Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 26 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.
• Liberian Leader Thanks US for Ebola Support VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- Seven months after the Ebola outbreak turned Liberia upside down, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf came to Washington on Thursday to say thanks to a country she said did so much.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD CIO Details Information Technology Priorities AFPS 26 Feb 2015 -- Acting Defense Department Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen discussed the joint information environment, the cloud, detailed technology investments and the threat of sequestration yesterday in testimony before a House panel.
• Sequester Degrades Navy, Marine Corps Readiness, Officials Say AFPS 26 Feb 2015 -- Funding cuts triggered by the 2011 Budget Control Act have negatively impacted Navy and Marine Corps readiness, leaving sailors and Marines inadequately prepared to fight and increasing the dangers to them if they do, the chief of naval operations told Congress today.
• Sea Services Officials Detail Sequestration's Impact AFPS 26 Feb 2015 -- Under the president's fiscal year 2016 budget proposal, the military's sea services would be able to carry out their worldwide missions, but if sequestration triggers, all bets are off, senior Navy and Marine Corps officials said on Capitol Hill yesterday.
• 3rd LAR Marines test new LAV-ATWS USMC News 26 Feb 2015
• USS Fort Worth Conducts CUES with Chinese Navy NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) practiced the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) with the People's Liberation Army-Navy [PLA(N)] Jiangkai II frigate Hengshui (FFG 572) Feb. 23 enhancing the professional maritime relationship between U.S. 7th Fleet and the PLA(N).
• MCPON Stevens Delivers Congressional Testimony NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(AW/NAC) Michael Stevens testified before Congress Feb. 25.
• USS San Diego Returns Home to San Diego Following Maiden Deployment NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) returned to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego Feb. 25 following completion of the ship's maiden deployment.
• Naval Air Facility Misawa and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Conduct Security Training NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- Naval Air Facility (NAF) Misawa and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) conducted security training at Camp Hachinohe Feb. 24.
• USS Pasadena Visits Yokosuka during Western Pacific Deployment NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Pasadena (SSN 752) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka Feb. 26 for a visit as part of its Western Pacific deployment.
• USS Olympia Returns from Deployment NNS 26 Feb 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Olympia (SSN 717) returned Feb. 25 from a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific, welcomed by family and friends gathered at the submarine piers of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
• US military lacks capabilities to fight two simultaneous wars: Report Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- The United States military is slipping in its capabilities and does not currently have the resources to fight two major wars simultaneously as demanded by the Obama administration's latest national security strategy, according to a new report.
• NATO and Italy discuss how Alliance is adapting to face threats from east and south NATO 26 Feb 2015 -- Arriving in Rome at the start of a two day visit to Italy on Thursday (26 February 2015), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored that NATO is adapting to "defend all Allies against threats from any direction", east or south. He added that the Alliance is implementing the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence since the end of the Cold War, in order to respond to emerging challenges, including ISIL and instability in the Middle East and North Africa.
• Macedonia and Bosnia Propose Joint Balkan Armed Force Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- At a meeting between the military chiefs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, discussions were held on the formation of a joint military force for Balkan countries, for the purpose of cooperating in the event of natural disasters and other catastrophes.
• Russia Signs Military Deal With EU Member State Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Russian navy ships will now have access to stop off at ports in Cyprus, while Moscow will continue to provide the Mediterranean country with debt relief, following an agreement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades.
• Russian warships allowed at ports of Cyprus for humanitarian purposes – president TASS 26 Feb 2015 -- Cyprus' permission for Russian warships to call at the ports of the Mediterranean country was issued as an extension to a previously concluded agreement and not the new one, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday.
• Military Drills Get Underway in Russia With 1,500 Paratroopers Taking Part Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Approximately 1,500 paratroopers are participating in military exercises in the Kostroma region in Central Russia, a Russian Defense Ministry source said Thursday.
• Russian Fighter Jets Kick Off Air Missile Drills Above Barents Sea Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Russia's Central Military District's MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor aircraft are conducting military drills over the Barents Sea, testing responses to air missile strikes, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
• Russian warplanes' flights carried out in accordance with international practice – Kremlin TASS 26 Feb 2015 -- Russian military planes carry out flights over neutral waters in accordance with international practice, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN in a telephone interview broadcast on Wednesday.
• Draft airspace law to counter terrorism People's Daily 26 Feb 2015 -- A draft proposal for China's first anti-terrorism law was reviewed by lawmakers on Wednesday and, if approved, is likely to accelerate improvements in the management of aviation airspace to guard against terrorist attacks.
• New fighter jet appears ready for PLA People's Daily 26 Feb 2015 -- China's air force will soon commission the J-10B fighter jet, the most advanced military aircraft the country has ever developed on its own, information released by military observers show.
• China has more submarines than US: Pentagon Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- China now has more diesel- and nuclear-powered submarines than the United States, although their quality is still inferior, according to the top US Navy admiral.
• IRGC kicks off second day of major military drill Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has kicked off the second day of major military maneuvers code-named the Great Prophet 9 in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
• Iran tests reconnaissance robots in massive Great Prophet drills – media TASS 26 Feb 2015 -- Iran has tested its new reconnaissance robots during the Great Prophet 9 war games, local news agencies reported on Thursday.
• Iran's IRGC Attacks Mock US Carrier in War Games VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- Iran's Revolutionary Guards staged a large-scale military exercise in the Persian Gulf this week, official state media reported.
• Canada Considers Sending Troops to Ukraine Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Canadian Defense Minister Jason Kenney announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Harper's administration is seriously considering taking part in US-led training missions in Ukraine. Kenney said Canadian efforts would focus primarily on battlefield medical training.
• Warsaw May Send Military Instructor Mission to Ukraine Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Poland may send a formal mission of up to 100 instructors to Ukraine to train junior officers, Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Thursday.
• US Unable to Deliver Arms to Ukraine Fast Enough to Change Situation Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- The United States is not able to deliver sufficient lethal defensive aid to Ukraine in a time-frame that would affect the military conditions on the ground, Director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart told members of Congress on Thursday.
• Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 2/26/15 The White House 26 Feb 2015
• February 26, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 26 Feb 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 26, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 26 February 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Feb 2015
• Russia Says Sanctions Threats Aimed To Whip Up Hysteria RFE/RL 26 Feb 2015 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other Western officials on February 26 over threats to impose further sanctions against Moscow if it does not alter its conduct in Ukraine.
• Russia Slams West Over Ukraine Sanction Threats VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- Russia warned Western countries against imposing more sanctions on Moscow, saying such threats show the West is opposed to following through on a truce for eastern Ukraine.
• Kerry accuses Putin of 'destabilizing' Ukraine Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- The United States has accused Russia once more of 'destabilizing' Ukraine and warned of additional sanctions if Moscow fails to meet the terms of a recent ceasefire agreement.
• West unwilling to facilitate peace in Ukraine: Russian FM Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the threats by Western countries to impose new sanctions on Moscow over the Ukrainian crisis are indicative of their reluctance to facilitate peace in east Ukraine.
• Purportedly Leaked Document 'Shows Kremlin Had Advance Plan To Seize Crimea' RFE/RL 26 Feb 2015 -- The Russian daily newspaper Novaya Gazeta has published a plan - allegedly given to the Kremlin two weeks before President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted last year - calling for Russia to 'foment separatism' in eastern Ukraine and seize Crimea.
• Kiev says started withdrawing weapons from eastern Ukraine Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Kiev says it has started the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the frontline of conflict in eastern Ukraine as part of the Minsk ceasefire deal with pro-Russia forces.
• Ukraine 'Starting To Withdraw Weapons' From Front Line RFE/RL 26 Feb 2015 -- The Ukrainian military said it was starting to withdraw heavy weapons from the front line in its conflict with Russian-backed rebels on February 26 after reporting that there were no combat fatalities for a second straight 24-hour period.
• Donetsk Withdraws 90% of Heavy Weaponry From Line Of Contact – DPR Leader Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has withdrawn 90 percent of its heavy weaponry from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko said Thursday.
• Syria's war continues 'unabated and with total impunity,' Security Council told UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- In a briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, two senior United Nations relief officials warned today that as the conflict enters its fifth year, the violence and brutality continue unabated and with total impunity.
• UN envoy for Lebanon visits refugee camps, pledges support to deal with influx of Syrians UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag today expressed support to Middle East country as it faces the impact of the conflict in Syria.
• Security Council condemns abduction of Syrian Christians by ISIL UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the abduction of more than 100 Assyrians, as well as the destruction and desecration of Christian and other sites in northeast Syria this week by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
• Remarks at a Security Council Session on the Humanitarian Situation in Syria U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 26 Feb 2015
• Syrian army attacks ISIL terrorists in several provinces Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Syria's army forces have pushed ahead with their battle against ISIL Takfiri terrorists in several provinces of the conflict-stricken country.
• Activists: IS Militants Kidnap 220 Assyrians VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- At least 220 Assyrian Christians have been abducted in northeastern Syria in recent days, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Thursday.
• Assyrian Forces Seek International Support After IS Offensive VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- Local forces battling Islamic State militants in northeast Syria ask the international community for weapons 'capable of changing the balance of power on the ground,' as hundreds of the area's Assyrian residents remain missing after an Islamic State offensive.
• Lebanese soldiers attack ISIL terrorists on border with Syria Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Lebanon's army soldiers have reportedly driven back the ISIL Takfiri terrorists from two hilltop positions on the northeastern border with Syria, confiscating explosive materials.
• Why was the UN sidelined in 'joint' DRC operation against rebels? IRIN 26 Feb 2015 -- This week, a long-awaited military offensive began against a Rwandan rebel group based in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It had been planned as a joint operation between Congolese government forces and a unique combat unit of United Nations peacekeepers. But by the time the gunfire began on Tuesday, the partnership had broken down and the UN had been side-lined.
• War with Boko Haram will soon be over: Nigeria army Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- The head of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, says the war against Takfiri Boko Haram militants will soon end.
• Yemen: Security Council calls on all parties to stay committed to peaceful political transition UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council called for all parties in Yemen, including the Houthis, to adhere to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, according to a press statement released yesterday.
• 'We must not fail in Gaza' say UN agencies, joining global call to action UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- United Nations agencies and offices are expressing alarm over the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected by last summer's fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
• Al-Shabab Targets Somali Presidential Palace VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- Somalia militant group Al-Shabab carried out a mortar attack at the presidential palace Thursday, and witnesses said one person was killed.
• Security Council extends UN peacekeeping force in Abyei through July 2015 UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- The Security Council has extended the United Nations peacekeeping force in Abyei – a resource-rich area contested by Sudan and South Sudan – as part of the Organization's ongoing efforts to maintain peace and protect civilians in the disputed territory.

News Reports

• Diplomat: US Committed to Ending Abuses in N. Korea VOA 26 Feb 2015 -- A senior U.S. official said the United States is dedicated to improving human rights conditions in North Korea.
• Seoul Rejects US Reports on North Korea's Nuclear Stockpile Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- South Korea's Defense Ministry expressed doubts regarding Pyongyang's ability to create miniaturized nuclear warheads which would fit the state's ballistic missiles anytime soon, and denounced the ongoing hysteria surrounding North Korea's nuclear program as a 'presumption without any evidence.'
• FBI says investigating ISIL suspects in all 50 US states Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- The director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says the agency is investigating suspected supporters of the ISIL terrorist group in all 50 American states.
• Xi's 'Four Comprehensives' a strategic blueprint for China's future People's Daily 26 Feb 2015 -- A moderately prosperous society, reform, rule of law, Party discipline - these 'Four Comprehensives' are Xi Jinping's blueprint for China's future.
• Argentine Congress votes to scrap intelligence agency Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Argentine legislators have voted to disband the South American country's intelligence agency and replace it with a new federal body that will be accountable to the Congress.
• Argentina to Welcome First Chinese Satellite Tracking Station Outside China Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- Argentina is to become the location of the first Chinese satellite tracking station outside the country the newspaper La Manana De Cordoba reported on Thursday.
• Argentina Judge Throws Out Case Against President in Jewish Center Bombing Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management, both of whom have demanded full repayment of the nearly $2 billion they are owed and have sued Argentina.
• Argentine judge rejects cover-up charges in AMIA case Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- An Argentine judge has dismissed cover-up charges against the country's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the 1994 AMIA case.
• Leaks Show S Africa Spied on Itself for Details of Joint Satellite Project Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- South Africa's intelligence agency relied on a spy who had access to Russian military intelligence to uncover details of its own government's involvement in a $100 million joint satellite surveillance program with Russia.
• Ban concerned by reported loss of life in Venezuela as Government forces, protesters clash UN News Centre 26 Feb 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern over new reports of violence and loss of life in Venezuela amid a Government clampdown of protests in the South American country.