Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Strikes Hit ISIL in Iraq AFPS 20 Mar 2016 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• US deploys more troops on the ground in Iraq Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- More US Marines have been deployed on the ground in Iraq purportedly to support the Baghdad government in its fight against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Silent Hunter: Russia's Akula Subs Upgraded With Kalibr Cruise Missiles Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- Russia plans to upgrade its Project 971 nuclear submarines with Kalibr cruise missiles, Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov said in a radio interview on Saturday.
• Mysterious Behemoth': Details of China's Newest Battleship Revealed Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- China's newest battleship, currently known as the Type 055 guided missile destroyer, has been shrouded in mystery, but the Shipborne Weapons magazine has recently offered details of what has been dubbed as Asia's largest warship.
• DPRK top leader watches landing, anti-landing drills People's Daily 20 Mar 2016 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), watched recent military maneuvers involving landing and anti-landing, the KCNA news agency reported on Sunday.
• Kim Jong Un Guides Landing and Anti-landing Drills of KPA KCNA 20 Mar 2016 -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA), guided landing and anti-landing exercises of the KPA.
• Invincible KPA Air Force KCNA 20 Mar 2016 -- The dark cloud of a war hangs over the Korean Peninsula due to the reckless war drills staged by the U.S. and the south Korean puppet group against the DPRK, but the airspace above it will always remain clear and blue.
• New US Training Program for Syrian Rebels 'Just Another Waste of Money' Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- The US Defense Department reportedly plans to launch a new train-and-equip effort in Syria. The new effort will focus on preparing a small contingent of rebels outside Syria.
• Pentagon Says New Effort to Train Syrian Rebels to Consider 'Prior Lessons' Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- As the US $500 billion train-and-equip program aimed at training five thousand rebels in Syria spectacularly failed, the defense department is giving the effort another try, claiming that the lessons of the prior fiasco have been learned.
• Saudi Arabia's 'Islamic' Coalition: Spin Or Substance? RFE/RL 20 Mar 2016 -- Saudi Arabia made a splash when it announced the formation of a 34-country "Islamic" alliance against terrorism in December -- and followed it up with a massive military exercise that ended last week.
• Military Helicopter Crashes in Indonesia - Reports Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- A military helicopter with 13 officers aboard crashed in northern Indonesian district of Poso, local media reported Sunday.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Syria forces retake key areas in Lattakia, kill militants in Raqqah. Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- Syrian forces have regained control over key areas in the coastal province of Lattakia and killed a large number of Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the northern city of Raqqah.
• Show Time: Syrian 'Desert Falcons' Ready to Take Back Palmyra From Daesh Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- Fighters of the 'Desert Falcons' militia will strike with full force in order to free the ancient city of Palmyra.
• Iraqi Kurdish Leader Says Federation Solution for Future Syrian State Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- The creation of a federal system would be an appropriate solution for the future Syrian state, President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani said on Sunday.
• From Palmyra to Raqqa: Syria, Russia on Course to Hit Daesh Where It Hurts Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), assisted by Russian military aircraft and its local allies, has launched a massive operation to free the iconic ancient city of Palmyra, seized by Daesh in May 2015, in what would most likely pave the way for a campaign to push the terrorists out of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the caliphate.
• El-Sisi Warns: Reckless Intervention May Turn Libya Into Another 'Somalia' Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- When it comes to Libya, Italy should carefully consider its military plans, as its intervention could make matters worse and turn the already volatile North African nation into complete chaos, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told the Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview.
• Curfew Introduced in Seven Southeastern Regions in Turkey - Minister Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- The 24/7 curfew has been introduced in seven southeastern Turkish regions, the country's Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Sunday.
• Kenyan army kills 21 al-Shabab militants in Somalia Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- The Kenyan army says it has killed at least 21 members of the Somalia-based al-Shabab Takfiri militant group during a firefight in the neighboring country.
• Cameroon Military Frees CAR Rebel Hostages VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- Cameroon's military has freed 12 people held hostage by 30 suspected rebels on its border with the troubled Central African Republic. Cameroon's military says that two of the suspected rebels were killed and several its soldiers were wounded in a 48 hour operation.
• Eritrea Releases Four Djiboutian Soldiers After Eight Years Imprisonment VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- After nearly eight years in prison, four Djiboutian prisoners-of-war have been released by Eritrea.
• Congo Extradites Key Suspect in Rwanda Genocide VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo is extraditing one of the most wanted suspects in the Rwandan genocide to face charges for his crimes.

News Reports

• Obama Begins Historic Visit to Cuba VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba Sunday on a historic trip, with the two nations moving to normalize their relations 55 years after they broke off ties.
• US President Obama arrives in Cuba for historic visit Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- US President Barack Obama has arrived in Cuba for a historic visit, becoming the first sitting president to travel to the island nation in nearly 90 years.
• Obama Arrives to Cuba With First US Presidential Visit Since 1928 Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- On Monday, when the official program of his visit begins, the US president is scheduled to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro to review progress made on the normalization of relations between the two nations.
• Supreme Leader: Americans not acting on their pledges IRNA 20 Mar 2016 -- Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Americans did not act on their pledges in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• US wants to restore its hold on Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the US seeks to restore over Iran the hegemony and influence that Washington exerted during the reign of the regime that was toppled by the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
• Leader: Resistance Economy best solution to Iran's problems Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says tackling economic problems is Iran's top priority, stressing that the Resistance Economy is key to resolution of the country's economic woes.
• Iran's Supreme Leader Accuses US of Failing to Honor Nuclear Deal VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the United States has failed to fully honor a nuclear deal that lifts sanctions on Iran, and says many international companies continue to shy away from business with Tehran out of fear of U.S. reprisals.
• Algerian soldiers kill militants behind gas plant attack Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- Algeria's military has killed at least four militants in a desert region where an Algerian gas plant jointly operated by foreign energy giants came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades.
• Belgian suicide bomber changed his mind during Paris attacks Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- The main suspect in last November's deadly attacks in Paris says he initially "wanted to blow himself up" but changed his mind.
• Paris Bomb Suspect Says Planned To Blow Self Up At Stadium RFE/RL 20 Mar 2016 -- The prime surviving suspect for last year's Paris attacks has said he planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium but changed his mind.
• Lawyer of Paris Attacks Suspect to Launch Legal Action VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- The lawyer defending Europe's most wanted terror suspect Salah Abdeslam says he will sue French prosecutors for releasing confidential information regarding the investigation.
• Turkey Blames Islamic State Militant for Istanbul Blast VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- Turkey blamed an Islamic State militant Sunday for the suicide bombing in Istanbul the day before that killed four people and wounded dozens more.
• Daesh terrorist behind Istanbul bombing: Minister Press TV 20 Mar 2016 -- The attacker behind Saturday's bombing in the Turkish city of Istanbul has been identified as an affiliate of the Daesh Takfiri group, Interior Minister Efkan Ala says.
• Exit Polls: Kazakh President's Party Won 82 Percent RFE/RL 20 Mar 2016 -- Exit polls from Kazakhstan's parliamentary elections suggest President Nursultan Nazarbaev's ruling party has won 82 percent of the vote.
• Niger Votes in Presidential Runoff VOA 20 Mar 2016 -- Voters in Niger are choosing a president Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou in line to easily win the runoff after his jailed opponent was flown out of the country for medical reasons, and the opposition called for a boycott of the election.
• China's economy showing signs of improvement: vice premier People's Daily 20 Mar 2016 -- The Chinese economy is on the right track in the first quarter of this year as major economic indicators have shown signs of improvement, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Sunday.
• Plan B: Is Saudi Arabia Shifting From Oil to Renewable Energy? Sputnik 20 Mar 2016 -- Saudi Arabia is considering options to shift from fossil fuels both as the main source of income and main energy source.