Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 30 Jul 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 30 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.
• US Struggles to Align Focus on Fight Against IS VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- Turkey's move to join in the campaign against the group known as the Islamic State, while simultaneously bombing Kurdish fighters associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is again highlighting a critical obstacle to U.S. efforts in the region.
• US, Turkey Differ Over How to Fight IS From Incirlik Air Base VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- Differences have emerged between Washington and Ankara over how to use a Turkish air base near the Syrian border in the fight against Islamic State militants.
• Taliban Confirms Mullah Omar's Death; Peace Talks Postponed VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- The Taliban has formally confirmed the death of the group's founder, Mullah Omar.
• Taliban appoints Mullah Akhtar Mansour as new leader: Report Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- The Taliban militant group has appointed Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as its new leader, one day after news broke of the death of the group's long-time serving chief Mullah Omar, a report says.
• Pakistan: Afghan Peace Talks 'Postponed' RFE/RL 30 Jul 2015 -- Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has announced that peace talks scheduled for July 31 between Afghan government negotiators and Taliban representatives have been postponed due to reports of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.e
• Can A Dead Mullah Omar Kill Taliban Peace Talks? RFE/RL 30 Jul 2015 -- Having finally confirmed Mullah Mohammad Omar's death, the Taliban looks to be turning to a deputy who is said to be less opposed to peace talks than his reported rival.
• Afghan official confirms death of Taliban leader Omar People's Daily 30 Jul 2015 -- The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, saying that Omar died in summer 2013 but his death was kept secret to avoid Taliban foot soldiers' demoralization.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Surface to Surface Missile Test For LCS Successful NNS 30 Jul 2015 -- Engineering development tests of modified Longbow Hellfire missiles for use on littoral combat ships (LCS) were successfully conducted in June the Navy reported July 30.
• RFID Reduces Inventory Time Aboard Littoral Combat Ship NNS 30 Jul 2015 -- Sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) successfully demonstrated a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) system's utility during mine countermeasures mission package (MCM MP) container testing conducted off the coast of Florida, in early July.
• Science and Technology Partnerships Grow in South America NNS 30 Jul 2015 -- Scientific diplomacy took a giant step forward as Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Rear Adm. Mat Winter officially opened the new Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 24
• US Plans to Fit AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship With Pain Ray System Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to fit high-energy-laser active denial systems onto some of the AC-130J Ghostrider gunships currently under development.
• Russia to Begin Constructing New Kalina-Class Submarines After 2020 Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- Russia will start building new fifth-generation Kalina submarines after 2020, according to a Navy source. The submarines will have advantages over diesel-electric and nuclear submarines.
• Russia developing 7-tonne universal combat robotic system TASS 30 Jul 2015 -- Russia's Systemprom Concern (subsidiary of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation) is developing a universal robotic platform that can transform into a combat robot, a demining vehicle machine or an electronic warfare system, Alexey Simulin, head of the company's science and technology department, told TASS on Thursday. The vehicle's testing will begin at the end of the year, he added.
• Russian Defense Ministry to build up strength of airborne assault divisions TASS 30 Jul 2015 -- Russia's airborne forces are to build up the strength of airborne assault divisions to complement them with a third regiment, airborne troops commander Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov told the media on Thursday.
• Russia makes proportionate response to missile defense in Europe - Defense Ministry TASS 30 Jul 2015 -- Russia is taking proportionate military and technical measures in response to the missile defense system the United States is creating in Europe, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday.
• China, Russia to hold joint military drills in Sea of Japan Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- China and Russia are set to hold joint military exercises in the airspace and waters of the Sea of Japan as part of the growing defense cooperation between the two countries.
• Russia, China to conduct naval drills in Sea of Japan Aug 20-28 - Chinese defense official TASS 30 Jul 2015 -- Russia and China will conduct a joint naval exercise in the Peter the Great Gulf and the Sea of Japan in late August, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said on Thursday.
• £125 Million investment in new armoured vehicles sustains 40 skilled Scottish jobs UK MOD 30 Jul 2015 -- A £125 million contract to provide the British Army's next generation Armoured Vehicles with a high tech sighting system will sustain 40 jobs in Scotland.
• South Korea Launches Mass Production of New M-SAM Missile Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- South Korea is planning to start mass production of a new M-SAM mid-range surface-to-air missile for the Air Force this year following a successful test-fire.
• German Military Spending Jumps by 20 Million Euros Due to Ukraine Exercises Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- The German Defense Ministry spokesman said that Germany will increase military spending from 70 to 90 million euros because of the NATO exercises in eastern Ukraine.
• Serbia to Buy Military Helicopters From Russia, Germany Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- The helicopters due to be delivered are perfectly equipped for search and rescue operations, the Serbian defense minister said.
• US to Deliver Eight F-16 Fighter Jets to Egypt as Part of Military Support Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- The United States will deliver eight F-16 Block 52 aircraft to Cairo, as a part of its commitment to upgrade Egypt's military might in light of current terrorist threats, the US Embassy in Cairo said Thursday.
• Press Briefing By Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/30/2015 The White House 30 Jul 2015
• July 30, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Jul 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 30, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 30 July 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Jul 2015
• China Accuses US of Militarizing South China Sea VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- China's Defense Ministry Thursday accused the United States of 'militarizing' the South China Sea by staging patrols and joint military drills there, leading to raised tensions in the disputed region.
• Beijing's S China Sea Pursuit Could 'Destabilize' Region - US Navy Nominee Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- John Richardson said that Beijing's activity in the South China Sea had a potential to destabilize the region.
• China Accuses US of Pushing Militarization of S China Sea Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- China's Defense Ministry on Thursday accused the United States of 'militarizing' the South China Sea by staging patrols and joint military drills there.
• Saudi Arabia warplanes bombard several areas in Yemen Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- Saudi Arabia has pounded several areas in Yemen despite a self-declared ceasefire in its deadly military campaign against the war-torn Arab country.
• Yemen: UN begins food aid distribution in war-torn districts of Aden UN News 30 Jul 2015 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distribution of food to around 340,000 people in eight of the worst-affected areas of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.
• 18 killed in ISIL attack on Syria northern town Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- Takfiri ISIL terrorists in Syria have reportedly killed at least 18 people in an attack on a northern town which was recently liberated by Kurdish forces.
• Jihadists Seize US-trained Syrian Fighters VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- An al-Qaida affiliate abducted an American-trained rebel commander and seven of his fighters in northern Syria just days after they deployed in the war-torn country.
• On Brink of War? N Korea Leader Inspects 'War Drills' Against US, S Korea Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to a high-profile Air Force combat contest, describing it as part of 'war preparations' against the United States and South Korea, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.
• N Korea Calls on US to Halt Drills With S Korea to Establish Dialogue Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- North Korea calls the US to stop joint military exercises with South Korea to start a dialogue to settle a number of issues.
• Russia's UN Veto Of MH17 Tribunal Condemned RFE/RL 30 Jul 2015 -- There has been widespread condemnation of Russia's decision to veto a UN draft resolution to create an international tribunal over the downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine last year, with a number of countries pledging to explore other ways to ensure justice.
• Ukraine Charges Captured Russian Army Major With Terrorism RFE/RL 30 Jul 2015 -- Ukraine's state security service identified a Russian army major who was detained with a cargo of military explosives in eastern Ukraine July 26 and said he has been charged with terrorism.
• PKK assault leaves 3 soldiers dead in southeast Turkey: Army Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed the lives of three Turkish troops in the country's southeast, the army says.
• Nigeria Army Rescues Civilian Boko Haram Victims VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- A series of military operations launched Thursday by the Nigerian army at Boko Haram hideouts led to the rescue of at least 59 civilians held captive by the Islamist militant group, according to military spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman.
• Boko Haram slits throats of 10 fishermen in northeast Nigeria Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- The Boko Haram Takfiri militants have slaughtered at least 10 fishermen during a series of recent violent attacks on three villages in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno.
• S. Sudan Rebel Movement Calls for Peace on Martyrs Day VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- During U.S President Barack Obama's recent trip to Ethiopia, he and regional leaders discussed options for restoring peace in South Sudan. They include sanctions and a "regional intervention force" to force both sides in the conflict to the negotiating table, but there are differing opinions on whether those options will work.

News Reports

• Kerry Five-Nation Tour to Cover Security, Iran Nuclear Deal VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is launching a five-nation tour of the Middle East and South Asia on Friday in a bid to strengthen economic and security ties and ease concerns about the Iran nuclear deal.
• Iran plans two nuclear reactors in Makran Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- Iran plans to build two 100-megawatt nuclear reactors on the southeast Makran coast along the Gulf of Oman to generate electricity, a senior energy official says.
• UN Emergency Response Mission Ends in Sierra Leone VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- It has been one year since the government of Sierra Leone declared the Ebola virus as a national emergency. In September 2014, the United Nations created a temporary system to meet the immediate needs in the fight against the deadly virus, which has killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa.
• 1993 Bombay bombings convict hanged in India Press TV 30 Jul 2015 -- India has executed the only death row convict in the country's deadliest terror attack, the 1993 Bombay bombings, which killed a total of 257 people.
• Mugabe Threatens to Expel US, British Diplomats VOA 30 Jul 2015 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has threatened to expel the ambassadors from the United States and Britain, accusing them of fomenting anarchy in his country.
• China Ex-Deputy Environment Protection Minister Under Corruption Probe Sputnik 30 Jul 2015 -- Zhang Lijun served as the deputy minister of environmental protection from 2008 to 2013. He is the most senior Chinese official to come under investigation in an anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping in 2012.