Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 23, 2017

The Hill: US maintains 12,000 troops in Afghanistan: report

The Pentagon has more than 12,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday – about 3,500 more than the agency acknowledges publicly.

The Pentagon publicly acknowledges some 8,500 troops as being deployed in Afghanistan. But according to the Wall Street Journal, another 3,500 are there on temporary assignment or some other status.

The Pentagon has typically only disclosed those troops on longer deployments, but omits those who move in and out of the country on a temporary basis.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 23, 2017

Thousands More US Troops Are in Afghanistan Than Pentagon Says: Officials -- NBC

Pentagon chief: No decision on troop levels for Afghanistan -- The Hill

Mattis: DoD to account for actual number of forces in Afghanistan before asking for more -- Military Times

Here's how much the war in Afghanistan has cost -- Yuval Rosenberg, The Fiscal Times

Intelligence: Afghan Troops Get A Done Of Their Own -- Strategy Page

New North Korea photos reveal hidden details of missile program -- CNN

Pyongyang missile footage is a dagger to Xi's throat -- Nikkei Asian Review

US military chief in Pacific: Testing our forces would be 'foolhardy' -- CNN

Leveraging US Military Power in South China Sea -- The Diplomat

Drones Will Help Protect Guam From North Korean Missiles -- Defense One

Latest Russian Military Hardware on Display at Army-2017 Forum -- Sputnik

Russia’s ‘soldier of future’ combat gear proves its worth in Syria -- TASS

Russia to decide on conceptual design of future soldier’s combat gear by year-end -- TASS

Young Chinese ‘too fat and frustrated to join the army’ -- The Times

China’s NORINCO reveals new armoured vehicles, active protection system -- Jane's 360

Philippines Aims to Purchase Copters, Armored Vehicles From Russia -- Sputnik

Japan's Defense Ministry to ask for record ¥5.2 trillion budget amid North Korea concerns -- Japan Times

Hundreds of British Army training places are going unfilled with not a single course for new recruits reaching capacity in the past two years -- Daily Mail

Air Defense: Iran Clones The S-300 -- Strategy Page

Israeli Army Experiments With Ground Force Drones -- Haaretz

Mattis Reaffirms US Support for Jordan in Meeting with King Abdullah -- Al Bawaba

The Army Is Getting Deadlier Stryker Armored Vehicles to Protect Europe From Russia -- Popular Mechanics

These Vehicles Are What Make the U.S. Army a Deadly Fighting Force -- National Interest

US Army Close to Decision on Shielding Abrams Tanks with Israeli Tech -- Defense Tech

White House issues statement on USS John McCain collision -- Business Insider

At-sea disasters came during ‘the most basic of operations,’ Pacific Fleet CO says -- Navy Times

US Pacific Fleet boss set to sack three-star fleet commander after a rash of accidents -- Defense News

US Navy collisions pose growing threat to Chinese maritime activities, experts warn -- SCMP

U.S. Navy admiral: USS John S. McCain, oil tanker collision may have been intentional -- Washington Times

After Marine Training Death, Corps Debuts Safer Mine Clearance System -- DoD Buzz

Another MQ-1 Predator Drone Crashes in the Middle East -- Defense Tech

Marine Crash Inquiry Continues But No Answers Expected Soon -- Military.com/AP

Trump Could Go to War With 75 Percent of Top Pentagon Posts Empty -- Newsweek

Pentagon Struggling to Take Advantage of Artificial Intelligence -- National Defense