Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan Official: 600 Freed Taliban Prisoners Rearrested VOA 24 Jan 2021 -- Authorities in Afghanistan say they have rearrested 600 members of the Taliban who were freed from imprisonment as part of a peace-building agreement between the United States and the insurgent group.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US, Japan agree to strengthen military ties under Biden Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- The United States and its Asian ally Japan have agreed to strengthen their military alliance under the new administration of US President Joe Biden, in an apparent effort to further challenge China's sovereignty in the South China Sea.
• US to deploy Iron Dome missiles to bases in Persian Gulf states: Israeli officials Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- Israeli security officials say the United States is expected to soon begin deploying Iron Dome missile systems to its bases in the Persian Gulf Arab countries.
• USNS Laramie joins USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea US Navy 24 Jan 2021 -- The Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Laramie (T-AO-203) transited into the Black Sea and rendezvoused with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), Jan. 24, 2021.
• Russia monitoring US destroyer's movement in Black Sea: Defense Ministry Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- The Russian Defense Ministry says the country's Black Sea Fleet is monitoring the movement of the US Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook that recently entered the strategic waters.
• US to Help Taiwan Maintain 'Self-Defense Capability,' State Department Says Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- The US State Department says Washington plans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which China considers to be part of its territory.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat of Israel The White House 24 Jan 2021
• Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France The White House 24 Jan 2021

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• China Authorises Coast Guard to Fire on Foreign Vessels as US Sends Carrier Strike Group to Region Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- On Sunday, a US carrier strike group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea for "routine operations." Earlier, Japan issued a rebuke of China's claims in the strategic body of water. The Pentagon reciprocated by promising to protect the Senkakus – the East China Sea islands controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing.
• US sends carrier to South China Sea after Beijing gives fire order Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- The US has dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the South China Sea, in a move that is set to escalate tensions after China authorized its coast guard to open fire on foreign vessels deemed to pose threats to its sovereignty.
• US Carrier Strike Group Enters South China Sea Amid Tensions Between China, Taiwan Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- A US carrier strike group has entered the South China sea for routine operations, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) announced on Sunday amid increased tensions between China and Taiwan.
• The United States Condemns Attack on Saudi Arabia US Dept. of State 24 Jan 2021
• Yemen aid groups call on Biden administration to revoke Houthis' terrorist designation Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- Twenty-two aid groups working in Yemen have called on Washington to revoke a last-minute move by the administration of former US President Donald Trump to designate Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement as a foreign terrorist organization.
• Yemen warring sides kick-start prisoner swap talks in Jordan: UN Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- Fresh talks between delegations from Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and Saudi-backed former government have begun over exchange of hundreds of more prisoners, as part of steps taken to revive stalled UN-brokered peace negotiations, the United Nations says.
• More than half of children in war-torn Syria deprived of education: UNICEF Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- The UN Children's Agency says more than half of Syrian children in the war-ravaged Arab country are missing out on education, as almost a third of schools have either fallen down or been commandeered by militant factions.
• Tensions Remain After Kurdish, Government Forces Clash in Syria's Qamishli VOA 24 Jan 2021 -- Tensions remain high after violent clashes broke out between local Kurdish security forces and Syrian government troops in a strategic city in northeastern Syria.
• UN Security Concerns Rise Following Killings in Syria's Al-Hol Camp VOA 24 Jan 2021 -- U.N. officials are expressing alarm over worsening security at Northeast Syria's al-Hol refugee camp after multiple killings between January 1 and 16.
• Violence in Sudan's Darfur killed 250, displaced 100,000: UN Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed alarm over tribal violence in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region, saying the conflict has killed at least 250 people and displaced more than 100,000 others.
• Israeli Government Ratifies Agreement on Normalisation of Relations With Morocco, Reports Say Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- The Israeli government has ratified the agreement on normalisation of diplomatic relations with Morocco, media reported on Sunday.

News Reports

• S. Korea Reports One New Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Case SPA 24 Jan 2021 -- South Korea on Sunday confirmed one additional case of highly pathogenic bird flu at a poultry farm near Seoul, raising the total caseload to 72, Yonhap News Agency reported.
• Status of Avian Influenza in the country India PIB 24 Jan 2021 -- Till 24th January, 2021 outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird flu) have been confirmed in 9 States (Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab) for poultry birds and in 12 States (Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab) for Crow/Migratory/ Wild birds.
• Kremlin Accuses U.S. Of Interference After Statements Criticizing Harsh Crackdown On Navalny Protesters RFE/RL 24 Jan 2021 -- The Kremlin has accused the United States of interfering in Russian domestic affairs after U.S. officials in Washington and Moscow criticized the police crackdown on protesters backing jailed Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.
• Thousands Detained As Russians Rally To Support Navalny In Biggest Nationwide Protests In Years RFE/RL 24 Jan 2021 -- Thousands of Russians were detained across the country amid protests calling for the release of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, with riot police cracking down violently on what were Russia's biggest anti-government demonstrations in years.
• Kremlin Spokesman Blasts US Embassy for Statements About Unauthorised Protests in Russia Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the statements by the US embassy on Saturday's unauthorised protests in Russia as interference in the country's domestic affairs.
• Hundreds Detained in Protests Supporting Russian Opposition Leader VOA 24 Jan 2021 -- Tens of thousands of supporters of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny thronged the streets of Russia on Saturday, defying warnings from authorities that those attending faced police arrest and additional health risks because of the coronavirus.
• PLA bomber swarm near Taiwan 'likely routine operations' Global Times 24 Jan 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday reportedly dispatched 13 warplanes including eight H-6K bombers to locations in the middle of the island of Taiwan and the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea, as the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea from the south of Taiwan on the same day for "routine operations," in a first since US President Joe Biden assumed office.
• 15 Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ CNA 24 Jan 2021 -- China sent 15 military airplanes of five types into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday but they did not cross the median line that divides the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.
• China sends record-high number of planes over Taiwan to flex muscle CNA 24 Jan 2021 -- China sent a record-high number of military aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, a move aimed at flexing its military muscle to new U.S. President Joe Biden, military experts said Saturday.
• Biden's words to Beijing show continuity of U.S. foreign policy CNA 24 Jan 2021 -- A call made by the administration of new United States President Joe Biden asking China to stop its military coercion toward Taiwan shows continuity in U.S. foreign policy, experts said Sunday.
• Biden administration urges Beijing to cease military pressure against Taipei CNA 24 Jan 2021 -- The new Joe Biden administration of the United States on Saturday called on China to stop its ongoing military coercion toward Taiwan while calling on both sides of the Strait to engage in peaceful dialogue.
• Iran doesn't accept mediation in Korean oil tanker case: Khatibzadeh ISNA 24 Jan 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that the Islamic Republic doesn't accept political mediation in technical issues hence it doesn't accept mediation in South Korean oil tanker which was seized due to the pollution of the marine environment in the Persian Gulf.
• Iranians should have confidence in bright economic future: Rouhani Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- President Hassan Rouhani has assured the nation of a bright future for the Iranian economy as the failure of the US economic war will open up a new chapter in trade ties.
• Maduro slams 'terrorist attack' on Venezuelan oil company's pipeline Press TV 24 Jan 2021 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has condemned a "terrorist attack" on a major gas pipeline at a time when the Latin American country is already reeling from fuel shortages due to illegal US sanctions against Caracas.
• Portugal's President de Sousa Re-Elected in 1st Round, Preliminary Results Show Sputnik 24 Jan 2021 -- With 50 percent of the vote counted, Portugal's incumbent President Marcelo Duarte Rebelo de Sousa has won in the first round of Sunday's election, receiving 66 percent of the vote, according to the official results.