Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 5, 2016

Osamah Waheeb/Reuters

Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast: ISIS Is Losing Ground, but Not the War

The terror group has suffered a series of defeats in Syria, but while the prevailing Pentagon view may be that ISIS has weakened, there is debate about just how much.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State has lost at least three Syrian cities and towns in the past six weeks, including one over the weekend, each time by walking away from the fight.

And yet the Pentagon is not sure whether to celebrate ISIS’s losses or brace for even bigger fights against the group than it already anticipated for key ISIS cities like Mosul and Raqqa.

The territorial losses are among the biggest the terror group has suffered in the past two years. And Pentagon officials are watching to see if Assad forces continue advancing toward Deir el Zour, two defense officials explained to The Daily Beast, the biggest potential regime push east into ISIS territory in years.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 5, 2016

Pentagon could adjust air campaign in war against ISIS -- The Hill

U.S. firm to de-mine Iraqi city of Ramadi retaken from Islamic State -- Reuters

For a third time in the last 2 months, the US Navy confiscated Iranian weapons at sea -- Business Insider/Scout

Russia orders 30 more Su-30SM fighters -- IHS Jane's 360

Russia's new submarine to combine qualities of multi-purpose and strategic subs -- TASS

Russia Could Start Delivering S-400s to China by Year-End - Source -- Sputnik

Japanese submarine, destroyers arrive in Philippines for port call near disputed South China Sea waters -- Japan Times

HHI launches seventh KSS-2 submarine for South Korean navy -- IHS Jane's 360

Belarus will never wage war abroad - new military doctrine -- RT

Kuwait May Finalize Eurofighter Deal, Source Says -- Defense News

Israeli Military’s Spring-Cleaning Call: Return Our Gear, Please -- NYT

Israel Seeks Greater Autonomy for F-35 Fighter Force -- Defense News

Military wipes its hands of Turkish politics -- Al-Monitor

UN peacekeepers go on trial for CAR sex abuse -- Al Jazeera

Ex-CIA Officer: German Spying on Allies Reveals ‘Dirty Secret’ of Diplomacy -- Sputnik

US-Philippine War Games Begin as China Warns ‘Outsiders’ -- Defense News/AFP

Eyeing Russia, Poland Wants More NATO Troops -- Defense one

Obama Defends NATO as a ‘Lynchpin’ -- Defense News/AFP

Obama reassures NATO leader after Trump rants -- Politico

Here are the first images of the U.S. Air Force F-15s providing air policing duties in Iceland -- Aviationist

US Navy fully funds new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer -- UPI

Alaska Air Force Base To Get F-35s in 2020 -- Defense News

F-35 Drops 1000 Pound Bomb -- The Diplomat

Army Ditches Knight’s M110 For More Compact HK Designated Marksman Rifle -- Bearing Arms

The Army Wants You to Make Its Soldiers Pocket-Sized Drones -- Wired

Keel laying held in Rhode Island for stealthy Navy submarine -- AP

US Starts Testing New Submarine-Hunting Unmanned Ship (VIDEO) -- Sputnik

Small Businesses See ‘Golden Opportunities’ in Special Operations Command -- National Defense

CIA withdraws plan to destroy emails -- The Hill

Army seeks enlisted women for infantry, armor and 12 other combat jobs -- Army Times

Military dog awarded animal equivalent of Victoria Cross -- The Guardian/Press Association

Former Defense secretary: Obama 'double-crossed' me -- The Hill

Police Use This Secret Military Snooping Gadget to Track Cell Phones. But Is It Legal? -- Brandon Ellington Patterson, Mother Jones