• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 21 Oct 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Warren via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 21 Oct 2015 -- Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 21 Oct 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have 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.
• U.S., Russia sign memorandum on safe flight operations over Syria People's Daily 21 Oct 2015 -- The Pentagon said on Tuesday the United States and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on safe flight operations over Syria as they carry out separate airstrikes against militant groups in the country.
• Afghan Forces Battle Taliban In North, South RFE/RL 21 Oct 2015 -- Afghan security forces have launched a two-pronged offensive to take on the Taliban in areas where the militant group has made gains in recent days.

Defense Policy / Programs

• F.E. Warren tests Minuteman III missile with launch from Vandenberg AFB AFNS 21 Oct 2015 -- A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, launched from here an unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle Oct. 21.
• Radar upgrades ensure situation awareness AFNS 21 Oct 2015 -- A Battle Management program to improve Air Force long-range radar systems recently reached full operational capability when all long-range sites were certified and deemed effective.
• MQ-1B Predator crashes in Turkey AFNS 21 Oct 2015 -- An Air Force MQ-1B Predator, a remotely piloted aircraft, crashed in southern Turkey at approximately 9:36 p.m. local time, Oct. 19.
• 2 US Predator drones crashed in Mideast in October, says US military spokesman Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Two Predator drones belonging to the US military have recently crashed in separate incidents in the Middle East, a US military official says.
• Premier Marine Corps amphibious, aerial exercise underway in Okinawa USMC News 21 Oct 2015 -- Blue Chromite 16, a large-scale yet economic training exercise, is now fully underway as Marines and Sailors here wrap up a fire support coordination exercise.
• U.S., Portuguese Marines train side-by-side during Trident Juncture 15 USMC News 21 Oct 2015 -- U.S. Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard the USS Arlington (LPD 24), and Portuguese Marines completed an amphibious beach assault training exercise, Oct. 20, 2015, at Pinheiro Da Cruz, Praia Da Raposa beach, Portugal, during Exercise Trident Juncture 15.
• Chilean Minister of Defense Visits George Washington NNS 21 Oct 2015 -- The Chilean Minister of Defense visited the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) at-sea, Oct. 18, to observe carrier operations as part of UNITAS Pacific (PAC).
• US F/A-18 fighter jet crashes in England, pilot killed Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- A US F/A-18 fighter jet has crashed near an American-operated military base in England, local police and US military officials say.
• One Way No More: NATO Rings Alarm Over Russia's Might in Mediterranean Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- NATO military chiefs are raising alarm over what they now view as 'a wider strategic plan of Vladimir Putin's Russia to challenge the west closer to home'; they now fear Russia's fast-developing arsenal of ship-launched cruise and ballistic missiles is able to restrict the alliance's 'ability to easily deploy military assets' in the Mediterranean.
• NATO Trident Juncture Exercises to Move to Active Phase in Southern Europe Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- The NATO Trident Juncture military drills, involving over 36,000 troops from 30 NATO countries together with 140 aircraft and 60 ships, will move into their active phase on Wednesday, October 21.
• Russia Builds Second Military Base To Support Arctic Ambitions RFE/RL 21 Oct 2015 -- Russia's defense ministry said it has built a giant military base in the far northern Arctic, establishing a sprawling presence where Russia hopes to retrieve oil and other mineral riches.
• Aircraft carrier Liaoning tour by US navy demonstrates China's sincerity People's Daily 21 Oct 2015 -- A delegation of US navy officers visited the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, on Monday. The tour is part of an annual exchange program between the Chinese and US navies. Amid the simmering South China Sea disputes, the US tour to the Liaoning sent a positive signal as it displays both sides' willingness for more military changes.
• Defence Secretary Michael Fallon: Keeping Our Future Afloat Campaign UK MOD 21 Oct 2015 -- The Defence Secretary affirmed the Government's commitment to the Successor submarine programme at a reception in the House of Commons today.
• Canadian PM-elect vows Iraq, Syria fighter jet withdrawal Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- The Canadian prime minister-elect, Justin Trudeau, has vowed to withdraw his country's CF-18 fighter jets from Syria and Iraq, where a so-called US-led aerial campaign is hitting purported Daesh targets.
• Obama hopes Canada will continue supporting war on ISIL: White House Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- The administration of US President Barack Obama says it hopes the new Canadian government will continue to support the fight against Daesh (ISIL) militants in Iraq and Syria.
• Trudeau Victory Threatens US F-35 Jet Deal With Canada Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Lockheed Martin's prospects for selling its F-35 Lightning II to Canada took a serious blow when Justin Trudeau won Canada's general election.
• Iranian Warships Arrive in Russia for Joint Naval Exercises Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Iranian warships arrived on Wednesday at the Russian port of Astrakhan for a visit to Russia's Caspian Sea base, prior to beginning exercises in the Caspian Sea.
• France, Kuwait strike $2.8bn military deals Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Kuwait has signed a number of major military deals with France, amid concerns in the Arab kingdom about potential terrorist attacks by the Daesh Takfiri militants.
• October 21, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Oct 2015
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz en route Charleston, WV, 10/21/2015 The White House 21 Oct 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 21, 2015
• F-16V Takes Flight Lockheed Martin 21 Oct 2015 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully completed the maiden flight of the F-16V, the latest and most advanced F-16 on the market today. The October 16 flight marks the first time an F-16 has flown with Northrop Grumman's advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), which will deliver a quantum leap in capability for the venerable F-16.

Other Conflicts

• 21 October 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Oct 2015
• Saudi soldiers killed in retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Yemeni forces have carried out retaliatory attacks against military bases Saudi Arabia has set up in Yemen's central province of Ma'rib and similar targets on the Saudi soil.
• Yemeni forces capture several villages in southwestern Saudi Arabia Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Yemeni army troops backed by fighters from Popular Committees have established control over a number of villages in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border region of Jizan as they continue to gain ground in the area.
• Yemeni President Hadi Succeeds Former Leader Saleh as Ruling Party Chairman Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Yemeni General People's Congress announced that former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was succeeded by current President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi as chairman of the party.
• Syrian army troopers deal major blows to Takfiri militants Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Army forces in Syria have carried out mop-up operations against foreign-backed militants across the conflict-ridden Arab country, inflicting heavy losses on them.
• Lavrov To Meet Kerry On Syria After Assad's Moscow Visit RFE/RL 21 Oct 2015 -- Russia says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to meet with their Turkish and Saudi counterparts in Vienna on October 23 to discuss the crisis in Syria.
• Kremlin Confirms There Will Be No Russian Ground Operations in Syria Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow rules out the possibility of a Russian ground operation in Syria.
• Assad, Putin discuss Syria situation in Moscow Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Moscow says Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin have held talks on the situation in Syria in Russia's capital.
• Assad Visits Putin in Moscow to Discuss Syria Campaign VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad returned home Wednesday after making a rare trip to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss the three-week old Russian military campaign backing Assad's army.
• Syria Offensives Trigger More Turkey-Bound Refugees VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- Turkish officials say 50,000 refugees have left the Syrian city of Aleppo and are heading to the border, but it remains unclear whether they will be allowed to enter Turkey after a hazardous journey dodging airstrikes and negotiating checkpoints manned by disparate rebel militias, including al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria.
• Nearly a dozen people are killed in Iraq bombing, shooting attacks Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Nearly a dozen people have lost their lives and 30 others sustained injuries in separate bomb explosions and shooting incidents in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and elsewhere in the crisis-hit Arab country.
• Top US military officer says Iraq won't ask Russian airstrikes Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- America's top military officer said the United States has won assurances from Iraq that it would not seek Russian airstrikes against Daesh (ISIL) terrorists in the country.
• Top U.S. General Says Iraq Pledged Not To Seek Russian Aid RFE/RL 21 Oct 2015 -- The United States won assurances from Iraq that it would not seek Russian air strikes against Islamic State targets after conveying serious concerns about the proposal, America's top general said October 20.
• US Sees 'No Indication' Russia Preparing to Conduct Airstrikes in Iraq Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Washington sees no indication that Russia is preparing to carry out airstrikes in Iraq, according to a spokesman for the US Operation Inherent Resolve, which is a code name for the military intervention against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
• Humanitarian situation in Iraq 'deteriorating and growing more complex,' UN relief wing reports UN News 21 Oct 2015 -- The humanitarian situation in Iraq is deteriorating and growing more complex, as conflict protracts, coping capacities diminish, and funding falls short, according to a report issued today by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• Iraqi Leaders Discuss Single Commander for IS Battle VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- Iraqi leaders will begin a process Wednesday to select a commander who can serve as a central figure to better organize the various forces fighting Islamic State militants.
• DPR Begins Withdrawal of Weaponry With Less Than 100mm Caliber Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- According to RIA Novosti correspondent reports, the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has begun withdrawing weaponry carrying less than 100mm in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
• Niger says two soldiers killed in suspected Boko Haram attack Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- A thwarted attack by suspected Boko Haram Takfiri militants has claimed the lives of two Nigerien soldiers and left several others wounded, Niger's defense minister says.
• 'Endless cycle of suffering' must stop, Ban says in Ramallah, urging end to wave of violence in region UN News 21 Oct 2015 -- On the second day of his visit to Israel and Palestine to ease the current tensions in the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to violence, which "will only push back the day…both sides will live in peace and security," and pledged the support of the United Nations to all efforts to create the conditions to make meaningful negotiations possible.
• German FM Warns Against Renewed Balkan Conflicts VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- Germany's foreign minister stressed the imperative for containing any renewed conflicts between former Yugoslav countries because of disputes over Europe's immigration crisis.
• Hardliners will not 'hijack' Libyan political process, declares UN envoy, vowing to press ahead UN News 21 Oct 2015 -- The effort towards forming a unity government in Libya will continue, the United Nations envoy for the country said today, emphasizing that while a position had been announced that some parties had not voted for the UN-backed political agreement, "there is no chance for small groups or personalities to hijack this process."
• 'All places were dangerous': civilian voices from a South Sudan front line IRIN 21 Oct 2015 -- Leer county Unity State has been one of the regions in South Sudan hardest hit since conflict in South Sudan broke out again in December 2013. It is the birthplace of rebel leader Riek Machar, a former vice president, and home of the Dok clan of the Nuer ethnic group.

News Reports

• Iran's Supreme Leader Approves Nuclear Deal Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei espoused his position on the nuclear agreement in a letter to Iranian president Rouhani
• Leader acknowledges JCPOA approval by SNSC IRNA 21 Oct 2015 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday acknowledged the approval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached with six world powers in Vienna on July 14 by the Supreme National Security Council.
• Leader writes to Rouhani on JCPOA IRNA 21 Oct 2015 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei wrote to President Hassan Rouhani about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• Continued sanctions breach of JCPOA: Leader Press TV 21 Oct 2015 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says, in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, that any remarks which suggest sanctions against Iran will remain in place would be in contravention of the agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group over Tehran's nuclear program.
• EU's Delayed Report on Turkey Fuels Human Rights Concerns VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- The European Union is delaying its annual report on Turkey's bid for membership, which is widely expected to be highly critical of Turkey's human rights record. The report is being postponed until after next month's Turkish general election. This has prompted the idea that the EU is willing to use the human rights issue to enlisting Turkey's cooperation in alliance efforts to stem the tide of migrants and refugees entering Europe.
• IS Has 'Mastered Social Media' Like No Other Extremist Group VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- The Islamic State group has mastered the use of social media to promote its cause like no other extremist organization, experts on the group said Tuesday in Washington.
• New Docs Reveal UK Snoopers' Bill Will Give Agencies the Power to Hack You Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Further details have finally been revealed on what is included in the British government's controversial Investigatory Powers Bill. According to the Times, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ will be given the authority to hack into smartphones and computers belonging to members of the public.
• Chinese president lauds 'community of shared interests' with Britain People's Daily 21 Oct 2015 -- China and Britain are 'increasingly interdependent' and becoming 'a community of shared interests,' Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday while addressing both Houses of British Parliament.
• Ivory Coast Readies for Presidential Poll VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- The election campaign is in full-swing in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's biggest city. On Sunday, more than 6 million voters are expected to go to the polls to choose their next leader.
• Brazzaville Protests President's Attempt to Extend Rule VOA 21 Oct 2015 -- More protests were reported Wednesday in Brazzaville, the capital of Republic of Congo, after clashes between opposition supporters and security forces left several dead on Tuesday. The opposition is protesting a constitutional referendum that would pave the way for longtime President Denis Sassou Nguessou to extend his rule.