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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Statement by the Political Directors of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group US Dept. of State 16 Apr 2020
• Afghan Peace Process Inches Forward Amid Fresh Violence VOA 16 Apr 2020 -- The Taliban freed a second batch of Afghan forces Thursday as part of a prisoner swap with the government in Kabul aimed at opening much-awaited peace talks between Afghan warring sides.
• NY Army National Guard Soldiers move vital medical supplies Army News 16 Apr 2020 -- At a hangar at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Soldiers assigned to the New York Army National Guard's 1569th Medium Transportation Company are tracking, processing and distributing medical supplies across the Hudson Valley."Right now we have over 3,000 temporary beds, 200 ventilators, 10 million masks, and over 4 million gloves," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Javier Rodriguez, the noncommissioned officer in charge of logistics. "We're a distribution warehouse and we're out sending a lot of personal protection equipment to nurses, hospitals and anyone in need."
• Kentucky Guard builds COVID-19 alternate care facility Army News 16 Apr 2020 -- More than 230 Kentucky National Guard Airmen and Soldiers spent four days turning a cavernous exhibit hall into an alternate care facility for patients recovering from COVID-19.
• NY National Guard executes somber duties in NYC Army News 16 Apr 2020 -- The toughest COVID-19 mission facing the New York National Guard falls on 255 Soldiers and Airmen supporting New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), according to Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York.
• Army using special tracking teams to control the spread of COVID-19 Army News 16 Apr 2020 -- The Army has begun using special teams that help track and identify people with coronavirus at installations, an Army leader said Wednesday.
• Army Senior Leaders Update on the Army's Response to COVID-19 DoD 16 Apr 2020 -- Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy, Secretary Of The Army; General James McConville, Chief Of Staff Of The Army; Sergeant Major Of The Army Michael Grinston; Lieutenant General R. Scott Dingle, Surgeon General Of The Army; Lieutenant General Charles A. Flynn, Director Of Operations And Plans, Headquarters Department Of The Army

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Navy claims 11 Iranian ships came close to its military vessels in PG Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- The United States Navy is claiming that 11 Iranian ships repeatedly came close to its military vessels in "dangerous and harassing approaches" in the Persian Gulf.
• U.S. Navy Says Iranian Vessels Harassed Its Ships In Persian Gulf RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- The U.S. Navy says 11 vessels of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made "dangerous and harassing approaches" toward U.S. naval ships in the Persian Gulf.
• Truth, Accuracy Part of Democratic Value System, Eucom Commander Says DoD News 16 Apr 2020 -- Two harmful things are spreading across the globe now: the coronavirus and disinformation. The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe says they're working to conquer both.
• USS Porter Continues Operations in Black Sea NNS 16 Apr 2020 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) has been operating in the Black Sea for four days days on a U.S. 6th Fleet patrol as of April 16.
• USS Theodore Roosevelt's Clean Fight NNS 16 Apr 2020 -- Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) are pushing hard and making progress toward keeping their fellow Sailors safe and returning their ship to sea.
• Information Warfare Team Installs Next-Gen Network in Record Time, on USS Ronald Reagan NNS 16 Apr 2020 -- Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) Enterprise efficiently and effectively completed a major upgrade and installed a new baseline of the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) in record time, April 1, on USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) while forward deployed in Japan.
• Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii Awards $54 Million Design/Construction Contract NNS 16 Apr 2020 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii awarded a $54,279,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of an Undersea Operational Training Facility (UOTC) April 15 to Hensel Phelps Construction Co., of Honolulu, Hawaii. The contract also contains one Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment line item and one unexercised option, which if awarded would increase cumulative contract value to $57,494,949.
• US Likely to Soon Decide Not to Extend New START Treaty - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The New START is the last remaining arms control treaty in force between Russia and the United States after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
• US Navy Says 94% of Crew on Aircraft Carrier Roosevelt Tested, 655 Have COVID-19 Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- Nine-four percent of the crew on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt have been tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) revealing that 655 have contracted the virus, the US Navy said in a press release on Thursday.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 16 Apr 2020
• Pentagon Chief Claims Chinese Communist Party Was Misleading US About Coronavirus Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The Trump administration previously accused Beijing of covering up crucial data at the beginning of the pandemic, while the US Senate has investigated allegations that the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) helped China carry out the alleged coverup.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General addresses COVID-19 response with Atlantic Council NATO 16 Apr 2020 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, explained how NATO is supporting Allies in the fight against COVID-19 during an online event held by the Atlantic Council with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division today (16 April 2020). Speaking at the event by video conference, he said, "Our DNA is crisis management, command and control, efficiency and logistics, and putting together in critical moments the pieces that can make an alliance work in times of distress."
• Coronavirus response: Czech and Serbian cooperation helps develop new medical protective masks NATO 16 Apr 2020 -- The Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBC) Institute of the University of Defence in Brno, Czech Republic is providing an effective contribution to the fight against the spread of the coronavirus, using a NATO cooperation framework.
• China refutes U.S.'s 'groundless' report, says committed to moratorium on nuclear tests PLA Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- The Equipment Development Department (EDD) under China's Central Military Commission (CMC), in collaboration with the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) and the PLA Academy of Military Science, has officially launched the compilation of Weapons and Equipment History of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is expected to be completed in 2027.
• 'China conducted nuclear tests' a US trick to push West-led treaty: Chinese expert Global Times 16 Apr 2020 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday rubbished the US' accusation that China may have secretly conducted nuclear tests, and a Chinese nuclear disarmament expert said the groundless accusation is a US attempt to push China into a Western countries-led nuclear treaty while also diverting domestic pressures caused by the novel coronavirus.
• China starts compiling PLA's weapons & equipment history PLA Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- The Equipment Development Department (EDD) under China's Central Military Commission (CMC), in collaboration with the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) and the PLA Academy of Military Science, has officially launched the compilation of Weapons and Equipment History of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is expected to be completed in 2027.
• French Navy Opens Probe Into Flagship Coronavirus Contamination Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The French navy has opened a probe into an outbreak of the new coronavirus abroad its flagship aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, the Defence Ministry has said.
• Around 20 Sailors Are in Hospital After Coronavirus Outbreak on Charles de Gaulle Ship - French Navy Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The initial tests, conducted earlier this month confirmed at least 50 cases of COVID-19 among the crew of the French flagship.
• Iran mulls over producing nuclear-powered submarines: Navy chief Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- Iran's Navy commander says the force plans to build nuclear-powered submarines capable of operating in international waters for long periods of time amid the growing threats facing the country from the sea.
• Making nuclear submarine on Iranian navy agenda, commander says IRNA 16 Apr 2020 -- The commander of the Iranian Army's Navy said on Thursday that Iran is thinking about making nuclear submarines.
• MiG-31 Crashes in Kazakhstan's Karaganda Region Due to Fire in One of Engines - Defence Ministry Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The incident took place on 16 April during a scheduled flight preparing for combat duty in the vicinity of the Kazakhstan's city of Karaganda.
• Indian Army Suspends Movement in Military Establishments Across the Country Due to COVID-19 Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The order to suspend movement in military establishments comes while Indian and Pakistani forces are engaged in a massive artillery fire-fight that has been ongoing since 6 April. Clashes between the two continued on Thursday as the Indian Army claimed that there had been unprovoked firing by Pakistan at the Line of Control.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For April 16, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 16 April 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Apr 2020
• Chinese Survey Ship Moves to Malaysian, Bruneian Waters Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- A Chinese survey vessel on Thursday commenced survey operations within Malaysia and Brunei's exclusive economic zone, vessel tracking software shows, in the latest sign of Beijing's expansive reach across the contested South China Sea.
• UN Yemen envoy hopeful warring parties to reach ceasefire agreement in 'immediate future' Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, says he expects the warring parties to formally reach agreements "in the immediate future" on a nationwide ceasefire, practical economic and humanitarian measures as well as resumption of the political process.
• Saudi-led coalition carries out 230 airstrikes in spite of truce claim: Yemen army Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- The Spokesman for Yemen's Armed Forces has rejected a two-week ceasefire declared by the Saudi-led coalition, which is engaged in a brutal military campaign against the Arab country, saying the alliance has carried out over 200 airstrikes despite the truce announced last week.
• Saudi fighter jets strike Yemeni cities again despite ceasefire claim Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- Saudi jets have targeted a number of areas across Yemen overnight despite a so-called ceasefire that the Riyadh-led coalition of aggressors has announced itself.
• Yemen can't survive war on two fronts, top UN envoy tells Security Council, as coronavirus outbreak looms UN News 16 Apr 2020 -- With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to deepen suffering in Yemen, now is the time for rival parties to commit to ending their conflict, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Thursday, during an informal meeting via videoconference.
• Saudi-Led Coalition Conducts Nine Airstrikes on Sanaa, Suburbs, Military Source Says Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- Nine-four percent of the crew on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt have been tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) revealing that 655 have contracted the virus, the US Navy said in a press release on Thursday.
• OPCW's Syria report 'lacks due diligence', prepared with 'malicious' intent: Russia Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- Russia says a recent report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on a series of toxic attacks in western Syria is a repetition of "baseless" accusations earlier levelled by certain states, and has been prepared with "malicious" intent.
• Turkey's deadly drone strike on Iraqi refugee camp draws angry reactions Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- Turkey has launched a deadly drone strike on a refugee camp in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, drawing angry reactions from Iraqi politicians of different factions, who censured the attack as a violation of the Arab country's sovereignty.
• Libya war opens new ground for Israeli-Arab connivance Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- As the UN and international humanitarian organizations are urgently calling for a halt in violence in Libya, Israel is providing arms and training to loyalists of renegade General Khalifa Haftar.
• UN Libya mission 'alarmed' by rise in violence, slams rebel shelling of Tripoli Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- The United Nations mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has censured the rising violence in the North African country, expressing alarm about a fresh round of clashes raging through areas on the outskirts of the capital, Tripoli.
• Bangladesh Coast Guard Rescues Hundreds of 'Starving' Rohingya Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- Hundreds of "starving" Rohingya men, women and children were brought ashore in Bangladesh after a nearly two-month failed journey to Malaysia during which dozens died and were thrown overboard, officials and survivors said Thursday.
• Nearly 400 Rohingya Rescued from Boat Drifting Off Bangladesh Coast VOA 16 Apr 2020 -- At least 382 Rohingya refugees have been rescued off the coast of Bangladesh after drifting for several days aboard an overcrowded fishing boat.
• Ukraine, pro-Russia forces start first 2020 prisoner swap Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine have started the first prisoner swap in 2020 as part of measures aimed at easing tensions between Kiev and Moscow.
• Ukraine, Russia-Backed Separatists Begin New Round In Prisoner Swap RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in the east of the country have begun another prisoner swap.
• Tibetan Schoolchildren Lose Fluency in Native Language as Schools Switch to Mandarin Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- Children in the Tibetan Autonomous Region are losing fluency in the Tibetan language as schools in the region are increasingly teaching subjects in Mandarin on Chinese government orders.

News Reports

• Int'l community regrets Trump administration's decision to halt funding to WHO People's Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- The international community has regretted U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), voicing support for and highlighting the organization's crucial role in guiding global efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
• U.S. defunding WHO amid world health crisis, drawing criticism People's Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- With a rise of 2,494 over the past 24 hours, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has reached 28,364 Wednesday, as the total confirmed cases amounted to nearly 640,000, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
• Trump faces intense blowback over decision to defund WHO amid coronavirus pandemic People's Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump faced intense blowback on Wednesday due to his decision to withhold the nation's funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
• WHO chief says "regret" U.S. decision to halt funding to WHO People's Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said the WHO regretted the U.S. decision to halt its funding to the WHO.
• WHO chief says pandemic response to be reviewed "in due course" People's Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that WHO's performance in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic will be reviewed by WHO's member states "in due course."
• Russian Newspaper Forced To Take Down Chechnya Coronavirus Report, Author Threatened RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- Russian independent newspaper Novaya gazeta says it has taken down an article about measures introduced to tackle the coronavirus in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya following a request by the country's media regulator, Roskomnadzor.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 16, 2020 PRC MofA 16 Apr 2020
• China Push For COVID-19 Praise Backfires in US Amid Rising WHO Criticism Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- A campaign by Chinese consular staff to press the legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin to pass a resolution praising China's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak – written by China – backfired spectacularly, inspiring a motion that says Beijing "deliberately and intentionally misled the world."
• Africans Feel Targeted by China Over Coronavirus VOA 16 Apr 2020 -- In a video shared with VOA, a Congolese student in Guangzhou, China, peeks through a cracked-open door and pleads for permission to leave his apartment.
• Chinese state security organs unveil retired official's plot to subvert state power Global Times 16 Apr 2020 -- China's Ministry of State Security has revealed a series of major cases threatening the country's security including one involving a retired official who reached out to foreign enemy forces and plotted to stage terrorist activities in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, to subvert state power.
• Top official warns of HK as 'weak link' PLA Daily 16 Apr 2020 -- Hong Kong must not become a weak link in national security, Luo Huining, the central government's top official in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Wednesday.
• Safeguarding national security common responsibility of Hong Kong society Global Times 16 Apr 2020 -- Wednesday marked China's fifth National Security Education Day, with a series of events taking place in its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to promote national security education.
• China Will Have to Respond to Hard Questions on COVID-19 Outbreak - UK Foreign Minister Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- Critics have charged China with allowing the COVID-19 pandemic to get out of control by hiding the outbreak and under-reporting data on those infected. Numerous media outlets have published reports suggesting that China created the coronavirus in a laboratory in Wuhan.
• President urges Taiwan's full participation in WHO CNA 16 Apr 2020 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday rebutted a claim by the World Health Organization that it has been maintaining regular technical exchanges with Taiwan and reiterated the need for the country to have "comprehensive" participation in the health body.
• Why Did Kim Jong Un Skip a Major Celebration of His Grandfather? VOA 16 Apr 2020 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not make his regular appearance in state media coverage of the country's most important political holiday Wednesday, a highly unusual absence in the country's methodical reporting of official events.
• New Iranian Coronavirus 'Detector' Mocked Over Resemblance To British Fake RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- The unveiling of a device that purportedly uses magnetic waves to detect coronavirus infections up to 100 meters away was staged as a moment of triumph for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
• Iran Develops Device to Remotely Detect COVID-19 in 5 Seconds – IRGC Commander Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- Iran has started to manufacture devices that are capable of remotely detecting COVID-19 within five seconds, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), has said, adding that no additional tests for patients are required.
• Army provides 1050 hospital beds for coronavirus patients in NW Iran IRNA 16 Apr 2020 -- Commander of the Iranian Army in northwestern headquarters said on Thursday that the force has provided 1050 beds for coronavirus patients in 11 counties of the northwestern provinces.
• South Pars "white zone" in coronavirus outbreak IRNA 16 Apr 2020 -- The deputy for energy of the Passive Defense Organization said on Thursday that South Pars Gas Field in Assaluyeh, Bushehr Province, is a white zone and a role model for other industrial zone in the aspect of coronavirus outbreak.
• Coronavirus outbreak not impeding activities in South Pars Gas Field IRNA 16 Apr 2020 -- The Managing Director of Pars Oil and Gas Company said on Thursday that was necessary to prevent further spread of coronavirus and to continue with the projects at the same time.
• Zarif: Iran, China condemn illegal US sanctions that bar fight against virus Press TV 16 Apr 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has announced Iran and China's condemnation of the illegal and unilateral US sanctions against the Islamic Republic as the country is doing its best to bring under control a deadly outbreak of new coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
• Big Ruling Party Win in South Korean Elections Points to Dovish North Korea Policy Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2020 -- South Korean President Moon Jae In's ruling Democratic Party won big in the country's legislative elections Wednesday, a development that will have a lasting effect on Seoul's approach toward North Korea, at least through the next election cycle.
• North Korean Defector Directly Chosen in South Korean Parliamentary Vote for 1st Time - Reports Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- Thae Yong-ho, who defected while serving on North Korea's diplomatic mission in London in 2016, won 58 percent of the votes from the Gangnam district in capital city Seoul, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
• Amnesty Slams 'Offensive' Against Human Rights In Eastern Europe, Central Asia RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- Many governments across Eastern Europe and Central Asia have pursued an "extensive offensive" against human rights, deploying draconian tactics and tools of the state to suppress protests, freedom of expression, and civil society, Amnesty International says in its annual regional review.
• HRW Says Azerbaijan Abuses COVID-19 Restrictions To Crack Down On Critics RFE/RL 16 Apr 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) is accusing Azerbaijani authorities of "abusing" restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus to arrest government critics.