Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 27 Mar 2015 [PDF]
• Coalition Airstrikes Enable Renewal of Tikrit Ground Offensive AFPS 27 Mar 2015 -- Several thousand regular Iraqi security forces and troops from the Popular Mobilization Forces have resumed their offensive operations on the ground in Tikrit, Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 27 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

• US Airmen teach Romanian airmen airfield management AFNS 27 Mar 2015 -- Members of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing air advisor branch provide Romanian airmen at Campia Turzii the opportunity to learn about U.S. Air Force airfield management operations March 10 to 27 during Dacian Warhawk, a two-week training mission designed to increase the interoperability between the two nations.
• Porter Departs Norfolk to Join Forward Deployed Naval Force NNS 27 Mar 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed Norfolk Naval Station for the last time, March 27, before being forward deployed to Rota, Spain.
• Threat Reduction Agency Stands Up Nuke-focused Directorate AFPS 27 Mar 2015 -- The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has created a new directorate focused on supporting the U.S. nuclear mission, DTRA Director Kenneth A. Myers III told a House panel this week.
• SAR Trains With Royal Canadian Air Force NNS 27 Mar 2015 -- Naval Air Station Whidbey Island's (NASWI) Search and Rescue (SAR) unit performed a biannual joint training exercise with the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, March 24.
• Global strike teams test second Minuteman III missile this week AFNS 27 Mar 2015 -- An Air Force Global Strike Command team launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) equipped with a test reentry vehicle March 27 at 3:53 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
• Experts Convene to Discuss Maritime Power, International Security NNS 27 Mar 2015 -- Maritime security leaders gathered at U.S. Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, March 25-26, to focus global military attention on seapower during the EMC Chair Symposium 'Maritime Power and International Security.'
• Navy Jets Carrying Extra Fuel Can't Launch from New Aircraft Carrier Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- The high-tech catapult system on the United States Navy's newest aircraft carrier causes too much wear to the top warplanes if the aircraft are carrying fuel tanks needed to extend their flight range, prohibiting the Navy from launching the jets at all.
• Dempsey, South Korean Counterpart Discuss North Korea Threat AFPS 27 Mar 2015 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he had 'important and very productive conversations' with South Korean military officials here today on topics including integrated air and missile defense to deter North Korean aggression.
• S.Korea, U.S. kick off joint maritime training exercises People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- South Korea and the United States on Friday kicked off a large-scale joint maritime training exercise as part of the joint annual war game code-named 'Foal Eagle,' the South Koran Navy said Friday.
• Four US warplanes conduct military drills in Poland Press TV 27 Mar 2015 -- American warplanes have been participating in war games in Poland as part of a training mission for a massive NATO military drill amid tensions between Washington and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
• Top military officers of S. Korea, U.S. discuss no THAAD deployment People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- Top military officers of South Korea and the United States had no discussions Friday about whether to deploy on the Korean Peninsula the advanced U.S. missile defense system, called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), the South Korean Defense Ministry said.
• Arab Foreign Ministers Form Unified Military Force in Wake of Yemen Strikes Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- Foreign ministers from 22 Arab states meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh agreed to a draft resolution Thursday to create a unified military force to counter regional security threats.
• PLA makes buying easier with internal online mall People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- The People's Liberation Army is setting up an internal online mall to buy equipment and other necessities for its units.
• PLA bribery probe to continue People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- Investigations into suspects who had connections with Xu Caihou - the former No 2 military official who died of cancer this month while facing a corruption probe - will continue to the end, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
• RFA Argus honoured as she completes Sierra Leone deployment UK MOD 27 Mar 2015 -- RFA Argus has been honoured by the Defence Secretary as she heads back to the UK after supporting the fight against Ebola.
• Daily Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 03/27/15 The White House 27 Mar 2015
• March 27, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 27 Mar 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 27, 2015
• Warplanes Account for Almost Half of Russian Arms Revenues - Exporter Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- The delivery of aviation dominated the overall Russian exports of weapons in 2014, the director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Friday.
• India Tops List of Russian Arms Buyers in 2014 Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- India was the largest buyer of Russian arms and military equipment in 2014, accounting for 28 percent of shipments, the director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said Friday.

Other Conflicts

• 27 March 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 27 Mar 2015
• Secretary-General calls on defence chiefs for 'unity and backing' on UN peacekeeping UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- At the first-ever United Nations Chiefs of Defence Conference today, the Secretary-General appealed to senior military officials for more troop contributions from States around the world and for political will and purpose.
• Yemen at War: Lifesaving aid blocked by airstrikes IRIN 27 Mar 2015 -- The Saudi Arabian-led assault on Yemen has disrupted life-saving aid programs across the country, international aid agencies have said.
• Egyptian, Saudi Vessels Approach Yemen Coast VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- Egypt's military says Saudi and Egyptian warships deployed Friday to the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's coast to secure the strategic passage, as a Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes on rebel targets in Yemen for a second straight day.
• Saudi-led warplanes attack popular market in Sa'ada IRNA 27 Mar 2015 -- The warplanes of the Saudi-led alliance have attacked a popular market in the northwestern Yemeni city of Sa'ada, killing or injuring at least 15 people, according to Yemen's al-Massira TV.
• 39 civilians dead in Saudi airstrikes on Yemen Press TV 27 Mar 2015 -- Nearly 40 civilians have lost their lives as neighboring Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with its airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen, health officials say.
• Yemen FM Urges Quick End to Saudi-led Strikes VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- Yemen's foreign minister, Riyadh Yasin, says that airstrikes being carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against the country's Shi'ite Houthi rebels that have seized control over large swaths of the country should weaken the group, and end quickly.
• Saudi Arabia Coalition Starts Naval Blockade of Bab El-Mandeb Strait Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- The newspaper said that Saudi Arabia's western fleet blocked major Yemeni ports, including Aden.
• Iraqi Forces Advance On Central Tikrit RFE/RL 27 Mar 2015 -- Iraqi special forces on March 26 began what Baghdad hopes is the final push to regain control of central Tikrit from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
• Baghdad Troops Take Lead in Fight to Take Back Tikrit from ISIL - CENTCOM Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- Iraqi Shia militia have withdrawn from the front lines to allow government troops to take the lead in the operation to retake Tikrit from the self-proclaimed Islamic State, according US Central Command.
• Syria: UN health agency 'unable to sustain' operations without significant funding increase UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- Ahead of next week's third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, the United Nations health agency's top official in the country said today that more than 16 million Syrians and Syrian refugees are in need of health support, but that she had so far received no new funding to meet the $124 million needed to finance humanitarian operations in the country this year.
• Intra-Syrian Talks in Moscow Could Help End Civil War - Assad Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- The second round of talks on Syria is set to take place in Moscow April 6-9. The first round of negotiations was held in the Russian capital January 26-29.
• Syria Supports UN Initiative to 'Freeze' Conflict in Aleppo - Assad Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- Syria supports the initiative by UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to 'freeze' the conflict in the city of Aleppo, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Russian journalists on Friday.
• Millions Face Health Crisis in Syria VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- The World Health Organization warns that millions of people in Syria are facing a health crisis. It says deaths and casualties are mounting in the war-torn country as medical care and treatment diminish.
• UN envoy says Libya latest peace talks have gone 'well beyond what we have expected' UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- Libyan stakeholders have reached a consensus on a range of issues – including on the need for a unity government and security arrangements – and are now convinced that there is a political solution to the country's crisis, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Bernardino Léon, said at the conclusion of the latest round of peace talks which he praised for making "very important progress."
• Nigerian army liberates NE town from Boko Haram Press TV 27 Mar 2015 -- The Nigerian army says its troops have retaken the northeastern town of Gwoza in the restive Borno state from Boko Haram Takfiri militants.
• Nigerian Military Destroy Boko Haram Headquarters in Border Town Sputnik 27 Mar 2015 -- The Nigerian Armed Forces have retaken the border town of Gwoza in the country's northeast from the Boko Haram militant group, according to the military.
• Nigeria Boko Haram 'Headquarters' Taken VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- The Nigerian military says soldiers have retaken the town of Gwoza, one of the last areas in northeastern Nigeria controlled by militant group Boko Haram.
• Security Experts Split on Kenyan Barrier Wall VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- The Kenyan government is taking dramatic new steps to secure its border with Somalia by erecting a wall designed to keep out militants after a series of cross-border raids by al-Shabab militants. But experts are divided on whether the initiative is the long-awaited solution to Kenya's security problems, or a misguided effort.
• UN condemns kidnaping of DR Congo refugees, urges their immediate release UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has today strongly condemned the recent kidnapping of Congolese refugees by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), calling for an immediate release of those still in captivity.
• At Security Council, Ban urges action to end violence against religious, ethnic minorities in Middle East UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- Millions of lives in the Middle East – and the very social fabric of entire countries – are at stake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned this morning, calling for urgent action from the Security Council to end the religiously and ethnically-motivated violence sweeping the region and end impunity for those committing crimes against humanity.
• UN-backed court charges former Khmer Rouge leader with crimes against humanity UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- The United Nations-backed court set up to bring to trial those most responsible for crimes committed during Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime today announced charges against former member Ao An of "crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, persecution on political and religious grounds, imprisonment, and other inhumane acts" committed at three sites.

News Reports

• Ban calls on all Nigerians to 'vote in large numbers' ahead of Saturday's elections UN News 27 Mar 2015 -- On the eve of presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Nigerians to exercise their civic responsibility by going to the polls to vote in large numbers.
• Nigeria's election - 'anything fit happen' IRIN 27 Mar 2015 -- Nigeria is increasingly tense in the countdown to presidential elections on Saturday. President Goodluck Jonathan is facing an exceptionally strong challenge from former military ruler, General Muhammadu Buhari. Never has a presidential race been so close, and with that comes an increased risk of major political violence.
• Iran Nuclear Deal Would Start Untangling Web of Sanctions VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- U.S. and Iranian negotiators have launched a final round of talks on Iran's nuclear program as the March 31 deadline to reach a preliminary agreement rapidly approaches
• Laos Backs Programs in Opium Eradication VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- The Asian Development Bank and other international donors have been helping Laos promote alternative development schemes to opium production. Analysts also point to opium's traditional place in ethnic hill-tribe societies, including medicinal use, warning programs to eradicate the poppy must be backed by successful efforts to alleviate often chronic poverty
• Sierra Leone Under 3-Day Ebola Lockdown VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- People in Sierra Leone have been told to stay at home this weekend as authorities make another attempt to stop the Ebola epidemic that has claimed more than 3,000 lives in the country.
• Sky Net: China's overseas anti-corruption campaign 2.0 People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- According to a Chinese saying, the guilty can never escape the net of heaven's justice. The proverb is behind the name of China's latest anti-corruption campaign, 'Sky Net,' launched this week.
• In Dnipropetrovsk, Kolomoyskiy's Departure Leaves No One Indifferent RFE/RL 27 Mar 2015 -- Ukrainians have had plenty of practice watching politicians come and go. Most abrupt exits prompt little more than a shrug of the shoulders. But this week's departure of billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, has stirred strong emotions on his home turf.
• Russian, American Headed for Year in Space VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- A U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut are headed for a year in outer space, the longest stay ever at the International Space Station.