Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 30 May 2014 [PDF]
• Afghans Dismayed At Future Without Foreign Forces RFE/RL 30 May 2014 -- The Afghan government might have hailed the United States' early timetable for a complete withdrawal from the country. But behind the scenes, many in Afghanistan are dismayed by the prospect of being abandoned by Washington - the country's key ally and benefactor.
• US-led air raid kills eight in southeastern Afghanistan Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- At least eight people have been killed in an airstrike carried out by US-led forces in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Paktika, local authorities say.
• Pakistan Taliban Split Imperils Peace Efforts VOA 30 May 2014 -- A long-anticipated split in the Pakistani Taliban appears to have finally occurred, dealing a blow to the unified command of the outlawed militant organization. But critics are skeptical about whether it bodes well for what they consider the "controversial and confused" peace efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Eglin AFB F-35s surpass 5,000 combined sorties AFNS 30 May 2014 -- The 33rd Fighter Wing here etched another mark on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program by logging its 5,000th combined sortie, May 28.
• U.S. to Continue to Lead in 21st Century, Hagel Says AFPS 30 May 2014 -- The United States will continue to lead in the Asia-Pacific region, but the methods will change, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here.
• Navy Swaps Dallas, Norfolk Inactivation Dates NNS 30 May 2014 -- Today, the Navy announced changes to the inactivation timelines for two Los Angeles-class submarines that are scheduled to retire from active service.
• Southern Partnership Station 2014 Commences, USNS Spearhead Departs Mayport NNS 30 May 2014 -- Military Sealift Command joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) departed Mayport to begin Southern Partnership Station 2014 (SPS-JHSV 14) May 29 in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to conduct subject matter expert exchanges and partner building relationships from May 29 - Oct 9.
• 'Friction Points' Stoke Asia Tensions, Locklear Says AFPS 30 May 2014 -- The situation in Asia has become more serious in recent months, with nations engaging in territorial disputes at "friction points," the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said here today.
• Dempsey: Asian Nations Need to Dial Back on Provocations AFPS 30 May 2014 -- Tensions have ratcheted up in the Asia-Pacific region, and countries need to dial back on provocative acts to avoid the dangers of miscalculation, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during an interview here today.
• Hagel: Meetings in Singapore Will Build on Relationships AFPS 30 May 2014 -- At an annual Asia security conference in Singapore that he helped to create while he was a U.S. senator, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will lay out challenges the participating nations face and will meet with many fellow defense leaders to strengthen their military-to-military relationships with the United States.
• President Accepts Shinseki's Resignation as VA Secretary AFPS 30 May 2014 -- President Barack Obama said today that "with considerable regret" he has accepted the resignation of Eric K. Shinseki as secretary of veterans affairs.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Singaporean Defense Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen DoD 30 May 2014
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong DoD 30 May 2014
• Joint Statement from the Japan-U.S.-Australia Defense Ministers Meeting DoD 30 May 2014 -- Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Australian Defence Minister David Johnston held trilateral defense ministerial talks in Singapore on May 30 on the margins of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. This was the fourth meeting of its kind among the three nations' top defense officials.
• USS Vella Gulf Arrives in Bulgaria NNS 30 May 2014 -- Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) arrived in Varna, Bulgaria, for a scheduled port visit, May 30.
• USS Vandegrift Enters 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility NNS 30 May 2014 -- The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) entered the 4th Fleet area of responsibility May 21 in support of Operation Martillo.
• Phoenix Express Continues with At-Sea Phase NNS 30 May 2014 -- Eight maritime interdiction boarding teams and six participating ships continue at-sea maritime security training scenarios as part of Phoenix Express, May 30.
• Readiness in focus during NATO Secretary General visit to Lithuania and address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly NATO 30 May 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday (29 May 2014) thanked President Dalia Grybauskaitė for Lithuania's strong commitment as it marks ten years since it joined the Alliance. During a visit to Vilnius, Mr Fogh Rasmussen said: "We are grateful for your contributions to NATO operations, particularly in Afghanistan, for your role in Smart Defence projects for key capabilities such as surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance, and for your leadership on energy security."
• West Curtailing Missile Defense Cooperation With Russia – Foreign Ministry RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The decision by organizers to reject Moscow's application to attend next month's international conference on missile defense signals that the West is suspending talks with Russia on this issue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
• Russian Paratroopers Receive Newest Verba Shoulder-Fired Missiles RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The Russian Airborne Forces have started receiving the newest Verba man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) equipped with an automated fire control system that has no foreign rival, military spokesman Yevgeny Meshkov said Friday.
• Japan Seeks 'More Active Role' in Regional Peace Efforts VOA 30 May 2014 -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country is prepared to play a more active role in promoting peace in the region.
• Press Briefing by Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes on the President's Upcoming Trip to Poland, Belgium and France The White House 30 May 2014
• May 30, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 May 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 30, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 30 May 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 May 2014
• Ukrainian Peacekeepers May Leave Africa for Operation in East RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is considering a possibility that Ukrainian peacekeepers in Africa could be withdrawn to participate in the special operation against federalists in the east, a senior Ukrainian defense official, Andriy Ordinovych, told the UNIAN news agency Friday.
• Central African Republic: Security Council condemns latest wave of violence UN News Centre 30 May 2014 -- Strongly condemning the latest wave of fighting in the Central African Republic, including Wednesday's deadly attack in the capital, Bangui, on a church that was sheltering thousands of people, the United Nations Security Council today demanded that all armed groups put aside their weapons and take immediate steps "to end the cycle of violence and retaliation."
• Bangui church massacre endangers last havens for Central African displaced, UN says UN News Centre 30 May 2014 -- Wednesday's deadly attack in the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), on a church that was sheltering thousands of people, endangers some of the last havens for those fleeing rampant violence in the war-battered country, the United Nations refugee agency said today.
• Thousands Flee Bangui After Church Attack VOA 30 May 2014 -- The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people have fled a church in the Central African Republic capital in the aftermath of a lethal attack Wednesday.
• Peacekeepers, Protesters Clash in CAR VOA 30 May 2014 -- At least two people have been killed during protests in the capital of the Central African Republic (C.A.R.), where there has been an upsurge in unrest in recent days.
• China set to deploy peacekeeping battalion to South Sudan Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- China is set to deploy an infantry battalion to South Sudan with the aim of strengthening the UN peacekeeping mission in the African country.
• Top UN envoy in South Sudan stepping down after three years UN News Centre 30 May 2014 -- The top United Nations envoy in South Sudan announced today that she is stepping down from her post in July after leading the world body's efforts in the country for nearly three years.
• Mali Government Meets Rebels VOA 30 May 2014 -- It has been a week since the Malian government and rebel groups in the north agreed to a ceasefire following heavy fighting in the far northern town of Kidal. The two sides met in Burkina Faso's capital late Thursday in what many hope will be a first step toward getting the peace process back on track.
• VOA EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Policeman Tells How Corruption Hampers Fight Against Boko Haram VOA 30 May 2014 -- The landscape that stretches away from the serpentine border separating northeastern Nigeria from Cameroon is arid, barren and very difficult to defend.
• Failure to refer Syria to international court opens door to more atrocities, UN experts warn UN News Centre 30 May 2014 -- A group of independent United Nations human rights experts today emphasized that the Security Council's inability to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) leaves the door wide open for new atrocities in the ongoing conflict.

News Reports

• Hagel: Thousands of Russian Troops Pull Back from Ukraine Border AFPS 30 May 2014 -- Thousands of Russian troops have pulled back from Ukraine's border in a move Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called "promising" yesterday during a media briefing en route to Singapore, one of the stops on his 12-day trip to Alaska and countries in Asia and Europe.
• US Official: Russia Has Withdrawn Most Troops from Ukraine Border VOA 30 May 2014 -- Russia has withdrawn most of its troops from the Ukrainian border, but seven battalions, amounting to thousands of men, remain there, officials said Friday.
• Ukraine forces clear parts of eastern provinces: Koval Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- Ukraine's acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval says government forces have cleared parts of the eastern provinces from pro-Russians.
• OSCE says more monitors held in eastern Ukraine Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says pro-Russians have detained another group of its observers in eastern Ukraine.
• Vostok Battalion, A Powerful New Player In Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 30 May 2014 -- Rumors that battle-hardened Chechen fighters from Russia's notorious Vostok Battalion are active in eastern Ukraine have been swirling for weeks.
• Now Comes The Hard Part: Vitali Klitschko Aims To Clean Up Kyiv RFE/RL 30 May 2014 -- Vitali Klitschko's first task as Kyiv's mayor will be cleaning up City Hall - literally. Following his landslide victory in Kyiv's May 25 mayoral election, the boxer-turned-politician toured his future office, located in a Soviet-era city administration building that was captured by protesters in the early stages of the Euromaidan uprising.
• Pro-Russian Troops Reportedly Evict Other Rebels From Donetsk HQ RFE/RL 30 May 2014 -- In an apparent sign of infighting, one faction of pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine has reportedly evicted another faction from the regional administration building in Donetsk that has served as the separatists' headquarters.
• Ukraine Vows Continued Offensive As Second OSCE Team Missing RFE/RL 30 May 2014 -- Ukraine's government says that it will press on with an offensive to restore peace and order, as a second team of international monitors has reportedly been detained by pro-Russian gunmen.
• Ukrainian Army Denies Reports on Plans to Complete Special Op by June 14 RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The Ukrainian forces have not confirmed the media reports that it planned to complete the special operation against federalization supporters in the eastern regions of the country by June 14, news agency UNN reported Friday.
• OSCE Says Another Group of Monitors Detained in Eastern Ukraine RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has lost contact with members of its Luhansk-based team, the Organization for Security and Cooperation said Friday.
• Ukraine to Continue Special Op in East Until Situation Stabilized – Official RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- Ukrainian forces are planning to continue the Kiev regime's special operation in the country's southeast until they reach a complete stabilization in the region, Ukraine's interim Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval said Friday.
• Ukraine Right Sector Radicals Nabbed in Crimea After Plotting Terrorist Attacks RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a group of Ukrainian radicals from the far-right Right Sector movement implicated in attempted terrorist attacks in Crimea's Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol, the agency said Friday.
• Federalists Destroy Ammo Depot Near Eastern Ukraine's Luhansk RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- Self-defense forces have destroyed the Ukrainian Army ammunition depot in Oleksandrivsk, a city in the eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region, the National Guard said on the website Friday.
• Ukrainian Army Resumes Shelling of Troubled Slaviansk RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- Ukrainian troops have resumed their shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk, local citizens told RIA Novosti Friday.
• Ukraine's Military to Continue Eastern Offensive VOA 30 May 2014 -- Ukraine officials vowed Friday to continue a military offensive against pro-Russian rebels in the country's east, after separatists there shot down a helicopter, killing at least a dozen servicemen.
• Slavyansk militia asks Ukraine army not to fire at purification facilities using liquid chlorine VoR 30 May 2014 -- Local militiamen have cautioned the Ukrainian Armed Forces against carrying out strikes against the city of Slavyansk's water purification facilities that use liquid chlorine in their operations. 'We have to note that the city of Slavyansk has purification facilities that use liquid chlorine. And if the National Guard or the Ukrainian army starts to fire at them, a catastrophe will become inevitable,' a militia spokesman has said, reaffirming the absence of any toxic agents in Slavyansk.
• Military operation will continue until total normalization in East Ukraine - acting defense minister VoR 30 May 2014 -- Ukraine's acting defense minister, Mikhail Koval, has announced that the military operation in the east of the country will continue until the situation in the region is brought back to normal entirely. 'We will continue to work until this region starts to live a normal life again,' Koval said at a press briefing on Friday.
• John Kerry's 'man up' statement on Snowden faces harsh criticism VoR 30 May 2014 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry had to face a lot of harsh criticism for his recent comment regarding Edward Snowden. During his interview on CBS News on Wednesday, Kerry stated, 'This is a man who has betrayed his country. He should man up and come back to the US.'
• No chance of clemency for Edward Snowden - White House VoR 30 May 2014 -- The White House says that its position on Edward Snowden has not changed after the NSA leaker told NBC News in an exclusive interview that he wants to return to the United States. 'Look, let's be clear, clemency is not on the table,' White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. Snowden in a recent interview had said that he wants to return to the US, where he is facing charges of unauthorized leak of classified documents.
• US Congress must stop NSA bulk data collection - Chairman of Judiciary VoR 30 May 2014 -- There is a lot of work to be done to rein in the National Security Agency and give Congress adequate means to oversee its activities, Senior Congressman and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, John Conyers told RIA Novosti.
• Substance of Agreement at DPRK-Japan Inter-Governmental Talks KCNA 30 May 2014 -- Substance of the agreement reached at the DPRK-Japan inter-governmental talks held in Stockholm, Sweden on May 26-28, 2014 is as follows:
• EU urges Thai junta to stop crackdown Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- The European Union (EU) has called on Thailand's military junta to free political detainees and end censorship following the recent coup in the country.
• Abkhazia Opposition Above All Demands Resignation of President – Leader RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The main aim of the opposition in Abkhazia is the resignation of president Aleksandr Ankvab, opposition leader and former Abkhaz Vice President Raul Khadjimba said Friday.
• Abkhazia Opposition Vests Power in 'Interim Council' RIA Novosti 30 May 2014 -- The Abkhazian opposition has unilaterally vested the highest executive power in the country in its so-called "interim council of people's trust," the state-run Abkhaz news agency has reported.
• Iran reports first MERS victim death Iran Press TV 30 May 2014 -- An Iranian woman has died of MERS, the deadly respiratory disease originating in Saudi Arabia, an official says.