Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghanistan: Taliban killed or wounded over 400 security personnel in one week Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- Afghanistan's government says the Taliban militants have killed or wounded more than 400 security personnel in one week.
• Qatar to Host Intra-Afghan Peace Talks VOA 14 Jun 2020 -- Afghanistan's warring sides have agreed to open long-awaited peace talks in Qatar, possibly later this month, to negotiate a sustainable cease-fire and political settlement to years of conflict in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Senate calls for new F-35 hub, strategic arms buildup in Pacific to deter China Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- US Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a $740 billion military budget that partially calls for spending nearly $7 billion over two years to launch an aggressive move towards deterring China and shoring up American military buildup in the Pacific region.
• Pentagon asks congress for 'Double-Digit Billions' in COVID-19 relief for military contractors Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- US military's top weapons buyer has warned Congress to either come up with "double-digit billions of dollars" to reimburse arms contractors for their costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic or face the danger of a degradation in the country's military readiness.
• Russian Military's Cathedral Consecrated Without Mosaic Featuring Putin RFE/RL 14 Jun 2020 -- Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has consecrated the main cathedral dedicated to the armed forces, built to mark Victory Day in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
• Russian Missile Forces in Baltic Region Conduct Drills Amid Ongoing NATO Exercises Nearby Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- US and Polish forces kicked off large-scale ground-based drills dubbed 'Allied Spirit' in northwestern Poland on June 4, while a NATO maritime exercise called 'BALTOPS 20' in the Baltic region got underway on June 7.
• China's Type 15 tanks join exercises in mountainous plateau region Global Times 14 Jun 2020 -- Type 15 lightweight tanks of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) were spotted participating in a recent exercise in a low temperature mountainous plateau region. This type of tank has significant advantages over other types of tanks or armored vehicles in such regions, experts said.
• Rare gathering of US aircraft carriers 'to be met with Chinese countermeasures' Global Times 14 Jun 2020 -- In a rare move, the US is sending three aircraft carriers to waters near China as bilateral tensions rise, a move interpreted by foreign media as a warning to China. Chinese military experts said on Sunday that the US move again exposed its hegemonic politics in the region, and China could counter it by holding military drills and showing its ability and determination to safeguard its territorial integrity.
• Mission Sagar: INS Kesari Returns to Port Louis, Mauritius India PIB 14 Jun 2020 -- As part of Mission Sagar, Indian Naval Ship Kesari returned to Port Louis, Mauritius, on 14 June 2020, to embark the Indian Navy Medical Team, which was disembarked during her last visit to Port Louis on 23 May 2020.
• Pakistan increases defense budget IRNA 14 Jun 2020 -- As the border tension between India and Pakistan is on the rise the later has increased the defense budget up to 11.9 percent for the next fiscal year.
• UAE spends billions on arms imports despite plummeting revenues Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has spent billions of dollars on buying weapons over the past years, draining the country's financial liquidity at a time when revenues have plummeted amid crude price rout and the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• UAE-sponsored militants seize billions of Yemeni riyals destined for central bank Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- Forces affiliated with Yemen's so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC), who are backed by the United Arab Emirates, have seized a convoy of billions of riyals destined for the central bank in the southern port city of Aden, as they seek to wrench control from the rival Saudi-backed militiamen linked to former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
• MSF sounds death knell of Yemen health system amid Saudi war Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- The coronavirus crisis has taken the final toll on Yemen's already struggling healthcare system, a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) official says.
• Pro-Independence Rebels in South Yemen Seize Convoy Carrying 64 Bln Riyals in Cash Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- The south Yemeni secessionist movement seeks to undo the Yemeni unification of 1990 and restore a separate independent state of South Yemen.
• Turkish military dispatches new convoy to northeastern Syria Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- Turkish military forces have reportedly brought in new reinforcements to Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, as Ankara is aggressively seeking to cement its military presence in the embattled region following a cross-border offensive earlier this year.
• Kurdish Officials Fear Looming US Sanctions on Syria Could Hinder IS Fight VOA 14 Jun 2020 -- Looming U.S. legislation that imposes stringent sanctions on the Syrian government has raised concerns among the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with Kurdish officials warning that including northeast Syria region in the sanctions could hinder their fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
• UN calls for investigation of 'horrible reports' of mass graves in Libya Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- The United Nations (UN)'s mission to Libya has called for an investigation of the "horrible reports" that several mass graves have been found in the North African country.
• 20 soldiers, 40 civilians killed in Nigeria attacks Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- At least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians have been killed in two separate militant attacks in northeastern Nigeria.
• Tibet's Environment, Is It Better or Worse? Radio Free Asia 14 Jun 2020 -- Claims by China that Tibet under Beijing's rule has protected and preserved its environment are contradicted by miles of mountains scarred by mining and rivers fouled by chemical waste, with Tibetans protesting Chinese mining companies' assaults on their homeland frequently beaten and arrested, Tibetan sources say.
• Citizens of Pakistan-Administered Kashmir Will Demand to Be Part of India - Indian Defence Minister Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- Locked in territorial conflict over Kashmir for decades, India and Pakistan claim the disputed region in full but control it in part and often oppose each other in matters of governance in the regions, which are identified as "Indian-administered Kashmir" and "Pakistan-administered Kashmir".
• One Indian Army Soldier Killed, Three Injured in Cross-Border Firefight in Kashmir Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- India and Pakistan have been accusing each other of constant ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC), a de-facto border dividing the two countries.

News Reports

• Protests in Lebanon's Tripoli leave 20 people injured Global Times 14 Jun 2020 -- Clashes between the Lebanese army and protesters in Lebanese Tripoli's demonstrations on Saturday led to the injury of 20 people including four army members.
• Lebanon PM says coup attempt fell apart after violent riots Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has condemned the recent violent street protests, saying they were an attempt by opponents to overthrow his government and deepen a currency crisis in the debt-ridden country.
• Clashes Between Army, Protesters in Northern Lebanon Injure Nearly 80 People, Reports Suggest Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- Overnight clashes between protesters and army personnel in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli have left 76 people injured with 16 requiring hospital visits, state news agency NNA reported Sunday morning.
• Turkey, Russia Postpone Talks Focused On Libya, Syria RFE/RL 14 Jun 2020 -- Russia and Turkey have postponed high-level talks that were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts.
• Germany Says Further U.S. Sanctions Over Nord Stream 2 Would Interfere With EU Energy Security RFE/RL 14 Jun 2020 -- The German government has "noted with regret" a U.S. proposal to expand sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
• If HK sneezes, US will feel the impact: Hong Kong finance secretary Global Times 14 Jun 2020 -- Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that Hong Kong is the world's third-largest foreign exchange center for the US dollar, and if Hong Kong sneezes, it will affect the US' interests. The city has the strength to deal with any impact, Chan said.
• Last satellite of China's BeiDou system to be launched PLA Daily 14 Jun 2020 -- The last satellite of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has entered the countdown phase for its launch, the China Satellite Navigation Office announced Sunday.
• Taiwan needs to prepare for China's maritime militia threat: experts CNA 14 Jun 2020 -- Taiwan needs to be better prepared for offensives by China's state-supported maritime militia, which Beijing uses to further its political, economic and military goals in the region, Taiwanese security analysts said in a recent study.
• South Korea Says Seoul, Pyongyang Should Honour Agreements Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- Tensions have escalated between the two countries recently, as the DPRK decided to cut all communication lines with its southern neighbour, dismayed by the South's inability to stop a North Korean defectors' campaign of sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
• DPRK warns of possible military retaliation against South Korea People's Daily 14 Jun 2020 -- It is high time to break with the South Korean authorities and retaliate with possible military force against the South, a senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Saturday.
• Kim Jong-un's Sister Reportedly Bashes South Korea, Warns of Possible Military Action Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- While Kim Yo-jong stated that she ordered the department in charge of relations with "the enemy" to "decisively carry out the next action", she did not elaborate on what exactly that action might be.
• Iran to react if US prevents lifting arms embargo as per nuclear deal: President Rouhani Press TV 14 Jun 2020 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the country will not remain indifferent and will show suitable reaction if the US tries to prevent lifting of arms embargo against the Islamic Republic, which will end this year in accordance with the landmark nuclear deal that Tehran clinched with six world powers back in 2015.
• Iran Mulls Legal Action In Desperate Attempt To Release Frozen Funds In South Korea Radio Farda 14 Jun 2020 -- Iran says it may take legal action to free billions of dollars of its oil money frozen in South Korea's banks due to U.S. sanctions.
• Iran's VP Says US, Saudi, Israeli 'Plot' Reduced Oil Exports By 90 Percent Radio Farda 14 Jun 2020 -- Iran's vice president Es'haq Jahangiri says that as a result of a "plot by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia" his country's oil revenues dropped from $100 billion a year to nine billion in 2019.
• Iran's VP Says US, Saudi, Israeli 'Plot' Reduced Oil Exports By 90 Percent Radio Farda 14 Jun 2020 -- Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Iranian Central Bank's headquarters in Tehran mid-day Sunday June 14 protesting about the losses they incurred as a result of a special rate of exchange the bank has devised for businesses.
• U.S.-Indicted Dealmaker For Venezuela's Maduro Detained On Way To Iran RFE/RL 14 Jun 2020 -- A Colombian businessman indicted by U.S. authorities as the chief money launder for Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela has been detained in the African island archipelago of Cape Verde.
• Guaido Says Rejects Supreme Court's Appointees to Electoral Council Sputnik 14 Jun 2020 -- Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has refused to recognize the new composition of the country's National Electoral Council appointed by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice without the participation of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he said in a statement on Sunday.
• Top Congolese Opposition Member Dies of COVID-19 VOA 14 Jun 2020 -- A major Congolese politician and leading opposition member has died of COVID-19.