Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Message to the Department - Support to Civil Authorities DoD 03 Jun 2020 -- Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper released a message to the Department of Defense regarding its continued support to civil authorities, June 2.
• Secretary of Defense Esper Addresses Reporters Regarding Civil Unrest DoD 03 Jun 2020 -- Secretary Of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper
• DOD Official: National Guard Is First Choice in Response to Civil Unrest DoD News 03 Jun 2020 -- Governors in 28 states have called on the National Guard to support first responders in the wake of civil unrest and protests across the nation following the death of George Floyd.
• Secretary Says He Does Not Support Invoking Insurrection Act DoD News 03 Jun 2020 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said he doesn't support invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow active-duty service members to act as law enforcement in quelling unrest in American cities.
• White House Says Trump Prepared to Invoke Insurrection Act VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump "has sole authority to invoke the Insurrection Act" and "if needed, he will use it," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
• Pentagon Chief Breaks With Trump on Use of Military to Quell Protests VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not support using the military to quell protests around the country, as suggested earlier this week by U.S. President Donald Trump.
• US senator moves to curb Trump's 'vague authority' to use military against protesters Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Legislation is being introduced in the US Congress to limit President Donald Trump's authority to use military forces against protesters, seeking justice for George Floyd, an African American killed by a white police officer last week.
• Pentagon chief breaks with Trump on using military to crush protests Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has broken with President Donald Trump on using the country's military forces to crush protests, seeking justice for George Floyd, an African American killed by a white police officer recently.
• US Defence Secretary Mark Esper Explains His Part in Trump's Church Photo-Op Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- The US Defence Secretary has faced heavy criticism after accompanying President Donald Trump in a prearranged photo opportunity in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, where protesters had been dispersed with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades ahead of the president's visit.
• Pentagon Moves 1,600 Troops to Washington DC Region Amid Violence at Floyd Protests Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- The move followed orders by US President Donald Trump to maximize a US military presence on the streets of Washington DC in an attempt to curb violence during protests over the death of George Floyd.
• In Kandahar, another black day as women, kids die in bombing Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Nine civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a small bus in southern Afghanistan.
• Landmines Kill 12 Afghans in 2 Incidents VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- Ten civilians were killed and another four wounded when their van hit a roadside landmine Wednesday morning in Afghanistan's Arghistan District in Kandahar province, according to local police.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 03 Jun 2020
• Army Targets COVID-19 Vaccine by End of Year, Human Testing in Summer DoD News 03 Jun 2020 -- The global race to field a lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine may be nearing its last lap, as the Army aims for a vaccine by the end of this year, the force's top medical research officer said.
• Defense Department Press Briefing on 5G Communications Technology Testing and Experimentation DoD 03 Jun 2020 -- Dr. Joseph Evans, Department of Defense technical director for 5G, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
• DOD Names Seven Installations as Sites for Second Round of 5G Technology Testing, Experimentation DoD 03 Jun 2020 -- The Department of Defense has named seven U.S. military installations as the latest sites where it will conduct fifth-generation (5G) communications technology experimentation and testing. They are Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Pendleton, California; and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
• DOD Announces New Locations for Additional 5G Testing, Experimentation DoD News 03 Jun 2020 -- The Defense Department already is heavily involved in investigating how 5G technology will best serve the warfighter. Experimentation is ongoing at five installations across the United States, with seven more to come, as part of the department's second tranche of test beds for 5G communications capability, DOD's technical director for 5G said.
• Corps' satellite communication system exceeding performance expectations USMC News 03 Jun 2020 -- Marine Corps Systems Command is updating its tactical satellite system that provides increased communication on the battlefield.
• Jolly Green II, Apache complete joint test mission US Air Force 03 Jun 2020 -- Those common, vibrating "thwip" helicopter sounds arrived well before they showed up, as 413th Flight Test Squadron personnel turned to look to the north at Eglin Air Force Base, May 19.
• RPA Training Next transforms pipeline to competency-based construct US Air Force 03 Jun 2020 -- Air Education and Training Command is integrating modern technology and innovative strategies in an effort to transform how remotely piloted aircraft pilots and sensor operators are developed through the RPA Training Next initiative.
• Geopolitics, COVID-19 Behind Philippine About-Face on Defense Pact with US, Officials Say Radio Free Asia 03 Jun 2020 -- Geopolitical tensions amid a global pandemic led Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to keep a key military pact with the United States intact for now, Manila's top diplomat and other government officials said Wednesday.
• Philippines Reinstates Pact with US Military VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- The Philippines has reinstated its Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. Tuesday on Twitter.
• Coronavirus response: essential supplies airlifted to Poland NATO 03 Jun 2020 -- The NATO-supported Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS) executed a mission to Wroclaw today (3 June 2020), bringing 75 tonnes of equipment to Poland to help stem the spread of COVID-19. The AN-124 flight delivered face shields, a mask-making machine, protective clothing, and medical gloves. Requested by Poland's Ministry of National Defence, this marks the fifth SALIS mission carried out in 2020 to support Poland's efforts to fight the Coronavirus pandemic. In total, Poland has airlifted 299 tonnes of medical supplies through this programme.
• In apparent signal to US: Russia's Putin endorses strategy of using nukes against conventional strike Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a strategy document outlining the country's nuclear deterrent policy, amid rising tensions with the United States over a nuclear arms control accord.
• China's J-20 fighter jet has 'beast mode' for arms like F-35: reports Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- China's J-20 fighter jet has been spotted equipped with pylon adapters under its wings, indicating the stealth aircraft may also be able to enter a "beast mode" like the US' F-35 fighter jet if needed by giving up some stealth capability in exchange for larger weapons loads, reports said.
• Military training to be conducted in Bohai Sea from June 2 to 16 PLA Daily 03 Jun 2020 -- According to the website of the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the People's Republic of China, the Dalian MSA Bureau released two pieces of navigation warning respectively on June 1st and 2nd, 2020.
• Chinese Troops Carry Out Infiltration Drills in Tibet Amid India Border Dispute Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- Chinese forces in Tibet are practicing their night infiltration abilities amid the ongoing border dispute with India along eastern Jammu and Kashmir.
• India Starts Work on Emergency Landing Airstrip in Kashmir Amid Border Stand-off with China Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- As the skirmish continues between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the former building defence infrastructure in eastern Ladakh, New Delhi has started work on an airstrip in Kashmir for fighter jets to make emergency landings in war-like situations.
• Israeli Aerospace Short-Range Ballistic Missile Tests Hit Floating Targets Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- The Long-Range Artillery Weapon System (LORA) trials were conducted at sea due to coronavirus restrictions, but with the use of a land launcher. The LORA has a stated range of 400 kilometres and is said to be accurate to within 10 metres, according to Israeli Aerospace Industries.
• US, South Korea Agree to Fund Furloughed Workers on US Bases VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- Thousands of furloughed South Korean workers could soon return to their jobs on U.S. military bases in South Korea under the terms of a deal announced by the Pentagon.
• Ministry of Defence seeks to maximise Reserves contribution through new review UK MOD 03 Jun 2020 -- The specialist contribution military reservists have made across society during Britain's battle against coronavirus will help inform a review examining how defence can maximise the skills of its Reserve Forces.
• RAF jets in Lithuania intercept Russian aircraft UK MOD 03 Jun 2020 -- Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets deployed to Lithuania have conducted their first intercept of Russian aircraft as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.
• Top Ukrainian And German Diplomats Talk NATO And Conflict In Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 02 Jun 2020 -- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has discussed the ongoing conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's relationship with NATO, and the issue of Russia-annexed Crimea with German officials during a one-day visit to Berlin.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany The White House 03 Jun 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For June 3, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 3 June 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 03 Jun 2020
• Houthis: Saudi-led aggressors begging under guise of 'donor' conference Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah popular defensive movement has denounced the recent so-called donor conference that was organized under the guise of collecting aid for the war-torn country as "an attempt for begging" by countries in the Saudi-led military coalition.
• Russia Eyes Military Expansion in Northeast Syria VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- Russian troops in Syria are looking to expand their military presence in the northeastern part of the war-ravaged country, local sources said.
• Security forces launch major anti-IS offensive in Iraq Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- The Iraqi security forces on Tuesday launched a major offensive to hunt down Islamic State (IS) militants in the provinces of Kirkuk and Salahudin, the Iraqi military said.
• 'Haftar cannot win this war,' Turkish Foreign Minister says of Libya conflict Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Libya's eastern-based renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar will not manage to emerge victorious out of the ongoing conflict in the country.
• Three Terrorists Killed, One Indian Military Person Injured in Ongoing Encounter in Pulwama, Kashmir Sputnik 03 Jun 2020 -- Last week, the Indian intelligence agency alerted security personnel about an increase in infiltration attempts in Kashmir from the Pakistani side. Since April of this year, Indian security forces have killed over 50 militants in the Kashmir Valley.
• Myanmar Forces Arrest Two Village Officials For Alleged Ties to the Arakan Army Radio Free Asia 03 Jun 2020 -- Two village administrators in Myanmar's war-torn Rakhine state have been charged under the country's Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly having ties to the rebel Arakan Army, relatives of the men and officials said Wednesday.
• Top US Religious Official Pledges Support For Dalai Lama's Return to 'More Autonomous' Tibet Radio Free Asia 03 Jun 2020 -- U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback on Wednesday pledged Washington's assistance to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in returning from exile to a Tibet with greater autonomy, in his latest salvo against Beijing for its persecution of ethnic groups in China.

News Reports

• Senate Republicans Launch Investigation Into Origins of Russia Probe VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended his decision to open a special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, telling a Senate panel Wednesday that while there was "reasonable suspicion" for the probe, he should not have signed an application for a surveillance warrant against a Trump campaign adviser.
• Trump Says 'Common Sense' To Invite Russia to G7 RFE/RL 03 Jun 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has said it is "common sense" to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to an expanded Group of Seven (G7) summit.
• 'The Message Sends Itself': In Coverage Of U.S. Protests, Russia Reveals Its Own Fears Of Unrest, Disorder RFE/RL 03 Jun 2020 -- The screen depicts the Statue of Liberty backdropped by a cloud-specked sky, its outstretched arm and crowned head superimposed over the body of an American police officer whose knee presses firmly into the neck of a black man pinned to the ground and struggling to breathe.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 3, 2020 PRC MofA 03 Jun 2020
• 31st Anniversary of Tiananmen Square US Dept. of State 03 Jun 2020 -- "Today we honor the brave Chinese people whose peaceful calls for democracy, human rights, and a corruption-free society came to a violent end when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent the People's Liberation Army into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, armed with tanks and guns."
• PM Boris Johnson article on Hong Kong: 3 June 2020 Gov.UK 03 Jun 2020 -- There is something wonderful about the fact that a small island in the Pearl River Delta rose to become a great trading city and commercial powerhouse of East Asia. Wonderful, but not accidental or fortuitous.
• Britain Offers Hong Kongers Path to Citizenship VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday said he would offer millions of Hong Kong residents a path to British citizenship if China imposes a national security law that opponents fear will erode political freedom in the territory.
• Boris Johnson escalates interventionist policy in Hong Kong Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- After weeks of posturing by the British government, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has come out to publicly endorse the plan to grant British citizenship to potentially millions of HongKongers.
• China strongly protests to UK over foreign secretary's Hong Kong remarks Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- China has filed stern representations with the United Kingdom over remarks by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accusing Beijing of violating the autonomy of Hong Kong with the passage of a national security law in the global financial hub.
• US sanctions won't impact HK: Lam Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she is committed to fully supporting and pushing forward the formulation of the national security law, and she condemned the US and the UK for their double-standards on the issue at a press briefing after she had met with senior central government officials in Beijing on Wednesday.
• West's offers to lure HKers help city drain 'bad blood' Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- To further meddle in Hong Kong's affairs, US and UK politicians, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have jumped out to try to lure Hong Kong residents with relaxed immigration policies, a move which Chinese observers predicted will do nothing to affect the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong but actually helps the Chinese city drain out national traitors, who are "bad blood" poisoning Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong not afraid of US sanctions: Lam Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam said ahead of her Wednesday visit to Beijing that Hong Kong is not afraid of US accusations and threats of sanctions.
• Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks on the Joint Letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson from Seven Former Foreign Secretaries of the UK Global Times 03 Jun 2020
• National security legislation for HKSAR shows commitment of central authorities: chief executive Global Times 03 Jun 2020 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the decision by the national legislature to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security demonstrates the commitment of the central authorities, while some foreign countries applied double standards on the matter.
• National security legislation for HKSAR shows commitment of central authorities: chief executive PLA Daily 03 Jun 2020 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the decision by the national legislature to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security demonstrates the commitment of the central authorities, while some foreign countries applied double standards on the matter.
• US to Bar Air China Planes From Entering Country VOA 03 Jun 2020 -- The United States said Wednesday it will prohibit Air China planes from entering the country beginning on June 16 as part of an effort to pressure Beijing to allow American air carriers to resume flights to China.
• 54th BeiDou satellite starts operation in network PLA Daily 03 Jun 2020 -- The 54th and penultimate satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has started operation in the network after completing in-orbit tests and network access evaluations, according to a statement from China's Satellite Navigation System Management Office.
• Construction of Hwangju Kindung Waterway Begins KCNA 03 Jun 2020 -- A large-scale project has begun to build a waterway in Hwangju.
• Iran's Army Claims 'Enemies' Misrepresented Commander's Remarks On IRGC Radio Farda 03 Jun 2020 -- Iran's regular Army on Tuesday claimed that "envious and hostile enemies" misrepresented the remarks of its Coordinating Deputy in an interview to damage the unity of the Army and the Revolutionary Guard.
• Iran To Spend $1 Billion From Reserves To Prop Up Its Ailing Automakers Radio Farda 03 Jun 2020 -- Iran has decided to channel one billion dollars from its national reserves to prop up its ailing automakers amid a deep economic crisis gripping the country since 2018.
• State Department Denies Prisoner Swap As Released Iranian Returns Home Radio Farda 03 Jun 2020 -- The U.S. State Department says the release of an Iranian scientist who was deported from the United States on Tuesday is not part of a prisoner swap.
• Parliament's Think Tank Chief Calls For Reforms To Save Iran's Failing Economy Radio Farda 03 Jun 2020 -- In what appears to be candid remarks, Mohammad Qasemi, the head of the Iranian Parliament's Research Center, has painted a bleak picture of Iran economy. He told parliament that structural flaws and weak management have plagued the Iranian economy during the past 40 years.
• After Crushing Anti-Government Rallies At Home, Iran Expresses Support For U.S. Protesters Radio Farda 03 Jun 2020 -- Iran is using the killing in the United States of an African-American man at the hands of a white policeman and the angry wave of protests it has caused as a propaganda tool to settle scores with Washington, which has imposed a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Tehran that includes crippling economic sanctions.
• Venezuela says needs more Iran fuel as US cranks up pressure Press TV 03 Jun 2020 -- Venezuela says it plans to import more gasoline and additives from Iran after receiving five shipments of fuel from the Middle Eastern country in the face of US sanctions.
• Kosovar Lawmakers End Months Of Turmoil, Approve New Government With Hoti As PM RFE/RL 03 Jun 2020 -- Lawmakers in Kosovo have approved a new government led by Avdullah Hoti, ending months of political turmoil.
• Lukashenka Dismisses Belarusian Government Ahead Of Presidential Vote RFE/RL 03 Jun 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has dismissed his government, state media report, two months before a presidential election.
• Additions to the Cuba Restricted List US Dept. of State 03 Jun 2020 -- "Today, the United States Government is announcing the addition of seven new subentities to the Cuba Restricted List. These seven subentities disproportionately benefit the Castro dictatorship, a regime which uses the profits from these businesses to oppress the Cuban people and to fund its interference in Venezuela, at the expense of the Cuban people or private enterprise in Cuba."
• Calls For Dismissal Of Ukraine's Powerful Interior Minister Grow Louder After Alleged Police Rape, Gangland Shooting RFE/RL 03 Jun 2020 -- The 26-year-old woman was brought to a police station in the central Ukrainian town of Kaharlyk, where officers told her she would be questioned as a witness to an alleged theft. But according to the State Bureau of Investigation, two policemen covered her face with a gas mask and handcuffed her, fired a gun over her head and then raped her several times on the night of May 23.
• WHO chief updates journalists on Ebola outbreak, COVID-19 treatment study UN News 03 Jun 2020 -- Nearly 50 staff from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners arrived in Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, location of the country's latest Ebola outbreak.