Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Joint Statement on Behalf of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS on the First Anniversary of ISIS's Territorial Defeat US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2020 -- One year ago the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS, in conjunction with our local partners, liberated ISIS's last remaining stronghold in Baghouz and crushed its territorial ambitions.
• US plans to build new base in western Iraq for Patriot missile system deployment: Source Press TV 23 Mar 2020 -- An Iraqi security source says the US military intends to construct a new military base in the country's western province of al-Anbar for the deployment of Patriot missile systems.
• On the Political Impasse in Afghanistan US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2020 -- Press Statement by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Pompeo Leaves Kabul Without Announcing Deal Between Ghani, Abdullah RFE/RL 23 Mar 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has completed an urgent visit to Kabul without saying whether he was able to broker an agreement between Afghanistan's quarreling political leaders.
• Pompeo arrives in Afghanistan in bid to help salvage US-Taliban deal Press TV 23 Mar 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Afghanistan on a trip that aims to save the so-called peace deal signed between the Taliban and the United States.
• How The Taliban Went From International Pariah To U.S. Peace Partner In Afghanistan RFE/RL 23 Mar 2020 -- In the mid-1990s, U.S. oil company Unocal attempted to secure a gas-pipeline deal with the Taliban, which had seized control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, after a devastating civil war.
• Pompeo in Kabul to Resolve Crisis, Salvage Deal VOA 23 Mar 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a previously unannounced visit to Kabul Monday to try to resolve a political dispute between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah.
• USNS Mercy to Care for Non-COVID-19 Patients in Los Angeles DoD News 23 Mar 2020 -- In a matter of days, the Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy will sail from San Diego and dock in the port of Los Angeles to help lift the burden from local medical treatment facilities that need to focus their resources on patients affected by the coronavirus pandemic, a Navy official said today.
• USNS Mercy Departs San Diego NNS 23 Mar 2020 -- The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Naval Station San Diego today, and is now underway to Los Angeles in support of the nation's COVID-19 response efforts.
• Mercy Heads to Los Angeles VOA 23 Mar 2020 -- The USNS Mercy hospital ship has left its San Diego port for Los Angeles on Monday to help support the city's response to an overwhelming number of coronavirus cases.
• NY National Guard supports hospitals with tents for treatment Army News 23 Mar 2020 -- The New York National Guard helped hospitals across the state establish dedicated space for an expected influx of patients showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Defense Policy / Programs

• First Marine F-35C Squadron Attains Next Aviation Milestone USMC News 23 Mar 2020 -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 celebrated the results of over five months of F-35C Lightning II transition training when they received their Safe-For-Flight Operations Certification at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar March 20, 2020. VMFA-314 and the U.S. Navy's F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron 125, diligently worked together toward this historic accomplishment even while conducting precautionary measures to stem the spread of novel coronavirus.
• NAVFAC Southeast Awards Contract for Dry Dock Recapitalization Project at NSB Kings Bay NNS 23 Mar 2020 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $191.9 million fixed-price award-fee contract March 20 to Alberici-Mortenson, Joint Venture out of St. Louis, Missouri. The first phase of the Design-Bid-Build contract is for the recapitalization of the dry dock at Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay, Georgia.
• Ready for the Fleet: Ford Completes Flight Deck, CATCC Certifications NNS 23 Mar 2020 -- "Man all flight quarters stations!" These words were heard across every space on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) last week as she prepared to launch "cat" and recover "trap" aircraft from Carrier Air Wing EIGHT (CVW 8), in order to complete Flight Deck Certification (FDC) and Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC) Certification, Mar. 20.
• Stoltenberg Charts NATO's COVID-19 Progress, Announces Survey Results DoD News 23 Mar 2020 -- In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, NATO is doing what it does best – working together to confront threats, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
• Capital outlay for Defence Budget India PIB 23 Mar 2020 -- M/o Finance has allocated Rs 1,13,734.00 crore for BE 2020-21 under Grant No. 20-Capital Outlay on Defence Services, which is an increase of Rs 10,339.69 crore over BE 2019-20 allocation and Rs 3,339.69 crore over RE 2019-20 allocation. In RE 2019-20 Rs 7,000 crore increase has been given reversing the trend of no allocation/reduced allocation at RE stage.
• Defence export of the country India PIB 23 Mar 2020 -- Various reforms/steps have been taken to enhance Defence exports. These reforms have provided a big boost to defence exports in the recent times. The authorisation for defence exports in the country have grown seven folds in the last two years.
• Modernisation of Defence Industry India PIB 23 Mar 2020 -- The following steps have been taken by the government which would help in bringing in critical technologies and modernize the Defence Industry in the country:-
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to the Traveling Press US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For March 23, 2020

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni attacks will continue as long as Saudi-led aggression, siege continue: Army spox Press TV 23 Mar 2020 -- The spokesman for Yemen's Armed Forces says Yemeni army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees will continue their retaliatory attacks as long as the Saudi-led coalition persists with its military aggression and blockade on the Arab country.
• Turkey Pledges to Neutralise Militants Impeding Joint Patrols in Idlib - Russian Military Sputnik 23 Mar 2020 -- The statement comes as Russia and Turkey conducted a second joint patrol of the M4 Aleppo-Latakia highway in the Idlib Province of northwestern Syria.
• UNICEF sounds alarm over water cuts in Syria as efforts ramp up to prevent COVID-19 spread UN News 23 Mar 2020 -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its relief partners in Syria are warning that water disruptions in the country's war-battered north-east could exacerbate risks posed by the global coronavirus pandemic.
• Abkhaz Opposition Leader Wins Repeat Presidential Vote In Breakaway Georgian Region RFE/RL 23 Mar 2020 -- Separatist officials in the globally unrecognized Abkhaz republic have declared opposition leader Aslan Bzhania as the winner of an election for the de facto presidency in the breakaway region of Georgia.
• Myanmar Declares The Arakan Army an 'Unlawful Organization' Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- Myanmar on Monday designated the Arakan Army, an ethnic force engaged in a yearlong armed fight against the government, and affiliates as unlawful organizations and terrorist groups, state television reported.
• Arakan Army Attacks Military Training School in Myanmar's Minbya Township Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- The Arakan Army on Monday attacked a regional military training school in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, sparking fighting in nearby areas that left casualties on both sides, spokesmen from the two armies and a local lawmaker said.
• MH17 Case Hearings Postponed Until June 8 to Give Defense More Time - Dutch Court Sputnik 23 Mar 2020 -- Court proceedings regarding the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) have been suspended until June 8 following a brief Monday hearing that was limited due to COVID-19 novel coronavirus-related restrictions.
• MH17 Trial Resumes Briefly Amid Coronavirus Restrictions RFE/RL 23 Mar 2020 -- The trial in absentia of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple counts of murder over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 resumed briefly at The Hague on March 23 amid coronavirus restrictions.

News Reports

• Russian Demand For Consumer Credit, Mortgages Jumps As Ruble Weakens, COVID-19 Spreads RFE/RL 23 Mar 2020 -- Russians have been applying for consumer credit and mortgages in greater numbers due to fears that prices and rates will soon increase, the business daily RBC reported.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on March 23, 2020 PRC MofA 23 Mar 2020
• China's President Feeling The Pressure From Dissent in Own Party Radio Free Asia 23 Mar 2020 -- President Xi Jinping is under growing political pressure from within the ranks of the ruling Chinese Communist Party over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
• China Confronts Next Coronavirus Challenge: Restarting Its Economy VOA 23 Mar 2020 -- The number of coronavirus infections was still surging and the peak was yet to come. That was when China made a seemingly inconceivable call in early February: Everyone should go back to work.
• Chinese Virus Aid to Europe Raises Long-Term Concerns VOA 23 Mar 2020 -- Planeloads of Chinese medical supplies, doctors and quarantine specialists have begun landing in European capitals on an almost daily basis, prompting some analysts to worry the humanitarian effort will ultimately give Beijing greater economic and political leverage over the European Union.
• Iran doubts US' claims over COVID19 IRNA 23 Mar 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry in a twitter message reacted to the remarks of the US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortegas and said the US administration could answer the questions posed by "Global Research" if they think accusations against US are fabricated theories by Iran.
• Khamenei's Lies About the Wuhan Virus Put Lives at Risk US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2020 -- "Supreme Leader Khamenei's fabrications regarding the Wuhan Virus are dangerous and they put Iranians and people around the world at greater risk. Facts matter. Here are a few the Iranian regime would like to keep from the world:"
• Turkey arrests 5 Kurdish mayors as crackdown continues Press TV 23 Mar 2020 -- Turkey has arrested five mayors of the Kurdish-majority areas as part of its ongoing crackdown against the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP).
• Kurdish Crackdown Continues in Turkey, Despite Health Emergency VOA 23 Mar 2020 -- Turkish security forces detained five elected Kurdish mayors Monday in anti-terror raids, a move that was condemned by human rights groups, as Turkey is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.