• 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

• Kyrgyzstan Appeals For Help For Ethnic Kyrgyz Who Fled Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Jul 2021 -- The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry has appealed to authorities in neighboring Tajikistan to facilitate the passage to their common border of hundreds of ethnic Kyrgyz who fled Afghanistan amid a major Taliban surge that is raising security concerns in neighboring former Soviet republics.
• Taliban Proposes Three-Month Cease-Fire In Exchange For Prisoner Release RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Jul 2021 -- The Taliban has proposed a three-month cease-fire in exchange for the release of 7,000 of its fighters, an Afghan government negotiator said, as the militant group captured a key border crossing with Pakistan in a sweeping offensive ahead of the August 31 deadline for the pullout of U.S. forces from the war-torn country.
• U.S. Evacuation Plan For Afghans Who Helped Military Short On Details RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Jul 2021 -- The United States will begin an evacuation operation at the end of July for Afghans who helped the U.S. military during the nearly 20-year war, but it was not clear how many will be evacuated or where they will go while their visa applications are processed.
• China ready to facilitate inter-Afghan talks in China at any time: Chinese FM Global Times 15 Jul 2021 -- China is ready to facilitate inter-Afghan negotiations in China at any time and contribute to the political settlement of the Afghan issue, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday in a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
• Afghanistan: Funding shortfall amid deepening humanitarian crisis UN News 15 Jul 2021 -- A senior UN official on Thursday urged donors to step up support for Afghanistan, where ongoing drought and increased military operations amid foreign troop withdrawal, are displacing scores of civilians, creating a growing humanitarian crisis.
• U.S. to evacuate Afghans who supported U.S. military in late July People's Daily 15 Jul 2021 -- The United States will launch "Operation Allies Refuge" in late July to evacuate Afghans who helped the U.S. military during the two-decade war, the White House said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Underway Operations with UK Carrier Strike Group 21 CENTCOM 15 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. The combined, bilateral surface, air and sub-surface exercise was designed to enhance UK, Dutch and U.S. maritime interoperability and demonstrate naval integration through a series of training scenarios.
• Official Testifies on DOD Budget Request for Construction, Energy, Environmental Programs DoD News 15 Jul 2021 -- As part of the President's Fiscal Year 2020 budget, the Defense Department's official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for sustainment was on Capitol Hill to discuss the DOD's military construction, energy, installations and environment programs.
• Milley Marks Full Operational Capability of NATO Command in Norfolk DoD News 15 Jul 2021 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff marked the full operational capability of NATO's Joint Force Command — Norfolk, saying the command is integral to the alliance's strategy for maintaining peace.
• DOD Officials Testify on Fixed-Wing Tactical, Training Aircraft Programs DoD News 15 Jul 2021 -- For the Defense Department to properly test the systems it intends to buy against expected threats, the DOD must invest now to create a robust test and evaluation infrastructure with live and synthetic environments that is equipped with cutting-edge tools and staffed by people with deep expertise, a DOD official said.
• MQ-9 Agile Combat Employment: A big step closer to reality US Air Force 15 Jul 2021 -- The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron proved the MQ-9 Reaper's Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) is ready as of July 8, enabling crews to divert to airfields without traditional launch and recovery infrastructure or personnel. This capability is a key enabler for MQ-9 Agile Combat Employment and, combined with the MQ-9's next software upgrade and receipt of the portable aircraft control station, will change how it will be employed in theaters worldwide.
• Surface WTIs Bring Together Tactical Integration of Strike Groups and Air Wings US Navy 15 Jul 2021 -- The roar of naval aircraft flying through vast, blue skies is a familiar sound for those stationed in the "Oasis of Nevada". Fallon, home to Naval Air Station Fallon, is a small town nestled between bird-filled wetlands and tall, dusty mountains. Here, two surface Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTI) play a large role in fleet integration between Carrier Air Wings and Carrier Strike Groups.
• U.S. Navy Submarine Force Announces Submarine Readiness Squadrons, Formerly Naval Submarine Support Centers US Navy 15 Jul 2021 -- Naval Submarine Support Centers (NAVSUBSUPPCEN) Groton, Connecticut; Kings Bay, Georgia; Bangor, Washington; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii changed their names to Submarine Readiness Squadron (SRS), July 15.
• TRI NATION TABLE TOP NAVAL EXERCISE 'SHIELD' HELD AT WNC, MUMBAI India PIB 15 Jul 2021 -- A Tri Nation Table Top Anti-Narcotics & Maritime Search and Rescue exercise (Exercise Shield) between Maldives National Defence Force, Sri Lanka Navy and Indian Navy was conducted in virtual mode for the first time on 14 and15 Jul 21 with Indian Navy as the lead agency. The exercise was coordinated by Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC), Mumbai.
• Sabre drawn, troops ready for action Australia DOD 15 Jul 2021 -- The Talisman 'Sabre' has been drawn in Townsville, Queensland, for Australia's largest bilateral training activity with the United States.
• Talisman Sabre ramping up in the sky Australia DOD 15 Jul 2021 -- Australia's largest bilateral military exercise has put thousands of boots on Townsville ground, but up in the skies above Castle Hill, military aircraft operations are ramping up too.
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with French Foreign Minister Le Drian US Dept. of State 15 Jul 2021
• Merkel Meets Biden To Strengthen U.S.-German Ties In Farewell White House Visit RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House on July 15 in what will be her last official visit to Washington as she prepares to step down after leading Germany for 16 years.
• Remarks by President Biden and Chancellor Merkel of the Federal Republic of Germany in Press Conference The White House 15 Jul 2021
• Statement on Vice President Kamala Harris's Meeting with Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany The White House 15 Jul 2021
• Readout of President Joe Biden's Call with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand The White House 15 Jul 2021
• Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on the Official Working Visit of Chancellor Merkel of Germany The White House 15 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 15, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 15 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 15 Jul 2021
• US Firm Defends Report on Chinese Ships Dumping Sewage in Philippine Waters Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- A U.S.-based geospatial imaging-analysis firm on Thursday defended its report alleging that anchored Chinese ships were dumping raw sewage in Philippine territorial reefs in the South China Sea, causing environmental destruction that could take decades to recover.
• Chinese FM condemns 'fabricated, malicious' report of US company accusing Chinese ships of dumping sewage in South China Sea Global Times 15 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned a so-called report released by a US imagery analysis company that accused Chinese ships of dumping sewage in the South China Sea, saying it was "fabricated" and "malicious."
• FM urges India to avoid unilateral actions amid border hype Global Times 15 Jul 2021 -- Any unilateral action in sensitive, disputed areas along the China-India border should be restrained as last year's incident was already pulling China-India ties down, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, calling on more negotiations to solve possible incidents.
• Libya: Positive steps needed to break 'political stalemate' UN News 15 Jul 2021 -- The interdependent tracks of implementing Libya's ceasefire agreement, political progress and economic reform, are in danger of going into reverse, UN Special Envoy Ján Kubiš warned the Security Council on Thursday.
• More than 700 Refugees of Fighting in Myanmar's Kayah State in Dire Need at Thai Border Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- More than 700 refugees from Myanmar's embattled Kayah state are in dire need of assistance after fleeing fierce fighting between junta troops and a branch of the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) militia formed to protect them from military offensives, sources said Thursday.

News Reports

• Facebook Disrupts Iran-Based Espionage Hacking Group RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Facebook has disrupted a group of hackers in Iran behind "espionage operations" targeting mostly U.S. military personnel and companies in the defense and aerospace industries.
• Estonia Expels Russian Diplomat After Moscow Accuses Consul Of Spying RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Estonia's Foreign Ministry has expelled a Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move against Moscow.
• U.S.-Russia Joint Statement Addressing the Climate Challenge US Dept. of State 15 Jul 2021 -- Joint Statement on the Climate Challenge between John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Ruslan Edelgeriyev, Russian Special Presidential Representative on Climate Issues and Adviser to the President of Russia.
• Russia Effectively Bans Investigative News Outlet By Declaring It 'Undesirable' RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Authorities in Russia have effectively banned investigative news outlet The Project after declaring it an "undesirable" organization in a major escalation of the Kremlin's clampdown on independent media.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 15, 2021 PRC MofA 15 Jul 2021
• Exclusive: Newly appointed Hong Kong second-in-command on ensuring only patriots will prevail through election reform Global Times 15 Jul 2021 -- Editor's Note:
• Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry in HKSAR urges U.S. side to stop misleading political theater People's Daily 15 Jul 2021 -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday strongly disapproved and firmly opposed the remarks made by the U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price at a press briefing, which smeared the national security law in the HKSAR and the rule of law of Hong Kong, attacked the business environment of Hong Kong without justification, and grossly interfered in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large.
• Press Freedom in Hong Kong Reeling Under National Security Law: Report Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- Hong Kong's press freedom is 'in tatters', following the forced closure of the Apple Daily and the arrests of columnists under the national security law, the city's journalists' association said on Thursday.
• US Senate Passes Bill to Ban All Imports From China's Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- The U.S. Senate has passed legislation that bans the import of products from China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in the latest move by Washington to penalize Beijing for forced labor and other abuses it says constitute genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs.
• China to Hand Law Enforcement Powers to Local Officials Under 'Grid' System Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- China will empower local officials at township, village, and neighborhood level to enforce the law under an amended administrative punishment law that took effect on Thursday, as well as operating a vastly extended "grid management" system of social control in rural and urban areas alike.
• Police in China's Sichuan Formally Arrest Veteran Rights Activist Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- Authorities in the southwestern province of Sichuan have formally arrested a prominent rights activist on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge often used to target peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), RFA has learned.
• No comment from Taiwan, U.S. on U.S. military stopover in Taipei CNA 15 Jul 2021 -- Neither Taiwan nor the United States has commented on reports that a U.S. Air Force C-146A Wolfhound transport aircraft made a brief stopover in Taipei on Thursday morning.
• US, DPP warned as military aircraft lands in Taipei Global Times 15 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) can expel, fire warning shots or even shoot down foreign military aircraft that trespass upon China's airspace, Chinese military observers warned Thursday, after a second US air force plane landed on the island of Taiwan in less than two months, which also triggered stern responses from the Chinese Defense Ministry and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
• PLA will defeat any attempt toward "Taiwan independence":Defense Spokesperson PLA Daily 15 Jul 2021 -- "Any foreign military aircraft are forbidden to land on China's territory without the approval of the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and any unauthorized entry into China's territorial air space by foreign military vessels and aircraft will lead to serious consequences", said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, in a written statement released Thursday on the official website of the ministry.
• Chinese Traders in Dire Straits Over Frozen Border Trade With North Korea Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- China's exporters to North Korea are struggling under mounting debt as chemicals, medicines, and metal products ordered by their neighbor decay in warehouses awaiting the reopening of border that has been closed since early 2020 to fight the coronavirus, according to sources in the main Chinese border city.
• U.S.-Iran Kidnap Plot: Why Is Iran Attempting To Silence Masih Alinejad? RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Masih Alinejad's harsh criticism of Iran's clerical establishment, her campaign against the compulsory hijab, and efforts to highlight Tehran's rights abuses, have angered Iranian officials who have tried to silence her through intimidation, smearing her name, and pressuring her family.
• Half of Journalists Arrested Since Myanmar Coup Remain in Detention Radio Free Asia 15 Jul 2021 -- Nearly half of the 87 journalists arrested by Myanmar's junta in the five months since its staged a coup on Feb. 1 remain in detention, mostly on charges of defamation, prompting their colleagues, family members, and media watchdogs to call for their immediate release Thursday.
• Rights Watchdog Accuses Belarus Of 'Unprecedented' Raids As Crackdown Intensifies RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Belarus's authoritarian regime of carrying out "massive, unprecedented" raids and detentions against the country's leading civil society organizations and said those being held should be released immediately.
• Resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri US Dept. of State 15 Jul 2021 -- Today's announcement that Saad Hariri is resigning as Prime Minister-designate is yet another disappointing development for the Lebanese people.
• EU Executive Launches Proceedings Against Hungary, Poland Over LGBT 'Discrimination' RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- The European Union's executive says it has opened legal action against Hungary and Poland for discrimination against the LGBT communities in the two member states.
• Zelenskiy Consolidates Power As Heavyweight Ukrainian Interior Minister Steps Down RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- The departure of Ukrainian political heavyweight Arsen Avakov from the post of interior minister could open the door for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to concentrate more power in his hands as he seeks to take on entrenched interests and advance a reform agenda.
• Ukrainian Parliament Accepts Resignation Of Influential Interior Minister RFE/RL 15 Jul 2021 -- Ukrainian lawmakers have accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, one of the nation's most powerful officials, who led the ministry for more than seven years.