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News Reports

Current Operations

• Joint Statement: Iraqi Military Technical Committee and CJTF-OIR CENTCOM 05 Nov 2021 -- The Iraqi National Security Advisor Mr. Qasim Alaraji hosted a meeting today in Baghdad between the Iraqi Military Technical Committee, headed by the Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations, Staff General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, and its Coalition counterpart, headed by the Commander of Inherent Resolve Operations Forces in Iraq, Major General John Brennan, Deputy Commanding General Brigadier General Richard Bell (UK), and the Director of Interagency and Civilian Environment Brigadier General Vincent Coste (France).

Defense Policy / Programs

• 'Loss of confidence': US submarine officers fired after South China Sea collision Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- Two senior officers of a US nuclear-powered submarine that struck an underwater mountain last month in the South China Sea have been fired, the US Navy said in a statement.
• Navy fires three commanders of U.S. submarine involved in collision Radio Free Asia 05 Nov 2021 -- The U.S. Navy says it has dismissed three top commanders of the nuclear-powered submarine that ran aground on an underwater mountain in the South China Sea last month.
• Readout From Gen. Frank McKenzie's Meeting With Lebanon's Armed Forces Chief CENTCOM 05 Nov 2021 -- U.S. Central Command's Gen. Frank McKenzie met with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun in Tampa today.
• Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing DoD 05 Nov 2021
• Special Operations Success Hinges on People, Partnerships DoD News 05 Nov 2021 -- Talented, well trained and motivated people are key to a highly effective and capable special operations force. The other key to its success is partnerships across industry, academia and with allies and partners, the commander of U.S. Special Forces Command said.
• Official Says DOD Is Focused on Threats From State Actors, Terrorists DoD News 05 Nov 2021 -- Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby held a briefing with journalists today, covering a broad range of topics from China, Russia and Pakistan to COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Tech Advantage Critical to Prevail in Strategic Competition With China, DOD Official Says DoD News 05 Nov 2021 -- Technological capability on an ongoing basis is critical to the United States maintaining its edge against other nations, such as China, Michael Brown, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, said yesterday.
• Between China or Climate: DOD Tackling Both DoD News 05 Nov 2021 -- The Defense Department doesn't face a choice between focusing on state actors or significant transnational challenges such as climate change, Dr. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy said Oct. 29.
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard Returns USS Pasadena to the Fleet US Navy 05 Nov 2021 -- USS Pasadena (SSN 752) returned to the fleet Oct. 31 following successful completion of its Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY).
• MARMC Expedites USS Forrest Sherman Clutch Replacement US Navy 05 Nov 2021 -- Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) performed a Synchro-Self-Shifting Clutch replacement aboard USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), expediting a job - which typically takes months - in one week.
• USS Mount Whitney Departs Istanbul, Enters Black Sea US Navy 05 Nov 2021 -- U.S. Sixth Fleet (SIXTHFLT) command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed Sarayburnu Pier, Istanbul and entered the Black Sea, Nov. 4.
• Navy to Christen Future USNS Harvey Milk US Navy Press Release 05 Nov 2021 -- The Navy will christen the John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), during a 9 a.m. PDT ceremony Saturday, Nov. 6 in San Diego, California.
• Russian navy 'monitoring' US warship in Black Sea amid rising tensions Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- The Russian defense ministry says a US naval command ship has entered the Black Sea and the country's navy has started tracking the vessel as tensions escalate over NATO activities near Russia's borders.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken On the Department's Health Incidents Response Task Force US Dept. of State 05 Nov 2021
• Blinken Appoints Senior Diplomat to Head Havana Syndrome Task Force VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appointed senior deputy Jonathan Moore to lead the State Department's task force on the mysterious Havana Syndrome that has sickened U.S. diplomatic and other personnel overseas.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Kenyan President Kenyatta US Dept. of State 05 Nov 2021
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre The White House 05 Nov 2021
• Department Press Briefing – November 5, 2021 US Dept. of State 05 Nov 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Nov. 5, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 5 November 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Nov 2021
• All Female U.S. Senators Urge Biden To Protect Afghan Women And Girls Following Military Pullout RFE/RL Gandhara 05 Nov 2021 -- All female members of the U.S. Senate have called on President Joe Biden to protect the rights of Afghan women and girls in the wake of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Armed With Online Option, Afghan Girls Say 'Bring It On' When It Comes To Taliban Education Ban RFE/RL Gandhara 05 Nov 2021 -- Hundreds of school-aged girls in Afghanistan are getting around the Taliban's efforts to stymie their education by going online, giving them the opportunity to continue to learn everything from computer programming to sculpting to yoga psychotherapy.
• More than half of Afghans face food insecurity at 'crisis' or 'emergency' levels UN News 05 Nov 2021 -- Nearly 23 million people, or 55 per cent of the Afghan population, are estimated to be in crisis or experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity between now and March of next year.
• What Does China's New Land Borders Law Mean for Its Neighbors? VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- China has a new tool to wield during any future flareups along its borders with foreign entities, whether those be the Indian government, Afghan refugees or Myanmar rebel groups.
• IS Shows Signs of Strengthening in Syria, Iraq VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- As much of the Western world focuses on the growing threat from the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, new intelligence suggests that there is reason again to worry about the terror group's core in Syria and Iraq.
• Kazakh President Rejects Violent Brawl Last Week Was Interethnic RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has denied reports that a violent brawl last week, which erupted following a fight at school between ethnic Uyghurs and Kazakhs in the Almaty region, was sparked by ethnic tensions.
• Reports of Tentative Truce, Amnesty for Militants as Pakistan Negotiates with Outlawed TTP VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- Pakistan is engaging in peace talks with the outlawed militant alliance known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an effort to steer them away from years of anti-state violence, according to unnamed officials who are playing down the significance of negotiations in its early stages.
• Russian Military Maneuvers Near Ukraine 'Unusual,' US Warns VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- The United States is keeping a close watch on Russian troop movements near the country's border with Ukraine, describing the activity as "unusual."
• Top U.S. Diplomat Heads To Bosnia Amid Threats Of Serbs' Secession RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- The U.S. administration is sending a top diplomat to Sarajevo amid growing concerns that the Serbian-majority entity that makes up part of Bosnia-Herzegovina could secede from the rest of the Balkan country.
• Spare no effort in probe into attack against blue helmets in CAR: Guterres UN News 05 Nov 2021 -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) to spare no effort in investigating the "unacceptable attack" earlier this week by the presidential guard against a vehicle from the UN mission in the country, MINUSCA.
• Security Council 'deeply concerned' by expanding clashes in northern Ethiopia UN News 05 Nov 2021 -- The Members of the United Nations Security Council expressed "deep concern" about the expansion and intensification of military clashes in northern Ethiopia.
• UN Security Council Calls for End to Fighting in Ethiopia VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- The U.N. Security Council on Friday called for an end to fighting in Ethiopia and expressed serious concern about the intensifying conflict in the country's northern Tigray region.
• White House Pulls Levers in Attempt to Stop Ethiopia Conflict VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- The White House is taking a firm stance with its onetime close ally, Ethiopia, threatening sanctions and a suspension of a key economic program over what Washington says are "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights" in an ethnically motivated conflict that has killed thousands of people in the past year.
• US State Department Urges Americans to Leave Ethiopia VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- The U.S. State Department on Friday urged all Americans to leave Ethiopia "as soon as possible," according to a security alert posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.
• Somalia Orders Top AU Official to Leave Country VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- Somalia's government has declared a senior African Union official persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within seven days.

News Reports

• Alleged Russian Hacks of Microsoft Service Providers Highlight Cybersecurity Deficiencies VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- Cybersecurity experts say Microsoft's recent disclosure that alleged Russian hackers successfully attacked several IT service providers this year is a sign that many U.S. IT companies have underinvested in security measures needed to protect themselves and their customers from intrusions.
• Rewards for Information to Bring Mexican Drug Traffickers to Justice US Dept. of State 05 Nov 2021 -- The U.S. Department of State is announcing reward offers of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest or conviction of four Mexican drug traffickers operating in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
• Bezos' Blue Origin loses $2.9b NASA lawsuit to SpaceX's Musk Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- The space race between the world's two richest people is hotting up after a US court on Thursday ruled in favor of Elon Musk's SpaceX against Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin in a $2.9 billion lawsuit.
• Russia's Kirov Region Culls Poultry After Avian-Flu Outbreak RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- Russian authorities have ordered the mass culling of poultry in the western Kirov region after an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
• The Week In Russia: On The Offensive RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- The country's COVID-19 crisis raged on during a Kremlin-mandated nonworking week, with daily death tolls reaching new highs. President Vladimir Putin drew vulnerable Belarusian autocrat Alyaksandr Lukashenka into a tighter orbit as a relentless clampdown continued in the smaller nation that is Russia's closest ally against the West. Once again, troop movements and energy supply decisions were watched warily in Kyiv and beyond for signals about Russia's intentions toward Ukraine. Russia expelled a Dutch newspaper correspondent, the second Western journalist to be kicked out in recent months. And amid severely strained U.S.-Russia ties, the CIA director made a rare visit to Moscow for talks with "the hard men of the Kremlin."
• Dutch Supreme Court Overturns $50 Billion Ruling Against Russia In Yukos Case, Sends Suit Back To Lower Court RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has overturned a $50 billion award that Russia had been ordered to pay the former majority shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos, sending the case back to a lower appeals court.
• Suspected Russian FSB Agent Found Dead In Front Of Berlin Embassy RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- A Russian diplomat suspected of being an undercover agent of the Federal Security Service (FSB) was found dead in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin last month, German media have reported.
• Russian diplomat found dead outside embassy in Berlin last month: German media Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- German media say a Russian diplomat was found dead outside Russia's embassy in Berlin last month.
• Jury Convicts Chinese Intelligence Officer of Espionage Crimes, Attempting to Steal Trade Secrets US Dept. of Justice 05 Nov 2021 -- A federal jury today convicted Yanjun Xu, a Chinese national and Deputy Division Director of the Sixth Bureau of the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, of conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The defendant is the first Chinese intelligence officer to be extradited to the United States to stand trial.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on November 5, 2021 PRC MofA 05 Nov 2021
• Prima facie evidence of illegal assembly case involving Jimmy Lai stands: HK court People's Daily 05 Nov 2021 -- The District Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ruled on Thursday that the prima facie evidence of an unauthorized assembly case on June 4 last year involving Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of Hong Kong riots, stands.
• Foreign journalists fear further trouble under Hong Kong security law Radio Free Asia 05 Nov 2021 -- Foreign correspondents working in Hong Kong say sources are far less willing to talk to them since the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) imposed a citywide crackdown on public dissent and protest under its national security law.
• 14 Independents Withdraw From Beijing's Local Election Amid Pressure VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- Fourteen activists who planned to participate in the Beijing provincial assembly election have withdrawn four days ahead of the November 5 vote, saying their personal safety is at risk.
• Exodus of Foreign Internet Giants Strengthens China's Homegrown Ecosystem VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- China now depends almost entirely on its own online content providers, as the number of big foreign companies in the market, such as Yahoo and LinkedIn, keeps dwindling, giving the government a boost in controlling the internet, analysts say.
• Xi pledges more openness as China fulfills WTO commitments People's Daily 05 Nov 2021 -- Amid the weakening of global consensus on opening up, President Xi Jinping made fresh pledges Thursday to open the Chinese market wider as the country has fully delivered on its accession commitments to World Trade Organization (WTO).
• Taiwan will not be forced into talks by China: Defense chief CNA 05 Nov 2021 -- Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Friday affirmed the military's stance that China cannot force Taiwan into talks with military coercion and the armed forces will do everything it can to defend the nation from a Chinese invasion.
• Mainland slaps punishment for diehard Taiwan secessionists; detailed measures showcase reunification irresistible Global Times 05 Nov 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Friday announced specific measures to punish diehard secessionists from the island of Taiwan, including prohibiting them and their families from entering the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and restricting their associated institutions from cooperating with organizations and individuals in the mainland for economic benefits, and they will be persecuted for life long for criminal liability.
• Mainland to pursue criminal responsibility for diehard Taiwan secessionists, effective for life: State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Global Times 05 Nov 2021 -- The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said the mainland will punish diehard Taiwan secessionists, prohibit them and their families from entering mainland, HK and Macao, restrict their associated institutes from seeking business cooperation in the mainland.
• China threatens to punish Taipei's pro-independence 'diehards' Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- China has threatened to punish Chinese Taipei's pro-independence "diehard" politicians over criminal charges and warned to ban their visit to the mainland as tensions between the two sides spiked to their highest level in years.
• China's propaganda chiefs quash war talk as Taiwan talks to European lawmakers Radio Free Asia 05 Nov 2021 -- State media and a social media account linked to China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) have moved to quell rumors that China is preparing to annex Taiwan, after the commerce ministry in Beijing told people to stock up on essential food items ahead of the winter.
• Iran's stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium reaches 25 kilograms, AEOI spokesman says Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi says the country's stockpile of uranium enriched to a purity level of 60 percent has reached 25 kilograms, noting that Iran has also produced over 210 kilograms of 20%-enriched uranium.
• Despite Upcoming Negotiations, Iran Keeps Expanding Enriched Uranium Stockpile RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- Iran says it has increased its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium to 25 kilograms, an almost fourfold increase from the level reported in June, as Tehran prepares for negotiations later this month with world powers to preserve a 2015 deal aimed at curbing its nuclear program.
• France Leaves Open IAEA Action Against Iran Even As Nuclear Talks Near RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- France says it could still take diplomatic action along with its partners against Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear issues, even as the sides have said talks on the matter will resume later this month.
• Amendments to telecommunications law reveal junta effort to curb press Radio Free Asia 05 Nov 2021 -- Amendments made to Myanmar's telecommunications law earlier this week are the latest in a series of moves by the country's junta to suppress journalists and muzzle the media, experts and rights activists said Friday.
• Four dozen National League for Democracy offices targeted since February Myanmar coup Radio Free Asia 05 Nov 2021 -- Dozens of offices of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) have been the target of bombings and other attacks since her government was overthrown by the military in a February coup, according to a top party official.
• Myanmar: Systematic attack on civilians, rights mechanism reveals UN News 05 Nov 2021 -- Preliminary evidence shows a widespread and systematic attack on civilians in Myanmar in the wake of the coup in February, amounting to crimes against humanity, the head of a fact-finding body established by the UN Human Rights Council said on Friday.
• Putin, Lukashenko sign Union State integration decree People's Daily 05 Nov 2021 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko has signed an integration decree of the Union State, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
• Tensions Soar on Poland-Belarus Border as Warsaw Protests Incursion VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- In a tit-for-tat round of recriminations, Belarus summoned Poland's top diplomat in Minsk on Thursday to protest claims made earlier this week by Warsaw that Belarusian border guards had threatened to open fire on a Polish patrol.
• Sudan coup: Human Rights Council hears calls for return to democratic rule UN News 05 Nov 2021 -- International calls for the restoration of democratic government in Sudan continued on Friday, as the Human Rights Council met in special session in Geneva to discuss the recent military coup.
• Sudan's coup leader orders release of four ministers amid intl. efforts to end crisis Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- Sudan's army chief, who led a military coup last month, has ordered the release of four government ministers amid international efforts to end the African country's political crisis.
• Foreign Secretary condemns military coup in Sudan UK FCDO 05 Nov 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has condemned the military coup in Sudan and called on the military to place the democratic transition back on course.
• UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Sudan: Adoption of the resolution UK FCDO 05 Nov 2021 -- Simon Manley, UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, delivered the UK statement during the UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Sudan.
• Scores Injured in Clashes Between Iraqi Protesters, Security Forces VOA 05 Nov 2021 -- Iraqi security forces and the supporters of political parties disputing the results of the October general election clashed in Baghdad on Friday, resulting in injuries to more than 100 people, according to local police and health workers.
• Brexit: EU warns UK of 'serious consequences' if Article 16 triggered Press TV 05 Nov 2021 -- The European Union (EU) has warned the UK against triggering unilateral emergency provisions in the Brexit deal, after the representatives of the two sides held a meeting in Brussels to negotiate about disputes over trade across the Irish border.
• Ukrainian President Signs 'Anti-Oligarch Law' RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed into law a bill intended to curb the political influence of the country's oligarchs.
• Russia, OPEC Resist U.S. Pressure For Major Increase In Oil Output RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- Major oil-producing nations agreed to maintain their modest increase in output despite pressure from Washington and other major consuming nations for a larger rise to help put a lid on surging energy prices.
• Kyrgyzstan's Plucky Election Commission Tries To Disqualify A Political Heavyweight RFE/RL 05 Nov 2021 -- In most Central Asian countries, the Central Election Commission does not do very much.