• 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

• U.S. Forces Come Under Turkish Fire As Ankara Presses On In Syria RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- U.S. troops at a military outpost in northeast Syria came under artillery fire from Turkish positions, as Ankara's forces pressed on with their offensive against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters.
• US troops come under Turkish artillery fire in northeast Syria Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- A US military position in northern Syria has come under Turkish artillery fire, almost hitting the outpost where American troops were based in.
• US threatens Turkey with 'immediate defensive action' after Syria artillery fire Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- The United States has threatened to take an "immediate defensive action" after a contingent of its forces was caught up in Turkish shelling in northern Syria.
• Abdullah's running mate describes Afghan presidential poll as fraudulent Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- A senior aide to Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah alleges that the country's recent presidential election is fraudulent.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Pay for Deployment of Additional US Troops Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- US President Donald Trump told reporters that Saudi Arabia, at his request, will pay for the deployment of additional American soldiers in the wealthy Arab kingdom after a 14 September attack on the country's oil facilities.
• U.S. Concludes White Sea Radiation Explosion Came During Russian Nuclear-Missile Recovery RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- A State Department official says the United States has concluded that a mysterious explosion that occurred at a Russian naval test range in the White Sea in August occurred amid an operation to recover a nuclear-powered missile that had apparently crashed during a test.
• Russian Navy Tracks US Destroyer Porter Upon Latter's Entry to Black Sea - Military Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Three vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have taken the Porter destroyer of the US Navy under escort after the latter had entered the Black Sea's southern waters, the Russian National Centre for State Defence Control said on Saturday.
• Putin Says Russia to Develop Missile Strike Systems Able to Penetrate Any Missile Defense Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia will be working on missile strike systems that would be able to surpass any missile defence system in the world.
• In implementation of directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, additional reinforcements of troops and defense equipment received in the framework of Saudi-US joint work SPA 12 Oct 2019 -- An official source at the Ministry of Defense stated that, in implementation of directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Supreme Commander of all military forces and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and based on the historical relations and the established partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, it was decided to receive additional reinforcements of troops and defense equipment within the framework of the joint work between the Kingdom and the United States of America to maintain regional security and face any attempts that threaten stability in the region and the global economy.
• Spokesman for Border Guards: Saudi Arabia Affirms Its Commitment to Security and Safety of Maritime Navigation and International Agreements and Norms SPA 12 Oct 2019 -- An official spokesman of the General Directorate of Border Guards said that at 11:47 pm on Friday 12/2/1441, an e-mail was received from the Jeddah Radio containing a letter from the captain of the Iranian vessel, Sabiti, reports that the front of the vessel has been broken, resulting in an oil spill in the sea from the cargo and tanks of the vessel.
• Saudi Defence Ministry Green Lights US Military Reinforcements - SPA Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper earlier informed the kingdom of the latest deployment, which, together with other deployments and air defence teams would bring the total number of US servicemembers in Saudi Arabia to 3,000.
• South Korea to purchase 20 additional F-35 fighter jets from US despite North's warnings Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- South Korea has announced a plan to purchase 20 additional F-35 fighter jets from the United States, in a move that is likely to infuriate North Korea which has already warned Seoul against the deployment of the jets in the region.
• France, Germany suspend selling arms to Turkey over Syria operation Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- France and Germany have announced that they are imposing an immediate halt to arms exports to Turkey over Ankara's continued war on Kurds in northern Syria.
• France Suspends Weapons Exports To Turkey Amid 'Operation Peace Spring' Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Turkish military invasion in Syria and urged Ankara to immediately cease its aggression.
• Cayman Islands to establish a new reserve unit with support of the UK military UK MOD 12 Oct 2019 -- Defence Minister Mark Lancaster travelled to the Cayman Islands and met with the Governor, and the Premier to agree the first steps in establishing the new unit
• French-Cypriot Naval Exercises Underway Amid Turkey's Drilling Efforts in Region Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Ankara previously positioned its vessels in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone in order to carry out exploration for hydrocarbons despite concerns raised by authorities in Nicosia and warnings from the EU.
• Caspian Sea States Sign Memorandum on Military Cooperation Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law ratifying the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, establishing rules for maritime navigation in the sea and distributing the seabed and subsoil between the five Caspian nations on the basis of international law.
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 12 Oct 2019

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Al-Houthi calls on US to 'learn from Vietnam' as US announces deployment in Saudi Arabia Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Head of Yemen's Supreme Revolutionary Committee has called on the US to "learn from Vietnam" after Washington announced plans to deploy about 2,000 additional troops to Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi hold talks with Houthis to break Yemen deadlock: Financial Times Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with Yemen's popular Houthi movement for the first time in more than two years in a sign that the kingdom is willing to end hostilities, The Financial Times reports.
• U.S. threatens Turkey with harsh sanctions for offensive in Syria People's Daily 12 Oct 2019 -- The Trump administration on Friday issued harsh sanction warnings to Turkey, seeking to halt the latter's further military operations in northern Syria.
• Arab League urges Turkey to immediately withdraw troops from Syria Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, has called on Turkey to immediately put an end to its military operation in northeastern Syria and pull of its troops out of the war-torn Arab country.
• Turkish troops take Syrian town of Ras al-Ain: Defense Ministry Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Turkey's defense ministry says its forces have taken control of the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain from US-backed Kurdish militants.
• UK PM Johnson Denounces Turkey's Incursion in Syria, Urges Erdogan to End Military Operation Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday evening, expressing grave concern about the ongoing military operation in northern Syria.
• Arab League Urges Turkey to Immediately Withdraw Troops From Syria Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- The secretary-general of the League of Arab States (LAS), Ahmed Aboul Gheit, on Saturday called upon Turkey to immediately halt the military operation in Syria's north and withdraw troops from the territory of the war-torn Arab republic.
• Turkey Neutralises 415 'Terrorists' in Northern Syria - Defenсe Ministry Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- The number of mainly Kurdish militants neutralized by Turkish forces since the launch of Operation Peace Spring in Syria's north has risen to 415, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
• EU Members Condemn Turkey's Offensive in Syria, to Discuss Possible Sanctions Next Week Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- The European Union has called on Turkey to end its military operation in Syria's north as individual member states have vocally condemned the offensive, and intends to address the situation, as well as the possible introduction of sanctions on Ankara next week.
• Arab League Condemns Turkey's Syria Incursion, Calls for UN Action VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- Arab League foreign ministers condemned Turkey's military incursion into northern Syria. The League's secretary general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the group is calling on the U.N. Security Council to take action against Turkey.
• Monitor Groups Warn of Enduring Refugee Crisis Amid Turkish Incursion in Syria VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- Human rights organizations say they are preparing for a long-lasting displacement of civilians in northeastern Syria as a result of a military operation by Turkey and its aligned Syrian militants against the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces.
• WFP Says 100,000 in Syria Flee Turkish Offensive VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- The World Food Program says more than 100,000 people have been displaced so far by the Turkish invasion of northern Syria.
• Zarif: Iran expects Turkey to respect Adana accord on Syria IRNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a message on Saturday that the Islamic Republic of Iran expects Turkish Government to respect Adana Accord on Syria which is effective to remove Turkey's security concerns.
• Iran offers to bring together Syrian Kurds, Damascus government, Turkey Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Iran's foreign minister has offered to bring together Syrian Kurds, the Damascus government and Turkey in an effort to establish security along the Turkish-Syrian border.
• Turkish attacks on Syrian Kurds help Daesh inmates break out of jail Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Five Daesh prisoners have managed to break out of a jail in northern Syria after Turkish mortar attacks nearby, media reports say, as Kurdish forces abandon guarding the prisons amid Ankara's incursion.
• U.S. Forces Come Under Turkish Fire As Ankara Presses On In Syria RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- U.S. troops at a military outpost in northeast Syria came under artillery fire from Turkish positions, as Ankara's forces pressed on with their offensive against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters.
• France, Arab League Warn Turkish Offensive In Syria Could Aid Islamic State RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- France and the Arab League have called on Turkey to halt its military offensive in Syria.
• Minister of State for Foreign Affairs: Turkish Military Operations Violate Syria's Sovereignty, Pose Threat to Regional Security, Peace SPA 12 Oct 2019 -- Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Cabinet Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir reaffirmed here today, that the Turkish military operations, in northeastern Syria, are very dangerous, as they represent a violation of the rules of international and humanitarian law, expressing thanks of the Arab Republic of Egypt for calling the emergency meeting of the Arab League council, to convene, at the ministerial level, to discuss the seriousness of the current situation, in northeastern Syria.
• Emergency Meeting of AL Foreign Ministers to Discuss Turkish Aggression, on Syria, Concluded SPA 12 Oct 2019 -- The Arab League (AL) council concluded here today its emergency meeting, at the level of Arab foreign ministers, which discussed the Turkish aggression on Syria.
• Syria Should Be Cleared of Any Foreign Military Presence - Putin Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Earlier this week, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in Syria's north, targeting the predominantly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Daesh terrorists.
• Attack on Mosque in Burkina Faso Leaves at Least 16 Dead - Report Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- According to local reports, an armed group attacked a mosque in the village of Salmossi in the province of Oudalan in Burkina Faso on the evening of 11 October.
• 16 die in attack on Grand Mosque in Burkina Faso Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Gunmen have gone on a deadly shooting spree at a mosque in northern Burkina Faso. Over a dozen people have been killed.
• Seven people killed in attacks by terrorists in Nigeria's Borno Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Seven people have been killed in attacks by Takfiri terrorists in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno.

News Reports

• US acting Homeland Security Secretary McAleenan resigns Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- US acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan is resigning and a new acting chief of the agency would be named next week, President Donald Trump says.
• Putin says neighbors should respect Iran's interests as an established power Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Arab countries and others in the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf to begin to recognize Iran's rights as a traditional regional power.
• North Korea accuses Japan of 'deliberately' sinking fishing boat, demands compensation Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- North Korea has demanded Tokyo pay compensation for a fishing boat that sank earlier this week in an incident which Pyongyang described as a deliberate and "gangster act" in the Sea of Japan.
• Zarif: Iran categorically opposes nuclear arms IRNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message referred to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's remarks that nuclear weapons are immoral, saying Iran categorically opposes such weapons.
• Zarif terms presence of US in region a "failed experience" IRNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif believes that regional problems will be resolved only through the states in the region, not via foreign presence.
• Zarif: Iran never closes doors to negotiations IRNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the fact that Iran has never left the negotiation table, saying the country has not closed the doors to negotiations.
• Iran economy to bounce back in next two years: World Bank Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- The World Bank has updated its economic forecast for Iran, saying the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would slightly increase in the next two years.
• Banditry in Int. waterways not to remain unanswered: Shamkhani ISNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani stressed on Saturday, by reviewing the existing video footage and the data collected, the main clues in a dangerous adventurism of attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea, have been discovered.
• Iran will not leave 'banditry' in intl. waters unanswered: Official Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- An official says Iran will not let attacks on its vessels go unanswered after an Iranian oil tanker was hit by two suspicious explosions in the Red Sea early Friday.
• Tehran Vows Response To 'Cowardly Attack' On Iranian-Owned Oil Tanker RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- Iran has described as a "cowardly attack" an incident that Iranian media have called the apparent targeting by missiles of an Iranian-owned oil tanker.
• Mischief in int'l waterways "not to go unanswered" IRNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said on Saturday that piracy and mischief in the international waterways to put at risk free shipping in the high seas will not remain unanswered.
• Iran open to talking to Saudi Arabia: FM Zarif ISNA 12 Oct 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed that Iran has always been open to talking to Saudi Arabia directly.
• Iran ready to hold talks with Saudi Arabia, with or without mediation: Foreign ministry Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- The spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry says the country is prepared to hold talks with Saudi Arabia, with or without mediation, ahead of a planned visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tehran.
• If Saudi Arabia Wants to Be Secure, Best Way Is Set Up Ties With Neighbours, Not to Trust US- Zarif Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Speaking to a Turkish outlet ahead of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's reported visit to the area for talks with both Rouhani and Saudi leadership, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued that while Iranians continue to be open to both direct and intermediary-facilitated talks, the Saudis can't "buy their security" by "buying weapons".
• Hong Kong Protesters Use Molotov Cocktails at City's Metro Station - Police Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Protesters in Hong Kong on Saturday threw Molotov cocktails inside the Kowloon Tong metro station amid ongoing unrest in the city, local police said in a statement, adding that nobody got hurt as a result of the incident.
• Smaller Hong Kong Protests Held Saturday VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrations Saturday were smaller and less disruptive than recent massive rallies that shut down much of the city.
• Xi and Modi Meet, Focus on Trade, Border VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- Indian and Chinese leaders at an informal summit Saturday sidestepped their differences and said they will tackle a huge trade deficit that has been troubling India, and enhance measures to strengthen border security.
• Leaders of India, China have frank discussions defuse border tensions Press TV 12 Oct 2019 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping says he had a free and frank discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their second annual summit aimed at defusing decades of tensions between their countries over border disputes, including an ongoing row over Kashmir.
• Kazakh Ex-President Rejects Talk Of Shared Power, Blames 'Traitors' For Unrest RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev used an extended interview on state television on October 11 to downplay his continuing influence and defer to his successor, condemn "traitors" abroad for allegedly trying to stoke unrest, and generally praise his 29-year rule that ended earlier this year.
• Analysis: Official Trickery? Pro-Government Atajurt Gets Registered In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- The Kazakhstan-based group Atajurt Eriktileri (Volunteers of the Fatherland) was finally registered after attempting to do so for some two years.
• In A First, Greek Church Recognizes Orthodox Church Of Ukraine RFE/RL 12 Oct 2019 -- An extraordinary meeting of the leadership of the Church of Greece decided on October 12 to recognize the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), making it the first of the Eastern Orthodox churches to take such a step.
• Ecuador's President to Reconsider Decree Cancelling Fuel Subsidies That Caused Protests - Quito Mayor Sputnik 12 Oct 2019 -- Unrest erupted across Ecuador earlier this month after President Lenin Moreno imposed austerity measures, the most severe of which was the suspension of fuel subsidies, in accordance with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to receive a $4.2 billion loan.
• Crackdown in Cambodia Ahead of Planned Return of Opposition Leader VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- Cambodian authorities have launched a crackdown on activists in a move observers say is an attempt to intimidate opposition supporters ahead of the planned, but uncertain return next month from self-exile of Sam Rainsy, the acting head of the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, and other opposition leaders.
• Chinese Support Gives Laos an Edge Over Powerful Neighbor Vietnam VOA 12 Oct 2019 -- A Mekong River hydropower dam scheduled to open this month worries Vietnam because the country sits just downriver from it and would be threatened by lower water flows.