Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 03 Jun 2016 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 03 Jun 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.
• US Navy Conducts Counter-ISIL Sorties from Mediterranean NNS 03 Jun 2016 -- The U.S. Navy's Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group conducted combat sorties from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea June 3, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve over Syria and Iraq.
• Fights to Retake Fallujah, Manbij City From ISIL Begin AFPS 03 Jun 2016 -- The fights started last week aimed at wrenching control of two major cities in Iraq and Syria from the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are expected to be difficult, U.S. Central Command spokesman Air Force Col. Pat Ryder said today.
• Centcom Announces Yemen Counterterrorism Strikes AFPS 03 Jun 2016 -- The U.S. military conducted a counterterrorism strike against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, May 19 in the Shabwah Governorate in central Yemen that killed four al-Qaida operatives, U.S. Central Command officials announced today in a news release.
• US Reveals 4 Strikes in Yemen VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- The U.S. military has announced several counterterrorism strikes in Yemen that were previously unreported and that killed a total of 15 al-Qaida militants.
• Afghan Defense Official: Helmand Province Out of Taliban Danger VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- After days of heavy fighting, Afghan forces have regained control of parts of Helmand province previously in the Taliban hands.
• Pakistan Imposes New Curbs At Afghan Border, Stranding Hundreds RFE/RL 03 Jun 2016 -- Pakistan has imposed stringent new controls at a key border crossing with Afghanistan, stranding hundreds of people attempting to cross on June 2.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Rushmore Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Ship's Commissioning NNS 03 Jun 2016 -- The crew of dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) celebrated the ship's 25th commissioning anniversary with a cake cutting ceremony and barbeque while in a maintenance availability period, June 1.
• New AF unit activated to better train elite combat Airmen AFNS 03 Jun 2016 -- For the first time in its history, the Air Force on June 2 activated a unit solely dedicated to train the service's ground component at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
• Ready to receive: B-52s touch down in England AFNS 03 Jun 2016 -- With the sharp screech of rubber meeting asphalt, two B-52 Stratofortress bombers from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, touched down June 2 at Royal Air Force Fairford.
• Readout of Secretary Carter's meeting with Indonesian Minister of Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu DoD 03 Jun 2016
• Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo Joint Press Statement DoD 03 Jun 2016
• Joint Press Conference with Secretary Carter and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defense in Bukit Batok, Singapore DoD 03 Jun 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• SPMAGTF-SC conducts pre-deployment Certification Exercise USMC News 03 Jun 2016 -- Marines and sailors with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Southern Command put months of pre-deployment training to the test during a three-day Certification Exercise aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, May 11-13.
• VP-4 Participates in Maritime Domain Awareness Exercise in Romania NNS 03 Jun 2016 -- The "Skinny Dragons" of Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 participated in a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) exercise in Constanta, Romania May 26-30.
• Secretary General thanks France for being a strong NATO Ally NATO 03 Jun 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with French President François Hollande in Paris on Friday (3 June 2016) to discuss current security challenges and the Alliance's agenda for the Warsaw Summit in July. Mr. Stoltenberg commended France for being "a strong NATO Ally, building security in Europe and beyond - from Mali to Syria."
• Deputy Secretary General previews NATO Summit at Wroclaw Global Forum NATO 03 Jun 2016 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow previewed the agenda of the NATO Summit in Warsaw, outlined the next steps in the Alliance's adaptation and discussed NATO's future at the Wrocław Global Forum on Friday (3 June 2016).
• Ivanishvili Suggests Georgia Must 'Patiently Wait' For Russian Approval On NATO RFE/RL 03 Jun 2016 -- Former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says the South Caucasus nation "must absolutely" join NATO and the European Union, but cautioned that it will first have to overcome Russia's disapproval.
• Top US Envoy: Lifting Vietnam Arms Embargo 'Largely Symbolic' VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- The recent abolition of a long-standing arms embargo on Vietnam is a "largely a symbolic one," Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski told VOA in an exclusive interview Friday.
• Chinese navy to join 2016 RIMPAC naval drill People's Daily 03 Jun 2016 -- The Chinese navy will participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises, said Liang Yang, the navy spokesperson, on Thursday.
• Deliveries of huge aircraft expected soon People's Daily 03 Jun 2016 -- The domestically developed Y-20 heavy-lifting transport plane will soon be delivered to buyers, a project manager said on Thursday.
• Chinese Military Team Dispatched to Mali People's Daily 03 Jun 2016 -- Chinese military has sent a specialist medical team to Mali on Thursday to join Chinese peacekeepers there and help deal with casualties from a Tuesday terrorist attack.
• H-6K bomber, ace of PLA Air Force People's Daily 03 Jun 2016 -- The new H-6K bombers of the PLA Air Force flew several thousand kilometers for nearly 10 straight hours during a recent drill. They set a new record for continuous flight time and range while flying over the sea. But what are the special characteristics of these bombers, and will they fly over the South China Sea?
• Shangri-La talks mustn't bow to US agenda People's Daily 03 Jun 2016 -- The Shangri-La Dialogue will kick off Friday night in Singapore and hotspot issues such as the South China Sea disputes will once again attract attention. The Dialogue is believed to be "dominated" by the US and the agendas do not favor China. It is not surprising that Washington behaves as the tone-setter at this year's meeting.
• Background Briefing Previewing the Secretary's Visit to Mongolia US Dept. of State 03 Jun 2016-- Special Briefing, Office of the Spokesperson, Senior State Department Official
• June 3, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 03 Jun 2016
• Press Gaggle by Jennifer Friedman en route Miami, Florida The White House 03 Jun 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 03, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 3 June 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 03 Jun 2016
• At first-ever summit, speakers stress central role of police in UN peace operations UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- United Nations Police (UNPOL) has become a central pillar of the Organization's peace operations and therefore must be "fit for purpose" to meet the security threats in today's volatile world, senior UN officials told the first-ever gathering of national police leaders today.
• Ban 'shocked' at scale of grave violations against children detailed in latest report UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- In his annual report on children and armed conflict covering the year 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his shock at the scale of grave violations against children in countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
• Iraqi, Syrian Sunni Tribal Leaders Seek Influence in Post-IS Scenario VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- Some Sunni tribes in Syria and Iraq, driven from their ancient lands by Islamic State (IS), are planning their return in a post-IS scenario.
• 'Operating space for humanitarian actors is shrinking' in Syria, UN relief chief warns Security Council UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- The top United Nations relief official said today he remains extremely concerned about the welfare of civilians across Syria, who he said continue to face "horrific deprivation and violence," particularly those trapped in besieged areas.
• US Drops Weapons to Rebels in IS-besieged Syrian Town VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- An American military cargo plane dropped light weapons Thursday to rebels besieged by the Islamic State (IS) terror group in the northern Syrian town of Marea, the first resupply to them by the United States after weeks of appeals for help, according to local activists.
• Sudan: Five years on, refugees still fleeing conflict in South Kordofan, UN reports UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- The United Nations refugee agency today warned that tragically people are still fleeing violence in Sudan's South Kordofan State, most crossing into neighbouring South Sudan, as the conflict marks its fifth year this weekend.
• After two years of conflict, situation in eastern Ukraine remains 'grim' – UN report UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- A new report by the United Nations human rights office shows that, after two years of conflict, the situation in eastern Ukraine remains volatile and continues to have a severe impact on human rights, especially for those living near the contact line and in territories controlled by armed groups.
• In Paris, Ban calls for 'courage and legitimacy' to achieve peace in Middle East UN News 03 Jun 2016 -- Terror, violence and the incitement that fuel them, along with the ongoing settlement enterprise and the lack of unity between Gaza and the West Bank are all obstacles that must be overcome on the path towards achieving peace in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today, calling on the international community to exercise its influence to help reach this goal.
• Major Powers Struggle to Revive Mideast Peace Talks VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that both Israel and the Palestinians needed to take immediate steps to demonstrate the will to seek lasting peace.

News Reports

• Supreme Leader: Trusting the US a big mistake IRNA 03 Jun 2016 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Friday that having confidence in the US is a big mistake as most hostilities against Iran come from the 'US and the evil Britain.'
• Spokesman: Talks underway to export heavy water IRNA 03 Jun 2016 -- Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi commented on Friday on purchasing surplus of Iran's heavy water by the US and said negotiations are underway with other countries to this end.
• Chafing At Sanctions, Moscow Pokes And Pries At EU Unity RFE/RL 03 Jun 2016 -- Standing before a classical Greek frieze at a press conference in Athens last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented his visit in terms suggesting a thinly disguised quid pro quo.
• Navalny: Russia Run by 'Mafia' System VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- Alexei Navalny, the leading Russian opposition activist who heads the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and the unregistered Party of Progress, was interrogated by police this week, after which his office and home were searched. The police action was connected to a libel case against him brought by former Russian Interior Ministry investigator Pavel Karpov.
• Poroshenko Urges Media Not To Publish 'Negative Articles' About Ukraine RFE/RL 03 Jun 2016 -- President Petro Poroshenko has urged journalists not to publish "negative articles" about Ukraine while condemning the leak of personal data about thousands of reporters that has triggered international concerns about press freedoms in the country.
• 3 Somali-Americans Guilty of Conspiring to Help IS VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- A jury in Minnesota has found three Somali-Americans guilty on all charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State militant group.
• Junta Leader Assures Thailand 'Will Return to Democracy' VOA 03 Jun 2016 -- The head of Thailand's military-dominated junta, Prayuth Chan-ocha has defended seizing power two years ago to avoid further unrest "or even civil war."