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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 29 Jul 2016 [PDF]
• Counter-ISIL Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 29 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.
• Centcom Assessing If Airstrike in Syria Accidently Claimed Civilian Lives AFPS 29 Jul 2016 -- U.S. Central Command has begun an assessment to determine if a U.S. airstrike yesterday near Manbij, Syria, resulted in unintentional civilian deaths, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters today.
• Afghan IDPs Suffering Due to Government Inaction, Donor Fatigue VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- The Afghan government has been unable to help some of its most vulnerable citizens, those displaced internally by violence, due to resistance from provincial governments, lack of capacity in key ministries, and corruption, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
• US Agency Says Afghan Forces Lost Territory in 2016 VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- The Afghan government lost control of approximately 5 percent of the country's districts in the first five months of this year, and high attrition within the national army is affecting the experience level of front-line troops, a United States federal oversight agency reported Friday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF releases new ICBM solicitation AFNS 29 Jul 2016 -- The Air Force released July 29 a request for proposals for its Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile weapon system program; up to two contract awards are expected in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017.
• AF releases request for proposal for nuclear air-launched cruise missile replacement AFNS 29 Jul 2016 -- The Air Force released July 29 a request for proposals to industry for its Long Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile program; up to two contract awards are expected in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017.
• F-35A program continues to make improvements AFNS 29 Jul 2016 -- Airmen of the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings have been preparing the F-35A Lightning II for combat readiness since the first operational aircraft was received in September 2015.
• AF maintenance squadron prepares C-130 for US Forest Service AFNS 29 Jul 2016 -- What started out as an aircraft used by the Coast Guard and later maintained by Airmen will soon end up in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service.
• Force of The Future Requires Commitment By All, Carter Says AFPS 29 Jul 2016 -- The Force of the Future takes commitment by all service members to modernize the U.S. military and keep it strong, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told sailors yesterday at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.
• Scaparrotti Discusses Russian, North Korean Threats at Aspen Forum AFPS 29 Jul 2016 -- The participants in the Aspen Security Forum received a "two-fer" last night as Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti and "Washington Post" journalist David Ignatius spoke about the general's experiences Korea and Europe.
• US-Japan Mine Countermeasures Assets Set Complete Annual Exercise NNS 29 Jul 2016 -- U.S. Mine Countermeasures (MCM) units and Japanese Self Defense Force MCM units completed 2JA 2016 Mine Countermeasures Exercise (MCMEX), July 28.
• Amphibious Landing Operation Conducted at Sea Breeze 2016 NNS 29 Jul 2016 -- Over 220 U.S. Marines and Ukrainian forces participated in an amphibious landing operation in Odessa, Ukraine, July 27.
• USS Frank Cable Arrives in Goa, India NNS 29 Jul 2016 -- The submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) arrived in Goa, India, for a port visit, July 29.
• NAVAIR Marks First Flight with 3-D printed, safety-critical parts NNS 29 Jul 2016 -- Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) marked its first successful flight demonstration of a flight critical aircraft component built using additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, July 29.
• Old Faithful: Air Force Secretary Says No Replacement Proposal for A-10 Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- The US Air Force, considering an alternative for its aging A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, has no replacement proposal, US Air Force's top civilian Deborah Lee James said.
• Russia's Advanced New Surveillance Satellites to Keep an Eye on US Carriers Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has plans to launch a new orbital surveillance system aimed to bolster the reconnaissance capabilities of the Aerospace Defense Forces. What kinds of capabilities will the new system have? One of Russia's leading online news and analysis portals spoke to military experts to try and find out.
• Russian Yasen-Class Nuclear Submarines to Be Ready by 2023 – Russian Navy Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief said that a series of Russian Yasen-class (NATO reporting name: Severodvinsk-class) nuclear-powered submarines will be ready by 2023.
• Russian New Yasen-Class Nuclear Subs Able to Carry All Sea-Based Cruise Missiles Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- According to the sub's designer, Russia's new Yasen-class nuclear submarines are able to fire all sea-based cruise missiles from the country's arsenal.
• Russia'a 7th Yasen-Class Attack Submarine to Be Laid Down in July 2017 Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Seventh Yasen-class submarine will be laid down in July next year, according to the Sevmash shipbuilding company'd Director General Mikhail Budnichenko.
• Russian Navy to Create Special Icebreaker Fleet to Protect Interests in Arctic Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- The Russian Navy will create a special group of icebreakers for the protection of islands along the country's Arctic coast, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reports.
• US, Israel forces stage secret military drill Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Israel and the United States have reportedly staged a joint secret war game in southern Israel amid growing military cooperation between the two sides.
• Chinese soldiers to join anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea People's Daily 29 Jul 2016 -- Chinese soldiers will assist Western African countries in securing navigational safety in the Gulf of Guinea at a time when the region is facing an increasing threat from pirates, a visiting Chinese major general said here Thursday.
• Military enthusiast's blog shut down for revealing classified information People's Daily 29 Jul 2016 -- The blog of a military enthusiast from East China's Anhui Province was reportedly temporarily shut down for leaking military intelligence, highlighting concerns about citizens unintentionally revealing military secrets on social media.
• Vietnam, China hold joint anti-terror exercise People's Daily 29 Jul 2016 -- Border guard command of Vietnam's northern Ha Giang province and border police detachment in China's southwest Yunnan Province's Wenshan have held a joint anti-terror exercise, local media reported on Friday.
• India Upgrades Mirage 2000 Aircraft in Record Time Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- The new configuration covers the integration of specific Indian weapons, sensors and an electronic warfare system.
• Russia in Talks With India on Delivering 3 New Guided Missile Frigates Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Russia and India are discussing a delivery of three new guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy, the deputy chief of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) said Friday.
• Russia, China Warn Against Placing US Missiles in South Korea Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Russia and China condemn US plans to missiles to South Korea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
• Citizens, politicians, media in S. Korea raise voices against THAAD deployment People's Daily 29 Jul 2016 -- South Korean citizens, politicians and news organizations are raising a dissenting voice over the decision between Seoul and Washington to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in their homeland.
• UK-led high-readiness force trains in inaugural exercise UK MOD 29 Jul 2016 -- British military personnel have taken part in the first ever exercise to train a UK-led high-readiness joint force. 1600 UK personnel took part in Exercise Joint Venture at RAF St Mawgan, in Cornwall which tested the force headquarters to make sure they're ready to deploy under the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
• Turkey's Akinci Air Base Used by Coup Plotters Will Be Shut Down Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- All units that housed the coup plotters' military equipment would also be closed down, Binali Yildirim said.
• July 29, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2016
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz, 7/29/2016 The White House 29 Jul 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 29, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 29 July 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Jul 2016
• Millions worldwide trapped in vicious cycle of violence and hunger - UN UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- Two United Nations agencies warned the UN Security Council today that ongoing conflicts around the world have pushed more than 56 million people into "crisis" or "emergency" levels of food insecurity and are hindering efforts to eradicate malnutrition.
• China Diplomatic Victory Could Be Short Lived VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- With assertive rhetoric, China appears to have scored a diplomatic victory in the past week, defying the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) ruling against its sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which some argue may run the risk of making the tribunal award irreverent.
• Yemenis' retaliatory attacks leave 4 Saudi soldiers dead Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Yemeni army soldiers, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have reportedly launched two separate attacks against Saudi border guards in the kingdom's southwestern border regions of Jizan and Asir, leaving four soldiers dead.
• Houthi: Yemeni nation will not surrender Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Leader of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has called for a "resolution based on justice" to the conflict in the country, saying the nation will not surrender to the demands by the Saudi-backed party to the peace talks.
• Fresh Saudi airstrikes kill five Yemeni civilians in Hajjah Province Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- At least five Yemeni civilians, including three women, have lost their lives in new Saudi airstrikes after the Saudi side said the peace talks in Kuwait came to an end without a deal.
• Remarks at the Washington Conference on Threats to Religious and Ethnic Minorities Under ISIL US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2016 -- Remarks by Antony J. Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State
• Militants prevent civilians from fleeing Aleppo: Monitor Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Foreign-sponsored Takfiri militant groups fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are preventing civilians from fleeing Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo through humanitarian corridors set up by the government, a UK-based monitoring group says.
• 'Daesh executes 24 civilians in Syrian village' Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Daesh terrorists have executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a US-backed alliance, a monitor says.
• US-led air raids leave 15 civilians dead in northern Syria: Monitor Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- More than a dozen civilians have lost their lives and many more sustained injuries when fighter jets from the US-led military coalition launched airstrikes against purported positions of the Takfiri Daesh militant group in Syria's strategic northern province of Aleppo.
• Aleppo's Liberation is Close, But It'll Be a Tough Slog Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- The Syrian Army has surrounded the jihadist-held portions of the city of Aleppo. Offering fighters a chance to lay down their weapons and leave the city, the government is hoping to liberate the area and help put an end to Syria's long war. However, analysts are warning against too much optimism. Encirclement, they note, does not mean victory.
• Aleppo Relief Operation 'Purely Humanitarian' - Russian Military Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said that corridors for humanitarian convoys in Syria will be open not only from Aleppo but also to the besieged city.
• Russian Cabinet Approves Gov't Agreement to Deploy Air Grouping in Syria Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Russia will deploy the its air grouping in Syria, a document published on the official portal for legal information Friday said.
• UNICEF deplores 'shocking' attacks in northern Syria towns that leave scores of civilians dead UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has deplored recent shocking attacks in northern Syrian cities of Qamishli and Idlib, which killed more than 60 people including many children; reiterating that all parties to the conflict should respect international humanitarian law and protect children and civilians.
• UN envoy stresses imperative of establishing 48 hour pause for humanitarian access to Aleppo UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- As the humanitarian crisis reaches distressing levels in Syria particularly in and around battle-torn Aleppo, the United Nations envoy for the country welcomed today initiatives aimed at assisting the civilian population trapped amid the fighting and, "under the right circumstances," the implementation of humanitarian corridors.
• Fighting Near Iraq's Mosul May Force up to 1Mln People Flee - ICRC Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- According to International Committee of the Red Cross, clashes between the Iraqi army and the Daesh terrorist group near Mosul may force up to 1 million people leave their homes.
• MNJTF regains control of Damasak in Nigeria from Boko Haram Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- The Multinational Joint Task Force headquartered in Chad has regained control of a town in northeastern Nigeria from the grip of the Takfiri Boko Haram militants.
• After attack on convoy, UN suspends aid delivery in areas of restive north-eastern Nigeria UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations has temporarily halted humanitarian assistance missions in north-eastern Nigeria's restive Borno state after yesterday's attack on a multi-agency aid convoy which had been delivering desperately needed relief aid in a remote area of the region, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
• UN Peace Force in S. Sudan to Stay Longer; Expansion Possible VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations has extended its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan until August 12, amid increasing reports of renewed violence in the country's southern states.
• South Sudan stands on brink of abyss, warns UN chief Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed serious concerns about the ongoing violence in South Sudan, saying the African country stands "on the brink of an abyss."
• DR Congo: six years on, UN envoy calls for action in Walikale mass rape UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- Ahead of the six-year remembrance of a mass rape of more than 300 civilians residents of the Walikale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by armed groups, the United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict has called on the international community to be relentless in seeking accountability for the crimes.
• U.S. Diplomats Accuse Russia Of Undermining Ukraine Peace Plan RFE/RL 29 Jul 2016 -- Two top U.S. diplomats working to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine have accused Russia of continuing to supply separatist fighters with fuel and weapons and creating a "deteriorating security situation" in the region that is as bad as it was a year ago.
• Crimea's Merger With Southern Russia Will Complicate West's Sanctions Game Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Russian authorities have announced that the special Crimean Federal District has been merged with the neighboring Southern Federal District. According to experts, the move, designed to improve administrative efficiency, could also mean big headaches for Western governments' anti-Russian and anti-Crimean sanctions policies.
• Ukraine Downplays Trump's Rethinking Of Russian Claim To Crimea RFE/RL 29 Jul 2016 -- Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations downplayed a comment by U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that he would consider recognizing Russia's widely condemned annexation of Crimea.
• UN Approves Police Force to Promote Stability in Burundi VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- The U.N. Security Council on Friday authorized a 228-member international police force to deploy to Burundi to prevent human rights violations and provide stability for an intra-Burundian dialogue.

News Reports

• Hillary Clinton To Seek 'More Perfect Union' If Elected U.S. President RFE/RL 29 Jul 2016 -- Hillary Clinton called for unity, mocked her Republican opponent, and pushed a message of shared prosperity, as she accepted the Democratic Party's nomination to be president with "determination and boundless confidence in America's promise."
• Hillary Clinton Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president Thursday night with a message stressing the need to unite in order to confront the nation's challenges.
• Allegation of DoD Official's Support in Attempted Turkey Coup Untrue, Spokesman Says AFPS 29 Jul 2016 -- Turkey is a key United States ally and any suggestion of a Defense Department official supporting a recent military coup there is unfounded, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters today.
• Turkey's Prime Minister Confident Gulen to Be Brought Back From US Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara will succeed in bringing US-based dissident Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen back to the country.
• Turkey Identifies Percentage of Military Ankara Claims Took Part in Coup Attempt Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- As the Turkish government continues a widespread purge of its countrymen following last week's coup attempt, precise numbers of those implicated are becoming clearer.
• IS Use of Social Media to Recruit, Radicalize Still a Top Threat to US VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- Nearly eight months after overhauling its strategy to curtail the Islamic State terror group's success in cyberspace, U.S. officials admit it is hard to know if they are making much headway.
• Pyongyang Executes Six Officials After Workers Escape From China to S Korea Sputnik 29 Jul 2016 -- Pyongyang publicly executed six officials after several North Korean restaurant workers escaped from China and fled to South Korea, the chairman of the South Korea-based Abductees' Family Union said Friday.
• North Korean Seeking Refuge at South Korea Consulate in Hong Kong VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- An 18-year-old North Korean man who went to Hong Kong to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad took refuge in the South Korean consulate there Wednesday, according to local news media.
• MAC's consulting committee urges 2nd dialogue track with China CNA 28 Jul 2016 -- The consultative committee under Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has urged the government to launch a second dialogue track with China in a bid to continue exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.
• UN members permitted to use China's manned space station People's Daily 29 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) have agreed to work together to develop the space capabilities of United Nations member states through the use of China's planned space station, according to a report by PHYS.org.
• On World Day, UN urges stronger action to shield millions from human trafficking UN News 29 Jul 2016 -- The international community must do more to end the inhumane practice of human trafficking and protect migrants and refugees – particularly young people, women and children – from those who attempt to exploit their opportunity for a better future, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging all nations to recognize their responsibility in combating the global scourge.
• UN rights body 'concerned' over Malaysia's controversial security law Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- The United Nations Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia says it is "gravely concerned" that the Malaysian government is to enact a security law that grants it extraordinary emergency powers.
• Venezuela opposition reinstates 3 MPs banned over fraud allegations Press TV 29 Jul 2016 -- Venezuela's opposition-run National Assembly has reinstated three lawmakers accused of fraud in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling, a move that could heighten political tensions in the country.
• Two Senior Abkhaz Officials Resign RFE/RL 29 Jul 2016 -- The failure earlier this month of a bid by opposition parties to mobilize the population of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia to participate in a referendum on holding an early presidential election has not defused political tensions.
• Analysts: Cambodia to 'Pay Price' for Siding With China VOA 29 Jul 2016 -- Cambodian diplomacy may have succeeded in watering down an ASEAN communique aimed at tackling Chinese maritime ambitions, but some analysts call it was a hollow victory, which has split the 10-nation trading bloc.