Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 3, 2015

A pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq after conducting airstrikes in Syria, in this U.S. Air Force handout photo taken early in the morning of September 23, 2014. (Reuters/U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Matthew)

The Hill: Report: ISIS no weaker after a year of airstrikes

American intelligence agencies believe that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is no weaker in the year since the U.S. began its bombing campaign, the Associated Press reports.

"We've seen no meaningful degradation in their numbers," an anonymous defense official told the AP, adding that the group’s likely strength of between 20,000 and 30,000 people hasn’t diminished from last year.

Some analysts told the AP that it could take 10 years to push ISIS out of its territory without boots on the ground, a policy the administration has repeatedly sworn against following the fatigue from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 3, 2015

US intelligence: ISIS is no weaker than a year ago -- AP

Coalition official says ISIS war not a 'stalemate' -- The Hill

Russia creates Aerospace Forces by merging military branches -- AP

Guarding Space: Russia Creates a New Branch of the Armed Forces – Aerospace -- Sputnik

Russian Air Force Helicopter Crashes, Killing 1 -- Defense News/AFP

Russian Navy to Receive 17 Warships, 52 Support Vessels by Year's End -- Sputnik

Russia in the lead after first day of Tank Biathlon races -- ITAR-TASS

Russian Navy Commander Hopes for Greater Military Cooperation With China -- Sputnik

China’s military needs to ‘upgrade weaponry, extend surveillance in western Pacific’ -- South China Morning Post

China’s Growing Maritime Power May Look Like Mini US Navy by 2020 -- Sputnik

China's Super Weapons: Beware the J-20 and J-31 Stealth Fighters -- National Interest

China Tightens Controls on Export of Drones, Supercomputers -- Defense News

Chinese President Xi strengthens control after former top military officer detained -- Asahi Shimbun

Chinese military paper warns a corrupt army does not win wars -- Reuters

China's war on corruption is far from over -- Business Insider/South China Morning Post

China's People's Liberation Army Turns 88 -- Ankit Panda, The Diplomat

Age of Tanks: 5 Reasons Why a Cold War Weapon is Making a Comeback -- Sputnik

Bang, Bang!’ Ammo-starved Dutch soldiers 'forced to imitate sound of firing' -- RT

Egyptian Special Forces Interested in Russian Intelligence Systems -- Sputnik

NSA Spying on Japan: The Fallout -- Mina Pollmann, The Diplomat

Navy wants better railguns and laser weapons by 2020 -- Popular Science

Space industry needs more time to develop, general says -- Air Force Times

Pentagon Preps for Orbital War With New Spaceplane -- David Axe, Daily Beast

LCS Module Testing: Some Ups, Some Downs -- Defense News

Pentagon May "Rethink" the F-35 Stealth Fighter. Doomsday for Lockheed Martin? -- Motley Fool

The Marines say the controversial F-35 fighter is now ready for combat. Now what? -- Christian Davenport, Washington Post

Pentagon seeks cyberweapons strong enough to deter attacks -- L.A. Times

US Marines face a reduction in numbers in the debate over defense cuts -- Euronews

Two women pass Mountain Phase at Ranger School, now one step short of graduation -- Washington Post

New body fat rules, big changes to Navy BCA -- Navy Times

Eight top ex-CIA officials launch bid to rebut 'torture report' -- Washington Examiner

Sen. Graham moved up in Air Force Reserve ranks despite light duties -- Washington Post

No charges yet for Navy officer who fired back during Chattanooga rampage; probe continues -- Washington Times

Terrorism, or not? Why Purple Hearts are in question following the Chattanooga attack -- Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post

What the CIA thought of the most notorious US espionage case before Snowden -- Armin Rosen, Business Insider