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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 08 Jun 2017[PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Dillon via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 08 Jun 2017-- Presenter: Colonel Ryan Dillon, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman; Captain Jeff Davis, Director, Defense Press Office
• US Shoots Down Pro-regime Drone that Fired Upon Coalition Forces in Syria VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- A U.S. military aircraft shot down an armed, pro-Syrian government drone Thursday after it fired upon U.S.-led coalition members on patrol in southern Syria, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said.
• Coalition Progresses in Mosul, Raqqa to Defeat ISIS, Spokesman Says AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- The fight to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and Syria extremists is progressing in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, Army Col. Ryan S. Dillon, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, told Pentagon reporters today.
• U.S. Shoots Down Unmanned Aircraft That Fired on Coalition Troops in Syria AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- A U.S. aircraft shot down an armed pro-Syria regime unmanned aerial vehicle today after it fired on coalition forces in southern Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said in a statement.
• Coalition Strikes Target ISIS in Iraq, Syria AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 38 strikes consisting of 75 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Hekmatyar Warns Against Efforts to Topple Afghan Government VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the warlord who entered a peace deal with President Ashraf Ghani's administration, said he would not allow anyone to overthrow the government illegally because efforts to do so would result in Kabul being overrun by Taliban.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Meeting with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan DoD 08 Jun 2017
• Modernizing Nuclear Deterrents No. 1 Priority, DoD Officials Tell Congress AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- Defense officials outlined the need for consistent congressional support for the critical mission of modernizing and maintaining effective nuclear deterrent systems during testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday.
• Intel Agency Chief: New Ideas, Processes Needed for Flood of Information AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- The Defense Intelligence Agency needs new ideas, practices, and people who can adapt or it risks becoming irrelevant in a world moving faster and faster, said the agency's director said yesterday.
• U.S. Soldiers Strengthen Alliance, Readiness With South Korean Partners AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- The 8th U.S. Army is prepared for combat operations at any time, its commanding general, Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, said.
• Multinational forces integrate capabilities during combined arms exercise Army News 08 Jun 2017 -- "Wet, wet, wet" echoed across the gun line when British reconnaissance forces relayed a fire mission to a U.S. Fires Direction Center during a Fire Support Coordination Exercise at Land Forces Field Training Center, June 6, 2017.
• Army improves mobility, readiness with new secure wireless systems Army News 08 Jun 2017 -- Imagine a fast-paced, complex combat environment that constantly shifted Army personnel and resources from one area to the other. In order to establish a functional tactical operations center (TOC) to direct troop movements and logistics, Soldiers have to handle nearly 2 dozen boxes of costly CAT 5 cables, weighing hundreds of pounds, in order to set up a functional network.
• US Soldiers support UK British Royal Marines during Exercise Saber Strike Army News 08 Jun 2017 -- U.S. Soldiers from 10th Combat Aviation Brigade based out of Lielvarde provided a CH-47 Chinook and Black Hawk helicopter for hot/cold load training to approximately 100 U.K.'s British Royal Marines at helicopter pads on Adazi Military Base, June 2.
• Officials: U.S. Missile Defense System Outpaces Threat AFPS 08 Jun 2017 -- The defense system that protects the United States from ballistic missile attacks now outpaces the threat from adversaries out to 2020, and the Defense Department is advancing the capability to stay ahead of the threat into the future, defense officials said on Capitol Hill yesterday.
• Russia Plans to Float Out Lada-Class Kronstadt Diesel Sub in 2018 - Navy Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- Russia plans to float out Project 677 (Lada -class) Kronstadt diesel-electric submarine in 2018.
• Kremlin Distrustful Over NATO Expansion, Taking Measures to Protect Security Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- Russia is distrustful and concerned over NATO's eastward expansion and is taking all measures to protect its own security and rebalance the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
• South Korean Opposition Urges Faster THAAD Deployment as North Launches Missiles Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- South Korea's opposition parties urged the government on Thursday to proceed with the installation of a US missile shield after it was put on hold over environmental impact, local media said.
• China strongly rejects Pentagon report Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- China has firmly rejected the "irresponsible" claims made in a report by the US Defense Department, which accused Beijing of seeking to expand its military footprint globally.
• Report: North Korea Has Successful 'Ground-to-sea Cruise Rocket' Launch VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- North Korea successfully tested a new "ground-to-sea cruise rocket" that is capable of striking enemy battleships staging a military attack, the country's KCNA news agency said Friday.
• North Korea Fires Several Ballistic Missiles - South Korean Military Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- The South Korean military is reporting that North Korea fired several ground-to-ship missiles from Wonsan, Gangwon Province, early Thursday morning, according to Yonhap News Agency.
• North Korea test-launches barrage of missiles: Seoul Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- North Korea has test-fired several projectiles which are thought to be surface-to-ship missile, says Seoul.
• Trump faces growing Senate resistance on Saudi arms deal Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- US Senators are seeking to block at least a portion of US President Donald Trump's massive sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, amid fresh disputes among Persian Gulf nations.
• Qatari Soldiers Involved in Arab Coalition's Yemen Operation Return Home Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- Qatari soldiers that were part of the Arab coalition in Yemen have returned home after the coalition command's decision to expel Qatar from the operation, Qatar Television said on Twitter Thursday.
• Turkey Agrees to Send Up to 3,000 Troops to Qatar Amid Gulf Diplomatic Crisis VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Turkey's decision to send up to 3,000 troops to Qatar further cements their growing ties, but it virtually eliminates a possible role for Ankara to mediate between Qatar and the Gulf states that have decided to isolate it for alleged support of terrorism.
• Department Press Briefing - June 8, 2017 US Dept. of State 08 Jun 2017
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 08 Jun 2017

Defense Industry

• India's TASL Delivers Components to Boeing for Chinook Helicopters Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- Indian defense firm Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) has begun delivery of the first crown and tailcone assembly to Boeing for the Indian configuration of 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, which can carry loads up to 9.5 ton at 282 kilometer per hour.

Other Conflicts

• 8 June 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Jun 2017
• Yemen's children 'have suffered enough;' UNICEF official warns of cholera rise, malnutrition UN News 08 Jun 2017 -- The situation facing children in Yemen is "extremely dire," a senior United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official warned today, citing a dramatic increase in cases of malnutrition and a massive outbreak of cholera across the war-torn country.
• Cholera cases surpass 100,000, death toll hits 780 in Yemen: WHO Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) says the number of suspected cholera cases in conflict-ridden Yemen has exceeded 100,000 in less than two months, with the death toll hitting over 780.
• Yemeni forces target Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Sana'a: Report Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- Yemeni air defense forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have reportedly intercepted and shot down a single-engine, supersonic and multirole F-15 fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force.
• UN warns about rising civilian deaths, Daesh killing of children fleeing Mosul battle Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- The United Nations says members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group have fatally shot children trying to flee heavy exchanges of gunfire between the extremists and government forces in the western part of Mosul, condemning the crime as "despicable."
• UN, Rights Groups Warn Of Civilian Deaths In Mosul Battle RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- The United Nations says it has received credible reports indicating that the Islamic State (IS) extremist group has killed more than 231 Iraqi civilians attempting to flee the fighting in northern city of Mosul over the past two weeks.
• Recent killings in western Mosul indicative of rising atrocities against civilians - UN rights arm UN News 08 Jun 2017 -- Noting "credible" reports that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) fighters killed more than 231 civilians, including women and children, attempting to flee western Mosul over the past two weeks, the United Nations human rights arm underscored that attacks on civilians could amount to war crimes.
• UN: Islamic State Killed 231 Civilians Trying to Flee Mosul VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- The United Nations Human Rights Office said Thursday it has "credible reports" indicating Islamic State fighters in Iraq killed at least 231 civilians who were trying to flee western Mosul.
• Most Taiwanese reject one-China as precondition for ties with Beijing CNA 08 Jun 2017 -- Over 70 percent of Taiwanese reject China's insistence that "the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China" as a political prerequisite for the development of cross-strait relations, according to a poll released on Thursday by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).
• Boko Haram kills 14 in fresh attack in Nigeria's Maiduguri Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- At least 14 people have been killed when the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group launched a fresh attack in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's Borno state.
• Suspected militants kill Indian trooper in Kashmir Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- One Indian trooper has been killed by suspected militants along the Line of Control (LoC), a de facto borderline that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.
• Pakistan Alleges India Seeks Another War Over Kashmir VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Pakistan is alleging India is seeking another war by escalating tensions on the de facto Kashmir frontier, cautioning the rival nation against undertaking "any strategic miscalculation."
• Shabab claims killing 60 Somali troops, taking town Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- Militants from the al-Shabab Takfiri group claim to have killed more than 60 soldiers during an intense fighting in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region.
• Heavy Losses Reported as Somali Puntland Forces Repel Al-Shabab Attack VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- At least 50 people, including three senior military officers, were killed Thursday when al-Shabab attacked a military base in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, military officials and witnesses told VOA. Those sources said the dead include at least 45 Puntland soldiers and five al-Shabab militants.
• Welcoming progress in arms laydown in Colombia, UN chief reiterates support to peace process UN News 08 Jun 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said today that he has been "encouraged" by the progress in Colombian peace process and called on the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) to continue to implement their respective commitments under the accord.
• 'Pervading toxic culture of impunity' for alleged war crimes at root of Darfur conflict - ICC Prosecutor UN News 08 Jun 2017 -- The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court today reiterated her call for States to arrest and surrender the suspects of alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region of Sudan, including President Omar Al Bashir.

News Reports

• Comey Testifies Trump Pressed Him to Drop Investigation VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- The recently fired director of the FBI, James Comey, said on Capitol Hill Thursday that he believed U.S. President Donald Trump was trying to get him to drop an investigation of Trump's former national security adviser, and that White House officials spread "lies, plain and simple" to cover up the reason for his dismissal.
• Fired FBI Director: Trump Wanted Loyalty, Drop Flynn Investigation VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Fired FBI Director James Comey says President Donald Trump expected him to pledge his loyalty and urged him to drop the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
• Fired FBI Chief Testifies About His Conversations With Trump VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Fired FBI Director James Comey told U.S. lawmakers Thursday that President Donald Trump expected him to pledge his loyalty and urged him to drop the investigation into links between his aides and Russian officials.
• Fired FBI Director Comey Begins Testifying Before Senate Panel RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- Former FBI Director James Comey has begun to testify in a public hearing before U.S. lawmakers who are investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and any signs of collusion by allies of President Donald Trump.
• Former FBI Director Comey Accuses White House Of Lies, Says He Was Defamed RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- Former FBI Director James Comey suggested that President Donald Trump had lied in describing the bureau as having major problems, and said he believed Trump fired him because of the agency’s criminal investigation into communications with Russian officials..
• Exit Poll: British Election Could Be Major Setback for PM May VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Voters in Britain apparently have dealt Prime Minister Theresa May's ruling Conservative Party a major setback in a snap election she called to rally support ahead of negotiations to exit the European Union.
• U.K. PM Seeks Stronger Brexit Mandate, Larger Majority As Britons Go To Polls RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- Voters in Britain are going to the polls in a general election that will determine who guides the country through its Brexit negotiations on leaving the European Union -- and how strong their mandate will be in the talks.
• Qatar Crisis Poses Test for China's Belt & Road Project VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- The diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors is putting China's political clout in the Middle East to the test as Beijing strives to flex its economic muscle there with its trillion-dollar Belt and Road trade Initiative (BRI).
• Qatar: No military solution to crisis with Saudis Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- Qatar's foreign minister says his country prefers diplomacy to resolve Doha's dispute with Saudi Arabia and its allies, stressing that there would never be a military solution to the crisis.
• Trump urges Qatar to resolve diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia Press TV 08 Jun 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has offered to help resolve a worsening diplomatic crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries in the Middle East, a day after praising a move by Saudi Arabia and its allies to cut diplomatic relations with Doha.
• Turkey, Iran Back Qatar In Dispute With Other Arab States RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- Turkey on June 7 threw its support behind Qatar in Doha's split with other Arab states, with Ankara accelerating troop deployment to Doha and offering to provide food and water supplies that have been cut off by Saudi Arabia.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Vladivostok, June 8, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 08 Jun 2017
• Commander vows revenge on terrorists IRNA 08 Jun 2017 -- Deputy Commander of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami said that Iran will take revenge on terrorists and their supporters for the bloods of those martyred during terrorist attacks in Tehran on Wednesday.
• Tehran Security Increased After Attacks By 'IS Recruits From Iran' RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- Reports from Iran say police have increased patrols in the streets and subway stations of the capital, Tehran, as the death toll rose a day after attacks on parliament and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's shrine.
• Islamic State Threatens More Terror Against Iran VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry said Thursday that five of the men involved in attacks on the country's parliament and the tomb of former leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini were Iranians who had joined the Islamic State group.
• Despite pressure and losses, ISIL remains potent threat, UN political chief warns Security Council UN News 08 Jun 2017 -- After losing control on population centres and declining financial strength, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorist group is more focused than ever before on "enabling and inspiring" attacks outside of conflict zones, the top United Nations political official said today.
• British Police Arrest 3 Men Suspected of Planning Terror Attack VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Three men arrested in a series of raids Wednesday in east London are suspected of having been in the final stages of plotting a terror attack in the British capital similar to the murderous rampage carried out last Saturday at London Bridge, say officials.
• EU Extends Sanctions Against North Korea After Latest Missile Test Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- The European Union imposed new sanctions against North Korea targeting four entities and 14 persons, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution passed on June 2, the Council of the European Union said in a press release on Thursday.
• Chinese Foreign Ministry Calls for Restraint After N Korean Missile Launches Sputnik 08 Jun 2017 -- China called for restraint following the recent North Korean missile launches in order to prevent further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday.
• Cambodian Rulers Breathe Sigh of Relief Following Election Result VOA 08 Jun 2017 -- Cambodia's ruling political party breathed a sigh of relief as vote counting continued following Sunday's commune elections, which left opposition supporters disappointed after their leaders failed to deliver on electoral expectations.
• Montenegrin Court Confirms Charges Against Alleged Coup Plotters RFE/RL 08 Jun 2017 -- A court in Montenegro has confirmed the indictment of 14 people, including two Russians and two pro-Russia opposition leaders, over their alleged roles in what authorities say was a plot to overthrow the government last year.