• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 23 Apr 2015 [PDF]
• Mixed Progress Reported in Fight Against Islamic State VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- A senior official in President Barack Obama's administration says that while the U.S.-led coalition has made some progress in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, a "very, very long road" lies ahead.
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 23 Apr 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.
• Statement by the Press Secretary The White House 23 Apr 2015
• Two hostages killed in US operation against al-Qaeda compound Press TV 23 Apr 2015 -- Two hostages, including one American, were killed during a US operation against an al-Qaeda compound near the Afghan-Pakistan border, according to the White House.
• Obama Says Western Hostages Killed In Antiterrorism Operation RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- The White House says two Western hostages were killed in a U.S. antiterrorist operation near the Afghan-Pakistani border in January.
• Official: US, Italian Hostages Killed Were 'Well Concealed' VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- A U.S. counterterrorism operation in January accidentally killed two male hostages – an American aid worker and an Italian – held by al-Qaida on the Afghan-Pakistan border, the White House said. A U.S. official told VOA the hostages were killed during airstrikes by unmanned drone aircraft on January 14.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Carter Unveils New DoD Cyber Strategy in Silicon Valley AFPS 23 Apr 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter today unveiled the Defense Department's second cyber strategy to guide the development of DoD's cyber forces and to strengthen its cyber defenses and its posture on cyber deterrence.
• Remarks by Secretary Carter at the Drell Lecture Cemex Auditorium, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, California DoD 23 Apr 2015 -- Presenter: Defense Secretary Ash Carter
• Pentagon's New Cyber Strategy Warns Adversaries US Will Hit Back VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- The United States is laying out a new strategy for defending cyberspace, making clear the country will not hesitate to counter attacks online and even with conventional military might, if necessary.
• Last MC-130P Combat Shadows in the Pacific retire AFNS 23 Apr 2015 -- The 17th Special Operations Squadron sent off the final two MC-130P Combat Shadows in the Pacific Air Forces to retire on April 15.
• Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work's Meeting with Latvian Minister of Defense Raimonds Vejonis DoD 23 Apr 2015
• Air Force nuclear mission embraces culture of empowerment AFNS 23 Apr 2015 -- The top military leaders for strategic forces from the Department of Defense, Navy and Air Force testified on the state of the nuclear enterprise to members of Congress April 22, during an Armed Services Committee hearing.
• Nevada range supports first F-35B integration into USMC's weapons school exercise AFNS 23 Apr 2015 -- The Nevada Test and Training Range was part of history April 21, when four Marine Corps-assigned F-35B Lightning IIs participated in their first Marine Corps' Final Exercise (FINEX) of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course on the NTTR.
• Service Acquisitions Chiefs Testify on Reform AFPS 23 Apr 2015 -- Top acquisition officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force testified before Congress yesterday on their collective efforts to make the defense acquisition process more effective and responsive to national security needs.
• 15th MEU: Certified to deploy USMC News 23 Apr 2015 -- U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit completed Certification Exercise, or CERTEX, while aboard the Essex Amphibious Ready Group's three ships off the coast of San Diego April 21, 2015.
• USS Russell Hosts Deputy Assistant Secretary of State NNS 23 Apr 2015 -- The officers and crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) provided a ship's tour and brief on the Navy's important role in ballistic missile defense (BMD) to a high ranking U.S. State Department official, April 17.
• AF Research Laboratory redesigns mock UAV AFNS 23 Apr 2015 -- The Air Force Research Laboratory's Surrogate Predator Program has given the warfighter a way to train in the U.S. before deploying overseas.
• Secretary General thanks Estonia for its commitment to NATO's collective defence NATO 23 Apr 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his appreciation to Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas for his country's strong commitment to the Alliance during talks on Thursday (23 April 2015) at NATO headquarters. The discussion focused on current security challenges to the east of Alliance, the importance of maintaining assurance measures, and the continuing adaptation of NATO as it prepares for next year's Warsaw Summit.
• Russia starts construction of new icebreaker for Northern Fleet TASS 23 Apr 2015 -- The head icebreaker of Project 21180, the Ilya Muromets, was laid down for Russia's Navy at St. Petersburg's Admiralteiskiye Verfi shipyard.
• Ilya Muromets ice-breaker for Russian Navy to be laid down in St. Petersburg TASS 23 Apr 2015 -- The Ilya Muromets diesel-and electric-powered icebreaker, the lead ship of project 21180 for the Russian Navy, will be laid down at St Petersburg's Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard on Thursday.
• Georgian army to hold joint drills with US troops in May - embassy TASS 23 Apr 2015 -- Georgia's Vaziani military base near Tbilisi will stage Noble Partner joint drills with about 200 US servicemen on May 11-25, the US embassy in the South Caucasus republic said on Thursday.
• Japan Plans to Aid US Military in Disputed South China Sea Sputnik 23 Apr 2015 -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be sending legislation to Japanese Parliament next month that would expand the role of the country's Self-Defense Forces, and may subsequently lead to Tokyo's deeper involvement in the South China Sea dispute.
• Pentagon: Russian Claims of US Military Trainers in E. Ukraine 'Ridiculous' VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- The U.S. Defense Department has dismissed as "ridiculous" and "propaganda" comments by a Russian military official that American troops are training Ukrainian soldiers in the conflict zone in Ukraine's east.
• US Drills Ukraine Army in Urban Fighting Skills on Edge of Conflict Zone Sputnik 23 Apr 2015 -- The joint military drills held by the US paratroopers and the Ukrainian National Guard are taking place in urban environments in eastern regions of Ukraine close to the conflict zone, a Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman said.
• Russian Foreign Ministry: delivery of S-300 systems to Iran is not a matter of near future TASS 23 Apr 2015 -- The delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Iran is not a matter of near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media on Thursday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 4/23/2015 The White House 23 Apr 2015
• April 23, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 Apr 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 23, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 23 April 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Apr 2015
• Yemenis need trade more than Saudi aid IRIN 23 Apr 2015 -- If the Saudi Arabian-led coalition genuinely wants to prove its commitment to the people of Yemen, they must allow freer access for trade vessels. Trade, not aid, is the real humanitarian priority right now.
• 20 people killed in Saudi airstrikes in south Yemen Press TV 23 Apr 2015 -- At least 20 people have lost their lives following Saudi airstrikes on the southwestern Yemeni city of al-Dhale.
• White House says 'job not done' in Yemen Press TV 23 Apr 2015 -- There is remaining instability Yemen and much more work needs to be done in the region, the White House said a day after Saudi Arabia indicated it would halt airstrikes against the impoverished nation.
• U.S. Concerned Iran Ships May Carry Arms To Yemen RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the United States is "concerned" that Iranian ships may be carrying advanced weapons for the Shi'ite Huthi rebels in Yemen.
• Conflict taking 'immense' toll on Yemen civilians, UN relief official warns UN News 23 Apr 2015 -- Escalating conflict in Yemen over the past month has worsened the already large-scale humanitarian crisis, the top United Nations relief official for the country said today, warning that the upsurge in violence has further deepened the hardships faced by ordinary Yemenis.
• Saudi-led Airstrikes Focus on Port City of Aden VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- Warplanes pounded Houthi rebel targets in Yemen on Thursday, two days after what was supposed to be the official end of the Saudi Arabia-led bombing campaign.
• Iraqi forces push ISIL out of areas in Anbar Press TV 23 Apr 2015 -- The Iraqi army, assisted by popular mobilization units, has succeeded in retaking some areas from ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the western province of Anbar.
• UN relief workers press ahead with effort to reach Yarmouk camp in Syria UN News 23 Apr 2015 -- United Nations relief workers today provided drinking water, bread and recreational kits for children in displaced communities outside Yarmouk camp, the former heart of Palestine refugee community, and sought access to the besieged suburb itself, where the basic humanitarian needs of some 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian civilians are left unmet.
• Australia, Turkey Aim to Stop Flow of Militants to Syria VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- Australia and Turkey have announced plans to stop the flow of Australians traveling to Syria to fight for Islamic radical groups. During a visit by Prime Minister Tony Abbot to Ankara, the governments say they are working to stop foreign fighters from using Turkey as a transit point.
• Chinese peacekeepers return from Darfur People's Daily 23 Apr 2015 -- A total of 120 Chinese officers and soldiers have returned from Sudan's Darfur after an eight-month peacekeeping mission.
• Hostile parties in South Sudan's Malakal urged to respect UN personnel and property UN News 23 Apr 2015 -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today expressed deep regret at the continuation of hostilities in the Upper Nile state capital of Malakal, and the resulting civilian displacement.
• Eight months after Gaza war, 'not a single home has been rebuilt' - UN agency UN News 23 Apr 2015 -- Nearly eight months after the ceasefire that ended the most recent hostilities in the Gaza Strip, not a single destroyed home has been rebuilt in the enclave, according to the United Nations agency mandated with ensuring the well-being of Palestine refugees.
• Lukashenka Says Belarus Supports Georgia's Territorial Integrity RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says his country supports the territorial integrity of Georgia, making clear he does not recognize the Russian-backed separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

News Reports

• German President: Armenian Deaths 'Genocide' VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- German President Joachim Gauck for the first time Thursday called the World War I massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a genocide and said Germany bears some of the responsibility.
• Armenian Mass Killings: Who Says 'Genocide' And Who Doesn't RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- Armenians - and many others - say there is no doubt that the World War I-era mass killings and deportations of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the eastern stretches of the Ottoman Empire constitute the 20th century's first genocide.
• 1915: The Crumbling Of An Empire, And The Massacre That Ensued RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- The 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was more than a systematic ethnic purge. It also was a desperate effort to save a once-great empire.
• US Senate to Debate Iran Nuclear Bill VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- The U.S. Senate is to begin debate next week on bipartisan legislation subjecting any final nuclear accord with Iran to congressional review and a potential vote approving or rejecting the deal.
• Warrants issued by Interpol for runaway officials People's Daily 23 Apr 2015 -- Interpol has issued arrest warrants for the 100 most-wanted corrupt Chinese officials who have fled overseas, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Wednesday.
• Kadyrov Tells Police 'Shoot To Kill' Security From Outside Chechnya RFE/RL 23 Apr 2015 -- Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed strongman who heads Russia's Chechnya region, has told law enforcement officers they should 'shoot to kill' security forces from other parts of Russia that conduct operations in Chechnya without its consent.
• Togo Votes Saturday in Presidential Poll VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- Thursday is the last day of campaigning in Togo before Saturday's presidential poll. President Faure Gnassingbe faces four challengers in his bid for a third term.
• Ebola: UN launches push to engage more women, community leaders in fight against disease UN News 23 Apr 2015 -- With fresh statistics on the Ebola outbreak reflecting a halt in the decline in West Africa, the United Nations today began a campaign to engage more women – who have been disproportionately affected by the disease – as well as local traditional healers, to encourage communities to become more involved to bring down infection rates to zero.
• Hubble Telescope Celebrates 25 Years in Space VOA 23 Apr 2015 -- The Hubble Space Telescope is an orbiting workhorse. Over the past quarter century, it has sent back thousands of images of nearby planets and the most remote galaxies, expanding our knowledge of the universe in ways previously unimagined.