Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan Violence Resurges After Rare Contact Between Trump, Top Taliban VOA 04 Mar 2020 -- The U.S. military carried out what it called a "defensive strike" against Taliban fighters Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, hours after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with a top Taliban leader about a peace deal the two sides signed aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war in Afghanistan.
• US carries out airstrike on Afghan Taliban, days after signing 'peace' deal Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- The United States has conducted an airstrike against the Taliban militant group's positions in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province, just days after the two sides signed a "peace" deal.
• U.S. Strikes Taliban After Afghan Security Personnel Killed In Attacks RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- The United States has conducted a "defensive" air strike against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province after a checkpoint manned by Afghan forces was attacked.
• Tennessee National Guard begins tornado response Army News 04 Mar 2020 -- Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard have been activated in response to the EF3 tornado that struck Davidson, Wilson, and Putnam counties in the early morning of March 3.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department Of Defense Off-Camera Press Briefing On Coronavirus Response DoD 04 Mar 2020 -- Bob Salesses, Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense For Homeland Defense And Defense Support Of Civil Authorities; Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, Joint Staff Surgeon, Joint Chiefs Of Staff; Jonathan Rath Hoffman, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
• Coronavirus Reveals Weakness in US Military Supply Chain, Officials Say VOA 04 Mar 2020 -- A top U.S. military official and some members of Congress are raising concerns that the United States is too dependent on pharmaceutical products made in China as the spread of the coronavirus highlights supply chain weaknesses. This issue arose as the U.S. government reported the nation's first drug shortage related to the outbreak.
• Triple Nickel completes historic deployment to AUAB CENTCOM 04 Mar 2020 -- More than 300 Airmen with the 555th Fighter Squadron, also known as the "world famous, highly-respected" Triple Nickel, completed the first leg of their deployment after departing Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar in late Feb. 2020.
• Contingency response experts practice teamwork, training during Patriot Sands US Air Force 04 Mar 2020 -- More than 500 Airmen, Soldiers, Coast Guardsmen, FBI personnel and Florida International University-Florida Advanced Surgical Transport, or FIU-FAST, team volunteers trained together during the contingency response exercise, Patriot Sands, Feb. 20-23.
• Top Space Command Official Details Strategies, Needs to House Subcommittee DoD News 04 Mar 2020 -- The U.S. Space Force has to maintain operations in the space domain while setting up operating procedures and other aspects of establishing a new armed force, a top Space Command official said.
• F-35 Program Continues to Make Progress, DOD Official Says DoD News 04 Mar 2020 -- The F-35 program is strong, but not perfect, said its top manager.
• Military Aims to Reform Sustainment, Acquisition to Benefit Warfighters DoD News 04 Mar 2020 -- The Defense Department's acquisition and sustainment efforts are focused on supporting all three lines of the National Defense Strategy, a DOD official said.
• Guard Chief Stresses Strategic Use of Force, Parity With Active Force DoD News 04 Mar 2020 -- The U.S. military cannot do its job without the capabilities inherent in the National Guard, Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel told the Senate appropriations defense subcommittee yesterday.
• Crown Prince of Bahrain Visits NAVCENT NNS 04 Mar 2020 -- The Crown Prince of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, visited U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the U.K. led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) Task Force SENTINEL on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, March 3.
• Secretary General praises Croatia's contributions to NATO, participates in meeting of EU Defence Ministers NATO 04 Mar 2020 -- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Croatia for its strong contributions to NATO during a visit to Zagreb on Wednesday (4 March 2020). The Secretary General is in the country to meet with the country's leadership, as well as attend a meeting of European Union Defence Ministers.
• Poland - Javelin Missile and Command Launch Unit DSCA 04 Mar 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Poland of one hundred eighty (180) Javelin missiles and seventy-nine (79) Javelin Command Launch Units (CLUs) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $100 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• China's newly commissioned destroyer, frigate achieve battle readiness Global Times 04 Mar 2020 -- Two recently commissioned warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy are now ready to do batte after passing an all-subject training examination, the Navy announced on Wednesday, as experts said the service has done well in its sailor training program while receiving more and more warships.
• Confusion and controversy bedevils UK's planned Mali deployment Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- There is growing controversy about Britain's planned deployment of 250 troops to Mali later this year, which has been widely described as the most dangerous since the UK's military intervention in Afghanistan.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For March 4, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 4 March 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 04 Mar 2020
• Vietnamese boats increasingly intruding into Chinese waters for espionage: report Global Times 04 Mar 2020 -- Vietnamese fishing boats have been increasingly intruding into Chinese territorial waters near Hainan Island and Guangdong Province, both are home to many Chinese military bases.
• Chinese Search-and-Rescue Vessel Moves to Fiery Cross Reef Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- A Chinese rescue ship has started operating in and around Fiery Cross Reef, a land feature disputed between China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam in the South China Sea, Radio Free Asia has learned.
• Yemen: UN Population Fund stresses women's needs, amidst world's worst humanitarian crisis UN News 04 Mar 2020 -- Intense clashes in Yemen's Al Hazam City, this month have caused massive displacement with an estimated 1,800 families forced to flee their homes, according to a flash update from UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA.
• The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Thwarting a Terrorist Attack Targeting an Oil Tanker in the Arabian Sea SPA 04 Mar 2020 -- Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki
• Erdogan, Putin to Seek to Avoid Clash Over Syria's Idlib VOA 04 Mar 2020 -- Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Moscow on Thursday for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at de-escalating tensions between the armies of Turkey, a NATO member, and Russia, a nuclear superpower, in Syria's war-torn Idlib province.
• Syria condemns US, Turkey for 'illegal infiltration' of officials into Idlib Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the US and Turkey for the "illegitimate infiltration" of American officials into the Arab country's Idlib province.
• 'Roughly 80,000 anti-Syria militants enjoy Turkey's support' Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- According to data collected by sources from the battlefield in Syria and given to Press TV, there are roughly 80,000 militants who enjoy Turkey's support in their fight against the Syrian government.
• Turkey failed to honor Idlib deal, allowed outposts to merge with terrorist fortifications: Russia Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- Moscow says Ankara has failed to live up to its commitments under a deal to enforce a demilitarized zone in Idlib, complaining that the Turkish military has allowed its observation posts to merge with terrorist fortifications in the northwestern Syrian province.
• Syria: UN food relief agency 'doing everything we can' to reach Idlib civilians UN News 04 Mar 2020 -- Difficult winter weather conditions, road congestion and military manoeuvres are restricting humanitarian aid delivery to desperate civilians in the Syrian province of Idlib, where a Government operation to weed out extremists has uprooted nearly one million people since December.
• UN Seeks Over $800M to Support Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- The United Nations launched a worldwide appeal Tuesday to raise more than U.S. $800 million this year to support around 855,000 Rohingya refugees and 444,000 Bangladeshis who live in host communities in southeastern Bangladesh.
• Flare-up in Fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine State Takes Heavy Toll on Civilians Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- Fighting in war-torn Rakhine state on Thursday drove residents and students from villages in Mrauk-U township as Myanmar soldiers looted and destroyed property, said affected residents as rights groups warned of deteriorating conditions for civilians.
• One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, Four Wounded In East Of Country RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four were wounded during an artillery attack on March 3 in the eastern part of the country, where a conflict with Russia-backed separatists is in its sixth year.
• Deadlock broken, South Sudan on road to 'sustainable peace', but international support still key UN News 04 Mar 2020 -- Positive developments in South Sudan have "moved the country further along the road to sustainable peace", the top UN official there told Security Council members on Wednesday.

News Reports

• FBI Arrests Military Translator on Espionage Charges VOA 04 Mar 2020 -- An American military translator based in Iraq has been arrested and charged with passing the names of intelligence assets to a Lebanese national with suspected ties to the Hezbollah terror group, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
• Defense Department Linguist Charged with Espionage US Dept. of Justice 04 Mar 2020 -- Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was charged today in the District of Columbia with transmitting highly sensitive classified national defense information to a foreign national with apparent connections to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization that has been so designated by the Secretary of State.
• Inspector General Criticizes FBI's Probes of Homegrown Violent Extremism VOA 04 Mar 2020 -- The FBI failed to significantly improve its handling of investigative tips and leads on suspected homegrown violent extremists even after several high-profile terror cases put the spotlight on the problem in recent years, according to a new report from the Justice Department's inspector general.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on March 4, 2020 PRC MofA 04 Mar 2020
• Hong Kong Police Chief Says RTHK Show Could Make Public 'Lose Confidence in Police' Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- Hong Kong's police chief has written to the city's public service broadcaster RTHK to complain about a satirical TV show, which it says will ruin the image of the city's police force.
• Any actions to mess up Hong Kong are doomed to fail: Commissioner's Office of Chinese foreign ministry Global Times 04 Mar 2020 -- The Office of Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday urged some U.S. politicians to stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs, stressing that any actions attempting to mess up Hong Kong are doomed to fail.
• NGOs Urge South Korean President Moon to Focus More on North Korean Human Rights Radio Free Asia 04 Mar 2020 -- A coalition of NGOs recently sent an open letter to South Korean President Moon Jae In, urging his administration to stop ignoring North Korea's human rights abuses.
• Ukraine's Government Reshuffle Raises Concerns Over Reform Agenda RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has abruptly reshuffled the Ukrainian government, putting the country's commitment to reforms into question at a time when Kyiv is seeking to finalize a new loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe The White House 04 Mar 2020
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe The White House 04 Mar 2020
• Exclusive: Moldova's Most Notorious Oligarch Has Been In The U.S. Despite Sanctions, Officials Say RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- He's one of the most powerful, and most notorious, tycoons in Moldova's three decades of independence, a man linked to the "theft of the century" -- the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014.
• Former Armenian Defense Minister Charged With Embezzlement RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- Former Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian has been charged with embezzling more than $2 million worth of state funds during his tenure.
• Georgian President Zurabishvili Reiterates Country's Transatlantic Path RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- In her annual state of the nation address, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has said Moscow's policies will not divert her country from its path toward the European Union and NATO.
• Preliminary Hearings Begin Into Deadly Clashes At Kyrgyz Ex-President's Compound RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- Preliminary closed-door hearings have begun into deadly clashes in and near former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev's compound last year in a Bishkek suburb.
• Serbian President Calls General Election For April 26 RFE/RL 04 Mar 2020 -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called a general election for April 26, which most opposition parties are expected to boycott over corruption and complaints of a lack of democratic freedoms in the Balkan nation.
• EU accuses Turkey of using migrants to pressure Europe Press TV 04 Mar 2020 -- European Union member states say the bloc "strongly rejects" what it sees as Turkey's use of migrants for political ends, after Turkey opened its borders with Syria and allowed thousands of migrants to pour into the continent via Greece.