Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Military Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 05 Mar 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.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Al Udeid unit keeps bombs 'locked on target' in AOR AFNS 05 Mar 2015 -- Carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1B Lancer is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force and is a key resource for strike operations throughout the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility.
• Marines join Kadena Airmen for contingency exercise AFNS 05 Mar 2015 -- Civil engineer Airmen and combat engineer Marines participated in a joint airfield damage and repair contingency exercise Feb. 26, at Kadena Air Base, Japan.
• Marine Commandant Outlines Budget-based Priority Shifts AFPS 05 Mar 2015 -- The Marine Corps has adjusted to budget constraints by prioritizing the readiness of forward deployed forces, the service's top officer told Congress yesterday.
• Greenert: Sequestration Threatens Readiness, Modernization AFPS 05 Mar 2015 -- As the Navy faces a projected shortfall of about $25 billion below the president's fiscal year 2016 budget request, sequestration and the continuing funding resolution have degraded the service's readiness and capabilities, the chief of naval operations told Congress yesterday.
• U.S. Navy Ships Strengthen Ties with Republic of Korea for Foal Eagle Exercises NNS 05 Mar 2015 -- U.S. Navy ships assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet arrived in the Republic of Korea (ROK) March 4-5 in preparation for the upcoming Foal Eagle exercises with the ROK navy.
• Finnish PM Says Country Should Consider NATO Membership RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said March 5 that Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer-long border with Russia, should not rule out the possibility of seeking membership of NATO over the next four years.
• Secretary General visit to Finland stresses strong partnership NATO 05 Mar 2015 -- NATO is determined to strengthen its partnership with Finland to better address security challenges to the east and south, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during his visit to Helsinki on Thursday (5 March, 2015). Mr. Stoltenberg thanked Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb for his nation's close cooperation with the Alliance, calling Finland "one of our most active and closest partners.'
• Deputy Secretary General: NATO-EU cooperation is more important than ever NATO 05 Mar 2015 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow has called for deeper cooperation between NATO and the European Union in the fight against new security threats. "We need to work together to manage crises, bring relief, and project stability beyond our borders," he said. Ambassador Vershbow made his remarks in Riga, Latvia on Thursday (5 March 2015) in a speech to the Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy. "This is a critical time for the security of all our nations," Ambassador Vershbow said.
• NATO Ships Gather in Bulgaria Prior to Black Sea Drills Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Six NATO ships are expected at the Bulgarian port of Varna on March 9 and 10 prior to exercise in the Black Sea, a Russian military-diplomatic source told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
• Russia accuses NATO of expansionism Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Russia's deputy defense minister has accused NATO of using the Ukrainian crisis as a pretext to deploy forces to territories closer to Russian borders, saying the alliance has hugely expanded its military activities in recent years.
• US Ships in Black Sea Contradict Washington's Desire for Peace in Ukraine Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The presence of US military vessels in the Black Sea goes against claims by Washington of its commitment to a peaceful resolution for the Ukrainian conflict, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
• Lithuanian President Tells Baltic States to Brace for 'Russian Aggression' Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has urged the Baltic states to brace for what she described as 'Russian aggression.'
• Moscow dismisses NATO allegations that Russia conducts large-scale nuclear drills TASS 05 Mar 2015 -- Moscow on Thursday dismissed NATO's allegations that Russia conducts large-scale military exercises to drill the use of nuclear weapons, the Foreign Ministry said.
• Russia launches air defense drills amid tensions with West Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- The Russian military is holding massive military exercises in the country's southeast amid Moscow's rising tensions with the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
• Russia Holds Big Military Drills In South, Crimea, Abkhazia, South Ossetia RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- The Russian military says more than 2,000 servicemen are taking part in 'large-scale' air-defense exercises in southern Russia, Crimea, and the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
• Russian Artillery Deploys Covertly, Launches Strikes in Baltic Exercise Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Over 700 Russian Baltic Fleet gunners and 150 units of military equipment are conducting artillery exercises at Kaliningrad region training grounds, the Western Military District's press service announced.
• Russian Military Receives Second Batch of New S-300V4 Air Defense Systems Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Russia's Air Defense Forces have received their second batch of a new modification of the S-300 surface-to-air system, with expanded anti-aircraft, anti-cruise and anti-ballistic missile capabilities.
• Over 2,000 Russian Anti-Air Defense Soldiers Begin Drills in Crimea Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- More than 2,000 Russian military personnel from air defense units have begun exercises in the country's south, including on the Crimean Peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry's South Military District's press service announced Thursday.
• Russian diplomat says US airborne troops being redeployed to Ukraine TASS 05 Mar 2015 -- The planned US-Ukrainian military drills in the western Ukrainian Lviv region threaten Russia's security, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday.
• Ukrainian MPs vote for bigger army despite truce deal Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a new bill aimed at increasing the number of the army troops fighting with pro-Russia forces in the country's eastern regions despite a truce pact between the two warring sides.
• Polish Military to Instruct Ukrainian Troops Under NATO Program Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The Polish military will provide training to Ukrainian troops as part of the NATO program, Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said Thursday.
• Boots on the Ground: US Military Instructors Arrive in Ukraine Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The 300 US Army military personnel deployed to Ukraine to conduct a joint training mission with the Ukrainian army at a peacekeeping center near Lviv from March 5 until October 21 have already arrived, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative Aleksandr Lukashevich announced on Thursday.
• Jordan – M31 Unitary Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Rocket Pods DSCA 05 Mar 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Jordan for M31 Unitary Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Rocket Pods and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $192 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 4, 2015.
• US Approves $192 Million Rocket System Sale to Jordan - State Department Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The United States approved a $192 million sale of a ground-based multiple rocket launch system to Jordan, the US Department of State said in a statement on Thursday.
• Defense spending 'appropriate and rational': Chinese military strategist People's Daily 05 Mar 2015 -- Following the announcement of the defense budget for 2015, a military strategist and national lawmaker said increased spending was needed to build a stronger army, but China's budget remained comparatively low.
• Military Budget Growth Rate Shows Defense Remains Priority for China Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Despite a certain slowdown in the rate of growth of China's military budget in 2015, national defense policy still remains a priority for Beijing, Mathieu Duchatel, a researcher with Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), told Sputnik on Thursday
• Two Pilots Killed in Turkish Warplane Crash Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Two pilots have been killed after a Turkish warplane crashed near the Turkish city of Konya.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• 5 March 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Mar 2015
• NATO: Many Russian Soldiers Dying in E. Ukraine VOA 05 Mar 2015 -- Russian soldiers are dying in 'large numbers' fighting alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine against government forces, a senior NATO official said Thursday.
• NATO: Russian Troops Dying In 'Large Numbers' In Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- A senior NATO official says Russian troops are dying in combat in 'large numbers' in eastern Ukraine, where they have been fighting along pro-Russian rebels since last year.
• Ukraine's Kuchma Says West Too Soft On Russia Over Debaltseve RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has criticized the Western response to 'crude violations' of a cease-fire by Russian-backed rebels who ignored the truce deal to seize the strategic town of Debaltseve in a major offensive.
• Poroshenko Decrees Donetsk, Luhansk as Military-Civilian Administrations Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday signed a decree to redefine the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as 'military-civilian administrations,' according to the president's website.
• Russia Dismisses Reports of Military Concentration on Ukrainian Border Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Russia denies it has a large concentration of troops along the Ukrainian border, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Thursday.
• ISIL sets Tikrit oil wells ablaze to slow Iraqi army advance Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Members of the Takfiri ISIL militant group have set fire to a number of oil wells near Iraq's conflict-ridden northern city of Tikrit as units of government forces together with Shia volunteer forces are poised to recapture the area from the terrorists.
• ISIL bulldozes ancient Iraqi city of Nimrud: Iraqi officials Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- The Takfiri ISIL militants have "bulldozed" the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in the northern part of Iraq, Iraqi government officials say.
• Bombings, mortar attacks claim 16 lives in Iraq Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Police and medical officials in Iraq say at least sixteen people have been killed in a series of bombings and mortar strikes in mostly civilian areas in and around the capital, Baghdad.
• Iraqi fighters kill ten ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Salahuddin Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Iraqi government forces, backed by Shia volunteer fighters, have battled members of the ISIL Takfiri militant group in the northern province of Salahuddin, and killed nearly a dozen of the extremists in the process.
• UN agencies step up aid deliveries to displaced people in conflict-torn areas of northern Iraq UN News 05 Mar 2015 -- Several United Nations agencies are working closely with humanitarian partners to deliver life-saving assistance to thousands of families in the Salah al-Din Governorate of Iraq amid heavy fighting between Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has caused the displacement of thousands of people.
• Tikrit Offensive Draws Caution of Iranian Takeover, Sectarian Splintering VOA 05 Mar 2015 -- As the battle for Tikrit rages between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militias, two major concerns have emerged: the role of Iran and the fear that sectarian divides will grow wider.
• Libya Suspends Airstrikes Against Islamists Upon UN Request Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Libya's internationally recognized government suspended airstrikes against Islamist militants in response to a request by the United Nations, Libyan air force chief Saqr Geroushi told Sputnik on Thursday.
• Security Council extends mandate for UN political mission in Libya through March 2015 UN News 05 Mar 2015 -- Having determined that the situation in Libya remains a threat to international peace and security and acting under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council adopted unanimously today a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
• Syria airstrikes kill al-Nusra Front leaders: Report Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- More than a dozen senior leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front have been killed in two airstrikes by the Syrian army in the northwestern part of Syria.
• 'Military Pressure' May Be Used Against Assad Regime - Kerry Sputnik 06 Mar 2015 -- The United States may utilize a military approach to deal with President Bashar Assad of Syria as he has not been willing to negotiate in good faith, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated at a press conference conference with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.
• No shortage of recruits for Boko Haram in Cameroon's Far North IRIN 05 Mar 2015 -- Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young people in northern Cameroon, who lack access to school and employment, are increasingly fighting alongside Boko Haram, local authorities say.
• Gaza: UN humanitarian arm warns that blockade 'undermining' living standards UN News 05 Mar 2015 -- The living conditions of nearly 2 million Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip have been undermined by the enduring blockade against the enclave, the United Nations humanitarian office reported today.

News Reports

• EU to Lift Anti-Russia Sanctions Only After Minsk Accords Fulfilment Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The European Union should only lift its anti-Russia sanctions when the Minsk agreements are fully complied with, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Thursday.
• Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei in Critical Condition Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was admitted to hospital in a serious condition in Tehran on Thursday, the Jerusalem Post said, citing unofficial reports.
• Statement by Iran's IAEA representative before Board of Governors IRNA 05 Mar 2015 -- Iran's Resident Representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Reza Najafi has regretted that a small portion of the latest IAEA report on Iran was "reappearance of the baseless past allegations on which our position is well known." He said repetition of such "unfounded accusations" would not add to their value.
• Najafi says documents submitted to IAEA on Iran all fabricated IRNA 05 Mar 2015 -- Iran's Resident Representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Reza Najafi has regretted that a small portion of the latest IAEA report on Iran was "reappearance of the baseless past allegations on which our position is well known." He said repetition of such "unfounded accusations" would not add to their value.
• Iran won't accept limits without deal: Foreign Minister Zarif Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic will not accept any limitations on its nuclear program if the P5+1 group of world powers fails to reach a deal with the Islamic Republic.
• Iran, P5+1 wrap up deputy-level nuclear talks in Montreux Press TV 05 Mar 2015 -- Representatives of Iran and the P5+1 group of countries have wrapped up deputy-level negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program in the city of Montreux, Switzerland.
• Kerry Says U.S. To Keep An Eye On Iran's 'Destabilizing' Acts RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- Secretary of State John Kerry has said the United States continues to monitor Tehran's 'destabilizing actions' in the Middle East, as world powers and Iran try to reach a deal on the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
• Kerry Tries to Reassure Gulf Allies on Iran Deal VOA 05 Mar 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, meeting with Gulf state officials in Saudi Arabia Thursday, sought to ease their concerns about an Iran nuclear deal, saying that America would not 'take our eye off Iran's destabilizing actions' in the Middle East.
• UN health agency announces start of Ebola vaccine testing in worst-affected areas of Guinea UN News 05 Mar 2015 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it will begin conducting Ebola vaccination trials in Guinea this week, which if found effective, could be the "game-changer to finally end the epidemic" that has affected nearly 24,000 people, mostly in West Africa.
• DPRK calls attack on U.S. ambassador to S. Korea 'deserved punishment' People's Daily 05 Mar 2015 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday called the razor-wielding attack on the U.S. ambassador to South Korea earlier in the day a 'deserved punishment', the official KCNA news agency reported.
• Russian Policeman Gets 15-Year Sentence For Spying For U.S. RFE/RL 05 Mar 2015 -- A court in Moscow has convicted a Russian police officer from Siberia on charges of spying for the United States and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
• Chief NSA Scandal Investigator in Germany Reports Phone Compromised Sputnik 05 Mar 2015 -- The head of the German inquiry into NSA spying had his phone tampered with after sending it off to be inspected for suspected hacking. When the phone arrived at its destination, its packaging had already been opened.
• China plans to launch space station in 2018 People's Daily 05 Mar 2015 -- China is planning to launch its space station in 2018 and complete the project by 2022, Zhang Bonan, chief designer of China's manned spacecraft system, told China News Service on Wednesday.
• U.S.-India Space Security Cooperation: A Partnership for the 21st Century US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2015 -- Remarks by Frank A. Rose, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance