Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 28 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

• Eagle Flag exercise brings services together AFNS 28 Mar 2015 -- The boots of more than 170 Airmen and Soldiers trekked through the grounds of a remote exercise site here.
• US Air Force Awards $485Mln Contract for Precision Weapons Guidance Pods Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- US defense contractor Lockheed Martin won a sole-source contract worth nearly half a billion dollars to supply the US Air Force with precision weapons targeting pods, according to a statement issued by the US Department of Defense (DoD).

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Saudi-led Coalition Bombs Airport Runway in Hudaydah, Western Yemen Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Saudi-led international coalition launched another series of airstrikes Saturday destroying the airport runway in the western Yemeni city Hudaydah, a local source told Sputnik.
• Yemeni FM Says Russia Calls for Dialogue Between Conflict Sides in Yemen Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Russia understands the arguments of Yemeni elected authorities regarding the recent launch of a military operation against the Houthi rebels in Sanaa and urges the sides of the conflict to engage in a dialogue, Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said.
• Hadi Leaves Arab League Summit for Riyadh Amid Worsening Situation in Yemen Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, accompanied by Saudi Arabia's king, urgently left the Arab League summit in Egypt and flew to the Saudi capital Riyadh amid worsening situation in Yemen, a source close to Hadi said Saturday.
• Yemeni President Hadi Accuses Iran of Supporting Houthi Rebels Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on Saturday accused Tehran of supplying arms to the Shiite Houthi rebel group and of plotting against the Yemeni people.
• Joint Gulf States Offensive in Yemen to Continue Until Goals Reached Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- The joint military operation of Saudi Arabia and its Arab Gulf allies against Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue until its goals are reached, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said Saturday.
• Arab League Summit Focuses on Yemen VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Arab leaders met for the 26th biannual Arab League summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, amid intense discussion of the ongoing Saudi-led military operation in Yemen.
• Arab Coalition Presses Air Campaign Against Shi'ites in Yemen VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Saudi-led coalition airstrikes pounded southern Yemen for a third day Saturday as international diplomats and U.N. staff fled from Aden, the main southern city that is the focus of fighting between militias loyal to the Sana'a government and Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
• Hundreds of UN staff, foreigners evacuated from Yemen Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- Hundreds of UN staff and other foreigners working in embassies in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a have been evacuated from their missions, as Saudi Arabia has been carrying out military airstrikes against Yemen.
• Saudi king says airstrikes on Yemen will continue Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- Saudi Arabia's King Salman says the ongoing military invasion of Yemen by his country will continue until its goals are achieved.
• Nine people killed in arms depot explosions in Yemen city of Aden Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- A series of heavy explosions have ripped through an arms depot in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, leaving at least nine people dead.
• Who Has A Stake In Yemen Fight RFE/RL 28 Mar 2015 -- Yemen is at the center of a proxy war between regional heavyweights Iran and Saudi Arabia. It's the source of fears of a broader Sunni-Shi'ite conflict. And it has implications far beyond its borders.
• Arab League Summit Opens With Focus On Yemen RFE/RL 28 Mar 2015 -- A summit of Arab League nations started March 28 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi calling for the creation of a joint Arab military force to confront regional security threats.
• Nusra Front terrorists seize Syria's Idlib, report says Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- Al-Qaeda-linked militants have seized Syria's northwestern city of Idlib from government troops, a UK-based monitoring group says.
• Al-Qaida in Syria Claims Capture of Northern City VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate and its allies seized the Syrian city of Idlib on Saturday from government forces for the first time in the country's civil war, according to Islamic fighters and a monitoring group.
• Demanding 'immediate' ceasefire in Libya, Security Council extends UN mission in crisis-torn country UN News 28 Mar 2015 -- Unanimously adopting two separate resolutions on Libya, the Security Council, in the first, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and extended the United Nations Support Mission there (UNSMIL) until 15 September, and in the second, adjusted the arms embargo on the country in light of the terrorist threat there.
• Ukrainian Military Violated Ceasefire 27 Times in One Day - Donetsk Militia Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Militia command staff from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic have reported over two dozen violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian army in one day.
• China urges the Philippines to withdraw from illegally occupied Nansha Islands People's Daily 28 Mar 2015 -- The Philippines was told Friday to withdraw from China's islands in the South China Sea and to stop infringing on China's sovereignty and maritime rights.
• 23 killed in Boko Haram rampage in Nigeria's Borno Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- Acts of violence by Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists in Nigeria's Borno State have left 23 villagers dead, as the country is voting in presidential and parliamentary elections.
• In Egypt, Ban calls on Arab leaders to strengthen bonds for region's people, global security UN News 28 Mar 2015 -- With a raft of ills plaguing the Arab world – from the "shameful" conflict in Syria to the "tinderbox" that is Gaza and the steadily unraveling situation in Yemen – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called upon leaders gathered in Egypt to work with each other and the United Nations to "strengthen our bonds for the people of this region and the security of our world."
• Somali Forces End Al-Shabab Siege of Mogadishu Hotel VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Government forces wrested control of the Maka al-Mukarama Hotel from al-Shabab early Saturday, hours after a confrontation with gunmen who stormed the hotel late Friday afternoon.
• Philippines, Muslim Rebels Try to Salvage Peace Pact VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- One year ago, the Philippine government reached an agreement with a Muslim rebel group that was meant to put an end to more than four decades of conflict that had left about 120,000 people dead and displaced millions.

News Reports

• Nigeria Goes to the Polls Amid Heavy Security VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Millions of Nigerians headed to the polls Saturday to cast ballots in the tightest presidential election since the West African nations returned to civilian rule in 1999.
• Tehran, P5+1 Never Been So Close to Reaching Deal on Iran's Nuclear Program Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- P5+1 group of international negotiators and Tehran have never been so close to reaching an agreement on Iranian nuclear program, yet some differences currently remain unsolved, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Saturday.
• Iran Nuclear Deal Close, But 'Not Quite There Yet' - German FM Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Iran and the six major world powers are making progress on a nuclear deal but they are 'not quite there yet'.
• Significant understanding reached on some technical issues in N-talks: Salehi Press TV 28 Mar 2015 -- The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the sides negotiating the Islamic Republic's nuclear program have reached a significant common understanding on certain technical issues, but there are still some problematic matters that need to be resolved.
• Merkel, Obama Call On Iran To Make 'Necessary Decisions' RFE/RL 28 Mar 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called on Iran to make the necessary decisions to reach a deal over its nuclear program.
• Iran's Foreign Minister Says Progress Made In Nuclear Talks RFE/RL 28 Mar 2015 -- Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says progress has been made in nuclear talks in Lausanne aimed at reaching an initial agreement aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
• European Ministers Join Iran Talks in Switzerland VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- The French and German foreign ministers joined the talks in Switzerland on Iran's nuclear program Saturday, as negotiators, including the U.S. secretary of state and Iran's foreign minister, worked toward a midnight Tuesday deadline.
• Biggest Threat to Poroshenko His Inner Circle: Kolomoiskyi on His Dismissal Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Ukraine's infamous bearded Jewish billionaire explains why he is no longer governor of one of the country's key regions, and issues a stern warning to its president.
• Guinea 'Emergency' Aimed at Stemming Spread of Ebola VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- Guinea's President Alpha Conde has declared a 45-day 'health emergency' in five regions in the west and southwest of the Ebola-hit nation in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly disease.
• India Launches Fourth Satellite in Effort to Develop Own Navigation System Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- The IRNSS-1D navigation satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the Sriharikota Island in the southern part of the country.
• Russia, US to Jointly Prepare Mars, Moon Flight Road Map - NASA Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Russia and the United States will work together on a roadmap to send humans to Mars and the Moon, according to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
• Soyuz Carrier With Two Galileo Satellites Launched From Kourou Spaceport Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Russian carrier rocket Soyuz-ST with two EU satellites aboard was successfully launched from Kourou space centre in French Guyana on Saturday, Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos told RIA Novosti.
• Pair Begin Record-Setting Year in Space After 'Beautiful Launch' VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut began a record-setting year in space Saturday, entering the International Space Station for a mission designed to study the long-term effects of zero gravity on the human body.