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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• Defense Secretary Travels to Europe to Reassure Frontline States DoD News 17 Oct 2021 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is traveling to Europe to reassure allies and partners of America's commitment to their sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression.
• U.S. Defense Secretary To Visit Black Sea Region To Reassure Allies, Partners RFE/RL 17 Oct 2021 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Black Sea littoral states this week to reassure allies and partners as Russia flexes its military might in the strategic region.
• US Says Cambodia Not Transparent About Chinese Role in Naval Base Construction VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has released a survey of new buildings and a road in Ream Naval Base in Cambodia showing that construction is continuing "amid concerns that the new facilities are being built to facilitate a Chinese military presence in Cambodia."
• Russia scrambles fighter jet to escort US military plane Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Russia has ordered one of its fighter planes to escort a US B-1B Lancer that was crossing over the Sea of Japan.
• Gallagher Statement on Reports of Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test Congressman Gallagher 17 Oct 2021 -- Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today released the following statement following reports that China conducted a hypersonic missile test.
• US should stop eyeing too much on China's hypersonic missiles and broaden its horizons: Global Times editorial Global Times 17 Oct 2021 -- The Financial Times (FT) quoted on Saturday several sources saying that "the Chinese military launched a rocket that carried a hypersonic glide vehicle" in August and judged it to be a "nuclear-capable hypersonic missile." According to the FT article, the missile "flew through low-orbit space" and could help China "negate" US missile defense systems which are designed to target the fixed parabolic trajectory of a ballistic missile. The progress of the Chinese military has "caught US intelligence by surprise," the report said.
• China tested 'nuclear-capable' hypersonic missile in August: Report Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- China reportedly tested a "nuclear-capable" hypersonic missile in August that travelled around the Earth at a low orbit before reaching its target.
• China Tested New Space Capability With Hypersonic Missile in August - Report Sputnik 17 Oct 2021 -- According to a report, China has tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide missile that travels into space and circles the globe in an orbital-like fashion before speeding through the atmosphere toward its target.
• PLA practices cross-sea troop transport with large civilian ferry Global Times 17 Oct 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently held an integrated military-civilian cross-sea troop maneuvering exercise using a large civilian ferry with a displacement of 45,000 tons, much larger than similar vessels used in previous practices. The move aimed to enhance the troops' transport efficiency in future battlefields, analysts said on Sunday.
• Iran Navy 77th fleet in Oman's Salalah Port: Cmdr IRNA 17 Oct 2021 -- Iran's Army Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said that the Iranian Navy 77th fleet docked at Salalah Port of Oman.
• Top commander says Iran firm to boost military cooperation with Russia Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Iran's top commander says the Islamic Republic is resolute on the improvement of military cooperation with Russia in line with the administration of President Ebrahim Raeisi's "Look to the East" policy.
• Air Force to start annual defense drills Monday CNA 17 Oct 2021 -- The Air Force will hold its annual Tien Lung drills from Monday until Oct. 29, with the bulk of the exercises taking place in Jiadong, Pingtung County, according to military sources.
• Erdogan Says US Offered to Sell F-16s to Turkey in Return for Investment in F-35 Programme Sputnik 17 Oct 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the United States had offered to sell F-16 fighter jets to his country as a return for its investment in the F-35 programme.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Al-Thani US Dept. of State 17 Oct 2021

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Exclusive Interview: Karzai Says Taliban's International Recognition Requires Internal Legitimacy VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said the current Taliban government in Afghanistan needs internal legitimacy in order for it to gain international recognition.
• Uzbekistan Holds Talks With Taliban On Trade, Energy, Railway Projects RFE/RL Gandhara 17 Oct 2021 -- Uzbek officials have met with representatives of Afghanistan's Taliban-led government to discuss cooperation in trade, border security, and humanitarian aid, Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry said.
• Iran FM raises alarm at 'dangerous' rise of Takfiri terror groups in Afghanistan Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- The Iranian foreign minister has condemned recent deadly terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, raising the alarm at the rise of Daesh and other Takfiri terror outfits in the conflict-ridden South Asian country.
• UN Says First of Three Emergency Airlifts for Afghanistan Arrive in Uzbekistan VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- The United Nations refugee agency says the first of three emergency airlifts of relief supplies for Afghanistan that landed in Termez, Uzbekistan, Friday will be followed by two more flights this week.
• Yemeni forces liberate large territories in Shabwah, Ma'rib during major offensive Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Yemeni army troops and fighters from the allied Popular Committees have managed to liberate 3,200 square kilometers of land and inflict heavy losses on Saudi-led militants during the latest advances in Yemen's strategic provinces of Shabwah and Ma'rib.
• Yemen: Call for Ma'rib respite exposes US collusion with Daesh, al-Qaeda Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement has dismissed the US State Department's call for a halt to fighting in the country's oil-rich Ma'rib province, stating that the intention behind the request is an evil one.
• Official: Syrian MP killing a cowardly act, assassination rooted in 'Israeli nature': Official Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- A senior Syrian official has censured Israel's assassination of former Syrian lawmaker Midhat Saleh al-Saleh in the occupied Golan Heights as a cowardly act, saying the crime is rooted in "Israeli nature" which will be avenged.
• Israeli Army Says Not Hiding Behind Civilian Aircraft While Operating in Skies Over Syria Sputnik 17 Oct 2021 -- The Israeli army is not using civilian aircraft as a shield while operating in the skies over Syria, considering the safety of air traffic in the area as one of the highest priorities, a high-ranking officer told Sputnik.
• Syrian Opposition Parties Agree to Begin Drafting New Constitution VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- After a nearly nine-month break, Syrian government and opposition representatives are set to begin a new round of U.N.-mediated talks aimed at drafting a new constitution for battle-weary Syria. Ahead of Monday's start of the talks, a U.N. official met informally on Sunday with members of the committee tasked with drafting the measure.
• How Social Media Became a Battleground in the Tigray Conflict VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- When Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) started fighting in November 2020, a second front quickly opened online, where both sides seek to control the narrative.

News Reports

• US engineer, his wife, who tried to sell nuclear submarine secrets, could face life in prison Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Charged with attempts to sell secret data related to American nuclear submarines to an unnamed foreign entity, a US engineer and his wife could face life in prison.
• Suspect in Stabbing Death of British MP Amess Identified VOA 17 Oct 2021 -- A British member of Parliament died Friday after being stabbed several times at a church in what police said Saturday was a terrorist attack.
• Russia Scrambles Fighter Jet to Intercept US Bomber Over Sea of Japan Sputnik 17 Oct 2021 -- A Russian fighter jet was scrambled on Sunday to chase a US B-1B Lancer bomber away after radars picked it up close to the nation's airspace over the Sea of Japan, the Defenсe Ministry said.
• Only German Permit Needed to Turn On Nord Stream 2 Gas Flow, Russian Envoy Says Sputnik 17 Oct 2021 -- Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas link with Germany is only a permit away from supplying extra gas to fuel-strapped Europe, the Russian ambassador to the UK said in an interview with the BBC.
• Russian Spacecraft Carrying Actress, Director Returns To Earth After Filming On ISS RFE/RL 17 Oct 2021 -- A space capsule carrying a cosmonaut and two Russian filmmakers has landed in Kazakhstan, ending their 12-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS), according to the Russian space agency Roskosmos.
• US, Canadian warships sail through Taiwan Strait 'to provoke' China Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- The US military has announced that an American warship and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait last week in what China called an attempt "to provoke and stir up trouble" in the strait.
• Iran says US must show 'goodwill, serious action' before returning to sanctions removal talks Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the United States needs to show "goodwill and sincerity" and take a "serious" step before returning to talks on the removal of Washington's sanctions against Tehran.
• Process to draft Syria constitution begins this week UN News 17 Oct 2021 -- The process of drafting a new constitution for Syria will begin this week, the UN Special Envoy for the country, Geir Pedersen, said on Sunday at a press conference in Geneva.
• In Security Debacle, Ukraine Says It Mistakenly Sanctioned More Than 100 People RFE/RL 17 Oct 2021 -- Ukraine said it mistakenly sanctioned more than 100 people earlier this year on suspicion of being crime bosses in a debacle for its security services.
• Pro-army Sudanese protesters rally for 2nd consecutive day in Khartoum Press TV 17 Oct 2021 -- Sudanese protesters have rallied near the presidential palace in the Sudanese capital for a second consecutive day, demanding the dissolution of the transitional government.
• Kosovo Voting In Municipal Elections Amid Pandemic, Ethnic Tensions RFE/RL 17 Oct 2021 -- Citizens in Kosovo are casting votes in municipal elections as Prime Minister Albin Kurti seeks to capitalize on his February parliamentary victory by pushing his party to victory in key cities.
• Local Elections In North Macedonia Test Ruling Social Democrats RFE/RL 17 Oct 2021 -- Voters across North Macedonia are casting ballots on October 17 for local elections that mark the first test for Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) since it narrowly won parliamentary elections in July 2020.