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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 16 Jun 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 16 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.
• DOD Releases Report on Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan June 16, 2015 DoD 16 Jun 2015 -- The inaugural "Report on Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan," a report to Congress in accordance with Section 1225 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113-291), was provided to Congress. This report covers December 1, 2014 to May 31.
• Russian Defense Minister says military threat from Afghanistan grows TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The military of Russia and Kyrgyzstan must be prepared to counter any threats to the collective security system of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the region in connection with the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.
• Top al-Qaida leader in Yemen killed by U.S. drone: security sources People's Daily 16 Jun 2015 -- Top al-Qaidaleader Nasir al-Wuhayshi was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, security sources told Xinhua on Monday night.
• Nasir al-Wuhayshi: From Bin Laden Aide to AQAP Chief VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) chief Nasir al-Wuhayshi was the United States' highest level Al-Qaida target since the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed former leader Osama bin Laden.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Nuclear Bombers Lack Satellite Terminals for Atomic Emergencies Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- A new Government Accountability Office report says that US satellite terminals to ensure communications with nuclear bombers do not yet exist and have been delayed indefinitely.
• 24th MEU "FiST" shapes battlefield during Eager Lion USMC News 16 Jun 2015 -- Beneath the desert sun in Jordan, a notional enemy of armored vehicles prepares to make a stand against U.S. Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Jordanian armed forces and Italian Marines, who wait just beyond the horizon of the battlefield.
• New acquisition process awards contracts in weeks AFNS 16 Jun 2015 -- A new government open architecture acquisition process that can award contracts in weeks instead of years was tested here June 8-11.
• VMM-261 Marines, Dutch Navy perform first MV-22 Osprey carrier landing aboard a Dutch warship USMC News 16 Jun 2015 -- Spirits ran high aboard the Karel Doorman, a warship with the Royal Netherlands Navy, as U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 made the first MV-22 Osprey landing aboard a Dutch ship during an interoperability test conducted near Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, June 12.
• Kearsarge Conducts Successful MISSILEX NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) ran a successful test of its Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system during an at-sea missile exercise (MISSLEX), June 14.
• NAVSUP FLC Bahrain Stands up Contracting Authority NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- Navy Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Bahrain officially stood up their contracting authority at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, June 16.
• Essex Amphibious Ready Group Transits the Strait of Malacca NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- The Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) navigated through the Strait of Malacca June 14, while transiting toward the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) in support of maritime security operations.
• Fort Worth Completes PMAV NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departed from Singapore June 15 to conduct routine operations at-sea following completion of a scheduled preventive maintenance availability (PMAV).
• SECNAV Emphasizes Presence, Partnerships during Visit to Poland NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus concluded a two-day visit to Poland June 16 with a stop aboard USS San Antonio (LPD 17) as the ship continues its participation in Exercise BALTOPS 2015.
• TR Departs Dubai NNS 16 Jun 2015 -- The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) made its third port visit of her 2015 deployment when she pulled in to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, June 7-11.
• Joint statement by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker NATO 16 Jun 2015 -- The EU and NATO are unique and essential partners who share common values and strategic interests. We work side by side in crisis management operations, capability development and political consultations to support international peace and security.
• NATO Chief Says Russia's Planned Nuclear Defense Reinforcement 'Dangerous' Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's reinforcement of its nuclear defense capabilities is very dangerous, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.
• Russia Begins Mass Production of Glonass-K1 Navigation Satellites Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems company has put the advanced Glonass-K1 navigation satellite into mass production.
• Russia to add 40 ballistic missiles to nuclear arsenal: Putin Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia will add more than 40 new ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal in a matter of months, says Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid an ongoing dispute with the West over Ukraine.
• Putin: Russia Beefing Up Nuclear Arsenal With at Least 40 ICBMs VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) will be added to the country's nuclear arsenal this year.
• Russia's new microwave cannon can knock out electronics of aircraft, drones Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia has announced the development of a "microwave cannon" capable of disabling drones and the warheads on precision weapons.
• Fighting The Long War RFE/RL 16 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says Washington may consider putting intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe, and Britain's top diplomat says the United Kingdom would consider hosting them.
• Russia Ready to Continue Talks on INF Treaty - Deputy Foreign Minister Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said that Russia is ready to continue consultations with the United States on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
• Russia's upgraded combat vehicles successfully complete state trials TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The modernized BDM-4M airborne combat vehicle and the BTR-MDM armoured personnel carrier are successfully through with the program of state trials and will be put into service in 2015, Mikhail Chemezov, a deputy head of military hardware department of the Tractor Plants corporation, the manufacturer of these vehicles, said on Tuesday.
• Russia's new Armata tank gets new-generation reactive armour TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's tank designed on the Armata platform has got a new-generation active armour, a military-industrial complex source told TASS on Tuesday.
• Russian infantry gear to have friend-or-foe sensors visible only to friendly troops TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's 'soldier of the future' will be wearing individual friend-or-foe sensors constituting an integral part of the high-tech Ratnik combat gear, the general director of the Central Research Institute of Precision Machinebuilding, which developed the system, said on Tuesday.
• Russia to complete building 7 Yasen class nuclear subs after 2023 - design bureau TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The project to build a series of 7 Yasen class nuclear submarines will be completed after 2023, CEO of the St. Petersburg-based Malakhit Marine Engineering Design Bureau Vladimir Dorofeyev told TASS on Tuesday.
• Russian Navy to get eight Borei subs, six Yasen subs by 2020 - CEO TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's Sevmash shipyards are to hand over to Russia's Navy a total of eight strategic nuclear-powered submarines of the Borei class and six multi-purpose Yasen submarines, Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko has told TASS.
• Share of modern hardware in Russian army to reach 70%-100% by 2020 TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that the defense-industrial complex will cope with the task of building up the share of modern types of hardware at the disposal of the Russian armed forces to 70%-100% by 2020.
• Russian arms order portfolio formed for years to come - Putin TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russian weapons are highly sought after on the world market, the order portfolio has been formed for years to come, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at the opening of the Army-2015 international military and technical forum.
• Russia to test new over-horizon target detection radar soon - Putin TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The trials of a new over-horizon radar system designated for operation in the western direction will begin in Russia in the coming months, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
• Russia to lay down seventh Borey-class nuclear sub in late December 2015 TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The seventh Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine will be laid down in late 2015, the director general of Russia's Sevmash shipyard told TASS on Tuesday.
• Russia developing fifth-generation nuclear subs - design bureau TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia's Malakhit Marine Engineering Design Bureau (St. Petersburg) is already working on the project for the construction of fifth-generation nuclear submarines, the company's CEO Vladimir Dorofeyev told TASS on Tuesday.
• Serial production of APCs with tracked modular platform can be launched in 2017 TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Serial production of armored personnel carriers (APCs) with the Kurganets-25 tracked modular platform can be launched in 2017, First Vice-President and co-owner of Machinery & Industrial Group N.V. (Trantornye Zavody) Albert Bakov told TASS on Tuesday.
• Belarus Tests Secretive Rocket Launcher System in China Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Belarus tested its new Polonez rocket launcher system in China, which has a considerably greater range than Soviet-made Smerch systems and could indicate a secretive development between the two countries which lasted over a decade.
• Belarusian multiple launch rocket system tested in China - official TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Belarusian multiple launch rocket system has been successfully tested in China, Sergey Gurulyov, the head of the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee, reported to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday.
• Belarus holds regional defence drills on border with Ukraine TASS 15 Jun 2015 -- Command and staff exercises of the Gomel Region defence forces have started in southern Belarus on the border with Ukraine, the Belarusian Defence Ministry said on Monday.
• Russian manufacturer signs contract for supply of 12 Mi-8MTV-5 copters to Belarus TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The Helicopters of Russia has concluded a contract with the Defense Ministry of Belarus for the supply of twelve Mi-8MTV-5 military transport helicopters in 2016-2017, the holding company's CEO Alexander Mikheyev has told the media.
• Saudi Arabia shows interest in buying Russian tactical ballistic missile systems - source TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- Saudi Arabia is interested in purchasing Russia's Iskander tactical ballistic missile systems, a source in the country's delegation at the Army-2015 International Military and Technical Forum outside Moscow said on Tuesday.
• Kim Jong Un Watches Night Naval Fire Strike Drill of KPA KCNA 16 Jun 2015 -- 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, watched night naval fire strike drill of navy warship sub-unit and ground artillery sub-units.
• Secretary Kerry's Press Availability US Dept. of State 16 Jun 2015
• Daily Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 06/16/15 The White House 16 Jun 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 16, 2015
• Russia's arms export orders stand at $50 bln - official TASS 16 Jun 2015 -- The book of export orders for Russian armaments and military hardware currently stands at about $50 billion, Head of Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Alexander Fomin said on Tuesday.

Other Conflicts

• 16 June 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jun 2015
• 'Essential shifts' needed for UN to tackle new peacekeeping challenges, report reveals UN News 16 Jun 2015 -- Focus on political solutions, responsive and flexible operations, stronger partnerships and field-focused and people-centered mandates; these are the essential shifts the United Nations must urgently address as it faces challenging new landscapes in peacekeeping and conflict prevention, the chair of a high-level expert panel said today, introducing a long-awaited report at the world body's New York Headquarters.
• Latest UN humanitarian report reveals surge in financing needs for relief efforts UN News 16 Jun 2015 -- Amid a widespread diffusion of conflicts and crises across the globe, an increasing amount of funding is now required to respond to the world's growing humanitarian calamities, according to the latest report released today by the United Nations' relief arm.
• China about to finish island-building in disputed waters Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Beijing says it will complete its island-building projects in the South China Sea soon amid a row between China and its Asian neighbors, which all claim sovereignty over the disputed waters.
• China to Develop Military Facilities on Hotly Disputed Spratly Islands Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Chinese foreign ministry's spokesman, Lu Kang, said that construction on the Spratly Islands as part of the land reclamation project would be completed in the near future and additional facilities would be built to meet 'the necessary military defense requirements.'
• From grooms to body bags: the story of Yemen's fighters IRIN 16 Jun 2015 -- Eighteen months ago, the small Yemeni village of Al-Hamza* was awash with joy. A mass wedding dominated its small streets, with a few dozen couples tying the knot simultaneously.
• Representatives of Yemeni factions meet with UN envoy in Geneva Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Representatives from Yemeni political factions have met with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in the Swiss city of Geneva.
• Saudi jets attack Yemeni provinces with cluster bombs Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Saudi warplanes have reportedly used internationally banned cluster bombs in its fresh air raids on two Yemeni provinces, as UN-backed talks are underway in the Swiss city of Geneva to find a solution to the crisis in the war-torn state.
• Yemen Airstrikes, Clashes Kill at Least 50 Civilians in Five Days Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- At least 50 civilians were killed in Yemen between June 11 and 15, according to the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR).
• Yemen: UN reports uptick in civilian deaths as fighting in country continues UN News 16 Jun 2015 -- The civilian cost of the Yemen crisis continues to grow amid the country's ongoing hostilities, according to the latest figures released today by the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR).
• 30 ISIL terrorists slain in Iraqi army airstrikes Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- At least 30 members of the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group have been killed in multiple airstrikes carried out by Iraq's air force in the country's conflict-stricken northern province of Salahuddin.
• Hezbollah, Syria liberate more territory in Qalamoun Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and Syrian army troops have made fresh gains in their battle against terrorists in the border mountainous region of Qalamoun, as a notorious commander of the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group is killed in a simultaneous operation in the region.
• Over 400 people left Chechnya to join ISIL in Syria: Russia Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- Russia says more than 400 Chechens have left for Syria to join ISIL Takfiri militants since the beginning of the conflict in the Arab country in 2011.
• Syrian Kurdish Fighters Seize ISIL-Held Town on Turkish Border Sputnik 16 Jun 2015 -- Syria's Kurdish forces reportedly have taken control over ISIL militant's stronghold in the town of Tel Abyad.
• Thousands flee Syria for Turkey, escaping aggression between rival military forces - UN refugee agency UN News 16 Jun 2015 -- New fighting in northern Syria has forced 23,135 refugees – some 70 per cent of whom are women and children – to flee across the border into Turkey's Sanliurfa province, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.
• Reports: Kurds, Syrian Rebels Claim Border Town from IS VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- Kurdish forces in northern Syria claim full control of a border town believed to be an entry point from Turkey for Islamic State (IS) fighters and supplies.
• Philippines Rebels Begin Laying Down Arms VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- Muslim rebels in the Philippines have started the process of laying down their arms as part of a one-year-old peace pact that is currently hitting snags in the country's legislature.
• South Sudan: amid 'intensifying' crisis, UN and European Union mobilize $275 million in aid UN News 16 Jun 2015 -- To tackle the humanitarian impact of the "relentlessly deteriorating" crisis in South Sudan, the European Union and the United Nations today announced that more than $275 million has been pledged in support of the victims in the country and the wider region.

News Reports

• US Senate Votes to Ban Torture in War on Terrorism VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- The U.S. Senate has voted 78-21 to ban the use of torture in the interrogation of terror suspects and other detainees held by the United States.
• Egypt court upholds Morsi death sentence Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- An Egyptian court has upheld a death sentence against ousted President Mohamed Morsi over a prison break in 2011.
• Egypt court sentences Morsi to life in jail for spying Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, to life in prison over spying.
• Iran's Nuclear 'Diplomatic Warriors' Are Back In Vogue RFE/RL 16 Jun 2015 -- 'Diplomatic warriors' who defend Iran's interests, or 'traitors' who sell out their country to enemies. Both are recent labels given domestically to Iran's negotiators at sensitive international talks on a comprehensive nuclear deal that would curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
• S. Korea reports 4 more MERS cases, 3 deaths People's Daily 16 Jun 2015 -- Four more cases of infection with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were reported in South Korea Tuesday, while three deaths were added among the confirmed cases, the health ministry said.
• 3 more MERS deaths reported in South Korea Press TV 16 Jun 2015 -- South Korea has reported three more fatalities from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), bringing the death toll to 19 in an outbreak that began in May.
• US Lawmakers Slam Government Officials Over Massive Cyber Attack VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- U.S. lawmakers sharply attacked government hiring and technology officials Tuesday for not preventing a cybersecurity attack that compromised personal information for millions of U.S. federal workers.
• Severe Drought Hits DPRK KCNA 16 Jun 2015 -- The worst drought in 100 years continues in the DPRK, causing great damage to its agricultural field.
• Finland's President Dismisses Criticism Of Visit With Putin RFE/RL 16 Jun 2015 -- Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has dismissed criticism from an unnamed Estonian government official and Finnish political pundits who questioned his decision to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16.
• Nine arrested in plot to bomb districts in Hong Kong People's Daily 16 Jun 2015 -- Hong Kong authorities haven't ruled out further arrests after police said on Monday that they busted nine radical activists who were allegedly preparing to bomb sites around the city's center of government.
• AU Summit Ends With Growing Concern About International Court VOA 16 Jun 2015 -- Heads of state gathered for the African Union summit in Johannesburg say they made great strides in solving the continent's many problems, which include a political crisis in Burundi. But the meeting was overshadowed by the arrival of Sudan's president, wanted on genocide charges.