Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 22 Dec 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Warren via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 22 Dec 2015 -- Presenter: Col. Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman; Maj. J.B. Brindle, Defense Press Office
• Military Strikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 22 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.
• Coalition, Local Forces Making Gains Against ISIL AFPS 22 Dec 2015 -- Coalition and local forces have inflicted a 'recent string of defeats' on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve said today in Baghdad.
• Security Council strongly condemns deadly terrorist attack near Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council today condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack in Afghanistan that killed at least six United States service members, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, saying "no violent or terrorist acts can reverse the path towards Afghan-led peace, democracy and stability."
• Taliban seize district in western Afghanistan Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Taliban militants have taken control of a district in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, local residents say.
• Britain Sends Military Personnel To Afghan Province RFE/RL 22 Dec 2015 -- Britain has sent military personnel to the southern Afghan province of Helmand following reports the district of Sangin had largely fallen to the Taliban.
• US, UK Deploy Forces in Afghanistan After 14 Year Failure to Defeat Taliban Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks that led to US President George W. Bush demanding that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and the invasion of Afghanistan, the US and UK are deploying forces after the militant group made further gains against the Afghan army.
• Over 50 Afghan Law Enforcement Officers Die Fighting Daesh, Taliban Daily Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Over 50 Afghan security and military personnel die every day in operations against Taliban insurgency and the encroachment of the Islamic State (Daesh in Arabic), an acting Afghan Charge d'Affairs to Russia told Sputnik.
• Britain Sends Military Advisers to Afghanistan's Helmand VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Taliban advances in a restive province of Afghanistan have prompted Britain to send a group of military advisers to help local forces in countering the insurgents. The recent hostilities have led to renewed International calls for seeking a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict.
• UN Reports 'Overall Deterioration' in Afghan Security VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- The U.N.'s envoy to Afghanistan told the Security Council on Monday there has been an 'overall deterioration' in security in the country, hours after a Taliban suicide bomber killed six U.S. troops in an attack on a NATO patrol.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Secretary Carter's Call with Italian Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti DoD 22 Dec 2015
• Navy Announces USS Nimitz Extending Stay in Bremerton NNS 22 Dec 2015 -- The Navy announced Dec. 22, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) will remain stationed in Bremerton, Washington, through fiscal year 2019 as part of a decision that avoids the possibility of three homeport changes over a four-year period for the ship's crewmembers and families.
• 45th SW launches ORBCOMM, lands first stage booster AFNS 22 Dec 2015 -- The 45th Space Wing successfully supported the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket during its mission to put ORBCOMM's OG2 communications satellites into orbit Dec. 21.
• USS Texas visits Yokosuka during Indo-Asia-Pacific Deployment NNS 22 Dec 2015 -- Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, Dec. 22 for a visit as part of its Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment.
• USNS Spearhead Prepares for its Pending Deployment NNS 22 Dec 2015 -- Sailors assigned to the Navy's Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) are preparing for their scheduled deployment in early 2016 to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the international collaborative capacity-building program Africa Partnership Station (APS).
• USS Hartford Returns from 6-Month Deployment NNS 22 Dec 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) returned to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, Conn., from a regularly scheduled deployment, Dec. 18.
• Russia Rules Out New Arms Race, Views Use of Military Force as Last Resort Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Russia's new security strategy rules out costly confrontation, including a new arms race, and considers the use of military force as the last resort, Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said.
• Russian Fighting 'Vehicle of Future' to Become Multirole Digital Unit Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- According to the Kurganmashzavod arms plant, Russia created a concept of 'infantry fighting vehicle of the future' which will be a highly mobile multirole digital unit.
• Russia Will Rearm Airborne Troops With New Armored Vehicles by 2025 Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- The number of advanced airborne assault vehicles and multirole armored personnel carriers will allow Russia's Airborne Troops to fully replace all outdated machines by 2025, according to the Kurganmashzavod arms plant.
• War Train: China Tests Rail-Based Long-Range Missile Capable of Hitting US Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- China this month tested a new rail-car-mounted long-range missile capable of hitting targets in the United States, according to American intelligence agencies monitoring the test.
• Iran's missile power serving Mideast's peace, says defense minister ISNA 22 Dec 2015 -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan said the country's missile power is serving regional peace, stability and security.
• Anti-Iran resolutions can't limit Iran's defense power: IRGC Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- A senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Republic will not limit its defense power on the account of anti-Iran resolutions drawn up by foreign powers.
• Latest U.S. arms sale not enough to defend Taiwan: WSJ CNA 22 Dec 2015 -- The latest package of U.S. weapons to be sold to Taiwan is not enough for the island's defense, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said in its Opinion section Monday.
• India to Deliver 4 Russia-Built Helicopters to Afghanistan Within Days Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Afghanistan expects to upgrade its military with at least four Russia-made choppers.
• December 22, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 22 Dec 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 22, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 22 December 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 22 Dec 2015
• Japan: Armed Chinese Vessel Spotted Near Disputed Islands VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Japan says it has spotted an armed Chinese coast guard ship near a set of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are the center of a long-running territorial dispute between the two Asian economic giants.
• With parties 'deeply divided over path to peace,' Yemen faces Balkanization, Security Council warned UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- The Security Council must act now to end the fighting in Yemen or face the irreversible Balkanization of the country, creating safe havens for terrorists and potentially shattering regional stability, the United Nations human rights chief warned today.
• UN criticizes Saudi for attacks on Yemen civilians Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticized Saudi Arabia for carrying out a 'disproportionate amount' of attacks on civilian areas in Yemen.
• Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Despite a ceasefire and peace talks, attacks have continued in Yemen between rebels and a Saudi-led coalition, which on Monday said it had intercepted a missile targeting Saudi Arabia's southern border region.
• Syria: Security Council demands immediate humanitarian access across battle lines UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- In its first resolution on Syria since granting the United Nations an enhanced role in seeking to end the five-year-long war, the Security Council today demanded that all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, immediately open routes across conflict lines and borders to let in vital humanitarian aid.
• UN Security Council Demands Access for Aid to Syria VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council is demanding all parties in Syria immediately let food, medicine and other badly needed humanitarian aid into war zones.
• Turkey Sharpens Criticism of Russia's Airstrikes in Syria VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Turkey has stepped up its criticism of Russia's airstrikes in Syria in the wake of deadly strikes in the northwest city of Idlib.
• Syria army troops deal hard blows to Takfiri terrorists Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Government forces have killed dozens of foreign-backed Takfiri militants during a series of mop-up operations across Syria, the official SANA news agency says.
• Syrian Army Repels Militants' Attack on Strategic Airbase Near Damascus Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- The Syrian Army and its allies repelled an attack by al-Nusra Front militants on government troops' positions in the strategic Marj al-Sultan air base in Damascus province.
• Iraq forces liberate more districts in Ramadi Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- The Iraqi military and volunteer fighters have liberated more neighborhoods from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the city of Ramadi, Anbar Province.
• Iraq army advances into Ramadi center Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces advance into the center of the Ramadi city, which has been under the control of Daesh terrorists since May.
• Iraqi Troops Storm Ramadi In Bid To Retake IS-Controlled City RFE/RL 22 Dec 2015 -- U.S. and Iraqi officials say Iraqi security forces have stormed the center of Ramadi in a bid to wrest control of the central Iraqi city from Islamic State (IS) militants.
• Iraq Opting to Go Without US Apache Helicopter Support in Battle for Ramadi Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- The Iraqi authorities did not request US Apache helicopter assistance during their offensive to reclaim the city of Ramadi from Daesh, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Steven Warren told reporters on Tuesday.
• Daesh Instructs Fighters to Commit Atrocities Disguised as Iraqi Troops Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Daesh fighters were directed to blow up mosques, torture and kill civilians, break into homes, and film their actions for the purpose of future distribution, according to Pentagon.
• Iraqi Troops Advance Into Ramadi in Anti-IS Offensive VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi troops advanced Tuesday into the center of Ramadi in a fierce push to reclaim the city they lost to Islamic State (IS) militants seven months ago.
• US Notices 'Some Repositioning' of Turkish Forces in Northern Iraq Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Turkey has repositioned some of its forces illegally deployed to the north of Iraq, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Steven Warren told reporters on Tuesday.
• Libya's dire humanitarian situation requires funding 'on time and in volume,' warns senior UN relief official UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- World Food Programme (WFP) trucks have begun distributing 1,300 tons of food to Libyans in dire need of assistance, but with nine days left in the year, the United Nations aid plan for more than 2.4 million people for 2016 has received zero funding, the top UN humanitarian official in the strife-torn country said today.
• Tripoli Asks Russia for Military Support for Libya's Anti-Terror Fight Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Libya's self-proclaimed government in Tripoli is grateful to Russia for its consent and readiness to help the crisis-hit Libya in its fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Khalifa Ghawi told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• HRW says civilian deaths in southeast Turkey alarming Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concern about the rising civilian death toll as Turkey continues with its campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the southeast.
• New clashes in southeastern Turkey claim 15 lives Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Over a dozen people, including a Turkish soldier, have been killed in clashes in the volatile southeastern part of Turkey.
• Armenia says Baku-Yerevan peace accord on Karabakh not holding Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Armenia says the 1994 ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh practically no longer exists, describing the current situation in the disputed region as a state of "war."
• Former Boko Haram Captives Take Refuge in Cameroon VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- In the past two months, Nigerian and Cameroonian troops have freed hundreds of people in Nigeria who were being held captive by Boko Haram militants. Many are now living in an open air transit camp in the northern Cameroonian town of Kolofata.
• As UN tribunal on Rwandan genocide wraps up work, Security Council cites court's role in fight against impunity UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- Adopting a new resolution today, the Security Council welcomed the completion of judicial work of the United Nations tribunal set up in the wake of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, following delivery of the court's last judgment on 14 December and its impending closure, set for 31 December 2015.
• Security Council approves six-month extension of UN observer force on Golan Heights UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) for six months, until 30 June 2016, underscoring the need for the Force to have at its disposal all necessary means to carry out its mandate safely and securely, "including technology and equipment to enhance its observation of the area of separation and the ceasefire line, and to improve force protection, as appropriate.
• Somalia: US Drone Strike Hits al-Shabab Positions VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- A suspected U.S. drone strike overnight Monday is reported to have hit Islamic extremist group al-Shabab positions in southern Somalia.
• S. Sudan Government, Rebels Again Aim for Peace VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Representatives of the rebels and the government of South Sudan on Tuesday held their first meeting aimed at ending a civil war in the country.

News Reports

• US Expands Sanctions Against Russia VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- The United States Treasury Department Tuesday imposed sanctions on 34 individuals and entities for previous sanctions evasion and other activities related to Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
• U.S. Expands Sanctions List For Russians, Ukrainians RFE/RL 22 Dec 2015 -- The United States has added nearly three dozen people and companies to its sanctions list for activity directly or indirectly connected to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
• New US Sanctions 'Illogical, Unfriendly', Moscow Considers Counter Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Moscow views a new round of Ukraine-related sanctions imposed by the United States as continuation of logic-defying unfriendly stance towards Russia, may consider mirror response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
• Obsession Continues: US Extends Anti-Russia Sanctions 'Over Ukraine' Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Washington sanctioned 34 Russian individuals and entities using the Ukrainian crisis as a pretext.
• Russia Raids Homes Of Khodorkovsky's Staff RFE/RL 22 Dec 2015 -- Armed Russian police have raided the offices of a pro-democracy group founded by exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky and searched the homes of several of its employees.
• Moscow Playing Kurdish Card Against Ankara? VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- The leader of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party is due to arrive in Moscow on Thursday amid a deepening diplomatic crisis between Moscow and Ankara.
• Nigerian Shia detainees dying due to lack of medical care: IMN Press TV 22 Dec 2015 -- Nigerian Shia Muslims wounded in military raids earlier this month are dying in detention due to a lack of medical care, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) says.
• Refugees and migrants fleeing to Europe in 2015 top unprecedented one million - UN UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- The number of refugees and migrants fleeing to Europe in 2015 has topped an unprecedented one million – at least 3,600 died or went missing in the crossings – the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported today, calling for much more to be done to receive and aid those uprooted by persecution, conflict and poverty.
• Central African Republic Approves New Constitution VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- Voters in the Central African Republic have overwhelmingly backed a constitutional referendum aimed at ending nearly three years of political instability.
• Former Burkina Faso President Wanted for Killing of Thomas Sankara VOA 22 Dec 2015 -- A brother of the late Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara says the family has come one step closer to getting justice for Sankara's death during a 1987 military coup led former President Blaise Compaore.
• Russian, US Space Companies Seal Satellite Deal for First Time Sputnik 22 Dec 2015 -- Russia's Dauria Aerospace completed the first ever private space contract with a US company.
• Last-Ditch Talks With Russia Fail To Resolve Impasse Over Trade RFE/RL 22 Dec 2015 -- Last-ditch negotiations aimed at addressing Russia's concerns about a free-trade agreement between the European Union and Ukraine ended without result December 21.
• Ban, concerned over political uncertainty in Haiti, urges transfer of power through polls UN News 22 Dec 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern today over growing political uncertainty in Haiti and urged the two candidates in the presidential run-off there to help the electoral process move forward while preserving the country's democratic gains.