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Defense Policy / Programs

• National Security Memorandum on Partial Revocation of Presidential Policy Directive 28 The White House 07 Oct 2022
• Executive Order On Enhancing Safeguards For United States Signals Intelligence Activities The White House 07 Oct 2022
• Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities Executive Order US Dept. of Commerce 07 Oct 2022 -- Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has issued the following statement regarding the signing today by President Biden of an Executive Order on "Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities":
• US, Philippine troops launch drill to sharpen coastal defense efforts Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- U.S. and Filipino Marine forces stormed a beachfront facing the South China Sea on Friday in a mock assault aimed at sharpening their skills on coastal defense.
• Readout of U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday Meeting with Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy Adm. Antonio Martorell Lacave US Navy Press Release 07 Oct 2022 -- Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Cmdr. Courtney Hillson provided the following readout:
• USS Billings (Gold Crew) Returns Home After 4th Fleet Deployment US Navy 07 Oct 2022 -- The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) Gold Crew returned to Mayport, Fla., Oct. 7th, following its second successful deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations.
• Future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee Completes Acceptance Trials US Navy 07 Oct 2022 -- The future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) completed Acceptance trials, October 6.
• U.S., UK Navies Conduct Unmanned Exercise in Arabian Gulf US Navy 07 Oct 2022 -- Naval forces from the United States and United Kingdom conducted a bilateral exercise in the Arabian Gulf, Oct. 7, which featured the use of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence to enhance maritime monitoring by crewed ships and operators ashore.
• U.S. Central Command Hosted an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Summit CENTCOM 07 Oct 2022 -- U.S. Central Command hosted an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance summit, Oct. 5-6, 2022, at USCENTCOM headquarters. The technology innovation discovery event focused on long-endurance alternate airborne ISR capabilities to solve continuity gaps across the USCENTCOM area of responsibility.
• Planning underway for ALFS 23 in Cote d'Ivoire AFRICOM 07 Oct 2022 -- Military planners for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, visited several sites in Cote d'Ivoire Sep. 26-30, 2022 for the African Land Forces Summit initial planning event. The planning event is part of ongoing preparation for ALFS 23 scheduled for May, 2023.
• Department of the Army updates Total Army COVID-19 vaccination statistics US Army 07 Oct 2022 -- The U.S. Army updated COVID-19 vaccination rates and exemption requests for the Total Army as of 6 October 2022.
• Deputy Secretary General reaffirms NATO commitment to Western Balkans NATO 07 Oct 2022 -- Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană reaffirmed NATO's strong and unwavering commitment to peace and stability in the Western Balkans at the 2BS (To Be Secure) Forum today (Friday 7th October 2022).
• NATO ships participate in UK Exercise Joint Warrior 22-2 NATO 07 Oct 2022 -- NORTH SEA -- Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) are operating in the North Sea in preparation for exercise Joint Warrior 22-2.
• Biden Says Risk Of Nuclear 'Armageddon' High As Moscow Sustains More Ukraine Setbacks RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- Ukrainian forces pressed ahead with their counteroffensive to liberate Moscow-occupied territories, handing Russian forces a series of defeats that have prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to warn the threat of the Kremlin using nuclear weapons was the highest in six decades.
• Cornered Putin Could Resort to Nuclear Weapons, Biden Warns VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- The risk of Armageddon is the highest it has been since the early 1960s, President Joe Biden said at a fundraiser in New York, as Russian losses in Ukraine prompt Russian officials to discuss the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons.
• Amid Major Military Setbacks In Ukraine, Russia Replaces Eastern Military District Commander RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- As Ukraine continues to liberate settlements in its eastern region from occupying Russian troops, Moscow has reportedly replaced another top commander in its armed forces.
• Indigenisation of 72 Items by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) before their original timelines India PIB 07 Oct 2022 -- Putting Atmanirbhar Bharat on fast track, 72 items out of total of 214 items mentioned in 1st and 2nd Positive Indiginisation List (PIL) have been indigenised by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) well before their original indigenisation timelines of December 2023, December 2024 and December 2025.
• ANTI-NARCOTICS OPERATION India PIB 07 Oct 2022 -- In a coordinated operation at sea, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Indian Navy apprehended a suspicious vessel carrying more than 200 kgs of narcotics. The boat with its crew, has been escorted to Kochi for further investigation.
• Pakistani Army Chief's US Visit Seen as Bid to Redefine Ties VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- A recently concluded six-day visit to Washington by Pakistan's powerful military head, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, is being seen in both countries as a sign that Islamabad is seeking to mend sometimes-strained relations with the West.
• £34 million boost to frigate weapon systems sustains 150 UK jobs UK MOD 07 Oct 2022 -- Weapon systems on board the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates will be upgraded in a £34 million contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence.
• Deputy Secretary of State Sherman's Meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Alam US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Deputy Secretary Sherman's Call with German State Secretary Michaelis US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Peruvian Foreign Minister César Landa At a Joint Press Availability US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Online Briefing with Peter Harrell, Senior Director for International Economics and Competitiveness, Ruth Berry, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy, and Peter A. Winn, Acting Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Department Press Briefing - October 7, 2022 US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News
• 7 October 2022 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Oct 2022
• UN Human Rights Council 51: UK General Comment on Afghanistan UK FCDO 07 Oct 2022 -- The UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, underlines the UK's support for the Special Rapporteur's work on Afghanistan at the UN Human Rights Council.
• China Cost Guard conducts latest of dozens of patrols near Senkakus Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- A Chinese coast guard fleet conducted a patrol near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Friday, the latest of more than two dozen forays into disputed waters this year at a time of high regional tensions over missile launches from North Korea.
• Children among 173 casualties from artillery, landmines in Myanmar since August Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- Artillery and landmine blasts have killed at least 51 civilians and severely injured 122 others, including more than 20 children, over the past two months in seven Myanmar states and regions where the military is fighting armed opposition groups, according to reporting by RFA Burmese.
• Tibet at a 'critical moment' for survival, top US diplomat says Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- Tibet now faces a "critical moment" for the survival of its distinct religious, cultural and linguistic heritage as China's policies in the region threaten Tibet's national identity, a top U.S. diplomat said on Tuesday.
• Statement following quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Macron and President Michel, 6 October 2022 EC/CEU 07 Oct 2022 -- The President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia met in Prague on 6 October 2022 in the margins of the first European Political Community at the invitation of the President of the French Republic and the President of the European Council.
• Leaders Of Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Civilian EU Mission Along Border RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- The European Council says the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have met on the sidelines of a summit in Prague and agreed to a civilian EU mission alongside their common border, where clashes last month killed more than 200 people in the worst flare-up of fighting between the two Caucasus neighbors since 2020.
• AU Peace Talks on Ethiopia's Tigray Postponed VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- Diplomats say African Union-sponsored peace talks planned for this weekend between Ethiopia's federal government and Tigrayan rebels have been delayed due to logistical problems.

News Reports

• Nobel Committee Champions Human Rights With 2022 Peace Prize RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to human rights activists in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine against the backdrop of harsh crackdowns by Minsk and Moscow on dissent and the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
• Nobel Peace Prize winners shine spotlight on 'the power of civil society to promote peace' UN News 07 Oct 2022 -- The human rights advocates from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus who have been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, represent "the oxygen of democracy" said the UN chief on Friday, in a message of congratulations to the three winners.
• Nobel Peace Prize Honors Those Battling Oppression of Putin, Lukashenko VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- The Norwegian Nobel Committee championed resistance to authoritarianism in awarding the 2022 Peace Prize to imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and two human rights organizations: the Russia-based Memorial and the Ukraine-based Center for Civil Liberties.
• European Leaders Hold Inaugural Meeting Of New Forum In Context Of War In Ukraine RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- Leaders from more than 40 countries gathered for the inaugural summit of a new forum aiming to bring Europe together in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the fourth meeting of the United Russia Party General Council Commission for International Cooperation and Support for Compatriots Abroad, Moscow, October 7, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 07 Oct 2022
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's video address at the final meeting of the International Inter-party Conference, New Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, October 7, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 07 Oct 2022
• Putin Orders Seizure Of Sakhalin-1 Oil-And-Gas Project, Leaving U.S., Japanese, Indian Investors At Risk RFE/RL 08 Oct 2022 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree installing a new operator for a massive international oil-and-gas project in Russia's Far East, affecting billions of investment dollars from major U.S., Japanese, and Indian companies.
• Russian Governor, Overseeing Reconstruction In Occupied Ukraine District, Struggles To Open Schools At Home RFE/RL 08 Oct 2022 -- The governor of Pskov, an impoverished region in Russia's northwest, says he's committed to rebuilding schools in an occupied part of Ukraine. His own constituents want him to fix schools closer to home.
• View China's Xi as Party Leader, Not President, Scholars Say VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- A prominent China scholar is castigating mainstream American media for their coverage of the coming Chinese Communist Party Congress, saying they miss the most salient point about China's governing system when they say President Xi Jinping is seeking an unprecedented third term in office.
• China steps up social media censorship, 'upgrades' Great Firewall ahead of congress Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up its censorship of social media ahead of its five-yearly congress, with users complaining that it was no longer possible to "speak normally" using Douyin, Weibo and WeChat.
• Hong Kong radio host gets 32-month sentence for sedition and money laundering Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- A court in Hong Kong on Friday sentenced a prominent online radio host to two years and eight months in prison for sedition and money laundering, charges he confessed to in a plea deal.
• Indonesia opposes 'politicizing' UN rights body after blocking China-Uyghur debate Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- The U.N.'s human rights body should not be "used for purposes of political rivalry," Indonesia said Friday after it voted against a U.S.-led proposal to debate China's alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority.
• Human Rights Groups, China Voice Strong, Opposing Reactions to UN Vote VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- Beijing highlighted the failure of a push by the United States and some Western countries to debate China's human rights record in Xinjiang at next year's U.N. Human Rights Council. Uyghur rights groups voiced strong disappointment.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the Human Rights Council's Vote Against a Draft Decision on Xinjiang PRC MofA 07 Oct 2022
• UN Human Rights Council 51: General remarks on human rights in Xinjiang UK FCDO 07 Oct 2022 -- Ambassador Simon Manley delivered a general remark after a vote on the situation of human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.
• China Paving 'Health Silk Road' in Africa VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- The Beijing-funded African Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is due to open in the next few months. The controversial project is just one example of China's increasing investment in health care on the African continent since the pandemic as it builds what analysts and Beijing call a "Health Silk Road."
• Fears of Quarantines, Lockdowns Mar Golden Week Festivities in China VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- China's annual Golden Week festivities wind down Friday under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic with sharply reduced travel, frequent COVID testing and tight security in the capital ahead of this month's 20th Communist Party Congress.
• Taiwan has sufficient food stocks in the event of war: Premier CNA 07 Oct 2022 -- Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan Friday that Taiwan is well prepared and has enough food to last for at least a year in the event of war.
• Taiwan looking to play 'crucial' role in Indo-Pacific: President Tsai CNA 07 Oct 2022 -- Taiwan is looking to play a "crucial" role in the development of the Indo-Pacific region in the post-COVID-19 era, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Friday at the opening of the Yushan Forum in Taipei.
• Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim's Call with Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative Kim and Japanese Director General Funakoshi US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022
• Designating DPRK-related Sanctions Evaders US Dept. of State 07 Oct 2022 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues its unprecedented pace, scale, and scope of ballistic missile launches this year. This year alone, it has launched 41 ballistic missiles. Six of these were intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• Treasury Targets North Korean Fuel Procurement Network US Treasury 07 Oct 2022 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two individuals and three entities for activities related to the exportation of petroleum to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which directly supports the development of DPRK weapons programs and its military.
• US Imposes New Sanctions on North Korea After Missile Tests VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Friday announced new economic sanctions on North Korea after the isolated nation launched a series of ballistic missiles he called "unprecedented in their pace, scale and scope."
• Iran condemns EU's interfering resolution IRNA 07 Oct 2022 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has underlined that a recent meddlesome resolution issued by the European Union is fundamentally baseless and worthless.
• Riots not acceptable anywhere throughout world: Iran FM IRNA 07 Oct 2022 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian underscored that certain rioters aided and abetted by foreign TV networks have destroyed public properties and have attacked people and police that are not acceptable anywhere in the globe.
• Iran's Armed Forces renew allegiance to Commander in Chief Ayatollah Khamenei IRNA 07 Oct 2022 -- The commanders of country's armed and police forces in a joint statement appreciated the support by Commander in Chief and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei while renewing their loyalty and allegiance to him.
• Iranian Forensic Report Denies Amini Died From Injuries, Blames 'Underlying Diseases' RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- An Iranian coroner's report says Mahsa Amini's death was not caused by blows to the head or limbs but was instead linked to disease, disputing family objections that the 22-year-old was in good health when taken into custody for purportedly wearing a hijab improperly.
• At least 5 former military officers killed by Myanmar armed opposition since November Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- Armed opposition groups have assassinated five former officers in Myanmar's military, including one believed to have close ties to the vice chairman of the junta, for what they claim is their public support of the regime and as retribution for the execution of prominent pro-democracy activists.
• Former Kazakh Security Council Official Gets Seven Years In Prison On Treason Charge RFE/RL 07 Oct 2022 -- ASTANA -- The former deputy secretary of Kazakhstan's Security Council, Marat Shaikhutdinov, has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of high treason and espionage.
• UNHCR urgently seeks US$66 million for communities devastated by Pakistan floods UNHCR 07 Oct 2022 -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urgently seeking US$65.8 million to help more than 650,000 refugees and members of their host communities affected by the recent devastating floods in Pakistan.
• Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly on Pakistan Floods UN Secretary-General 07 Oct 2022
• Pakistan's 'climate carnage beyond imagination', UN chief tells General Assembly UN News 07 Oct 2022 -- The people of Pakistan are the victims of "a grim calculus of climate injustice", Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN General Assembly on Friday, reminding that while the country was responsible for less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is paying a "supersized price for man-made climate change".
• Erdogan Works to Deepen Ties With Putin Amid Allies' Concerns VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday held talks by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to deepen relations. The talks are seen as likely to add to growing concerns among some of Turkey's NATO partners over its relationship with Moscow and where its loyalties lie.
• Burkina Faso: UN rights office calls for probe into coup-related deaths and injuries UN News 07 Oct 2022 -- The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called for investigations into deaths and injuries resulting from last week's coup in Burkina Faso, Spokesperson Seif Magango said on Friday.
• Cambodian opposition politician ordered to pay US $700,000 for defamation Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- A Cambodian court on Friday ordered Son Chhay, vice president of the main opposition Candlelight Party, to pay more than U.S.$700,000 in damages for defamation, his lawyer told Radio Free Asia.
• Hun Sen ally linked to secretive billion-dollar Cuban cigar deal Radio Free Asia 07 Oct 2022 -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cuban counterpart, Manuel Marrero Cruz, agreed this week after meeting in Phnom Penh to forge closer ties between their two countries, signing pledges to cooperate on areas related to culture and sports.
• Nigeria Discovers Huge Pipeline Used for Oil Theft VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- The head of Nigeria's petroleum company told a legislative committee this week that a 4-kilometer pipeline from the Forcados export terminal has been used to steal oil for nine years, resulting in the theft of hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day.
• Lesotho Faces Political Instability as Polls Open Friday VOA 07 Oct 2022 -- The small kingdom of Lesotho, surrounded by South Africa, is voting Friday with more than 50 parties competing and few hopes of an end to the country's run of unstable coalitions.