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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 29 Jun 2018 [PDF]
• Iraqi, U.S. Guns Bring 'Steel Rain' to ISIS AFPS 29 Jun 2018 -- In northwestern Iraq along the Syrian border, the desert echoes with the sound of artillery.
• US Urged to Hold Talks With Afghan Taliban VOA 29 Jun 2018 -- Participants at an informal international meeting Friday in Pakistan recommended the United States open direct talks with the Taliban insurgency to help promote a negotiated settlement to the deadly Afghanistan war.

Defense Policy / Programs

• NNSA, Air Force complete successful end-to-end B61-12 Life Extension Program flight tests at Tonopah Test Range National Nuclear Security Administration 29 Jun 2018 -- The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and the U.S. Air Force completed two non-nuclear system qualification flight tests of the B61-12 gravity bomb on June 9 at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.
• US opens 'biggest overseas base' in South Korea amid North Korea talks Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- US forces in South Korea have opened their "biggest overseas base", just weeks after President Donald Trump said he wanted to bring the troops home.
• KC-46 Training Summit helps set timeline for Air Force AFNS 29 Jun 2018 -- McConnell Air Force Base hosted its fifth KC-46 Pegasus Maintenance Training Summit to define training timelines and expected progression based on aircraft delivery.
• Mongolian Armed Forces host Khaan Quest 2018 peacekeeping field-training exercise Army News 29 Jun 2018 -- The Mongolian Armed Forces hosted a United Nations peacekeeping field-training exercise June 14 to 28 at Five Hills Training Area, Mongolia, as part of Khaan Quest 2018.
• Media Availability with Secretary Mattis and Defense Minister Onodera, Tokyo, Japan DoD 29 Jun 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera
• US/UK Navy Chiefs Strengthen Partnership NNS 29 Jun 2018 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson visited London to highlight the importance of the U.S. and Royal Navy partnership June 27-28.
• US Navy Kicks Off 26th RIMPAC Exercise NNS 29 Jun 2018 -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. John C. Aquilino and Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Vice Adm. John D. Alexander announced today the start of the world's largest international maritime exercise, the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), scheduled through Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
• USS Oklahoma City Returns to Guam NNS 29 Jun 2018 -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) returned to its homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam, June 29.
• Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹, Zoran Zaev NATO 29 Jun 2018/li>

• Russia to reach military modernization goal by 2021: Putin People's Daily 29 Jun 2018 -- The amount of modern weapons in the Russian Armed Forces is close to 60 percent and is expected to reach the planned figure of 70 percent by 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
• Russia decades ahead of rivals in military capability: Putin Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country has made a breakthrough in designing new weapons, which are years or even decades ahead of its rival countries.
• Ankara: Trump Vowed to Help Turkey Purchase F-35 Despite Threats from Congress Sputnik 29 Jun 2018 -- Notwithstanding threats from the US Congress to halt the shipment of F-35s to Ankara due to its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, Lockheed Martin has transferred the first two jets to Turkey. Turkish pilots will now be acquainting themselves with the F-35s at an airbase in Arizona.
• Turkey's Re-Elected Leader Eyes Less Tension With NATO VOA 29 Jun 2018 -- There is momentum for improving Turkey's frayed relations with the West even as it warms up to Russia, a senior Turkish government adviser told VOA on condition of anonymity, days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected.
• China's Electromagnetic Railgun Progress Goes into Overdrive Sputnik 29 Jun 2018 -- The Chinese navy plans to equip an electromagnetic railgun onto a second type of surface warfare vessel, before the United States Navy puts such a weapon on one ship, according to a US intelligence report cited by CNBC last week.
• Japan to buy US-made advanced radar despite North Korea thaw Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Japan is set to pick a US-made advanced radar as early as next week to upgrade its missile system.
• Russia Says It Does Not Recognize Chemical Watchdog's Expanded Powers RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- Moscow does not recognize new powers the international community has given to the global chemical-weapons watchdog to identify who is responsible for chemical-weapons attacks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.
• OPCW's new power attempt to politicize its work: Syria Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- The Syrian government has denounced a recent decision made by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the world's chemical watchdog, to empower itself to assign blame for alleged chemical attacks.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 29, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 29 June 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Jun 2018
• Mine action is at 'the nexus' of peace, security and development: UN official UN News 29 Jun 2018 -- Despite international efforts, the number of people killed or injured by landmines and other explosive hazards has risen following years of decline, the Security Council heard on Friday.
• Yemen's warring sides will return to peace talks: UN IRNA 29 Jun 2018 -- UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths expects to get the warring parties in Yemen back to the negotiating table for the first time in years, and both sides have confirmed their willingness to talk, he said in a UN radio interview late on Thursday.
• UN says Yemen's warring sides to return to peace talks Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has expressed hope that a new round of peace talks between major warring sides of the country could begin next month amid an escalation of fighting in the Red Sea port of Hudaydah.
• Foreign-backed Takfiri militants renounce violence in Syria's Dara'a Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in a number of areas in the northern sector of Syria's southern province of Dara'a have laid down their arms and renounced violence in the wake of territorial gains being made by government troops and allied fighters from popular defense groups.
• France Warns RT Over Claims In Broadcast On Syrian Chemical Attack RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- France's media regulator has issued a warning to RT France, the French outlet of Russia's state-run broadcaster, for allegedly misrepresenting facts in a program about a chemical weapons attack in Syria.
• SDF, Iraqis Defend Syrian Border Town from IS VOA 29 Jun 2018 -- The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are working closely with the Iraqi army to prevent Islamic State (IS) militants from returning to a key Syrian town on the border with Iraq, an SDF commander told VOA.
• UN Warns of Humanitarian Catastrophe if Fighting Escalates in Daraa, Syria VOA 29 Jun 2018 -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein warned of a humanitarian "catastrophe" Friday in the southwestern Syrian city of Daraa if the fighting continues to escalate between Russian-backed Syrian forces and armed rebels.
• Yemen's warring sides will return to peace talks: UN IRNA 29 Jun 2018 -- UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths expects to get the warring parties in Yemen back to the negotiating table for the first time in years, and both sides have confirmed their willingness to talk, he said in a UN radio interview late on Thursday.
• UN says Yemen's warring sides to return to peace talks Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has expressed hope that a new round of peace talks between major warring sides of the country could begin next month amid an escalation of fighting in the Red Sea port of Hudaydah.
• Haftar's forces say 'captured' Libya's Derna Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar has announced the liberation of the city of Derna from the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
• UN chief heads to Bangladesh to spotlight continuing perils facing Rohingya refugees UN News 29 Jun 2018 -- The continuing plight of nearly one million Rohingya refugees driven from their homes in Myanmar will be the focus of the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres when he travels to Bangladesh this weekend – the country where they have found safe-haven.
• Trump Doesn't Rule Out Recognizing Russia's Annexation Of Crimea RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has declined to rule out recognizing Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula only days ahead of a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• South Sudan Peace Talks US Dept. of State 29 Jun 2018 -- The members of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) commend the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) efforts to drive forward the South Sudan peace process, and take note of the Khartoum Declaration of Agreement Between Parties of the Conflict of South Sudan agreed between President Salva Kiir, Dr. Riek Machar, and other opposition parties in Khartoum on June 27. We welcome the Government of Sudan's role in hosting the latest round of discussions.
• 'Bleakest period yet' in Occupied Palestinian Territory: UN human rights expert UN News 29 Jun 2018 -- Reports of the indignities faced by people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have "painted the bleakest picture yet" of the human rights situation there, a United Nations expert has said.

News Reports

• Concerns Mount About US Commitment to Allies, Global Order VOA 29 Jun 2018 -- President Donald Trump is denying any immediate plan to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• U.S. Ambassador to Estonia resigns over Trump anti-Europe rants ERR 29 Jun 2018 -- Ambassador James D. Melville announced in a message to friends on social media late on Friday evening that he has decided to resign. Recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump that the EU was "set up to take advantage of the United States" and that "NATO is as bad as NAFTA" are not only factually wrong, but prove that it is time for him to go, Melville wrote.
• Putin Ready To Reiterate Denials Of Election Meddling To Trump RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to reiterate to U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. elections if Trump raises the issue during their upcoming summit.
• EU leaders extend economic sanctions against Russia Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- European Union leaders have agreed to extend the bloc's economic sanctions against Russia for another six months.
• EU Leaders Agree To Extend Sanctions On Russia RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- European Union leaders have agreed to extend the bloc's economic sanctions penalizing Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
• Irish Prime Minister Confirms EU Council Agreed to Prolong Anti-Russia Sanctions Sputnik 29 Jun 2018 -- EU leaders have agreed to extend the bloc's sanctions against Moscow during the two-day European Council session, which concluded in Brussels earlier in the day, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday.
• Russia outraged at U.S. reducing participation in UN counter-terrorism confab People's Daily 29 Jun 2018 -- Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Thursday he was "indignant and outraged" by the United States lowering its participation in a counter-terrorism conference underway at UN Headquarters.
• 'We must fight terrorism together' without sacrificing legal and human rights, declares UN chief UN News 29 Jun 2018 -- With new solutions proposed, and new partnerships established, the United Nations Secretary-General told delegates from Member States attending the first ever High-Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism, that he was committed to meeting the challenge of "keeping your citizens safe".
• US, South Korea Agree to Keep up Pressure on North Korea - US State Dept. Sputnik 29 Jun 2018 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha reaffirmed that their two countries will continue the maximum pressure campaign against North Korea until denuclearization is complete, the US State Department said in a press release on Friday.
• If Iran oil exports hit 4 mbd, sanctions would be impossible IRNA 29 Jun 2018 -- Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Friday that if delays were not caused in ministry's activities to conclude five other deals with Total to raise Iran's oil exports to 4 mbd, the US would not be able to impose sanctions on its crude.
• US wrong policies, interference to blame for terror spread: Iran Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Iran has hit back at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his latest meddlesome comments about the Islamic Republic's role in the Middle East, saying Washington's "illegitimate interference and wrong policies" are the root cause of the expansion of terrorism and insecurity in the region.
• Arab states' intel heads, Mossad chief hold secret meeting: Report Press TV 28 Jun 2018 -- Spy chiefs of Israel and regional Arab countries have reportedly attended a secret summit hosted by the US president's senior advisor as Washington moves to conclude a controversial "peace" plan on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without the consent of the Palestinian side.
• France Warns RT Over Claims In Broadcast On Syrian Chemical Attack RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- France's media regulator has issued a warning to RT France, the French outlet of Russia's state-run broadcaster, for allegedly misrepresenting facts in a program about a chemical weapons attack in Syria.
• Turkey arrests former opposition lawmaker on terrorism charges Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of a former lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on several charges, including aiding a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Turkey sees no progress with EU under Austria's presidency Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu believes that no positive steps will be taken with the European Union this year as Austria will take over the bloc's six-month rotating presidency.
• Turkey vows to keep Iran ties despite US pressures Press TV 29 Jun 2018 -- Turkey says it remains determined to maintain trade ties with Iran in an apparent defiance against a purported plan by the US to urge all nations to cut imports of Iranian oil from November.
• EU Leaders Endorse New Sanctions Regime Targeting Chemical Weapons RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- European Union leaders are calling for a new sanctions regime targeting the use of chemical weapons and an action plan to respond to disinformation campaigns.
• Armenia's Anticorruption Wave Swells RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- Palatial homes, luxury cars, expensive watches. All would seem beyond the means of a public servant, especially in Armenia, one of the poorest countries in the Caucasus.
• Moldovan Electoral Commission Confirms Court Ruling To Throw Out Mayoral Vote RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- Moldova's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has confirmed the Supreme Court's decision to invalidate the recent mayoral election in the capital, Chisinau.
• Saakashvili Convicted Of Abuse Of Power, Sentenced In Absentia RFE/RL 29 Jun 2018 -- A Georgian court has sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili in absentia to six years in prison after convicting him of abuse of power.