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Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 16 May 2017[PDF]
• Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 16 May 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 28 strikes consisting of 91 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 16 May 2017 -- The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
• Taliban Categorically Rejects Peace Talks With Afghan Government VOA 16 May 2017 -- The Taliban has categorically stated that seeking a peace deal with the current government in Afghanistan would be tantamount to a surrender to the "enemy" and contrary to Islamic faith.
• Afghan forces recapture key district from Taliban in Kunduz Province Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Afghan forces have recaptured a key district in the northern province of Kunduz from the Taliban militant group, which has stepped up its deadly attacks against government and civilian targets in recent weeks.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Ronald Reagan Shifts Colors to Commence 2017 Patrol NNS 16 May 2017 -- The Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 resumed operations in the 7th Fleet area of operations (AOO) after departing Yokosuka, Japan, May 16.
• Makin Island ARG, 11th MEU Return from Deployment NNS 16 May 2017 -- Sailors and Marines of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) returned to their homeport at Naval Station San Diego, May 15, after a successful seven-month deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation.
• America Conducts Ammunition Transfer With Makin Island NNS 16 May 2017 -- The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) received unexpended ammunition during an ordnance transfer from the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) while underway off the coast of Southern California during a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX), May 12.
• Pentagon Signs Deal With UAE on US Military Presence in Country Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- The United States signed a framework military cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 8 that outlines the principles for US troop's presence in that country, Department of Defense spokesman Christopher Sherwood told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• Washington, Abu Dhabi sign military cooperation deal Press TV 16 May 2017 -- The United States has signed a new military cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key member of the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen.
• Secretary General commends Bulgaria's contributions to NATO NATO 16 May 2017 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised Bulgaria's contributions to NATO in talks with the Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ekaterina Zaharieva, on Tuesday (16 May 2017).
• UAE 'deploys military forces to Yemeni island for training' Press TV 16 May 2017 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says it has deployed military recruits to Yemen's strategic Socotra Island for training purposes.
• China dispatches 5th peacekeeping force to Mali People's Daily 16 May 2017 -- A team of 190 officers and soldiers Tuesday departed from northeast China's Dalian for a United Nationspeacekeeping mission in Mali.
• Incirlik Crisis: Are German Armed Forces Really Planning to Leave Military Base? Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Berlin will consider other options for the placement of its armed forces following Ankara's decision to ban German lawmakers from visiting the Turkish Incirlik military base.
• German-Turkish Relations Hit New Low as NATO Partners Fall Out Over Airbase Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- Diplomatic relations between Berlin and Ankara have plunged to a new low after Turkey refused to allow German lawmakers access to German staff working at the strategically important Incirlik airbase in southwestern Turkey.
• India Clears Way to Expand Naval Air Station in Indian Ocean Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- In a bid to strengthen its maritime capability close to the world's busiest shipping route, the Indian Navy has got the environmental clearance to expand Shibpur, the naval air station in the northern part of the Andaman Island.
• New Iranian defense systems go online: Comdr IRNA 16 May 2017 -- After being test fired successfully, new missile defense systems have been installed in the country, Commander of Khatam ul-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili said on Tuesday.
• Iran Installs New Missile Defense Systems at Bases Across Country - Reports Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- Iran has installed new missile defense systems at military bases across the country after their successful tests, local media reported Tuesday.
• Seoul May Launch Preemptive Strike in Case of 'Imminent' Pyongyang Attack Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- South Korea may carry out a preemptive strike if it becomes evident that North Korea will launch a massive missile attack against the country, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Tuesday.
• Turkey considers establishing military base in Syria's Idlib Press TV 16 May 2017 -- The Turkish army is mulling the establishment of a military base close to the Syrian city of al-Bab, says deputy prime minister.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Spicer The White House 16 May 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 17, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 16 May 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 May 2017
• UN aids Yemenis in embattled Mokha; warns of cholera's spread amid crippled health systems UN News 16 May 2017 -- The United Nations refugee agency today confirmed that for only the third time this year, its field teams were able to distribute humanitarian aid in the embattled district of Mokha, in Yemen's Red Sea governorate of Taiz.
• Syria rejects Washington's crematorium allegation as 'unfounded' Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Syria has categorically rejected Washington's accusation that Damascus has constructed a prison-based crematorium to burn the bodies of thousands of alleged executed detainees, saying the "unfounded" claim is in fact a new "Hollywood" story made to further interfere in the internal affairs of the Arab country.
• Clashes With Syrian Opposition in N Syria Continue - Kurdish YPG Militia Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- Skirmishes between Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia and Syrian moderate opposition fighters continue in the northern part of the country, YPG said in a statement on Tuesday.
• Syria Denies US Accusation of Mass Killings, Use of Crematorium VOA 16 May 2017 -- Syria's Foreign Ministry is denying U.S. allegations that the Assad government carries out mass killings of prisoners on a daily basis and then burns their bodies in a large crematorium outside the capital of Damascus.
• Iraqi forces recapture nearly 90% of western Mosul: Spokesman Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Iraqi government forces, backed by allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, have managed to establish control over nearly 90 percent of western Mosul as they are battling to drive Takfiri Daesh terrorists out of the country's second largest city.
• Soaring temperatures pose new threat to Mosul's displaced - UN migration agency UN News 16 May 2017 -- The United Nations migration agency today warned that while hundreds of thousands of people displaced from Mosul have braved the ongoing offensive to oust the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), the beleaguered citizens are now struggling to cope with another danger – the sweltering summer heat.
• Iraq Says IS Near Defeat in Mosul VOA 16 May 2017 -- The Iraqi military says it has surrounded Islamic State jihadists in the Iraqi city of Mosul, and the extremist group only controls about 10 percent of the area in the western half of the city.
• With barely enough money for food, conflict-displaced Ukrainians struggling to survive - UN UN News 16 May 2017 -- Two-thirds of internally displaced Ukrainians are struggling financially; many without even enough money for food, according to the latest report by the United Nations migration agency on the situation in the crisis-torn country.
• 2 killed, 6 injured in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Two people have been killed and six others have been injured in an attack on a village in Nigeria's volatile northeast.
• Azerbaijan destroys Armenia air defense in Nagorno-Karabakh Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Azerbaijan has destroyed an Armenian air defense system in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Armenia, Separatists Warn Azerbaijan Over Missile Strike RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- Armenia and the separatists who control Nagorno-Karabakh have warned that a missile strike by Azerbaijani armed forces targeting an air defense missile system in the breakaway region "will not remain unanswered."
• Over 500 killed in DR Congo unrest since March: Army Press TV 16 May 2017 -- More than 500 people have been killed during heavy fighting between government forces and tribal militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past two months, the army says.
• Spreading violence in Central African Republic sets off 'loud alarm bells' - UN human rights chief UN News 16 May 2017 -- The United Nations human rights chief today expressed grave alarm over the spread of violence by armed groups against the civilian population in several parts of the Central African Republic in recent months, as well as attacks against UN peacekeepers in the country's southeast.
• UN envoy warns against Kosovo and Serbia trading 'ethno-nationalist' barbs UN News 16 May 2017 -- A flurry of recent intolerant and provocative rhetoric has further damaged the trust between Kosovo and Serbia – a development that must be closely watched – though the situation remains generally stable, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo told the Security Council today.

News Reports

• Trump Talk with Russians 'Wholly Appropriate', Adviser Says VOA 16 May 2017 -- U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Tuesday that information about terrorism and threats to international aviation that President Donald Trump shared with Russian diplomats last week was "wholly appropriate" and did not compromise U.S. intelligence sources.
• Trump Defends Intelligence Sharing With Russia Amid Intense Criticism RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has defended what he called his "absolute right" to share information with Russian officials amid controversy over classified information.
• White House denies Trump's revealing of classified info to Russia People's Daily 16 May 2017 -- The White House on Monday strongly denied media reports accusing President Donald Trump of revealing highly classified intelligence information to Russia.
• I shared classified info with Russia for 'humanitarian reasons': Trump Press TV 16 May 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has defended sharing sensitive information with Russia, saying he did so for "humanitarian reasons."
• Trump's reported intel-sharing with Russia nonsense: Kremlin Press TV 16 May 2017 -- The Kremlin has denounced as "complete nonsense" new media reports about US President Donald Trump disclosing classified information at a meeting with Russian officials.
• Russia denies Trump shared info on planned Daesh operation Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Russia has rejected recent reports that US President Donald Trump shared with it information on "a planned Daesh operation."
• Israel Provided Intelligence Trump Shared With Russian Officials - Reports Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- Israel was the source of the intelligence information that US President Donald Trump shared with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak during their discussion at the White House last week on efforts to fight terror groups, media reported.
• Trump Says Had Right to Share With Russia Facts on Terror, Airline Flight Safety Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wanted to and had the right to share with Russian officials facts concerning terrorism and airline flight safety.
• Trump Downplays Comey Controversy, Says Search for New FBI Director 'Moving Rapidly' VOA 16 May 2017 -- White House officials on Monday continued to deflect criticism of President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey and insisted the search to name his successor was moving quickly.
• CIA Claims of Russian Interference in US Election 'Totally Absurd' - Moscow Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- CIA claims of Russian meddling in the US election campaign are completely absurd as the US remained satisfied with the information on hacking possibility provided by Moscow prior to elections, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
• CIA Considers Russian Involvement in US Election Hacking 'Established Fact' Sputnik 16 May 2017 -- The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) believes that the involvement of Russian intelligence services in hacking related to the US elections is an "established fact," CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said.
• Trump Welcomes Erdogan to White House VOA 16 May 2017 -- A week after U.S. President Donald Trump sparked anger in Turkey by authorizing the arming of Syrian Kurds, he welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House on Tuesday.
• Trump Hosts Turkey's Erdogan For Expected Talks On Syria, Gulen RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is holding talks at the White House with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan is expected to call on Trump to refrain from arming Syrian Kurdish rebels whom Ankara considers terrorists.
• Turkish PM wants Germany to choose bilateral ties or coup supporters Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has called on Germany to decide between friendly ties with Ankara and the alleged plotters of the last year attempted coup in Turkey.
• Turkey issues arrest warrants for 85 ministry staff in post-coup probe Press TV 16 May 2017 -- Prosecutors in Turkey have issued arrest warrants for 85 staff at two ministries as part of a probe targeting the network of US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the July 2016 failed coup.
• North Korea Becomes Usual Suspect in WannaCry Cyber Attack VOA 16 May 2017 -- Cyber security experts admit the technical evidence linking North Korea to the global WannaCry "ransomware" cyber attack is somewhat tenuous, but Pyongyang has the advanced cyber capabilities and the motive to compensate for lost revenue due to economic sanctions, to be considered a likely suspect.
• Link between North Korea, 'WannaCry' needs to be proven: Europol Press TV 16 May 2017 -- The European Union's police agency, Europol, says it still needs to be proven that there was a link between North Korea and a recent cyberattack that locked computers in more than 150 countries.
• Researchers Find Link To North Korea In Massive Cyberattack RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- Cybersecurity firms have found clues that last weekend's global "ransomware" attack, which infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries, could be linked to North Korea.
• Zarif: Talks for lifting non-nuclear sanctions likely IRNA 16 May 2017 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that negotiations on elimination of non-nuclear sanctions are likely.
• Jahangiri quits presidential race in favor of Rouhani IRNA 16 May 2017 -- Presidential candidate Eshaq Jahangiri released a statement on Tuesday announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race.
• Iranian Vice President Drops Out Of Presidential Race RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has dropped out of the presidential race and thrown his support behind incumbent Hassan Rohani, who is seeking a second term in the May 19 vote.
• Iran's Rouhani Not a Sure Bet in Presidential Elections VOA 16 May 2017 -- Iranians will go to the polls Friday, the same day Donald Trump begins his first foreign trip as U.S. President arriving in Saudi Arabia, where the kingdom's leaders vowed this month to start "the battle against Iran."
• US Intelligence Takes Increased North Korean Saber-Rattling Seriously VOA 16 May 2017 -- North Korean claims that its newly-tested ballistic missile can carry a nuclear warhead appear to explain a subtle but significant shift in the way U.S. intelligence views Pyongyang.
• China Putting Stamp on Globalization With Belt and Road VOA 16 May 2017 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping says countries participating in the two-day Belt and Road Forum have agreed to an action plan with a list of 270 goals
• Poroshenko Restricts Access To Russian Websites, Social Networks RFE/RL 16 May 2017 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has imposed sanctions on several leading Russian social networks and search engines, ordering access to the sites to be restricted or blocked entirely in Ukraine.