Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 01 Jun 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 01 Jun 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Taliban Attack Regional Afghan Police HQ VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- A late-night Taliban attack on an eastern provincial police headquarters left five insurgents dead and up to 10 policemen wounded, Afghan officials said Monday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's Meeting with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and Defense Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh DoD 01 Jun 2015
• Joint Press Conference by Secretary Carter and Minister of National Defense Thanh, in Hanoi, Vietnam DoD 01 Jun 2015 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense General Phung Quang Thanh
• USS Sampson Returns From Deployment NNS 01 Jun 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) returned from a 212-day independent deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean June 1.
• Maintaining the vehicles that move the mission AFNS 01 Jun 2015 -- Imagine unloading 60,000 pounds of cargo by hand. Aircraft missions, personnel movements and supply distributions would come to a screeching halt. The time and resources necessary to accomplish such a task would be detrimental to the mission.
• Kendall Cites Progress on F-35 Performance, Schedule, Cost AFPS 01 Jun 2015 -- The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is making progress on performance, schedule and cost, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told U.S. reporters last week during a teleconference from Norway.
• Continuing Promise 2015 Begins in Panama NNS 01 Jun 2015 -- The fifth of eleven mission stops in support of Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) officially began in Colon, Panama, on May 30.
• USNS Millinocket Arrives in 7th Fleet for Pacific Partnership NNS 01 Jun 2015 -- The Military Sealift Command joint high speed vessel USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations May 31 in support of Pacific Partnership 2015 (PP15).
• USS Shiloh Arrives in Subic Bay for a Port Visit NNS 01 Jun 2015 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines, for a port visit, May 29.
• US planning to deploy advanced weapons near China: Carter Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has unveiled the Pentagon's plans to deploy advanced weapons, including the newest stealth destroyer, near the borders of China.
• US giving Vietnam $18 million to buy patrol boats Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- The United States will provide $18 million to Vietnam to help the country improve its military capabilities in the South China Sea amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
• South Korea, US begin massive joint anti-submarine drills Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- South Korean and US forces have launched major anti-submarine military drills off South Korea's island of Jeju in response to what they call provocations by North Korean submarines.
• NATO flexes muscles in Baltic states amid Russia tensions Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- US-led NATO has started war games in the Baltic states and Poland, a move designed to reassure Russia's neighbors amid the crisis in Ukraine.
• Russia developing $5 bln aircraft carrier with no world analogs - fleet commander TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- Russia's defense and industrial sector is developing a promising aircraft carrier for the Navy worth up to $5.6 billion, which has no analogs in the world, Northern Fleet Commander, Admiral Vladimir Korolyov said on Monday.
• Russia's first military logistics node in Arctic to be commissioned 2015 - fleet commander TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- Russia's first infrastructural military logistics complex in the Arctic, conceived as part of a comprehensive system for enhancing security in the Arctic Region, will go operational later this year, the Northern Fleet's commander, Vladimir Korolyov said. The closed-cycle administrative and residential compound called Severny Klever (Northern Clover) is currently under construction on Kotelny Island - the largest in the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago.
• Russia to expand weaponry sales to Southeast Asia - Defense Ministry TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- Russia is ready to develop military and technical cooperation with new markets in Southeast Asia, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said at an Asia-Pacific security forum on Monday.
• Russia invites Asia-Pacific military specialists to observe defense drills TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- Russia is interested in inviting military specialists from the Asia-Pacific region as observers to drills held on a bilateral and multilateral basis, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Monday.
• Russia's Northern Fleet to get principally new ships TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- Russia's Northern Fleet will be in the near future supplied with principally new ships equipped for Arctic operations, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Viktor Chirkov said on Monday.
• Share of modern missiles in Russian Strategic Missile Forces to reach 56% by year end TASS 01 Jun 2015 -- The share of modern missile systems in the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) will reach 56% by the end of the year, RVSN spokesman Igor Yegorov told reporters on Monday.
• Russian Inspectors to Fly Over United Kingdom Under Open Skies Treaty Sputnik 01 Jun 2015 -- Russian inspectors will conduct an observation flight over the territory of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, under the Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists on Monday.
• Playing with Fire: China to Hold War Games Along Volatile Myanmar Border Sputnik 01 Jun 2015 -- China will reportedly conduct live fire war games later this week along its volatile border with Myanmar; the drills will be held near an area where Chinese civilians were earlier killed by stray bombs during fighting between the Myanmar government and rebels.
• US defense chief urges UK to boost army spending Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- The US defense chief has warned that the UK could become "disengaged" if it refuses to commit to further spending on its defense.
• India Slashes French Rafale Jet Deal by 70 Percent Sputnik 01 Jun 2015 -- India confirms it will purchase just 36 Rafale fighter jets instead of 126, according to Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, who referred to the deal for 126 French warplanes as 'economically unviable' and 'way too expensive.'
• Japan - E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft DSCA 01 Jun 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.7 billion.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 6/1/2015 The White House 01 Jun 2015
• June 1, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 01 Jun 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 01, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 1 June 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 01 Jun 2015
• Ending statelessness in Europe is realistic goal by 2024, UN refugee agency says UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency, which has launched a campaign, #IBelong, to end the suffering of some 10 million stateless people across the world by the year 2024, said today that addressing the plight for 600,000 people at the margins of society in Europe "is doable" in that timeframe.
• Obama Sternly Warns China About South China Sea Expansion VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama sternly warned China Monday that its land reclamation projects in the South China Sea are counterproductive and a threat to Southeast Asian prosperity.
• China committed to upholding peace, stability in South China Sea People's Daily 01 Jun 2015 -- China is committed to upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea, Sun Jianguo, a senior Chinese military official, said Sunday in his keynote speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue, while calling on relevant countries to work together in the same direction.
• South China Sea issue should not hinder China-U.S. ties People's Daily 01 Jun 2015 -- A series of actions and words by the United States are an overreaction on the South China Sea issue, which only lead to their international credibility being affected.
• China says it may set up air defense zone in South China Sea Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- A senior Chinese military official says that China could establish an air defense zone over the disputed areas of the South China Sea if it believed it was warranted due to a major threat.
• Vietnam Rejects US Demand to Stop 'Land Reclamation' in South China Sea Sputnik 01 Jun 2015 -- Vietnam rejected the US demand to stop land reclamation activities in the South China Sea at high-level talks on Monday.
• Amid reports of fighting, UN ship with vital food aid for Yemen diverted from Aden UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- A United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) chartered ship carrying vital food assistance destined for the Yemeni port of Aden was diverted yesterday to the port of Hudaydah following reports of ongoing fighting and security threats.
• Background Briefing on the June 2 Paris Counter-ISIL Coalition Small Group Ministerial US Dept. of State 01 Jun 2015
• Iraqi Security, Stabilization Among Priorities at Meeting VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- Iraqi command and control over all of the forces battling Islamic State militants in the country will be one of the key focal points of a counter-IS coalition ministerial meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
• In Iraq, UN reports insecurity and violence taking 'terrible toll' on civilians from all communities UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- At least 1,031 Iraqis were killed in May 2015 and another 1,684 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which said the actions of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) were to blame for the growing number of casualties.
• Violence claimed 1,031 Iraqi lives in May: UN Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- Latest figures released by the UN show that acts of terrorism and violence have left over 1,000 people dead during May as units of army troops backed by volunteer fighters continue to battle the ISIL Takfiri militants.
• Bomb attack kills 45 Iraqi soldiers in Salahuddin Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- Security officials in Iraq say at least 45 Iraqi soldiers have been killed and tens of others injured when a tank rigged with explosives struck an arms depot in Iraq's northern province of Salahuddin.
• Erdogan vows to punish journalist behind Syria trucks video Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a 'heavy price' is looming for the newspaper which published video footage purportedly showing the country's state intelligence agency helping send weapons to militants in neighboring Syria.
• IS Gains in Syria Threaten Rebel Links to Turkey VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- Islamic extremists overran three towns in northern Syria this weekend, capturing them from Western-backed Free Syrian Army rebels and Islamist brigades as Syrian warplanes struck widely across the north of the country, dropping barrel bombs on towns controlled by both competing insurgent groups.
• Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine - 16 February to 15 May 2015 UNOHCHR 01 Jun 2015
• Clashes in east Ukraine kills five, including civilians Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- Three soldiers and two civilians have reportedly been killed during an army operation against pro-Russia forces in the east of the country.
• East Ukraine death toll surpasses 6,400: UN Press TV 01 Jun 2015 -- More than 6,400 people have been killed during the conflict between Kiev forces and pro-Russia fighters over the past 13 months in Ukraine's restive east, according to a United Nations (UN) report.
• 'Persistent and grave' human rights violations in eastern Ukraine - UN report UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- Serious human rights violations and abuses persist in eastern Ukraine, including shelling, executions, arbitrary and illegal detentions, torture, ill-treatment, human trafficking and the lack of justice and accountability, as well as deprivation of economic and social rights, deeply affecting the 5 million people living in the conflict-affected areas, a new United Nations report said today.
• Evidence Grows of Russian Military Involvement in Ukraine VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- U.N. human rights monitors say there is growing evidence of Russian military involvement in the war in Ukraine. The U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has just launched its 10th report on the situation in Ukraine, covering the period from February 16 to May 15.
• Ban condemns South Sudan's decision to expel UN humanitarian coordinator UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned the Government of South Sudan's decision to expel his Deputy Special Representative and the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Toby Lanzer.
• South Sudan food crisis deepens amid tanking economy IRIN 01 Jun 2015 -- Through 17 months of conflict, tens of thousands of people have been killed in South Sudan and two million more displaced. Schools, health centres and markets have been looted and destroyed. It took a $1.8 billion humanitarian response last year for the country to avoid a famine.
• WFP Warns Boko Haram Has Created Food Crisis VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- The U.N. food agency is warning of an acute food shortage for people in Nigeria and the surrounding region who are fleeing Islamic Boko Haram militants.

News Reports

• With Data Collection Halted, US Senate Debates Surveillance Reform VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- Hours after the U.S. government's domestic surveillance authority expired, senators debated a bill to restart the collection of Americans' phone records for anti-terrorism purposes, but to have telecommunications companies store them.
• NSA Mass Surveillance Mandate Expires, Senate to Reconsider USA Freedom Act Sputnik 01 Jun 2015 -- Three key provisions in the US Patriot Act authorizing US government mass surveillance are expiring on Monday, American lawmakers have announced.
• White House Slams Senate on NSA Powers Expiration VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- The White House has criticized the Senate for failing to reach a deal before legal authority expired for the National Security Agency to bulk collect Americans' telephone data.
• US Senate Debates NSA Reforms as Key Program Expires VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. Senate has advanced a bill to reform the government's domestic surveillance program.
• Obama: No Military Answer to Iran's Nuclear Program VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says diplomacy, not military action, is the only way to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.
• UN relief wing boosts emergency support to refugees fleeing Burundi crisis UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- The new head of the United Nations relief arm today released a fresh tranche of crisis funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in order to support life-saving relief work for thousands of Burundian refugees dispersed between Rwanda and Tanzania, the Organization has announced.
• Burundi to Consider Summit Request for Election Delay VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- A spokesman for Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza said the government is open to the proposal made by leaders of the East African Community (EAC) to delay elections for at least six weeks.
• Asia MERS Outbreak Alarms Authorities VOA 01 Jun 2015 -- Concerns over a dangerous respiratory illness have led South Korean health authorities to isolate more than 680 people who may have been exposed. China and Hong Kong also are taking steps to halt the spread of MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed hundreds of people in that region since its emergence in 2012.
• Mixed Feelings In Odesa Over Saakashvili As Governor RFE/RL 01 Jun 2015 -- To say that Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as governor of Odesa Oblast took Ukrainians by surprise would be an understatement. Local residents were stunned to learn on May 31 that Georgia's former president had been selected to run the troubled southern Ukrainian city and its surrounding region.
• Election Shifts Show Kremlin Wary Of Fallout From Recession RFE/RL 01 Jun 2015 -- The Kremlin is moving to bring next year's parliamentary elections forward and set up snap gubernatorial votes in several provinces this year, maneuvering that analysts say shows the authorities fear a deepening recession could weaken them and galvanize the opposition.
• At first-ever conference, UN takes aim at cyber-threats against nuclear safety UN News 01 Jun 2015 -- The international community must intensify efforts to protect the world's nuclear facilities from cyberattacks, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog declared today as he opened the Organization's first-ever conference on the issue at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna.