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Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 16 Aug 2016 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Garver via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 16 Aug 2016 -- Presenter: Colonel Christopher Garver, Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman; Captain Jeff Davis, Director, Defense Press Office
• Coalition Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 16 Aug 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.
• Local Forces Clear Manbij in Syria After Seizing Control From ISIL AFPS 16 Aug 2016 -- After seizing control on Friday of the Syrian city Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Syrian Arab Coalition element of the Syrian Democratic Forces are clearing the city to make it safe for returning civilians, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today
• Goldfein talks air coalition ops during CENTCOM region visit AFNS 16 Aug 2016 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein recently visited the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to get a sense of not only how the campaign is going as a member of the joint chiefs but also to get an understanding of how he can better support Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and coalition partners regarding the impact on the service today.
• Afghan IS Commander 'Pressured' Wife To Become Suicide Bomber RFE/RL 16 Aug 2016 -- An Afghan woman has surrendered to police claiming that her husband, a local commander for the militant group Islamic State, (IS) was pressuring her to carry out a suicide bombing, officials said.
• Airstrikes Near Afghan Border Kill 14 Militants, Pakistan Says VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- Airstrikes near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have killed at least 14 militants and wounded 11 others, Pakistan's military said late Tuesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF to grow, enhance Nellis group with close air support focus AFNS 16 Aug 2016 -- Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base plans to restructure the 57th Operations Group to enhance its focus on close air support integration, Air Force officials announced Aug. 16.
• Marine Corps stays one step ahead of the enemy with new, lighter surveillance sensor USMC News 16 Aug 2016 -- Marine Corps Systems Command is equipping Marines with a smaller, lighter, longer-lasting measurement and signature intelligence sensor to keep them one step ahead of the enemy.
• Secretary Mabus Names Destroyer for Medal of Honor Recipient NNS 16 Aug 2016 -- In a ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, DDG 122, will be named John Basilone in honor of the Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient.
• Mount Whitney Arrives in Theoule-sur-Mer NNS 16 Aug 2016 -- U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Theoule-sur-Mer, France, Aug. 14 for a scheduled port visit to participate in commemorative events honoring the liberation of southern France by allied forces during World War II.
• Pacific Partnership 2016 Completes Palau Mission NNS 16 Aug 2016 -- Pacific Partnership 2016 departed Palau Aug. 15 aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002) after completing two weeks of medical and engineering initiatives designed to promote cooperation and knowledge exchange between local authorities and the multinational Pacific Partnership team.
• San Francisco visits Yokosuka during Western Pacific Deployment NNS 16 Aug 2016 -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a routine visit as part of its deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, Aug. 14.
• Bold Alligator 2016 Exercises Amphibious Forces NNS 16 Aug 2016 -- Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) Command and Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) commenced Exercise Bold Alligator 2016 (BA16) in Norfolk, Aug. 15.
• “NATO and Russia: Why Transparency is Essential” - Op-ed article by NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow NATO 16 Aug 2016 -- This op-ed was originally published by Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung on 16 August 2016.
• Russia launches drills in Caspian Sea IRNA 16 Aug 2016 -- The Russia Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that the Russian Navy has launched maneuvers in the southwestern part of the Caspian Sea.
• Russia anti-terror drills underway in Mediterranean Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Russia has launched anti-terror maneuvers in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea near Syria​, the Defense Ministry says.
• Russia Tests Surveillance Station for Deployment on Portable Air Defense Systems Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- The Russian Defense Ministry is testing a new compact air surveillance station with a target detection function for possible deployment on portable air defense systems, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on Tuesday, citing a source in the ministry familiar with the situation.
• Russian Northern Fleet Anti-Submarine Ships Carry Out Air Defense Drills Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyers from the Russian Northern Fleet have carried out exercises in repelling air attacks, the fleet's press service said Tuesday.
• MOD signs £184 million contract to secure air-to-air missiles for the F-35B UK MOD 16 Aug 2016-- The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded a contract worth around £184 million to ensure the UK’s new supersonic stealth combat aircraft will continue to be equipped with the latest air-to-air missile.
• Canada Launches Flight Safety Training Program for Ukrainian Armed Forces Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- The goal of the three-week program is to train up to 60 Ukrainian flight safety specialists and their commanding officers before April 2017.
• Military anti-graft drive widens with fee ban People's Daily 16 Aug 2016 -- A ban on the collection of fees for recruiting soldiers is part of China's wider campaign against corruption in the military, media reported.
• India to Upgrade Russian-Made Su-30 Fighter Jets Amid Delay in Rafale Deal Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- India has finalized a plan to modernize their fleet of Su-30 fighter aircrafts, as a deal with Rafale has yet to be signed and the Indian Air Force urgently needs a stealth aircraft.
• Iran will continue advisory assistance to Syria, Iraq: Shamkhani Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- A senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic will continue providing advisory assistance to Syria and Iraq to fully eliminate the threat of terrorist groups in the Middle East.
• Pyongyang Calls on Germany to Scrap Taurus Missile Deliveries to South Korea Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- North Korea calls on Germany to scrap the planned deliveries of Taurus air-to-ground cruise missiles to South Korea, the North Korean Embassy in Russia said Tuesday.
• US to Provide Aegis Systems for Three More Sejong-Class S. Korean Warships Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- The United States will provide Aegis missile defense systems for three additional KDX, or Sejong-class destroyers in the South Korean Navy, and two more Japanese Atako-class destroyers, defense contractor Lockheed Martin said in a press release.
• Officer did not hack military internal server: MND CNA 16 Aug 2016 -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday denied a news report that an officer had hacked into the military's internal server and gained access to classified information.
• Three soldiers killed after Army tank falls into river CNA 16 Aug 2016 -- An Army CM-11 tank fell into a stream in Pingtung County on Tuesday after a training exercise, leaving one soldier and two non-commissioned officers dead and one severely injured, the Army said.
• All-volunteer force ambitions hit another bump in the road CNA 16 Aug 2016 -- The Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday that it will continue to draft eligible citizens in 2017, the second time it has pushed back the target date for ending conscription as Taiwan tries to shift to an all-volunteer force.
• August 16, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 16 Aug 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 16, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 16 August 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Aug 2016
• UN aid chief releases $50 million 'lifeline' in emergency funds for people in urgent need UN News 16 Aug 2016 -- The top United Nations relief official released today $50 million for severely underfunded aid operations in six neglected emergencies around the world from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which supports urgent, life-saving humanitarian responses.
• Yemen: Ban condemns reported coalition airstrike on rural hospital that leaves 11 dead UN News 16 Aug 2016 -- Reiterating his call on all warring parties in Yemen to immediately implement the cessation of hostilities, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the reported coalition airstrike yesterday on a hospital in the rural town of Hajjah that killed 11 people.
• UN concerned about Saudi airstrikes on Yemen Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- The United Nations has expressed concern about aerial assaults conducted by Saudi Arabia on Yemen after a deadly airstrike on a hospital in the impoverished country’s northwestern province of Hajjah.
• Russian Tu-22M3 'Backfire' long-range bombers strike ISIS from Iran's Hamadan airfield RT 16 Aug 2016-- Russia's long-range Tu-22M3 bombers delivered their first airstrikes on terrorist targets in Syria operating from an Iranian airbase. Moscow and Tehran cooperation in Syria is "strategic," confirmed the head of Iran's National Security Council.
• Russia, Iran Appear to Double Down on Assad's Behalf in Syria VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- Russia's use of an Iranian base to launch airstrikes in Syria jolted the U.S. and its allies in the region, but the timing may have more to do with concerns about the fate of the Syrian regime than the need of Moscow or Tehran to send a message.
• Russia's Airstrikes into Syria from Iran Signal Broader Strategy VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- By using a base in Iran to carry out airstrikes against militants in Syria, analysts say Russia is not only cutting flight time and saving fuel, but also deepening an alliance with Iran in joint support of the Syrian regime.
• Shamkhani: Iran-Russia cooperation on Syria strategic (updates) IRNA 16 Aug 2016 -- Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Tuesday that Iran and Russia enjoy strategic cooperation on campaign against terrorism in Syria and shared facilities.
• Tass: Iran, Russia agree to fight ISIL, Al-Nusra ISNA 16 Aug 2016 -- Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Iran and Russia stressed keeping ceasefire in Syria and fight terrorist groups including the ISIL and Al-Nusra in the country, Russian Tass News Agency reported.
• Daesh carries out chemical attack in northern Syria Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- The Daesh Takfiri terrorists have carried out a chemical attack on residential areas in northern Syria.
• Russia Launches Syrian Air Strikes From Iranian Base RFE/RL 16 Aug 2016 -- Russian state media say warplanes have flown air strikes in Syria from an Iranian air base, soon after officials in Moscow and Tehran announced the unprecedented cooperation as an effort to battle the militant group Islamic State (IS).
• Russian Use of Iranian Base 'Unfortunate, Not Surprising’ - US State Department Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- The United States considers Russia’s use of the Hamadan airbase in Iran for launching strikes in Syria unfortunate but not unexpected, US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
• ‘Surrender or starve’ strategy signals deeper agony ahead for civilians in Aleppo, UN panel warns UN News 16 Aug 2016 -- The situation of civilians in Aleppo is “critical and demands immediate attention and response,” a United Nations-mandated human rights panel warned today, expressing grave for the safety of the war-raved city’s people, including some 100,000 children, and urging countries with influence to pressure the parties to the conflict in Syria to return to political negotiations.
• US Coalition Clears Russian Warplanes' Path Through Iraq VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria cleared the way for Russian bombers to pass through Iraq on their way to Syria via an airbase in Iran.
• Shoigu Says U.S., Russia Near Agreement On Defusing Aleppo Crisis RFE/RL 16 Aug 2016 -- Russia's defense minister said Moscow and Washington are getting closer to an agreement that would help defuse the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Syrian city Aleppo.
• Iran Forces Kill IS-linked Fighters Near Iraq Border, Tehran Says VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- Iranian forces killed three men allegedly linked to the Islamic State group Tuesday in a border town near Iraq, Iranian media reported.
• Peshmerga Forces Start Clearance Operations to Prepare for Mosul Liberation Sputnik 16 Aug 2016 -- jKurdish Peshmerga troops have started clearance operations to prepare for the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh.
• Libya’s GNA forces liberate another district in Sirte Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Forces loyal to Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) have liberated one of the last districts in the coastal city of Sirte as they continue to push the Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of their stronghold in the North African country.
• Indian forces clash with anti-India protesters in Kashmir, kill five Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Five people have been killed in clashes between Indian government forces and pro-independence protesters in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
• Israeli authorities prepare to build settlement that would cut West Bank in two Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Israeli authorities are taking preparatory measures for the construction of an illegal settlement in the southern part of the occupied West Bank that would essentially split Palestinian territories in two.
• East African States See Rising Threat From al-Shabab VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- The militant group al-Shabab, once a threat primarily in Somalia, has grown and expanded its aspirations, operations and aims, and is preparing to wage a long war in East Africa, according to analysts and experts on the region.
• Biden Arrives In Pristina Urging Better Serbian-Kosovar Ties RFE/RL 16 Aug 2016 -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has arrived in Kosovo after a one-day visit to Serbia where he met with the Balkan country's top officials.
• Latest Boko Haram Video Reignites Debate Over Negotiations VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- It has been two days since the jihadist sect Boko Haram released a video that showed as many as 50 of the missing Chibok schoolgirls still alive, and the Nigerian government has yet to reach out to the family of the girl who was singled out in the video.

News Reports

• Trump: Supporters of Bigotry, Hatred Won't be Allowed to Enter US VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- Donald Trump on Monday called for "extreme vetting," including ideological screening, to make sure only people who share American values and respect the American people can emigrate to the United States.
• Zarif: US lagging behind implementing JCPOA IRNA 16 Aug 2016 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday echoed grievances about US lagging behind implementing JCPOA, saying that advances were made with the European parties to the nuclear deal.
• Iran to deal strongly with 5+1 lack of commitment: Deputy FM ISNA 16 Aug 2016 -- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said Iran will strongly deal with any kind of lack of commitment on the part of the 5+1 member states.
• Turkish PM withdraws calls for reinstatement of death penalty Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has withdrawn his previous calls for the reinstatement of death penalty as a way of dealing with those believed to have played a role in the mid-July abortive coup.
• Turkish police raid over 40 companies in post-coup clampdown Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- Turkish police have raided over 40 firms in Istanbul with warrants to arrest company executives as part of an investigation into the mid-July abortive coup.
• Kim Jong Un, Defender of Peace and Security KCNA 16 Aug 2016 -- It is the constant policy of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and unanimous will of all the Koreans to prevent the danger of war and safeguard the peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.
• China launches first-ever quantum communication satellite People's Daily 16 Aug 2016 -- China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gobi Desert at 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
• Bahrain authorities must end ‘systematic harassment’ of Shia population - UN rights experts UN News 16 Aug 2016 -- A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today expressed deep concerns at what they see as “systematic harassment” of the Shia population and religious leaders, including stripping the citizenship of many, by authorities in Bahrain.
• UN experts urge Bahrain to end crackdown on Shia community Press TV 16 Aug 2016 -- A number of United Nations-appointed independent experts have called on the Bahraini regime to halt its heavy-handed crackdown on the country’s Shia community, stressing that it is in violation of basic human rights in the tiny Persian Gulf island.
• Guidelines for `New Southbound Policy' adopted CNA 16 Aug 2016 -- The Presidential Office approved Tuesday a set of guidelines for the "New Southbound Policy," an important part of Taiwan's overall strategy to promote trade and economic ties with other countries.
• Amid Corruption Scandal, Malaysia’s PM Faces Challenge From Predecessor VOA 16 Aug 2016 -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing a challenge from one of the country's former leaders, as his administration tries to fend off allegations of corruption over misusing a multi-billion dollar development fund.