Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 28 Jul 2015 [PDF]
• Senior Administration Officials On Counter-ISIL Coalition Efforts US Dept. of State 28 Jul 2015
• Airstrikes Destroy ISIL Fighting Positions, Vehicles AFPS 28 Jul 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 Makes Afghan Battlefield Gains VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Intense fighting is raging in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents have made territorial gains in three northern provinces. The rebel advances come just days before a second round of peace talks between the warring sides is to be hosted by neighboring Pakistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work's meeting with Philip Dunne, UK Ministry of Defense, Minister of State for Defense Procurement DoD 28 Jul 2015
• Central, South America Partners Gather for PANAMAX NNS 28 Jul 2015 -- More than 75 military personnel, including 54 members of partner-nation navies, assembled July 27 on Naval Station Mayport for PANAMAX 2015, an exercise aimed at developing strong working relationships between multinational forces to ensure the defense of the Panama Canal.
• Rogers: NSA, Cybercom Need Partners to Aid Cybersecurity AFPS 28 Jul 2015 -- U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency have capabilities critical to helping the nation's public- and private-sector entities during and even before a cyberattack, but both agencies need partners to do so, Navy Adm. Mike Rogers said recently.
• Jacksonville Visits Singapore During Western Pacific Deployment NNS 28 Jul 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jacksonville (SSN 699) arrived in Singapore for a port visit as a part of its Western Pacific deployment, July 27.
• USS Porter Arrives in Haifa, Israel NNS 28 Jul 2015 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Haifa, Israel, for a scheduled port visit July 26.
• Kearsarge, 26th MEU Successfully Complete NEO Exercise NNS 28 Jul 2015 -- Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) exercise while underway during composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), July 23.
• Chancellorsville Experiences Chamorro Culture in Guam NNS 28 Jul 2015 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) arrived in Apra Harbor, Guam, for a port visit, July 27.
• NATO, Turkey in 'Solidarity' on IS, PKK Strikes VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- The Turkish military says it launched a new round of airstrikes on Islamic State group (IS) militants and rebel Kurdish bases in northern Iraq on Tuesday.
• Statement by the North Atlantic Council following meeting under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty NATO 28 Jul 2015 -- The North Atlantic Council met today at Turkey's request to hold consultations under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty, which states that "the parties will consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the parties is threatened."
• NATO Chief Backs Turkey's 'Anti-Terror' Campaign in Syria, Iraq VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- NATO held an unusual emergency meeting Tuesday to support Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his forces are pressing their campaign against Islamic State militants and Kurdish rebels in Syria and Iraq.
• NATO, Saudi Arabia back Turkey's Syria, Iraq military campaign Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- NATO and Saudi Arabia say they support Turkey's military campaign in Syria and Iraq, as Ankara vows to continue airstrikes against targets in the two Arab countries.
• NATO Not Involved in Creating Buffer Zone in Northern Syria Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the organization does not take part in the creation of a buffer zone in Syria's northern regions.
• Cutting-Edge Russian Space Surveillance System now Four Times More Capable Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- A Russian-operated space surveillance system located in Tajikistan, Okno-M, has reached its full capacity, making it four times more powerful, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports.
• Russia's emergencies ministry preparing for international Caspian Sea exercise TASS 28 Jul 2015 -- Russia's emergencies ministry has started preparations for an international exercise to drill operations to cope with the aftermath of emergency situations in the Caspian Sea, Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said on Tuesday. The exercise will be held in 2016.
• Russia's Defense Ministry to set up new air assault group in Siberia TASS 28 Jul 2015 -- Russia's Defense Ministry has started forming a new large air group, which will be based in East Siberia, Eastern Military District spokesman Alexander Gordeyev said on Tuesday.
• Russia's S-400 antiaircraft missile systems deployed in Far Eastern Kamchatka region TASS 28 Jul 2015 -- Russia's new-generation anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) have been deployed on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, Pacific Fleet spokesman Roman Martov said on Tuesday.
• Swedish Wreck Divers Claim To Find Russian Mini-Sub RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- Swedish divers July 27 said they have found the wreck of a Russian mini-submarine in Swedish territorial waters.
• Latvia Spots Russian Planes, Ships Near Territorial Waters Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Latvia's Armed Forces reported spotting three Russian aircraft and two ships near its territorial waters on Tuesday.
• Kiev Dumps Soviet Traditions to Make Its Army More 'NATO-Like' Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has reportedly called for the introduction of new military ranks in his country's army.
• North Korea may conduct nuclear tests in October - deputy UN envoy TASS 28 Jul 2015 -- North Korea may conduct another nuclear test in October to mark the 70th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea, North Korea's deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations Jang Il-hun said on Tuesday, commenting on media reports about Pyongyang's nuclear plans.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 28, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 28 July 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 28 Jul 2015
• Experts Concerned China May Soon Establish Southern ADIZ VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- U.S. and international security experts have expressed concerns that it may just be a matter of time before China establishes an air defense identification zone over disputed waters in the South China Sea.
• Yemen: UN reports some 4,000 people killed since March in escalating conflict, nearly half of them civilians UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- The death toll in war-torn Yemen is almost 4,000 since the conflict had escalated mid-March, today said a representative for the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
• Struggles Push IS to Look for Alliances VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- As the Islamic State militant group struggles to hold ground and seize more, it is trying to either forge alliances with other militant groups or defeat them. These shifting relationships are altering the battle lines in the Middle East.
• Violent attacks reported against civilians fleeing ISIL-controlled areas of Iraq - UN human rights office UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- An increasing number of people in Iraq, including families with children and the elderly, have encountered deadly ambushes as they try to escape areas controlled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan (ISIL) by risking their lives on a treacherous mountain journey to safety, the United Nations human rights office reported today.
• The heat is on: Surviving summer in an Iraqi camp IRIN 28 Jul 2015 -- Fa'iza escaped from Mosul when the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) invaded. She has breast cancer and her symptoms are made worse by the extreme heat. It's 46 degrees Celsius in Baharka, a camp for displaced Iraqis in the northern Kurdistan region, and the mother-of-five is fraught. A long power cut has rendered her fan motionless for most of the morning. "I am sick," she says. "And this heat makes it much harder."
• UN: Iraqis Prevented From Fleeing IS-Controlled Areas VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- The United Nations Human Rights Office reports the Islamic State group is clamping down on Iraqis trying to flee areas under its control.
• Strikes Against IS, PKK Carry Risks for Turkey's Erdogan VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Until about a week ago, the buzz around Turkey was whether a coalition government could be formed ahead of an early August deadline, precluding the president from calling for new elections.
• US Lawmakers Weigh Turkish Anti-terror Moves VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Turkey's two-pronged campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants and Kurdish PKK forces is provoking mixed reactions from U.S. lawmakers.
• Turkey's President Says Peace Process No Longer Possible With Kurds RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on July 28 that Kurdish militants are undermining Turkey's national unity and integrity, and that it is "not possible to continue" the peace process with them.
• Turkey's Military Operation Against ISIL, Kurdish Rebels to Continue Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara will continue its military operations against the Islamic State (ISIL) jihadist group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
• Kurdish Militants Blow Up Two Bridges in Southeastern Turkey Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Members from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) blew up two bridges on the highway linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Mus in Turkey.
• Syria's grim statistics 'speak for themselves,' reflect need for political settlement, Security Council told UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- A political solution is more urgent than ever to end the "futile, hopeless" cycle of brutality and violence in Syria, the top United Nations humanitarian official said today, urging the Security Council to consider its options through "the eyes of the beleaguered, now long-suffering" civilians.
• Middle East's largest camp turns three as Syrian refugees in region top four million - UN agency UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- Living conditions for more than half a million refugees living in Jordan is becoming increasingly tough, the United Nations refugee agency warned today on the eve of the third anniversary of the establishment of Za'atari camp, which has grown into the largest refugee camp in the Middle East.
• What Can A Safe Zone In Northern Syria Accomplish? RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- A reported Turkish-U.S. agreement to create an Islamic State-free zone in northern Syria offers both benefits and risks. Here are three to consider:
• US and Turkey to Provide Air Cover for 'Moderate' Syrian Rebels Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Reversing a long standing decision by the two countries, the United States and Turkey have announced plans to provide air cover for 'moderate' Syrian rebels. While the Pentagon has admitted severe problems in identifying so-called moderates, the new strategy is meant to combat ISIL and to establish a safe zone along Turkey's Syrian border.
• U.S., Turkey Agree To Create Border Zone Free Of Islamic State RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- Turkey and the United States have been discussing plans to try to rout Islamic State militants from Syrian territory along the Turkish border, creating a safe haven for thousands of Syrian refugees and cutting off the militant group's main route for getting recruits and su
• Syria, Kurdish forces push ISIL out of Hasakah: Report Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters have pushed ISIL terrorists from the northeastern city of Hasakah, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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• Turkey May Send 5,000 Soldiers to Protect ISIL-Free Areas in Syria Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Ankara could send up to 5,000 troops in order to defend liberated from the ISIL militants territories in Syria, according to media.
• U.S. Slams Russia's 'Unpredictable, Irresponsible' Actions In Ukraine RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- The United States says Russia 'continues to fuel the conflict' in Ukraine despite a cease-fire agreement signed in February in Minsk.
• Kiev to Begin Withdrawing Under 100-mm Arms Once Agreement Signed Sputnik 28 Jul 2015 -- Ukrainian forces will withdraw weapons less than 100mm caliber from the line of contact in southeastern Ukraine conditional to signing a buffer zone agreement and its implementation by the Donbas militia, head of Kiev special operations in southeastern Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said Tuesday.
• Cameroon deploys 2,000 extra troops to confront Boko Haram Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- Cameroon is set to send about 2,000 military reinforcements to its remote northern region to halt the ongoing deadly cross-border raids by the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group.
• Condemning Boko Haram violence, Security Council urges enhanced regional efforts to counter ongoing attacks UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- While acknowledging progress made against Boko Haram following joint regional military efforts in recent months, the United Nations Security Council today encouraged increased regional cooperation to stamp out the terrorist group, which the Council strongly condemned for its ongoing deadly violence, human rights abuses and mass abductions in the Lake Chad Basin.
• Security Council authorizes African Union to maintain military deployment in Somalia UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- The Security Council today authorized the Member States of the African Union to maintain the deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for an additional 10 months, until 30 May 2016.

News Reports

• South Sudan Displeased at Non-Invitation to Obama Meeting VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- South Sudan's foreign minister says the government in Juba is disappointed after it was left out of a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the country's conflict.
• Obama Caps Africa Trip With Accent on Democracy, Progress VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- As he concluded his visit to East Africa Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to African leaders in a wide-ranging speech that touched on many of the continent's most pressing issues.
• JCPOA shows diplomacy can settle disputes: Iran president Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says a recent agreement reached between Iran and six world powers displayed the power of diplomacy in resolving international issues and disputes.
• Obama Takes On GOP Presidential Candidates Over Iran RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama unleashed a blistering rebuke of Republican White House hopefuls, calling their attacks on his landmark nuclear deal with Iran 'ridiculous if it weren't so sad.'
• Kerry: Iran Nuclear Pact 'Good Deal for the World' VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told skeptical lawmakers Tuesday that if the U.S. rejects the internationally brokered Iran nuclear deal there would be 'no restraints' on Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.
• EU's Mogherini Visits Iran, Vows to Implement Nuclear Deal VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini insisted Tuesday during a visit to Tehran that she made the trip to begin implementation of the nuclear accord with Iran.
• Florida Man, Alleged IS Supporter, Charged in Bomb Plot VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday charged a professed admirer of Islamic State with plotting to bury a bomb on a Florida beach and blow it up by remote control.
• Turkey arrests over 1,000 in 'anti-terror' raids Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- Turkey has arrested more than 1,000 people across the country in "anti-terrorist" operations launched after a recent deadly bombing in the border town of Suruc.
• Libyan court gives death sentence to Gaddafi's son People's Daily 28 Jul 2015 -- A Libyan court passed a death sentence in absentia on Muammar Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, on Tuesday for war crimes and acts to crush peaceful protests during the country's 2011 revolution that ended his father's rule.e
• Libyan court sentences Gaddafi's son to death Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- A Libyan court has sentenced Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in connection with a deadly crackdown on the 2011 revolt against his father's rule.
• UN human rights officials seriously concerned by verdicts in trial of former members of Qadhafi regime UN News 28 Jul 2015 -- The verdicts in the trial of 37 Qadhafi regime officials, including against the former leader's son, Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, handed down today by the Tripoli Court of Assize, has drawn serous concern from senior United Nations human rights officials in Libya, as well as in Geneva, amid fears the trial did not meet international standards on a number of fronts.
• Kim Jong Un Hails Chinese Role in Korean War VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- In an apparent attempt to mend relations with Beijing, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid tribute to the Chinese soldiers who fought for the North during the Korean War.
• North Korea: 'No Interest at All' in Nuke Deal VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- A top North Korean diplomat says his country's nuclear weapons program is not up for discussion, insisting Pyongyang's situation is 'totally different' from that of Iran.
• US won't pardon Edward Snowden: White House Press TV 28 Jul 2015 -- The US administration of President Barack Obama has rejected an online public petition asking for the pardon of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
• US to Release Israeli Spy Pollard, His Lawyers Say VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Lawyers for convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard said Tuesday that U.S. officials have decided to free him in November after 30 years in federal prison.
• Russia Accused of Abusing Interpol to Pursue Opponents VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Russia is abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents, according to a new report. Such requests can mean that the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts.
• Russia Names US NGO 'Undesirable' VOA 28 Jul 2015 -- Russian prosecutors Tuesday designated the National Endowment for Democracy, a Washington-based non-profit group funded by the U.S. Congress, as 'undesirable' -- making it the first foreign NGO to be banned in Russia under a controversial new law.
• Russia Names U.S. NGO 'Undesirable' RFE/RL 28 Jul 2015 -- Russian prosecutors have formally determined the activities of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to be 'undesirable,' paving the way for the nonprofit organization, funded by the U.S. Congress, to be outlawed on Russian territory.
• S.Korea declares de-facto end of MERS outbreak People's Daily 28 Jul 2015 -- South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday declared the de-facto end of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak as all MERS suspects were freed from quarantine amid no report of new infection case for more than three weeks.