Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 20 Jul 2017[PDF]
• Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 20 Jul 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 26 strikes consisting of 36 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Department of the Army announces 10th Mountain Division deployment US Army 20 Jul 2017 -- Approximately 2,100 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana will deploy to Iraq in fall 2017.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy to Commission New First-In-Class Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford DoD 20 Jul 2017-- The Navy will commission its newest aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, July 22, at Naval Station Norfolk.
• F-22 Raptors Join Full-Spectrum Red Flag Readiness Exercise AFPS 20 Jul 2017 -- F-22 Raptor fighter jets from Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, have joined combat air forces from across the nation for the joint, full-spectrum readiness exercise Red Flag 17-3.
• USS Sterett 'Up Guns' the BHR Expeditionary Strike Group for Talisman Saber 17 NNS 20 Jul 2017 -- Watchstanders hover over chart tables, plotting courses as they assess possible tracks of an Australian submarine posing as an opposing force.
• USS Laboon Returns to Homeport NNS 20 Jul 2017 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., July 20, following a six-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility (AOR) as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier strike group.
• Ocean Giant Departs for Pacer Goose 2017 NNS 20 Jul 2017 -- The Military Sealift Command chartered heavy lift ship MV Ocean Giant departed Naval Station Norfolk in support of Pacer Goose 2017, the annual resupply mission to Thule Air Base, July 16.
• High-Precision Cruise Missiles to be Core of Russian Navy's Weaponry by 2025 Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Long-range high-precision cruise missiles will become the core weaponry for Russian navy by 2025, according to the new state doctrine on naval activities until 2030 posted on the government's legal information website on Thursday.
• Russia to Boost Military Contingent in Crimea as Part of Strategic Deterrence Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Russia will boost the combat capability of the Black Sea Fleet through strengthening its inter-branch military contingent on the Crimean peninsula, according to the new state doctrine on naval activities until 2030 posted on the government's legal information website on Thursday.
• Russian Navy Reveals Goal Not to 'Allow Substantial Superiority of Other States' Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Russia has released a state doctrine on the country's naval activities' goals.
• Russian MoD Denies Claims of 'Exorbitant' Cost of Military Campaign in Syria Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The Russian Defense Ministry categorically denied on Thursday claims that Moscow is allegedly spending exorbitant sums of money to conduct military operations in Syria.
• First Stage of Tests of Russian 5th Generation PAK FA Fighter Jet Ends Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The first stage of state tests of Russia's Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft have concluded, Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday.
• Lithuanian President Suggests Stationing US Patriot Missile Systems in Baltics Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Thursday that obtaining US Patriot missile systems would be beneficial for the Baltic region, especially with regard to ensuring security.
• Defence Secretary reveals name of first Type 26 as manufacture begins UK MOD 20 Jul 2017 -- The Defence Secretary has revealed HMS Glasgow will be the name of the first of eight City class Type 26 frigates as he cut her first piece of steel at Govan shipyard in Scotland today. HMS Glasgow will enter service with the Royal Navy in the mid 2020s.
• PLA to celebrate 90th birthday with stronger, more peaceful military People's Daily 20 Jul 2017 -- It has been a big year for China's military. In April, China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier was launched, which was followed by the debut of its new generation of destroyer in June. In July, the country's first aircraft carrier allowed visits by the public for the first time.
• Xi calls for world-class military research, educational institutions People's Daily 20 Jul 2017 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the country's major military research and educational institutions to cultivate more talent for the armed forces, and to build world-class military research and educational institutions.
• China drone market flourishes as US bans own sales: Report Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Countries facing a ban on the purchases of drones from the United States are flocking to the Chinese market to meet their demands, a report says.
• Chinese Military Developing Autonomous Truck Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- China's army is developing technology to deploy an unmanned cargo supply truck, according to recent intelligence.
• US intelligence shows North Korea preparing for new missile test Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The US intelligence community believes that North Korea is preparing to conduct a new missile test in the coming days, a new report indicates, raising the possibility of an escalation in the already heated standoff between Washington and Pyongyang.
• Fighting terrorists not limited to Iran's borders: : IRGC commander Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- A senior military commander says Iran's fight against terrorists is not limited to evicting them from the country's borders and goes far beyond borders.
• Iraq to receive 'large batch' of advanced Russian T-90 battle tanks Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- A senior Kremlin official says the Iraqi military is going to receive "a large batch" of advanced Russian-made T-90 battle tanks later this year under a major deal struck between Moscow and Baghdad.
• T-90 and 'Terminators': Russian Weapons to Supercharge Iraqi Army Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The delivery of Russian-made T-90 tanks will significantly increase the potential of the Iraqi military, according to Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko. He suggested that the Iraqi side would receive "hundreds" of Russian tanks.
• Japan's new air-to-ship supersonic missile has limited capacity, says expert People's Daily 20 Jul 2017 -- The air-to-ship supersonic missiles Japan plans to deploy will not be able to reach aircraft carrier formations because of their short range, a military expert said.
• Scandals Undermine Effort to Revise Japan's Pacifist Constitution VOA 20 Jul 2017 -- Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe's falling approval ratings and his party's recent defeat in the local Tokyo metropolitan election, put at risk his longstanding goal to revise the country's pacifist constitution, even if his hold on power remains intact for now.
• Sixth Group of Turkish Troops Arrives in Qatar Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- A sixth group of Turkish troops arrived at a military base in the Qatari capital of Doha to take part in joint military exercises, media reported Wednesday.
• Department Press Briefing - July 20, 2017 US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2017
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, 7/20/2017 The White House 20 Jul 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 20, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 20 July 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Jul 2017
• Cost of feeding hungry world surging due to conflicts and instability - UN agency UN News 20 Jul 2017 -- Improved aid access, strengthened resilience and advances in food system networks could provide as much as $3.5 billion in annual cost savings at a time when humanitarian needs are skyrocketing in multiple complex emergencies across the globe, a new United Nations study has found.
• Trump to end CIA program to arm and train anti-Assad militants Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The Trump administration has decided to end the CIA's years-long covert program to arm and train what they call Syrian moderate opposition, militants fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
• Free Syrian Army Sees No Changes So Far After Reported End of US Support Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Syrian opposition has seen no changes on the ground so far after reports of the United States ending its arms and training support, spokesman for the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army Issam Rais told Sputnik on Thursday.
• Syrian Rebels Say Jihadists Likely Beneficiaries of US Halt to Arms Supply VOA 20 Jul 2017 -- The Trump administration's decision to end the CIA's semi-covert arming of Syria's rebel militias came as no surprise to the insurgent commanders, who've been battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad for half a decade.
• Syrian Air Force Destroys al-Nusra Front Targets in Lebanon - Reports Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The Syrian Air Force struck and destroyed the positions of Jabhat Fatah al Sham terror group (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) in Lebanon on the border with Syria, local media reported Thursday.
• Iraqi forces liberate southern Mosul village from Daesh grip Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Iraqi forces have managed to retake a village, situated south of the recently-liberated city of Mosul, in their latest push to rid the whole country of Daesh terrorists.
• Worst flare-up in months kills 9 Ukrainian troops Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Nine Ukrainian troops have been killed in clashes with pro-Russian militias and a mine blast in the volatile eastern border frontline in the bloodiest incident in recent months.
• Maoist Rebels on the Run in India Over the Last Three Years Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- India has recorded a 22 percent decline in violence in Maoist insurgency-affected states since the Narendra Modi government came to power. Experts said the government has adopted a carrot and stick approach which is yielding results but challenges remain in wiping out leftist insurgents.
• China's Trijunction Action a Threat to India, Says Foreign Minister Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told India's Parliament that the Chinese action in the trijunction region of India, Bhutan and China was a threat to India when opposition lawmakers asked her about the ongoing standoff. She claimed that many countries are supporting India's stance.
• India FM: China, India Should Withdraw Troops From Doklam Plateau VOA 20 Jul 2017 -- India says both New Delhi and Beijing should pull back their forces to restore the status quo on a remote Himalayan plateau where a tense standoff between the Asian rivals is now in its second month.
• UN envoy calls for de-escalation of tensions and violence in Jerusalem UN News 20 Jul 2017 -- Expressing deep concern over a surge in tensions and violence around the holy esplanade of Jerusalem's Old City, the United Nations envoy on Middle East peace today called for de-escalation of the situation.
• Pakistan summons Indian envoy over ceasefire violations People's Daily 20 Jul 2017 -- Pakistan on Thursday called the Indian deputy high commissioner and lodged protest over the recent cross-border shelling by Indian forces that killed one soldier and two civilians.
• Change in behaviour for South Sudan actors 'long overdue,' Security Council told UN News 20 Jul 2017 -- Highlighting challenges facing South Sudan, a senior United Nations official today underlined that overcoming obstacles borne of a volatile combination of insecurity and political uncertainty is critical for the war-torn country to be put on the track to peace and stability.

News Reports

• Trump: Didn't Need Russia's Help Finding Damaging Information On Clinton RFE/RL 20 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump lambasted top officials involved in investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, and said he did not need Russia's help obtaining damaging information about his rival HIllary Clinton during the campaign.
• Browder: Trump Tower Russia Meeting Part of Kremlin-backed Campaign to Repeal Magnitsky Act VOA 20 Jul 2017 -- Hermitage Capital CEO Bill Browder, who fought successfully to have the Magnitsky Act signed into U.S. law, says he believes the July 2016 meeting between President Donald Trump's eldest son and a Russian attorney who promised incriminating material about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, was actually part of a long-running Kremlin-backed campaign to subvert the 2012 law targeting Russian human rights abusers.
• U.S. Treasury Accuses Exxon Mobil Of 2014 Violation Of Russia Sanctions RFE/RL 20 Jul 2017 -- The U.S. Treasury Department accused Exxon Mobil of violating U.S. sanctions on Russia just weeks after they were imposed in 2014, as it hit the U.S oil and gas giant with a $2 million fine.
• US Supreme Court rejects Trump's travel ban on relatives Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by President Donald Trump to include grandparents and other relatives of US citizens in his travel ban on people from six predominantly Muslim nations.
• Saudi 'entities' channeling money to terrorist groups: US State Dept. Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The United States has praised Qatar's "strong partnership" in the fight against "terrorism," but accused individuals and "entities" in Saudi Arabia of channeling money out of the country to "terrorist" organizations.
• US DoS Report Aims to Distract From 'US Role in Supporting' Terrorism - Tehran Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The US State Department's report on counterterrorism activities in 2016 is not trustworthy and represents a futile attempt to distract public attention from the US role in supporting terrorism, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Thursday.
• Navalny Clashes With Ex-Commander Of Russia-Backed Separatists RFE/RL 20 Jul 2017 -- Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and a prominent former commander of Russia-backed separatists sparred over patriotism and the war in Ukraine in a debate that stoked widespread discussion and criticism among political players and watchers after it was announced last week.
• Continuation of US disloyalty violates spirit of JCPOA: Iran official IRNA 20 Jul 2017 -- US recent sanctions against Iran and its lack of commitment to the Islamic Republic are violation of the spirit and letter of the July 2015 landmark nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), senior Iranian official said on Thursday.
• New US sanctions on Iran 'ridiculous': Russian official Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- A senior Russian official has denounced fresh US sanctions against Iran on "unfounded" grounds, saying they will only undermine the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran.
• Drought in DPR Korea threatens food supply during ongoing lean season UN News 20 Jul 2017 -- Amid the worst drought in nearly two decades in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations agricultural agency is calling for emergency food assistance, as well as irrigation and farming equipment, to help farmers get through the lean season.
• Worst drought in 16 years threatens food supplies in North Korea, warns UN Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- North Korea is facing severe food shortages due to the worst drought since 2001, the UN's food agency says.
• Germany vows to overhaul Turkey relations amid tensions Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in Berlin on Thursday that Germany would review state guarantees for foreign investment in Turkey and would urge businesses against putting their money there. Gabriel said that Berlin would also review its support for EU financial flows to the long-time aspirant to membership of the bloc.
• Turkey, Germany Step Up War of Words RFE/RL 20 Jul 2017 -- Turkey on July 20 told Germany that bilateral ties could not be founded on "blackmail and threats" after the German foreign minister vowed steps that would limit investment in an escalating dispute.
• Indian MPs, legislators elect president from lowest Dalit caste Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Indian lawmakers and provincial legislators have elected a new president from the country's lowest and poorest Dalit caste.
• Iraqi Kurdistan Leader Criticized for Using Independence Vote for Personal Gains Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- A Kurdish party criticized Masoud Barzani, the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, over an attempt to use the referendum on the region's independence from Baghdad to regain personal and party credibility that had been lost due to political and economic crises recently experienced by the Iraqi Kurds.
• 'Coup' at midnight in the Arabian Desert Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Mohammed bin Salman, a prince who rose from obscurity when his father became Saudi Arabia's king in 2015 and who ultimately ousted an elder to become crown prince, gained that status in a secretive push that had been "planned out" in advance, a report has revealed.
• Saudi security system overhauled on overnight royal decrees Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has issued a series of overnight decrees to overhaul the country's security and intelligence apparatus, a move that could spark fresh concerns about the royal's increased inclination to give more power to his son and the second to the throne Mohammed.
• Uganda Arrests Opposition Activists VOA 20 Jul 2017 -- Ugandan police say they arrested dozens of political opposition activists this week. The arrests coincide with speculation President Yoweri Museveni will act to change the constitution to allow himself to run for another term in 2021.
• Qatar vows 'appropriate' response to hacking from UAE Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- Qatar has officially accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of hosting controversial hacking attacks on its national news agency in May, saying Doha is pondering an appropriate response.