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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Kabul's Young Professionals, Students Watch Nervously As The Taliban Makes Gains RFE/RL Gandhara 16 Jul 2021 -- With just a week left until Eid al-Adha, a four-day Islamic festival, it was supposed to be a busy season for dressmakers in Kabul.
• Sweden Halts Deportations To Afghanistan As Security Situation Worsens RFE/RL Gandhara 16 Jul 2021 -- Sweden has announced that it was stopping all deportations to Afghanistan due to the rapidly worsening situation in the war-torn country.
• Afghan Government Troops, Taliban Fight For Control Of Pakistan Border Crossing RFE/RL Gandhara 16 Jul 2021 -- Afghan troops continue to battle Taliban militants for the control of the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan which the militants had reportedly occupied as part of a sweeping offensive ahead of the August 31 deadline for the pullout of U.S. forces from the war-torn country.
• 'Everything Is A Challenge:' UN Official Appeals For $850 Million For Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 16 Jul 2021 -- The UN humanitarian chief in Afghanistan has appealed for $850 million to help the war-torn country cope with the impact of the Taliban offensive and a litany of other crises.
• Xi talks with Afghan president, supports 'Afghan-led and Afghan-owned' peace process Global Times 16 Jul 2021 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday, expressing China's support for the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
• Joint statement following the fourth meeting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan foreign ministers on the developments in Afghanistan Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Jul 2021 -- The fourth foreign minister meeting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took place in Tashkent on July 16, 2021.
• Announcing the U.S. – Afghanistan – Uzbekistan – Pakistan Quad Regional Support for Afghanistan-Peace Process and Post Settlement US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021 -- Representatives of the United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy to Christen First John Lewis-Class Oiler DoD 16 Jul 2021 -- The Navy will christen its first-in-class John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, the future USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), during a 9 a.m. PDT ceremony Saturday, July 17, in San Diego, California.
• U.S. Africa Command leaders visit Mauritania to highlight cooperation and importance of G5 Sahel AFRICOM 16 Jul 2021 -- A U.S. Africa Command senior leader delegation met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to discuss the potential for greater partnership and engagement during a visit to the nation's capital, Nouakchott, July 13-15.
• HMLA-169 Goes the Distance USMC News 16 Jul 2021 -- Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 executed one of the longest maritime HMLA self-deployment flights in 1st Marine Aircraft Wing history during exercise Tiltrotor/Rotary Wing 2107. TR/RW 2107 is a unilateral exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan that demonstrates 1st MAW's capabilities to maintain combat-readiness in a maritime environment.
• NAVFAC Atlantic Awards $5B Global Contingency Construction Contract US Navy 16 Jul 2021 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic awarded six businesses Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Contracts (MAC) July 15 for contingency construction projects with a maximum amount of $5,000,000,000.
• Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk declares Full Operational Capability NATO 16 Jul 2021 -- On 15 July 2021, Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk declared Full Operational Capability and marked the occasion with a ceremony presided over by its Commander, Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis. General Milley, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also attended the ceremony.
• NATO Secretary General discusses cooperation with Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina NATO 16 Jul 2021 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bisera Turković, and the Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Sifet Podžić, to NATO headquarters on Wednesday (14 July 2021), to discuss how to further enhance NATO's relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.
• INS TABAR AT PORT OF BREST, FRANCE India PIB 16 Jul 2021 -- As part of the ongoing Overseas Deployment, INS Tabar entered the Port of Brest, France on 12 July 21. The ship was received by a Ceremonial Guard of the French Navy on arrival in Port.
• Boxer packs an accurate punch Australia DOD 16 Jul 2021 -- The accuracy and lethality of the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) has impressed personnel on a turret conversion course.
• Patriot missile firing will be a first Australia DOD 16 Jul 2021 -- At first glance, the rectangle crates might have looked innocuous, but the two containers loaded onto the US transporter housed some of the American firepower that will soon be on display during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Ibrahim Kalin, Spokesperson and Chief Advisor to the President of Turkey The White House 16 Jul 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Chilean Foreign Minister Andres Allamand Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Chilean Foreign Minister Allamand US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Omamo US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Raychelle Omamo Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 16, 2021 The White House 16 Jul 2021
• Department Press Briefing – July 16, 2021 US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 16, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 16 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jul 2021
• UN deputy chief warns of 'hurricane of humanitarian crises' UN News 16 Jul 2021 -- There is a "bloody surge" impacting humanitarian crises around the world, with civilians in conflict zones paying the highest price, the UN deputy chief told the Security Council on Friday.

News Reports

• U.S. Offers $10 Million Rewards In Effort To Stop Ransomware Attacks RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- The United States is offering $10 million rewards for information leading to the identification of cybercriminals after a series of ransomware attacks by hackers believed to be located in Russia.
• Chinese National Sentenced to More than Three Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Illegally Export Maritime Raiding Craft and Engines to China US Dept. of Justice 16 Jul 2021 -- A Chinese national was sentenced Wednesday to three years and six months in federal prison for conspiring to submit false export information through the federal government's Automated Export System and to export maritime raiding craft and engines to China fraudulently, and attempting to export that equipment fraudulently in violation of U.S. law.
• Merkel, Biden United On Preventing Russia From Using Energy Against Neighbors RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to stand together in opposing Russia using energy as a "weapon" against its neighbors as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany nears completion.
• Biden raises concerns about Nord Stream 2 to Merkel, warning Russia not to weaponize energy People's Daily 16 Jul 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday raised his concerns to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, warning Russia not to weaponize the energy.
• The Week In Russia: Putin, Ukraine, And 'Phantom Pain' RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- With a deadly COVID wave setting grim new records almost daily, President Vladimir Putin continued to devote a great deal of attention to the past and future of Russia's ties with Ukraine, self-publishing a startling article that drew a mixture of derision and deep concern about Moscow's intentions.
• Russia Investigative News Group Starts Liquidation Process Following 'Undesirable' Designation RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- The Russian investigative news outlet The Project has announced the "liquidation" of its U.S.-registered company a day after being declared an "undesirable" organization by the Prosecutor-General's Office in Moscow.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's replies to media questions following participation in the international conference Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities, Tashkent, July 16, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Jul 2021
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at a plenary session of the international conference Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities, Tashkent, July 16, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Jul 2021
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's article on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation between China and Russia, published by the newspapers Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) and Renmin Ribao (China), July 16, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Jul 2021
• Full text: Remarks by Xi Jinping at the APEC Informal Economic Leaders' Retreat PLA Daily 16 Jul 2021 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the Informal Economic Leaders' Retreat of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held on Friday.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 16, 2021 PRC MofA 16 Jul 2021
• Issuance of a Hong Kong Business Advisory US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021 -- On July 16, the U.S. Department of State, along with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, issued a business advisory to caution U.S. businesses about emerging risks to their operations and activities in Hong Kong.
• Marking One Year of Hong Kong's National Security Law US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2021 -- Over the past year, People's Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong officials have systematically undermined Hong Kong's democratic institutions, delayed elections, disqualified elected lawmakers from office, and forced officials to take loyalty oaths to keep their jobs.
• Natl security law for HK crushes 'color revolution,' allows only competent patriots to govern: senior official Global Times 16 Jul 2021 -- Wrapping up the year since the national security law for Hong Kong was implemented, a senior official said on Friday that the law has crushed "color revolution" schemes, bringing order back to the city and gives an opportunity for the city to select qualified governors — competent patriots.
• Senior Chinese official stresses faithful implementation of "patriots administering Hong Kong" People's Daily 16 Jul 2021 -- A senior Chinese official on Hong Kong affairs on Friday stressed the faithful implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and said anti-China forces who seek to destabilize Hong Kong must be resolutely excluded from the administrative structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
• Purge of Mosque Clergy in Xinjiang's Ghulja Leaves Nobody Left to Conduct Ceremonies Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- Nearly all Uyghur clergymen from a mosque in a city in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have been imprisoned, leaving no one in the community who is able to conduct religious ceremonies, said two sources familiar with the current situation in a corner of Xinjiang near Kazakhstan.
• Interview: 'We Are Gravely Concerned About the Deteriorating Situation in China' Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- Uyghur-American lawyer Nury Turkel, is a vice-chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan and independent federal government body. As the chairman of the board for the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) in Washington, he has played a major role in raising awareness of the plight of the 12 million Uyghurs in the Chinese-controlled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
• China Tries Agriculture Magnate Sun Dawu Amid Tight Security Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei on Friday dispatched large numbers of police and officials to a court in Gaobeidian city, as agriculture billionaire Sun Dawu entered the second day of his trial.
• Chinese Censors Shut Down Popular Science Social Media Accounts Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- Government censors in China have shut down the accounts of several popular science blogs -- including Elephant Magazine and PaperClip -- across major social media platforms, state media reported.
• China's Climate Goals Drive Down Gas Forecasts Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- As China's planners prepare to meet President Xi Jinping's climate change goals, there are signs that the targets will require deep cuts in forecasts for natural gas.
• North Korea to Hold Local Officials Responsible for Rainy Season Crop Losses This Year Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- North Korea will punish government officials for failing to take proper measures to prevent flooding of agricultural land ahead of this year's rainy season, sources in the country told RFA.
• China urges US to lift all anti-Iran sanctions IRNA 16 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese embassy in Tehran wrote on its website on the sixth anniversary of the 2015 nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany) that China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian answered CCTV reporter on Thursday that the anti-Iran bans should be removed thoroughly.
• Nearly Two Dozen Killed Amid New Clashes in Myanmar's Beleaguered Sagaing Region Radio Free Asia 16 Jul 2021 -- At least 19 troops loyal to Myanmar's junta and two members of a militia formed to protect residents from the military were killed during a firefight in Saigaing region's war-torn Kalay township, sources said Friday, as fighting drove some 3,000 civilians to flee for safety in the nearby mountains.
• UN rights chief calls for prompt release of protestors held in Cuba UN News 16 Jul 2021 -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called for the prompt release of protestors and journalists detained during anti-government demonstrations in Cuba, some of whom are being held incommunicado.
• Deadly flooding, heatwaves in Europe, highlight urgency of climate action UN News 16 Jul 2021 -- Heavy rainfall that has triggered deadly and catastrophic flooding in several western European countries, is just the latest indicator that all nations need to do more to hold back climate change-induced disasters, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
• Hungarian PM Says EU Action On LGBT Rights Amounts To 'Legal Hooliganism' RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- The legal action launched against Hungary by the European Commission over measures it said discriminated against LGBT people amounts to "legal hooliganism" and is "shameful," Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on July 16.
• Ukrainian Parliament Approves Denys Monastyrskiy As New Interior Minister RFE/RL 16 Jul 2021 -- Ukrainian lawmakers have approved Denys Monastyrskiy as the country's new interior minister, replacing Arsen Avakov, who resigned this week.