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Defense Policy / Programs

• Ramstein Air Base: Setting Up an Instant City for Afghan Evacuees DoD News 11 Sep 2021 -- Young Abdul was teething and letting his grandfather know that he wanted attention.
• US Inexplicably Pulls Patriot Missiles Out of Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Missile and Drone Attacks Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- The Gulf sheikdom has spent years facing a stream of missile and drone attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthi militia, with the militants beginning the strikes in the aftermath of the Saudi-led coalition's incursion into the southern Gulf state in March 2015 to try to restore its ousted government.
• AP: US removes missile systems in Saudi Arabia amid Yemeni strikes Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- The United States has removed its most advanced missile system and Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, the Associated Press reports, even as the kingdom faces retaliatory missile and drone strikes from Yemen.
• US May Include Israel and Gulf State Allies in Its New Drone-based Task Force, Iranian Media Says Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- On Wednesday, the US Navy's 5th Fleet unveiled plans to create a new task force headquartered in Bahrain. The force expected to be equipped with the latest US airborne, waterborne and underwater military drone technology.
• U.S. Reportedly Reaches Agreement With Uzbekistan On Transfer Of Afghan Pilots RFE/RL Gandhara 11 Sep 2021 -- The Biden administration has reached an agreement with Uzbekistan to transfer a group of Afghan military pilots to a U.S. military base, a U.S. newspaper says.
• "We must continue to stand together" - Op-ed article by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg NATO 11 Sep 2021 -- Twenty years ago today, at 8.46am, American Airlines Flight 11 was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in the start of a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks. That morning, 2,977 innocent people died in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. On this twentieth anniversary, we remember and honour those who died and those whose lives were irrevocably changed on that bright September morning.
• Press Statement of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh after '2+2' Ministerial Dialogue between India & Australia India PIB 11 Sep 2021
• Leader commends return of Iran's naval group from major mission Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has congratulated the commander and service members of Iran's 75th naval group for accomplishing a historic mission through the Atlantic Ocean.
• Khamenei Lauds Iran's Naval Might as Mini-Armada That Terrorised US on High Seas Returns Home Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- Iran deployed a pair of warships on a 45,000 km journey spanning three oceans in May, with the trip including the Islamic Republic's first-ever deployment in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as a stopover in Russia to take part in a grand naval parade.
• Russia sends military equipment to Tajikistan citing 'growing instability' in region Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Russia has sent armored vehicles and military equipment to Tajikistan, Afghanistan's neighbor, against the backdrop of "growing instability" near the southern border, says the defense ministry.
• Russian MiG-31 Scrambled to Escort Norwegian Air Force Plane Over Barents Sea Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- On 11 September, Russian airspace control over the Barents Sea discoverd an air target approaching the Russian state border.
• Azerbaijan To Host Special Forces From Turkey, Pakistan In Drills RFE/RL 11 Sep 2021 -- Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has said that Baku will host joint military drills in the days ahead with troops from Turkey and Pakistan -- the first such drills involving the three countries.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• UN Chief Says Afghanistan Should Have Access To Funds To Avoid Economic Meltdown RFE/RL Gandhara 11 Sep 2021 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for an injection of cash into Afghanistan to avoid an economic meltdown that would play into the hands of terrorist groups.
• Not Keeping Its Word: Afghan Woman Quits Job After Pressure From Taliban RFE/RL Gandhara 11 Sep 2021 -- A young Afghan woman has quit her job at a private foreign-language center in Kabul after what she described as intimidation and harassment by Taliban fighters stationed outside her workplace.
• WFP: Afghans Resorting to Extreme Measures to Keep Hunger at Bay VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- The World Food Program warns acute hunger is deepening in Afghanistan and families are resorting to extreme measures to find something to eat and keep their children from starving.
• Would-be Foreign Fighters Dreaming of Afghanistan VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- Twenty years after the al-Qaida terror group based in Afghanistan launched the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the United States, there are indications a new generation of terrorists is looking to call the country home.
• Afghanistan, 20 Years After the September 11 Attacks VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- Twenty-four-year-old Tamana Zaryab Paryani is too young to remember the last Taliban rule, from 1996-2001, but she recalls the horror stories her mother told her.
• China, Vietnam should avoid expanding S.China Sea disputes, keep alert of external forces' attempts to sow discord: Wang Yi Global Times 11 Sep 2021 -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and Vietnam should avoid taking unilateral actions that would complicate the situation or expand the dispute in the South China Sea, and keep alert to external forces' interventions and attempts to sow discord between the two countries.
• China tells Vietnam to avoid magnifying South China Sea disputes Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- China has called on Vietnam to avoid unilateral measures in the disputed South China Sea region which might complicate the situation and magnify disputes.
• Yemeni forces liberate 1,200 km2 in Ma'rib in large-scale operation against Saudi-backed mercenaries Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Yemeni forces have succeeded in liberating an area of 1,200 square kilometers in their latest advances against the Saudi-led war coalition's mercenaries in the country's oil-rich province of Ma'rib, according to the country's armed forces.
• Ukraine's Zelensky says all-out war with Russia is possible Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says an all-out war with neighboring Russia is a "possibility" as he complained about Kiev not being allowed to join the US-led NATO military alliance.
• Hamas Warns of Escalation of Confrontation With Israel After Escaped Prisoners Recaptured Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- Palestinians across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza held a 'day of rage' on Friday in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails, in the aftermath of the escape of six inmates from Gilboa, a high-security prison in Israel's north. The Israeli military struck targets in Gaza early Saturday following an alleged militant rocket attack.
• UNHCR: Cameroon Refugee Needs Increasing, Means Limited VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says Cameroon continues to be one of the world's most neglected displacement crises, with refugee needs increasing far more quickly than are available resources. The central African country is home to about 500,000 refugees, most of them having fled the troubled Central African Republic and Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria.

News Reports

• Remarks by President Biden After Visiting with Firefighters and Their Families on the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks The White House 11 Sep 2021
• 20th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Attacks US Dept. of State 11 Sep 2021 -- Press Statement by Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
• Austin, Milley Call on Americans to Remember, Honor 9/11 Victims DoD News 11 Sep 2021 -- Americans must remember what happened on this date 20 years ago and rededicate themselves to defending the idea of America, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said at a Pentagon ceremony honoring those killed in the terror attack on the Pentagon.
• Biden Calls Unity America's Greatest Strength on 9/11 20th Anniversary DoD News 11 Sep 2021 -- Unity in America is the nation's greatest strength – reflected by a coming-together of U.S. citizens in the days and months that followed the greatest attack on U.S. soil by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, twenty years ago, President Joe Biden said.
• Nation Remembers Courage of Heroes Killed on Flight 93 on 9/11 DoD News 11 Sep 2021 -- Sailors of the amphibious transport dock (LPD) USS Arlington, LPD USS New York, and LPD USS Somerset, as well as others, attended an observance today at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for the heroes of United Flight 93, which crashed at 10:03 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001.
• Justice Department Participates Virtually at G7 Meeting with Security Ministers US Dept. of Justice 11 Sep 2021 -- On Sept. 8-9, 2021, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco met remotely with G7 and EU Security Ministers, along with the Secretary General of INTERPOL, to discuss responding to the rapidly evolving events in Afghanistan, as well as countering racially and ethnically motivated extremism. They were joined by Deputy Secretary John Tien of the Department of Homeland Security, who attended the London meeting in person. The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security joined in a series of G7 ministerial commitments on emerging security risks and transnational crime issues. The Ministers committed to work together on:
• Australia helped CIA in toppling Chile's Allende, records show Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Australian government documents have revealed that the country assisted the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in launching a coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende.
• Russia Ratchets Up Preelection Pressure Against Western Tech Giants RFE/RL 11 Sep 2021 -- In the run-up to the September 17-19 national legislative elections, Russia has purged the field of almost all genuine opposition politicians and implemented multiple legal amendments that critics say could facilitate fraud.
• Naftogaz Ukraine CEO Believes US Sanctions Can Still Block Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Sputnik 11 Sep 2021 -- The United States can still block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should Washington impose sanctions against the firms involved in the Russian gas project, Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of the state-owned energy company Naftogaz Ukraine, said on Saturday.
• China slams Australia's 'China threat' rhetoric Global Times 11 Sep 2021 -- The blatant hyping of the "China threat theory" and baseless accusations of China fully exposes some Australian officials' cold war mentality and ideological bias, which go against the global trend of peace and undermine regional stability as well the interests of Australia, Wu Qian, the spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Friday.
• China strongly opposes Australian defense chief's negative remarks about China PLA Daily 11 Sep 2021 -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the remarks by an official of the Australian Department of Defense publicly hyping up "China threat theory" and making groundless accusations toward China, which is extremely dangerous and irresponsible, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday when asked by the press to give his comment on the recent China-related negative remarks made by Australia's Defense Minister Peter Dutton.
• Xi, Merkel talk over phone on ties, multilateral cooperation People's Daily 11 Sep 2021 -- The China-Germany relationship will continue to make new progress, as long as both sides hold on to consolidating and deepening mutual trust, treating each other as equals and focusing on cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday in a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Xi puts forward new proposals for deepening BRICS cooperation People's Daily 11 Sep 2021 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has been calling for closer BRICS cooperation in response to the changing international landscape.
• Why China Would Give More Aid, Investment to Leery Philippines VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- The Philippines will get more aid and investment from China, Chinese officials say, as analysts believe assistance given so far has failed to meet Filipinos' expectations and Beijing doesn't want the Southeast Asian country to depend too much on the United States, China's rival.
• Macao's gambling sector won't be moved to Hengqin: chief executive Global Times 11 Sep 2021 -- Macao's gambling sector won't be moved to Hengqin where a Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone is envisioned to push for the special administrative region (SAR) to diversify its economy, Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao SAR, told a press conference on Friday.
• China's Crackdown on Entertainment Industry Has Outsiders Rethinking Market VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- As Beijing cracks down on its entertainment industry, from storied stars to their fan clubs, some non-Chinese filmmakers are scaling back projects they hoped would attract audiences in what has been a lucrative market.
• U.S. silent on Taiwan rep office name change, says ties 'rock solid' CNA 11 Sep 2021 -- The U.S. State Department on Friday did not confirm or deny a news report that said the U.S. was considering approving the change of the name of Taiwan's representative office in Washington D.C., but it reiterated its stance that ties with Taipei were "rock solid."
• Analysis: Is Biden Summoning 'Strategic Patience' With North Korea? VOA 11 Sep 2021 -- As the stalemate between the United States and North Korea persists, some experts are wondering whether the Biden administration is returning to the Obama-era policy of strategic patience.
• No anti-Iran resolution on IAEA meeting's agenda: Report Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Refuting Western media outlets' speculations, a report says the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s Board of Governors is not going to adopt any anti-Iranian resolutions.
• IAEA won't gain access to Iran's nuclear data during Grossi's visit, informed source tells Press TV Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- There will be no change in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s lack of access to its camera footage at Iran's nuclear sites during IAEA chief Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran, an informed source tells Press TV.
• IAEA chief due in Tehran for talks ahead of Board of Governors meeting Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Iran's representative to the international organizations in Vienna says Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi is due in Tehran for talks.
• UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Heads To Iran To Salvage Nuclear Talks RFE/RL 11 Sep 2021 -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency will travel to Iran on September 12 in an attempt to salvage stalled talks between Tehran and the West over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
• Merkel Reiterates Support For Ukraine's Gas Transit Role During Farewell Visit To Poland RFE/RL 11 Sep 2021 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Ukraine must remain a transit country for Russian natural-gas exports during her final tour of European capitals before leaving office.
• 'We will get out of hell,' Aoun says after new Lebanese government formed Press TV 11 Sep 2021 -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun has hailed the formation of a full-fledged government after 13 months of political gridlock, stating that his cash-strapped and crisis-ridden Arab country would "climb out of the abyss."
• Bulgaria Schedules Third Parliamentary Elections Of 2021 RFE/RL 11 Sep 2021 -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has announced that he is scheduling the country's third parliamentary election of 2021 to coincide with the next presidential election on November 14.