Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 18 Dec 2015 [PDF]
• Official: Coalition Forces Continue to Battle ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 18 Dec 2015 -- U.S.-led coalition forces continue to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant extremists in Iraq and Syria across the breadth and depth of the battlefield, Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters today via satellite feed from Baghdad.
• Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 18 Dec 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.
• Russian air defense grounded US warplanes in Syria: Pentagon Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Russia's deployment of sophisticated air defense systems in Syria, as part of Moscow's aerial campaign against Daesh (ISIL) terrorists there, has forced the US to halt manned flights in some parts of the country, says a pentagon official.
• US military mission violates Syria sovereignty: Deputy FM Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad has cast doubt on Washington's sincerity in fighting terrorism, saying US military mission in Syria is a violation of the Arab country's sovereignty.
• Pentagon: Russia's S-400 Air Defense in Syria Forces US to Ground Warplanes Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- As part of Russia's anti-terror campaign in Syria, the Kremlin has deployed sophisticated air defense systems to protect its aircraft. According to the Pentagon, those units have effectively grounded US aircraft.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Warren via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 18 Dec 2015-- Presenter: Colonel Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman
• Several killed, injured as US airstrike hits Iraqi troops Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Several Iraqi soldiers have either been killed or injured as a US airstrike hits their base in the western Anbar Province.
• Over 30 Iraqi Soldiers Killed in US Air Force Strike, 20 Others Injured Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- At least 30 Iraqi soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in US air strike, Hakim al-Zamili, the head of Iraqi parliament's Security and Defense Committee said.
• US special ops troops ordered to leave Libya Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- A group of US commandos who had traveled to Libya to 'foster relationships' was ordered to leave the war-torn country soon after they arrived, the Pentagon says.
• Joint Press Conference by Secretary Carter and Afghanistan Minister Stanekzai in Jalalabad, Afghanistan DoD 18 Dec 2015-- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter; Afghanistan Minister of Defense Muhammed Masoom Stanekzai
• Media Availability with Gen. Campbell in Bagram, Afghanistan DoD 18 Dec 2015-- Presenter: General John F. Campbell, commander, Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces-Afghanistan
• Remarks by Secretary Carter at a Troop Event in Afghanistan DoD 18 Dec 2015-- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Pentagon Chief: Afghan War Far From Over VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday in Afghanistan that the U.S. military possessed information suggesting that Islamic State was seeking an opportunity to establish bases in Nangarhar province.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon planning big Guantanamo prisoner transfer Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The Pentagon chief has approved the biggest transfer of inmates from the notorious US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says a congressional official.
• Accord on Spy Plane Deepens US-Singapore Ties, Analysts Say VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- Singapore's agreement this month to host a spy plane for the United States marked a step forward in a decades-old alliance between the two countries, analysts say.
• UCT 2 Completes Critical Maintenance Across Pacific NNS 18 Dec 2015 -- Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2's Construction Dive Detachment Charlie (CDD/C) completed five months of maintenance and repairs to U.S. 7th and 3rd Fleet Naval facilities, Dec. 12.
• Marine air support ground combat elements during Steel Knight 16 USMC News 18 Dec 2015 -- Marines and Sailors with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing supported the 1st Marine Division during Exercise Steel Knight 2016 aboard various military installations in California, Dec. 2-16, 2015.
• Ike Conducts First CVN Launch of Nulka NNS 18 Dec 2015 -- The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) completed the first successful carrier launch of the MK 234 Nulka countermeasure fired from the MK 53 Decoy Launching System (DLS), Dec. 16.
• Gravely Completes Training Exercise with Moroccan Navy NNS 18 Dec 2015 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) participated in a bilateral passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Royal Moroccan Navy Ship Sultan Moulay Ismail (FFG 614), Nov 28.
• USS Chafee Returns from Independent Deployment NNS 18 Dec 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) returned home from an independent deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 4th and 7th Fleet areas of operations, Dec. 17.
• U.S. 6th Fleet Receives Aegis Ashore-Romania from MDA NNS 18 Dec 2015 -- U.S. Ambassador to Romania Mr. Hans Klemm and Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu announced the major military components of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Romania have been transferred to Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 18.
• US, NATO announce completion of a new missile site in Romania Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The US and NATO have announced the completion of a new missile site in southern Romania to supposedly thwart potential threats from the Middle East.
• NATO marks 20 year anniversary of IFOR peacekeeping mission NATO 18 Dec 2015 -- This Sunday (20 December) NATO marks 20 years since the start of the Alliance's first peacekeeping operation, the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) which deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 20 December 1995 following the successful negotiation of the Dayton peace accords.
• Address by Patrick Auroy, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment at the ceremony for the activation of Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Facility at the Deveselu Military Base (Bucharest, Romania) NATO 18 Dec 2015 -- Ministers, Ambassador, Generals, Ladies and Gentlemen,
• Belgian Warplanes Take Baton From Germany to Defend Baltic Airspace Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Four German warplanes currently protecting the Baltic states' airspace will be replaced with Belgian Air Force fighter jets early next month, media reports said.
• First Borei-A-Class Nuclear Submarine to Enter Russian Navy Service in 2018 Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Rubin shipbuilder general director stated that first Borei-A-class nuclear submarine cruiser will enter into the Russian Navy's service in 2018.
• Russia Modernizing Fourth-Generation Borei-Class Nuclear Subs Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Russia's state-run submarine designer Rubin is working to modernize the fourth-generation nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the Borei class, the company's head said Friday.
• Russia's Sevmash to Begin Construction of Two Nuclear Submarines in 2016 Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- According to Sevmash, construction of two nuclear submarines is due to begin in 2016.
• Issue of Russian Airbase in Belarus Undecided, May Not Be Discussed Anymore Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Belarusian Defense Minister said that issue of establishing a Russian airbase in Belarus has not been decided yet and may no longer be discussed.
• Lithuania-Javelin Missiles and Command Launch Units DSCA 18 Dec 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Lithuania for Javelin Missiles and Command Launch Units, related equipment and support. The estimated cost is $55 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• New 052D guided missile destroyer joins South China Sea Fleet People's Daily 18 Dec 2015 -- The South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy welcomed a new guided missile destroyer, Hefei, on Dec. 12, 2015. The destroyer's naming and commissioning ceremony was held at a naval port in Sanya in south China's Hainan Province on Sunday morning.
• China holds military exercise in disputed waters Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The Chinese military says it has held exercises across "several thousand square kilometers" in the disputed South China Sea.
• China's New 'Carrier-Killer' Missile Goes Nuclear Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- China's new 'carrier-killer' DF-26 missile is capable of going nuclear and more mobile, with the intent of becoming a deterrent against conflict in the South China Sea.
• Beijing Warns DC of 'Increasing Consequences' After US-Taiwan Arms Deal Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Following Washington's announcement that it will sell weapons to Taiwan, a Chinese state-owned newspaper warned that the United States would face 'increasing costs and consequences' if it got involved in a regional conflict.
• National Airborne Service Corps to commission Black Hawks next March CNA 18 Dec 2015 -- Three of seven Black Hawk helicopters from the United States that were delivered to Taiwan on Thursday will be put into service next March as rescue aircraft, according to the National Airborne Service Corps (NASC).
• France Agrees to Reinvest 50% Worth of Rafale Contract in Indian Economy Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- The French side agreed to reinvest in the Indian economy 50 percent worth of the contract on the delivery of French-built Rafale fighters for Indian Air Force, the Indian Ministry of Defense said Friday.
• Peshmerga Training Effort Moves Into High Gear AFPS 18 Dec 2015 -- Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are rotating through coalition training in northern Iraq at the rate of 800 personnel every 25 days, enabling them to continue their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant with minimal interruption, the commander of the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center said yesterday.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 17, 2015
• Boeing-Lockheed Martin Statement on Long Range Strike-Bomber Boeing 18 Dec 2015 -- Yesterday, The Boeing Company filed with the GAO its 133-page brief in response to the Air Force’s filing, in the company’s protest of the Air Force’s selection of the Nation's next-generation Long Range Strike Bomber.

Other Conflicts

• 18 December 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Dec 2015
• 2015 to see record number of forced displacements: UN Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations (UN) says the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide in 2015 is on its way to surpassing a previous record of almost 60 million.
• UN agency issues guidance to help countries deal with refugee protection and security concerns UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- Concerned over growing polarization of political debate concerning refugees in some countries, the United Nations today released guidance aimed at helping States deal with security concerns while maintaining refugee protection, saying the two were not "mutually exclusive."
• Global forced displacement for 2015 on track to break all records, topping 60 million - UN UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- Forced displacement this year is likely exceed all previous records, for the first time topping 60 million, meaning that one out of every 122 persons on Earth has been forced to flee their home, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.
• Op-ed IV on the Philippines' South China Sea Arbitration Farce People's Daily 18 Dec 2015
• Yemen: UN-sponsored talks continue amid 'alarming' reports of ceasefire violations UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- As United Nations-sponsored consultations on Yemen continued today, the UN envoy facilitating the talks expressed deep concern at numerous reports of violations of the three-day-old ceasefire and urged the parties to respect that agreement and allow access to the country's most-affected districts.
• Aid? What aid? Besieged Yemenis ask IRIN 18 Dec 2015 -- On Thursday night, representatives of Yemen's warring parties announced a deal to immediately allow aid into the besieged city of Taiz. But residents say this week's truce still hasn't brought them the relief they so desperately need.
• Yemen militants capture town in defiance of ceasefire Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Militants loyal to Yemen's fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have captured a major northern town, taking advantage of the UN-backed ceasefire amid ongoing peace talks on the conflict in the Arab state.
• 15 civilians killed in Saudi strikes against Yemen Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- More than a dozen civilians have lost their lives in a string of new Saudi airstrikes against various areas across Yemen.
• In first political resolution on war-torn Syria, Security Council gives UN major role in seeking peace UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- In its first resolution to focus on the politics of ending Syria's five-year-long war, the Security Council today gave the United Nations an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, with a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, all under UN auspices.
• World Powers Unanimously Agree on Syria Peace Process VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday backing a peace process to end the nearly five-year war in Syria.
• Syria: UN chief meets with international partners on resolving crisis UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today joined diplomats from the International Syria Support Group meeting in New York to discuss a solution to the country's five-year war, and he is expected to brief the Security Council later today on the latest developments.
• Opposition groups must contribute to peace in Syria: Iran FM Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the activities of opposition forces in Syria must comply with international rules and regulations, stressing that they should also contribute to the promotion of peace in the crisis-hit country.
• Kerry To Chair UN Effort To Forge Syrian Peace December 18 RFE/RL 18 Dec 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council December 18 in a major effort to end the four-year civil war in Syria.
• 'Russia Smashing Daesh While Turkey Attacks Us' – Syrian Kurdish Commander Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Asked to comment on the situation on the ground in the Syrian Kurd-controlled areas of northern Syria, YPG People's Protection Units commander Huseyin Kocer told Sputnik that while Russian airstrikes have been dealing a 'a very serious blow' to Daesh (ISIL), the Turkish military has been attacking Kurdish areas instead.
• Iraqi forces liberate areas from Daesh in Ramadi Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces have carried out successful military operations against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in and around the city of Ramadi, seizing a number of neighborhoods in the capital of Anbar Province.
• Kremlin Backtracks On Putin's Comment About Military In Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 18 Dec 2015 -- The Kremlin is accusing NATO and Kyiv of 'misinterpreting' a remark made by President Vladimir Putin about the presence of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
• NATO Chief Misunderstood Putin on Russian Volunteers as Military in Ukraine Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Jens Stoltenberg misunderstood Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement by assuming that Russian "volunteers" located in eastern Ukraine meant "members of the military."
• Ukrainian Refugees Say Russia Not So Welcoming Anymore RFE/RL 18 Dec 2015 -- Svitlana Moroz, her two sons, and her elderly mother have lived in the spartan Sport hotel in Pskov, in western Russia, for nearly a year and a half now.
• 54 PKK militants killed in latest Turkish military operations: Source Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- At least 54 members of the Kurdistan's Workers Party (PKK) have reportedly been killed in the latest wave of Turkish military operations against the militant group southeast of the country.
• Azeri, Armenian presidents to meet over Nagorno-Karabakh Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will meet in the Swiss capital, Bern, in a bid to settle their decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• Ivorian Refugees Return Home VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said Friday that two convoys carrying 645 Ivorian refugees have begun their journeys home from two Liberian camps where they lived for the past few years. The agency said two more convoys are planned by the end of the year.

News Reports

• AU after sending 5,000 peacekeepers to Burundi Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The African Union (AU)'s Peace and Security Council has proposed to dispatch 5,000 peacekeepers to Burundi amid the deadly violence that has killed hundreds in the country.
• African Union Sending Peacekeepers to Burundi VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- The African Union has authorized deployment of peacekeepers to troubled Burundi and given the government a four-day deadline to accept the troops.
• Imam Khomeini's grandson to vie for Assembly of Experts polls Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- A grandson of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has registered for the upcoming Assembly of Experts' elections.
• Iran Aims To Boost Economy By Joining World Trading System RFE/RL 18 Dec 2015 -- Iran hopes to go beyond the lifting of Western economic sanctions and boost its economy by joining the world's preeminent trading group, a top Iranian official announced December 17.
• EU leaders agree to speed up creation of new border force Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- The European Union is due to fast-track the establishment of an EU border and coastguard force, as the 28-nation bloc is scrambling to curb the influx of refugees into Europe.
• Jordan Offers at New York Meeting Matrix of Terrorism Designations - FM Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Foreign Minister said that Jordan presented a matrix at the UN meeting in New York that reflects each country's understanding of which groups should be designated as terrorists in the Syrian peace process.
• Could IS Turn Next to Cyber War? VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- The power is out. Gas stations are out of gas. Factories are going haywire.
• Japan Delays Charges Over Alleged Leak of Military Data to Russia Sputnik 18 Dec 2015 -- Tokyo prosecutor's office postponed filing charges against seven Japanese officials who was accused in transfer of Japanese military data to Russia, according to local media.
• Analysts: Russia's Oil Addiction, Putin's Political System Mutually Sustaining VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- Russia's leaders often voice the need to diversify the Russian economy away from a reliance on the export of raw materials, such as oil and gas, in order to stabilize growth.
• Tusk Says Nord Stream 2 Does Not Meet EU Energy Rules RFE/RL 18 Dec 2015 -- European Council President Donald Tusk says the proposed Nord Stream-2 pipeline extension does not meet EU energy rules on supply diversification and would undermine Ukraine's role as a gas transit state.
• Some 90 per cent of voters in Central African Republic favour new constitution - UN mission reports UN News 18 Dec 2015 -- Ninety per cent of voters in the Central African Republic (CAR) are in favour of the new Constitution, according to partial election results, while campaigning is now under way for the presidential elections and the final list of parliamentary candidates has been published, the United Nations mission in the country reported today.
• Rwandans Vote on Measure Allowing Kagame More Terms VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- Rwandans are going to the polls to vote on a referendum that would change the constitution and allow President Paul Kagame to run for as many as three more terms in office.
• Israel, Turkey Reportedly Close to Normalizing Relations VOA 18 Dec 2015 -- Israel and Turkey have reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to end years of estrangement and begin restoring full diplomatic relations.
• Ukraine not to repay $3-billion debt to Russia: Premier Press TV 18 Dec 2015 -- Ukraine's prime minister says the country will not pay back its USD three-billion debt to Russia despite Moscow's warning that it would take legal action against Kiev if it misses looming deadline for the debt redemption.