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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Roadside bomb targets US-led coalition convoy in southern Iraq; no casualties reported Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- A roadside bomb explosion has struck a convoy of trucks belonging to the US-led coalition in Iraq's southern province of al-Qadisiyah.
• Doha Confirmed as Venue for Second Round of Afghan Peace Talks VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- Afghan officials say the government has decided to hold the second round of peace negotiations with the Taliban in Doha, the same place where the first round was held.
• Three Afghan Senators Arrested Amid Bribery Allegations RFE/RL Gandhara 28 Dec 2020 -- Afghan authorities say they have arrested three senators who are accused of taking a $40,000 bribe.
• Nimitz Carrier Strike Group supports Operation Octave Quartz AFRICOM 28 Dec 2020 -- INDIAN OCEAN -- The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has been providing operational and close air support to Joint Task Force – Quartz and Operation Octave Quartz.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement by Acting Secretary of Defense Miller on Transition Efforts DoD 28 Dec 2020 -- "The Department of Defense has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials, and provided over 5,000 pages of documents – far more than initially requested by Biden's transition team. DOD's efforts already surpass those of recent administrations with over three weeks to go and we continue to schedule additional meetings for the remainder of the transition and answer any and all requests for information in our purview."
• The future of test: ACC establishes 'Black Flag' US Air Force 28 Dec 2020 -- Gen. Mark D. Kelly signed COMACC Plan 21 Dec. 15, effectively formalizing the 53rd Wing's Large Force Test Events into "Black Flag" – an event solely focused on test and tactics development in a realistic, massed force, fully integrated, high threat density environment.
• Forest Light 21 USMC News 28 Dec 2020 -- To end the crazy year that is 2020 strong, the U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing participated in the bilateral exercise Forest Light with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force December 3 to December 21, 2020.
• USS Georgia Visits Bahrain US Navy 28 Dec 2020 -- The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) completed a sustainment and logistics port visit in Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 27.
• NATO Says 90 Percent Of Air Intercepts In 2020 Involved Russian Planes RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- NATO says it scrambled its air forces across Europe more than 400 times this year to intercept unknown aircraft -- mainly from Russia -- approaching the alliance's airspace.
• NATO intercepts hundreds of Russian military jets in 2020 NATO 28 Dec 2020 -- NATO air forces across Europe scrambled more than 400 times in 2020 to intercept unknown aircraft approaching Alliance airspace. Almost 90 percent of these missions - around 350 - were in response to flights by Russian military aircraft. This is a moderate increase from 2019. Russian military aircraft often do not transmit a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, do not file a flight plan, or do not communicate with air traffic controllers, posing a potential risk to civilian airliners.
• Russia vows retaliatory moves if US deploys missiles in Europe Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin has criticized US refusal to extend the New START arms control treaty as well as its plans to deploy missiles in Europe, vowing to take "proportionate retaliatory measures."
• NATO Sabre-Rattling Near Russian Borders Runs Risk of 'Serious Incidents,' Defence Ministry Warns Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- In 2020, NATO reconnaissance flights in the Black Sea region increased by 40 percent compared to last year, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
• Tactical information system for individual soldiers in service for PLA Tibet Military Command Global Times 28 Dec 2020 -- Individual soldiers with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Command are now equipped with a new type of tactical information system that can share real-time combat dynamics, receive mission objectives and allow the soldiers to comprehensively grasp the battlefield situation, boosting their combat capabilities in cold, mountainous regions, media reported on Monday.
• China reaffirms defensive nature of its national defense policy in newly revised law PLA Daily 28 Dec 2020 -- China has reaffirmed the defensive nature of its national defense policy as its top legislative body adopted new revisions to the National Defense Law, renewing tasks and goals as well as cementing policies.
• Photos: China's Third Amphibious Assault Ship Nears Completion as First Docks With Shandong Carrier Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- China's new class of amphibious assault ship - part helicopter carrier, part marine landing dock - is growing quickly. While the first Type 075 ship is finishing up sea trials alongside its bigger comrade, the aircraft carrier Shandong, the third one is coming together in a Shanghai shipyard.
• Taiwan Assurance Act to give flexibility to U.S. arms sales: analyst CNA 28 Dec 2020 -- The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, included in the omnibus spending package signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, should give the United States more flexibility in selling arms to Taiwan, a Taiwanese analyst has said.
• UK Military Receives 30 'Nano' Drones With Spying Range of 1.2 Miles, Developer Confirms Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- The army of the United Kingdom has purchased 30 "nano 'Bug' drones," which weigh 196 grams (6.9 ounces) and can spy with a range of up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), the UK weapons manufacturer BAE Systems said on Monday.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Dec. 28, 2020

Other Conflicts

• UN's Global Cease-fire Plea Falls on Deaf Ears VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- As the pandemic started to unfold early in 2020, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a plea for a global cease-fire, saying the world needed to focus on "the true fight" against the coronavirus.
• Palestinian PM urges international community to stop Israel's settlement construction plans Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has urged the international community to halt Israel's illegal settlement expansion activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, as the Tel Aviv regime gets ready to hold its fourth general elections within less than two years.
• Nasrallah: Hezbollah's precision missiles doubled in a year Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Hezbollah's secretary-general says the Lebanese resistance movement has, within the space of just one year, doubled the size of its missile arsenal, and has the entire occupied territories inside the range of the precision projectiles.
• Hezbollah Leader Says Group Doubled Precision Missiles, Able to 'Hit Accurately' Any Target Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- The group's leader, Nasrallah, claimed Hezbollah forces are planning to perform retaliatory strikes against Israel, whom they hold accountable for the series of airstrikes in Syria, and also as revenge for the assassination of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.
• Russia expands military reinforcements in Syria's flashpoint north Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Russia says it has sent reinforcements to an area in northern Syria where militants supported by the Turkish government and Kurdish fighters patronized by Washington have been engaged in clashes in the vicinity of a strategic highway.
• Bangladesh moves more Rohingya refugees to remote island Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Bangladesh has started relocating a second group of Rohingya refugees to a controversial remote, flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal despite international criticism.
• Bangladesh Begins Relocating 2nd Group of About 1,000 Rohingya Refugees VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- Bangladesh is going ahead Monday with plans to move a second group of Rohingya refugees to an island in the Bay of Bengal, although rights activists have voiced strong opposition about the transfer.
• Azerbaijan says soldier killed in Karabakh ambush Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Azerbaijan says one of its serviceman has died and another been wounded in an attack staged by Armenian separatist forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, weeks after the two sides reached a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal to end hostilities.
• Azerbaijan says soldier killed in Karabakh ambush Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Azerbaijan says one of its serviceman has died and another been wounded in an attack staged by Armenian separatist forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, weeks after the two sides reached a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal to end hostilities.
• Leaders Of Breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Reject Azerbaijani Claims Of Deadly Attack RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- Azerbaijan says one of its servicemen has been killed and another wounded in an attack by ethnic Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh, a claim dismissed by the breakaway region's de facto authorities.
• Sudan to deploy troops to South Darfur following tribal violence Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Sudan has reportedly mobilized large numbers of forces to deploy to South Darfur to restore peace and order in the restive state, following reports of bloody clashes between rival tribes there.
• 25,000 refugees in unsettled Tigray region receive urgent UN food supplies UN News 28 Dec 2020 -- Some 25,000 Eritrean refugees, sheltering in two camps in the unsettled Tigray region of Ethiopia, have received desperately needed food aid for the first time since mid-October.
• Three French Soldiers Killed in Mali VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- A roadside bomb killed three French soldiers Monday, according to the French government, which said their armored vehicle struck the explosive device in the Hombori region of Mali.
• Three French Soldiers Killed by Explosive Device During Operation in Mali Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- Three French soldiers have been killed after their armored vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Mali on Monday morning, the Elysee Palace's press department said.
• Malian Army Inflicts 'Heavy Casualties' on Unknown Militants Attacking Northern Village Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- Malian security forces have neutralised several unidentified gunmen raiding a village in the country's north, not far from the border with Burkina Faso, the army has said.
• Trump Signs Tibetan Policy And Support Act Into Law, Prompting Warnings From Beijing Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a bill that pledges increased support for Tibetans, including by sanctioning Chinese officials if they try to appoint the next spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, prompting warnings from Beijing.

News Reports

• Authorities Say Suspect in Nashville Blast Died at Scene VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- U.S. investigators are working to determine a motive in Friday's explosion that injured three people, damaged dozens of buildings and disrupted telecommunications systems in the southern city of Nashville, Tennessee.
• DHS Modernizes Critical Identification Requirements after Congress Passes REAL ID Modernization Act DHS 28 Dec 2020 -- As a result of extensive state, industry, and government collaboration, Congress has passed the bipartisan REAL ID Modernization Act. The Act modernizes REAL ID requirements originally set more than 15 years ago.
• Individuals Named To Russia's 'Foreign-Agent' Registry For First Time RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- Russia has for the first time branded individuals as "foreign agents," including three who contribute to RFE/RL.
• Doping Whistle-Blowers Have No Plans To Return To Russia RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- The Russian couple who played a major role in exposing the nation's sports doping scandal said in an interview published on December 27 that they no longer consider Russia their home and have no plans to return to the country.
• Russia Declares Bulgarian Diplomat Persona Non Grata in Response to Expulsion of Envoy From Sofia Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- Bulgaria declared a Russian attache at the embassy in Sofia persona non grata earlier this month on suspicion he had been gathering military information. Moscow stated it retained the right to retaliate.
• Four-year Jail Term for Citizen Journalist's COVID Reporting in China VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- A court in Shanghai, China on Monday sentenced former lawyer and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in prison for her reporting on the coronavirus outbreak, a harsh sentence that legal scholars say is aimed at having a chilling effect on Chinese rights activists.
• Chinese Lawyer-Turned-Citizen Journalist Gets Four Years For Wuhan Posts Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- A court in Shanghai has handed down a four-year jail term to a citizen journalist who reported on the coronavirus pandemic as it emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
• Chinese Journalist Jailed for 4 Years Over Reports on Early COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- A court in Shanghai on Monday found citizen journalist Zhang Zhan guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" in her reporting of the country's early coronavirus outbreak in the city of Wuhan early this year, Zhang's lawyer said, adding that the journalist was sentenced to four years in prison.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on December 28, 2020 PRC MofA 28 Dec 2020
• Protecting U.S. Investors from Financing Communist Chinese Military Companies US Dept. of State 28 Dec 2020 -- "President Trump took decisive action last month to protect American investors and pension holders from funding Communist Chinese military companies (CCMCs) through Executive Order (13959) Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies."
• China urges US to stop interfering in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- China has called on the United States to stop interfering in its internal affairs after outgoing US President Donald Trump signed into law acts aimed to further enhance support for Taiwan and Tibet.
• High-level CPC delegation's Nepal visit eyes issues of common interest, upholds noninterference principle: Chinese FM Global Times 28 Dec 2020 -- Indian media outlets have paid close attention to the inter-party exchanges between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), which is the ruling party of the country. Some Indian media have been even speculating and criticizing this as a move by China to "interfere in the internal affairs" of other countries. Chinese experts say that the inter-party exchanges are not India's business, with India actually acting as the biggest external power interfering in Nepal's internal affairs.
• Shenzhen starts trial for HK detainees' illegal border crossing Global Times 28 Dec 2020 -- Shenzhen's Yantian District People's Court opened the trial of 10 Hong Kong residents who were detained in August for illegally entering Chinese mainland waters, with the court hearing the public prosecution's opinions as well as the suspects' defense. It will announce the sentencing another day, the court said on Monday.
• Chinese FM rejects US embassy call to 'release' 12 Hong Kong residents arrested in mainland Global Times 28 Dec 2020 -- China firmly opposes the remarks made by the US Embassy in China concerning the 12 Hong Kong residents who were detained in August for illegally entering Chinese mainland waters, and those remarks ignore the facts and confuse right and wrong, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a routine press conference on Monday.
• Hong Kong Protesters Who Fled by Speedboat Stand Trial in China's Shenzhen Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- Ten out of 12 Hong Kong protesters arrested as they tried to flee the city to the democratic island of Taiwan stood trial at a court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Monday, on charges linked to illegal border crossings.
• Ant Group must fix problems, meet supervision requirements: regulators People's Daily 28 Dec 2020 -- China's financial regulators have identified major problems in Ant Group's business operations and have urged the company to make plans and set a timetable as soon as possible to fix the problems in accordance with supervision requirements.
• China's Central Bank Orders Ant Group to Meet Strict Regulatory Guidelines VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- Regulators with China's central bank have ordered online financial services giant Ant Group to restructure its operations to meet regulatory guidelines.
• Chinese military aircraft enters Taiwan's ADIZ CNA 28 Dec 2020 -- A Chinese military Y-8 RECCE tactical reconnaissance aircraft entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, where it stayed until Taiwanese fighter jets scrambled in response, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
• Trump signs omnibus spending bill including pro-Taiwan provisions CNA 28 Dec 2020 -- United States President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a US$2.3 trillion government spending package that incorporates provisions supporting Taiwan's defense capacity and its participation in international organizations.
• Taiwan mulls censoring books by Chinese Communist Party, PLA CNA 28 Dec 2020 -- The Ministry of Culture (MOC) may propose an amendment that would regulate publications released by the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army (PLA) before they can enter the Taiwan market.
• Coal Miners Mobilized 'Like Slaves' in North Korea's 80-Day Battle Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- Citizens in North Korea who were recently mobilized for labor in coal mines told RFA Monday that for the past 80 days the government has exploited them "like slaves," sending malnourished and untrained men into pits with only hand tools.
• President: Iran stresses nullifying sanctions, fighting COVID-19 IRNA 28 Dec 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the heads of the three branches of the Islamic System agree on negating and breaking the US sanctions, and fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as next year's budget statement.
• Iran security chief: US' increased military activities in region out of fear, worsen insecurity Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council says increased military activities by the US Army in the West Asia region stems from Washington's fear of the consequences of its past acts of mischief in this region.
• Alleged Mastermind Of Attack On Saudi Embassy Appointed To Iran's Judo Federation RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- An Iranian cleric who was allegedly behind the 2016 attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran has been appointed as the head of the cultural committee of Iran's Judo Federation.
• Iran Warns Israel Against Crossing Red Line Amid Reports of Sub Deployment to Persian Gulf Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry warned on Monday that Israel risked crossing a red line after media said that an Israeli submarine was sent to the Persian Gulf as a deterrent.
• Iraq to issue court orders for suspects in assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani, PMU's al-Muhandis Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- A senior Iraqi judicial official says appropriate court orders will be issued in the coming days regarding the suspects in the January 3 assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside Baghdad International Airport.
• Iran rights official: 48 culprits identified in top general's assassination case Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- The head of the Iranian Judiciary's High Council for Human Rights says 48 culprits have been identified in connection with the assassination of the country's legendary anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
• Iran won't let General Soleimani's assassins go unpunished: Foreign Ministry Press TV 28 Dec 2020 -- Iran says it will not let those behind the assassination of the country's legendary anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani evade punishment.
• Lukashenka's Long Rule Over Belarus Looks Set To Survive 2020. What About 2021? RFE/RL 28 Dec 2020 -- Ever since he came to power in 1994, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has used controlled elections and other levers at his disposal to prolong his own power and to restrain or eliminate rivals -- in some cases literally, according to those who believe he was behind the unsolved disappearances of several opponents.
• EU Unanimously Endorses Post-Brexit Trade Deal With UK VOA 28 Dec 2020 -- The European Union has endorsed the post-Brexit trade deal with Britain set to go into effect on January 1.
• Cambodian Court Charges Acting Opposition Chief Sam Rainsy Under Lèse-majesté Law Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- A court in Cambodia on Monday charged acting opposition leader Sam Rainsy under the country's Lèse-majesté law after he called King Norodom Sihamoni a "puppet" for helping to cover up shortcomings in Prime Minister Hun Sen's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Fugitive Former Lawmaker Turns Himself in to Myanmar Police Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2020 -- A fugitive former lawmaker from Myanmar's main opposition party who had been on the run for more than a year after being charged with sedition for allegedly condemning the country's leaders while speaking at a rally opposing U.S. sanctions on senior military officials, turned himself in to police on Monday, a police official said.
• Zambia Considering Russian Proposal to Use Its COVID-19 Vaccine, Envoy Says Sputnik 28 Dec 2020 -- Zambia is currently considering the proposal by Russia for the use of its domestically produced Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, Russian Ambassador to Zambia Alexander Boldyrev told Sputnik.