Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Strikes Continue in Effort to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 04 Jul 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 25 strikes consisting of 85 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Condemns North Korean Missile Launch AFPS 04 Jul 2017 -- The United States strongly condemns North Korea's escalatory launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile today, according to a statement issued by chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White.
• Did North Korean Missile Test Trigger Trump's 'Red Line'? VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- In January, Donald Trump drew what appeared to be a "red line" for North Korea: testing a ballistic missile that could reach parts of the United States with a nuclear warhead.
• Putin, Xi Call For North Korean Freeze on Missile Tests VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- Russia and China have agreed on a need for a freeze on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs as well as large-scale joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea.
• North Korea Missile Test Puts China on the Spot VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea said it has successfully carried out the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a crucial milestone in Pyongyang's efforts to develop its nuclear weapons capability, despite repeated international warnings to the contrary.
• Pacom Detects, Tracks North Korean Missile Launch AFPS 04 Jul 2017 -- U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked what they assessed was a North Korean missile launch at 2:40 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time yesterday, Pacom officials said in a statement.
• DPRK declares success of ICBM launch as "final gate to state nuclear force" People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) declared Tuesday that it has successfully launched an international ballistic missile (ICBM) on the same day, hailing it as the "final gate to rounding off the state nuclear force."
• DPRK claims successful intercontinental ballistic missile launch People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- The DPRK has confirmed in an announcement on state broadcaster Korean Central Television that it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Tuesday.
• Japan protests latest DPRK missile launch, analyzing ICBM claims People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- Japan has said it is currently analyzing claims by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier Tuesday.
• S.Korean president hopes DPRK would not cross bridge of no return People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday expressed his hope that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) would not cross a bridge that it cannot return following the DPRK's test of a new type of ballistic missile.
• China opposes DPRK missile launch People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- China opposes the missile launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Tuesday.
• Russia, China call for freeze on North Korea missile tests, US military drills Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- Moscow and Beijing have called for a simultaneous freeze on North Korea's missile tests and large-scale military drills by the United States and South Korea.
• Trump urges China to end North Korea 'nonsense', China urges calm Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has warned the Chinese leader that the United States is prepared to act on its own in increasing pressure on North Korea, as Washington loses patience with Beijing's unwillingness to push Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, US officials say.
• North Korea launches ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan: Seoul Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea says it has successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is capable of hitting anywhere in the world.
• North Korea Claims Successful ICBM Test RFE/RL 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea claims it has successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that is capable reaching a target anywhere in the world.
• Russia, China Urge DPRK to Stop Nuke Tests, US and Seoul to Refrain From Drills Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- The Russian and Chinese foreign ministries adopted a joint statement following the talks of the countries' leaders in Moscow on the issues of the Korean peninsula.
• China Counts on All Parties' Efforts to Solve N Korean Issue - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, China makes major efforts to help solve the North Korean nuclear and missile issues.
• N Korea Launched Medium-Range Ballistic Missile - Russian MoD Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement Tuesday revealing that, according to their intelligence, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile earlier in the day.
• China Monitoring Situation on Korean Peninsula After N Korea's Missile Launch Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- China is closely following the situation on the Korean peninsula following the recent ballistic missile launch by North Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Tuesday, stressing the need to avoid further escalation of the situation in the region.
• North Korean ICBM Could Travel Nearly 5,000 Miles Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile could reach a flight path of nearly 5,000 miles, South Korean media cited experts as saying Tuesday.
• North Korea Claims Ability to Strike 'Any Part of the World' With ICBM Launch Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea is capable of attacking any target on Earth with its intercontinental ballistic missiles, Pyongyang said in an official statement Tuesday.
• China's Response to N Korea Missile Launch May End Crisis - Trump Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that China's response to North Korean missile launch may end the crisis on the Korean peninsula right away, while Japan and South Korea will no longer tolerate Pyongyang's actions.
• North Korea Successfully Tests Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korean central television reported Pyongyang has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.
• N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Which Lands in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- North Korea has reportedly launched a ballistic missile Tuesday morning, just days after the South's new President Moon Jae-In and US President Donald Trump focused on de-escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula in their first summit.
• China Deploys Submarine, Spy Ship in Indian Ocean Ahead of Major Naval Exercise Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- A week before the trilateral naval exercise between India, the US and Japan begins in the Indian Ocean, China sent its Yuan class conventional diesel-electric submarine in the Indian Ocean with submarine support vessel Chongmingdao and intelligence-gathering ship Haiwingxing.
• Xi, Putin oppose THAAD deployment in South Korea People's Daily 04 Jul 2017 -- Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met in Moscow on Monday and agreed to further cement bilateral ties and strengthen coordination on the Korean Peninsula and other major issues.
• Taiwan rebuts reports on Chinese aircraft carrier moves in Strait CNA 04 Jul 2017 -- The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday rejected reports that a Chinese naval formation headed by the Liaoning aircraft carrier conducted special training operations while in the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, calling them untrue.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• US Pivots Back to Hard Line on China Over Disputed Sea VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- A second U.S. naval mission to the disputed South China Sea over the past six weeks indicates President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on Beijing after a wait-and-see period, a windfall for Chinese maritime rivals in Southeast Asia.
• Fifth Round Of Syria Peace Talks Under Way In Astana RFE/RL 04 Jul 2017 -- Diplomats from Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the United States have begun a fifth round of Syria peace talks in Astana with the Syrian government and representatives of some Syrian opposition groups.
• US Strengthens Presence in Northern Syria Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- A senior representative of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on condition of anonymity told Sputnik Turkey that the United States continues to actively strengthen its military presence in northern Syria.
• Turkey Shells Kurdish Settlements Near Syria's Afrin Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- Syrian Kurdish settlements located near Afrin in the country's northwest came under artillery fire from Turkish troops, Rezan Hedo, a member of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council, told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• US-Backed Syrian Rebels Break Through Daesh's Defenses in Raqqa Old City Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) supported by the US-led international coalition have reached the old city in Raqqa, advancing into its most heavily fortified enclave and overcoming the defenses of Daesh terrorist group, the coalition press service said Tuesday.
• Coalition: US-Backed Forces Breach Raqqa Old City Wall VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- U.S.-backed forces have breached the wall around the Old City section of Raqqa, Syria, as they advance a month-old offensive to oust the Islamic State group from its de facto capital.
• Remaining Daesh terrorists 'fight to death' in Mosul's Old City: Iraqi army Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- Daesh Takfiri terrorists are engaged in a "fight to the death" in Mosul's Old City as advancing Iraqi forces have bottled up the group's remaining elements in a few patches of the Old City, a military commander says.
• More Than 32 Tons of Chemicals Used to Make Explosives Found in Mosul Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- The head of the Iraqi federal police said that during the operation to liberate the western part of Mosul, 32.5 metric tons of ammonium nitrate was unearthed; the compound is commonly used as a component for making explosives.
• Roadside bomb kills 3 policemen in Egypt's Sinai Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- A bomb attack in the Sinai region of Egypt has left three policemen killed as militancy continues to plague Cairo's efforts for establishing security in the restive peninsula.
• Indian troops kill 3 militants in Kashmir; 35 protesters wounded Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- India's forces have killed three militants in a fierce firefight in the New Delhi-controlled part of Kashmir, and injured dozens of civilians during a crackdown on the ensuing protest rally there in solidarity with the pro-independence fighters.
• UN agency condemns attack on staff in Central African Republic town UN News 04 Jul 2017 -- Strongly condemning an attack against its staff and premises in a northern town of the Central African Republic (CAR), the United Nations refugee agency has underscored the importance of safety of aid workers for them to be able to help civilian populations in desperate need.

News Reports

• Kremlin Says Putin To Meet Trump On July 7 RFE/RL 04 Jul 2017 -- The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on July 7 in Hamburg, Germany, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
• Trump To Urge European Allies To Dump Russia, Buy U.S. Gas RFE/RL 04 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump will encourage Eastern European leaders who are wary about their dependence on Russian energy to take advantage of newly available supplies of U.S. natural gas when he visits Poland on July 6, White House officials say.
• US Defends Travel Ban Restrictions VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- The United States is defending its travel ban on six majority-Muslim countries, including restrictions that block grandparents and "extended" relatives of people already in the U.S. from joining them.
• Qatar dismisses demands by Saudi Arabia, allies as 'unrealistic' Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has once again rejected a list of conditions set by Saudi Arabia and allies to restore diplomatic relations with the emirate, saying they are simply unrealistic and unattainable.
• Qatar Says Arab States' Demands Unrealistic, Calls for Equal Dialogue Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- Qatar believes that the demands of the Arab states are unrealistic and cannot be fulfilled, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Thani said on Tuesday.
• India Plans to Roll Out National GPS Next Year Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- The Indian Space Research Organisation is set to offer GPS from its own navigation system for mobile users from next year, aiming to make it more accurate than foreign competitors' products. launch
• Russia demands US return seized compounds Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will demand the return of two diplomatic compounds seized by the United States when he meets US President Donald Trump in Germany this week for the first time, the Kremlin said.
• China, Iran, Russia Among Leaders of Anti-German Espionage, Berlin Claims Sputnik 04 Jul 2017 -- Beijing, Moscow and Tehran have become the "major players" in the espionage activities directed against Berlin, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said in an annual report on Tuesday.
• Iran, Total sign a $5 billion energy deal ISNA 04 Jul 2017 -- Iran signed a deal Monday with France's Total SA and China's state-run China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to develop the South Pars offshore field, one of the world's largest natural-gas fields.
• Canadian court upholds $1.7 billion ruling against Iran Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- A Canadian court has accused Iran of supporting terrorism, upholding a previous ruling that requires the Islamic Republic to pay around $1.7 billion in damages to "American victims of terrorism."
• Relocation of Taiwan's office in Nigeria hits obstacles: MOFA CNA 04 Jul 2017 -- The relocation of Taiwan's trade office out of Nigeria's capital of Abuja has begun, but the move has been hampered by the host government's decision to seal off the office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.
• Venezuela opposition to hold unofficial referendum on Maduro plan Press TV 04 Jul 2017 -- Venezuela's opposition says it would hold an unofficial referendum later this month on President Nicolas Maduro's plan to rewrite the constitution.