Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• New York National Guard deploys for snowstorm response Army News 27 Dec 2022 -- Four hundred and sixty New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were on state active duty Dec. 27 to help respond to the massive snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area over Christmas weekend.

Defense Policy / Programs

• The 13th MEU participates in Readiness and Training Exercise CARAT Indonesia 2022 USMC News 27 Dec 2022 -- The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, completed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Marine Exercise Indonesia 2022 in Situbondo and Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 21. The 15 days of in-person and at-sea engagements enhanced interoperability and partnership between the Indonesian and U.S. militaries.
• Nebraska Guard Conducts TOW Missile System Training Exercise Army News 27 Dec 2022 -- Nebraska National Guard Soldiers from the 1-134th Cavalry Squadron and 2-134th Infantry Battalion had the rare opportunity to conduct live-fire training with 32 missiles Dec. 13.
• GT Yearender: PLA wraps up year 2022 with intensive drills, rapid development Global Times 27 Dec 2022 -- In an epitome that highlights a busy year of missions and development, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) carried out several concurrent major military exercises at the end of 2022, including the China-Russia joint naval drill, far sea training of the Liaoning aircraft carrier group and the cross-service joint exercises around the island of Taiwan, with observers expecting the PLA to continue making strides and achieve its centenary goal in 2027, safeguarding the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests.
• China, Russia conclude week-long naval drills in East China Sea Global Times 27 Dec 2022 -- Chinese and Russian naval forces successfully concluded their week-long routine joint drills in the East China Sea on Tuesday, with Chinese navy commanders revealing to the Global Times that actual combat performances and innovation were highlights during the exercise, which focused on joint maintenance of maritime security.
• China, Russia conclude joint naval exercise PLA Daily 27 Dec 2022 -- Chinese and Russian navies concluded a seven-day joint naval exercise Tuesday in the East China Sea.
• PLA Hongkong Garrsion completes 24th round of officer rotations PLA Daily 27 Dec 2022 -- Some officers assigned to the PLA Hong Kong Garrison finished the deployment in Hong Kong and returned to their former posts on December 26, 2022. This is the 24th round of officer rotations by the PLA Hong Kong Garrison since the return of Hong Kong to motherland.
• Taiwan extends compulsory military service to 1 year amid China threat CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday announced that compulsory military service in Taiwan will be extended from four months to one year, effective Jan. 1, 2024, to strengthen Taiwan's combat readiness against potential Chinese attacks.
• Taiwan to extend mandatory military service from 4 to 12 months Radio Free Asia 27 Dec 2022 -- Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Tuesday that mandatory military service will be extended from four months to one year to strengthen the island's army amid security threats from China.
• Taiwan Triples Compulsory Military Service Time as Cross-Strait Tensions Persist Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- Tensions between Beijing and Taipei jumped in August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, kicking off a series of trips to the island by US and European diplomatic delegations. The strain appeared to lessen last month after the China-moderate Kuomintang Party made gains against the ruling Progressive Democrats in local elections.
• Extended military service to include higher pay, longer boot camp: President CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday announced that compulsory military service in Taiwan will be extended from four months to one year, effective Jan. 1, 2024, to strengthen Taiwan's combat readiness against potential Chinese attacks.
• Tsai announces military reforms, introduces U.S. training models CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday announced a structural reform of Taiwan's military aimed at bolstering Taiwan's defense capabilities that more clearly delineates the main tasks of its voluntary, compulsory, reserve and civil defense units.
• Scholars call for training overhaul after military service extension CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- Scholars in Taiwan called on the government to expand training capacity and introduce reforms to better meet the nation's defense needs, after an announcement Tuesday that mandatory military service will be extended from four months to one year starting in 2024, to counter the threat of an increasingly assertive China.
• Taiwan's conscription reform shows self-defense commitment: AIT CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- The United States on Tuesday welcomed the conscription reform announced by Taiwan's government earlier that day, saying the move demonstrates the country is committed to self-defense and enhancing deterrence.
• Opposition calls for Taiwan conscription reforms alongside extension CNA 27 Dec 2022 -- Taiwan's opposition parties on Tuesday called for effective measures to strengthen training for those undergoing compulsory military service after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) announced plans to lengthen conscription from four months to one year.
• Taiwan authorities extend mandatory military service to 1 year, 'a deplorable decision' made under US pressure Global Times 27 Dec 2022 -- At a Tuesday press briefing on "adjusting the structure" of the military and defense, Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen announced to extend mandatory military service from its current four months to one year starting from 2024.
• Australia Reportedly Planning to Deploy New Missile Systems Amid China-Taiwan Tensions Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- The Australian government has been considering the possibility of deploying a new missile system in the country's north coast presumably amid tensions between China and Taiwan, Australian media reported, citing the national defense ministry.
• India to deploy ballistic missiles along borders with China, Pakistan amid tensions Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- India intends to deploy around 120 Pralay ballistic missiles along its borders with arch-foes China and Pakistan after recent clashes with Chinese troops at a contested border, according to reports citing defense sources.
• Reports: South Korean Leader Criticizes Poor Army Training After Pyongyang's Drone Launch Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said that the North Korean drone infiltration in the country shows the long-term lack of army training, indirectly accusing the previous administration for its peaceful policy toward North Korea, a South Korean news agency reported.
• Polish Defense Ministry: France to Provide Poland With Two Military Satellites Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- Poland has signed an agreement with France for the supply of two surveillance satellites and a receiving station, Polish National Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said on Tuesday.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Dec. 27, 2022

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News
• U.S.-Trained Afghan Soldiers Angry Over Their Plight Are Ready To Join Russia's War Against Ukraine RFE/RL 27 Dec 2022 -- Lost status and a desperate existence in Iran are driving thousands of former Afghan troops -- many of them elite commandos trained by the United States -- to consider fighting as mercenaries in Ukraine and other battlefields.
• Islamic State Claims Attack That Killed Taliban Police Chief In Badakhshan RFE/RL 27 Dec 2022 -- The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a key Taliban security official on December 26 in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.
• 'Unfathomable restrictions' on women's rights risk destabilizing Afghanistan UN News 27 Dec 2022 -- The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, called on Tuesday for the Taliban de facto authorities to revoke immediately a raft of policies that target the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, saying that they cause "terrible, cascading effects" on their lives and risk destabilizing the nation.
• Rohingya man recounts nightmare of being adrift at sea Radio Free Asia 27 Dec 2022 -- Muhammad Taher knew he was risking his life when he decided to leave a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and board a decrepit-looking boat to Indonesia, but the father-of-four was desperate to work.
• UN refugee agency welcomes Indonesia's 'act of humanity' in rescuing migrants adrift at sea UN News 27 Dec 2022 -- Indonesian fishing crews and local authorities who took part in rescuing more than 200 people adrift at sea, were hailed on Tuesday by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, for their "act of humanity".
• Conversation with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan President of Russia 27 Dec 2022 -- The President of Russia met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the informal summit of the CIS heads of state.
• Lachin corridor blockade enters 16th day, spawning humanitarian crisis for Armenians Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- Protests continue in the Nagorno-Karabakh region's largest city Stepanakert as the blockade of the only land link to Armenia, which entered its 16th day on Tuesday, is spawning a humanitarian crisis for local Armenians.
• Serbia puts troops on 'highest alert' amid rising tensions with Kosovo Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- Serbian armed forces have been put on the "highest level of combat readiness" on the border with Kosovo amid increasingly strained relations between the two neighboring countries over recent shootings and blockades.
• Kosovar Serbs Set Up More Barricades In North Amid Rising Tensions RFE/RL 27 Dec 2022 -- More roadblocks were set up overnight in northern Kosovo, where tensions have been running high in recent weeks between the ethnic Albanian-led government and the ethnic Serbian community.
• Serbia's Armed Forces Put on Combat Alert Amid Kosovo Tensions Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- The alert comes after months of escalation by the Western-backed self-proclaimed government in Kosovo. Tensions began to rise this summer after Pristina declared Serbian-issued license plates void and took other discriminatory measures against ethnic Serbs living in the breakaway's northern areas.
• Ethiopian Airlines to Resume Daily Flights to Tigray VOA 27 Dec 2022 -- Ethiopia's flagship carrier Ethiopian Airlines has announced it will resume daily flights to Tigray region's capital Mekelle as an African Union-brokered peace deal moves forward.
• US Congresswoman Hails Somali Army Successes Against Al-Shabab VOA 27 Dec 2022 -- U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar hailed recent victories scored by the Somali government and local community forces against al-Shabab militants in central Somali regions.

News Reports

• First of Two Convicted at Trial in Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison US Dept. of Justice 27 Dec 2022 -- A Michigan man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to kidnap the Governor of Michigan and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property.
• UN chief issues global 'wake-up call' on Day of Epidemic Preparedness UN News 27 Dec 2022 -- Three years ago this month, the virus that causes COVID-19 was first detected, the UN chief reminded on Tuesday, the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
• 2022 Year In health: New Ebola and cholera outbreaks, mpox emergency, COVID-19 'not over' UN News 27 Dec 2022 -- The UN warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is still a cause for global concern, and outbreaks of cholera, Ebola and Monkeypox (now renamed mpox) led to the mobilization of health and aid workers to contain life-threatening illnesses. The UN warned that the aim of eradicating HIV/AIDS by 2030 was under threat, but a new vaccine raised hopes that malaria can be beaten.
• Meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko President of Russia 27 Dec 2022 -- Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko had a meeting on the sidelines of the informal CIS summit.
• U.S. not to succeed in suppressing multipolar world order: Russian FM People's Daily 27 Dec 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Washington's attempts to preserve its complete ideological hegemony, stop the course of history, and suppress the formation of multipolar world order will fail.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on December 27, 2022 PRC MofA 27 Dec 2022
• US-China Rivalry Increases Tension in Southeast Asia VOA 27 Dec 2022 -- As the United States and China compete for influence worldwide, tension is rising between the superpowers in Southeast Asia over economic policies, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Taiwanese independence.
• Motion to request interpretation of National Security Law for Hong Kong explained at ongoing NPC Standing Committee session Global Times 27 Dec 2022 -- Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Office of the State Council, made an explanation on a motion to request the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the National Security Law for Hong Kong at the ongoing standing committee session of China's top legislature on Tuesday.
• Senior Chinese Legislative Body Agrees to Hong Kong's Request to Interpret 2020 Security Law Sputnik 27 Dec 2022 -- China's 2020 National Security Law aroused fury across the West, where it was condemned as an "authoritarian" crackdown. However, those same nations have long supported anti-communist movements in Hong Kong and other parts of China as part of an effort to stop the rise of a socialist state with the potential to displace the US as a world leader.
• North Korean Drones Befuddle South, Highlight Growing Role for Tiny UAVs VOA 27 Dec 2022 -- South Korea's military expressed regret that it failed to shoot down any of the five North Korean surveillance drones that intruded into South Korean airspace, as Seoul officials vowed Tuesday to prevent future incursions.
• Korean-Nation-First Spirit Fully Displayed This Year KCNA 27 Dec 2022 -- This year too, the people of the DPRK have further displayed the superiority of the nation in every sphere of social life, braving manifold difficulties and ordeals.
• 9th Congress of KCU Opens KCNA 27 Dec 2022 -- The 9th Congress of the Korean Children's Union (KCU) opened in Pyongyang on Monday amid the warm blessings of the people across the country.
• Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of 8th WPK Central Committee Convened KCNA 27 Dec 2022 -- Thanks to the mature leadership of the great Workers' Party of Korea and the indomitable fighting spirit of the Korean people, the unprecedented challenges and trials that hindered and hampered our advance have been frustrated, and the DPRK is making all efforts to accomplish its far-reaching ideal while aspiring to a more confident direction of advance.
• 50th Anniversary of Institution of Socialist Constitution of DPRK Marked KCNA 27 Dec 2022 -- The Juche-oriented Socialist Constitution firmly guaranteeing the existence of the glorious Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its invincible might by law has displayed its great viability century after century amid the strong support and absolute trust by all the people.
• President Raeisi: Iran will show mercy to those deceived, but not insurgents Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says the enemy has made every effort to hinder the country's progress, but its plots failed disgracefully due to the steadfastness of the nation.
• On The Streets And On Rooftops, Anti-Government Protests Continue Across Iran RFE/RL 27 Dec 2022 -- Iranian protesters took to the streets in various Iranian cities on December 26, continuing their anti-government protests triggered by the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
• Iran intensifies crackdown on currency speculation Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- Iran has intensified its crackdown on foreign currency speculation as authorities and official news outlets blame speculators for a historic drop in the value of national currency rial.
• Iran boosts natural gas output by 10 mcm per day Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- State oil company the NIOC says it has completed overhaul of a key natural gas liquids (NGL) project in southern Iran to allow the country to increase its overall natural gas output by some 10 million cubic meters (mcm) per day.
• Iran, Russia fast-track new corridor beyond West's intervention Press TV 27 Dec 2022 -- Russia and Iran are building a new transcontinental trade route that is beyond the reach of any foreign intervention.
• How The War In Ukraine Has Exposed Georgia's Fault Lines RFE/RL 27 Dec 2022 -- It is possible to gauge the scale of discontent in Georgian society by how much of Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi's main thoroughfare, is closed to traffic.
• Results of Nepal's Federal Elections US Dept. of State 27 Dec 2022 -- The United States congratulates the people of Nepal on a successful democratic election and Pushpa Kamal Dahal and coalition partners on their formation of a new government.
• Kenya: Severe drought fuels malnutrition, reduces hospital-delivery births in Turkana County UN News 27 Dec 2022 -- Following four successive failed rainy seasons, Kenya is amid the worst drought in 40 years, the UN's women's health agency, UNFPA, said on Tuesday, shining a light on 134,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women who are reported to be acutely malnourished and in need of treatment.
• Somali President: Civil Servants Mostly 'Ghost Staff' on Government Payroll VOA 27 Dec 2022 -- Somalia's president over the weekend said the vast majority of paid civil servants were neither in the country nor working. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said 3,500 of 5,000 people on the government payroll appear to be so-called ghost workers.