Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 03 Sep 2015 [PDF]
• Coalition Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 03 Sep 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• III Corps cases colors ahead of Middle East deployment Army News 03 Sep 2015 -- III Corps Soldiers will lead Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
• Voluntary Departure Authorized for Some Families of U.S. Personnel in Turkey AFPS 03 Sep 2015 -- The U.S. government has authorized the voluntary departure from Turkey of family members of American personnel at Incirlik Air Base and the U.S. consulate in Adana.
• US Offers Families of Military Staff, Diplomats to Leave Incirlik Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- The US Department of State and Department of Defense authorized the voluntary departure of family members of US personnel stationed at Incirlik air base and consulate in Adana, Turkey.
• 32 killed in US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- At least 32 people have lost their lives in a US assassination drone strike in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktia.
• Pakistan, Afghanistan Weigh Resumption of Taliban Talks VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Pakistani officials say they plan to ask Afghan officials Friday whether Kabul is interested in resuming peace talks with the Taliban.
• Hundreds of Afghan Schoolgirls Suffer Gas Poisoning VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Hundreds of schoolgirls were taken to a hospital after breathing in poisonous gas in Herat Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Missile display demonstrates China's strategic ambitions: experts CNA 03 Sep 2015 -- The various ballistic missiles displayed by China at a massive military parade fully demonstrated Beijing's strategic ambitions.
• Taiwan to closely monitor China's military development CNA 03 Sep 2015 -- The Ministry of National Defense said that it will continue to closely follow the development of China's military might.
• S. Korean President Uses China Trip for Diplomacy VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- South Korea, China and Japan Thursday announced plans to hold a trilateral meeting in October or November, in what could be a diplomatic breakthrough following months of tension.
• China to downsize army by 300, 000 soldiers: President Xi Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping says his country plans to reduce the size of the army by 300,000 troops.
• Chinese Navy Ships Spotted Off Alaska During Obama Visit VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Five Chinese Navy ships have been spotted in international waters off the coast of Alaska.
• Chinese Warships Maneuver Near Alaska Coast for First Time Ever Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- In a reported first, Pentagon officials on Wednesday reported that five Chinese Navy ships were spotted off the coast of Alaska.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 03 Sep 2015
• Pentagon: US ships are spying on Russia Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- A senior Pentagon official has confirmed that the US ‘oceanographic ships,’ which are operating in waters off the coast of Russia, are actually gathering intelligence on the country.
• Harry S. Truman Strike Group Begins COMPTUEX NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group began its composite training unit exercise after departing Naval Station Norfolk, Sept. 2.
• Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship DoD 03 Sep 2015
• Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next Freedom-variant littoral combat ship will be named USS Minneapolis/St. Paul (LCS 21).
• Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Program Achieves Acquisition Milestone NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- The Naval Sea Systems Command received a risk-reduction decision approval Aug. 17, known as a Milestone A decision, for the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) program.
• VAQ-209 Successfully Employs First Air-to-Air Missile NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- Lt. Cmdr Jeff "Stoli" Stodola and Cmdr. Arch "Gorch" Watkins of VAQ-209 successfully employed an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile off the coast of Virginia, as part of a multi-plane multi-missile Tactical Support Wing training event.
• Blue Ridge Completes Summer Patrol, Returns to Yokosuka NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and embarked 7th Fleet staff returned to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka after concluding a three-month patrol Sept. 2.
• USS Germantown Wraps Up CARAT 2015 NNS 03 Sep 2015 -- The amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) completed their third phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise in Sattahip, Thailand on Sept. 2.
• U.S. Army Directs Immediate Safety Review DoD 03 Sep 2015
• US Defense Information Agency to Set Up Overseas Cyber Commands Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- The US Defense Information Systems Agency will be launching new regional cyber command structures.
• France Due to Pay Russia Over $1 Bln for Mistral Non-Delivery - Draft Bill Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- France will have to pay over a billion of dollars in compensation to Russia for the termination of the contract to deliver two Mistral-class helicopter carriers.
• Indonesia Decides to Buy Advanced Russian Su-35 Jets Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- Indonesia's defense minister said that the country would buy Russian-made Su-35 jets following negotiations between the two countries.
• NATO opens new military post in Lithuania amid Ukraine crisis Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- NATO has opened a new military command center in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius amid growing tensions between the West and Russia over the issue of Ukraine.
• Georgia’s New Foreign Minister to Continue Along NATO Integration Track Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- New Georgia’s Foreign Minister plans to stick to a pragmatic policy towards Russia and continue seeking NATO membership.
• Major defense drills underway in Iranian capital Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- Tens of thousands of Iran’s Basij volunteer forces are participating in massive defense maneuvers held in the capital city of Tehran to boost the country's security and counter enemy threats.
• Five Countries Used Banned Cluster Munitions This Year VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Five countries — Libya, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen — have used cluster munitions this year, causing unacceptable harm to civilians, according to Human Rights Watch.
• Daily Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 09/03/15 The White House 03 Sep 2015
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, September 3, 2015 US Dept. of State 03 Sep 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 3, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 3 September 2015 United Nations 03 Sep 2015
• IS Extremists Again Accused of Using Poison Gas VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Kurdish commanders in eastern Syria say Islamic State militants used poison gas Wednesday to attack Kurdish fighters.
• Why An Uzbek Militant Commander Got His Son Killed Fighting In Syria RFE/RL 03 Sep 2015 -- The Islamic State (IS) militant group is notorious for recruiting, training, and exploiting children and teenagers on the battlefield.
• Civilians in Syria suffering ‘a living tragedy’ with no end in sight, UN human rights expert warns UN News 03 Sep 2015 -- The head of a United Nations-mandated human rights inquiry warned that while the world watches, civilians, Syrians of all backgrounds, are being subjected to war crimes.
• Turkey Releases 2 British Journalists VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- In Turkey, a British journalist and cameraman have been released from jail.
• Russia Negotiating UN Measure On Chemical Weapons Use In Iraq RFE/RL 03 Sep 2015 -- Russia is seeking to extend a United Nations measure on chemical weapons in Syria to cover suspected incidents of chemical weapons use in Iraq by the Islamic State group, Russia's UN ambassador said on September 2.
• Unpaid Kurdish Fighters Sign of Economic Woes VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Peshmerga commanders and government officials admit the security forces’ salaries are typically paid late, with some not receiving a salary for months at a time.
• US presence in Ukraine against Minsk deal: Russia Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry says the deployment of US troops in Ukraine to train government forces is in violation of the Minsk agreement aimed at ending the crisis in Ukraine.
• Ukraine Officially Declares Russia The Enemy, Vows To Join NATO RFE/RL 03 Sep 2015 -- Ukraine's National Security Council has approved a new military doctrine that declares Russia to be a military opponent and calls for the country to pursue NATO membership.
• A Soft Annexation In Donbas RFE/RL 03 Sep 2015 -- Separatist officials in the self-styled Luhansk People's Republic this week formally made the Russian ruble their main currency.
• Yemen: UN calls for unimpeded access to people in need as fighting intensifies in southwestern region UN News 03 Sep 2015 -- Air strikes, armed confrontation and looting across Taiz governorate in Yemen have exacerbated an already desperate situation, dramatically escalating humanitarian suffering.
• More Than 3,000 Nigerian Soldiers Reinstated After Review VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Nigeria’s army has announced it will reinstate more than 3,000 soldiers who were facing court-martials.
• Nigeria reinstates 3k troops dismissed over indiscipline Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- Nigeria has reinstated at least 3,032 soldiers who had been dismissed for alleged indiscipline in the fight against the Boko Haram Takfiri militant group.
• Bibi Hints Israeli Forces to Be Freer to Shoot Palestinian Stone-Throwers Sputnik 03 Sep 2015 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a review of the current regulations dictating the use of live-fire in incidents of stone-throwing.
• Israel stages missile attack on north of Gaza Strip Press TV 03 Sep 2015 -- The Tel Aviv regime has launched a missile attack on the north of the besieged Gaza Strip.

News Reports

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, September 3, 2015 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 03 Sep 2015
• Iran Supreme Leader Backs Parliament Vote on Nuclear Deal VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed support Thursday for a parliamentary vote in Iran on the nuclear deal Tehran agreed to with a group of six world powers.
• Khamenei: No Nuclear Deal Unless Sanctions Are Lifted RFE/RL 03 Sep 2015 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said world powers must lift international sanctions as part of a landmark nuclear agreement.
• Koreas Exchange List of Envoys for Family Reunion Talks VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- To prepare for the resumption of reunions for families separated since the Korean War, North and South Korea have exchanged lists of top working-level envoys for discussions.
• Burundi's Government Trying to Disarm Civilians VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- The U.S. State Department has called on Burundi's government to disarm all militias, including the ruling party's youth wing, the Imbonerakure, to prevent a further escalation of violence.
• Former Congolese Rebel: 'I Never Attacked Civilians' VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Former Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda denied being a killer and a war criminal Thursday as he spoke at his trial in The Hague.
• Liberia Welcomes UN Sanctions Removal VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Liberia said Wednesday it welcomes a decision by the United Nations Security Council to terminate sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze on certain individuals who had been deemed a danger to the stability of the country.
• Trial of Former Chadian Leader to Resume Monday VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- The trial of former Chadian president Hissene Habré, which opened July 20 but was postponed two days later to enable his court-appointed lawyers to prepare his defense, will resume September 7 in Senegal.
• Ghana to Decide on Calls for Fresh Voter Register VOA 03 Sep 2015 -- Ghana’s main opposition New Patriotic Party has petitioned the Electoral Commission to compile a new voter list for next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.