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Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Acquisition & Sustainment Leaders Update Reporters on Improvements to Defense Acquisition System DoD 07 Oct 2020 -- Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary Of Defense For Acquisition And Sustainment; Kevin M. Fahey, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition; Stacy A. Cummings, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
• Transcom Acts Quickly During COVID-19 Pandemic DoD News 07 Oct 2020 -- As COVID-19 hit the nation, for the Defense Department, U.S. Transportation Command and much of industry, there was no opportunity to stop movement, the commander of Transcom said today at the virtual National Defense Transportation Association-U.S. Transportation Command Fall meeting.
• US military generals reportedly in quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 Global Times 07 Oct 2020 -- Members of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, including Chairman Mark Milley, are reportedly in quarantine after exposure to COVID-19.
• AFMC begins phased COVID-19 surveillance testing US Air Force 07 Oct 2020 -- Air Force Materiel Command began a phased roll-out of COVID-19 surveillance testing Oct. 1.
• Readout of U.S.-Japan Bilateral Security Discussions DoD 07 Oct 2020
• Readout of U.S. Secretary of Defense Esper's Phone Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Suh Wook October 7, 2020 DoD 07 Oct 2020
• DOD Acquisition Chief Praises Reform Milestone DoD News 07 Oct 2020 -- The Defense Acquisition System exists to develop a more lethal force, and the Defense Department's acquisition executive is confident an overhaul, years in the making, will yield a decisive and sustained U.S. military advantage.
• U-2 Federal Lab achieves flight with Kubernetes US Air Force 07 Oct 2020 -- The U-2 Federal Laboratory successfully leveraged Kubernetes during a local training sortie on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Sept. 22. This represents the first time Kubernetes has flown on an operational major weapon system in the Department of Defense.
• USS Gabrielle Giffords, Salvadoran Forces Conduct Passing Exercise US Navy 07 Oct 2020 -- The Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) executed a passing exercise (PASSEX) with Salvadoran naval counterparts in the Eastern Pacific Ocean Oct. 6.
• Nimitz, Princeton Receive Port-Visit Support From Oman Detachment of Naval Supply Systems Command US Navy 07 Oct 2020 -- During the first aircraft carrier port visit since February 2020, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Bahrain, detachment Oman, provided logistics support to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), Sept. 9 – 13.
• USS Hershel "Woody" Williams Conducts Maneuvering Exercise, UAV Demonstration with Nigerian Navy US Navy 07 Oct 2020 -- The Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) conducted an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) demonstration, a fleet maneuver exercise, and an oil platform security and boarding exercise with the Nigerian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea, Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2020.
• US Wants to Increase Attack Submarine Fleet to 80 Vessels By 2045, Esper Says Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper has unveiled the Pentagon's plan for building up a Navy that proposes having up to 80 attack submarines in service by 2045.
• DOD Official Outlines Space Strategy DoD News 07 Oct 2020 -- In June, the Defense Department released its Space Strategy document. That document lays out the department's four-pillar strategy for work that needs to be done in space within the next decade and beyond.
• US Space Force Announces Contracts for First 8 'Wide Field of View' Missile Early Warning Satellites Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- The US Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded two contracts on Monday to build eight satellites for its upcoming infrared missile detection constellation. However, these are just the first in what could become a vast network of thousands of satellites in orbit.
• NATO Allies Watch US Election Amid Strained Transatlantic Ties VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- America's allies in Europe are watching closely as the U.S. presidential election enters its final leg.
• Keynote speech by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Global Security 2020 (GLOBSEC) Bratislava Forum NATO 07 Oct 2020
• NATO Secretary General thanks Estonia for supporting Allies and partners throughout the COVID-19 pandemic NATO 07 Oct 2020 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid to NATO headquarters on Wednesday (7 October 2020). He thanked Estonia for showing solidarity with Allies and partners throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, including by donating critical medical supplies to Italy and Spain and supporting NATO partners Georgia and Ukraine.
• Kremlin not optimistic about nuclear arms talks with US Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- The Kremlin says it saw no cause for optimism in Russia's talks with the United States over the New START treaty, the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms agreement.
• Russia successfully test-fires hypersonic cruise missile Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- Russia has successfully test-launched a hypersonic cruise missile, in a move praised by President Vladimir Putin as a step toward strengthening the country's security.
• Russia Says It Successfully Test-Launched Hypersonic Missile On Putin's Birthday RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- The Russian military says it has successfully test-launched a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile off Russia's northern coast, in what President Vladimir Putin hailed as a "big event" for the country.
• Putin Hails Successful Launch of Zircon Hypersonic Cruise Missile as 'Major Event' for Russia Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- A Zircon hypersonic cruise missile has successfully hit a target in the Barents Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated. The military stressed that the missile flew around 450 kilometres, reaching Mach 8 speeds.
• Russian Emergency Services Report Explosions at Former Military Depots in Ryazan Region Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- Earlier in the day, local media reported, citing eyewitnesses that a military facility had caught fire near the village of Shekemishevskiye Khutora in the Ryazan Region.
• Villages Evacuated After Munitions Depot Explodes In Western Russia RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- Russia has evacuated more than 1,600 people from villages near a munitions depot that exploded in the western Ryazan region.
• Make smart investments amid China threat: U.S. official to Taiwan CNA 07 Oct 2020 -- A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday called on Taiwan to invest in cost-effective systems to achieve a multiple deterrent capability in light of the growing military threat from China.
• Defense Minister terms armed forces as thorn in enemies' eyes IRNA 07 Oct 2020 -- Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier-General Amir Hatami said that the country's armed forces are source of national encouragement and confidence and a thorn in the eyes of the Islamic Revolution's enemies.
• Senators Urge US to Sanction Turkey Amid Reports Ankara Activated S-400 to Detect F-16s Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- Two US Senators on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Ankara over reports that Turkey has activated its Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to detect F-16 fighter jets flown by NATO.
• Cambodia's PM Hun Sen Says Expanded Naval Base to be For Use by 'Any Country' Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen defended the country's right to expand a naval base in his first public comments following criticism from Washington over the demolition of U.S.-funded buildings at the facility and amid reports that the development is being funded by China.
• Qatar Files Formal Request to Obtain F-35 Jets From US - Report Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- Persian Gulf state Qatar has formally requested to purchase advanced F-35 stealth aircraft from the United States. If permitted, Qatar would become the second Middle Eastern state to use the jets after Israel.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Oct. 7, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 7 October 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Oct 2020
• 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 Oct 2020 -- A Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki stated that "Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this evening (Wednesday) a bomb-laden UAV in Yemeni airspace launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom."
• ISIS Militants Charged With Deaths Of Americans In Syria US Dept. of Justice 07 Oct 2020 -- Two 'Beatles' charged with hostage-taking of American citizens in Syria and other terrorism offenses that resulted in the deaths of James Wright Foley, Steven Joel Sotloff, Peter Edward Kassig, and Kayla Jean Mueller
• Remarks by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers on ISIS Militants Charged with Deaths of Americans in Syria US Dept. of Justice 07 Oct 2020
• US Indicts 2 British Members of Islamic State 'Beatles' VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- Two alleged members of Islamic State's once notorious hostage-taking cell dubbed "The Beatles" are in the United States to stand trial, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
• Two Daesh Members Known as 'the Beatles' Face Life Sentence in US for Beheading Americans in Syria Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- Two former British citizens were indicted on Wednesday on charges of torturing and beheading four Americans along with other individuals taken hostage by Daesh* in Syria, according to a court ruling.
• Iran helping Syria rebuild as part of 'religious duty' Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- A deputy minister says Iran is sending building materials to Syria under its "religious duty" to rebuild the Arab country, seriously damaged by years of a foreign-orchestrated war.
• Terrorist Attack in al Bab, Syria US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2020 -- The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack near a crowded traffic circle in al Bab yesterday, which according to initial reports killed more than 20 innocent people and injured scores more.
• Diplomacy Picks Up Pace As Heavy Fighting Rages Around Nagorno-Karabakh RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- Heavy fighting continued around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on October 7 as international diplomacy to reach a cease-fire between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces intensified.
• As Karabakh War Rages, Armenian Leader Treads Delicately In Relations With Kremlin RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- The difficult position Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian faces in relations with the Kremlin is highlighted by the fighting that broke out on September 27 between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over Baku's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• As Kabul Backs Azerbaijan In Conflict With Armenia, Afghans Recall Fighting In Previous War RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- KABUL -- Mohammad Younas is nostalgic about his time fighting with Azerbaijani forces in the war against Armenians for the Nagorno-Karabakh territory in the early 1990s.
• Azerbaijan Says Pipeline Targeted In Fighting; Armenia Rejects Accusation RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- The Prosecutor-General's Office of Azerbaijan said on October 6 that a pipeline has been targeted in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an accusation immediately rejected by Armenia.
• Azeri, Armenian sides continue shelling over Karabakh dispute amid fears of regional escalation Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- Fighting between Azeri and Armenian forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory has escalated, with the two sides accusing each other of bombing civilian areas and extending the fighting to areas outside the conflict zone.
• Iran Calls Armenia to Withdraw from Karabakh Radio Farda 07 Oct 2020 -- Stressing the "integrity of Azerbaijan," Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiei urged Armenia to pull out its forces from Azerbaijan's occupied territories, Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that third-party intervention outside the agreed framework for resolving the dispute would be non-constructive and harmful.
• Iranian President Warns of Wider War if Armenia-Azerbaijan Fighting Continues VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is warning that current fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan could spill over its borders and evolve into a regional war.
• Spox: Iran officially protests Armenia, Azerbaijan, not to forgive threat against security IRNA 07 Oct 2020 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran has filed its official complaint to Armenia and Azerbaijan over the bullets and rockets shot at Iran and will never forgive any act against Iranians' security.
• Rouhani warns against Nagorno-Karabakh conflict spreading to region IRNA 07 Oct 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday expressed deep concern about vicious cycle of violence in Karabakh, saying that the conflict should come to an immediate end and not to spread to the region.
• Regional peace, security, end of military conflicts very important: President Rouhani ISNA 07 Oct 2020 -- Stating that we are following the recent developments in the region caused by the conflict between the two neighbouring countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia with sensitivity and concern, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, "Regional peace is very important and of course, the territorial integrity of our neighbours is of great importance for us".
• Iran Foreign Ministry sends official note of protest to warring sides in Karabakh over extension of hostilities to its territory Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it has delivered a note of protest to both Azerbaijan and Armenia over the extension of hostilities to the Islamic Republic's territory in the ongoing fighting between the two ex-Soviet republics over the disputed Karabakh region.
• Iran warns over border security as Azerbaijan apologizes for accidental shelling Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani has once again warned against the endangering of Iran's border security as the country's police said the Republic of Azerbaijan has offered an apology for the accidental shelling of the country's border areas during its ongoing fighting with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• India Races Building Roads to Tense India-China Border VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- After a decade of digging beneath the Himalayas at more than 3,000 meters, India has opened a strategic, nearly 9-kilometer long tunnel that will bypass a snowbound mountain pass in winter and cut the journey by 46 kilometers to Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese forces are confronting each other.
• Bangladesh Moves to Control Outbreak of Gang Violence at Rohingya Camps Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- At least eight people – mostly refugees – have died since violence broke out between rival Rohingya groups at a sprawling camp in southeastern Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district late last week, officials said Wednesday, assuring the public that security forces had regained control of law and order.
• Rights Group Sees 'Apartheid' in Myanmar Holding Rohingya in Camps Since 2012 Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- Myanmar's confinement of 130,000 mostly Rohingya Muslims in dire and oppressive conditions in open-air camps since 2012 compounds the country's crimes against humanity against the ethnic minority and amounts to "apartheid," according to a report issued Thursday by Human Rights Watch.

News Reports

• Acting Secretary Responds to Chairman Thompson's Blatant Misrepresentation of the Homeland Threat Assessment DHS 07 Oct 2020 -- Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf released the following statement regarding Chairman Thompson's misrepresentation of threats in the HTA to the New York Times.
• US Homeland Security: White supremacists 'exceptionally lethal' Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- The US Homeland Security says it is "particularly" concerned about the threat of white supremacists, warning that they are "exceptionally lethal."
• Russia rejects OPCW report on Navalny as part of 'pre-planned conspiracy' Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- Russia has denounced as part of a "pre-planned conspiracy" a recent report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirming the presence of a substance similar to Novichok in opposition figure Alexei Navalny's blood.
• Germany, France To Propose Sanctions Targeting Specific Russians Over Navalny Poisoning RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- Germany and France say they will seek European Union sanctions targeting individuals held responsible for the poisoning of Aleksei Navalny, after a global chemical watchdog confirmed that a banned nerve agent was used against the Russian opposition leader.
• 'Russian Hitman' Trial Opens In Berlin RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- The trial of a Russian man began on October 7 over the assassination of a former Chechen commander in a Berlin park, allegedly on Moscow's orders.
• 70 countries support China at UN General Assembly regarding HK and Xinjiang: FM Global Times 07 Oct 2020 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China has received support from about 70 counties on its stance and policies on Hong Kong and Xinjiang-related issues at the Third Committee of the 75th UN General Assembly.
• Chinese envoy refutes accusations by US, other countries Global Times 07 Oct 2020 -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, on Tuesday refuted groundless accusations against China on issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong by the United States and a few other countries.
• Condemnation of China's Xinjiang, Hong Kong Policies Gains Support at UN Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- The U.K. and Germany have led a group of 39 member states in condemning China's treatment of Uyghurs and imposition of harsh security measures in Hong Kong at the U.N. General Assembly, signaling increasing opposition to Beijing's policies from the international community.
• Negative Views of China Soar Among World's Advanced Democracies, Poll Finds VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- China's international reputation has plunged sharply amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey of people in more than a dozen advanced democracies.
• Beijing reacts as Pompeo urges 'Quad' alliance against China's 'exploitation' Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blasted what he referred to as China's "exploitation," prompting Chinese officials to tell the US top diplomat to drop his "Cold War" mentality.
• Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry in HKSAR urges U.S. to correct mistakes, stop assigning blame PLA Daily 07 Oct 2020 -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Tuesday firmly opposed and condemned the false accusations the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong made against China's legitimate and reasonable countermeasures applied to the U.S. embassy and consulates in China, including the Consulate General in Hong Kong.
• Police in Inner Mongolia Arrest Prominent Rights Lawyer on Spying Charges Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- Chinese authorities in the northern region of Inner Mongolia have arrested a human rights lawyer after he refused to send his child to school amid regionwide protests against plans to end Mongolian-medium education.
• KMT Reversal Prompts Fresh Chinese War Threat Against Taiwan VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- A stunning reversal by members of Taiwan's leading opposition party — long seen as supporting friendly relations with Beijing — has given fresh impetus to Chinese calls for the use of military action to bring the self-governing territory to heel.
• Taiwan to continue with 'cautious balance' in U.S. relations: envoy CNA 07 Oct 2020 -- Taiwan's top envoy to the United States said on Tuesday that Taiwan will continue its cautious and balanced approach to Taiwan-U.S. relations, after Taiwan's Legislature passed earlier that day a resolution in support of "actively pursuing" formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• Fears for Senior Diplomat's Family in North Korea After South Korean Lawmakers Reveal His Defection Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- Lawmakers in South Korea revealed Wednesday that a senior North Korean diplomat who disappeared in 2018 while stationed in Italy has been living in the South, but U.S. experts said the revelation could endanger the defector envoy's family still living in the North.
• United States Seizes Domain Names Used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps US Dept. of Justice 07 Oct 2020 -- The United States has seized 92 domain names that were unlawfully used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to engage in a global disinformation campaign, announced the Department of Justice.
• Iran does not accept any disturbance in its security: President Rouhani ISNA 07 Oct 2020 -- Emphasizing that maintaining security in the border areas of Islamic Iran is a priority, and that Iran does not accept any disturbance in its security, the President called on the Republic of Azerbaijan as a brother country and Armenia as a neighbour to pay special attention to this point.
• Iran's Ageing Population Hit With Consequences Of High Unemployment Radio Farda 07 Oct 2020 -- Ten percent of Iran's population is elderly, with the Gilan province home to the country's oldest citizens, the head of Iran's Elderly Health Department of the Ministry of Health disclosed on Tuesday.
• Belarusian Opposition Leader Tsikhanouskaya Calls For German, Russian Mediation As Moscow Snubs Her With Arrest Warrant RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, even as she says Moscow can play a role to mediate the political crisis in her country.
• Belarusians Ponder Slow Course Of Change After Seeing Quick Results In Kyrgyzstan RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- After methodically working to bring about political change with more than eight weeks of nonviolent protests, Belarusians woke up to find their fellow postelection demonstrators in Kyrgyzstan got what they wanted in just a few hours.
• Misleading Absentee Ballot Reports Spark Concern in Myanmar Race Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2020 -- With a month to go before Myanmar's general elections on Nov. 8, the county's two main political parties warned followers on Wednesday about misleading and false claims about absentee ballots for expatriate citizens spreading on social media.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Virtual Session SPA 07 Oct 2020 -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired today the Cabinet's virtual session.
• UK outlines new plans for post-Brexit freeports Global Times 07 Oct 2020 -- The British government announced Wednesday further details for new innovative Freeports in post-Brexit period, a move aimed to "create jobs, drive investment and regenerate communities."
• EU leader issues informal ultimatum to UK over Brexit trade talks Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- As the deadline for the conclusion of post-Brexit trade talks fast approaches, the UK and the European Union (EU) appear to be edging further apart.
• Thousands Back In Bishkek Streets Demanding 'Clean' Politicians For New Government RFE/RL 07 Oct 2020 -- Thousands have headed back onto the streets in Kyrgyzstan as rival opposition factions look to gain power after violent mass protests forced the annulment of weekend election results over alleged vote buying and prompted the prime minister and other senior officials to step down.
• Kyrgyzstan's PM, parliament speaker step down Global Times 07 Oct 2020 -- Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Kubatbek Boronov and Speaker of the Parliament Dastan Dzhumabekov resigned on Tuesday amid protests in the country.
• Factions in Kyrgyzstan Divided Over Successor to Prime Minister VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- Opposition parties in Kyrgyzstan failed to form a new government Wednesday as they jostled over the replacement of the prime minister one day after he resigned and the country's parliamentary election was annulled.
• Kuwaiti emir names Sheikh Meshal as new heir to throne Press TV 07 Oct 2020 -- Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah has named Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah as new crown prince of the oil-rich Persian Gulf kingdom.
• Guinea: Steer clear of campaign hate speech, top UN officials warn UN News 07 Oct 2020 -- Given the history of intercommunal violence in Guinea, two high-level UN Officials voiced concern on Tuesday over the risk of "incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence" as the country gears up for elections on 18 October.
• Sudan's Red Sea State Oil Facilities Reopen After Protests End VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- Leaders of a group of protesters in Sudan's Red Sea state that had blocked the main road linking Khartoum to oil facilities in Port Sudan town for two straight days called off the protest on Wednesday.
• Kenyan Court Convicts Two in 2013 Westgate Mall Attack VOA 07 Oct 2020 -- A Kenyan court has found two men guilty for their roles in the deadly 2013 terrorist attack inside Nairobi's Westgate Mall. The men were convicted Wednesday of conspiring with and aiding the attackers from the Somali militant group al-Shabab. The court acquitted a third suspect of all charges.