Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 29 Dec 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col.Warren via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 29 Dec 2015 -- Presenter: Colonel Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman
• Coalition Killed 10 Senior ISIL Leaders in December AFPS 29 Dec 2015 -- A high-value Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leader killed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes Dec. 24 was just one of 10 ISIL leaders targeted and killed so far this month, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren confirmed today.
• Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 29 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.
• Harry S Truman CSG Launches First OIR Missions NNS 29 Dec 2015 -- Strike aircraft from nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) flew their first missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the fight to destroy the ISIL terrorist organization, Dec. 29.
• 'Daesh leader linked to Paris attacks killed in US airstrike' Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- The US Defense Department says a Daesh (ISIL) terrorist with "direct" ties to the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks was among 10 terrorists killed in Syria.
• US Military: IS Leader Linked to Paris Attacks Killed in Syria VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- The U.S. military says an Islamic State (IS) leader with direct links to the alleged ringleader of last month's terrorist attacks in Paris was killed in a coalition airstrike in Syria.
• Afghanistan, Pakistan to Hold Peace Talks With Taliban Next Week - Kabul Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Kabul is preparing for peace talks with the Taliban next week.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Spanish Legionnaires, U.S. Marines ready to face crises together USMC News 29 Dec 2015 -- U.S. Marines and Spanish Legionnaires refined urban and mountain warfare tactics together in Almería, Spain, Dec. 14-18, 2015.
• Probe Reveals Pentagon Deliberately Blocking Attempts to Shutter Guantanamo Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- An investigation published by Reuters on Monday revealed that US President Barack Obama's efforts to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison camp have been blocked and undermined by the Department of Defense.
• Pentagon says F-35 program on the right track AFNS 29 Dec 2015 -- Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office say they've finished delivering jets for 2015, increasing their yield from last year by 25 percent.
• Berlin to Deploy 4 Additional Tornado Surveillance Aircraft in Turkey Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- Four additional German Tornado surveillance aircraft will be deployed for an anti-terror operation in Syria starting from January 5, a German air force spokesperson said Tuesday.
• More ships join naval force in S.China Sea People's Daily 29 Dec 2015 -- China has deployed three new ships to naval forces stationed in the South China Sea over the weekend, suggesting an enhanced capability for maritime support, media reports said.
• China Orders Struggling State Firms to Hire Laid-off Soldiers VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- China's central authorities have ordered state owned enterprises to absorb vast numbers of soldiers who are due to be laid off as part of the military reforms announced by President Xi Jinping last September. He promised to reduce the 2.3 million strong military by 300,000.
• Third of Ka-226T Helicopters in India-Russia Deal to Be Assembled in Russia Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- Sixty of the 200 Ka-226T helicopters being purchased by New Delhi from Moscow as part of a new deal will be assembled in Russia, with the rest of the helicopters due to be assembled in India, the holding company Russian Helicopters said in a statement on Tuesday.
• December 29, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Dec 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 29, 2015

Other Conflicts

• From a first mission of 120 unarmed men - UN peacekeeping across the decades UN News 29 Dec 2015 -- It began when the United Nations was not even three years old, in the fog of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, the Organization's first peacekeeping mission – 120 unarmed men in motley uniforms, not a gun between them, fanning out across scrubby hilltops and desert cliffs to monitor a shaky truce.
• China Angered by Philippine Protest on Disputed Island VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- About 50 Philippine protesters, mostly students, have landed on a remote island in the South China Sea to draw attention to what they charge is growing Chinese encroachment in the area.
• Kuwait to contribute military forces to deadly war on Yemen Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Kuwait has decided to deploy ground forces to Yemen to fight alongside Saudi Arabia and militiamen loyal to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Kuwaiti newspaper says.
• Yemen war cost Saudi $5.3bn: Minister Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Saudi Arabia says the increase in the kingdom's military spending in 2015 was almost entirely due to its aggression against Yemen as Riyadh struggles with a rising annual budget deficit.
• US Notes 'Troubling' Rise in Civilian Deaths From Russian Airstrikes in Syria VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- The Obama administration said Tuesday that there had been a 'marked and troubling' increase in civilian casualties in Syria since Russia began airstrikes in September.
• Syria army makes fresh gains against terrorists Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- The Syrian army has retaken several areas from terrorist groups in the Arab country gripped by foreign-backed militancy for more than four years.
• Erdogan: Liberating Syria's City of Jarabulus From Daesh a Priority Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- According to the Turkish President, coalition forces have set the liberation of Syrian Jarabulus as a priority task.
• Syrian Army Destroys Terrorist Supply Routes Close to Turkish Border Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- Damascus-led forces scored impressive victories across the province of Aleppo, taking villages under control, killing terrorists and destroying their supply routes close to the border with Turkey, the Fars news agency reported, citing unnamed military sources.
• Iraqi Flag Waves Over Ramadi; Security Forces Control Key City AFPS 29 Dec 2015 -- Iraq raised its national flag over the provincial government center in downtown Ramadi yesterday, following the "considerable success" of Iraqi forces in recapturing the key city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant control, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.
• Iraq PM: 2016 will be the year of victory over Daesh IRNA 29 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in al-Ramadi, Iraq, on Tuesday that 2016 will be the year of victory over Daesh.
• Recapturing Mosul requires Kurds' help: Iraq deputy PM Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- The Iraqi deputy prime minister says the army will need the Kurds' assistance to recapture Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh, from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.
• Daesh unleashes bloodbath after Ramadi loss Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Having lost Ramadi to Iraqi army troops and allied volunteer forces, the Daesh terror group has gone on a revenge killing spree in areas under its control, reports from the country say.
• Pentagon: Ramadi's Complete Clearing to 'Take Some Time' Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- According to Pentagon, it's too soon to give forecast on how long it will take to clear the rest of Iraq's Ramadi from the remaining enemy and to reduce the obstacles such as booby traps and houses rigged to blow.
• Iraqi PM Visits Ramadi After Key Victory VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Ramadi Tuesday after government forces recaptured the government compound in the key western city.
• UN chief takes to radio waves of Central African Republic to appeal for peaceful polls UN News 29 Dec 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took to the radio waves of the Central African Republic (CAR) to appeal to voters for a massive turn-out in tomorrow's presidential poll, a major step in efforts to stabilize the country amid conflict between Muslims and Christians.
• Northern Kenya Attacks May Shed Light on Country's Security VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- There was more violence in northeastern Kenya Monday, as two civilians were killed when Kenyan military officers fired on a car in the Mandera region. Other incidents have raised concern about safety in the region, where al-Shabab militants from Somalia are known to be active.
• Nigerian minister says Boko Haram 'largely defeated' Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Nigeria says the days of the Takfiri Boko Haram militant group are numbered despite numerous assaults by the terrorists over the past two days in the country's volatile northeast.
• Cross-strait hotline ready for use: MAC chief CNA 29 Dec 2015 -- A newly installed telephone hotline system connecting the heads of cross-Taiwan Strait affairs in Taiwan and China has completed testing and is almost ready to go, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) chief Hsia Li-yan (夏立言) said Tuesday.

News Reports

• Iran takes delivery of almost 197 tons of yellow cake: Salehi IRNA 29 Dec 2015 -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akber Salehi said on Tuesday that Iran took delivery of almost 197 tons of yellow cake in return for 11 tons of low enriched uranium shipped to Russia.
• Iran sends low-enriched uranium to Russia under nuclear agreement Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Iran has shipped its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia as a key step in fulfilling its commitments under a landmark nuclear agreement clinched between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries.
• Some 60 Tonnes of Natural Uranium Shipped to Iran With Norwegian Assistance Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- Norway oversaw and financed transportation to Iran of some 60 tonnes of raw uranium from Kazakhstan, the Norwegian foreign minister said Tuesday.
• 2015: The Year Putin Bounced Back RFE/RL 29 Dec 2015 -- In December 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama fielded a question about Russia while addressing a group of American business leaders in Washington. President Vladimir Putin's incursion into Ukraine and "backward-looking" policies, Obama said, are "isolating Russia completely internationally."
• Final Charges In Nemtsov Murder RFE/RL 29 Dec 2015 -- Russia's top investigative body has brought final murder charges against four men for the slaying of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and announced that it believes a low-level figure from the Chechnya region masterminded the killing.
• Belgium Arrests 2 Suspected of New Year's Terror Plot VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- Prosecutors in Belgium said Tuesday police arrested two people suspected of planning holiday terror attacks in Brussels.
• Belgian police arrest two suspects over plotting attacks Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Authorities in Belgium have arrested two people on suspicion of plotting attacks in the capital, Brussels, during New Year celebrations.
• Pakistan Bombing Highlights IS Threat in Afghan-Pakistan Region VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- The suicide bombing Tuesday at a government office building in northwest Pakistan highlights the increasingly violent presence of the Islamic State militant group in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
• Suicide Attack Kills 26 in Mardan, Pakistan VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- A suicide blast in Mardan, Pakistan, has left at least 26 people dead and more than 20 others wounded.
• Pakistani police detain over 13 suspected Daesh militants Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Pakistani counter-terrorism forces have detained at least 13 Daesh suspected militants who were planning to carry out terror attacks across the violence-hit country.
• India detains ex-army officer for passing secrets to Pakistan Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Indian police have detained a former Indian Air Force officer on charges of passing secrets to Pakistan's premier spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
• UN declares end to Ebola virus transmission in Guinea; first time all three host countries free UN News 29 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations health agency today declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in Guinea, where the epidemic began two years ago before spreading to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone and, ultimately by land and air travel to seven other countries, killing over 11,300 people.
• Guinea Declared Free of Ebola VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- The World Health Organization has declared the West African country of Guinea free of Ebola transmission. WHO says this marks an important milestone in the two-year struggle to stop the spread of this deadly disease, which has claimed the lives of thousands of people.
• WHO declares Guinea free of Ebola virus Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of Ebola in Guinea where more than 2,500 people have died from the virus over the past two years.
• Turkey president blasts call for Kurdish autonomy as 'treason' Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Turkey's president has lashed out at a Kurdish politician for calling for the creation of a Kurdish entity inside the country.
• Turkey's Erdogan Meets Saudi King in Riyadh VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Saudi Arabia Tuesday with King Salman for talks that were expected to focus on Ankara's support of Riyadh's military as well as Syria's civil war.
• Dispute Over NATO Prompts Montenegrin Vote Of Confidence RFE/RL 29 Dec 2015 -- Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on December 28 called for a vote of confidence in his government, following weeks of protests over his move toward joining NATO.
• Russia Reduces Reliance on Foreign Satellite Data - Space Agency Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- Russia has significantly reduced its dependency on foreign remote sensing satellites.
• Russia Postpones Plans on Extensive Moon Exploration Until 2025 Sputnik 29 Dec 2015 -- The Russian space agency Roscosmos will give up on manned flights to the Moon and related activities at least until 2025, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday, citing the updated version of the Federal Space Program (FSP).
• Chu urges Japan to address Taiwan's 'comfort women' issue CNA 29 Dec 2015 -- Ruling Kuomintang chairman and presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) urged Japan Tuesday to come forward and deal with the 'comfort women' issue in Taiwan after Japan and South Korea agreed to compensate South Korean comfort women a day earlier.
• After Japan-Korea comfort women deal, Taiwan wants one too CNA 29 Dec 2015 -- Taiwan again asked Japan on Tuesday to issue an apology to Taiwanese women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese imperial military during World War II, known euphemistically as 'comfort women,' and offer them compensation.
• Taiwan: Japan owes apology over 'comfort women' Press TV 29 Dec 2015 -- Taiwan's President Ma Ying-Jeou has urged Tokyo to apologize and compensate the Taiwanese women who were forced to work as "comfort women" in Japan during World War II.
• Georgian Lawmakers Approve Kvirikashvili as New PM VOA 29 Dec 2015 -- Georgia's parliament has confirmed the country's former top diplomat, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, as prime minister, less than a week after the abrupt resignation of his predecessor after only two years in office.