Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 10 Feb 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 10 Feb 2015 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby
• Pentagon Expresses Sorrow for Death of American Kayla Mueller AFPS 10 Feb 2015 -- On behalf of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and every U.S. service member, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby expressed the Defense Department's deepest condolences today to the family of American Kayla Mueller, who reportedly died in an airstrike Feb. 6 while she was held hostage by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant extremists.
• Operation Inherent Resolve Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL AFPS 10 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.
• Obama confirms death of female US hostage Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- US President Barack Obama has confirmed the death of female American hostage Kayla Jean Mueller in a coalition airstrike in northern Syria last week.
• White House Confirms Death of American IS Hostage VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- The White House confirmed Tuesday, the death of American Kayla Jean Mueller, an aid worker who was held hostage by Islamic State militants.
• Precision Airstrikes Kill Former Taliban Commander, Associates AFPS 10 Feb 2015 -- The Defense Department announced today the deaths of eight individuals, including a former Taliban commander, killed during precision airstrikes in Afghanistan.
• Statement From Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Transition of Operation United Assistance DoD 10 Feb 2015 -- "Last September, the United States military deployed to West Africa to support USAID and international partners in fighting Ebola at its source. (...) Today, around 1,500 of them are already back to their duty stations and nearly all will return by April 30. All have or will undergo established controlled monitoring procedures."

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF conducts massive protected MILSATCOM test AFNS 10 Feb 2015 -- The Air Force concluded a six-month rigorous and complex multiservice operational test and evaluation of its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF)system in January at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.
• U.S.-Estonia Agreement Strengthens Partnership, Defenses AFPS 10 Feb 2015 -- The Defense Department signed a memorandum of understanding today with Estonia, marking the beginning of a partnership to strengthen both countries' reserve forces through annual exchanges of personnel, a senior defense official said.
• Department of Defense and Estonia Ministry of Defense Sign Memorandum of Understanding DoD 10 Feb 2015 -- The Department of Defense signed a memorandum of agreement today with the Estonia Ministry of Defense, signifying expanding international relationships while serving a valuable role in security cooperation.
• Work Outlines Budget Priorities, Process AFPS 10 Feb 2015 -- The president's fiscal year 2016 defense budget request begins the process of restoring future warfighting capacity and capabilities by reversing delays to long-term modernization efforts, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said today.
• SECNAV Censures Three Senior Officers NNS 10 Feb 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has issued Secretarial Letters of Censure to three senior officers following a thorough review into their interactions with Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) in the 2006-2007 timeframe. GDMA is the subject of a federal fraud and bribery investigation which was initiated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
• US Senate Armed Services Approves Carter Nomination for Defense Secretary Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The US Senate Armed Services Committee voted their approval Tuesday for the nomination of Ashton Carter to serve as the Secretary of Defense.
• ROK, U.S. Marines exchange combat maneuver tactics USMC News 10 Feb 2015 -- Republic of Korea and U.S. Marines exchanged combat maneuvers and tactics during Korean Marine Exchange Program 15-4 at the Pyeongchang Winter Training Facility, Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.
• Rappel, climb, patrol, repeat: ROK, U.S. Marines train for mountain warfare USMC News 10 Feb 2015 -- Republic of Korea and U.S. Marines train for mountain warfare during Korean Marine Exchange Program 15-17 Feb. 8 at the Minam-ri Mountain Warfare Training Facility, Pohang Republic of Korea.
• USS McFaul Returns From COMPTUEX NNS 10 Feb 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Feb. 7, after wrapping up its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX).
• NAS Fallon Commences Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2015 NNS 10 Feb 2015 -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon conducted a training exercise that will play a major role in the regularly scheduled Force Protection and Anti-Terrorism exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield (SC/CS 15) 2015, on Feb. 9.
• U.S. Navy Ships Participating in an Independent Deployer Certification Exercise (IDCERTEX) NNS 10 Feb 2015 -- Five U.S. Navy ships commenced an independent deployer certification exercise (IDCERTEX) in the Southern California and Hawaii operating areas. The exercise runs Feb. 9-20.
• USS San Francisco Returns from Deployment NNS 10 Feb 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) returned to its homeport Feb. 9 following an extended seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific.
• 45th Space Wing, SpaceX sign first-ever landing pad agreement at Cape Canaveral AFNS 10 Feb 2015 -- Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno, the 45th Space Wing commander, recently signed a five-year leasing agreement with SpaceX that will allow for the creation of the first-ever 'Landing Pad' at Launch Complex 13 at historic Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
• Russian Black Sea Fleet Starts Massive Drills in Crimea Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Russia's Black Sea Fleet has begun large-scale military exercises in a mountainous area of the Crimean Peninsula.e
• Russian Military to Fire Iskander Missiles During Pacific Ocean Drills Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The Russian Pacific Ocean Fleet along with military forces from the country's northeast has kicked off impromptu training exercises with some of its units on the Kamchatka Peninsula with approximately 2,500 servicemen, the Eastern Military Region's press service said Tuesday.
• South Korea, US Conduct Naval Drills Near North Korea Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- About 200 South Korean troops along some 20 US personnel stationed at Okinawa in Japan took part in the exercise. The drills took place near Ganghwa Island in the Yellow Sea, close to the North Korean coast.
• Iran's defense capabilities pose no threat to regional security IRNA 10 Feb 2015 -- Air Force Commander Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi says Iranian defensive capabilities do not pose threat to regional security.
• Armed forces ready to confront enemy adventurism IRNA 10 Feb 2015 -- Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari stressed the full readiness of Iranian armed forces including the Navy to confront ill-advised threats of enemies.
• Iran Hopes to Receive Russian S-300 Air Defense Systems in 2015 Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Tehran hopes to receive deliveries of the Russian S-300 air defense systems in 2015, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei said Tuesday.
• Poland says has no plans to send lethal weapons to Ukraine Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Poland has ruled out sending arms to Ukraine, saying supplying the government in Kiev with lethal weaponry is "out of the question."
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 2/10/15 The White House 10 Feb 2015
• February 10, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Feb 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 10, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 10 February 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Feb 2015
• Obama Calls Putin Regarding Ukraine Situation VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- The White House says President Barack Obama spoke by phone Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to back a peace deal for Ukraine set for review Wednesday at a four-nation crisis summit in Belarus.
• Readout of the President's Call with President Putin of Russia The White House 10 Feb 2015
• E. Ukraine Rebels Attack Local Military HQ VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- Rocket strikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday hit the headquarters of the military's operation against Russia-backed separatists and residential areas ahead of a key summit aimed at ending the conflict.
• 'Pro-Russian forces encircle Debaltseve in E Ukraine' Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Pro-Russian forces in east Ukraine have reportedly surrounded the key transport hub of Debaltseve, amid raging violence between the militias and government troops.
• Scores Dead, Injured As Missiles Hit Ukraine Military HQ, Civilian Area In Kramatorsk RFE/RL 10 Feb 2015 -- President Petro Poroshenko said there are a 'significant' number of casualties after missiles hit Ukraine's military headquarters and a residential area in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.
• Contact Group On Ukraine Begins Talks in Minsk Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The Contact Group on Ukraine started on Tuesday a new round of consultations ahead of the much-anticipated Minsk summit in the so-called Normandy format, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
• Briefing: Syria's 'freeze zones' and prospects for peace IRIN 10 Feb 2015 -- After two of his predecessors quit in frustration, the UN's third envoy to Syria has been working for several months on a new approach to ending a war that is about to enter its fifth year. This complex and fluid conflict has cost more than 200,000 lives and forced more than 10 million people to flee their homes.
• ISIL executes 13 members over defeat in Iraq's Kirkuk Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- The ISIL Takfiri militant group has reportedly executed 13 of its own members after they suffered defeat during an offensive in Iraq's northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
• Jordan Sends Troops to Iraqi Border to Prevent Infiltration of ISIL Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Jordan has sent thousands of troops to the border with Iraq to prevent Islamic State fighters from penetrating its territory, anonymous sources from the Jordanian government told NBS News Tuesday.
• New UN rights report depicts 'turmoil, lawlessness' in Libya UN News Centre 10 Feb 2015 -- A report produced jointly by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) "paints a bleak picture" of the human rights situation in the country during 2014, the High Commissioner's spokesperson said today in Geneva.
• UN Report: Libya Beset by Unprecedented Turmoil, Lawlessness VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- A new report by the U.N. Human Rights Office and the U.N. Support Mission in Libya finds a nation beset by turmoil, lawlessness and armed conflict.
• Niger Authorizes Troops for Force to Fight Boko Haram VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- Niger's parliament unanimously authorized sending troops to battle Boko Haram militants as part of a regional force, lawmakers said after a vote late Monday.
• Niger votes to send troops to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Niger's parliament has unanimously voted to deploy troops to neighboring Nigeria to join a regional fight against Boko Haram terrorists.
• Boko Haram kills 7, abducts about 30 in Cameroon, Nigeria Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists have abducted nearly 30 people, including eight Cameroonian young girls, and killed seven others in two separate bus hijackings in Cameroon and Nigeria.
• Violence in northern Nigeria sparks major new exodus into Niger border region, UN warns UN News Centre 10 Feb 2015 -- The spread of violent attacks across the border from northern Nigeria into Niger is causing widespread displacement and hampering efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in the area, a spokesperson for the United Nations food agency said today.
• US Embassy in Yemen Closing Due to Turmoil VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- The U.S. State Department has confirmed that the American Embassy in Yemen is closing because of the deteriorating security conditions there since the resignation of the country's president last month.
• Yemen's Houthis secure strategic province of Bayda Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Yemen's Shia Ansarullah movement has secured the central province of Bayda as the Houthis continue operations against al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in the region.
• US closing embassy in Yemen completely Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- The United States is completely closing its embassy in Yemen, where the Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement have taken control of the capital, according to American officials in Washington and embassy employees.
• Central African Republic: UN mission, French forces retake public spaces in Bria town UN News Centre 10 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations stabilization mission in the crisis-gripped Central African Republic (CAR) announced today that it has retaken public buildings in Bria, illegally occupied by ex-Séléka rebels.
• French Army Unleashes Helicopter Assault on Rebels in CAR Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The French Army together with UN peacekeepers mounted an assault on government buildings in a mining town in eastern CAR, using dozens of vehicles and helicopters.
• South Sudan Army Accuses Rebels of Launching New Attacks VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- South Sudan's defense minister on Tuesday accused rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar of launching three attacks on government troops in the oil-producing states of Unity and Upper Nile.
• South Sudan Fighting Resumes After Ceasefire Paused 'Month of Rape' Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- South Sudanese rebels resumed their attack on government forces as the country is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster and the UN prepares an aid package.
• Can Somalia Pull Out of Perpetual Crisis? VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- Somalia's latest political crisis appears to be over, now lawmakers have approved a new Cabinet after a long delay. But the question remains whether Somali leaders can stop the cycle of such crises, which have undermined government after government and hurt efforts to stabilize the war-torn country.
• After 'grim' 2014, UN urges renewed push for Middle East peace UN News Centre 10 Feb 2015 -- The resolution of the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict is "clearly a serious matter" for international peace and security, particularly during a time when the entire Middle East is threatened with terrorism and violent extremism, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson warned today.

News Reports

• Washington Seeking Change of Power in Russia - Russian Official Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The United States is actively using the Ukrainian conflict to force a change of power in Moscow and split Russian society, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said.
• US Creates Cyber-CIA to Fight Hackers Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The Obama administration announced creation of another federal intelligence center in the long list of law enforcement and spy services. This time its main task will be cyberintel.
• Ukraine Jails 'Russian Spy' for Nine Years on Treason Charge Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Northern Ukraine's Chernigiv Court has sentenced a former military serviceman to a nine-year jail term on charges of espionage in favor of Russia, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said Tuesday in a statement.
• New York Court Indicts Alleged Russian Agent Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Russian national Evgeny Buryakov was indicted without a hearing at the US District Court of Southern District of New York on Monday, a spokesperson from the court told Sputnik following the decision.
• President: Iran has taken due steps in nuclear talks IRNA 10 Feb 2015 -- President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is following nuclear negotiations seriously, adding that 'good progress has been achieved, though we haven't reached final agreement yet'.
• Iran unveils indigenous tubular centrifuge Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Iran has unveiled its first indigenous tubular centrifuge to expedite production of recombinant medicines, including vaccines.
• Iran favors win-win nuclear deal with P5+1: Rouhani Iran Press TV 10 Feb 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the country favors a "win-win" nuclear deal with the P5+1 states, expressing hope that Tehran's negotiating sides would show the necessary political resolve for the settlement of the nuclear case.
• Chinese premier vows devolution to limit graft People's Daily 10 Feb 2015 -- The Chinese government will devolve some powers to lower levels in order to reduce scope for officials bargaining for benefits, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday, putting forward requirements for anti-corruption work in 2015.
• WHO: Ebola Deaths, Infections on the Rise VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- The number of deaths from Ebola has risen to 9,152, a sharp increase following weeks in which the outbreak appeared to be weakening.
• 'Vigilant, determined, united': UN urges cohesive front against terrorism UN News Centre 10 Feb 2015 -- The international community must remain united in countering the threat of global terrorism despite the attempts by extremist groups to "spread fear by competing in brutality," United Nations Deputy-Secretary-General Jan Eliasson declared today.
• Egypt, Russia Sign Military, Economic and Nuclear Accords VOA 10 Feb 2015 -- Russia and Egypt signed several agreements to reinforce military and economic ties, along with a deal to help Cairo develop nuclear power capabilities. The agreements capped a two-day visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Russia Signs Satellite Navigation Cooperation Agreement With China Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- As part of the Russian agency's official visit to China, head of Roscosmos Igor Komarov met with the leader of China's National Space Administration, Xu Dazhe.