Blog Posts

"NATO foreign ministers have tasked the alliance’s top military officer to help boost the 30 allies’ response to the coronavirus pandemic."

"Iran continues to escalate proxy attacks against the U.S. in Iraq, demonstrating that it remains undeterred despite the January 3 strike that killed IRGC - Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and key Iraqi proxy leader Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis and subsequent U.S. strikes."

"Pakistan has overturned the death sentence of the man convicted of killing US journalist Daniel Pearl, defence lawyers have told reporters."

"Both the Islamic State group and al-Qaida see the coronavirus as a threat, but some of their fighters also see the upheaval from the pandemic as an opportunity to win over more supporters and strike harder than before."

"An internal Pentagon document from 2017 warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of a pandemic like the coronavirus, one that could 'result in debilitating illness in military forces at levels significant enough to degrade combat readiness.'"

"One of the hallmarks of the United States military is its ability to project power around the world, often under the banner of slogans intended to strike fear in its adversaries. But now the foe is a novel coronavirus, and it has struck deep."

"Afghan government representatives have met with a three-member Taliban team in Kabul to discuss a prisoner swap as part of a peace deal signed by the Taliban and the United States in late February."

"The top Marine told reporters Wednesday that current layout and organization of the Corps’ Light Armored Reconnaissance units were better equipped to handle another conflict in the Middle East instead of rising near-peer rivals."

"President Donald Trump warned Iran in a tweet Wednesday that it would pay a 'very heavy price' if its forces or militias attacked U.S. troops. Trump hinted the U.S. may have information that Iran and its proxies may be planning a 'sneak attack' on U.S. troops in Iraq."

"China has concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country, under-reporting both total cases and deaths it’s suffered from the disease, the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House, according to three U.S. officials."

"The Taliban has shown no interest in cooperating with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to combat the COVID-19 pandemic spreading from Iran, creating the latest obstacle to peace, four regional experts said Monday."

"The Trump administration proposed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hand power to a transitional government in return for sanctions relief and other measures."

"The European Union announced Tuesday the launch of a new naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, after Italy blocked a previous operation claiming that the warships attracted migrants to Europe’s shores."

"The UN Security Council has called on political rivals in Afghanistan to 'rally together' and finalize talks with the Taliban to help end the country’s long, costly war."

"The U.N. Security Council is urging Afghanistan’s warring parties to heed the U.N. secretary-general’s call for an immediate cease-fire to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country."

"The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) deployed roughly a division (over 20,000 soldiers) to Greater Idlib Province between February 1 and March 31, 2020."

"Some of the most critical US senior military commanders and nuclear and special operations forces are now operating under extraordinary protection measures to ensure that in the event of a sudden security crisis, including any potential nuclear mission, there will be enough healthy troops and leaders to carry out orders as the coronavirus pandemic grows."

"Lebanese activists and journalists say they fear the Hezbollah-led Cabinet could be using the COVID-19 pandemic as justification to further consolidate its power through targeting dissent."

"Saudi Arabia is in daily talks with Iran-aligned Houthi insurgents in Yemen and has invited Houthi representatives and the internationally recognized government in Yemen to peace talks in the kingdom, a senior Saudi official said."

"Colombia's left-wing National Liberation Army rebel group says it will observe a month-long unilateral cease-fire beginning Wednesday."

"The Pentagon has asked Congress to allow it to classify its Future Year Defense Program spending projections, new documents have revealed."

"Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to their first nationwide cease-fire in four years, part of an effort to fend off calamity should the war-ravaged nation controlled by rival governments be struck by the coronavirus pandemic."

"All is not quiet in Europe. Especially on Ukraine’s eastern front, where Russians are attacking Ukraine forces on land, from the air and on the water, Ukraine military officials tell Military Times."

"The Afghan government has slammed the Taliban after the militant group rejected Kabul's negotiating team for upcoming intra-Afghan peace talks aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war."

"The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq withdrew Sunday from a military base in the country’s north that nearly launched Washington into an open war with neighboring Iran. The K1 Air Base is the third site coalition forces have left this month, in line with U.S. plans to consolidate its troops in two locations in Iraq."