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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Supply convoys of US-led forces struck by multiple bomb attacks in Iraq Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Multiple roadside bombs have separately struck five convoys of trucks carrying logistical equipment for the US-led coalition forces in Iraq.
• Biden Declares May 1 Deadline To Be Out of Afghanistan 'Hard to Meet' DoD News 25 Mar 2021 -- President Joe Biden said the upcoming May 1 deadline to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan will be "hard to meet," during his first press conference today since taking office.
• Biden Says 'Hard' To Meet Afghanistan Troop-Withdrawal Deadline RFE/RL Gandhara 25 Mar 2021 -- President Joe Biden has said it will be "hard" to meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan as part of a deal signed with the Taliban last year.
• US Troops May Miss Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline, Biden Says VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden admitted Thursday that some 2,500 U.S. troops could still be in Afghanistan after May 1, the agreed upon deadline for American forces to leave the country under a year-old deal with the Taliban.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Cybercom's Partnership With NSA Helped Secure U.S. Elections, General Says DoD News 25 Mar 2021 -- Being both the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency improves the ability to provide the nation with speed, agility and flexible responses to adversaries who are increasingly modernizing, getting quicker and getting more sophisticated, the agencys' director said.
• B-2 Spirit integrates with NATO ally at Lajes Field US Air Force 25 Mar 2021 -- Three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, along with more than 100 Airmen, civilians and contractors, arrived at Lajes Field to participate in a series of Bomber Task Force missions in the high Northern Europe region.
• Dutch government pledges 38 million euros to upgrade U.S. Army APS-2 site in Netherlands Army News 25 Mar 2021 -- The Netherlands Minister of Defense Ank Bijleveld announced March 24 during a press conference at the Army Prepositioned Stock-2 Eygelshoven site that the Dutch government has agreed to provide 38 million euros toward facility upgrades and new construction at the U.S. Army's APS-2 site in the Netherlands.
• Officials Describe Special Operations Forces' Contributions to National Security DoD News 25 Mar 2021 -- Although U.S. Special Operations Command makes up just 3% of the joint force, it has suffered over half of all combat casualties over the past few years, said a Defense Department official.
• Defense Innovation Leader Stresses Importance of U.S., China Technology Race DoD News 25 Mar 2021 -- As a pacing threat, China has a well-integrated, systematic, long-term strategy to make sure it's doing the most to achieve its goal to be No. 1 in the world in technology, the director of the Defense Innovation Unit told the National Defense Industrial Association, Tuesday.
• Type 055 Destroyer Lhasa commissioned to PLA Navy: Defense Spokesperson PLA Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Lhasa, hull number 102, has completed the manufacturing and sea trials and been commissioned to the PLA Navy on March 2, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense at a regular press conference on Thursday.
• China's J-16 fighter jet is flawless and much superior to the Su-30: pilot Global Times 25 Mar 2021 -- China's J-16 multi-role fighter jet is flawless and is much superior to other similar aircraft including, the Su-30, revealed a pilot who has experience flying it as well as other types of aircraft.
• North Korea carries out ballistic missile launch: US, Japan Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- North Korea has reportedly fired two missiles into the Sea of Japan, in what is the first signal to the new administration in the United States which is reviewing its policy towards Pyongyang.
• Photo: DPRK Announces it Test-Fired Two 'New Tactical Guided' Missiles Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- Earlier in the week, Japan, South Korea and the United States expressed concern over what they referred to as a test-fire of two ballistic missiles launched into the Sea of Japan by North Korea.
• North Korean Missile Launches Show Threat of Pyongyang's Arms Programme to Neighbours, US Says Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- The statement from the Pentagon comes after North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan in the early hours of Thursday, sparking concern in South Korea and Japan.
• 1TS VISIT TO MADAGASCAR India PIB 25 Mar 2021 -- Indian Naval Ship INS Shardul made a port call at Antsiranana, Madagascar as part of First Training Squadron's (1TS) Overseas Deployment from 21 – 24 Mar 21. Officer trainees of the 99th Integrated Officer Training Course are embarked onboard during the ship's visit.
• 7th IN BN STAFF TALKS India PIB 25 Mar 2021 -- Towards further bolstering existing defence relations between India and Bangladesh in the maritime domain, 7th Staff Talks between Indian Navy and Bangladesh Navy were conducted from 23 to 25 March 2021 at New Delhi. Bangladesh
• Iran launches simulation system for each vessel produced domestically IRNA 25 Mar 2021 -- Head of Defense Ministry's Marine Industries Organization Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari announced that an industrial complex has been launched for designing and manufacturing simulators for vessels being produced at national shipyard.
• Mechanical failure might be cause of F-5E fighter crash last year: MND CNA 25 Mar 2021 -- The crash of a Taiwanese F-5E fighter plane off Taiwan's east coast in October 2020 that resulted in the death of a pilot might have been caused by mechanical problems, Air Force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) said Thursday, citing a preliminary investigation report.
• Taiwan mass produces long-range missile amid heightening tensions with China Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan has started mass producing and developing new long-range missiles amid growing tensions with China.
• US Cargo Ship Carrying 350 Tonnes of Military Equipment Docks in Ukraine's Odessa, Reports Say Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- A US cargo ship docked in Ukraine's Odessa port carrying 350 tonnes of military equipment and vehicles for the country's armed forces, local media reported on Thursday.
• Armenian PM Denies Contradictions In Comments About Fighter Jets Purchased From Russia RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has come under criticism for what the opposition says are lies and contradictory statements about why the Armenian military did not deploy fighter jets purchased from Russia during last year's war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference The White House 25 Mar 2021
• Biden addresses Afghanistan, N Korea, China, immigration and more in 1st press briefing Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- US President Joe Biden held his first formal press conference in the White House on Thursday, addressing a number of issues ranging from China's trade practices to North Korea's ballistic missile tests to withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan among other things.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken To U.S. Tri-Mission US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmes After Their Meeting US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For March 25, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 25 March 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Mar 2021
• Philippines Military Orders Ships Deployed to South China Sea Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- The Philippine military said Thursday it had ordered navy ships deployed to the South China Sea, days after the coast guard reported that hundreds of Chinese boats, believed to be crewed by militia, were seen swarming near a contested reef.
• Philippines to Send More Navy Ships to South China Sea to Boost Patrols, Report Says Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines will deploy additional naval ships to the disputed South China Sea, referred to as the West Philippine Sea by Manila, to step up maritime sovereignty patrols amid a fresh standoff with China, the official news agency PNA reported on Thursday.
• Saudi claims 'vital' oil installation struck in southwest Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Saudi Arabia claims that a distribution terminal for oil products has been struck with a projectile in the kingdom's southwestern region of Jizan, identifying the alleged target as one of the country's "vital installations."
• Ansarullah spokesman: Iran not interfering in Yemen's internal affairs Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- The spokesman for Yemen's Ansarullah movement says despite Saudi Arabia's claims, Iran does not interfere in Yemen's internal affairs and that missiles fired by Yemeni forces at Saudi targets operate on fuel produced inside the war-torn country.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Yemeni Prime Minister Saeed US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021
• Syria, Russia say will intensify efforts to repatriate refugees despite US sanctions Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Syria and Russia say they will intensify efforts to repatriate refugees and displaced people to areas liberated from foreign-backed terrorists, despite sanctions imposed by the United States on the Arab country.
• UNICEF Alarmed by Spike in Children's Deaths in Syria's al-Hol Camp VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- United Nations officials are expressing concern over the deaths of more children in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria.
• Libyan commander wanted for war crimes by ICC shot dead Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Unidentified armed men have shot dead a Libyan commander, loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in the country's eastern city of Benghazi.
• UN emergency fund allocates $14 million for Rohingya refugees left homeless by massive fire UN News 25 Mar 2021 -- The United Nations' top relief official on Wednesday released $14 million in emergency funding to provide life-saving assistance to thousands of Rohingya refugee families, after a massive fire ripped through the Kutupalong camp in southern Bangladesh, earlier this week.
• Probe announced into alleged Tigray rights violations: UN rights office UN News 25 Mar 2021 -- Alleged serious abuses and rights violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region are to be investigated by the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Thursday.
• US Appeals for Cease-fire in Ethiopia's Tigray Rejected VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- A U.S. senator whom President Joe Biden sent as an emissary to Ethiopia says he urged Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to declare a cease-fire in the embattled Tigray region, but his appeal was rejected.
• Rights Groups, Residents Decry Kenyan Demand to Close Huge Refugee Camps VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- Kenyan authorities have ordered the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to make plans to close two refugee camps that are home to more than 400,000 refugees, mainly Somalis and South Sudanese. While it's not the first time Kenya has threatened to close the camps, rights groups say the order could endanger refugees' lives.
• China, India to promote settlement of other border issues: Defense spokesperson PLA Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- China and India have agreed to maintain communication through military and diplomatic channels to promote the settlement of other issues in the west section of China-India boundary, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on March 25.
• Russian Language To Get Official Status In Nagorno-Karabakh RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- The separatist parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh has approved a proposal to make Russian the ethnic Armenian-populated region's second official languag, along with Armenian.

News Reports

• Border Issue Dominates Biden's First News Conference VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden took questions from reporters for one hour Thursday during his first formal news conference, an encounter partly intended to refute conservative critics who had predicted the oldest man ever elected U.S. president would not be up to the task.
• Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on new anti-Russia sanctions introduced by Canada Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 Mar 2021 -- "The official Ottawa's decision to impose anti-Russia sanctions, following its own Russophobic instincts, for a far-fetched reason of "persecution of Alexey Navalny and the opposition in Russia" was no surprise."
• Austria Extradites Former Russian Culture Official Wanted On Embezzlement Charges RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- Austrian authorities have extradited Boris Mazo, a former employee of the Russian Culture Ministry who is suspected in Russia of fraud and embezzlement.
• US says German companies could face sanctions in case of cooperation with Nord Stream 2 project Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that German companies could face sanctions in case of cooperation with the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
• Russian Media Regulator Seeks Personal Data As Moscow Eyes More Control Over Internet RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- Amid ongoing attempts to impose more control over the Internet, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has proposed users of social-media networks and messenger applications hand over passport data and other personal information for verification.
• Navalny's Lawyers Say His Condition 'Extremely Unfavorable,' Fear For His Life RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- Lawyers for jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny say their client is in great pain and fears for his life, contradicting a statement from Russian prison authorities that said the Kremlin critic was in "satisfactory" condition.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on March 25, 2021 PRC MofA 25 Mar 2021
• China Targets Exiled Uyghurs in Internet Hacking, Phishing Attacks Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- China has been targeting Uyghurs living in exile in attacks on their online communications, sources say, with Facebook announcing in a statement this week it is taking action to counter the threat.
• Chinese Foreign Ministry Announces Sanctions on 'Relevant UK Individuals and Entities' Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- Earlier, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Beijing based on allegations of human rights abuse in Xinjiang. The move was slammed by China as "based on nothing but lies and disinformation."
• China Hits Back At Fashion Brands Over Xinjiang Cotton Campaign Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- Chinese social media users are targeting global fashion retailers including H&M, Nike and Adidas for criticism and boycotts over statements they had previously made regarding cotton sourced in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where up to 1.8 million Uyghurs are incarcerated.
• Hong Kong Court Rules That People Who Message About Protests Can Face Charges Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- A Hong Kong court on Thursday ruled that public order charges of the kind frequently used to target participants in the 2019 pro-democracy protest movement can be extended to people who weren't present at the scene.
• Mongolians in China Face 'Cultural Genocide' as Language, Culture Swept Aside: Group Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is stepping up policies in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, where protests erupted last year over plans to phase out Mongolian-medium teaching in schools, targeting the region's ethnic Mongolians with TV shows emphasising "ethnic unity," in a move labeled "cultural genocide" by a U.S.-based exile group.
• Six North Korean Soldiers Cross River Border to Escape to China Radio Free Asia 24 Mar 2021 -- A group of six North Korean soldiers guarding the Yalu River border with China abandoned their posts and escaped across the river early this month, sources in the North Korean military told RFA.
• China says it will make efforts to safeguard Iran nuclear agreement, defend bilateral relations Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- The Chinese Commerce Ministry says China will make efforts to safeguard the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the US abandoned in 2018 under former president Donald Trump.
• Zarif: Inordinate spin' about reviving JCPOA aims to 'reverse victim and culprits Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Iran's foreign minister says the recent flurry of activity on the part of Western countries, which is apparently meant to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, actually aims to "reverse the victim and the culprits," by ignoring the fact that Iran's measures to reduce its commitments under the accord came after Western parties, topped by the US, failed to live up to their obligations.
• US forces Cook Islands to deregister tankers for carrying Iran oil Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- The Cook Islands has reportedly been forced by the US to remove two tankers from its shipping registry for allegedly transporting Iranian crude oil, a report says.
• Scores Detained As Belarusians Take To Streets In New Wave Of Protests Against Lukashenka RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- Belarusian authorities say they have detained more than 200 people as people took to the streets of Minsk and other cities, heeding a call by opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to start a new wave of protests against Alyaksandr Lukashenka to coincide with the anniversary of the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic.
• U.S. Calls For Release Of All Political Prisoners in Belarus RFE/RL 25 Mar 2021 -- The United States continues to call for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus, site of nearly daily protests since a disputed presidential election last year handed Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term amid claims the vote was rigged.
• Coalitions Fail to Secure Majority in Israel's Parliamentary Elections - Final Ballot Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- No coalition secured a majority of the vote in Israel's fourth parliamentary elections in two years, according to the results of a 100-percent ballot count, as reported by local media on Thursday.
• Israeli Cargo Ship Damaged by Iranian Missile in Arabian Sea, Israel's Media Claims Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- The report comes a month after an incident in the Gulf of Oman left another Israeli ship, MV Helios Ray, damaged - although not critically so - after two blasts at its hull. Tel Aviv alleged that Iran might be behind the attack, but Tehran strongly denies its involvement.
• US, UK Hit Two Big Myanmar Military Conglomerates With Sanctions Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- The United States and Britain on Thursday levelled economic sanctions on two Myanmar military holding companies that serve as a critical economic lifeline for the junta that seized power last month, in what the top U.S. diplomat called "most significant action to date to impose costs on the military regime."
• Sanctions on Two Burmese Entities in Connection with the Military Regime US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021 -- Members of the Burmese military have taken increasingly disturbing actions aimed at their own citizens since February 1. In response to the military's refusal to disavow the coup and continuing violence against peaceful protestors, today the United States is taking its most significant action to date to impose costs on the military regime.
• Treasury Sanctions Military Holding Companies in Burma US Treasury 25 Mar 2021 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two military holding companies, Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC).
• UK sanctions major military business interests in further measures against Myanmar military regime UK FCDO 25 Mar 2021 -- The Foreign Secretary announces UK sanctions against military-owned conglomerate Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited.
• UK Announces Sanctions on Businesses Linked to Myanmar Military Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- London is following the lead given by Washington and Brussels, which have already introduced restrictions against the Myanmar armed forces after the military staged a takeover in the Asian country.
• Myanmar: UN expert calls for emergency summit, warns conditions 'likely to get much worse' UN News 25 Mar 2021 -- The independent UN Special Rapporteur investigating human rights in Myanmar has called on the international community to hold an "emergency" summit of all stakeholders, including the parliamentarians who were democratically elected prior to February's military coup.
• Anti-Coup Protests Resume in Myanmar VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- One day after a "silent" strike that left the streets of many cities across Myanmar practically empty, demonstrators were out in force Thursday in a continued show of opposition against the ruling military junta.
• Thousands stage anti-coup rallies in Myanmar a day after paralyzing strike Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- Thousands of people have taken part in several anti-coup protests across Myanmar amid calls for big demonstrations a day after a nationwide silent strike.
• Singapore Calls For Regional Leaders' Summit to Discuss Myanmar Crisis Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- Singapore on Thursday joined Malaysia and Indonesia in calling for an urgent summit of Southeast Asian leaders to discuss the post-coup crisis in Myanmar, as its top diplomat wrapped up a three-nation tour with Myanmar on the agenda at each stop.
• The United States Strongly Condemns the Recent Killing of People in Burma, including Children, by the Burmese Military US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021 -- The United States is shocked and deeply saddened by reports that Burmese security forces continued to use lethal force against the people of Burma last weekend, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people, including several children.
• IMF Approves $500 Million Disbursement To Pakistan RFE/RL Gandhara 25 Mar 2021 -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $500 million tranche to Pakistan after the lender's Executive Board completed a review of Islamabad's $6 billion loan program.
• UN confirms report on Saudi death threat against Khashoggi investigator Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- The UN human rights office has confirmed the accuracy of recent remarks by an independent expert about the death threats issued against her by a high-ranking Saudi Arabian official, after she published damning findings into the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
• Analysts Warn of Economic, Security Collapse in Lebanon VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- Security and economic tensions are rising in Lebanon after another failed attempt to form a new government. As businesses shut down, joblessness and hunger are rising. Lebanon's banks, having lent 70% of their assets to an insolvent central bank, have locked most depositors out of their savings. Analysts say that with no government budget, there will soon also be no hard currency to pay for imports of subsidized wheat, fuel and medicine in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Somalia Warns Envoys Against Interference in Political Affairs VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- The federal government of Somalia has called on diplomats in the country not to interfere in the country's internal political affairs.
• Will Tanzania's New President Break With Magufuli's Leadership? VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- Critics of the late Tanzanian president John Magufuli are hoping his crackdowns on press freedom and opposition and his coronavirus denial have gone with him to the grave. A week after his death, it's not yet clear if his successor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, will carry on his authoritarian-leaning style of leadership.
• South Sudan Government Threatens Rights Activists Living Abroad, Report Says VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- A new report says South Sudanese journalists, rights activists and opposition members living outside the country are still at risk of being harassed and even killed by South Sudanese authorities, most notably by the National Security Service (NSS) intelligence agency.