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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 18 Jun 2015 [PDF]
• Coalition Continues Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 18 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.
• Pentagon: Islamic State In 'Exploratory Stage' In Afghanistan RFE/RL 18 Jun 2015 -- The Islamic State (IS) group is in an "initial exploratory phase" and is looking for ways to expand in Afghanistan, the Pentagon has said in a report to Congress.
• Taliban raids leave 11 security forces dead in Afghanistan Press TV 18 Jun 2015 -- Taliban militants have reportedly launched a series of coordinated attacks on government buildings in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand, killing nearly a dozen members of security forces and injuring several others, Press TV reports.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S., Spain Agree to Make U.S. Crisis Force Deployment Permanent AFPS 18 Jun 2015 -- U.S. and Spanish officials yesterday signed an amendment to the nations' defense agreement that will change the deployment of the U.S. crisis response force at Moron Air Base from temporary to permanent, defense officials said today.
• Northern Edge 2015 fills the skies AFNS 15 Jun 2015 -- Approximately 200 military aircraft filled the skies above Alaska June 15, signifying the start of the joint training exercise, Northern Edge 2015.
• MDSU 2, EODMU 6 CSS Georgia Joint Training NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6 conducted joint training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS) June 16.
• SECNAV Completes Partnership-Building Visit to Latvia NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus completed a two-day visit to Latvia June 18.
• Continuing Promise 2015 Crew Begins Work in El Salvador NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- The Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) team embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) in El Salvador after transiting the Panama Canal, June 17.
• PNSY Safely Docks USS Annapolis for Overhaul NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) workers safely drydocked USS Annapolis (SSN 760) June 15 for planned maintenance work and several system upgrades.
• Divers, EOD Prepare to Salvage CSS Georgia NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6 conducted joint training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS) June 16 in preparation for the salvage of Civil War Ironclad CSS Georgia.
• USS Santa Fe Visits Singapore During Western Pacific Deployment NNS 18 Jun 2015 -- Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) arrived in Singapore June 18 for a visit as a part of its deployment to the Western Pacific.
• Philippine, U.S. troops to hold naval drill People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- The Philippines and the United States will conduct a new round of naval drills off Palawan province in southwestern Philippines next week, military officials said on Thursday.
• NATO Secretary General joins Allied ministers to watch Spearhead Force in action NATO 18 Jun 2015 -- NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg along with the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, and Defence Ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, as well as top NATO military commanders, attended the first deployment exercise of the Alliance's new very high readiness Spearhead Force on Thursday (18 June 2015) in western Poland.
• NATO Secretary General joins Allied ministers to watch Spearhead Force in action NATO 18 Jun 2015 -- NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg along with the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, and Defence Ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, as well as top NATO military commanders, attended the first deployment exercise of the Alliance's new very high readiness Spearhead Force on Thursday (18 June 2015) in western Poland.
• NATO goes for 'biggest' military boost since Cold War Press TV 18 Jun 2015 -- The NATO secretary general says the Western military alliance is carrying out its "biggest" military reinforcement since the Cold War in what it calls an attempt to tackle the rising security threats in the region.
• NATO Trident Joust Military Exercises Begin in Romania Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- According to a statement issued by NATO Allied Command Operations, NATO Trident Joust 2015 exercises, comprising twenty five member nations and over 1,000 personnel, began Thursday in Romania.
• NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg Unveils Biggest Build-Up Since Cold War Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance was increasing its pressure on Russia by massively boosting the deployment of troops and military assets in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
• Russia-NATO Tensions Threaten a Wider Regional Standoff VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- Amid growing tensions with NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin is promising to beef up Russia's nuclear arsenal with 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2015.
• Kaliningrad, Moscow's Military Trump Card RFE/RL 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia is pouring troops and weapons - including missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads - into its western exclave of Kaliningrad at such a rate that the region is now one of Europe's most militarized places.
• Russian Arms Exporter Flexible Over Integrating Foreign Components Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- Russian military equipment can be provided with western-made components, like earlier supplied to India Russian multipurpose fighter jets Su-30MKI was furnished with Israel- and French-made details upon client's request.
• France Passes Some Technology to Russia on Construction of Mistral Warships Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- According to the director of the department of military technical cooperation, France has handed over to Russia some technology in large-block assembly for the construction of Mistral-class helicopter carriers.
• Minister says Russia got no Mistral technology from France TASS 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia has not received the technology for the Mistral class helicopter carriers' construction from France, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told journalists on Thursday.
• New rules mean ships can be used by military People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- The country has approved a set of technical guidelines that require all civilian shipbuilders to ensure that their new vessels are suitable for military use in an emergency, the China Classification Society has revealed.
• Chinese military vows continued corruption fight People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- The Central Military Commission (CMC) has issued a circular pledging to continue fighting corruption in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), after it initiated prosecutions of two more senior officers.
• A Hind-E for Pakistan: Islamabad to Purchase Russian Mi-35 Copters Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia and Pakistan are reportedly close to clinching a deal in Islamabad for the purchase of Russian-made Mi-35 attack helicopters.
• No specific talks underway on supply of Russian Mi-35 helicopters to Pakistan - exporter TASS 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia is holding consultations with Pakistan regarding the possibility of selling Mi-35 helicopters, but no specific talks are underway at the moment, the head of the Air Force department at the Rosoboronexport weapons exporter, Sergey Kornev said on Thursday.
• Russia Plans to Offer Advanced Su-35 Fighters for Indonesia Tender Sputnik 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia has announced plans to compete for an Indonesian Air Force contract to purchase fighter planes; it hopes to export Su-35 jets.
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz en route Los Angeles, CA, 6/18/2015 The White House 18 Jun 2015
• June 18, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Jun 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 18, 2015
• Russia's newest fighter jet T-50 not meant for export in near future - official TASS 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia's 5th generation jet T-50 will not be offered to foreign customers in the near future, the chief delegate of Russia's weapons exporter Rosoboronexport at the Le Bourget air show, Sergey Kornev, said on Thursday.
• Russia may reconfigure Yak-130 into attack jet for foreign clients - arms exporter TASS 18 Jun 2015 -- Russia may re-configure its combat training plane Yakovlev-130 into a fighter-bomber for those foreign customers who may wish to have it, the chief delegate of Russia's weapons exporter Rosoboronexport, Sergey Kornev, said at the Le Bourget air show on Thursday.
• Russia's new Armata tank's crew may eventually be reduced to two - manufacturer TASS 18 Jun 2015 -- The crew of Russia's new generation main battle tank based on the Armata platform may eventually be reduced from three to two, the chief designer of the vehicle's manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, Andrei Terlikov, has said on the sidelines of the Army-2015 weapons show near Moscow.
• About 300 JF-17 Thunders expected to be sold in the next decade People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- In the next five to ten years, 200 to 300 JF-17 Thunders, co-developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Pakistan's Air Force (PAF), are expected to be sold, Yang Ying, president of China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), told a conference jointly held by China and Pakistan on the opening day of the 51st International Paris Air and Space Show on June 15.

Other Conflicts

• 18 June 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Jun 2015
• Protecting children in war zones is a moral imperative and legal obligation, Security Council told UN News 18 Jun 2015 -- "A moral imperative and a legal obligation," protecting children should never be jeopardized by national interests, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, deploring that 2014 was one of the worst years in recent memory for children in countries affected by conflict.
• Worldwide displacement hits all-time high as war and persecution increase UNHCR 18 Jun 2015 -- Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, according to a new report from the UN refugee agency.
• UN warns of 'record high' 60 million displaced amid expanding global conflicts UN News 18 Jun 2015 -- The international community is experiencing a dramatic shift in the situation facing the world's refugees as a global surge in war, conflict and persecution has caused a record number of people to flee their homes in search of safety, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.
• UN: 'Dangerous New Era' for World's Record 60M Refugees VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- The world is facing the worst refugee crisis in modern times – and the global response has been pitifully inadequate, according to the latest annual report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian groups are calling for a global summit to address the crisis.
• Peacekeeping mandate should be practical, feasible: Chinese envoy People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- The mandate of peacekeeping operations should be practical and feasible, said a Chinese envoy here on Wednesday, adding that the operations cannot and should not aim to solve every problem.
• US Official: China's Island Building 'Troubling' VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said Thursday that the U.S. is troubled by China's island-building actions in the South China Sea.
• Yemen facing serious food insecurity as conflict deteriorates, new UN study finds UN News 18 Jun 2015 -- Six million people in Yemen are slipping towards severe hunger and now need emergency food and life-saving assistance, "a sharp increase" from the last quarter of 2014, according to a new joint study by two United Nations organizations.
• Security Council condemns deadly terrorist attacks against mosques in Yemen UN News 18 Jun 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms the "horrific" series of terrorist attacks on mosques which left dozens dead and wounded in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.
• Saudi warplanes target area in Yemeni capital Press TV 18 Jun 2015 -- Saudi military aircraft have launched a fresh round of airstrikes against Yemen as feuding Yemeni political parties are engaged in UN-sponsored peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva to solve the ongoing conflict at home.
• UN Official Calls for End to Syria Stalemate VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- The head of the U.N.'s Commission of Inquiry on Syria said Thursday that Syria is at 'a bitter and murderous stalemate,' as countries with the ability to push toward a political solution to the country's four-year war fuel the fighting rather than work for peace.
• US Struggles to Produce Syrian Force to Counter IS VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- Efforts to deal the Islamic State terror group a lasting defeat in Syria have hit a "chokepoint," with the U.S. military struggling to produce a moderate Syrian fighting force to complement American and coalition air power.
• Stateless in the Sahel IRIN 18 Jun 2015 -- Thousands of refugee children in western Mali are at risk of being stuck in the legal limbo of statelessness, which could mean little or no access to health care and higher education.
• Boko Haram kills 40 civilians in southern Niger Press TV 18 Jun 2015 -- At least 40 civilians have been killed after Boko Haram Takfiri militants attacked two villages in southern Niger, an official says.
• Ukraine: UN warns number of displaced persons and refugees on the rise UN News 18 Jun 2015 -- The number of people fleeing their homes in Ukraine continues to rise, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• FARC rebels attack oil pipeline in Colombia Press TV 18 Jun 2015 -- Suspected members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC, have set off a bomb targeting an oil pipeline in the country's northern region.
• Education still on hold after year of war in Pakistan IRIN 18 Jun 2015 -- Hazrat Zaman fears for the future of his seventeen children who have been denied education for more than a year since Pakistan's military launched an operation against militants, forcing thousands of families to flee their homes.

News Reports

• WFP: N. Korea Could Face Further Food Shortage VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned Wednesday North Korea could face further food shortages later this year if drought persists.
• Khodorkovsky Says Putin Fabricated Conflict With West As Distraction RFE/RL 18 Jun 2015 -- The Russia-Ukraine conflict has no short-term solution and is part of a fabricated conflict with the West to distract everyday Russians from corruption and incompetence, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
• Russian State Assets Seized in Europe Over Yukos Case VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- Moscow has protested the seizure of Russian government assets in France and Belgium - a move taken to enforce a multi-billion-dollar judgment in a lawsuit filed by shareholders of Yukos, the now-defunct Russian oil company founded by tycoon-turned-dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
• Hong Kong Legislature Vetoes Reform Plan VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- Hong Kong's legislature voted down a controversial plan for electoral reform Thursday, after months of debate and mass protests over the city's democratic future.
• HK's legislature vetoes motion for selecting chief executive by universal suffrage People's Daily 18 Jun 2015 -- China's Hong Kong Legislative Council on Thursday vetoed a motion of the proposed universal suffrage for selecting the region's next chief executive in 2017.
• Hong Kong Rejects China-backed Electoral Reforms VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- Hong Kong lawmakers have overwhelmingly rejected a controversial, Beijing-backed electoral reform package that had divided the territory's opposition and pro-government forces.
• South Korea Reports 3 More MERS Deaths VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- The death toll from South Korea's MERS outbreak has risen to 23, according to officials, a day after the United Nations' health agency said incompetence had led to the spread of the virus.
• Thailand Confirms First MERS Case VOA 18 Jun 2015 -- A heart patient from Oman has been confirmed as the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] in Thailand.