• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 03 Oct 2017[PDF]
• Strikes Continue in Effort to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 14 strikes consisting of 14 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Aviation Support Battalion Soldiers sustain the fight in Operation Inherent Resolve Army News 03 Oct 2017 -- Soldiers from the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade provide support at a remote Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARP). Their job is to make sure that before any aircraft leave their station they are fully loaded with ammo and fuel to continue with their mission.
• Dunford: New Operational Construct in Afghanistan Should Break Stalemate AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- The new South Asia strategy should break the stalemate in Afghanistan and make the United States, its allies and its partners more secure, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Mattis Warns Against U.S. Pullout From Afghanistan, Says Afghan Forces Fully Engaged RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has warned that an American withdrawal from Afghanistan would be "to our ultimate peril," as he briefed Congress on plans to increase American troop levels in the war-torn country.
• Mattis: Afghan Force Fully Engaged in Combat for First Time in 16 Years VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- Afghanistan security forces are fully engaged in offensive combat operations for the first time in their war against al-Qaida and Taliban militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday.
• USNS Comfort Arrives in Puerto Rico NNS 03 Oct 2017 -- The Mercy-class Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in Puerto Rico to assist in humanitarian relief efforts, Oct. 3.
• AFNORTH mobility planners surpass 1,500 flights supporting FEMA's hurricane relief efforts AFNS 03 Oct 2017 -- -- "Our priority is ensuring we coordinate the strategic airlift to meet FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) requirements for relief personnel, equipment and other commodities needed to bring some comfort to the people impacted by the storms," said Brig. Gen. T.J. Kennett, ANFORTH's director of mobility forces.
• Joint effort delivers relief cargo to Puerto Rico AFNS 03 Oct 2017 -- Members of the 15th Airlift Squadron and 437th Airlift Wing, flew a C-17 Globemaster III to Fort Drum, New York, Sept. 28, 2017, to pick up aid supplies before flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, battered the U.S. territory.
• Understanding Maria's Damage and the Job Ahead for Puerto Rico AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- To understand the problems the people of Puerto Rico face, it is important to understand the violence of Hurricane Maria, officials involved in the effort said.
• Food, Water, Fuel Still Priorities for Puerto Rico; 9K Military Now Helping Effort AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello briefed reporters today on progress the unified collaboration of commonwealth and federal officials has made in delivering aid to the people of the island following Hurricane Maria.
• New York Military Police Soldiers deploy to Puerto Rico to provide assistance to law enforcement Army News 03 Oct 2017 -- Military Police Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 442nd Military Police Company deployed from Camp Smith Training Site, north of Peekskill, N.Y. to Puerto Rico on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 1 and 2.
• Trump, on Visit to Puerto Rico, Witnesses Destruction, Praises Relief Work VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump witnessed first hand the destruction in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico Tuesday, and met with the island's leaders, including some who have been among the harshest critics of Washington's response to the disaster.
• Remarks by President Trump in Briefing on Hurricane Maria Relief Efforts The White House 03 Oct 2017

Defense Policy / Programs

• Effects of South Asia Strategy Already Being Felt, Mattis Tells Senate AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- The certainty engendered by President Donald J. Trump's South Asia strategy already is paying dividends in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Army aviation to revamp training Army News 03 Oct 2017 -- The Army Aviation Branch is in the process of overhauling its entire training program, said Command Sgt. Maj. Greg M. Chambers.
• Rapid prototyping to help US Army deter Russian aggression in Europe Army News 03 Oct 2017 -- If the unthinkable were to unfold in Europe, the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment would be among the first in line to respond.
• New York Army National Guard Soldiers depart state for Ukraine training mission Army News 03 Oct 2017 -- Two hundred and twenty New York Army National Guard Soldiers departed from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station for a nine-month mission to train Ukrainian Soldiers on Monday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2017.
• The Future of Flight: Marines test out 3-D printed SUAS USMC News 03 Oct 2017 -- U.S Marines with 2nd Marine Division tested remote controlled craft made through additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 26-27, 2017.
• US Army chief calls for 'military Schengen,' says Russia violating military protocols Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- The US and its allies in Europe need to form a "military Schengen" through special transport and border rules to help NATO forces deter Russian military forces more quickly, says the US Army's commander in Europe.
• DARPA Develops Technology to See Maneuvering Targets Through Clouds, Smoke Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- The Video Synthetics Aperture Radar (ViSAR) system successfully completed flight tests getting a glimpse of ground conditions through both smoke and clouds, according to a September 28 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announcement.
• Guam Asks Pentagon to Stop Military Buildup, Citing Labor Shortage Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo on Friday called on the US Department of Defense to halt military construction on the island, citing a severe shortage of skilled foreign workers.
• New US-Philippines Joint Military Exercises Underway in Luzon Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- US and Philippines Marines and sailors on Monday kicked off inaugural joint drills codenamed Kamandag, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.
• U.S., NATO Allies Showcase Fighting Capabilities at Bayonet Shield Exercise AFPS 03 Oct 2017 -- As cool winds blew across the forested Baltic terrain, U.S. soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, showed no signs of stopping as they began a multiday combined arms live-fire exercise with Spanish and Polish allies at Adazi Training Area, Latvia, Oct. 1.
• New Australia warships to be equipped with long-range missile systems: PM Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- The Australian prime minister says the country's new warships are to be equipped with long-range missile defense systems in an effort to counter threats from "rouge states" amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
• Defence Secretary to announce new £1bn support model for Royal Navy UK MOD 03 Oct 2017 -- Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon is set to unveil a new model worth around £1 billion to support a growing Royal Navy fleet and sustain over a thousand British jobs.
• Taiwan can resist Chinese invasion longer than 2 weeks: defense head CNA 03 Oct 2017 -- Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said Tuesday that Taiwan's military is strong enough to resist a possible Chinese invasion for "more than two weeks" -- longer than one of his predecessors, Lee Tien-yu (李天羽), had envisioned nearly a decade ago.
• China May Outfit 6th Generation Aircraft With New 'All-Seeing' Radar Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- The new prototype tetrahertz radar currently being tested by Chinese scientists may eventually be used to outfit the People Liberation Army's cutting edge fighter aircraft, according to a Russian analyst.
• India to Station Rafale Jets Within Strike Range of China and Pakistan Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- India is finalizing the logistical arrangements for its Rafale fighter jet equipped Air Force squadrons to be stationed at two different air bases located at such a distance from where Indian Air Force can hit both its rival neighbors in less than 180 seconds.
• Iran, Iraq launch joint military drills Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Iran and Iraq have started out joint military maneuvers in the Islamic Republic's west and northwest to practice providing security for their common borders.
• Turkish Base Key to Building Strong Somali Army VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- One year from now, if all goes according to plan, the African Union mission in Somalia will withdraw 1,500 soldiers from the country, in a crucial first step toward Somalia shedding its reliance on outside troops to maintain security and fight off Islamist militant group al-Shabab.
• Department Press Briefing - October 3, 2017 US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2017
• Press Gaggle by President Trump, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon - 10/3/2017 The White House 03 Oct 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 03, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 3 October 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 03 Oct 2017
• UN agriculture agency and World Bank launch new initiative to avert famine in Yemen UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- More than half a million vulnerable and food-insecure people in war-torn Yemen will receive immediate relief and long-term sustainable agricultural support, thanks to a $36 million project launched by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Bank.
• Russia denies Daesh captured soldiers in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Russia's Defense Ministry has denied that two Russian soldiers were captured by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Syria.
• Russian airstrikes kill seven Daesh commanders in Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov says Russian military aircraft have taken out seven Daesh terrorist field commanders, including a terror coordinator, in Syria's troubled eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr over the past two days.
• Russia Says It Killed Kazakh IS Commander, Hundreds Of Fighters In Syria RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- Russia claims it has killed a Kazakh militant it says was an important commander in the forces of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Syria.
• Russian Jets Destroy Daesh Training Center, Take Out Seven Commanders in Syria Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- Russia's Aerospace Forces have killed 304 Daesh militants and left more than 170 wounded, as the offensive against the terrorists on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river near Deir ez-Zor, Syria continues.
• UN Warns of Intensified Fighting in Hawija, Anbar VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- The United Nations has warned that many innocent lives could be endangered in the coming days as the Iraqi army and its allied Shi'ite militias continue to press for the last pockets of Islamic State in Hawija and Anbar.
• Daesh defense line collapses in Hawijah as Iraqi forces liberate more villages Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- A high-ranking commander of the Iraqi pro-government Popular Mobilization Units says the defense lines of Daesh Takfiri militants have collapsed in the northern town of Hawijah as army troops and their allied fighters have adanaced dozens of kilometers, seizing nearly three dozen villages from the terrorists.
• Iraq: UN migration agency assists thousands newly displaced from west Anbar UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- With some 8,500 people displaced over the past two weeks amid Iraq's military operations to retake Anbar province, the United Nations migration agency announced today that it is stepping up provision of life-saving assistance.
• Myanmar wants its Rohingya refugees back: Bangladesh IRNA 03 Oct 2017 -- Bangladesh Foreign Minister said on Tuesday that in a meeting with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the two agreed on creating a joint working group to oversee the process of Rohingya refugees returning home.
• 10,000 Rohingya waiting at border to cross into Bangladesh: Report Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Over 10,000 more Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown at home in Myanmar's Rakhine State have amassed near a crossing point with Bangladesh awaiting entry into the neighboring country.
• Russia Concerned Over Conflict in Myanmar, Calls on Sides to Exercise Restraint Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- Vladimir Putin said that Russia is concerned over the conflict in Myanmar, calls to settle the crisis in a political way.
• Top UN relief official urges support for scaling up response to Rohingya refugee crisis UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- With over half a million Rohingya refugees having fled their homes in Myanmar since violence erupted in late August, the top United Nations humanitarian official has underscored that the solution to the crisis needs to be found within Myanmar.
• Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh at Risk as Diarrheal Diseases Spread VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- Aid agencies are scaling up efforts to contain an outbreak of diarrheal diseases that could have serious health consequences for many of the more than one-half million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who are living in squalid, overcrowded conditions in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
• U.S. Calls On Russian To Release Crimean Tatar Leader Umerov RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- The United States has called on "Russian occupation" authorities in Crimea to release prominent Tatar leader Ilmi Umerov and vacate his conviction for separatism.
• Dire lack of winter funding puts millions of refugees in Middle East at risk, warns UN agency UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- Dwindling resources could severely jeopardize efforts to provide refugees and displaced persons across the Middle East with essential winter supplies such as thermal blankets and warm clothing, the United Nations refugee agency has warned.
• Israeli premier vows to build more settlements at heart of West Bank Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised that his regime would build more settlements in an area at the heart of the occupied West Bank, defying repeated international calls for a halt to the controversial activity seen as a major impediment to peace.
• Fatah-Hamas reconciliation efforts irk Netanyahu Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Reconciliation efforts of the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by the Fatah movement, and the Hamas resistance movement have angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Deadly clashes kill four after militant attack on Indian base in Kashmir Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- At least three militants and one Indian soldier have been killed during violent clashes that erupted after an attack on an Indian paramilitary training camp in the disputed Kashmir region.
• UN: Huge Surge in DRC Refugees Fleeing to Zambia VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- The United Nations refugee agency reports a huge surge in the number of refugees fleeing to Zambia to escape growing violence in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• UN agency alarmed by largest influx of Congolese refugees into Zambia in five years UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- Growing violence in south-eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has driven at least 3,360 refugees into northern Zambia over the past month, the United Nations refugee agency said today, warning that the humanitarian needs of the displaced could intensify on both sides of the border as the rainy season approaches.

News Reports

• Russia's Putin calls for 'mutually beneficial' relations with US Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is advocating "predictable, constructive and mutually beneficial" relations with Washington.
• Kremlin Says Russia Hopes Huntsman Will Help Improve U.S. Ties RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the new U.S. ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman, that he hopes badly strained ties will improve.
• King accuses Catalan leaders of disloyalty to Spain Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Spain's King Felipe VI has accused Catalan leaders of risking the county's security and stability with their independence referendum.
• Spanish King Calls for Unity as Catalonians Protest VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- Spain's King Felipe VI has condemned the Catalan authorities, saying they placed themselves "outside the law" by holding an independence vote Sunday.
• Background Briefing: State Department Official on Cuba US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2017 -- Special Briefing by State Department Official
• US to Expel 15 Cuban Diplomats After Mysterious 'Health Attacks' VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- The United States has informed the Cuban government that it is ordering the departure of 15 officials from the Cuban embassy in Washington.
• Party-building strengthened to welcome 19th CPC National Congress People's Daily 03 Oct 2017
• Cairo says N Korean arms seized in 2016 was not bound for Egypt military Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Egypt has rejected a Washington Post report that a shipment of North Korean weapons seized last year at Suez Canal had been destined for its military.
• Now is not the time to talk with N Korea, White House says Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- The White House is sending mixed signals about negotiations with North Korea after US President Donald Trump's comment, indicating that diplomacy with the Asian nuclear power is a waste of time.
• North Korea Threatens Japan With 'Nuclear Clouds' in Response to Pressure Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- According to media reports, North Korea has threatened Japan with "nuclear clouds" if pressure against Pyongyang continues.
• Mattis: Pentagon 'Fully' Supports State Department on North Korea VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- The Pentagon "supports fully" U.S. State Department efforts to find a diplomatic solution with North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday.
• Iran urges collective efforts to boost regional security IRNA 03 Oct 2017 -- Iran's defense minister called for increase of cooperation among regional countries to elevate security in the region.
• US must stay in Iran's nuclear deal, Defense Secretary Mattis tells senators Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the administration of President Donald Trump must consider remaining a party to Iran's nuclear deal with the world powers, as the international accord serves US national interest.
• EU ties expansion, JCPOA endurance, terrorism eradication Iran's main policies: Rouhani Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic's foreign policy is directed at the attachment of special importance to preserving the historic nuclear deal it signed with the P5+1 group of countries more than two years ago.
• Iran won't scrap JCPOA right away if US quits: Zarif Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran would not rush to scrap a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal if Washington chose to unilaterally walk away from the agreement.
• Mattis Suggests Sticking With Iran Nuclear Deal RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has said the United States should remain a party to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran unless it's proven that Tehran is not abiding by the deal or that it's not in the U.S. national interest to do so.
• Mattis: US Should Stay in Iran Deal VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- The United States should stay in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, despite heavy criticisms of the deal from President Donald Trump.
• Mossad Director Reveals Extent of Israeli Spying Agency's Overseas Operations Sputnik 03 Oct 2017 -- The head of Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, has acknowledged the agency carries out "hundreds of thousands" of operations against "enemy countries" every year - the organization's history of operations targeted against close allies went unmentioned.
• Former Pakistani PM Sharif Reelected Head Of Ruling Party RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been reelected as president of Pakistan's ruling party despite his dismissal from office by the Supreme Court.
• Pakistan FM Visits Washington to Shore Up Sagging Ties VOA 03 Oct 2017 -- President Donald Trump's emerging Afghan policy has hit Pakistan hard in three sensitive areas: its tangled, acrimonious relationship with India, the denial that terrorist groups operate in its territory, and allegations that it is fomenting trouble in neighboring Afghanistan.
• French lawmakers adopt anti-terror bill 'at expense of' civil liberties Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- The French parliament has overwhelmingly adopted a new controversial counterterrorism bill, which will boost police surveillance powers and make it easier to close religious centers, as the European country is under a nearly two-year-old state of emergency.
• Spanish Court OKs Extradition Of Russian Hacker To U.S. RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- Spain's high court has authorized the extradition of a Russian man wanted by U.S. authorities for running a massive computer bot that sent tens of millions of spam e-mails over many years.
• President will not declare independence: premier CNA 03 Oct 2017 -- Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Tuesday that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will not declare Taiwan independence.
• President Tsai calls for new model for cross-strait ties CNA 03 Oct 2017 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has reiterated her proposal that Taipei and Beijing create a new model to handle cross-Taiwan Strait relations, which have been at a standstill for more than a year since her inauguration in May 2016.
• Turkey issues warrants to arrest 254 over coup Press TV 03 Oct 2017 -- Turkish authorities have issued detention warrants for 254 Istanbul municipality and staffers of ministries on suspicion of links to the alleged mastermind of last year's coup attempt.
• Cameroon: UN Secretary-General urges dialogue to resolve grievances UN News 03 Oct 2017 -- Strongly condemning recent violence in south-west and north-west regions of Cameroon, including reported loss of life, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged all stakeholders to refrain from any further acts of violence and called on the authorities to investigate the incidents.
• European Commission Says Will 'Closely Monitor' Moldova's New Electoral Law RFE/RL 03 Oct 2017 -- The European Commission has warned that it will "closely monitor" the implementation of Moldova's controversial new electoral law.