Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• The Return Of Pro-Iranian Militia Fighters To Afghanistan Fuels Fears In Kabul, Washington RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- When Syria's civil war erupted, Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) recruited, trained, and deployed thousands of Shi'ite fighters to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
• ONDCP Releases Data on Poppy Cultivation and Potential Opium Production in Afghanistan The White House 07 Feb 2020
• Trump: U.S. Forces Kill Leader of Yemeni Al-Qaeda In Counterterror Operation RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- President Donald Trump has announced that the United States killed the leader of the Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) extremist group in a counterterrorism operation in Yemen.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army aggressively moves forward on OMFV, seeks industry input on path forward Army News 07 Feb 2020 -- Today the Army issued a market survey for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, formally marking the official "restart" to produce a transformational infantry fighting vehicle.
• C-ARTS: High-Velocity Training at Sailor's Point of Need NNS 07 Feb 2020 -- Rear Adm. James Downey, Program Executive Officer (PEO) Carriers; Rear Adm. Roy Kelley, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic; and Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Command Master Chief Thaddeus Wright participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on board Naval Station Norfolk (NNS), Feb. 7 to officially unveil the Carrier-Advanced Reconfigurable Training System (C-ARTS) facility.
• Vice chief of staff: Speed of modernization no longer at 'glacial pace' Army News 07 Feb 2020 -- In his first six months on the job, the Army's vice chief of staff said the speed of an improved acquisition process has impressed him the most when it comes to tackling modernization.
• U.S., Colombia Cooperate on Range of Issues DoD News 07 Feb 2020 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said Colombia is the United States' "closest partner in Latin America," and that he looks forward to strengthening their defense relationship even more.
• CNO Hosts Chief of Royal Australian Navy for Counterpart Visit NNS 07 Feb 2020 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday hosted Chief of Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. Michael Noonan for a formal counterpart visit, Feb. 6-7.
• Navy V-22 program demonstrates 'speed to the fleet' with first delivery NNS 07 Feb 2020 -- The Navy accepted the first CMV-22B Osprey this week, with fleet delivery to follow in 2021.
• Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS St. Louis (LCS 19) NNS 07 Feb 2020 -- The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS St. Louis (LCS 19) during a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard Feb. 6.
• Statement from the Press Secretary The White House 07 Feb 2020
• Virginia National Guard Soldiers staged and ready Army News 07 Feb 2020 -- The Virginia National Guard has staged approximately ten Soldiers and three vehicles for state emergency support duty Feb. 7th in the Richlands and Tazewell County areas. They are ready to assist local and state emergency agencies in responding to potential impacts from heavy rains and flooding. The Soldiers are staged with light/medium tactical trucks for high water transportation. The VNG also has a rotary-wing aviation rescue hoist crew on standby.
• Remarks by Secretary Esper in a Joint Press Briefing With Colombian Minister of Defense Trujillo DoD 07 Feb 2020 -- Secretary Of Defense Mark T. Esper; Colombian Minister of Defense Carlos Holmes Trujillo
• Space Force Making Measured Efforts in Absorbing New Personnel DoD News 07 Feb 2020 -- As it stands now, the new U.S. Space Force has one member: its commander, Space Force Gen. John W. Raymond. But there will be more – enlisted, commissioned officers and civilian members will be part of the new force before the end of the year.
• Deputy Secretary General in Washington: NATO makes us stronger and safer NATO 07 Feb 2020 -- Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana stressed the enduring value of NATO in a speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. on Friday (7 February 2020).
• First UK night flights land in HMS Queen Elizabeth UK MOD 07 Feb 2020 -- Four F-35 Lightning jets have completed night landings in HMS Queen Elizabeth flying over UK waters on operational training.
• China issues new regulation on military organizational management PLA Daily 07 Feb 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also chairman of Central Military Commission (CMC), signed an order to issue the newly revised Regulation on Management of Military Establishment and Organizational Structure (Trial). The new Regulation will enter into force from March 1, 2020.
• Iraq, Russia Discuss Heightened Military Cooperation Amid U.S. Strains RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- Iraq's Defense Ministry says it has discussed the possibilities for deepening military cooperation with Russia, as ties between Baghdad and Washington fray following a U.S. air strike that killed a top Iranian general in the country.
• US Withholding $30Mln Worth of US Arms, Ammo Sales to Ukraine - Report Sputnik 07 Feb 2020 -- The United States is withholding $30 million in arms and ammunition sales to Ukraine, media reported on Thursday citing four officials from both countries familiar with the matter.
• Tajikistan Plans To Cut Military Service Term By Six Months RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- Tajikistan is aiming to cut the term of mandatory military service from two years to 18 months, the country's justice minister has said.
• Australia - Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs) DSCA 07 Feb 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia of up to two hundred (200) AGM-158C, Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $990 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 07 Feb 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Feb. 7, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 7 February 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Feb 2020
• Exclusive: Govt. forces seize key region from al-Qaeda-linked militants in northern Syria Press TV 07 Feb 2020 -- Syrian government forces, backed by allied militants from popular defense groups, have managed to establish full control over a strategic region in the southern countryside of the country's northern province of Aleppo from the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
• Israel uses civilian flight as shield to raid Damascus after Syrian troops liberate Saraqib Press TV 07 Feb 2020 -- An Israeli airstrike, carried out as Syria troops were liberating the terrorist-held town of Saraqib in northwestern Idlib province, has endangered a civilian flight carrying 172 passengers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
• Russia Says Syrian Air Defenses Nearly Hit Airliner Near Damascus RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- An Airbus A320 airliner with 172 passengers on board has made an emergency landing in the Russian-controlled Khmeimim air base after Syrian air defenses nearly hit it, Russian news agencies have quoted a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.
• Syrian Forces Advance on Rebels Despite Warnings from Turkey VOA 07 Feb 2020 -- The Syrian army is advancing on Idlib, the last rebel enclave, in the face of renewed Turkish military threats. But with the looming danger of confrontation, Ankara is facing increasing international and domestic pressure to change its stance towards Damascus.
• UN Warns Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolding in Syria VOA 07 Feb 2020 -- United Nation agencies warn a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in northwest Syria and many more civilians will be killed and injured, with infrastructure destroyed unless hostilities stop.
• Russian Defence Ministry Says Turkey Skipped Joint Patrol With Russian Forces in Syria Sputnik 07 Feb 2020 -- Units of the Russian military police carried out a patrol in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Thursday on their own, as their Turkish counterparts failed to arrive at the mission starting point, Major General Yuri Borenkov, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's Reconciliation Centre in Syria, said.
• Turkey reinforces outposts in Syria's Idlib: Report Press TV 07 Feb 2020 -- Turkey has sent nearly 150 vehicles with commandos and ammunition to bolster its observation outposts in Idlib, where an intensified offensive is underway by the Syrian army forces against foreign-backed militant outfits
• Myanmar Army Files Lawsuit Against Kachin Pastors For Alleged Ties to Rebel Group Radio Free Asia 07 Feb 2020 -- The Myanmar military has filed a lawsuit against two ethnic Kachin Baptist pastors for taking part in a ceremony the army claimed glorified the resistance activities of a rebel ethnic force in northern Myanmar's Kachin state, religious leaders and police said Friday.
• 28 militiamen sentenced in Central African Republic for murder of civilians, UN peacekeepers UN News 07 Feb 2020 -- The sentencing of 28 militia members on Friday in the Central African Republic (CAR) for an array of violent crimes, including the murder of civilians as well as 10 UN peacekeepers, has been hailed as a major step forward in the fight against impunity there.
• Thousands Flee Brutal Attacks by Armed Groups in Northern Mozambique VOA 07 Feb 2020 -- The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province are fleeing a recent escalation of violence and brutal attacks by armed groups.

News Reports

• The United States Takes Action Against Maduro's Improper Use of the Venezuelan People's Air Carrier US Dept. of State 07 Feb 2020 -- "On February 7, the United States identified the Venezuelan state-owned airline Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios Aereos, S.A. (CONVIASA) as blocked property of the Government of Venezuela pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13884."
• Treasury Pressures Illegitimate Maduro Regime by Identifying Blocked National Airline US Treasury 07 Feb 2020 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today identified the Venezuelan state-owned airline Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios Aereos, S.A. (CONVIASA) as subject to sanctions as part of the Government of Venezuela, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13884.
• Russian Foreign Minister Holds Talks With Venezuelan President Amid U.S. Sanctions Warning RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- Russia's foreign minister is visiting Venezuela in a show of support for Nicolas Maduro, as Moscow tries to bolster the South American country's president amid a collapsing economy and the threat of more U.S. sanctions.
• U.S., Russia In War Of Words Over Competing Interests In Venezuela RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- The United States and Russia exchanged harsh words over Venezuela, where Moscow supports a president considered illegitimate by the United States and some 50 other countries.
• Dim The Lights And Cue The Revisionism: Russia Turns Holocaust Remembrance Into Political Theater RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- The lights dimmed, more than 40 world leaders took their seats, and the screens cut to black. The scene was set for Russia to sell its revisionist take on World War II to a global audience.
• China's Virus May Break Phase One Deal Radio Free Asia 07 Feb 2020 -- Just two weeks after the United States and China called a truce in their two-year trade war, the outbreak of the coronavirus has threatened to put the agreement on hold.
• U.S. calls on WHO to engage directly with Taiwan CNA 07 Feb 2020 -- The United States called on the World Health Organization (WHO) during a meeting Thursday to directly engage with Taiwan to better aid the global effort against the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which has been declared a global health emergency.
• Mainland urges Taiwan authority to stop impeding Taiwan compatriots returning from Hubei CNA 07 Feb 2020 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson Thursday urged the Taiwan authority to stop impeding Taiwan compatriots stranded in the coronavirus-hit Hubei Province from returning to the island.
• Taiwan Hits Out at China's Management of Evacuation Flight, Quarantine Radio Free Asia 07 Feb 2020 -- The democratic island of Taiwan has called on China to prioritize the most vulnerable of its nationals when arranging their evacuation from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which is at the center of the coronavirus epidemic.
• Medicines for Preventing Novel Coronavirus Infection Produced in DPRK KCNA 07 Feb 2020 -- The Biomedicine Institute of the Academy of Medical Science in the DPRK has recently increased the production of medicines amid a brisk campaign for preventing the novel coronavirus infection.
• EU Enlargement Commissioner Urges Montenegro To Speed Up Reforms, Engage In Dialogue RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi has told Montenegro's leadership that the country needs to speed up the pace of reforms, especially in the area of rule of law and media freedom.
• New Kosovo PM Says Ties With Serbia Should Be Based On 'Symmetry' RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- Kosovo's new prime minister says he intends to abolish punitive tariffs on Serbian goods, as the two countries struggle amid an international push for them to establish diplomatic relations.
• Lukashenka, Putin Meet For Tense Talks Over Integration, Oil Supplies RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for talks expected to focus on Belarus's recent overtures to the United States and Russia's increasing economic pressure on Minsk.
• Romania's Orban Renominated As Prime Minister RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- The Romanian president has asked outgoing Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to form a new government, moving a step closer to snap general elections.
• Two top Sadrist commanders killed in 24 hours in Iraq Press TV 07 Feb 2020 -- Two commanders of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's movement have been killed in separate attacks in the span of 24 hours in what appears to be a plot to create division among Iraqi groups.
• U.S. 'Outraged' By Violence Against Protesters In Iraqi City Of Najaf RFE/RL 07 Feb 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington was "outraged" by violence against protesters in the Iraqi city of Najaf and he urged Baghdad to "immediately address legitimate grievances."
• Myanmar Picks Military Intelligence Veteran as New Home Affairs Minister Radio Free Asia 07 Feb 2020 -- Myanmar's military commander-in-chief on Thursday nominated the head of the country's military intelligence to fill the cabinet seat of the outgoing home affairs minister, a key post at one of three defense and security ministries directly controlled by the armed forces.
• US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Speaks Out For Tibetan Buddhists, Incarcerated Uyghurs Radio Free Asia 07 Feb 2020 -- U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Thursday offered prayers for Tibetan Buddhists and Uyghur Muslims killed or jailed for exercising their faith in China, calling them among the world's most persecuted victims of state repression of religion.
• Climate crisis: Antarctic continent posts record temperature reading of 18.3°C UN News 07 Feb 2020 -- Fresh fears of accelerating damage to the planet's ice sheets and sea level rise have been fuelled by confirmation from the UN's weather agency that the Antarctic likely saw a new temperature record of more than 18°C on Thursday.