Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 7, 2017

FOX News: About 20 Syrian jets destroyed in missile strike, defense officials say

The U.S. missile strike targeting a major Syrian air base in Homs early Friday destroyed about 20 Syrian jets, two senior defense officials with knowledge of the strike told Fox News.

None of the jets managed to take off and escape before U.S. missiles hit the target, the officials said, adding that all of the destroyed aircraft were jets -- not helicopters. No Russian aircraft were at the Sharyat airfield.

The U.S. launched 60 missiles in all. It was believed that one missile failed and likely fell into the sea, but defense officials were still assessing where it landed.

Two U.S. destroyers, the USS Ross and USS Porter, launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles south of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 7, 2017

A visual guide to the US airstrikes on Syria -- The Guardian

US alerted Russian military 30 minutes before airstrike in Syria - but made no direct contact with Putin as Tillerson accuses Moscow of being 'complicit' in chemical weapons attack -- Daily Mail

Tomahawk missiles: Explaining the weapons the US used to strike Syria -- CNN

Weapon of choice: why the US uses Tomahawk missiles -- Euronews

How Trump unleashed awesome arsenal on Assad: Tomahawk missiles launched from US destroyers 150 miles away with pinpoint accuracy without endangering American pilots or enraging neighbouring allies -- Daily Mail

In abrupt shift on Syria, Trump turns to military advisers -- Reuters

U.S. Military Leaders Are Worried That A War With Russia Could Start By Accident -- NPR

Syrian Regime Bears 'Full Responsibility' for U.S. Strikes: NATO -- Reuters

Pentagon Warned NATO Chief of US Missile Attack on Syria Airfield in Advance -- Sputnik

Countries Hit By U.S. Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Since Desert Storm [Infographic] -- Forbes

Groundhog Day: Activity Continues at North Korea’s Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site -- 38 North

Philippines to upgrade facilities, not occupy new areas in disputed sea: military -- Reuters

NATO counter-IED equipment delivered to Iraq’s Ministry of the Interior -- Defense News

Kosovo Bows to U.S., NATO Pressure, Puts off Plan to Create Army -- Reuters

Norway joins U.S. Air Force on space data sharing program -- UPI

U.S. Military Has "No Defense" Against Russian Nukes -- Tom O'Connor, Newsweek

US Navy Seeking Ways to Boost Interoperability Between Warfare Domains -- USNI News

Soldiers prepare for the Army's new, deadlier Strykers with virtual training -- Army Times

Air Force explores next-generation ejection seat -- Flight Global

Miniature Smart Bombs Could Help Give the F-35 Firepower It Desperately Needs -- The Drive

The U.S. Military's Big Mistake: Putting So Much Faith in the F-22 and F-35? -- National Interest

US Military, Airline Officials to Discuss Pilot Shortage -- Military.com

With Pegasus Barely Out of the Nest, Air Force Mulls New Foreign Tanker -- Defense Tech

U.S. And NATO Special Ops Just Fought a Fake Guerrilla War in West Virginia -- The Drive

Defense spending up, but new program pipeline thin, report finds -- Defense News

Submarine Ohio Gold Crew XO fired after NCIS investigation -- Navy Times

Comey may relax FBI admissions for hacker recruits -- AP

NSA engaged in massive battle with Russian hackers in 2014 -- NextGov

#Vault7: WikiLeaks release shows CIA ‘Grasshopper’ used stolen ‘Russian mafia’ malware -- RT

What It’s Like When An F-16 Fighter Crashes In Your Neighborhood -- Task & Purpose

Army Commemorates 100th Anniversary of US Entering WWI -- Military.com