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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• In attempt to save peace talks, Afghan govt. frees 100 Taliban prisoners Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- The Afghan government has released 100 low-risk Taliban prisoners, officials say, a day after the militant group said they would quit talks with Kabul.
• Taliban recall negotiators after breaking off prisoner swap talks Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- The Taliban militant group has called back its negotiating team from the Afghan capital, Kabul, after breaking off talks with the government on a prisoner swap.
• Afghan Government Frees 100 Taliban Prisoners VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- The Afghan government freed 100 Taliban prisoners Wednesday, a day after the insurgent group accused Kabul of foot-dragging and recalled its team from week-long meetings on a much-awaited prisoner swap between the two foes.
• Somali Officials Confirm US Airstrike Killed Senior Al-Shabab Leader VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- A Somali intelligence official has confirmed that a U.S. airstrike in southern Somalia killed a senior leader of militant group al-Shabab.
• Press Briefing by Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Joseph Lengyel and Louisiana Adjutant General Brigadier General Keith Waddell DoD 08 Apr 2020 -- Air Force General Joseph L. Lengyel, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Army Brigadier General Keith Waddell, Adjutant General Of Louisiana
• Corps of Engineers Makes Way For Thousands of Hospital Beds DoD News 08 Apr 2020 -- The Army Corps of Engineers is making significant progress in providing thousands of hospital beds for the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic in facilities built to handle patients with and without the virus.
• Corps of Engineers Rapidly Assessing, Building Hospital Spaces DoD News 08 Apr 2020 -- At the request of mayors and governors from multiple states and territories, Army Corps of Engineers personnel are assessing or building structures for both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 hospitals.
• DOD Ramps Up COVID-19 Response Efforts From Coast to Coast DoD News 08 Apr 2020 -- The coronavirus pandemic is slowing down a lot of things, but not the Defense Department's medical apparatus, which is now operating from coast to coast to bring its medical expertise and capacity to bear on the medical crisis around the nation.
• US Army Hard-Pressed to Build Temporary Hospitals Before COVID-19 Peak VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- The head of the Army Corps of Engineers is warning that his team is “beginning to run out of time” to build new temporary hospitals to expand capacity to combat the coronavirus across the country.
• New Jersey National Guard Sets Up Field Medical Station at Meadowlands DoD News 08 Apr 2020 -- Twenty-five New Jersey National Guard citizen soldiers and airmen answered the call for volunteers to set up a field medical station at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey.
• USNS Comfort Receives Critical Supplies in Support of NYC COVID-19 Response NNS 08 Apr 2020 -- Medical care providers aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) received critical supplies in support of COVID-19 response efforts in New York City, April 8.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CNO Message to the Fleet NNS 08 Apr 2020 -- The events of the past week have been difficult for our Navy and our nation. We will learn from them. But make no mistake, we are moving forward. The Navy has our orders and we are executing them.
• U.S. Navy chief who fired captain of coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier resigns: report People's Daily 08 Apr 2020 -- Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Thomas Modly reportedly resigned Tuesday after being forced to do so over his firing an aircraft carrier captain, who alarmed high-ranking officials about a novel coronavirus outbreak on board and pleaded for help.
• Sailor on Fourth US Navy Aircraft Carrier Diagnosed With COVID-19 Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- A fourth US aircraft carrier now has cases of COVID-19 among its crew. The USS Nimitz was preparing to deploy later this month for sea trials and had already begun bringing crew aboard.
• Jolly Green II taken to extremes US Air Force 08 Apr 2020 -- An HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force's new combat search and rescue helicopter, completed a month-long trial of extremes inside the McKinley Climatic Lab April 2.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper's Phone Call With Ukrainian Minister of Defense Andrii Taran DoD 08 Apr 2020
• DOJ Agrees to Civil Settlement with Additional Firm Involved in Bid Rigging and Fraud Targeting Defense Department Fuel Supply Contracts for U.S. Military Bases in South Korea US Dept. of Justice 08 Apr 2020 -- South Korea-based company Jier Shin Korea Co. Ltd., and its president, Sang Joo Lee, have agreed to pay $2 million to the United States for civil antitrust and False Claims Act violations for their involvement in a bid-rigging conspiracy that targeted contracts to supply fuel to U.S. military bases in South Korea, the Department of Justice announced today.
• Coronavirus response: KFOR delivers personal protective equipment to North and South Mitrovica NATO 08 Apr 2020 -- KFOR delivered today personal protective equipment against COVID19 to the Municipalities of North and South Mitrovica
• Coronavirus response: Third C-17 cargo plane lands in Romania with 100,000 protective suits NATO 08 Apr 2020 -- A military plane filled with 45 tons of medical supplies landed at Bucharest airport on Wednesday morning (8 April 2020). The C-17 Globemaster transport plane, which arrived from Seoul, carried 100,000 protective medical suits as part of efforts to combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Romanian government had purchased the equipment.
• NATO strengthens support for United Nations peacekeepers NATO 08 Apr 2020 -- At their meeting on April 2, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed to enhance practical cooperation with the United Nations (UN) through a package of capacity building support to UN peacekeeping.
• Y-20 cargo plane-Type 15 tank combination enhances Chinese military capability Global Times 08 Apr 2020 -- One domestically made Y-20 large cargo aircraft can reportedly carry two newly commissioned Type 15 tanks for long-range transport operations, and this new combination will enhance the Chinese military's strategic transport capability, experts said on Wednesday.
• French Navy Flagship Will Return to Port Due to Coronavirus Symptoms on Board Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- The country is trying to curb the pandemic via severe quarantine measures. At least 73,488 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 8,896 have succumbed to the disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Iran's overhauled, radar-evading Ghadir-class submarine joins naval fleet Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- An overhauled radar-evading Ghadir-class Iranian submarine has joined the country's naval fleet.
• Mirage fighters based in Northern Taiwan to be temporarily relocated CNA 08 Apr 2020 -- Most of the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets based at the Hsinchu air base will be temporarily moved to another location for about two years due to scheduled runway maintenance, Defense Minister Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said Wednesday.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For April 8, 2020
• Philly Shipyard Wins Major Training Ships Contract Philly Shipyard 08 Apr 2020-- Philly Shipyard, Inc., the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA, has been awarded a contract for the construction of up to five (5) National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) from TOTE Services, LLC (TOTE), an industry leader in ship management, marine operations and vessel services. TOTE was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) as the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program in May 2019.

Other Conflicts

• 8 April 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Apr 2020
• Manila Criticizes Beijing Over Sinking of Vietnamese Boat in South China Sea Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2020 -- The Philippines expressed "deep concern" Wednesday over a Chinese coast guard ship's alleged sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the disputed South China Sea last week, as Manila joined Hanoi and Washington in criticizing Beijing over the incident.
• Yemeni missile strike kills dozens of Saudi-led soldiers, mercenaries Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- Dozens of Saudi-led soldiers and Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have been killed when Yemeni army forces and their allies fired a domestically-manufactured ballistic missile at their camp in the southern Yemeni provinces of Abyan.
• Nearly 300 air strikes conducted by Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in seven days: Army Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- The Yemeni army says the Saudi-led coalition has carried out nearly 300 air strikes across the country over the past week.
• Saudi-Led Coalition Declares Two-Week Ceasefire in Yemen to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreak Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- Senior Saudi officials have announced a ceasefire in Yemen to begin on Thursday in an effort to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in that country.
• Briefing With Senior State Department Officials On the Release of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Report on Syria US Dept. of State 08 Apr 2020
• Syrian air force used deadly chemical weapons in 2017 attacks, UN watchdog finds UN News 08 Apr 2020 -- The Syrian air force used deadly chemical weapons in three separate attacks in March 2017 on the central town of Ltamenah that affected a total of at least 106 people, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a report on Wednesday.
• OPCW Investigators Say Syrian Air Force Responsible for March 2017 Attacks on Ltamenah Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- The OPCW's newly-formed body in charge of identifying the perpetrators of chemical attacks said in its first report on Wednesday that the Syrian Arab Air Force's aircraft had dropped bombs containing sarin and chlorine on the town of Ltamenah in Hama province in March 2017.
• Report of the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team Regarding Incidents in Ltamenah, the Syrian Arab Republic on 24, 25, and 30 March 2017 US Dept. of State 08 Apr 2020 -- On April 8, 2020, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a report attributing 3 instances of chemical weapons use to the Assad regime.
• Five Civilians Killed in Terrorist Attack in Southeastern Turkey - Authorities Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- Five civilians have been killed in an attack carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organisation, in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir, provincial authorities said on Wednesday.
• Seven Die as Myanmar Army Aircraft Pound Chin Villages in Fight With Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2020 -- Seven villagers were killed and eight others injured by mortar fire from Myanmar military aircraft following fighting Tuesday between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army in Chin state abutting war-riven Rakhine state, local residents said.

News Reports

• In Global Life-Death Struggle, Democracy Changes Course VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- Outside wartime nothing like it as ever been seen before in modern Western history. The lockdowns by democratic states with their draconian constraints on civil liberties and private enterprise fly in the face of an historical progression that's seen the size and roles of governments shrunk and individual liberty boosted.
• How Trump Amassed Power Battling Coronavirus Pandemic VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- In a matter of weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has assumed extraordinary power and influence at a time of national crisis.
• No need to politicize COVID-19: UN health agency chief UN News 08 Apr 2020 -- The COVID-19 pandemic should not be politicized as unity is the "only option" to defeat the disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
• Trump Threatens to Cut WHO Funding VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- The United States is "going to put a very powerful hold" on money it sends to the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, blaming the United Nations humanitarian entity of missing the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• World Health Organization 'absolutely critical' to neutralizing coronavirus threat – UN chief UN News 08 Apr 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) must be supported across the world, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, describing the UN health agency, which has led the multilateral response since the beginning, as "absolutely critical" in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
• WHO Chief Warns Politicizing Coronavirus Crisis Could Lead to More 'Body Bags' VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned countries Wednesday that politicizing the global coronavirus crisis could lead to more deaths after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized WHO and threatened to cut off funding for the international public health organization.
• Trump attacks WHO over coronavirus, threatens to withhold funding Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- US President Donald Trump has blamed the World Health Organization for getting every aspect of the coronavirus "wrong," threatening to pull back funding from the international organization.
• WHO denies being 'China-centric' after Trump comment Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- The World Health Organization has rejected claims by the US President Donald Trump, accusing the body of being "China-centric," saying its work with Beijing was important to understand the outbreak, which began in the province of Wuhan.
• US plan to halt WHO funding to hurt intl. cooperation on COVID-19 pandemic: FM Global Times 08 Apr 2020 -- The US' plan to halt funding for the "China centric" World Health Organization (WHO) will create a negative impact on international cooperation in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• 70 percent of fake COVID-19 news from China: Investigation Bureau CNA 08 Apr 2020 -- Taiwan has detected a growing number of cases of disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic since late February, of which more than 70 percent originated from China, according to a recent Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) briefing.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 8, 2020 PRC MofA 08 Apr 2020
• China's Appointment to U.N. Human Rights Panel Sparks Global Outcry Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2020 -- China's appointment to a United Nations human rights panel has sparked a global outcry, especially among rights activists and ethnic minority groups subject to Beijing's rights abuses and discrimination.
• Chinese Tycoon Under Investigation for Challenging Top Leader's Authority, Observers Say VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- Chinese property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, who went missing last month after criticizing top leader Xi Jinping for what he said was the government's mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak, is being investigated by the Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog.
• Global Brands Wary Amid Reports of Forced Labor in China's Xinjiang VOA 08 Apr 2020 -- As global criticism widens about the alleged forced labor of Uighurs by the Chinese government, several international companies say they are taking measures to ensure their goods from the Xinjiang region are not produced by coercive employment of the minority.
• Majlis: Iran will enrich uranium unless EU gives objective guarantees to honor JCPOA IRNA 08 Apr 2020 -- Majlis National Security Commission said on Wednesday that Iran will enrich uranium unless the European Union gives objective guarantees to honor its commitments to Iran in the context of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• US attempt to block Iranian funds in Europe nullified: Iran Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), also known as Bank Markazi, says the country has won a legal battle in Europe to dismiss a US attempt to have Iranian funds blocked and handed over to Washington for compensating the so-called victims of terror.
• Iran warns IMF, says US cannot veto its request for loan Press TV 08 Apr 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani has warned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to consider Iran's request for $5 billion without "discrimination" after reports said the US was seeking to block the loan.
• Iran's Rouhani Calls on IMF to Provide Nation With $5Bln to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic Sputnik 08 Apr 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide Tehran with $5 billion worth of support to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
• Ecuador's ex-president sentenced to 8 years in prison for bribery People's Daily 08 Apr 2020 -- A National Court of Justice tribunal in Ecuador on Tuesday sentenced ex-President Rafael Correa to eight years in prison for bribery.
• UN Report Cites Concerns About Torture, Limits On Freedoms In Uzbekistan RFE/RL 08 Apr 2020 -- A United Nations review of Uzbekistan's human rights record expresses concerns about persistent torture in detention centers and limits on basic freedoms, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
• London Court Dismisses Attempt To Seize Properties Linked To Nazarbaev Family RFE/RL 08 Apr 2020 -- A British court has dismissed an attempt by the country's National Crime Agency (NCA) to seize a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.