Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• White House: No Proof Jordanian Airstrike Killed US Hostage VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The White House said Friday in cannot confirm Islamic State's claim that a Jordanian airstrike killed an female American aid worker held hostage by the group.
• UAE Hints at Rejoining Coalition Airstrikes on IS VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The United Arab Emirates says it will have "positive news" within the next few days concerning its participation in the U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group.
• Coalition Airstrikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 06 Feb 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• AF Ebola support winds down AFNS 06 Feb 2015 -- After more than four months of continuous airlift support to Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Air Force is winding down efforts in Senegal, Monrovia and Liberia.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Fact Sheet: The 2015 National Security Strategy The White House 06 Feb 2015
• Obama's New Security Strategy Sharply Shifts Tone On Russia RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- What a difference five years can make. The White House's new national security strategy portrays Russia exclusively as a regional bully and a threat to international stability, a sharp reversal from the collaborative U.S. approach to Moscow spelled out in the previous version of the policy document issued in 2010.
• Obama Security Strategy Warns Against Overreaching by US VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- White House national security adviser Susan Rice says she starts every morning with a briefing covering the most sobering threats on the global stage. Whether the challenge is an Ebola outbreak or Russian aggression, she says, the world would be a markedly different place without U.S. leadership to confront it.
• Obama: US Must Resist 'Overreaching' Abroad VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- President Barack Obama says the U.S. 'must always resist the urge to overreach' when it comes to getting involved in global crises.
• Leaders: Resources Key for National Security Strategy AFPS 06 Feb 2015 -- Praising President Barack Obama's 2015 National Security Strategy for recognizing the challenges the nation faces, the Defense Department's top civilian and military leaders today stressed the need for an end to scheduled sequestration spending cuts to allow the military to do its part in implementing the strategy.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the 2015 National Security Strategy DoD 06 Feb 2015 -- "President Obama's 2015 National Security Strategy (NSS) provides a comprehensive blueprint for defending and advancing America's interests at home and around the world. It is clear-eyed about our nation's challenges as well as our strategic opportunities."
• Obama Stresses Global Leadership In New U.S. Security Strategy RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- The White House has unveiled a new national security strategy reasserting the need for U.S. leadership in ensuring a 'rules-based international order' and mobilizing global efforts on an array of security fronts, including halting Russian 'aggression.'
• Kerry Says US National Security Strategy Ambitious, Achievable Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- The new US National Security Strategy is ambitious and achievable, and will promote US values around the world, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement on Friday.
• Pentagon Needs Resources to Implement US National Security Strategy Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- The US Congress needs to approve the Pentagon's 2016 budget and end sequestration in order to provide the military adequate resources to achieve President Barack Obama's National Security Strategy (NSS) objectives, US Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement on Friday.
• US Unveils National Security Strategy Based on Selective Use of Force Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- Washington will use military force unilaterally if US citizens or the country's allies are in danger, according to US National Security Strategy released by the White House.
• Closing Guantanamo 'National Security Imperative,' Official Says AFPS 06 Feb 2015 -- The question on closing the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is not whether to do it, but rather is how to do it, a senior Defense Department official said on Capitol Hill yesterday.
• Tinker acquires land for KC-46A Pegasus maintenance AFNS 06 Feb 2015 -- Tinker Air Force Base officials announced Feb. 2, the acquisition of 158 acres of land on the southwest side of the base to stand up a depot maintenance facility for the Air Force's next-generation aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-46A Pegasus.
• Navy to Christen Third Mobile Landing Platform DoD 06 Feb 2015 -- The Navy will christen Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) Lewis B. Puller Feb. 7, during a 10 a.m. PST ceremony in San Diego, California.
• USS Farragut Completes COMPTUEX NNS 06 Feb 2015 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) successfully completed composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) as part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Striker Group (TRCSG) and returned to Naval Station Mayport, Feb. 6.
• AF officials announce FY16 budget force structure changes AFNS 06 Feb 2015 -- Air Force officials released force structure changes resulting from the fiscal year 2016 President's Budget, Feb. 6.
• Air Force Takes Part in Off-station Training with Greece AFPS 06 Feb 2015 -- Air Force personnel are in off-station training in Elefsis, Greece, to promote and maintain joint readiness, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters today.
• Normandy Completes COMPTUEX NNS 06 Feb 2015 -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) returned to homeport, Feb. 6 after the completion of composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for a slated deployment.
• Halsey Sailors Return From Seven-Month Deployment NNS 06 Feb 2015 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) returned Thursday from a seven-month deployment to the western Pacific.
• HSC-25 Assists in Rescue of Stranded Boaters Near Rota NNS 06 Feb 2015 -- Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam and rescue crews from Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, 40 nautical miles north-northeast of the U.S. territory of Guam, recovered three stranded boaters a mile offshore near the village of Songsong Feb. 3.
• Stratcom Chief: U.S. Must Maintain Space Dominance AFPS 06 Feb 2015 -- The space domain is changing, and the U.S. military must remain ahead of these changes to maintain the nation's military dominance, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command said here today.
• Stoltenberg Says NATO Against Confrontation With Russia Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance was not seeking confrontation with Russia and had no goal to isolate Moscow.
• Latvian Army Claims NATO Jets Scrambled to Intercept Russian Plane Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- The Latvian Army reported Friday that NATO fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
• Estonia Ready to Open NATO Command Center Next Week Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- Estonia is ready to open a NATO command center on its territory in the near future, the country's Defense Minister Sven Mikser said in an interview with Estonian National Television Friday.
• Biden warns Europe to stay with US against Russia Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- US Vice President Joe Biden has once again accused Russia of "escalating the conflict" in Ukraine as Washington considers providing Kiev with lethal weapons.
• Russian Navy to Receive Two New Surveying Vessels in 2015 Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- Two large surveying boats of the 19920 project will be delivered to the Russian Naval Forces in 2015, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry Igor Dygalo said Friday.
• Russia to Give 'Adequate' Response to NATO's Expansion Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- NATO's recent decision to set up additional command centers in six different countries will inevitably lead to 'adequate' changes in Russia's military planning, the country's envoy to the alliance, Alexander Grushko, has told Russian journalists.
• At China Sea Impasse, Manila Bolsters Navy VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The Philippine Navy is upgrading its capabilities at a time of continuing tensions with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea.
• PLA drill applies China's own GPS People's Daily 06 Feb 2015 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) finished a two-day drill on Friday, testing application of China's independently developed global satellite navigation system in combat in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
• PLA widens range of duties for dog teams People's Daily 06 Feb 2015 -- Military dogs are to be used by the People's Liberation Army for combat operations, anti-terrorist tasks and riot control, according to a new regulation.
• The Netherlands – MQ-9 Reapers DSCA 06 Feb 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands for MQ-9 Reapers and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $339 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• Finland Rules Out Weapon Supplies to Conflict-Torn Ukraine Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has announced that his country will not provide lethal aid to Kiev, which continues its fight against independence supporters in the southeast.
• Afghan Cadets Train in Pakistan VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- In yet another sign of a continued thaw in bilateral security cooperation, Afghanistan has sent a group of six Afghan army cadets to neighboring Pakistan for military training.
• Background Briefing On Secretary Kerry's Meeting with GCC Foreign Ministers US Dept. of State 06 Feb 2015
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz en route Indianapolis, IN, 2/6/2015 The White House 06 Feb 2015
• February 6, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 06 Feb 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 11, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 6 February 2015 United Nations 06 Feb 2015
• Russia, EU Leaders Agree to Work on Ukraine Cease-fire VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The leaders of France, Germany, and Russia have failed to reach a breakthrough peace deal on Ukraine during talks in Moscow. But they agreed to work on a shaky September cease-fire.
• Would US Military Aid to Ukraine Push Putin to Escalate? VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- As the United States weighs arming Ukraine's military to bolster its fight against Russia-backed separatists, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande have begun talks in Moscow to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
• Ahead of Ukraine Talks, Combatants Allow Civilians to Evacuate VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels have begun evacuating civilians from Debaltseve, a strategic city where fighting recently intensified. The cease-fire comes as French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are due to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to try to end the conflict.
• German chancellor says peace in Ukraine brings peace to Europe Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says a German-French initiative to stop deadly clashes in eastern Ukraine is aimed at defending peace all over Europe.
• Kiev, pro-Russians agree on truce around Debaltseve Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian forces have agreed on a brief humanitarian truce around the town of Debaltseve, as German and French leaders head to Moscow for peace talks.
• Merkel, Hollande Call On Putin With Ukraine Peace Plan RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a diplomatic push for peace in eastern Ukraine.
• UN refugee agency says 'over a million' may already be displaced by eastern Ukraine violence UN News Centre 06 Feb 2015 -- Nearly 1 million people may have now been displaced by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with the recent upsurge in violence causing massive destruction of buildings and infrastructure, the collapse of basic services and a spike in the numbers fleeing fighting, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.
• German, French Leaders Take Ukraine Peace Plan to Putin VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where they are expected to present him with a new peace proposal aimed at ending an escalation in fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
• Secretary General: Situation in Ukraine is critical, NATO supports peace efforts NATO 06 Feb 2015
• NATO 'fully supports' German-French proposal on Ukraine peace Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- NATO has voiced full support for the mediatory efforts by Germany and France to end the deadly clashes in eastern Ukraine.
• Kurdish fighters recapture 101 villages near Kobani Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have recaptured over a hundred villages from the ISIL Takfiri terrorists around Syria's flashpoint border town of Kobani.
• Germany Announces More Military Aid To Iraq To Fight IS RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- Germany's Defense Ministry says it is stepping up arms supplies - including armor-piercing missiles - to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters battling Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.
• US Estimates Boko Haram Has Up to 6,000 Fighters VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- U.S. intelligence officials said Friday that they believe the Nigerian Islamic group Boko Haram consists of 4,000 to 6,000 'hard-core fighters,' as the militants launched attacks on another country in the region.
• Softly, softly: the humanitarian schemes aimed at countering Boko Haram IRIN 06 Feb 2015 -- Northeast Nigeria faces a double curse – Boko Haram and deep poverty. Now the government and some private philanthropists are deliberately linking the two by rolling out schemes to provide economic opportunities and humanitarian support as antidotes to militancy.
• Boko Haram raids border town in Niger Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- Boko Haram Takfiri militants have attacked a town in Niger near the border with Nigeria.
• Soldiers Repel Boko Haram Attack in Niger VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Witnesses say Nigerian militant group Boko Haram attacked a town in Niger on Friday, but were driven back by forces from Niger and Chad.
• Three people killed in Azerbaijan-Armenia clashes Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- At least three people have been killed in clashes between Azeri and Armenian forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• US Watching Yemen After Rebel Takeover VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Yemen's Houthi rebels finalized their takeover of the country Friday, claiming a "new era" in that nation's politics. It is not clear how the rebel power grab will affect Washington's fight against one of al-Qaida's most powerful branches, the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Yemen Houthis release constitutional declaration Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- Yemen's Houthi movement has released a constitutional declaration on Transitional National Council, stressing that the movement will continue fighting corruption and try to improve Yemeni people's living condition.
• Yemen's Houthis Dissolve Parliament VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Yemen's powerful Shi'ite rebels finalized their takeover of the country Friday, announcing they have dissolved parliament and are establishing a new presidential council to run Yemeni affairs.
• Egyptian army airstrikes kill 25 militants in restive Sinai Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- The Egyptian army has killed twenty-five al-Qaeda-affiliated militants during airborne attacks in the violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula of the North African country.
• South Sudan Official Defends Delay of Human Rights Report VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei has defended an African Union (A.U.) decision not to release a report on human rights abuses committed during South Sudan's conflict.
• South Sudan: as top officials spotlight crisis, UN warns of 'dramatic deterioration' in food security UN News Centre 06 Feb 2015 -- South Sudan is on the brink of a major food insecurity crisis as millions of people remain trapped by the country's ongoing internecine fighting, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.
• Security Council demands end to Mali violence, urges parties to reach peace deal UN News Centre 06 Feb 2015 -- Demanding an immediate end to all hostilities in Mali, the United Nations Security Council today urged Malian parties to "engage with sustained political will and a spirit of compromise" and make the necessary concessions to engage in talks towards a comprehensive, inclusive peace deal that addresses the root causes of the years-long crisis in the country.
• Ban joins Arab League Secretary-General in urging donors to honour Gaza pledges UN News Centre 06 Feb 2015 -- Expressing deep concern about the situation in Gaza, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States made an urgent appeal today, asking donors to honour and disburse as soon as possible the financial commitments they made at an October 2014 conference convened to kick-start reconstruction in the war-torn enclave.

News Reports

• Outrage Over IS Killings Unlikely to Dent Finances VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Spreading anger over the brutal killings of high-profile Islamic State group (IS) hostages after protracted negotiations is unlikely to hurt the terror group's cash flow. Instead, there are fears the deaths actually may serve to help fill its coffers.
• All The President's Ailments RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- If you believe the Kremlin's PR, President Vladimir Putin is an alligator-wrestling action hero. But if you believe the deluge of rumors about his health in recent years, he's an ailing and psychologically disturbed man.
• Britain espionage on people unlawful: UK court Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- A tribunal in the UK has ruled that Britain has unlawfully spied on its citizens by receiving intelligence from the US National Security Agency (NSA).
• British Intel Agency Found Guilty of Human Rights Breach by Secret Court Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- GCHQ's access to the intercepted information, which was originally collected by the US National Security Agency (NSA) was found to be against human rights laws, according to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
• The Iranian Politicians Rumored To Have U.S. Green Cards RFE/RL 06 Feb 2015 -- 'Death to America' might be a common refrain in Tehran, but several Iranian officials and parliamentarians reportedly hold documents allowing them to live and work in the United States.
• Kerry, Zarif Discuss Nuclear Program VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear program. The two met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
• Window for Containing Ebola Outbreak Seen Narrowing VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The World Health Organization reports that good progress is being made toward containing the Ebola epidemic, but it warns that the outbreak is far from over and still poses a grave threat.
• WHO Convenes Experts on Ebola Survivor Care VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The World Health Organization says many Ebola survivors are left with physical and psychological problems, and will need help to recover from the debilitating aftereffects of the virus.
• IMF Offers Ebola-related Financial Aid VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The International Monetary Fund has announced a 330 million dollar financing package for the countries hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic. It includes 170 million dollars in debt relief. The economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have suffered over the past year as the disease has spread.
• Biden Won't Attend Netanyahu's Speech to Congress VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- The political uproar over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to address the U.S. Congress next month continues to smolder. On Friday, the office of Vice President Joe Biden said he was expected to be traveling abroad and would not attend the speech.
• Confessed Islamic Jihad Figure Given 25-Year Sentence VOA 06 Feb 2015 -- A U.S. federal judge Friday sentenced a confessed terrorist to 25 years in prison for various activities, including announcing al-Qaida's claim of responsibility for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
• Those Who Dare Hurt DPRK's Dignity and System Will Pay High Price: Spokesman for C.C., DFRK KCNA 06 Feb 2015 -- A spokesman for the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea (DFRK) issued a statement on Friday branding the U.S. and the south Korean puppet group's act of malignantly hurting the dignity and social system of the DRPK and making last-ditch efforts as a politically-motivated provocation against it and a poor behavior of those who are seized with the daydream of 'collapse of the north's social system'.