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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Current Operations

• Focus Remains on Enduring Defeat of ISIS, Military Official Says DoD News 22 Jan 2020 -- Even amid significant successes, the enduring defeat of ISIS remains the focus of U.S. forces and partners in Iraq and Syria, an effort that is vital to U.S. national security, the deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said.
• Salih, Trump discuss American troop drawdown from Iraq Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Iraqi President Barham Salim and his US counterpart Donald Trump have exchanged viewpoints about a reduction in the number of American military forces in the war-ravaged Arab country, weeks after a parliamentary bill demanded the withdrawal of all US-led foreign troops.
• Trump Not Ruling Out Iraq Sanctions VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday did not rule out future sanctions against Iraq, but cited what he called "a very good relationship" when asked about potential plans for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
• Remarks by President Trump and President Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland The White House 22 Jan 2020
• Remarks by President Trump and President Salih of the Republic of Iraq Before Bilateral Meeting | Davos, Switzerland The White House 22 Jan 2020
• Afghan Government Demands Full Cease-Fire, Taliban Commit to Reduction in Violence VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- After the Afghan Taliban announced they will observe a seven- to 10-day cease-fire with U.S troops and commit to reduction in violence against Afghan security forces, Afghan officials call the Taliban offer "ambiguous," and push for a complete cease-fire as a way forward for peace talks.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Focus Remains on Enduring Defeat of ISIS, Military Official Says DoD News 22 Jan 2020 -- Even amid significant successes, the enduring defeat of ISIS remains the focus of U.S. forces and partners in Iraq and Syria, an effort that is vital to U.S. national security, the deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said.
• US Army Begins Destruction of Sarin Munitions Stockpile Sputnik 23 Jan 2020 -- Officials at a US Army depot in Kentucky tasked with destroying the nation's chemical weapons stockpile announced Tuesday they have recently begun focusing on munitions containing the deadly nerve agent sarin, destroying the materials through an automated two-step process.
• US Military Annual Aircraft Replacement Costs to Nearly Double to $44Bln by 2038 Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- Annual costs to replace the aging fleet of US military jets by the Air Force, Navy and Army will nearly double to $44 billion in inflation-adjusted 2018 dollars, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in a report on Tuesday.
• China starts 2020 military conscription of female soldiers PLA Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- China has started this year's military recruitment of female soldiers, mainly among college students, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
• Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference | Davos, Switzerland The White House 22 Jan 2020
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo And Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness At a Press Availability US Dept. of State 22 Jan 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Jan. 22, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 22 January 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 22 Jan 2020
• High-Level UN Panel Seeks Solutions to Problems of Internal Displacement VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- More than 41 million people globally have been forcibly displaced within their own countries because of conflict, violence and violations of their human rights, according to U.N. estimates. Another 17 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of natural disasters and climate-related events.
• Yemeni Foreign Minister Accuses Southern Separatists of Sabotaging Peace Agreement Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- The foreign minister of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, accused on Tuesday the secessionist Southern Transitional Council of sabotaging the peace agreement, signed in November and envisioning separatists' withdrawal of forces from the seized areas.
• US troops block Russian forces' way to oil fields in northeastern Syria Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- US military forces present in areas controlled by militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah have reportedly stopped a Russian military convoy from reaching oil fields there.
• In Syria, Captured Islamic State Fighters, Followers Going Home VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- A growing number of fighters and followers captured during the final battles to defeat the Islamic State terror group's self-declared caliphate are being released in Syria, with some facing justice and others being given a chance to restart their lives.
• Flights in, out of Tripoli airport suspended after attack Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Libya's embattled UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) says all flights into and out of the sole functioning airport in the capital, Tripoli, have been suspended after it came under a rocket attack.
• U.S. voices concern over suspension of oil exports in Libya People's Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- The U.S. Embassy in Libya on Tuesday expressed concern over the suspension of oil exports due to the closure of oil ports and fields in the country.
• UNSC Urges Libyan Parties to Swiftly Engage in 5+5 Military Commission's Work - President Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- The UN Security Council is calling on the parties to the conflict in Libya to engage in the work of the 5+5 Military Commission as soon as possible, Security Council President Dang Dinh Quy said in a statement.
• Myanmar's Army to Take Legal Action Against Soldiers Accused of Rights Violations in Rakhine Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- Myanmar's military announced Wednesday that it will take legal action against servicemen accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 crackdown on Rohingya Muslim communities in northern Rakhine state following the issuance of a report by a government-appointment commission that conducted an investigation into the accusations.
• Israel's Internal Politics Raise Tensions with Jordan VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- Jordan is increasingly on edge as Israeli politicians work to outbid each other over who will keep more of the territories captured from the Arab states in the 1967 war.
• Cameroon's Anglophone Separatists Turn to Infighting VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- Clashes between separatist groups in Cameroon have killed at least six fighters, with one of the groups allegedly abducting close to 40 rebels of another camp. Separatist leaders have blamed the clashes on infiltration by Cameroon's military. But the military says the clashes are an internal rivalry for power among the separatist groups.
• Khan urges UN action over Kashmir dispute with India Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the United Nations to help in the dispute with India, a fellow nuclear power, over the region of Kashmir.
• Two soldiers killed in roadside bomb attack in central Mali Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- At least two Malian soldiers have been killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb in the latest wave of violence to hit volatile central Mali.

News Reports

• Democrats: Trump Engaged in 'Corrupt Scheme' to 'Cheat' in 2020 Election VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- Democratic impeachment managers on Wednesday wrapped up the first day of presenting their case against U.S. President Donald Trump and why they believe the Senate must remove him from office.
• Government Formation in Lebanon US Dept. of State 22 Jan 2020
• Fresh Protests Blast Lebanon's New Government VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- Protesters again took to Lebanon's streets Wednesday, saying a newly-formed cabinet announced late Tuesday failed to match their calls for an administration headed by technocrats, as a deepening economic crisis engulfs the tiny Mediterranean country.
• Lebanon: Police fire tear gas as fresh protests hit Beirut Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Lebanese security forces have fired tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday to try to break up stone-throwing protesters in Beirut.
• Lebanese Police, Army Take Control Over Area Near National Parliament Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- Lebanese police and army units have forced protesters out of the territory adjacent to the national parliament building in Beirut's centre on Wednesday.
• Lebanon's PM Diab announces formation of new government Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced the formation of the country's new government, saying his cabinet will try to meet the demands of protesters.
• Demonstrations Start in Lebanon After New Cabinet Announced Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- Protests have started in Lebanon after the composition of the new cabinet was announced on Tuesday, witnesses report clashes with police in the capital, Beirut, and in the country's second-largest city of Tripoli.
• Russian Parliament's Upper Chamber Approves Krasnov As Top Prosecutor RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- The Russian parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, has appointed Igor Krasnov, President Vladimir Putin's nominee, as the country's new prosecutor-general.
• In With The Old, In With (A Few Of) The New: Russia's Government Reshuffle RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- Twenty years ago, a new joke goes, when Russian President Boris Yeltsin stepped down and named Vladimir Putin to succeed him, the aging Yeltsin said, "I'm tired, I'm leaving." But when Putin sent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's government packing last week, he said, "I'm tired, you're leaving.'"
• Moscow Lab's Status Suspended Amid Doping Scandal RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it has provisionally suspended the status of the national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow as Russia's doping scandal continues.
• Putin appoints new Russian cabinet members People's Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed new cabinet members on Tuesday, according to the decrees Kremlin published on its website.
• Swiss Police Suspect Russian 'Plumbers' Of Being Spies In Davos RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- Police in Switzerland suspect a pair of Russians they probed five months ago in Davos were Russian intelligence agents, a detailed report by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said on January 21.
• Jailed U.K.-Australian Academic Says Iran Offered Her To Become A Spy RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- A British-Australian woman jailed in Tehran on espionage charges said she rejected an offer from Iran to become a spy, according to letters she smuggled out of prison.
• North Korea may seek 'new path' if U.S. continues to enforce unilateral demands ARIRANG 22 Jan 2020 -- "We have already warned that if the United States misjudges our patience, tries to enforce unilateral demands upon us and persists in imposing sanctions and pressure against my country, we may be compelled to seek a new path for defending our sovereignty and supreme national interests."
• Black boxes under precise examination: Minister IRNA 22 Jan 2020 -- Minister of Road and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday that the black boxes of the crashed Ukrainian passenger plan are under precise examination according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.
• AEOI Chief deplores E3 statement about Dispute Resolution Mechanism IRNA 22 Jan 2020 -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said that statement released by Germany, France and the UK invoking Dispute Resolution Mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was a indication of Europeans' inability and Impotence against US demands.
• Iran rules out handing over recorders of downed plane to other countries Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Iran's minister of transportation has resisted calls for handing over to other countries the recorders of a plane that crashed near the capital Tehran earlier this month, saying the so-called black boxes should remain with an Iranian team that is investigating the incident.
• Iran's Rouhani: Europe responsible for any JCPOA violation consequences Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal will be responsible for the consequences of any violation of the agreement.
• Zarif: EU3 submission on JCPOA only whetted Trump's appetite Press TV 22 Jan 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says America's renewed threat of slapping trade tariffs on Europe's auto industry proves that the European states' submission to US President Donald Trump's domineering tactics on the Iran nuclear deal only worked to "whet his appetite."
• Spox comments on FM Zarif's statements on NPT exit IRNA 22 Jan 2020 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi elaborated on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks on Iran's possible withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), saying that what he said in parliament was part of President Hassan Rouhani's letter to leaders of Group 4+1 in May 2019.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on January 22, 2020 PRC MofA 22 Jan 2020
• China's space-tracking vessels back from missions PLA Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- Space-tracking ship Yuanwang 3 and Yuanwang 7 returned to the port of the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Controlling Department after completing three monitoring missions, the Science and Technology Daily reported Wednesday.
• China Slams US for 'Spreading Rumors' About BRI Investments in Pakistan VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- China has defended its infrastructure development investments in Pakistan as "open and transparent," refuting renewed U.S. criticism of the ongoing multibillion-dollar economic collaboration under Beijing's global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• Myanmar's Ethnic Political Parties See Little Local Benefit From China-Backed Projects Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- Some of Myanmar's ethnic political parties on Wednesday expressed concern over potential negative impacts of China's planned multibillion-dollar mega-projects in their regions, days after the two countries' leaders signed more than 30 memorandums of understanding regarding the deals.
• Australia denies using Chinese spy case to influence Taiwan elections CNA 22 Jan 2020 -- The Australian representative office in Taipei said Tuesday that its government's disclosure of a case involving a self-confessed spy from China, who was seeking asylum in Canberra late last year, was not aimed at influencing Taiwan's general elections, as has been alleged.
• Independent UN rights experts call for 'immediate investigation' into alleged Bezos phone hack by Saudi Arabia UN News 22 Jan 2020 -- Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were "gravely concerned" over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner's mobile phone, calling for an "immediate investigation" by authorities in the United States.
• India's Top Court Refuses to Put on Hold a Controversial Citizenship Law VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- India's top court has refused to put on hold a a controversial citizenship law that has sparked nationwide protests and fuelled a storm of criticism that it discriminates against Muslims.
• Armenian Lawmakers Approve Law On Fight Against 'Thieves-By-Law' RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- Armenia's parliament has approved the final reading of a law aimed at tackling the organized crime bosses known as "thieves-by-law" and other organized crime-related activities such as racketeering.
• Accused Russian Hacker To Plead Guilty To U.S. Charges; Case Prompted Diplomatic Fight With Israel RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- A Russian man who was the subject of a three-year diplomatic scuffle between Russia, Israel, and the United States was set to plead guilty to U.S. charges related to the massive cybertheft of credit cards.
• Surprise In Belarus, Kyrgyzstan About Reports On Expanded U.S. Travel Ban RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- Political observers from Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are reacting with surprise and skepticism to media reports that their former Soviet republics could be added to a U.S. travel-ban list.
• UK lawmakers approve Brexit bill after House of Lords backs down over changes People's Daily 23 Jan 2020 -- Britain's Brexit withdrawal bill was finally approved Wednesday night after historic votes in the Houses of Parliament, paving the way for Britain to leave the European Union (EU).
• Kem Sokha's Lawyers Submit New Evidence on Third Day of Treason Trial Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- The third day of the treason trial of Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha kicked off Wednesday with his defense team submitting dozens of pieces of evidence they say will exonerate their client, as controversy continued over a lack of access to the hearings for members of the media and NGOs.
• Montenegro Protest Against Religious Law Canceled Over Possible 'Serious Disturbance' To Public Order RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- A planned protest in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje against a controversial new law on religion has been canceled after locals voiced their disapproval of the rally.
• Eight Jailed Over Plot To Kill Kosovo President, Prime Minister RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- A court in Kosovo has sentenced eight ethnic Albanian men found guilty of the attempted murder of a former politician and of plotting to kill the country's president and prime minister in 2017.
• Serbia's Ruling Party Sends Controversial Election Bill To Parliament RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has submitted a controversial bill to parliament that would reduce the electoral threshold for parties from 5 to 3 percent.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 02 WHO 22 January 2020
• IHR Emergency Committee for Pneumonia due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV transcript of a press briefing - 22 January 2020 WHO
• UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by coronavirus UN News 22 Jan 2020 -- Experts convened in Geneva by the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to determine whether novel coronavirus is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
• WHO Experts Postpone Decision on Coronavirus as a Global Risk VOA 22 Jan 2020 -- Experts meeting in emergency session at the World Health Organization have been unable to agree on the global health risks of the new coronavirus, which has sickened more than 500 people and caused at least 17 deaths. The experts have decided to continue their discussions Thursday.
• WHO extends emergency talks over coronavirus outbreak, commending China's efforts People's Daily 23 Jan 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday night extended to Thursday its emergency talks on whether the novel coronavirus outbreak in China constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
• 17 deaths, 444 cases of new viral pneumonia reported in Hubei People's Daily 23 Jan 2020 -- A total of 444 cases of new coronavirus-related pneumonia and 17 deaths had been reported in central China's Hubei Province as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to local authorities.
• China Says 571 Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed - Report Sputnik 23 Jan 2020 -- At least 17 people have died so far in an outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia, later identified as a new type of coronavirus, that rocked the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December.
• Taiwan bans entry of visitors from Wuhan on coronavirus fears CNA 22 Jan 2020 -- Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Wednesday that visitors from Wuhan will not be permitted to enter Taiwan for the time being, as the government is seeking to prevent the spread of a deadly new coronavirus that originated in the central China city.
• President urges China to share Wuhan virus information CNA 22 Jan 2020 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called on China Wednesday to inform Taiwan about the spread of a deadly new coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan and said the World Health Organization (WHO) should not exclude Taiwan from the global efforts to contain the virus.
• New coronavirus linked to wildlife: Chinese official CNA 22 Jan 2020 -- A new type of coronavirus that has killed nine people and infected more than 440, mainly in China, is believed to have jumped to humans from wild animals sold at a market in Wuhan City, a Chinese health official said Wednesday in Beijing.
• Wuhan fights pneumonia battle Global Times 22 Jan 2020 -- As the whole world raises concerns over the spread of the coronavirus with the number of confirmed cases increasing, local residents in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province where the epidemic began, remained on high alert in the fight against the pneumonia with caution and optimism.
• China makes efforts against cross-region, cross-border spread of coronavirus Global Times 22 Jan 2020 -- China has launched a string of measures and strengthened international cooperation and information sharing to lower the risk of cross-region and cross-border spreading of the new coronavirus, national health authority said on Wednesday.
• Residents of Tibet Return Home to Escape Wuhan Virus Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- Residents of Tibet now traveling in mainland China are returning home to escape the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed at least 17 people with more than 540 reported infected and is spreading more widely every day, a Tibetan visiting Shanghai told RFA this week.
• Wuhan Activist Dies of Pneumonia, Contacts Not Offered Isolation, Care Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- Veteran environmentalist Xu Dapeng has died of a respiratory disease with symptoms similar to the Wuhan coronavirus, 10 days after a similar illness took his wife.
• China's Wuhan City Closes as Number of Virus Cases, Deaths Rises Radio Free Asia 22 Jan 2020 -- China on Wednesday reported hundreds more cases and 17 deaths from the new coronavirus traced to the central city of Wuhan, Hubei province, which has now closed all transport links into and out of the city, with officials warning that the virus could mutate.
• WHO Praises China's Anti-Virus Efforts, May Declare Global Emergency RFE/RL 22 Jan 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised the commitment of authorities in China to "minimize" risks of the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a day ahead of a decision by the UN agency on whether to declare a rare global emergency over the outbreak.
• Residents of China's Wuhan Banned From Leaving City Over Coronavirus Outbreak - Reports Sputnik 22 Jan 2020 -- The government of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus originates from, is imposing a temporary ban on local residents to leave the city, to prevent virus spreading, local media reported on Wednesday.
• Strictest measures enacted to contain viral pneumonia People's Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- Chinese health authorities are adopting the strictest prevention and control measures for the new strain of coronavirus that has caused a pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, as the pathogen continues to spread.
• China at "crucial stage" to control novel coronavirus, experts say People's Daily 22 Jan 2020 -- Faced with the fast-changing situation of the novel coronavirus outbreak, China is at a crucial stage to prevent and control the spread of the virus, according to Chinese experts.