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Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Awards $136.7 Million Contract to MilliporeSigma to Establish Domestic Production Capacity of Critical Material Used in COVID-19 Point-of-Care Tests DoD 29 Dec 2021 -- On Dec. 29, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD), on behalf of and in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a $136.7 million contract to MilliporeSigma to establish nitrocellulose membrane production capacity in the United States.
• US orders warships to stay in Mediterranean amid tensions with Russia Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a fleet of warships to remain in the Mediterranean Sea amid rising tensions between the West and Moscow over Ukraine.
• US Spy Plane Reporteldy Conducts First Flight Over Eastern Ukraine to Gather Intelligence Sputnik 29 Dec 2021 -- The US spy plane JSTARS E-8 has conducted its first flight over eastern Ukraine to collect ground intelligence, CNN reported on Wednesday citing European Command (EUCOM) spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Russ Wolfkiel.
• France takes the lead of NATO's highest readiness force NATO 29 Dec 2021 -- France takes the lead of NATO's highest-readiness military force on Saturday (1 January 2022), for a period of one year.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on President Biden's Upcoming Phone Call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia The White House 29 Dec 2021
• Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official on President Biden's Upcoming Call with President Putin of the Russian Federation The White House 29 Dec 2021
• Biden, Putin To Hold Call This Week As U.S. Seeks Common Approach With European Allies RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 30 as bilateral tensions rise over a buildup of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine and Moscow's demands for sweeping security guarantees from Washington.
• 'Unacceptable:' EU rejects Russia's security demands Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- The European Union (EU) has rejected Russia's security demands for stopping NATO's eastward expansion as "unacceptable."
• Russia Conducts Tests of S-500 Anti-Missile Defence Systems in Arctic Region, Source Says Sputnik 29 Dec 2021 -- Russia has recently conducted routine tests of S-500 anti-missile defence systems in it's Arctic region, but prototypes of the S-550 have yet to be developed, a source told Sputnik on Wednesday.
• PLA Naval Aviation University receives Y-9 transport aircraft Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Aviation University recently received the Y-9 transport aircraft. Analysts said on Wednesday that this will enable cadets to better learn about the Y-9 before they graduate as they are expected to fly the standard version as well as a wide variety of special mission variants when they enter active service.
• China sets new mark against US bullying with 1st white paper on export controls Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- China on Wednesday set a new mark for anti-US bullying, with its first ever white paper on export controls drawing a clear line between the country's approach to safeguarding its interests that is aligned with standard international practice and the US' indulgence in imposing export sanctions, as Washington seeks to crack down on Chinese tech firms.
• China issues 1st white paper on export controls, lambasts US abuses Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- China on Wednesday issued its first ever white paper on export controls, outlining the country's efforts to modernize its export control system to both protect national security and ensure market openness and to promote global cooperation, while delivering a decisive repudiation of the US' abuses of its export control measures to crack down on other countries.
• China issues first white paper on export controls People's Daily 29 Dec 2021 -- China issued Wednesday its first white paper on export controls to provide a full picture of related policies and help the international community better understand its position.
• MoD notifies positive indigenisation list of sub-systems/assemblies/ sub-assemblies/components to achieve self-reliance in defence & minimise imports by DPSUs India PIB 29 Dec 2021 -- A positive indigenisation list of sub-systems/assemblies/sub-assemblies/components has been notified by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, as part of the efforts to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing and minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)
• Adoption of US defense bill opens way for Taiwan invite to naval exercise Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden has signed a defense policy bill for fiscal year 2022 that would help boost Taiwan's defense capabilities and permit the island to be invited to the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise this summer.
• Specialized agency responsible for reservists' mobilization to launch Thursday CNA 29 Dec 2021 -- A new specialized agency under the defense ministry in charge of reservists' mobilization will be launched Thursday as part of Taiwan's ongoing efforts to improve the combat readiness of the country's reserve forces.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Dec. 29, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 2021 Year in Review: Refugee, migrant numbers rise, despite travel curbs UN News 29 Dec 2021 -- Pandemic-related travel restrictions may have put a dent on international migration figures in 2021, but the number of people forced to leave their homes, due to conflict and persecution, rose to record highs.
• The Taliban Wages War Against Its Dead Rivals RFE/RL Gandhara 29 Dec 2021 -- The Taliban toppled the Western-backed Afghan government in August following a brutal, nearly 20-year insurgency.
• Blinken Appoints Two Women To Oversee U.S. Efforts To Support Rights Of Afghan Women And Girls RFE/RL Gandhara 29 Dec 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced the appointment of two women to lead U.S. efforts to support Afghan women, girls, and human rights.
• Yemeni army liberates 1,200 square kms of land in Desert Dawn operation amid major military gains Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- The spokesman for Yemen's army says the Yemeni troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees have liberated over 1,200 square kilometers of land during the "Desert Dawn" operation in Jawf Province.
• Saudi-led military aggression on Yemen now in final stage, senior Ansarullah official says Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- A senior member of Yemen's popular Ansarullah resistance movement says Yemeni army troops and fighters from allied Popular Committees have made notable achievements in their battle against Saudi-led coalition forces and their mercenaries, and that the Yemeni retaliatory military operations will continue until the entire Yemeni territories are liberated.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Confirms Complete Pull Out of Int'l Troops From Country Sputnik 29 Dec 2021 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Wednesday that the military contingent of the US-led international coalition has completely withdrawn from the country, and that Iraqi forces are capable of countering terrorism on their own.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy US Dept. of State 29 Dec 2021 -- The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
• Secretary Blinken's Call with French, German, and UK Foreign Ministers US Dept. of State 29 Dec 2021 -- The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
• Biden Vows Diplomacy Ahead of Call With Putin Over Ukraine Tensions VOA 29 Dec 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by phone Thursday with his Russian counterpart, a senior administration official said Wednesday, adding the American leader will seek a diplomatic solution to escalating tension along Russia's border with Ukraine.
• Myanmar: Security Council condemns attack killing dozens UN News 29 Dec 2021 -- The Security Council condemned on Wednesday the reported killing of at least 35 people, including four children and two humanitarian workers in Myanmar's Kayah State on 24 December.
• Indonesia to allow stranded Rohingya boat to seek refuge Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- Indonesia says it will allow a boat packed with persecuted Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar stranded off its coast to dock.
• Indonesia changes course, will allow stranded Rohingya to come ashore Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- Indonesia agreed to allow about 120 Rohingya stranded on a boat near Aceh province to come ashore, officials said Wednesday, after two days of pressure from locals, human rights groups and the United Nations refugee agency.
• Urgent action needed to save Rohingya refugees distressed at sea in Indonesia UN News 29 Dec 2021 -- The UN refugee agency called on Wednesday for the immediate, life-saving disembarkation of a group of Rohingya refugees in distress at sea off the coast of Indonesia.
• Thousands spill across Thai border amid flight from clashes in Myanmar's Kayin state Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- Thousands of people in Myawaddy township in Myanmar's Kayin state have been displaced by fighting between the military and anti-junta forces over the past two weeks, officials and relief groups said Wednesday, with more than one-third having crossed the border to Thailand.
• Nine Bosnian Serbs Charged With Wartime Murder Of Almost 100 Muslims RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia-Herzegovina says it has filed an indictment against nine Bosnian Serbs over the killing of about 100 Muslim Bosniaks just after the start of the Bosnian War in 1992, the latest in a series of war crimes charges laid in the country.

News Reports

• Memorial Shutdown Seen As Portentous Point Of No Return For Putin's Russia RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- The year in Russia is winding down with a spate of events that have alarmed many observers about the intentions of President Vladimir Putin and his government.
• Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko's interview with Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, December 29, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 29 Dec 2021
• Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko's interview with Sputnik News Agency, December 27, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 29 Dec 2021
• Cold War Resentment Has Been Building for Decades in Kremlin VOA 29 Dec 2021 -- A few days after Vladimir Putin was reelected his country's president in 2018, a former top Kremlin official outlined to VOA how perilous relations had become between the West and Russia. In a wide-ranging conversation, almost foretelling the high-stakes clash developing now between the Kremlin and NATO over Ukraine, he said Putin believed the fracture between Russia and Western powers was irreparable.
• Russia will face no failure in Nord Stream 2 certification, senior Russian diplomat says Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- Russia believes that it won't face any failure regarding the certifications for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the project will eventually be launched, a top Russian official has told RBC media.
• Nord Stream 2 Operator, Gazprom Say New Pipeline Ready To Deliver Gas RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- The operator of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany said it has filled the new pipeline with natural gas and is ready to begin deliveries.
• Putin: Russia Will Start Gas Supplies Via Nord Stream 2 as Soon as Europe Decides Sputnik 29 Dec 2021 -- Russia will be ready to immediately start gas supplies to Europe if the European countries decide to launch Nord Stream 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
• Three Navalny Associates Released After Questioning, Fate Of Two Others Unknown RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- Three of the five associates of imprisoned Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny who were detained by police in raids across the country on December 28 have been released.
• In Latest Blow To Russian Civil Society, Court Orders Closure Of Memorial Rights Center RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- A Moscow court has ordered the closure of the Memorial Human Rights Center, one day after another court shut down the group's main parent organization, capping a year of administrative moves by the state to throttle civil society across the country.
• Exclusive: China, Russia to sign new 5-year space cooperation program, build intl lunar station by 2035: Roscosmos Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- China and Russia will sign a new space Cooperation Program for 2023-2027 next year, which will include a plan to create an open and inclusive International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035, Russia's national space agency Roscosmos told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on December 29, 2021 PRC MofA 29 Dec 2021
• Stand News Arrests and Closure US Dept. of State 29 Dec 2021 -- The Hong Kong government's December 29 raid and arrest of seven senior staff at Stand News have forced yet another of the few remaining bastions of free and independent media in Hong Kong to cease operations. Journalism is not sedition. We call on PRC and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong's free and independent media and to immediately release those journalists and media executives who have been unjustly detained and charged.
• Raid on Journalist's Home Adds to 'Nightmare' for Hong Kong Media VOA 29 Dec 2021 -- A livestream published early Wednesday morning alerted the world to another raid on a pro-democracy news outlet in Hong Kong.
• Taiwan condemns China over police raid of HK pro-democracy news outlet CNA 29 Dec 2021 -- Taiwan's government and its largest opposition party have condemned China after police raided the Hong Kong offices of pro-democracy media outlet Stand News and arrested six for "conspiracy to publish seditious publications."
• Stand News comes to an end, as 'no place' for anti-China tool in name of free press Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- After the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) arrested seven people on suspicion of sedition on Wednesday and searched the offices of Stand News in Kwun Tong, the online news site announced it would cease operations after police froze HK$61 million ($7.82 million) of its assets. Some senior executives and former senior executives of the news site such as the former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and a board member Denise Ho, who is also an infamous secessionist singer, were among the arrestees, on the charge of colluding and publishing multiple inflammatory articles.
• Update: HK police arrest six people linked to Stand News following new charge against Apple Daily staff on inflammatory publications Global Times 29 Dec 2021 -- The Hong Kong Police Force National Security Department arrested seven people on the suspicion of sedition on Wednesday, including six linked to an online news site and one from the secessionist tabloid Apple Daily. Over 200 police officers also searched the offices of Stand News and took away about 30 boxes of materials of evidence including computers and documents Wednesday noon.
• Hong Kong national security police arrest 6 people People's Daily 29 Dec 2021 -- The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force arrested six current or former senior staff members of an online media company on Wednesday morning, said a press release of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
• Hong Kong news site closes amid national security raid, journalist arrests Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- Police in Hong Kong on Wednesday arrested seven people linked to a major pro-democracy news website for "sedition" under a national security crackdown ordered by Beijing, and froze its assets, prompting one of the last independent media outlets to shut down on the same day.
• Former Chinese coal-mining city of Hegang in dire financial straits Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- Authorities in the northeastern Chinese city of Hegang have announced a hiring freeze as the city faces massive debt, amid an inability to fully pay those already on its payroll.
• How China Snuffed Out Threats Across Asia in 2021 VOA 29 Dec 2021 -- China spent much of 2021 addressing threats across Asia with a growing sophistication — the result of economic clout and superpower status — that tolerated few compromises, Asia experts say.
• CPC leadership stresses enhancing historical confidence, unity, fighting spirit People's Daily 29 Dec 2021 -- A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has stressed strengthening the Party members' historical confidence, unity and their fighting spirit.
• Mainland to uphold strong stance on Taiwan question in 2022: spokesperson People's Daily 29 Dec 2021 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday reiterated the central government's strong stance on the Taiwan question for the upcoming year.
• China warns of 'drastic measures' if Taiwan moves toward independence Press TV 29 Dec 2021 -- China has warned Chinese Taipei against making moves toward independence, saying it will take "drastic measures" if the self-governed island crosses red lines.
• Kim Jong Un firmly in control of North Korea after 10 years despite economic record Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- When the leather-jacket-clad Kim Jong Un opened the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in January 2021, he sat firmly entrenched as the unquestioned authority in North Korea, just as his father and grandfather had before him.
• Second-day Sitting of 4th Plenary Meeting of 8th WPK Central Committee Held KCNA 29 Dec 2021 -- There was the second-day sitting of the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea for indicating the new fighting guidelines for the prosperity of the country amid high political enthusiasm of the participants.
• Election Victory of Shiite Cleric Could Break Iran's Grip on Iraqi Politics, Observers Say VOA 29 Dec 2021 -- With Iraq's October parliamentary election results now ratified, political parties are negotiating the composition of the country's next government.
• Laos adopts new measure to combat corruption: party expulsion Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2021 -- The Lao government has stepped up its crackdown on corruption by expelling state employees in Bokeo province from the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the country's sole political party.
• North Macedonia's President Asks Kovachevski To Form New Government RFE/RL 29 Dec 2021 -- The president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, on December 29 handed Social Democratic Union (SDSM) leader Dimitar Kovachevski a mandate to form a new government.