Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 17, 2017

Reuters

Christina Goldbaum, Daily Beast: U.S. Gen. Reins in Special Operations Forces in Africa After Niger Deaths and Daily Beast Investigations

In a letter, the commander of U.S. Special Forces in Africa cautions them to take fewer risks, use better judgement. NCIS investigators have been called to investigate a massacre.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With U.S. military interventions in Africa facing increased scrutiny, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Africa (SOCAFRICA) sent an internal letter to his forces this week urging greater caution in the field.

This comes after the deaths of four U.S. soldiers on a controversial mission in Niger in October, and three recent investigations by The Daily Beast that revealed details about other incidents: the death of a Navy SEAL in Somalia in May, the alleged murder of a U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant by two Navy SEALs in June, and strong evidence that American soldiers participated in the massacre of 10 civilians in Somalia in August.

Read more ....

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 17, 2017

How Special Forces Bury the True Cost of America's Wars -- Jacob Siegel, VICE

North Korea War Drills Prepare US Military for Invasion to Take Kim Jong Un's Nuclear Weapons -- Newsweek

Search & destroy: US military releases photos of joint drills for removing North Korea’s WMD -- NPR

North Korea's nuke program advanced more aggressively under Kim Jong Un -- UPI

CIA confirms it helped Russia foil a terror attack in St.Petersburg -- Euronews

China, Russia Achieve Breakthrough in Missile Defense Cooperation - Beijing -- Sputnik

North Korea Neighbors Russia and China Carry Out High Tech Anti-Missile Drill in Beijing -- Newsweek

China grew its infrastructure and radar systems across 72 acres in the South China Sea this year -- Business Insider

China, Iran to Deepen Military Ties -- The Diplomat

Japan Mulls Reinforcing Missile Defenses to Intercept Cruise Missiles - Reports -- Sputnik

Qatar Acquires Ballistic Missiles from China -- Defense Update

Indian Navy to double its aircraft fleet to 500 -- The Hindu

New EU defense pact: Who’s doing what -- Politico.eu

Video: French special forces lead fight against Sahel militants -- France 24

Trudeau government gag order in CIA brainwashing case silences victims, lawyer says -- CBC

Canada's electronic spy agency and military get new orders to prevent sharing information gained by torture -- CBC

Canada's Fighter Jet Saga Just Got Weirder -- Rich Smith, Yahoo News/The Motley Fool

US plans $200 million buildup of European air bases flanking Russia -- Air Force Times

Mattis: Iran Working to Destabilize Middle East -- US Department Of Defense

F-35C Jets on Carrier Lincoln Clear Qualifications for Logistics, Landing System -- Sputnik

The F-35 Is Old News: U.S. Military Has Big Plans for a 6th Generation Fighter -- National Interest

US soldier fought to end after ambush in Niger -- AP

Lockheed's Littoral Ships Running 11 Months Late, U.S. Navy Says -- Bloomberg

U.S. Navy Rail Gun to Test Rapid Fire and Move Closer to Combat -- National Interest

US President Donald Trump to name China as a competitor in security speech, officials say -- SCMP

Trump’s National Security Strategy unveiled, with focus on economics -- Defense News

A former top national security official says Venezuela is one of Trump's top 3 priorities — alongside Iran and North Korea -- Business Insider

Revealed: the Pentagon's secret UFO-hunting program -- AFP

Trump faces hurdles to military build-up -- The Hill

Take a look at the grimy and grueling training the Army uses to turn soldiers into snipers -- Business Insider

U.S. Army Green Berets Accused From Within Of Lowering Standards -- NPR

How the low, slow A-1 Skyraider earned its place in the hearts of US troops in Vietnam -- Don Hollway, Air Force Times

Enough Is Enough: Why the U.S. Must Address Russia’s Violations of the INF Treaty -- Lawrence J. Korb & Shannon McKeown, National Interest

How Many Battles Can the Pentagon Fight in Washington At Once? -- Loren DeJonge Schulman and Lauren Fish, War On The Rocks