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News Reports

Current Operations

• 'Hubris' and 'Mendacity': US Watchdog Unloads on US Efforts in Afghanistan VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- Current and future attempts by the United States to use its military might abroad could very well meet the same fate as the country's nearly two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, a U.S. government watchdog warned, citing the repeated failure of top officials to learn from their mistakes.
• U.S. Watchdog Says Taliban Advance Poses 'Existential Crisis' For Afghan Government RFE/RL Gandhara 29 Jul 2021 -- The Taliban's all-out offensive across Afghanistan increasingly poses an "existential crisis" for the government in Kabul amid the accelerated withdrawal of U.S. forces scheduled to be completed by the end of next month, a watchdog report said on July 29.
• Death And Double Taxation In A Contested Afghan Province RFE/RL Gandhara 29 Jul 2021 -- What the future may hold for Afghans is becoming clearer in one Afghan province where traders are required to pay taxes to both the Afghan government and the Taliban as civilians scramble for protection amid escalating violence.
• Taliban Unlikely to Gain Full Control of Afghanistan, Russian Envoy Says Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- The scenario of the Taliban (designated a terrorist group and banned in Russia) taking full control of Afghanistan is highly unlikely, Russia's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on Thursday.
• Afghan Government Facing 'Existential Crisis' VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- The Afghan government in Kabul will be fighting for its life and could well fall to the Taliban after the United States completes its military withdrawal from the country in August, according to a U.S. government watchdog charged with monitoring events on the ground.
• Ankara Says Turkish Troops Stationed in Afghanistan Will Not Engage in Combat Duty Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- The Turkish contingent in Afghanistan will not assume any combat duty other than self-defense, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Pinar Kara said on Thursday.
• Turkey Faces Dilemma as Afghan Refugees Start Arriving VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- With the Taliban continuing to make advances in Afghanistan, growing numbers of Afghan refugees are starting to arrive in Turkey. With Turkey already hosting millions of refugees, the government's refugee policy is facing growing scrutiny.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement by Jamal Brown, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, on COVID-19 Vaccinations DoD 29 Jul 2021 -- "The Department of Defense is moving quickly to meet President Biden's commitment to defeat COVID-19, and that includes being able to ensure every member of our civilian and military workforce is protected."
• US, Israel conclude Juniper Falcon 21-2 US Air Force 29 Jul 2021 -- In support of long-standing, bilateral agreements, military members from the U.S. European Command and the Israel Defense Forces held exercise Juniper Falcon 21-2 at various locations in Israel, July 23-28.
• Navy Conducts First MQ-4C Triton Test Flight with Multi-Intelligence Upgrade US Navy 29 Jul 2021 -- The Navy conducted its first test flight of the MQ-4C Triton in its upgraded hardware and software configuration July 29 at NAS Patuxent River, beginning the next phase of the unmanned aircraft's development.
• DOD Awards $64.6 Million Contract to SiO2 Medical Products to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of Pharmaceutical Vials DoD 29 Jul 2021 -- On July 26, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $64.6 million contract modification to SiO2 Medical Products to increase domestic production of pharmaceutical vials made of hybrid, glass-equivalent materials.
• US Defense Secretary Austin Meets in Hanoi With Vietnamese Officials Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on Thursday for talks on strengthening security in the South China Sea, where China has encroached on territorial waters and maritime resources claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries in the region.
• KC-10 flexes to move mission forward CENTCOM 29 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender aircraft, typically used in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for aerial refueling missions, recently flexed to streamline a major movement of cargo, personnel and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft across the theater.
• Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby Holds an Off-Camera Press Briefing en Route to Philippines DoD 29 Jul 2021
• U.S., Vietnam Discuss COVID-19 Aid, New Program to Find War Dead DoD News 29 Jul 2021 -- Two important partnership initiatives between the United States and Vietnam will continue as both countries look for ways to help Vietnam combat COVID-19 and as both countries step up the Vietnam War-era personnel accounting program, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III during meetings with Vietnamese officials today.
• DOD Promotes Additive Manufacturing Expansion, Standardization, Training Through New Policies, Collaboration DoD News 29 Jul 2021 -- Through new strategies, policies and inter-departmental collaboration, the Defense Department is harnessing the potential of additive manufacturing — better known as three-dimensional printing — to help our warfighters maintain technological overmatch against our strategic competitors.
• Pentagon's Use of Private Security Contractors Requires Better Oversight - GAO Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- The US Department of Defense using private security contractors requires better oversight to ensure they operate within international law, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Thursday.
• U.S. Naval Forces Provide Emergency Assistance to Distressed Mariners in the Arabian Gulf US Navy 29 Jul 2021 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) provided emergency assistance to an Indian-flagged merchant vessel in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf, Jul. 27.
• US trying to take root in Central Asia after Afghanistan fiasco: Russia Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- Russia has denounced the United States' ongoing talks with Afghanistan's neighboring countries to create military bases as well as centers for refugees, saying Washington is seeking to take root in Central Asia following its withdrawal from the war-ravaged country, where it has faced a complete failure.
• Russia to join military drill in China, 'displays mutual trust, eyes Central Asian security' Global Times 29 Jul 2021 -- Russia is set to join a military exercise in Northwest China with the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability in August. It will be the first joint drill to be held in China since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, displaying a high level of mutual trust between the two militaries while also eyeing security and stability in Central Asia as the US irresponsibly withdraws troops from Afghanistan, experts said.
• Russian Su-25 Aircraft Deployed to Tajikistan for Exercises Near Afghan Border Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- Russian Su-25 aircraft have been deployed from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan to participate in military drills near the border with Afghanistan, Russia's Central Military District said on Thursday.
• Russia, US hold 'substantive' nuclear talks after Putin-Biden summit in June Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- Senior Russian and American officials have restarted talks on nuclear arms control and other strategic issues in an attempt to normalize fraught bilateral relations between the world's largest nuclear weapons powers with a focus on risk reduction.
• Russia Wants Britain, France To Join Wider Nuclear Talks With U.S. RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- Russia says it wants Britain and France to become part of wider nuclear arms control talks with the United States as Washington continues to seek China's inclusion in the negotiations.
• Chinese defense minister vows no concession in protecting national interests People's Daily 29 Jul 2021 -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe said here on Wednesday that China will never make concessions in safeguarding its core national interests.
• US the biggest threat to global network security: Defense Spokesperson PLA Daily 29 Jul 2021 -- "The US is the biggest threat to global network security," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a regular press conference of the MND on July 29.
• US should stop distorting facts for selfish purposes: Defense Spokesperson PLA Daily 29 Jul 2021 -- "Speak the truth, and stop the lies," said Senior colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, at a regular press conference on Thursday when responding to a recent US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report claiming that the Chinese Navy posed a major challenge to the US Navy, the first of its kind since the end of the Cold War.
• INS Talwar in exercise Cutlass Express-21 conduct of VBSS training by Indian Navy India PIB 29 Jul 2021 -- Indian Naval Ship Talwar is participating in the multi-national maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2021 (CE 21), being conducted from 26 Jul to 06 Aug 21 in Kenya.
• £250 million contract for next phase for Future Combat Air System UK MOD 29 Jul 2021 -- The new contract will drive forward the concept and assessment phase of the Future Combat Air System.
• Defense ministers of SCO member states commence meeting in Tajikistan PLA Daily 29 Jul 2021 -- The 18th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defense of SCO Member States was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on July 28. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe led a delegation to attend and addressed the meeting.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Spanish Foreign Minister Albares US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Mexican Foreign Secretary Ebrard US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah At a Joint Press Availability US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021
• Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya, Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle Ricardo Zuniga, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Deputy Assistant Secretary Marta Youth, and Senior Advisor to the USAID Administrator and Executive Director of the USAID Northern Triangle Task Force Michael Camilleri On the Collaborative Migration Management Strategy and Root Causes Strategy Toward Migration US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021
• Remarks by Vice President Harris Before Air Force Two Departure The White House 29 Jul 2021
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, July 29, 2021 The White House 29 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 29, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 29 July 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Jul 2021
• Many Hurdles on the Way to Accountability for Rohingya and Uyghur Atrocities, Experts Tell US Hearing Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- Holding perpetrators of genocide in China, Myanmar, and elsewhere accountable for atrocities is a worldwide goal but there are many obstacles to seeking justice through courts, panelists told a Washington hearing this week.
• Yemen: New World Bank funds offer lifeline to most vulnerable UN News 29 Jul 2021 -- Three UN agencies on Thursday welcomed $127 million in new funding from the World Bank to provide lifesaving support to some of the country's most hard hit rural families, struggling under the impact of multiple crises.
• Foreign-backed militants launch new attack on Syrian positions in Dara'a Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- At least eight anti-terror fighters have been killed in fierce fighting with Takfiri militants in Syria's southern province of Dara'a, a UK-based monitoring group says.
• Syrian Military Launches Operation Against Remaining Terrorists in Daraa - Source Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- The Syrian armed forces launched an operation to neutralize terrorist groups refusing to lay down arms in the southern city of Daraa on Thursday morning, a Syrian military field source told Sputnik.
• Pashinian Wants Russian Border Posts Along Armenian-Azerbaijani Border To Secure Safe Demarcation RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has suggested that Russian border posts be placed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to secure its safe demarcation as simmering tensions between the two South Caucasus nations threaten to boil over again.
• Pashinyan Proposes Deploying CSTO Monitoring Mission on Border With Azerbaijan Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday proposed deploying a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) monitoring mission on the border with Azerbaijan amid a recent surge in tensions.
• Heavy rains displace thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- Torrential monsoon rains have ruined the sprawling camps of Rohingya Muslim refugees in southern Bangladesh, turning settlements into fast-flowing rivers overnight and leaving thousands of refugees without a shelter.
• Combating the risk of arms proliferation and ensuring a pathway to peace in Central African Republic UK FCDO 29 Jul 2021 -- Explanation of vote by Alice Jacobs, UK Deputy Political Coordinator at the UN, following the Security Council adoption on CAR sanctions renewal
• Top UN Humanitarian Official Visits Ethiopia VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- The top United Nations humanitarian official began his first official visit to Ethiopia Thursday amid a humanitarian crisis resulting from conflicts and natural disasters in the region.
• Hamas: Israel must be held accountable at ICC for its crimes against Palestinians Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas has stressed the need to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against Palestinians and to prosecute the occupying regime's leaders at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the fatal shooting of a teenager in the occupied West Bank.

News Reports

• Name And Shame: U.S. Lawmakers Want To Publicly List Banned Foreign Officials, Tycoons RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- Early in 2018, when Ukrainian media reported that Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko had been denied entry into the United States, the nation's top lawman rushed to deny the story.
• Moscow Court Fines Google For Refusal To Place Its Users' Data In Russia RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- A court in Moscow has fined Google 3 million rubles ($40,750) for the U.S. technology giant's refusal to localize the personal data of its users in Russia.
• Last Member Of Group That Organized 1991 Coup Attempt In Moscow Dies RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- The last living member of the so-called Gang of Eight that tried to take over the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 has died at the age of 89.
• Russian Module's Engines Fire Unexpectedly After Docking With ISS RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- A Russian space-laboratory module unexpectedly fired its engines on July 29 after successfully docking with the International Space Station (ISS), changing the position of the ISS until another set of thrusters could be fired.
• New Russian ISS Module Nauka Successfully Docked to Station Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- Russian multifunctional laboratory module (MLM) Nauka docked to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, after 14 years of waiting on the Earth and eight days of orbital flight, according to the docking broadcast, which is being conducted by Roscosmos.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 29, 2021 PRC MofA 29 Jul 2021
• Harassment of Foreign Journalists in the People's Republic of China US Dept. of State 29 Jul 2021 -- The United States is deeply concerned with the increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of U.S. and other foreign journalists in the People's Republic of China (PRC), including foreign journalists covering the devastation and loss of life caused by recent floods in Henan. The U.S. government reiterates the condolences of the American people to all those affected.
• China says US 'empire of theft of secrets', poses 'biggest threat to global cybersecurity' Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- China has branded the US as the "biggest threat to global cybersecurity," more than a week after Washington publicly accused Beijing of an attack on Microsoft's Exchange email server software that compromised tens of thousands of computers worldwide.
• Hong Kong Police Confiscate Passport of Journalist Who Filmed Police Stabbing Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- National security police in Hong Kong have confiscated the passport of a journalist who livestreamed the stabbing of a police officer outside the Sogo department store on July 1, the Standard news website reported Thursday.
• Prominent Radio Talk Show Host Stands Trial in Hong Kong For 'Sedition' Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- A prominent political activist and radio show host stood trial in Hong Kong on Thursday under colonial-era sedition laws, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.
• US Lawmakers Form Uyghur Caucus to Address Rights Abuses in China's Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- Lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives formed a Uyghur Caucus on Thursday to highlight the Chinese Communist Party's abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
• Mainland vows to keep eye on, punish elements seeking "Taiwan independence" People's Daily 29 Jul 2021 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday said the mainland will keep an eye on the moves of those elements seeking "Taiwan independence" on the island and punish them in accordance with the law.
• US warships' Taiwan Straits transit, S.China Sea drill futile to contain China: observers Global Times 29 Jul 2021 -- A series of provocative moves by the US including sending a warship through the Taiwan Straits and holding a separate exercise in the South China Sea on Wednesday amid US officials' tours to Asia are an attempt to contain China not only politically but also militarily, but the tactic won't succeed because the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds unrivaled advantages on its doorsteps, Chinese analysts said on Thursday.
• PLA monitors US warship movement in Taiwan Straits, ready against provocations Global Times 29 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command monitored a US warship when it sailed through the Taiwan Straits in yet another provocative move on Wednesday, the command's spokesperson revealed on Thursday.
• U.S. Navy ship sails through Taiwan Strait, 7th time under Biden CNA 29 Jul 2021 -- A U.S. Navy destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the seventh time a U.S. battleship has navigated the waterway separating Taiwan and China since U.S. President Joe Biden assumed office in January.
• Seoul Reportedly Plans to Use Restored Hotline to Open Online Dialogue With Pyongyang Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- Seoul is planning to use the restored communication line with Pyongyang to organize virtual inter-Korean dialogue during the global pandemic, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing a unification ministry official.
• Tehran Has to Make Decisions on JCPOA, 'Ball Remains in Iran's Court', Blinken Says Sputnik 29 Jul 2021 -- Tehran has to make the next decisions on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the "ball remains in Iran's court", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
• Blinken: Talks About Return to Iran Nuclear Deal 'Will Not Go On Indefinitely' VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the negotiations on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran "cannot and will not go on indefinitely," signaling it's up to Tehran to move forward soon on the issue.
• Junta Troops Arrest Dozens of PDF Militiamen in Myanmar's Sagaing Region Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- Troops loyal to Myanmar's junta arrested nearly 60 members of the People's Defense Force (PDF) militia in Sagaing region's embattled Mingin township on Wednesday with the help of a paramilitary group, prompting thousands of villagers to flee their homes for safety, according to sources.
• Belarus's Beleaguered Opposition Seeks U.S. Support. What Are The Options? RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya made clear that she saw her meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on July 28 as crucially important, thanking him for a "powerful sign of solidarity with millions of fearless Belarusians who are peacefully fighting for their freedom."
• Haiti PM vows to hold elections 'as quickly as possible' Press TV 29 Jul 2021 -- Haiti's newly-appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry says his government plans to establish conditions for holding long-delayed elections as soon as possible, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month, which threw the already-troubled Caribbean nation into further political chaos.
• Cambodia Jails Opposition Figure as US Congress Takes Step Toward Sanctions Radio Free Asia 29 Jul 2021 -- A Cambodian court has convicted a former commune councilor from the outlawed main opposition party of "incitement to commit a felony" for participating in weekly protests demanding the release of other arrested opposition party members, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, his lawyer said.
• Kyrgyz Lawmakers Approve Controversial Bill That Opponents Say Will Stifle Free Speech RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- Kyrgyz lawmakers have approved a controversial bill that they say is aimed at stopping the spread of fake news online, but which civil rights defenders and opposition activists fear is an attempt to stifle free speech.
• Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania Push Forward On 'Open Balkans' Initiative RFE/RL 29 Jul 2021 -- The leaders of Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania have moved forward on a regional border-control initiative -- changing the name of the project from Little Schengen to Open Balkans.
• North Macedonia Sentences Former Officials in Parliament Attack VOA 29 Jul 2021 -- As the U.S. Congress and criminal justice system pursue accountability for those involved in the January insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, a court in North Macedonia has sentenced several former officials for their roles in a 2017 assault on the parliament in Skopje.