Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Admiral Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 13 Feb 2015 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby
• Iraqi Security Forces Repel ISIL Attack AFPS 13 Feb 2015 -- An attempt by 20 to 25 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters to attack al Asad Air Base in Iraq was repulsed by "ready and able" Iraqi security forces, the Pentagon press secretary said today.
• ISIL militants attack Iraq air base hosting US troops Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- The ISIL Takfiri militants have launched an attack on an air base used by US troops in the restive Iraqi province of al-Anbar.
• U.S., Coalition Allies Continue Airstrikes Against ISIL AFPS 13 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.
• IS Attacks Iraq Base Housing US Personnel VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Iraqi forces have repelled an attack by Islamic State militants on an airbase in Anbar province where more than 300 U.S. military personnel are stationed to train Iraqi Sunni tribal fighters.
• Afghan forces kill 27 Taliban militants during cleanup operations Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- Afghan security forces backed by army troops have killed 27 Taliban militants during cleanup operations in two southern provinces of the war-wrecked country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Farewell Message to the Department of Defense from Secretary Chuck Hagel DoD 13 Feb 2015
• AF chief of staff: Call to the future AFNS 13 Feb 2015 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III shared his thoughts on where the Air Force is, where it's going and how it's going to get there with an audience of Airmen, industry representatives and Air Force supporters during his speech at the Air Force Association's annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 12, in Orlando, Florida.
• Air Force Seeks $10 Billion Over Sequestration Funding AFPS 13 Feb 2015 -- The demand for Air Force capabilities is increasing, therefore the service is requesting $10 billion more than sequestration-level funding provides, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said today in Orlando, Florida.
• USS Laboon Deploys NNS 13 Feb 2015 -- To conduct ballistic missile defense operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) deployed today from Naval Station Norfolk.
• Sea-Service Leaders Chart Priorities, Challenges AFPS 13 Feb 2015 -- Producing more amphibious ships, staying on top of cybersecurity needs and facing new challenges in the Asia-Pacific region are some of the priorities of the sea-service leaders, a panel concluded at the Western Conference and Exposition in San Diego yesterday.
• Three Combat Ships Join Russia's Mediterranean Task Force Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- the escort vessel Ladny and amphibious ships Saratov and Yamal – joined Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea,' Trukhachev said.
• Russian Black Sea Fleet's Combat Readiness to Be Checked During Training Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- The military administration office and its naval, aerial and coastal units will be checked for their readiness to accomplish their missions.
• Snap Military Drills Kick Off in Caspian Fleet in Russia's Southern Region Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Unannounced military exercises have begun in Russia's southern region for the Caspian Fleet, the Southern Military Region's press service said Friday.
• Moscow's Stance on Mistral Deal With France Unchanged - Kremlin Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Russia has not changed its stance on the non-fulfillment by France on the delivery of the first Mistral helicopter carrier that was due at the end of last year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on Friday.
• Conditions Still Not Satisfied for Mistral Deliveries - Hollande Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- French President Francois Hollande has announced that conditions for the delivery of Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia are still not right.
• North Korea to Focus on Cutting-Edge Weapon Development Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- North Korea's ruling party adopted a resolution calling for the country to progress more on developing modern precise weapons, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.
• Iran Rolls Out 'Smart Missile' Drones Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Iran's drones now carry high-precision smart missiles that can hit high-speed vehicles with pinpoint accuracy, according to a senior military commander in Tehran.
• February 13, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Feb 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 13, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Kyiv Officials: 11 Troops Killed Since Minsk Deal VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Ukraine's military said Friday that 11 soldiers had been killed and 40 wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past day, despite a cease-fire deal that was reached Thursday but is not yet in effect.
• EU threatens new bans on Russia if Ukraine truce violated Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- European powers have threatened fresh sanctions against Russia should a newly-signed ceasefire deal aimed at ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine fail to be implemented.
• EU Wary About Ukraine Peace Deal RFE/RL 13 Feb 2015 -- European Union leaders have expressed caution about the peace deal hammered out for eastern Ukraine.
• Tank Battle Reported In Donetsk As Cease-Fire Nears RFE/RL 13 Feb 2015 -- A tank battle was reportedly raging in eastern Ukraine as government forces continued to fight Russian-backed separatists ahead of a cease-fire slated to go into effect this weekend.
• Poroshenko Warns of Conflict Escalation Despite Successful Peace Talks Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday warned the threat of military escalation in the country's east still remains despite the positive outcome of peace talks in Belarus.
• Nobody Has Firm Belief in Success of Minsk Deal - Poroshenko Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that the new Minsk agreements on regulating the crisis in eastern Ukraine gives hope, but he is unsure whether they will be fully implemented.
• Kurds recapture more villages in Kobani from ISIL Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have succeeded in wresting control of dozens more villages around Syria's border town of Kobani from the ISIL Takfiri terrorists, says a UK-based group.
• 20 Killed in Attack on Shi'ite Mosque in Pakistan VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Militants attacked a Shi'ite mosque in Peshawar in northern Pakistan during Friday prayers, killing 20 people and wounding more than 40 others.
• Boko Haram separate attacks kill 21 in northeast Nigeria Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- At least 21 people have been killed in two separate attacks by Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists on two villages in northeast Nigeria.
• Boko Haram kill 5 in first attack inside Chad Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2015 -- Militants with the Nigeria-based terrorist group Boko Haram have carried out their first attack inside neighboring Chad, killing five people.
• UN warns of 'urgent' humanitarian situation as Boko Haram attacks spill over Nigeria border UN News Centre 13 Feb 2015 -- As the continuing violence in north-east Nigeria spills across the country's borders and into neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) today sounded the alarm for the tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) currently in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
• Boko Haram Launches First Attack in Chad VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Nigeria's Boko Haram extremist group has for the first time attacked a village in Chad, part of a widening insurgency that now has drawn in four countries.
• Villagers Accuse Sudan Military of Intense Bombing Campaign VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Sudan's military has subjected villagers in the country's rebel-controlled Nuba Mountains to an intensifying bombing campaign, beleaguered villagers say.
• Mali: UN launches probe into violent demonstration against peacekeepers in Gao UN News Centre 13 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations appointed a high-level team to conduct an Inquiry into the events of 27 January, when a violent demonstration against the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) resulted in the death and injury of protestors in the northern city of Gao.
• Dozens of Myanmar Troops Killed on Border VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- Clashes between government troops and ethnic Kokang rebels near the Chinese border in Myanmar - also known as Burma - has left 47 soldiers dead and 73 wounded, state media said Friday.

News Reports

• Obama Signs Executive Order on Cybersecurity VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order Friday aimed at encouraging companies and organizations to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other.
• Minsk Agreements Should Bring End to Sanctions Against Russia - Minister Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- The agreements reached in Minsk on the crisis situation in Ukraine should help in lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Russia, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Friday.
• New Anti-Russia Sanctions to Enter Into Force Monday - European Commission Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Maja Kocijancic, European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs, confirmed Friday that the EU will add 19 individuals, including five Russians, and nine entities to the list of sanctions over Ukraine on February 16.
• Russia Eyes Ailing N. Korean Infrastructure VOA 13 Feb 2015 -- North Korea's ailing infrastructure is regarded as the most favorable area for Russian investment, according to the head of a business council tasked with promoting business between Moscow and Pyongyang.
• Unloved but unyielding: Burkina's presidential guard could derail transition IRIN 13 Feb 2015 -- The potential for widespread civil unrest in Burkina Faso could grow if the country's Presidential Security Regiment continues to remain a powerful and largely unanswerable force.
• Argentine President Denies Accusations of Cover Up Sputnik 13 Feb 2015 -- Cristina Fernández de Kirchner denies accusations of a cover up attempt, after a new prosecutor in her case vows to go forward with the investigation.
• UN Economic, Social Council President urges action 'now' to bolster health systems in Ebola-hit counties UN News Centre 13 Feb 2015 -- In addition to lives lost and the socio-economic impact of the Ebola outbreak, the long-term impact on families – with at least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone losing one or both parents to the virus – further underscores the dire need to invest in better health care systems, Martin Sajdik, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has said.
• Ebola: UN health agency turns to foreign medical teams in last phase of combat against virus UN News Centre 13 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it will huddle with medical teams from outside the Ebola-affected countries next week in Geneva to see how they can help in the last phases of the fight to bring the number of cases down to zero.
• Saudi Arabia invites UN health team in precautionary measure against spread of respiratory virus UN News Centre 13 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today announced it is dispatching a mission to Saudi Arabia next week at the request of the Government to take preventive measures for a possible upsurge of cases of a respiratory virus linked with camels known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-COv).