Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Humanitarians seek $1.3 billion to help millions in war-weary Afghanistan UN News 12 Jan 2021 -- The UN and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are seeking $1.3 billion to assist almost 16 million people in need of life-saving assistance as a result of decades of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, and the added impact of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
• US Airstrikes Violate Doha Agreement, May Prompt Taliban Reaction, Spokesman Says Sputnik 12 Jan 2021 -- The United States should work to ensure that airstrikes conducted in Afghanistan are done so in a controlled manner to avoid violating the February peace deal reached with the Taliban, also known as the Doha agreement, Taliban* spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Sputnik in an interview.
• US military continuing Afghan troop withdrawal despite new law Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- The Pentagon says the US military is pressing ahead with outgoing President Donald Trump's order to further withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, despite a new law that bans further reductions without verifying that the drawdown was in America's national interest.
• Commentary: The Dilemma Of Moving Primary Education To Mosques In Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 12 Jan 2021 -- Islamic education is already an integral part of Afghanistan's so-called "secular" educational system, in addition to pure religious teachings at mosques, madrasahs, and Shariat faculties across the country. But the Education Ministry recently proposed a new policy approach in which Islam will become part of the education ecosystem, and one of the ideas is transferring primary education to mosques.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Joint Chiefs of Staff Message to the Joint Force Joint Chiefs of Staff 12 Jan 2021 -- "As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law. On January 20,202 1, in accordance with the Constitution, confirmed by the states and the courts, and certified by Congress, President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief."
• Joint Chiefs of Staff: US Capitol Riot Was 'Direct Assault' on American Democracy Sputnik 12 Jan 2021 -- In the wake of last week's storming of the US Capitol, officials across the political spectrum have condemned the violent events that unfolded on January 6, as law enforcement officials have continued to investigate and track down individuals who participated in the insurrection.
• Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Small Modular Reactors for National Defense and Space Exploration The White House 12 Jan 2021
• Statement from National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien The White House 12 Jan 2021 -- "Today, the White House is publishing the recently declassified United States Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific."
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 12 Jan 2021
• Statement by Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Doses Delivered Today DoD 12 Jan 2021
• HHS, DOD Purchase Additional Doses of Regeneron's Antibody Therapeutic to Treat Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 DoD 12 Jan 2021 -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) today announced the purchase of 1.25 million additional treatment courses of Regeneron's investigational monoclonal antibody therapeutic, a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, to be delivered in the first half of 2021 to treat non-hospitalized, high-risk COVID-19 patients.
• Officials Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries and Prioritization Criteria DoD News 12 Jan 2021 -- There's been significant progress in getting the COVID-19 vaccines out to the states, said Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.
• Readout of PDO Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Anthony Tata's Meeting With Moroccan Minister for Administration of National Defense Abdellatif Loudiyi and Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Abdelfatah Louarak DoD 12 Jan 2021
• ADF up to the challenges of 2020 Australia DOD 12 Jan 2021 -- Last year was difficult and disruptive for our nation and was a defining year for Defence.
• PLA completes 3D mapping of China's western border with centimeter-level accuracy Global Times 12 Jan 2021 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently started deploying China's first panoramic, high-precision spatial datum that covers the uncharted western border region of the country, with leading analysts saying that the system will contribute to the infrastructure construction as well as combat capability enhancement of Chinese forces in the region.
• Troops in northwest China equipped with new military field cooking container trucks PLA Daily 12 Jan 2021 -- In a recent maneuver training exercise, the cooks assigned to a combat support battalion under an Army brigade prepared food for troops by using a newly commissioned military field cooking container truck, which was specially tailored for troops operating in the plateau areas.
• Navy cancels port visits to allies over COVID-19 concerns CNA 12 Jan 2021 -- Taiwan Navy's midshipmen crusing training mission will not include port calls in the country's diplomatic allies this year as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of easing, a military source said Tuesday.
• 13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue India PIB 12 Jan 2021 -- Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, co-chaired the 13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue along with his Vietnamese co-chair Sr Lt Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 12 January 2021.
• Helicopter carrier, missile-launching warship to join Iranian Navy fleet IRNA 12 Jan 2021 -- A new helicopter carrier and a missile-launching warship are to join the Iranian Navy fleet soon, the public relations office of the Iranian Navy fleet announced on Tuesday.
• Largest-ever Iranian military vessel set to join Navy soon Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- The Iranian Navy is set to receive the country's largest-ever military vessel, an indigenously-manufactured helicopter carrier outfitted to take on momentous logistical responsibilities in support of the defense force's maritime missions.
• Iranian Navy Gets Two Domestically-Made Ships Amid Growing Tehran-Washington Tensions Sputnik 12 Jan 2021 -- On Monday, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Navy, claimed the Islamic Republic is in "full control" of the Persian Gulf, in a statement that came amid increasing tensions between Tehran and Washington.
• Enemy's slightest mistake to receive crushing response: Defense Minister IRNA 12 Jan 2021 -- Iran's Minister of Defense Brigadier-General Amir Hatami said on Tuesday that any mistake from the enemy will receive a crushing response from the Iranian military.
• Joint Statement of the 47th U.S.-Israel Joint Political-Military Group US Dept. of State 12 Jan 2021 -- The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Israel on the meeting of the 47th U.S.-Israel Joint Political-Military Group.
• ADF up to the challenges of 2020 Australia DOD 12 Jan 2021 -- Last year was difficult and disruptive for our nation and was a defining year for Defence.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Jan. 12, 2021
• Insitu Inc. to Pay $25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Case Alleging Knowing Overcharges on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Contracts US Dept. of Justice 12 Jan 2021 -- Insitu Inc., headquartered in Bingen, Washington, has agreed to pay $25 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting materially false cost and pricing data for contracts with the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Department of the Navy (Navy) to supply and operate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the Department of Justice announced today.

Other Conflicts

• 12 January 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 12 Jan 2021
• India says trust with China deeply impaired after border flare-up Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says trust with China has been "profoundly disturbed" following tensions at their contested border that left 20 Indian soldiers dead last summer.
• Gunmen Kill Pakistani Policeman Escorting Polio Vaccine Workers RFE/RL Gandhara 12 Jan 2021 -- Pakistani officials say a police officer has been killed as he was escorting a vaccination team in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- the latest attack against health workers taking part in a campaign to eradicate polio.
• Operation launched in SW Pakistan to curb new wave of terrorism People's Daily 12 Jan 2021 -- An operation in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province has been launched against the terrorists involved in the recent surge of militancy, local media reported on Tuesday.

News Reports

• 'Absolutely Ridiculous' Trump Says of Democrats' Impeachment Effort VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Democratic lawmakers' push to impeach him in the last days of his presidency is "absolutely ridiculous."
• Europe Prepares for Biden VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- With days to go before the inauguration of Joe Biden as America's 46th president, America's European allies are preparing for the new administration.
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 12 Jan 2021
• Remarks by President Trump Before Air Force One Departure | Joint Base Andrews, MD The White House 12 Jan 2021
• US Identifies Over 170 Capitol Rioters for Possible Criminal Charges VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday that they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last week and expect the number to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide manhunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues.
• US Homeland Security chief resigns as fears rise over more pro-Trump violence Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- US Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has resigned unexpectedly Monday, becoming the third member of the Trump administration to step down in reaction to last week's attack on Capitol by Trump supporters.
• U.S. acting DHS secretary resigns after Capitol Hill riot People's Daily 12 Jan 2021 -- U.S. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf filed his resignation letter Monday, making him the third cabinet member of the administration of President Donald Trump to leave office following Trump supporters' riot on Capitol Hill.
• U.S. designates Cuba as "State Sponsor of Terrorism" People's Daily 12 Jan 2021 -- The United States added Cuba to the list of "State Sponsor of Terrorism" on Monday, a move to constrain the incoming Joe Biden administration's efforts to improve relations with Havana.
• Iran condemns US renaming of Cuba as 'state sponsor of terrorism' Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- Iran has strongly condemned the United States' designation of Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism," expressing solidarity with the Latin American country.
• Trump Visits Southern US Border VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- In his first public appearance since a violent mob of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump on Tuesday highlighted one of his most controversial and visible accomplishments: wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Remarks by President Trump at the 45th Mile of New Border Wall | Reynosa-McAllen, TX The White House 12 Jan 2021
• UN counter-terrorism chief urges continued vigilance against 'real' ongoing threat UN News 12 Jan 2021 -- Despite important strikes against terrorism over the past two decades, including in bringing perpetrators to justice and disrupting additional attacks, countries cannot afford to let down their guard, the UN's counter-terrorism chief told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.
• WHO, Partners Announce Ebola Vaccine Stockpile VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- Parts of the world ravaged by outbreaks of Ebola can now heave a small sigh of relief thanks to the stockpile of vaccine, the International Coordinating Group (ICG) announced Monday.
• UN agencies and partners establish global Ebola vaccine stockpile UN News 12 Jan 2021 -- In a major milestone in the fight against deadly diseases, United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners announced on Tuesday, the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile, to help control future epidemics by ensuring timely access to vaccines for populations at risk, during outbreaks.
• Russian Watchdog Takes First Step Toward Punishing RFE/RL Under 'Foreign Agents' Law RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has drawn up its first eight administrative protocols - all against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - for violating the country's controversial foreign agents law.
• Navalny Says Authorities Ask Court To Change Suspended Sentence To Jail Time RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, who last year survived a poison attack he says was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, has said that Russia's prison authority has asked a court to switch his suspended prison sentence to jail time.
• Russia Threatens Poisoned Opposition Leader Navalny With Prison VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny says authorities in Moscow have formally asked a Russian court to jail him for violating terms of his parole dating back to a 2015 suspended sentence — the latest twist in a lengthy political drama between the opposition figure and the Kremlin.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on January 12, 2021 PRC MofA 12 Jan 2021
• Pompeo a 'real master' of lying diplomacy: Chinese FM Global Times 12 Jan 2021 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spared no effort in spreading the political virus and is a real master of coming up with lies to frame others and calling white black, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
• China condemns foreign statement supporting HK troublemakers People's Daily 12 Jan 2021 -- A Chinese central government spokesperson on Monday condemned a Hong Kong-related joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State, British Foreign Secretary and foreign ministers of countries including Australia and Canada, calling the statement a serious infringement on China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.
• Hong Kong Government Threatens 'Countermeasures' Over British Residency Pledge Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- As the number of Hong Kong residents using their entitlement to British National Overseas (BNO) passports continues to rise, the city's government has warned of "countermeasures" to stem the exodus amid a crackdown on dissent under a draconian national security law.
• Britain Cuts Business Links to Chinese Province Xinjiang VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- The British government Tuesday announced it will set out new rules for companies to try to prevent goods from China's Xinjiang Province from entering the supply chain following allegations of forced labor and other abuses.
• Young Uyghur Doctor Missing For Years Confirmed Detained in Xinjiang Capital Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- A young Uyghur doctor at a hospital in the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) who went missing in 2017 was detained in an internment camp that year, her overseas relatives have learned, but her current situation remains unknown.
• Rights Activist Calls on China's Premier to Give Back His Passport Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- Chinese rights activist Guo Feixiong has penned an open letter to premier Li Keqiang, asking him to overturn a travel ban so he can visit his wife, who has been diagnosed with advanced cancer, in the United States, RFA has learned.
• U.S., Taiwan envoys meet after restrictions on contacts lifted CNA 12 Jan 2021 -- The United States ambassador to the Netherlands and his Taiwanese counterpart met at the U.S. embassy in the European country Monday in a possible first since formal diplomatic ties were severed in 1979.
• Three Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ CNA 12 Jan 2021 -- Three Chinese military aircraft entered the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND).
• DPRK People Offer Heartfelt Congratulations to WPK General Secretary KCNA 12 Jan 2021 -- All the people in the DPRK are now filled with great emotion and jubilation over the news that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was elected as the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the 8th WPK Congress.
• Korean People Delighted at News of Election of WPK General Secretary KCNA 12 Jan 2021 -- All the people of the DPRK are now very delighted at the news that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was elected as the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
• North Korea's Ruling Party Increases Wait Time, 'Loyalty Fees' For Aspiring Members Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- Revised regulations on joining North Korea's ruling party extend the candidacy period for prospective members from one to two years, effectively doubling the "loyalty fees" and other bribes required to join the elite, sources in the country told RFA.
• North Korean Leader Tells Party Congress US Remains 'Biggest Enemy' Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- Leader Kim Jong Un branded the United States North Korea's "biggest enemy" to be met with increased military capabilities in remarks at a ruling party congress that experts said reveal that he faces the same limited pathways out of his country's poverty and isolation that his father did twenty years ago.
• Three Charged with Illegally Exporting Goods to Iran US Dept. of Justice 12 Jan 2021 -- The Justice Department announced today that three individuals have been charged in an indictment with conspiracy to export U.S. goods to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), as well as conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, and conspiracy to engage in international money laundering.
• United States Takes Action To Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa'ida US Dept. of State 12 Jan 2021 -- "Today, I revealed new information about how the Islamic Republic of Iran has given a new operational headquarters to al-Qa'ida, the terrorist network with more American blood on its hands than any other. For al-Qa'ida, Iran is the new home base. Tehran gives sanctuary to the terror group's senior leaders as they plan attacks against America and our allies."
• The Iran-al-Qaida Axis US Dept. of State 12 Jan 2021 -- Speech by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Pompeo Accuses Iran of Becoming 'Home Base' for al-Qaida VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused Iran of becoming the new "home base" for al-Qaida.
• Pompeo Alleges Al-Qaeda Has 'New Home Base' In Iran RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo charged on January 12 that Al-Qaeda has established a new home base in Iran.
• Pompeo Accuses Iran of Harboring Al-Qaeda, Confirms Death of Group's Second-in-Command Sputnik 12 Jan 2021 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of harboring al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) and for the first time publicly confirmed the death of the group's high-ranking member Abu Muhammad al-Masri in Tehran.
• Iran's Zarif Rejects Pompeo's Accusations of Iranian Ties With Al-Qaeda as 'Fictitious' Sputnik 12 Jan 2021 -- Reuters reported early on 12 January that outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was set to accuse Iran of having connections with the notorious terror organisation to al-Qaeda* in his Tuesday speech.
• Pompeo hits Iran for al-Qaida support SPA 12 Jan 2021 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of having secret ties with the al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials, AP reported.
• Iranian lawmakers hail AEOI's move to resume 20% uranium enrichment Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- The majority of Iranian lawmakers have hailed the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)'s move to restart the enrichment of uranium at 20-percent purity level as part of a law recently adopted by the Parliament (Majlis).
• Iran: Renegotiation of nuclear deal out of question Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- A high-ranking Iranian official has dismissed the possibility of any renegotiation of the 2015 landmark nuclear pact signed between Tehran and six major world states, stressing that the other sides only needs to fulfill its commitments and there is no need for further talks.
• Iran to further develop its biggest oil field IRNA 12 Jan 2021 -- Iran is going to further develop Ahvaz Oil Field, the biggest one in Iran and the third in the world, as well as Reshadat Oil Field.
• Exiled Belarusian Police Commander Says He Was Warned Of Murder Plot RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- A former commander of the Belarusian riot police says Berlin security officials warned him in 2012 that they have information about a plan by the Belarusian KGB to kill him.
• Iraqis Voice Mixed Reactions to US Designation of Key Politician VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- The recent designation of a key Iraqi politician as a human rights violator by the U.S. Treasury Department has triggered mixed reactions in the conflict-ridden country, where the government has publicly joined pro-Iran voices to condemn the blacklisting.
• Nazarbaev's Daughter Gets Seat In New Kazakh Parliament RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- Darigha Nazarbaeva, the eldest daughter of Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, is one of the 76 lawmakers from the party led by her father who acceded to the newly elected parliament.
• Kuwait's cabinet members resign en masse Press TV 12 Jan 2021 -- Kuwaiti ministers have resigned en masse after the parliament moved to question Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid Al Sabah over the makeup of his cabinet.
• Ivanishvili Says He's Leaving Georgian Politics For Good. His Critics Have Heard That One Before RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- The billionaire businessman-politician who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party back in 2012 says he has decided to leave politics for good.
• Elections In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Fail To Satisfy RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- There were expectations that the January 10 elections in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan would fail to truly reflect the will of the people in those two Central Asian neighbors.
• Thirty Years After Soviet Crackdown In Lithuania, Kremlin Accused Of Rewriting History RFE/RL 12 Jan 2021 -- In the early hours of January 13, 1991, hundreds of Lithuanians headed to the TV tower in Vilnius, where they would make a stand against Soviet troops deployed to crush the Baltic state's bid to reclaim independence. More than a dozen died, and hundreds were wounded.
• Humanitarian crisis looms in Madagascar amid drought and pandemic UN News 12 Jan 2021 -- In southern Madagascar, "famine-like conditions" have doubled the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance compared with last year, to more than 1.3 million. Successive droughts and a lack of jobs linked to COVID-19 restrictions are to blame, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
• Uganda's Bobi Wine Reports Police Raid on Home Two Days Before Presidential Election VOA 12 Jan 2021 -- Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said the military raided his home Tuesday and beat one of his guards, two days before the presidential election. Reports said Uganda also ordered all social media blocked ahead of the election.
• China Urges Progress on Myanmar Belt & Road Projects, Backs Peace Efforts Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced support for Myanmar's peace talks with ethnic armed groups and called for faster progress on major Chinese-led infrastructure projects in its Southeast Asian neighbor, statements and reports from the two countries said Tuesday.
• Change at Top Mooted as Lao's Cautious Ruling Communist Party Meets Radio Free Asia 12 Jan 2021 -- Laos' ruling party meets this week to select its top leadership to run the one-party communist state for five years, with some Laotians anticipating changes while experts say the elderly party brass could remain in place as the country tackles mounting debt and other deep-seated economic woes.