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"It is instructive to reexamine the previous U.S. tribal engagement in Anbar as U.S. advisors once again plan for phases IV (stabilize) and V (enable civil authority) of joint operations."

CRS report via US Naval Institute News - Continue on for a summary and link to the full document.

About one in 10 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan are foreign fighters, the top U.S. general in the country said Thursday, in a statement touting recent U.S. and Afghan operations targeting the group.

After two months of uncertain fighting, Turkey appears suddenly to be riding high in its military campaign to take control of a larger piece of northern Syria.

"President Trump said Thursday that he was naming former ambassador John Bolton, a Fox News commentator and conservative firebrand, as his new national security adviser, replacing Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster."

To protect and advance US interests and values, American national security policymakers must shake off the rust accumulated over our long hibernation and address the current task with discipline, vigor, pragmatism, and a clear-eyed appreciation of America’s strengths.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told reporters traveling with him “that from a military dimension, I am enthusiastic about the prospects for 2018.”

"Aleppo. Mosul. Sana’a. Mogadishu. Gaza. These war-ravaged cities are but a few examples of a growing trend in global conflict, where more and more of the world’s most violent conflicts are being fought in densely populated urban areas."

"Lawmakers from both parties denounced the Trump administration’s proposal to cut foreign aid, saying it would hurt U.S. efforts to fight terrorism and health epidemics, and make military deployments more likely."

"Now part of The New York Times Magazine, the new iteration will continue to tell stories of the American war experience while expanding its coverage to global conflicts and their outcomes, including the continuing refugee crises. The first essay looks back at March 20, 2003, through the eyes of a veteran Marine lieutenant who led a platoon of six tanks into Baghdad."

Noting “breathtaking” progress the Afghan government and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have made, a senior officer in the Resolute Support mission said there is never going to be a better time for the Taliban to start talking with the Afghan government about peace.

Small Wars Journal El Centro and Small Wars Journal Jihadist-themed Anthologies - Paperback & Kindle Books Available at Amazon.com.

"The fall of Afrin offers a particularly gloomy snapshot of Washington's confused role in the Syrian war. Both the Trump and Obama administrations courted the YPG and backed their fight against the Islamic State — much to the chagrin of Turkey."

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan said a combination of religious, social, diplomatic and military pressure will be applied to the Taliban this year to force them to start negotiating for peace in the war-torn country.

"The U.S. refuels coalition warplanes, shares intelligence with the Saudis and provides them with munitions used in the air war. The Trump administration has weighed in with diplomatic assistance, too, bolstering the Saudi case for the war."

"The death of four U.S. soldiers in a chaotic ambush in Niger leaves the Pentagon grappling with a thorny issue in Africa: How should it counter the Islamic State and other militant groups without becoming ensnared in conflicts on the continent?"

As the Syrian Democratic Forces continue to develop their defensive positions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the middle Euphrates River valley, it’s important to stay focused on the key objectives, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to expand Ankara's military operations against more Kurdish strongholds in Syria, after ousting Kurds from their enclave in Afrin.

The Smith Richardson Foundation is pleased to announce its annual Strategy and Policy Fellows grant competition to support young scholars and policy thinkers on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history.

A collection of six articles which each examine a particular facet or perspective on Clausewitz’s writing to better explain, illuminate or examine dimensions that may not be apparent in the original text.

"On March 26, top Army leaders will travel to Huntsville, Ala., to announce details of their plan for the Futures Command, which will focus solely on developing new weapons and getting them “downrange” faster. The doors of the command are expected to open by the end of July, and it is supposed to be fully operational a year after that."

"Seeing the photographs of pro-Turkish Islamist militiamen strutting about the center of Afrin on Sunday, it seemed eerily possible that jihadist allies of the Islamic State were back in control in northern Syria, thanks to our 'NATO ally' Turkey."

The Afghan Taliban say they are deeply skeptical that a proposed three-nation conference in Indonesia will be a step toward peace.

"The Kurdish administration of Syria's Afrin region indicated on Sunday that Kurdish-dominated forces fighting Turkey-backed groups in the area will shift from direct confrontation to guerrilla tactics."

"Turkish forces have captured the town center of Kurdish-controlled Afrin in northern Syria, Turkey said Sunday, capping a two-month military campaign that has divided Ankara and its international allies."