The following is the Congressional Research Service Feb. 24, 2023, In Focus report: Syria and U.S. Policy. Read More
Tag Archives: Syria
Report on Armed Conflict in Syria and U.S. Response
The following is the Nov. 8, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Read More
New Videos Show Russian Navy Firing 8 Naval Cruise Missiles From the Black Sea
H I Sutton and Damien Symon Image used with permission
The Russian Navy fired eight long-range naval cruise missiles from a guided-missile warship near the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, according to multiple videos of the launch on several posts on social media. Read More
CENTCOM Nominee Kurilla: Iran Largest ‘Destabilizing Factor’ in Middle East
Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, gives a speech at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) change of command on March 5, 2021. US Army Photo
Iran is “the number one destabilizing factor” in the 21-nation region covered by U.S. Central Command, the nominee to head the command testified Tuesday. Read More
CENTCOM: Iran Wants Nuclear Agreement and To Retain Ballistic Missile Capability
Iran’s Khalij Fars single-stage ballistic missile
Iran “wants some type of agreement” over its nuclear program as a way to lift sanctions on the regime, but Tehran views its ballistic missile arsenal “as their crown jewels” not to be bargained away, the senior American commander in the Middle East said Thursday. Read More
Report to Congress on State Sponsored Terrorism
The following is the May 4, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism—Legislative Parameters: In Brief. Read More
CENTCOM Commander: U.S. ‘Completely Focused’ on Responsible Afghanistan Withdrawal
A U.S. Marine with Task Force Southwest (TFSW) provides security for Marine advisors during an advising mission with 1st Brigade, Afghan National Army (ANA) 215th Corps as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces conduct Operation Maiwand 12 at Camp Shorserack, Afghanistan, March 12, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
U.S. Central Command’s top officer stressed today that the military is “completely focused” on responsibly withdrawing from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the al Qaeda attack on the United States. Read More
Iran’s New Missile Corvette Could Reshape IRGC Naval Doctrine
An aritsits rendering of a Shahid Soleimani-class missile corvette. HI Sutton image used with permission
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) is building a new class of warships, as first reported in Naval News last week based on satellite imagery. The catamaran design appears relatively large, modern and capable compared to existing IRGC commercial-based designs. Read More
Top Stories 2020: International Naval Operations
Motor Tanker (M/T) Wila, a merchant vessel in international waters en-route to the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, in the Gulf of Oman, was boarded by armed Iranian personnel who fast roped aboard the ship from an Iranian Sea King helicopter as it hovered above on Aug. 12, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
Like the U.S., international navies grappled with not only the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but regional security concerns from China’s naval expansion and operations in the Pacific to Iranian and Russian operations in the Middle East. Read More
VIDEO: Iran Inducts New Special Operations Ship
HI Sutton Image used with permission
Emblazoned with the pennant number “1” in on its superstructure, Shahid Roudaki joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) as its latest and most visible warship during a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Read More
