Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 29 Jun 2016 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Garver via teleconference DoD 29 Jun 2016 -- Presenter: Colonel Christopher Garver, Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman; Captain Jeff Davis, Director, Defense Press Office
• Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 29 Jun 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.
• Eisenhower CSG Completes First OIR Missions NNS 29 Jun 2016 -- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) launched its first air strikes in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, June 28.
• Afghanistan Implies Pakistan Supporting IS Militants VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- Afghanistan's national security adviser has accused Pakistan, without directly naming the country, of providing financial and logistical support to Islamic State (IS) fighters in Afghanistan.
• Pakistan deports 500 Afghan refugees Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Pakistan has deported at least 500 Afghan refugees following their detention in a northwestern border province, local officials say.
• Pakistan Vows Not to Push Out Afghan Refugees VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- A police crackdown in Pakistan has rounded up and deported hundreds of Afghan refugees in recent weeks. But authorities say Afghans with legal refugee status are not being targeted, nor will they be pushed out of the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• The 4th U.S.-Republic of Korea Bilateral Cyber Consultations US Dept. of State 29 Jun 2016
• Readout of Secretary Carter's Call with Turkish Minister of Defense Fikri Isik DoD 29 Jun 2016
• CBIRF detachment participates in Israeli Exercise 'United Front V', enhances global deployability USMC News 29 Jun 2016 -- An 8-man team from Chemical Biological Incident Response Force represented the unit with 74 other American service members during Exercise United Front V in Israel, June 17-25, 2016.
• Keel Authenticated for Future Littoral Combat Ship Charleston NNS 29 Jun 2016 -- A ceremony was hosted to celebrate the keel authentication of future USS Charleston (LCS 18), the ninth Independence variant littoral combat ship, June 28.
• Wasp Amphibious Ready Group On-loads 22nd MEU, Heads to 6th Fleet NNS 29 Jun 2016 -- The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) completed the on-load of over 2,500 Marines and equipment from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) June 28.
• Carl Vinson Completes TSTA In-Port Phase NNS 29 Jun 2016 -- The crew of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) completed the in-port phase of Carl Vinson's Tailored Ship's Training Availability, June 24.
• P-8A Poseidon Comes to 4th Fleet NNS 29 Jun 2016 -- The P-8A Poseidon, one of the Navy's newest aircraft and the platform currently replacing the aging P-3C Orion, arrived at Cooperative Security Location (CSL) Comalapa, El Salvador June 23.
• Russia to Continue Rocket Engine Supplies to US Under Existing Contracts Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- Russia will continue to supply the United States with RD-180 rocket engines under existing contracts despite calls from Washington for greater reliance on domestic procurement, Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak said in an interview with Sputnik.
• US, South Korea, Japan launch joint missile drill Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- South Korea, Japan and the United States have held their first joint ballistic missile defense exercise in waters off Hawaii amid rising tensions with North Korea.
• Alleged Russia threat pretext for NATO expansion: Moscow official Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- A senior Russian official says the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is inching towards his country's borders using "unsubstantiated" claims about Moscow's threat.
• US Navy's 'Road Hog': US Destroyer 'Deliberately Provoked' Russian Ship Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, came dangerously close to Russia's Yaroslav Mudry patrol boat in what was clearly a "deliberate provocation" and "lack of maritime culture," Captain 1st rank Mikhail Lukanin told Radio Sputnik.
• All New Russian Navy Ships, Submarines to Be Equipped With Fizik-1 Torpedo Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- All new Russian Navy ships and submarines will be equipped with the Fizik-1 universal deep water homing torpedo which has a target range 2.5 times greater than the USET-80, currently in service, a military source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
• Military expert: China's second aircraft carrier not far from entering the water People's Daily 29 Jun 2016 -- When receiving an interview at a program of China's CCTV, military expert Cao Weidong said that based on the construction progress reported by the media, China's second aircraft carrier may enter the water at the end of this year or early next year.
• Two Chinese anti-terrorist forces dispatched to Russia for joint training People's Daily 29 Jun 2016 -- Two Chinese anti-terrorist forces, the Falcon Commando Unit and the Snow Leopard Commando Unit, set off to Russia for the "Cooperation-2016" joint anti-terrorist training on June 28.
• Xi urges caution on possible deployment of U.S. missile system in ROK People's Daily 29 Jun 2016 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to address China's concerns on security and "cautiously and appropriately" address the United States' plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the country.
• Beijing Urges Seoul to Be Cautious About US Deployment of THAAD System Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Seoul to be cautious about the US plan to deploy its Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea.
• India Defers Joint Missile Test With Israel for Unknown Reasons Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- India has deferred a crucial test-launch of a missile for unspecified reasons after it was originally scheduled to be fired on Wednesday.
• Achieving Self-Reliance: India Produces Homegrown Torpedo Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- In a major boost for India's defense, its first indigenous torpedo "Varunastra" has been launched.
• Iraq Receives New Batch of Mi-28NE Military Helicopters From Russia Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry said that Russia supplied Iraq with a new batch of Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" military helicopters.
• June 29, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Jun 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 29, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 29 June 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Jun 2016
• Security Council extends mandates of UN peacekeeping operations in Darfur, Golan and Mali UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- The Security Council took action today on three United Nations-led peacekeeping operations, extending the mandates of operations in Mali, Darfur, and the Golan Heights.
• Arbitration court has no jurisdiction in South China Sea: Beijing Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Beijing says an arbitration court hearing the dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea has no jurisdiction.
• OP-ED: South China Sea arbitration abuses international law, threatens world order People's Daily 29 Jun 2016 -- A seminar on the South China Sea Arbitration and International Rule of Law was held on Sunday in the Hague, the location of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's arbitral tribunal.
• UN-supported Yemeni peace talks entering new phase, says UN envoy UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- With an agreement on the guiding principles for the Yemen peace talks, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, today announced that the UN-supported talks will enter a new phase for the next two weeks.
• UN peace talks on Yemen adjourned until mid-July Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- The United Nations says Yemen's peace talks currently ongoing in Kuwait will be adjourned until after the holy month of Ramadan, which ends next week.
• Yemeni forces kill senior militant commander in Ma'rib Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Yemen's army and popular committees have engaged in fierce clashes with the Saudi-backed mercenaries in the province of Ma'rib, killing a senior militant commander.
• UN Syria Envoy Urges Political Progress by August VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura says if he can restart intra-Syrian talks in July, there still is a possibility of moving forward on a political transition by an August deadline.
• Syria: UN envoy urges 'well prepared' peace talks for concrete political transition UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- The United Nations envoy mediating a resolution to the crisis in Syria today said that the next round of the intra-Syrian talks must be well prepared to ensure the possibility of moving forward with the decisive outcome of a political transition in August.
• Daesh rocket attack kills four in Syria Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- At least four civilians have lost their lives and nearly a dozen others sustained injuries in a rocket attack by Takfiri Daesh terrorists against a residential neighborhood in Syria's eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr.
• Syria opp. threatens to quit peace talks, urges no-fly zone Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Syrian opposition groups have threatened to walk away from peace talks with the government, and demanded the establishment of a no-fly zone over the Arab country by foreign countries.
• Double Wave of Suicide Bombings Puts Lebanon, Refugees on Edge VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- Tensions are rising in Lebanon as security is stepped up in the wake of a double wave of suicide bombings near the Syrian border.
• Lebanese should brace for more terrorist attacks: Security chiefs Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Lebanese security chiefs have warned of a heightened terrorist threat in the wake of deadly bombings in a Christian village at the border with crisis-stricken Syria.
• Iraqi forces, tribal fighter thwart Daesh onslaught on Amiriyah Fallujah Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Iraqi security personnel, backed by pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units and tribal fighters, have managed to repel a massive offensive by members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the country's beleaguered western province of al-Anbar.
• Iraqi forces gain ground in march to retake militant-held Mosul Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Iraqi security forces have made new gains on the ground against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group as they are trying to recapture the country's second-largest city of Mosul from the terrorists.
• Turkey Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Soldiers, Wounds 3 VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- A roadside bomb killed two soldiers and wounded three others in Turkey's Mardin province Wednesday.
• Gunmen kill 8 Pakistani security personnel in Quetta Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Gunmen have ambushed army and police patrols in two separate attacks across the troubled southwestern Pakistan, killing at least eight soldiers, officials say.
• 4.8 million S Sudanese face hunger: UN agencies Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Three United Nations agencies have warned of a hunger disaster in the crisis-hit South Sudan, saying up to 4.8 million people face critical food shortages.
• Fighting kills 50 people in South Sudan's Wau Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Fifty people have been killed in South Sudan's western town of Wau during fighting mainly between a new rebel group and government troops.
• UN agencies: South Sudan at risk of 'hunger catastrophe' UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- The level of food insecurity in South Sudan is at the highest since the start of the conflict two and a half years ago, United Nations agencies today warned.
• Security Council denounces killing of UN peacekeeper in Central African Republic UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- Warning that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, the Security Council has strongly condemned the killing of a 'blue helmet' serving with the United Nations operation in the Central African Republic (CAR).
• DR Congo, Angola must be 'in funding spotlight' - UN humanitarian official UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- Following a visit to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior United Nations humanitarian official today called on the international community to pay more attention to the dire needs of its residents.
• UN Human Rights Chief: Burundi May Explode Into Ethnic Violence VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- Burundi's human rights record is under scrutiny at the U.N. Human Rights Council over the objections and anger of that country's government. The council said it is alarmed at the rise in rights violations in Burundi since last year's political crisis. It wants the violations to stop, because it fears an ethnic conflict with devastating consequences for all of central Africa.
• More Than 20 Killed in Central Somalia Fighting VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- More than 20 people were killed Wednesday in fighting between government soldiers and Islamist insurgents in central Somalia, witnesses and officials said.
• Situation in Ukraine remains 'volatile,' warns senior UN human rights official UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- Unless urgent action is taken in Ukraine to separate sides and remove heavy weaponry, wide spread hostilities in the country could re-escalate, a senior United Nations human rights official today warned.
• INTERVIEW: Conversation with top UN official on security and peace efforts in Mali UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peace operation in Mali and increased its strength to more than 15,000 peacekeepers. The decision followed a request from the UN envoy in Mali to boost support for the peacekeeping mission.
• UN Beefs Up Peacekeeping Force in Mali VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to beef up peacekeeping operations in Mali, in light of attacks making the mission known as MINUSMA the world's most deadly.
• At conference, Ban urges 'political will' for two-State solution for Israel and Palestine UN News 29 Jun 2016 -- Following a two-day visit to Israel and Palestine, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today emphasized that what is lacking in terms of a lasting settlement for peace to the conflict is the political will to make that happen.

News Reports

• UK can't cherry pick EU rules in future relationship: Hollande Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- The UK will not be able to cherry pick the European Union's rules in its future relationship with the bloc, French President Francois Hollande says.
• EU Leaders Rethink Future, Warn U.K. No 'A La Carte' RFE/RL 29 Jun 2016 -- European Union leaders have issued increasingly stern warnings that Britain cannot have unfettered access to the single market after withdrawing from the EU without accepting the bloc's rules on free movement.
• Russia Seeks to Reassure Over Brexit Volatility VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- As Britain and Europe struggle to come to terms with the British vote in favor of leaving the European Union, financial markets are roiling across the globe, including in Russia.
• Turkey Airport Attack Points to Spreading Regional War VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- Tuesday's suicide attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, that killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 200, highlights how far Turkey has fallen from its former status as a regional example of stability.
• At Least 41 Dead In Suicide Attacks At Istanbul Airport RFE/RL 29 Jun 2016 -- Turkish officials have raised the casualty figures from June 29 attack on Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport to 41 killed and 239 injured.
• Turkey Blames Islamic State for Deadly Attack on Istanbul Airport VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- Turkey blamed Islamic State jihadists Wednesday for the deadly assault on Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, denouncing the latest terrorist attack in the country and vowing to fight terrorism "until the end."
• Islamic State And The Threat Of WMDs RFE/RL 29 Jun 2016 -- From Fallujah to Mosul, Paris to Brussels, the terrorist organization that calls itself Islamic State (IS) murders, maims, and enslaves with wanton abandon, if not exactly impunity. By now the world has woken up to the serious threat that the group poses, not just in the Middle East but also in Europe and the United States.
• Germany to tighten surveillance activities of its spy agency Sputnik 29 Jun 2016 -- The German cabinet has approved new measures that would tighten controls over the surveillance activities of the country's intelligence service.
• Putin orders government to normalize trade ties with Turkey Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to start the process of normalizing trade ties with Turkey, seven months after Ankara-Moscow relations went into a downward spiral following Turkey's shooting down of a Russian jet last year.
• Putin, Erdogan talk on telephone: Kremlin Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held their first phone conversation since Ankara downed one of Moscow's jets in Syria last year, the Kremlin said.
• Turkish opposition lashes out at Erdogan over Israel, Russia developments Press TV 29 Jun 2016 -- The Turkish opposition has harshly criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent political maneuvers, including the normalization of ties with Israel.
• U.S. Diplomat Tackled, Injured By Guard Outside Moscow Embassy RFE/RL 29 Jun 2016 -- A U.S. official has told RFE/RL that a U.S. diplomat was tackled and injured by a Russian security service guard outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow earlier this month in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.
• Chinese National Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Smuggling High Tech U.S. Military Hardware to China US Dept. of Justice 29 Jun 2016 -- Kan Chen, 26, of Ningbo, China, in Zhejiang Province, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations; attempting to violate the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations; and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
• Fourth Session of 13th SPA Held in DPRK in Presence of Kim Jong Un KCNA 29 Jun 2016 -- The Fourth Session of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK took place here on June 29.
• Kim Jong Un Has Photo Session with Contributors to Successful Medium Long-Range Strategic Ballistic Rocket Test-Fire KCNA 29 Jun 2016 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, had a photo session with the contributors to the successful test-fire of the surface-to-surface medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-10, which is of weighty significance in increasing the defence capabilities of Juche Korea in every way.
• Kim Expected to Solidify Control of North Korea With New Title VOA 29 Jun 2016 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to receive a new title that would reinforce his absolute hold on power, while holding in check the influence of the military.