Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Bases housing US forces hit by rockets in Iraq's Salahuddin, Baghdad Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- Military bases housing American forces come under back-to-back rocket attacks in the north-central Iraqi province of Salahuddin and the vicinity of the Baghdad International Airport.
• US weighs possibility of airstrikes in Afghanistan after troops withdrawal Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- The Pentagon is weighing the option of conducting airstrikes in Afghanistan after the full withdrawal of American troops from the country if the capital Kabul or another major city is in danger of falling to the Taliban militant group.
• Islamic State Claims Deadly Attack Against Afghan Deminers RFE/RL Gandhara 10 Jun 2021 -- An affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for this week's attack in which 10 Afghans working for a mine-clearance organization were shot and killed and 16 others wounded.
• Six Afghan security forces killed in Taliban bomb attack in Baghlan Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- At least six security forces have been killed and nearly a dozen more wounded in a Taliban car bomb attack in Afghanistan's northern province of Baghlan, sources say.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Receives First TH-73A Helicopter US Navy Press Release 10 Jun 2021 -- The first operational TH-73A helicopter was presented to the U.S. Navy June 10 during a ceremony at the AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation (Leonardo) plant in Philadelphia.
• Strategic bombers fly mission to Gulf of Guinea AFRICOM 10 Jun 2021 -- The flight over parts of Northern Africa and all of Western Africa exercised the aircraft's capability to operate in a variety of airspaces.
• Milley Says Budget Request Balances Readiness, Modernization DoD News 10 Jun 2021 -- President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2022 defense budget request strikes a balance between readiness today and future modernization, Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Austin Calls DOD FY22 Budget Request 'Right Mix of Capabilities' DoD News 10 Jun 2021 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2022 budget request is the right mix for the Defense Department.
• Air Force NC3 Center deactivates as missions realign under AFGSC US Air Force 10 Jun 2021 -- In 2017, Air Force Global Strike Command stood up a new organization here to oversee the Air Force's nuclear command, control and communications systems - the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Center. After making significant strides to normalize the way in which our service handles NC3, the Air Force NC3 Center was formally deactivated June 4.
• 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Trains with U.S. Allies and Partners During 50th BALTOPS Exercise US Navy 10 Jun 2021 -- A blur of troops in various military uniforms dart around a room buzzing with a growing, focused chatter. Their eyes race back and forth on gently rocking computer screens while they develop plans to guide a multinational, military team to complete an operation hundreds of miles away dispersed across land and sea, air and cyberspace.
• VP-45 Finds Missing Mariner Near Micronesia US Navy 10 Jun 2021 -- Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 located a missing mariner during a successful search and rescue (SAR) mission from Andersen Air Force Base (AFB), Guam, June 7.
• Pentagon issues new directive on deterring China 'aggression' Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- The Pentagon has been tasked to develop the military forces to deter China in line with Washington's years-old strategy that considers Beijing the main threat.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Phone Call With Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar DoD 10 Jun 2021
• Secretary General speaks with Ukrainian President ahead of NATO Summit NATO 10 Jun 2021 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday (10 June 2021), ahead of the NATO Summit.
• China, Russia Military Budgets Combined Exceed US Spending, Top General Says VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- China and Russia's combined military spending exceeds that of the United States when adjusted for purchasing power, which has allowed China to shorten capability gaps in its quest to become the top superpower by midcentury, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
• Plan to Upgrade WWII-era Pacific Ocean Airstrip Sparks Unease VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Australian and U.S. officials are closely monitoring a contentious plan to upgrade a World War II-era airstrip on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
• Top cmdr. hails Iran's naval power as two ships enter Atlantic Ocean in line with intl. law Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- A top Iranian military commander says an Iranian naval fleet, including two ships, has entered the Atlantic Ocean, saying Iran is entitled under international law to have a naval presence in international waters.
• Taiwan postpones annual live-fire drills to September CNA 10 Jun 2021 -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday that the live-fire component of this year's Han Kuang exercises has been postponed to September, due to the current COVID-19 situation in Taiwan.
• U.S., Britain Commit To Strengthening Partnership Ahead Of G7 Summit RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden committed to deepening and strengthening the long-standing partnership between their countries after their first face-to-face talks on June 10 ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
• Joint Statement on the Visit to the United Kingdom of the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States of America at the Invitation of the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, M.P., the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The White House 10 Jun 2021
• Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials Previewing the President's Bilateral Meeting with the Right Honorable Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The White House 10 Jun 2021
• Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom Before Bilateral Meeting The White House 10 Jun 2021
• UK and US Strengthen Security Cooperation over Emerging Threats UK MOD 10 Jun 2021 -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden agreed a number of steps to enhance the world's strongest bilateral defence and security partnership.
• Announcing New Assistance to Respond to Humanitarian Challenges in Central America US Dept. of State 10 Jun 2021 -- Senior Advisor to the President on Migration Amy Pope announced more than $57 million in new humanitarian assistance at the June 10 Solidarity Event for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities in Central America and Mexico.
• Department Press Briefing – June 10, 2021 US Dept. of State 10 Jun 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For June 10, 2021
• FINCANTIERI TO SUPPORT DAEWOO IN THE DESIGN OF THE NEW KOREAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS Fincantieri 10 Jun 2021 -- During MADEX (International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition) 2021, one of the main naval exhibitions in the Asia Pacific area, Fincantieri has signed a contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to support the Conceptual Design of the new class of aircraft carriers "CVX" for the Navy of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
• FINCANTIERI WILL PROVIDE 8 VESSELS TO INDONESIA Fincantieri 10 Jun 2021 -- Fincantieri, one of the most important shipbuilding groups in the world, and the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia, have signed a contract for the supply of 6 FREMM class frigates, the modernization and sale of 2 Maestrale class frigates, and the related logistical support.

Other Conflicts

• 10 June 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Jun 2021
• US Sanctions Smugglers Generating Millions of Dollars for Yemen's Houthi Movement VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on "members of a smuggling network" that generate millions of dollars for the Iranian-affiliated Houthi movement in Yemen.
• U.S. Sanctions International Network Enriching Houthis in Yemen US Dept. of State 10 Jun 2021 -- Today, the United States is designating Sa'id Ahmad Muhammad al-Jamal and other individuals and entities involved in an international network he has used to provide tens of millions of dollars' worth of funds to the Houthis in cooperation with senior officials in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
• Treasury Sanctions Network Financing Houthi Aggression and Instability in Yemen US Treasury 10 Jun 2021 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating members of a smuggling network that helps fund Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and the Houthis in Yemen.
• U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Network Allegedly Funding Yemen's Iran-Backed Huthi RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on what it says are members of a smuggling network that produces millions of dollars in revenue for Yemen's Huthi movement.
• HTS spokesman killed as Syrian army hits militant positions in southern Idlib: Reports Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- The official spokesman for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist group has reportedly been killed after Syrian government forces struck positions belonging to foreign-sponsored militants in the southern part of the country's troubled northwestern province of Idlib.
• Myanmar Junta Drops Terrorism Charges and Releases 10 Ethnic Rakhine Figures Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has dropped terrorism charges against 10 ethnic Rakhines, including relatives of the top commander of the rebel Arakan Army, setting them free after nearly two years in custody awaiting trial, a lawyer representing them told RFA.
• Some 350,000 people in famine in Ethiopia's Tigray: UN document Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- An analysis by a high-level UN-led committee has estimated that some 350,000 people are in famine conditions in Ethiopia's restive region of Tigray, as a result of a months-long armed conflict that triggered a refugee crisis and a humanitarian disaster there.
• UN agencies scale-up response to address looming famine 'catastrophe' in Tigray UN News 10 Jun 2021 -- The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) appealed on Thursday for immediate access to deliver lifesaving assistance to Ethiopia's Tigray region, where ongoing fighting between government and regional forces has put some 350,000 people at risk of famine.
• UN: Famine Hits 350,000 in Ethiopia's Tigray VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- U.N. aid agencies called Thursday for a humanitarian cease-fire in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, warning that 350,000 people are already in famine conditions there and 2 million more are just a step away.
• Somalia Denies Reports Its Troops Fought in Tigray VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Somalia's Ministry of Information has denied reports that Somali troops were trained in Eritrea and fought in Ethiopia's war in Tigray. The rejection came as parents of allegedly missing troops held another protest demanding to know their whereabouts.
• Senior U.S. Diplomat Voices Concern Over The Fate Of Prisoners From Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- A senior U.S. diplomat has voiced concern over the lack of progress in the release of prisoners of war following the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

News Reports

• Cyber Regulation Could Be Coming Following Spate of Hacks, Ransomware Attacks VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- The United States may soon look to regulate private companies, mandating higher standards for cybersecurity following a series of damaging hacks and ransomware attacks against key firms and critical infrastructure.
• Top US meat processor admits it paid $11m in ransom to hackers Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- Meatpacker JBS USA said it paid $11 million worth of bitcoin to cyber-criminals after a hack disrupted its North American and Australian operations.
• White House Launches Broader Scrutiny of Foreign Tech VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- An executive order signed by President Joe Biden this week dropped a Trump-era measure that barred Americans from downloading TikTok and several other Chinese smartphone apps. But analysts say the order also broadens the scrutiny of foreign-controlled technology.
• Slilpp Marketplace Disrupted in International Cyber Operation US Dept. of Justice 10 Jun 2021 -- Slilpp was a Marketplace for Allegedly Stolen Online Account Login Credentials, Offering Over 80 Million Stolen Credentials for Over 1,400 Victim Providers Worldwide
• More Arrests Made in Capitol Attack; FBI Mum on Whether Trump Is Being Investigated VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Nearly 500 supporters of former President Donald Trump have now been charged in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the number of arrests is growing, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday, while rejecting charges by Democratic lawmakers that the FBI failed to see the attack coming.
• Asia-Pacific Drug Trade Thriving as Gangs Make Billions in Profits, UN Says VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Asia's drug lords have established new manufacturing hubs and maritime trafficking routes to ramp up the supply of methamphetamine across the Asia-Pacific, the United Nations crime agency said Thursday. The value of the drug trade in the region is estimated between $30.3 billion and $61.4 billion, the agency said.
• UN: Southeast Asian Meth Trade Grew in 2020 Despite COVID-19 Controls Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- The illegal trade in methamphetamines grew robustly in Southeast and East Asia last year despite cross-border and movement restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus outbreak, the United Nations counter-narcotics agency said in a new report released Thursday.
• Wife of "El Chapo" Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering US Dept. of Justice 10 Jun 2021 -- The wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, leader of the Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty today to charges related to international drug trafficking, money laundering, and a criminal violation of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (the Kingpin Act).
• Latvian Parliament Allows Arrest Of Lawmaker Reportedly Suspected Of Spying For Moscow RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Latvia's parliament has voted to allow investigators to arrest Janis Adamsons, a lawmaker from the Saskana (Harmony) faction who is suspected of spying for Russia.
• Investigative Groups Link Poisoning Of Russian Writer Bykov With FSB Agents Suspected In Navalny Case RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Independent investigative groups Bellingcat and The Insider say a detailed investigation shows Russian writer and poet Dmitry Bykov, a critic of the government, suffered a poisoning attack two years ago at the hands of the same agents suspected of being involved in the poisoning of opposition figures Aleksei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza, Jr.
• Poland Detains Man On Suspicion Of Spying For Russia RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Polish prosecutors have arrested a man they say was acting as a spy for Russia and placed him in pretrial detention for three months.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, June 10, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10 Jun 2021
• Russia Expels Macedonian Embassy Staff In Tit-For-Tat Move RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Russia says it has declared an employee of North Macedonia's embassy in Moscow as persona non grata in response to a similar move by Skopje last month.
• Shrinking space for civil society in Russia: UK statement UK FCDO 10 Jun 2021 -- Ambassador Neil Bush condemns the new deterioration in Russia's shrinking civil society space and the limitation of political freedoms.
• Navalny-linked Groups Vow to Fight on After Russian Ban VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- The anti-corruption group of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is pledging to continue its work after a Russian court outlawed Navalny-affiliated organizations and labeled them "extremist."
• 'I Woke Up An Extremist': Navalny Team Vows To Challenge Putin, Despite Watershed Ruling RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- in Russia have pledged to continue their efforts to campaign for change and expose corruption in the upper echelons of power after a Moscow court declared their movement "extremist."
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on June 10, 2021 PRC MofA 10 Jun 2021
• Three US senators incite confrontation with lies about 'nuclear parity': Global Times editorial Global Times 10 Jun 2021 -- Three Republican House leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, in a letter to US President Joe Biden, asked him to come up with a comprehensive inter-agency strategy to convince Beijing to hold arms control talks on a nuclear force buildup. They indicated in the letter that "China will achieve nuclear parity with the US by 2029" if the US does not take action.
• China's newly passed Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law to bring deterrent effect against Western hegemony Global Times 10 Jun 2021 -- Top lawmakers in China on Thursday voted to pass the highly expected Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, providing a comprehensive legal basis for blocking illegal foreign sanctions and preventing Chinese individuals and entities from suffering the damage resulting from such illegal sanctions. The new law will also offer sufficient legal foundation for taking an equal position with the West by imposing necessary countermeasures, Chinese legal experts said.
• China strongly opposes U.S. bill to counter China's tech development People's Daily 10 Jun 2021 -- China's top legislature on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the passing of the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA) by the U.S. Senate and called on the U.S. to stop advancing the bill.
• China passes new law to counter US, EU sanctions Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- China has passed a new law to counter foreign sanctions as part of the country's plan to defuse rising pressure from the United States and the European Union over trade and a range of other issues.
• China Passes Law Countering Foreign Sanctions Over Rights Abuses Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- China has passed a tit-for-tat law allowing targeted sanctions against foreign individuals and organizations following a slew of sanctions targeting ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
• China, US agree to push for 'pragmatic' trade cooperation amid escalating tensions Global Times 10 Jun 2021 -- Chinese and US trade officials held another round of "candid" trade talks on Thursday and agreed to promote "pragmatic" trade and investment cooperation, as tension between the world's two biggest economies continue to escalate following a series of recent aggressive moves by Washington.
• Uyghur Camp Inmates Detail 'Crimes Against Humanity' in New Amnesty Report Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- More than 50 former inmates of detention camps in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) — many of whom have never spoken publicly — have presented new testimony of "crimes against humanity," Amnesty International said in a report published Thursday.
• Watchdog Says Repression In Xinjiang Amounts To Crimes Against Humanity RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Amnesty International says Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in China's northwestern Xinjiang region face "systematic state-organized mass imprisonment, torture, and persecution" amounting to crimes against humanity.
• Police in Beijing to Clear Tiananmen Square For Centenary Run-Through Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Thursday issued plans for mass rehearsals of its July 1 centenary parade, cordoning off large swathes of downtown Beijing over the coming weekend.
• U.S., Taiwan commit to restarting trade talks in coming weeks CNA 10 Jun 2021 -- The United States and Taiwan have committed to restarting talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) mechanism in coming weeks, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said on Thursday.
• North Korea Diverts Electricity from Provinces to Keep Pyongyang Powered Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- People living in North Korea's rural areas have been forced to stumble in the dark without electricity after authorities re-routed power to keep the capital Pyongyang connected 24 hours a day, sources in the country told RFA.
• Rouhani: Iran building two nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- President Hassan Rouhani says Iran has started constructing two new nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia, praising the close relations that the two sides have forged in various fields, especially defense, besides the energy sector.
• U.S. Removes Former Iranian Officials From Sanctions List In Step Called Routine RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. government has removed sanctions on three former Iranian officials and two companies previously involved in trading Iranian petrochemical products.
• Iran envoy: IAEA's partiality harms nonproliferation regime, lowers trust in its professional work Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- Iran's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says the UN nuclear watchdog should not act in a way to seem that it is directly or indirectly supporting the political agenda of certain parties against others.
• A Dozen Dead in Myanmar Military Plane Crash, Including Prominent Senior Monk Radio Free Asia 10 Jun 2021 -- A military plane crashed in central Myanmar's Mandalay region Thursday, killing at least 12 people on board, including a prominent senior Buddhist monk, according to state media.
• Myanmar's junta files new corruption charge against ousted leader Suu Kyi Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- Myanmar's junta has filed a new corruption charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the latest in a series of allegations to have been leveled against her by the military rulers since she was toppled in a coup in February.
• Myanmar Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Faces New Corruption Charges VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- News reports out of Myanmar say authorities have filed new corruption charges against deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
• US extends previous sanctions on Belarusian officials for another year Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- The United States has extended its punitive sanctions against Belarusian officials for another year, claiming that the European country allegedly poses "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to the US.
• Kazakh President Signs Into Law Controversial Bill On Attorneys RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has signed into law a controversial bill regulating the work of attorneys that lawyers have criticized as a move to impose state control over their professional activities.
• Ukraine's New Gas Chief Says He Is 'True Reformer' After Backlash Over His Appointment RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- The new chief executive officer of Ukraine's state-owned gas behemoth has said he is committed to pushing reforms at the company after a recent management change sparked Western concerns about transparency.
• Anti-government protests continue in Colombia Press TV 10 Jun 2021 -- Thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in several cities across Colombia to protest against President Ivan Duque's policies and police brutality in the country.
• Peru Leftist Presidential Candidate Castillo Eyes Election VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Leftist Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo is claiming victory in Peru's national election, but his conservative rival, Keiko Fujimori, is suggesting hundreds of thousands of ballots cast in this week's runoff election may have been fraudulently cast.
• 'Unprecedented' rise in gang violence across Haiti's capital displaces thousands UN News 10 Jun 2021 -- An upsurge in deadly clashes between gangs in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, has displaced more than 5,000 people since the beginning of the month, the United Nations said on Thursday, citing preliminary estimates from its humanitarian agency, OCHA.
• Cambodia Political Parties Regroup Ahead of Elections VOA 10 Jun 2021 -- Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, opposition politicians in Cambodia are regrouping and forming new parties ahead of local commune elections to be held next year and general elections in 2023.