Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 30 Jun 2014 [PDF]
• Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby on Additional Security Forces to Iraq DoD 30 Jun 2014 -- At the direction of the president, the U.S. military augmented its security assistance by up to approximately 200 personnel to reinforce security at the U.S. embassy, its support facilities, and Baghdad International Airport. The president authorized this augmentation as a prudent measure to protect U.S. citizens and property.
• Baghdad Joint Operations Center at Full Capacity AFPS 30 Jun 2014 -- The joint operations center opened by U.S. forces in Baghdad to help the Iraqi government combat Sunni insurgents is fully operational and assessments of Iraqi units have begun, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren said today.
• U.S. Continues Military Aid to the Iraqi Government AFPS 30 Jun 2014 -- The United States continues to supply military equipment to Iraq as part of the effort to help Baghdad counter advances by Sunni militants, but the solution to the country's political issues will not be firepower, but an inclusive government, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren said today.
• US will send 200 more troops to Iraq: Obama Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- The United States will send about 200 more American troops to Iraq to protect the US Embassy in the capital city of Baghdad, President Barack Obama announced.
• Obama Sends 200 More Troops to Iraq VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized sending 200 more troops to Iraq to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy and Baghdad's international airport.
• Pakistan army launches ground offensive in NW Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- The Pakistani army says it has launched a ground offensive against pro-Taliban militants in the country's northwest.
• Pakistan's military begins ground offensive against Taliban militants VoR 30 Jun 2014 -- Pakistan's military launched a ground assault in the North Waziristan tribal area on Monday, beginning a new phase in its offensive against Taliban militants, officials said. Troops moved on Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, officials said, after two weeks of air strikes and artillery bombardment of insurgent targets, AFP reports.
• Pakistan Launches Ground Offensive in North Waziristan VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- Pakistan's military says it has begun a ground offensive against terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan, following two weeks of aerial bombing and evacuation of civilians from the region. The northwestern tribal territory bordering Afghanistan has long been a source of domestic and international terrorist activities.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Broadens, Updates Strategy for Countering WMD AFPS 30 Jun 2014 -- The Defense Department has released the first update since 2006 of the military's strategy to counter weapons of mass destruction, replacing it with a broader one that focuses on preventing adversaries from acquiring such weapons and mitigating threats at an early stage, a senior defense official said today.
• Department of Defense Releases Strategy to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction DoD 30 Jun 2014-- Today the Department of Defense released its strategy for countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This strategy will direct the department's efforts to prevent hostile actors from acquiring WMD, contain and reduce WMD threats, and ensure that DOD can respond effectively to WMD crises.
• Department of Defense Fact Sheet: Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Released 30 Jun 2014
• Missile-warning satellites contract awarded AFNS 30 Jun 2014 -- The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center awarded a $1.86 billion contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, for production of the fifth and sixth Space-Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, geosynchronous, or GEO, missile-warning satellites.
• Breedlove: Russian Actions Bring Europe to Decisive Point AFPS 30 Jun 2014 -- The aggressive actions by Russia in Ukraine have brought Europe to perhaps the most decisive point since the end of the Cold War, and additional rotational forces may be needed on the continent for the sustained presence now envisioned, the top U.S. commander in Europe said today.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Breedlove in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 30 Jun 2014 -- Presenters: U.S. European Command Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove
• USS Oscar Austin, HSM 72 Sailors Visit Latvian Children's Hospital NNS 30 Jun 2014 -- Sailors assigned to USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72 participated in a community relations (COMREL) project while the ship made a port visit to Riga, Latvia, June 29.
• Russia Sees No Progress in GLONASS Talks with US RIA Novosti 30 Jun 2014 -- The United States has shown no interest in negotiations on the deployment of GLONASS navigation stations in the US, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos Oleg Ostapenko said Monday.
• 'Angara' Launch Postponed Due to Loss of Pressure in Fuel System RIA Novosti 30 Jun 2014 -- The test launch of Russia's new 'environmentally friendly' Angara rocket was postponed due to the loss of pressure in one of the valves within the fuel flow system, a source in the Russian space industry told RIA Novosti Monday.
• US Rethinks Reduction of Russian Rocket Engine Deliveries - Russian Deputy Prime Minister RIA Novosti 30 Jun 2014 -- The United States "has come to its senses after its sanction fever" and is prepared to increase its purchases of Russian rocket engines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Monday.
• Crimea Sees Creation of First CBRN Defense Unit RIA Novosti 30 Jun 2014 -- A new CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defense unit was established in Sevastopol, a spokesperson for Russia's Southern Military District said Monday.
• Xi pledges China will never seek hegemony People's Daily 30 Jun 2014 -- President re-affirms vow at meeting with leaders of Peaceful Coexistence doctrine's founding countries
• Corruption Charges Trigger Chinese General's Court-Martial VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- Once second in command of the world's largest military, Chinese General Xu Caihou will face a court martial on corruption charges, Chinese state media said Monday.
• Kim Jong Un Guides Tactical Rocket Firing Drill of KPA Strategic Force KCNA 30 Jun 2014 -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, guided a tactical rocket firing drill of the KPA Strategic Force.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 6/30/2014 The White House 30 Jun 2014
• June 30, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Jun 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 30, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 30 June 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Jun 2014
• ISIL Declares Islamic State in Iraq, Syria VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- Iraqi warplanes carried out airstrikes overnight on the northern city of Tikrit as they battle to regain control from Sunni militants who have declared the formation of an Islamic state across areas of Iraq and Syria.
• Iran calls for punishment of ISIL ISNA 30 Jun 2014 -- Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan called for punishment of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its supporters.
• Rival militant groups clash at Iraq-Syria border Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- Militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group have engaged in fierce fighting with other militant groups to control a border crossing with Iraq.
• ISIL militants flushed out of Awja village Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- Iraqi army backed by thousands of Christian volunteers has pushed back Takfiri terrorists of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from a strategic area in Salahuddin Province.
• Iraq Army Says ISIL 'Threat To All Countries' RFE/RL 30 Jun 2014 -- An Iraqi Army spokesman says Sunni-led jihadists who have declared a 'caliphate' in territories seized across Iraq and Syria have grown into an international threat.
• Explainer: What Is The Islamic Caliphate? RFE/RL 30 Jun 2014 -- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) has formally declared the establishment of a new 'caliphate,' or Islamic state, in territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria.
• Russian Experts Arrive in Iraq to Help Army Fight Sunni Extremists - Reports RIA Novosti 30 Jun 2014 -- Russian experts arrived in Iraq Sunday to get Sukhoi jets, purchased by Baghdad, into the fight against the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), the New York Times reported Monday citing sources in Iraq's government.
• ISIL announced creation of 'Islamic Caliphate' VoR 30 Jun 2014 -- The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a Sunni jihadist group fighting in Iraq and Syria, is declaring an Islamist caliphate the two countries, in an unconfirmed audio clip on Twitter. Spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani says in the recording that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the first caliph of the self-described state, and all Muslims are obliged to swear him their allegiance.
• Iraq Drives New US Policy in Syria VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- One direct byproduct of the rapid advancement of militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq is a revamped U.S. policy in Syria.
• Ceasefire in eastern Ukraine expires Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- A ceasefire between Ukraine's government and pro-Russian protesters has come to an end without any immediate word about its extension.
• Casualties reported in fresh Ukraine clashes Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- Civilian casualties have been reported as the Ukrainian army and pro-Russia forces engage in fresh clashes in the east despite a ceasefire in the restive eastern regions.
• Ukraine President Ends Unilateral Cease-Fire VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko says he will not renew a 10-day unilateral cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, vowing instead to mount new attacks on pro-Russian rebels that he says 'will liberate our land.'
• Ukraine's Security Council deciding on southeast ceasefire extension VoR 30 Jun 2014 -- Independent Ukrainian parliamentary deputy Oleg Lyashko said he had met with President Petr Poroshenko on Monday to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine. 'I have just met with Poroshenko and I heard what I wanted to hear. The content of the president's decisions on the counterterrorism operation is what Ukraine is waiting for,' the lawmaker wrote on Facebook on Monday evening.
• Ukrainian army conducts artillery fire in Lugansk region for second day despite ceasefire - LPR VoR 30 Jun 2014 -- The Ukrainian army is holding artillery fire at the village of Metallist, the press office of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) said. 'The artillery fire at Metallist started yesterday and continued up until now,' the LPR press office said. 'This confirms yet again the fact that ceasefire, which has not ended yet, is not observed,' the press office said.
• North Korea urges suspension of hostility with South Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- North Korea has proposed the suspension of hostile military activities with its rival South Korea starting later this week, local media report.
• Intense fighting in Sudan between government forces and rebels VoR 30 Jun 2014 -- Sudanese troops and rebels engaged in heavy fighting on Saturday near the South Kordofan state capital Kadugli, both sides said, with rebel shells landing inside the town. A resident of Kadugli said rounds had passed over his house. 'Two rockets or mortars from SPLM-North,' landed in the town, the resident told AFP, asking for anonymity. Reports of casualties could not be immediately confirmed.
• Ranking S. Sudan Politician Joins Rebels VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- One high-ranking member of the South Sudan ruling party, the SPLM, says he is joining the rebels who have been fighting the ruling party and President Salva Kiir since December.
• South Sudan Objects After Named World's Most Fragile State VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- A South Sudanese official objected Monday after a U.S. organization ranked the young nation as the world's most fragile state, saying the government has had some success as it works to end the conflict that got it onto the list in the first place.
• Analysis: Should Uganda withdraw from South Sudan? IRIN 30 Jun 2014 -- As South Sudan's peace process stalls, questions are being raised about Uganda's military involvement, with some analysts saying it is impeding regional efforts to broker a peace deal.
• Nigerian Government Condemns Sunday's Violence VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- The Nigerian government has condemned the weekend violence in the northern part of the country.
• Nigeria: Ban strongly condemns ongoing 'horrific attacks' by Boko Haram UN News Centre 30 Jun 2014 -- Strongly condemning the ongoing "horrific attacks" being carried out by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has deplored that such violence has become an almost daily occurrence, and reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to support the country.
• Palestinians in Syria's Yarmouk camp now without aid for one month - UN UN News Centre 30 Jun 2014 -- The United Nations agency charged with ensuring the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East has warned today that, despite reports of a truce between the Syrian Government and armed groups inside Yarmouk camp, it is still unable to carry out humanitarian operations there.
• Refugee economies - the Ugandan model IRIN 30 Jun 2014 -- When a team from Oxford University's Humanitarian Innovation Project set out to explore what work refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda had managed to find, they were struck by the breadth and scale of businesses they were engaged in - from being café owners to vegetable sellers, to farmers growing maize on a commercial scale, millers, restaurateurs, transporters and traders in fabrics and jewellery.
• Lingering trauma impact of Timor-Leste's violent past IRIN 30 Jun 2014 -- Repeated bouts of violence in Timor Leste's recent past and a persistent sense of injustice have had a lasting mental health impact, new research shows. Researchers say recovery may require more than therapeutic interventions.

News Reports

• Suspicions about Hostile Acts by American against DPRK Confirmed KCNA 30 Jun 2014 -- The Korean Central News Agency made public the following report on Monday:
• India Launches Satellites, Highlights Low Cost VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- India took another step Monday in its ambitions to tap the commercial potential of its space program by launching satellites for four other nations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the country's space program as the world's most cost effective.
• Obama Connects ISIL, Terror Threats at Home VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says terrorist-fueled militancy in Iraq and Syria is boosting an already-omnipresent threat to America's security at home.
• US Lawmaker Questions Terror Suspect's Trial VOA 30 Jun 2014 -- A senior U.S. lawmaker says terror suspects, including the accused leader of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, should be held at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Increasing drug use strains Yemen's services IRIN 30 Jun 2014 -- An influx of cheap counterfeit pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, coupled with rising unemployment and an increasingly disillusioned society, is driving substance abuse in Yemen, according to civil society organizations, aid agencies, anti-drug campaigners and health and security officials, placing a growing strain on already stretched services.
• Thai court issues arrest warrant for anti-coup group spokesman Iran Press TV 30 Jun 2014 -- A military court in Thailand has issued an arrest warrant for former Foreign Minister Jakrapob Penkair, over alleged arms offences.