Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 30 Mar 2017[PDF]
• Officials Provide Details of Latest Counter-ISIS Strikes in Syria, Iraq AFPS 30 Mar 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 29 strikes consisting of 78 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• ISIS Hostage-Taking Caught on Video; Mosul Deaths Go To Formal Investigation AFPS 30 Mar 2017 -- A formal investigation has begun into the March 17 deaths of civilians in western Mosul, Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today.
• Statement by Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis on U.S. Counterterrorism Operations in Somalia DoD 30 Mar 2017 -- The president has approved a Department of Defense proposal to provide additional precision fires in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces operations to defeat al-Shabaab in Somalia.
• Trump Approves Increased Precision Strikes Against Al-Shabaab in Somalia Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- President Donald Trump has given the green light to a Department of Defense request to increase the number of artillery and air strikes against the al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia, spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement on Thursday.
• US Pulling Out From Uganda LRA Mission; AU Mulls Drawdown VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- The Ugandan military says an aide to Lord's Resistance Army chief Joseph Kony has surrendered, a day after the United States said it will withdraw from the task force chasing the notorious rebel group.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Congress Probes Military Pilot Shortage AFPS 30 Mar 2017 -- A shortage of pilots across the U.S. military is most acute in the Air Force, senior military officials told Congress yesterday.
• Transcom Challenges Include Cyber, Tankers, More Contested Environments AFPS 30 Mar 2017 -- Cyber security challenges and operating with too few air tankers and in increasingly contested environments are some of the priorities that U.S. Transportation Command is focusing on today, the Transcom commander told a House panel this morning.
• Dailey: Fiscal constraints mean Army must balance services with readiness Army News 30 Mar 2017 -- Child care, health care and spouse employment top a long list of Soldier needs met by installation programs, but with dwindling installation funding, only the most vital of those programs are likely to escape reductions.
• U.S Navy Divers achieve milestone, embark aboard Korean ship for SALVEX 2017 NNS 30 Mar 2017 -- U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy diving and salvage experts wrapped up nearly two weeks of advanced training during Salvage Exercise (SALVEX) Korea 2017, March 30.
• USS Harry S. Truman Wins Battle "E" NNS 30 Mar 2017 -- Rear Adm. Bruce Lindsey, commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic, announced aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as the 2016 East Coast aircraft carrier Battle "E" award winner, March 28.
• U.S, Egypt, Jordan Conduct VBSS Exercise NNS 30 Mar 2017 -- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Patrol Force Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) Maritime Engagement Team (MET) and naval forces from the Arab Republic of Egypt and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conducted a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, March 12-23.
• US Missile Defense in Alaska 'Part of Nuclear Potential', Poses Threat - Putin Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said that US military activity "poses a certain threat."
• Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers and after a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council NATO 30 Mar 2017
• Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Pavel Filip NATO 30 Mar 2017
• NATO Chief Defends Plans To Open Office In Moldova RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has defended plans to open a liaison office in Moldova, saying it can help facilitate a practical partnership between the two sides.
• NATO-Russia Council Holds First Session This Year As Tension Persists RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Ambassadors from NATO nations and Russia gathered at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels for the first NATO-Russia Council session of 2017.
• Ukraine Conflict Dominates NATO-Russia Council Session RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- NATO representatives have told Russia that the situation in Ukraine is of "deep concern" at the first session of the Russia-NATO Council to be held this year.
• NATO-Russia Council in Details Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) at ambassadorial level will take place at alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
• More French military hardware arrive in Estonia Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- A new batch of French military hardware and vehicles has arrived in Estonia as part of a massive military buildup by NATO in Eastern Europe to deter "Russian aggression."
• NATO Aircraft More Active Over Baltic Sea Than Russia - Putin Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) activity over the Baltic airspace is higher by several factors than that of Russia, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
• Russian Armed Forces to Conscript 142,000 People in April-July 2017 Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- The Russian Armed Forces plan to conscript 142,000 people this spring, a decree published on an online portal for legal information on Thursday states.
• Kosovo President Vows To Create Regular Army Through Consultations RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Kosovo's president has backed away from a controversial pledge to push through a law turning the country's security force into a national army, telling RFE/RL that he will consult with ethnic minorities and make the change through constitutional amendments.
• US ignores human rights condition to sell Bahrain F-16 jets Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to ignore Bahrain's human rights record in order to sell F-16 fighter jets to the Arab monarchy.
• U.S. Plans To Pursue Once-Delayed F-16 Jet Sale To Bahrain RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- The Trump administration has informed Congress it plans to go through with the sale of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and related equipment to Bahrain, dropping human rights conditions placed on the deal by the Obama administration.
• Trump Lifts Human Rights Embargo to Allow Sale of F-16s to Bahrain Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has overridden a condition put in place by the Obama administration that Bahrain end state-sponsored human rights abuses in order to receive 19 F-16 fighter jets, Defense News reports.
• China's military launches education campaign on upholding Xi's core status People's Daily 30 Mar 2017 -- China's Central Military Commission (CMC) has issued a guideline on launching an education campaign themed on upholding the core and following commands.
• DPRK accuses S. Korean officials of teaming up with U.S. over nuclear issue People's Daily 30 Mar 2017 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday accused some South Korean officials of trying to make inter-Korean relations "irreversible" by seeking "strengthened cooperation over the nuclear issue" with the United States against the DPRK.
• North Korea capable of killing millions of Americans: US intelligence officials Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- North Korea is capable of killing millions of Americans by launching a nuclear attack, two high ranking US intelligence officials have claimed, arguing that the secretive republic has already mastered the technology needed to fire massive atomic bombs at the US mainland.
• North Korea may be preparing to conduct new nuke test: South Korean sources Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- South Korean intelligence sources have alleged that North Korea may soon conduct a new nuclear test.
• Iran to US: Stop harassing Persian Gulf states Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- Iran's defense minister has called on the US to leave the Persian Gulf and stop harassing regional countries.
• US should use 'military means' against Iran: CENTCOM chief Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- The United States should consider using "military means" against Iran, US Army General Joseph Votel says, calling Tehran "the greatest long-term threat to stability" in the Middle East.
• Japan Deploys New Kawasaki C-2 Military Transport Aircraft to Local Airbase Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has deployed new domestically made Kawasaki C-2 military transport aircraft to the Miho airbase in the Tottori Prefecture, local media reported Thursday.
• Arms won't stop unification with Taiwan, warns China Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- China's Defense Ministry says Taiwan is wrong to think it could use weapons to prevent unification as Washington is considering fresh sales of advanced weaponry to the self-ruled island.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 3/30/2017, #32 The White House 30 Mar 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 30, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 30 March 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Mar 2017
• Taiwan reaffirms sovereignty over Taiping Island CNA 30 Mar 2017 -- The Republic of China government has the right to conduct exercises on Taiping Island in the South China Sea, an indivisible part of the ROC territory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Thursday.
• Yemen: UN envoy urges Security Council to put pressure on warring parties to discuss his proposal UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations envoy for Yemen has urged the members of the Security Council to put pressure on the warring parties in that country to engage constructively in discussing the peace process framework he had presented.
• Senators McCain, Graham Assail Apparent U.S. Shift On Demand For Assad Removal RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Two veteran Republican senators are criticizing U.S. administration officials for saying the United States is no longer insisting on the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a prerequisite for resolving the six-year civil war in Syria.
• Assad fate up to Syrians to decide: US secretary of state Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the fate of President Bashar al-Assad is up to the Syrian people to decide.
• Number of Syrian refugees passes 5 million: United Nations Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations says the number of refugees, who have fled the foreign-backed militancy in Syria, has now gone beyond the five million mark.
• Representatives of Syrian Kurds Say Withdrawing From Intra-Syria Talks Round Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- The representatives of the Syrian Kurds in the opposition High Negotiations Committee in Geneva said Thursday in a statement seen by Sputnik they were terminating their participation in the fifth round of the ongoing talks as the Kurdish issue was being ignored.
• 'Daesh Commanders Are Fleeing' as Battle to Liberate Raqqa Draws Nearer Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, Nasir Hec Mansur, Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that Daesh commanders are fleeing Raqqa as the army successfully advances toward the city.
• Syrian Nationals Should Decide on Future of President Assad – Tillerson Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- The future of Syrian President Bashar Assad should be decided by the Syrians, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday.
• More must be done to place Syrian refugees; conflict sees worst violence in months - UN UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- The world's attention has moved away from Syria following the battle for Aleppo, despite the fact that the last few months have been "some of the worst" for civilians, the United Nations humanitarian chief today told the Security Council, reiterating calls for an end to the six year conflict.
• Iraqi army forces retake several areas in, around Mosul Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- Iraqi government forces, backed by allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, have liberated more areas in and around Mosul as they are engaged in massive operations to drive the Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of the strategic northern city.
• UN chief in Iraq to review humanitarian situation amid rising war casualties Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to examine the humanitarian situation amid the country's intense campaign to purge Daesh Takfiri terrorists from the strategic city of Mosul.
• In Baghdad, UN chief Guterres pledges solidarity with Iraqi government and people UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- On what he called a "visit of solidarity" with Iraq, Secretary-General António Guterres today welcomed the commitment of the country's leaders to civilian protection and national dialogue, and pledged the ongoing support of the United Nations as the Government seeks to bolster aid delivery to needy populations and rebuild Iraq institutions.
• IS Militants Trap Mosul Residents as Human Shields VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- About 200 meters outside Mosul's Old City, you can hear the battle raging inside. But families, which typically flee Islamic State militants as soon as Iraqi forces get close, are no where to be seen.
• South Sudan: Conflict now eroding food security in 'stable' areas - UN Mission UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- The ongoing conflict in South Sudan is affecting food security in some of the country's more "stable" states, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operation there has said.
• Troika Statement on South Sudan US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2017 -- The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.
• Some South Sudan IDPs Call for Peace Monitor's Ouster VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- Some residents of a South Sudanese displaced persons' camp say the head of the group that monitors the country's 2015 peace deal should be fired.
• Myanmar's Rohingya Insurgency Strikes Pragmatic Note VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- The Rohingya Muslim insurgency, whose sneak attacks in October killed nine border guard officers in Myanmar's northern Rakhine State, issued a detailed list of demands this week that struck a far more pragmatic note while describing the use of violence in the past as self-defense.
• Arab Leaders Say They Are Ready To Relaunch Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plan RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Arab leaders say they are prepared to restart a peace plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, again putting forward the possibility of full ties with Israel in exchange for Palestinian statehood.
• Civilian protection, aid access at risk as violence flares in Central African Republic - UN UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- With a new outbreak of violence erupting in the Central African Republic (CAR), a senior United Nations humanitarian official today urged warring parties to protect vulnerable civilian populations as a matter of priority and ensure free movements of relief aid workers.
• Colombia: UN receives 7,000 weapons from FARC-EP as hunt for hidden caches continues UN News 30 Mar 2017 -- The United Nations Mission in Colombia is set to register some 7,000 weapons this weekend, but the search for other caches of weapons hidden by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) continues, the Mission's chief has said.

News Reports

• U.S. Senate Panel Digs Into Alleged Russian Election Meddling RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- U.S. senators dug into Russia's alleged meddling during the 2016 presidential election, with outside experts testifying that, without a strong U.S. response, Moscow will do more of the same in the future.
• Russian Election-meddling Tactics Exposed at Senate Hearing VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- Russia pulled off an unprecedented and wildly successful campaign to influence America's political conversation during last year's presidential campaign, according to experts who testified Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
• White House Offers to Show Lawmakers 'Wiretap Documents' VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- Members of Congress looking into Russian interference in last year's presidential election have been invited to the White House to examine relevant secret documents.
• Hawaii judge extends order blocking Trump's Muslim ban Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- A federal judge in the US state of Hawaii has placed a stronger hold on Donald Trump's revised travel ban, striking another legal blow against the president's repeated attempts to bar people from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
• In Rare Video In Persian, IS Threatens To Conquer Iran RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- The militant group Islamic State (IS) has vowed in a rare video message in Persian that includes the apparent beheading of four captured soldiers that it will conquer Iran.
• Putin Calls Attempts to Break Russian-US Diplomatic Relations a Mistake Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a direct denial on Thursday of allegations that his country influenced the 2016 US presidential elections.
• Tillerson Says U.S., Turkey Face 'Difficult' Choices In Syria RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the United States and Turkey must make "difficult" decisions about how to defeat the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Syria.
• Press Availability With Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2017 -- Press Availability by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State
• Tillerson Underscores Importance of Turkey in IS Fight VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hailed Turkey as a trusted ally after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders Thursday during his visit to Ankara.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 30, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 30 Mar 2017
• Putin Downplays Anticorruption Protests, As Moscow Court Upholds Navalny's Jail Sentence RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed criticism over a police crackdown on protesters, saying anyone who breaks the law will be punished.
• Chechen Parliament Speaker Back At The Public Shaming Game RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Maryat Zanzulayeva, who recently spoke out against a spate of police arrests and beatings that took place in Chechnya, has become the latest person in the Russian republic to be browbeaten by its powerful parliament speaker.
• China Politics, Reforms in Conflict Ahead of Communist Conclave VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- With major political changes on the Communist Party's agenda in 2017, China is expected to avoid taking decisive reform measures that could result in large scale job losses and put pressure on the leadership.
• Taiwan on 'wrong path': official People's Daily 30 Mar 2017 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson warned Wednesday that an arms race between Taiwan and the mainland would only harm Taiwan people, after the island announced plans for submarines and vowed to upgrade its "strategic partnership" with the US.
• Royce: Limiting Access to Hard Currency Key to North Korea Sanctions VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- While the Trump administration explores options to curb North Korea's nuclear development, efforts are under way in Congress to push for additional sanctions against the regime.
• Senior State Department Officials on Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA) Sanctions US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2017
• US Arrests Turkish Banker in Iran Sanctions Case VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a prominent ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, came to New York this week to school investors on his state bank's plans to sell new dollar bonds.
• Iran refutes AL claims about interference in regional states Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- Iran has slammed the Arab League for repeating its baseless claims of "foreign interference" in the domestic of regional states in reference to the Islamic Republic, saying the Iranian foreign policy has always been based on "good-neighborly relations."
• Gunmen Assassinate Prominent Minority Activist in Pakistan VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- Unknown gunmen in central Pakistan have killed a prominent local leader of the minority Ahmadi community, a day after a new report spoke of increasing violence against what is referred to as the country's most persecuted religious sect.
• South Korean Court Approves Arrest Warrant for Ex-President Park Geun-hye Sputnik 30 Mar 2017 -- The South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for former President Park Geun-hye over the corruption probe, Yonhap news agency reported.
• Ethiopia's parliament extends state of emergency by 4 months Press TV 30 Mar 2017 -- Ethiopia's parliament has renewed a state of emergency that came into force last year following massive anti-government protests in the Horn of Africa country.
• OAS, US Denounce Venezuelan High Court's Takeover of Legislature VOA 30 Mar 2017 -- The Venezuelan Supreme Court's decision late Wednesday to take control of the opposition-controlled legislature has set off a wave of outrage, with some hemispheric neighbors, including the United States, Mexico, Peru and Argentina, denouncing the measure as a threat to democracy.
• Amnesty Says Uzbekistan Spying On Citizens At Home, Abroad RFE/RL 30 Mar 2017 -- Amnesty International says Uzbekistan's government is carrying out unlawful surveillance of its citizens domestically and outside of the country.