• 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

• US Troops Wrap Up Mass Drills With Militants Near Syria's al-Tanf Base - Reports Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Earlier, the US-led coalition rejected allegations that a Syrian militant group has set up training camps near the Pentagon's military base in the town of al-Tanf in southeastern Syria.
• Marines hold eight days of drills with militants in southern Syria Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- US marines have held eight days of unprecedented military exercises with US-backed militants in southern Syria in an attempt to send a "strong message" to Iran and Russia, a senior military official said.
• 188th Wing activates UPAD for Hurricane Florence Response AFNS 14 Sep 2018 -- The Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Wing activated its Unclassified Processing, Assessment and Dissemination capability in response to Hurricane Florence September 13, providing imagery, geospatial, and assessment support to incident commanders in affected areas.
• Hurricane Florence edges closer to East Coast, Hurricane Hunters continue reconnaissance AFNS 14 Sep 2018 -- As the storm moves closer to the East Coast, members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron continue flying through Hurricane Florence from the Air Dominance Center, Combat Readiness Training Center, Savannah, Georgia.
• Oklahoma Guard Aviators Deploy to Aid Hurricane Florence Relief Effort AFPS 14 Sep 2018 -- Soldiers from the Oklahoma Army National Guard departed yesterday from Muldrow Army Heliport here to provide search-and-recovery capabilities for East Coast citizens impacted by Hurricane Florence.
• Guard units from 14 states gear up for Hurricane Florence Army News 14 Sep 2018 -- As the outer edges of Hurricane Florence begin to hit the Carolina coast, close to 5,000 National Guard members are on duty throughout the East Coast in preparation for the storm's landfall, which occurred just before 8 a.m. near Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
• Kearsarge, Arlington, 22nd MEU ready to support Florence relief effort NNS 14 Sep 2018 -- The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), embarked with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), are ready to support Hurricane Florence relief efforts off the mid-Atlantic coast.
• Navy Assists Typhoon Mangkhut Recovery Efforts in Marianas, Guam AFPS 14 Sep 2018 -- The USS Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, are providing air assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local officials in the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam following Typhoon Mangkhut, Sept 12.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF Announces selection of GPS III follow-on contract AFNS 14 Sep 2018 -- The U.S. Air Force announced selection of Lockheed Martin for a fixed-price-type production contract for 22 GPS III Follow-On satellites with a total estimated contract value up to $7.2 billion.
• AF announces corrective measures for oxygen breathing system in training aircraft AFNS 14 Sep 2018 -- The Air Force will begin implementing a series of corrective measures, including redesigning the oxygen system and adjusting oxygen control levels in flight, to address persistent problems in training aircraft. In addition, Air Education and Training Command will increase maintenance on the oxygen distribution system, known as OBOGS, to curb problems identified in T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft.
• JB Charleston evacuates aircraft, maintains airlift capabilities AFNS 14 Sep 2018 -- Joint Base Charleston personnel assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing and 628th Air Base Wing began evacuation flights for 24 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Sept. 11, 2018, in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.
• Dunford Trip Aimed at Maintaining, Growing Alliances AFPS 14 Sep 2018 -- One of the tenets of the National Defense Strategy is maintaining and building alliances.
• Exercise Rapid Trident 2018 enables relationships to cross borders Army News 14 Sep 2018 -- Multinational Soldiers from 14 countries spent two weeks working side by side during Rapid Trident 2018.
• Aloha USS O'Kane, USS Wayne E. Meyer NNS 14 Sep 2018 -- "Aloha" means hello and goodbye.
• Software Issues Derail F-35 Testing Schedule Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Problems lingering in the F-35's software systems have delayed a series of tests designed to ensure the aircraft can perform a full range of operationally relevant missions.
• Pentagon Protests After U.S. Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Near Alaska RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- The Pentagon has issued a protest after U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace west of the U.S. state of Alaska.
• NATO Embraces Strong' Approach with Russia VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he has no intention of backing down in the face of a "resurgent" Russia, insisting the Western alliance will hold a firm but fair line with Moscow while continuing to accept former Soviet states.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg DoD 14 Sep 2018
• Remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC NATO 14 Sep 2018 -- Thank you,
• Russian War Games Seek to Cement Ties With China, Send Message to West VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- Russia is holding its largest military exercises since the Cold War in the far eastern part of the country, and for the first time it has invited contingents from China and Mongolia.
• Beijing, Moscow vow to reinforce military relations, combat abilities People's Daily 14 Sep 2018 -- China and Russia vowed to further deepen military ties and improve their troops' combat abilities to respond to various security threats, as they formally concluded the "Vostok-2018" strategic drills with a military parade on Thursday.
• Social Media Causing Sleep Deprivation in Pilots – Indian Air Force Chief Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- The Indian Air Force has witnessed 31 plane crashes in the last four years; 45 percent of them were reportedly caused by human error. Five aircraft were destroyed in 2017-18.
• Secret doc reveals Israeli military unprepared for war Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- A "secret" dossier has revealed that the Israeli military is unprepared to engage in new warfare, contradicting previous assertions issued by Tel Aviv to the contrary.
• Trump admin authorizes $2.6bn missiles, spy planes sale to South Korea Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump has authorized the sale of around $2.6 billion worth of missiles and surveillance aircraft to South Korea.
• Spain gives in to Saudi pressure to deliver 400 precision bombs Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Spain has backed off from its earlier decision to pull a contract for the sale of 400 precision bombs to Saudi Arabia over human rights violations by the Riyadh regime in its war on Yemen.
• Remarks to the Media US Dept. of State 14 Sep 2018 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 14, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 14 September 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Sep 2018
• Yemen targets Saudi oil refinery with missile IRNA 14 Sep 2018 -- Yemeni missile unit targeted a Saudi oil refinery with ballistic missile in southern Saudi Arabia, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' reported.
• Yemeni drone targets Emirati forces in Al Hudaydah IRNA 14 Sep 2018 -- The Yemeni drone targeted the UAE forces' position in Al Hudaydah Province on Friday, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' reported.
• Saudi military helicopter crashes in SE Yemen IRNA 14 Sep 2018 -- According to Saudi sources, a military helicopter belonging to Saudi Arabia crashed in Al Mahrah Province in southern Arabian Peninsula and two people on board were killed.
• Yemeni army, allies target Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jizan border region Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have fired a domestically-designed and -developed ballistic missile at a strategic economic target in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border region of Jizan in retaliation for the Riyadh regime's devastating military aggression against their impoverished country.
• Saudi helicopter on recon mission crashes in Yemen, crew killed Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- A Saudi helicopter on a reconnaissance mission has crashed in Yemen's eastern province of al-Mahrah, killing its pilot and co-pilot.
• Saudis positioned to attack food reserves in Yemen's Hudaydah: Houthi Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Saudi Arabia and its allies are positioned to attack food storage facilities in Yemeni port town of al-Hudaydah, the Houthi Ansarullah Movement has warned.
• Yemen: mortar attack on UN food silo 'could affect vital aid deliveries to millions' UN News 14 Sep 2018 -- Fighting in the Yemen port city of Hudaydah which has damaged a World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility, threatens to hamper efforts to feed millions of people in the war-torn country, it said on Friday.
• WFP Food Stocks Under Attack in Yemen's Port City of Hodeidah VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The World Food Program (WFP) said humanitarian workers, warehouses and food stocks in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah have come under attack in recent days, jeopardizing vital assistance programs.
• Russia will continue supporting Syria in combating terrorism IRNA 14 Sep 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow stands with Syria in the fight against terrorism, adding that the presence of foreign forces which have not been invited by the Syrian state is illegal.
• Army kills scores of al-Nusra terrorists in Hama countryside IRNA 14 Sep 2018 -- A Syrian army unit targeted a terrorist group in the northern countryside of Hama, inflicting heavy losses upon its members.
• Russia's Putin concerned by terrorist moves in Syria's Idlib: Kremlin Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his concern over terrorist activities in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the RIA news agency cites the Kremlin as saying.
• Syria, Jordan in talks to reopen key border crossing, resume bilateral trade Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Syrian and Jordanian officials have started talks to reopen the key border crossing of al-Nassib after a three-year hiatus in a bid to re-establish bilateral trade and help revive the economy of war-torn Syria.
• Turkey Amasses Forces in Idlib Ahead of Damascus Offensive Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Turkey has sent convoys of troops to the province, despite its defense minister having said a military operation would drag the enclave toward disaster.
• 'A Highly Meaningful Message': Iran Acknowledges Air Strike on Iraqi Kurds Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- The chief commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed the strike in a statement.
• Top US Diplomat Takes 'Wait and See' Approach to South Sudan Peace Deal VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The U.S. ambassador to South Sudan says Washington will not continue to fund peace agreements that are violated over and over by the parties in the South Sudanese civil war.
• UN Envoy: Somali Leaders' Lack of Trust Stymies Progress VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- United Nations Envoy to Somalia Michael Keating says lack of trust among Somali leaders is complicating progress on the political and security fronts, and says the country's federal and regional leaders need to compromise.
• Top US Diplomat Takes 'Wait and See' Approach to South Sudan Peace Deal VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The U.S. ambassador to South Sudan says Washington will not continue to fund peace agreements that are violated over and over by the parties in the South Sudanese civil war.
• UN Envoy: Somali Leaders' Lack of Trust Stymies Progress VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- United Nations Envoy to Somalia Michael Keating says lack of trust among Somali leaders is complicating progress on the political and security fronts, and says the country's federal and regional leaders need to compromise.

News Reports

• Trump's Ex-Campaign Chairman Manafort Pleads Guilty, Agrees To Cooperate With Prosecutors RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- WASHINGTON -- Paul Manafort, the longtime U.S. lobbyist and former election campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and witness tampering, and prosecutors said he had agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
• Ex-Trump campaign manager pleads guilty in Mueller's investigation Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- US President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
• Bellingcat: Russian Documents Suggest Novichok Suspects Were Operatives RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- The independent Bellingcat research organization says it has reviewed Russian documents, which indicate that the two men suspected in the poisoning of British spy Sergei Skripal have no records in the Russian resident database prior to 2009, a sign they may be working as operatives for the government.
• Novichok Suspects: Gay Or Not Gay? That Is Russian State Media's Question RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- "Living together is merrier and easier, it's normal," explained Ruslan Boshirov as he appeared to defend himself against the suggestion that he and fellow Novichok-poisoning suspect Aleksandr Petrov had slept in the same bed during their March trip to England.
• Russia Ready For Serious Talks With London on Skripal Case - Lavrov Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has announced that Moscow is prepared to conduct serious talks with London regarding the investigation of the alleged poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
• Ankara Keeps Plans to Buy S-400 Systems Despite US Pressure - Russian Deputy PM Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov's statement comes following earlier US media reports that Turkey has begun construction of a platform site for a Russian S-400 missile defense system, despite pressure from Washington to abandon plans to purchase the military equipment.
• Ambassador Sales Signs MOU To Strengthen Counterterrorism Cooperation With Indonesia US Dept. of State 14 Sep 2018
• North Korea warns US as China, Russia back Pyongyang Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- China says it has sternly protested to the US for imposing sanctions on a tech firm which Washington accuses of moving illicit funding to North Korea.
• US imposes North Korea-related sanctions on Russian, Chinese tech firms Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- The United States has imposed sanctions on two tech firms, one in Russia and one in China, accusing them of moving illicit funding to North Korea in violation of American sanctions.
• U.S. Accuses Russia Of Altering UN Report On North Korea Sanctions RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- The United States has accused Russia of altering an independent United Nations report to cover up Moscow's alleged violation of UN sanctions on North Korea.
• Pompeo Accuses Russia of Undermining Sanctions Policy on North Korea Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- Russia is working actively to undermine US sanctions against North Korea, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference on Friday, echoing accusations lodged a day earlier by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
• Pompeo: Sanctions Enforcement Key to N. Korean Denuclearization VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea was critical to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
• Moon-Kim 3rd Summit to Top Trio of Inter-Korean Events VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in as the pair meet for their third inter-Korean summit September 18-20 in Pyongyang. The forthcoming summit was preceded by two other events on the peninsula this week: working level military talks and the opening of a joint liaison office - the fruits of the initial inter-Korean summit.
• Moon says to find denuke compromise in summit with DPRK leader People's Daily 14 Sep 2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that he would find a compromise to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in his upcoming summit with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un.
• IRGC official: US to lose any war it starts with Iran Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- A top commander of Iran's Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says a US war against Iran is no longer a possibility because Washington lacks the political means and international support to launch a new military campaign.
• Iran rejects French concerns, vows to keep fighting terror Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Iran has dismissed France's "concern" about its recent retaliatory missile strikes against terrorists based in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, pledging to keep neutralizing terror groups that pose a threat to its sovereignty.
• Treasury Targets Thai Company Supporting Iranian Airline Mahan Air US Treasury 14 Sep 2018 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Thailand-based My Aviation Company Limited for acting for or on behalf of Mahan Air, an Iranian airline previously designated for supporting Iran's terrorism activities.  The action today was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.  
• China receives U.S. invitation to hold trade talks: spokesperson People's Daily 14 Sep 2018 -- BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China has received an invitation from the United States to hold trade negotiations, said a spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) Thursday.
• Iraqi PM Abadi says not seeking re-election after protests Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- As Iraq moves closer to forming a new government, the incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says he is not seeking to serve a second term in office.
• DR Congo: new cases of deadly Ebola virus, as UN steps up response UN News 14 Sep 2018 -- In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN has stepped up community-based efforts to tackle Ebola disease, following confirmation that the virus has reached the city of Butembo, near the Ugandan border, where it has claimed three lives.
• Health Care Workers Better Equipped to Fight Ebola Outbreaks VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- Medical workers have lots of experience dealing with Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The current one in North Kivu province is the country's 10th. Fortunately, they have new tools to fight the deadly virus. A new vaccine has shown it can protect people who've come into contact with Ebola victims, and more people have learned techniques to keep the virus from spreading.
• Community Resistance to Ebola Growing in Congo VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) says it is increasing Ebola prevention efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The agency says community resistance to efforts to contain Ebola is growing and must be fought to stop the spread of the fatal disease.
• DRC Tries to Contain Ebola with New Medical Tools Amid Conflict VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo has yet another Ebola outbreak, its 10th since the virus was first identified in 1976. This latest outbreak started in early August in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the fatality rate is 70 percent.
• The Hole Truth: U.S.-Russia Space Dustup Threatens Rare Frontier Of Cooperation RFE/RL 14 Sep 2018 -- MOSCOW -- On August 29, disturbing data from a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS) reached the mission control centers in Houston and Moscow. The shuttle was losing oxygen, flight operators noted, and pressure inside the cabins was dropping. None of the crew members on board -- three Americans, two Russians and a German -- could provide an explanation.
• Russian Space Industry Source Says No New Leaks Found at ISS Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- The space crew at the International Space Station (ISS) has not found any new holes caused by an alleged drilling impact at the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the ISS, a source in the rocket and space industry told Sputnik on Friday.
• Erdogan blames US for 'heinous economic attack' on Ankara Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the United States of launching what he called a "heinous economic attack" on Turkey after the national currency lira hit a record low following US sanctions.
• Erdogan Blames US for 'Heinous Economic Attack' on Turkey Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the US is behind the economic attack on Turkey which has cost the lira approximately 40 percent of its value this year.
• Hungary's PM threatens to take EU to court Press TV 14 Sep 2018 -- Hungary has contemplated taking legal action against the European Union after it voted for initiating disciplinary proceeding against Budapest.
• Defiant Orban Vows to Respond to EU Parliament's Punitive Measures Sputnik 14 Sep 2018 -- The European Parliament has voted 448 to 197 in support of the initiation of the EU Treaty's Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, which, if implemented, may result in the country being deprived of its European Council voting rights, and possibly even sanctioned.
• Democracy 'showing greater strain' than at any time in decades, UN chief UN News 14 Sep 2018 -- Tackling economic and political inequality is at the root of strengthening democratic institutions at a time when they are under huge strain, said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday, marking the official International Day of Democracy.
• US: Reforms First, Then Removal of Zimbabwe Sanctions VOA 14 Sep 2018 -- The newly appointed United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, says that Zimbabwe must follow through on promised reforms if it wants U.S. sanctions on the country to be lifted.