Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 23 Mar 2017[PDF]
• Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 23 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.
• Taliban Offensive Forces Retreat of US, Afghan Forces in Key District VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- U.S. and Afghan officials report that they have made a strategic retreat from a district headquarters that has been under heavy assault by Taliban forces, however, the governor of the embattled province says local forces remain in control of the area.
• Afghan Sangin District Center Repositioned as Taliban Advances - Pentagon Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The Afghan authorities have moved the Sangin district center in the southern province of Helmand about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) south as the Taliban terror group (banned in Russia) has destroyed infrastructure in the area, US Department of Defense spokesperson Adam Stump told Sputnik on Thursday.
• Taliban Capture Key Southern Afghan District VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- Afghanistan's Taliban have captured a strategic district center in southern Helmand province after heavy overnight fighting.
• Russia 'Perhaps' Supplying Taliban in Afghanistan VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- Russia may be supplying the Taliban as they fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a top U.S. military commander said Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Officials Discuss Countering WMD, Threats Posed By Synthetic Biology AFPS 23 Mar 2017 -- Senior defense officials detailed before a House panel today Defense Department programs for countering traditional weapons of mass destruction and its plans for countering a new threat posed by the adversarial use of synthetic biology tools.
• Remarks by Secretary Mattis and Minister de Cospedal at the Pentagon DoD 23 Mar 2017 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis; Spanish Minister of Defense Maria Dolores de Cospedal
• VCSAF: Potential yearlong CR forces $1.3B cuts AFNS 23 Mar 2017 -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson discussed readiness, force structure and modernization of the Air Force at the McAleese/Credit Suisse "Defense Programs" Conference in Washington, D.C., March 22, 2017.
• Eucom, NATO Confront Dynamic Challenges From Russia to ISIS AFPS 23 Mar 2017 -- Threats from violent extremists and a resurgent Russia require both strong U.S. capabilities in Europe and a sustained commitment to the NATO alliance, the senior U.S. military leader in Europe told the Senate Armed Services Committee here today.
• George H.W. Bush Transits Strait of Hormuz NNS 23 Mar 2017 -- Aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed its transit through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Arabian Sea March 21.
• USS Carney Arrives in Faslane, Scotland NNS 23 Mar 2017 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) arrived at Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, March 22 to attend pre-sail conferences leading up to exercise Joint Warrior (JW) 2017.
• USS Frank Cable Arrives in Pearl Harbor NNS 23 Mar 2017 -- Submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) arrived in Pearl Harbor, March 22.
• Bataan Departs US 6th Fleet NNS 23 Mar 2017 -- Amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), flagship of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and embarked Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), departed the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, March 23.
• Stratcom: Integrating Space With Other Warfare Domains is Key to Deterrence AFPS 23 Mar 2017 -- Deterring and waging war successfully depends on integrating all domains of warfare, including the space domain, the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command said during a space security conference here yesterday.
• NATO sets date for May Meeting of NATO Leaders NATO 23 Mar 2017 -- Press Release (2017) 055
  Issued on 23 Mar. 2017
• Secretary General thanks Hungary for its firm commitment to NATO NATO 23 Mar 2017 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had talks in Budapest on Thursday (23 March) with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán. The two leaders discussed the current security situation and the Secretary General thanked the Prime Minister for Hungary's significant contributions to NATO's collective defence.
• Joint press point with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, the Minister of Defence of Hungary, István SIMICSKÓ and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), General Denis Mercier - Deputy Secretary General's opening remarks NATO 23 Mar 2017
• Air Forces of 6 NATO States Participating in Exercises in Bulgaria Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The air forces of six NATO countries are carrying out various exercises aimed at the improvement of the tactical training of the military and transport aviation in Bulgaria, which will conclude on April 7, country's Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
• Putin: Russian weapons proved efficient in Syria war Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country's defense technology has proved its "exceptional reliability and efficiency" during the ongoing fight against the Daesh Takfiri group.
• Russian Army to Receive Hypersonic Weapons, S-500 Missile Systems Soon Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The Russian army will soon receive military equipment based on new physical principles, hypersonic weapons and next-generation S-500 missile defense systems, Russian Presidential Aide for Military-Technical Cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said Thursday.
• Russia Plans to Create Advanced Air Defense System Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Russia plans to construct a prospective anti-aircraft short-range missile system (SAM) which will be supplied to troops by 2030-2035, Army Colonel-General and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Oleg Salyukov announced.
• Unknown saboteurs blow up military base in eastern Ukraine : Military Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- A warehouse storing tank ammunition at a military base in eastern Ukraine has been blown up by unknown saboteurs.
• Thousands Evacuated As Ukraine Blames Munitions Depot Fire On Sabotage RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- A munitions depot near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv caught fire and was rocked by a series of explosions in a huge conflagration that the authorities have blamed on "sabotage," prompting the evacuation of thousands of people living nearby.
• US Military Calls for Reinforcing Ukraine's Army 'as Much as We Can' Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The United States should do its best to reinforce the Ukrainian military, US European Command head Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said during Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Wednesday.
• Taiwanese Militarization Amid Growing Asia Pacific Instability Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said Taiwan faces no choice but to arm itself with a submarine fleet, in the face of growing "Chinese aggression" in the South China Sea. In a development that will alter the military balance in the region, Taiwan expects deployment in less than a decade.
• Russia Started Su-35 Fighter Jets Supplies to China in 2016 - Putin's Aide Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Russia began Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets supplies to China in 2016, the two countries are discussing further cooperation, Russian Presidential Aide for Military-Technical Cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said Thursday.
• Russia, India in Talks on Creating New Models of BrahMos Missiles - Putin's Aide Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Russia and India are in talks on creating new models of missiles at the BrahMos Aerospace joint enterprise, Russian Presidential Aide for Military-Technical Cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said Thursday.
• China on high alert for Japan's military move People's Daily 23 Mar 2017 -- China said on Thursday it is on high alert for Japan's true intentions as the Japanese helicopter-carrier destroyer Kaga went into service on Wednesday.
• DPRK's latest ballistic missile and engine test raises risk of regional arms race - UN Security Council UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned the ballistic missile launch and a ballistic missile engine test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) this week in flagrant and provocative defiance of a number of Council resolutions expressly forbidding such activities.
• Iraq: U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Efforts Help Defeat ISIS US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2017 -- The United States has invested more than $333 million in Iraq since 2003 toward the clearance and safe disposal of landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and securing excess conventional weapons and munitions.
• Department Press Briefing - March 23, 2017 US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2017
• Daily Press Briefing by the Press Secretary -- #27 The White House 23 Mar 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 23, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 23 March 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Mar 2017
• Taiwan coast guard seizes Chinese fishing boat near Dongsha Islands CNA 23 Mar 2017 -- Taiwan's coast guard said Thursday that it had seized a Chinese fishing boat and detained the captain and crew after they were caught fishing earlier in the week in waters near the Dongsha Islands, which are controlled by Taiwan.
• International, independent probe of alleged violations in Yemen needed - UN deputy rights chief UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- Describing the situation in Yemen as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises – 'and one that is entirely man-made' – the United Nations human rights deputy chief today urged the national commission of inquiry to fulfill its mandate of investigating all alleged violations of international and Yemeni laws.
• Yemen retaliatory raids kill, injure 100 on Saudi military targets Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- Yemen's army, backed by popular forces, has killed and injured at least 100 Saudi soldiers and mercenaries in less than two days of retaliatory attacks against military positions in the kingdom's southwestern regions.
• U.S.-Backed Forces Airdrop Behind Enemy Lines In Syria For First Time RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) extremists has for the first time airdropped troops behind enemy lines near a strategic Syrian town outside the group's self-declared capital of Raqqa, the Pentagon has said.
• Full Throttle: US Apache Helicopters to Take Part in Raqqa Operation Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Nasir Hec Mansur, in an interview with Sputnik Turkey, said that the US is carrying out preparations for the Raqqa operation.
• Hashd al-Sha'abi begins aid delivery to liberated Mosul areas Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, have begun delivering humanitarian aid to the Mosul districts recaptured from Daesh terrorists, as government forces push deeper into the city's western half.
• Mali hit by deadly ethnic clashes amid drought Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- Eight people have died in violent clashes between two ethnic groups in central Mali, local sources told AFP Thursday, as tensions grow over use of land and food scarcity in the region.
• Security Council and region must 'speak with one voice,' end suffering in South Sudan - UN chief UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today stressed the need for the leadership of South Sudan to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities, restore the peace process and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access in order to pull the world's youngest country back from the abyss, and back from a widening famine.
• UN agency, Ugandan government call for urgent support amid influx of South Sudanese refugees UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- United Nations refugee assistance efforts in Uganda are seriously overstretched as thousands of refugees from South Sudan, desperate for safety and assistance, pour into the country that is already hosting more than 800,000 people, the organization's top official dealing with refugee issues warned today.
• Somalia: A moment of hope amid tragedy, says UN envoy UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- Noting that Somalia faces a number of "daunting difficulties" after decades of conflict, a senior United Nations official today highlighted that there is also a new momentum in the country for fresh political engagement amongst its people with the recent electoral process.
• Kenya to Reopen Border With Somalia VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- The Kenyan government says it will open the border with Somalia to boost trade and allow the flow of people between the two countries. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also pledged to help Somalia in the fight against al-Shabab militants and support and train government workers. His remarks followed a meeting he had in Nairobi with his Somali counterpart, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.
• 'We can no longer turn our backs' on communities affected by migration crisis in Libya - UN agency chief UN News 23 Mar 2017 -- The top United Nations migration official is visiting Tripoli to discuss the complex migration and displacement situation with hopes of shoring up technical support to foster a stable environment.

News Reports

• Kremlin Unaware of Manafort's Program to Promote Russia's Interests Abroad Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort's program to promote Russia's interests in post-Soviet countries has no connection to Russian authorities and had never been brought to the attention of the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
• US House Intelligence Panel Weighs Future of Wiretap Probe VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee met behind closed doors Thursday, a day after its investigation into wiretapping allegations involving President Donald Trump and his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, was thrown into disarray.
• Latest Twists Threaten to Bog Down Congress' Russia Investigation VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- An extraordinary public airing of the usually hidden inner workings of the U.S. intelligence community is rapidly casting doubt on the ability of lawmakers to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
• US House intel. chair apologizes to Democratic members Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- The House Intelligence Committee chairman has apologized to committee Democrats for going public with information about government surveillance on the Trump election campaign prior to speaking to them, according to a member.
• Nunes Apologizes to Intel Committee for Briefing Trump on Surveillance Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes apologized to members of the committee for briefing President Donald Trump on new information regauding surveillance before discussing it with ranking member Adam Schiff, a committee aide said on Thursday.
• Top Democrat seeks investigation into House intel. chair Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- A top Democrat calls for an investigation into the House intelligence chair, who bypassed the panel to brief President Donald Trump on information related to US surveillance of his transition team.
• 'Dark Matter': Wikileaks Releases New Batch of 'Vault-7' on CIA Hack Techniques Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Wikileaks has released a new batch of 'Vault 7' revelations on CIA hacking techniques.
• WikiLeaks: CIA Can Infect 'Factory Fresh' iPhones VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has technology capable of infecting "factory fresh" iPhones and has been bugging the devices since at least 2008, WikiLeaks claimed Thursday.
• Trump's Travel Order Mired in Multiple Courts VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- While President Donald Trump's second executive order restricting travel is still on court-ordered hold, it continues to work its way through multiple courts.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 23, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Mar 2017
• Kremlin Says 'Absurd' to Claim Russian Trace in Ex-Lawmaker's Death in Kiev Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The Kremlin believes that claims of a so-called Russian trace in the reported killing of ex-lawmaker Denis Voronenkov are absurd," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
• Brazen Shooting In Kyiv Leaves Exiled Kremlin Critic Dead RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- A former Russian lawmaker who defected to Ukraine and aired damning criticism of Russia's leadership has been gunned down in broad daylight in the heart of Kyiv in what Ukraine's president called "an act of state terrorism by Russia."
• Russian Ex-Lawmaker Voronenkov Shot 4 Times - Ukraine Prosecutor General Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The gunman shot former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov four times in Kiev, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said Thursday.
• Former Russian Lawmaker Killed in Kyiv VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- Former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov was shot dead in Kyiv Thursday in a likely contract killing ordered by Russia, Ukrainian police said.
• ZTE pleads guilty to dodging Iran sanctions Press TV 23 Mar 2017 -- China's telecommunications giant ZTE Corp has pleaded guilty in US federal court in Texas for shipping US goods and technology to Iran.
• Turkey to Seize Assets of Sponsors of North Korean Nuclear, Missile Programs Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- Turkey will seize the assets of any persons found financing North Korea's missile and nuclear related programs, according to the announcement published in the Official Gazette on Thursday.
• 'Blind' Sanctions Unable to Solve N Korean Nuclear Issue - Beijing Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- The "blind" sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear activities are unable to help overcome tensions on the Korean peninsula, since dialogue is necessary to solve this long-standing and complex issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday.
• Premier Li Denies China's World Dominance Ambition, Warns About New Cold War Sputnik 23 Mar 2017 -- China is not seeking global dominance, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang assured on Thursday.
• Belarus KGB Detains Suspects As State Pushes 'Armed Provocateurs' Claim RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- State television reports in Belarus say the country's security agency, the KGB, has detained an unspecified number of people suspected of plotting mass disorder.
• Police Name London Suspect As 52-Year-Old British-Born Khalid Masood RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- London police have named the suspected assailant in the March 22 Westminster terrorist attack as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a British-born man thought to have resided most recently in the West Midlands, a metropolitan county that includes the city of Birmingham.
• Police Identify Britain Parliament Attack Assailant VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- London police have identified the person who carried out Wednesday's attack near the British Parliament as Khalid Masood.
• IS Claims Responsibility for Britain Parliament Attack VOA 23 Mar 2017 -- Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack near the British Parliament in London, which killed three people and ended when an officer shot dead the attacker.
• Influential Former Military Commander Arrested Ahead Of Armenian Elections RFE/RL 23 Mar 2017 -- A former top military commander in Nagorno-Karabakh who is close to an Armenian opposition alliance has been arrested in Armenia on suspicion of smuggling weapons into the country.