctioned rallies there in recent times.
• Lebanon unrest in best interests of US, Israeli regime: Senior Hezbollah official Press TV 07 Dec 2019 -- A senior official of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says the United States and the Israeli regime are the main beneficiaries of the anti-government protests in his country, warning that Lebanon is on the brink of financial collapse.
• OPEC, Russia Agree To Extend Cuts In Oil Output To Help Boost Prices RFE/RL 07 Dec 2019 -- The OPEC cartel and its partners, including Russia, say they have agreed to cut oil production further as part of efforts to boost prices while global supplies rise amid a worldwide economic slowdown