• 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

• Trump Pulls out Remaining Troops from N. Syria; Warns of 'Powerful Sanctions' on Turkey VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- The U.S. is withdrawing all remaining troops from northern Syria, as President Donald Trump said Sunday it was "very smart... for a change" to not be involved in the fighting sparked by Turkey's onslaught against the U.S.'s long-time battlefield ally, Kurdish fighters.
• US reportedly leaves 5 'high value' Daesh prisoners behind in Syria Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- The United States forces have reportedly left five "high value" prisoners behind in Syria amid Turkey's offensive against the war-ravaged country.
• US poised to withdraw remaining troops from northeastern Syria: Pentagon Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- The Pentagon has announced that the United States is set to withdraw the rest of its troops from northeastern Syria amid an ongoing Turkish offensive in the region.
• Trump defends decision to pull US forces out of northern Syria Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to pull American forces out of northern Syria in the face of mounting criticism.
• Trump Defends US Troop Withdrawal From Syria, Argues US Should Prioritise Its Own Borders Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Before the new Turkish operation on Syria's northeastern borders, Trump vowed to Tayyip Erdogan he wouldn't stand in the Turks way. POTUS shortly thereafter announced the pullout of troops from northeastern Syria, but the following day US command reported artillery fire directed at their local base, which the Turks had reportedly long known about.
• US Says Turkey Deliberately Fired Near American Troop Positions in Kobani - Report Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- US troops came under fire from Turkish positions near the Syrian city of Kobani on Friday amid the ongoing Turkish military operation against Daesh and the Kurdish-led forces that are considered by Ankara to be terrorists.
• Afghan Forces Retake Taliban-Controlled District RFE/RL 13 Oct 2019 -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says government forces have gained control of a district in the country's north from the Taliban.

Defense Policy / Programs

• First UK fighter jets land onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth UK MOD 13 Oct 2019 -- Pictures released by the MOD show UK F-35 Lightning jets landing, taking off and hovering onboard Britain's next generation aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Proper end to Yemen war can have positive impact on region: Ayatollah Khamenei Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says a proper end to the ongoing war waged by Saudi Arabia and its allies on Yemen can have "positive" effects on the region, highlighting Iran's plan as a suitable solution to this crisis.
• Yemeni forces shoot down drone collecting intelligence for Riyadh in Hudaydah Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- A drone operated by the Saudi-led military coalition has been intercepted and targeted while flying in the skies over Yemen's strategic western province of Hudaydah.
• Yemeni President appreciates Saudi efforts to help his people against Houthi rebellion SPA 13 Oct 2019 -- Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi praised the sincere efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in assisting his people in their struggle against the coup against the state in various fields.
• Western threats won't stop Turkey's operation in Syria: Erdogan Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says threats of sanctions and arms embargoes by Western powers will not halt his country's cross-border military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria's northeast.
• Turkish troops seize Syria's Suluk; Daesh families flee camp Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Turkish forces have seized large parts of the northern Syrian town of Suluk on the fifth day of an invasion which also saw families of Daesh members escape a camp held by Kurdish forces.
• Turkey Condemns Arab League Statement on 'Operation Peace Spring in Syria' Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Turkey has strongly condemned the Arab League's statement, which slammed Ankara's ongoing operation in northern Syria, Communications Director at the Turkish Presidential Administration Fahrettin Altun said.
• Kurds Strike Deal with Syrian Army to Counter Turkey VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- Syrian government forces will deploy along the Turkish border to help repel the Turkish military incursion against Syrian Kurds, Kurdish officials announced Sunday.
• Kurdish-Led Administration, Damascus Agree to Deploy Syrian Troops Along Turkish Border to Counter Ankara's Offensive Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Kurdish-led authorities in the northern part of Syria have reached an agreement with the Syrian government in Damascus to deploy Syrian forces along the entire Turkish border to assist in repelling an ongoing military invasion by Damascus.
• UN Warns Condition of Civilians Caught in Turkish Offensive in Syria VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- The U.N. warns that conditions for hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the midst of Turkey's military offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas of north-eastern Syria is rapidly deteriorating.
• Syrian Christians Fear Persecution During Turkey Offensive VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- As the Turkish military and its allied Syrian rebels continue their operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, Christian communities in the region fear that the Turkish-led offensive is threatening their very existence in the war-torn country.
• Syrian army units move north to 'confront Turkish aggression' Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- The Syrian army has dispatched several units to the northern part of the country to confront a ground offensive by the Turkish military and allied militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) on border towns under the control of Kurdish communities.
• Mattis: Daesh will surge back after Trump's Syria withdrawal Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis has said that Daesh "will resurge" in Syria, following President Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region.
• Former U.S. Defense Chief Mattis Warns IS Could 'Resurge' RFE/RL 13 Oct 2019 -- Former U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned over disagreements with President Donald Trump, has warned that the Islamic State (IS) extremist group could "resurge" in the wake of Trump's decision to pull troops out of northeast Syria.
• France to Ensure Safety of Its Military, Civilian Personnel in Northern Syria In 'Coming Hours' Sputnik 14 Oct 2019 -- France suspended arms sales to Turkey on Saturday over Ankara's ongoing military incursion into the northern part of Syria, which was earlier condemned by the nation's president, Emmanuel Macron.
• Israeli reconnaissance drone violates Lebanon's airspace Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Lebanon says Israel has violated its territory by flying a reconnaissance drone over Beirut's southern neighborhood at the weekend, weeks after a pair of drones were used in botched Israeli raids over the same area.
• Israel to construct over 250 new settler units in occupied West Bank Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Ignoring the international outcry against its settlement expansion policies, the Israeli regime is planning to build 251 new settler units in the occupied West Bank.
• Al-Shabab Mortar Attacks Hits Area Around Mogadishu Airport VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- Seven people were wounded after a mortar attack by al-Shabab militants hit the area around Mogadishu airport on Sunday, Somali witnesses and officials say
• UN chief condemns deadly Burkina Faso mosque attack UN News 13 Oct 2019 -- UN chief António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday's attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released on Saturday.

News Reports

• Ecuador government, protesters agree to talk amid curfew Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- The United Nations (UN) and the Catholic Church say the government and indigenous groups in Ecuador have agreed to hold talks for the first time to end the crisis engulfing the Latin American country over fuel subsidy cuts.
• Ecuador President Moreno Vows to Assess Austerity Decrees Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Ongoing violent protests in Ecuador over the last week have prompted President Lenin Moreno to declare a state of emergency and move the government headquarters from the capital of Quito to the city of Guayaquil.
• Kim Jae Ryong Inspects Various Units KCNA 13 Oct 2019 -- Kim Jae Ryong, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, member of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and premier of the Cabinet, inspected various units.
• With hostile behaviour, Americans make IRGC more dignified: Leader ISNA 13 Oct 2019 -- A graduation ceremony was held on Sunday for the student officers and guards trainees at Imam Hussain (a.s.) Academy with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in attendance.
• No country can create insecurity and expect no answer: Iran's Rouhani Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says no country can create insecurity in the Persian Gulf region and simply get away with it.
• Iran release more details about newly discovered gas field Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Iran's Oil Ministry has updated information about a new gas field discovered south of the country, saying the reservoir holds some 19 trillion cubic feet (around 540 billion cubic meters) of natural gas.
• Iranian Leader says IRGC becomes more dignified through US hostile move IRNA 13 Oct 2019 -- Supreme leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday stated that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) got more dignified by hostile measures of the United States.
• Ayatollah Khamenei urges IRGC to prepare against enemy Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says US hostility with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has added to the force's dignity.
• Iran's Supreme Leader Calls Upon IRGC to Invent, Produce New Weapons Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has delivered a commencement speech to the graduating cadets of the Imam Hussain Military Academy in which he urged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, part of the Iranian Armed Forces) to be self-reliant in the invention and production of military equipment.
• Iran rejects Saudi claims it wanted to help damaged oil tanker Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Iranian maritime authorities deny Saudi Arabia's claims that it wanted to provide help to a damaged Iranian oil tanker after it was attacked off the coast of Jeddah in the Red Sea, saying Saudi coast guard ignored the ship's repeated requests for help.
• Iran Open for Talks With Saudi Arabia – Tehran Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Iran has always been ready for holding direct talks with Saudi Arabia or negotiating through intermediaries, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said amid rising tensions between the two neighbors.
• Khan Arrives In Iran Amid Reports Of Possible Mediation Role RFE/RL 13 Oct 2019 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he will attempt to facilitate talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in an effort to defuse soaring tensions in the Persian Gulf, as he arrived in Tehran.
• Pakistan PM Says Ready to Host Iran-Saudi Peace Talks VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks Sunday with leaders in Iran to formally begin a diplomatic offensive he said was aimed at defusing the neighboring country's escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia and the United States.
• Putin Heads to Saudi Arabia, Offers Himself as Peacemaker VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- Russian leader Vladimir Putin travels to Saudi Arabia, a traditional U.S. ally, Monday, offering to act as a peacemaker between Riyadh and Tehran in a diplomatic offensive aimed at balancing Moscow's relations across the Middle East.
• Unemployment may surge in HK: finance chief Global Times 13 Oct 2019 -- Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday warned that unemployment in the city could surge, and he promised the government will aim to support grassroots workers, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, to hedge against a "technical recession."
• Hong Kong protesters stage flash mob rallies Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- Groups of individuals in Hong Kong have staged flash mob protests across the city's shopping districts on the 19th week of unrest in the Chinese city.
• Protests, Clashes Continue In Hong Kong After Mass Masked Protest March Radio Free Asia 13 Oct 2019 -- Thousands of masked demonstrators took to the streets of Hong Kong for the second weekend in a row in protest at the use of colonial-era emergency legislation, while police began harrassing non-protesting crowds in busy areas following overnight clashes on Sunday.
• Hong Kong Officials Label Democracy Protests Public Safety Threat VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- Hong Kong pro-democracy groups scaled down demonstrations over the weekend, as government officials increasingly categorize the protests as a threat to public safety and equate violence committed by activists with domestic terrorism.
• Australian Minister Slams Chinese Communist Party VOA 13 Oct 2019 -- One of Australia's most senior government ministers has accused the Chinese Communist Party of behaving in ways that are "inconsistent" with his country's values. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned Canberra would work to counter foreign interference in Australian universities, as well as cyber espionage.
• Saudi Arabia Launches New Logistics Hub Near Jeddah, Aims to Attract Private Investors Sputnik 13 Oct 2019 -- Over 10 years ago, Saudi Arabia spent millions of dollars to build several economically important cities across the kingdom in order to diversify its economy and move away from its heavy reliance on natural resources, with a new initiative aiming to accomplish this goal.
• Second round of presidential election kicks off in Tunisia Press TV 13 Oct 2019 -- People in Tunisia are taking to the polls in the second round of the presidential election, in which two political novices are facing off.
• Kosovo Vote Count Suspended After Health Problems Linked To Ballot Boxes RFE/RL 13 Oct 2019 -- Vote counting has been suspended in Kosovo after several Central Election Commission officials reported health problems after opening five ballot boxes from Serbia.