Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 17 Mar 2016 [PDF]
• Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- 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.
• Military Reviews Recommendations on Afghanistan for President AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- Military leaders are reviewing recommendations on the way forward in Afghanistan before presenting them to President Barack Obama, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. told the Senate Armed Services Committee here today.
• Aides to Fugitive Afghan Warlord Take Part in Peace Talks VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- In a major move in efforts to end the conflict in Afghanistan, representatives of fugitive Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar have held preliminary peace talks with Afghan negotiators in Kabul.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Carter Outlines Security Challenges, Warns Against Sequestration AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- The United States is facing five global strategic challenges, while at home sequestration poses a great risk to the funding of critical investments, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers here today.
• Dunford Discusses DoD Budget Request at Senate Hearing AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- There is a coming bow wave of defense procurement that Congress must adequately fund, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee here today.
• IKE Carrier Strike Group Conducts Missile Exercise NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) completed a multi-ship, live-fire exercise with the Standard Missile (SM-2), March 15.
• IKE Carrier Strike Group Underway for COMPTUEX NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- The ships and air wing of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) commenced a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) March 16, in preparation for an upcoming deployment.
• Seabees Construct New Rota Facility to Support FDNF NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, as of March 16, are actively working on a construction project that will provide electromagnetic systems test and evaluation services to afloat and shore commands.
• US Military Readiness Questioned Amid Korea Tensions VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- U.S. military leaders voiced concern Wednesday about their ability to fight a conventional war against the armed forces of countries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
• Air Force leaders present FY 2017 budget request AFNS 17 Mar 2016 -- The military services' secretaries and chiefs presented their respective branch's fiscal year 2017 budget plan March 16 on Capitol Hill.
• Rotorcraft Modernization Efforts Back on Track, Officials Tell Congress AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- Rotorcraft modernization, severely affected by budget cuts, is just now getting back on track, Army and Air Force officials told a House panel yesterday.
• Update: Force of the Future Reforms Move Forward AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- Force of the Future reforms are aligning military and civilian personnel rules with the 21st century, one of the program's architects said in a recent interview, noting that some revolutionary changes already are moving into place.
• Bremerton visits Chinhae during Indo-Asia-Pacific Deployment NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) arrived in Chinhae, Republic of Korea, March 16 for a visit as part of its Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment.
• George H.W. Bush Is Evaluated During Crew Certification III NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- Afloat Training Group Atlantic (ATG) boarded USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) March 14 to evaluate the ship's ability to go to sea as part of Phase III of Crew Certification.
• Exercise Obangame/Saharan Express 2016 Commences NNS 17 Mar 2016 -- Maritime forces from Gulf of Guinea nations, Europe, South America, the United States and several regional and international organizations began the multinational maritime exercise, Exercise Obangame/Saharan Express 2016, March 17.
• DoD, Intel Leaders Partner on Space Capabilities AFPS 17 Mar 2016 -- Space is crucial to U.S. national security, and the Defense Department and intelligence agencies are working together well to ensure the United States dominates that domain, officials told the House Armed Service Committee's strategic forces subcommittee March 15.
• NATO Secretary General discusses partnership with the King of Jordan NATO 17 Mar 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (17 March 2016) for talks on the Alliance's partnership with Jordan and regional security challenges. Mr. Stoltenberg underscored NATO's commitment to Jordan and praised the country's role as an active member of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue.
• NATO Secretary General commends Latvia's role in strengthening shared security NATO 17 Mar 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the new Latvian Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis in his first visit to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (17 March 2016). Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Kučinskis, Mr. Stoltenberg thanked Latvia for its contributions to Allied security and stressed that "NATO is strongly committed to Latvia."
• NATO Secretary General discusses current security challenges with Portuguese Prime Minister NATO 17 Mar 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa discussed current security challenges and NATO's response in a meeting on Thursday (17 March 2016). The leaders also focused on the Alliance's agenda in the run-up to the Warsaw Summit in July.
• NATO to Boost Presence in Latvia Amid 'Challenging Security Environment' Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- NATO intends to further increase its presence in the Eastern part of the bloc, its chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
• Abkhazia Against Deepening of Georgia-NATO Military Cooperation Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- Abkhazia has an extremely negative attitude toward the deepening of military cooperation between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, viewing NATO's willingness to grant Tbilisi membership as a dangerous provocation, the Abkhazian foreign minister said Thursday.
• Night Hunter: Russia's New Helicopter Gunship Grabs Int'l Attention Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The first batch of Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters has rolled off the assembly line at a Rosvertol plant in Rostov-on-Don, Gazeta.ru wrote on Thursday.
• Russia Test-Firing New Hypersonic Zircon Cruise Missiles for 5th-Gen Subs Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The hypersonic cruise missile's speed is estimated to be 5-6 Mach.
• N Korea fires ballistic missile into Sea of Japan Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from a launcher at a southwestern missile site into the Sea of Japan.
• Nigeria Military Denies Undermining Free Speech VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- The Nigerian military has seized newspapers accused of publishing seditious materials that could undermine the country's unity, as well as negatively impact the ongoing fight against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, according to military spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman.
• March 17, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Mar 2016
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 3/17/2016 The White House 17 Mar 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 17, 2016
• Patriot, one; ballistic missile, zero Raytheon 17 Mar 2016 -- The newly upgraded Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense system has again proven that it can destroy a ballistic missile with different kinds of interceptors fired in rapid succession.

Other Conflicts

• 17 March 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Mar 2016
• Military expert urges the U.S. not to play tricks over the South China Sea issue People's Daily 17 Mar 2016 -- According to the photos released by U.S. Navy on March 10, USS Blue Rigde and USS Russell are still sailing in the South China Sea. A Chinese expert on military strategy has criticized the U.S.'s attitude towards the South China Sea in his article.
• Saudi Arabia to End 'Major Combat Operations' in Yemen VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Saudi Arabia says it is ending its 'major combat operations' in Yemen, one year after launching Arab coalition airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
• Toll from Saudi raids on Yemen market hits 119: UN Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- A senior UN official says the death toll from recent Saudi airstrikes on a crowded market in the Yemeni province of Hajjah has risen to nearly 120.
• UN: 119 Dead, Including Children, in Yemen Strike VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- The United Nations says the death toll from Tuesday's airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has risen to 119.
• Top US Defense Officials Refute Putin's Syria Claims VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Top U.S. defense officials are launching renewed criticism at Russian President Vladimir Putin, charging that Moscow's military intervention in Syria failed to achieve its stated goals, and that it likely lessened Russia's standing in the region.
• Syria government, opposition reject federal system: De Mistura Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- The UN special envoy for Syria says both the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition oppose federalization in the war-ravaged country.
• Kurds Claim Federal Region in Northern Syria VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Syrian Kurds declared a federal region Thursday in areas they control in the northern part of the country, a move that was immediately rejected by both the Syrian government and an opposition group.
• Kurds in Northern Syria to Draft Federalization Document Within 6 Months Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The inaugural council of the self-declared Democratic Federal System for Rojava and Northern Syria plans to enact a federalization law within the next six months, a Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) source said on Thursday.
• Syrian National Opposition Coalition Opposes Kurds' Federalization Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The National Coalition for Revolutionary and Opposition Forces declared its opposition to the Kurdish groups' declaration of a federal region in northern Syria, Sky News Arabia reported Thursday.
• Kurds Announce Creation of Federal Region in Northern Syria Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- Kurds have announced the creation of a federal region in northern Syria on Thursday, media reported.
• Over 40 Syrian Armed Groups Intent on Joining Truce - Reconciliation Center Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The total number of Syrian armed groups that have joined the ceasefire regime has reached 43.
• Russian Pullout From Syria to Solidify Geneva Peace Talks - OIC Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria is a positive step that should solidify the ongoing peace negotiations in Geneva, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said in a release on Thursday.
• UN Blocked From Delivering Aid to Besieged Areas in Syria VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- The United Nations is appealing to the Syrian government to provide the permits needed to send humanitarian aid convoys into besieged and hard-to-reach areas and to allow a life-saving vaccination campaign for children to go ahead.
• Putin: Russia Could Boost Syrian Military Presence Again, if Needed VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says even with his troop withdrawal from the Syrian warfront he could if necessary, within 'several hours,' ramp up Moscow's military presence there again.
• Putin lauds Russian military ops in Syria Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed Russia's military forces returning from Syria, saying their achievements in the militant-riddled Arab country has laid the ground for peace there.
• Army makes inroads against Daesh in Syria Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- Syrian army forces have launched fresh successful operations against Daesh Takfiri terrorists in different parts of the country.
• Russia Sends Arms to Iraqi Kurds for IS Fight VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Russia sent arms this week to Iraq's Kurdish region to be used by Peshmerga forces fighting the Islamic State group, Russian and Kurdish sources said.
• Iraqis advance further into Daesh bastion in Anbar Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- Iraqi military and allied fighters have managed to recapture a key district from Daesh Takfiri militants in the Anbar Province west of the country.
• Volunteer, Peshmerga forces team up in battle for Mosul: President Masum Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- Iraqi President Fuad Masum says the volunteer fighters, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces or Hashd al-Shaabi, as well as Kurdish Peshmerga will definitely join the operation aimed at liberating the northern city of Mosul from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
• Kremlin Unaware of Iraqi Kurds Allegedly Receiving Russian Arms Sputnik 17 Mar 2016 -- The Kremlin spokesman said he could not comment on the reports about Russian arms deliveries to Iraqi Kurds.
• Iraqi Kurdish Leader: Forces Will Be Ready to Retake Mosul From IS VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has indicated that Kurdish forces would be ready to participate in a looming battle to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. The comments came during a meeting with visiting British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.
• Ukraine: UN calls on all parties to ensure access to safe drinking water in eastern region UN News 17 Mar 2016 -- Ukraine: UN calls on all parties to ensure access to safe drinking water in eastern region Concerned about the continuing impact of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine on civilians, the United Nations today called on all parties to ensure access to safe water in Donetsk, after security concerns forced the evacuation of staff from a water treatment facility that serves thousands of people in the area.
• Sudan Threatens to Close Border with South Sudan VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Sudan is threatening to close its border with South Sudan and deport more than 300,000 South Sudanese students on grounds that the South is supporting rebels fighting the government of President Omar al-Bashir.
• Security Council urges all parties in Lebanon to 'put national interest ahead of partisan politics' UN News 17 Mar 2016 -- Deeply concerned over the 21-month vacancy in the presidency of Lebanon and the current political stalemate in Government, the United Nations Security Council today called on Lebanese leaders to adhere to the Constitution and put to put the country's stability and national interests ahead of partisan politics.
• Future of Liberia and UN presence in the country discussed at Security Council UN News 17 Mar 2016 -- One year since Liberian authorities launched a "historic undertaking" to assume full responsibility of the country's security by the end of next June, top United Nations officials today discussed what measures are needed to support the implantation of the plan.

News Reports

• US imposes new sanction against North Korea over nuclear test Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- US President Barack Obama has signed a new executive order that tightens the US trade embargo on North Korea over the country's nuclear and missile tests.
• Obama Introduces New Sanctions on North Korea, Targets Trade Partners VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on North Korea, in response to the authoritarian regime's latest nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
• KCNA Commentary Dismisses U.S. Far-fetched Assertion about DPRK's Satellite Launch KCNA 17 Mar 2016 -- The world public is becoming increasingly assertive about the justice of the satellite launch of the DPRK.
• Daesh committing 'genocide' against Shias, Christians: Kerry Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has determined that the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group is committing "genocide" against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.
• Remarks on Daesh and Genocide US Dept. of State 17 Mar 2016 -- Remarks by John Kerry, US Secretary of State
• Kerry: IS Atrocities Are Genocide VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has determined that atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria constitute genocide.
• Under Military Pressure, IS Lost 22 Percent of Its Territory in 15 Months VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Increased military pressure against Islamic State fighters in both Syria and Iraq led to the group losing 22 percent of its territory in the past 15 months, with about half of the loss coming since the beginning of this year.
• Parties mustn't have immunity from prosecution: Turkey PM Press TV 17 Mar 2016 -- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called for stripping all parties of their parliamentary immunity to allow for prosecution in an apparent bid to intensify pressure on pro-Kurdish opposition lawmakers.
• Amid The Rubble, Some Turkish Kurds Wary Of EU-Ankara Deal RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- As Ankara and the European Union hammer out possible measures to stem the flow of war refugees and other migrants to Europe, Kurds in Turkey's turbulent southeast are condemning the negotiations as a 'farce' that threatens to draw an unwitting EU into the persecution of a beleaguered minority.
• PKK Splinter Group Claims Responsibility For Ankara Attack RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- A splinter group of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Ankara on March 13 that killed 37 people.
• European Leaders Meeting To Clinch Migrant Deal With Turkey RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- Leaders of the European Union and Turkey are beginning a summit in Brussels on March 17 aimed at finalizing a deal to halt the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece.
• UN confirms Sierra Leone's Ebola flare-up is over, but cautions more are possible UN News 17 Mar 2016 -- The latest flare-up of Ebola in Sierra Leone is over, the United Nations health agency today reported, but cautioned that the West African region remains at risk and should remain on alert.
• China, Gambia resume diplomatic ties People's Daily 17 Mar 2016 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Gambian counterpart Neneh MacDouall-Gaye signed a joint communique here Thursday to resume diplomatic relations.
• Resumption of Gambia-China diplomatic ties regrettable: Taiwan CNA 17 Mar 2016 -- Taiwan expressed regret Thursday over a decision by The Gambia and China to resume diplomatic ties two years after the African country severed relations with Taiwan.
• Ma strongly dissatisfied over resumption of Gambia-China official ties CNA 17 Mar 2016 -- President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed strong dissatisfaction Thursday over a decision by The Gambia and China to resume diplomatic ties two years after the African country severed relations with Taiwan.
• China could sanction Taiwan if unhappy with Tsai's inauguration speech CNA 17 Mar 2016 -- China could take three different actions against Taiwan if it is dissatisfied with the May 20 inauguration speech by President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the head of Taiwan's National Security Bureau said Thursday.
• Myanmar Government Plan Includes New Ethnic Affairs Ministry VOA 17 Mar 2016 -- Myanmar's incoming government has released its plan for a new government, including a new ethnic-affairs ministry for the nation scarred by sectarian tensions and repression of some ethnic groups.
• Ukraine Lists Individuals It Wants EU To Blacklist Over Savchenko Trial RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- Ukraine has identified nearly 50 people it considers responsible for the 'illegal detention and falsified trial' of Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko and has urged the European Union to impose sanctions against them.
• German Triple Agent Given Eight Years In Prison RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- Germany has sentenced a former intelligence employee for spying for the United States and Russia.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 17, 2016 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 17 Mar 2016
• Russian Rights Activist Pays Price For Confronting Kadyrov RFE/RL 17 Mar 2016 -- Igor Kalyapin knows the danger of investigating allegations of rights abuses in Russia's southern Chechnya region better than most people.
• Haiti's only path to institutional and political stability is going to the polls - UN envoy UN News 17 Mar 2016 -- A protracted political crisis in Haiti may hamper the stabilization gains achieved in recent year and further decline the island nation's economic growth, the top United Nations official in the country today told the Security Council.