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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Taliban Storm Afghan Provincial Capital, Enable Hundreds of Prisoners to Escape VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- Authorities in Afghanistan said Wednesday that pro-government forces had pushed back Taliban insurgents from parts of a northwestern city and regained control of official buildings after hours of fierce clashes.
• Some 600 Afghan Soldiers Repatriated After Fleeing To Tajikistan RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Jul 2021 -- About 600 Afghan servicemen who crossed the border into Tajikistan while retreating from Taliban fighters have been flown home on four flights since late on July 6.
• A New Wave Of Afghan Refugees Finds Shelter In Turkey RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Jul 2021 -- Fleeing poverty and war in their home country, Afghan refugees are turning to Turkey, one of the few nations hosting Afghans by the thousands.
• Afghan Officials Say Its Forces Repel Taliban Assault On Northern Provincial Capital RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Jul 2021 -- Afghan officials say government forces have repelled a major Taliban attack on a provincial capital in northwestern Afghanistan, although there's been no independent confirmation of the government's success and local residents said fighting was still raging in the area.
• Iran Hosts Talks With Afghan, Taliban Delegations As Militants Make Advances RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Iran says it is hosting talks between an Afghan delegation and senior Taliban representatives.
• Tajikistan Reportedly Calls On Allies For Help With Security Challenges From Afghanistan RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Tajikistan has appealed to members of a Russian-led military alliance of ex-Soviet states for help in dealing with security challenges emerging from neighboring Afghanistan, according to media reports.
• Some 1,500 Afghan Soldiers Escaped Taliban to Tajikistan in Two Weeks, CSTO Envoy Says Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- About 1,500 Afghan soldiers have crossed into Tajikistan over two past weeks, fleeing the Taliban offensive, Hasan Sultonov, Tajikistan's Permanent Representative to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), said on Wednesday.
• Afghanistan Urges Regional Powers to Pressure Taliban to End Violence and Launch Peace Talks Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as international troops are gradually being withdrawn from the country. The exit of military forces was one of the points in the agreement the Taliban* and the United States reached in Doha in February of last year.
• US Troop Exit From Afghanistan: White House Still Mulling Policy on CIA Drone Strikes, Report Says Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- The ongoing withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan comes amid reports that the pullout may disrupt a CIA network in the country, and have a negative impact on the agency's secret missions there, including drone strikes.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Test team detonates hypersonic missile warhead Eglin AFB 07 Jul 2021 -- Recently, the 780th Test Squadron successfully detonated an AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon warhead for the first time.
• US Defense Dept Needs to Cut Billions in F-35 Costs to Achieve Affordability - Report Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- The US military services face tens of billions in sustainment costs that could make plans to acquire nearly 2,500 F-35 aircraft unaffordable, the General Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Wednesday.
• US Military Urges Washington to Heed Warnings on China VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- A top U.S. military intelligence official is voicing concern that key policymakers and lawmakers may not be taking the threat posed by China seriously enough.
• Pentagon Reservation Transitions to Health Protection Condition Alpha DoD 07 Jul 2021 -- The Pentagon Reservation will reduce its Health Protection Condition, from Bravo to HPCON Alpha, effective 5 a.m. EDT Friday, July 9.
• DOD Awards $35.1 Million Contract to LightDeck Diagnostics to Increase Production Capacity of COVID-19 Point-of-Care Tests DoD 07 Jul 2021 -- On July 6, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $35.1 million contract to LightDeck Diagnostics to increase the production capacity of LightDeck's SARS-CoV-2 Ultra-Rapid Antigen and COVID-19 Total Antibody Tests.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Phone Call With Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar DoD 07 Jul 2021
• DOD Aims for New Enterprise-Wide Cloud by 2022 DoD News 07 Jul 2021 -- The Defense Department announced it's going in a new direction for enterprise cloud services to provide capabilities to warfighters across the joint force. This new effort is called the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability. The new contracts are expected to be awarded by April 2022, said the department's acting chief information officer.
• USNS Trenton Conducts Interoperability Exercise with the Tunisian Navy US Navy 07 Jul 2021 -- Military Sealift Command Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS Trenton (T-EPF 5) and Tunisian Navy Fast Patrol Boats Hamilcar (505) and Giscon (510), as well as Auxiliary Ships Zarzis (A710) and Taguermess, conducted joint maritime domain awareness operations to enhance maritime security and Tunisia's ability to protect its maritime borders, June 28 - July 2, 2021.
• Sea Service Chiefs Panel at AFCEA West 2021 US Navy 07 Jul 2021
• Turkey, United States take up NATO air patrols NATO 07 Jul 2021 -- Fighter jets from the United States and Turkey are taking up NATO Air Policing duties this week, guarding the skies over Iceland and over Poland.
• Deputy Secretary General welcomes Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister to NATO Headquarters NATO 07 Jul 2021 -- Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană welcomed Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksii Reznikov to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (7 July 2021).
• Two Russian Su-30 Fighters Prevent Boeing P-8 Poseidon From Entering Russian Airspace Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- Two Su-30 fighters took off to the air to prevent a Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft from illegally entering the Russian airspace over the Black Sea on Tuesday, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
• China's FC-31 fighter jet prototype completes 'crucial' static testing Global Times 07 Jul 2021 -- The prototype of China's FC-31 stealth fighter jet that went on public display at its manufacturer's expo park since late June has completed static testing, a development procedure experts said on Wednesday is crucial to examining the aircraft's structural integrity under extreme conditions.
• Second-hand U.S. aircraft kills 53 in Philippine military plane crash People's Daily 07 Jul 2021 -- Claiming 53 lives, the worst air catastrophe in the Philippines' military history in nearly 30 years has triggered some reflection on the country's military relations with the United States, from which the crashed plane came.
• INS TABAR EXERCISES WITH ITALIAN NAVY OFF NAPLES, ITALY India PIB 07 Jul 2021 -- As part of the ongoing deployment to the Mediterranean, INS Tabar entered the Port of Naples, Italy on 03 Jul 21.
• Pentagon sidesteps Japan official's call to 'defend' Taiwan CNA 07 Jul 2021 -- The Pentagon on Tuesday reiterated its Taiwan policy but stopped short of openly backing the Japanese deputy prime minister's call made earlier this week for Japan and the United States to defend Taiwan if it is invaded by China.
• Taiwan, Czech think tanks ink MOU on defense research cooperation CNA 07 Jul 2021 -- Taiwan's Institute for National Defense Security Research (INDSR) said Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Czech think tank to strengthen exchanges and cooperation on research in the areas of security and national defense.
• Greece Still Hopes to Halt German Submarine Deal with Turkey VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- The Greeks are redoubling a monthslong diplomatic effort to persuade Germany to stop selling submarines to Turkey, saying that the planned sale of a half dozen subs will shift the balance of naval power in the eastern Mediterranean.
• State Department Meetings with Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman US Dept. of State 07 Jul 2021
• Remarks by President Biden Before Marine One Departure The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki Aboard Air Force One En Route Crystal Lake, IL The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Department Press Briefing – July 7, 2021 US Dept. of State 07 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 7, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 7 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Jul 2021
• UNICEF calls for action to reverse 'spiraling protection crisis' for children in West and Central Africa UN News 07 Jul 2021 -- Action must be taken now to halt alarming attacks against children and abductions - including of students - in parts of West and Central Africa, the head of the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said in a statement on Wednesday.
• Analysts: 5 Years Later, Philippines Yet to Leverage South China Sea Win Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- At least four times this year, Manila has reported confronting and driving away mostly Chinese ships from waters that the Philippines claims in the South China Sea.
• Syria Out of Media Spotlight, but War and Suffering Continue VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- A U.N. panel of experts warns that while Syria's 10 year long civil conflict may have fallen off the world's media spotlight, the fighting and suffering of millions of people is far from over. The three-member Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has submitted its latest report to the UN human rights council.
• Kosovo Adopts Resolution Condemning 1995 Srebrenica Massacre RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Kosovo's parliament has adopted a resolution condemning the 1995 massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces, which has been declared a genocide by a UN war crimes court.
• Russian Fleet Monitoring Spanish Navy Ship in Black Sea Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- Earlier this month, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US and NATO countries of turning the Black Sea into "a zone of military confrontation".
• DR Congo sees fresh government impetus to fight unrelenting violence in the east UN News 07 Jul 2021 -- A new government action plan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to reverse the urgent and tragic deterioration in the east of the country, where thousands of human rights abuses are being committed against civilians by armed militants, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
• Hundreds of Women, Girls Brutalized by Soldiers in Tigray War VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- The stories are eerily similar.

News Reports

• Secretary Blinken's Call with Acting Haitian Prime Minister Joseph US Dept. of State 07 Jul 2021
• 'Alleged Assassins' of Haitian President Moïse Taken Into Custody, Communications Minister Says Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- Haitian Secretary of State for Communication Frantz Exantus said Wednesday evening that the "alleged assassins" of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse had been apprehended. Moise was slain by armed gunmen at his home outside Port-au-Prince early Wednesday morning.
• UN condemns 'abhorrent' assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse UN News 07 Jul 2021 -- Perpetrators behind the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse must be brought to justice, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
• Haitian Official: Arrests Made in Assassination of Moise VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- Haitian police arrested "the presumed assassins" of Haiti President Jovenel Moise, a government official announced on social media late Wednesday.
• Haiti Declares State of Siege After President Is Assassinated VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- Haiti is under a state of siege, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph announced during a national address on state television Wednesday morning.
• Haiti Prime Minister Appeals for Calm After President Shot Dead VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- Haitian interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has appealed for calm after President Jovenel Moïse was shot dead overnight in an attack at his private residence.
• Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Assassination of President Jovenel Moïse The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Biden Says He'll 'Deliver' Message To Russia After Security Meeting On Ransomware Attacks RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- President Joe Biden gathered with top U.S. officials at the White House on July 7 to discuss strategy to counter increasingly disruptive ransomware attacks by suspected Russia-based hackers.
• Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Estonian Consul in St. Petersburg Given 48 Hours to Leave Russia Amid Spying Scandal Sputnik 07 Jul 2021 -- On Tuesday, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained the Estonian diplomat when he attempted to obtain classified information from a Russian national.
• Russia Expels Estonian Consul On Spy Charges Baltic Country Calls 'Provocative' RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Russia says it has given an Estonian diplomat 48 hours to leave after briefly detaining him for allegedly receiving classified documents in what the Baltic state called a "setup."
• Meeting with Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan President of Russia 07 Jul 2021
• Russian 'Foreign Agents' Amendments To Have 'Chilling Effect' On Political Life, European Body Says RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- A Council of Europe legal advisory body has sharply criticized recent Russian amendments to laws regulating so-called ''foreign agents," saying they constitute "serious violations" of basic human rights and will have a "chilling effect" on political life.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks and answers to media questions at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Saleumxay Kommasith, Vientiane, July 7, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 07 Jul 2021
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 7, 2021 PRC MofA 07 Jul 2021
• 7-member panel appointed as HKSAR's candidate eligibility review committee People's Daily 07 Jul 2021 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Tuesday that seven people have been appointed by Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam as members of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC).
• Hong Kong to strengthen prevention of terrorist activities: HKSAR gov't official People's Daily 07 Jul 2021 -- Chris Tang Ping-keung, secretary for security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Tuesday that the HKSAR will enhance the capabilities of preventing and countering terrorist activities and make every effort to prevent terrorism in all its forms from appearing in the financial hub.
• Two Guilty, Two Acquitted of 'Rioting' in Hong Kong University Siege Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- A Hong Kong court on Wednesday found two university students guilty of "rioting" during the 2019 siege of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) campus by riot police.
• Hong Kong 'Doxxing' Ban Unnecessary, Could Affect City's International Status: Analysts Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- Proposed amendments to Hong Kong's privacy laws banning "doxxing" are unnecesary and will likely add to the cost of doing business in the city, industry analysts told RFA.
• Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Hong Kong The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Hong Kong The White House 07 Jul 2021
• Blinken Speaks With Uyghurs To Hear About Conditions In Chinese Camps RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met virtually on July 6 with seven Uyghur Muslims, including some who had been detained at reeducation camps in China, to hear about their experiences and seek advice on how to pressure China to end the repression.
• HK election vetting committee appointment 'authoritative, representative' Global Times 07 Jul 2021 -- As an important step in implementing the electoral reform in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government appointed seven members to the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC) on Tuesday, led by Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu with six other members, including three government officials, underscoring that the committee is authoritative, representative and fair.
• Pursuit of Taiwan independence will 'lead nowhere': KMT chair CNA 07 Jul 2021 -- Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), chairman of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), said Wednesday it is not feasible for Taiwan to seek independence, as it would be a futile effort.
• China-North Korea friendship treaty 'remains in effect' all the time: FM spokesperson Global Times 07 Jul 2021 -- The China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, will remain in effect all the time until China and North Korea reach an agreement to amend or terminate it according to the Treaty's regulation, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, responding to a question about whether the treaty will be automatically extended.
• Facing Chronic Shortfalls, North Korea Tells Citizens to Start Supplying Their Own Food Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- North Korea is ordering citizens to start producing their own food to prepare for a long-term food shortage that could last for three years, but ordinary people say that the government is shirking its responsibility, sources in the country told RFA.
• Iran's Latest Enrichment Moves Endanger Talks On Restoring Nuclear Deal, Western Powers Warn RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- The United States and European powers have warned Iran that its latest uranium enrichment efforts could imperil talks taking place in Vienna on reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
• Iran's Rohani Blames Power Cuts On Heat Wave RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Iran's outgoing President Hassan Rohani has blamed frequent blackouts on a heat wave and severe drought sharply driving up electricity demand.
• Hundreds March in Myanmar to Honor Protesters Killed in a 1962 Massacre and to Oppose Today's Junta Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- Hundreds of young people turned out in cities across Myanmar on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of a 1962 student uprising against a military coup, calling on citizens to continue the decades-long struggle against the army, which again overthrew civilian rule in February.
• UN Human Rights Chief Presses ASEAN to Appoint Special Envoy to Myanmar Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- The U.N. human rights chief pressed ASEAN on Wednesday to urgently appoint an envoy to Myanmar, with the regional bloc having not yet named a special emissary more than two months after Southeast Asian leaders agreed to do so.
• Interview: 'It is so Obvious That the Whole Population is Rejecting the Military Dictatorship' Radio Free Asia 07 Jul 2021 -- Captain Surgeon Min Maung Maung was an army surgeon in the No. 14 Military Medical Unit before he joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement in support of the Spring Revolution, which what opponents of the military junta that seized power on Feb. 1 call their protest campaign. Khin Maung Soe of RFA's Myanmar Service spoke to the doctor by telephone about what he said were massive cover-ups in medical examinations of detainees who died during military interrogation.
• Myanmar Rights Envoy Urges Coordinated International Action Against Military Junta VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- The international community is failing the citizens of Myanmar, a U.N. human rights official said Wednesday as he called for a coordinated imposition of oil and gas sanctions on the military junta ruling the country.
• UN Official Says Myanmar at Risk of Civil War as Despair Rises VOA 07 Jul 2021 -- U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet warns Myanmar could plunge into war as despair among the civilian population rises in the wake of the military coup in February. Bachelet's report is being discussed as part of a special interactive dialogue on Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
• Belarus Raids Independent News Outlets, Blocks Newspaper That Reported On Protests RFE/RL 08 Jul 2021 -- Belarus has blocked the website of the country's oldest newspaper and raided the offices of several regional newspapers as authorities moved to silence nonstate media outlets critical of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a continuing crackdown on dissent following the strongman's reelection last year that the opposition and the West say was fraudulent.
• HRW Criticizes Kazakhstan For Increased Targeting Of Government Critics RFE/RL 07 Jul 2021 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused authorities in Kazakhstan of increasing their misuse of vague and overreaching criminal charges relating to the crime of "extremism" to harass and prosecute government critics.