• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• After Authority Transition in Afghanistan, Airport Security Remains Top Priority DoD News 12 Jul 2021 -- Following a transition of authority for the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, a four-pronged mission remains in the country for the U.S. military. Among the continuing roles, there is security at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
• Miller Transfers Command in Afghanistan to McKenzie DoD News 12 Jul 2021 -- Army Gen. Austin S. Miller transferred responsibility for U.S. Forces Afghanistan to Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie in a ceremony in Kabul today.
• Austin, Wallace Praise Miller as Command Transitions in Afghanistan DoD News 12 Jul 2021 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace made special mention of Army Gen. Austin S. Miller's leadership in Afghanistan during their meeting at the Pentagon today.
• U.S. In Symbolic Afghan Handover As Taliban Surrounds Provincial Capital RFE/RL Gandhara 12 Jul 2021 -- The United States' top commander in Afghanistan handed over command to a U.S.-based successor on July 12 in another step toward ending the 20-year U.S. military engagement there, as Taliban militants make further territorial gains.
• Taliban Holds Talks With Turkmen Officials In Ashgabat Amid Deteriorating Afghan Security RFE/RL Gandhara 12 Jul 2021 -- Taliban representatives have visited Ashgabat and held talks with Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry officials as the militants continue major offensives in northern Afghanistan, raising concerns in the neighboring former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Concerns Of A Taliban-Led, Afghan Spillover Into Central Asia: Then And Now RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan have reached the borders of Central Asia and there is a familiar sense of urgency in the three countries in the region with an Afghan frontier: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Top Commander in Afghanistan Steps Down in Symbolic End to US Military Mission VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- The top U.S. general in Afghanistan stepped down from his post Monday, as Taliban fighters continue to make gains across the war-torn country.
• Regional Actors Boost Diplomatic Engagement with Taliban as US Exits Afghanistan VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- As the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan nears completion, regional countries are stepping up diplomatic efforts aimed at pressing warring Afghans to resume the stalled U.S.-brokered peace talks and prevent the conflict from escalating into a full-blown civil war.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 75th Troop Command supports SOUTHCOM at Tradewinds exercise Army News 12 Jul 2021 -- After more than a year of planning, the Kentucky National Guard's 75th Troop Command executed the largest U.S.-led multinational training exercise in the Caribbean this year, serving as the headquarters for base camp operations during Tradewinds 2021 June 11-26.
• Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing DoD 12 Jul 2021
• Indo-Pacom Deputy Commander Discusses Joint All-Domain Command, Control DoD News 12 Jul 2021 -- The importance of command and control, the fragility of long lines of contested logistics and communication, assessing risk and taking risks and knowing when and where to project power are still as relevant and important today as they were during World War II in the Indo-Pacific region, the deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said.
• USS The Sullivans Conducts Port Visit in Limassol US Navy 12 Jul 2021 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) made a scheduled port visit to Limassol, Cyprus as part of their deployment with Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG 21), June 29-July 2.
• U.S. and Dominican Republic Strengthen Bonds US Navy 12 Jul 2021 -- The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) and the Dominican Republic Navy conducted a passing exercise (PASSEX) July 10, following a three-day port visit to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• UK, Dutch and U.S. Naval Forces Conduct Joint Interoperability Exercise in Gulf of Aden US Navy 12 Jul 2021 -- The Queen Elizabeth (UK) and Ronald Reagan carrier strike groups (CSG), alongside the Iwo Jima amphibious ready group (ARG), conducted a large scale joint interoperability exercise in the Gulf of Aden, July 12.
• West Coast U.S. Navy Installations Conducting All Hazard Exercise, Citadel Rumble 2021 US Navy 12 Jul 2021 -- Citadel Rumble 2021 (CR21), an annual all hazard exercise conducted by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), runs today through July 16 in Navy Region Northwest and will occur onboard Navy installations in Navy Region Southwest, August 9-13.
• Nanosatellites Could Play Pivotal Role in Defense Against Enemy Missiles DoD News 12 Jul 2021 -- Two Missile Defense Agency nanosatellites - known as CubeSats - that launched June 30 into low-earth orbit from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California could play a large role in the future of U.S. missile defense.
• NATO Secretary General discusses upcoming ministerial with Latvian Foreign Minister NATO 12 Jul 2021 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs to NATO Headquarters on Monday (12 July 2021) to discuss the Alliance's adaptation and Latvia's offer to host a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Riga in December.
• NATO Secretary General discusses cooperation with the Foreign Minister of Egypt NATO 12 Jul 2021 -- Today (12 July 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, at NATO Headquarters. They discussed a range of issues related to NATO-Egypt partnership, a relationship of more than 25 years through NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue.
• NATO Secretary General meets with Foreign Minister of Israel NATO 12 Jul 2021 -- Today (12 July 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met at NATO Headquarters with H.E. Yair Lapid, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Alternate Prime Minister of Israel. They discussed a range of issues related to NATO-Israel relations.
• PLA fighter bombers practice maritime mine blockade Global Times 12 Jul 2021 -- Fighter bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Aviation Forces recently held training exercises to practice setting up maritime blockades by airdropping sea mines, a tactic that can effectively deter and slow hostile warships, analysts said on Monday.
• Meet Chinese military's first "flying hospital" PLA Daily 12 Jul 2021 -- The Y-9 medical aircraft, known as the first "flying hospital" of the PLA, has recently become a trending topic on China's social media platform Weibo.
• Navies showcase combined capability Australia DOD 12 Jul 2021 -- Warships from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the US successfully completed Exercise Pacific Vanguard on July 9, the first time the annual quadrilateral event had been held in Australian waters.
• Canberra bomber soars again Australia DOD 12 Jul 2021 -- A roar broke the silence as the No. 100 Squadron Temora historic flight Canberra bomber taxied to the threshold on June 28 before taking off.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 12, 2021 The White House 12 Jul 2021
• Department Press Briefing – July 12, 2021 US Dept. of State 12 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 12, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 12 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 12 Jul 2021
• Conflict, climate change, COVID, forces more people into hunger UN News 12 Jul 2021 -- Global hunger levels have skyrocketed because of conflict, climate change and the economic impact of COVID-19; and one in five children around the world is stunted, UN agencies warned on Monday.
• US Calls Out Genocide, Atrocities Committed in 6 Countries VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- The United States called out genocide and atrocities happening in six countries -Myanmar (also known as Burma,) China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan - as part of a report highlighting how the U.S. government is using financial, diplomatic and other measures to try to stop them.
• Briefing with Acting Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Robert Faucher On Release of the 2021 Congressional Report Pursuant to the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act US Dept. of State 12 Jul 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press on Release of the 2021 Congressional Report Pursuant to the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act US Dept. of State 12 Jul 2021
• 7th Fleet conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation US Navy 12 Jul 2021 -- On July 12, USS Benfold (DDG 65) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law.
• US Dismisses Chinese Claim It Drove Away Warship in South China Sea VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- The U.S. Navy dismissed as "false" China's claims that it "drove away" a U.S. warship that passed through the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Monday.
• PLA expels destroyer on South China Sea arbitration anniversary, as US acting like disrupter in the past 5 yrs Global Times 12 Jul 2021 -- On Monday, which marks the fifth anniversary of the so-called South China Sea arbitration and the so-called award, the US suffered a head-on blow when trying to make provocations in South China Sea, fully exposing the US nature again as the "destroyer of regional stability."
• The South China Sea should not become a 'hunting ground' for US geopolitical interests: FM Global Times 12 Jul 2021 -- China's Foreign Ministry slammed the US for deliberately stirring up disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, following comments from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday that an attack on the Philippines in the South China Sea would trigger a defense treaty.
• PLA forces expel US destroyer trespassing Chinese territorial waters in South China Sea on 5th anniversary of invalid arbitral ruling Global Times 12 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces expelled a US Navy destroyer that trespassed into Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea on Monday, the day that coincided with the fifth anniversary of the so-called South China Sea Arbitration ruling.
• US a security risk maker in South China Sea: PLA Spokesperson PLA Daily 12 Jul 2021 -- According to a written statement by Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command, the US guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold trespassed into China's territorial waters of the Xisha Islands on July 12 without Chinese government's permission. As a response, the naval and air forces of the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted tracking and monitoring on the US destroyer and warned it to leave.
• Lawyer Urges New Legal Case 5 Years after Landmark South China Sea Ruling Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- On the fifth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling, the lawyer who advised the Philippine government against China's excessive claims in the South China Sea suggests there should be renewed international efforts and a "new legal case." But countries in the region are treading carefully.
• Philippines Warns Against Efforts to 'Erase' Landmark Ruling on South China Sea Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- The Philippines marked the fifth anniversary Monday of a landmark arbitral ruling that went against China's expansive South China Sea claims, by warning that Manila rejected any attempt to "erase" the verdict, while Beijing dismissed it as a "piece of waste paper."
• Press release on UN Security Council resolution extending use of border crossing for humanitarian aid into Syria Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 Jul 2021
• Article by Vladimir Putin "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" Kremlin.ru 12 Jul 2021 -- "During the recent Direct Line, when I was asked about Russian-Ukrainian relations, I said that Russians and Ukrainians were one people – a single whole. These words were not driven by some short-term considerations or prompted by the current political context. It is what I have said on numerous occasions and what I firmly believe. I therefore feel it necessary to explain my position in detail and share my assessments of today's situation."

News Reports

• Justice Department Statement on Law Enforcement Assistance to the Haitian Government US Dept. of Justice 12 Jul 2021 -- The U.S. Department of Justice today released the following statement from spokesman Anthony Coley on department efforts to provide law enforcement assistance to the people and Government of Haiti:
• Russian Rights Activist Convicted Of Violating Controversial 'Foreign Agents' Law RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Noted human rights defender Semyon Simonov has been convicted on criminal charges related to Russia's controversial "foreign agents" law.
• Citing Pressure, Russian Opposition Politician Quits As Head Of Moscow District RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin has announced he is quitting as head of Moscow's Krasnoselsky district amid ongoing pressure on him and his team after saying he would run in upcoming parliamentary elections.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of Sudan Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi following talks, Moscow, July 12, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 Jul 2021
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 12, 2021 PRC MofA 12 Jul 2021
• Academic Freedom on The Wane in Hong Kong, One Year After Security Law Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- One year after the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong, academic freedom is on the wane, students and faculty told RFA in recent interviews.
• Another five arrested for planning bomb attacks in Hong Kong Global Times 12 Jul 2021 -- The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) on Monday arrested another five suspects who were involved in planning bomb attacks in the city after nine had been detained.
• Stop undermining Hong Kong's rule of law under pretext of press freedom: commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry in HKSAR People's Daily 12 Jul 2021 -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday strongly disapproved and firmly opposed a statement by the so-called "Media Freedom Coalition," which accused judicial proceedings in Hong Kong, smeared the national security law in the HKSAR, and slandered the central government's policy towards Hong Kong.
• U.S. Repeats 'Genocide' Accusations Against China RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- The United States has repeated genocide allegations against China over its treatment of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mostly Muslim, ethnic groups.
• China Moves to Dampen Speculation in School District Residential Properties Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- Authorities in more than 10 Chinese cities and provinces have brought in new measures to cool residential property prices since last year.
• Local Governments in China Slash Civil Service, Teacher Bonuses Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- Cash-strapped local governments across China are ordering teachers and officials to pay back bonuses as plummeting tax revenues start to bite in the wake of economic damage wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic, RFA has learned.
• China Announces New Cybersecurity Industry Strategy VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- China's technology ministry Monday announced a three-year action plan to develop the country's cyber-security industry, which it estimates will be worth more than $38 billion by 2023, according to Reuters.
• North Korea Mobilizes Women for Border Wall Construction Near China Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- North Korea is forcibly mobilizing married women living near the border with China to toil away making cement blocks for the construction of a wall, sources in the country told RFA.
• Iran's FM Spox: US sanctions must be removed effectively IRNA 12 Jul 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday said that the sanctions imposed by the US must be lifted effectively.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs submits quarterly report on JCPOA to Parliament IRNA 12 Jul 2021 -- Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday submitted the 22nd and quarterly report on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to the parliament.
• U.S. Says No 'Deadline' For Iran Nuclear Talks RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Washington has said that it will issue no ultimatums on the window for a seventh round of talks on Iran's atomic activities but added a warning over potential "nuclear advances" in the meantime.
• Criminal Hearings Resume for Myanmar's Deposed Civilian Leader VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's now-defunct civilian government, was back in a courtroom in the capital Naypyidaw Monday for a new round of hearings on corruption-related charges brought against her by the military junta that ousted her from power.
• EU's Borrell Backs Vilnius Charge That Belarus Using Migrants As 'Weapon' RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- The European Union's top diplomat has suggested further sanctions could be on the table after Lithuanian officials urged the bloc to slap a new round of punitive measures on Belarus and its strongman ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, for sending a flood of illegal migrants across its border and into the Baltic state.
• Would-Be Belarusian Presidential Candidate Babaryka Transferred To Penal Colony RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Jailed former Belarusian presidential contender Viktar Babaryka has been transferred to a penal colony less than a week after he was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges.
• Biden Expresses Support for Cuban People Amid Rare Protests VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- Amid the largest anti-government protests in decades in Cuba, U.S. President Joe Biden is expressing support for the people of the Caribbean island nation, underscoring their right to peaceful protest.
• Rare Protests Hit Cuba Amid Economic, Coronavirus Crises VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- Thousands of Cubans protested Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades as people expressed frustrations with an economic crisis and the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Protests in Cuba The White House 12 Jul 2021
• South Africa Sends Troops to Quell Zuma Protests VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- South Africa sent troops to quell riots that left six people dead since former President Jacob Zuma reported to a prison facility last week.
• South African Court Hears Appeal from Jailed Ex-President Zuma Amid Violent Protests VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- A South African court Monday began hearing an appeal launched by former President Jacob Zuma on his lengthy prison sentence in the wake of violent protests against his imprisonment.
• Merkel Says Gas Will Transit Ukraine Even After Nord Stream 2 Finished RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sought to assure Kyiv that Ukraine will remain a transit route for natural gas even after completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline linking Russia to Germany.
• Cambodian Opposition Figures Injured in Attacks Live in Fear, Saying No Attackers Have Been Caught Radio Free Asia 12 Jul 2021 -- Cambodian opposition party activists injured in physical assaults during the last year are living in fear, with their attackers still unidentified by police and authorities sometimes blaming the victims themselves for the attacks, sources in Cambodia say.
• Turkmenistan Faces 'Shocking Population Decline' As Exodus Continues RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Turkmenistan is facing an unprecedented population decline, with only about 2.8 million people -- or less than a half of what the government says -- living in the country in 2021, three different officials told RFE/RL.
• Georgian Parliament Disrupted By Scuffles Amid Anti-Government Rallies RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- A session of Georgia's parliament has been disrupted after opposition journalists entered the building and scuffles broke out between members of the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition parties.
• Moldova's Pro-Europeans Win Decisive Victory In 'Well-Run' Snap Elections RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Pro-Western President Maia Sandu's party has scored a clear victory in Moldovan snap parliamentary elections that Western observers called "smooth" and "peaceful," a result likely to weaken Russia's influence in the country.
• Bulgaria's GERB, Anti-Elite Group In Tight Battle As Late Votes Tallied RFE/RL 12 Jul 2021 -- Results from Bulgaria's snap parliamentary elections show a neck-and-neck race between former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's GERB-led coalition and the anti-elite party called There Is Such a People (ITN).
• The United States Restricts Visas of 100 Nicaraguans Affiliated with Ortega-Murillo Regime US Dept. of State 12 Jul 2021 -- The Department of State has imposed visa restrictions on 100 members of the Nicaraguan National Assembly and Nicaraguan judicial system, including prosecutors and judges, as well as some of their family members. The Department has revoked any U.S. visas held by these individuals.
• Haiti Assassination Mastermind Sought Presidency, Police Chief Says VOA 12 Jul 2021 -- Haitian-American doctor Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, was named by Haiti's National Police chief late Sunday as the mastermind behind the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on U.S. Government Delegation to Haiti The White House 12 Jul 2021