Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 4, 2016

Members of the Iranian Armed Forces (file photo)

J. Matthew Mcinnis and daniel Schnur, Newsweek: What the Reshuffle of Iran's Military Means to the West

Grinding, complex sectarian wars remain unresolved in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

Restrictions on Iran’s purchase of conventional weapons will be lifted by 2023 under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

A new supreme leader (and therefore new commander in chief) will likely be installed in the next few years. These are the big factors driving uncertainty in how the Iranian military wants to move forward.

The recent reshuffling of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) can give some insight not only into the inner dynamics of Iran’s military structure, but also how Iran intends to use its military in the future. In particular, the appointment of Mohammed Bagheri, a major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to head the AFGS may be the most telling.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 4, 2016

Iranian military involvement in the battle for Aleppo -- Long War Journal

US Tactics to Accelerate Mosul Campaign Not Yet in Place -- DoD Buzz

USS Wasp sailors, Marines, play role in U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State group in Libya -- Virginia Pilot

U.S. admiral warns Asia-Pacific may be next front in ISIS fight -- Defense News

The Iraqi Air Force Just Got New Bomber Planes — By Arming Transports -- War Is Boring

Russian Tu-160M2 Bomber May Make First Flight by End of 2018 -- Sputnik

Russia’s advanced strategic bomber may perform debut flight in late 2018 -- TASS

Russia's State-of-the-art Tu-214R Spy Plane Successfully Passes Syria Test -- Sputnik

Putin orders military to celebrate Nov 25 as Peacekeeper Day -- RT

Kazakhstan Gets Air Defense From Russia, More Military Aircraft In Works -- Eurasianet.org

Pentagon withholds $300 million in military aid to Pakistan -- Washington Post

Beijing and Seoul eye Japan's new hawkish defense minister -- DW

Israeli Navy To Equip Surface Fleet With Rapid-Fire Guns -- Defense News

Volunteer soldiers quit Germany's military after a change of heart -- DW

Germany Discusses Enlisting Military Help at Home to Fight Terrorism -- WSJ

Combat-tested U.S. bombers headed to Pacific -- CNN

Marines order 24-hour pause in flight operations for all non-deployed aircraft -- Marine Times

US Air Force FMS Changes Coming Soon -- Defense News

Obama to talk IS fight at Pentagon as US expands Libya role -- US News and World Report

First MV-22 Osprey with 3-D Printed Parts Takes Flight -- Defense Tech

US Air Force Secretary Skeptical of No-First-Use Nuclear Policy -- Defense News

Calling Peter Parker: Army looks to spiders to save soldiers' lives -- CNN

First Female Enlisted Sailor Gets Submarine-Qualified -- Military.com

Zika hits the U.S. military: 41 troops, 7 family members diagnosed -- Military Times

41 US military members have now contracted Zika -- FOX News/CNN Wire

Chinese national arrested trying to smuggle US military parts to Iran -- RT

Military Service Matters Less to Most Americans -- Brandon Willitts, NYT

US Military's Third Offset Strategy: A Silver Bullet or Simply a Bad Idea? -- Andrew Davies, National Interest

Why Medal Of Honor Recipients Are Taking A Stand In This Election -- Matt White, Task & Purpose

Sorry, but there's no such thing as 'too much stealth' -- Amanda Macias, Business Insider

How Soon is Too Soon for New Weapons? -- James Hasik, Atlantic Council