Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US-led military convoy enters northeastern Syria from Iraq: Report Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- The US-led military coalition purportedly formed to fight the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has reportedly sent a new convoy of trucks carrying military and logistical equipment to Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, as Washington is seeking to maintain its grip on energy resources in Syria and loot natural reserves in the war-hit country.
• Two Afghan Female Supreme Court Judges Killed In Kabul RFE/RL Gandhara 17 Jan 2021 -- Afghan officials say gunmen killed two female Supreme Court judges in the capital Kabul, the latest in a string of targeted killings that have swept the country.
• Two female supreme court judges assassinated in Kabul Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Two female judges working in Afghanistan's Supreme Court have been gunned down in Kabul as a wave of assassinations grips the conflict-ridden country.
• Gunmen Assassinate 2 Female Afghan Judges in Kabul VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- Officials in Afghanistan said Sunday two female judges working for the Supreme Court were shot dead in the capital, Kabul, the latest victims of targeted killings in recent months.
• US Military Pulls Last Troops From Somalia VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- The United States military has completed withdrawing troops from Somalia, according to the U.S. Africa Command.
• National Guard troops head to DC from as far away as Guam Army News 17 Jan 2021 -- Thousands of National Guard troops are arriving in the nation's capital from as far away as Guam to support authorities through the presidential inauguration Wednesday.
• PNG mobilizes more members for support at home, in DC Army News 17 Jan 2021 -- More than 1,400 additional Pennsylvania National Guard members have been activated to support the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration and provide security in Pennsylvania.
• Alaska National Guard to provide assistance for presidential inauguration Army News 17 Jan 2021 -- Airmen and Soldiers of the Alaska National Guard are scheduled to depart here on Jan. 17, headed to the National Capital Region to assist the District of Columbia National Guard and federal civilian authorities with the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pence Lists Administration's Accomplishments, Thanks Service Members DoD News 17 Jan 2021 -- In what amounted to a valedictory speech, Vice President Mike Pence touted the Trump administration's defense achievements and thanked sailors at Lemoore Naval Air Station, California, for their service.
• AFRICOM commander conducts visit to Manda Bay AFRICOM 17 Jan 2021 -- U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, conducted a visit to Cooperative Security Location (CSL), Manda Bay, Kenya, Jan. 16, to meet with U.S. commanders and forces supporting security and training in the region.
• Trump orders CENTCOM to cover Israel, calls UAE, Bahrain key 'security partners' Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Outgoing US President Donald Trump has ordered the country's Central Command (CENTCOM) to coordinate military activities with the Israeli regime, while also designating Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms of Bahrain and the UAE as "major security partners" in his final days in office.
• 48th FW conducts ACE exercise US Air Force 17 Jan 2021 -- The 492nd Fighter Squadron completed a three-day Agile Combat Employment exercise at RAF Lakenheath, Jan. 13.
• China's 3rd aircraft carrier expected to launch in 2021: reports Global Times 17 Jan 2021 -- China's third aircraft carrier, expected to be very different from the previous two with much larger displacement and featuring electromagnetic catapults, could be launched in 2021 and enter naval service around 2025, media reports predicted based on recent photos of the ship's construction site.
• PLA plateau special forces adopt low-visibility Starry Sky camouflage uniforms Global Times 17 Jan 2021 -- Plateau special forces of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Command have been equipped with the latest combat uniforms with a camouflage pattern that can perfectly hide them in the surroundings, and analysts said on Sunday that the low-visibility camouflage will have a practical use in border defense missions.
• Iranian Missiles Reportedly Fell 100 Miles From USS Nimitz Strike Group Sputnik 17 Jan 2021 -- Earlier in the day, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched long-range ballistic missiles as part of its annual military drills, striking maritime targets 1,000 miles downrange.
• UAE, Israel to partake for first time in joint military drills in Greece Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel plan to take part in a joint military drill in Greece, the first public revelation of military corporation between the two after their normalization of ties last August.
• Three Turkmen Border Guards Killed In Helicopter Crash RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- Three Turkmen border guards were killed when their military helicopter crashed into a high-voltage power transmission tower near the border with Iran, eyewitnesses said.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Obscure Islamist Group Targets Turkish Military in Northwest Syria VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- A small Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on Turkish forces in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.
• PMU chief reiterates that US military forces must withdraw from Iraq Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- The chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units has underlined the need to implement the parliamentary resolution requesting the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country and reiterating that all American troops must leave Iraq.
• Libya warring sides reach deal on formation of new interim govt.: UN Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- The UN says the political talks it arranged between Libya's warring sides have makes progress toward agreeing a new transitional government to oversee the run-up to elections in December.
• More Than 80 People Killed in West Darfur Attack VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- Unknown armed men killed more than 80 people and injured at least 160 others in the Krinding refugee camp and elsewhere in Genena, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur state this weekend, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.
• More than 80 people killed in militia attack on Sudan's West Darfur region Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Violent clashes in Sudan's restive Darfur have left at least 83 people dead in the past 48 hours just weeks after a long-running peacekeeping mission ended operation.
• Nearly 50 People Killed in Armed Violence in Sudan's West Darfur, Reports Say Sputnik 17 Jan 2021 -- Forty-eight people have been killed in armed violence in the Sudanese city of Al Junaynah, the capital of the West Darfur state, the SUNA news agency reported on Sunday, citing the doctors' union.
• UN peacekeepers retake control of CAR city from armed rebels Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- United Nations peacekeeping troops have retaken control of a city in the south eastern Central African Republic (CAR), which was captured by armed rebels two weeks ago.

News Reports

• Detention Of Kremlin Critic Navalny Sparks Immediate Criticism Of Moscow By West RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- The detention of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny by law enforcement as he arrived in Moscow following his return from Germany after recovering from being poisoned has sparked immediate outrage and criticism of the Kremlin.
• Arrest of Aleksey Navalny US Dept. of State 17 Jan 2021 -- The United States strongly condemns Russia's decision to arrest Aleksey Navalny. We note with grave concern that his detention is the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.
• Kremlin Critic Navalny Detained on Arrival in Moscow VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detained upon his arrival in Moscow Sunday evening — his first time back in his home country since the Russian opposition politician was poisoned last August and evacuated for treatment abroad.
• Kremlin Critic Navalny Detained After Arrival In Moscow RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny arrived in Moscow from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned, and was promptly detained by law enforcement authorities at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
• Russian opposition figure Navalny arrested upon arrival in Moscow Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who had violated the terms of his suspended prison sentence, was arrested upon arrival in Moscow.
• Navalny Due To Fly Back To Russia With Threat Of Arrest Looming RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny is due to fly back to Russia on January 17 from Germany despite the Russian authorities' stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.
• European Council President Calls on Russia to Release Opposition Vlogger Navalny Sputnik 17 Jan 2021 -- The European Council president, Charles Michel, on Sunday urged Russian authorities to release Russian political opposition vlogger Alexey Navalny.
• Zakharova Calls For Respecting International Law After Sullivan Comments on Navalny Sputnik 17 Jan 2021 -- In response to comments on the detention of Russian opposition vlogger Alexey Navalny made by Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor for US President-elect Joe Biden, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova advised foreign officials to respect international law and focus on domestic issues.
• Xi advances CPC relations with foreign political parties for global good PLA Daily 17 Jan 2021 -- Pioneering China's development as the leader of China's ruling party, Xi Jinping has been steering the Communist Party of China (CPC) to enhance friendship, promote exchanges with foreign political parties, and work with political parties worldwide for the global good.
• China revisions to defense law push Beijing closer to war: scholar CNA 17 Jan 2021 -- Beijing's recent amendments to its National Defense Law indicate that China has shifted its defense strategy to a more pre-emptive posture, making it more likely that it wages war, according to an expert with a government-funded think tank in Taiwan.
• Indonesian Company Admits To Deceiving U.S. Banks In Order To Trade With North Korea, Agrees To Pay A Fine Of More Than $1.5 Million US Dept. of Justice 17 Jan 2021 -- A global supplier of cigarette paper products, PT Bukit Muria Jaya ("BMJ"), has agreed to pay a fine of $1,561,570 and enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department for conspiring to commit bank fraud in connection with the shipment of products to North Korean customers. BMJ, which is incorporated in Indonesia, has also entered into a settlement agreement with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC").
• Zarif: JCPOA alive because of Iran, not E3 IRNA 17 Jan 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reminded France, the UK, and Germany that it is Iran that has kept the nuclear deal alive not them.
• JCPOA alive because of Iran, E3 did 'zilch' to maintain deal: FM Zarif Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Iran's foreign minister says since its inception in July 2015, the three European signatories to the landmark nuclear deal with Iran have done nothing to protect it and it is only alive because of Iran's efforts to maintain the accord.
• AEOI rejects E3 accusation of military implications in uranium metal production Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Iran's atomic energy organization responds to a statement by the three European signatories to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, rejecting the accusation that its plan to produce uranium metal-based fuel has military implications.
• French FM Says Urgent That Iran, U.S. Return To Nuclear Deal RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- France's foreign minister says Iran's continued breaches of the nuclear agreement it reached with world powers have made it urgent that Tehran and Washington return to the deal.
• Zarif warns against US B52H bombers roaming Mideast IRNA 17 Jan 2021 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to the US B52H bombers' frequent flights in the Middle East during the past few weeks and warning that Iran will not hesitate in targeting any object intruding its territorial integrity.
• Zarif reacts to US B-52s: We do not shy away from crushing aggressors Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Iran's foreign minister has reacted to recent overflights by US strategic B-52H bomber planes, noting that the Iranian nation will never be intimidated by such shows of force.
• Tehran rejects rumors of releasing South Korean-flagged tanker seized by IRGC Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has rejected rumors about the possible release of a South Korean-flagged tanker that was seized in the Persian Gulf waters earlier this month by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Navy for repetitive violation of maritime environmental law.
• Outcry Over Power Outages, Smog Forces Iran To Act Against Bitcoin Miners RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- Iranian authorities are blaming power outages and worsening air pollution in cities across the country on the energy drain caused by bitcoin mining operations.
• Belarus Protesters March In Residential Areas To Demand Lukashenka's Resignation RFE/RL 17 Jan 2021 -- Belarusian protesters marched in parks and residential areas of several cities and towns across the country on January 17 as demonstrators continue to demand the resignation of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
• Gibraltar Set to Drop Border Restrictions With Spain in New Post-Brexit Agreement Sputnik 17 Jan 2021 -- The United Kingdom formally left the European Union's structures on 31 December 2020. Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory (BOT), shares a border with Spain, which remains an EU member. While the UK has rejected free movement, a new post-Brexit agreement for the rock would allow for eased movement between the two.
• Ugandan Opposition to Challenge Presidential Election Results VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine's party said Sunday that it would challenge his loss in the recent presidential election.
• Tunisian PM announces major cabinet reshuffle amid political, economic crisis Press TV 17 Jan 2021 -- The Tunisian prime minister has announced a major cabinet reshuffle after high-profile dismissals amid rising political tensions and an unprecedented economic crisis in the North African country.
• Young Tunisians Riot, Marking 10 Years Since President's Resignation VOA 17 Jan 2021 -- Riots and looting shook parts of Tunisia early Sunday, days after the country marked the 10th anniversary of the resignation of long-time President Zein el Abidine Ben Ali in an Arab Spring revolution. The riots also came as Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi announced a major ministerial reshuffle Saturday.