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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 02 May 2016 [PDF]
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Norway's Decision to Expand Role in the Counter-ISIL Campaign DoD 02 May 2016
• Counter-ISIL Strikes Hit Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 02 May 2016 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Afghan Forces Kill Taliban Shadow Governor – Interior Ministry Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- Taliban so-called governor and deputy governor for Kandahar province named Haji Lala and Ahmad Shah Hemat were killed along with 43 other armed Taliban militants as a result special operation of government forces, according to the Afghanistan's Interior Ministry.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CNO: USS Truman's Arabian Gulf Presence Extended 30 Days AFPS 02 May 2016 -- While the 30-day extension of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group's presence in the Arabian Gulf is critical to the campaign to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, it also provides a broader maritime security in what also is known as the Persian Gulf, the chief of naval operations said today.
• Media Availability with Secretary Carter enroute to Stuttgart, Germany DoD 02 May 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• 11th Pacific Partnership Mission Prepares to Enhance Cooperation, Strengthen Ties in Southeast Asia NNS 02 May 2016 -- The U.S. Navy will join allied and partner nation forces for the 11th Pacific Partnership mission, scheduled to begin May 11.
• KC-135 crews support KC-46A testing missions AFNS 02 May 2016 -- Sixty-year-old KC-135 Stratotankers from McConnell Air Force Base recently supported the new KC-46A Pegasus testing and evaluation missions in Washington.
• Exercise African Lion 16 concludes with success USMC News 02 May 2016 -- As Exercise African Lion 16 concluded, participating service members wrapped-up training and prepared to take newly gained knowledge back to their home nations.
• Exercise African Lion 16 USMC News 02 May 2016 -- African Lion is an annual joint combined training exercise that allows participating nations to improve interoperability between forces and to demonstrate the strong military bond that exists between them.
• USS Carl Vinson Completes Sea Trials, Returns to Homeport NNS 02 May 2016 -- Sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) returned to Naval Station North Island in San Diego after completing three days of sea trials, April 30.
• ESG 7 conducts FST-J aboard USS Green Bay NNS 02 May 2016 -- Expeditionary Strike Group 7 and Tactical Training Group Pacific successfully completed another annual Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint Exercise (FST-J) April 29.
• Blue Ridge Returns to Hong Kong NNS 02 May 2016 -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Hong Kong for a port visit during its 2016 patrol season, April 29.
• US, India discussing ways to curb Chinese submarines Press TV 02 May 2016 -- The United States and India are exploring ways to help each other track Chinese submarines, a move that could further tighten their military alliance against the Chinese navy's growing influence in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.
• Lithuania Hosting Large-Scale Drills Involving NATO Forces Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- Lithunia is hosting large-scale exercises involving the country's forces as well as soldiers from NATO member states.
• NATO Jets Escorted Russian Jets Over Baltic Sea 5x Within Week - Lithuania Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- NATO fighter aircraft were asked to guard the Baltic States' airspace, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said in a press release on Monday.
• Estonia Kicks Off Joint NATO Drills on Russian Border Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- Estonian Defense Forces on Monday starts joint drills with NATO troops near the border with Russia.
• Finland Flexes Military Muscles Alongside US Troops, Armored Vehicles Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- 2,300 Finnish and 185 US soldiers, as well as hundreds of pieces of military hardware will be involved at military exercises in western Finland, according to local media.
• Finland Risks 'Serious Crisis' in Relations With Russia if it Joins NATO Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- A report published by a panel of recognized diplomats and foreign affairs specialists warns that if Finland joins NATO, it could prompt a rift with Russia which could last indefinitely, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle.
• Elite Equipment: Russian Paratroopers to Get New Armored Vehicle Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- The first mock-up model of a new Russian assault armored vehicle for use during training is already in production, according to Russian Airborne Troops chief Vladimir Shamanov.
• Norway to Send 60 Troops to Jordan to Train Syrians Fighting Daesh Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- The contingent of around 60 soldiers from Norway will provide training, advice and operational support to local Syrian groups in Jordan that are fighting against Daesh, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
• Iran self-sufficient in producing defense hardware: IRGC IRNA 02 May 2016 -- Iran has achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing defense hardware for the strategic and deterrent purposes, Deputy Commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier-General Hossein Salami said on Monday.
• Iranian parliament votes to boost missile production capacity Press TV 02 May 2016 -- The Iranian parliament (Majlis) has voted in favor of a bill to boost the missile capabilities of the country's armed forces to strengthen the country's defensive capacity and deterrence.
• The Government of France - Hellfire Missiles DSCA 02 May 2016 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to France for Hellfire Missiles and associated equipment, training, and support. The estimated cost is $30 million.
• UK begins troop deployment to South Sudan, Somalia Press TV 02 May 2016 -- A team of UK Army soldiers has arrived in Somalia as part of Britain's plans to deploy hundreds of troops in several African countries, following a pledge by Prime Minister David Cameron.
• French PM to Monitor French-Australian Submarine Deal Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is going to supervise personally the construction of the 12 submarines for the Australian Navy, French obligation according to mutual signed contract.
• Japan Plans to Lease Five Trainer Planes to Philippines Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- Tokyo would provide Manila with maintenance support of the TC-90s and would train the personnel for the aircraft, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
• Vietnam Urges US to Lift Lethal Weapons Ban Amid S. China Sea Tensions VOA 02 May 2016 -- Vietnam's ambassador to the United States has called on President Barack Obama to fully lift a "lethal weapons" embargo on the Southeast Asian nation.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 5/2/2016 The White House 02 May 2016
• May 2, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 02 May 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 02, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 2 May 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 02 May 2016
• Taiwan has not reinforced deployment on Taiping island: CGA CNA 02 May 2016 -- Taiwan has not reinforced its deployment on Taiping Island, the largest of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Monday.
• Taiwan sends military vessel, patrol boats to disputed waters CNA 02 May 2016 -- A military vessel is sailing for waters near a Japan-controlled atoll in the western Pacific, keeping a distance from two patrol boats that departed from Kaohsiung on Sunday to protect Taiwanese fishing boats operating there.
• Taiwan has no plans to deploy missiles on Taiping Island: MND CNA 02 May 2016 -- The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that it has adhered to the country's policy and has no plans to deploy air-defense missile systems on Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island, the largest of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
• Tensions Rising Ahead of South China Sea Ruling VOA 02 May 2016 -- As the Philippines awaits an international arbitration ruling that challenges China's claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, it is becoming clear that regardless of which way the decision goes, the dispute is likely to intensify.
• US forces arrive in southern Yemen: Report Press TV 02 May 2016 -- A report says US Special Forces have arrived in Yemen to fight alongside Emirati forces in alleged operations against al-Qaeda militants in the country's south.
• Syrian Army Repels Major Nusra Front Attack on Western Aleppo Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- The Syrian army supported by militia repelled an attack of the Nusra Front and allied groups on the western part of the city of Aleppo.
• Remarks With Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 02 May 2016
• Remarks With UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura after Their Meeting US Dept. of State 02 May 2016 -- Remarks by John Kerry, Secretary of State
• Syria: UN chief calls on warring parties to put cessation of hostilities 'back on track' UN News 02 May 2016 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the warring Syrian sides to immediately recommit to the cessation of hostilities and uphold their responsibility to protect civilians, his spokesman said today.
• Report: Iran Paying With Blood to Prop Up Syrian Regime VOA 02 May 2016 -- Keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power has come with a deadly price tag for Iran, which has lost more troops in the war-torn country in the past six months than in the previous two years.
• Syrian war 'in many ways out of control' now: Kerry Press TV 02 May 2016 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has accused the Syrian Arab Army of deliberately targeting hospitals, adding the five-year-old war is now "in many ways out of control."
• 'Regime of calm' extended around Damascus: Syrian army Press TV 02 May 2016 -- The Syrian army says a "regime of calm" around the capital, Damascus, has been extended for another 48 hours.
• Kerry: Syrian Cease-Fire 'Understanding' Closer, But Work To Do RFE/RL 02 May 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on May 2 that talks with Russia and anti-Islamic State coalition partners were "getting closer to a place of understanding" to reestablish a cease-fire in Syria - including the area around Aleppo.
• Kerry Looks to Stop Widening Violence in Syria VOA 02 May 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a hastily planned 20-hour visit to Geneva Monday, saying the United States and its partners are discussing "several proposals" to stop the spiraling violence in Syria.
• Sudan asserts 'sovereign rights' over two border areas near the Red Sea Press TV 02 May 2016 -- A senior Sudanese official has reiterated Khartoum's "sovereign rights" over two border areas near the Red Sea which have been the subject of a long-standing dispute with Egypt.
• Urgent Need for Resumption of Burundian Dialogue US Dept. of State 02 May 2016
• Violence Increases as Burundi Talks Delayed VOA 02 May 2016 -- There was hope the appointment of a new regional mediator for Burundi, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa, would jumpstart the peace process; but, talks that were scheduled to start Monday in Arusha have been delayed until later this month. Meantime, arrests, grenade attacks and assassinations continue, and dialogue grows more complicated by the day.

News Reports

• Why Islamic State Is Down But Not Out VOA 02 May 2016 -- Islamic State may have lost territory in Syria and Iraq, but the terror group has increased the tempo of its ground operations in both countries in the past three months, pulling off the highest quarterly attack total since it overran the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014, according to a new battlefield analysis.
• Tense Calm in Baghdad After Anti-government Protests VOA 02 May 2016 -- There was a tense calm Monday in Baghdad. Protesters who stormed into the International Zone on Saturday largely toned down their demonstration and drifted out to celebrate a Shi'ite religious festival commemorating 8th century Imam Moussa al-Khadhim.
• AEOI will secure payments from US for heavy water sale IRNA 02 May 2016 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Monday that precautionary meansures have been taken by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to secure the payments from the United States for sale of heavy water.
• Iran must dictate might to US in Persian Gulf: Leader Press TV 02 May 2016 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran must show off its military power to the US in the Persian Gulf waters.
• Experts justify repatriation of Taiwan telecom fraud suspects to mainland People's Daily 02 May 2016 -- The deportation of 32 Taiwanese telecom fraud suspects from Malaysia to the Chinese mainland on Saturday complies with the international law and will help better fight crimes, experts have said.
• Brutal Bangladesh Killings Raise Worries About Secular Traditions VOA 02 May 2016 -- A series of brutal killings of liberals, academics, bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities in Bangladesh has spread deep fear in the country and raised worrying questions about whether the secular traditions of a moderate Muslim country are under threat from extremist Islamic groups.
• Central Asian Land And China RFE/RL 02 May 2016 -- One topic guaranteed to inflame passions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan is land and China. China has taken land from Central Asia and farmers from China are already working rented fields in Central Asia and that has not sat well with locals.
• Political Infighting: Erdogan Party Strips Power From Davutoglu Sputnik 02 May 2016 -- In the latest sign of Turkey's slide toward dictatorship, the ruling AK Party has taken steps to remove power from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and to consolidate authority behind embattled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.