Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 04 Mar 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• 'Afghan airstrike' kills 8 civilians, injures 22 in Farah province Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed and 22 more injured in a suspected airstrike in the Bala Boluk district of western Farah Province.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Russian Defense Ministry Arctic Expedition Successfully Covers 373 Miles Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The Arctic expedition of the Russian Defense Ministry, tasked with testing weaponry and equipment in Arctic climate, has successfully negotiated about 600 kilometers, roughly 373 miles, a little over a quarter of the planned distance, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov said Saturday.
• Taiwan closely monitoring passing Chinese military fleet CNA 04 Mar 2017 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Saturday that a fleet of Chinese military vessels passed through the Taiwan Strait earlier in the day, heading southward along China's east coast, after conducting a military exercise near the Japanese island of Miyakojima.
• China to raise 2017 defense budget by around 7 pct: spokesperson People's Daily 04 Mar 2017 -- China's 2017 defense budget will expand by around 7 percent, a spokesperson for the annual session of the country's top legislature said Saturday.
• China's Defense Budget to Go Up About 7% in 2017 Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The defense budget of China will increase by around 7 percent this year, as compared to last year's $146 billion, spokesperson of the country's National People's Congress (NPC) has announced.
• China's annual defense budget to rise by 7 percent Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- Beijing says it will increase its defense budget by some seven percent this year in line with its economic development and defense needs amid China's territorial disputes with its neighbors fueled by "outside meddling."
• China Technically Capable of 'Blinding' US THAAD Radars in S Korea Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- On Thursday, the United States Department of State expressed concerns over China's retaliatory measures against South Korean businesses over the deployment of THAAD missile defenses.
• Iran successfully tests S-300 missile system Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- Iran has successfully tested the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system, which the Islamic Republic has purchased from Russia and integrated into the defense system of the country.
• Iran Successfully Tests Russian S-300 Missile System During Drills Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The Iranian Armed Forces have successfully tested the S-300 surface-to-air missile systems bought from Russia during the drills.
• Iran Said Seeking Russian Cruise Missiles Ahead Of Weapons Ban Expiration RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- Iran is already negotiating to buy cruise missiles from Russia and is likely to make other major weapons purchases when a UN ban on selling Iran sophisticated weapons expires in 2020, a U.S. intelligence report finds.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Fresh Saudi air raids leave four civilians dead in northwestern Yemen Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- At least four Yemeni civilians have been killed and nearly a dozen others wounded in a fresh wave of Saudi aerial attacks against its impoverished and conflict-plagued neighbor.
• US wages second day of bombings in Yemen, wounding civilians Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- The United States has carried out airstrikes for a second consecutive day against suspected al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, according to the US Defense Department, leaving an unknown number of civilians injured.
• Syria loses contact with reconnaissance jet near Turkey Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- A Syrian fighter jet has gone missing during a reconnaissance mission close to the border with Turkey.
• Syrian Army Lost Contact With Jet Flying Reconnaissance Mission Near Turkey Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The Syrian army lost contact with a jet performing a reconnaissance mission near the Turkish border, local media said Saturday.
• Turkish PM Says Syrian MIG-23 Warplane Fell on Syria-Turkey Border Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- A Syrian military jet has crashed in south Turkey's Hatay province, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Saturday.
• Syrian government seeks talks with unified national opposition: Chief negotiator Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- The main condition for the Syrian government to continue peace talks is to negotiate with a "unified" national opposition which is not linked to any foreign countries, says Syria's ambassador to the UN and chief negotiator.
• Russia says US, France, UK sought to 'poison' Syria talks Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- Russia has accused Britain, France, and the United States of having attempted to "poison" the atmosphere of the latest round of the intra-Syrian negotiations.
• Daesh, Al-Nusra Front Squeezed by Syrian Arab Army, Lose Ground in Syria Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) and al-Nusra Front continue to lose ground in Syria. Commenting on the creation of a new terrorist coalition, the "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant," in Syria, Russian Ambassador to Syria Alexander Kinshchak told Sputnik that he is convinced that the Syrian Arab Army will finally defeat the terrorists.
• Syrian Army Forces Out Daesh From 29 Settlements Northeast of Aleppo Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The Syrian army has made strides against the Daesh terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) northeast of Aleppo, capturing 29 locations from the militants, the army's press service said Saturday.
• Syrian Army Creates Buffer Zone Between Kurds and Turkish Military Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- The Manbij Military Council has agreed to hand over areas to the west of the strategically important city in the Aleppo province to the Syrian Arab Army as part of a Russia-sponsored deal that will help to create a buffer zone between the Turkish military and the Kurds and allow the Syrian Democratic Forces to focus on the Raqqa offensive.
• Syrian Army Presses Offensive Against IS Near Turkish Border VOA 04 Mar 2017 -- Syrian news reports say government forces pressed forward Saturday in pursuit of Islamic State extremists in northern Syria, gaining control of 15 more villages near the Turkish border and slowing a rival push against IS fighters by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.
• Mosul chemical attack believed to be carried out by Daesh amounts to war crime: UN Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- The UN says the recent chemical attack in Mosul, believed to be the first by the Daesh terrorist group in the northern Iraqi city, could amount to a war crime.
• UN: Alleged Chemical Attack In Mosul Would Be War Crime RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations has warned that the alleged use of chemical weapons in Iraq's Mosul, if confirmed, would be a war crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.
• 14 civilians killed in US-led coalition airstrikes in Mosul Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- More than a dozen Iraqi civilians have lost their lives in the US-led coalition airstrikes in the eastern part of Mosul, which was cleared of Daesh terrorists by Iraq's armed forces in January.
• Armed militias attack Libyan oil facilities Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- An armed group has attacked two strategic oil terminals in Libya in a fresh attempt to gain a grip over the export of the country's economic lifeblood in its eastern Oil Crescent.
• Ukrainian army shells several residential buildings in Donesk Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- The Ukrainian army has shelled several residential buildings in the self-proclaimed Donetsk region overnight, local officials say.
• UN aid chief calls for access, funds to prevent spread of South Sudan's famine UN News 04 Mar 2017 -- Hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan will starve unless relief workers gain access to needy populations and more funding is raised, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today warned after meeting malnourished children who fled the raging conflict in the country.
• In Chad and Cameroon, Security Council hears of Boko Haram terror and survivors' needs UN News 04 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations Security Council is today in Chad, as part of a four-country visit "to shine a spotlight" on the ongoing humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad Basin region and draw international attention to the plight of about 11 million people.
• UN Delegation Views Boko Haram Effects in Lake Chad Basin VOA 04 Mar 2017 -- A delegation of U.N. Security Council ambassadors are on a four-country mission to the Lake Chad Basin to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency on the region's population.

News Reports

• Trump accuses Obama of 'wiretapping' him before election Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of intercepting his communications at his offices in Trump Tower before the presidential election last year.
• Trump Accuses Obama Of Wiretapping His Office During Election RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping his New York office during the election campaign, but has not provided evidence of the charge.
• Spokesman Denies Obama Administration Wiretapped Trump VOA 04 Mar 2017 -- President Donald Trump's administration has not reacted to a spokesman's denial that former President Barack Obama ordered a telephone tap on Trump during the campaign before last year's U.S. elections.
• U.S. Attorney General To Provide Explanation Of Russia Contacts RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will provide a written explanation about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during last year's presidential campaign, the Justice Department has said.
• EU's Mogherini Urges Kosovo To Ratify Montenegro Border Agreement RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini has urged Kosovo's political opposition to ratify a border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro, the last remaining hurdle before it can benefit from visa-free travel to Europe's Schengen zone.
• EU Foreign-Policy Chief Met With Booing By Some In Serbian Parliament RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- The European Union's foreign-policy chief was met with booing and pro-Russia chants in the Serbian parliament when she called for integrating the Western Balkans into the European bloc.
• 'Conformity' a keyword as China raises curtain for political high season People's Daily 04 Mar 2017 -- China on Friday raised the curtains for its annual political high season, with the top political advisor pledging further conformity to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core.
• S Korea's Embassy in China Launches Task Force to Deal With Anti-THAAD Policies Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- South Korea's Embassy in China announced on Saturday that it established a team to handle Beijing's economic policies aimed to protest Seoul's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, local media reported Saturday.
• South Korean Businesses Hit by Chinese Backlash Over Missile Defense Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- Shares of South Korean companies tumbled on Friday after what are perceived to be retaliatory acts by China against the deployment of a US-built missile system outside of Seoul.
• Report: Obama ordered cyber attacks against North Korea SPA 04 Mar 2017 -- Former US president Barack Obama undertook a series of cyberattacks against North Korea's missile programme, the New York Times reported Saturday according to dpa.
• Malaysia expels North Korean ambassador over Kim's assassination Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- Malaysia has expelled North Korea's ambassador to Kuala Lumpur for criticizing an investigation into the assassination of the North Korean leader's exiled half brother, saying the envoy must leave Malaysia within the "next 48 hours."
• Malaysia plotting to harm North Korea's honor: Murder suspect Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- A North Korean national suspected of murdering the half-brother of the country's leader says he has fallen victim to a "conspiracy" by Malaysian authorities, who seek to harm Pyongyang's dignity.
• Malaysia Declares North Korean Ambassador Persona Non Grata Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- Malaysian authorities have declared the North Korean ambassador to the country persona non grata, according to a Foreign Ministry statement circulated by media.
• France's Fillon under increasing pressure Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has come under mounting pressure to quit the race for the presidency as top campaign staff and dozens of MPs leave his team after corruption charges were filed against him.
• Pakistan Plans to Play Terror Card by Prosecuting Alleged Indian Spy Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- Pakistan detains Indian citizen which it claimed was Indian RAW agent arrested in Balochistan last year.
• Suspected IS Loyalists Execute Pakistani Spy Agency Officer VOA 04 Mar 2017 -- Police and witnesses in central Pakistan say that suspected Islamic State militants have executed a kidnapped officer of the country's prime intelligence agency and dropped his chained body on a busy road before driving away.
• Jordan executes 10 over links to terrorist groups Press TV 04 Mar 2017 -- Jordan has executed 10 people on terror convictions in the largest round of executions in the kingdom in recent memory.
• Jordan Executes 15 Prisoners, 10 Convicted of Terrorism Sputnik 04 Mar 2017 -- Jordan has executed 15 prisoners, 10 convicted of terrorism charges, in the largest mass execution in the country in years.
• Ex-President Ma discusses 'one China policy' in CNN interview CNA 04 Mar 2017 -- Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said Friday in the United States that if the "one China policy" is challenged, it will have a major impact on relations between China and the U.S. and will not benefit Taiwan.
• Not Karimov's Uzbekistan Anymore? RFE/RL 04 Mar 2017 -- It's been six months since Uzbek President Islam Karimov died and Shavkat Mirziyaev took over leadership of Uzbekistan.