Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• 10-truck convoy of US military arrives in Syria's Hasakah: SANA Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Another US convoy consisting of vehicles laden with weapons, military equipment, and logistic materials has arrived in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah from Iraq.
• Bloody violence hits Afghanistan as President Ghani heads to Doha for talks Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Fresh bloodshed has rocked Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan as President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul for a visit to Doha for meetings with Qatari officials amid inconclusive US-brokered negotiations with the Taliban militants.
• Afghan President Arrives In Qatar Amid Peace Talks With Taliban RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has arrived in Qatar for a bilateral meeting with the leaders of the Gulf state but will not hold talks with Taliban representatives even as peace talks are under way in the country's capital city, Doha, according to officials.
• UN condemns deadly suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan UN News 05 Oct 2020 -- The United Nations has strongly condemned Saturday's suicide attack on a government building in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, and underlined that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
• Attack Kills 8 in Afghanistan as President Visits Doha VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- A car bomb attack on the convoy of the governor of Afghanistan's Laghman province killed at least eight people, including four of the governor's bodyguards. Governor Rahmatullah Yarmal survived but was wounded, along with at least 40 others.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 117th Space Battalion shifts to 100th Missile Defense Brigade Army News 05 Oct 2020 -- Two of the more unique Army National Guard units aligned Oct. 1. The 100th Missile Defense Brigade was assigned administrative and operational command and control of the 117th Space Battalion from the 89th Troop Command as part of a larger change in the structure of the Colorado Army National Guard.
• Exercise Northern Strike 21 planning underway in Michigan Army News 05 Oct 2020 -- For nearly a decade, Northern Strike (NS) has brought thousands of military members from multiple service branches, states and countries together, all in the name of building joint fires lethality and overall unit readiness.
• Public information warfare in Iraq and Syria – who's winning? Army News 05 Oct 2020 -- In an overview into the contested information environment in Iraq and Syria, Col. Myles B. Caggins III will lead a Warrior's Corner discussion with questions and answers at this year's virtual Association of the United States Army 2020 Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 15, 1:15 p.m.
• Agency Awards Contracts to Build Out Tracking Layer of National Defense Space Architecture DoD News 05 Oct 2020 -- The Space Development Agency announced today that two companies won bids to build out Tranche 0 of the tracking layer for the National Defense Space Architecture. Together, those contracts amount to more than $342 million.
• 28th ECAB digging in for Mideast mission CENTCOM 05 Oct 2020 -- Soldiers with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade have arrived in the U.S. Central Command region and are settling into their respective roles.
• Esper's Africa Visit Aims to Encourage Stability, Interoperability DoD News 05 Oct 2020 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's visit to Malta and North Africa reminded countries throughout Africa that the United States has interests throughout the continent and will work assiduously with like-minded nations to encourage peace and stability.
• Esper Visit Highlights Long U.S. Friendship With Malta DoD News 05 Oct 2020 -- The United States has a long and close relationship with Malta, the first stop of Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's trip to the region.
• Southcom Leaders Discuss Dealing With Hemispheric Threats DoD News 05 Oct 2020 -- Illegal fishing, transnational criminal activities and malign foreign influence meddling in South and Central America, and the importance of counterbalancing those threats with effective partnerships in that region was discussed today by the leaders of the U.S. Southern Command.
• 24th SOW transitions responsibility of the 17th STS US Air Force 05 Oct 2020 -- The 24th Special Operations Wing transitioned responsibility of the 17th Special Tactics Squadron from the 720th Special Tactics Group to the 724th Special Tactics Group during a re-assignment ceremony at the 17th STS headquarters, Fort Benning, Georgia, Oct. 1.
• U.S.-Brunei Partnership Remains Strong During CARAT 2020 US Navy 05 Oct 2020 -- U.S. military and Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) are partnering in the 26th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise, commencing off the coast of Brunei, Oct. 5.
• U.S., Russian Officials Hold Arms-Control Talks In Finland RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Negotiators from Russia and the United States have met in the Finnish capital for a new round of arms-control talks as the two powers' last remaining bilateral nuclear arms pact is due to expire early next year.
• Secretary General in Ankara: Turkey is a valued NATO Ally NATO 05 Oct 2020 -- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg started a two-day visit to Turkey and Greece on Monday (5 October 2020).
• NATO Urges Turkey to Get Rid of S-400s, Says They Could 'Pose a Risk to Allied Aircraft' Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- In July, US lawmakers again threatened to slap sanctions on Ankara over its 2017 move to buy the S-400 air defence system from Russia. Turkey's purchase has already led to Ankara's expulsion from the F-35 programme.
• Russian Fighter Intercepts German, Swedish Aircraft Over Baltic Sea, Defence Ministry Says Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- A Russian fighter jet intercepted a German patrol aircraft and a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry's National Defense Control Center (NDCC) said in a statement.
• Russia to Conduct Observation Flight Over Denmark This Week, Military Says Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- Russian specialists will carry out an observation flight over Denmark starting from Monday under the Treaty on Open Skies, Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Defence Ministry, informs.
• Successful Flight Test of SMART India PIB 05 Oct 2020 -- Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested today 5th Oct 2020 at 1145 hrs from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. All the mission objectives including missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly.
• India May Soon Acquire Russia's High Altitude Sprut Light Tanks to Counter China in the Himalayas Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- The Indian Defence Minister has urged Russia to speed the delivery of all the weapon systems it has contracted to buy in recent years, including the S-400 missile sysyem.
• Taiwan military sends over 4,000 warplane sorties on patrol this year CNA 05 Oct 2020 -- Taiwan's armed forces have deployed more than 4,000 sorties of military aircraft so far this year to conduct patrol missions, a 20 percent increase compared with the same period of last year.
• Taiwan 'to Issue Wish List of Weapons From the US' Amid Rising Tensions With Beijing Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- Tensions between the People's Republic of China and the government of the self-declared Republic of China in Taipei have escalated in recent years: the United States' support for Taiwan has included repeated arms sales to the island which has led to criticism from Beijing.
• Why US Arms Control Envoy Made a Beeline for Vietnam on Brief Asia Trip VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- Washington's point person on arms control visited Vietnam, a Communist war rival five decades ago, for meetings about perceived threats from China because Vietnamese officials hold positions in key international bodies and align ever more closely with the West, experts say.
• Canada Suspends Export Permits to Turkey Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, Foreign Minister Says Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- Ottawa has suspended export permits to Ankara amid accusations that Canadian military equipment is being used in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a Monday statement.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Oct. 5, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 5 October 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Oct 2020
• Conflict, Coronavirus Pandemic Threaten Refugee Protection VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warns the coronavirus pandemic poses unparalleled challenges and threats to refugee protection at a time when conflicts are flaring up in many parts of the world. The high commissioner was speaking at the opening of the agency's annual executive committee meeting in Geneva.
• Experts Raise Alarm Over Destruction of Coral Reefs in South China Sea Radio Free Asia 05 Oct 2020 -- Experts are raising the alarm over the destruction of coral reefs in the South China Sea that are critical for the marine environment and for preventing a collapse in fish stocks which sustain the livelihoods of tens of millions of people.
• Assad: Russian military presence in Syria important to intl. order Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Syria says apart from helping it fight terrorism, Russia's military presence in the Arab country is important to ensuring international order.
• Islamic State Families to Be Cleared from al-Hol Camp VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- Tens of thousands of Syrians, many connected to the Islamic State terror group, could soon be free under a plan to start clearing out the overcrowded al-Hol displaced persons camp in northeast Syria.
• Turkey's Erdogan, Libya's Sarraj reaffirm bilateral cooperation in Istanbul meeting Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with Libya's outgoing Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the North African country.
• Erdogan Holds Talks With Head of Libya's Government of National Accord Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held talks with the head of the UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Sarraj, the Turkish presidential administration informed in a statement.
• Under Secretary Hale's Participation in the Ministerial Level Meeting on Libya US Dept. of State 05 Oct 2020 -- Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale participated in the Ministerial Meeting on Libya today with the co-hosts, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, as well as other Berlin Process members, and Libya's neighbors.
• Put peace in Libya first, UN chief urges summit on war-shattered nation UN News 05 Oct 2020 -- A "rare opportunity" for peace in Libya should be seized by all those involved directly or indirectly in the conflict, António Guterres said on Monday, at a High-Level virtual meeting convened to end the fighting.
• International Leaders Urge Cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- Leaders from France, Russia and the United States issued a joint statement Monday urging a cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Fighting Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Spills Over Disputed Region's Borders VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over Nagorno-Karabakh spilled over the disputed region's borders Sunday.
• Joint Statement Calling for a Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh US Dept. of State 05 Oct 2020 -- The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of France on October 5, 2020.
• Deputy Secretary Biegun's Calls with Armenian Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov US Dept. of State 05 Oct 2020
• Iran has plan to end Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: Spox IRNA 05 Oct 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that Iran has a plan to bring the conflict in Karabakh to an end and ease security concerns on its borders.
• Iran urges immediate ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict IRNA 05 Oct 2020 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh wrote in a Twitter message late on Monday that Iran calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• Turkey must definitely be in any peace process, Aliyev says of Karabakh conflict Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says Turkey should take part in any peace process for the Nagorno-Karabakh following a potential future ceasefire, amid a worrying flare-up of deadly clashes in the disputed region between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed forces.
• Iran says has drawn up plan for resolution of Karabakh conflict Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Iran has announced the general outlines of a plan for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict which has flared since last week.
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict enters week 2: Armenia, Azerbaijan still trading fire Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- A military confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia that erupted over the South Caucasus region of Karabakh more than a week ago, has now expanded to cities outside the conflict zone with no signs of abating, despite international calls for immediate ceasefire.
• Baku suburbs struck by Armenian missiles: Azeri govt. Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- The Azerbaijan Republic says its Armenian enemy has launched missile attacks against an area near the Azeri capital of Baku.
• Russia, France, U.S. Reiterate Call For Cease-Fire In Nagorno-Karabakh As Fighting Escalates Into Cities RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Russia, France, and the United States have reiterated their call for an immediate cease-fire in and around the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying the escalating conflict represented an "unacceptable threat" to the region's stability.
• Turkey pulls back drilling ship from Cyprus ahead of NATO chief visit Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Turkey has apparently taken a step towards deescalation in the disputed Mediterranean waters by pulling back its drilling ship from southwest of Cyprus ahead of a planned visit by NATO chief.
• Russian Foreign Ministry Calls Sudan Peace Agreement 'Important Step' for Reconciliation Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday called the recent signing of a peace deal between the Sudanese government and several rebel groups an "important step" toward national reconciliation in the African country.
• Sudan Peace Deal Prompts Praise, Protests VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- Saturday's peace deal between Sudan's government and various rebel groups is drawing both praise and protests from the people most directly impacted by the accord.
• Mali: Over 100 Jihadist Prisoners Released in Apparent Exchange VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- More than 100 jihadist prisoners have reportedly been released in Mali in an apparent exchange for a politician and a French aid worker.

News Reports

• Trump Returns to White House After 72 Hours in Hospital for COVID-19 VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Monday evening after 72 hours of hospitalization for COVID-19.
• Trump leaves Walter Reed despite coronavirus infection Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- US President Donald Trump has left the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after spending three days there for treatment of the coronavirus.
• White House doctor: Rosy assessment of Trump health meant to contain alarm Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- White House physician Sean Conley says he has lied about Donald Trump's health because he did not want to cause alarm amid uncertainty about the severity of the president's status after he tested positive with the coronavirus.
• White House Press Secretary Says She Has Tested Positive For COVID-19, Experiencing No Symptoms Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has said that US President Donald Trump's condition continued to improve overnight, adding that the president could be able to leave the hospital and return to the White House later in the day.
• Trump's Condition Continued to Improve Overnight, White House Chief of Staff Says Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- The day before, United States National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien said that US President Donald Trump was "in great shape and firmly in command of the country" while he is being treated for coronavirus.
• Chemical Weapons Group Ready To Cooperate With Russia In Navalny Poisoning Case RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed Russia's request for the global watchdog to dispatch experts to the country as the Kremlin faces accusations of being behind the poisoning of opposition figure Aleksei Navalny.
• Leader Of Russia's Volatile Daghestan Region Replaced RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the leader of the volatile North Caucasus region of Daghestan.
• Son Of Jailed Former Khabarovsk Governor Detained, Reports Say RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Media reports in Russia's Far Eastern Khabarovsk Krai region say the son of the region's former governor, Sergei Furgal, who is in custody on charges of attempted murder and ordering two killings in 2004-05, has been detained.
• US 'double standard' condemned for defaming HK police actions on National Day Global Times 05 Oct 2020 -- Chinese Foreign Ministry's commissioner's office in Hong Kong condemned the US for distorting facts and defaming the Hong Kong police's law enforcement against illegal assembly and possession of offensive weapons Thursday, the country's National Day.
• U.S. Renews Ban on Communist Party Members Seeking to Emigrate Radio Free Asia 05 Oct 2020 -- The United States has renewed policy guidance preventing members of the Communist Party or "any other totalitarian party" from gaining residency or citizenship, in a move that could affect tens of millions of members of China's ruling party.
• Interview: China's Xi Faces no 'Power to Constrain Him' - Dissident Party Scholar (Part I) Radio Free Asia 05 Oct 2020 -- Cai Xia, a retired professor of the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party, was expelled from the party and had her pension stripped on August 17 for "serious violations of political discipline of the Party" following her criticism of the increasingly authoritarian policies of Xi Jinping, party chief and state president. The dissident in-house scholar called the CCP a political zombie and likened Xi to a "gang boss". Widely known as one of the "Hereditary [Second Generation] Red," descendants of founding members or important figures of the CCP, the 68-year-old spoke to Vienna Tang of RFA's Mandarin Service recently about her hopes for a peaceful political transformation in China.
• Czech reaffirms One-China principle in positive move to save ties soured by Senate leader's Taiwan trip Global Times 05 Oct 2020 -- The Czech Republic reaffirmed its long-standing position to the one-China principle after refusing the head of the Czech Senate Milos Vystrcil to join a foreign policy meeting due to his unwarranted and unauthorized visit to the island of Taiwan, which was a dangerous move seen as seriously violating bilateral ties between China and Czech.
• Official: South Pars phase 12 produces 14bcm gas IRNA 05 Oct 2020 -- Director of the 9th refinery of South Pars said the 9th refinery of the South Pars Oil and Gas Field has produced about 14 billion cubic meters gas during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20).
• A Rare Admission Of Past Tensions, Opposition Sympathies Among Iran's Revolutionary Guards RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- In a rare acknowledgement of past divisions within Iran's armed forces, a senior commander in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has shone further light on a decade-old dispute that reached the highest echelons.
• Belarusian Protests Spill Off The Streets, Into The Sports Arena RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Belarus's postelection protests have entered the sports arena, but athletes who boycott competition or participate in anti-government rallies will be sidelined for awhile if the authorities have anything to say about it.
• Fugitive Kazakh Opposition Figure Ablyazov Granted Asylum In France RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- France has granted political asylum to Kazakhstan's exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov, according to his lawyer and a French newspaper.
• No light in sight at the end of Brexit tunnel Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Though several issues remain to be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, the EU Commissioner states that a trade deal between the EU and UK is still possible before the end of the year Brexit deadline. This comes as multiple rounds of talks have already failed to fully satisfy all sides.
• EU, Germany Discuss Future Relations with Britain VOA 05 Oct 2020 -- Germany's foreign minister met with the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Monday to discuss the future relations of the 27-member group with Britain after a transition period ends on December 31, 2020.
• Backlash Against Kyrgyz Parliamentary Election Results Comes Instantly RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Vote buying and the use of administrative resources looked like the early winners in Kyrgyzstan's October 4 parliamentary elections, although it quickly became apparent it might be a temporary victory.
• Kyrgyz Police Violently Disperse Postelection Protest In Central Bishkek RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- Kyrgyz security forces have used rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades against thousands of people gathered in the center of the capital, Bishkek, to protest against the results of parliamentary elections over the weekend that handed victories to parties close to pro-Russian President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
• Bishkek Police Disperse Protesters, Use Stun Grenades, Tear Gas Sputnik 05 Oct 2020 -- Fierce clashes between protesters and police are taking place in the centre of Bishkek, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.
• Lebanon's president refuses to order Beirut blast-related dismissals Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- President Michel Aoun of Lebanon will not sign a decree that dismisses three officials charged in an investigation into the Beirut port explosion of August 4 that killed more than 190 people.
• U.S. Lawmakers Call for Release of Vietnamese Democracy Activist Ahead of Rights Talks Radio Free Asia 05 Oct 2020 -- Ahead of this week's U.S.-Vietnamese human rights talks, three U.S. lawmakers called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to raise with Hanoi the case of an imprisoned democracy activist jailed for more than a decade.
• UK Court of Appeal rules in favor of Venezuela over blocked gold Press TV 05 Oct 2020 -- Venezuela has moved closer to securing control over its own gold reserves after the England and Wales Court of Appeal (EWCA) overturned an earlier High Court ruling which sided with the British government position.