Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 17 Aug 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Forces in Iraq, Syria AFPS 17 Aug 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• Dempsey Makes Case for Long-Term Effort to Defeat ISIL AFPS 17 Aug 2015 -- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is just the most recent manifestation of an underlying set of instabilities, inequities and ideologies that will be around for at least 20 years.
• Dempsey Thanks Danes for Military Muscle AFPS 17 Aug 2015 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today thanked Danish defense leaders for their efforts to promote peace and stability around the world.
• Location of US Patriot Missiles Redeployed From Turkey to Remain Secret Sputnik 17 Aug 2015 -- The location of US Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, subject to withdrawal from Turkey, will not be disclosed for security reasons.
• US Military to Increase Drone Flights Globally VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- The number of unmanned drone flights the United States operates around the globe will be increased by 50 percent.
• US to sharply increase drone flights by 2019: Report Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- The United States plans to expand the number of drone flights over the next four years in an effort to gain greater firepower and more intelligence in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, South China, and North Africa, a report says.
• Security forces arrest Daesh cmdr. in east Afghanistan Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- A commander of the Daesh militant group has been arrested in a mop-up operation carried out by Afghan security forces against the Takfiri terrorists in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.
• Pakistan army airstrikes kill 65 militants near Afghan border Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- At least 65 militants have been killed and an ammunition dump destroyed in airstrikes in Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions near the border with Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US, S. Korea Launch Annual Military Drill VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- The United States and South Korea began an annual joint military exercise Monday, despite angry threats from North Korea.
• Dempsey: U.S. Forces Must Adapt to Deal With Near-Peer Competitors AFPS 17 Aug 2015 -- For the first time since the end of the Soviet Union, the United States is facing a near-peer threat, and that is unsettling to many in the services, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
• Lockheed Developing a Missile That Can Hit Multiple Warheads Sputnik 17 Aug 2015 -- American defense firm Lockheed Martin will design a missile defense component that can take out multiple warheads under a $10 million contract with the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency.
• U.S. Sailors and Marines join the Malaysian Armed Forces for CARAT 2015 NNS 17 Aug 2015 -- The 21st annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the Malaysian Armed Forces began Aug. 17 with opening ceremonies in Sandakan, Malaysia.
• USS Santa Fe Visits Japan during Western Pacific Deployment NNS 17 Aug 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) arrived at Yokosuka, Japan Aug. 17 for a visit as a part of its deployment to the Western Pacific.
• Army advances rapid acquisition for cyber defense Army News 17 Aug 2015 -- Soldiers need a wide range of cyber weapons to defend the Army's information and resources.
• DoD, National Guard Help Fight Western Wildfires AFPS 17 Aug 2015 -- More than 440 California National Guard soldiers and airmen have been activated to help the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, fight fires throughout the state.
• Russia Dismisses Iran General Visit as 'Rumor' VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- Russia is dismissing as "rumors" reports it hosted an Iranian general, despite a United Nations travel ban on such a visit.
• Russia, Iran Plan To Expand Military Cooperation RFE/RL 17 Aug 2015 -- Moscow and Tehran say they plan to expand military and economic cooperation after international sanctions against Iran are lifted under a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
• PLA vessels sail through Tsushima Strait near Japan CNA 17 Aug 2015 -- A fleet of seven Chinese naval vessels sailed through the Tsushima Strait near Japan on Monday afternoon as it sailed to Russian waters where a joint China-Russia naval drill will take place later this month, according to the China News Service.
• Experts say J-10s would benefit Iran People's Daily 17 Aug 2015 -- The China-made J-10 multi-role fighter jet is a suitable choice for Iran if the Middle East power decides to upgrade its aging military aircraft fleet.
• Iran Navy foils pirate attack on vessel in Gulf of Aden Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- The Iranian Navy has successfully thwarted a pirate attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, August 17, 2015 US Dept. of State 17 Aug 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 17, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 17 August 2015 United Nations 17 Aug 2015
• Analysis: Islamic State Blame Game Deepens Sectarianism VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- It's hard to find a country or group involved in the Middle East that has never been blamed for the emergence of the so-called Islamic State.
• Monitors Seriously Concerned About Reported IS Chemical Attack RFE/RL 17 Aug 2015 -- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on August 17 voiced "serious concern" about reports that the Islamic State (IS) group has used chemical weapons in Iraq.
• Chemical watchdog voices concern over Daesh gas attack Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has expressed serious concern over reports that the Daesh Takfiri group has again used chemical weapons in Iraq.
• Iraq’s Maliki rejects Mosul file report, blames KRG Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- Former Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has rejected allegations that he was responsible for the fall of Iraq’s second city Mosul to Daesh Takfiri militants last year.
• UN, Camps in Iraq Prepare for New Wave of War Victims VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- U.N. and camp officials in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region are already preparing for another wave of Iraqis displaced by war to flood into the area as the conflict against Islamic extremists rages on.
• Islamic State Suffers Spate of Desertions in E. Syria VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- Islamic State extremist groups have been struck by a wave of desertions in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor.
• Security Council backs UN special envoy’s plan to move Syrian political process forward UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council reiterated today its demand that all parties to the conflict in Syria must cease any attacks against civilians.
• ‘Horrified’ by immense human suffering in Syria, UN relief chief urges all parties to protect civilians UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- Horrified by the "total disrespect" for civilian life in Syria, the top United Nations humanitarian official today warned that the protracted conflict in the country not only severely affects the lives of millions of people, but also threatens the stability of the entire region and beyond.
• Syrian Air Strikes Kill Nearly 100 Civilians RFE/RL 17 Aug 2015 -- The death toll from Syrian government air strikes on a rebel-held town outside Damascus neared 100 on August 17, as the UN's humanitarian chief expressed horror and appealed for civilians to be protected.
• Kyiv, Moscow Trade Blame for Escalation in E. Ukraine VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- Kyiv and Moscow are accusing each other of fueling tensions, as fighting in eastern Ukraine continues to escalate.
• Intense Artillery Duel Rocks Ukraine's Coastal City Of Mariupol RFE/RL 17 Aug 2015 -- Reports from eastern Ukraine say seven people were killed overnight in fighting along the front lines between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
• Alarmed by escalation of conflict in Ukraine, Ban calls on parties to resume dialogue UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- Seriously alarmed by the recent escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called all parties to end hostilities and resume talks.
• Boko Haram Leader Re-Emerges in New Recording VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- The leader of Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram has apparently re-emerged in a new recording, declaring he is still in charge of the sect that has laid waste to a portion of Nigeria’s northeast and prompted an international military response.
• Yemen forces seize 4 UAE armored vehicles, destroy 2 more Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- Yemeni army forces have destroyed two armored vehicles belonging to the United Arab Emirates and seized four more near the southern Bayda Province, Yemeni television reports.
• South Sudan President Balks at Peace Deal VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- South Sudan President Salva Kiir has refused to sign a peace deal aimed at ending the country's 20-month civil war.
• UN mission vows full investigation into allegations of abuse by peacekeepers in Central African Republic UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said today that it is determined to investigate fully all allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by its forces in the country and to hold to account perpetrators of such acts.
• Mali: UN mission condemns violations of ceasefire in Kidal region UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- Fighting erupted over the weekend in northern Mali’s Kidal region between armed groups, breaking the ceasefire and prompting the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known as MINUSMA, to issue a firm condemnation.

News Reports

• UN atomic energy agency receives documents from Iran on nuclear programme UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has received from Iran information on its nuclear activities in accordance with an agreement signed between the two parties.
• Iran not to let US infiltrate into country: Ayatollah Khamenei Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Islamic Republic will not allow the US to make inroads into the country.
• Obama Warns China on Agents in US Pressuring Fugitives to Return VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- The United States is holding firm in its insistence that Chinese agents sent to covertly round up and pressure Chinese fugitives to head back home must stop.
• On Eve of Obama-Xi Summit, Nations Clash Over Fate of High-Profile Defector Sputnik 17 Aug 2015 -- The brother of a former high-ranking Chinese government official is believed to be in hiding in the United States.
• Washington warns China over covert agents operating on US soil Press TV 17 Aug 2015 -- The administration of President Barack Obama has warned China about Chinese agents it claims are operating secretly in the United States to hunt down and repatriate fugitives--some of whom wanted in China.
• Sodium cyanide in Tianjin to be collected, neutralized soon People's Daily 17 Aug 2015 -- By 9 am on Monday, at least 114 have been killed and 70 remain missing after the blasts rocked a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals in Tianjin Binhai New Area.
• Burundi Minister Envisions National Unity Government VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- Burundi’s foreign minister said his government is doing its best to ensure that the country does not degenerate into ethnic conflict by bringing those responsible for violence to justice.
• Security Council says dialogue key to peaceful resolution of crisis in Guinea-Bissau UN News 17 Aug 2015 -- Expressing concern over the current political developments in Guinea-Bissau, the United Nations Security Council has called on leaders to seek dialogue and consensus in resolving the crisis in the interest of peace in the country.
• Third Candidate in Taiwan Hurts Ruling Party’s Campaign VOA 17 Aug 2015 -- Taiwan’s ruling political party, which is known for its conciliatory stance toward old rival China, is lagging in the polls ahead of January’s presidential election.