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Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Increases Military Presence Near Oman DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- The Defense Department today announced an increased presence in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, including an additional Navy destroyer along with fighter jets.
• Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing DoD 17 Jul 2023
• State Partnership Program Turns 30: A Crucial Arrow in Ukraine's Quiver DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, some of the first phone calls from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, were to Sacramento, California.
• State Partnership Program Turns 30: How DOD's National Guard State Partnership Program Works DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- Talk with senior leaders — some of the National Guard's most passionate advocates — and they'll tell you something about the Defense Department's National Guard State Partnership Program that will likely surprise you.
• State Partnership Program Turns 30: The DOD National Guard State Partnership Program Looks to the Future DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- The National Guard's most senior officer sees potential for about 30 more countries to enter into the security cooperation agreements with the guard over the next decade. The 30-year-old, 100-nation Defense Department National Guard State Partnership Program is expected to evolve in other ways as it has in its first three decades.
• State Partnership Program Turns 30: The Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program Today DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- On the eve of its 30th anniversary, the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program has matured into thriving security cooperation relationships with 100 nations.
• US Senate Begins Debate on Annual Massive Defense Spending Bill VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The U.S. Senate will begin debate Tuesday on a massive spending bill setting the spending priorities for the U.S. military for the coming year.
• DOD Enters Agreement to Expand Capabilities for Domestic Graphite Mining and Processing for Large-Capacity Batteries DoD 17 Jul 2023 -- The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization office, entered an agreement with Graphite One (Alaska) to secure a reliable, sustainable supply of graphite materials within the U.S. to be used in the production of large-capacity batteries.
• State Partnership Program Turns 30: The DOD's National Guard State Partnership Program is Born DoD News 17 Jul 2023 -- It began in 1992 with a brief conversation between two general officers about how to help emerging democracies following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc.
• I MEF Heavily Engaged in the Western Pacific in July USMC News 17 Jul 2023 -- Throughout the month of July, approximately 6,000 U.S. Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force are dispersed across Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Republic of Palau as they participate in a wide range of exercises, community projects, key leader engagements, and subject matter expert exchanges.
• United in Purpose | 20 Nations Kick Off UNITAS LXIV in Colombia USMC News 17 Jul 2023 -- UNITAS LXIV is officially underway. The opening ceremony of the world's longest-running multinational maritime exercise formally launched this year's iteration on July 12, 2023.
• Wedgetail Trilateral Joint Vision Statement signed at Royal International Air Tattoo US Air Force 17 Jul 2023 -- A joint vision statement has been signed between the heads of the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and the United States Air Force, setting out their mutual intent to work collaboratively on the development of their countries' Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov DoD 17 Jul 2023
• White House: Neither US nor NATO ready to enter war with Russia Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- The White House says granting NATO membership to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict will inevitably drag the United States and the military alliance into war with Russia, a scenario for which neither party is prepared.
• Wider Europe Briefing: What Ukraine Got -- And Didn't Get -- At The NATO Summit RFE/RL 17 Jul 2023
• PLA Eastern Theater Command holds island medical air evacuation drills Global Times 18 Jul 2023 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command recently conducted its first medical evacuation exercise featuring helicopters transferring the wounded from frontier islands to the mainland, a move experts said on Tuesday could lower casualties in potential island defense and amphibious landing missions.
• China's military schools step up recruitment of high school graduates Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- China's military schools are stepping up their recruitment of recent high school graduates in a bid to upgrade the armed forces' capacity to wage high-tech warfare, according to the country's Ministry of Defense.
• Tabletop war games reveal lack of security dialogue mechanism: Think tank CNA 17 Jul 2023 -- The lack of a mechanism to facilitate direct security dialogue between Taiwan, Japan and the United States is a major concern, the president of a Taiwanese think tank said Sunday at the conclusion of a two-day tabletop war games event held in Japan.
• Iran's top general highlights sustainable air defense IRNA 17 Jul 2023 -- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri has underlined the significance of sustainable air defense.
• Iran Reserves Right to 'Deterrent Measures' as US Sends F-16s to Its Backyard Sputnik 17 Jul 2023 -- The Pentagon beefed up its Mideast garrison with F-16 fighter jets over the weekend, supposedly to "deter" Iran from seizing any more oil tankers. The Islamic Republic says its ship seizures have been related to illegal smuggling activities and attempts by foreign vessels to flee the scene of accidents involving Iranian fishing vessels.
• Data on interceptions of aircraft completed near the Baltic States' borders on July 10-16, 2023 Lithuania MND 17 Jul 2023
• Netanyahu vows crackdown on Israel's military no-shows Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that the Israeli regime will crack down on no-shows for military reserve duty by opponents of his so-called judicial overhaul plan.
• Readout of President Joe Biden's Call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel The White House 17 Jul 2023
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press US Dept. of State 17 Jul 2023
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby The White House 17 Jul 2023

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 17, 2023

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News
• 17 July 2023 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Jul 2023
• UN Reports Continued Afghan Human Rights Violations by Taliban VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The United Nations says Taliban authorities in Afghanistan continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals suspected of being opposition forces and journalists, in addition to increasing restrictions on women's access to work and education.
• Afghanistan's Shi'ite Minority Suffers 'Systematic Discrimination' Under Taliban Rule RFE/RL 17 Jul 2023 -- When the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan's Shi'ite Hazara minority feared that the historically persecuted community would once again become the main target of Taliban atrocities.
• Afghan Women Complain Of Harassment, Threats By Taliban's Morality Police RFE/RL 17 Jul 2023 -- Women in the western Afghan city of Herat say they have been harassed and threatened by members of the Taliban's notorious morality police for not wearing the hijab, or Islamic head scarf.
• Iran ready to back any regional initiative on Afghanistan: FM Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has announced the Islamic Republic's readiness to contribute to the advancement of regional initiatives on the issue of Afghanistan under the auspices of the United Nations.
• Experts: Nonaggression Pact on Sea Feud Likely to Test Beijing's Commitment to International Law VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The fate of negotiations between China and Southeast Asian nations to reach an agreement governing the disputed South China Sea depends on whether Beijing insists on sticking to its so-called nine-dash line claim rejected by an international tribunal in The Hague, experts said.
• Erdogan says 'open' to meeting with Assad, rejects troops withdrawal from northern Syria Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara has not closed the door on peace negotiations with Damascus and that he is "open" to a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, as part of normalization efforts between the two countries.
• US-led coalition's jets violated Syrian airspace several times in past day: Russia Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Russia says the US-led military coalition's fighter jets violated Syria's airspace in the strategic al-Tanf region several times during the past day, amid repeated calls by Damascus for the expulsion of Washington's occupation forces from the country.
• In Myanmar, nearly 2 million people have been displaced by civil war, UN says Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- Nearly 2 million civilians in Myanmar have been displaced from their homes by the civil war raging in their country, with 40,000 displaced in the past month alone, according to the U.N.'s humanitarian agency, which appealed for food and other supplies.
• Rebels vow to protect Chinese investment in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- Three ethnic armies in northern Myanmar have vowed to protect international investment in their regions which are home to several key Chinese-led projects.
• Junta blames 'terrorist drones' for Sagaing bombing Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- A bomb blast in Myanmar's Sagaing region injured eight locals, junta-backed messaging channels reported Monday.
• Al-Shabab Imposes Blockade on Baidoa Town in Somalia VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has condemned the militant group al-Shabab for imposing a weeklong blockade on the southwestern town of Baidoa. Authorities say the Islamist group has cut off supplies in and out of the area, worsening hunger caused by record drought and insecurity.
• Reuters Report: Sudan Slipping Deeper into Hunger, Poverty VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The ongoing war between Sudan's military and a paramilitary force has placed the country in jeopardy of not being able to feed itself and has thrown many people into deeper depths of hunger and poverty, according to a Reuters report.
• Deadly Conflict in Vietnam's Central Highlands Ramps Up Persecution of Ethnic Minorities VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- Vietnamese authorities reportedly have heightened security and increased the persecution of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands after a deadly attack last month on government buildings there.

News Reports

• Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry Meets with Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2023
• China's senior diplomat Wang Yi meets with visiting US climate envoy John Kerry in Beijing Global Times 18 Jul 2023 -- China's top diplomat Wang Yi met visiting US climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, calling him an old friend and expressing hope that the US would adopt a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.
• Chinese defense chief meets Kissinger; both sides urge to strengthen relations between two militaries Global Times 18 Jul 2023 -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu met with visiting former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger in Beijing on Tuesday, during which Li said China's path of peaceful development is a blessing, not a threat, to the world, and the US should make right strategic judgment of China, according to a statement published by the Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
• Xi calls for strengthening cybersecurity People's Daily 17 Jul 2023 -- Highlighting the increasingly prominent role of cybersecurity and informatization work in the new era, President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to coordinate development and security, with solid efforts to advance high-quality growth in this regard.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on July 17, 2023 PRC MofA 17 Jul 2023
• Where is Foreign Minister Qin Gang? China's foreign ministry 'has no information' Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- China's foreign ministry on Monday brushed aside questions about the whereabouts of Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who hasn't been seen in public for nearly three weeks, sparking a storm of media speculation over the reasons for his apparent disappearance.
• Taking the heat: Kerry holds talks in Beijing to negotiate emissions Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- United States climate envoy John Kerry met with his Chinese counterpart Monday morning, having left one of northern America's hottest months for one of Beijing's hottest summers on a diplomatic mission to cool things down.
• John Kerry visits China amid high tensions between Washington, Beijing Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- US special climate envoy John Kerry has arrived in Beijing, as Washington continues to push for reopening closed channels of communication between the two powers.
• Xie, Kerry hold 4-hour talks on climate; observers warn of US exerting pressure on China over the issue Global Times 17 Jul 2023 -- China's special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua and visiting US climate envoy John Kerry held talks that reportedly lasted about four hours on Monday, which are seen as the latest effort to revive climate cooperation between the two countries and a positive signal for bilateral relations, currently at a historical low.
• China-Russia relations go beyond the scope of bilateral ties, become important guarantee for world peace, stability: senior CPC official Global Times 17 Jul 2023 -- China-Russia relations have gone beyond the scope of bilateral relations and have become an important guarantee for world peace and stability, Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said while meeting with a delegation of cadres from the A Just Russia party led by Sergei Mironov, Chairman of A Just Russia-Patriots-For Truth party and head of the A Just Russia party faction in the State Duma of Russia in Beijing on Sunday.
• Xi meets Duterte in Beijing, hails his contribution to China-Philippines relations Global Times 17 Jul 2023 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday met with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. An expert said the meeting sent "a relatively friendly signal" regarding bilateral ties.
• Xi Jinping Meets with Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte PRC MofA 17 Jul 2023 -- On the afternoon of July 17, 2023, President Xi Jinping met with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
• HK is studying inclusion of crime of espionage into Article 23 legislation: SAR security chief Global Times 17 Jul 2023 -- After Hong Kong's security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed that local authorities are studying including the crime of espionage as part of the legislative scope of Article 23 of the Basic Law to strictly prevent modern-day spying, local legal experts said on Monday that it's a necessary move to prevent Hong Kong from being a center of espionage for countries like the US and the UK and it's a must that the city establish laws and regulations by taking into account non-traditional national security and cybersecurity issues.
• China lodges solemn representation to US over transit of Taiwan separatist Global Times 17 Jul 2023 -- China has lodged a solemn representation to the US concerning the plan of Taiwan separatist William Lai Ching-te to travel to Paraguay and transit through the US. China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the island, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press conference on Monday.
• PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan Jul.17, 2023 ROC MND 17 Jul 2023
• Rodong Sinmun on High Honor of Korean People Guided by Peerlessly Great Man KCNA 17 Jul 2023 -- Rodong Sinmun on Monday dedicates an article to the 11th anniversary of the conferment of the title of DPRK Marshal on the respected General Secretary Kim Jong Un .
• Press Statement of Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of C.C., WPK KCNA 17 Jul 2023 -- Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made the following press statement on Monday:
• US should keep from foolish act, North Korean leader's sister warns Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, has warned Washington against undertaking anything "foolish" that could provoke Pyongyang and jeopardize US security.
• Iran opens large dam to boost farming, manufacturing Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Iran has opened a large dam in its southwest to help boost agriculture and manufacturing output in the region.
• Iran will not brook interference when it comes to territorial integrity, national sovereignty: FM Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Islamic Republic will never tolerate any interference when it comes to its territorial integrity amid recent claims about the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
• Protests Erupt In Northern Iran Amid Attempts To Enforce Hijab Rules RFE/RL 17 Jul 2023 -- Protests have erupted in the northern Iranian city of Rasht following an attempt by government officials to arrest three women over violations of mandatory hijab rules amid reports that the country's leadership has ordered the resumption of so-called "morality police" patrols.
• Azerbaijan intent on expanding economic ties with Iran: Deputy PM Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev says his country is intent on expanding trade and economic ties with Iran despite political rifts caused by an attack in late January on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran.
• Rights group: Myanmar democracy activist, family abducted in Malaysia Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- A Myanmar democracy activist and her family, who are U.N. refugee card holders, were kidnapped from their home in Malaysia's capital earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said Monday, adding that people linked to the Malaysian government may have been involved.
• Joint Statement 4th EU-IRAQ Subcommittee on Human rights and Democracy European External Action Service (EEAS) 17 Jul 2023 -- The 4th Sub-committee on Human Rights and Democracy was held on 11 July 2023, in Brussels. The European Union and Iraq reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation and discussed a number of human rights, democracy and governance related topics in a spirit of partnership, welcoming progress by Iraq on several topics and the commitment of the Iraqi government to remain engaged in the process of implementing the necessary reforms.
• 100,000 Haitians in urgent need of food, UN lacks funds Press TV 17 Jul 2023 -- The UN World Food Program (WFP) says it won't be able to provide assistance to one-hundred thousand people who are in urgent need of assistance in Haiti, unless it receives immediate funding.
• Western Balkan Leaders Meet In Tirana Ahead Of October Summit On EU Membership Bids RFE/RL 17 Jul 2023 -- EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said that the European Union is committed to the rapid implementation of the region's growth strategy after meeting in Tirana on July 17 with top government officials from five Balkan countries that want to become members of the EU.
• Joint Statement on Lebanon US Dept. of State 17 Jul 2023 -- The text of the following joint statement was released by the Governments of Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
• Zimbabwe Rights Groups, Opposition Furious Over Signed Patriotic Bill VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- Rights activists and opposition groups in Zimbabwe say President Emmerson Mnangagwa's signing into law a so-called "Patriotic Bill" is a grave attack on fundamental freedoms and rights. The new law authorizes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for anyone found guilty of "willfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe."
• Bangladeshi Police Accused of Conspiring Against Opposition Candidates VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- Bangladesh's opposition BNP is expected to stage new protests Tuesday and Wednesday amid its call for the resignation of the current government and installation of a caretaker administration ahead of general elections likely taking place in January.
• Solomon Islands leader tells US, Australia to respect sovereignty Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- The prime minister of the Solomon Islands has accused the United States and Australia of meddling in the Pacific island country's affairs after they called for making public the police cooperation agreement it recently signed with China.
• Hun Sen's government orders RFA, other news outlet websites blocked Radio Free Asia 17 Jul 2023 -- Prime Minister Hun Sen's government has ordered internet service providers in Cambodia to block the websites of Radio Free Asia and other news outlets ahead of this Sunday's parliamentary election.
• Cambodian Government Blocks News Sites Before Unopposed Election VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The Cambodian government has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block the websites and social media accounts of nine domains of at least three news outlets, including the Cambodia Daily Khmer and Radio Free Asia, just a week before the uncontested national election on July 23, according to an official letter obtained by VOA Khmer.
• Time to Revalue African Economies, African Development Bank Chief Says VOA 17 Jul 2023 -- The year 2023 has so far not been a good one for Africa. Conflict has erupted in Sudan, deepened in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spread southward from the Sahel.