Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 31 Dec 2015 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 31 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.
• Afghan leader sets conditions for talks with Taliban Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has expressed readiness to attend Pakistan-brokered talks with Taliban on the condition that the militant group give up terrorism.
• Ghani: Afghan Forces Killed 160 IS Militants VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Thursday his security forces have killed scores of pro-Islamic State fighters in operations this week, dismissing criticism that the government has failed to prevent the terror group from finding safe havens in Afghanistan.
• Guardsmen Battle Floods in Missouri, Elsewhere AFPS 31 Dec 2015 -- At least 625 National Guard soldiers and airmen are on duty today as several southern and central states fight heavy floods triggered by rain and runoff.

Defense Policy / Programs

• MARMC Divers Perform Emergent USS San Jacinto Blade Change Outs NNS 31 Dec 2015 -- One port-side blade and two starboard-side blades were damaged during a standard training exercise. Rather than replacing all three blades, two of the three were repaired.
• USS Emory S. Land Conducts Replenishment at Sea NNS 31 Dec 2015 -- The submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) successfully completed a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) and refueling at sea with the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6) Dec. 29.
• Russia's national security strategy for 2016 in 9 key points RT 31 Dec 2015 -- President Vladimir Putin has signed the country's national security strategy for 2016 with color revolutions and biological weapons named as primary threats to Russia. Here are nine key points you want to know about the document.
• 2016: Russia's Northern Fleet Ready to Defend State Interests in Arctic Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- Russia's Northern Fleet will continue performing long-distance campaigns with warships and submarines.
• US Navy Admits Russia's Defense Capacity Growing due to Kalibr Missiles Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- Russia's brand new Kalibr cruise missiles take Moscow's ability to deter, threaten or destroy adversary targets to new heights.
• Iran's Rouhani Calls for Expansion of Ballistic Missile Program VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered his defense minister to expand Iran's ballistic missile program in response to a U.S. threat to impose new sanctions on that program following Iranian missile tests.
• Pres. Rouhani instructs defense minister to firmly continue with missile building plans IRNA 31 Dec 2015 -- President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday instructed Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan to quickly and firmly continue with plans to produce different missiles needed by the country's armed forces.
• Iran to respond to any U.S. sanctions over missile program: spokesperson People's Daily 31 Dec 2015 -- Iran will respond to any new U.S. sanctions and interfering measures over its defensive missile program, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said here on Thursday.
• Rouhani orders Iran's missile program accelerated Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has issued an order calling on the country's Defense Ministry to expedite efforts for boosting the country's missile power as reports emerge of US plans for imposing fresh sanctions on Tehran over the issue.
• U.S. Preparing New Sanctions On Iran Over Missile Tests RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- The Obama administration is preparing new U.S. sanctions on corporations and individuals connected with Iran's ballistic missile program, news media reported on December 30.
• Iran's Leader Orders to Expand Missile Program Over US Sanctions Threat Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed source close to the Obama administration, that Washington was preparing fresh sanctions against firms and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Iran's nuclear program.
• Iran warns US against sanctions over missile program Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Iran has warned the US against imposing any fresh sanctions on international companies and individuals over the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program, saying Tehran will respond to such meddlesome measures.
• IRGC rejects rocket test near US warships Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has dismissed US accusations of a rocket test near American warships in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
• Rohani Orders Acceleration Of Iran's Program To Develop Missiles RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rohani has ordered his defense minister to accelerate the country's missile program in response to U.S. plans to impose sanctions for Tehran's testing of a ballistic missile in October.
• China says testing new long-range missile Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- China's Defense Ministry says the country is conducting routine tests of a new long-range missile.
• China building second aircraft carrier People's Daily 31 Dec 2015 -- China is designing and building its second aircraft carrier 'completely on its own' in Dalian in northeastern Liaoning Province, a Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
• Naval Power: China Building Second Aircraft Carrier Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- The Chinese Defense Ministry officially announced that work on the construction of a second aircraft carrier has begun in the port of Dalian.
• China to Build Second Aircraft Carrier, Use Domestic Technology VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- China announced Thursday it has begun building its second aircraft carrier, in the latest sign of Beijing's rapid modernization of its naval forces.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 31, 2015

Other Conflicts

• Improved dialogue needed between UN and troop- and police-contributors, says Security Council UN News 31 Dec 2015 -- The Security Council today, noting "frustrations on all sides," highlighted the need to improve dialogue between the United Nations Secretariat and the countries that provide troops and police personnel for the numerous peace operations deployed around the world.
• Saudi jets pound Sana'a international airport Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Saudi warplanes have bombarded the international airport in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, as Riyadh continues its deadly campaign against the impoverished southern neighbor.
• Yemen: UN agency appeals to all sides to allow food in for hundreds of thousands under siege UN News 31 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today appealed to all parties to the conflict in Yemen to allow food in for hundreds of thousands of hungry people under siege in the central city of Taiz, who have been deprived of supplies for many weeks.
• Over 55,000 killed in Syria in 2015: Monitoring group Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- As many as 55,219 people have been killed in Syria in 2015, the fifth year since the country found itself plagued by foreign-backed militancy, a monitoring group says.
• Army forces recapture strategic village in southwest Syria Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Syrian army soldiers backed by fighters from allied popular defense groups have managed to retake control of a strategic village in the country's southwestern province of Quneitra.
• Militants Fleeing After Syrian Army Gains Upper Hand in Daraa Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- The Syrian Army's advance in the town of Sheikh Meskeen, north of Daraa province, has forced terrorists to pull back their forces and flee the battlefield.
• Turkey rejects Iraq's warning against Ankara troop deployment Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has dismissed Baghdad's warning of military action to defend Iraqi sovereignty if Ankara does not pull its troops out of northern Iraq.
• Daesh terrorists kill 40 Iraqi citizens north of Ramadi Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has reportedly executed more than three dozen civilians near Ramadi following the city's recapture by the Iraqi army.
• Iraqi Forces to Continue Liberating Ramadi Districts From Daesh Over 2 Days Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces will continue their efforts to liberate parts of the city of Ramadi that are still controlled by Daesh militants, over the next two days, Council of Anbar Province spokesman Eid Karbuli said Thursday.
• Iraqi PM Urges Turkey to Withdraw Troops VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has reiterated that Turkish military forces must withdraw immediately from Iraqi territory.
• Sparring Continues Over Turkish Troops in Northern Iraq VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- The diplomatic dispute over Turkey's deployment of soldiers and tanks to Iraq continues to deepen, with Baghdad accusing Ankara of reneging on an agreement to withdraw its forces and threatening military action.
• Turkey determined to continue anti-PKK raids: Erdogan Press TV 31 Dec 2015 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Ankara will press ahead with the anti-Kurdish military campaign, which he said, left more than 3,000 militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) dead this year.
• Ukraine Cuts Power To Crimea Again, Citing Faulty Equipment RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- A Crimean official has said that Ukraine has cut off a major source of electrical power to the region, a month after saboteurs first plunged the peninsula annexed by Russia into darkness.
• No Curling Irons After Dark: Crimean Authorities Scramble To Tackle Latest Blackout RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- As Crimea struggles with its second power outage in just over a month, the peninsula's Russian-backed authorities have issued power-saving recommendations to residents that include avoiding the use of curling irons after nightfall.
• Almost 4,000 Civilians Killed in DPR Since Start of Ukrainian Conflict Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- According to the Donetsk People's Republic spokesperson, almost 4,000 civilians have been killed by Kiev-led forces' shelling since the start of the conflict.
• Buhari Willing to Negotiate With Boko Haram for Chibok Girls VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told reporters he is willing to negotiate with the kidnappers of the so-called 'Chibok girls,' who were taken from their school dormitories in 2014.
• UN mission in Liberia looking into alleged misconduct by peacekeepers UN News 31 Dec 2015 -- The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has dispatched a preliminary fact-finding team to look into an allegation that two members of its military personnel were involved in a possible case of serious misconduct involving the beating of a teenage boy.
• First-round vote in strife-torn Central African Republic 'undeniable success' - UN envoy UN News 31 Dec 2015 -- Yesterday's presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic (CAR), a major step on the path to stability after two years of conflict between Muslims and Christians, were an "undeniable success" with a massive turnout, the top United Nations official there said today.

News Reports

• U.S. House Panels Investigating Reports Of Spying On Israel Over Iran RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- Two U.S. House committees are investigating a report by the Wall Street Journal that the United States has continued to spy on the Israeli prime minister because of his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal.
• Putin Signs Amendment Allowing FSB To Use Weapons In Crowds RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the state intelligence service the authority to use weapons in crowds and fire at women and children under certain circumstances.
• Putin Signs New Security Strategy Warning Of Heightened Risks From West RFE/RL 31 Dec 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new national-security strategy accusing the United States of trying to "contain" Russia through "political, economic, military, and informational pressure" and blaming Washington for the war in Ukraine.
• Russia Announces Foreign Policy Priorities for 2016 Sputnik 31 Dec 2015 -- The strengthening of relations with CIS countries, China, Latin America and Western states is among the key directions of Russia's foreign policy.
• High Level Purges Mark Kim Jong Un's Fourth Year in Power VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- It is not surprising that this week's reported death of a top North Korean official in a car accident immediately led to speculation of foul play.
• Burundi: UN chief calls on all sides to avert crisis by engaging in inclusive political dialogue UN News 31 Dec 2015 -- Hailing the resumption of talks between the Burundian parties in Entebbe, Uganda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all sides to engage in constructive dialogue as renewed violence prompts fears of a relapse into the decades of civil war that killed tens of thousands of people.
• Burundi President Slammed Over AU Threats VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza says he will consider any deployment of African Union peacekeepers in his troubled nation an attack against which he will retaliate militarily.
• Thai Universities Feel Pressure of Junta's Rule VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Thailand's military government has stifled public dissent since seizing power last year, and now the country's universities say the junta's impact is being felt on campus.
• Burkina Faso Assembly Installs New Leader VOA 31 Dec 2015 -- Burkina Faso's Salif Diallo was elected head of the national assembly, making the ally-turned-opponent of ousted leader Blaise Compaore the second most powerful man in the nation.