Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 21 Jun 2016 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 21 Jun 2016 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook
• Pressure Puts ISIL on Its Heels, Pentagon Spokesman Says AFPS 21 Jun 2016 -- Coalition and local forces in Iraq and Syria are making significant progress in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Pentagon's press secretary told reporters today.
• Progress on economy, improving security is imperative for Afghanistan, UN envoy reports UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- Progress on the economy and improving security is imperative so that Afghans have confidence in their Government, the United Nations envoy in Afghanistan said today.
• Taliban stop buses in south, abduct 27 Afghan passengers Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- The Taliban have kidnapped over two dozen bus passengers in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province in the latest wave of highway abductions by the militant group in recent weeks.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Nominee to Head US Military in Africa Warns of IS Focus on Libya VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- Islamic State militants are "very likely" to set their sights on ungoverned spaces in Africa if they are defeated in Iraq and Syria, according to the general nominated to lead the U.S. military's Africa Command.
• Readout of Deputy Secretary Work's Meeting with Dutch Minister of Defense Secretary-General Geerts DoD 21 Jun 2016
• USNS Lewis B. Puller: The Future of Expeditionary Minehunting NNS 21 Jun 2016 -- The Navy's first expeditionary mobile base, USNS Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB 3) got underway from Naval Station Norfolk to perform airborne countermine deployment training, June 13-16.
• Africom Nominee Details Priorities at Confirmation Hearing AFPS 21 Jun 2016 -- U.S. Africa Command will concentrate on building the capacity of nations to handle their own security and will continue to guard U.S. interests on the continent, President Barack Obama's choice to lead Africom told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• National Guard Chief Nominee Says New World Requires Agile Forces AFPS 21 Jun 2016 -- Today's National Guard is in the best shape it's been in for its almost 380 years of history, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the National Guard Bureau told the Senate Armed Services Committee here today.
• Combining elements; Reserve Marines complete first evolution of ITX 4-16 USMC News 21 Jun 2016 -- As the heat rose steadily over the course of two-weeks in the vast desert of southern California, so did the proficiency of the Reserve Marines completing their annual training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. The Marines attended multiple training scenarios where they sent bullets blazing down range as they combined ground, artillery and air capabilities during the exercise lasting from June13-28, 2016.
• U.S. Marines, Navy control Baltic Sea during war exercise USMC News 21 Jun 2016 -- Several NATO allies and partner nations, including more than 200 U.S. Marines, defeated an enemy force and took control of the Baltic Sea during an exercise here, June 10-13, 2016.
• VMFA 242, VMA 214 enhance interoperability with U.S. Navy USMC News 21 Jun 2016 -- Two F/A-18D Hornets, attached to the 'Bats' of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, and one AV-8B Harrier, attached to the 'Black Sheep' of Marine Attack Squadron 214, enhanced their interoperability with U.S. Navy destroyers in the Sea of Japan May 24, 2016.
• External lifts expand HMHT-302's capabilities USMC News 21 Jun 2016 -- Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron 302 and Combat Logistics Battalion 6 conducted external lifts at Landing Zone Albatross on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, June 9, 2016.
• Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Visits Italy NNS 21 Jun 2016 -- Five ships from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) conducted port visits across Italy as part of the Great Green Fleet partnership between the U.S.-Italian navies, June 17-22.
• Pacific Partnership 2016 Concludes Mission Stop to Timor Leste NNS 21 Jun 2016 -- Pacific Partnership 2016 departed Timor Leste June 21, after completing two weeks of subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) in civil-military disaster response preparedness, cooperative health engagements (CHE) and engineering projects.
• U.S. Senators Push Resolution Condemning 'Dangerous' Russian Military Actions RFE/RL 21 Jun 2016 -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have introduced a resolution condemning Russia for what they call "dangerous and unprofessional" military actions in recent months.
• Secretary General welcomes Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to Alliance Headquarters NATO 21 Jun 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (21 June 2016) to discuss NATO-Israel cooperation.
• US Plans to Deploy 5,000 Soldiers to Strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- The United States is planning to send a motorized brigade of about 5,000 servicemen to Eastern Europe to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, US Ambassador in Warsaw Paul Jones told RMF radio station.
• Experts: NATO Prepared to Defend Its Members VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- Recent events in Eastern Europe and rising tensions with Russia have revived the debate over NATO enlargement, which Moscow considers a provocation. The question comes as NATO leaders prepare to hold a summit early next month in Warsaw, Poland.
• Russian Aerospace Forces Successfully Test Short-Range Antimissile System Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- A short-range antimissile system was successfully tested early Tuesday at a Central Asian testing range, the country's Defense Ministry said.
• Russia's New Air Defense Ready to Repel 'All Current and Future Threats' Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- An antimissile system tested by the Russian Aerospace Forces would allow for repelling the existing and advanced missile threats coming from the United States, analysts told RIA Novosti.
• Oslo's New Defense Plan Leaves Norwegian Coast Defenseless Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Last week, Oslo proudly presented its new defense plan. The idea behind Norway's biggest military upgrade effort since the end of the Cold War is to bolster its defenses against an "increasingly unpredictable" Russia, yet the defense plan came under fire from, among others, Norway's own experts.
• Mission Cleopatra: Egypt's Mistral Taking Part in Joint Drills With France Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Egypt's Mistral-class helicopter carrier delivered from France is taking part in military exercises, which are jointly conducted by the French and Egyptian navies in the Mediterranean Sea.
• No immediate sign of Musudan firing detected yet from DPRK People's Daily 21 Jun 2016 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has deployed what is believed to be its intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile in its east coast, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday citing a government source.
• DPRK deploys Musudan ballistic missile in east coast People's Daily 21 Jun 2016 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has deployed what is believed to be its intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile in its east coast, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
• Japan, South Korea on alert for possible North Korea missile test Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Japan has put its military on high alert over what is said to be signs of another attempt by North Korea to launch a missile from its east coast.
• South China Sea Deployment: Indian Navy's Warships Visit South Korea Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- In a demonstration of India's 'Act East' policy and the Indian Navy's increasing footprint and operational reach, the Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kirch have arrived at Busan, Republic of Korea as part of the deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea.
• Israel not ready to ratify nuclear test ban treaty: Netanyahu Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Israel, which is widely believed to possess hundreds of atomic bombs, says it is not yet ready to ratify a UN pact on banning nuclear tests adopted nearly 20 years ago.
• Japanese Military Satellite Damaged During Transportation Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- A satellite of the Japanese Defense Ministry will miss its summer launch after sustaining damage during transportation to a space center in French Guiana, media reported.
• Jordan Army Declares Northern, Northeastern Border Closed Military Zone Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Mashal Mohammad Zaben, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, declared the country's northern and northeastern borders closed military zones after several servicemen were killed in a blast near the frontier with Syria, the armed forces said Tuesday.
• As UN takes stock of landmark resolution on weapons proliferation, Ban urges greater prevention efforts UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- While Governments around the world have been working decidedly and collectively to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and nuclear weapons, the international community must intensify efforts in that regard in order to keep up with and effectively address global challenges, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
• June 21, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2016
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 6/21/2016 The White House 21 Jun 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 21, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 21 June 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Jun 2016
• UN humanitarian wing and partners respond to unprecedented suffering in 2015 UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released its 2015 annual report, articulating its response to the humanitarian challenges and human suffering, in all corners of the world that have overstretched the UN relief arm.
• Chinese firm to operate cruise ships in South China Sea Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Beijing's largest shipping company is set to launch cruise travels in the disputed South China Sea in an effort to develop tourism in the region.
• Despite positive talks, delays over peace roadmap 'needlessly extending Yemen's agony'- UN envoy UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- The United Nations–supported Yemeni peace talks under way in Kuwait have progressed "slowly, yet constructively," over the last two months, with agreement still to be reached on the sequencing of the various steps proposed, including the timing of establishing a national unity government, the UN envoy for the country said today.
• Houthis advance in southwest Yemen Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Fighters with the Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen have gained ground against Saudi mercenaries in the country's southwestern Lahij Province.
• More than half of Yemen's population now food insecure - UN UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- Vast swathes of war-torn Yemen – 19 out of 22 governorates – are facing severe food insecurity, and the situation within affected areas is likely to deteriorate if conflict persists, according to a new assessment by the United Nations and partners.
• Amid War, Yemenis Face Dire Food Insecurity VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- A majority of Yemenis are facing severe food insecurity, according to a new joint assessment by the United Nations and partners.
• 'Credibility of international community at risk' as Syria war grinds on - senior UN officials UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- With the conflict in Syria now well into its fifth year, and the country dealing with a grinding crisis that has brought death, displacement and regional instability, the international community must not lose momentum in attaining a comprehensive and concrete political solution, senior United Nations officials emphasized today.
• Ban condemns terrorist attack against Jordanian guard post at Syrian border UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- Condemning today's terrorist attack against a Jordanian border guard post at the north-eastern border with Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his condolences to the families of the victims and reiterates his solidarity with the Government and people of Jordan.
• Syria Policy Discontent Unlikely to Be Resolved Before Obama Term Ends VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- An internal rift over the U.S.- Syria policy could be a headache inherited by the next president, analysts say, because the Obama administration appears unlikely to dramatically alter its current policy.
• Over 700 doctors killed in 5-yr-long Syria conflict: UN Panel Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- A United Nations investigative panel has raised concerns about civilian fatalities in Syria, saying over 700 physicians and medical staff have lost their lives during five years of crisis gripping the Arab country.
• Russia says losing patience with US over Syria situation Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Russia has warned the United States that Moscow's patience is running thin over Washington's refusal to target Takfiri militants fighting against the Syrian government.
• Two Leaders of Ahrar Ash-Sham Militant Group Die in Clashes Near Damascus Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Two leaders of the Ahrar ash-Sham militant group have been killed in clashes in a town near Syria's capital of Damascus, Arab media reported Tuesday.
• Jordan Border Bomb Stokes Fears Syrian War Is Spreading VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The explosion of a car bomb on Syria's border with Jordan that killed six Jordanian troops and wounded 14 other people is raising fears that violence in Syria is spreading to its neighbors.
• UN Envoy Hopes to Resume Intra-Syrian Talks in July VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said Tuesday that he hopes intra-Syrian talks can resume sometime next month.
• New Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2016
• Iraqi army liberates Fallujah districts from Daesh grip Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Iraqi armed forces have purged Takfiri Daesh terrorists from two neighborhoods in the strategic city of Fallujah in their latest push against the Takfiri militants wreaking havoc in the Middle Eastern country.
• Iraqi Troops Free Yazidi, Christian Women Taken as Daesh Prisoners Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Government troops in Iraq have almost completely recaptured Fallujah from Daesh. They also took control of the administration building in the city center. But the terrorists are still keeping the resistance, holding individual streets and houses.
• UN agencies warn of alleged rights violations, funding shortfall in embattled Fallujah UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- Amid ongoing fighting in the embattled Iraqi city of Fallujah, the United Nations human rights office today warned of continuing allegations of serious rights violations, as the Organization's refugee agency reported a funding crunch to meet the immediate needs of the thousands of civilians who continue to flee the area.
• Forces loyal to Libya unity govt. prepare for final assault on Sirte Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Forces loyal to Libya's unity government are preparing for a final assault on the northern port city of Sirte, the main stronghold of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the country.
• Bemba Supporters Reject ICC Verdict VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The International Criminal Court in The Hague sentenced former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba to 18 years in prison for the murder, rape and pillaging committed by his troops in Central African Republic more than a decade ago.
• ICC sentences former Congolese vice-president Bemba to 18 years in prison for war crimes UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) today sentenced the former Congolese vice-president, Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, to 18 years of imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003.
• Congolese Ex-Vice President Gets 18 Years for War Crimes VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The International Criminal Court in The Hague has sentenced former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba to 18 years in prison for murder, rape and pillaging committed by his troops in Central African Republic more than a decade ago.
• Nigeria Reaches Truce with Militants, says Oil Industry Source VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- Nigeria's government has reached a cease-fire with militants that have taken responsibility for attacks on the country's vital petroleum infrastructure, a senior official at the state-owned oil company told VOA on Tuesday.
• Hunger, Thirst Plague Refugees Escaping Boko Haram in Southeast Niger VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The Boko Haram militant group's insurgency has forced nearly 300,000 people to seek refuge in the Diffa region of southeast Niger, an area already dealing with chronic food insecurity. Aid agencies are struggling to provide adequate water and food to tens of thousands of people who fled a fresh attack in the border town of Bosso this month.
• Outbreak of Violence in the Central African Republic US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2016
• Armed men attack neighborhood in CAR capital, kill three Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- At least three people have been killed and hundreds of others forced to flee their homes in the Central African Republic (CAR) over an attack by gunmen against a neighborhood in the country's capital.
• Violence Raises Concern in S. Sudan's Gbuduwe State VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- A local civil society activist in South Sudan's Gbuduwe state said this week that violence was on the rise in Yambio County.
• South Sudan: Special investigation into Malakal violence completed, says UN UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- A United Nations independent high-level board of inquiry has completed a special in-depth investigation into how the UN responded this past February to deadly violence in a protection of civilians site in the town of Malakal, in northern South Sudan.
• Government of Sudan's Declaration of a Cessation of Hostilities US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2016
• One Year After Mali Peace Agreement, Challenges Remain VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The U.N. will send more troops and continued support against terrorists in Mali it announced this week, on the one-year anniversary of the U.N.'s intervention in the West African country.
• Niger: UNICEF reports more than 240,000 uprooted from homes in Diffa region UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- More than 240,000 people, or a third of the population, in Niger's Diffa region have been uprooted from their homes since 3 June attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, the single largest displacement since 2013, a senior United Nations official said today.

News Reports

• EU Diplomats Agree To Extend Sanctions Against Russia RFE/RL 21 Jun 2016 -- EU ambassadors have agreed to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, despite some calls for a more conciliatory approach from within the bloc.
• EU Envoys Vote to Extend Russia Sanctions VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- European Union ambassadors meeting in Brussels agreed to extend current economic sanctions against Russia for another six months because the conflict in Ukraine remains unresolved.
• Two California Men Convicted of Conspiring to Join ISIL US Dept. of Justice 21 Jun 2016 -- A federal jury today convicted two Orange County, California, men – one of whom attempted to travel to the Middle East to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization – of conspiring to provide material support to ISIL.
• Indiana Man Arrested on Terrorism Charge US Dept. of Justice 21 Jun 2016 -- A Brownsburg, Indiana, man was arrested today for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• Turkey's Priorities in Fighting Terrorism Questioned VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- The Turkish government's priorities in fighting terrorism are coming under question, as it increasingly cracks down on proponents of Kurdish rights while, critics say, it fails to show the same zeal against the Islamic State.
• First Stage of Vostochny Cosmodrome Construction to Be Finished by November Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Russia's deputy prime minister ordered to complete the first stage of the Vostochny Cosmodrome's construction by October 21.
• Media Told to Dress Up, Keep Quiet on Myanmar Leader's Thai Visit VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- Journalists attempting to cover this week's three-day visit to Thailand by Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi will find themselves unusually constrained.
• Myanmar bans officials from using 'Rohingya' Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Myanmar's Information Ministry has banned government officials from using the term "Rohingya" to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country.
• 'Permission-based' public life regime has nearly paralyzed civic freedoms in Belarus - UN expert UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- A senior United Nations expert on human rights in Belarus warned today that several generations have grown up in the country "with no experience of what the words 'pluralism,' 'labour rights,' 'free enterprise,' 'free artistic creation' or 'free media' mean in reality."
• DPRK Foreign Minister Meets UN Resident Coordinator KCNA 21 Jun 2016 -- DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho met and had a talk with Tapan Mishra, UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in the DPRK, who paid a courtesy call on him Tuesday.
• Baeedinejad: Investment was subject to fall in absence of JCPOA IRNA 21 Jun 2016 -- Senior member of the nuclear negotiating team Hamid Baeedinejad said on Tuesday that UNCTAD 2015 report dates back to the sanctions era and that the investment was subject to dramatic falls in absence of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• Leader urges people of literature to focus on US treason against JCPOA IRNA 21 Jun 2016 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged people of literature and poets to try and illuminate public opinion on the US treason against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Bahrain: UN rights office concerned at crackdown on human rights and political opposition groups UN News 21 Jun 2016 -- Concerned at the intensification of a crackdown on free expression and association, and the right to a nationality in Bahrain, the United Nations human rights office today urged the Government to ensure those rights are protected in line with the country's obligations under international law and that civil society activists do not face undue pressure, intimidation or reprisals for their work.
• Sheikh Qassim, redline for Bahrain's regime: IRGC commander ISNA 21 Jun 2016 -- A senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the sanctuary of the most senior Bahraini Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, is a redline whose violation will set fire to Bahrain and the entire region.
• Bahraini forces break into senior Shia cleric's office Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- Bahraini regime forces have stormed into the office of leading Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, who was recently stripped of his citizenship.
• US 'alarmed' by Bahrain's decision on Sheikh Qassim Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- The US is "alarmed" by a decision to revoke the citizenship of senior Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim in Bahrain, home to the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy.
• Egypt court voids islands deal with Saudi Arabia Press TV 21 Jun 2016 -- An Egyptian court has voided a maritime border deal signed with Saudi Arabia that would hand over the control of two strategic Red Sea islands to Riyadh.
• Red Sea Islands 'Belonged to Egypt Centuries Before Saudi Arabia's Birth' Sputnik 21 Jun 2016 -- Egypt's Administrative Court on Tuesday rejected the government's decision to hand over control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Sputnik spoke to the Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Egypt, Ahmed Shaaban, regarding this decision.
• Serbia And Croatia: Sweeping The Real Issues Under The Carpet RFE/RL 21 Jun 2016 -- Relations between Serbia and Croatia are at their lowest ebb in years. Belgrade is upset with Croatia for blocking its path to EU membership. Croatia would like Serbia to change its laws and renounce what it sees as Belgrade's tendency to act as the "regional policeman."
• Zimbabwe Delays Civil Servant, Military Wages VOA 21 Jun 2016 -- Zimbabwe's government says it won't be able to pay the military, police or civil servants on time this month amid continued cash shortages.