Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 17 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.
• 20 Afghan policemen killed in Taliban attack Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- At least 20 policemen have been killed in an attack carried out by the Taliban militants against a police headquarters near Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.
• Afghan army launches major offensive against Taliban militants Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- Afghan military forces have launched a major offensive against Taliban militants in the southern province of Helmand, which is considered the militants' stronghold.
• Taliban Attack Targets Afghan Police, Kills 22 VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- A group of Taliban suicide bombers attacked a provincial police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 22 officers and wounding many others a day after Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed 13 policemen in the south.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Secretary Carter's Message to all DoD Personnel DoD 17 Feb 2015
• Carter Takes Office Today as 25th Defense Secretary AFPS 17 Feb 2015 -- Ash Carter becomes the 25th secretary of defense today after having served previously as deputy defense secretary, defense acquisition chief and assistant secretary for global strategic affairs.
• Remarks by the President After Meeting with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter The White House 17 Feb 2015
• US to Allow Sales of Military Drones to Allies VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- The Obama administration unveiled a new policy Tuesday allowing foreign allies to buy military drones as part of its global counterterrorism fight.
• African Partnership Flight builds relations, interoperability AFNS 17 Feb 2015 -- Closing ceremonies commenced African Partnership Flight-Djibouti for more than 80 Airmen from six nations Feb. 11, at Djibouti Air Base.
• USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) Wraps Up First of Three Crew Swaps on Deployment to US 7th Fleet NNS 17 Feb 2015 -- LCS Crew 104 Juggernauts successfully completed the first quarter of the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth's (LCS 3) maiden 16-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific following a crew swap with LCS Crew 103 Rough Riders Feb. 17.
• George H.W. Bush Awarded Battle'E' NNS 17 Feb 2015 -- Commander, Naval Air Forces awarded the 2014 Battle Efficiency (Battle 'E') for East Coast-based aircraft carriers to Sailors of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Feb. 13.
• Ready Now. Anytime, Anywhere NNS 17 Feb 2015 -- In 2015 the U.S. Navy Reserve will be 100 years old. Designed to 'deliver strategic depth and operational capability to the Navy, Marine Corps, and Joint Forces in times of peace or war', the Navy Reserve has provided support in areas from healthcare to special warfare and everything in between.
• USS Paul Hamilton Departs on Deployment NNS 17 Feb 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) departed on an independent deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Western Pacific Ocean.
• Russian Shipyard Makes History: 4 Subs Under Construction Simultaneously Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Russia's Sevmash shipyard is simultaneously building four nuclear-powered submarines for the first time in the country's modern history.
• Ka-27 Helicopters Search for Enemy Submarine in Barents Sea Exercise Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Ka-27 crews of the Northern Fleet practiced anti-submarine warfare in the Barents Sea, as the navy takes advantage of the polar night to practice nighttime maneuvers.
• Su-34s, MiGs Begin Combat Exercises Over European Russia, Lake Ladoga Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Over 50 fighter jet pilots are taking part in the exercises, which will culminate with the Ladoga-2015 exercise over Lake Ladoga, east of the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
• Russian Arms Exporter Finalizing Delivery of 71 Mi-17 Helicopters to India Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Russia and India will finalize the delivery of 71 Mi-17V-5 (Hip) transport helicopters by the end of 2015 and are currently discussing further deliveries, the deputy head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Tuesday.
• Russia Ready to Supply Su-30 Fighters to India if French Rafales Deal Folds Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Russia is ready to supply India with an additional delivery of Su-30MKI (Flanker-H) long-range fighter jets to replace the French Rafales that New Delhi has rejected because of their price tag, the deputy head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Tuesday.
• Russia, India to Start Manufacture of First Test Models of T-50 Fighter Jet Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Russia and India are moving into the phase of constructing the first test models of the Russian-Indian fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet with stealth capabilities, the deputy head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Tuesday.
• Ukraine Sends List of Necessary Military Equipment to US - Kiev Official Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry compiled a list of necessary military equipment, including weapons, and sent it to the United States, presidential adviser of the country Yuri Biryukov said Tuesday.
• Lithuania Selling Arms to Kiev is of 'Grave Concern' to Russia Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Moscow has called Lithuania's announcement of providing Kiev with weapons a provocation that undermines the efforts of settling the situation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Tuesday.
• South Coast jobs boost with £420m defence contract UK MOD 17 Feb 2015 -- On a visit to Portsmouth, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced significant government investment in the UK's defence capabilities in the region, including a major service support contract that will sustain 450 jobs.
• Chinese naval escort fleet commences visit to Greece People's Daily 17 Feb 2015 -- The 18th Chinese naval escort fleet arrived in the Greek port of Piraeus on Monday morning, commencing a four-day goodwill visit after such visits to Greece in 2002 and 2010.
• Pakistan's Army Chief Visits Afghanistan VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Pakistan's army chief says his country is sharing "unprecedented" levels of intelligence with Afghanistan and both countries are working "hand in glove" to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
• February 17, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Feb 2015

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• 17 February 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Feb 2015
• Readout of the Vice President's Call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko The White House 17 Feb 2015
• Putin Demands Surrender of Encircled Ukrainian Troops VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling on pro-Russian rebels to allow besieged Ukrainian troops safe passage out of the encircled town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine.
• Putin Urges Kyiv To Surrender Town Amid U.S. Warnings RFE/RL 17 Feb 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Kyiv to allow Ukrainian soldiers who are encircled in an eastern Ukrainian town to lay down their weapons as Washington warned Moscow that 'the costs to Russia will rise' if it kept supporting the rebels.
• Ukraine: Security Council endorses Minsk ceasefire, calls on parties to fully implement truce UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council today adopted a resolution endorsing the 13-point accord on ending the Ukraine crisis agreed in Minsk – including a cease-fire – and called on all parties to the conflict to fully implement that cessation of hostilities, as the UN human rights office expressed concern over reported shelling and trapped civilians in the country's east.
• Explanation of Vote at a Security Council Session on the Situation in Ukraine U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 17 Feb 2015
• UN: Nearly 5,700 killed in east Ukraine conflict Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- The UN says the death toll from fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine has reached nearly 5,700.
• Pro-Russia forces say pushed Ukraine army out of Debaltseve Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- Pro-Russia forces say they have pushed Ukraine's army out of the eastern hotbed city of Debaltseve as a ceasefire deadline for the withdrawal of heavy weaponry draws closer.
• Putin Calls For Safe Corridor As Kyiv Confirms Separatists Take Parts Of Debaltseve RFE/RL 17 Feb 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to allow Ukranian troops safe passage out of the encircled town of Debaltseve.
• US Senators Urge Obama to Arm Kiev Claiming Ceasefire Failed Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- US President Barack Obama should provide arms to the Ukrainian government, considering that the Minsk ceasefire has failed between Kiev and the independence supporters in eastern Ukraine, US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said in a press release on Tuesday.
• Putin Says Optimistic About Minsk Agreements Implementation Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he was optimistic about the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
• OSCE Monitors Report Withdrawal of Kiev Weaponry From Contact Line Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) has observed the withdrawal of Kiev forces' military vehicles from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, the mission said in its daily report published Tuesday.
• Six Independence Supporters, 94 Kiev Soldiers Killed in 24 Hours - DPR Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- In the past 24 hours, 6 independence supporters and 94 Kiev soldiers were killed in the clashes in eastern Ukraine, a deputy commander of DPR militia Eduard Basurin said Tuesday.
• OSCE Report Says Ceasefire in Donbas Observed Except for Debaltseve Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Ertugrul Apakan and OSCE negotiator at the Contact Group talks Heidi Taliavini in their latest report said that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is generally observed, with the exception of Debaltsevo area, Russia's envoy to the OSCE Andrei Kelin told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
• Donetsk Forces Ready to Withdraw Artillery Wherever Kiev Observes Ceasefire Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) militia is ready to withdraw artillery from the areas, where the ceasefire is observed by Kiev forces, a deputy commander of DPR militia Eduard Basurin said Tuesday.
• Donetsk Ready to Release Encircled Kiev Troops if They Lay Down Arms Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) is ready to let encircled Kiev troops leave Debaltseve without weapons, a DPR deputy military commander said Tuesday.
• Some 2,000 Soldiers Encircled in Debaltseve - Kiev Lawmaker Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- About 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been encircled in Debaltsevo, a strategic transport hub in eastern Ukraine that has been hotly contested in recent days, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker who is also the commander of the pro-Kiev Dnipro volunteer battalion, said Tuesday.
• No Information on Weaponry Withdrawal Starting at Midnight – DPR Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in southeastern Ukraine has no information regarding the start of heavy weaponry withdrawal from the region, DPR deputy commander Eduard Basurin has told RIA Novosti.
• UN: Syria Agrees to 6-Week Bombing Halt in Aleppo VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- The U.N.'s special envoy on Syria says the government of President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to stop aerial bombing of the city of Aleppo for six weeks, as the envoy works with international partners to seek a political solution to the nearly four-year -old conflict.
• Al-Nusra clashes with FSA in Syrian province of Idlib Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- The militants of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front have clashed with the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) in a village in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.
• Syrian army recaptures several villages north of Aleppo Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- The Syrian army, backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement, has successfully wrested control of several villages north of Aleppo from foreign-backed militants.
• Turkey, US to Sign Agreement on Training, Equipping Syrian Opposition Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Turkey and the US will sign an agreement on a 'training and equipment program' for Syrian opposition forces in the coming days, a Turkish official said Tuesday.
• Aid Not Reaching Millions in Syria VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Delegates attending a U.N.-sponsored meeting on the crisis in Syria are appealing to all warring factions to allow humanitarian agencies to deliver desperately needed aid to millions of people who currently are out of reach.
• ISIL burns 45 to death in western Iraq Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- The ISIL Takfiri militants have torched to death at least 45 people in Iraq's western town of al-Baghdadi, police sources say.
• UK Supplied 300 Tons of Weapons to Anti-ISIL Coalition Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Britain has delivered 300 tons of weapons and ammunition to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group, Bahraini newspaper Al-Wasat reported Tuesday.
• Most pressing goal for Iraq remains defeating ISIL, says outgoing UN envoy UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- Delivering his final briefing as the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov today stressed to the Security Council the optimism he feels for the country's future, while tempering those hopes with fear over the many things that can go wrong.
• UN rights chief condemns murder of 21 Christians in Libya, urges rejection of 'takfiri groups' UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said today that the beheading of 21 Christian men in Libya was a "vile crime targeting people on the basis of their religion" and urged Libyans to unite against extremists.
• Iran's UN Ambassador Says IS Fighters Are Committing Genocide VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Iraq's U.N. ambassador alleged Tuesday that Islamic State militants were committing genocide, a day ahead of an emergency Security Council session.
• Myanmar Army May Be Preparing for Kachin Offensive VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- While the conflict the Kokang region of Myanmar, also known as Burma, has gotten many of the headlines in recent days, the government appears to also have increased its military presence in northern Kachin State, scene of recent fierce fighting that has left dozens dead or wounded.
• Myanmar declares state of emergency in Kokang Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- Myanmar has declared a state of emergency in the wake of brutal fighting between the army and ethnic rebels in the northern border region of Kokang.
• Thousands of Myanmar refugees flee violence to China Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- Tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar's ethnic region of Kokang have reportedly crossed the border into neighboring China's Yunnan Province over the past week as fighting rages between rebel forces and government troops.
• South Sudan blames rebels for shelling oil town of Renk Iran Press TV 17 Feb 2015 -- South Sudan says rebels are trying to capture Renk ahead of peace talks, blaming them for a shelling attack in the key northern oil town.
• In South Sudan, protection of civilians 'critical part' of UN mandate UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- United Nations peacekeepers must continue to provide critical protections for civilians in South Sudan as the country slowly emerges from a year-long stretch of internecine conflict, the head of the UN Mission (UNMISS) there declared today.
• South Sudan Official Accuses Rebels of New Attacks in Oil State VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- South Sudan Defense Minister Kuol Manyang on Tuesday accused rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar of wounding 'many civilians' when a government position in oil-rich Upper Nile state was shelled.
• UN Peacekeepers' Plane Shot at in Sudan's Southern Kordofan VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said Monday that unidentified gunmen opened fire on one of its planes last week as if came in to land at Kadugli airport in Southern Kordofan in Sudan.
• Boko Haram Exterminates Another Town as Nigeria is Consumed by Chaos Sputnik 17 Feb 2015 -- Boko Haram militants burned the town of Askira Uba in northeastern Nigeria to the ground, as north of the country continues to be plagued by suicide bombings and election violence erupts in the south.
• Bombers Hit 3 Locations in Nigeria VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Bomb blasts struck three different locations in Nigeria on Tuesday, amid tensions caused by the coming elections and Boko Haram insurgency.
• Amid rising insecurity in Cameroon, senior UN relief official calls for 'beefed up' civilian protection UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- Concluding a seven-day visit to Central Africa, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs today called international support 'pivotal' in preventing further destabilization of the region, particularly Cameroon, where more than two million people are already in need of aid.
• In Lebanon, UN official urges 'calm, restraint' along Blue Line UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- All parties straddling the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon must work to maintain the region's delicate peace, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, said today as she made her first official visit to south Lebanon since assuming her current role.
• Life after combat in CAR IRIN 17 Feb 2015 -- Helping thousands of fighters in the Central African Republic return to civilian life presents a dilemma for aid workers: offer too many incentives and risk rewarding violence; offer too few and potentially fail to stem it.
• Yemen: amid continuing instability, UN food agency urges increased humanitarian support UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- As political uncertainty and violent clashes continue to keep Yemen in the grip of instability, the country's food situation is becoming increasingly insecure, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today, as the agency announced its determination to continue critical humanitarian relief operations across the country.

News Reports

• Putin Visits Budapest Amid Protests, Says Gazprom Ready To Ship Gas To Hungary RFE/RL 17 Feb 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to Budapest on February 17 that the state firm Gazprom is ready to ship natural gas to Hungary after an existing agreement expires in 2015.
• Living with austerity - the change of the Chinese official People's Daily 17 Feb 2015 -- Gao, an official in north China's Shanxi Province, has noticed his colleagues dressing differently since the broom of austerity swept through the government two years ago.
• Xi stresses poverty relief for old revolutionary base areas People's Daily 17 Feb 2015 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to end poverty in old revolutionary base areas and improve local people's standard of living.
• How China copes with world challenges People's Daily 17 Feb 2015 -- The Fifty-first Munich Security Conference came to an end several days ago. Participants focused on dramatic changes in the international security situation and explored ways to solve and deal with challenges.
• Ebola: UN development chief begins last leg of West Africa mission UN News Centre 17 Feb 2015 -- The top United Nations development official today began the last leg of her Ebola-recovery focused visit to West Africa a day after she witnessed the reopening of schools in Liberia and urged the international community to support "recovery from this terrible crisis" beyond the emergency phase.
• Reports: Danish Gunman Swore Allegiance to IS Leader VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Danish media report the Copenhagen man who attacked a free-speech seminar and a synagogue last weekend swore allegiance to the Islamic State leader just six minutes before he unleashed his deadly barrage of gunfire.