Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 07 Jul 2015 [PDF]
• Dempsey: Risk Will be Part of Any Strategy Against ISIL AFPS 07 Jul 2015 -- In the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, there are risks if exercising patience, or in taking action, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee, and it is his job to assess those risks and provide the best military advice to U.S. civilian leaders.
• Dempsey Describes ISIL Strategy, 'Uncertain' Global Security AFPS 07 Jul 2015 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told lawmakers today that embedding joint tactical air controllers with Iraqi forces would not be the silver bullet in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• Carter: DoD, Global Coalition Seek ISIL's Lasting Defeat AFPS 07 Jul 2015 -- The Defense Department and a global coalition share the intent to deal the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant a lasting defeat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today.
• Senate Panel Grills US Military Leaders Over IS Strategy VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- Republican senators vented frustrations over U.S. efforts to fight Islamic State radicals, and grilled Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey at an Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
• Pakistan Hosts Ground-breaking Afghan Peace Talks VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- Pakistan says it hosted a meeting Tuesday night between the Afghan government and representatives of the Taliban as part of Islamabad's commitment "to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process,' a foreign ministry statement said Wednesday.
• Afghan delegates in Pakistan for direct talks with Taliban Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- An Afghan government delegation has arrived in Pakistan to hold direct talks with representatives of the Taliban militant group.
• 3 injured in Taliban attack on NATO forces in Kabul Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- A bomb attack has targeted NATO forces in the Afghan capital city of Kabul, leaving three people injured, officials say.
• Afghanistan's Hekmatyar Announces Support For IS In Fight Against Taliban RFE/RL 07 Jul 2015 -- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Afghan Islamist organization Hezb-e Islami, has called on his followers to support the militant group Islamic State (IS) in the fight against the Taliban.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Blast from the past: Last M117 bomb dropped near Guam coast AFNS 07 Jul 2015 -- Airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron -- with the help of 36th Munitions Squadron Airmen -- dropped the final M117 air-dropped general purpose bomb in the Pacific Air Force's inventory June 26 on an uninhabited island off the coast of Guam.
• Diamond Dragon enhances US, UK crisis response AFNS 07 Jul 2015 -- Airmen from the 48th Fighter Wing paired with fellow U.K. military and civilian agencies to participate in exercise Diamond Dragon June 30-July 2.
• F-16 aircraft accident near Charleston AFNS 07 Jul 2015 -- A Shaw Air Force Base F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed today near Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, at 11:30 a.m.
• USS Porter Participates in Exercise Breeze 2015 NNS 07 Jul 2015 -- Senior members of the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) attended the Exercise Breeze 2015 pre-sail conference in Varna, Bulgaria, July 7.
• Obama: Won't Accept Budget That Shortchanges Readiness AFPS 07 Jul 2015 -- President Barack Obama assured service members yesterday that they "are going to get paid" despite disagreements over the fiscal year 2016 defense budget.
• George Washington Carrier Strike Group Kicks Off Talisman Sabre 15 NNS 07 Jul 2015 -- Sailors from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) began their portion of Talisman Sabre 2015 off the north coast of Australia, July 7.
• Cyber Guard Exercise Points to Need for Persistent Training AFPS 07 Jul 2015 -- It's an axiom in the military that "you train like you fight." Another is "the battlefield is a bad place to meet an enemy for the first time."
• Five NATO nations kick off Platinum Lion 15-3 USMC News 07 Jul 2015 -- Marines with Black Sea Rotational Force and service members from Bulgaria, Romania, the United Kingdom and Albania started Exercise Platinum Lion 15-3, July 6, 2015 at the Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria.
• Colombia president replaces military leaders after HRW report Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has replaced the country's top military leaders, shortly after a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accused them of being aware of extrajudicial killings of civilians.
• France not to deliver Mistral warships to Russia: Defense minister Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- France has decided not to deliver two Mistral-class warships to Russia despite the knowledge that it will have to reimburse Moscow for its failure to fulfill the deal, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says.
• Russian Navy's New Sonar Can 'Hear' Every Sub Anywhere Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- Powerful sonar capable of "hearing" fourth generation nuclear submarines lurking in the deep will undergo trials at Russia's Northern Fleet before the end of this year.
• Russia's Cutting Edge Submarine Fleet to Receive 'Aircraft Carrier Killer' Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- Russia plans to expand its nascent high-end submarine fleet with two new fifth generation nuclear-powered watercraft, known only as an 'aircraft carrier killer' and an 'underwater interceptor' at the moment.
• Straight Shooter: Russia Develops New Trimaran Stealth Corvette Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- An all-new trimaran stealth corvette, now being developed in Russia, will boast unprecedented stability and be able to make combat even under Force 6 storm conditions.
• Russia's military base in Armenia alerted in snap combat readiness check TASS 07 Jul 2015 -- The Russian military base in Armenia was alerted on Tuesday in a sudden combat readiness check, the press office of Russia's Southern Military District said on Tuesday.
• Navy gets anti-sub boost People's Daily 07 Jul 2015 -- China has developed and commissioned a fixed-wing, anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which will significantly boost the Chinese navy's operational capability, experts said.
• Ukrainian Military Requests Additional US Training - Carter Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- The Ukrainian military is primarily requesting additional training from the United States, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
• US Company to Build Humvees for Ukraine Within $372Mln Contract - Pentagon Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- The AM General Company in South Bend, Indiana will build High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), or Humvees, for use by the Ukrainian Army as part of a giant contract for 2,082 of the vehicles, the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
• US Wants Iran to Have Limited Access to Military Equipment - Carter Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- According to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Iran should be limited in its ability to purchase different kinds of military equipment.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/7/2015 The White House 07 Jul 2015
• July 7, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 07 Jul 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 07, 2015
• Chinese Military Provider Reports Record High of Plane Seats Production People's Daily 07 Jul 2015 -- AVIC HangYu, China's only military equipment company, reported a record high of ejection seats production in 2014 to meet the need of the Chinese military to upgrade its weapons and military equipment, according to China Aviation News.

Other Conflicts

• 7 July 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Jul 2015
• ICRC: Yemen Facing Catastrophic Situation VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] says Yemen is facing a catastrophic situation three months after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition began an intense air campaign against the Houthi rebels.
• Yemen: amid 'massive' humanitarian crisis, UN reports civilian death toll now exceeds 1,500 UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- The United Nations human rights office is among several key UN entities voicing deep concern over the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Yemen that has more than 1,500 civilians dead, 3,600 injured and 1 million displaced in three months of violence.
• Life under siege in Yemen IRIN 07 Jul 2015 -- For most, selling the family silver is a metaphor for bad planning. For Mohammed Mosed's family, it is the desperate reality.
• Saudi warplanes bomb hospital in Yemen Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Saudi warplanes have bombed a German hospital in the Yemeni city of Harad in the northwestern Hajjah Province.
• Iraq's deepening divides IRIN 07 Jul 2015 -- A month after fleeing his home in Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town in northern Iraq's Nineveh province, to escape the advance of militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS), Basim Mansour Yohanna received a telephone call.
• ISIL recruiting Iraqi kids for bombing: Tribal chief Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- The ISIL Takfiri group has been recruiting children in the restive Iraqi province of al-Anbar to train them for bombing, a tribal leader says.
• Three car bomb attacks kill 10 in Iraq's Baiji Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Three explosions in the Iraqi town of Baiji have left at least 10 members of government forces and the Popular Mobilization Units dead and 35 others wounded.
• Iraqi forces launch operation to retake Fallujah from ISIL Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Iraqi army forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units, have launched a major operation to take back the strategic western city of Fallujah from Takfiri ISIL militants.
• Syria Kurds liberate ten northern villages Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Kurdish fighters in Syria have managed to retake some key villages in northern areas under the control of the Takfiri ISIL militants.
• Russia policy on Syria president unchanged: Kremlin Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Russia says it has not changed its position regarding the necessity of contribution of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the resolution of the crisis in his country.
• 25 Syrian troopers killed in militant bomb attack in Aleppo Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Over two dozen Syrian soldiers have been killed in a bomb attack carried out by the militants of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front at an army base in Syria's western Aleppo Province, reports say.
• ISIL recaptures Syria's Ayn Issa town from Kurdish forces Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- A monitoring group has said that ISIL Takfiri terrorists have recaptured a Syrian town from Kurdish forces near the city of Raqqa, but the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) say the battle for the city is still on.
• For Syrian Rebels, Kurds, Suspicions Grow VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- President Barack Obama told reporters Monday at the Pentagon his strategy for defeating Islamic State (IS) militants will take time to work, and there is no substitute for working through indigenous forces in the region.
• Nigeria: Ban strongly condemns Boko Haram attacks targeting Muslims and Christians UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned attacks by Boko Haram in Lake Chad Basin countries, including the deliberate targeting of Christian and Muslim worshippers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Nigeria's northeast states of Borno and Yobe.
• Bomb blast kills 25 in Nigeria northern city Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- A bomb blast has ripped through a government office in northern Nigeria, killing at least 25 people and injuring some others.
• Scores Killed in N. Nigeria Attack VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- A suicide bomber and gunmen killed scores of state workers Tuesday in the northern Nigerian city of Zaria, in an attack that is likely the work of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.
• For Ugandan children born of war, the struggle continues IRIN 07 Jul 2015 -- Actual combat may have ended almost a decade ago in northern Uganda, but for many women abducted by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army and the children they conceived in captivity, the war is far from over. Sexual exploitation, beatings, stigmatization and community rejection, lack of medical care and education, and deprivation of land rights are among the challenges faced by those who escaped from or were released by the LRA.
• South Sudan: UN Mission deplores killing of civilian in Organization compound UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has condemned "in the strongest terms" the fatal shooting of an internally displaced person (IDP) at one of its 'protection-of-civilians' sites – the second attack of its kind to strike the African nation and the Organization in less than a week.
• 'Gaza is still in crisis' one year after hostilities, UN relief official warns, urging stepped-up recovery efforts UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- One year after the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper, today expressed concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation and the slow pace of reconstruction there.

News Reports

• Background Briefing on the Negotiations With Iran US Dept. of State 07 Jul 2015
• Senior US Official: Iran Nuclear Deal Hinges on Tough Choices VOA 07 Jul 2015 -- A senior U.S. official said Tuesday a nuclear deal with Iran is still possible, if parties involved in the negotiations return to the table ready to make tough political choices.
• Larijani: Nuclear deal helps maintain permanent security in region IRNA 07 Jul 2015 -- Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and G5+1 helps restore permanent security in the region and there will be no threat to any country.
• Iran Nuclear Talks To Continue Through July 10 RFE/RL 07 Jul 2015 -- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers will continue for "several days," officially confirming that the negotiations will continue beyond a deadline that already has been extended twice.
• Nuclear Deal Would Boost Rohani But Turn Up Pressure From Hard-Liners RFE/RL 07 Jul 2015 -- For Iranian President Hassan Rohani, a nuclear deal with global powers would be a double-edged sword.
• UN rights chief concerned by 'broad scope' of China's new security law UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- The top United Nations human rights official today expressed deep concern about the human rights implications regarding the scope of a new law on national security adopted by China on 1 July.
• After Ebola outbreak missteps, WHO must re-establish itself as 'guardian of global public health' - review panel UN News 07 Jul 2015 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the report issued today by a panel of experts tasked to look into the agency's response to the unprecedented 2014 Ebola outbreak, which said that WHO needs to re-establish its pre-eminence as the guardian of global public health and that this will require it to make significant changes throughout, with strong political and financial support from Member States.
• Export Revenue to Help Russian Space Industry Cut Expenditures - Roscosmos Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- The Russian space industry is working on decreasing the budget expenditures on modernization by boosting export, the Roscosmos head said.
• India's Space Program to Launch Its Heaviest Commercial Mission to Date Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to undertake its heaviest commercial mission to date, launching five British satellites on July 10.
• Brazilian media hightlights new U.S. espionage scandal People's Daily 07 Jul 2015 -- New leaked information has confirmed that Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and even her cabinet members had been spied on by the U.S. government, which drew extensive attention of the Brazilian media over the weekend.
• NSA Intercepts 98% of Latin American Communications - Assange Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- The US National Security Agency (NSA) intercepts nearly all communications in the South American continent, the founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblower portal, Julian Assange, said Tuesday.
• Ruling party wins parliamentary elections in Burundi Press TV 07 Jul 2015 -- Burundi's ruling party has officially been confirmed as the winner of the country's parliamentary elections despite controversy surrounding President Pierre Nkurunziza's seeking of a third term in office.
• Amnesty Documents 'Shameful' Abuse Of Migrants In Balkans RFE/RL 07 Jul 2015 -- Amnesty International has accused Balkan countries of mistreating migrants passing through their territories on the way to the European Union, saying people fleeing war are being 'shamefully let down.'
• Poland to Take Tough Stance Against Russia - Advisor to Polish President Sputnik 07 Jul 2015 -- An Advisor to the Polish President said that Poland will pursue a policy aimed at increasing the presence of NATO troops in the country.