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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Logistical Issues Delay Start Of Intra-Afghan Talks In Qatar RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Afghan negotiators have postponed a scheduled trip to Doha for long-awaited peace talks with the Taliban because of logistical issues at the venue of the talks in the Qatari capital.

Defense Policy / Programs

• B-52 Stratofortresses conduct interoperability missions in North Africa AFRICOM 07 Sep 2020 -- U.S. Strategic Command, in support of U.S. Africa Command, began B-52 interoperability training missions September 7 in North Africa.
• Russian Mig-29 Fighter Escorts UK Reconnaissance Aircraft Over Barents Sea, MoD Says Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- A Russian Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet on Monday escorted a British Royal Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft over the Barents Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry's National Defence Management Center of the Russian Federation said in a statement.
• China's new AWACS ready for South China Sea missions Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- A latest variation of China's KJ-500 airborne early warning and control system (AWACS), equipped with a probe that can allow the plane to receive aerial refueling and greatly extend its range and endurance, was recently spotted at a naval aviation regiment base under the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command.
• China flexing muscle with naval drills amid rising tensions with US Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- China is once again flexing its military muscle with a fresh round of naval exercises along the country's northeast and eastern coasts in what is widely seen as a show of force amid ongoing US military provocations in the region.
• DRDO successfully flight tests Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle India PIB 07 Sep 2020 -- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully demonstrated the hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the flight test of Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV) at 1103 hours from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex at Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha today.
• India Successfully Tests Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle SPA 07 Sep 2020 -- India on Monday successfully flight-tested the domestically-produced Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of the Defense Ministry said, according to Russian Sputnik News Agency.
• India Inches Closer to Developing Hypersonic Cruise Missile With Domestically-Made Scramjet Engine Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- After successfully demonstrating an anti-satellite missile last year, Narendra Modi's government has given the green light to the maiden test flight of a prototype of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle. The state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed the prototype for the test a few years ago.
• Israel to ask US for advanced weapons after F-35 jets sale to UAE: Report Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Israel will ask the United States for advanced weapons to maintain Tel Aviv's alleged "military edge" in the Middle East after it failed to block the sale of American-made F-35 stealth fighters to the United Arab Emirates, a report says.
• Iran dismisses claims about transfer of Russian arms to Armenia Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Iran's embassy in the Republic of Azerbaijan has rejected reports by certain media outlets about the transfer of Russia's military equipment to Armenia via the Islamic Republic.
• International Military Exercises Start In Georgia RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Some 2,700 troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, France, and host Georgia have begun major military exercises in the South Caucasus nation.
• Taiwan to discuss strategic capability development with U.S. CNA 07 Sep 2020 -- Taiwan defense officials are scheduled to visit the United States next year to discuss closer cooperation in the development of strategic capabilities with the Pentagon, according to Taiwan's 2021 defense budget proposal.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Sanctions Signal Tougher US Stance Toward Beijing Over South Sea VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- First-time U.S. sanctions against a group of Chinese companies believed to have helped China fortify disputed islets in an Asian sea signal a tougher policy by Washington toward its rival superpower's maritime expansion, analysts say.
• Yemeni army hits Saudi airport in retaliatory drone attack Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- The Yemeni army says it has launched a massive drone attack against Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.
• Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Interception, Destruction of Bomb-Laden UAV Launched by Terrorist, Iran-Backed Houthi Militia Toward the Kingdom SPA 07 Sep 2020 -- Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki
• U.S., Turkish forces bring in military reinforcement to bases in NE Syria People's Daily 07 Sep 2020 -- The U.S. and Turkish forces on Sunday brought in new military reinforcements to their bases in the northeastern province of Hasakah, state news agency SANA reported.
• Russia trying to help Syria cope with blockade amid US sanctions: Deputy PM Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov says Moscow is trying to help Damascus break through an economic blockade created by Washington's new sanctions under the so-called Caesar Act, which deters any foreign companies and individuals from taking part in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
• Libya Political Talks in Morocco Appear Bumpy Despite Some Measure of Goodwill VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- As political talks wound down on the second and final day of negotiations in the town of Bouznika, Libya's two rival camps issued a statement saying that they were "intent on reaching an agreement."
• Israel plans to construct almost 5,000 new settler units in occupied West Bank Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Israeli officials are planning to construct thousands of more settler units in the West Bank irrespective of an international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime's settlement expansion policies and its contentious plans to annex large parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
• Turkey-Greece standoff: Erdogan urges EU sincerity in resolving territorial dispute Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told European Council President Charles Michel that the European Union's response to the East Mediterranean dispute would be a test of the bloc's sincerity.
• Car bomb explosion in Somalia leaves 5 soldiers dead, US officer injured Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- A car bomb explosion outside a military base in southern Somalia has left five Somali soldiers dead and a US officer seriously injured.
• Somali Soldiers Killed, US Service Member Injured in Al-Shabab Attack VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Four Somali soldiers were killed and a U.S. service member was injured Monday in an al-Shabab attack on an outpost 60 kilometers west of the Somali port town of Kismayo.
• Inaction has been fatal, says UNHCR, as dozens of Rohingya refugees perish at sea UN News 07 Sep 2020 -- Dozens of Rohingya refugees are believed to have died in the Andaman sea after spending more than 200 days afloat, owing to a "collective unwillingness" of countries to take them in, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
• China's Western Theatre Command Claims Retaliation After Indian Troops Use Bullets on Patrol Team Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- According to People's Liberation Army spokesperson Zhang Shuili, Chinese border defence troops were forced to take countermeasures following what he described as the Indian army illegally crossing the line.
• UNMISS Withdraws Troops from South Sudan IDP Camp VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Internally displaced persons at a U.N.-protected site in Bor, South Sudan say they're living in fear after the U.N. Mission in South Sudan withdrew its peacekeepers from the camp recently. A leader of the IDPs said 3,500 families are open to attack by armed criminals.
• Pakistani security forces kill mastermind of 30 terrorist attacks IRNA 07 Sep 2020 -- Pakistani security forces during an intelligence based operation have killed mastermind of 30 terrorist attacks and his four accomplices in northwestern Waziristan region, a military statement said on Monday.

News Reports

• Berlin Hospital Says Navalny Taken Out Of Coma, Is Responsive RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- The German hospital treating Aleksei Navalny says the Russian opposition leader's condition "has improved" and he is "responding to verbal stimuli."
• Pressure Grows on Merkel to Scrap Multi-Billion-Dollar Gas Pipeline VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Leading German politicians are calling on the country's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to abandon the multi-billion-dollar natural gas pipeline known as Nord Stream 2, linking Russia with Germany, because of the poisoning of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on September 7, 2020 PRC MofA 07 Sep 2020
• Beijing dismisses US politicians' ill-willed comments on China Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- Facts have proved that it is the US that "refuses to compete in a fair, equal and transparent manner," and it is the US that is "trying to leverage its own advantages to create and export George Orwell's version of 1984 into the 21st century," a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
• China denies retaliating against US journalists, urges sincerity Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the US State Department spokesperson for calling so-called visa limitations on US media in China as a "reciprocal" move against the Trump administration's suppression of Chinese journalists in the US, calling it totally groundless and saying the US is blaming others when it should be blaming itself.
• China demands reciprocal gesture for renewing US journalists credentials Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- China has refused to renew the press credentials for some foreign journalists working for US outlets on its soil, but asserts that it would be willing to cooperate with them on the condition that the US treats Chinese media employees fairly.
• China Freezes Visa Renewals for Journalists with US-Based News Outlets VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Chinese authorities have stopped renewing press credentials for foreign journalists working for U.S. news organizations in China, the latest move in a continuing cycle of tit-for-tat retaliations between Beijing and Washington over economic and diplomatic disputes.
• HK has never adopted Western 'separation of powers' concept: State Council Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the disputes among society over the "separation of three powers" showed the misunderstanding of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSAR) political system under the framework of "one country, two systems," and she hopes people can learn about the facts through the debates.
• Pro-separatist HK magistrate's new post result of biased remarks in court: experts Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- A Hong Kong magistrate with a pro-separatist stance will move to a new position in the local high court, a decision that has raised public concerns as experts said that a magistrate needs to at least be neutral on politics as this is a basic norm for judges to ensure impartiality.
• HK illegal gatherings a public defiance of state will: liaison office Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- The illegal gatherings in Hong Kong organized by a few members of opposition groups is a public defiance of the law and state will, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said, warning zero tolerance for acts that violate the national security law for Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong Detainees in China Denied Meetings With Defense Lawyers Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2020 -- Twelve Hong Kong residents detained by the China Coast Guard after trying to flee an ongoing crackdown on dissent by boat are being denied access to lawyers, one lawyer who has been hired to represent one of them said on Monday.
• China Detains Hundreds for 'Rumor-Mongering' Amid Mongolian Schools Protests Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2020 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party has suspended two county-level officials in its northern region of Inner Mongolia for failing to implement its directives amid a region-wide schools boycott and widespread protests against plans to phase out Mongolian-medium education.
• China sends another high-resolution remote sensing satellite into space Global Times 07 Sep 2020 -- China successfully sent the Gaofen-11 02 - a high resolution Earth observation satellite - into planned orbit via a Long March-4B carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi Province on Monday.
• China launches new optical remote-sensing satellite PLA Daily 07 Sep 2020 -- China launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi province on Monday.
• Reusable spacecraft lands after two-day excursion PLA Daily 07 Sep 2020 -- China's reusable experimental spacecraft landed at a preset site on Sunday morning after two days in orbit.
• Iran's policies towards US remain same: FM Spox IRNA 07 Sep 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Swiss Foreign Minister's visit to Iran has nothing to do with Iran-US ties and stressed that Tehran's policies towards America has not changed and remains the same.
• Iran's Rouhani Says 'Path Is Clear' for US to Rejoin Nuclear Deal Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the United States was welcome to return to the 2015 nuclear pact it abandoned more than two years ago.
• IAEA's reports show Iran's foreign policy success IRNA 07 Sep 2020 -- Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi published his latest report on Iran and delivered it to the 35 members of the Board of Directors of the IAEA on Friday.
• Iran Atomic Agency Spokesman Boasts Of Enriched Uranium Stockpile Radio Farda 07 Sep 2020 -- The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says that Iran has stored more than three tons of enriched uranium, and that the nation is currently producing 250 to 300 kilograms of uranium per month.
• CBI Sets Iran Oil Income at $29 Billion Radio Farda 07 Sep 2020 -- A report published Saturday by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) says that Iran exported $29 billion of crude oil, gas condensate, natural gas, and other oil products in the previous Iranian calendar year, dating from March 20, 2019 to March 20, 2020.
• Security Official Threatens More Internet Censorship As Iran Moves Towards Intranet Radio Farda 07 Sep 2020 -- Abolhassan Firoozabadi, the secretary of Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace (ISCC), says that if Internet platforms are not compatible with the laws and standards of the Islamic Republic, they will be censored.
• Belarus protests: Ministry confirms hundreds of arrests in unauthorized rally Press TV 07 Sep 2020 -- Almost a month since Belarus held its presidential election, the country continues to be the scene of protests by opposition supporters who claim the vote was rigged. Tens of thousands of people converged on central Minsk on Sunday for another unauthorized protest rally.
• EU Alarm As Anti-Lukashenka Leader Feared Abducted Amid Deepening Belarus Crackdown RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Opponents of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka are scrambling to locate one of their most influential leaders after a report suggested a member of the opposition Coordinating Council's presidium was hustled away in a minivan by unidentified men early on the 30th day of anti-government protests.
• Belarus Says More Than 600 Detained As Mass Anti-Lukashenka Protests Continue RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Authorities in Belarus said on September 7 that they had detained some 633 protesters as tens of thousands marched in the capital and other cities the previous day as part of the continuing opposition-led effort to pressure President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign.
• Report: Leading Belarus Opposition Figure Abducted VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Maria Kolesnikova, a leading member of Belarus' opposition, was reportedly seized by unidentified men in Minsk on Monday as demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko entered their fifth straight week.
• Eight Sentenced to Prison in Khashoggi Death VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- A Saudi court sentenced eight people to jail Monday for the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.
• Georgian Opposition Parties Nominate Saakashvili As PM Candidate In Upcoming Elections RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- The United National Movement (UNM) and several other opposition parties in Georgia that are members of the Strength in Unity political movement have nominated former President Mikheil Saakashvili as their candidate for the prime minister's post ahead of elections in October.
• Turkmen President Not Happy With State Media, Warns Of Government Reshuffle RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has warned of a cabinet reshuffle after criticizing the government for what he sees as its failure to get state-controlled media to "report the country's successes" and "shortcomings in resolving economic problems."
• Serbian, Kosovar Leaders Meet EU Officials In Brussels On Heels Of 'Historic' U.S.-Mediated Deal RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo met with senior EU leaders in Brussels on September 7 on the heels of a U.S.-brokered deal last week to normalize the two Balkan neighbors' economic relations.
• Montenegrins March To Oppose Pro-Serb Rallies, Symbols Following Elections RFE/RL 07 Sep 2020 -- Tens of thousands of people marched in Montenegro on September 6 to protest the use of Serbian national symbols by pro-Serbian opposition parties that claimed victory in elections last week.
• Thailand's Conservative Government Grapples with Royal Reckoning VOA 07 Sep 2020 -- Thailand's largely decentralized protest movement and evolving internet landscape will make it tough for the country's conservative government to mute mounting calls to rein in the country's powerful monarchy, observers say.
• Pakistani Nuclear Power Plant's K2 Unit Completes Thermal Testing Using China's Hualong One Tech Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- China's domestically-produced nuclear technology received a major push on Friday as the Hualong One reactor completed fuel loading for the first time in Unit 5 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant. China is in line to surpass France as the second nuclear generator in the world by 2022 and may claim the top spot, replacing the US, a few years later.
• Death Toll From Bubonic Plague in Mongolia Rises to 3, Reports Say Sputnik 07 Sep 2020 -- Mongolia has confirmed its third death from the bubonic plague since the beginning of the year, the Xinhua news agency reported on Monday, citing the Zavkhan province's Centre for Zoonotic Diseases.