Smoke rises after an air strike during fighting between members of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State militants in Raqqa, Syria. August 15, 2017. Zohra Bensemra/File Photo
Reuters: As Syria war tightens, U.S. and Russia military hotlines humming
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (Reuters) - Even as tensions between the United States and Russia fester, there is one surprising place where their military-to-military contacts are quietly weathering the storm: Syria.
It has been four months since U.S. President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes against a Syrian airfield after an alleged chemical weapons attack.
In June, the U.S. military shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft, the first U.S. downing of a manned jet since 1999, and also shot down two Iranian-made drones that threatened U.S.-led coalition forces.
All the while, U.S. and Russian military officials have been regularly communicating, U.S. officials told Reuters. Some of the contacts are helping draw a line on the map that separates U.S.- and Russian-backed forces waging parallel campaigns on Syria's shrinking battlefields.
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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 24, 2017
Pentagon may have up to 20,000 troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan; it reports only 14,000 -- Military Times
New ‘Star’ of the Show: Israeli Drone Reaches Full Operational Capability -- Sputnik
Russian Defense Ministry to get 100 Armata tanks -- TASS
Russia readies for huge military exercises as tensions with west simmer -- The Guardian
Russia sends nuclear-capable bombers on mission near South Korea, Japan -- Reuters
Russian strategic bombers conduct flights over Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan -- TASS
Russia launches work to develop sixth-generation fighter jet -- TASS
China's Xi Names Combat Veteran to Top Military Post -- Bloomberg
Chinese military links fitness test failures to 'too much masturbation, video games' -- ABS-CBN/AFP
Japan military holds live fire drills at Mt Fuji -- Straits Times/AFP
North Korea discloses diagrams of new missiles Pukguksong-3, Hwasong-13 -- UPI
South Korea conducts civil defense drill to prepare for enemy attack -- UPI
Latvia buying Stinger air-defense missiles from Denmark -- UPI
Top US general in Afghanistan vows to annihilate ISIS, crush remnants of al-Qaeda and warns the Taliban it 'cannot win' after Trump's dramatic U-turn on the 16-year war -- Daily Mail
Top U.S. general in Afghanistan says Trump's plan means long-term U.S. commitment -- Reuters
How Many US Troops Are Currently Fighting In Afghanistan? The Pentagon Won’t Say -- Task & Purpose
Trump's Afghanistan war strategy: Use military to force peace talks with Taliban -- USA Today
Pentagon chief Mattis says Russia trying to redraw borders by force, pledges to strengthen Ukraine army -- Straits Times/Reuters
Washington mulls supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons – US defense secretary -- RT
US B-1, B-52 Bombers Join 'Ample Strike' Exercise in Czech Republic - Pentagon -- Sputnik
Northrop’s fix for F-35 and F-22 communications problem involves Global Hawk drones -- Defense News
US military to install radar in Pacific's Palau -- Channel News Asia
Guam: Mixed reactions to military buildup over NK missile threats -- Al Jazeera
USN flexes LCS’ missile capabilities off Guam amid threats from North Korea -- Janes
Stricken Destroyer USS Fitzgerald to be Repaired at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Gulf Coast Shipyard -- USNI News
DARPA starts counter-drone program -- UPI
White House to issue guidance on transgender military ban, WSJ reports -- CNN
Ex-CIA agent looks to kick Donald Trump off Twitter by crowdfunding -- DW
Fort Bragg Troops Look To The Past As They Tackle Ongoing Mission In Afghanistan -- Drew Brooks, Task & Purpose/The Fayetteville Observer
Army developing video game to aid weapons prototyping efforts -- UPI
VIEWPOINT: GPS Spoofing Incident Points to Fragility of Navigation Satellites -- National Defense
WikiLeaks Reveals Exactly How CIA Secretly Collects Our Biometric Data -- Sputnik
US Senate Considers Naming WikiLeaks a ‘Non-State Hostile Intelligence Service’ -- Sputnik
The Military Has A Toxic Leadership Problem -- Carl Forsling, Task & Purpose
Cloud of Controversy Looms Over Nuclear Weapons Modernization -- Sandra Erwin, RCD
Air Force ICBM Awards To Boeing, Northrop Grumman Keep Trump Strategic Plan On Track -- Loren Thompson, Forbes
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