Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 13 Mar 2015 [PDF]
• CIA Chief Says Airstrikes Have 'Softened' IS Forces VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- The head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency said Friday that the Islamic State militants are well-armed and well-financed, but not invincible.
• Coalition Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 13 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.
• Iraqi Security Forces Defeat ISIL Attack on Ramadi AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- Iraqi security forces supported by Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve successfully defeated an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack on Ramadi in the Anbar region of Iraq March 11, task force officials reported today.
• No Signs of Peace Talks as Afghan Fighting Season Nears VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- Conflicting claims by Afghan officials and the Taliban in recent days have added to the confusion and uncertainty plaguing peace and reconciliation efforts in war-torn Afghanistan.
• U.S. Conducts Counterterrorism Operation in Somalia AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- U.S. military forces have conducted what a Pentagon spokesman described as a counterterrorism operation in Somalia against a suspected member of the al-Shabab militant group.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Defense Department Approves JIEDDO Reorganization AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- The Defense Department has approved a realignment of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, with the goal of improving oversight and accountability, a Pentagon spokesman announced today.
• Navy Names Next Destroyer DoD 13 Mar 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today during a ceremony held at the Navy Memorial that the next Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, DDG-119, will be named Delbert D. Black.
• Navy Releases Revised Maritime Strategy NNS 13 Mar 2015 -- The sea services released a new maritime strategy, March 13, a plan that describes how the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard will design, organize, and employ naval forces in support of national security interests and homeland security objectives.
• Sea Services Release Revised Maritime Strategy AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- The sea services today released a new maritime strategy, a plan that describes how the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard will design, organize, and employ naval forces in support of national security interests and homeland security objectives.
• Carter: Cyber Domain Presents Profound Challenges AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter gave his first domestic troop talk as secretary to the cyber warriors assigned to U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, today.
• Remarks by Secretary Carter to U.S. Cyber Command Workforce at Fort Meade, Maryland DoD 13 Mar 2015 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• AF develops high-temperature, abrasion-resistant coating for fighter aircraft AFNS 13 Mar 2015 -- The Air Force and a small business partner developed an innovative, high-temperature, abrasion-resistant coating product that could directly improve the reliability and maintainability of weapon systems across the Air Force, including the F-35 Lightning II.
• ASW Intel Support Getting on the Same Page NNS 13 Mar 2015 -- For the first time in the Navy, there will be a fleet-wide qualification standard for personnel providing intelligence support to theater anti-submarine warfare (TASW) operations. The new qualification standards will also enable the Navy to track, and if necessary, recall, qualified personnel who have trained to the same standards.
• USS Cole Wraps up Deployment, Returns to Norfolk NNS 13 Mar 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a seven-month deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations (AOO).
• U.S., Republic of Korea Navy Affirm Strategic Alliance NNS 13 Mar 2015 -- U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy ships concluded the maritime portion of exercise Foal Eagle March 11.
• SecAF outlines top priorities in visit to Kirtland AFNS 13 Mar 2015 -- In a visit to Kirtland Air Force Base March 9-11, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Airmen, learned more about the installation's missions and shared her top three priorities.
• Air Force releases investigation results on F-15D accident AFNS 13 Mar 2015 -- U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa officials released the results of the accident investigation into the Oct. 8, 2014, crash of a F-15D Eagle near Spalding, Lincolnshire, England.
• Uganda hosts exercise with East Africa partners, U.S. challenging violent extremism USMC News 13 Mar 2015 -- More than 300 service members from East African nations, Europe, and the U.S. are taking part in an exercise aimed at stifling violent extremist groups in the region such as Al-Shabaab.
• III MEF Marines participate in Key Resolve USMC News 13 Mar 2015 -- The Republic of Korea and Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force are currently participating in Key Resolve 2015. Key Resolve will culminate for the Marines of both countries with the Combined Marine Component Command, Command Post Exercise (CMCC-CPX) 17-22 March 2015.
• U.S., Poland to Conduct Patriot Missile Exercise AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- U.S. and Polish forces will conduct an exercise later this month involving a U.S. Patriot missile battery and Poland's 3rd Warsaw Air Defense Missile Brigade, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren announced today.
• Secretary General: UK is staunch NATO Ally NATO 13 Mar 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took part in the Service of Commemoration in St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday (13 March 2015) led by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to honour the sacrifice and contribution of the British military and civilians who helped make Afghanistan a more stable country.
• Sweden Pumps Billions Into Submarine Hunt for Fear of Going Under Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The Swedish Government has announced it is to spend billions of its defence budget ramping up its anti-submarine capability and re-activating a military base on the Baltic island of Gotland in a sign of increasing paranoia.
• Russian-Vietnamese Military Cooperation Threatens No One - Moscow Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- US statements that Russian-Vietnamese military cooperation undermines stability in Asia are puzzling, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday commenting on US plans to bar Moscow from using the military infrastructure in Vietnam.
• Russian lawmakers slam US claim Vietnam should not let Russia use Cam Ranh military base TASS 13 Mar 2015 -- Russian lawmakers are criticising the United States' demands addressed to Vietnam to stop letting Russia refuel its military planes at the Cam Ranh base.
• US admiral warns against Russia's increased military activity Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- A US military commander has warned that Russia's military activities outside the country could "jeopardize" the US and Canada's ability to defend North America.
• Crimean Port City Sevastopol Ready to Host Mistral Helicopter Carriers Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The Crimean city of Sevastopol is ready to host Mistral helicopter carriers as all works related to shipyard construction are finished, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, the former head of the Black Sea Fleet, said on Friday.
• Two Modern Guided Missile Ships to Reinforce Russia's Naval Guard in 2015 Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The first in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich, is set for at-sea testing at the end of March; the second, the Admiral Essen, is expected to leave dry-dock by the end of the year.
• NATO Recon Missed Everything: Admiral Reveals Details of Crimea Operation Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odessa. Only Sevastopol, Feodosiya and Gvardeyskoye airfield near Simferopol were left. These were humongous mistakes.'
• Russian and Very Strong: Crimea's Military a Year Since Reunification Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Less than a year after it unified with Russia, Crimea is home to a full-fledged military grouping and developments continue as the peninsula improves its security.
• Moscow to NORAD Head: Yes, We Can Contain Your Missiles Better Now. Sorry. Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Moscow has said it fully understands US concerns over Russia's growing military deterrence capabilities, and treats them with compassion.
• Russia's Eastern Military District to Get Advanced Battle Tanks Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- More than 70 modernized T-72B3 tanks will be put into service in the Russian Eastern Military District before the end of this year.
• Biological Threat Warning Center to Be Created in Russia by 2018 - Reports Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- A warning centre that will conduct monitoring work and will collect information on biological threats in Russia and abroad is expected to start operating in the country in the summer of 2018, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reports.
• Foreign Ministry says Russia's defense cooperation poses no threat to regional security TASS 13 Mar 2015 -- Russia's cooperation with foreign partners in the defense sphere is not aimed against any third parties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the wake of the latest statements by US officials regarding Russian Air Force activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Russia hopes to have hypersonic missile in 2020 TASS 13 Mar 2015 -- Russia's Perspective Research Foundation (FPI) is creating an integrated system of modeling for the development of hypersonic aircraft. The system will be made entirely of domestically produced computation modules, the fund's deputy general director, Vitaly Davydov, told TASS.
• CSTO has 22,000 well-trained elite troops to protect members' sovereignty – CSTO chief TASS 13 Mar 2015 -- The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has a whole arsenal of tools for protecting the sovereignty of the organization's member-countries in the event of an external threat, CSTO General Secretary Nikolay Bordyuzha told a news conference on Friday.
• Kiev Admits Existence of Contracts on Delivery of Lethal Weapons From EU Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that Kiev has arms deliveries contracts with several EU countries, including supplies of lethal weaponry.
• China building second aircraft carrier: Official Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- China is building a second aircraft carrier in a move to boost Beijing's maritime power, a media report says.
• DPRK fires 7 missiles People's Daily 13 Mar 2015 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired seven surface-to-air missiles into its eastern waters on Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday.
• North Korea test-fires 7 surface-to-air missiles: Seoul Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- The South Korean Defense Ministry says the North has fired seven surface-to-air missiles into the sea off its east coast after Seoul and Washington wrapped up the first round of their annual joint war games.
• Pakistan Successfully Tests Its First Armed Drones Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Drones are taking on a more ever-present role in the world and changing the way wars are fought. On Friday, Pakistan successfully tested its first military UAV.
• March 13, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Mar 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 13, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 13 March 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 Mar 2015
• DPR Head Says Ukrainian Army Mined 90% of Territory Around Contested City Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic says that the Ukrainian army has mined the territory of the recently contested city of Debaltseve more heavily than the German army did in the Second World War.
• Kiev Forces Demonstrate 90% Adherence to Minsk Ceasefire Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- Head of the self-proclaimed people's republic of Donetsk (DPR) has announced that Kiev troops respect the Minsk ceasefire agreement 90 percent of the time, but some problem zones remain.
• Bombings kill seven in, around Iraqi capital Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- At least seven people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in two separate bomb attacks carried out at commercial districts in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
• Iraq in control of 50 percent of Tikrit: Colonel Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- The Iraqi army together with volunteer forces have regained half of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit from the ISIL Takfiri militants following heavy firefight in the strategic city, an Iraqi police colonel says.
• Iraqi Forces Press Offensive to Retake Tikrit VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- Iraqi security forces on Friday pressed on with their massive offensive to retake Tikrit, where fighters from the Islamic State group have reportedly begun to lose ground.
• Barrel Bombs Overwhelm Syrian Health Workers VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- The explosives are crude, made of heavy steel wire, even nuts and bolts packed into oil drums or water tanks. Known as barrel bombs, they're devastating whenever Syrian government forces drop them on civilian populations.
• World leaders should join forces to end Syria crisis: UN officials Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- Senior UN officials have called on world leaders to join forces in a bid to bring an end to the Syria crisis which has exacted a heavy toll on civilians.
• US to Provide $70Mln in Non-Lethal Assistance to Syrian Opposition Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The United States will provide about $70 million in non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, the US Department of State announced in a statement on Friday.
• As Syria crisis enters fifth year, UN humanitarian leaders urge end to conflict UN News 13 Mar 2015 -- World leaders must put their differences aside and work to bring about meaningful change in Syria, where the country's ongoing brutal conflict is preparing to enter its fifth year, senior United Nations officials have urged.
• Libya 'cannot wait' for solution, UN envoy says as talks pause for consultations UN News 13 Mar 2015 -- Meetings in Morocco arranged by the United Nations that brought together participants in the Libyan political dialogue have concluded today, having covered substantive and procedural issues on the way forward.
• UN restarts Libya talks without recognized parliament Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- The United Nations has resumed a new round of negotiations in Libya to resolve the crisis in the chaotic country but without the Tobruk-based internationally recognized Libyan parliament which sought a delay.
• Libyan Commander Says Army Achieved Success in Fight Against Terrorists Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- As the Islamic State group tries to advance in Libya, the army loyal to the country's internationally recognized government has achieved "much success" in its fight against the terrorists, the army's principal commander, Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, told Sputnik on Friday.
• Al-Shabab militants kill three in northeastern Kenya Press TV 13 Mar 2015 -- Al-Shabab militant group in Somalia has reportedly killed three people in the northeastern Kenyan city of Mandera, the latest in its cross-border attacks.
• Will US Provide Military Help Against Boko Haram? VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- The Islamic State group has accepted Boko Haram's pledge of allegiance, confirming the Nigerian militant sect as its newest affiliate. What does this mean for U.S. military assistance in the fight against Boko Haram?
• Myanmar: UN officials pledge humanitarian, development assistance for country's future UN News 13 Mar 2015 -- The United Nations remains committed to helping Myanmar achieve its humanitarian and development needs in order to boost living standards for all its citizens, top UN officials have declared during their visit to the Asian country.
• Myanmar Troops Shell Hills Near China Border VOA 13 Mar 2015 -- Chinese troops are on high alert after Myanmar forces shelled the hills along the countries shared border, killing four people and leaving several others injured.

News Reports

• Background Briefing on Discussions With Cuba US Dept. of State 13 Mar 2015
• EU Lawmakers Call For International Probe Into Nemtsov's Assassination RFE/RL 13 Mar 2015 -- Members of the European Parliament have called for an independent international investigation into the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.
• Russian State TV Shows Putin For First Time In Days RFE/RL 13 Mar 2015 -- Russian state television has shown footage of President Vladimir Putin at a meeting the Kremlin says was held on March 13. State-run Rossia-24 showed video of Putin and Russian Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev. Putin, 62, had not been seen publicly since March 5.
• News Analysis: Three Scenarios For A Succession In Russia RFE/RL 13 Mar 2015 -- For a decade and a half, Vladimir Putin has sat at the top of a closed, hierarchical, and personality-based political system that allows for no competition.
• Top political advisor highlights CPC leadership, 'Four Comprehensives' People's Daily 13 Mar 2015 -- Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Friday underscored the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the work of the political advisory body, while urging political advisors to pool 'positive energy' to contribute to the country's development.
• Runaway officials to be tried in absentia People's Daily 13 Mar 2015 -- China's top judicial authorities have stepped up efforts to hunt down suspected corrupt officials who have fled overseas and will lay the groundwork to have these suspects tried in absentia to retrieve the assets they have hidden.
• Kosmotras Denies Reports of Suspending Russian-Ukrainian Rocket Launches Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras will launch a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr carrier rocket despite earlier media reports that the company's space contracts may be disrupted amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the company said Friday.
• US Launches Atlas Rocket With NASA's Spacecraft for Magnetic Field Studies Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrier rocket has lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 with NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft (MMS) that will study magnetic fields around the Earth.
• IMF Loan Package For Ukraine Promises Pain, Questionable Gain RFE/RL 13 Mar 2015 -- From higher home heating costs to lower pensions, Ukrainians are about to feel the pinch from austerity measures attached to a newly approved International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan package.