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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Iraq Expects Announcement to End US Combat Mission VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- Members of a top Iraqi delegation expect to reach an agreement Friday with the Biden administration to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the country's foreign minister told VOA on Thursday.
• Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan The White House 23 Jul 2021
• U.S.-Europe Communiqué on Afghanistan and Peace Efforts The White House 23 Jul 2021 -- The following is the text of a communiqué issued by the United States of America, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
• Kabul Says Taliban Claim It Controls 90 Percent Of Afghan Borders An 'Absolute Lie' RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jul 2021 -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry has rejected a Taliban claim that the insurgents control 90 percent of the country's borders, calling the assertion an "absolute lie."
• US military carries out strikes against Taliban in Afghanistan Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- The US military has carried out two strikes against the Taliban in support of Afghan forces in the Kandahar province, American military officials have said, despite a peace deal between the militant group and Washington.
• Afghanistan denies Taliban claim of seizing over 90% of borders Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry has dismissed as an "absolute lie" a claim by the Taliban militants that they have taken control of 90 percent of the country's borders.
• House Approves Bill To Increase Number Of Special Visas For Afghans Who Helped U.S. RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jul 2021 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to allow thousands more Afghans who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war to receive special visas to immigrate to the United States.
• White House Says Biden Backs Afghan President Ghani, Leaders Held Phone Call RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jul 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on July 23 and continues to support the war-torn country's leader in the face of calls by Taliban militants for his removal to bring about peace.
• Tajikistan Says It's Ready To Shelter Up To 100,000 Refugees From Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jul 2021 -- Tajikistan has said it is ready to shelter up to 100,000 refugees from neighboring Afghanistan amid increasing security concerns in Central Asia over the fallout of the Taliban's territorial gains in the northern part of the war-torn country.
• Trade-Hindering Turmoil On Afghan-Pakistan Border Is Just Part Of Problem RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jul 2021 -- Despite allegations of a massacre near a border crossing between southern Afghanistan and Pakistan, foot traffic is resuming across this normally bustling trade and travel crossroads in South Asia.
• US Lends More Airpower to Somalia's Fight vs. al-Shabab VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The United States is again targeting fighters with the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab terror group in Somalia, launching its second airstrike in the past four days following a nearly six-month hiatus that began when President Joe Biden took office.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department Statement on DJI Systems DoD 23 Jul 2021 -- The Department of Defense (DOD) position is that systems produced by Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) pose potential threats to national security. Existing DOD policy and practices associated with the use of these systems by U.S. government entities and forces working with U.S. military services remain unchanged contrary to any written reports not approved for release by the DOD.
• 'Zero-Based' Reviews of DOD Advisory Committee Nearly Complete, Decisions Come Soon DoD News 23 Jul 2021 -- In January, 40 defense-related advisory committees were told to suspend their activities pending the results of "zero-based" reviews that would evaluate their missions.
• Update: Air Force puts future basing plans for Davis-Monthan AFB, Nellis AFB on hold pending NDAA outcome US Air Force 23 Jul 2021 -- The Department of the Air Force announced today it is pausing plans related to aircraft basing decisions at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona and Nellis AFB, Nevada that are dependent upon the requirement to retire 42 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.
• U.S.-led Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise Shark Hunt 21 Kicks off in the Northern Atlantic with NATO Allies and partners US Navy 23 Jul 2021 -- Commander, Task Force 69 (CTF-69) kicked off Exercise Shark Hunt 2021, a multi-national anti-submarine warfare exercise being held in the Northern Atlantic, July 23.
• Marines adopt Army autonomous software for ROGUE Fires Army News 23 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), through its Remote Technology Kernel (RTK) technology, is supporting the U.S. Marine Corps with an autonomy solution for its latest innovation to integrate ground based, anti-ship weapons into its arsenal—a remotely operated, unmanned vehicle.
• Readout of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl's Meeting With Croatian Minister of Defence Mario Banožić DoD 23 Jul 2021
• USS Mustin Returns to San Diego after 15 Years of Service in Japan US Navy 23 Jul 2021 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) returned to San Diego, July 22, after 15 years serving in the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in Japan.
• U.S. Senate committee passes defense bill with Taiwan provisions CNA 23 Jul 2021 -- The United States Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday voted to advance the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY2022) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes provisions aimed at strengthening the defense cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan.
• DRDO conducts successful flight test of Akash-NG India PIB 23 Jul 2021 -- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of New Generation Akash (Akash-NG) missile from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha at 1145 hrs on July 23, 2021.
• Seven nations conduct amphibious training on Exercise Talisman Sabre Australia DOD 23 Jul 2021 -- The key focus of Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS21) is moving from land to sea, as forces from Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom prepare for an action-packed amphibious phase.
• Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Daniel Benaim on the Secretary's Upcoming Travel to India and Kuwait US Dept. of State 23 Jul 2021
• Deputy Secretary Sherman's Meeting with Republic of Korea First Vice Foreign Minister Choi US Dept. of State 23 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Foreign Minister Hussein US Dept. of State 23 Jul 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 23, 2021 The White House 23 Jul 2021
• Department Press Briefing – July 23, 2021 US Dept. of State 23 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 23, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 23 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Jul 2021
• U.S. Announces Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq US Dept. of State 23 Jul 2021 -- The United States is pleased to announce nearly $155 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Iraq as well as Iraqi refugees in the region and generous communities hosting them.
• Chinese President's Visit to Tibet Sends a Message to India, Experts Say Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- The visit this week to Tibet by Chinese President Xi Jinping underscores China's concerns over security on the border with its southern neighbor India, where military clashes between the two countries took place last year, experts told RFA on Friday.
• Xi inspects Lhasa in Tibet People's Daily 23 Jul 2021 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday made an inspection tour of Lhasa, capital city of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
• Xi visits Nyingchi in Tibet People's Daily 23 Jul 2021 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has visited the city of Nyingchi in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
• Xi visits Tibet, first time in Party's, country's history Global Times 23 Jul 2021 -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region from Wednesday to Friday for the 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation, the first time in the history of the Party and the country, the Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
• Top International Official In Bosnia Criminalizes Genocide Denial RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- The outgoing international high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina has imposed amendments to Bosnia's Criminal Code that prohibit and punish the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, drawing an angry reaction from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik who again called for the dissolution of the Balkan country.
• Azerbaijan Imprisons 13 Armenian Military Personnel For Six Years RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- An Azerbaijani court has sentenced 13 members of Armenia's armed forces to six years in prison on charges of illegally crossing the border and weapons possession.
• Lebanon records more Israeli intrusions, following up on matter Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- Lebanon's army says Israeli aircraft have violated the country's airspace several times over the past hours.
• Security Council calls for 'immediate reversal' of Turkish and Turkish Cypriots decision on Varosha UN News 23 Jul 2021 -- The Security Council said in a statement released on Friday that settling any part of the abandoned Cypriot suburb of Varosha, "by people other than its inhabitants, is "inadmissible".
• Food Aid Remains Out of Reach for Millions in Tigray VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The World Food Program is renewing its appeal for unimpeded access to Ethiopia's northern province of Tigray, where an estimated four million people are suffering from acute hunger.
• Ethiopian Government Accuses TPLF of Disrupting Aid Delivery to Tigray VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The Ethiopian government accuses Tigray forces of expanding the conflict into the neighboring Afar region, the third regional state to be drawn into the conflict. Authorities say this has imperiled food aid to some of the 54,000 people who have fled their homes due to the fighting.
• Increased jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso spark record-breaking displacement: UNHCR UN News 23 Jul 2021 -- Rising violent attacks by jihadist groups in Burkina Faso are forcing record-breaking numbers of people to flee both inside the country and across international borders, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Friday.
• Record Number of People Fleeing Armed Attacks in Burkina Faso VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The U.N. refugee agency on Friday called for concerted action to help record-breaking numbers of people forced to flee increasingly violent armed attacks in Burkina Faso.

News Reports

• DHS to Cancel Laredo Sector Border Barrier Contracts DHS 23 Jul 2021 -- Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is terminating two border barrier contracts in the Laredo Sector that are not necessary to address any life, safety, environmental, or other remediation requirements, as described in the DHS Border Wall Plan implementing President Biden's Proclamation.
• U.S. Software Company Gets Key To Unlock Data Affected By Ransomware Attack RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- The U.S. company whose software was exploited in a recent global ransomware attack has received a universal key needed to decrypt the data belonging to the more than 1,000 businesses and public organizations affected by the attack.
• New Zealand, China Clash Over Hacking Claims VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- New Zealand's trade minister said Thursday he does not expect Chinese economic retaliation to increasing tensions over claims of Chinese cyberhacking. China this week called on New Zealand to "abandon [its] Cold War mentality" after New Zealand's government criticized Beijing for supporting hacking following a cyberattack on tech giant Microsoft.
• Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Haiti The White House 23 Jul 2021
• Funeral for Haiti's Assassinated President Disrupted by Protests, Gunfire VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The funeral of Haiti's assassinated president, Jovenel Moise, was disrupted Friday by tear gas used on nearby protesters as well as sounds of gunfire, prompting U.S. officials to leave before the end of the ceremony.
• US delegation flees Haiti after gunshots fired at Moise's funeral Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- The delegation US President Joe Biden sent to Haiti to attend the funeral of assassinated President Jovenel Moïse has fled the country after gunshots were fired outside the ceremony location.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova's comment regarding the Report on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2020, issued by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Jul 2021
• The Week In Russia: A Crackdown Changes The Landscape RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- The crackdown that intensified upon opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's return to Russia six months ago appears to be expanding ahead of parliamentary elections at summer's end, with increasingly broad swaths of society in the crosshairs. The latest victims include a legal-aid organization and an independent media outlet whose investigations have irked the Kremlin.
• Russia Adds News Outlet The Insider, Five Journalists To 'Foreign Agents' List RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- Russia's Justice Ministry has added the independent Latvia-based media outlet The Insider to its list of "foreign agents," along with five individual journalists including a freelance contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
• EU Condemns Russia's 'Unabated Crackdown' On Independent Media, NGOs RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- The European Union has urged Russia to stop its "unabated crackdown" on independent media outlets, journalists, and civil-society organizations, calling the clampdown ahead of parliamentary elections in September "particularly worrisome."
• Pakistan urges UN to probe India's use of Israel's Pegasus to spy on Imran Khan Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- Pakistan has urged the United Nations (UN) to investigate whether India has spied on Prime Minister Imran Khan using the Israeli Pegasus spyware.
• Macron changes phone in wake of Israeli spyware reports Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- French President Emmanuel Macron has changed his phone and phone number in light of allegations that Israel's Pegasus spyware might have targeted him, a presidency official has said.
• US moves to drop charges of visa fraud against Chinese researcher ahead of talks Press TV 23 Jul 2021 -- The US Justice Department has moved to drop all charges against a Chinese researcher who was arrested last year by the US authorities over visa fraud and hiding her military credentials.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 23, 2021 PRC MofA 23 Jul 2021
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on China's Decision to Impose Sanctions on Relevant US Individuals and Entity PRC MofA 23 Jul 2021
• US 'Undeterred' Over China Sanctions VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- The White House said Friday that it is "undeterred" by the latest sanctions announced by China targeting several U.S. citizens, which came days after Washington sanctioned seven Chinese officials over Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong.
• China won't accept US 'position of strength' in Sherman's Tianjin visit: FM Global Times 23 Jul 2021 -- The US is not qualified to lecture China or interfere in Chinese affairs, nor is it qualified to say it deals with China from "a position of strength," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference on Friday, referring to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's upcoming visit to China, as analysts noted that the results of her visit depend on US sincerity.
• Congressional Commission Asks Olympic Body to Postpone 2022 Beijing Winter Games Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- A bipartisan Congressional committee on China has asked the president of the International Olympic Committee to postpone and relocate the 2022 Beijing Winter Games if China does not end its severe human rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs in its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
• Ten Hong Kong Democrats Plead Guilty to Tiananmen Vigil Charges Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- Ten democratic politicians and activists have said they will plead guilty to 'illegal assembly' charges for attending a gathering marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre in Hong Kong.
• Flood-Hit Henan Struggles in Disaster Aftermath With More Rain Coming Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- As flood-stricken residents of the central Chinese province of Henan scrambled to clean up following disastrous flooding in and around the provincial capital Zhengzhou, the meteorology bureau warned of more heavy rains brought in by Typhoon In-Fa, which is predicted to make landfall at the weekend.
• Sherman: US Looks Forward to 'Reliable, Predictable and Constructive' Way Forward with North Korea VOA 23 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Friday that Washington is waiting for North Korea's response to a proposal for resuming dialogue and looks forward to a "reliable, predictable and constructive way forward" with Pyongyang.
• Fifth Death Reported In Iran As Violent Protests Over Water Shortages Continue RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- One person was shot dead in Iran during the eighth consecutive night of protests over severe water shortages, bringing the death toll in the unrest to at least five.
• Prisoners of Conscience Stage Rare Protest in Myanmar's Insein Prison Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- Several political prisoners staged a rare protest at Myanmar's notorious Insein Prison on Friday demanding that authorities grant their freedom, days after the ruling military junta announced an emergency COVID-19 amnesty for inmates charged with all minor crimes except defamation.
• Myanmar's Junta Must be Made to 'Feel There is no Alternative But to Stand Down': UN Expert Radio Free Asia 23 Jul 2021 -- Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, recently warned that a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases during a third wave of the coronavirus coupled with the public mistrust of the junta following its Feb. 1 coup d'état had created "a perfect storm of factors that could cause a significant loss of life in Myanmar."
• Belarus Shuts Down More NGOs Amid Continued Crackdown RFE/RL 23 Jul 2021 -- Belarus has forced the closure of 15 more nongovernmental organizations as strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's crackdown against pro-democracy activists, the independent media, and civil rights groups continues to intensify.
• Lebanon: Public water system on the verge of collapse, UNICEF warns UN News 23 Jul 2021 -- The public water system in Lebanon is "on life support" and could collapse at any moment, putting 71 per cent of the population, or more than four million people, at immediate risk of losing access to safe supply, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, warned on Friday.