Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• U.S., Coalition Continue Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 23 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.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Operation Smile Joins CP-15 Mission in Nicaragua NNS 23 May 2015 -- Volunteers from Operation Smile, alongside military and civilian medical personnel aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), are providing medical care to citizens from Nicaragua during the Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) mission stop May 17-25.
• Pentagon Considers Secret Underwater Recharging Stations for Sub Drones Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- The US Navy is aiming within the next 10 years to be able deploy unmanned, underwater pods where robotic mini-subs can recharge undetected and securely upload intelligence to Navy networks.
• Russia's Navy Receives Newest Russian-Built Oceanographic Research Vessel Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- The Russian Navy has received a brand new oceanographic research vessel, the Yantar, which is equipped with two self-propelled deep submergence vehicles; the ship was built at the Russian Baltic shipyard of the same name, Yantar, and is slated to be used for deep-sea research and rescue operations.
• Iranian Army test-fires missiles in drill: Cmdr. Press TV 23 May 2015 -- The Iranian Army's Ground Forces have successfully staged major missile maneuvers in central Iran, says a senior commander.
• Germany, France to Develop New Battle Tank to Catch Up With Russia's Armata Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- Germany and France are now preparing to jointly develop a new main battle tank, the Leopard 3, to replace its ageing Leopard 2 military vehicle by around 2030, which would be able to compete with Russia's next-generation Armata tank, recently showcased at the Victory Day parade commemorating the end of World War Two in Moscow.
• Israel offers Iron Dome technology to Saudi Arabia: Report Press TV 23 May 2015 -- A report says Israel has offered to provide its Iron Dome missile system technology to Saudi Arabia in order for the Saudi military to employ it on the border region with Yemen, amid the kingdom's ongoing deadly military aggression against the impoverished neighbor.
• UN chief disappointed as Member States unable to reach agreement on nuclear non-proliferation UN News 23 May 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed disappointment at the inability of Member States to reach consensus on a "substantive outcome" on a non-proliferation treaty key for global nuclear disarmament, according to a United Nations spokesperson.

Defense Industry

• Russian Helicopters Begins Mass Production of New Heavy Transport Mi-26T2 Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- Russian Helicopters has begun mass production of the Mi-26T2, a completely modernized variant of the legendary Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter, a press statement on the company's website reported on Friday.

Other Conflicts

• Several Saudi soldiers killed in Yemeni attack on border post Press TV 23 May 2015 -- The army in Yemen, backed by tribesmen, has carried out an offensive on a Saudi army post in A'Alib, southeast of the border city of Najran.
• Saudi warplanes pound fresh areas across Yemen Press TV 23 May 2015 -- Saudi military aircraft have conducted a fresh round of airborne attacks against several areas across Yemen as Riyadh presses ahead with an atrocious military campaign against its impoverished southern neighbor.
• UN Says Iranian Aid Boat For Yemen Offloaded In Djibouti RFE/RL 23 May 2015 -- United Nations officials in the port of Djibouti say they have taken charge of aid cargo carried by an Iranian boat that was headed for war-torn Yemen.
• Iranian Ship Unloads Humanitarian Aid For Yemen in UN Aid Hub in Djibouti Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- The Iranian ship with humanitarian aid for Yemen unloaded its cargo in the port of Djibouti after being denied entry to Yemeni ports. The aid will be delivered from Djibouti to Yemen under the UN supervision by air or on another ship.
• Iraqi armed forces liberate another town in Anbar Press TV 23 May 2015 -- Iraqi government forces have taken back another town in the western province of Anbar from the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group.
• Iraqi army pushing to retake Ramadi from ISIL Press TV 23 May 2015 -- Iraqi armed forces have retaken a police station in a western town in the country's Anbar Province from Takfiri ISIL militants after they started a military operation to liberate the provincial capital, Ramadi.
• Islamic State's Gains Spur Worries Of A Splintering Iraq RFE/RL 23 May 2015 -- As the Islamic State takes over large swaths of Iraq and Syria, political leaders from Washington to Baghdad and the Arabian peninsula worry that Iraq is in danger of splintering into pieces.
• Iraq, Shi'ite Forces Move Against IS Near Ramadi VOA 23 May 2015 -- A convoy of Shi'ite Muslim militia and Iraqi army forces launched a counter-offensive against Islamic State militants near Ramadi Saturday, a day after U.S.-led forces conducted airstrikes near the militant-controlled city.
• Battlefield Gains for IS Raise Fears of Assault on Baghdad VOA 23 May 2015 -- The Islamic State group seized the last government-held border crossing to Iraq early Friday, the latest in a series of terrotorial gains for the terror group, and there are mounting fears the group could soon launch an assault on the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
• Hezbollah, Syria retake new hilltop in Qalamoun Press TV 23 May 2015 -- Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and the Syrian army have retaken a new hilltop in the border region of Qalamoun, another gain against the militants who are struggling to keep their last holdouts in the mountainous area.
• Prominent Lugansk Militia Leader Mozgovoi Assassinated Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- Prominent militia leader Mozgovoi was assassinated on Saturday evening after the vehicle he was traveling in ran into an ambush.
• Chinese troops ask U.S.military jet to leave Nansha Islands: FM People's Daily 23 May 2015 -- Chinese troops asked a U.S. military jet approaching the Nansha Islands to change course by radio, a foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
• Libya: UN condemns string of suicide attacks, urges continued political dialogue UN News 23 May 2015 -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned a spate of suicide bombings committed by Islamist terrorists in what it says is a blatant effort to undermine the country's ongoing political dialogue.

News Reports

• US Senate Blocks Bill on NSA Domestic Surveillance Reform Sputnik 23 May 2015 -- The 'USA Freedom Act,' which aimed to reform certain federal surveillance programs and to end US spy agencies' bulk collection of residents' phone call data, has failed in the Senate.
• US Senate Blocks House Bill on Domestic Surveillance VOA 23 May 2015 -- The U.S. Senate has blocked a House of Representatives bill that would have ended the bulk collection of domestic telephone data by the National Security Agency.
• US Is 'Deeply Troubled' by Russia's 'Undesirable' NGO Law VOA 23 May 2015 -- The United States has expressed concern over a new Russian law giving prosecutors the right to declare foreign and international non-governmental organizations 'undesirable' and to fine or jail Russians who are involved with them.