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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Biden, Afghan Officials to Meet at White House VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and chief peacemaker Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday.
• Qatar Presses Warring Afghans to Involve 'Formal Mediator' to Negotiate Peace VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- Qatar says it has formally proposed to warring sides in Afghanistan to agree to a third-party mediation for moving their stalled peace negotiations forward and reaching a power-sharing arrangement before U.S.-led foreign troops complete their exit from the country by a September 11 deadline.
• US Accelerates Relocation Plans for Thousands of Afghans Who Helped US Forces VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- The United States is accelerating plans to relocate tens of thousands of Afghans who helped American forces during the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan.
• Australia Urged to Rescue Former Interpreters in Afghanistan VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- Australia is being urged to agree to an immediate emergency evacuation of Afghans who worked for its military during the long conflict in Afghanistan.
• Afghan President Begins U.S. Visit Amid Growing Concerns Over Post-Withdrawal Security RFE/RL Gandhara 24 Jun 2021 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani begins a visit to Washington even as Taliban militants advance steadily across the country, prompting fears that government forces will be swiftly overrun once the U.S.-led international forces complete their withdrawal by September 11 at the latest.
• U.S. Officials To Visit Ankara To Discuss Turkish Plan To Secure Kabul Airport RFE/RL Gandhara 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. government officials are set to discuss the future of Kabul's international airport in Ankara this week after Turkey committed to providing security for the strategic site following the planned pullout of international forces from Afghanistan later this year.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Joint Artificial Intelligence Center Press Briefing DoD 24 Jun 2021 -- Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael S. Groen, Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Lieutenant Commander Arlo Abrahamson; Dr. Jane Pinelis, Chief of Test and Evaluation, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Alka Patel, Chief of Responsible AI, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center
• Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing DoD 24 Jun 2021
• Colombian Navy Ship ARC Gloria Arrives in Mayport US Navy 24 Jun 2021 -- With Sailors singing from the masts, the Colombian Navy training ship ARC Gloria arrived at Naval Station Mayport, June 24, 2021 for a scheduled port visit.
• 4th Annual Adriatic Partnership Maritime Interdiction Operations VBSS event concludes US Navy 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Naval Forces Europe's Adriatic Partnership Program co-hosted the fourth annual Adriatic Partnership Maritime Interdiction Operations and Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Event with the Croatian Navy in Split, Croatia, from June 7 to June 11, 2021.
• U.S., India Elevate Combined Joint Maritime Training with Multi-Axis Integration US Navy 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Navy and Indian armed forces again joined together to conduct integrated sea and air engagements off the coast of India, June 23-24.
• CARAT Series 2021 Commences, Elevating Maritime Security Partnerships with U.S., Sri Lanka, Japan US Navy 24 Jun 2021 -- The 27th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of partner nations commenced with CARAT Sri Lanka, June 24.
• Press Release for Secretary of Defense Austin's Phone Call With Australian Minister for Defence Dutton DoD 24 Jun 2021
• DOD Officials Say Budget Request Reflects Reforms, Pacing Challenge of China DoD News 24 Jun 2021 -- Of the $715 billion Defense Department's fiscal year 2022 budget request, $5 billion will go to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to answer threats from China and maintain U.S. competitive advantages in the Indo-Pacific region, the undersecretary of defense comptroller and chief financial officer said.
• Austin Says Proposed Budget Matches Policy to Will of American People DoD News 24 Jun 2021 -- The Defense Department's budget request will help DOD match its resources to strategy, strategy to policy, and policy to the will of the American people, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday.
• National Guard Chief Details Contributions of the Force Over Past Year DoD News 24 Jun 2021 -- National Guardsmen more than demonstrated their value to America during 2020, and the need for their service has never been greater, said Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, yesterday during a Pentagon news conference.
• Joint Statement - 20th Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Defence Chiefs' Conference Australia DOD 24 Jun 2021 -- The Defence Chiefs of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) member-nations convened yesterday via video conference for the 20th FPDA Defence Chiefs' Conference (FDCC), which was hosted by Malaysia. The FDCC, which is hosted alternately by Malaysia and Singapore, is the highest military professional forum of the FPDA and serves as the key platform for dialogue and exchange of views among the Defence Chiefs. It was last hosted by Singapore in 2019.
• The Philippines - AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II Tactical Missiles DSCA 24 Jun 2021 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Philippines of AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II Tactical Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $42.4 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• The Philippines - F-16 Block 70/72 Aircraft DSCA 24 Jun 2021 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Philippines of F-16 Block 70/72 Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.43 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• The Philippines - AGM-84L-1 Harpoon Air Launched Block II Missiles DSCA 24 Jun 2021 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Philippines of AGM-84L-1 Harpoon Air Launched Block II Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $120 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh reviews development works at Karwar Naval Base under 'Project Seabird'; India PIB 24 Jun 2021 -- RM says it will be Asia's largest Naval Base and further strengthen the operational readiness of the Armed Forces
• Orient Shield US-Japanese Military Drills Starting in Japan Sputnik 24 Jun 2021 -- Japan and the United States are beginning the annual large-scale joint military training exercises known as Orient Shield.
• Secretary of State Blinken to Meet with French President Macron VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in France, his latest stop in a multination tour, where he will meet Friday with President Emmanuel Macron, following up on U.S. President Joe Biden's recent meetings with allies in the region to boost transatlantic relations.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Launch of the U.S.-Germany Dialogue on Holocaust Issues with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas Opening Remarks at a Youth Outreach Event US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021
• Deputy Secretary Sherman's Meeting with Venezuelan International Relations Commissioner Borges US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Aboard Air Force One En Route Raleigh, North Carolina The White House 24 Jun 2021
• Department Press Briefing – June 24, 2021 US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For June 24, 2021
• Sierra Space Provides Integration Services for New Nuclear Propulsion System as Part of DARPA's DRACO Program Sierra Space 24 Jun 2021 -- Sierra Space, the new commercial space subsidiary of global aerospace and national security leader Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), will supply the propulsion components and integration services for a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) system under a recent contract with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). GA-EMS and Sierra Space will develop and demonstrate an on-orbit NTP system for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO).

Other Conflicts

• 24 June 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 24 Jun 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Libyan Interim Prime Minister Dabaiba US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Libyan Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021
• British PM Defends Freedom Of Navigation After Black Sea Incident With Russia RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted the U.K. Navy was "entirely right" to defend freedom of navigation following an incident with Russia in the Black Sea, while Moscow warned it was prepared to fire on warships entering territorial waters it claims around Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
• Another Man Arrested In Crimea Accused Of Spying For Ukraine RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- Russian-imposed authorities in Ukraine's Crimea have arrested a man on charges of spying for Kyiv, the second person detained for alleged espionage on the peninsula since April.
• UN pushes for lasting ceasefire, more humanitarian deliveries in Gaza UN News 24 Jun 2021 -- The cessation of hostilities negotiated last month between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, remains "very fragile", the UN envoy there told the Security Council on Thursday.
• DR Congo: Grave consequences for children witnessing 'appalling violence', UNICEF reports UN News 24 Jun 2021 -- The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, appealed on Thursday for urgent resources to support thousands of people who have fled armed violence in two small towns in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past two months.

News Reports

• Statement of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Investigation into the January 6th Attack on the Capitol US Dept. of Justice 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland's statement on the investigation into the January 6th Attack on the Capitol:
• High-Level Member of Hacking Group Sentenced to Prison for Scheme that Compromised Tens of Millions of Debit and Credit Cards US Dept. of Justice 24 Jun 2021 -- A Ukrainian national was sentenced today in the Western District of Washington to seven years in prison for his role in the criminal work of the hacking group FIN7. The defendant was also ordered by the court to pay restitution in the amount of $2,500,000.
• Telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan President of Russia 24 Jun 2021 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Meeting with Head of Rostec State Corporation Sergei Chemezov President of Russia 24 Jun 2021 -- Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Sergei Chemezov. The Rostec CEO reported to the President on the state corporation's performance in 2020 and informed him about its current projects.
• Telephone conversation with Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan President of Russia 24 Jun 2021 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the 9th Moscow Conference on International Security, Moscow, June 24, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jun 2021
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement and reply to a media question at a joint news conference with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo following talks, Moscow, June 24, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jun 2021
• U.S. Ambassador Returns To Russia After Two Months RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan has returned to Moscow, two months after leaving amid worsening relations between the United States and Russia.
• Blinken Warns That Nord Stream 2 Could Be 'Coercivie Tool' Against Europe RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated warnings about the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline during meetings in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on June 23.
• EU Summit To Discuss Strategy For Relations With Russia, Kyiv Warns On Meeting Proposal RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- European Union leaders are gathering in Brussels on June 24 for a two-day summit during which they will discuss a new strategy to manage relations with Russia amid signs of a split with some members pushing for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, and others opposed given their deep-seated distrust of Russia's head of state.
• Engage or Disengage? EU leaders Divided on Russia VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- European Union leaders seeking a common stance toward Russia during talks in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are instead divided over a French-German proposal to reset relations with Moscow, including a possible EU-Russia summit.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 24, 2021 PRC MofA 24 Jun 2021
• Thousands Stand in Line to Buy Last Print Copy of Hong Kong Paper Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- Thousands of Hongkongers lined up from the early hours of Thursday morning to buy the last ever print copy of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, after the paper was forced to close after running afoul of the city's draconian national security law.
• Statement by President Joe Biden on Hong Kong's Apple Daily The White House 24 Jun 2021
• Closure of Hong Kong's Apple Daily Sparks International Outcry Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- The democratic government of Taiwan on Thursday condemned the forced closure of a Hong Kong newspaper as at attack on press freedom, as Hongkongers came to terms with the loss of the Apple Daily, an often sensationalist, sometimes hard-hitting daily founded by jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai.
• Last Edition: Hong Kong's Apple Daily Signs Off With Million-Copy Run VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- Hong Kong's last pro-democracy newspaper closed its doors just before midnight Wednesday, ending 26 years of journalism.
• Biden Calls Closure of Hong Kong Newspaper a 'Sad Day' VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden called the shuttering of Hong Kong's independent Apple Daily newspaper a "sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world," blaming China for "intensifying repression."
• Commerce Department Adds Five Chinese Entities to the Entity List for Participating in China's Campaign of Forced Labor Against Muslims in Xinjiang US Dept. of Commerce 24 Jun 2021 -- The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added five Chinese entities to the Entity List for accepting or utilizing forced labor in the implementation of the People's Republic of China's campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
• US Targets China Polysilicon Makers Over Uyghur Forced Labor in Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- The United States took new measures on Thursday to address China's use of Uyghurs as forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), halting imports from a major Chinese producer of polysilicon for the solar panel industry and blacklisting other firms operating in the region.
• U.S. Actions To Address Forced Labor in Xinjiang, China US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021 -- Today, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, and Department of Labor announced measures to address the People's Republic of China's ongoing human rights abuses and use of forced labor in Xinjiang.
• Researchers Say Islamic World 'Actively Collaborating' With China's Global Campaign Against Uyghurs RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- In 1997, the government of Pakistan deported 14 Uyghurs accused by Beijing of being terrorists plotting to split Xinjiang, China's heavily Muslim western province, away from the rest of the country. Upon being driven across Pakistan's eastern border with China, they were summarily executed.
• Taiwanese Groups Join Growing Calls to Boycott Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- Calls are growing for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, with campaigners around the world citing the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
• Taiwan condemns forced closure of Hong Kong's Apple Daily CNA 24 Jun 2021 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Taiwan's top government agency handling relations with China, and legislators across party lines on Thursday condemned the forced closure of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, slamming the move as oppression of press freedom.
• Senior State Department Official On Ongoing U.S. Engagement Regarding the JCPOA US Dept. of State 24 Jun 2021 -- Special Briefing
• Japan Shifts Toward Clean Energy in Southeast Asia as China Stokes up Coal Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- Japan has launched a $10 billion fund to promote clean energy in Southeast Asia, amid growing signs that the world's third-largest economy is shifting away from the investments in coal-fired power generation still heavily promoted by its key strategic rival for regional influence – China.
• Ukraine Hits Oligarch Firtash, Dozens Of Others With Sanctions RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has imposed sanctions against Dmytro Firtash, a powerful tycoon indicted by the United States for corruption.
• Cambodian Rights Groups Say They'll Watch For Results From New UN Envoy on Human Rights Radio Free Asia 24 Jun 2021 -- Cambodia-based rights groups say they are hoping that a newly appointed UN envoy to Cambodia for human rights will bring results in talks with the government of the Southeast Asian country, where years of diplomatic dialogue have failed to halt a crackdown on democracy and civil society.
• Orban, EU Leaders Clash Over Hungary's Controversial LGBT Law RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- Prime Minister Viktor Orban and a group of leaders from the European Union have clashed over Hungary's new law banning the sharing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) content with minors.
• Central Asian Heat Wave And Drought Creating Water Shortages, Crop Failures RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- It goes without saying that it's going to be scorching hot in Central Asia in June.
• Thai Pro-democracy Movement Makes Comeback to Push for Monarchy Reform VOA 24 Jun 2021 -- On the 89th anniversary of the end of Thailand's absolute monarchy, anti-government protesters massed in Bangkok to demand the prime minister's resignation, constitutional changes and reform of the monarchy.