Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US Airstrikes Kill 4 Islamic State Terrorists in Afghanistan VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say airstrikes have killed at least four Islamic State terrorists in eastern Afghanistan as a weeklong reduced fighting truce between U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and the Taliban insurgency entered its fourth day without any significant breaches.
• Trump: 'We're Pretty Close' to Afghan Peace Deal VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration is moving closer to a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying a week-long nationwide "reduction in violence" truce with the insurgent group is holding up "so far, so good."
• Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the presidential election in Afghanistan NATO 25 Feb 2020
• Time to come home from Afghanistan: Trump Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- US President Donald Trump has said that it is time to end America's longest war in Afghanistan and come home.
• U.S. Urges Disputes Over Afghan Election Be Settled Without 'Use Or Threat Of Violence' RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- The U.S. State Department has urged that disputes over Afghanistan's recent presidential election be dealt with using constitutional and legal means and without the "use or threat of violence."
• Presidential Election in Afghanistan US Dept. of State 25 Feb 2020
• Pompeo Says Afghanistan Has 'Historic Opportunity' For Peace, Must Be 'Seized' RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Afghanistan has a "historic opportunity for peace" and that an agreement with the Taliban will be signed "on or about February 29" if a temporary reduction in violence is successful.
• US: Senior Al-Shabab Leader, Wife Behind Kenya's Manda Bay Attack Killed VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- The U.S. military says a senior al-Shabab leader behind the deadly Jan. 5 attack on the Manda Bay base in Kenya, was killed Feb. 22 in precision airstrikes, along with his wife.
• US Airstrike Killed Telecom Employee in Somalia, Company Says VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- Somalia's biggest telecommunications company says one of its employees was killed a U.S. airstrike Monday near the al-Shabab-held town of Jilib, Middle Jubba region.
• Precision airstrike eliminated al-Shabaab leader associated with Manda Bay attack AFRICOM 25 Feb 2020 -- Post-strike assessments confirm the two terrorists killed in the Feb. 22 precision airstrikes were an individual associated with the attack on Manda Bay and his wife, who was also a known al-Shabaab member.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Media Background Briefing on the Secretary of Defense Posture Testimony DoD 25 Feb 2020
• World's longest-running military exercise commences in Thailand Army News 25 Feb 2020 -- Standing under the Thailand sun, 450 servicemen and women, from seven countries, stood strong and still in formation as dignitaries from the U.S. and Thailand officially declared the longest-running military exercise in the world has begun.
• DEFENDER-Europe 20 begins with 1st Combat Power arrival Army News 25 Feb 2020 -- The first combat power into the European theater for DEFENDER-Europe 20 has rolled down the ramp of the American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier The Endurance at the port of Bremerhaven in Germany, February 20. The equipment belongs to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, deploying to Germany from Fort Stewart, Georgia.
• DOD Adopts 5 Principles of Artificial Intelligence Ethics DoD News 25 Feb 2020 -- The Defense Department has formally adopted five principles for the ethical development of artificial intelligence capabilities.
• Esper's Combatant Command Review to Finish by September DoD News 25 Feb 2020 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper is reviewing the combatant commands' force posture to ensure the forces have the right mix of personnel and resources to meet the National Defense Strategy's priorities, a senior defense official told reporters at the Pentagon.
• U.S. Forces in Europe Work With Allies to Deter Threats DoD News 25 Feb 2020 -- American forces continue to work with allies and partners in Europe as great-power competition with Russia and China comes to the forefront of threats, the commander of U.S. European Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
• Aerial Refueling, Sealift Capability Vital to Readiness DoD News 25 Feb 2020 -- Aerial refueling and sealift forces require attention so they can meet current and future challenges, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command told lawmakers.
• USS Texas Returns Home From Deployment NNS 25 Feb 2020 -- The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) returned home to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Feb. 24.
• Little Rock AFB squadrons cross the Pacific, train with Yokota AB Airmen US Air Force 25 Feb 2020 -- Airmen from Yokota Air Base welcomed four Air Mobility Command C-130J Super Hercules from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, as part of a capstone exercise Feb. 8-19.
• Y-20 aircraft tanker's variant to debut soon, AEW variant to follow: Air Force officer Global Times 25 Feb 2020 -- China's long-expected aerial tanker variant of the domestically developed Y-20 large transport aircraft will make its debut to the general public soon, and an aerial early warning (AEW) variant is also under development, making the Y-20 and its variants the pillars of the Chinese Air Force's strategic capabilities.
• Military tightens civilian regulations PLA Daily 25 Feb 2020 -- The Central Military Commission, China's top military authority, recently published a document tightening rules governing the connections military personnel have with nonmilitary organizations and civilians.
• Iranian Navy's 66th flotilla docks in Jakarta IRNA 25 Feb 2020 -- The Iranian Navy's 66th flotilla of warships berthed in Jakarta on Tuesday after 25 days of sailing to demonstrate the power of diplomacy.
• Iran's 66th Navy flotilla berths at Jakarta port in Indonesia Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- The Iranian Navy's 66th flotilla of warships has docked at Jakarta port in Indonesia as part of the Islamic Republic's policy of expanding its naval presence in high seas.
• Defence Secretary announces programme to replace the UK's nuclear warhead UK MOD 25 Feb 2020 -- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has today announced the start of a new nuclear replacement warhead programme in Parliament.
• Over 2,000 UK personnel deploy to Norway for major Arctic warfare exercise UK MOD 25 Feb 2020 -- Royal Marines, Royal Navy ships and an air group from Joint Helicopter Command will contribute to Exercise Cold Response 2020.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to the Press US Dept. of State 25 Feb 2020
• US, India agree on military deal worth $3 billion: Trump Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- In India, US President Donald Trump has talked of an agreement between New Delhi and Washington for the purchase of American military equipment, including attack helicopters, worth more than $3 billion.
• Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi of India Before Bilateral Meeting The White House 25 Feb 2020
• Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi of India in Joint Press Statement The White House 25 Feb 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Feb. 25, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 25 February 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Feb 2020
• UN panel to rally global political will to tackle internal displacement crisis UN News 25 Feb 2020 -- Forty-one million people around the world are internally displaced – and hundreds of thousands more have been forced from their homes since the beginning of the year – an "unacceptable" situation for which solutions can be found, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a delegation established to address this global challenge.
• Syrian army forces push further into southern Idlib, liberate three villages Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have made further progress in the southern countryside area of the country's embattled northwestern province of Idlib, liberating more villages from the clutches of foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants.
• Turkish shelling kills nine Syrian forces in Idlib: Monitor Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- A Turkish shelling has reportedly killed nine Syrian forces in the northwestern Idlib province, where the Syrian army is fighting Ankara-backed militants to retake the last stronghold of terrorists, a London-based monitoring group said.
• Erdogan Confirms First Turkish Soldier Deaths in Libya VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Tuesday the deaths of two Turkish soldiers in Libya, where Ankara has military forces in support of the internationally-backed government in Tripoli. Word of the losses comes as the Turkish opposition steps up pressure against Erdogan's Libya policy.
• Netanyahu goes ahead with settlement project, contravening intl. law Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the construction of some 3,500 new settlements in a contentious area in the occupied West Bank, defying international law.
• UN Security Council urges two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has renewed the call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict weeks after the United States unveiled a "peace" plan that runs counter to such a solution and the entire international law.
• Gaza-Israel hostilities flare through 2nd day with rocket attacks, air raids Press TV 25 Feb 2020 -- Israeli jet fighters have launched airstrikes against the positions of resistance forces in Gaza Strip after the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad fired 80 rockets toward occupied territories in retaliation for Tel Aviv's killing of its forces.
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Ukraine The White House 25 Feb 2020
• Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Ukraine The White House 25 Feb 2020

News Reports

• Senior U.S. Democrats Demand Russia Sanctions Over 2020 Election Interference RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- U.S. Senate Democratic leaders have urged the administration of President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia after U.S. intelligence officials briefed members of Congress that Russia was again trying to interfere in a national election.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on February 25, 2020 PRC MofA 25 Feb 2020
• China Jails Hong Kong-based Swedish Bookseller For 10 Years on Spying Charge Radio Free Asia 25 Feb 2020 -- A court in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo on Tuesday handed down a 10-year jail term to former Hong Kong bookseller and Swedish national Gui Minhai for "illegally providing intelligence overseas."
• Hong Kong Bookseller Sentencing Sends Chilling Warning to China Dissidents VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- Rights groups in Hong Kong and abroad Tuesday denounced a Chinese court's verdict to sentence former Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison on charges of "illegally providing intelligence to foreign entities."
• Two sessions put on hold amid outbreak PLA Daily 25 Feb 2020 -- China's top legislative and political advisory bodies have decided to postpone this year's two sessions, which customarily begin in early March, as the nation focuses on fighting the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.
• Hubei prison officials punished after #COVID19 outbreak confirmed Global Times 25 Feb 2020 -- More than 20 prisons officials in Central China's Hubei Province have received severe punishments after more than 300 COVID19 infection cases were confirmed in the province's prisons.
• Senators Call for Stronger Sanctions on North Korea Amid Diplomatic Stalemate VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- U.S. senators are urging stronger sanctions enforcement amid a prolonged stalemate in denuclearization talks with North Korea.
• US Imposes Sanctions on 13 for Helping Iranian Missile Program VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- The U.S. has imposed new sanctions on 13 entities and individuals in China, Iraq, Russia and Turkey because of their support of Iran's missile program.
• Armenian Ex-President Sarkisian Stands Trial On Graft Charges RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- Former Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian is on trial facing large-scale corruption charges he rejects as politically motivated.
• Two Top Former Uzbek Officials Convicted On Corruption Charges RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- Two top former Uzbek officials have been convicted of corruption in a case involving more than a dozen defendants from the public sector.
• Former Egyptian Ruler Mubarak Dead at 91 VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- Longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak has died at the age of 91.
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Cuba The White House 25 Feb 2020
• Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Cuba The White House 25 Feb 2020
• Bulgarian PM Borisov Again Faces Money Laundering Allegations RFE/RL 25 Feb 2020 -- Anti-corruption prosecutors in the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia are investigating a money laundering case with possible links to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Business News Europe reported on February 23, citing a newspaper in Barcelona.
• EU Sets Terms for Post-Brexit Talks VOA 25 Feb 2020 -- European Union members said Tuesday they are ready to offer Britain a substantial and wide-ranging post-Brexit trade deal, but differences between the two sides are wide – even before they start talks next week.