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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Air Force Maintainers Play Critical Role in Operation Inherent Resolve AFPS 30 May 2018 -- With more than 1,000 successful missions in the last six months, the 5th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron, known as 'The Jokers,' supports Operation Inherent Resolve's busiest aerial port here.
• Department Of Defense Press Briefing by General Nicholson via Teleconference from Kabul, Afghanistan DoD 30 May 2018 -- Presenter: General John W. Nicholson Jr., Commander, Resolute Support and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan; Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, Pentagon Spokesman
• South Asia Strategy in Afghanistan Shows Results, Nicholson Says AFPS 30 May 2018 -- The South Asia strategy in Afghanistan has spawned intensified dialogue and a drop in Taliban violence, Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, told reporters today.
• Afghan Interior Ministry building under attack in Kabul Press TV 30 May 2018 -- Afghan security forces are engaged in a gun battle with militants, who have attacked the Interior Ministry building in the capital, Kabul.
• U.S. Commander In Afghanistan Says Some Taliban Interested In Peace Talks RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says some elements of the Taliban are showing interest in peace talks.
• Deadly Attack On Interior Ministry In Kabul Repelled, Officials Say RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- An attack on Afghanistan's Interior Ministry in Kabul has been repelled with one policeman and all of the attackers being killed in the latest in a series of militant attacks in the city.
• Attack on Interior Ministry in Kabul Ended, Militants Killed - Police Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The purported attack on the Afghan Interior Ministry building is the latest in a series of deadly attacks in Kabul this year.
• US: Airstrikes Kill More Than 70 Afghan Taliban Leaders VOA 30 May 2018 -- The U.S. military in Afghanistan says it has killed more than 70 senior Taliban leaders this month in a series of "precision" strikes, dealing a major blow to the insurgency.
• UN: Violence Against Afghan Women Largely Goes Unpunished VOA 30 May 2018 -- The United Nations says women in Afghanistan who are victims of violence have little or no judicial recourse, as perpetrators of the crimes usually go unpunished. The findings were published in a joint report by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Office and the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Military Renames Largest Area of Operations VOA 30 May 2018 -- The United States military's largest region of operations will now be known as "Indo-Pacific Command" instead of "Pacific Command," a symbolic gesture that underscores U.S. commitment to the Indian Ocean region.
• Remarks at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Change of Command Ceremony DoD 30 May 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis
• US to Continue Military Exercises in South China Sea, Pentagon Chief Says Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The United States will continue to conduct military exercises in the South China Sea despite rising tensions with Beijing, US Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters.
• Maple Resolve Exercise Strengthens Bond between U.S., Canadian Forces AFPS 30 May 2018 -- More than 3,500 Canadian, U.S., British, Australian and French forces participated in this year's Exercise Maple Resolve, providing an opportunity to enhance multinational interoperability in a brigade-level field training exercise.
• U.S. Navy Announces 26th Rim of the Pacific Exercise NNS 30 May 2018 -- Twenty-six nations, 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 27 to Aug. 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
• USS The Sullivans Conducts Missile Exercise NNS 30 May 2018 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) launched a standard missile (SM-2) in the Virginia Capes operating area, May 28, 2018.
• USS Portland Arrives in Pearl Harbor NNS 30 May 2018 -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) arrived in Pearl Harbor May 29 to conduct Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials.
• Kremlin Says U.S. Military Presence In Poland Would Undermine European Stability RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The Kremlin has expressed concern over reports that Poland has requested a permanent U.S. military presence on its soil, saying NATO's expansion towards Russia's borders undermines stability in Europe.
• Chinese Navy Holds Live Fire Drills in Taiwan Strait Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- China's People's Liberation Army-Navy conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday as a way to "safeguard China's sovereignty and integrity," according to Beijing's Taiwan Office Director Liu Jeyi, China Global Network reports.
• Iranian Military Training Aircraft Crashes Near Tehran - Army Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- A training aircraft of the Iranian army crashed in the suburbs of the Iranian capital of Tehran, the army's press service said Wednesday.
• Taiwan eyes golden opportunity to take part in RIMPAC exercise: MND CNA 30 May 2018 -- This year marks a golden opportunity for Taiwan to participate in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, a multinational naval exercise scheduled for this summer, especially after Washington disinvited China last week, the nation's defense chief said Wednesday.
• Taiwan denies report of U.S. help to build submarines CNA 30 May 2018 -- Taiwan's defense minister dismissed a report Wednesday that the United States may send technical specialists to Taiwan to help the country build submarines.
• 'Turkey to look elsewhere if US blocks sale of F-35 jets' Press TV 30 May 2018 -- Turkey says it will look elsewhere to equip its air force if the United States blocks the sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
• Turkey Threatens to Deny US Access to Incirlik Base Amid F-35 Deal Tensions Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- If the United States does not supply F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Turkish Air Force, Ankara will satisfy its need for such warplanes "somewhere else," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
• Washington 'Hopeful' to Resolve S-400 Row With Turkey Before Delivering F-35s Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The United States is hopeful it can resolve some operational problems over Turkey's purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system before sending F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Turkish Air Force, Secretary of the US Air Force Heather Wilson said.
• Britain Test Fire New Land Ceptor Air Defense System in Baltic Sea Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The British Army has completed the first firing trials of its new land-based medium range air defense missile system at a firing range in northern Sweden.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 30 May 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 30, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 30 May 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 May 2018
• Philippines Could Go to War Over S China Sea - Duterte's Security Advisor Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that his country could go to war if its soldiers were hurt in the disputed South China Sea, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon.
• Yemeni PM: Army Close to Liberating Houthis Strategic Stronghold – Reports Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Daghr claimed that government forces and the Saudi-led coalition had already liberated 85 percent of the territory seized by the Houthis and were approaching victory in the port city of Al-Hudaydah, Anadolu reported on Wednesday.
• 'Talk of Turkish-US control in Syria's Manbij premature' Press TV 30 May 2018 -- A local official in northern Syria's Manbij region says an assertion by the Turkish government that US and Turkish forces will temporarily control Kurdish-populated Syrian town is "premature (and) lacks credibility".
• Turkey, US to Decide How to Govern Syria's Manbij After Kurdish Withdrawal Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- Ankara and Washington will make a joint decision on the formation of the leadership in Syria's Manbij after the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) leave the city, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
• Indian, Pakistani Military Agree to Honor Ceasefire, Restore Peace at Border Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The armies of India and Pakistan have agreed to undertake measures to improve the existing situation on the border in order to ensure civilians are not harmed.
• Pakistan, India agree to fully implement 2003 truce deal in Kashmir Press TV 30 May 2018 -- The military chiefs of Pakistan and India have agreed to "fully implement" a ceasefire deal struck in 2003 and stop the recent cross-border exchanges of fire in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
• Pakistan, India Agree To Restore Truce In Kashmir RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The Pakistani and Indian militaries say they have agreed to deescalate tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the disputed region of Kashmir, where exchanges of fire between the two neighbors have killed dozens of civilians and soldiers since the beginning of the year.
• Bangladesh lawyers working to refer Myanmar to ICC on behalf of Rohingya Press TV 30 May 2018 -- A group of lawyers working on behalf of hundreds of Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh is pushing for Myanmar's military to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for widespread violence against the Muslims.
• U.S. Condemns Syria's Decision To Recognize Breakaway Georgian Regions RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The United States has condemned Syria's decision to recognize the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries.
• Gaza is 'on the brink' warns UN envoy, urging more international intervention UN News 30 May 2018 -- Rocket fire this week across the border between Gaza and Israel shows how close the region is "to the brink of war" a senior United Nations official warned on Wednesday, urging the international community to do more to help Israelis and Palestinians return to the negotiating table.
• Israel approves 2,000 West Bank settlement units despite outcry Press TV 30 May 2018 -- The Israeli regime has approved plans for the construction of about 2,000 settlement units in the occupied West Bank.
• Israel-Gaza Border Violence Subsides VOA 30 May 2018 -- A flare-up of violence along the Israel-Gaza border subsided Wednesday as Palestinian officials said an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire had been reached with Israel.
• Mali: In Mopti, UN chief finds 'a determination to fight for peace' UN News 30 May 2018 -- On the second day of his visit to Mali, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres travelled some 460 kilometers outside the capital, Bamako, to Mopti, where he highlighted how insecurity in the region is threatening the country's fragile peace process.
• Analysts Warn Sahel Region to Deny Militants Safe Havens VOA 30 May 2018 -- Islamic State is spreading its influence to other regions, including Africa's Sahel, and experts are warning that countries in the region should take measures to keep the militant groups from regrouping in these areas.
• South Sudan President Urges Ethiopia to Oppose US-Drafted Sanctions VOA 30 May 2018 -- One day before the United Nations Security Council votes on proposed U.S. sanctions against six South Sudanese officials accused of obstructing the peace process, President Salva Kiir left his nation's capital, Juba, for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is seeking Ethiopian support to stop the U.S.-drafted sanctions.

News Reports

• Lavrov, Pompeo Discuss 'Issues, Concerns' About U.S.-Russian Relations RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have spoken by telephone for the first time since Pompeo was sworn into office on April 26.
• Ukraine Says It Faked Journalist's Death To Thwart Russian Plot RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- Ukrainian security officials said they faked the death of a dissident Russian journalist in an effort to catch people it says were involved in a Russian plot to kill him.
• 'What About The Blood?' Joy, Then Confusion, After Russian Journalist Turns Up Alive RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- Outside the apartment where Arkady Babchenko wasn't killed, people wept as though he was.
• The Photo That Fueled The Hoax: Behind The Gruesome Image Of Babchenko's 'Death' RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The killing of Arkady Babchenko did not happen. But you'd certainly be forgiven if, in the hours after the first reports emerged late on May 29, you had glimpsed a photograph of his body lying face down in a pool of blood and concluded that this was proof that another Russian reporter had been murdered.
• Russia Under Fire At UN Over Downing Of MH17 RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- Russia has rejected calls at the United Nations to accept responsibility for the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine after an investigation found that a Russian Army missile caused the explosion that killed all 298 people on board.
• Russian Journalist Babchenko, Thought Dead, Appears after Sting Operation VOA 30 May 2018 -- Ukraine's security chief now says his organization planned to have a prominent Russian war correspondent and Kremlin critic fake his own death as part of a ruse to save the reporter's life.
• June 12 Still Date for Planned Trump-Kim Summit VOA 30 May 2018 -- White House officials said conversations underway this week in Panmunjom, Singapore and New York City are focused on denuclearization of North Korea ahead of a planned June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
• Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula not possible in one move: Lavrov Press TV 30 May 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is in favor of the ongoing talks between North Korea, South Korea and the United States to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, noting that all parties need to be patient and follow a step-by-step approach.
• Iranian Military Training Aircraft Crashes Near Tehran - Army Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- A training aircraft of the Iranian army crashed in the suburbs of the Iranian capital of Tehran, the army's press service said Wednesday.
• Treasury Targets Human Rights Abuses, Censorship, and Enhanced Monitoring by the Iranian Government US Treasury 30 May 2018 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Iranian entities for committing serious human rights abuses on behalf of the Government of Iran, as well as three leaders of one of these entities, the Ansar-e Hizballah organization. Additionally, OFAC designated an entity that has operated information or communications technology that facilitates monitoring or tracking that could assist or enable serious human rights abuses by or on behalf of the Government of Iran. Finally, OFAC designated two individuals for engaging in censorship activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of Iran, and one individual for acting for or on behalf of an entity engaged in such censorship activities.
• US Sanctions Iranian Entities, Individuals for Abusing Human Rights VOA 30 May 2018 -- The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on three Iranian organizations and six Iranians whom it says have committed serious human rights abuses on behalf of Tehran.
• Zarif writes message to counterparts on JCPOA IRNA 30 May 2018 -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a detailed letter explained the latest situation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following the US unilateral exit from the deal.
• Iran says French Total has 60 days to decide on its stay in South Pars project IRNA 30 May 2018 -- Tehran has set a two-month deadline for French oil and gas company Total to hold talks with the US on whether it can stay in Iran or not, the Iranian petroleum minister announced here on Wednesday.
• Larijani re-elected Iran's parliament speaker IRNA 30 May 2018 -- Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday voted to re-elect Ali Larijani as parliament speaker for the third year of the 10th Parliament.
• Ali Larijani re-elected as Iran's Parliament Speaker ISNA 30 May 2018 -- Ali Larijani once again elected by Iranian lawmakers as the Speaker of the Parliament.
• US imposes new sanctions against Iran Press TV 30 May 2018 -- The United States has imposed sanctions on several Iranian individuals and organizations, including Evin Prison and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), over "human rights abuses" and "censorship."
• Leader's aide puts forward proposals to counter US breaches Press TV 30 May 2018 -- A senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has put forward a number of propositions to develop the country's nuclear capabilities and counter US breaches of the Iran deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), weeks after President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the agreement.
• Lukoil puts Iran plans on hold over US sanctions: Report Press TV 30 May 2018 -- A Lukoil official has been quoted as saying that Russia's second oil producer has put its plans to develop projects in Iran on hold in the face of US sanctions.
• US sought total confrontation with Iran by leaving JCPOA: Russia Press TV 30 May 2018 -- The Russian foreign minister says the United States chose to pull out of the 2015 nuclear agreement with an eye to "a total confrontation with Iran."
• Iran: Total has 60 days to get US exemption Press TV 30 May 2018 -- Total has 60 days to get exemptions from US sanctions in order to proceed with a $2 billion project to develop Iran's giant South Pars gas field, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh has said.
• U.S. Sanctions Six Iranians, Tehran's Evin Prison For Rights Abuses RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on six Iranians and three Iran-based entities, including the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, for human rights abuses and other ill-treatment of Iranian citizens.
• US Issues New Sanctions Against Iran - Treasury Department Sputnik 30 May 2018 -- The US Treasury Department announced Wednesday that Washington had imposed new sanctions on Iran. In particular, the US sanctioned six individuals and three companies.
• After democratic elections, Iraqi leaders must form 'truly national' government, urges UN envoy UN News 30 May 2018 -- The low voter turnout for Iraq's recent national elections was a "strong signal" to the country's ruling political elites that they must work harder to ease sectarian divides and promote democratic accountability over nepotism and patronage, the United Nations envoy to the country said on Wednesday.
• Authorities: Belgium Attacker Engaged in 'Terrorist Murder' VOA 30 May 2018 -- A man who murdered three people Tuesday in the Belgium city of Liege engaged in an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Wednesday.
• Hacker Accused Of Aiding Russian Spies In Massive Breach Gets Prison RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- A Kazakh-born computer hacker who U.S. prosecutors say unwittingly worked with a Russian spy agency in a massive Yahoo data breach has been sentenced to five years in prison.
• China says U.S. trade move contrary to bilateral consensuses People's Daily 30 May 2018 -- China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday that the U.S. statement is contrary to the consensuses the two sides have previously reached in Washington.
• Taiwan Cannot Compete with China on Aid to Keep Foreign Allies VOA 30 May 2018 -- Taiwan will struggle to stop a shrinking pool of mostly poor diplomatic allies from shifting allegiance to its rival, China, because it lacks the amounts of money they want, experts and officials in Taipei say.
• Macedonia Plans Autumn Referendum On New Name RFE/RL 30 May 2018 -- Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev says that talks between Macedonia and neighboring Greece on his country's name are in a "final" phase, adding that a referendum on whatever solution is found will be held in the autumn.
• Italy's Political Turmoil Sends Shock Waves Across Europe VOA 30 May 2018 -- Europe's financial markets are in a swoon, Italy is in political turmoil, a fresh eurozone debt crisis is in the offing and the continent's euroskeptic populists are predicting gleefully the fast-approaching demise of the European Union.
• Malaysia's PM Seeks to Implement Reforms, Restore Country's Reputation VOA 30 May 2018 -- Malaysia's 92-year-old prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, is determined to restore the country's reputation and his legacy, having wrested back leadership following national elections in early May. During his previous 22-year rule, Mahathir built the small former British colony into one of Asia's proudest economic powerhouses, only to see it reduced to mockery under corruption scandals that resembled movie scripts.
• Malaysia Moves to Rebalance Relationship With China VOA 30 May 2018 -- Malaysia and China are looking to re-balance ties as the new government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad seeks to renegotiate billions of dollars of Chinese backed infrastructure spending, with the goal of reducing the country's national debt.
• Zimbabwe to Hold National Elections July 30 VOA 30 May 2018 -- Zimbabwe's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has set July 30 as election day. But Zimbabweans living outside the southern African nation will not be allowed to vote in those polls.