Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 03 May 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.
• 3,000 Afghan families flee fighting in Kunduz Province Press TV 03 May 2015 -- A local official in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz Province has announced that over 3,000 Afghan families have fled raging battles between Taliban militants and government troops in the province.
• Afghan forces kill 45 militants in military operations Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Afghanistan says its army forces have killed dozens of militants in fresh military operations across the country in the past 24 hours.
• Pakistan Urges Afghanistan's Taliban to Join in Peace Talks VOA 03 May 2015 -- Pakistan has urged Afghanistan's Taliban to cease its annual spring offensive and instead engage in peace talks with the Kabul government. The statement to VOA by a top Pakistani official comes as Afghan and Taliban officials together with other stakeholders have gathered in Qatar for an unofficial dialogue.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Persian Gulf states want to bolster military arsenals: WSJ IRNA 03 May 2015 -- Leading Persian Gulf states want major new weapons systems and security guarantees from the White House in exchange for backing a nuclear agreement with Iran, Wall Street Journal quoted US and Arab officials.
• Russian Sky Defenders to Receive Pantsir-S and Other Simulators Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- Russian air defense specialists will boost their mastery with cutting edge simulators.
• Mediterranean Naval Exercises to Strengthen Russia, China Relations Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yangsheng said that they would be focused on navigation safety, at-sea replenishment, escort missions and live fire exercises. Nine ships from the two countries would participate.
• The Vikings Are Coming! Norway Adds $500 Mln to Militarize Arctic Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- Norway invested an extra $500 million to increase its military capabilities in the High Arctic.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Aden airport targeted over 30 times by Saudi jets Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Saudi warplanes carry out over thirty raids on the airport of Yemen's southern city of Aden within a few hours.
• Snipers, Special Forces Reportedly Take Part in Ground Offensive in Aden Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- Snipers and special forces are participating in Sunday Saudi-led coalition's ground operation against Houthi rebels in Aden, Yemen, local media reported, citing witnesses. However, other reports denied this information, citing coalition sources.
• S Arabia denies deployment of ground forces to Yemen's Aden Press TV 03 May 2015 -- The spokesman for Saudi Arabia's military operation in Yemen, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri, has denied any deployment of ground troops to Yemen's southern port city of Aden.
• Saudi-Led Coalition Uses Prohibited US Cluster Munitions in Yemen - HRW Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- Citing video and photographic evidence, the watchdog slammed Riyadh and Washington for resorting to 'inhumane' forms of war.
• HRW: Saudi-led Airstrikes Use Banned Cluster Bombs VOA 03 May 2015 -- A human rights group said it has 'credible evidence' the Saudi-led coalition has used banned cluster bombs supplied by the United States in airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.
• Saudi fighter jets keep pounding cities across Yemen Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Saudi warplanes have resumed the bombing of Yemen, targeting strategic cities in the impoverished Arab country.
• Abadi slams US Congress bill to split Iraq Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has denounced a controversial US Congress bill aimed at dividing the Arab country into three states.
• Iraqi forces kill 73 ISIL Takfiris during various operations Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Units of Iraqi security forces have engaged members of ISIL Takfiri militant group during two separate cleanup operations in and around the capital, Baghdad, killing scores of the terrorists.
• Syrian army cuts militants supply line near Damascus Press TV 03 May 2015 -- The Syrian army has made new gains against Takfiri militants operating in the country, cutting the militants' supply line near the capital Damascus.
• Syrian Peace Talks Kick Off In Geneva VOA 03 May 2015 -- Meetings between Syria's warring factions and the U.N.'s Syria envoy begin this week in the latest bid to kick-start stalled negotiations to end the country's four-year-old civil war.
• Egyptian army forces kill 29 militants in restive Sinai Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Egyptian military forces have killed 29 militants and arrested more than 130 others during separate operations in the violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula over the past days.
• Ukrainian trooper killed in east: Military spokesman Press TV 03 May 2015 -- At least one Ukrainian soldier has been killed and six others have been wounded as a result of heavy shelling in Ukraine's restive east, military sources say.

News Reports

• US Senate at Crossroads on Iran Nuclear Bill VOA 03 May 2015 -- This week could decide the fate of a bipartisan bill allowing the U.S. Congress to review and vote on any final nuclear accord with Iran. The Senate can either vote on the original bill, or allow amendments making additional demands of Iran, which would trigger a presidential veto and could doom the entire legislative effort.
• Iran, G5+1 talks likely to continue until Monday ISNA 03 May 2015 -- An Iranian diplomat said that talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany would probably continue until Monday.
• No need for US to escort ships in Persian Gulf: Iran Navy cmdr. Press TV 03 May 2015 -- Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the US Navy does not need to escort US-flagged ships travelling through the secure Persian Gulf waters.
• Ukraine Crisis Opens Up Wiggle Room For Lukashenka RFE/RL 03 May 2015 -- The May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe will be a big, international prestige moment for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Germany's Role in NSA Spying May Have Embarrassing Implications for Merkel Sputnik 03 May 2015 -- The German Green Party and the Left threaten to go to court, if the government fails to disclose what it knows with regard to cooperation between Germany's foreign intelligence agency and its US counterpart, according to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.