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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 08 Jun 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Destroy ISIL Oil Infrastructure, Tactical Vehicles AFPS 08 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.
• Afghan jets hit Taliban positions in Ghour province Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Airstrikes by Afghanistan's jet fighters have killed 25 Taliban militants and injured 13 more in central Ghour province, said the provincial governor.
• Almost 1,000 civilians killed in Afghanistan conflict during the first 4 months of this year UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- The conflict in Afghanistan is resulting in thousands of people being killed or wounded, forcing families to leave their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring communities, according to Mark Bowden, the UN Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative in the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Provides DoD Laboratory Review Update AFPS 08 Jun 2015 -- As part of its ongoing laboratory review, the Defense Department today announced additional laboratories and one new state have been added to the list of sites that received low concentrations of live anthrax samples.
• Continuing Promise 2015 Preventive Medicine Team Studies Mosquitoes in Panama NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- The preventive medicine team, embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), was on the hunt for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes during a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) in support of Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) on June 6.
• US, partner nations participate in mass casualty exercise AFNS 08 Jun 2015 -- Angel Thunder 2015, a mass casualty exercise involving multinational armed services, took place in northern Arizona June 5.
• Minot B-52s participate, train with allies in Baltops, Saber Strike exercises AFNS 08 Jun 2015 -- Air, maintenance and support crews from bases around Air Force Global Strike Command forward deployed to Royal Air Force Fairford, June 5, to participate in the multinational Baltops 2015 and Saber Strike exercises.
• Army Secretary McHugh to Step Down DoD 08 Jun 2015
• USN and ROK Bolster Alliance in Silent Shark Exercise NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. and the Republic of Korea navies are participating in Exercise Silent Shark 2015 in the vicinity of Guam, June 8-12.
• USS Hampton Visits Yokosuka During Western Pacific Deployment NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 767) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a port visit as a part of its deployment to the Western Pacific, June 8.
• USS Fort Worth Completes ISATT NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (35), Detachment 3, completed initial ship aviation team training (ISATT) while operating underway aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) June 7.
• Silent Sentry meets a decade of interstellar combat support AFNS 08 Jun 2015 -- Nearly 29 years ago, as a form of protest against cable companies charging fees to satellite dish owners, a man by the alias of Captain Midnight intruded into a live HBO telecast of 'The Falcon and the Snowman' utilizing equipment from where he worked. Using a form of satellite communications (SATCOM) jamming, Captain Midnight was able to insert his propaganda and briefly stop HBO programming.
• Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System Team Arrives at NSF Deveselu NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- The first group of Sailors charged with manning Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) Romania recently arrived at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu, bringing the site one step closer to operational status.
• US 7th Fleet Ships Exercise First ERSS Concept in the Pacific NNS 08 Jun 2015 -- Medical personnel aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) participated in the first Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS) during a surgical drill June 4-5.
• Multinational Baltic Defense Exercise Showcases Interoperability AFPS 08 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. has joined 16 other NATO and partner nations in a Baltic regional maritime exercise demonstrating various integrated military capabilities, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said here today.
• NATO ''Smart Energy'' exercise gets underway in Hungary NATO 08 Jun 2015 -- Exercise Capable Logistician 2015 (8-19 June) will see NATO testing a range of energy-efficient solutions in an effort to cut cost while enhancing interoperability and military effectiveness. The exercise takes place at Bakony Combat Training Centre near Veszprem, Hungary, and, with the support of NATO's Science for Peace and Security Programme, will include input from 30 experts from defence agencies and research institutes.
• UK to increase contribution to NATO task force UK MOD 08 Jun 2015 -- The Defence Secretary has announced that the UK will contribute an additional 500 personnel to a NATO high-readiness task force
• Russia to Introduce New Nuclear Arctic Icebreaker Project by End of 2015 Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- Russian Deputy Defense Minister announced that the layout of Russia's Leader-class nuclear-powered icebreaker will be presented by the end of 2015.
• Ukrainian Engines Get the Boot From Russian Navy, Home Grown Preferred Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- According to United Shipbuilding Corporation spokesman, new Russian Navy destroyers, originally intended to be equipped with Ukrainian gas turbine engines (GTE), will receive Russian-made engines exceeding the Ukrainian analogues.
• Russia Begins Development of Ratnik-2 Future Soldier Gear Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- Russia's Prospective Research Foundation began research and brainstorming on a new future soldier gear system, which will supercede the new Ratnik system.
• Defense Minister orders creation of military, social infrastructure for Siberian airfield TASS 08 Jun 2015 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu set the task on Monday of creating by 2016 both military and social infrastructure for the airfield and military town Step, Siberia's Trans-Baikal territory, where a separate assault regiment on Su-25 jets will be accommodated.
• Russian-Egyptian first joint naval drills will build trust - Navy chief TASS 08 Jun 2015 -- Russia and Egypt have coordinated actions during the active phase of their first joint naval exercises Bridge of Friendship-2015 now underway in the Mediterranean Sea, Russian Navy spokesman Captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said on Monday.
• Nigeria Opens Command and Control Center VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- The Nigerian army is following through on President Buhari's order to open a command and control center in Maiduguri. The Borno State capital has been a frequent target of Boko Haram militants in the six year insurgency in the northeast.
• June 8, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 08 Jun 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 08, 2015
• US Defense Contractor Raytheon Launches State-of-the-Art SM-3 Missile Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- The first live-fire test of Raytheon's new Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile has been announced by US and Japanese officials; the multi-billion-dollar project is currently being jointly developed by the two countries.

Other Conflicts

• 8 June 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Jun 2015
• Fighting in Yemen continues to take toll on civilians, with 20 million needing urgent assistance - UN UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- Some 20 million people in Yemen – close to 80 per cent of the population – urgently need humanitarian assistance, several United Nations agencies are warning, as the conflict, which escalated dramatically in March, continues to take its toll in what was already the poorest country in the region.
• 2 Saudi soldiers killed, 4 vehicles destroyed in Yemen's retaliatory attacks Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Yemeni forces carry out retaliatory attacks inside Saudi Arabia, killing at least two Saudi soldiers and destroying several vehicles.
• Yemen ex-president says won't 'negotiate' with Houthis in Geneva Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Yemen's fugitive former president has ruled out holding 'negotiations' with the Ansarullah Houthi movement at the forthcoming UN peace meeting in Geneva.
• Hadi: UN Talks Not a Negotiation with Houthis VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Yemen's President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi said Monday that U.N.-brokered talks scheduled to begin Sunday in Geneva will not involve negotiations to reconcile with the Houthi rebels who forced him from the country earlier this year.
• Saudi warplanes strike NW Yemen with cluster bombs Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Saudi fighter jets have reportedly used cluster bombs in their fresh attacks against border areas in Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada as Riyadh pushes ahead with a military onslaught against its impoverished southern neighbor.
• 23 killed in Saudi air raids on Yemen's Sa'ada Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- At least 23 civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a fresh Saudi airstrikes on Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada.
• Iraq: lack of funding for UN-led relief efforts leaves country on 'verge of collapse' UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- Crisis-torn Iraq, one of the world's most severe emergencies, is on the verge of collapse because of a lack of funding could force the closure of more than half the relief operations in the country over the coming weeks, the top United Nations humanitarian official there has warned.
• Former US Envoys: Iraq Situation Will Worsen VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Washington is losing the battle against Islamic State extremists, and the level of violence in Iraq is likely to get much worse before it gets better, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker has warned.
• Iraq city fortifying border to prevent ISIL infiltration Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- The south-central holy Iraqi city of Najaf is fortifying its borders to prevent any potential inflow by terrorists with the ISIL Takfiri group from Anbar Province and Saudi Arabia, Press TV reports.
• US, Iraqi Presidents Discuss Battle Against IS VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants is without a 'complete strategy,' President Barack Obama said Monday, pointing to what he categorized as a shortfall of security forces recruited in Iraq as a primary obstacle.
• UN envoy condemns continuing use of barrel bombs, killing of civilians in Syria conflict UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has condemned the continuing use of barrel bombs in the Middle Eastern country's ongoing conflict and called on all parties to respect the sanctity of civilian life, according to a spokesperson for the Organization.
• Hezbollah advances east of Arsal toward Syria's Qalamoun Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah have managed to seize control of several strategic crossings in the border area between Lebanon and Syria, forcing the militants of the Nusra Front terrorist group to retreat from their positions.
• Four killed, 3 injured in ISIL attack on Libya's Misrata Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- An attack by the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group has claimed the lives of four security forces in the Libyan northwestern city of Misrata.
• Libyan Militias Start Talks Ahead of UN Mediations VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Opposing Libyan militias are starting to engage in reconciliation talks with each other, bypassing the country's politicians, who they fear will be unable to deliver a peace deal at this week's U.N. sponsored talks aimed at securing a political settlement to end a year-long violent power struggle between Libya's dueling parliaments.
• 7 soldiers, 19 militants killed in army's ground operation in NW Pakistan People's Daily 08 Jun 2015 -- At least seven soldiers and 19 militants were killed when Pakistani army launched a ground operation against militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan Agency, the military said Monday.
• 19 militants, 7 soldiers killed in NW Pakistan clash Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- At least 19 pro-Taliban militants and seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed during fierce fighting in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal areas near the Afghan border, the army says.
• Russia to Expedite Military Construction on Kuril Islands Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday ordered to double construction rates at military facilities on the disputed Kuril Islands.
• Tackling the roots of the Rohingya crisis IRIN 08 Jun 2015 -- As Malaysian police finish exhuming mass graves in human trafficking camps along the Thai border, Southeast Asian nations are under pressure to end the brutal trade in human lives by tackling the roots of the crisis.
• UN envoy applauds Somalia's successes as country 'comes together' UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- The top United Nations official in Somalia today lauded the progress made in the Horn of Africa country amid military and political gains on the ground and a successful partnership between international and national stakeholders.

News Reports

• News Analysis: The 'Nice Boy' Defeats Erdogan RFE/RL 08 Jun 2015 -- At the height of Turkey's overheated and insult-laden parliamentary election campaign last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mocked Selahattin Demirtas, leader of the mainly Kurdish Democratic Party of Turkey's Peoples (HDP) --considered the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - by calling him 'that nice boy.'
• Turkey's Erdogan Calls for Responsibility After Election VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Monday for his country's fractious political parties to act responsibly in the aftermath of elections that ended his ruling majority in parliament, but financial markets quickly recoiled at the uncertainty.
• Turkey's AKP Loses Parliamentary Majority VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Voters handed Turkey's president a stumbling block to his plan to expand his powers when his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed for the first time to win an outright majority, its biggest setback in 13 years.
• Obama Accuses Putin Of Wrecking Russia's Economy For 'Glory' RFE/RL 08 Jun 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama accused President Vladimir Putin June 8 of wrecking Russia's economy in a doomed drive to recreate the glories of the Soviet empire.
• G7 Leaders Affirm Russia Sanctions VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- The leaders of seven of the world's most powerful countries agreed on Monday to toughen sanctions on Russia, if necessary, to press for a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
• Syrian Hackers Claim to Force US Army Offline VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. Army said Monday it temporarily took down its website after an element of the Army.mil service provider's content was compromised in a hacking incident.
• New UN report details litany of human rights violations, 'rule by fear' in Eritrea UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- Amid "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations," the human rights situation in Eritrea has degenerated into a climate of fear in which dissent is stifled and large swathes of the population are subjected to forced labour and imprisonment, a new United Nations report has found.
• Iran not pressed for time over nuclear deal: Iran ISNA 08 Jun 2015 -- An Iranian nuclear negotiator said the Islamic Republic will not be pressed for time in reaching a final comprehensive agreement with the G5+1 group of powers over Tehran's nuclear program.
• IAEA verifies non-diversion in Iran's nuclear activities Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again verified the non-diversion of Iran's declared nuclear activities from their peaceful nature.
• IAEA Ready to Verify Iran's Nuclear Program Within 'Reasonable' Timeframe Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency will be ready to verify Iran'n committment to shutting down its nuclear program only if Tehran follows the deal with six powers, the agency's director general said.
• South Korea Plans to Increase Number of Nuclear Reactors to 36 Sputnik 08 Jun 2015 -- South Korea's government has proposed to build two additional nuclear reactors by 2029, increasing the total number of atomic reactors to 36, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
• S.Korea reports 23 new MERS infections, 1 more death People's Daily 08 Jun 2015 -- South Korea on Monday identified 23 new contagions with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), increasing the total number to 87 while deaths from the viral disease rose to six as one more death was reported.
• At G7 Summit, Ban outlines draft UN action plan to prevent violent extremism UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- Concerned by the spread of violent extremist groups and the "malicious and hateful ideologies" that fuel them, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today outlined elements of an action plan he will present later this year to reinforce good governance, which he sees as terrorism's true deterrent.
• Obama: US Needs More Aggressive Cybersecurity VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- President Barack Obama says the United States is going to have to be much more aggressive when it comes to cybersecurity, but he refused to say who he believes is behind the massive hacking of U.S. government computers revealed last week.
• Belgian prosecutors investigate alleged Germany spying Press TV 08 Jun 2015 -- Prosecutors in Belgium have opened an investigation into claims of extensive spying by Germany, which has allegedly cooperated with the United States in snooping on Berlin's European allies.
• UN atomic agency chief spotlights uranium fuel bank, Fukushima in report to governing body UN News 08 Jun 2015 -- A new report on the 2011 nuclear accident in eastern Japan's Fukushima area and two agreements related to the establishment of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reserve of low enriched uranium were among the key points highlighted by Director General Yukiya Amano to the Agency's Board of Governors today.
• Burundi Electoral Board Urges Voting Delay VOA 08 Jun 2015 -- Burundi's electoral commission has recommended postponing national elections after violent unrest sparked by the president's decision to seek a third term.