Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US Not 'Adequately' Investigating Airstrikes That Killed Somali Civilians, Rights Group Says VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- Human Rights Watch said Tuesday the U.S. has "not adequately investigated" two U.S. airstrikes in Somalia this year that killed seven civilians.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Operation Warp Speed Accelerates COVID-19 Vaccine Development DoD News 16 Jun 2020 -- The national effort to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, called "Operation Warp Speed," will hasten the delivery of that vaccine by conducting steps concurrently that normally would be conducted sequentially, senior administration officials said.
• USS Harry S. Truman Returns From Deployment NNS 16 Jun 2020 -- The Nimitz-class carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) returned home June 16, marking the end of its deployment after operating in the U.S. 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleets.
• First F-35C, Lightning II Class Graduates TOPGUN NNS 16 Jun 2020 -- Pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 "Rough Raiders" and VFA-147 "Argonauts" were the first TOPGUN students to complete the course in the F-35C Lightning II.
• The Multinational, Maritime Exercise BALTOPS 20 Concludes NNS 16 Jun 2020 -- Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) concludes Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 20, the premiere annual maritime-focused U.S. European Command exercise in the Baltic region, June 16.
• US Navy Pushed by Lawmakers to Create Next-Gen Carrier-Based Jet to Tackle Beijing Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- US lawmakers have asked the US Navy to draw up plans for a next-generation, carrier-based fighter capable of the kind of long-range interceptions necessary to defeat Chinese naval strike forces, which have prioritized ultra-long-range missiles. However, Congress previously gutted the Navy's program for doing so.
• EU calls on US to reverse 'unacceptable' ICC sanctions amid war crimes probe Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- The EU foreign policy chief has urged Washington to reverse its "unacceptable and unprecedented" sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating US troops, as it conducts a probe into wartime atrocities in Afghanistan.
• Washington Army National Guard completes Jordan rotation, transfers mission to the Illinois Guard CENTCOM 16 Jun 2020 -- The 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment (1-303 CAV), Washington Army National Guard, completed their partnership mission with the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) this Thursday.
• Task Force Dragon Mission Roars to a Finish CENTCOM 16 Jun 2020 -- "Task Force Dragon," the Royal Danish Army contingent with Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, concluded its Iraqi Border Guard training mission in Iraq, June 11, 2020 at Al Asad Air Base.
• NATO Chief: 'No Final Decision' Made on Trump's 9,000-Plus Troop Pullout From Germany Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- NATO's top official says that while US President Donald Trump intends to withdraw some 9,500 US troops from Germany due to Berlin's alleged debts, the logistics of Washington's pullout are far from finalized.
• Trump announces cutting U.S. troops in Germany to 25,000 People's Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the number of U.S. troops deployed in Germany would be reduced to 25,000 due to Germany's insufficient defense spending.
• Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers NATO 16 Jun 2020
• NATO Ministers of Defence meet to discuss global challenges NATO 16 Jun 2020 -- NATO Defence Ministers will meet by secure video conference tomorrow (17 June 2020) and Thursday (18 June 2020). This two-day meeting will address plans for a second wave of the coronavirus, as well as other key issues such as resilience, missions and operations, and deterrence and defence.
• PLA Tibet military command conducts drills targeting hostile hubs in mountainous region amid border tensions Global Times 16 Jun 2020 -- The Chinese military recently conducted joint exercises aimed at the destruction of key hostile hubs in a high-elevation mountainous region, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Command revealed on Tuesday after a fatal clash broke out on the China-India border on Monday.
• Canada - Hornet Extension Program Related FMS Acquisitions DSCA 16 Jun 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Canada of fifty (50) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Tactical missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $862.3 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on June 15, 2020.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For June 16, 2020
• Bradken Inc. Pays $10.8 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Substandard Naval Parts US Dept. of Justice 16 Jun 2020 -- The Department of Justice announced today that Bradken Inc. (Bradken) has paid $10,896,924 to resolve allegations that Bradken produced and sold substandard steel components for installation on U.S. Navy vessels. The United States alleged that a Bradken employee knowingly falsified test results to conceal the fact that the components did not meet the Navy's specifications.

Other Conflicts

• 16 June 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jun 2020
• Chinese Survey Vessel Venturing Near Vietnam's EEZ Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- A Chinese government-owned survey vessel appears to have been sent into Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, vessel-tracking data shows, in a move that could stir more tensions in the South China Sea.
• The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Interception and Destruction of a Ballistic Missile Launched by the Terrorist Iran-Backed Houthi Militia Toward the Kingdom SPA 16 Jun 2020 -- Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki
• Saudis violate Yemen's Hudaydah truce 65 times in 24 hours: Media Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- Yemeni media say Saudi Arabia and its allies have once again breached a ceasefire agreement and violated for 65 times the war-torn country's airspace above the western coastal province of Hudaydah over the past 24 hours.
• US to Take Steps Wednesday to Prevent Assad From Securing Military Victory in Syria, Envoy Says Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- The United States will take decisive steps on Wednesday to prevent the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad from securing a military victory in Syria, US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
• Security Council: Time is on no-one's side in Syria, warns top UN envoy UN News 16 Jun 2020 -- With war-weary Syria in economic freefall and protesters back on the streets, all sides – domestic and international – must find a way forward that helps its people overcome their suffering and shape their own future, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen says.
• Turkish, Russian forces come under attack during joint patrol in Syria's Idlib Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- Russia's Defense Ministry says Russian and Turkish military forces have been attacked during a joint patrol on the strategic M4 highway in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, but there were no deaths or injuries among the troops.
• Tajik Islamic State Recruiter Reportedly 'Goes Missing' From Syrian Prison RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- A notorious Islamic State recruiter who has been linked to terrorist attacks in Sweden, Russia, and Tajikistan, has gone missing from a prison in northern Syria, according to people with knowledge of his detention.
• COVID-19 Increases Economic Hardship for Syrian Refugees, UN Says VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- The U.N. refugee agency reports hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries of asylum are in dire straits because of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Syrian refugees resort to ever more desperate measures to resist pandemic impact UN News 16 Jun 2020 -- The COVID-19 crisis has caused a dramatic spike in the number of Syrian refugees in need of emergency assistance in the last three months, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, in an appeal for funding to confront new challenges posed by the health emergency.
• UN Urges Restraint Along India-China Border VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- The United Nations is urging China and India to "exercise maximum restraint" after a violent fight broke out Monday between soldiers from both sides of a remote Himalayan border.
• At Least a Dozen Killed in Clash Between Chinese, Indian Security Forces Along Disputed Border Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- A clash between Indian and Chinese security forces in a disputed area of the Himalayan mountains has left at least 12 people dead and possibly dozens injured, reports said Tuesday, marking the first time soldiers have been killed in a confrontation between the two militaries in more than four decades.
• India-China Troop Clash: Ruling BJP Says New Delhi Has Political Will to Make Appropriate Reply Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- In unprecedented border skirmishes with Chinese troops, India lost three soldiers, including one officer. According to army sources, however, the real death toll in Monday night's faceoff could be 20 Indian soldiers, as many are said to now be in the custody of the Chinese army. Chinese casualties have also been reported.
• At Least 20 Indian Soldiers Killed in Ladakh Skirmish With China, Source Says Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- Earlier in the day, the Indian Army said in a statement that one officer and two soldiers from India were killed during clashes on the border with China in the Ladakh region.
• Beijing Accuses India of Violating Border After Three Indian Soldiers Killed in Ladakh Face-Off Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- Last week, Indian media reported that New Delhi and Beijing had decided to disengage at multiple points in eastern Ladakh, where troops on either side were reinforced during the past several weeks of a standoff.
• India Says 20 Soldiers Killed in Clash with Chinese Troops along Disputed Border VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- India said Tuesday that 20 of its soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops along the disputed border of the two nuclear-armed nations, the first military casualties between the two countries in 45 years.
• PLA Western Theater Command urges Indian army to stop provocative action on border Global Times 16 Jun 2020 -- A Chinese military spokesperson said on Tuesday that Indian troops have broke their promises and again crossed the line of actual control in the Galwan Valley region on Monday evening and purposely launched provocative attacks, leading to severe clashes and casualties.
• China slams India over provocative border attacks amid talks Global Times 16 Jun 2020 -- A clash broke out on Monday between China and India's border defense troops in the Galwan Valley after the Indian troops crossed the border for illegal activities and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel, and the Chinese side has lodged a strong protest and solemn representation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
• Chinese military demands Indian border troops stop infringing and provocative actions PLA Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- On the evening of June 15, in the Galvan Valley area on the China-India border, the Indian military, reneging on its commitments, crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) once again and deliberately launched provocative attacks, which caused violent physical clashes between the two sides and casualties, said a Chinese military spokesperson on Tuesday.
• First 'deadly' border clash in decades reported between Indian, Chinese forces Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- An Indian military officer and two soldiers have been killed in a "violent face-off" with Chinese troops on the disputed border between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India's army says.
• India, Pakistan Exchange Massive Fire Along Line of Control, Civilian Injury Reported Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- The two south Asians nations have been locked in territorial disputes over Kashmir for decades. On 14 June, India accused Pakistan of killing one soldier and injuring three others in heavy cross border firing along the Line of Control (LoC), a de-facto border dividing the two nations.
• Three Militants Killed in Gunfire With Security Forces in Indian Kashmir Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing gunfire with militants for the past 10 days in the Pulwama district. Pulwama also witnessed one of the deadliest terror attacks in February, 2019, after a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle laden with improvised explosive devices into a convoy of buses, killing 40 soldiers.
• 'Turn Away Immediately': Taiwan Says It Drove Away Chinese J-10 Fighter Nearing Island's Airspace Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- Another Chinese aircraft was intercepted by Taiwanese jets near the autonomous island on Tuesday, just the latest in a string of similar encounters. Meanwhile, several American military aircraft were spotted near the island as well.
• China fighter jet enters Taiwan's air defense identification zone CNA 16 Jun 2020 -- A Chengdu J-10 fighter jet from the Chinese military entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday before being chased off by Taiwanese patrol planes, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
• US plane's flight over Taiwan 'erroneous and dangerous', says defense ministry PLA Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- A recent unauthorized flight by a United States naval transport aircraft over Taiwan was "extremely erroneous and dangerous", Ministry of National Defense spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang said in a statement issued on Monday.
• China Expands Its Clampdown in Tibet: Report Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- China's clampdown on Tibetan rights and freedoms increased during last year, with a growing use of surveillance and online monitoring to suppress political dissent, and strengthened restrictions on Tibetan children's right to classroom instruction in their own language, a new report by a Tibet advocacy group said Tuesday.
• Chinese Workers Pour Into Chamdo, Displacing Tibetans Living There Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- Thousands of Chinese migrants seeking work in infrastructure projects have poured into Tibet's Chamdo prefecture over the last four years, displacing Tibetan residents whose farms and homes have been taken over to make room for high-rise housing, Tibetan sources say.
• Turkey-Greece Energy Dispute Heats Up VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- Tensions between Turkey and Greece are escalating as both sides vow to defend their territorial rights.
• Rights experts call for global opposition to Israel's annexation plans UN News 16 Jun 2020 -- Nearly 50 independent human rights experts are calling for the international community to oppose Israel's plan to annex significant parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank beginning as early as next month.
• The United States Condemns the Brazen Killings of Civilians in Nigeria US Dept. of State 16 Jun 2020

News Reports

• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 16, 2020 PRC MofA 16 Jun 2020
• New unit to enforce national security law in HK not secret police: secretary for security Global Times 16 Jun 2020 -- A new unit to be set up by Hong Kong police to enforce the upcoming national security law in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) won't be a secret police, and the national security branches set up by central authorities in the SAR won't replace the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), as those two would be connected with "a special bond" to handle relevant cases, Hong Kong secretary for security John Lee Ka-chiu told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
• National security legislation to restore stability in Hong Kong: Carrie Lam People's Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Monday that the national security legislation will help restore stability in Hong Kong, and protect the life and property, basic rights and freedoms of the overwhelming majority of residents.
• Protesters Mark Hong Kong's 'Two Million March' as Lam Defends Subversion Law Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- Protesters gathered in parks, malls, and other public places in Hong Kong on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of a two-million-strong mass protest, as the city's leader hit out at widespread opposition to a draconian national security law.
• Rhetoric or Reality? Britain's Hong Kong Passport Offer Angers China VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- Britain and China are engaged in a heated dispute over plans to make it easier for some Hong Kong residents to emigrate to Britain.
• China's Plan to Take Charge of 'Serious' National Security Cases in Hong Kong Sparks Concern VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- China must take charge of "serious" cases in Hong Kong that breach national security, a senior Chinese official said this week as Beijing prepares to impose new national security laws in the city.
• U.S. remains 'committed to a democratic Taiwan': U.S. official CNA 16 Jun 2020 -- United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper tweeted Monday that the U.S. would continue to partner with countries in the Indo-Pacific and support Taiwan.
• Destruction of Border Office Unlikely to be Last Provocation by North Korea Radio Free Asia 16 Jun 2020 -- North Korea's destruction of a landmark liaison office with South Korea Tuesday is likely only the first of many steps Pyongyang can take to signal impatience with Seoul and its ally Washington, analysts said.
• North Korea to Reenter Border Areas, Resume 'Regular Military Exercises' Near DMZ Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- The General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army has announced the resumption of "all kinds of regular military exercises" near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), despite the monumental inter-Korean deal reached by Seoul and Pyongyang in 2018.
• South Korea Threatens Pyongyang With Strong Response Following Explosion at Liaison Office Sputnik 16 Jun 2020 -- Local reports now say that following the blast at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, US vehicles crossed the Unification Bridge, which is used by military personnel of both countries to reach bases located near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
• S. Korea says DPRK blows up inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong People's Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Tuesday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) demolished an inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong by an explosion.
• DPRK military says ready to go into action - KCNA People's Daily 16 Jun 2020 -- The military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday it is getting itself fully ready for providing a sure military guarantee to any external measures to be taken by the Party and government.
• North Korea blows up border liaison office, signaling anger at South Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- North Korea has reportedly blown up an inter-Korean liaison office building just north of its border with the South, amid rising hostilities over Seoul's failure to stop defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets over the border.
• North Korea Demolishes De Facto Embassy with South VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- North Korea has followed through on its threat to demolish the de facto inter-Korean embassy just north of the border, Pyongyang's latest move to ratchet up tensions with Seoul.
• Zarif: We will not let IAEA become tool for killing JCPOA IRNA 16 Jun 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said we will not let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to become a tool for ending Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Iran will never allow US to exploit IAEA to kill nuclear deal: FM Zarif Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran will never allow the United States to use the UN nuclear agency as an instrument to kill a landmark 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and major world powers.
• Iran: E3 unconstructive draft resolution at IAEA meeting mockery of intl. rules Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- Iran has condemned as "unconstructive" a resolution reportedly drafted by the three European signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal for a vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s governing board meeting, saying such a resolution makes a mockery of international rules.
• US Supports IAEA's Call On Iran For 'Full And Immediate Cooperation' Radio Farda 16 Jun 2020 -- The White House National Security Council on Monday said it supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Rafael Grossi's call on Iran to fully and immediately cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
• Zarif, Lavrov Slam US And UN Nuclear Watchdog In Moscow Meeting Radio Farda 16 Jun 2020 -- Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says "Iran will not allow" the United Nations' nuclear watchdog to become "a tool for destroying" the 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and world powers.
• Iran plans monthly gasoline shipments to Venezuela: Report Press TV 16 Jun 2020 -- Iran plans to follow its trailblazing shipment of fuel to sanctions-hit Venezuela with regular gasoline sales despite US threats to punish any facilitation of the cargoes, a report says.
• Former Ukrainian Paramilitary Leader Put Under House Arrest Amid Violent Protests RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- A court in Kyiv has placed under house arrest the controversial former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group suspected of premeditated murder and possession of an illegal bladed weapon in the killing of a man he claims was self-defense.
• Ukrainian Official 'Detained' Over Fatal Acid Attack RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- Ukrainian Security Service officers have reportedly detained the head of the regional council in Kherson and are bringing him to Kyiv, where his pretrial arrest will be decided in a case where he is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk in 2018.
• In Belarus, Pre-Vote Clampdown Spreads From Streets And Blogs To A Bank RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- In past elections in Belarus, political battles have played out on the streets, with the government cracking down on protesters who were calling for free and fair votes or crying foul when the official results handed President Alyaksandr Lukashenka yet another term.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Virtual Session SPA 16 Jun 2020 -- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired today a Cabinet's virtual session.
• Lack Of Justice Hampers Reconciliation In Southern Kyrgyzstan 10 Years After Deadly Ethnic Clashes RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- It has been a decade since the deadly ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan and, although the destroyed shops and buildings have been repaired, it's difficult to gauge how much damage remains in the people who survived the horrific chaos of those days in 2010.
• Armenian Parliament Allows Prosecution, Arrest Of Opposition Leader Tsarukian RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- Armenian lawmakers have voted to strip the leader of the country's main opposition party of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution and allow his arrest.
• Turkmen Citizens In Northern Cyprus Stage Protests Demanding Berdymukhammedov's Resignation RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- Turkmen citizens residing in Northern Cyprus have staged at least three protests in recent days to demand the resignation of Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.
• North Macedonia To Hold July Elections Despite Pandemic RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- North Macedonia's political parties have agreed on parliamentary elections to be held on July 15, despite a constant number of coronavirus infections.
• Red Flag: Ahead Of Serbian Vote, Vucic And Allies Lean On China Ties RFE/RL 16 Jun 2020 -- Serbia's ruling right-wing populists are expected to dominate this weekend's national elections following a campaign that has featured a lot of flag-waving.
• Malaysia's New Government Cracks Down on Critics VOA 16 Jun 2020 -- A wave of criminal charges and police probes targeting critics of Malaysia's embattled new government has rights groups worried the country is backsliding on free speech protections following the brief spell of a reform-minded administration.