Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Statement from the President The White House 28 Feb 2020 -- "Nearly 19 years ago, American service members went to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks."
• Federal Government of Somalia, AFRICOM target al-Shabaab AFRICOM 28 Feb 2020 -- In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted two (2) airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab terrorists in the vicinity of Qunyo Barrow, Somalia, Feb. 28.

Defense Policy / Programs

• People's Liberation Army Navy lased a U.S. Navy P-8A in unsafe, unprofessional manner NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was lased by People's Republic of China (PRC) navy destroyer 161 on Feb. 17 while flying in airspace above international waters approximately 380 miles west of Guam.
• Chinese Navy Fires Laser at US Aircraft VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- The United States Navy says that a Chinese Navy destroyer targeted a U.S. patrol aircraft with a laser last week while it was flying over the Philippine Sea, about 600 kilometers west of Guam.
• US says Chinese warship fired laser at American spy plane Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- The US military says a Chinese Navy ship fired a laser at an American surveillance aircraft flying over the Philippine Sea in international airspace, reporting the alleged incident more than a week after it happened.
• Stratcom Commander: Failing to Replace Nuclear Triad Akin to Disarmament DoD News 28 Feb 2020 -- With both Russia and China making great advances in their strategic weapons arsenals, the U.S. must update its nuclear triad or risk the prospect of existing systems needing to be dismantled due to age – an outcome tantamount to disarmament, a top Navy official said.
• U.S. 2nd Fleet Conducts NAVEUR Convoy Exercise in the Atlantic NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- U.S. 2nd Fleet, on behalf of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and in conjunction with Military Sealift Command (MSC), is conducting convoy operations across the Atlantic, employing the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) alongside USNS Benavidez, MV Resolve, and MV Patriot.
• Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Cooperstown NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- The Navy will christen its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, Feb. 29, in Marinette, Wisconsin.
• Warfare Center Detachment Conducts Magnetic Treatment for Australian Warship NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport's Detachment San Diego is preparing to conduct a magnetic treatment on a second Royal Australian Navy vessel following the first success treatment of an Australian ship at the Magnetic Silencing Facility (MSF) on Naval Base Point Loma (NBPL) in November 2019.
• Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Tripoli NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), the Navy's newest America-class amphibious assault ship, from Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)-Ingalls Shipbuilding Division Feb. 28.
• U.S. Navy, JMSDF Strengthen Alliance through Bilateral Advanced Warfighting Training NNS 28 Feb 2020 -- Units and personnel from the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) will kick off a bilateral advanced warfighting training (BAWT) exercise Feb. 29.
• Indiana's 19th CERFP unit trains in Alaska for Arctic Eagle 2020 Army News 28 Feb 2020 -- The Indiana National Guard's 19th CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package practiced search-and-extraction measures in Alaska as part of Arctic Eagle 2020, which brought together Guard units from 15 states to work with local, state and national agencies for several weeks.
• II MIG Marines weather elements, challenges for Cold Response 20 USMC News 28 Feb 2020 -- Marines and Sailors of II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group have entered 2020 hitting the ground running as they kick off support for Exercise Cold Response 20 in the frigid climate of Northern Norway.
• Pentagon Vows Not To Let Russia, China Deny West's Space Superiority RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- A senior Pentagon official has warned that China and Russia are stepping up efforts to develop sophisticated space capabilities in a bid to deny the United States and its allies of their current superiority.
• Civil Support Team conducts CBRN training with agencies Army News 28 Feb 2020 -- Members of the Alaska National Guard's 103rd Civil Support Team participated in a joint training exercise alongside local, state, and federal partners Feb. 24-25 as part of Arctic Eagle 20.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană visits Hamburg NATO 28 Feb 2020 -- Visiting Hamburg on Friday (28 February 2020) the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana delivered a speech at the General Staff College of the German Armed Forces and said that in an increasingly complex and uncertain world, NATO Allies need to be prepared to respond to threats coming from all directions.
• Statement by the Secretary General after Article 4 consultations NATO 28 Feb 2020
• Press point by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the North Atlantic Council meeting at Turkey's request for Article 4 consultations on the situation in Syria NATO 28 Feb 2020
• £330 million sonar contract for Dreadnought submarines UK MOD 28 Feb 2020 -- BAE Systems Submarines, which is building four nuclear submarines for the Royal Navy, has awarded work worth around £330 million to Thales UK.
• PLA conducts largest ever procurement of individual protective equipment PLA Daily 28 Feb 2020 -- An open tender document released by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) online showed that the Chinese military will purchase more than 1.5 million units of high-grade bulletproof plates for body armors in the coming two years as PLA's new-generation individual gear, reported Global Times recently. The program is expected to cost RMB13 billion, or USD1.85 billion, the largest individual gear procurement in the nation's history.
• Philippines Working with US to Salvage Defense Ties, Ambassador Says Radio Free Asia 28 Feb 2020 -- Philippine and U.S. officials are working to salvage a defense pact after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the country to drop out of a bilateral visiting forces agreement, the country's envoy to Washington said Friday.
• The State Department Is Winning for America US Dept. of State 28 Feb 2020 -- Speech by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Feb. 28, 2020

Other Conflicts

• China Vessels Impede Energy Exploration by Malaysia as Vietnam Looks on Radio Free Asia 28 Feb 2020 -- After a prolonged stand-off with Vietnam, Chinese vessels are again monitoring and harassing energy exploration efforts by another claimant country in the disputed South China Sea, according to a report by a Washington-based think tank. This time it is Malaysia that's on the receiving end.
• Greece tightens border control after Turkey opens gates Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- Greece has tightened control on the border with Turkey following a decision by Ankara to stop preventing the flow of refugees into Europe and amid fears of a new coronavirus spread.
• Syrian state media: Turkish-backed militants hit hard in Idlib Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- Syrian forces have dealt stinging blows to Turkish-backed Takfiri militants in the southern environs of the northwestern province of Idlib as tensions in the conflict between Ankara and Damascus have soared to a dramatic level after dozens of Turkish troops were killed in air raids in the region.
• Russia says Turkish troops killed among terrorists, warns against op Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- A senior Russian lawmaker has warned that a full-scale Turkish operation in Syria will end badly for Ankara after Russia's Defense Ministry said Turkish soldiers killed in Syria were targeted after being deployed alongside terrorists.
• In Call With Erdogan, Trump 'Reaffirms' Support For Turkey In Syria's Idlib RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- President Donald Trump has "reaffirmed" U.S. support for Turkey in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while urging President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Russia, and Iran to halt their offensive in Syria's northwestern Idlib Province -- the last rebel-held area in northwestern Syria -- the White House said on February 28.
• Turkey Retaliates Against Syrian Forces After 33 Of Its Soldiers Killed In Air Strikes RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- Turkey says at least 33 of its soldiers have been killed in an air strike by Russia-backed Syrian government forces in northwestern Syria, rising tensions between Ankara and Damascus ally Moscow.
• 'Mayhem' in Syria's Idlib amid ongoing violence, as Guterres urges immediate ceasefire UN News 28 Feb 2020 -- Rapidly escalating conflict in northwest Syria has created healthcare "mayhem", amid reports of displaced people moving closer to the Turkish border in search of shelter, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as the UN Secretary-General appealed for all warring parties to "step back from the edge of further escalation."
• Syria: UN urges Russia and Turkey to secure 'fresh ceasefire' as risk of military escalation grows UN News 28 Feb 2020 -- With the Security Council meeting in emergency session on Syria following the death on the battlefield of dozens of Turkish troops, the UN strongly urged Russia and Turkey on Friday "to build on previous agreements to secure a fresh ceasefire" across the war-torn northwest.
• Russia, Turkey Are on the Edge in Syria VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- Tensions between Russia and Turkey over their sometimes allied and often dueling military campaigns in Syria broke into the open Friday, with Moscow blaming Ankara for the deaths of 33 Turkish troops in Syria's Idlib region during airstrikes.
• Turkish, Russian Leaders Talk as Fighting Continues in Syria VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- Fears of an escalating conflict in Syria grew Friday as Turkish forces pounded Syria's military in retaliation for the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers. Meanwhile, Russia's and Turkey's presidents spoke, as Ankara threatens to launch even more assaults on Russian-backed Syrian forces.
• Syria's Idlib Remains Explosive After Deadly Attack on Turkish Troops VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- The situation in Syria's rebel-controlled Idlib region remains explosive, following the killing there of more than 30 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike by Russia-backed Syrian government forces. Bracing against possible Turkish countermeasures, Russia is moving two warships toward the eastern Mediterranean.
• Turkey Calls for World Powers to Impose No-Fly Zone in Syria VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- Turkey called on the international community Friday to impose a no-fly zone in Syria to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians from airstrikes by government forces in the Idlib region.
• UN Chief Calls for Cease-fire Before Syria Gets 'Entirely Out of Control' VOA 28 Feb 2020 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the escalation of fighting in Syria is "one of the most alarming moments" of the conflict and called for an immediate cease-fire.
• Israeli helicopters fire missiles at Syrian army positions, three soldiers injured Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- Israeli military helicopters have attacked Syrian army positions in the Arab country's southwestern province of Quneitra near the occupied Golan Heights as tensions soar between the Tel Aviv regime and the Damascus government over an earlier airstrike.
• In western Iraq, PMU launches new anti-terror operation Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- Iraqi fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi, have launched a major operation in the western countryside of Anbar province to hunt down the remnants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
• More Than 2,200 Rohingya Caught Trying to Leave Myanmar by Sea Since 2015: Detainee List Radio Free Asia 28 Feb 2020 -- Myanmar authorities have apprehended more than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims as they attempted to illegally leave the country by sea since 2015, according to a list of the detainees obtained from a naval officer by RFA's Myanmar Service.
• Chinese warplanes fly near southwestern Taiwan: MND CNA 28 Feb 2020 -- Chinese warplanes flew in the skies southwest of Taiwan Friday afternoon and the move has been monitored closely by the country's military, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

News Reports

• Chinese National Sentenced for Stealing Trade Secrets Worth $1 Billion US Dept. of Justice 27 Feb 2020 -- A former associate scientist was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison in federal court today for stealing proprietary information worth more than $1 billion from his employer, a U.S. petroleum company.
• China's Coronavirus Crisis Hits Russian Energy Sector Radio Free Asia 28 Feb 2020 -- While China's economy struggles to recover from the coronavirus epidemic, the Russian energy sector is anxiously awaiting the results.
• The Week In Russia: 'A Specific Disorder Of The Mind' RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia and Ukraine should unite, seeming to ignore the six-year war and gloss over Kremlin actions that make even the notion of substantial cooperation seem highly improbable for the foreseeable future. Days later, Putin's former point man on Ukraine unleashed a provocative diatribe in which he claimed that country does not exist. He also suggested Putin should be permitted to serve two more terms.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on February 28, 2020 PRC MofA 28 Feb 2020
• China rolls out measures to stabilize employment amid outbreak People's Daily 28 Feb 2020 -- Chinese local governments and relevant departments are rolling out measures to stabilize employment and help companies resume production amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
• Hong Kong Police Arrest Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Over 'Illegal' August Protest Radio Free Asia 28 Feb 2020 -- Police in Hong Kong on Friday arrested pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai for attending a pro-democracy rally last August, as the anti-extradition movement broadened into a broad-based movement against growing political interference from Beijing and for fully democratic elections.
• US Congress grills Pompeo over Trump administration's policy on Iran Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is grilled in the House of Representatives over the Trump administration's policy on Iran.
• Statement by the Secretary of the Treasury on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam US Treasury 28 Feb 2020 -- On February 27-28, 2020, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin participated in separate bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Ministers of Water Resources of Egypt and Sudan.
• Venezuela's opp. parliament authorizes Guaido to use frozen assets Press TV 28 Feb 2020 -- Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared an illegitimate body by the government in Caracas, has authorized its leader, Juan Guaido, to take control of millions of assets frozen outside the Latin American country as a result of US sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro.
• U.S. Envoy Calls Kosovo's Decision To Partially Lift Serbian Import Tariffs A 'Serious Mistake' RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- The U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo says the United States does not support the Kosovar government's decision to temporarily and partly lift the import tariff on products from Serbia.
• No Debate, No Competition, No Surprises -- It's A Tajik Election RFE/RL 28 Feb 2020 -- With no real competition on offer, no surprises are expected when Tajikistan holds elections on March 1 for the lower house of parliament that are projected to be dominated by President Emomali Rahmon's People's Democratic Party (PDPT).
• Public Designation of the Former Governor of the Mexican State of Nayarit, Roberto Sandoval Castañeda, Due to Involvement in Significant Corruption US Dept. of State 28 Feb 2020