Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan Truck Bombing Kills 15 VOA 03 Oct 2020 -- Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide bomber Saturday detonated an explosives-laden mini truck in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AFRICOM's new director of operations visits Africa to engage with partners AFRICOM 03 Oct 2020 -- U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joel Tyler, director of operations, U.S. Africa Command, traveled to the African continent to engage with partners, visit key U.S. military operating locations, and deepen his understanding of security in the region, Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
• AFCEC space optimization efforts key to rightsizing facilities at installations US Air Force 03 Oct 2020 -- With help from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the Air Force is leaning forward to consolidate and reduce the facility footprint at installations across the enterprise.
• USS Stout Arrives in Rota, Spain, and the History Books US Navy 03 Oct 2020 -- The Arleigh­ Burke­­-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) arrived in Rota, Spain, Oct. 3, drawing to an end a record-breaking period of underway endurance. As mooring lines were singled and the brow lowered, Stout solidified the new Navy consecutive underway record of 215 days at sea.
• U.K.-Led Exercise Joint Warrior 20-2 Kicks Of US Navy 03 Oct 2020 -- The second phase of exercise Joint Warrior (JW) 20-2, a biannual, U.K.-led, multinational exercise, kicked off in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 3, 2020.
• Russia's Stranded Ekranoplan RFE/RL 03 Oct 2020 -- Two months after the Soviet-made "Lun" ekranoplan was hauled onto a remote beach in Daghestan to star in a military-themed Patriotic Park, the legendary craft remains wallowing in the breakers, sporting what appears to be significant damage.
• MND confirms Canadian warship, PLA plane active around Taiwan CNA 03 Oct 2020 -- A Canadian warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed Saturday, while noting that a Chinese Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft again intruded into Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) that day.
• Chinese military vessel spotted near Taiwan: military sources CNA 03 Oct 2020 -- A Chinese military vessel has been observed operating in international waters 30 nautical miles (55.5km) off Taiwan's east coast for more than a day since early Friday, military sources told CNA on Saturday.
• Royal Navy seize £160 million worth of drugs in the Caribbean UK MOD 03 Oct 2020 -- A Royal Navy task group has prevented drugs worth more than £160 million from potentially reaching the UK on two daring operations in the Caribbean.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Pandemic, Petroleum, And Putin: Russia's Ruble Buckles Under Pressure RFE/RL 03 Oct 2020 -- The Russian ruble ended September at about a five-year low against the euro, falling as far as 93.3 rubles to the euro on September 29. The same day, the ruble traded at 79.8 against the U.S. dollar, the weakest exchange since the oil-price crash in March.
• Iran warns conflicting parties not to violate Iranian territory IRNA 03 Oct 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned the warring parties in Nagorno-Karabakh against any violation of Iranian territory and national sovereignty.
• Iran won't tolerate collateral damage from Karabakh fighting: Spokesman ISNA 03 Oct 2020 -- Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saeed Khatibzadeh has given a serious warning to the warring sides involved in military clashes over the Nagorno-Karabakh region to avoid violating the Iranian soil.
• Khamenei Representatives Declare Support For Azerbaijan In Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Radio Farda 03 Oct 2020 -- In an unprecedented move, the representatives of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the provinces of Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Zanjan, have issued a joint statement supporting the Republic of Azerbaijan.
• Azerbaijan Claims String Of Villages In Nagorno-Karabakh Region; Armenia Calls Attack Unprecedented RFE/RL 03 Oct 2020 -- Azerbaijani troops have captured several villages in fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev said on October 3 after another day of clashes with ethnic Armenian forces over the disputed region.
• Fighting Over Nagorno-Karabakh Continues, Despite Calls for Cease-Fire VOA 03 Oct 2020 -- Armenian and Azerbaijani forces continued fighting Saturday for the seventh day over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, ignoring international calls for a cease-fire.
• Sudanese Interim Government, Regional Factions Sign Peace Agreement VOA 03 Oct 2020 -- Leaders of Sudan's transitional government and a number of rebel groups signed a peace agreement Saturday in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, which observers hope will end nearly two decades of conflict in war-torn regions of the country, including Darfur.
• UN Expert: Somalia Backtracking on Human Rights Commitments VOA 03 Oct 2020 -- A U.N. human rights investigator is expressing concern about possible regression by Somali authorities from their adherence to international human rights law. The concerns are amplified in a report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council by the U.N.'s independent expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia.

News Reports

• Chairman of SAC of DPRK Kim Jong Un Sends Message of Sympathy to U.S. President KCNA 03 Oct 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, sent a message of sympathy to Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America, on Oct. 3.
• On the Arrests of Hong Kong Protestors US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2020 -- "We are outraged at the Hong Kong government's arbitrary arrest of more than 80 people on October 1."
• New U.S. Sanctions Hit Iran 'Psychologically' Says CBI Governor Radio Farda 03 Oct 2020 -- A day after the dollar reached 300,000 rials, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdol Nasser Hemmati, said that the news concerning the Trump administration's plan to "completely cut off Iran's financial system" had a "psychological effect" on the Iranian foreign exchange market.
• Dissident Groups Employ Thugs in Iran, IRGC Commander Claims Radio Farda 03 Oct 2020 -- The Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Majid Mir Ahmadi, claimed on Friday that there was evidence of Iran's opposition "supporting" the "thugs and hooligans" in the country.
• Kyrgyzstan: A Guide To The Parties Competing In The Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 03 Oct 2020 -- Voters in Kyrgyzstan - the only democracy in Central Asia - will go to the polls on October 4 to vote in parliamentary elections.
• Vote-Buying, Russia, And Criminal Finances Take Center Stage As Kyrgyzstan Voters Head To Polls RFE/RL 03 Oct 2020 -- Voters in Kyrgyzstan are set to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections on October 4 after a campaign highlighted by allegations of vote-buying and a rift over the how much influence Moscow has over its closest ally in Central Asia.
• U.S. Response to Establishment of a Transitional Government in Mali US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2020 -- The United States views the establishment of a transitional government in the Republic of Mali as an initial step towards a return to constitutional order.