Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 09 Mar 2015 [PDF]
• Iraqi Forces Battle for Tikrit; US-Led Air Campaign Nears 3,000 Strikes VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- As Iraqi forces inched forward in the battle to retake Tikrit from Islamic State fighters, the U.S.-led coalition continued its air campaign against militants in Syria and Iraq on Monday with 13 airstrikes, focusing largely near Kobani and Fallujah.
• Coalition Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 09 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.
• US-led coalition airstrikes hit Syria oil refinery, kill 30 Press TV 09 Mar 2015 --About 30 people have been killed in airstrikes by US-led coalition targeting a Syrian oil refinery held by the ISIL Takfiri militants.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Ground equipment Airmen keep aircraft aloft AFNS 09 Mar 2015 -- It's the minute details of tasks that make what Airmen do so vital to accomplishing their missions. For the Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) flight, these details have a profound impact on flightline operations each day.
• 48th CBRN Brigade Soldiers Prepare for Liberia Deployment AFPS 09 Mar 2015 -- The 48th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Brigade's headquarters will deploy to Liberia to command the reminding American forces supporting the U.S. effort to help contain the worst Ebola outbreak in history.
• AF, sister services rally at Pentagon to focus on close air support AFNS 09 Mar 2015 -- Representatives of each military service, joint warfighters, and civilian experts came together to discuss the future of close air support at an Air Combat Command-command hosted summit at the Pentagon, March 2-6.
• Winnefeld: DMZ Provides Reminder Why Military Defends Freedoms AFPS 09 Mar 2015 -- The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited Korea's demilitarized zone yesterday, where soldiers from North Korea and South Korea have stared each other down for more than six decades after an armistice ended hostilities of the Korean War.
• Eagle Resolve 2015 Multilateral Exercise Kicks Off in Kuwait AFPS 09 Mar 2015 -- U.S. forces, Gulf Cooperation Council nations and international partners are participating in the multilateral Eagle Resolve exercise held in Kuwait, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
• Department of Defense Releases Third Quarter 2014 Suicide Information DoD 09 Mar 2015-- Today, the Department of Defense released the Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR) for the third quarter of calendar year 2014.
• 2nd MAW Marines participate in Exercise Lagoon Breach USMC News 09 Mar 2015 -- More than 100 Marines with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, participated in Exercise Lagoon Breach at Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic, N.C., Feb. 20-27.
• Warlords conduct first night flights USMC News 09 Mar 2015 -- A pastel sunset painted the sky in pinks, oranges and blues as Maj. Paul Holst, an instructor pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, flies into Beaufort skies to conduct an F-35B Lightning II night flight for the first time in Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and VMFAT- 501 history, March 2.
• Exercise Sandfisher opening doors for U.S., Singapore USMC News 09 Mar 2015 -- Marines with Bravo Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, joined members of the Underwater Demolition Group with Singapore's Naval Diving Unit, to exchange dive tactics and training Feb. 27, 2015 in one of the School of Infantry-West classrooms in building 223 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
• ESG 7 Embarks Bonhomme Richard, Focus on Core Combat Capabilities NNS 09 Mar 2015 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), embarked Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7 for patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
• NATO ambassadors and King of Jordan discuss regional security NATO 09 Mar 2015 -- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored the importance of the Alliance's partnership with Jordan in talks with His Majesty King Abdullah II at NATO headquarters on Monday (9 March 2015). After meeting the Secretary General, the King discussed regional security challenges with Allied ambassadors at a session of the North Atlantic Council.
• US sends heavy military equipment to Baltic states to 'deter' Russia Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- The United States has delivered over 100 pieces of heavy military equipment to the Baltic states in northern Europe to provide them with the ability to "deter" the perceived threat from Russia.
• Boots on the Ground: US Tanks, Humvees Arrive in Latvia Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- Latvia received a consignment of US military hardware as part of the ongoing Operation Atlantic Resolve designed to bolster the region's defenses against imaginary "Russian aggression."
• Norway holds massive drills near Russia border Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Norway has started massive military exercises, involving 5,000 servicemen, in the northern parts of the country near the border with Russia, the largest such drills in nearly 50 years.
• 5,000 Military Servicemen to Take Part in Norway Drills Near Russian Border Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- The drills are the largest to take place in the region since 1967, Lt. Col. Aleksander Jankov, a spokesman for the Norwegian Armed Forces, said in an interview with Nordlys, a local newspaper, adding that all types of weapons will be used in the exercises.
• Setting up common EU armed forces may be on agenda of June summit - European Commission TASS 09 Mar 2015 -- The idea of setting up EU armed forces may be on agenda of the June summit, the European Commission's press service told TASS on Monday.
• US, Czech Inspectors to Conduct Observation Flight Over Russia Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- American and Czech specialists will fly over Russia on March 9-14 under the Treaty on Open Skies, Sergei Ryzhkov, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center has announced.
• Mistral-class Sevastopol ship to undergo first sea trials March 16-20 TASS 09 Mar 2015 -- The amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the Mistral class, the Sevastopol, being built at France's St. Nazaire shipyards for Russia, will undergo the first sea trials on March 16-20, the contractor company DCNS told TASS, adding that the purpose of the checks will be test navigation systems.
• India Considers Buying Russian Fighter Jets Instead of French Rafale Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- India is looking to pursue a large-scale joint project with Russia for stealth Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), following a standoff with France over a deal to acquire its Rafale jets, the Times of India reported Monday citing defense sources.
• India to invest $25 billion in fifth-generation fighter joint project with Russia - media TASS 09 Mar 2015 -- India is ready to seal a big project with Russia for the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), The Times of India wrote referring to the country's defense ministry.
• Fears of military spending unjustified as China fights corruption in PLA People's Daily 09 Mar 2015 -- China announced Thursday that it will raise its military budget by 10.1 percent to 886.9 billion yuan ($144.2 billion) in 2015. This figure has drawn ire from some Western countries and media who entertain imaginary fears of a 'fresh double-digit spending boost' immediately after it was released in a budget report.
• Iron Dome is Not Enough Protection for Israel - Air Force Commander Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- The commander of the Israeli Air Force believes the country's much-touted Iron Dome air defense system cannot fully protect Israel and its citizens.
• Home-made Damavand destroyer joins Iran fleet Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Iran's domestically-made destroyer, Damavand, has officially joined the Navy's fleet in the Caspian Sea north of the country.
• Iran's most advanced destroyer to be launched in Caspian Sea ISNA 09 Mar 2015 -- Iran's most advanced destroyer would be unveiled in Caspian Sea, northern Iran, to join the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy on Monday.
• Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Pakistan has successfully test-fired a new indigenously-developed nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 2,750 kilometers (1,708 miles).
• Nuclear Capable Missile Successfully Test-Fired in Pakistan Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of a Shaheen-III Ballistic Missile on Monday, capable of carrying warheads to a range of 2,750 km.
• South Korea Says No to US Missile Defense System Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- South Korea does not intend to purchase a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, a US anti-ballistic missile system, to defend itself against the missile threat from Pyongyang despite growing support for the move in the ruling Saenuri Party.
• UK sells arms to blacklisted regimes: Report Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- A UK report has revealed that the Coalition government has approved the sale over £15 million of crowd-control equipment, including tear gas and rubber bullets, to countries included in Britain's own human-rights blacklist.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 3/9/2014 The White House 09 Mar 2015
• March 9, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 09, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 9 March 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 09 Mar 2015
• Ban says UN-EU strategic partnership key as world faces multiple crises UN News 09 Mar 2015 -- The development of a strong partnership between the United Nations and the European Union (EU) is increasingly critical as global crises intensify in complexity and multiply in scope, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today.
• Obama, EU Chief Meet in Washington for Talks on Ukraine VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says transatlantic unity is the strongest it's ever been as the West confronts Russian aggression in Ukraine. He made the comments alongside European Union Council President Donald Tusk before heading into talks Monday.
• Putin Recounts How He Gave Orders to 'Save' Yanukovych, 'Return' Crimea VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he ordered security officials in February 2014 to make plans to 'save the life' of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's then-president, and to start planning for Russia's annexation of Crimea.
• Putin Says He Decided To Take Crimea Just Hours After Yanukovych's Ouster RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he told senior security officials of his decision to take Crimea just hours after embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned power.
• NATO accuses Russia of militarizing Crimea Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- A top NATO general has accused Russia of having militarized Crimea, the former Ukrainian peninsula that joined Russia after a referendum last year.
• Obama, EU's Tusk To Discuss Ukraine RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama is due to hold talks with European Council President Donald Tusk in Washington.
• Kiev Refuses to Fully Pull Back Weapons Until Militias Withdrawal Confirmed Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- Kiev-led forces will not pull back all of their artillery from the line of contact with independence militias in eastern Ukraine as they do not have confirmation of the withdrawal their weapons, a Kiev military spokesperson said in a briefing Monday.
• Shelling of Pervomaisk Mine Proves Kiev Did Not Withdraw Mortars - Luhansk Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- The shelling of a mine in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) points to the fact that Kiev-led forces had not pulled back 120-mm mortars from the line of contact, LPR's negotiator Vladislav Deinego said Monday.
• Iraq army inflicts losses on ISIL around Baghdad ISNA 09 Mar 2015 -- The Iraqi army has launched attacks on the ISIL Takfiri militants in the areas around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing scores of them, Iraq's defense ministry says.
• Takfiris execute 20 would-be anti-ISIL fighters in Kirkuk Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- The ISIL Takfiri terrorist group has executed 20 people in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk for their alleged attempt to join the volunteer forces in anti-ISIL operations.
• Iraqi forces preparing to retake northern city from ISIL Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Units of Iraqi government forces backed by Shia and Sunni fighters are preparing to recapture a city in the northern province of Kirkuk, as they try to wrest control of the militant-held strategic city of Tikrit from Takfiri ISIL terrorists.
• Iraq army inflicts losses on ISIL around Baghdad Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- The Iraqi army has launched attacks on the ISIL Takfiri militants in the areas around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing scores of them, Iraq's defense ministry says.
• Syria airstrike kills 9 al-Nusra terrorists in Idlib Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- A Syrian airstrike has hit a military camp used by the al-Nusra Front Takfiri terror group in northwestern Idlib Province bordering Turkey, killing at least nine terrorists, including four foreign operatives.
• Libya at 'critical juncture' as UN-supported political talks continue UN News 09 Mar 2015 -- Libyan stakeholders must seize the momentum generated by the on-going political dialogue and bring an end to the country's instability and insecurity, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said today amid continuing fighting in the North African nation.
• Chad, Niger Forces Retake Nigerian Town From Boko Haram VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- Soldiers from Chad and Niger have retaken the northeastern Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram militants.
• Regional forces retake Nigerian town from Boko Haram Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Troops from Chad and Niger have managed to liberate a Nigerian town from the Boko Haram terrorists, as the regional alliance against the Takfiri group continues its advances in western Africa.
• Al-Qaeda members kill 13 Houthi fighters in al-Bayda Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- At least 13 members of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement have been killed in clashes with al-Qaeda terrorists in the Yemeni province of al-Bayda, media reports say.
• What dissident's jailbreak means for a tense Burundi IRIN 09 Mar 2015 -- More than a week after he disappeared from a Bujumbura prison eight years into a 13-year sentence, Hussein Radjabu, a former rebel commander and powerful politician who enjoys significant popular support, has finally spoken.

News Reports

• FACT SHEET: Venezuela Executive Order The White House 09 Mar 2015
• The Return Of Goodfellas RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Back in the 1990s, Goodfellas jokes were popular among journalists working in Russia. And for good reason. Brazen public assassinations were common and contract hits were a popular method of resolving political and business disputes. Martin Scorsese's popular 1990 gangster flick seemed an apt metaphor.
• In Annals Of Russian Crime, North Caucasians Remain Popular Scapegoat RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- At least one of the North Caucasus suspects in Nemtsov's killing, Zaur Dadayev, is said to have confessed to involvement in the February 27 assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in central Moscow.
• Putin Awards Kadyrov With The Order Of Honor RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Ramzan Kadyrov a high state medal, in a move made public a day after the Chechen leader defended a suspect in the killing of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.
• Nemtsov Allies Skeptical Of Russian Arrests RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Allies of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov have dismissed the versions presented by Russian investigators into the killing.
• Putin Decorates Suspect In Litvinenko Killing RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded a high state medal to Andrei Lugovoi, a lawmaker wanted by British police for the alleged murder of former Russian spy Aleksandr Litvinenko in London.
• Statement by the Vice President on the March 9 Letter From Republican Senators to the Islamic Republic of Iran The White House 09 Mar 2015
• White House Accuses Republican Senators of Undermining Iran Talks VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- The White House accused a group of 47 U.S. Republican senators Monday of undermining nuclear talks with Iran after the lawmakers warned Tehran that any deal it negotiates with President Barack Obama could last only until he leaves office in early 2017.
• Obama: Iran Nuclear Deal Not a Given VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- President Barack Obama said that while progress in nuclear talks with Iran has been made, gaps in the negotiating positions remain.
• US Republican Senators Warn Iran on Limits of Possible Nuclear Deal VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- A group of 47 U.S. Republican senators warned Iran Monday that any nuclear deal it negotiates with President Barack Obama could last only until he leaves office in early 2017.
• IAEA team in Tehran for technical talks IRNA 09 Mar 2015 -- A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Tehran early Monday to hold technical talks with senior Iranian nuclear officials.
• Iran, IAEA hold technical talks in Tehran Press TV 09 Mar 2015 -- Representatives from Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hold technical talks in the Iranian capital of Tehran.
• Pakistan Tightens Control Of SIM Cards To Tackle Terrorism RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- If you want to use a mobile phone in Pakistan, you will have to leave your name, number, and fingerprints. In an effort to curtail terrorism, the government has launched the massive undertaking of verifying the identity of every single mobile-phone user in the country of 180 million people.
• FM tackles China's diplomacy focus in 2015 People's Daily 09 Mar 2015 -- 'The keyword for China's diplomacy in 2015 will be one focus and two main themes,' China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on the sideline of the annual session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing.
• Three Arrested As Tajik Opposition Tycoon Buried In Istanbul RFE/RL 09 Mar 2015 -- Tajik opposition politician and businessman Umarali Quvatov was buried on March 9 in Istanbul, where media reports said three Tajik men were arrested on suspicion of involvement in his killing last week.
• Turkey's Erdogan, Central Bank Chief to Meet Amid Economic Turmoil VOA 09 Mar 2015 -- The continuing dispute between Turkey's president and the Central Bank chief has hit hard hit the country's economy hard. Observers warn that the threat of financial turmoil is unlikely to let up as the June general election draws near.
• UN policy-making body opens annual session in Vienna; looks to tackle range of issues on narcotic drugs UN News 09 Mar 2015 -- The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs began meeting today in Vienna, where the policy-making body will tackle challenges ranging from protecting children from the sale of new psychoactive substances online to confronting financial flows linked to drug trafficking, as well as planning for a General Assembly special session on the World Drug Problem in 2016.