Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 11, 2017

France 24: US strike on Syrian base 'destroyed fifth of Assad's air force'

The US strike on a Syrian air base destroyed a fifth of the Damascus regime's remaining warplanes, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Monday as Washington fired a fresh salvo of warnings at President Bashar al-Assad.

The public assessment of Friday's missile strike and the forceful rhetoric came as G7 ministers met in Italy to send a "clear and coordinated" message to Russia over its support for Damascus.

The United States on Friday blasted 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat air base near Homs, which the Pentagon said Assad's jets had used to launch a deadly chemical attack on rebel-held Idlib province.

"The United States will not passively stand by while Assad murders innocent people with chemical weapons, which are prohibited by international law and which were declared destroyed," Mattis said in a statement, noting that 20 percent of Assad's "operational" aircraft were destroyed.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 11, 2017

US says strike on Syria destroyed fifth of Assad's jets -- Al Jazeera

Russia Has Intel on Upcoming Chemical Weapons Provocations in Syrian Regions -- Sputnik

Russian General Staff Warns Against New US Missile Strikes on Syria -- Sputnik

Iran, Russia Threaten ‘Lethal Response’ to Further U.S. Action in Syria -- Washington Free Beacon

Mattis Sends Don't-Mess-With-Us Message to Syria -- Military.com

Trump’s military strikes in Syria complicated by Iran’s role -- Washington Post/AP

Status Unclear of US-Russia Hotline for Syrian Airspace -- VOA

Patrolling the Skies Over Syria: Lockheed Martin F-22 Stealth Raptors -- National Interest

Calm Prevails as Russian Warship Nears US Destroyers in Mediterranean -- Military.com

Russia to put upgraded strategic bombers on serial production -- TASS

Russia's S-400 Air Defense System: Super Weapon or Over-hyped? -- Emanuele Scimia, National Interest

Mixed signals for China, India from Russia’s S-400 in Syria -- Asia Times

Russia to upgrade Iskander-M missile systems -- TASS

Supermaneuverable Beasts: Russia to Supply 10 Su-35 Jets to China in 2017 -- Sputnik

Russia Delivered Weaponry to 52 Countries in 2016 -- Sputnik

Russia signs export defense contracts worth over $9 bln in 2016 -- TASS

China's Answer to the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex -- Leo Lin, The Diplomat

Trump approves Montenegro's membership into NATO -- UPI

Sweden taps Saab for signal intelligence ship -- UPI

NATO receives offer of bullets that 'swim' -- Defense News

South Korea Test Fires New Ballistic Missile -- Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat

South Korea moves equipment for THAAD deployment -- UPI

U.S. Air Force Wants Better Tech To Detect North Korea Missile Threats -- Vocativ

Trump administration 'to sell Nigeria planes' for Boko Haram fight -- BBC

Pentagon seeks at least 5 percent savings on Lockheed F-35 jet, say sources -- Defense News

Trump May Not Like it, But US Navy Proceeds With F-35 Buy -- Sputik

Could an Advanced Super Hornet Outmaneuver the Navy’s F-35C? -- James Mugg, The Strategist

Lockheed Martin gets license for military exoskeleton tech -- UPI

U.S. Navy funds development of robot surveillance system which can spy on humans in incredible detail -- The SUN

US Military Downplays Spotting of Aircraft Close to Air Force One -- VOA

Explosion at Army ammunition plant in Missouri kills 1 -- AP

Is Congress ready to ground the Air Force? -- Gen. Larry O. Spencer (ret.), Defense News

Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of War -- John Amble, Modern War Institute

Why The Pentagon Is A Pentagon, And 6 Other Weird Facts About DoD’s HQ -- Adam Weinstein, Task & Purpose