Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 14 Jul 2017[PDF]
• Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 14 Jul 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 20 strikes consisting of 48 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White on death of ISIS-K leader in Afghanistan DoD 14 Jul 2017 -- "U.S. forces killed Abu Sayed, the emir of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), in a strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, July 11."

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy to Commission New Guided-Missile Destroyer John Finn DoD 14 Jul 2017 -- The Navy will commission its newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS John Finn (DDG 113), during a 10 a.m. HAST ceremony Saturday, July 15, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
• Media Availability With Secretary Mattis in the Pentagon DoD 14 Jul 2017 -- Presenter: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
• Researcher, security forces bring new counter-UAS program to Bagram Air Field AFNS 14 Jul 2017 -- As the use of unmanned aircraft systems rises across the world, researchers from around the Defense Department are testing new ways to counter the new threats they could present.
• Soldiers test new military systems, capabilities at Network Integration Exercise Army News 14 Jul 2017 -- Approximately 1,900 Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, arrived for the Network Integration Exercise 17.2 here, July 5 - 6.
• Navy and Marine Corps to Deploy F-35B NNS 14 Jul 2017 -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT) co-hosted the Joint Strike Fighter Sustainment Summit alongside Marine Corps Forces, Pacific at COMPACFLT Headquarters June 27-28.
• US Destroyer, Cruiser Depart Ukraine for Sea Breeze 2017 NNS 14 Jul 2017 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) departed Odessa, Ukraine, July 13, to participate in the at-sea portion of exercise Sea Breeze 2017.
• USS Hue City Conducts VBSS Training During Exercise Sea Breeze 2017 NNS 14 Jul 2017 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66), and Ukrainian auxiliary ship Balta (U811), conducted visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training during exercise Sea Breeze 2017, July 13.
• INS Jalashwa Hosts Exercise Malabar Opening Ceremony NNS 14 Jul 2017 -- The landing platform dock INS Jalashwa (LPD 41) hosted the opening ceremonies of exercise Malabar 2017 in Chennai, India, July 10.
• Russia to Spend $335,000 Annually to Maintain Hmeymim Airbase in Syria Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolay Pankov said that Moscow is going to spend over 20 million rubles ($335,402) annually on the maintenance of its Hmeymim airbase in Syria.
• Sky Predators: Russian MiG-35 Mass Production Expected to Begin in 2 Years Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Mass production of the Russian MiG-35 multirole fighter jet is expected to begin during the next two years.
• Russian, Tajik forces drilling combat readiness Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- Russian and Tajikistani militaries have started massive military drills aimed at ensuring their joint combat readiness, as Moscow is reportedly discussing with its allies their potential participation in the fight against terrorism in Syria.
• China to Trim Its Army: What Does It Mean for India and the Region? Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- China is planning to cut down its 2.3 million-strong military, the world's largest, to below one million in the biggest troop reduction as part of a restructuring process. Indian experts said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) downsizing has implications for India and the wider region.
• Indian Troops Get Combat Helmets For the First Time in Decades Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Deprived of basic safety equipment like bulletproof gear, Indian Army has finally received 7,500 helmets after losing hundreds of soldiers in close encounters with terrorists and rival troops in recent decades.
• Cyber and Space Defense Units to Enter Operation in India Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Two separate cyber and space agencies for defense will soon enter operation in India, Defense Secretary Sanjay Mitra revealed this week.
• India Allows Local Army Unit to Procure Arms, Ammunition for Short War Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- In a major change to the country's procurement policy, the Indian Defense Ministry has authorized its regional command unit to purchase arms and ammunition required for a short and intense war.
• India Revives Intel Wing to Keep Tabs on Chinese Activity in Nepal, Bhutan Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- India has revived its five-decade-old intelligence and combat unit in order to keep a tab on Chinese maneuvers in countries like Nepal and Bhutan. The separate unit will be part of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the borders with the two countries.
• Taiwan's Air Force celebrates 25th anniversary of home-grown jets CNA 14 Jul 2017 -- Taiwan's Air Force celebrated the 25th anniversary of taking its first delivery of locally made IDF fighter jets at an air base in Taichung, and pledged to continue to beef up its capabilities in the face of the military threat from China.
• Turkey to pay $2.5bn for Russian S-400 missiles: Official Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- Turkey has agreed to shell out $2.5 billion in order to purchase Russia's most advanced missile defense system S-400, provided that Moscow agrees to transfer the technology as well, an official says.
• Turkey Bans German Lawmakers From Visiting NATO Base in Konya Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Ankara banned German lawmakers from a visit to a NATO military base in the Turkish province of Konya, where German military personnel are stationed, according to media reports.
• Defence Secretary announces £120m investment in UK air power UK MOD 14 Jul 2017 -- Speaking at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), Sir Michael Fallon has announced two contracts worth almost £120 million.
• Royal Navy and Royal Marines train alongside partner naval forces UK MOD 14 Jul 2017 -- UK maritime forces have trained alongside partner nations' navies during deployment on board a French warship.
• Song Young-moo takes office as new defense minister, vows military reform Arirang 14 Jul 2017 -- Song Young-moo is now the 45th defense minister of South Korea, and as minister he emphasized the importance of reform and vowed to revitalize the South Korean military.
• Press Gaggle by Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert en route Newark, NJ | July 14, 2017 The White House 14 Jul 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 14, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 14 July 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Jul 2017
• China says no need to overreact to Chinese bombers' flyover of Miyako Strait People's Daily 14 Jul 2017 -- The Chinese defense ministry said its bombers' recent flyover of the Miyako Strait was a regular training exercise and the country's air force will carry out more far-sea exercises in accordance with international practice.
• Syrian defense minister hails Iran, Russia support in fighting terrorism Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- The Syrian defense minister has lauded the support provided by Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement in battling terrorism inside Syria.
• Iraqi Military Ponders Multipronged Offensive to Wipe Out Islamic State VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- Iraq's military may try to eradicate the Islamic State's remaining forces by simultaneously attacking the terror group on multiple fronts in the hopes of taking advantage of infighting and a weakened leadership.
• Iraq Cannot Confirm Death of Daesh eader al-Baghdadi - Iraqi Ambassador Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- Iraq cannot confirm the death of Daesh (banned in Russia) terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi with absolute certainty, according to Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Haidar Mansour Hadi.
• Israel to be 'surprised' if attacks Lebanon: Hezbollah official Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- A senior official with Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has said that the resistance group will "surprise" Israel in any future war, relying on its enhanced military capabilities.
• Myanmar's New Leaders Still Step Softly Around Military VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- An escalating war of words between Myanmar's powerful but sensitive military and a senior official in de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government shows just how lightly Myanmar's new leaders must tread amid the country's volatile transition to democracy.
• India Asserts Readiness to Hold Talks With Pakistan on Kashmir Issue Sputnik 14 Jul 2017 -- India has said it is open to holding talks with Pakistan in resolving the Kashmir issue under a bilateral framework, a day after Beijing offered to play a "constructive" role between the two countries.
• DR Congo: UN refugee agency sounds alarm as displacement sees no end in Kasai region UN News 14 Jul 2017 -- The United Nations refugee agency has alerted the humanitarian community about the violence and continued displacement of civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from the Kasai region where the estimated number of displaced people now exceeds 1.3 million.

News Reports

• US Lawmakers Demand Testimony From Trump Jr, Kushner in Russia Probe VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- Key U.S. lawmakers investigating charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 election want Donald Trump, Jr. to testify about his June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York with a Russian lawyer thought to have information that could damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign.
• Ex-Soviet Intelligence Officer, Now Lobbyist, Confirms Being At Trump Jr. Meeting RFE/RL 14 Jul 2017 -- The Russian lawyer who met with the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials of his presidential campaign in June 2016 was accompanied by a Russian-American lobbyist who is a former Soviet counterintelligence officer, according to multiple U.S. media reports.
• Trump Calls Son's Meeting With Russian Lawyer 'Standard Practice' In Politics RFE/RL 14 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has said his son's meeting with a Russian lawyer last year in hopes of obtaining damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is "standard practice" during a political campaign.
• Hawaii judge rules grandparents are exempt from Trump travel ban Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- A US federal judge in the state of Hawaii has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to vastly expand the number of people exempt from a controversial travel ban on nationals of six Muslim-majority countries.
• U.S. Court Rules Against Trump Restrictions On Travelers With U.S. Relatives RFE/RL 14 Jul 2017 -- A U.S. judge has ruled against the Trump administration's restrictions on refugees and travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries who have American relatives.
• US Judge Expands Exemptions to US Travel Ban VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- The U.S. State Department said Friday that it is reviewing a ruling by a federal judge that may allow thousands more travelers and refugees excluded from the United States by a presidential order to obtain travel documents.
• Down But Not Out: West Faces Long War Against Islamic State VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- America's top envoy to the coalition battling the Islamic State, Brett McGurk, declared last month open season on the terror group's foreign recruits in the besieged northern Syrian city.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, July 14, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 14 Jul 2017
• North Korea warns UN against imposing more sanctions on Pyongyang Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- North Korea has warned the United Nations Security Council against adopting any further sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang over its launch of a ballistic missile last week.
• FM Zarif urges US to reconsider its approach towards JCPOA IRNA 14 Jul 2017 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested the US to reconsider its policy towards the landmark nuclear deal as it is an international agreement and indicated that the policy of force and pressure is inefficient.
• US not fully compliant with spirit of nuclear deal: Zarif Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- The Iranian foreign minister has lashed out at the US for its failure to completely observe its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal by occasionally preventing the Islamic Republic from enjoying the full benefits of the agreement.
• China warns Taiwan president over 'very dangerous' remarks Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- China has warned Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying her remarks about the death of a Nobel Peace laureate were "very dangerous" for cross-strait relations.
• How Taiwan Quietly Gained on China in Global Diplomatic Rivalry VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- Even as Taiwan loses diplomatic allies to its bigger rival China, the increasingly isolated government has bested Beijing at a level of international relations that common people can feel: the number of countries that let citizens enter visa free.
• Moldova's Reliance On Russia, Transdniester For Energy Seen As Risky RFE/RL 14 Jul 2017 -- Moldova is among the most vulnerable countries in the world in terms of energy security, with protracted conflicts in Transdniester and Ukraine potentially putting it in a perilous position, an expert on the region says.
• Ahead of Sunday's consultation in Venezuela, UN voices concern for demonstrators UN News 14 Jul 2017 -- The United Nations today expressed concern about the situation in Venezuela, where nearly 100 people have died since April and more than 1,500 were injured in connection with ongoing protests.
• UN Calls on Venezuela to Respect Protestors as Asylum Requests Soar VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- The United Nations urged Venezuela's government Friday to respect the political opposition's right to protest as it notes a significant increase in asylum requests from the South American country.
• UN warns of worsening hunger in East Africa amid third consecutive failed rainy season UN News 14 Jul 2017 -- The third consecutive failed rainy season in East Africa has seriously eroded families' resilience, and urgent and effective livelihood support is required, the United Nations agricultural agency has warned.