Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 25, 2016

Iraqi special forces soldiers drive in a desert near Mosul, Iraq October 25, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Reuters: Iraqi army's elite force pauses advance near Mosul

An elite unit of the Iraqi army paused its week-long advance on Mosul as it approached the city's eastern edge on Tuesday, waiting for other U.S.-backed forces to close in on Islamic State's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Seeking to relieve pressure on their forces controlling the northern Iraqi city, Islamic State fighters who have waged counter attacks across the country battled Iraqi troops in the desert town of Rutba, 450 km (280 miles) to the southwest.

On the ninth day of the offensive on Mosul, government forces and allied Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are still fighting their way toward the city's outer limits, in the early stages of an assault which could become the biggest military operation in Iraq in over a decade.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 25, 2016

U.S. troops, embedded with Iraqi brigades and battalions, push toward Mosul’s city center. -- Military Times

Iraqi Forces Battle Islamic State Far From Mosul -- AP

Carter to Discuss Next Move in Battle Against Islamic State -- WSJ

SecAF: US Could Create Syria No-Fly Zone While Fighting ISIS -- Military.com

NATO flies first AWACS surveillance mission backing anti-IS coalition -- AFP

Nato fears Russian battle group may be used for 'indiscriminate' targeting of Aleppo civilians -- The Telegraph

Russia ready to deliver strikes on militants moving into Syria from Iraq — general -- TASS

Russian Defense minister: Russian arms pass Syria test, but there are problems -- UPI

Kaboom! Russian Military Successfully Launches Scary RS-18 Ballistic Missile -- Sputnik

Formidable Sarmat: Satan’s successor that can pierce any defense -- TASS

Russian Defense Ministry to Construct 15 Military Facilities in Arctic in 2016 -- Sputnik

Israel Refuses To Sign US Regulation Of Drone Exports Document -- Defense World

Egyptian military's role in economy likely to be reduced after 2-3 years: PM -- Reuters

German ammunition sales increase ten-fold -- DW

NATO fine tunes new Baltic force as Norway OKs US Marine presence -- Stars and Stripes

US troops to be stationed in Norway in break with tradition -- BBC

Philippines Duterte tells U.S. to forget about defense deal 'if I stay longer' -- Reuters

Meet the Air Force's 'ultimate battle plane' and your new close-air support -- Defense News

Army Tests Self-Driving Supply Trucks -- Popular Science

U.S. Army M1 Abrams Tanks Will Get Networked with a High-Speed Force Tracker -- National Interest

Air Force offers bonuses up to $175,000 for drone pilots -- Air Force Times

New Weapons in Development For US Air Force Reaper Drone -- Sputnik

Air Force Zaps ISIS Drone with Electronic Weapon -- Defense Tech

Air Force Scrambles to Defeat Islamic State's Flying Bomb Drones -- Defense News

Transition planning: Pentagon insiders hope for a budget deal -- Bloomberg

Why Is It So Hard To Reduce The Pentagon Budget? -- Huffington Post

Lawmaker: Pentagon Internet plan could let Russia snoop on troops -- CNN

Why Doesn’t Air Force Use Cheap, Reusable Rockets? -- DoD Buzz

GAO Says Pentagon Needs to Do More about Burn Pit Exposure -- Military.com/Star Tribune

Clinton, Trump blast military leaders over National Guard bonus problems -- Military Times

Secret Service tries to boost its ranks amid unrelenting demands -- USA Today

New jet will likely change how America fights wars -- Cal Prine, San Diego Union Tribune