Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 28 Jul 2016 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 28 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.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by General Nicholson via teleconference from Afghanistan DoD 28 Jul 2016 -- Presenter: General John W. Nicholson, commander, Resolute Support and United States Forces-Afghanistan; Captain Jeff Davis, Director, Defense Press Office
• Afghanistan Counterterrorism Authority Has Significant Results, Nicholson Says AFPS 28 Jul 2016 -- Since President Barack Obama gave counterterrorism authority to U.S. forces in Afghanistan in January to strike the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant there, the U.S. and Afghan forces partnered mission has significantly cut enemy-held territory and has reduced the number of enemy fighters by nearly half, the commander of the Resolute Support mission and U.S. Forces Afghanistan told reporters today.
• Airstrikes, Injuries Underscore Greater US Involvement in Afghan Fight VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Increases in airstrikes, U.S. injuries, and a wider range of authorities for U.S. troops are revealing a much more involved U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, despite a planned reduction of troops there by the end of the year.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks by Secretary Carter at a Troop Event at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois DoD 28 Jul 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Remarks by Secretary Carter in a Media Availability at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois DoD 28 Jul 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• ANG, Romanian AF partnership soars over Campia Turzii AFNS 28 Jul 2016 -- Thousands of Romanian and European spectators marveled at aerial acrobatics in the skies and combat capability displays on the ground during an air show and open house at Campia Turzii, July 23.
• Secretary Mabus Names Destroyer for Medal of Honor Recipient NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- In a ceremony at Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., July 28, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, DDG 124, will be named Harvey C. Barnum Jr. in honor of the retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the Vietnam War.
• US Military Vessel Embarks JGSDF Vehicles for First Point-to-Point Shipment NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- Embarkation for the first ever point-to-point shipment of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) vehicles aboard a U.S. military vessel took place at Commander, U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, July 27.
• NAVSUP GLS ELRT Supports RIMPAC 2016 NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- Naval Supply Systems Command Global Logistics Support (NAVSUP GLS) completed the deployment of a five-person Enterprise Logistics Response Team (ELRT) July 22 during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016, the world's largest international maritime exercise.
• 22nd Iteration of CARAT Singapore Holds Closing Ceremony NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- The 22nd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the U.S. Navy and Republic of Singapore Armed Forces came to a close at Changi Naval Base July 28.
• Pacific Partnership 2016 Completes First Live SAR Field Training Exercise in Vietnam NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- Pacific Partnership service members from New Zealand, the U.S. and Australia supported a Da Nang border guard-led Search and Rescue Field Training Exercise (SAR FTX) July 26 that began on the Han River and concluded aboard Vietnam people's navy hospital ship Khanh Hoa and USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
• Navy Breaks Ground on New Red Hill Groundwater Monitoring Site NNS 28 Jul 2016 -- The Navy resumed work, July 27, on a new groundwater monitoring well - its 11th monitoring site - near the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to protect drinking water on Oahu.
• Putin Pushing Russia's Foreign Policy Boundaries, DoD Official Says AFPS 28 Jul 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing the boundaries for what his country's foreign policy is going to be about for the next decade, the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs said today at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
• Russia About to Drastically Boost Its Orbital Surveillance Capabilities Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- A new type of advanced surveillance satellites will soon bolster the reconnaissance capabilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
• Russian Next-Generation 'Doomsday Plane' Finally Ready for Action Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- On July 27 Voronezh Aircraft Factory finally presented Russia's Ministry of Defense the new specialized airborne command system also known as the 'doomsday plane'.
• Russia's New Lider-Class Destroyer to Be Laid Down in 2019 Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Russia's cutting-edge project 23560 Lider-class nuclear-powered destroyer will be set up in 2019.
• Russia to Finish Construction of Novorossiysk Naval Base by 2020 Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Novorossiysk navak base will have been constructed by the end of 2020, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, the former head of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said in an interview.
• Russia to Send Aircraft Carrier to Mediterranean Before 2017 for Up to 4 Months Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Russia will deploy its aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea before the end of 2016 for a period of up to four months.
• Xi calls for further armed forces reform People's Daily 28 Jul 2016 -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for the building of strong armed forces through military reform.
• China, Russia navies to hold drill in South China Sea: spokesperson People's Daily 28 Jul 2016 -- The navies of China and Russia will hold a joint drill in South China Sea in September, spokesperson Yang Yujun of China's Defense Ministry said Thursday.
• UK Ready to Grow Defense Budget Even Further For New $240Mln Naval Gun Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Defense Ministry said that UK's growing military budget can accommodate a new weapons system worth over $240.6 million, to be fitted on the next-generation Global Combat Ship.
• £183 million deal for new gun on Type 26 Global Combat Ship sustains 43 skilled UK jobs UK MOD 28 Jul 2016 -- The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has signed a £183 million contract for a weapons system which will sit on board the Royal Navy's new next generation Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
• Boeing Steers Clear of Compliance With $4.1 Bln Indian Air Force Deal Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- India alleges that Boeing has categorically failed to provide the training and infrastructural services that it had agreed to deliver as part of a deal for the purchase of ten C-17 heavy-lifting transport aircraft.
• Indian Defense Military Buyers to Go Back to Negotiating School Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- India finds itself in a tight spot as many agreements pertaining to defense procurement are yet to be translated into actual deals, resulting in negotiators losing their confidence.
• Army uses graphic drones in borders: commander IRNA 28 Jul 2016 -- Commander of Ground Force of the Iranian Army said the graphic drones and systems are being used in the country's borders, stressing that it has turned Iran's borders into one of the safest ones in the region.
• China Unhappy That Seoul Accepted US Missile-Defense System VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says South Korea's recent decision to deploy the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile defense system harms the foundation of mutual trust between Beijing and Seoul.
• U.S. Mulls Deploying Improved PAC-3 MSE in S. Korea KCNA 28 Jul 2016 -- It was disclosed on July 25 that the U.S. is going to deploy improved PAC-3 MSE, whose maximum altitude is twice that of PAC-3 now deployed in the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces present in south Korea.
• Turkey Looks to Rebuild Military After Purging Half Its Generals VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- A day after Turkey dismissed more than 2,400 military personnel, its Supreme Military Council gathered in a hastily planned meeting for appointing their replacements.
• Failed Afghan Army Vehicle Maintenance Program to Cost US Taxpayers $1Bln Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- US Department of Defense inaction to correct contractor deficiencies and seek repayment of funds, resulted in the need for a new Afghan army vehicle maintenance contract that is projected to cost more than $1 billion over the next 5 years, according to a report.
• July 28, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 28 Jul 2016
• Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/28/16 The White House 28 Jul 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 28, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 28 July 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 28 Jul 2016
• At Security Council, Ban cites shared responsibility to 'nurture seeds of peace and prosperity' in Africa UN News 28 Jul 2016 -- Citing persisting instability in number of African countries – from South Sudan to Mali and Libya, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed that building peace and restoring institutions in post-conflict settings are long-term processes that must be rooted in a country's historical, political, social, cultural and economic contexts.
• China urges Japan, U.S.,Australia to do right things for peace in Asia-Pacific People's Daily 28 Jul 2016 -- China on Wednesday urged Japan, the United States and Australia to view and deal with the South China Sea issue in a right attitude.
• Yemenis kill 4 Saudi officers in retaliatory attacks Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- At least four Saudi military officers have reportedly been killed in a series of retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces.
• Civilian targets hit in fresh Saudi airstrikes in Yemen Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Saudi warplanes have carried out a series of fresh airstrikes against residential neighborhoods across Yemen, but there is no immediate report on possible casualties and extent of damage.
• U.S., UN Concerned About Russian 'Humanitarian Operation' In Aleppo RFE/RL 28 Jul 2016 -- The U.S. State Department has expressed concerns about what Russia is calling a "large-scale humanitarian operation" in Syria, saying Moscow's announcement appears to be a demand for the surrender of militant groups and the forced evacuation of civilians from the besieged city of Aleppo.
• Russia: Corridors to be Set Up to Evacuate Civilians, Unarmed Fighters from Aleppo VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says four corridors will be set up to permit civilians and unarmed fighters to leave the now-besieged rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo. The Syrian government is promising amnesty to fighters who surrender within three months.
• UN Syria Envoy: 'Devil Is in the Details' of Russian Aleppo Proposal VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- U.N. officials are studying a new Russian military proposal to establish four corridors to allow civilians and rebels to leave the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
• Russia, Syria Forces Accused Of Extensive Use Of Cluster Bombs RFE/RL 28 Jul 2016 -- Russian and Syrian forces have renewed their use of widely banned cluster bombs against civilians and rebels in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on July 28.
• Paris, London Stress Need to Boost Efforts to Combat Terrorist Groups in Syria Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and his UK counterpart pointed out in a joint communique on Thursday the need to increase counterterrorism efforts in Syria.
• Russia, Syria Launch Mass Humanitarian Operation in Aleppo Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Russia and the Syrian government have launched a joint humanitarian relief operation in Aleppo.
• Proposed humanitarian corridors in Aleppo must be guaranteed by all sides, says UN relief chief UN News 28 Jul 2016 -- Amid reports that Aleppo is 'de facto besieged,' as the war-battered city is now almost completely encircled by Syrian troops, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today reiterated his demand for safe, regular and sustained access to the quarter of a million people trapped behind the front lines, and stressed that "all options must be considered."
• Syrian Rebel Realignment Likely as al-Qaida Leader Blesses Split VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Showing his face for the first time since his jihadist group was formed in 2012, the head of Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Mohamad al-Jolani, announced that he was breaking ties with al-Qaida in remarks broadcast Thursday by Al-Jazeera news channel.
• Nusra Front in Syria breaks ties with parent organization al-Qaeda Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- The al-Qaeda branch in Syria, al-Nusra Front, has announced its break from the parent terror organization in an apparent bid to gain more support from foreign powers.
• Al-Qaeda militant group allows Syrian branch to disintegrate Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Al-Qaeda has permitted its branch in Syria, al-Nusra Front, to break relations with the terror group, in a move that could pave the way for greater foreign support for the Takfiri Nusra terrorists who are wreaking havoc in the country.
• Votel Impressed by Iraqi Leaders' Rising Confidence in Counter-ISIL Fight AFPS 28 Jul 2016 -- The commander of U.S. Central Command is impressed by the increasing level of confidence among Iraqi leaders in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi to be granted official status: PM Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- The Iraqi government says Hashd al-Shaabi forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), are to be placed on par with Iraq's army units and subject to military law.
• Speculation Grows That Peace Process With Kurds Could Resume VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Speculation is growing that the stalled peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurdish rebels could resume after its breakdown last year.
• Deadline Looms for Displaced Pakistanis Living in Afghanistan VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- Authorities in Pakistan say tens of thousands of families who took refuge in Afghanistan two years ago after fleeing a Pakistani counter-militancy offensive have until Monday to register to return home.
• Tunisian soldiers kill two militants near border with Algeria Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Tunisian troops have killed at least two Takfiri militants in the troubled northwest of the country, after a series of terrorist attacks by Daesh militants left dozens dead in the North African country.
• 500 UN observers to monitor Colombia-FARC deal: Official Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Some 500 observers with the United Nations (UN) will monitor a demobilization and disarmament deal between Colombia's government and FARC rebels, a Colombian official says.
• Security Council urges cooperation among countries in West Africa and the Sahel to tackle Boko Haram UN News 28 Jul 2016 -- While welcoming recent political developments recently observed in West Africa, the United Nations Security Council today stressed the need to increase military cooperation between the States in the region and Sahel to fight against the terrorist group Boko Haram.
• UNICEF Suspends Aid to Northern Nigeria After Attack on Convoy VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations says it is suspending humanitarian assistance missions to Nigeria's Borno state pending a security review, after an aid convoy was ambushed by unidentified attackers Thursday in northern Nigeria.

News Reports

• UN and OSCE experts condemn Turkey's crackdown on media UN News 28 Jul 2016 -- Two top media freedom experts of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today condemned the ongoing crackdown on journalists and the media by the Government of Turkey in the wake of the recent attempted coup.
• Turkey-US Relations Strained by Coup Attempt VOA 28 Jul 2016 -- The strategically critical U.S.-Turkey relationship is coming under increasing strain as authorities in Ankara crack down on alleged coup plotters and sympathizers.
• Turkish seeks control over army, spy agency: Turkish official Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the country's armed forces and spy agency to be brought under the presidency's control in the wake of the failed coup of July 15.
• Turkey sacks 88 Foreign Ministry staff in post-coup crackdown Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry staffers have become the latest target of Ankara's coup-related crackdown, with officials saying dozens of employees have been fired over suspected links to the recent foiled putsch.
• FM Spokesman Denounces U.S. Secretary of State's Reckless Remarks against DPRK KCNA 28 Jul 2016 -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK gave the following answer to the question put by KCNA on Thursday as regards the U.S. cunning moves at the ministerial meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum held in Laos to lay the blame for the escalating tension on the Korean peninsula at the door of the former, while taking issue with its self-defensive nuclear deterrent:
• Significance of DPRK's Victory in Korean War KCNA 28 Jul 2016 -- Under the guidance of President Kim Il Sung, the army and people of the DPRK won the 1950-1953 Korean War, provoked by the U.S. imperialists, and thus reliably defended the freedom and independence of the country but also the peace of the world.
• US crossed red line by putting N Korean leader on sanctions list: Top diplomat Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- A top North Korean diplomat says Washington has "crossed the line" and effectively declared war against Pyongyang by putting the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, on its list of sanctions.
• North Korea Accuses South of Sending Snakes Across the Border Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Documenting an unusually high number of snakes coming out of Yalu river, North Korean authorities have accused the South of a "cunning plot" to destabilize their northern neighbor by releasing hordes of the legless reptiles.
• Putin Merges Russia's Crimean, Southern Federal Districts Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- Russia's Southern and Crimean federal districts are united into an enlarged Southern Federal District, according to the newly issued presidential decree.
• Putin Reshuffles Regional Leaders Ahead Of Vote; Russian Customs Chief Out RFE/RL 28 Jul 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has abruptly reshuffled several regional leaders and dismissed the ambassador to Ukraine in a substantial shake-up that also included the removal of the country's longtime customs chief.
• Hollande says France will form National Guard Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- French President Francois Hollande has announced the creation of a National Guard, in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks, including the murder of a Normandy priest, in the European country.
• French Government to Create National Guard to Protect Citizens From Terrorism Sputnik 28 Jul 2016 -- French President Francois Hollande decided to establish the National Guard from the existing operating reserves, according to the statement of the Elysee Palace.
• Obama Hails Clinton As 'Clear' Choice For White House RFE/RL 28 Jul 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has praised Hillary Clinton as an exceptionally qualified candidate for the presidency, saying the "choice isn't even close" in her race for the White House against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
• Fresh talks fail to form coalition govt. in Spain Press TV 28 Jul 2016 -- Negotiations among Spain's major parties have failed again to end the seven-month political stalemate in the country.