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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 23 May 2016 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 23 May 2016 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Statement by the President on the Death of Taliban Leader Mansur The White House 23 May 2016
• Targeted Taliban Leader Was in Iran Hours Before Dying in Drone Strike VOA 23 May 2016 -- Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the Taliban leader killed in a U.S. drone strike Saturday, crossed into Pakistan from Iran about five hours before he died.
• With Their Leader Dead, What are Afghan Taliban Doing? VOA 23 May 2016 -- As news of the death by a drone strike of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor emerged, the usual Taliban spokesmen accessible to media disappeared. So far, there has been radio silence from official Afghan Taliban sources.
• President, Defense Secretary Comment on Death of Taliban Leader AFPS 23 May 2016 -- President Barack Obama today confirmed the death of Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, who was targeted May 21 by a U.S. airstrike near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on U.S. Airstrike Against Taliban Leader Mullah Mansur DoD 23 May 2016
• Abdullah: Death of Taliban Mansour to pave way for peace IRNA 23 May 2016 -- Death of Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour will make big changes in that terrorist group, Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah said.
• Pakistan yet to confirm Taliban leader's death IRNA 23 May 2016 -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it was not clear that Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was among the two people reportedly killed in the air strike in Balochistan.
• Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Mullah Akhtar Mansur NATO 23 May 2016 -- The Government of Afghanistan and the US Government have confirmed that an operation by US forces resulted in the death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansur.
• Mansour's death a 'milestone' in fight against terrorism: Obama Press TV 23 May 2016 -- US President Barack Obama has confirmed the death of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone airstrike, calling it an "important milestone" in fight against terrorism.
• Obama: Mansoor Rejected Peace Efforts in Afghanistan VOA 23 May 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama said the death of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor "removed the leader of an organization that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and coalition forces."
• US Accused of 'Violating Pakistani Sovereignty' in Taliban Drone Strike Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- Pakistan has accused the US of violating its sovereignty following a US drone strike that killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban in an area just inside Pakistan's border.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Media Availability with Secretary Carter enroute to New Haven, Connecticut DoD 23 May 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise Khaan Quest 2016 commences with opening ceremony USMC News 23 May 2016 -- The Mongolian Armed Forces and U.S. Pacific Command are hosting the multinational peacekeeping exercise Khaan Quest 2016, which commenced May 22 with an opening ceremony at the Five Hills Training Area near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• US, Royal Thai Navies Enhance Maritime Cooperation during Exercise Guardian Sea NNS 23 May 2016 -- The U.S. Navy and the Royal Thai Navy are conducting Exercise Guardian Sea in the Andaman Sea May 23-27.
• Votel: Eager Lion Exercise Highlights U.S.-Jordan Force Integration AFPS 23 May 2016 -- The most critical element of Eager Lion, U.S. Central Command's largest military exercise in its area of responsibility, is the great integration between Jordanian and U.S. forces, Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel said here yesterday.
• 24th MEU 'FiST' shapes battlefield during Eager Lion USMC News 23 May 2016 -- Beneath the desert sun in Jordan, a notional enemy of armored vehicles prepares to make a stand against U.S. Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Jordanian armed forces and Italian Marines, who wait just beyond the horizon of the battlefield.
• America Flies through Flight Deck Recertification NNS 23 May 2016 -- Flight operations is an essential piece of the Navy's mission of maintaining freedom of the seas, deterring aggression and having a capable warfighting force. The Navy's key assets for aviation requirements are aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.
• Phoenix Express 2016 Commences NNS 23 May 2016 -- Maritime forces from Europe, North Africa, and the United States began the tenth iteration of the multinational maritime Exercise Phoenix Express, May 17.
• Deputy Secretary General: NATO ideally equipped to project stability beyond our borders NATO 23 May 2016 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow stressed NATO's role in projecting stability to the east and to the south at the House of Commons, UK Parliament, on Monday (23 April 2016). Addressing the Henry Jackson Society, Ambassador Vershbow outlined NATO's current security challenges and what the Alliance is doing to respond.
• Parliament May Postpone Sweden's Deal With NATO For 1 Year Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- The right-wing Sweden Democrats party and the Left Party could initiate proceedings to stall the ratification of the Host Nation Support Agreement (HNSA) between Sweden and NATO for one year, local media reported Monday.
• Russia to Respond to US Missile Shield in Europe - Security Council Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- Russia will find ways to respond properly to the deployment of US missile defense systems in eastern Europe, Deputy Secretary of Russia's Security Council Yevgeny Lukyanov said Monday.
• Obama Lifts Arms Embargo on Former Enemy Vietnam VOA 23 May 2016 -- It was Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang who unexpectedly broke the news at a joint press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama in Hanoi after their bilateral talks. He said the United States is lifting its long-standing weapons ban on Vietnam.
• US Lifting Vietnam Arms Embargo a 'Wake-up Call' for Russia VOA 23 May 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama's announced lifting of a decades-old arms embargo against Vietnam is raising eyebrows not only in China, where a dispute with Hanoi in the South China Sea inflames military tensions, but also in Russia.
• U.S. lifts arms embargo on Vietnam People's Daily 23 May 2016 -- President of the United States Barack Obama on Monday announced the United States is lifting a decades-long arms embargo on Vietnam.
• US Lifting of Vietnam Embargo Draws Praise and Rebuke VOA 23 May 2016 -- As he did with Myanmar, Cuba and Iran, the decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to lift the more than 50-year ban on weapon sales to Vietnam was his latest move to highlight a foreign policy rooted in diplomacy and engagement.
• Obama removes Vietnam arms embargo to 'boost ties' Press TV 23 May 2016 -- US President Barack Obama has announced the complete removal of America's arms embargo against the "extremely important" Vietnam during a trip to Hanoi where he called for enhanced relations with Washington's former arch foe.
• Chinese military mulls new policies to seek educated recruits People's Daily 23 May 2016 -- The Chinese military is appealing to qualified young recruits with a string of preferential policies, including financial aid and easy access to employment after service.
• Iran unveils new drone in military exercises IRNA 23 May 2016 -- Iranian armed forces unveiled a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) named Siraf on Monday in the third phase of Beit-ol-Moqaddas-28 military drills underway in central province of Isfahan.
• Iran Army fighters bomb positions of hypothetical invading forces ISNA 23 May 2016 -- Iranian Army fighters targeted positions of the strike forces of the hypothetical enemy on the third phase of Holy Quds military drill underway in Iran.
• Iran Army to stage drill after Ramadan, says Cmdr ISNA 23 May 2016 -- Commander of Ground Force of Islamic Republic of Iran's Army Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said the next military drill of the force would be staged in southwestern Iran, after the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on July 5.
• Iran unveils new defense achievements ISNA 23 May 2016 -- Iran inaugurated industries for producing advanced individual weapons and air defense shoulder-fired missiles in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan on Monday.
• UK Arms Export Controls Committees to Examine Alleged Cluster Bombs Use Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- The United Kingdom Parliament's Committees on Arms Export Controls will examine any evidence of cluster munitions use, a spokesman for the committees told Sputnik on Monday.
• Remarks by President Obama and President Quang of Vietnam in Joint Press Conference The White House 23 May 2016
• May 23, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 May 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 23, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 23 May 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 May 2016
• Rescue vessel eyed for the Nansha Islands People's Daily 23 May 2016 -- China is considering deploying an advanced rescue ship that could carry drones and underwater robots to the Nansha Islands this year to help ships in trouble, including foreign vessels.
• Taiwan, Japan to set up dialogue on maritime affairs cooperation CNA 23 May 2016 -- Taiwan and Japan have decided to set up a dialogue mechanism on maritime affairs cooperation by the end of July in the wake of their fishery dispute over the Okinotori atoll, an official said Monday.
• Patrols in disputed waters in Pacific not called back: spokesman CNA 23 May 2016 -- Taiwan did not call back its official vessels patrolling disputed waters near the Okinotori atoll, Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said Monday.
• Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue following trilateral meeting with Ban in Qatar UN News 23 May 2016 -- The delegation of the Government of Yemen returned to the negotiating table in Kuwait in the latest round of peace talks today, with the United Nations envoy for the conflict-torn country holding a plenary this morning with both delegations, a UN spokesperson said.
• Yemen warring sides resume direct talks after week-long pause: UN Press TV 23 May 2016 -- The United Nations special envoy to Yemen says the warring sides in the Yemeni conflict have held their first direct meeting after a week-long break.
• 45 army recruits killed in Yemen's Aden bomb attacks Press TV 23 May 2016 -- At least 45 people have been killed and dozens of others injured when two car bomb attacks targeted conscripted soldiers in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.
• Intra-Yemeni Peace Talks Resume in Kuwait Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- The UN-brokered negotiation between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels were renewed in Kuwait City on Monday, a source at the negotiations told Sputnik.
• Ban condemns terrorist attacks killing dozens of civilians in two coastal Syrian cities UN News 23 May 2016 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terrorist attacks today that claimed the lives of dozens of civilians in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous.
• Russia's Putin reaffirms support for Syria in fight against terrorism Press TV 23 May 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has renewed his pledge to assist the Damascus government in battling Takfiri terrorists, after multiple bombings killed over 140 people across the coastal Syrian cities of Tartus and Jablah.
• Blasts kill at least 140 in western Syria: Monitor Press TV 23 May 2016 -- Seven bomb explosions have rocked the coastal cities of Tartous and Jableh in western Syria, leaving at least 148people dead, a London-based monitor says.
• Free Syrian Army Threatens to Withdraw From Ceasefire Regime Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- The Free Syrian Army will withdraw from the ceasefire regime if governmental troops continue their offensive against Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, and other besieged areas across Syria, the Free Syrian Army's legal adviser, Osama Abu Zeid, said Monday.
• US General's Surprise Visit to Kurds Prompts Syrian Rebels' Fury VOA 23 May 2016 -- A visit by a top U.S. military commander to northeast Syria to confer with Kurdish commanders and plot the next stage in the battle against the Islamic State group has provoked the anger of Syrian rebel commanders, who accuse the Obama administration of giving up on the Syrian revolution.
• Multiple Blasts in Syrian Coastal Cities Leave Scores Dead VOA 23 May 2016 -- A series of bomb blasts killed more than 100 people in two normally quiet Syrian coastal cities Monday, according to Syrian state television and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Iraqi PM optimistic on liberation of Fallujah in near future Press TV 23 May 2016 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has hailed an ongoing military operation against Daesh Takfiri group in west of the country, saying Iraqi troops will soon seize full control of the town of Fallujah in the western Anbar Province.
• Iraqi troops advance in Fallujah, kill dozens of Daesh militants Press TV 23 May 2016 -- Dozens of Takfiri militants have been killed as Iraq launches an offensive to retake one of the two remaining Daesh strongholds, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi saying the "moment of great victory has drawn near."
• UN Fears for Fallujah Civilians as Iraq Begins Offensive VOA 23 May 2016 -- United Nations officials are worried about thousands of families who may be trapped in Fallujah, as Iraqi forces start an offensive to retake the city from Islamic State militants.
• Status Quo in Karabakh Conflict Unsustainable, Unacceptable – Azeri FM Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- Azerbaijan's foreign minister said constructive negotiations could lead to peace and stability in the region.
• DR Congo: UN envoy urges 'patriotic reawakening' to ease rising political tensions UN News 23 May 2016 -- The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed deep concern about the increasing political tensions in some parts of the Central African country, urging both the majority and opposition sides to reawaken their patriotism.

News Reports

• Independent Narrowly Defeats Far-Right Candidate In Austria Presidential Runoff RFE/RL 23 May 2016 -- Austrians have elected Alexander Van der Bellen, a former leader of the Greens party, as president in a closely watched vote that nearly brought the first-ever far-right head of state to power in an EU member state.
• Joint Statement: Between the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam The White House 23 May 2016
• FACT SHEET: United States-Vietnam Relations The White House 23 May 2016
• S. Korea calls for DPRK's denuclearization stance before military talks People's Daily 23 May 2016 -- South Korea on Monday called for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to show its stance on denuclearization, in response to the DPRK's dialogue overtures on military matters over the weekend.
• Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran defiance behind US enmity Press TV 23 May 2016 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the US hostility against the Islamic Republic stems from Iran's defiance of Washington's arrogant policies.
• Russia's Space Station Mir Plunged Into Ocean Before Time Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- The first ever space station Mir could have been kept aloft a little longer, although this would hardly be viable financially, a Russian space agency Roscosmos executive in charge of manned missions said.
• India Launches Country's First Reusable Carrier Rocket Sputnik 23 May 2016 -- India successfully launched on Monday its first-ever reusable carrier rocket, local media reported Monday.
• From Chinese scholars on Taiwan, mixed views of cross-strait ties CNA 23 May 2016 -- Chinese scholars on Monday had mixed views of cross-Taiwan Strait relations following the inauguration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on May 20, but the majority opinion was that bilateral ties were in for a bumpy ride, at least in the near future.
• Tajiks allow president to remain in power for life: Referendum results Press TV 23 May 2016 -- People in Tajikistan have overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution which allow, among other things, the incumbent president to run for an unlimited number of terms.
• Somali Elections on Track for August, Despite Opposition VOA 23 May 2016 -- Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, issued a decree Sunday to legalize the 2016 electoral process in Somalia, after the outgoing parliament failed to endorse the election rules.
• In Kenya, Protests Against Electoral Commission Turn Deadly VOA 23 May 2016 -- Protests against Kenya's electoral commission took place in several cities Monday, with local media reporting at least three demonstrators were killed in western Kenya.