Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 15 Sep 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 15 Sep 2015 -- Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook
• Taliban Resolves Split Over New Leader's Authority VOA 15 Sep 2015 -- Senior members of the Taliban have announced the resolution of a potential split within the group's leadership following Mullah Omar's death, with previously divided factions pledging their allegiance Tuesday to the group's new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF releases Future Operating Concept AFNS 15 Sep 2015 -- Today the Air Force officially released the Air Force Future Operating Concept, which is the latest in a series of strategic documents designed to guide the organizing, training, and equipping of the force over the coming decades.
• US, French, British generals outline trilateral strategic initiative evolution AFNS 15 Sep 2015 -- In a panel discussion at the 2015 Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington D.C., Sept. 15, U.S. Air Force, French air force and Royal Air Force generals discussed ongoing progress of the trilateral strategic initiative as coalition operations become more commonplace.
• Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work's meeting with Japan Vice Minister of Defense Masanori Nishi DoD 15 Sep 2015
• Secretary of the Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship DoD 15 Sep 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will be named USS Tulsa (LCS 16).
• American Osprey lands on Spanish ship USMC News 15 Sep 2015 -- Maj. Bret Knickerbocker has made hundreds of landings in the MV-22B Osprey, but last week, something was different. It was his first opportunity to land on a Spanish amphibious assault ship, just off the coast of Spain, Sept. 9, 2015.
• U.S. Ready To Invite Montenegro To Join NATO RFE/RL 15 Sep 2015 -- The United States is ready to back NATO membership for Montenegro, provided the former Yugoslav republic continues to pursue reforms and increases popular support for joining the Western security alliance, the White House said.
• 'Alarming' Russian Arms Buildup Said To Have Closed Gap With U.S. RFE/RL 15 Sep 2015 -- The commander of U.S. air forces in Europe has said that the Russian Air Force's buildup and modernization in recent years has been both 'alarming' and effective at achieving near parity with the West.
• Advanced Robots to Assemble S-400 Missile Systems for Russian Military Sputnik 15 Sep 2015 -- The Russian Defense Ministry initiated the ninth regimental combat unit of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system during a ceremony in Astrakhan region.
• Russia to continue military aid to Syria: President Putin Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will continue to supply the Syrian government with military assistance.
• Russia sending tanks to Syria: Pentagon Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Russia has dispatched about seven tanks into Syria and is increasing its military flights to the country as well, the Pentagon says.
• Putin: Russian Support of Syrian Gov't Averts Deterioration of Situation Sputnik 15 Sep 2015 -- Without Russia's support, the crisis in Syria would be even worse, Vladimir Putin said.
• Putin Defends Russian Military Aid to Syria VOA 15 Sep 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his country's military support for Syria, saying Tuesday that Russia will continue to aid President Bashar al-Assad's forces in their 'fight against terrorist aggression.'
• Pyongyang says to further develop nuke weapons both in quality, quantity People's Daily 15 Sep 2015 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that country's scientists in atomic energy are 'steadily improving the levels of nuclear weapons with various missions in quality and quantity' and they have made innovations day by day in their research and production.
• Pyongyang improving nuclear weapons in 'quality and quantity' Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- North Korea says its major nuclear facility is in full operation and that Pyongyang is working to improve its nuclear weapons "in quality and quantity."
• N. Korea: Yongbyon Nuclear Plant in Full Operation VOA 15 Sep 2015 -- North Korea appears to be intensifying nuclear and ballistic missile development efforts that could lead to further international sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime.
• North Korea announces new satellite launch Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) says Pyongyang is in the 'final phase' of developing and launching a new satellite.
• 36th Iran Navy flotilla to be sent to high seas, says commander ISNA 15 Sep 2015 -- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibolllah Sayyari said the 36th Flotilla of warships belonging to Iranian Navy would be sent to high seas in coming days.
• CSTO Stands Against Build-Up of Missile Defense as Jeopardizing the World Sputnik 15 Sep 2015 -- tThe heads of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia issued a joint statement advocating for the prevention of a new arms race.
• Royal Navy's next generation helicopters ready for action UK MOD 15 Sep 2015 -- The Royal Navy's anti-submarine warfare helicopter, the Merlin Mk2, has achieved Full Operating Capability (FOC), on time and under budget.
• RAF transport aircraft ready for worldwide operations UK MOD 15 Sep 2015 -- The Royal Air Force's transport fleet has reached a key milestone with the delivery of the latest Atlas aircraft to RAF Brize Norton.
• September 15, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 15 Sep 2015
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 9/15/15 The White House 15 Sep 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 15, 2015
• Lockheed Martin GMLRS Alternative Warhead Gets First Order Lockheed Martin 15 Sep 2015 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) received a $227 million contract from the U.S. Army for Lot 10 production of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary, and the first order of GMLRS Alternative Warhead production.

Other Conflicts

• 15 September 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 15 Sep 2015
• China Building Third Airstrip in South China Sea, US Expert Warns Sputnik 15 Sep 2015 -- China appears to be building a third airstrip in contested territory in the South China Sea, a US expert said on Monday, citing satellite photographs taken last week.
• UN officials condemn 'virtual silence' about escalating violence in Yemen UN News 15 Sep 2015 -- Two senior United Nations officials today condemned "the virtual silence" about the increasing impact on civilians of the escalating conflict in Yemen, and urged leaders from all sides to refrain from manipulating religious identities for political purposes.
• Fresh Saudi attacks kill 21 across Yemen Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Saudi Arabia's relentless bombardment of Yemen has claimed multiple lives as the United Arab Emirates confirms the death of a second soldier in less than two days in clashes with Yemeni forces.
• Yemeni forces take control of southwestern town in Saudi Arabia Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Members of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have reportedly managed to wrest complete control of a town in Saudi Arabia's southwestern Asir region.
• Syria: UN chief names panel to probe accountability for chemical weapons use UN News 15 Sep 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Virginia Gamba of Argentina to head the independent three-member panel that will lead the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) tasked with identifying those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
• Militant mortar attacks kill 12 civilians in Syria's Aleppo Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- At least 13 civilians have been killed in mortar attacks by foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants against residential areas in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
• Syria Battles Rebels Along Strategic Damascus Corridor VOA 15 Sep 2015 -- Syrian government forces have been locked in a bitter struggle to control strategic ground outside the capital, Damascus, and a highway along the Lebanese border leading to the northern coastline. Attempts by government forces to chase rebels out of the corridor leading north appear to have stalled
• UN: War Keeping 2M Syrian Children Out of School VOA 15 Sep 2015 -- The U.N. children's fund reports more than two million children are unable to attend school in Syria because of war and violence. UNICEF says another 400,000 children are at risk of dropping out of school this year because of escalating fighting and displacement.
• Egyptian soldiers kill 360 militants in restive Sinai Peninsula Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Egyptian government forces have killed nearly a dozen militants in the Sinai Peninsula as they press ahead with clean-up operations in the restive region, Press TV reports.
• Latest provocations could ignite fresh Israeli-Palestinian violence, warns UN envoy UN News 15 Sep 2015 -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today that he is gravely concerned over the violence and continuing clashes in and around the holy sites of the Old City of Jerusalem, and urged all leaders to ensure that visitors and worshippers demonstrate restraint and respect for the sanctity of the area.

News Reports

• China to play constructive role in redesigning Arak Heavy Water Reactor ISNA 15 Sep 2015 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country would play a constructive role in redesigning Iran's Arak Heavy Water Reactor.
• No superpower can make decisions for Iran: Rouhani Press TV 15 Sep 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic has achieved full independence in the political arena, stressing that Tehran will not allow any superpower to make decisions for it.
• Hungary Closes Border With Serbia To Migrants As Crisis Mounts RFE/RL 15 Sep 2015 -- Hungary has closed the main crossing point on its border with Serbia to migrants in the face of the continuing influx of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries.
• UN agency urges Europe to develop coherent response to refugee crisis UN News 15 Sep 2015 -- While welcoming the steps taken by European leaders at their meeting in Brussels to tackle the current refugee crisis, the United Nations refugee agency today said a robust and coherent response is still urgently needed.