• 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 01 Dec 2017[PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 01 Dec 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 19 strikes consisting of 24 engagements between Nov. 27 and yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• TR, CVW-17 Launch in Support of Operation Inherent Resolve NNS 01 Dec 2017 -- The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 began sorties from the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR).
• 400 US Marines to leave Syria after Raqqah operation: Coalition Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- The US-led coalition, which has purportedly been fighting Daesh, says it is to pull more than 400 American Marines out of Syria, where they helped Kurdish militants capture the northern city of Raqqah from the Takfiri terror group.
• Reapers in the Sahara: US Military to Deploy Armed UAVs to Niger Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- US Africa Command (AFRICOM) will be adding armed drones to their Nigerien arsenals to bolster their combat capabilities after the October ambush that left four US soldiers and five Nigerien soldiers dead.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army fields Modular Handgun System ahead of schedule Army News 01 Dec 2017 -- In an effort to improve Soldier and unit lethality, the Army fielded the new Modular Handgun System to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) 18 months ahead of schedule, according to Lt. Col. Steven Power, product manager for individual weapons within Program Executive Office Soldier.
• Coast Guard Hosts Arctic Awareness Meeting AFPS 01 Dec 2017 -- The Coast Guard hosted an Arctic Domain Awareness Center meeting at its headquarters here, Nov. 28-29.
• Media Availability with Secretary Mattis En Route to Egypt DoD 01 Dec 2017 -- Presenter: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
• US 4th Fleet Hosts Maritime Synchronization Conference NNS 01 Dec 2017 -- U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (USNAVSO/FOURTHFLT) is hosting the annual Maritime Synchronization Conference (MSC) on board Naval Station Mayport, Nov. 28-Dec. 1.
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Call with Japan Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera DoD 01 Dec 2017
• USS Lake Erie Arrives in Hawaii NNS 01 Dec 2017 -- Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) arrived in Pearl Harbor, Nov. 30, following a seven-month deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and the Arabian Gulf.
• B-52s Won't Get New Engines Until At Least 2020, If Ever Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- The US Air Force won't be able to replace the engines on its fleet of 76 B-52 bombers until 2020 at the very earliest due to continued budget constraints, according to a new report.
• National Guard wraps up busy hurricane season Army News 01 Dec 2017 -- Three back-to-back hurricanes that brought large-scale destruction to the Gulf Coast region, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands kept the National Guard busy during the 2017 hurricane season.
• Russia Negotiating Deal For Its Warplanes To Use Egyptian Bases RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- Russia has approved a draft agreement with Egypt for Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases, in a move allowing Moscow to increase its military presence in the Middle East.
• Russia, Egypt Finalizing Military Cooperation Agreement VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- Arab media is reporting that Egypt and Russia are on the verge of signing a military cooperation agreement that would allow each side to use the other's air space and air bases for a period of five years. Russian media reported that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has endorsed the draft agreement crafted by the defense ministry.
• US Navy Transitions to Search and Recovery in Search for ARA San Juan NNS 01 Dec 2017 -- Two U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft, the Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC) and the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) from the Undersea Rescue Command that were assisting Argentina in the search for Argentine submarine, ARA San Juan, completed operations Nov 30.
• US Deploys CURV-21 in Argentine Submarine Search NNS 01 Dec 2017 -- At the request of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), the U.S. Navy directed Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) to deploy the Cable operated Unmanned Recovery Vehicle (CURV) 21 to join the search efforts for Argentine submarine, ARA San Juan.
• Argentine Navy calls off rescue operation for missing submarine crew People's Daily 01 Dec 2017 -- Argentina's Navy ended a rescue operation on Thursday for the ARA San Juan submarine's 44-member crew, some two weeks after the vessel went off the radar.
• Missing Argentine Sub Reported Battery on Fire in Final Message Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- The Argentine navy has abandoned its rescue mission for the crew of the San Juan submarine that went missing as a result of what is believed a battery fire caused by a leak. The search is now on for a wreck on the ocean floor where the vessel vanished two weeks ago, British media reported.
• Satellite Imagery Shows New Chinese Hovercraft Construction Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- New images captured by commercial satellites show that the Jiangnan Shipyard in China is churning out more Yuyi-class "air-cushioned" seacraft, also know as hovercraft.
• Argentina Ends Operation to Rescue Missing Submarine Crew Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- The Argentine Navy spokesman announced that no traces of the missing San Juan submarine or its crew have been found, despite the rescue mission lasting twice as long than was needed to find the sailors alive.
• India Alarmed By China's Plan to Deploy Warships in Pakistan's Gwadar Port Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- The planned deployment of Chinese warships at the Gwadar port in Pakistan threatens to make India's worst fear come true. India suspects that China has been increasing its naval presence in the Indian Ocean region as part of a larger strategy to encircle India.
• India Denies Having Let US Officials On Board Nuke Sub Leased From Russia Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- The INS Chakra, leased by the Indian Navy from Russia for a 10-year period, has been lying idle at the Vizag port for the last three months following damage that is currently being inspected by an Indo-Russian joint team of experts.
• President vows to build sound self-defense capabilities CNA 01 Dec 2017 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) reiterated her resolve at a military ceremony Friday to build strong self-defense capabilities for Taiwan.
• Background Briefing: Senior State Department Official Previewing the Secretary's Travel to Europe US Dept. of State 01 Dec 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 01, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 1 December 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 01 Dec 2017
• UN News - UN relief wing appeals for record $22.5 billion in aid for 2018 UN News 01 Dec 2017 -- A record level of aid funding – more than $22.5 billion – is needed to deliver lifesaving assistance around the world in 2018, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator said on Friday.
• UN Launches Biggest-ever Humanitarian Appeal VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- The United Nations is appealing for a record $22.5 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to 91 million victims of conflict and natural disasters in 2018.
• China showcases jet fighters at South China Sea island People's Daily 01 Dec 2017 -- The official Chinese media's broadcast of Chinese J-11B fighters entering a sealed hangar in the Xisha Islands showcases China's improving air and sea control of the South China Sea, a Chinese military expert said.
• U.S. defends Japan's control of Diaoyutai Islands CNA 01 Dec 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in August voiced the opposition of the U.S. and Japan to any unilateral action that seeks to undermine Japan's administration of the Diaoyutai Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
• Top Syrian negotiator rejects Riyadh-2 communiqué Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- Syria's ambassador to the United Nations and head of the Syrian delegation to the intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva has strongly condemned the foreign-sponsored armed opposition over a communiqué, which demands the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and his exclusion from governing Syria during a transitional period.
• Iranian Envoy Says U.S. Won't Succeed In Pushing Iran Out Of Syria RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says U.S. efforts to push Iranian military advisers and fighters out of Syria as part of a deal to end the war-torn country's six-year civil war will not succeed.
• Israel 'reprimands' Myanmar envoy for spilling the beans on arms deal Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- The Israeli regime has "reprimanded" Myanmar's ambassador to Tel Aviv for saying that Tel Aviv has signed a new arms deal with Naypyidaw, which is under massive international criticism over ethnically cleansing minority Muslim Rohingya in the west of the country.
• UN News - Central African Republic: 'Restoring hope,' UN agriculture agency helps ex-fighters start anew UN News 01 Dec 2017 -- Over 1,000 ex-fighters in the conflict-riddled Central African Republic (CAR) have traded their weapons for farming equipment, as part of a United Nations initiative, according to the UN agriculture agency.
• 2 Somali Soldiers, 12 Militants Killed in Al-Shabab Ambush VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- At least two Somali soldiers and 12 militants were killed Friday when al-Shabab militants attacked a convoy in central Somalia, according to a senior regional official.
• Ethiopia Plans to Close 27 Refugee Camps VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- The government of Ethiopia says it will close all 27 refugee camps in its territory over the next 10 years and integrate residents into local communities.
• Nine Killed In Taliban Attack On College In Peshawar RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- At least nine people have been killed and dozens wounded after Pakistani Taliban gunmen dressed in all-enveloping burqas stormed the campus of an agriculture university in northwestern Pakistan, hospital sources and police tell RFE/RL.
• War Criminal Praljak Died Due To Cyanide Poisoning RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- Convicted Bosnian-Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak died of cyanide poisoning, Dutch officials said on December 1.

News Reports

• Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to FBI VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty Friday to lying to federal agents and has agreed to cooperate with investigators examining allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
• White House Distances Itself From Trump's Former National Security Adviser VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- The White House sought to distance itself from U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty Friday of lying to federal investigators about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.
• Ex-Trump aide Flynn pleads guilty to lying about Russia links Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- US President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.
• Former Trump National Security Adviser Flynn Pleads Guilty To Lying To FBI In Russia Probe RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- Michael Flynn, who resigned as President Donald Trump's national security adviser just 24 days into his administration, has pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, a federal crime.
• Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to FBI, Denies Accusations of Treason as 'False' Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- Earlier, US media reported citing the court's filing that US Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn with one count of "willfully and knowingly" making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI.
• Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Willful Retention of National Defense Information US Dept. of Justice 01 Dec 2017 -- Nghia Hoang Pho, 67, of Ellicott City, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to willful retention of national defense information.
• Russia's foreign minister censures US 'bloodthirsty tirade' on North Korea Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described threats to destroy North Korea by the United States as "a bloodthirsty tirade."
• Pyongyang ready for peace talks if recognized as nuclear power: Report Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- North Korea has reportedly expressed its readiness to take part in peace talks if the United States recognizes Pyongyang as a nuclear power.
• Pentagon chief says diplomacy a viable option with North Korea Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- US defense secretary James Mattis says he still has confidence in diplomacy to resolve tensions with North Korea and that Washington would be "unrelenting" in working through the United Nations.
• Foreign Ministers to Discuss North Korea at UN VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- Japan's foreign minister is to preside over a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on December 15, to discuss North Korea's nuclear program, his nation's U.N. ambassador said Friday.
• 'Non-market economy country' not a clear WTO concept: FM Global Times 01 Dec 2017 -- The concept of a "non-market economy country" does not exist in the multilateral rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the surrogate country approach to calculating anti-dumping measures against China must be ended, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday.
• Iran FM: Nuclear deal 'best we could have reached' IRNA 01 Dec 2017 -- Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), 'is not what we want ...but what we could achieve.'
• Under Pressure, Turkey's President Slams Testimony at Sanctions Trial VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reacting angrily after testimony in a New York trial implicated him in an alleged multi-million-dollar scam to evade U.S.-imposed sanctions against Iran. His reaction is adding to concerns Ankara is on a collision course with U.S. courts that could have financial and political repercussions.
• Ukraine's Poroshenko Says NATO, EU Referendums To Be Held Soon RFE/RL 01 Dec 2017 -- Ukraine will hold referendums in the near future on whether to seek NATO and European Union memberships, President Petro Poroshenko said.
• Venezuela nabs former senior oil officials in graft probe Press TV 01 Dec 2017 -- Venezuelan authorities have detained two former senior oil officials in an expanding investigation into the country's state-run oil industry.
• Mnangagwa Always Pays His Debts: Anti-Mugabe Generals Given Top Gov't Jobs Sputnik 01 Dec 2017 -- Despite promising a "new destiny" for Zimbabwe, the country's new president appointed a number of prominent Mugabe-era generals to his Cabinet as a reward for their support of the recent military coup.
• Zimbabwe's New President Names All-loyalist Cabinet VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- Zimbabwe's new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has announced a 22-member Cabinet made up entirely of ruling party members, including two senior army officials. Legal experts say the new president might have made his first misstep in office.
• Western Balkan Governments Remain Focused on NATO, EU Membership VOA 01 Dec 2017 -- Foreign Ministers from across the Western Balkans say substantially improved ties with Europe and the United States will be critical to stabilizing the Southeastern European region that some experts describe as vulnerable to anti-Western foreign influences.