• 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 08 Mar 2018 [PDF]
• US drone strike kills 21 people in Afghanistan Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Two missiles fired from a US drone have hit an alleged militant compound in Afghanistan, killing 21 people, according to intelligence officials and Taliban commanders in neighboring Pakistan.
• Senior Taliban Leader Killed in Raid in Eastern Afghanistan - Reports Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Afghan forces killed five militants, including a senior leader of the Taliban radical movement, in an operation in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, the Khaama news agency reported Thursday, citing the provincial government's press service.
• Security Council renews UN mission in Afghanistan; debate highlights women's power UN News 08 Mar 2018 -- The Security Council on Thursday renewed the mandate of the United Nations political mission in Afghanistan for another year to continue providing assistance to the Government and the people of the conflict-plagued country.
• Iran ready to help Afghanistan fight terror: Defense chief Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Iran's defense chief says the Islamic Republic supports peace and security in neighboring countries, especially Afghanistan, voicing Tehran's readiness to help the country in its fight against terrorists at Kabul's request.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Eucom Commander: Violent Extremism, Russia Top Threats in Region AFPS 08 Mar 2018 -- The United States and NATO are working together to counter the biggest threats to European security -- violent extremism and Russian destabilization efforts, Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. European Command, said here today.
• Transcom Stands Ready To Respond, But Future Is Concerning, Commander Says AFPS 08 Mar 2018 -- U.S. Transportation Command stands ready to deliver on behalf of the nation's objectives anywhere at any time, Transcom's commander told lawmakers on Capitol Hill today during a joint convening of the House Armed Services Committee's panels on readiness and seapower and projection forces.
• Navy's Arctic Ice Exercise Features Multinational Participation AFPS 08 Mar 2018 -- Submarine Force Pacific officially kicked off Ice Exercise 2018 in the Arctic Ocean with the construction of temporary Ice Camp Skate off the northern Alaskan coast and the arrival of two U.S. Navy fast-attack submarines and one British Royal Navy submarine, March 7.
• USS Tucson Returns to Pearl Harbor NNS 08 Mar 2018 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) returned from deployment to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, March 7.
• Defense Budget Request Seeks to Reinvigorate U.S. Deterrence Strategy AFPS 08 Mar 2018 -- The president's fiscal year 2019 defense budget request reinvigorates America's strategic thinking and capabilities, Defense Department officials told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday.
• Travis AFB delivers NASA InSight Spacecraft AFNS 08 Mar 2018 -- Airmen from the 21st Airlift Squadron and the 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, loaded and transported the NASA InSight Spacecraft Feb. 28, 2018, from Lockheed Martin Space, Buckley AFB, Colorado, to Vandenberg AFB, California, aboard a C-17 Globemaster III.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General discusses transatlantic partnership at Brussels Forum NATO 08 Mar 2018 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller addressed NATO's transatlantic partnership at the annual Brussels Forum conference on Thursday (8 March 2018). She took part in a panel discussion entitled "Rebuild Transatlantic Trust", together with representatives from government and business.
• United Arab Emirates (UAE) - AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II Missiles DSCA 08 Mar 2018 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates of three hundred (300) AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II missiles, forty (40) AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs), thirty (30) AIM-9X-2 Block II Tactical guidance units, fifteen (15) AIM-9X-2 CATM guidance units, containers, spares, support equipment and missile support, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistics support, and other associated support equipment and services for an estimated cost of $270.4 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 7, 2018.
• Qatar - Upgrade of Qatar Air Operations Center (AOC) DSCA 08 Mar 2018 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Qatar of equipment and support to upgrade the Qatari Emiri Air Force's (QEAF) Air Operation Center (AOC) for an estimated cost of $197 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 7, 2018.
• Qatar signs security pact with NATO amid Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Qatar has signed a security pact with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), enabling forces with the military alliance to enter and transit the Persian Gulf state and use its al-Ubeid Air Base there.
• Qatar Signs Security Cooperation Agreement With NATO - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Qatari armed forces signed an agreement with NATO on military and security cooperation, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.
• UK steps up cyber defence UK MOD 08 Mar 2018 -- UK Cyber Defence is getting a boost, following the opening of a new Defence Cyber School at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham.
• Iranian Commander: 'Iran's Missile Production Tripled, Despite Enemy Pressure' Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Iran's missile program has been heavily criticized by the US and is being used as an excuse to thwart the nuclear deal stuck with the country, because it "compromises the security of the Jewish state."
• Navy unmanned aerial vehicle crashes near school in Pingtung County CNA 08 Mar 2018 -- An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to the Navy crashed close to a elementary school in the southern county of Pingtung on Thursday, according to Taiwan's Navy Command.
• Readout of President Donald J. Trump's Call with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan The White House 08 Mar 2018
• Department Press Briefing - March 8, 2018 US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 08, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 8 March 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Mar 2018
• Beijing Blames External Forces for Sowing Discord in South China Sea Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- External forces are flexing military muscle in the South China Sea in a bid to destabilize the region after tensions began to ease, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said Thursday.
• China: Outside forces trying to muddy regional waters Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his country has a strong resolve to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea despite attempts by external forces to "muddy the waters" in the disputed region.
• Beijing needs to build defensive structures on South China Sea islands: Army general Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- A leading Chinese military general says his country needs to build defensive structures on artificial islands in the South China Sea to assert its sovereignty over nearly the entire region amid tensions between Beijing and Washington.
• Saudi-led strikes kill 9 Yemeni civilians Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- At least nine people, including women and children, have been killed in new Saudi-led airstrikes against civilian targets across Yemen.
• Turkish forces, allied militants capture town in Syria's Afrin Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Turkish army forces and allied militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) have seized control of a town in Syria's northwestern Afrin region that has been the target of a military campaign over the past weeks.
• Turkish Forces Take Control of Jandaris Town in Syria's Afrin – Reports Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Turkish forces took control of the town of Jandaris in Syria's Afrin as part of Operation Olive Branch, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.
• Turkey Announces Preliminary End Date of Olive Branch Op in Afrin Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that the country's military will end the operation in Syria's Afrin by early May, CNN Turk reported Thursday.
• Turkey Eyes Refugees Returning to Afrin, Syria VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- Questions about the fate of Syrian refugees in Turkey are emerging as its forces in Syria's Afrin province fight a Kurdish militia linked to a long-running insurgency within Turkish borders.
• Army continues operations in Ghouta, inflicts heavy losses un al-Nusra terrorists IRNA 08 Mar 2018 -- Syrian Arab Army units on Wednesday continued military operations against Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and affiliated groups in the Eastern Ghouta in Damascus Countryside.
• Syrian troops open second safe passage for civilians out of Eastern Ghouta: Report Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- The Syrian government has opened a second humanitarian corridor out of the militant-held Eastern Ghouta as army troops are poised to slice the flashpoint enclave in two.
• Iran, Russia have means to ensure Syria respects ceasefire: French FM Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- The French foreign minister says Iran and Russia have the means to ensure that Syria honors a UN resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire across the Arab country.
• Syrian Army Seizes Large Batch of Weapons Bound for Terrorists in Eastern Ghouta Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- The Syrian army is continuing its offensive on militant defenses in Eastern Ghouta after conducting an operation against terrorists in the village of Masraba, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
• Syrian Army to Lay Siege to Two Terrorist Bulwarks in E Ghouta - Reports Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Syrian pro-government troops are preparing to conduct a siege of the towns of Douma and Mesraba, two terrorist strongholds in Eastern Ghouta, media reported, citing military and local sources.
• Humanitarian Convoy for Syria's Eastern Ghouta Postponed VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- The United Nations and International Red Cross said an aid convoy for the besieged eastern Ghouta area of Syria would go on as planned Thursday because of security concerns.
• Syrian Military Attacks Continue in Syria's Eastern Ghouta Area VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- The Syrian military is continuing its relentless aerial and ground assaults on eastern Ghouta in a campaign to recapture the rebel-held Damascus suburb, forcing the postponement of a critical shipment of humanitarian aid, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
• Turkey, Iraq to carry out joint military ops against PKK in N Iraq: Turkish FM Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Ankara and Baghdad will carry out a joint military operation against members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group in the northern parts of the Arab country.
• Trust must be rebuilt to address Ukraine crisis, European security entity tells at UN UN News 08 Mar 2018 -- The conflict in eastern Ukraine is testing the core shared values, and the only way to rebuild trust between warring parties is "more dialogue, more political will and more concrete action on the ground," the chairperson of an European intergovernmental security organization told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

News Reports

• Report: Evidence Of Trump Efforts To Set Up Back Channel With Kremlin RFE/RL 08 Mar 2018 -- U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has evidence that a secret meeting in the Seychelles just before U.S. President Donald Trump took office was an effort by his campaign to establish a back channel with the Kremlin, The Washington Post has reported.
• Kremlin 'Trolls' Meddling In Russia's Own Elections? 'Of Course We Are!' RFE/RL 08 Mar 2018 -- Over the last three years, there have been many reports from people working inside the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg - an enterprise perhaps better known as Putin's Troll Factory.
• Britain Weighing Its Options in Poisoning of Russians VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- The tip-off came from the British government itself that Downing Street had no stomach for a fight over Ukraine and Russia's takeover of Crimea.
• UK investigates source of nerve agent in ex-Russian spy attack Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- British detectives are trying to find the source of the nerve agent they claim was used in the alleged attempted murder of a Russian former double-agent and his daughter.
• Suspected Nerve-Agent Attack In U.K. An 'Appalling, Reckless Crime' RFE/RL 08 Mar 2018 -- The suspected poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter with a nerve agent was an "appalling and reckless crime," a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
• Russian Spy: Police Have Reportedly Identified Nerve Agent, Won't Make It Public Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- According to media reports, former Russian military intelligence colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are in a coma after being exposed to a suspected nerve gas in Salisbury.
• Tillerson Reaffirms US Commitment to Africa VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has re-affirmed the U.S. commitment to Africa, two months after President Donald Trump's reported derogatory comments about the continent.
• Tillerson Works to Ease US Tensions with Africa VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has re-affirmed the U.S. commitment to Africa, in an effort to end the controversy caused by President Donald Trump's reported derogatory comments about the continent.
• Russian FM Makes Deals, Affirms Old Friendships on Africa Tour VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- Russia's foreign minister has signed economic agreements and solidified ties in Zimbabwe, one of five stops on an Africa tour that includes former Soviet client states Mozambique, Ethiopia and Angola.
• Press Availability With African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018 -- Press Availability by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State
• Press Availability With Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018 -- Press Availability by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State
• Secretary Tillerson's Meeting With African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018
• Secretary Tillerson's Meeting With Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018
• Secretary Tillerson's Meeting With Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018
• Remarks by Republic of Korea National Security Advisor Chung Eui-Yong The White House 08 Mar 2018
• Korean Peninsula denuclearization still distant target: South Korea's Moon Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- South Korea's President Moon Jae-in says a recent North Korean proposal for holding disarmament talks is a positive step but insists there is a long way to go to achieve a full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
• South Korean Envoys Head to US to Discuss North Korean Offer VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- Two South Korean envoys are heading to the United States to brief Trump administration officials about their talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
• N Korea Sends 'Positive Signals' But There Is Long Way From Talks - Tillerson Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- North Korea might be sending some positive signals, but there is still a long way to go before Washington and Pyongyang can start negotiations, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday during a visit to Ethiopia.
• US Urges African Nations to Put Diplomatic, Economic Pressure on N Korea Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- African countries need to increase participation in the global campaign of maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a press conference on Thursday with African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki.
• China Urges North, US to Talk Soon VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged North Korea and the United States to hold talks as soon as possible, calling on all parties to take steps to move the situation forward and, as he put it, fight for peace.
• Analysts: Trump Administration Lacks Experts Needed for North Korea Talks VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- President Donald Trump reacted positively to an unexpected willingness from North Korea to conduct talks on freezing its nuclear program, but some analysts are cautioning that the Trump administration does not have the experts in place needed to prepare and conduct such difficult negotiations.
• Iran won't talk to US, extra-regional states on its regional role: Ayatollah Khamenei Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Islamic Republic will not hold talks with the US or other extra-regional countries about its regional presence.
• Iran Not Going to Negotiate Presence in Mid East With Western States - Khamenei Sputnik 08 Mar 2018 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that Iran is not going to negotiate its presence in the Middle East region with the United States and European countries.
• Highlights of foreign minister's press conference People's Daily 08 Mar 2018 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the press Thursday morning on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress.
• Iran prepared to open $3bn LOC for Iraq reconstruction projects: Jahangiri Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Iran says it is ready to provide Iraq with a line of credit (LOC) worth up to three billion dollars to pave the way for the Iranian private sector's active participation in the reconstruction of the neighboring country.
• Turkey, Iran part of 'triangle of evil' in region: Saudi crown prince Press TV 08 Mar 2018 -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman claims Turkey and Iran, along with extremist groups, have formed a "triangle of evil" in the region amid Riyadh's anger over Tehran-Ankara cooperation in Syria and the Turkish support for Qatar in the standoff with a Riyadh-led quartet of states.
• Pakistani Court Rules in Favor of Political Party Tied to Global Terror Suspect VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- A federal court in Pakistan has sided with a new political party whose bid to register with the national election commission was rejected because of the party's ties to an Islamic cleric designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations and United States.
• Six Minutes Late: Balkan Bickering Slowing Clocks Across Europe RFE/RL 08 Mar 2018 -- European power operators say a dispute between Serbia and Kosovo is sapping a small amount of energy from the continent's electricity grid and causing electronic clocks to run several minutes late across Europe.
• Despite ongoing unrest, DR Congo must press ahead with preparations for credible elections, says UN envoy UN News 08 Mar 2018 -- Highlighting political tensions and the disintegrating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Leila Zerrougui, briefing the Security Council for the first time as head of the UN stabilization mission in the contry, said significant progress is being made on preparations for upcoming polls.
• UN seeks $80 million to support refugees in Ethiopia UN News 08 Mar 2018 -- Two United Nations humanitarian agencies are jointly seeking $80 million to provide food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia, which hosts the second largest number of those in Africa.
• Ethiopia Reports Arrests Over Anti-Government Protests VOA 08 Mar 2018 -- Ethiopia's defense minister announced the arrests of the "main instigators" linked to anti-government protests roiling the country, insisting that armed federal patrols were trying to minimize violence. At least a handful of civilian deaths have been reported over the last several days.
• State Department Terrorist Designations of Ahmad Iman Ali and Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi US Dept. of State 08 Mar 2018-- The Department of State has designated Ahmad Iman Ali and Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. E.O. 13224 imposes strict sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.