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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• US Airstrikes Target Taliban as Fighting Intensifies VOA 05 May 2021 -- The United States is making good on its pledge to support Afghanistan's security forces with military force even as U.S. and coalition troops continue to leave the country.
• Taliban Link Progress in Afghan Peace Talks to Delisting of Top Leaders VOA 05 May 2021 -- The Taliban have ruled out progress in otherwise stalled peace negotiations with their adversaries in Afghanistan unless, they say, their leaders are removed from U.S. and U.N. sanctions lists.
• Taliban Steps Up Divide And Conquer Strategy In Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 05 May 2021 -- On the battlefield, the Taliban is ratcheting up attacks aimed at overrunning Afghanistan's battered security forces and seizing vulnerable towns and cities from the government.
• Taliban Takes Over Northern Afghan District Amid Surge In Violence RFE/RL Gandhara 05 May 2021 -- Afghan officials say Taliban militants captured a district in northern Afghanistan after hours of fighting with government forces amid a recent surge in violence as the United States begins to pull its forces from the war-torn country.
• Deadly Blast Targets Health Workers In Kabul RFE/RL Gandhara 05 May 2021 -- A roadside bomb targeted a minibus carrying medical workers in the Afghan capital on May 5, killing one person, Kabul police and officials said.
• U.S. Intelligence Report Warns That Taliban Likely Would 'Roll Back' Afghan Women's Rights RFE/RL Gandhara 05 May 2021 -- U.S. intelligence agencies warn in an unclassified report released on May 4 that gains in women's rights in Afghanistan made in the last two decades will be at risk after U.S. troops withdraw.
• 60 planeloads of US military equipment leave Afghanistan: CENTCOM Press TV 05 May 2021 -- US military officials say they have removed for destruction some 60 planeloads of gear and about 1,300 pieces of equipment from Afghanistan as the Pentagon works to withdraw thousands of American troops and contractors by September 11.
• Pakistan Military Says Four Soldiers Killed Near Afghan Border RFE/RL Gandhara 05 May 2021 -- Militants in Afghanistan opened fire across the border at soldiers in southwestern Pakistan on May 5, killing at least four soldiers and wounding six before fleeing, the Pakistani military said.
• Pakistan Says Cross-Afghan Border Militant Raid Kills 4 Soldiers VOA 05 May 2021 -- Pakistan says a militant attack Wednesday from across the Afghanistan border killed at least four paramilitary soldiers and injured six others.
• Agency Provides Critical Supplies to USAID for India Pandemic Response DoD News 05 May 2021 -- Rapid COVID-19 test kits and N95 masks are among initial supplies from the Defense Logistics Agency being provided to India as part of the U.S. government's effort to help meet urgent health needs there.

Defense Policy / Programs

• MINUTEMAN III TEST LAUNCH ABORTS PRIOR TO LAUNCH Air Force Global Strike Command 05 May 2021 -- An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, experienced a ground abort prior to launch.
• US Launch of Minuteman III Ballistic Missile Fails, Cause Under Investigation Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- A test launch of an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman III failed and the cause is unknown and being investigated, the US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) said on Wednesday.
• Manufacturing Innovation Institutes Integral to U.S. Pandemic Response DoD News 05 May 2021 -- When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S. in early 2020 and overwhelmed the nation's supply of personal protective equipment, the Defense Department's Manufacturing Innovation Institutes leveraged their public-private partnerships to enable manufacturers to quickly pivot and ramp up production to respond to frontline health care workers' PPE needs and protect Americans against COVID-19 exposure.
• White House Says US Space Command Tracking Chinese Rocket Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Wednesday said US Space Command is tracking China's Long March 5B (Chang Zheng 5B, or CZ-5B) rocket.
• Air Force awards first airworthiness approval for human flight in electric aircraft program US Air Force 05 May 2021 -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded the first airworthiness approval for a manned electric aircraft to BETA Technologies, a partner in the AFWERX Agility Prime program. This enables BETA to begin flying its ALIA aircraft in the Agility Prime program. The airworthiness award from the Air Force is the latest milestone in BETA's test program after recently entering its next phase of flight testing.
• USS Gerald R. Ford closes out evolutionary 18-month PDT&T for first-in-class aircraft carrier US Navy 05 May 2021 -- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed its 18-month post-delivery test and trials (PDT&T) period on 30 April, after finishing Combat Systems Ship's Qualification Trials (CSSQT) in mid-April with an exceptional performance.
• DOD Optimizes Organizational Role of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict DoD 05 May 2021 -- Today Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III signed a memorandum directing a further optimization of the organization of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD(SO/LIC) as called for by the 2017 NDAA.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the 70th Anniversary of the Bilateral Defense Agreement Between the U.S. and Iceland DoD 05 May 2021
• Chief Details National Guard Contributions in a Year of Trial DoD News 05 May 2021 -- Over the past year, National Guardsmen were called on time and again to help out their fellow U.S. citizens, and they deployed to operations around the world, National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense yesterday.
• DOD Experts Say There's More Work to be Done to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction DoD News 05 May 2021 -- A critical mission of the Defense Department is to dissuade, deter and defeat actors who threaten to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States and its interests, four WMD experts told a House Armed Services Committee panel.
• Germany to Bulgaria in 12 hours: 12th CAB arrives for Swift Response 21 Army News 05 May 2021 -- The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade demonstrated its ability to rapidly project aviation assets from their homes in Germany to Eastern Europe in under 12 hours by deploying 17 aircraft from 3 separate bases across Germany, crossing 7 countries and more than 1,000 miles.
• Pentagon Press Secretary Conducts On-Camera Press Briefing DoD 05 May 2021
• VIPs From Around World Visit Defender-Europe 2021 Exercise DoD News 05 May 2021 -- The annual Defender-Europe 2021 exercise distinguished visitor day, hosted by Albania yesterday, was attended by the Albanian President and Prime Minister, the U.S. Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim and three four-star U.S. generals: U.S. European Command commander, Gen. Tod Wolters; U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa commander, Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian; and U.S. Army Europe and Africa commanding general, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said today.
• US Reportedly Set to Join EU Defence Plan for Fast Redeployment of Troops in Europe Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- The arrangement is seen as a way to cut delays and red tape at EU borders which so far act as a barrier to foreign troops if they want to redeploy to another part of the bloc – for example, closer to Russia's borders.
• Artillery Drills in Europe Aim to Provide Deterrence Against NATO Adversaries, US General Says Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- The upcoming artillery drills in Europe are aimed to send deterrence message to NATO's adversaries in the Balkans and the Black Sea region, US Brig. Gen. Christopher Norrie told reporters on Tuesday.
• NATO Secretary General hails long-standing partnership with Jordan NATO 05 May 2021 -- Today (5 May 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan at NATO Headquarters.
• No casualties as fighter jet overruns Penghu runway: Air Force CNA 05 May 2021 -- An indigenous defense fighter (IDF) jet overran a runway on Wednesday while attempting to land at Magong Airport in outlying Penghu County, but no injuries to the pilot or damage to the aircraft were reported, according to the military.
• White House Official Warns About 'Significant Downsides' of Pledging to Defend Taiwan Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- The United States routinely sends warships to the South China Sea and to the Taiwan Strait under the pretext of freedom of navigation missions despite opposition from Beijing, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory.
• Home-grown technology central to Defence unmanned aerial system project Australia DOD 05 May 2021 -- The Australian Defence Force will soon be equipped with world-leading Australian developed camera sensor technology featuring next generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. They are specifically designed for use on tactical unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
• Ballarat gets a top up while at sea Australia DOD 05 May 2021 -- HMA Ships Ballarat and Sirius have conducted a replenishment at sea in the Karimata Strait after providing support to the Indonesian Navy in the search for the submarine KRI Nanggala.
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with South African Foreign Minister Pandor US Dept. of State 05 May 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Chung US Dept. of State 05 May 2021
• Department Press Briefing – May 5, 2021 US Dept. of State 05 May 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, May 5, 2021 The White House 05 May 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For May 5, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 5 May 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 May 2021
• 155 million faced acute food insecurity in 2020, conflict the key driver UN News 05 May 2021 -- At least 155 million people faced crisis levels of food insecurity in 2020 because of conflict, extreme weather events and economic shocks linked in part to COVID-19, a UN-partnered flagship report said on Wednesday.
• China urges Philippines to respect China's sovereignty over Huangyan Island People's Daily 05 May 2021 -- China on Tuesday urges the Philippine side to earnestly respect China's sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Huangyan Island, and stop taking actions that may complicate the situation in the region.
• Philippines rejects China's fishing ban in disputed South China Sea Press TV 05 May 2021 -- The Philippines has rejected a fishing ban enforced by China in the South China Sea, encouraging its fishermen to go fishing in the disputed waters, ramping up tensions with Beijing.
• National Security Adviser: Filipinos Exempt From Beijing's Fishing Ban Radio Free Asia 05 May 2021 -- The Philippine Coast Guard drove away Chinese militia ships from a Manila-claimed reef in the South China Sea in late April, the national security adviser said, while declaring that Filipino fishermen are exempt from Beijing's annual fishing ban in the disputed waterway and other seas.
• Syria's air defense units repel Israeli aggression, shoot down missiles near Latakia Press TV 05 May 2021 -- The Syrian army's air defense units have intercepted and shot down a number of Israeli missiles near the country's western coastal city of Latakia, amid an upsurge in the Tel Aviv regime's acts of aggression against the Arab country.
• Daesh terrorists attack two oil wells in northern Iraq Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Takfiri Daesh militants have carried out bomb attacks on two oil wells at an oil field close to Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, causing fires in the area.
• Blinken To Visit Ukraine In Show Of Solidarity After Russian Troop Movements RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in Ukraine on May 5 in a show of support after Russia last month amassed and then pulled back its troops from border regions and Crimea.
• Lebanon-Israel maritime demarcation talks put off, indefinitely Press TV 05 May 2021 -- A new round of indirect negotiations on the demarcation of Lebanon's southern maritime border with the occupying regime of Israel has been postponed for an indefinite period as Beirut turned down preconditions set by the United States.
• 'Large' Chinese Military Presence at Border Hampers Bilateral Ties, Says Indian Foreign Minister Sputnik 05 May 2021 -- India and China have been in a military stand-off for almost a year and it is the deadliest conflict between the two Asian powerhouses since the 1962 border war. New Delhi says that any significant cooperation with Beijing on fighting COVID-19 can only take place once the dispute has been resolved.

News Reports

• Biden Likely to Fine-tune US Global Sanctions Regime, Analysts Say VOA 05 May 2021 -- President Joe Biden's efforts to rescue and ultimately reshape the U.S. economy may be getting most of the attention, but his administration has also been busy on the international front, in large part by expanding and adjusting the vast net of sanctions that the U.S. imposes on countries and individuals around the world.
• Court Authorizes Service of John Doe Summons Seeking Identities of U.S. Taxpayers Who Have Used Cryptocurrency US Dept. of Justice 05 May 2021 -- A federal court in the Northern District of California entered an order today authorizing the IRS to serve a John Doe summons on Payward Ventures Inc., and Subsidiaries d/b/a Kraken (Kraken) seeking information about U.S. taxpayers who conducted at least the equivalent of $20,000 in transactions in cryptocurrency during the years 2016 to 2020.
• G-7 Ministers Discuss COVID Vaccines, Climate Change VOA 05 May 2021 -- Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, representing the world's wealthiest democracies, and invited guests turned their attention to issues of global interest, including coronavirus vaccines, climate change and education for girls, on Wednesday as they concluded three days of talks in London.
• G7 To Bolster Efforts To Counter Russia's 'Irresponsible' Behavior RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- The Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies has wrapped up its first in-person meeting in more than two years with a pledge to bolster collective efforts to counter Russia's "irresponsible and destabilizing" behavior, but offered little concrete action aside from expressing support for Ukraine.
• France summons Russian ambassador over sanctions against EU officials Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov has been summoned to the country's Foreign Ministry over Moscow's decision to impose retaliatory sanctions on a number of European officials.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement and answers to media questions during a joint news conference following talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine Riyad al-Maliki, Moscow, May 5, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 05 May 2021
• Moscow Court To Hear Navalny Lawsuit Against Kremlin Spokesman RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- A Moscow court has agreed to hear a libel lawsuit filed by Aleksei Navalny against Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov over comments he made linking U.S. spies with the jailed opposition politician.
• Hong Kong Exiles Lobby For Political Asylum Seekers in Canada Radio Free Asia 05 May 2021 -- Hong Kong protesters who fled to Canada to escape an ever-widening crackdown on public dissent and political opposition in the city have set up a "lifeboat" group to support people thinking of leaving the city, RFA has learned.
• New Zealand Lawmakers Pass Motion Condemning 'Severe Human Rights Abuses' in Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 05 May 2021 -- Lawmakers in New Zealand on Wednesday unanimously agreed that "severe human rights abuses" are taking place in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and called on the government to "work with all relevant instruments of international law to being these abuses to an end."
• G-7 Countries Back Taiwan's Observer Status in World Health Assembly VOA 05 May 2021 -- Leading industrial nations came out in support of Taiwan's observer status in the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), leading into this year's annual meeting May 24 to June 1.
• Sanctions against Iran broken: President IRNA 05 May 2021 -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that he was announcing the sanction against Iran were broken, adding that if Iranians were united, it would be lifted soon, since the United States knew that they had no way out except to return to their commitments.
• In landmark ruling, Iran's Constitutional Council allows top military commanders to run for president Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Under a set of new, specifically-defined qualifications, top military commanders in Iran are now allowed to run for president, and a long-running public debate about whether or not men of the military should be able to contest presidential elections has been effectively settled.
• Iraqi President Confirms Several Rounds Of Iran-Saudi Talks RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- Iraqi President Barham Salih says his country has hosted multiple rounds of talks between Saudi and Iranian officials, confirming reports of diplomacy to defuse tensions between the Middle Eastern rivals.
• Iranian Diplomat's 20-Year Sentence For French Bomb Plot Confirmed RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- An Iranian diplomat's 20-year prison sentence in Belgium for plotting to bomb an opposition rally outside Paris has been confirmed after he dropped plans to appeal.
• Myanmar Shadow Government Forms Militia to Oppose Military Junta Radio Free Asia 05 May 2021 -- The shadow government of ousted former lawmakers in Myanmar have formed an armed militia aimed at opposing the military junta that seized control of the country in a coup on Feb. 1 and killed more than 760 people who protested against the army takeover, organizers said Wednesday.
• Myanmar's anti-coup government says forming 'people's defense force' Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Myanmar's anti-coup government says it has formed a "people's defense force" to protect people from military attacks and violence directed by the junta, taking the country one step closer to civil war.
• Over 200 NGOs urge UN to impose arms embargo on Myanmar Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, among over 200 non-governmental organizations, have urged the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the junta in Myanmar for its lethal crackdown on anti-coup protesters.
• Civil Society Groups Urge UN Arms Embargo on Myanmar VOA 05 May 2021 -- More than 200 civil society and human rights groups from around the world have called on the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo against Myanmar, in hopes of preventing the military from carrying out more murders and atrocities.
• Case Filed In Germany Accusing Lukashenka Of Crimes Against Humanity RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- Lawyers have filed a criminal complaint in Germany on behalf of 10 Belarusians alleging that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka has committed crimes against humanity.
• Germany's Merkel Stresses Importance of US-European Relations VOA 05 May 2021 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday stressed the importance of the transatlantic relationship, saying the United States will always be Europe's most important partner.
• Israel's President Chooses Netanyahu's Strongest Rival to Form New Government VOA 05 May 2021 -- Israel's president has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest rival the uncertain task of forming a new government after Netanyahu failed to assemble a governing coalition by Tuesday at midnight.
• Turkey, Egypt kick off diplomatic talks in Cairo to mend relations Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Turkey and Egypt have kicked off a diplomatic rapprochement after years of political estrangement, with a Turkish delegation arriving in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for talks.
• Venezuela parliament chooses new members of electoral board Press TV 05 May 2021 -- Venezuela's parliament has appointed the new members of a five-person National Electoral Council (CNE) to oversee elections in the Latin American country at the local, regional, and national levels for a seven-year period.
• U.S., EU Members Back Western Balkans' Borders RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- The United States and Europe have expressed support for the territorial borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which have been called into question in a document that has circulated among EU officials.
• Kyrgyz President Signs Bill On Constitutional Amendments Into Law RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a bill on constitutional amendments approved by a nationwide referendum last month that has been criticized by his opponents as a move to concentrate more powers in his hands.
• Bulgarian President Sees Snap Parliamentary Elections On July 11 RFE/RL 05 May 2021 -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev says he will set July 11 for early parliamentary elections after a third and final attempt to form a government following April 4 polls that led to a fragmented parliament failed.