Operations
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Current Operations

• Pompeo Says Violence In Afghanistan 'Unacceptably High' As Peace Talks Get Under Way RFE/RL Gandhara 05 Dec 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says violence in Afghanistan is "unacceptably high" as delayed peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban get under way.
• U.S. Welcomes First Meeting of the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation Leadership Committee US Dept. of State 05 Dec 2020 -- "The United States welcomes the formation and the first Leadership Committee meeting of the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation today."
• US Troops to Withdraw From Somalia Amid Ongoing Terror Threat VOA 05 Dec 2020 -- The United States is pulling hundreds of troops deployed to Somalia to battle al-Shabab terrorists even as military commanders admit the threat from the al-Qaida-linked terror group has not been eliminated.
• U.S. to withdraw majority of forces from Somalia by early 2021 People's Daily 05 Dec 2020 -- The Pentagon said on Friday that President Donald Trump had ordered to pull the majority of U.S. military forces out of Somalia by early 2021.

Defense Policy / Programs

• UK Navy Reports 'Significant Russian Presence' Near Territorial Waters Over Past 2 Weeks Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- UK warships have monitored a "significant Russian presence" close to the territorial waters of the United Kingdom over the past two weeks, the UK navy said in a press release.
• Turkey's Erdogan Presents Domestic Engine for Gokbey Helicopter in Import Replacement Push Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has presented TEI-TS1400 turboshaft engine designed by Tusas Engine Industries (TEI) to decrease the country's dependence on the import of engines for its indigenous Gokbey multipurpose helicopter.
• Merchants of war: EU's arms sales to West Asia Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- An outrageous statement by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas regarding the negotiation of a new nuclear deal with Tehran has been met with a devastating response from his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• US encouraging separatism in Syria, hindering restoration of its unity: Russia FM Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- Russia has censured the illegal presence of US troops in Syria and said the deployment of the American forces there is meant to hinder the restoration of unity in the Arab country.
• Ankara's Military Technology Helped Baku in Karabakh Conflict, Turkish Defence Chief Says Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- Turkish military technologies have contributed to Azerbaijan's success in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.
• Sudanese Military Enters Disputed Lands Neighboring Tigray Region VOA 05 Dec 2020 -- Sudan's military continues to deploy in disputed Sudanese agricultural lands neighboring Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region. The Sudanese government is not commenting on troop movements.
• Closed Tigray Humanitarian Corridor Puts UN Aid Operation in Limbo VOA 05 Dec 2020 -- United Nations agencies say they cannot help tens of thousands of civilians suffering because of the Tigray conflict until Ethiopia opens a humanitarian corridor to allow aid into the region.
• Militants Attack 4 African Union Peacekeeping Bases in Somalia, Reports Say Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- Unidentified militants have attacked four military bases in southern Somalia where members of the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia were stationed, the Somali Guardian news portal reports on Saturday.

News Reports

• Biden shunned by US military spy masters Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- US military intelligence agencies have avoided meeting with the projected winner of the disputed 2020 US election Joe Biden's transition team, according to a report.
• New Report Assesses Illnesses Among U.S. Government Personnel and Their Families at Overseas Embassies National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 05 Dec 2020 -- Government personnel and their families at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, in late 2016 and the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China, in early 2017 began suffering from a range of unusual - and in some cases suddenly occurring — symptoms such as a perceived loud noise, ear pain, intense head pressure or vibration, dizziness, visual problems, and cognitive difficulties, and many still continue to experience these or other health problems.
• Appeals court reverses ruling against Trump taking military money for border wall Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- A federal appeals court has reversed a judge ruling blocking an attempt by US President Donald Trump to reallocate Pentagon's money on a border wall.
• Several Detained As Monthslong Protests In Khabarovsk Continue RFE/RL 05 Dec 2020 -- Several protesters have been detained at a rally in Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East as locals continued for a 148th day to voice opposition to the arrest of the regional governor.
• U.S. Bill Targeting International Sports Doping Becomes Law RFE/RL 05 Dec 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill giving U.S. authorities the power to prosecute individuals responsible for doping at international sporting competitions involving American athletes, sponsors, or broadcasters.
• Russia to 'Accrete' Arctic, Northern Regions Over Coming Decades, Putin Says Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- Russia will look to "accrete" the country's Arctic and northern regions over the coming decades, particularly in terms of mining activity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
• 'Wolf Warrior diplomacy' label another version of 'China threat' theory, aims to push China to give up fighting: Chinese Vice FM Global Times 05 Dec 2020 -- Chinese diplomats were once known for their low-key approach in China and the world. It was a time when there seemed to be less inordinate criticism from the West. But the world and Chinese diplomats have changed. In some Westerners' eyes, Chinese diplomats are now engaging in "Wolf Warrior" style diplomacy, named after a 2015 Chinese patriotic action film and its 2017 sequel. The change seemingly has made the West feel challenged.
• U.S. Investors Are Funding Malign PRC Companies on Major Indices US Dept. of State 05 Dec 2020 -- Fact Sheet
• US Shows Unity in Support of Australia as Canberra Takes On Beijing VOA 05 Dec 2020 -- The incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Joe Biden is signaling its support for Australia in that nation's increasingly bitter wine war with China.
• Calls Grow for Police Accountability in Hong Kong VOA 05 Dec 2020 -- A Hong Kong court ruling has strengthened calls to establish an independent mechanism for complaints against the police amid intense outcry at home and abroad over alleged arbitrary arrests and excessive police use of force.
• Two Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ CNA 05 Dec 2020 -- Two Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes entered Taiwan's southwest Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that day.
• Peaceful reunification with Taiwan unlikely without pressure: experts Global Times 05 Dec 2020 -- Peaceful reunification of Taiwan island without the mainland applying pressure is unlikely, but China will never miss an opportunity to solve the Taiwan question peacefully, experts from both sides of the Taiwan Straits told the Global Times' annual forum.
• Possibility of peaceful reunification with Taiwan is diminishing: experts Global Times 05 Dec 2020 -- Experts from the two sides of Taiwan Straits say reunification between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will not be realized without pressure, and even peaceful reunification won't be realized without military pressure.
• Iran to legally pursue leak of IAEA confidential report, envoy says IRNA 05 Dec 2020 -- Iran's permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations slammed leakage of Iran's recent confidential report to the IAEA by a western media, saying that Iran will seriously follow up the issue through legal channels soon.
• Iran Parliament's strategic plan to counter sanctions not against national interests: SNSC Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says a strategic action plan to counter sanctions, the outlines of which were overwhelmingly endorsed by lawmakers, does not harm national interests following a public row between the administration and parliament.
• Iran urges IAEA to ensure confidentiality of safeguards info after report leaked to media Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- Iran's permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure confidentiality of safeguards information after a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog on the Natanz facility was leaked to the media.
• Will Iranian Moderates' Attempt To Deal With Biden On Nuclear Agreement Be Sabotaged? RFE/RL 05 Dec 2020 -- New Iranian legislation requiring officials to boost uranium enrichment within the country's controversial nuclear program is seen as an attempt to hurt moderates and sabotage President Hassan Rohani's efforts to deal with the incoming U.S. administration.
• Israeli spy chief's visit to Saudi cancelled after Netanyahu meeting leaks: Report Press TV 05 Dec 2020 -- Saudi Arabian officials have reportedly cancelled a planned visit by the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, after details of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's secret trip to the kingdom were leaked.
• Protests Swell As Armenian Opposition Issues Ultimatum For PM's Resignation Over Karabakh Deal RFE/RL 05 Dec 2020 -- The Armenian opposition intensified pressure on December 5 as thousands of protesters rallied in the Armenian capital demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian resign over a controversial truce deal with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• Thousands Gather for Protest in Armenia's Capital to Demand Prime Minister's Resignation Sputnik 05 Dec 2020 -- The demonstration of the Armenian opposition in downtown Yerevan has begun, with thousands of people gathering in the Freedom Square near the Opera house to call on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down, a Sputnik correspondent reported form the scene on Saturday.