• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 18 Mar 2014 [PDF]
• Infantrymen conduct Mission Rehearsal Exercise at FOB Juno USMC News 18 Mar 2014 -- A vehicle convoy stirred the air with dust as Marines with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, departed Camp Leatherneck, March 13.
• UN strongly condemns deadly suicide attack in northern Afghanistan UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations strongly condemned a deadly suicide attack that occurred today in the northern Afghan province of Faryab, killing 15 civilians and injuring nearly 50 others.
• Bomb Attack in Northern Afghanistan Adds to Election Security Fears VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- A suicide bomber has attacked a busy market in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 15 civilians. There are some fears that violence will increase before the April 5 Afghan presidential and provincial elections.
• USS Kidd Completes Andaman Sea Search; Detached from SAR Efforts NNS 18 Mar 2014 -- Searching a combined 15,000 square miles since March 10th, USS Kidd and its MH-60R helicopters completed their search of the Andaman Sea and have been detached from the MH370 Search and Rescue (SAR) effort as of March 18th. No debris or wreckage associated with an aircraft was found.

Defense Policy / Programs

• SECNAV Releases Washington Navy Yard Report NNS 18 Mar 2014 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus released, today, the Department of the Navy's investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic events of Sept. 16, 2013, at the Washington Navy Yard.
• Hagel Details New Security Actions After Navy Yard Shooting AFPS 18 Mar 2014 -- Six months after a disturbed federal contractor shot 12 fellow workers to death at the Washington Navy Yard, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today detailed steps the Defense Department is taking based on reviews of security standards in place at the time.
• Reviews Recommend Big Changes in Installation Security AFPS 18 Mar 2014 -- Representatives of review panels that looked at last year's shooting rampage that left 12 workers dead at the Washington Navy Yard briefed Pentagon reporters today on their recommendations.
• Defense Department Press Briefing on Implementation Plans as a Result of the Washington Navy Yard Shooting Investigations and Reviews by Secretary Hagel and Navy Secretary Mabus in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 18 Mar 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcel Lettre, Admiral John Richardson and Dr. Paul Stockton
• Pentagon Official: Research, Development No Place to Cut Costs AFPS 18 Mar 2014 -- At a time when technological development is flourishing in countries such as China and North Korea, the United States is at risk of falling behind due to budgetary constraints, the acting assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering said here today.
• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers For Fiscal Year 2014, Through January 2014 DoD 18 Mar 2014 -- The Department of Defense announced today recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for fiscal 2014, through January 2014.
• VMGR-234 'Rangers' first to begin Reserve transition to KC-130J aircraft USMC News 18 Mar 2014 -- The "Rangers" of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234, Marine Aircraft Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, celebrated the arrival of the first U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve KC-130J aircraft in a ceremony today aboard Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
• 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment combine arms for live-fire training with Air National Guard USMC News 18 Mar 2014 -- Marines with 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment participated in live-fire, combined-arms training March 15, 2014 to hone their skills in call-for-fire exercises alongside the 163rd Fighter Squadron, Indiana Air National Guard. Though the Marines train together often, the chance to perform their combined-arms tactics is a rare opportunity. The exercise forced the Marines to think on their feet, assessing the changes on the battlefield and adjusting accordingly.
• Blue Ridge Strengthens US/Philippine Ties with Visit to Manila NNS 18 Mar 2014 -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Manila for a port visit, strengthening ties between the U.S. and Philippine navies, March 18.
• Self-Healing Paint Could Halt Rust on Military Vehicles NNS 18 Mar 2014 -- A new additive could help military vehicles, including the Marine Corps variant of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), heal like human skin and avoid costly maintenance as a result of corrosion, officials annonuced March 18.
• NATO Secretary General calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to make progress on needed reforms NATO 18 Mar 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen encouraged Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leadership on Tuesday (18 March 2014) to implement the necessary reforms in order to allow the Alliance to activate the country's Membership Action Plan (MAP). "We stand by our offer to activate the Membership Action Plan. But only Bosnia and Herzegovina can unlock that offer," the Secretary General said after his meeting with Mr. Željko Komšić, member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Six more Apache helicopters arrive in Kaohsiung CNA 18 Mar 2014 -- Six Apache attack helicopters, the third batch of a 30-chopper package Taiwan purchased from the United States, arrived Tuesday in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, for unloading and assembly the following day.
• PLA orders discussion of combat readiness People's Daily 18 Mar 2014 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Political Department has ordered the army and armed police across the nation to discuss combat readiness and effectiveness, the PLA Daily reported on Tuesday.
• France May Scrap Russian Warship Deal Over Ukraine Crisis RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Paris will consider canceling a 1.2-billion-euro deal to deliver two Mistral-class warships to the Russian navy if Moscow provokes further escalation in Ukraine, the French foreign minister has said.
• March 18, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Mar 2014
• Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden with President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland The White House 18 Mar 2014
• Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden with Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland The White House 18 Mar 2014
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 3/18/2014 The White House 18 Mar 2014
• Background Press Briefing by a Senior Administration Official on the Vice President's Trip to Poland and Lithuania The White House 18 Mar 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 18, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 18 March 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Mar 2014
• Lebanon cannot bear brunt of Syrian refugee crisis alone, UN relief official warns UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- Massive international support is crucial as the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon continues to rise and is on track to reaching 1.5 million by the end of this year, a senior United Nations humanitarian official stressed today.
• 'Compassion does not suffice' UN rights panel says, urging immediate end to bloodshed in Syria UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- As the Syrian war enters a fourth year, the harrowing violence shows no signs of subsiding – the fighting has driven some nine million civilians from their homes and has reduced many of those who remain to scavenging – said the head of a United Nations-appointed human rights panel, denouncing the international community's inaction in the pursuit of peace and accountability.
• Conflict costs Syria over $31 billion: Syrian PM Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi says his crisis-stricken country has suffered damage estimated more than 31 billion dollars during the foreign-sponsored Syrian militancy campaign over the past three years.
• Syrians outside Jordan's refugee system 'hanging on by a thread' - UN UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- Hundreds of thousands of Syrians forced to flee the bloodshed in their homeland and now living in Jordan, are struggling to make lives for themselves outside that country's protective umbrella of refugee camps, a study co-led by the United Nations refugees agency found.
• UN: War Crimes, Atrocities Escalate in Syria VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- U.N. human rights investigators say the perpetrators of crimes during Syria's civil war will not escape justice. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry says it is amassing an ever-growing list of suspected war criminals on both sides of the conflict for future use in judicial trials.
• US Suspends Syrian Embassy Operations VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- U.S. officials have told the Syrian Embassy in Washington to suspend operations. They say any Syrian diplomats who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must leave the country. The order also affects Syria's two honorary consulates in the U.S.
• UN accuses Syrian insurgents of torture, crimes against humanity for first time VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- The UN for the first time has accused Syrian militants of committing crimes against humanity. The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday said several Syrian Islamist rebel groups had systematically detained and tortured civilians. The rebels' crimes against humanity, it said, were carried out in al-Raqqa province against ethnic Kurds.
• Deploring attack against military, UN urges Libyans to rally around national institutions UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations mission in Libya has strongly condemned the terrorist bombing in Benghazi on Monday that targeted members of the military, and called on the country's citizens to rally around their national institutions.
• Report reveals India's blunders in 1962 war with China Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- A recent leaked report has critically reviewed India's ill preparedness and blunders during the 1962 war with China.
• Russian special services cannot confirm terrorist Umarov's death VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian secret services do not yet have the information to confirm the death of the leader of Chechen terrorists leader Doku Umarov, a spokesman for the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) said, commenting on reports by some foreign media that Umarov had allegedly been killed in Russia.
• Plan to resettle 1,000 Muslims inside CAR IRIN 18 Mar 2014 -- In a bid to save lives, aid organizations in the Central African Republic (CAR) are planning what is set to be their first attempt to resettle a Muslim community within the country rather than outside it.
• Central African Republic: UN agency appeals for funding to scale up health response UN News Centre 18 Mar 2014 -- With about half of the health facilities in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR) having been looted, the United Nations today appealed for immediate additional resources to scale up efforts to meet the country's significant health needs.
• A tale of two soldiers - Mali's past leaders called to account IRIN 18 Mar 2014 -- As Mali embarks on a difficult period of national reconciliation and the rebuilding of a fractured state, two key figures from the recent past - former president Amadou Toumani Toure and General Amadou Haya Sanogo, who staged a coup in 2012 - are being asked to account for their actions.
• Moldova breakaway state requests to join Russia Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- Moldova's breakaway Trans-Dniester region has submitted a plea to the Russian parliament to draft a law that would incorporate the territory into Russia, an official says.

News Reports

• Address by President of the Russian Federation President of Russia 18 Mar 2014 -- Vladimir Putin addressed State Duma deputies, Federation Council members, heads of Russian regions and civil society representatives in the Kremlin.
• Agreement on the accession of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation signed President of Russia 18 Mar 2014 -- The Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the Accession of the Republic of Crimea in the Russian Federation and on Forming New Constituent Entities within the Russian Federation was signed in the Kremlin on March 18, 2014.
• Tensions Spike After Russians Fire on Ukrainian Troops, Killing 1 VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- Ukraine's prime minister said today that the conflict in Crimea has entered a military phase and accused Russia of commiting a 'war crime' by firing on Ukrainian servicemen.
• President Putin signs treaty of bringing Crimea, Sevastopol into Russia VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Russia and Crimea have signed treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in the Russian Federation following President Putin's address to the Parliament. Crimea and Sevastopol are joining Russia as two separate regions, President Putin said.
• Crimean referendum follows Kosovo precedent - Russia's Putin VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Russia's President Vladimir Putin appeals to the decisions the UN and the US made on the Kosovo precedent in the situation with the Crimean referendum.
• Ukraine's soldiers in Crimea allowed to use weapons VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Ukraine issued orders on Tuesday permitting its soldiers in Crimea to use weapons to protect their lives, Acting President Oleksander Turchinov's press service said.
• Putin signs treaty to incorporate Crimea Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a treaty making Crimea part of Russia and accuses the United States of basing its policies on the rule of the gun and not international law.
• US VP denounces Crimea's reunion with Russia as 'land grab' Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- US Vice President Joe Biden has called the autonomous Ukrainian region of Crimea's reunion with Russia a "land grab" by Moscow and a "blatant violation of international law."
• Ukraine gearing up for war over Crimea Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- The Ukrainian government has adopted an emergency military buildup and called up reservists as part of preparations for a war, one day after Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.
• Dictator's Handbook: Six Regrettable Lessons To Take Away From Crimea Crisis RFE/RL 18 Mar 2014 -- The speed and ease with which Russia reclaimed its hold on the Crimean Peninsula have left much of the world reeling. But the factors that went into it were years in the making. Here are six life lessons for acquisitive future dictators and countries trying to break free of them.
• Pro-Russian Forces Attacked in Crimea, One Dead – Report RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- One pro-Russian militiaman was killed and two other wounded on Tuesday in a sniper attack on the streets of the Crimean capital, Simferopol, local media reported.
• Putin Blames Ukrainian Nationalists for Crimea Secession RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian nationalists bore full responsibility for the civil crisis in the country which resulted in the reunification of Crimea with Russia.
• Russia, Crimea Sign Historic Reunification Treaty RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea signed a treaty Tuesday reunifying the Ukrainian breakaway region with Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine.
• Russia Could Take Command of Half of Ukrainian Fleet – Lawmaker RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Up to 20 warships and auxiliary vessels of the Ukrainian navy could become part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet following the reunification of Crimea with Russia, a senior Russian lawmaker said Tuesday.
• Canada Joins US in Sanctioning Russian Officials Over Crimea RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Canada on Tuesday joined the US and EU in announcing sanctions against 10 top Russian and Ukrainian officials following a referendum Sunday in Ukraine's Crimea that saw voters overwhelmingly support reunification with Russia.
• Moscow Opposed to NATO Presence on Historic Russian Territory RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the country was open to further cooperation with NATO, but remained opposed to the organization's presence in historic Russian territories.
• Russia's Lavrov tells US's Kerry sanctions 'unacceptable', threatens consequences VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday told his US counterpart John Kerry that Western sanctions against Moscow over Crimea were 'absolutely unacceptable' and said there would be consequences.
• US seizing right to determine world destinies - Russia's Putin VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States and their allies of seizing the right to decide the destinies of the world, create coalitions according to the "who is not with us is against us" principle, at the same time ignoring the UN decisions.
• US vows more sanctions after Russia unites with Crimea VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- The White House vowed on Tuesday to level more sanctions against Russia for its moves to unify with the Crimea.
• Russia's Putin, Crimean Leaders Sign Annexation Treaty RFE/RL 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders have signed treaties making Ukraine's Crimea and the city of Sevastopol part of the Russian Federation.
• Putin, Biden Spar As Moscow Pushes Ahead On Crimea RFE/RL 18 Mar 2014 -- It may come to be seen as the high point of Russian President Vladimir Putin's career. In a glittering Kremlin hall and before an audience of rapt and appreciative Russian officials, Putin gave his defining speech on the situation in Crimea.
• U.S., NATO Allies Condemn Russian 'Land Grab' In Ukraine RFE/RL 18 Mar 2014 -- U.S., NATO Allies Condemn Russian 'Land Grab' In Ukraine
• Obama Calls for G7 Meeting After Putin Signs Treaty to Annex Crimea VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty Tuesday to make the Black Sea peninsula part of Russia, while the White House announced the United States and its G7 allies will gather next week to consider further response to the Crimea crisis.
• China Splits with Russia Over Ukraine VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- With Russia's most vocal critics imposing economic sanctions over Crimea, some of Moscow's allies are also questioning its actions in Ukraine.
• Israeli Defence Minister accuses US of 'demonstrating weakness' in Ukraine, wants harder stance on Iran VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon has hardened his stance on Iran following developments in nuclear talks with the West and would now back a unilateral Israeli strike, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Yaalon also accused Washington of 'demonstrating weakness' in the Ukraine crisis in comments published by Haaretz newspaper.
• Moscow's Embassy in Lithuania hasn't been notified of espionage charges against Russian diplomat VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- The Russian Embassy in Vilnius has not received any official confirmation from the Lithuanian authorities concerning recent media reports claiming that Lithuania's special services brought up espionage charges against a Russian diplomat working in this country, said Russian Embassy spokesman Alexander Ivanov.
• NSA records, stores for 30 days 100% of foreign countries' telephone calls VoR 18 Mar 2014 -- The US National Security Agency has created a surveillance system that allows it to record and review other countries' telephone calls. Then, the information is stored up to 30 days. This data is provided by the documents, disclosed by the NSA former contractor Edward Snowden.
• Zarif, Ashton hold constructive meeting: Mann Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- The spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has praised the latest meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ashton as "constructive."
• Russia, West to Resume Iran Talks VOA 18 Mar 2014 -- Amid the Crimea controversy, Russian and Western negotiators sat together Tuesday in Vienna for the next round of talks on Iran's nuclear program.
• Thailand lifts state of emergency Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2014 -- Thailand's government has decided to lift a state of emergency imposed two months ago in the capital, Bangkok, and its outskirts.