Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Update: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 14 Aug 2015 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.
• Anti-ISIL Airstrikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 14 Aug 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• U.S., Turkey Finalizing Details of Anti-ISIL Airstrikes AFPS 14 Aug 2015 -- The United States and Turkey are finalizing details of Turkey’s recently announced participation in the air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.
• Islamic State Seen Making Small Inroads In Afghanistan RFE/RL 14 Aug 2015 -- The Islamic State group is making small inroads in Afghanistan and could grow into a more worrisome threat, a U.S. Army general has said.
• Daesh leader raped American hostage Kayla Mueller, US confirms Press TV 14 Aug 2015 -- Daesh Takfiri terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reportedly raped and abused US hostage Kayla Mueller when she was held by the terrorist group.
• Reports: US Hostage Was Raped by IS Leader Before Her Death VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- New U.S. media reports said Friday that American aid worker Kayla Mueller, killed this year while in the custody of Islamic State militants, was raped repeatedly by the group's leader before her death.
• Complex Conspiracy Theories Shadow Al-Qaida-Taliban Deal VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- It did not take long for conspiracy theories involving Pakistan to surge once word got out that al-Qaida’s leader had pledged loyalty to the Taliban’s new leader.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Speech: Army Chief of Staff Change of Responsibility DoD 14 Aug 2015
• 25 years on the hunt AFNS 14 Aug 2015 -- The 55th Wing's personnel and its RC-135V/W Rivet Joint hit 25 years of continuous deployment to U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility Aug. 9.
• Sorties across the stratosphere AFNS 14 Aug 2015 -- The enemy should fear what it can’t see. At high altitudes toward the edge of space, the U-2S is invisible to the naked eye, transmitting critical intelligence to the warfighters below.
• Team Carl Vinson Begins PIA NNS 14 Aug 2015 -- The crew on board the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) put on hard hats and safety goggles to commence a Chief of Naval Operations planned incremental availability (PIA) period, Aug. 14.
• Russian Su-27 Fighter Aircraft Can Destroy Three New US F-35s Sputnik 14 Aug 2015 -- Currently, the US Department of Defense (DOD) is reviewing the total number of F35s it will purchase.
• Marines, sailors team up to conduct beach terminating unit training for first time USMC News 14 Aug 2015 -- For the first time, Marines and sailors teamed up to perform a beach unloading exercise using the Beach Termination Unit, in Coronado, Calif., Aug. 1-4, 2015.
• It Takes a Team to Aid in Relief Efforts in Saipan NNS 14 Aug 2015 -- Over the past week the United States Coast Guard has been working with local crane operators and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist in the cleanup efforts during disaster relief efforts in Saipan.
• Military Chemical Specialists Enter Tianjin Blasts Site People's Daily 14 Aug 2015 -- On Friday morning, officers and soldiers from the anti-chemical warfare corps of the Beijing Garrison Command were seen taking samples of the explosives at the Tianjin Blasts Site.
• Chinese to Build Giant Floating Fortresses Sputnik 14 Aug 2015 -- Two Chinese companies are to build miles-long floating platforms in the ocean that could house airstrips, docks, helipads, barracks or even "comprehensive security bases," according to one company executive.
• China air force conducts west Pacific drill Xinhua 14 Aug 2015 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducted a drill involving "multiple types of aircraft" in the western Pacific on Friday, a military spokesperson said.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 14, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 14 August 2015 United Nations 14 Aug 2015
• US Investigating Whether Islamic State Used Chemical Weapons VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- The United States says it is looking into whether Islamic State militants used chemical weapons during an attack earlier this week on Kurdish fighters in Iraq, as reported by German officials.
• Investigators Probe Chemical Weapons Use by IS in Iraq VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- The international group that investigates chemical-weapons incidents says it is ready to pursue claims that Islamic State (IS) fighters are using mustard gas against Kurdish forces in Iraq.
• Syria: UN special envoy condemns indiscriminate shelling in civilian areas UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations special envoy for Syria renewed his call on the warring parties to immediately cease such attacks.
• Turkey constructing wall on border with Syria: Reports Press TV 14 Aug 2015 -- The Turkish military has reportedly started constructing a concrete wall along Turkey’s southern border with conflict-stricken Syria.
• North Korea Denies Involvement in Mine Blasts Near Border VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- North Korea is denying it is behind last week's landmine blasts that injured two South Korean soldiers and further heightened military tensions with Seoul.
• North Korea rejects South’s accusation of mine plantation along border Press TV 14 Aug 2015 -- North Korea has rejected the accusations by South Korea claiming that the mines that recently targeted and wounded two South Korean soldiers along the border between the two countries had been planted by North Korean forces.
• Russia, Germany concerned over truce violations in Ukraine Press TV 14 Aug 2015 -- Russia and Germany have voiced concern about a recent escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine, as top diplomats from the two countries renew calls for an end to the violations of a truce agreement in the area.
• Islamic State Militants Subdue Sirtre Uprising VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- Libyan TV reported is reporting that Islamic State (IS) militants killed several dozen captives Friday in the Libyan port city of Sirte.
• UN agency assists Nigeria’s neighbours as escalating violence sparks waves of refugees UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency expressed concern about the escalating violence in and around Nigeria and its impact on the situation of Nigerian refugees in surrounding host countries.
• Kiir Won't Go to South Sudan Peace Talks, Government Says VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- A peace deal for South Sudan hung in the balance Friday as the government in Juba announced that President Salva Kiir would not travel to Addis Ababa for the final days of talks to end a 20-month conflict.
• Alleged Abuses by UN Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2015
• Ban appoints experienced UN official as acting head of mission in Central African Republic UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Parfait Onanga-Anyanga of Gabon as his Acting Special Representative for the Central African Republic and Head of the United Nations stabilization mission in the country, known as MINUSCA.
• Mali: senior UN official urges sustained support for relief efforts amid ongoing crisis UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- Food insecurity in Mali will only grow if national parties fail to commit to peace and stability in the country.
• Month-long blockade of aid routes lifted in South Sudan, allowing UN to access conflict-torn areas UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations humanitarian wing has reported that the month-long restrictions on the movement of goods by air and river routes in South Sudan have been lifted.
• Palestinian Authority to sue Israel at ICC for killing teenager Press TV 14 Aug 2015 -- The Palestinian Authority (PA) is set to sue Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for killing a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank two weeks ago.

News Reports

• Statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, August 14, 2015 Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet 14 Aug 2015
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of World War II The White House 14 Aug 2015
• Abe Expresses ‘Deepest Remorse’ on WWII Anniversary VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed feelings of “profound grief” and “sincere condolences’ to those who suffered and died from Japan’s past military aggression while making his highly anticipated public statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
• Commentary: Abe's watered-down apology fails sincerity test Xinhua 14 Aug 2015-- By mentioning the Japanese government's previous apologies in his WWII anniversary statement Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to take a step forward toward reconciliation with his country's neighbors.
• The Abe Statement: Apology, Abapology or Abomb? Xinhua 14 Aug 2015 -- As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe releases an official statement later Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of his country's surrender at the end of World War II (WWII), he is standing at a critical crossroad.
• Secretary Kerry Remarks at Flag Raising Ceremony US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2015
• US, Cuba to Eye 'Full Normalization' of Relations VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that a new U.S.-Cuban committee would begin talks next month on the "full normalization" of bilateral ties, building on historic ceremony earlier in the day in which the American flag was raised above the U.S. Embassy in Havana for the first time in more than 54 years.
• Congress: Gatekeeper to New US-Cuban Relations? VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- Secretary of State John Kerry's raising of the American flag at the U.S. Embassy in Havana Friday marked an historic moment in U.S.-Cuba relations.
• Despite Diplomatic Thaw US-Cuba Issues Remain VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- Several issues from the half century of hostilities between the U.S. and Cuba still remain, despite the re-opening of diplomatic ties.
• Havana Sells US Diplomatic Ties as Victory VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- The reestablishment of relations between Washington and Havana comes as Cuba is still struggling to recover from an economic crisis that began in the 1990s with the collapse of its patron, the Soviet Union.
• More Support For Iran Deal From U.S. Democrats RFE/RL 14 Aug 2015 -- Two more Democrats in the U.S. Senate have announced support for the Iran nuclear deal.
• UN experts call on Iran to release journalist Jason Rezaian as he awaits verdict UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- United Nations human rights experts today urged the Iranian Government to immediately release the Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran, Jason Rezaian.
• From Insurgency to Electricity: What Iraq Reforms May Mean VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- In recent weeks, protesters in Iraq sweltered in the excessive heat — sometimes over 122 degrees Farenheit — demanding more access to electricity and other basic services.
• UN human rights office warns Burundi crisis ‘spiralling out of control’ UN News 14 Aug 2015 -- The situation in Burundi continues to deteriorate amid ongoing killings, arrests and detentions in the latest post-election turmoil to afflict the country, the United Nations human rights office has reported.
• Another Candidate Enters Liberia’s 2017 Presidential Race VOA 14 Aug 2015 -- In Liberia, a former associate of former President Charles Taylor has declared his candidacy for the country’s 2017 presidential election.