Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., Commander, U.S. Central Command Holds a Press Briefing on Defensive Strikes Against Iran DoD 13 Mar 2020 -- Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., Commander, U.S. Central Command
• U.S. Strikes 5 Kata'ib Hezbollah Targets in Iraq DoD News 13 Mar 2020 -- Just days after Wednesday's rocket attack on Camp Taji, Iraq, killed two U.S. service members and a military medic from the U.K., the United States struck back by attacking five weapons sites, the commander of U.S. Central Command said during a Pentagon briefing today.
• U.S. military conducts retaliatory strikes against Shia militia in Iraq People's Daily 13 Mar 2020 -- The Pentagon confirmed Thursday night that the U.S. military conducted strikes against a Shia militia group's facilities across Iraq, as a response to Wednesday's rocket attack on Iraq's Camp Taji military base that had killed two U.S. soldiers and one British service member.
• U.S. airstrikes hit Iraqi paramilitary headquarters People's Daily 13 Mar 2020 -- The U.S. military carried out overnight airstrikes on paramilitary Hashd Shaabi headquarters south of Baghdad, the Iraqi military said on Friday.
• Tensions Rise After U.S. Launches Strikes On Iran-Backed Fighters In Iraq RFE/RL 13 Mar 2020 -- U.S. air strikes that killed several members of a pro-Iranian militia group in Iraq have heightened tensions in the region, with Baghdad denouncing the attack as a violation of the country's sovereignty and Tehran warning President Donald Trump against taking "dangerous actions."
• Threat From Iran Remains 'Very High' After US Retaliatory Strikes in Iraq - CENTCOM Chief Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- A top US general said Friday that the threat from Iran is still high, one day after the US conducted retaliatory strikes against Iraqi Shia paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah in response to a Wednesday attack on the Camp Taji military base in Iraq that killed at least three service members and injured 14 others.
• Iraq calls in US, British envoys after multiple airstrikes on Hashd Sha'abi positions Press TV 13 Mar 2020 -- The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has summoned the US and British ambassadors to Baghdad over a string of airstrikes carried out by the United States against multiple locations of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi.
• Iran Refutes Involvement in Airstrikes on Iraqi Military Base Camp Taji Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, refuted on Friday his country's involvement in airstrikes on Iraqi military base Camp Taji, in which three servicemen of the US-led coalition against Daesh* were killed.
• Iraqi Military Slams Overnight US Strikes That Killed Six People Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- The day before, the US conducted retaliatory strikes in Iraq following Wednesday's attack on the Camp Taji military base in the country that killed at least three service members and injured 14 others.
• US wages airstrikes against multiple Hashd Sha'abi positions across Iraq Press TV 13 Mar 2020 -- The United States has carried out a string of airstrikes against multiple locations of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, only a day after more than a dozen of the Iraqi fighters were killed by airstrikes targeting an area in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour.
• Afghanistan summons UN official over meeting with president's rival Press TV 13 Mar 2020 -- The Afghan Foreign Ministry has summoned the United Nations (UN) special representative for Afghanistan to protest his meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, a former official and a rival to incumbent President Ashraf Ghani.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Two US Aircraft Carriers to Continue Operating in Middle East Amid Escalation With Iran - Pentagon Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- The United States will continue operating two aircraft carriers in the Middle East for the first time in nearly a decade amid a dramatic spike in tensions with Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Kenneth McKenzie told reporters on Friday.
• Commander Task Force 72 Concludes Exercise with Royal Australian Navy NNS 13 Mar 2020 -- Commander Task Force (CTF) 72 wrapped up its participation in the Australian navy's Fleet Certification Period 2020 (FCP20), March 7.
• Pentagon Considers Reviewing Its Hefty Cloud Contract With Microsoft After Amazon Lawsuit Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- Earlier on Thursday, a US judge ordered a temporary halt to the Pentagon-Microsoft contract related to the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud-computing project.
• DOD Officials Describe Missile Defense Efforts DoD News 13 Mar 2020 -- BY Defending the homeland and deployed forces, allies and partners from missile threats of any type is the military's top priority.
• PLA Air Force issues aircraft painting and marking regulations PLA Daily 13 Mar 2020 -- The Chinese PLA Air Force issued Regulations on Air Force Aircraft Painting and Marking (Trial) recently (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations).
• China conducts airborne gravimetry in Antarctica for first time PLA Daily 13 Mar 2020 -- A team from the College of Intelligence Science and Technology under the PLA National University of Defense Technology（NUTD）has successfully carried out airborne gravimetry in high latitudes of Antarctica from December 1, 2019 to March 1, 2020, with their self-developed high-level strap-down gravimeter.
• Experts: N. Korea's Recent Launches Tested Missiles to Target S. Korea VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- In recent tests, North Korea has been improving the firepower of its missiles that can target South Korea, making them ready to deploy on a battlefield, experts said.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Guides Artillery Fire Competition of Artillery Units under KPA Corps 7 and Corps 9 KCNA 13 Mar 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, guided an artillery fire competition between the artillery units under the Korean People's Army Corps 7 and Corps 9 on March 12.
• MND denies reports alleging KMT legislator sought classified documents CNA 13 Mar 2020 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Friday issued a statement denying media reports that had accused opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) of requesting confidential files related to national security, following a public appeal by the lawmaker to set the record straight.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For March 13, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 13 March 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 Mar 2020
• More support needed for victims of sexual abuse by UN personnel UN News 13 Mar 2020 -- Although measures to support victims of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) committed by UN personnel are proving effective, there is still room to do more, the senior official leading these efforts told journalists in New York on Friday.
• As Syrian conflict enters 10th year, 'brutal truth' is, there is little protection for families UN News 13 Mar 2020 -- Although a fragile ceasefire agreed in northwest Syria is still holding, UN humanitarians on Friday warned of dire conditions for hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by conflict, now in its tenth year.
• Turkey, Russia flesh out Syria ceasefire deal: Ankara Press TV 13 Mar 2020 -- Turkey and Russia have agreed to begin joint patrols along a key highway in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib as part of a recent ceasefire agreement between the two sides, Turkey's defense minister says.
• Myanmar Military Suing Lawmaker, Reuters Under Telecommunications Law VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- Lawmakers around Southeast Asia are coming to the defense of one of their counterparts in Myanmar, who faces legal action after he told the Reuters news agency that military shelling had left two Rohingya Muslim women dead.

News Reports

• The Week In Russia: Zero Hour RFE/RL 13 Mar 2020 -- In a country with the formal trappings of a democracy, Russian President Vladimir Putin has held onto power for over 20 years while adhering to the letter of the law, or at least the constitution as it applies to the presidency -- and arguably even to its spirit.
• All Russian Regions OK Constitutional Amendments Paving Way For Putin To Run Again RFE/RL 13 Mar 2020 -- All of Russia's regions have approved new amendments to the constitution, a step that opens the possibility of President Vladimir Putin remaining in power for another 16 years.
• Long Island Woman Sentenced to 13 Years' Imprisonment for Providing Material Support to ISIS US Dept. of Justice 13 Mar 2020 -- Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Zoobia Shahnaz was sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically more than $150,000 to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Shahnaz pleaded guilty in November 2018.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on March 13, 2020 PRC MofA 13 Mar 2020
• China details measures to boost consumption, mitigate virus impact Global Times 13 Mar 2020 -- Chinese authorities on Friday released a guideline aimed at boosting consumption and unleashing the potential of the domestic market to cushion the blow of the ongoing epidemic on economic activities.
• Xi talks with UN chief, calling for urgent int'l action against COVID-19 People's Daily 13 Mar 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over phone, urging the international community to take urgent action in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
• China Seeks More Production From Bloated Industries Radio Free Asia 13 Mar 2020 -- As China urges businesses to get back to work, it is relying on industries like autos and steel with record high inventories of unsold goods that may drag on an economic recovery.
• China's polar-observing satellite completes Antarctic mission Global Times 13 Mar 2020 -- China's first polar-observing satellite has completed its Antarctic observation mission after orbiting Earth for six months.
• Cambodia Lashes Out at US Diplomat Over Remarks on Opposition Leader Kem Sokha's Trial Radio Free Asia 13 Mar 2020 -- Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday expressed "great disappointment" over recent remarks by U.S. Ambassador Patrick Murphy pertaining to the treason trial of opposition leader Kem Sokha, suggesting he had placed "undue influence" on a judiciary widely seen as beholden to the ruling party.
• New Dam Planned in Same District as Xe Pian Xe Namnoi Collapse in Southern Laos Radio Free Asia 13 Mar 2020 -- A new dam is set to go up in southern Laos, in the district where two years ago a major dam collapse caused a flood that was described as the country's worst in decades.
• U.S. Aid Agency 'Pauses' Kosovo Programs In Latest Push For Breakthrough With Serbia RFE/RL 13 Mar 2020 -- A bilateral U.S. foreign aid agency that specializes in development assistance in Kosovo has announced its suspension of a program to help boost prospects for economic growth in that decade-old Balkan state until Pristina "resolves" its "tariff issue" with neighbor Serbia.
• UN: Worsening Violence in Burkina Faso Forcing Thousands to Flee VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- The United Nations refugee agency says escalating violence in Burkina Faso is forcing thousands to flee their homes and prompting an increasing number of refugees from Mali to return to their home country.
• U.S. Offers 'Competitively' Priced Oil To Belarus RFE/RL 13 Mar 2020 -- The U.S. State Department has announced "the willingness of U.S. companies to begin immediately selling oil to Belarus at competitive market prices" in a clear signal to Minsk -- and neighboring Russia -- of Washington's desire to expand trade ties with the post-Soviet country of around 10 million people.
• US Firms Ready to 'Immediately' Start Selling Oil to Belarus - State Dept Sputnik 13 Mar 2020 -- US energy companies are prepared to immediately start selling oil to Belarus at market prices, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a press release on Friday.
• African Union Strongly Denies Allegations of Cronyism, Corruption VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- A spokesperson for African Union chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has rejected allegations that the organization is run like a "mafia-style" cartel, a term used in a leaked internal memo from AU staff accusing their boss of corruption and cronyism.
• US Sanctions Another Russian Company for Supporting Maduro Regime VOA 13 Mar 2020 -- The United States imposed sanctions on another Russian state-controlled Rosneft Oil subsidiary for providing financial help to Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro regime.