Early Bird Brief - Military Times

Today's Top 5

1. Pentagon puts civilian deaths in strikes on Isis way lower than outside groups (The Guardian) At least 352 civilians have been killed in US-led strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria since the operation began in 2014, the US military said on Sunday.

2. Chinese navy to make first Philippines port call in seven years (South China Morning Post) Chinese navy ships will visit the Philippines for the first time since 2010 this weekend as Manila and Beijing try to ease strategic mistrust and move beyond their territorial disputes.

3. Turkey threatens further strikes on US-allied Syrian Kurds (Associated Press) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday his country may take further action against Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria and insisted U.S. support for such groups "must come to an end."

4. Jim Mattis has ordered the Pentagon to cut wait times for combat valor awards (Military Times) Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in one of his first directives while heading the Pentagon, subtly ordered military leaders to accelerate internal procedures for initiating, vetting and approving combat valor awards, Military Times has learned, a significant policy shift meant to ensure America's war heroes are recognized with minimal delay.

5. The Pentagon is considering up to 5,000 additional troops for Afghanistan (Military Times) The Trump administration is evaluating plans to send as many as 5,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, where America's longest war has hit a stalemate and local security forces have become overwhelmed by rising violence.

.................AND MORE:   Early Bird Brief - Military Times