Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Department of Defense Press Briefing with Brigadier General Kevin J. Killea, chief of staff, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve via DVIDS from Southwest Asia on Operation Inherent Resolve DoD 21 Aug 2015
• General Reports Progress in Inherent Resolve Operations AFPS 21 Aug 2015 -- The Iraq Security Forces are making daily progress in Ramadi during a difficult counterattack against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 21 Aug 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• Update: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 21 Aug 2015 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on the Death of ISIL Deputy Leader Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali The White House 21 Aug 2015
• US: Drone Strike Killed Number 2 IS Leader VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- U.S. officials say the number two leader of the Islamic State group has been killed in a drone strike in Iraq.
• Afghan Taliban Embroiled in Dispute Over Succession VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- A crucial meeting of Afghan Taliban leaders and scholars has been in session for days now at an undisclosed location.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Assistant Secretary Shear in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room DoD 21 Aug 2015
• U.S. Outlines Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy AFPS 21 Aug 2015 -- The United States has spelled out its maritime security strategy so that all nations understand the American position, David Shear, the assistant secretary of defense for Asian-Pacific security affairs.
• Army’s I Corps Supports DoD Asia-Pacific Rebalance AFPS 21 Aug 2015 -- The Defense Department’s Asia-Pacific rebalance has entered its next phase, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said earlier this year, and the Army’s I Corps is positioned to support it.
• Obama Letter to Congress Urges Support for Iran Nuclear Deal VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama is stressing that the U.S. could still take military action or reinstate sanctions against Tehran if it violates terms of the agreement.
• Military option against Iran will remain on table for years: Obama Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- US President Barack Obama has told the Republican-dominated Congress that the military option against Iran will remain on the table for several years, despite the Vienna nuclear agreement.
• Pentagon: China's Reclamation Increasing in South China Sea VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- China has reclaimed more land in the disputed Spratly Islands of the South China Sea than previous known.
• Pentagon: China Reclaimed More Land in Disputed Spratlys Than We Thought Sputnik 21 Aug 2015 -- China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea sent Washington into a panic. But according to a new Pentagon report, the US now believes the land reclamation project to be even larger than initially predicted.
• US: No Decision on Blocking Military Aid to Pakistan VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- The Obama administration says it has not yet made a decision to block the next military aid disbursement to Pakistan.
• All cannon military occupational specialties could soon open to females Army News 21 Aug 2015 -- Army leadership has recommended that field artillery military occupational specialties, or MOSs, 13B (cannon crewmember) and 13D (automated tactical data systems specialist) be open to women.
• Keel Laying for Future Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy DoD 21 Aug 2015
• Underwater Energy Transfer to Expand UUV Capability NNS 21 Aug 2015 -- The Navy is developing ways to recharge underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs) using undersea wireless technology.
• Construction underway on F-35B hangar USMC News 21 Aug 2015 -- Construction is underway on an F-35B Lightning II hangar aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
• Troopers receive new Raven UAS camera upgrade Army News 21 Aug 2015 -- Selected units received an upgrade to their Raven unmanned aerial systems during an initiative here last week.
• Mobility Airmen recover radiological material from Mexico AFNS 21 Aug 2015 -- Headquarters Air Mobility Command, in close partnership with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, recently executed a C-17 Globemaster III mission to repatriate three Husman irradiators containing radioactive material from Mexico to the U.S. for final disposition.
• 20th CBRNE Command supports Prominent Hunt Army News 21 Aug 2015 -- Soldiers from 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) trained with interagency partners in Southern California during Exercise Prominent Hunt, Aug. 13 - 17.
• USS Albuquerque Returns from Final Deployment NNS 21 Aug 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) returned to its homeport Aug. 21 following its final regularly-scheduled deployment.
• CARAT Malaysia 2015 Comes to a Close in Sandakan NNS 21 Aug 2015 -- The 21st annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Malaysian armed forces drew to a close during a ceremony held in Sandakan, Aug 21.
• First Women Graduate from Elite US Army Ranger School VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Two women made history Friday as the first female soldiers to graduate from the U.S. Army's elite Ranger school.
• Soldier Missing From Vietnam War Accounted For DoD 21 Aug 2015
• Russia's Lider-Class Nuclear Destroyer Project Hits Pentagon's Raw Nerve Sputnik 21 Aug 2015 -- Russia's new Lider-class destroyers are seemingly giving the Pentagon the shivers.
• China release video footage of drone missile test People's Daily 21 Aug 2015 -- Video footage shows the home-made drone “Wing Loong” conducting a live-fire missile test.
• Iran to launch massive missile maneuver soon: IRGC commander Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says Iran is set to hold a massive ballistic missile maneuver in the near future.
• Georgia Calls On NATO To Deliver On Membership Promises RFE/RL 21 Aug 2015 -- Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli has called on NATO to take tangible steps toward eventual membership for Tbilisi when the alliance meets in Warsaw next year.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 21, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 21 August 2015 United Nations 21 Aug 2015
• US Monitoring Koreas' Confrontation Closely VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- U.S. defense officials say annual drills by American and South Korean military forces were halted temporarily to avoid contributing to a dramatic increase in tensions between North and South Korea.
• UN Command offers to DPRK having dialogue on shelling People's Daily 21 Aug 2015 -- United Nations Command has offered to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) having talks about the shelling at the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone.
• S.Korea warns DPRK of harsh price for any further provocations People's Daily 21 Aug 2015 -- South Korea's top military officer on Friday warned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of "a harsh price" for any further provocations.
• DPRK poised to fire short-range missiles: S. Korea People's Daily 21 Aug 2015 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been poised to fire short-range missiles on either side of its territory.
• S. Korea, U.S. up joint alert level amid DPRK forward deployment People's Daily 21 Aug 2015 -- South Korea and the United States raised their joint alert level toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
• War lurks in the shadows on the Korean Peninsula Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- North Korea has placed its frontline forces on alert for war with the South, in an apparent move to launch attacks should the latter ignore an ultimatum to end its propaganda campaign against Pyongyang.
• US: Daesh used mustard gas against Kurdish fighters in Iraq Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- A top US military official has confirmed that traces of a chemical agent have been found in mortars used by Daesh against Kurdish fighters in Iraq.
• Political Uncertainty Hangs Over Kurdistan As Barzani's Term Ends RFE/RL 21 Aug 2015 -- Political uncertainty hung over Iraq's Kurdistan region after President Massoud Barzani's mandate expired without rival factions agreeing to extend his term.
• Iraq's Top Shi'ite Cleric: 'Partition' Possible Without Reforms RFE/RL 21 Aug 2015 -- Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has warned that the country will face many problems and could even split up if real reforms are not carried out.
• Syrian Kurdish Forces Allege Turkish Attacks VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- When Turkey began a two-pronged assault against Islamic State and Kurdish PKK rebels last month, critics of the Turkish government worried the fight would spread to other Kurdish targets.
• Turkey seeks extended mandate for operations on Syria, Iraq borders Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- The Turkish government is reportedly seeking to extend a parliamentary mandate that allows the military to carry out operations against the Daesh Takfiri terrorists on the border with Syria and the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.
• US Sees End 'Closing In' on Syria's Assad VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- There is a growing consensus that Assad’s reign is as close to ending as it has ever been.
• Report: Israeli Drone Strike Kills 5 in Syria VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian-controlled portion of the Golan Heights have killed at least five unarmed civilians.
• IS Group Destroys Syria Christian Monastery VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Syrian activists say Islamic State militants have destroyed an ancient Christian monastery in the central province of Homs.
• IS Destroys Ancient Monastery In Syria RFE/RL 21 Aug 2015 -- The Islamic State (IS) group has reportedly demolished an ancient monastery and church in a central Syrian town.
• Syrians Find Ways to Skirt Restrictions for Refuge in Lebanon VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Fleeing persecution from the Syrian regime, Majd had to plan very carefully before seeking refuge in a country determined to keep him out.
• US 'deeply concerned' over Saudi bombing of Yemen port Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- The United States has criticized Saudi Arabia over launching airstrikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeida, calling the Red Sea port a "lifeline" for humanitarian relief.
• Yemeni forces down Saudi Apache helicopter Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen has suffered a new setback as forces loyal to the Houthi Ansarullah movement and the allied army units reportedly down a Saudi military helicopter in the kingdom’s southern territory.
• AU Soldiers Indicted For Alleged Wedding Attack VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Three soldiers with the African Union mission in Somalia, AMISOM, have been indicted in connection with the killing of Somali civilians last month.
• AMISOM admits troops killed Somali civilians Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) has admitted that its troops killed several civilians in the war-ridden country last month.
• Top UN relief official in Somalia appeals for scaled-up assistance in newly opened areas UN News 21 Aug 2015 -- Relief supplies are reaching the areas “after years of isolation.”
• Islamic Jihad rejects Israel rocket fire claims Press TV 21 Aug 2015 -- The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has rejected Israel’s claims that the resistance movement fired rockets from the Syrian territory against the regime’s positions near the occupied Golan Heights.
• Security Council extends UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon for another year UN News 21 Aug 2015 -- The Security Council today decided to extend the present mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for one year, until 31 August 2016.
• Fresh Rebel Activity in CAR Scares Truck Drivers VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Cameroon and Central African Republic officials are asking truck drivers protesting the killing of 18 of their colleagues in fresh rebel attacks to go back to work as the drivers condemn persistent harassment from both rebels and C.A.R. government officials.
• UN human rights chief urges end to ‘endemic impunity’ for violations in Darfur UN News 21 Aug 2015 -- A new United Nations report paints a grim picture of “systemic failure, or outright refusal” by authorities in Darfur to take human rights violations seriously.

News Reports

• Iran's President Questions Role Of Hard-Line Vetters, Meets With Pushback RFE/RL 21 Aug 2015 -- Iran's Guardians Council, long accused of being a tool for hard-liners in factional power struggles, is at the center of a new war of words among top state officials.
• Soldier Funeral Protests Pose Political Challenge in Turkey VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Protests are increasing as government ministers attend funerals of Turkish soldiers who were killed by the Kurdish rebel group PKK. Some funerals are taking place in AK Party strongholds.
• Turkey's Erdogan to Call Snap Election VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday he would call snap elections after the failure of coalition talks and a rise in tensions over military action against Kurdish rebels.
• ‘Spy’Jailing Stirs Fears of Russian Interference in Baltics VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- The sentencing by Russia this week of an Estonian security official to 15 years in jail for alleged spying is the latest incident amid growing tension between Moscow and the Baltic states.
• Burundi President Ready to Form More Inclusive Government VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Burundi’s foreign minister said President Pierre Nkurunziza is ready to form a more inclusive unity government now that he has been inaugurated for a third term.
• Kosovo: progress made thus far demands ‘continuing commitment’ from parties, Security Council told UN News 21 Aug 2015 -- The enormous strides already taken by Kosovo and Serbia through the European Union-facilitated dialogue demand continuing commitment from both the parties.
• Sri Lanka Prime Minister Sworn In VOA 21 Aug 2015 -- Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in Friday for a fourth term as Sri Lanka's prime minister.