Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 21 Sep 2015 [PDF]
• Centcom Spokesman: Syrian Kurd Fighters Disrupt ISIL Movement AFPS 21 Sep 2015 -- Gains made by Syrian Kurd fighters against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also lent support to Iraq's fight against the extremist group by disrupting ISIL's freedom of movement between the two countries, a U.S. Central Command spokesman said yesterday.
• Update: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 21 Sep 2015 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DON Signs Solar Energy Deal for Naval Station Norfolk NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- WASHINGTON (NNS) - The Department of the Navy (DON) awarded a contract on Sep. 15 for the long-term purchase of 25 megawatts (MW) direct current (DC) to supply six percent of Naval Station (NS) Norfolk.
• U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Committed to U.S. and ROK Alliance NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet visited the Republic of Korea, Sept. 21 to meet with senior Republic of Korea (ROK) navy leaders and affirm his commitment to the enduring U.S. and ROK alliance.
• USS Russell Enters 7th Fleet, Supports Maritime Security NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), Sept. 20 after departing from their homeport of San Diego, Sept. 9.
• Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15) Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians Complete Mission NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- U.S. Navy Diver and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician training teams completed their third stop of the SPS-JHSV 15 mission Sept. 14 in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.
• USS George Washington (CVN 73) Enters 4th Fleet Area of Operations to Conduct Southern Seas 2015 NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) arrived in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to begin the Southern Seas 2015 deployment and participate in UNITAS 2015, from late Sept. to mid Dec. 2015.
• 15th MEU Marines participate in bilateral exercise with French forces in Djibouti USMC News 21 Sep 2015 -- Elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are scheduled to participate in a bilateral training exercise with the French 5th Overseas Combined Arms Regiment (RIAOM) from September 21 – October 10 aboard Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.
• U.S. Marines, partner-nation soldiers culminate Exercise Tafakula 15 USMC News 21 Sep 2015 -- U.S. Marines with Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, conducted patrol-based operations and platoon-level attacks with troops from His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga, the New Zealand Defence Force, the French Army of New Caledonia and the Tongan Royal Guards during their culminating event for Exercise Tafakula 15 Sept. 9-11 on Tongatapu Island, Tonga.
• USS Ramage Provides Assistance to Stranded Mariners NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- Guided missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, rendered aid to a distressed vessel, Sept. 18.
• Continuing Promise 2015 Team Performs First Interventional Radiology Procedure at Medical Site NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- A medical team assigned to the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) performed their first mobile interventional radiology (IR) procedure at a medical site established at the Admiral Killick Coast Guard Station during Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15), Sept. 12.
• Truman Reaches Mid-Point of COMPTUEX NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group's (HSTSG) Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), reached its midpoint Sept. 18.
• Pacific Submarine Force Conducts Successful Clandestine Mine Exercise NNS 21 Sep 2015 -- The U.S. Navy's Pacific Submarine Force successfully tested its operational proficiency in clandestine mine deployment during a Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine Exercise (SLMM-Ex) conducted earlier this month off the coast of Kauai at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF).
• Secretary General highlights value of partnership as he opens joint NATO-Ukraine civil emergency exercise NATO 21 Sep 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, together with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, opened a joint NATO-Ukraine civil emergency exercise in Yavoriv on Monday (21 September 2015), at the start of his first official visit to Ukraine which is to highlight the partnership between NATO and Ukraine.
• NATO Chief Calls for Russia to Stop Supporting Ukraine Rebels VOA 21 Sep 2015 -- NATO's secretary general is calling on Russia to stop supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, calling a fragile cease-fire in place insufficient.
• Netanyahu, Meets Putin In Moscow Over Military Buildup RFE/RL 21 Sep 2015 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel and Russia 'agreed on a mechanism" to prevent "misunderstandings" between the two countries' military forces in Syria.
• Lawyer: Russian Troops Rejecting Syria Mission Could Face High-Treason Charges RFE/RL 21 Sep 2015 -- A lawyer representing a group of Russian soldiers who were said to have refused to be deployed secretly to Syria says authorities have warned his clients that they could face treason charges.
• Russia's Northern Fleet Successfully Wraps Up Large-Scale Arctic Drills Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- The large-scale week-long Arctic drills have come to an end with some 50 warships, submarines and other vessels, as well as over 10 aircraft successfully completing all objectives.
• Russia's Black Sea Fleet Submarine Novorossiysk Arrives at Naval Base Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- Russia's Black Sea fleet submarine Novorossiysk returned to the Novorossiysk Naval Base, according to Russian Navy spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo.
• Russia's Last Soviet Spy Plane Still Flying High Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- The Soviet-made M-55 Geophysica reconnaissance plane has often been compared to the infamous US Lockheed U-2 spy aircraft in terms of technical characteristics; it has undergone several makeovers and may soon be replaced with a drone, the Russian media reported.
• Chinese, Malaysian armed forces conduct joint military exercise People's Daily 21 Sep 2015 -- The maritime subjects of the China-Malaysia joint military exercise was carried out Sunday in full swing in the designated waters in the Strait of Malacca.
• S.Korea can rejects U.S. call for Japan troops intervention in emergency situations: defense minister People's Daily 21 Sep 2015 -- South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday that his country can reject U.S. call for the entrance of Japan's Self-Defense Forces into the Korean Peninsula in emergency situations, Yonhap News Agency reported.
• From Leopards to Panzers: German Tank Division Swallows Dutch Mech Brigade Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- The Royal Netherlands Army brigade will soon be part of the German Bundeswehr's 1st Panzer Division, according to the two countries' Defense Ministers.
• Canada, Spain to Hold Observation Flight Over Russia – Security Official Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- An observation flight over Russia will be reportedly performed by a joint mission of Canada and Spain between September 21 and 25.
• Venezuela to Buy at Least 12 Russian Fighter Jets - President Maduro Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- Venezuela's President is going to purchase at least 12 Russian fighter jets after the recent Su-30 fighter jet crash.
• September 21, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Sep 2015
• Daily Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 09/21/15 The White House 21 Sep 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 21, 2015
• Less expensive weapons could serve foreign buyers People's Daily 21 Sep 2015 -- Foreign arms purchasers can forget about getting their hands on Chinese-made ballistic and cruise missiles, such as those displayed in the Sept 3 Victory parade, because although they are extremely powerful and of great military use, a host of statutory obstacles prevent overseas sales, according to a military expert.

Other Conflicts

• 21 September 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Sep 2015
• US Calls to Halt Land Reclamation, Building Facilities in South China Sea Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- US National Security Advisor Susan Rice urged China and the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to create a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
• Saudi warplanes kill 25 Yemeni civilians in Sana'a Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- At least 25 civilians have been killed in Saudi airstrikes against residential areas in the Yemeni capital city of Sana'a.
• 'Time to overcome diplomatic failure' in Syria, says head of UN-mandated rights probe UN News 21 Sep 2015 -- It is time to overcome diplomatic failure and recognise that there is a global interest in returning Syria to peace, the head of a United Nations-mandated human rights inquiry said today, warning that if conflict continues, nations will be "fuelling a war to keep their influence over a country that will barely exist."
• Multiple bomb attacks kill 16, wound 58 across Iraq Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- Security and medical officials in Iraq say more than a dozen people have lost their lives and over 50 others sustained injuries in separate bomb attacks across the conflict-ridden country.
• High-profile Daesh militant killed in northern Iraq Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- Pro-government Iraqi forces have reportedly killed the Daesh shadow governor for the country's beleaguered northern province of Salahuddin during a military operation against the Takfiri militants in the province.
• US-Backed Iraqi Militia Accused of Abducting Civilians, Destroying Towns Sputnik 21 Sep 2015 -- Shia militia groups backed by the Iraqi government and the US-led coalition against ISIL deliberately destroyed hundreds of homes and abducted more than 200 people after retaking the city of Tikrit earlier this year, a new report has found.
• Up to 100 Dead in Maiduguri Blasts VOA 21 Sep 2015 -- As many as 100 people were killed in northern Nigeria in a series of coordinated explosions suspected to be the work of Boko Haram militants late Sunday.
• Northeast Nigeria bomb explosions death toll reaches 54 Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- The death toll from multiple bomb blasts in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri has increased to 54.
• UN Envoy: Libyan Peace Text Completed, Calls for Approval VOA 21 Sep 2015 -- A United Nations special envoy trying to broker a deal ending the political crisis in Libya has announced the formulation of a draft agreement, saying it is now up to the country's two rival governments to sign off on it.
• Bomb Explodes Outside Somali Presidential Palace VOA 21 Sep 2015 -- A suicide car bomb has exploded near Somalia's presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, killing at least seven people.

News Reports

• "Significant progress" in implementation of Road-map: Amano IRNA 21 Sep 2015 -- "Significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of the Road-map," Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano said upon returning from the visit to Iran on Monday.
• No IAEA inspector visited Parchin military site: Envoy IRNA 21 Sep 2015 -- Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi said on Monday that Tehran did not let IAEA inspectors visit or take samples at Parchin site, east of Tehran.
• Salehi hopes to resolve longstanding issues with IAEA by year-end IRNA 21 Sep 2015 -- Ali-Akbar Salehi, head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Monday he hopes the longstanding issues will be resolved with the International Atomic Energy Agency by the end of the current Christian year.
• IAEA hails 'significant progress' in Iran roadmap implementation Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has hailed the "significant progress" made in the implementation of a roadmap signed between Iran and the nuclear monitoring body in July.
• Samples taken at Iran military site; no IAEA inspectors present: Official Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- Iranian experts have taken environmental samples from the Parchin military site near the capital, Tehran, without the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors being present, says an Iranian official.
• IAEA Says Iran Took Samples At Military Site RFE/RL 21 Sep 2015 -- The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog says environmental samples have been taken at a sensitive military site in Iran.
• Head of UN atomic watchdog reports 'significant' progress in resolving outstanding issues with Iran UN News 21 Sep 2015 -- Significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of a road-map to resolve all outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme, the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today, after visiting a nuclear site and meeting senior Government officials, including the President, over the weekend.
• Burkina Faso Coup Leader Agrees to Peace Deal VOA 21 Sep 2015 -- In the West African nation of Burkina Faso, coup leader General Gilbert Diendéré agreed Monday to the proposed peace deal that was announced on Sunday. Diendéré said he will hand over power to the transitional government.
• Burkina Faso coup soldiers ordered to 'lay down arms' Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- Burkina Faso's military chiefs have ordered members of the presidential guard, which staged a coup against the country's interim government last week, to lay down their arms.
• Russian Intelligence Officer Jailed For 'High Treason' RFE/RL 21 Sep 2015 -- A Moscow court has sentenced a former intelligence officer to 14 years in prison on high-treason charges.
• Tsipras' Syriza party declares victory in Greece snap elections Press TV 21 Sep 2015 -- Alexis Tsipras has declared victory for his left-wing Syriza party in Greece's snap elections and vows to swiftly form a coalition government.