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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• US military dispatches 35 trucks to oil-rich northeastern Syria: SANA Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Syrian media say the United States has dispatched truckloads of military and logistical equipment to the country's northeastern province of Hasakah as Washington and some of its regional allies keep vying with one another to seize oil reserves and plunder natural resources in the war-battered country.
• US intends to assassinate Iraqi PMU commanders: Iraqi MP Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- A member of the Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee has warned against the ulterior objectives behind redeployment of US troops to various military sites across the Arab country, saying Washington is drawing up plans to target commanders of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi.
• Rockets hit near foreign oil firms in Basra amid alert in Iraq Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Several rockets have landed near offices of foreign and Iraqi oil companies in the southern city of Basra, the military says, amid warnings of false-flag US operation aimed at creating further unrest in the country.
• Rockets Hit Near Site of Foreign Oil Firms, State-Run Companies in Iraq's Basra - Reports Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- In late March, the US military deployed its Patriot missile defence system to the Ayn al-Asad base in Iraq in a move to "protect against another potential Iranian attack".
• Afghan Taliban says deal with US nearing breaking point Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- The Taliban militant group in Afghanistan says a peace deal recently signed with the United States is nearing a breaking point because Washington and the Afghan government are violating its terms.
• U.S. Rejects Taliban Claim It Is Violating Doha Peace Deal RFE/RL 06 Apr 2020 -- The U.S. military has rejected a claim by the Afghan Taliban that the United States is violating the terms of a peace deal signed by the two sides in late February.
• Taliban Warns Peace Deal At Risk Amid 'Repeated Violations' by US Airstrikes Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- The Afghan Taliban militant group has warned that the peace deal signed with Washington in Doha, Qatar, is at severe risk by "repeated violations" of that agreement in the form of US airstrikes. However, the Pentagon has denied its responsibility for the attacks.
• Federal Government of Somalia, AFRICOM target al-Shabaab AFRICOM 06 Apr 2020 -- (updated April 13: Event re-characterized as one airstrike with several engagements; it was initially characterized as three separate airstrikes)

Defense Policy / Programs

• Number of Novel Coronavirus Cases in US Military Soars by Nearly 50% in 3 Days - Pentagon Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- The US military has so far recorded 2,528 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a rise of around 800 since Friday, the Department of Defence announced on Monday.
• Wisconsin Guard testing elderly at Sheboygan living facility Army News 06 Apr 2020 -- The Wisconsin National Guard dispatched a team April 5 to a senior living facility in Sheboygan to establish a mobile testing site and collect COVID-19 specimens.
• Texas Guard mobilizes to respond to COVID-19 Army News 06 Apr 2020 -- The Texas National Guard is mobilized throughout the state to help expand health care capacity during the COVID-19 threat.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 06 Apr 2020
• Captain removed from coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier reportedly tests positive for COVID-19 People's Daily 06 Apr 2020 -- Captain Brett Crozier, who has commanded aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt until his recent removal by the Navy for sounding the alarm about a coronavirus outbreak on board, has tested positive for the virus, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
• Air Force Reserve mobilizes medics to New York for COVID-19 response US Air Force 06 Apr 2020 -- Within 48 hours of notification, the Air Force Reserve mobilized more than 120 medical personnel across the nation to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to help with the fight against COVID-19 in New York City.
• Acting US Navy Secretary: Fired Carrier Captain Was 'Stupid', Committed 'Betrayal' of Sailors Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- The acting Navy Department chief blasted the recently fired captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt to the ship's crew on Sunday, saying Captain Brett Crozier had been either "too naive or too stupid" to be in command. Crozier was fired last week for penning a letter begging for help fighting a COVID-19 outbreak on the warship.
• U.S. Army places temporary hold on new recruits to basic training Army News 06 Apr 2020 -- The U.S. Army has temporarily delayed the movement of future Soldiers to Basic Combat Training effective April 6.
• Army Orders Pause in Shipment of Trainees to Initial Military Training DoD News 06 Apr 2020 -- The Army will temporarily halt the movement of soldiers to basic combat training because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command said.
• Army delays recruit movement to basic training, offers incentive pay Army News 06 Apr 2020 -- To help slow the spread of coronavirus, the Army will halt the movement of new recruits to basic combat training for at least two weeks, service leaders said Monday. New recruits may also be eligible to receive up to $6,000 of delayed shipping incentive pay added to any existing bonuses, depending on the length of delay.
• Department Of Defense Press Briefing by TRADOC & USAREC Commanders DoD 06 Apr 2020 -- General Paul E. Funk II, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command; Major General Frank M. Muth, Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; Major General Lonnie Hibbard, Commanding General for the Center of Initial Military Training
• 31st MEU cyber operations section attaches, deploys for first time, increasing active defense in cyberspace USMC News 06 Apr 2020 -- In the same way that the ships of the USS America Expeditionary Strike Group patrol the seas to provide safety and maritime security against any threat, so too do the Marines of Defensive Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defensive Measures in the cyber realm, according to 2nd Lt. Adam Kosianowski, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit DCO-IDM officer in charge.
• NATO Takes Steps to Combat Coronavirus DoD News 06 Apr 2020 -- The coronavirus pandemic dominated a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels last week, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
• China Develops New Training Jet for Type 002 Carrier Pilots Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will be able to cut costs in training its next generation of carrier pilots with the recent development of a new training aircraft derived from an older fighter jet.
• Why China is Developing Military Vessels at the Center of its Coronavirus Outbreak VOA 06 Apr 2020 -- As China continues to recover from COVID-19, the city where the now global disease began is stepping up ship production for military and commercial purposes as part of its broader economic recovery, domestic media and experts say.
• Joint Statement from Co-Chairs of the ASEAN- U.S. High Level Interagency Video Conference to Counter COVID-19 US Dept. of State 06 Apr 2020 -- The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States and Vietnam as Co-Chairs of the ASEAN – U.S. High-level Interagency Video Conference to Counter COVID-19 held on April 1, 2020.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For April 6, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 6 April 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 06 Apr 2020
• PRC's Reported Sinking of a Vietnamese Fishing Vessel in the South China Sea US Dept. of State 06 Apr 2020 -- "We are seriously concerned by reports of the PRC’s sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea."
• US condemns sinking of Vietnam fishing vessel by Chinese Coast Guard Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2020 -- The United States said Monday it was "seriously concerned" by the recent sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel by the China Coast Guard and accused Beijing of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to expand its "unlawful claims" in the South China Sea.
• Yemeni forces take areas in eastern Jawf, uncover Daesh prisons Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Yemeni army and popular committees have purged areas in eastern al-Jawf Province of Takfiri militants and uncovered homes-turned-prisons that were run by the Daesh terrorist group.
• Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime UN News 06 Apr 2020 -- The UN has condemned the shelling of the women's section of the Central Prison in a district of Yemen's war-torn Taizz Governerate, in the south of the country, which has left at least five women and one child dead, and wounding more than 11, with casualties expected to rise.
• Calls Grow for Release of Political Prisoners in Syria Amid Coronavirus Outbreak VOA 06 Apr 2020 -- The rapid spread of the coronavirus has raised concerns among United Nations officials and rights groups about the fate of political prisoners in war-ravaged Syria.
• Terrorists in Syria demonstrate against Ankara, demand salaries Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Turkish-backed terrorists positioned in northeastern Syria have staged a protest denouncing their treatment by Turkey and demanding their salaries to be paid.
• Syria: Warring parties failed to abide by international law over hospital attacks UN News 06 Apr 2020 -- Parties to Syria's brutal civil war, now in its tenth year, failed to abide by their obligations under international law to avoid attacks on hospitals and other civilian facilities that featured on the UN's so-called deconfliction list, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.
• Turkish Defence Ministry to Minimise Troop Movements in Syria Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- The Turkish Defen?e Ministry has ordered to minimise the movement of its military in Syria due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Libyan government forces down rebel cargo plane near Tripoli Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Libyan government forces have shot down a cargo plane operated by rebel forces near the capital, Tripoli.
• Libya's GNA Accuses LNA of Violating Peace Deal During COVID-19 Crisis Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) has accused the Libyan National Army (LNA) of violating a ceasefire deal during the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the GNA was ready to cease hostilities in Libya in response to calls by the United Nations and members of the European Union.
• Indian Army Kills Five Pak Supported Terrorists India PIB 06 Apr 2020-- Indian Army launched a daring operation at the Line of Control and engaged Pak supported infiltrators in a Close Quarter Battle in heavy snow, neutralising the entire infiltrating batch of five.
• Militant raid kills 20 soldiers in south-central Mali Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- About 20 soldiers have been killed in a pre-dawn attack on an army camp in a south-central region of Mali.
• Chinese Campaign in Tibet Rewards Tibetans for Reporting on Each Other Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2020 -- Chinese authorities in the Tibetan Autonomous Region recently announced a campaign aimed at stamping out rumors and misinformation, but Tibet analysts say that its true purpose is to stifle freedom of expression, especially among advocates of Tibetan independence.

News Reports

• Ousted US intelligence inspector Atkinson calls on others to defend whistleblowers Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Michael Atkinson, the outgoing intelligence community inspector general fired by President Donald Trump on Friday, has called on others to speak out and defend whistleblowers.
• Fired Inspector General 'Saddened' by Trump Move VOA 06 Apr 2020 -- The intelligence community inspector general who alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint about President Donald Trump's contacts with Ukraine says he is "disappointed and saddened" that Trump removed him from office.
• A Sale Or A Sham: Rosneft Ditched Venezuelan Assets, But Will It Shed U.S. Sanctions? RFE/RL 06 Apr 2020 -- As oil markets tumbled to near 20-year lows amid an unprecedented energy-industry crisis made by man and nature, Russia's largest oil company issued a terse press release with big news: it would be exiting Venezuela after 10 years and billions of dollars in investments.
• US Designates Russian White Supremacist Group as Terror Organization VOA 06 Apr 2020 -- The United States has designated the white supremacist group Russian Imperial Movement (RIM,) as a global terrorist organization, an unprecedented move that reflects increasing concerns about violent white supremacists with transnational connections.
• U.S. Designates Russia-Based White Supremacist Group, Leaders As Terrorists RFE/RL 06 Apr 2020 -- The United States has designated the ultranationalist Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) along with three of its leaders as terrorists, marking the first time the classification has been applied to a white supremacist group.
• Briefing With Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Nathan A. Sales On the United States Designation of the Russian Imperial Movement And its Leaders as Global Terrorists US Dept. of State 06 Apr 2020
• Trump Says He Would Impose Tariffs On Oil Imports If Russia, Saudi Arabia Fail To Cut RFE/RL 06 Apr 2020 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "absolutely" impose tariffs on oil imports if Russia and Saudi Arabia cannot reach an agreement to cut crude oil production.
• Lack of Answers Makes 'Clear' Missing Academics Are Detained in Xinjiang Camps: Exile Group Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2020 -- The fate of several missing Uyghur academics in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) remains a closely guarded secret, which members of the Uyghur exile community say makes "clear" that they have been detained in the region's vast network of internment camps.
• North Korea Executes Three Officials For Theft of Emergency Food Supplies Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2020 -- Authorities in North Korea executed without trial three high-ranking officials last week on charges of treason, for allegedly stealing food from the country's strategic supply and selling it on the open market amid skyrocketing prices resulting from the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, sources within the isolated country told RFA.
• Iran's Sanctions Relief Scam US Dept. of State 06 Apr 2020
• US bullying shows more during coronavirus outbreak: Gov't spokesman IRNA 06 Apr 2020 -- The spokesman of the Government of Iran said on Monday in his second video press conference that the bullying behavior of the United Stated was more clearly manifested during the time of the coronavirus outbreak.
• Iran hails INSTEX service, saying not enough compared to EU commitments to Iran IRNA 06 Apr 2020 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday that INSTEX launched by the EU states carried transactions for medical and emergency supplies, adding that Iran expects the EU partners to implement other commitments to Iran as well.
• Iran has not asked and will never ask US for medical assistance: FM spox ISNA 06 Apr 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that Iran has not asked and will never ask the United States to help Tehran in its fight against the new coronavirus.
• Iran draws €1bn from sovereign wealth fund to fight virus Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has approved a government request for tapping into the sovereign wealth fund to finance the current nationwide fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Iran to have blocked funds released: Government spokesman Press TV 06 Apr 2020 -- The Iranian government says it will soon have parts of funds blocked abroad because of the US sanctions released and return to the country for the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
• Iran's production from South Pars Gas Field more than 700 million cubic meters IRNA 06 Apr 2020 -- The managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company with installation of the jacket of Phase 11 the natural gas production of the gas field surpassed 700 million cubic meters.
• China to launch last satellite for BeiDou navigation system in May PLA Daily 06 Apr 2020 -- China is expected to launch the last satellite for its BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System in May from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
• Turkmen District Further Restricts Daily ATM Cash Withdrawals, Card Payments RFE/RL 06 Apr 2020 -- DARGANATA, Turkmenistan -- Authorities in Turkmenistan's eastern Darganata district have further limited daily ATM cash withdrawals for individuals, another sign the Central Asian energy-rich nation may be cash-strapped.
• Level of Radiation in Ukraine's Chernobyl Spikes Above Normal Rate Amid Forest Fires - Lawmaker Sputnik 06 Apr 2020 -- Ukrainian firefighters continue to combat a fire that originated in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, established after the nuclear disaster of 1986, with the fire reportedly covering 20 hectares.