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The US began ramping up ammunition production last year when it became clear that the war would drag on far longer than anticipated. But the ammunition will still take “years” to mass produce to acceptable levels, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday. Ukrainian troops now typically fire between 2,000 and 3,000 artillery shells per day at Russian forces, a US defense official told CNN. It was necessary, though, because of how low US stockpiles are, Sullivan told CNN Sunday. “All of us have had to struggle stimulating our supply chains, some of which went to sleep,” he told CNN.

Persons: Ben Wallace, that’s, Jake Sullivan, haven’t, –, Defense Lloyd Austin, John Kirchhofer, Mark Milley, Joe Biden, Sullivan, Biden, “, ”, ” Sullivan, ” Nebraska Republican Sen, Deb Fischer, Lockheed Martin, Fischer, ” Fischer, I’m, ‘, Ellen Lovett, ” Lovett, ” Wallace, ” Said, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rishi Sunak, Murat Kula, Charles Q, Brown, Jr Organizations: Washington CNN, NATO, CNN, US, National, CNN Sunday, Pentagon, The Defense Department, EyePress, Reuters, Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency’s, Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Press Club, ” Nebraska Republican, Senate’s Armed Services, Lockheed, “, Britain's, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European Union, EU, DoD, US Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Industrial Base Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Berlin, Swiss, Germany, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Kreminna, Luhansk, “, United States, Vilnius

CNN —A Russian surveillance aircraft flew above a US base in Syria for an “extended period of time” on Friday morning in what officials deemed an intelligence collecting mission, a senior defense official said. The official said there was a “lot of protest over the deconfliction line” established with Russia in Syria, which Russia brushed off. Despite the increased aggression from Russian aircraft, the official said there is no apparent willingness to get into an escalation with American forces, nor is there an American desire to engage Russian forces. There has, though, been a “qualitative difference” in Russian military flights in Syria and how they interact with US aircraft, the official said. The growing stability of the Syrian regime may also contribute to the willingness to interact with American aircraft.

Persons: Antonov, would’ve, ”, “ We’re, they’re, “ Organizations: CNN, Al, Force, US, Kremlin, American, US Navy Locations: Russian, Syria, Tanf, Iraq, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Gulf of Oman, Iran, Hormuz, Iranian

☆ Nearly 40% of US attack submarines in or awaiting repair as shipyards face worker shortages, supply chain issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nearly 40% of US fast attack submarines are in repair or awaiting maintenance as shipyards face a shortage of workers and and supply chain issues, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. Of the 49 fast attack submarines in the Navy, a total of 18 are either in depot maintenance or awaiting maintenance, known as idle. “As planned, about one third of our fast attack submarines are currently in maintenance receiving critical repairs to sustain a mission ready force. The strain on the submarine fleet will be exacerbated by the agreement between the US, UK and Australia to provide Canberra with three to five fast attack submarines in the early 2030s. The Navy has three classes of fast attack submarines in service: older Los Angeles-class attack subs, Seawolf-class subs, and the newer Virginia-class subs.

Persons: ”, Jackie Pau Organizations: CNN, Congressional Research Service, Navy, Bloomberg, “, United Locations: United States, Australia, Canberra, China, Los Angeles, Virginia

☆ US Air Force suspends personnel moves and bonuses due to funding shortfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Air Force has suspended personnel moves and bonuses through the end of the fiscal year as the service faces a funding shortfall driven by higher-than-expected costs, according to a statement from the service Monday. The Air Force said it needed to take these steps now “to avoid exhausting funds” dedicated to personnel. The suspensions could affect tens of thousands of service members, according to an Air Force official, though it’s unclear how large the shortfall is. The Air Force is also pausing certain bonus payments for service members, including reenlistment bonuses and extra incentive pay for difficult or extended assignments. The hold affects more than 200 general and flag officers, including Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q.

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Charles Q, Brown, Tuberville Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Air Force, The Air Force, Alabama Republican, Defense, Senate Armed Services Committee Locations: United States

CNN —Russian fighter jets harassed an American drone operating over Syria for the second time in two days, according to the US Air Force, a sign of increasing friction between the two countries in Middle East airspace. On Thursday, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting a mission against ISIS targets in northwest Syria when Russian fighter jets approached, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said in a statement about the incident. Video of the encounter released by Air Force Central Command shows two Russian fighters flying near the US drone. In the Wednesday encounter, the Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of the US drones, forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers. In March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea.

Persons: Alex Grynkewich, Michael Andrews, ” Grynkewich, Bashar al, Assad, ”, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, ISIS, Air Force, Air Force Central Command, Coalition, Russian, French Rafale, French Armed Forces, Pentagon Locations: Russian, Syria, Middle East, Iraq, Russia

CNN —The US military deployed F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East this week due to concerns about ‘unsafe and unprofessional behavior,’ by Russian aircraft, the US military announced on Wednesday. “Russian Forces’ unsafe and unprofessional behavior is not what we expect from a professional air force. A US Air Forces Central spokesperson said there has been an increase “over the past several weeks” of unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft. “While the unprofessional and unsafe behavior varies from day to day and pilot to pilot, compared to behavior a year ago, Russian pilots have become significantly more unprofessional and unsafe in their attempts to challenge Coalition enduring defeat-Da’esh operations,” the spokesperson said. “Previously, Russian military leadership in Syria had been willing to comply with agreed upon deconfliction protocols,” they added.

Persons: ”, Michael “ Erik ” Kurilla, Alex Grynkewich, Kurilla, “ Organizations: CNN, “ Russian Forces, 94th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, US Air Forces Central, Raptors, US, Russian, Coalition Locations: Virginia, Europe, Ukraine, Syria, Russia

☆ US set to launch formal investigation into disputed Syria drone strike after reports it killed a civilian, defense officials sa
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The US military is set to launch a formal investigation into a drone strike in Syria in early May, six weeks after the operation and following reports it killed a civilian rather than a senior al-Qaeda leader as first claimed, three defense officials familiar with the matter told CNN. A spokesman for CENTCOM, Michael Lawhorn, said the investigation process is continuing but that there were no updates at this time. It took US Central Command two weeks to begin a review of the incident, known as a civilian casualty credibility assessment report. The policy was developed in 2022 after a botched US drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians in the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In that case, CENTCOM opened a formal 15-6 investigation into the strike within a week of the operation.

Persons: Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM, Kurilla, Hassan, Michael Lawhorn, Matthew McFarlane, ”, Annie Shiel, Shiel, Lloyd Austin, “, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, Command, Central Command, Pentagon, US Central Command, Washington Post, Force, ISIS, Center for Civilians, Defense Department, Defense Locations: Syria, Hassan Mesto, Kabul, Afghanistan

☆ Mark Milley: Exclusive: Top US general says Ukraine is 'well prepared' for counteroffensive in war that has 'greater meaning' for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Watch CNN’s full interview with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” today at 4 p.m. Milley, who is retiring this year, is in Normandy to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day invasion — a massive World War II operation that he called the “greatest amphibious invasion in human history” — as the war continues to rage in Ukraine. For months now, the US and its allies have been helping arm Ukraine for the counteroffensive, which was expected to start in the spring. Most recently, the US said it would support a joint effort by other nations to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The war has also begun creeping into Russia, as suspected Ukrainian drone strikes hit inside Moscow and a shelling attack was carried out in Belgorod.

Persons: Staff Mark Milley, Jake Tapper ”, Oren Liebermann, Milley Organizations: Joint Chiefs, Staff, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, United States, Normandy, France, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Moscow, Belgorod

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet conducted an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” during an intercept of a US spy plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the US military said in a statement Tuesday. The RC-135 was conducting “safe and routine operations” in international airspace, US Indo-Pacific Command said. The US has seen an alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts conducted by Chinese aircraft, according to an INDOPACOM spokesperson. Chinese aircraft have been more aggressive, drawing closer to US and allied aircraft, prompting concern about a potential unsafe incident or miscalculation. Over the past several years, the South China Sea has emerged as a major potential flashpoint in the Asia Pacific.

Persons: ”, Nancy Pelosi’s, Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, it’s Organizations: CNN, Pacific Command, Pacific Joint Force, Pentagon, Defense, Dialogue Security, US, Defense Department, Department of Defense, Embassy, Navy, South China, Center for Strategic, Studies, Power Locations: South, United States, U.S, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Singapore, INDOPACOM, Asia

CNN —A drone strike carried out by the US military this month in northwest Syria killed a 56-year-old father of ten out grazing his sheep, his relatives have told CNN, hours after US Central Command said a civilian may have been killed in the operation. The strike, carried out on May 3 in northwest Syria, targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader, Central Command said in a tweet announcing the operation that day. In the two weeks that have passed since the operation, Central Command has not released any more information about the intended target. The Washington Post first reported that the US military is investigating whether a civilian was killed in the strike. Killed alongside his sheepRelatives of a man who was killed in a lone strike on the same day in the same area have since come forward with their version of events, saying he was a family man with no links to militancy.

☆ US Central Command investigating after strike ‘may have resulted’ in a civilian killed in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US military is investigating a strike in Syria earlier this month that “may have resulted” in a civilian being killed, according to a statement from US Central Command. The strike, carried out on May 3 in northwest Syria, targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader, Central Command said in a tweet announcing the operation that day. In the two weeks that have passed since the operation, Central Command has not released any more information about the intended target. CENTCOM “has been made aware of allegations that the strike may have resulted in a civilian casualty” and is investigating to see where the strike “may have unintentionally resulted in harm to civilians,” Central Command spokesperson Michael Lawhorn said in a statement. The Washington Post first reported that the US military is investigating whether a civilian was killed in the strike.

The error – which lawmakers and congressional staffers were briefed on Thursday – triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees. “The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least. Now, due to this revelation, there is about $5.3 billion still available, far more than even the largest single package provided to Ukraine. But now that there is more funding available, congressional sources said they are less concerned about the immediate need for a new funding package for Ukraine. The accounting error occurred because when the US transferred weaponry to Ukraine, they counted the value of replacing the weapon instead of the value of actual weapon, defense officials explained.

National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby declined to comment specifically on the possibility of the US sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but said broadly that the US has been forward-looking about “future capabilities” and needs. US lawmakers and congressional staffers have joined in the F-16 lobbying campaign, urging the administration to provide the jets so that Ukraine can establish control over its skies. US allies with F-16s could conduct training for Ukrainian fighter pilots, or the aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, could carry out training as a private contractor. Without the jets, Ukraine is having to improvise, officials say. The Russian jets have largely been staying behind Russian defensive lines, making them difficult for Ukraine to target with shorter-range systems like NASAMs.

CNN —A US-made Patriot air defense system was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday morning local time, a US official tells CNN. We’ll stay out of commenting on Russian sources,” said the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat. Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in country, one donated by the US and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged, but taking one out of commission – even for a short period – could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend Kyiv amid intensifying Russian missile attacks. The components operate together to fire a Patriot missile and successfully guide it to its target.

CNN —The US has announced a $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine intended to “bolster its air defenses” and “sustain its artillery ammunition needs,” with Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces looming. Instead of supplying Ukraine with the weapons it currently needs, USAI packages are intended to create a medium- and long-term supply for Ukraine. With the new package announcement, the US has committed $37.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including $36.9 billion since the beginning of the war in February 2022. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in late April that the Ukrainian military is almost finished preparing for its counteroffensive against Russian forces. But even after the Ukrainian counteroffensive begins, the US will continue to send military aid to Ukraine, according to a US military official, both to sustain Ukraine’s military force against dug-in Russian troops and to provide new equipment.

☆ Russian pilots trying to ‘dogfight’ US jets over Syria, US Central Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russian pilots are trying to “dogfight” US jets over Syria, according to a spokesman for US Central Command, part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior. The attempts have happened in several of the most recent instances of aggressive behavior from Russian pilots, Col. Joe Buccino said. A video released by US Central Command from April 2 shows a Russian SU-35 fighter jet conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet. That also includes 26 instances in which armed Russian jets flew over US and coalition positions in Syria. Russia subsequently presented state awards to the pilots of the Russian jets.

CNN —The ISIS-K leader who planned the deadly 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul international airport’s Abbey Gate was killed by the Taliban, according to the National Security Council. Kirby did not specify when the Taliban killed the ISIS-K leader, but called it one in a “series of high-profile leadership losses” that ISIS-K has suffered this year. The terrorist who carried out the suicide bombing, Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri, had been released from prison only days earlier when the Taliban took control of the area. ISIS-K stands for ISIS-Khorasan, the terror organization’s affiliate that is active in Afghanistan and the surrounding region. Taylor Hoover, who was killed in the bombing, told CNN that he was notified by the military Tuesday morning.

CNN —The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official. Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia. Last month US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is “very focused” on providing air defense systems to Ukraine. “We’re now very focused on air defense systems and not just us, many other countries,” Blinken told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

CNN —The US killed two ISIS officials in a helicopter raid early Sunday morning in eastern Syria, US Central Command said in a statement. One of the officials killed was “Anas,” a regional ISIS leader who was involved in planning operations in eastern Syria. “The death of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East,” said Central Command spokesman Col. Joe Buccino. Two weeks ago, the US welcomed news of the death of ISIS leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al- Qurayshi. He was not killed in a US operation, unlike the previous leader, Hajji Abdullah, who was killed in a US raid in February.

☆ CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is leaving the network after more than two decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Barbara Starr, the Pentagon correspondent who has covered some of the most consequential stories with a signature style and steady hand, is leaving CNN after more than two decades with the network. Starr announced her departure in a memo sent to her CNN colleagues on Friday. “With the expiration of my contract in the coming days I have made the decision to move on,” Starr wrote. “Let me say this…you never say goodbye to your friends, so I won’t.”Starr’s exit from CNN follows that of several notable personalities at the network. “Barb has been a coworker, a mentor, and a role model since I came to the Pentagon,” CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann wrote on Twitter.

Washington CNN —ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed Wednesday during a US counterterrorism raid in northwest Syria, President Joe Biden announced Thursday morning. It was the biggest US raid in the country since the 2019 operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “Thanks to the bravery of our troops, this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. US says suicide bomb killed ISIS leaderThe Pentagon will conduct a more thorough after-action review of the raid. But Wednesday’s operation was the largest in scale since a two-hour raid killed ISIS leader Baghdadi in northwest Syria in October 2019.

His comments have given fuel to the growing interest in a one-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as negotiations to create a sovereign Palestinian state have achieved little in recent years. But such a process insists on a sovereign Palestinian state. 01:18 - Source: CNNThe idea of the two-state solution sounds simple enough – an Israeli state next to a Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace. OPINION: What Trump’s meeting with Abbas meansWhat would a one-state solution look like? It is land that Palestinians, along with the international community, view as territory for a future Palestinian state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday, Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Trump, Netanyahu, Obama, Abbas, Kerry, Israel, Israel doesn’t, MUSA, CNN Trump, David Friedman, Jason Greenblatt, Jared Kushner, CNN Abbas ’, Abbas ’, It’s, ”, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Zakaria, –, it’s Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, White, Israeli, Israel, West Bank, AFP, Getty, UN, Trump, New, State Department, Fatah Central Committee, Initiative, Arab, Oslo Peace Locations: Israel, Washington, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Gaza, Bank, AFP, East Jerusalem, Trump’s, New York, Trump's, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Hamas, Israel’s, Oslo

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