Blog Posts

Today, SIGAR released an audit of Department of Defense (DOD)-funded efforts to procure 159 UH-60 helicopters to replace the Afghan Air Force's aging MI-17 helicopter fleet. Continue on for the key points and a link to the full report.

"The U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq Monday denied it faced a head-to-head encounter with the Iran-backed militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Nineveh province of Iraq."

"Seven European Union countries on Monday recognized Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, turning decisively against President Nicolás Maduro after he refused their demand to schedule a new presidential election."

"Even as U.S.-backed forces close in on the very last pockets of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Syria, the terror group is unfazed, instead preparing to declare victory and retake territory."

"The Pentagon has launched a major examination of civilian deaths in military operations, responding to criticism that it has failed to protect innocent bystanders in counterterrorism wars worldwide."

"The president was asked about his position on the crumbling South American country this weekend during an interview with CBS' Face the Nation. The comments come after National Security Adviser John Bolton flashed a notebook suggesting 5,000 U.S. troops could be sent to respond to the crisis in Venezuela, and after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered all U.S. diplomats to leave the country, which the U.S. ignored."

"The Mexican government is in a prolonged state of civil war with various cartels, and the state is losing. Rampant corruption from the local to federal level breaks down the fundamental principal-agent relationship between the government and its population, encouraging locals to turn to militias for protection. The militias are, in part, a result of widespread corruption as well as the Mexican military’s deterioration. Mexico’s military faces large numbers of desertions, while measures to provide security for its population continue to fail."

"After more than 17 years of fighting, U.S. diplomats have been working with Taliban representatives at a breakneck pace to negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan. The talks appear to be driven by President Donald Trump, who is eager to close out America’s costly foreign wars."

"Taliban representatives will meet influential Afghan opposition leaders in Moscow for two days of peace building discussions starting Tuesday, but envoys from the Kabul government will not be in attendance."

"President Trump plans to keep United States troops in Iraq to monitor and maintain pressure on neighboring Iran, committing to an American military presence in the region’s war zones even as he moves to withdraw forces from Syria and Afghanistan."

Trump said Sunday that a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is "an option." But in comments to CBS, he did not say what would prompt him to send in U.S. forces.

"In Nigeria, an affiliate of the terrorist group has seized hundreds of square miles of territory and could disrupt a presidential election this month."

"Iran’s Press TV boasted on Saturday that “Hashd al-Shaabi stop US military patrol in Iraq’s Mosul.” The Hashd – also called the Popular Mobilization Units – are a group of militias that have grown in the last several years in response to the ISIS attack on Iraq in 2014. Some of the militias, such as Badr, have deep roots in Iraq, with leaders who fought alongside the Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war."

"A record 2,518 people were killed here in 2018 — nearly seven times the total in 2012. With 140 killings per 100,000 people, Tijuana is now one of the deadliest cities in the world. Across the border in San Diego, there were 34 homicides last year, or just over 2 killings per 100,000 people."

"Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is expected to announce Sunday when humanitarian aid will be delivered to the crisis-ridden country. Guaido told supporters Saturday the opposition would start collecting humanitarian aid in Brazil, Colombia and an unnamed Caribbean island and called on the military to allow the aid into the country."

"Philippine troops clashed with Abu Sayyaf gunmen in fierce jungle fighting that left five soldiers and three militants dead, as the military pushed forward with a fresh offensive following a deadly church bombing last weekend."

"If the U.S. Air Force takes two years to conduct a light-attack experiment — made possible in part by industry investments — and then abandons it, why should defense contractors buy into the next one? That was the question posed to the Air Force’s top uniformed acquisition official by one attendee of a Feb. 1 event held by the Air Force Association."

"On Saturday morning, just before massive pro-opposition demonstrations were set to take place across Venezuela, a high-ranking military officer published a surprising YouTube video."

"Lebanon’s newly formed government, which gives the Islamist movement Hezbollah key ministries, has raised concerns that the country could run afoul of sanctions by the United States that prohibit material support for the Iran-backed group."

"The suspected arrival of around 100 Russian mercenaries in Venezuela to provide protection for Nicolas Maduro has set alarm bells ringing internationally while heightening the sense of insecurity surrounding the president and his entourage."

"Many experts worry that the U.S. is repeating the mistakes of Vietnam in Afghanistan. Afghanistan long ago took from Vietnam the title of America’s longest war, when it passed the 13-year mark in 2014."

"France is in discussions about repatriating Islamic State fighters and their families, a policy shift prompted by the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. The French government confirmed this past week that French jihadists detained in Syrian camps may be returned to France."

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"At the edge of a bridge leading into the heart of the devastation from a 2017 siege against Islamic State-linked militants, an electric-blue billboard stands apart from the ruins. 'Marawi will rise again! Soon . . .' it proudly declares in rainbow-colored letters. So far, it sounds like an empty promise."

"As President Trump considers pulling all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, and with the Senate coming together this week to rebuke such a plan, a watchdog report released this week showcases the fragility of the reconstruction effort."