Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 30 Sep 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Carter in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 30 Sep 2015-- Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 30 Sep 2015 -- Yesterday, U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• US temporarily stops training militants from Syria: Pentagon Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- The United States has stopped recruiting new militants from inside Syria for military training outside the country as the troubled "train-and-equip" program is reevaluated.
• Doctors overwhelmed in Afghan city taken by Taliban IRIN 30 Sep 2015 -- With the government hospital shut down, a facility run by Médecins Sans Frontières is now the only place for people needing urgent trauma care to be treated in Kunduz, which was taken by the Taliban on Monday. Afghan forces have been battling the insurgents to regain control of the northern city of about 300,000 people, and residents are caught in the middle.
• Afghan Forces Await Reinforcements For Kunduz Counteroffensive RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015 -- An expected Afghan government counteroffensive to retake Kunduz from the Taliban appears to have largely stalled as troops await reinforcements.
• Taliban's Brutal Measures Belie 'Charm Offensive' In Captured Kunduz RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015
• Kunduz Governor Reappears, Vows To Spill His 'Last Drop Of Blood' Fighting Taliban RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015 -- The governor of the northern Afghan province of Kunduz -- The governor of the northern Afghan province of Kunduz - who was outside the country when the provincial capital fell to Taliban fighters earlier this week - has returned to Kabul and is dismissing reports that he had fled for Europe.
• Afghanistan: UN stresses need to protect civilians amid reported abuses in Kunduz UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- Amid reports of extrajudicial executions, abductions and other abuses in Kunduz following this week's attack by the Taliban, the United Nations today reminded all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan of their obligations to protect civilians and to respect human rights at all times.
• US Launches Airstrikes to Support Afghan Forces in Kunduz VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- Coalition special forces encountered a threat from Taliban fighters during an intense battle in northern Afghanistan to recapture the key city of Kunduz, which the militant group seized this week.
• Kunduz Security Long in Decay Before Taliban Takeover VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- The Taliban's takeover of the northern Afghan city Kunduz is a sign of deep problems in the government's security strategy that have been long in the making. Political and military decisions led to the Taliban's first takeover of a major urban area in Afghanistan since 2001.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Airmen learn to weather missions with Cadre Focus AFNS 30 Sep 2015 -- The blue skies over Eastern Europe are only disturbed by a few clouds and black Apache attack helicopters racing ahead of military vehicles and Soldiers. Behind them, a battery of artillery and an Army general who ordered the operation after a weather Airman forecasted sunshine and clear skies.
• Department of Defense Releases Second Quarter 2015 Suicide Information DoD 30 Sep 2015-- Today, the Department of Defense released the Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR) for the second quarter of calendar year 2015.
• 'Trinity' Marines participate in Island Viper USMC News 30 Sep 2015 -- Marines with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, participated in their annual training exercise, Island Viper, at the Boondocker Training Area aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Sept. 22, 2015.
• Three San Diego Based Destroyers Relocating to Everett, Wash. NNS 30 Sep 2015 -- The U.S. Navy announced the homeport change of three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers today. USS Gridley(DDG 101), USS Sampson(DDG 102), and USS Kidd(DDG 100) will relocate from San Diego to Naval Station Everett, Wash., in 2016.
• US, Bangladesh Navies Strengthen Maritime Partnerships during 5th CARAT Bangladesh NNS 30 Sep 2015 -- The 5th annual exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh commenced with an opening ceremony at Naval Base Issa Khan, Sept. 30.
• Koa Moana 15-3 Promotes Tri-Service, Partner Nations Maritime Security Cooperation Engagements NNS 30 Sep 2015 -- Military Sealift Command's USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) is currently participating in Exercise Koa Moana 15-3, a four-month exercise that involves embarked Marines and will make stops at locations in the Pacific Island Nations of Oceana: French Polynesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Timor Leste.
• US Navy: Ship Intercepted in Arabian Sea Originated in Iran VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- The U.S. Navy says a member nation of a U.S.-backed naval coalition intercepted a ship carrying illicit arms believed to be from Iran in the Arabian Sea last week.
• NATO Commander Discusses Ukraine, Syria, Russian Engagement AFPS 30 Sep 2015 -- The situations in Ukraine and Syria and the need for the United States and European nations to engage with top officials in Russia highlighted remarks here Sept. 28 by NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe.
• Putin Says Russian Engagement in Syria 'Temporary' Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Speaking at a meeting with cabinet members the Russian president said the only way to fight international terrorism in Syria was acting pre-emptively, destroying terrorists in the areas they have already occupied.
• Russia's upper house of parliament approves military presence in Syria Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has voted unanimously to give President Vladimir Putin the right to use Russian armed forces in Syria.
• Russian Parliament Grants Putin Right To Use Military In Syria RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015 -- Russia's upper house of parliament has voted unanimously to grant President Vladimir Putin the right to use the country's armed forces in Syria, where Moscow has sent warplanes and military equipment in a buildup that has raised questions about its intentions.
• Russia Approves Use of Armed Forces in Syria Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Russia's Federation Council unanimously approved the use of the country's armed forces abroad.
• Russian Nuclear Subs Will Get Advanced Reconaissance Equipment Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- New fifth-generation nuclear submarines Russia is currently developing will have increased speed, improved reconnaissance capability and advanced weaponry, Russian Navy's Commander-in-Chief Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Wednesday.
• Defence Secretary views Exercise Pearl Dagger in Bahrain UK MOD 30 Sep 2015 -- The Defence Secretary has visited a Royal Marine exercise and reinforced the UK's commitment to Bahrain and the wider region.
• India Inducts Country's Largest Warship Into Navy Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Sputnik correspondent reports that Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned INS Kochi, which is reportedly the largest warship ever built in the country.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 9/30/2015 The White House 30 Sep 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 30, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 30 September 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Sep 2015
• At Security Council, Ban underscores shared responsibility to resolve Mid-east conflicts UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for using all the tools available to the United Nations to help steer the Middle East and North Africa towards a path of freedom, safety and dignity, citing in particular the obligation of the international community to ensure a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria and accountability for serious crimes committed there.
• Riyadh bombs Yemen despite UN warning about casualties Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Saudi Arabia has continued its deadly military aggression against neighboring Yemen as the United Nations warns about the number of civilian casualties in the Yemeni conflict and blames Riyadh's measures against the impoverished Arab country.
• Turkish warplanes hit 24 PKK targets in southeast Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- The Turkish army says its fighter jets have hit 24 targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in the southeastern part of the country.
• Russian Actions Intensifying Syrian Civil War, Carter Says AFPS 30 Sep 2015 -- Russian actions are intensifying the instability in Syria and making the civil war there more vicious, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today.
• At UN, Turkish Prime Minister urges action to end Syrian crisis UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- Recalling the heart-rending story of the little boy whose lifeless body washed up on a beach in Turkey last month, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today urged the United Nations to take swift action to address the deepening crisis in Syria and to protect the millions of people "fleeing war and tyranny."
• US military should both target Assad and Daesh: Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the Pentagon should target both the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.
• Kerry warns Lavrov over Russian airstrikes in Syria Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russian airstrikes in Syria could escalate the years-long conflict in the Arab country, a senior American official says.
• Russia launches first airstrikes in Syria: US Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Russia has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria after Washington reportedly refused to comply with Moscow's demand to take US warplanes out of the Arab country, a senior American official says.
• Russia Launches Air Strikes In Syria As Western Officials Doubt Goals RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015 -- In a bold escalation of its involvement in Syria, Russia has launched air strikes in the war-torn country that it says targeted Islamic State (IS) militants, while Western officials suggested the offensive may be aimed at other opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
• Russia to Provide Only Air Operation in Support of Syrian Army Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian upper house of parliament's Foreign Affairs committee, said that Russian military operation in Syria will be exclusively an air operation, but in tight coordination with the ground operations that are being conducted by the Syrian Army.
• Carter: Russian Airstrikes 'Pouring Gas on Fire' in Syria VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- Russia's decision to begin airstrikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime 'is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the fire' of the Middle East country's four-year civil war, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday.
• Damascus confirms President Assad asked for Russia's military aid in fighting terrorists Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- The Syrian government has confirmed that President Bashar al-Assad requested military assistance from Russia, as Moscow gets the parliamentary approval for military presence in Syria.
• Saudi Arabia calls on Assad to leave or be removed by force Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Saudi Arabia says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave office or face being removed via military intervention.
• US-Russia Talks on Syria Remain Priority for Washington - White House Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Talks with Russia on military activity in Syria have not begun, but are expected to take place soon, Josh Earnest said.
• France to Bomb ISIL Positions in Syria 'For as Long as Needed' Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that Paris will continue operation in Syria for as long as needed.
• Russia's Buildup in Syria May Thwart Idea of Safe Haven VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- For weeks Ankara and Washington have been discussing establishing a safe haven in northern Syria to shield civilians and rebels alike from relentless Syrian government airstrikes.
• Kurdish Peshmerga forces retake 12 villages in northern Iraq Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Thousands of Kurdish Peshmerga forces have managed to retake 12 villages in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk from Daesh Takfiri terrorists, after they mounted an all-out ground offensive to drive out the militants from the oil-rich areas.
• Russian Anti-ISIL Airstrikes in Syria to Boost Iraq's Chances of Success Sputnik 30 Sep 2015 -- Iraq's Defense Ministry spokesman Nasir Nouri Mohammed said that Iraq has been unable to drive ISIL out of areas on the border with Syria, and 'if Russia joins in airstrikes, this will also help us combat terrorists more effectively on the Iraqi territory.'
• Meeting at UN, Middle East Quartet strongly condemns Israeli-Palestinian violence UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- The United Nations and its diplomatic partners in the Middle East Quartet today condemned "in the strongest possible terms" violence against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and reiterated that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of a negotiated solution.
• Citing Israeli violations, Palestinian chief renounces peace accords at UN General Assembly UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- On the day that the Palestinian flag was raised at United Nations Headquarters for the first time, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today renounced political and security accords with Israel, saying it must now resume its responsibilities as occupying Power, due to its continual violations of the 20-year-old agreements.
• Palestine no longer committed to Oslo accords: Abbas Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinian Authority (PA) cannot abide by the Oslo agreements with Israel any longer due to the Tel Aviv regime's continued illegal settlement activities in the occupied territories.
• Abbas: Palestinians No Longer Bound by Agreements with Israel VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations Wednesday that Palestine is no longer bound by agreements it has made with Israel.
• OSCE welcomes Ukraine's weapons withdrawal agreement Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has welcomed the agreement reached between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on the withdrawal of weapons from the front line of their conflict in eastern Ukraine.
• Ukraine, Russian-Backed Rebels Agree To Withdraw Weapons RFE/RL 30 Sep 2015 -- Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and Europe reached a long-awaited agreement on the withdrawal of tanks and other weapons from the frontline in eastern Ukraine.
• In UN Assembly speech, Pakistan's Prime Minister proposes new peace initiative with India UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif proposed today renewed peace talks with India, aimed at defining the relationship between the Asian countries 'as one of cooperation, not confrontation.'

News Reports

• World must 'act with collective humanity' to address growing humanitarian needs - Ban UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- As preparations continue for next year's World Humanitarian Summit, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the need for all actors to work together to address the growing needs around the globe which are due to a number of factors but mainly driven by armed conflict.
• High-level UN event tackles biggest refugee and migration crisis since Second World War UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- As the world confronts the biggest refugee and migration crisis since the Second World War, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today convened a high-level meeting on the issue and outlined eight guiding principles to improve preparedness.
• Global response to terrorism vital for solving refugee crisis, European leaders tell UN UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- European leaders took to the podium of the United Nations General Assembly today to call for a global response to terrorism, both by combatting it and taking early action to pre-empt the scourge, which has seen hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding to the continent's doorstep.
• Amid numerous challenges, Lebanon needs great international support – UN chief UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- While thanking Lebanon's partners for their efforts to support the country in the face of numerous challenges, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the need for even greater assistance, particularly as the country deals with the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Al-Qaida or Islamic State? Issue Simmers Within Al-Shabab VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- Somalia's Al-Shabab militants have moved to silence members suspected of pushing the group to switch its main alliance from al-Qaida to the Islamic State extremist group.
• CIA officers pulled from Beijing after OMP hack attack Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) pulled a number of officers from the American Embassy in Beijing as a precautionary measure following the cyber theft of millions of government employees' personal data, says a report.
• Report: CIA Agents Pulled From China After Data Breach VOA 30 Sep 2015 -- An undisclosed number of CIA officers have been pulled from China in the wake of massive cybertheft earlier this year that exposed the personal data of more than 21 million U.S. government workers, The Washington Post reported, citing current and former U.S. officials.
• Two Japanese men held in China on spying charges: Reports Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- Newly released reports say two Japanese men have been detained in China on charges of spying and have been held in custody for several months.
• North Korea threatens to cancel family reunion event with South Press TV 30 Sep 2015 -- North Korea has threatened to cancel a much-awaited reunion of the families forced apart by the Korean War over recent remarks by the South Korean president critical of Pyongyang.
• Terrorism and climate change greatest threats to humanity, Bangladeshi leader tells UN Assembly UN News 30 Sep 2015 -- As the global community marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh told the UN General Assembly today that two global challenges pose the greatest threat to the sustainability of humankind: terrorism and violent extremism, and climate change.