Susannah George, RCD/AP: Iraqi Victories Remain Fragile As U.S. Reduces Troops
QAIM, Iraq (AP) — From their outpost on Iraq’s westernmost edge, U.S. 1st Lt. Kyle Hagerty and his troops watched civilians trickle into the area after American and Iraqi forces drove out the Islamic State group. They were, he believed, families returning to liberated homes, a hopeful sign of increasing stability.
But when he interviewed them on a recent reconnaissance patrol, he discovered he was wrong. They were families looking for shelter after being driven from their homes in a nearby town. Those who pushed them out were forces from among their “liberators” — Shiite militiamen who seized control of the area after defeating the IS militants.
Read more ....
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 18, 2018
United States to shift its military strategy in Iraq -- Arab Weekly
Pull U.S. Troops Out of the Middle East and Put 'America First' -- Daniel L. Davis, National Interest
Aerial photos ‘point to new Chinese signals hub’ in the heart of the South China Sea -- SCMP
China’s new fighter jets will be used in ‘more regular’ patrols over South China Sea -- Today Online
Putin's shock troops - how Russia's secret mercenary army came up against the US in Syria -- The Telegraph
Putin’s Shadow Army Suffers a Setback in Syria -- Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker
Turks propose joint deployment with U.S. in Syria as allies aim to mend ties -- Reuters
Iran and Saudi Arabia need a 'fresh security architecture' -- DW
Israel to receive F-35 air vehicle deliveries -- UPI
Brazil to create new ministry for public security -- DW
South Korea Joins U.S., Thailand in Military Landing Drill -- RCD
Germany and two percent for defense – it's complicated -- Defense News
Theresa May calls for UK-EU security agreement -- DW
Poland, Canada join NATO members in potential maritime surveillance aircraft buy -- Defense News
UK submits bid for Belgium fighter competition, pitting Typhoon against F-35 -- Defense News
AI warfare is coming, and some global leaders say NATO isn’t ready -- Defense News
How the Army plans to use virtual humans powered by artificial intelligence -- Brandon Knapp, C4ISRNet
Air Force Wants to Invest Heavily in Next-Gen Technologies -- DoD Buzz
Navy Signs $1.4B Contract with Ingalls Shipbuilding for 13th San Antonio -- USNI News
Navy turns to General Dynamics for anti-missile protection -- UPI
No guaranteed ‘golden hour’ for Marines headed into the next big fight -- Marine Times
US Army’s next-gen combat vehicle prototyping to be accelerated -- Defense News
Combat Rescue Helicopter Program on Schedule -- National Defense
Lawmakers Blast 'Inadequate' Shipbuilding Budget, 30-Year Plan -- Military.com
Military leaders are asking Congress to spend some of this year’s money next year -- Defense News
Senate confirms nuclear weapons chief, key Pentagon officials -- Defense News
Army mulls pulling back on missions to reduce demand on force -- Defense News
Trump's Plan to Protect America's Nuclear Capabilities -- Michaela Dodge, National Interest
WaPo: Emails detail how senior US military officers dealt with Hawaii's false missile alert -- CNN
The Air Force's hair-raising (sorry) research for drones -- Adam Stone, C4ISRnet
How the Marines Could Win the Next War: Barges Armed With Railguns, Missiles and F-35s -- Eugene K. Chow, National Interest
Lawrence of Arabia's revolver donated to National Army Museum -- The Guardian