Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• U.S. Military Capabilities, Capacity, Alliance Network Made Kabul Evacuation Possible DoD News 07 Sep 2021 -- No other military in the world could do what the U.S. military accomplished in evacuating 124,000 people — Americans, Afghans and third country personnel — from Kabul, a senior defense official told reporters traveling with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
• Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken Hold Press Conference With Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani DoD 07 Sep 2021
• Austin, Blinken Thank Qatari People for Support in Afghan Evacuation DoD News 07 Sep 2021 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Qatari leaders today to thank them for their help in evacuating Afghans from Kabul, saying ''at a critical and historic moment Qatar went above and beyond, and your generosity helped to save thousands of lives.''
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks Before Meeting with Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, Roya Mahboob, CEO and President of Digital Citizen Fund, and Afghan Girls Robotics Team US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Secretary Lloyd J. Austin at Top of Meeting with Afghan Interpreters US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Secretary Lloyd J. Austin at Meet and Greet with U.S. Military and Interagency Team US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah at a Joint Press Availability US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with the United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 07 Sep 2021
• Increased COVID Restrictions on the Pentagon Reservation DoD 07 Sep 2021 -- Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and positive test cases in the National Capital Region, the Pentagon Reservation will move to Health Protection Condition Bravo Plus (Bravo+) effective 5 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.
• 3rd MAW procures Marine Corps' first MQ-9A "Reaper" USMC News 07 Sep 2021 -- Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, procured the Marine Corps' first MQ-9A "Reaper" remotely piloted aircraft after transitioning from contractor owned, contractor operated to government owned, contractor operated at Marine Corps Aircraft Station Yuma, Arizona, August 30, 2021.
• Memorandum on the Continuation of the Exercise of Certain Authorities Under the Trading With the Enemy Act The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Memorandum on the Delegation of Authorities Under Sections 552(c)(2) and 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Beijing concerned about NATO's 'China nuclear threat theory' Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- China has expressed concern about NATO's assertions about an alleged nuclear threat from Beijing, stressing that the country is not involved in any arms race and its nuclear activities are for national security purposes.
• Iran able to be present with authority in all waters around the world: Navy Commander ISNA 07 Sep 2021 -- Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani stressed that Iran is able to be present with authority in all waters around the world whenever the order is issued.
• Iran can have powerful naval presence anywhere across intl. waters: Cmdr. Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Following a successful naval mission in the high seas, Iran's Navy commander says the country's maritime strength and reach has grown to such a level that its naval forces can now sail to any point across international waters.
• South Korea successfully test-fires homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile: Report Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- South Korea has reportedly carried out a successful test of a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile, becoming the world's eighth country to have developed SLBM technology and the first without nuclear weapons to do so.
• European Leaders Mull Strategic Autonomy but Doubts Persist VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- Four years ago, newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron called for Europe to build "the capacity to act autonomously" in security matters so that the continent would be less dependent on the United States and could decide to act without U.S. backing.
• INS TABAR CONDUCTS MARITIME PARTNERSHIP EXERCISE WITH EGYPTIAN NAVY India PIB 07 Sep 2021 -- On leaving the port of Alexandria on 05 September 21, INS Tabar undertook a maritime partnership exercise with ENS Alexandria, a frontline frigate of the Egyptian Navy, in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Russia-Led CSTO Starts Military Drills In Kyrgyzstan Due To Situation In Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has started three days of military exercises in Kyrgyzstan it says are needed in response to the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.
• Remarks by President Biden Before Marine One Departure The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Remarks by President Biden After Marine One Arrival The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki En Route Queens, New York The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Israeli Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Lapid US Dept. of State 07 Sep 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Sept. 7, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 7 September 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Sep 2021
• Taliban Name Caretaker Afghan Government VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban announced Tuesday a "caretaker" Islamic government in Afghanistan, saying it will be headed by Mullah Hasan Akhund, a close associate of the Islamist movement's late founder Mullah Omar.
• Taliban announce caretaker government in Afghanistan Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban have announced the formation of a caretaker government in Afghanistan, three weeks after their takeover and a power vacuum in the war-ravaged country.
• Who Is Mawlawi Akhundzada, The Taliban's 'Supreme Leader' Of Afghanistan? RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- The Afghan Taliban has named a reclusive, hard-line Sunni cleric as its supreme leader in a still-unrecognized governing structure weeks after a dramatic takeover in which the militants seized most of Afghanistan even before the final withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces.
• Leader Of Taliban's New Afghan Regime Says Shari'a Law Will Govern All Aspects Of Life RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban has named its reclusive leader Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as a supreme leader and a founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, to lead a new Afghan regime as the radical fundamentalist group seeks to establish its rule after the UN-backed government collapsed in mid-August.
• Key Figures In The Taliban's New Theocratic Government RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban has formed a new, theocratic government in Afghanistan, weeks after the August 15 collapse of the internationally recognized administration in Kabul and within days of international troops' departure.
• Taliban announce caretaker government in Afghanistan Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban have announced the formation of a caretaker government in Afghanistan, three weeks after their takeover and a power vacuum in the war-ravaged country.
• Hundreds in Kabul Protest Taliban Rule VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- Hundreds of protesters, including dozens of women, were in the streets Tuesday in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, chanting anti-Taliban slogans as they protested Taliban rule of the country and what they say is Pakistan's involvement.
• Warning Shots Fired At Kabul Protest; U.S. Working With Taliban On Flights RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- Taliban militants have fired shots into the air to disperse a rally in Kabul after the militant group swept to power last month, as the United States sought to reassure it was working so that flights chartered by NGOs that are waiting to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans can leave the war-torn country safely.
• Taliban fire gunshots to disperse protest outside Pakistan embassy in Kabul Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- The Taliban forces have fired shots into the air to disperse protesters gathered for a rally outside the Pakistan embassy in the capital Kabul.
• Blinken to Testify About US Withdrawal From Afghanistan VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to testify next week before a congressional panel examining the country's chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of its two-decade war, the longest in U.S. history.
• Blinken Says Taliban Reminded of Pledge to Allow People to Leave Afghanistan VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the Taliban had been reminded in recent hours that the international community is holding the group to its commitment to let anyone with valid travel papers leave Afghanistan if they choose.
• Taliban not blocking departure for Americans and visa holders: Blinken Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has voiced assurance that the Taliban in Afghanistan were not blocking those who had valid travel documents from leaving the country.
• UN appeals for $600m in donations for Afghanistan aid Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- The United Nations (UN) has called for more than 600 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan while raising the alarm about the collapse of basic services in the war-ravaged country.
• FAO: Afghanistan Faces Looming Hunger Catastrophe VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warns millions of Afghans are at risk of starving if farmers do not receive the seeds they need to plant their winter wheat crop before the end of the month.
• UN warns of 'urgent imperative' to avoid acute Afghan food insecurity UN News 07 Sep 2021 -- With food aid running out, Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services, said UN agencies on Tuesday, releasing a flash appeal for more than $600 million to support around 11 million across the crisis-wracked country to the end of the year.
• Security Council must not fail women, girls of Afghanistan, Elders warn UN News 07 Sep 2021 -- The Security Council cannot fail the women and girls of Afghanistan, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson warned on Tuesday, as she reminded its 15 members of the relentless work carried out over nearly 20 years to secure their rights through constitutional, legislative and policy changes.
• Report Shows Scores Of Afghan Students, Teachers Killed In Attacks In First Half Of 2021 RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- A coalition of UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations says explosive weapons were used to attack about 40 schools in Afghanistan during the first half of this year alone, killing or wounding 185 students and teachers.
• Hundreds, Including Americans, Stranded In Northern Afghanistan As Taliban Blocks NGO Flights RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- Several American citizens and hundreds of others, including children, have reportedly been prevented for days from flying out of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif on planes chartered by several U.S. non-governmental organizations.
• Spy Chief's Visit With Taliban Underscores Pakistan's Victory In Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- The powerful head of Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency appeared relaxed in his brown chinos and blue blazer as the media gathered after he arrived at Kabul's five-star Sarena Hotel.
• China Prepares For A New Era In South Asia After Taliban Takeover RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- Less than a week after the Taliban took Kabul and toppled the government in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacked a Chinese transport in the Pakistani port city of Gwadar.
• Archive Find Could Hurt China's 'Historic' Claim to Paracel Islands Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- A rare find in the British National Archives may provide another piece of evidence discrediting China's claim of historic rights to the disputed Paracel archipelago in the South China Sea.
• Yemen: UN agency helping stranded migrants to return home UN News 07 Sep 2021 -- Amid intensifying conflict in Yemen, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is helping nearly 5,000 Ethiopian migrants stranded in the country to return home, the UN agency reported on Tuesday.
• Syria rejects Cavusoglu's claim about talks with Turkey on security issues Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Syria has dismissed the Turkish foreign minister's comments about communications with the Damascus government on security issues, calling Ankara the "main sponsor" of terror groups wreaking havoc on the neighboring Arab country.
• Russian, Syrian helicopter pilots hold first-ever joint drills in Syrian Desert Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Russian and Syrian helicopter pilots have been holding their first-ever joint drills in Syria's southeastern desert.
• Over 400 militants lay down arms in Dara'a after truce deal with Syrian army: Military source Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- More than 400 militants holed up in Syria's southwestern province of Dara'a have agreed to lay down their arms and renounce violence following breaches of a truce agreement they reached with the national army last month.
• Eight More Tibetans are Arrested in Sichuan Over Dalai Lama Photos, Language Rights Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Police in western China's Sichuan province arrested eight more residents of a Tibetan township in Kardze prefecture this month, taking into custody six monks and two laywomen amid a crackdown by authorities on language rights and possession of banned images of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, sources said.
• Russia says Ukrainian intelligence, outlawed group behind recent Crimea gas pipeline blast Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Russia's security service says Ukrainian military intelligence and an outlawed representative body of the Crimean Tatars orchestrated an attack on a gas pipeline in Crimea last month.
• Russian Intelligence Accuses Crimean Tatars Of Pipeline Sabotage After Kyiv Riposte RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- Russia's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Bureau (FSB), has accused five detained Crimean Tatar activists of sabotaging a gas pipeline one day after Ukraine dismissed the charges as fabricated.
• 'Unprecedented funding gap' for 7 million facing hunger in Ethiopia: WFP UN News 07 Sep 2021 -- The World Food Programme (WFP) is facing an unprecedented funding gap of $426 million for its operation in Ethiopia, as the UN agency ramps up delivery to meet the needs of up to 12 million people this year.
• Millions Face Hunger Crisis as Conflict Engulfs Northern Ethiopia VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- The World Food Program warns that emergency food needs in northern Ethiopia are increasing, as conflict spills beyond the embattled Tigray region into neighboring Afar and Amhara provinces.

News Reports

• Pre-trial Hearings to Resume for 5 Charged in September 11 Attacks VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- The U.S. prosecution of five people accused of planning and aiding the September 11, 2001, terror attacks resumes with pre-trial motions Tuesday after a break of a year and a half due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Court Proceedings For 9/11 Defendants Restart Days Ahead Of Anniversary Of Attacks RFE/RL Gandhara 07 Sep 2021 -- Pretrial hearings for Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four other defendants are set to resume on September 7 at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Remarks by President Biden in Briefing on the Impact of Hurricane Ida in Hillsborough Township, NJ The White House 07 Sep 2021
• Paris Braces for Trial of 2015 Terror Attackers VOA 07 Sep 2021 -- Twenty people linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in France are going on trial in Paris Wednesday in proceedings expected to last nine months.
• Russian Authorities Block Final Access Point To Navalny's 'Smart Voting' Website RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has blocked the last remaining portal open to the Smart Voting website developed by jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team to support candidates in the upcoming elections to defeat Kremlin-linked figures and candidates for the ruling United Russia party.
• Russian Elections Snapshot: Navalny's 'Smart Voting' Project Is Being Cloned RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- In September 2019, with a slew of opposition politicians barred from elections to the Moscow city council, Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny and his supporters mounted a campaign to break the monopoly of ruling party United Russia.
• New FBI Documents Shed Light On Probe Into Russian Activist's Near-Fatal Illnesses RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- Newly released, previously classified documents from the U.S. Justice Department shed further light on how FBI agents and U.S. government scientists rushed, and struggled, to pinpoint the cause of the two mysterious illnesses that nearly killed Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
• As Elections Loom, Russia's Beleaguered Opposition Banks On Little More Than A Chance To Air Its Grievances RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- Politician Andrei Pivovarov stands for hours on end inside his campaign headquarters, hands on hips and one eyebrow raised as if in a perpetual state of surprise at the authorities' decision to register his candidacy in an election he considers rigged.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on September 7, 2021 PRC MofA 07 Sep 2021
• 211 HK District Councilors to take oaths of allegiance in batches Global Times 07 Sep 2021 -- Incumbent District Councilors in Hong Kong will be sworn in in four batches, and the first oath-taking ceremony will be held on Hong Kong Island on Friday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday.
• HK Security Bureau criticizes resigned board members of Next Digital for smearing national security law Global Times 07 Sep 2021 -- The Security Bureau of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region criticized Next Digital, a media company founded and run by separatist Jimmy Lai, for smearing the national security law for Hong Kong, after the company announced on Sunday that all its board members have resigned and blamed the law enforcement authorities for the "forced" decision.
• China's Top Universities Get Poor Grades For Party Propaganda Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Political inspectors sent into universities by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have said most higher education institutions aren't doing enough to promote the party's ideology on campus.
• Celebrities Vow to Give up Foreign Passports to Remain in China Market Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Two artists who have a huge following in China have announced they will give up their existing nationalities in order to be Chinese citizens, amid a widening purge on celebrity culture by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
• North Korea Orders Factories and Firms to Provide Farm Equipment for Harvest Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- North Korea is forcing local organizations and companies to dip into their own coffers to provide equipment and supplies for cooperative farms ahead of harvest season amid projected grain shortfalls, local officials told RFA.
• IAEA Says Iran Blocking Access To Nuclear Sites, Still Boosting Enrichment RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is blocking access to some of its nuclear sites and continues to boost its stocks of uranium enriched above the percentage allowed in its hobbled 2015 deal with world powers.
• Gharibabadi urges IAEA to practice neutrality, professionalism IRNA 07 Sep 2021 -- Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Vienna-based International Organizations Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has to maintain its neutrality and professionalism.
• FM: Washington not defendant but criminal in breaching JCPOA IRNA 07 Sep 2021 -- Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian emphasized that it was the Americans who inflicted the major damage to Iran nuclear deal, so they are the criminals in that respect, not merely the defendants.
• Myanmar's Shadow Government Issues State of Emergency, Declares War on Junta Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG) on Tuesday declared a nationwide state of emergency and called for open rebellion against junta rule, prompting an escalation of attacks on military targets by various allied pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed groups.
• Myanmar Junta Forces Desecrate Churches and Destroy Refugee Food Stocks Radio Free Asia 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar junta forces have occupied churches and destroyed stocks of food aid for refugees during clashes with ethnic armed forces and militias that oppose the Feb. 1 military takeover, local officials told RFA.
• Myanmar shadow government urges people to revolt against junta Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's shadow authority has called for an uprising against the ruling junta that seized power following a February coup, calling it 'a defensive war'.
• UN Rapporteur Says Belarusian Repression Now Worse Than 'Catastrophic' RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- UN special rapporteur Anais Marin has cited "terrible repression" and says the crackdown in Belarus on the country's human rights groups has hindered international monitoring of abuses there.
• Czechs Pledge $600,000 To Lithuania To Shore Up Border With Belarus RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- The Czech Republic has pledged 530,000 euros ($630,000) to Lithuania to help secure its border with Belarus amid accusations that Minsk is intentionally sending thousands of migrants into the Baltic state.
• G7 ambassadors demand swift return to constitutional order in Tunisia Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- Political instability lingers in Tunisia six weeks after President Kais Saied seized governing powers in a move denounced by his opponents as a coup. Amidst external pressure being heaped on the North African country to return to constitutional order, G7 representatives in Tunisia have now urged the president to end the stalemate by appointing a new prime minister.
• Mexico talks: Venezuela govt., opposition agree on pandemic response, disputed area Press TV 07 Sep 2021 -- The Venezuelan government has signed partial agreements with opposition representatives during talks in Mexico, in a move praised by President Nicolas Maduro as "a success for Venezuelans," after years of political crisis in the Latin American country.
• Saudi King Dismisses Public Security Chief on Corruption Charges - Reports Sputnik 07 Sep 2021 -- Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud dismissed Public Security Director Khalid bin Qaraar Al-Harbi on Tuesday, referring him to investigation on charges of embezzlement of public funds, the state SPA news agency reported.
• Junior Party Quits Romanian Government, Setting Up No-Confidence Vote RFE/RL 07 Sep 2021 -- All six ministers from a junior grouping in Romania's ruling coalition have resigned to clear the way for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Florin Citu's centrist government.