Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 13 Mar 2017[PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 13 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.
• Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 13 Mar 2017 -- The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
• US Military Can Bring Additional Forces to Syria Without Exceeding Cap - DoD Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The US military can bring in additional troops to Syria for short periods of time without exceeding the existing formal cap of some 500 servicemen on the ground, US Department of Defense spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Monday.
• US Marine Corps Unit Arrives in Northern Syria Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- A unit of the US Marine Corps has arrived at an airfield in the al-Hasakah province in Syria's north, a Kurdish source told Sputnik.
• Deployed Army engineers complete massive culvert project at Bagram Army News 13 Mar 2017 -- Deployed Army engineer units from across the force teamed up to complete a 14-week long culvert project at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan during the month of November 2016.
• Afghan forces free 32 detainees from Taliban prison in Helmand Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Afghan security forces have launched an attack on a prison controlled by Taliban militants in the country's restive south, freeing up to 32 detainees.
• Afghan, Pakistani Traders Demand Reopening of Joint Border VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- Business representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan have called on Islamabad to immediately reopen the border between the two countries, saying the closure is hurting economic and social ties and resulting in massive monetary losses and mutual trust deficit.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Exercise Cope North Concludes in Guam AFPS 13 Mar 2017 -- Airmen and aircraft from the 67th Fighter Squadron, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron, and 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron returned here after participating in Exercise Cope North.
• UPDATE: CV-22 Osprey Squadron to be Stationed in Japan DoD 13 Mar 2017 -- The U.S. Department of Defense announced an adjustment to the arrival of the initial three CV-22 Osprey aircraft to be based at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
• CP-17 Crew Supports COMRELS throughout Mission NNS 13 Mar 2017 -- After the sun sets in Trujillo, Honduras, there will be no vital sign recordings or teeth cleanings. Instead, service members with the humanitarian mission Continuing Promise 2017 (CP-17) and Honduran residents come together for an evening of cultural exchange.
• US deploying Gray Eagle drone system in South Korea Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- The US military is moving to permanently deploy an attack drone system at an air base in South Korea, which could target North Korean military installations.
• US to Deploy Gray Eagle Armed Drone Squadron to South Korea - Army Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The United States is deploying a permanent squadron of General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to an air base in South Korea, US Forces Korea said in a press release on Monday.
• NATO Chief Urges Countries to Keep Up with Defense Spending VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- A NATO top official told European allies Monday to increase spending on military funds, as requested by U.S. President Donald Trump, if they expect to keep important foreign alliances.
• NATO Secretary General's Annual Report shows how the Alliance is adapting to face a more dangerous world NATO 13 Mar 2017 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg published his annual report today (Monday 13 March), showing how in 2016 the Alliance, "took further steps to keep our almost one billion citizens safe."
• Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2009-2016) NATO 13 Mar 2017
• Three EU States Offer Bulgaria Fighter Jets to Replace Russian MiGs Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- Bulgaria is considering three warplanes for as a possible replacement of MiG aircraft in its aging fleet, the Bulgarian Defense Ministry said Monday.
• Stealth fighter soon powered by local engines People's Daily 13 Mar 2017 -- A domestically developed engine will soon power the nation's latest stealth fighter jet, according to a senior scientist working for Aero Engine Corp of China.
• Xi underlines innovation in military upgrading People's Daily 13 Mar 2017 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for deepening military-civilian integration, while highlighting sci-tech innovation as the key to military upgrading.
• China's Xi stresses further military advancement Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- China's President Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to enhance the country's military through deepening the integration of the military and civilian sectors as well as technological innovation.
• Marine Corps to Protect China's Growing Interest in Asia-Pacific Region Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- China plans to increase the number of its Marine Corps units from 20,000 to 100,000 in order to protect its vital marine communications and growing interests abroad, according to Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post citing military sources and experts.
• Chinese J-20 Fighter Soon to Be Equipped With Domestically Produced Engines Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter Chengdu J-20 will be equipped with domestically manufactured engines soon, Chen Xiangbao, vice-president of the Aero Engine Corp of China (AECC), said on Monday.
• Iran's fleet of warships berth in Oman IRNA 13 Mar 2017 -- The Iranian Navy announced that its 45th flotilla has berthed in the port city of Salalah in Oman on Monday.
• Iran Refutes Media Allegations on Plans to Set Military Base in Syria Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- IRGC Deputy Commander for political affairs Brig. Gen. Rasul Sanayee Rad claims that Tehran is not planning to establish a military base in the Syrian province of Latakia.
• N Korea to Continue Nuclear Tests if US Persists on Drills Near Border - Envoy Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- Pyongyang will not stop efforts to improve its preemptive nuclear strike capability if the United States and its allies continue conducting military exercises near the North Korean border, North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Kim In Ryong told reporters on Monday.
• Israeli Army to Introduce 'New Generation' Drones in Combat Zones Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The Israeli Defense Forces Artillery is to begin testing a new drone, which according to sources, will greatly improve intelligence gathering and can be used in combat zones.
• Department Press Briefing - March 13, 2017 US Dept. of State 13 Mar 2017
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 3/13/2017, #22 The White House 13 Mar 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 13, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 13 March 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 Mar 2017
• Show of Force: Japan Sending Largest Warship to South China Sea Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- In an attempt to flex some military muscle, Japan is reportedly planning to dispatch its largest warship, the Izumo helicopter carrier, on a three-month jaunt through the hotly-disputed South China Sea.
• Japan to send its largest warship to disputed South China Sea Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Japan plans to send its largest warship on an extended mission to the disputed South China Sea before it heads to the Indian Ocean for joint naval drills with the United States and India.
• Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi border with Yemen: Report Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Pakistan is deploying a brigade of combat troops to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom is struggling to keep its southern borders from retaliatory attacks conducted by Yemeni forces, security sources say.
• Yemen on brink of famine, warns UN food relief agency chief, appealing for resources and access UN News 13 Mar 2017 -- Unless the international community provides additional resources and authorities in Yemen allow aid workers access to hungry people, families in some of the war-torn country's most food insecure areas will die, warned the head of the United Nations emergency food programme.
• Moscow Concerned Over Saudi-Led Coalition's Plans to Storm Yemen's Largest Port Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- Russia expresses its concern over the plans of the Saudi-led coalition to storm Yemen's largest port as it will cut off the country's capital from humanitarian aid supplies, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.
• Syria militants reach Homs evacuation deal with government Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants have reached an agreement with the Syrian government for the imminent evacuation of civilians and extremists from the western Syrian city of Homs.
• UNICEF: 2016 Worst Year Yet For Children In Syria's Civil War RFE/RL 13 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations says 2016 was the worst year yet for children affected by Syria's six-year-long civil war, with at least 652 being killed and many millions more suffering as refugees.
• US Dispatches New Batch of Armored Vehicles, Military Personnel to Syria Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The US has sent a new batch of armored vehicles and hardware to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to an SDF source who asked to remain anonymous. In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, the SDF representative shared the details of this new delivery.
• Syrian Kurds Plan to Declare Autonomy in Manbij at the Risk of Angering Turkey Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The Democratic Union Party (PYD), one of the leading Kurdish political forces in Syria, has indicated that it plans to establish a "democratic autonomous administration" in Manbij, which made headlines last week when Russia and the United States tried to prevent Turkish-led forces and the Syrian Kurds from clashing over the city.
• Iraqis Fight for Western Mosul in Tough Battle Against ISIS AFPS 13 Mar 2017 -- Iraqi security forces are battling Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters in western Mosul's government center complex in its operation to liberate their country's second-largest city from ISIS control, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters today.
• Iraqi forces recapture two more neighborhoods in western Mosul Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Iraqi army soldiers, backed by fighters from pro-government Popular Mobilization Units, have managed to liberate two more neighborhoods in the western flank of Mosul as the Daesh Takfiri terrorists are trapped inside the city.
• UN expert warns Myanmar may be trying to 'expel' all Rohingya Muslims Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar has expressed concern that the Southeast Asian country may be seeking to "expel" all members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community from its territory.
• UN Report Warns Myanmar May Try to Expel Rohingya VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- A new report presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council accuses Myanmar of "institutionalized discrimination and long-standing persecution" of its mainly Muslim Rohingya population amid appeals by a government representative to the international community to support Myanmar "in its efforts to promote democracy and human rights."
• China's Xinjiang resolutely fights terrorism as risks remain: officials People's Daily 13 Mar 2017 -- Senior officials from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sunday said the region has maintained a high-pressure crackdown to ensure stability as destabilizing factors remain.
• EU Extends Sanctions Over Russia's Crimea Annexation RFE/RL 13 Mar 2017 -- The European Union has extended sanctions against dozens of individuals and entities over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
• UN envoy for Somalia condemns bomb blasts in Mogadishu UN News 13 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations envoy for Somalia has strongly condemned this morning's bomb blasts at two locations in Mogadishu that reportedly killed a number of civilians.

News Reports

• McCain to Trump: Retract wiretap claim or provide evidence Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Influential US Republican Senator John McCain has denounced President Donald Trump's claim that former Democratic President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower, saying either he has to retract it or provide evidence of the allegation.
• White House Moderates Wiretapping Allegations, Urges Further Investigation VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- White House spokesman Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump did not mean to imply that former President Barack Obama tapped his phone during the presidential campaign.
• Egyptian prosecutor allows for ex-dictator Mubarak's release Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- An Egyptian prosecutor has allowed for former dictator Hosni Mubarak to be released from detention after an appeals court acquitted him of involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 revolution.
• UN Human Rights Council discusses situations in DPRK, Iran, Myanmar and Burundi UN News 13 Mar 2017 -- At respective interactive dialogues today on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Burundi, Iran and Eretria, senior United Nations independent human rights experts called on the governments to take immediate steps to ensure human rights protection in their respective countries.
• UK Lower House Rejects Upper House's Brexit Bill Amendments Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- The UK House of Commons rejected on Monday the amendments to the bill on launching the procedure to leave the European Union, proposed by the House of Lords, returning the document to the upper house for reconsideration.
• Scottish leader to call a second independence referendum Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will ask permission for a second referendum to split from Britain as London has failed to compromise with Scotland on Brexit.
• Scottish Nationalists Seek New Independence Referendum VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- Scotland's first minister took a step closer Monday to breaking up the United Kingdom by announcing she intends to begin the legal process of holding a new independence referendum for Scots.
• Turkey summons Dutch envoy over treatment of minister, protesters Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Turkey has summoned the Netherlands' envoy to formally complain about the treatment of Turkish diplomats over the weekend as well as the excessive use of force against demonstrators in an ensuing protest.
• Ankara Bans Dutch Ambassador, Halts Diplomatic Flights, High-Level Meetings Sputnik 13 Mar 2017 -- Ankara has banned the Dutch ambassador from entering Turkey and suspended all high-level political discussions with the Netherlands, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş announced Monday.
• Turkish-Dutch Diplomatic Dispute Escalates VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- Dutch envoy Daan Feddo Huisinga was summoned Monday by the Turkish foreign minister for the third time in as many days to receive a diplomatic dressing down.
• Turkish Opposition Leader Predicts Referendum Will Fail RFE/RL 13 Mar 2017 -- The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has predicted the country will vote against increasing the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an April referendum.
• Malaysia wants North Korea to ensure safety of nationals Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak has warned North Korea to ensure the safety of the Malaysian nationals stuck in Korea amid an evolving diplomatic row between the two states.
• Experts: N. Korea Must Be Held Accountable for Crimes Against Humanity VOA 13 Mar 2017 -- A group of independent experts is calling for the government of North Korea to be brought before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for gross violations of human rights, including crimes against humanity.
• Belarus Criticized For Largest Crackdown On Protesters In Years RFE/RL 13 Mar 2017 -- The crackdown over the weekend came at demonstrations across the country against a government-backed tax on the unemployed.
• Taipei, Beijing quarrel over arrest in 'spying' case Press TV 13 Mar 2017 -- A senior Taiwanese official says China does not correctly understand self-ruled Taiwan's judicial system, days after Beijing accused Taiwan of seeking to stir up tensions by arresting a Chinese national over espionage charges.
• UN Rights Monitor Highlights Political Repression, Abuse, Executions In Iran RFE/RL 13 Mar 2017 -- Reformists in Iran are under pressure, detainees face torture and abuse, and people are being executed at an "alarming" rate, a UN monitor studying human rights in the tightly controlled country says.
• Peace efforts and sustainable development top agenda at UN agency's narcotics conference UN News 13 Mar 2017 -- The top United Nations panel dealing with all aspects of narcotic drugs opened its 60th session today with a focus on peace and security, as well as on helping Governments reach their sustainable development commitments.