Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 22 Jul 2016 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 22 Jul 2016 -- Presenter: Colonel Christopher Garver, Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman
• Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 22 Jul 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.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Conducts First OIR Missions from Arabian Gulf NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike), with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, began missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) from the Arabian Gulf, July 22.
• Coalition Continues Strikes to Defeat ISIL, OIR Spokesman Says AFPS 22 Jul 2016 -- Coalition forces continue strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, to support local forces fighting to reclaim areas including Mosul in Iraq, and Manbij in Syria, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve said today.
• Power restored at Incirlik Air Base AFNS 22 Jul 2016 -- Commercial electric power was restored July 22 to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, U.S. European Command officials said.
• France to Send Aircraft Carrier to Aid Coalition Fight Against Daesh Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- France will send artillery to Iraq and its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to assist the US-led coalition's efforts in Syria and Iraq in the coming months, but will not deploy its troops in these countries, French President Francois Hollande said Friday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Announces Update to the DoD Law of War Manual DoD 22 Jul 2016 -- Today, the Department of Defense released an update to the 2015 Law of War manual.
• Airmen practice rescuing downed pilots in Pacific Thunder 16-2 AFNS 22 Jul 2016 -- A-10 Thunderbolt IIs make low passes over mountaintops, providing cover fire for two HH-60 Pave Hawks carrying Air Force rescue teams as they all coordinate to find downed pilots behind enemy lines. A distress call is heard on the radio over the roar of rotor blades as a Pave Hawk begins to descend, blasting dust and debris in all directions.
• HMH-361 participates in Exercise Chura-Shima Rescue 2016 USMC News 22 Jul 2016 -- Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing currently deployed with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing as part of the unit deployment program, worked alongside the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and Okinawa emergency services in Exercise Chura-Shima Rescue 2016 July 21, at Camp Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
• Navy Tests Latest Aegis Weapon System Interoperability with Spanish Navy NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- The U.S. Navy conducted a series of cooperative air defense test exercises with the Spanish navy that culminated in live missile firing events using the latest Aegis Weapon System baseline July 20-21.
• Future USS Detroit (LCS 7) Completes Acceptance Trial NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- Future USS Detroit (LCS 7) successfully concluded its acceptance trial July 15 after completing a series of graded in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV).
• Forces Take to the Field for Sea Breeze 16 NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- More than 250 multinational military service members participated in the Sea Breeze 2016 land component demonstration at the Shyrokyi Lan training facility in Shyrokyl Lan, Ukraine, July 21.
• USS Ross to Enter Black Sea NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) transited the Bosphorus Strait July 22, en route to the Black Sea to take part in Sea Breeze 2016.
• Military Sealift Command, USARPAC Voyage Through Pacific Pathways NNS 22 Jul 2016 -- Despite continued conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, the U.S. remains committed to a refocus of strategic priorities to the Pacific region.
• US Plan to Diversify Expendable Space Launch Vehicles Being Questioned Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- The US Air Force strategy to encourage different companies to provide competing first stage rocket boosters for launching satellites into orbit is being questioned as potentially unsustainable, officials say.
• NATO Troops Presence Provides Poland With Tangible Security Guarantees Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said that NATO collective defense does not work automatically as ways of response to aggression against a bloc's member state vary.
• Kerry, Responding To Trump, Says U.S. 'Fully Committed' To NATO RFE/RL 22 Jul 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry assured NATO allies in eastern Europe that the United States remains "fully committed" to defending them despite a pullback suggested by Donald Trump.
• Russia Conducts Electronic Launches From New Iskander Missile Systems Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- The Russian Defense Ministry's Eastern Military District troops held the first training electronic launches of the new Iskander-M tactical operational missile complexes in Russia's Astrakhan region, the district's spokesman said Friday.
• India air force plane goes missing with 29 on board Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- The Indian military says an air force plane with 29 passengers on board has gone missing over the Bay of Bengal, prompting a search and rescue operation in the area.
• Massive Search Operation Launched for Missing Indian Air Force Jet Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- India has launched a massive search operation in the Bay of Bengal for a missing AN 32 Indian Air Force plane. A dozen ships have been launched to look for the aircraft.
• India Set to Test Domestically-Produced Scramjet Engine in Third Quarter Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- In a bid to position itself as a competitive provider of launch services, India has developed a new rocket capable of doing the job faster and at a lower cost.
• UN Authorizes Countries to Help Destroy Libya's Chemical Weapons Sputnik 23 Jul 2016 -- The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution which allows states to receive, take away and destroy Libyan chemical weapons in order to help the country eliminate the toxic agents.
• July 22, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 22 Jul 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 22, 2016
• India Constructs Special Dock to Build High-Capacity Aircraft Carriers Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- The new dock will not only serve a military purpose, but will also play an important role in fulfilling India's energy requirements.

Other Conflicts

• UN agencies launch new tool to help displaced populations manage fuel needs UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- Two United Nations agencies have issued a new technical handbook to assist humanitarian workers to address multifaceted problems related to cooking fuel for refugees and displaced people.
• Top US Official Expected to Urge Beijing to Avoid Escalation in S. China Sea VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice will travel to Beijing and Shanghai next week, ahead of the September G-20 summit in China, the White House said in a statement Friday.
• Op-ed: South China Sea arbitration turned a blind eye to UNCLOS, exceeded own competence and exposed tribunal's ignorance People's Daily 22 Jul 2016 -- By now it's a well-known fact that the South China Sea arbitration was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, and that it focused on the dispute between China and the Philippines about territorial sovereignty and sea delimitations.
• China Using 'Soft Power' to Assert Rights Over South China Sea VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- Last week, days after The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration awarded the Philippines a victory in its case against China in the dispute over rights to the South China Sea, Beijing began a massive public relations campaign to press its position.
• President rebuts South China Sea ruling in first newspaper interview CNA 22 Jul 2016 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) reiterated Taiwan's stance of not accepting a recent ruling on the South China Sea in an interview with the Washington Post, calling for a peaceful resolution of the disputes.
• Presidential Office denies Okinotori issue might be dropped CNA 22 Jul 2016 -- The Presidential Office on Friday denied a media report that claimed a dispute over fishing in waters near the Japan-controlled Okinotori atoll might be excluded from the agenda of an upcoming Taiwan-Japan meeting on maritime cooperation.
• Taiwan to bring up Okinotori dispute with Japan in talks CNA 22 Jul 2016 -- Taiwan is intent on bringing up a dispute over fishing in waters near the Japan-controlled Okinotori atoll during a first meeting on maritime cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, but the stance may cause the meeting to be delayed.
• Syrian forces take control of key town near Damascus Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- Syrian forces on Friday took control of a strategic town in the Wadi Barada region near the capital Damascus amid ongoing battles against Takfiri terrorists in the country.
• Russia Able to Ramp Up Military Presence in Syria at Short-Notice if Needed Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia could expand its military presence in Syria very quickly if necessary.
• Syrian Fighters Seize Half of Manbij From Islamic State VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- Syrians battling Islamic State fighters in Manbij now have control of about half of the city, a spokesman for the anti-IS coalition said Friday.
• Russia Appoints New Commander of Syrian Operation Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- Lt. Gen. Alexander Zhuravlev replaced Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov as the commander of the Russian operation in Syria, according to a source.
• Hollande: France to supply Iraqi forces with weapons Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- President Francois Hollande says France will supply Iraqi forces with weapons in the fight against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.
• No need for US forces in Mosul liberation offensive: Iraq MP Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- An Iraqi parliamentary panel has opposed the role of US troops in the liberation of Mosul, saying Iraq's armed forces can recapture the Daesh-held city on their own.
• Benghazi hospital receives 14 bodies killed execution-style Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- The Benghazi Medical Center in Libya's second city said Friday it had received the bodies of over a dozen people killed execution-style.
• Ukraine Still Unwilling to Carry Out Minsk Deal - Russian Envoy to OSCE Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- Russian envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) Alexander Lukashevich said that it should be reminded that the Minsk package of measures requires Kiev to conduct direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk on all aspects of the settlement.
• 26,000 South Sudanese have fled to Uganda, UN says Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency says over 26,000 people in South Sudan have fled to Uganda since early July, when clashes erupted in the capital Juba.
• Over 26,000 people flee South Sudan into Uganda; influx sets single-day record UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- Some 26,500 South Sudanese, mostly women and children, have crossed into Uganda since fighting between rival forces erupted in and around the capital, Juba, on 7 July, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.
• Aid reaches thousands affected by Boko Haram violence in northern Nigeria – UN UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- In a cross-border humanitarian operation, a total of 31 metric tonnes of food and some non-food items have been distributed to about 15,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Banki, located in Nigeria's restive Borno state, near the border with Cameroon, the United Nations relief wing announced today.
• Mutual Mistrust Reignites Fight in Kidal, Mali VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- All afternoon and into the evening, Kidal residents hunkered down in their homes, waiting for the clashes raging at their doorsteps to subside.
• Mali: UN mission condemns renewed clashes between armed groups in country's north UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has condemned the clashes that took place yesterday in Kidal between forces of The Platform Movement and those of the Coordination of movements of Azawad (CMA), both of which are signatories to the country's peace agreement.
• Ban appoints Chilean national as Deputy Special Representative for Central African Republic UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Fabrizio Hochschild of Chile as his new Deputy Special Representative for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

News Reports

• US could hand over Gulen quickly if wants to: Turkey FM Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu calls for a "decisive" action by the United States with regard to the extradition of opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of orchestrating last week's failed coup attempt.
• Gulen movement to be treated as separatist terrorist group: Erdogan Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the movement affiliated to US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen would be treated as "another separatist terrorist organization" in the wake of last Friday's failed coup attempt against his government.
• Turkey Says U.S. Proposes Commission On Cleric's Extradition RFE/RL 22 Jul 2016 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Washington has proposed creating a commission to deal with the possible extradition of the U.S.-based cleric whom Ankara blames for last week's failed coup attempt.
• Obama: US Not Involved in Turkey Coup Attempt VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. had no knowledge of, or involvement in, last week's coup attempt in Turkey.
• Why Turkey's Erdogan Finds Gulen's Movement so Threatening VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- The state of emergency that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared this week is giving him even more power to expand a purge that has seen an estimated 60,000 people either arrested or suspended from their jobs. Much of that purge has targeted members of a massive, wealthy and influential spiritual movement led by Fethullah Gulen, an former imam living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
• What Would it Take for US to Extradite Muslim Cleric to Turkey? VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- If Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping the U.S. will quickly spirit his archnemesis Fethullah Gulen out of rural Pennsylvania to stand trial in Turkey for plotting last week's failed coup against his government, he'll be sorely disappointed.
• German Police: 8 Dead in Apparent Terror Attack VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- As police hunt those responsible for a deadly shooting rampage at a shopping mall in Munich, they are already calling it a terror attack.
• Eight killed in Munich shopping mall shooting, armed suspects at large Press TV 22 Jul 2016 -- At least eight people have been killed in a shooting at a major shopping center in the southern German city of Munich.
• Several Killed In Munich Shootings RFE/RL 22 Jul 2016 -- At least eight people have been killed in a shooting rampage at a shopping center in the German city of Munich, in what authorities suspect was a terrorist attack.
• IS Calls on Indonesian Militants to Avenge Santoso VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- A former member of the Jemaah Islamiah militant group says Islamic State leaders are calling for vengeance over Jakarta's recent killing of Indonesia's most wanted Islamist extremist.
• Top UN counter-terrorism official urges cohesive response to 'persistent' threat of terrorism UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- With more than 30,000 foreign terrorist fighters from some 100 countries around the world, terrorism is a global threat requiring a comprehensive and unified response, a top United Nations counter-terrorism official said today.
• France Charges Five Accomplices Of Nice Truck Driver With Terrorism RFE/RL 22 Jul 2016 -- The Paris prosecutor's office said late on July 21 that it filed terrorism charges against five accomplices of the truck driver who killed 84 people on a Nice beachfront.
• North Korean Economy Shrinks for the First Time in Five Years Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- The North Korean economy shrugged in 2015 for the first time in five years, South Korea's central bank said in a press release Friday.
• India Nuclear Suppliers Group Membership Depends on Signing NPT Sputnik 22 Jul 2016 -- No country which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) can become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Thursday.
• Kuwaiti Court Upholds Death Sentence Of Alleged Spy For Iran RFE/RL 22 Jul 2016 -- A Kuwaiti appeals court on July 21 upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of spying for Iran as part of a cell that was allegedly working with Tehran to destabilize the Gulf Arab state.
• Tsai rejects supposed deadline for accepting '1992 consensus' CNA 22 Jul 2016 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that she has done her best to narrow her government's differences with China and rejected a supposed deadline for Taiwan to accept a precondition laid out by Beijing for the continuation of relatively warm ties across the Taiwan Strait.
• MAC appeals to Beijing to recognize Taiwan's good will CNA 22 Jul 2016 -- Taiwan hopes China can understand that its recognition of the historical fact that understandings were reached between the two sides in 1992 is an important and friendly declaration, a Taiwanese official said Friday.
• No Isolationist Path for Britain, Johnson Insists VOA 22 Jul 2016 -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday that his country's planned departure from the European Union did not mean it was following an isolationist path.
• Lebanon: Security Council calls for presidential and parliamentary polls by next May UN News 22 Jul 2016 -- Expressing deep concern over the two-year-long vacancy in the presidency of Lebanon, the United Nations Security Council today urged Lebanese leaders to urgently convene a parliamentary session and called on all parties to negotiate a compromise agreement in order to end the country's political and institutional crisis.