Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 25 Aug 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• Officials Finalize Details of Turkey’s Full Inclusion in ISIL Fight AFPS 25 Aug 2015 -- The United States and Turkey have finalized technical details for Turkey’s full inclusion in the coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• Turkey Will Fly in Anti-IS Missions, Pentagon Says VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- Turkey has agreed to fly in coalition air missions against Islamic State, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Tuesday.
• Terrorist Designation of Abdul Aziz Haqqani US Dept. of State 25 Aug 2015
• Afghanistan, Taliban Urged to Resume Talks VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- Pakistan and U.S.-led Western backers of Afghanistan are urging Kabul officials to resume peace talks with Taliban militants.
• U.S. To Deploy F-22 Fighter Jets To Reassure East European Allies RFE/RL 25 Aug 2015 -- The United States will deploy F-22 fighter jets to Europe soon to support Eastern European members of the NATO alliance unnerved by Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 25 Aug 2015
• New US Pacific Fleet Commander Acknowledges ‘Great Angst’ Among Allies VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- The new commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet is seeking to reassure regional allies that the pivot of American military forces will be sustained amid concerns regarding China's maritime expansion.
• JLTV enters low rate production Army News 25 Aug 2015 -- Today, the U.S. Army awarded the Oshkosh Corporation located in Oshkosh, WI, a firm fixed price production contract for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program.
• US Nuclear Weapons Contractor Must Pay Millions for Misuse of Federal Funds Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- A US nuclear weapons lab owned by a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin will pay back millions to the federal government, following allegations that it used taxpayer money to lobby for new government contracts.
• Seawolf Completes Six-Month Arctic Deployment NNS 25 Aug 2015 -- The fast-attack submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21) returned to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton Aug. 21, following a six-month deployment.
• SecAF speaks on acquisition, partnerships at Hanscom AFNS 25 Aug 2015 -- Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James discussed her top priorities with Airmen and state officials while emphasizing the importance of the acquisition base and its partnerships during a visit to Hanscom Air Force Base Aug. 20-21.
• Air Force completes initial recovery efforts at F-16 crash site Army News 25 Aug 2015 -- U.S. Air Force recovery and environmental teams from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, have completed initial recovery efforts following an F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft accident near Engelmannreuth.
• Out of Retirement: US F-117 Jet That Bombed Yugoslavia Seen in the Sky Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- The US Air Force officially retired its 52 surviving F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters in 2008.
• Rushmore Arrives in Abu Dhabi NNS 25 Aug 2015 -- The amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) arrived in Abu Dhabi for a scheduled port visit, Aug. 25.
• Russia-Pakistan Mi-35 Contract Could be Expanded Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- The contract on the delivery of four Russian Mi-35 helicopters to Pakistan could be expanded.
• Russia to Deliver Five Tor-M2K Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers to Belarus Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Belarusian Defense MInistry signed on Tuesday a contract on delivery of five missile launchers for the Tor-M2K air defense system.
• China 'Expands' in Southeast Asia VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- A small Philippine island is at the forefront of China’s expansion into Southeast Asian waters.
• Iran launches Nasr cruise missile mass production line Press TV 25 Aug 2015 -- Iran has launched the production line of a cruise missile with its defense minister saying the air-launched missile is aimed at improving the country's deterrence power.
• Iran Plans to Equip Home-Made Drones With New Air-Based Missiles Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced the country's plans to equip its drones with the home-made powerful and high-precision air-based Nasr cruise missile.
• Huge public interest in Apache helicopters draws ire of military CNA 25 Aug 2015 -- More than 200,000 people have expressed the wish to have an up-close look at Taiwan's most advanced helicopter, the AH-64E Apache.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, August 25, 2015 US Dept. of State 25 Aug 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 25, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Rebels Blame Turkey After US-Trained 'Moderates' Captured Inside Syria Sputnik 25 Aug 2015 -- Turkish intelligence orchestrated last month's capture of a group of Syrian moderate rebels trained by the United States to fight the Islamic State.
• Yemeni rockets kill several more Saudi troops in Jizan Press TV 25 Aug 2015 -- As part of their retaliatory attacks over the ongoing Saudi aggression against its impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen's army and allied popular committees have killed several more Saudi soldiers.
• Yemeni forces down UAE spy drone in southern Yemen: Media reports Press TV 25 Aug 2015 -- Yemeni forces shoot down a spy drone belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Mukayris region in southern Yemen.
• Turkey, PKK Trade Blame Over Peace Process VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- Kurdish separatist leaders have dismissed appeals from Turkish opposition politicians to halt their attacks on military personnel, arguing that to do so would amount to a “one-sided” cease-fire.
• Pro-Kurdish Party Seen as Wildcard in Turkey Snap Poll VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- Turkey's snap parliamentary election is scheduled to take place November 1, and much attention will be focused on the performance of the pro-Kurdish HDP party.
• Kurdistan Political Stalemate Adding to Regional Woes VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- A bitter political spat in the northern Iraqi area of Kurdistan over how the regional president should be elected and what powers the office should have is threatening to add to the region’s instability.
• Analysts: Arab League Has No Choice But to Create Regional Force VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- On Monday, Libyan Armed Forces Commander Khalifa Haftar repeated calls for weapons and training to help his army fight Islamic State (IS) militants.
• With peace set to be signed, South Sudanese parties must address ‘drivers of conflict,’ Security Council told UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The top United Nations official in the country said that the security situation on the ground remains “volatile and tense.”
• UN Security Council Threatens to Act if Kiir Doesn't Sign Peace Deal VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has agreed to sign a peace deal aimed at ending his country's 20-month-old civil war.
• UN Chief: Good Governance Antidote to Boko Haram VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says better government would help Nigeria combat Boko Haram insurgents who have ravaged much of the country’s northeast.
• UN agency expresses over plight of civilians in southern Lebanon refugee camp UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East called today for restraint in the wake of 24 August clashes in southern Lebanon’s Ein el Hilweh Camp in Saida.

News Reports

• IAEA Confident It Can Monitor Iran Deal VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations nuclear watchdog chief said Tuesday he is confident about his agency's ability to determine if Iran sought to develop a nuclear weapon more than a decade ago.
• UN atomic energy watchdog will need more than $10 million a year to assess Iran’s nuclear capacity UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency presented to its member States for approval a report outlining a 9.2 million euros-a-year (roughly $10.5 million) programme to carry out the verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments.
• Iran says 'will not accept' leaks of secret data by IAEA Press TV 25 Aug 2015 -- Iran has called on the UN nuclear monitoring body to guarantee the confidentiality of information it will collect for verifying the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear program.
• Iran to apply Additional Protocol under JCPOA: Najafi Press TV 25 Aug 2015 -- Iran says it will start implementing the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) under the terms of its agreement with six world powers, Press TV reports.
• Wanted For Terrorism, Commander Of Iran's Quds Force Is Actually Kind And Emotional, Brother Says RFE/RL 25 Aug 2015 -- Qassem Soleimani, a top military commander in Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is a wanted man.
• Duma Deputies Cry Foul Over Early Prison Release Of Former Russian Defense Official RFE/RL 25 Aug 2015 -- The early prison release of a former Russian Defense Ministry official has been met with shock and dismay by Duma deputies - including some with close ties to the Kremlin.
• Eight Russians Who Have Taken A Stand RFE/RL 25 Aug 2015 -- On August 25, 1968, eight Soviet citizens came out into Red Square to protest the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.
• New Burundian Government Retains Key Ministers VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza Monday announced a new government following his re-election to a controversial third term.
• Concerned by ongoing political violence in Nepal, UN rights office urges peaceful resolution to crisis UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The United Nations human rights office today called on the authorities to respect dissenting voices and seek a peaceful solution with demonstrators.
• UN human rights chief urges Maldives to consider release of imprisoned former President UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today expressed deep concern that Government of the Maldives after former President Mohammad Nasheed was once again sent to prison.
• North Korean Workers in Qatar Fired Over Labor Violations VOA 25 Aug 2015 -- A well-known Qatari construction company has fired its entire North Korean workforce for repeated violations of the company’s rules and inhumane treatment of the workers by their North Korean supervisors.
• Europe's response to migrant crisis is not working, warns UN rights expert UN News 25 Aug 2015 -- The European Union should establish a human rights-based, coherent and comprehensive migration policy which makes mobility its central asset, a United Nations expert today advocated.