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Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• CSA: 'Transformational change' necessary to fight, win future conflicts Army News 21 Jan 2020 -- The Army must engage in "transformational change" -- not incremental improvements -- to achieve overmatch, deter great-power competition, and win the future fight, the Army's top officer said Tuesday.
• New vertical lift capabilities take flight during demo Army News 21 Jan 2020 -- The Army secretary along with senior Army officials joined industry leaders earlier this month to get a closer look at cutting-edge capabilities for future vertical lift ahead of the fiscal year 2030 goal to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk.
• Army begins movement for Defender-Europe 20 exercise Army News 21 Jan 2020 -- Preparations for DEFENDER-Europe 20, the largest exercise of U.S.-based military forces to Europe in more than 25 years, will begin Thursday when participating units will load vehicles, heavy equipment and materiel for rail transport and onward shipping. Equipment will originate from Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and Fort Stewart with shipping through late February.
• Moving Maintenance Forward: Detroit Completes Expeditionary Availability NNS 21 Jan 2020 -- The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7) departed its maintenance and logistics hub in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba after a week-long planned maintenance availability (PMAV) period, Jan. 17.
• Submarine USS Pittsburgh Inactivated After 35 Years NNS 21 Jan 2020 -- The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) held an inactivation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington, Jan. 17, to celebrate the boat's 35 years of service.
• USAFE-AFAFRICA builds partnership with Malawian air force US Air Force 21 Jan 2020 -- Airmen from U.S. Air Forces Africa conducted force development training with the Malawian air force, Jan. 13-17. Force development training provides an opportunity for the U.S. Air Force to enhance relations, share ideas and build partnership capability in the region.
• NATO's Stoltenberg Boasts Alliance Now Has Drones Which Can Look Deep Into Russian Hinterland Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- US and NATO drones, fighters and bombers carry out reconnaissance and drills near Russian airspace off the Crimean Peninsula and over the Baltic coast on a regular basis, with Russian air defence force jets regularly scrambling to intercept foreign aircraft to prevent them from violating the country's airspace.
• Russian, Syrian naval forces hold joint drills in eastern Mediterranean Sea Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- Russian and Syrian naval forces have staged a joint exercise in the eastern Mediterranean Sea with the aim of defending international maritime economic activity at the sea.
• Xinjiang gets border patrol drones for better missions Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang Military Command are using modified drones to conduct border patrol missions, as military experts said on Tuesday the drone technology is being popularized across Chinese military services.
• Xi urges military to focus on improving capabilities PLA Daily 21 Jan 2020 -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order for releasing the trial regulation on military supervision work.
• China, Tanzania conclude "Sincere Partners 2019" joint military training PLA Daily 21 Jan 2020 -- The 25-day-long China-Tanzania joint military training, code-named "Sincere Partners 2019", concluded at a comprehensive training center in Dar city of Tanzania on the afternoon of January 16, 2020.
• US, South Korea to Modify Springtime's Joint Military Drills to Appease North – Reports Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The allies agreed last year to replace routine Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises with a computer-simulated command post exercise after the North repeatedly accused them of preparing for an invasion.
• South Korea to dispatch 'anti-piracy unit' to Strait of Hormuz, not to join US-led alliance Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- South Korea says it is set to expand the operational area of its anti-piracy unit now stationed in the Gulf of Aden so as to cover the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the naval task force will operate separately from a US-led military coalition deployed to the Persian Gulf waters under the pretext of protecting shipping lanes.
• South Korea to Deploy Anti-Piracy Unit to Strait of Hormuz - Report Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The South Korean navy unit will conduct missions to protect its citizens and vessels in the area under the country's military command.
• India Shortlists Firms to Build 6 Nuclear Conventional Submarines Worth $7 Bln Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The Indian Navy currently has 15 submarines including one INS Chakra (Akula class nuclear sub) from Russia. Last week, Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi he said that New Delhi is keeping a close watch on the growing presence of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Atomic Error: IAF F-35 Accidentally Reveals Location Over Secret Israeli Nuclear Facility Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- An Israeli F-35 stealth aircraft revealed to the world both its own location and that of Israel's primary nuclear facility on Monday when it turned on a publicly viewable transponder signal.
• Ankara Participates in NATO Naval Drill With European Allies - Defence Ministry Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- Turkey is participating in the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean together with Italy, Germany, and Greece, the country's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
• £183 million boost for military helicopter training UK MOD 21 Jan 2020 -- A new contract has been signed to boost training services for Rotary Wing pilots.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado At a Press Availability US Dept. of State 21 Jan 2020
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo's Meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo US Dept. of State 21 Jan 2020
• Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Khan of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland The White House 21 Jan 2020
• Remarks by President Trump and President Sommaruga of the Swiss Confederation Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland The White House 21 Jan 2020
• Remarks by President Trump and President Von Der Leyen of the European Commission Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland The White House 21 Jan 2020
• Remarks by President Trump at a Dinner with Global Chief Executive Officers | Davos, Switzerland The White House 21 Jan 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Jan. 21, 2020
• Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey Successfully Completes First Flight Boeing 21 Jan 2020 -- The first CMV-22B Osprey, built by Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, completed first flight operations at Bell's Amarillo Assembly Center. The CMV-22B is the latest variant of the tiltrotor fleet, joining the MV-22 and CV-22 used by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force.

Other Conflicts

• 21 January 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Jan 2020
• UN High-Level Panel Seeks Solutions to Problem of Internal Displacement VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- A high-level panel on internal displacement established by the U.N. Secretary-General said it will seek concrete long-term solutions to try to alleviate the plight of tens of millions of people internally displaced by conflict and natural disasters.
• Indonesia Fights Growing Pressure from China to Let it Use Use Disputed Waters VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- China is raising pressure on Indonesia over rights to use a contested tract of sea and challenging the militarily weaker Southeast Asian country to consider options from friendly dialogue to strong protests.
• Yemen dismisses Saudi, UAE claim of Houthi role in deadly missile attack in Ma'rib Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- Yemen's ruling Houthi Ansarullah movement has rejected a claim by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that it was behind a deadly missile attack against the positions of pro-Riyadh militants in the northern city of Ma'rib.
• Daesh Founding Member Al-Salbi Believed to Be Current Terrorist Leader - Reports Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The Daesh* terrorist group is now headed by one of its founding members, Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi, The Guardian reports citing intelligence officials.
• Libya's Haftar must choose political over military solution: Turkey Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- Turkey says Khalifa Haftar, the commander of rebel militia in Libya, must submit to international calls for a political solution to the persisting armed conflict in the North African country.
• US calls for 'immediate' resumption of Libya oil production Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- The United States has called for the "immediate" resumption of Libya's vital oil exports, after rebel militia loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar shut off production at the North African country's major oil fields last week.
• U.S. Vacuum: How Libya Is Descending Into A Russia-Turkey Proxy War RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Libya has been torn by civil war since longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi was killed in an uprising in 2011 following a NATO-led bombing campaign.
• Turkey Says GNA Forces Training is Legitimate and Will Continue Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that there were not any Turkish troops in Libya yet, only Turkish military advisers and instructors.
• UN Chief Urges International Pressure to Solidify Libyan Cease-Fire VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community Tuesday to exert pressure on the rival Libyan parties to solidify a cease-fire and move toward a political process.
• Myanmar President Says Military Courts Must Investigate, Prosecute Soldiers Responsible For Rights Violations Against Rohingya Radio Free Asia 21 Jan 2020 -- Myanmar President Win Myint on Tuesday said the military must investigate and punish soldiers and other security forces who committed rights violations during a 2017 crackdown on Muslim Rohingya communities in the country's northern Rakhine state, based on the findings of a report issued a day earlier by a government-appointed commission that investigated accusations of army-led war crimes.
• Arakan Army Releases Detained Chin Lawmaker Amid Hostilities in Myanmar's Rakhine Radio Free Asia 21 Jan 2020 -- The rebel Arakan Army has released a local ruling party lawmaker it abducted nearly three months ago, saying it freed him as a goodwill gesture amid ongoing fighting between the ethnic army and government forces in northern Rakhine state, a spokesman for the group said Tuesday.
• Myanmar Panel: War Crimes But No Genocide Committed Against Rohingya VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- An independent panel created by the Myanmar government has concluded that government security forces committed war crimes against Rohingya Muslims but that they did not commit genocide against the ethnic minority.
• 'Mothers Of Srebrenica' Sue Netherlands In European Court of Human Rights RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Relatives of the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre have filed a lawsuit against the Netherlands at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg.
• Burkina Faso to 'Lightly' Arm Citizens After Terrorists Kill 36 VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- Burkina Faso's Parliament voted Tuesday to provide local volunteers with "light weapons" after a terrorist attack on two villages left 32 civilians dead.
• 'Negative developments' undermining two-State solution in Middle East UN News 21 Jan 2020 -- Recent heightened tensions in the Middle East underscore the critical need for dialogue and diplomacy in the region, the UN's Political Affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.
• Senior al-Shabab Foreign Fighter Defects in Somalia VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- One of the most senior foreign fighters with Somali militant group al-Shabab says he has defected and is now in Mogadishu with the Somali government.
• Joint UN-Congolese strategy needed to address insecurity following deadly attacks UN News 21 Jan 2020 -- Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the UN peacekeeping operation in the country, MONUSCO, are being urged to develop a comprehensive joint strategy to address insecurity in Beni territory, located in the east.
• Watchdog: Russia 'Trying To Silence' Information Flow From Occupied Crimea RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Russia of "trying to silence" the flow of information from Ukraine's Russian-occupied region of Crimea by banning Ukrainian journalists from traveling there.

News Reports

• Trump's lawyers urge Senate to reject impeachment, acquit him speedily People's Daily 21 Jan 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers on Monday argued that Trump had done nothing wrong, urging the Senate to reject the impeachment articles approved by Democratic-led House of Representatives last month and acquit the president speedily.
• Trump's Impeachment Trial To Resume In U.S. Senate RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- The historic impeachment trial of Republican U.S. President Donald Trump is due to resume in the Senate on January 21.
• US not done in Venezuela, Pompeo announcing new sanctions on Caracas Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Venezuela as part of attempts to pressure the country's legitimately-elected President Nicolas Maduro to resign.
• The United States Continues To Support a Peaceful, Democratic Transition in Venezuela US Dept. of State 21 Jan 2020
• United States Government Continues Pressure on Former Maduro Regime US Treasury 21 Jan 2020Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified fifteen aircraft as blocked property of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13884, which blocks the property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela.
• Lebanon's Hariri says he does not want to return to premiership Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri says he does not intend to return to the premiership and head a new government, stating that he has moved on from the post and that he is not obstructing the formation of a new cabinet amid a deep financial crisis.
• Lebanon: UN rights office calls for de-escalation of protest violence UN News 21 Jan 2020 -- What had been largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon's Government in the capital Beirut grew increasingly violent over the weekend, sparking the concern of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• The Kremlin Releases Constitutional Amendments: But What Do They Mean For Russia, And Putin's Future? RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Last week, President Vladimir Putin sent Russia's political elite reeling when he abruptly called for a raft of constitutional changes.
• Lavrov, Shoigu Among Key Ministers Staying In Russia's New Government RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government, keeping key officials in place including the ministers of foreign affairs and defense.
• Who's In, Who's Out, Who's Who of Russia's New Government Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The government of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev resigned last week, shortly after President Putin's address to the Federal Assembly, in which a number of "fundamental changes" to Russia's constitution were proposed.
• N. Korea's New 'Blunt' Foreign Minister May Reinforce Foreign Policy Realignment VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- North Korea has appointed a former military officer with a blunt-speaking reputation to be the country's new foreign minister, the latest evidence Pyongyang may be realigning its foreign policy after apparently losing hope in nuclear talks.
• Pyongyang 'no longer bound by commitments' as US missed deadline Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- North Korea says it will no longer be bound by any commitments toward denuclearization and may seek a "new path," as the US has ignored a year-end deadline to engage in meaningful diplomacy.
• North Korean Local Government Forces Residents to Open Bank Accounts Radio Free Asia 21 Jan 2020 -- Authorities in North Korea are forcing residents in parts of South Pyongan province to open bank accounts as part of a mandated savings plan that will simultaneously secure funds for the local government and tighten control over the public.
• US' illegal sanctions, conspiracy against independent states crime against humanity: President Rouhani ISNA 21 Jan 2020 -- Iran's President described Iran-Venezuela relations and cooperation as positive and friendly, stressing the need for the two countries' efforts to develop and strengthen Tehran-Caracas relations.
• Iran civil aviation body issues 2nd report on Ukraine jetliner tragedy Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- Iran's civil aviation agency has released its second preliminary investigative report on the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran earlier this month.
• Iran Confirms Two Missiles Fired In Downing Of Ukrainian Plane RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Iran's civil aviation authority has confirmed that two missiles were launched at a Ukrainian passenger jet just after it took off from Tehran's international airport bound for Kyiv on January 8.
• Iranian Aviation Authorities Say Military Shot 2 Missiles at Ukrainian Plane VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- Iran's civil aviation authority said Tuesday the country's military fired two missiles at a Ukrainian commercial jet that went down shortly after taking off from Tehran earlier this month, killing all 176 people on board.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on January 21, 2020 PRC MofA 21 Jan 2020
• China's ex-Interpol chief sentenced to 13.5 years over graft, abuse of power Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- A Chinese court has sentenced former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei to 13 years and six months in prison on graft and other charges.
• Former Interpol head sentenced to imprisonment for accepting bribery Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- The former Chinese public security vice minister and former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, detained in 2018, has been sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison for accepting bribes.
• Six Months After Yuen Long Attack, Victims Sue Hong Kong Police Radio Free Asia 21 Jan 2020 -- Hong Kong protesters on Tuesday marked six months since a bloody attack on train passengers and bystanders by white-shirted triad-linked thugs wielding batons inside Yuen Long MTR station, as eight victims of the attack sued the city's chief of police.
• Kazakh Court Rules That Two Ethnic Kazakhs Will Not Be Deported To China RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- A court in Kazakhstan has ruled that two ethnic-Kazakh men from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who are on trial for illegally crossing the border in October will not be deported to China.
• Tsai could consider meeting with Xi on equal basis CNA 21 Jan 2020 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday she could consider meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as long as the two met on an equal footing.
• Lukashenka Says Russia Blocking Kazakhstan From Delivering Oil To Belarus RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia is blocking deliveries of Kazakh oil amid a tariff dispute with Moscow, Minsk's regular supplier.
• UN human rights ruling could boost climate change asylum claims UN News 21 Jan 2020 -- The UN Human Rights Committee has determined that countries cannot deport people who have sought asylum due to climate-related threats.
• Thai Opposition Party Survives Sedition Scare, But Threats Still Loom VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- Thailand's Constitutional Court acquitted the country's most vocal opposition party of sedition on Tuesday, sparing it an imminent death but setting the stage for its possible dissolution over a loan the party received in an alleged breach of election laws.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo and Colombian Minister of Defense Carlos Holmes Trujillo At Colombian National Police Counternarcotics Directorate (DIRAN) US Dept. of State 21 Jan 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 01 WHO 21 January 2020
• Taiwan raises travel alert for Wuhan over deadly coronavirus CNA 21 Jan 2020 -- Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) upgraded its travel alert for Wuhan Tuesday, following the report of the country's first confirmed case of a new type of coronavirus, carried by a Taiwanese woman who was recently in the central Chinese city.
• Taiwan confirms 1st Wuhan coronavirus case CNA 21 Jan 2020 -- Taiwan on Tuesday reported its first confirmed case of a new type of coronavirus, carried by a Taiwanese woman who was recently in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
• Premier urges public not to panic after 1st Wuhan virus case confirmed CNA 21 Jan 2020 -- Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Tuesday urged the public to remain calm and not panic after Taiwan reported the first confirmed case of a new type of coronavirus earlier in the day, carried by a Taiwanese woman who was recently in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
• China to curb spread of new coronavirus-related pneumonia Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- China will take further steps to control the new coronavirus-related pneumonia, and the disease will be put under management as an infectious disease in accordance with law, as was decided at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday.
• Wuhan establishes headquarters for pneumonia control Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has established headquarters for the control and treatment of the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
• Wuhan pneumonia response reflects progress in China's system Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- The latest pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, is a test of China's system.
• Wuhan to see reduced population mobility as pneumonia spreads Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- Multiple airlines and travel platforms have announced refund or rebooking policies for customers who planned to travel into or out of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. The province confirmed 270 patients with the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus as of 9:00 pm on Tuesday, the People's Daily reported.
• Coronavirus battle at full-scale Global Times 21 Jan 2020 -- Strictest control measures deployed in China to curb spread of pneumonia Human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus was confirmed Tuesday as the death toll rose to six in Chinese mainland and the nation's health authorities stepped up efforts ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush, the world's largest scale human migration.
• All-out efforts ordered to curb spread of virus People's Daily 21 Jan 2020 -- President Xi Jinping urged resolute efforts on Monday to contain the spread of pneumonia cases caused by a new strain of coronavirus as cases of the contagion rose to 224, all but six of them confirmed, as of 8 pm on Monday.
• Death toll from China's mystery virus rises to 6 Press TV 21 Jan 2020 -- The death toll from the outbreak of a new SARS-like virus in China has increased to six, Chinese authorities say.
• Police in China's Wuhan Move to Quash 'Rumors' About Virus Outbreak Radio Free Asia 21 Jan 2020 -- Authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan have summoned and questioned eight people for allegedly posting "rumors" about the outbreak of viral pneumonia in the city, as experts warned the epidemic has likely spread much further than reports currently indicate.
• Russia Steps Up Checks At Borders, Airports To Block Virus Spread RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Russia says it is stepping up checks at borders and airports to prevent the spread of a new virus from China that has killed at least six people and reached areas in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and now has seen the first case reported in the United States.
• CDC Confirms First US Case of Deadly Coronavirus Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- Multiple countries have issued precautionary guidelines to try to prevent the spread of a new deadly virus, known as the 'Wuhan coronavirus', which has left six people dead in China and 227 more in hospital under medical supervision. Cases have already been reported in close to half a dozen other countries.
• India Issues Stringent Guidelines for Airlines from China, Hong Kong to Isolate Deadly Coronavirus Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- Directions were issued to airlines and airports after China reported at least six deaths due to the Novel Coronavirus, and 300 confirmed cases of the disease in the city of Wuhan.
• Death Toll From New Type of Coronavirus in China's Wuhan Reaches Six - City Mayor Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The death toll from the new type of coronavirus in China's Wuhan, Hubei province, has reached six, 227 people are still in hospitals under the supervision of doctors, city mayor Zhou Xianwang said Tuesday.
• Japan's Government Adopts Measures to Counter Spread of New Coronavirus - Reports Sputnik 21 Jan 2020 -- The Japanese government on Tuesday adopted a set of measures to fight the spread of a new type of coronavirus after the first case was confirmed in the country, NHK broadcaster reported.
• UN health agency to gauge global threat, as China confirms coronavirus transmission between humans UN News 21 Jan 2020 -- Following an announcement by China's national health body that a new virus first identified there, can be transmitted from person to person, the World Health Organization (WHO) is to hold a meeting on Wednesday to decide if it should be declared a global health emergency.
• US Reports First Case of New Coronavirus VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- The United States is reporting its first case of the new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, and has killed at least six people.
• WHO: New Coronavirus Expected to Spread in China and Abroad VOA 21 Jan 2020 -- The World Health Organization says the new coronavirus is likely to spread in China and other countries and is urging governments to implement preventive infection control measures in health facilities. The WHO confirms 278 cases of the disease, including six deaths, two in China and the other four in Thailand, Japan and South Korea.