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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• Iraqi gov't moving to end U.S.-led coalition presence: PM People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said Thursday that his government is moving toward ending the presence of the U.S.-led international coalition in the country.
• Japanese gov't OKs U.S. base transfer work despite Okinawa's objection People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- The Japanese government on Thursday gave the green light to a revised plan for a key U.S. base relocation within Okinawa prefecture, taking the unprecedented step of overriding the prefectural government's objection, local media reported.
• NATO intercepted Russian military aircraft over 300 times in 2023 NATO 29 Dec 2023 -- In 2023, NATO air forces across Europe scrambled well over 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching Alliance airspace, with most intercepts occurring over the Baltic Sea. NATO has standing air-policing missions that calls for Allied jets to scramble when there are signs of Russian military planes approaching Allied airspace in unpredictable ways.
• Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Polish Secretary of State, Head of the National Security Bureau Jacek Siewiera The White House 29 Dec 2023
• NATO, U.S. Consult With Warsaw After Apparent Intrusion Of Russian Missile Into Polish Airspace RFE/RL 29 Dec 2023 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke with Poland's president about indications that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace on December 29 during a barrage of Russian missiles and drones fired at Ukraine.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov DoD 29 Dec 2023
• The UK bolsters Ukraine's air defence after Putin's latest air strikes UK FCDO 29 Dec 2023 -- Defence Secretary announces that hundreds of British-made air defence missiles are being shipped to Ukraine to protect civilians and infrastructure from drones and bombing.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov DoD 29 Dec 2023
• Former navy commander appointed as China's new defense minister Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2023 -- Chinese lawmakers on Friday approved the appointment of Adm. Dong Jun, the former commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to the position of defense minister, state Xinhua news agency said.
• China Appoints Former Navy Commander as New Defense Minister VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- China appointed Dong Jun, a former commander of the Chinese Navy, as its new defense minister, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
• China Launches New Wave of Purges Against Key Defense Industry Leaders VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- Three leaders at key Chinese aerospace and defense firms have been removed from the Communist Party's top political advisory organ amid Beijing's effort to purge key figures related to the Chinese military, the official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday.
• DELIVERY OF SEVENTH 250 MEN FERRYCRAFT, 'MANJULA' (YARD 786) India PIB 29 Dec 2023 -- Contract for construction and delivery of 07 x 250 Men Ferry Craft was concluded with M/s Shalimar Works Ltd, Kolkata, in consonance with "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiatives of the Government of India
• Venezuela's Maduro orders military exercise over British warship 'threat' Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has ordered a "defensive" military exercise off the coast of the disputed region of Essequibo over Britain's "provocative" deployment of a warship to neighboring Guyana.
• Israel - 155mm Artillery Ammunition DSCA 29 Dec 2023 -- The Secretary of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Israel of M107 155mm projectiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $147.5 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Dec. 29, 2023

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News

Operation Iron Swords / Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

• Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari December 29th, 20:45 Israel Defense Forces 29 Dec 2023
• IDF Troops Extend Operations in Khan Yunis Israel Defense Forces 29 Dec 2023
• Dec. 28: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Press TV 29 Dec 2023
• Death toll of Gaza war mounts to 21,507 IRNA 29 Dec 2023 -- As many as 21,507 Palestinian people have been martyred since the beginning of the Zionist invasion of the Gaza Strip on October 7, the official report says.
• Israel intensifies Gaza strikes as Hamas in Cairo for ceasefire talks Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Israeli forces have killed at least 187 people in the south and central Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours as a team of senior Hamas leaders reached Cairo for negotiations to end Israel's 12-week-long air and ground assault on the blockaded coastal territory.
• Israel's indiscriminate strikes kill dozens more Palestinian civilians in Gaza Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Israel's indiscriminate strikes have killed dozens more civilians across Gaza, with refugee camps being the main targets of the regime's genocidal war.
• Israel Widens Attack on Hamas; Palestinians Pour Into Southern Gaza VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- Israel's widening attacks in central and southern Gaza have pushed tens of thousands of Palestinians seeking shelter into the southern city of Rafah, where the population has more than tripled — soaring to 850,000 people, according to United Nations figures.
• Palestinian death toll in Gaza reaches 21,320 People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- The number of Palestinian deaths due to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 21,320 with 55,603 injured, said the Gaza Health Ministry on Thursday.
• Security Council discusses crisis in the Middle East; UN chief warns of conflict's 'further spillover' UN News 29 Dec 2023 -- The UN Secretary-General on Friday voiced grave concerns over "further spillover" of the conflict in Gaza, as the Security Council discussed the situation in the Middle East against the backdrop of escalating violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the relentless bombardment in the war-ravaged enclave.
• Gaza: UN calls for urgent aid scale-up amid new mass exodus to Rafah UN News 29 Dec 2023 -- In Gaza, at least 100,000 displaced people have poured into Rafah in recent days, UN humanitarians said on Friday, worsening already dire conditions in the southernmost part of the enclave.
• The Gaza Strip: UNRWA calls for unimpeded and safe access to deliver much needed humanitarian aid UNRWA 29 Dec 2023
• WHO voices concern about worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern on Wednesday about tens of thousands of displaced people fleeing from Israel's strikes across the center and south of the Gaza Strip.
• UN frustrated as Israel hinders life-saving aid to Gaza Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- The United Nations has expressed frustration at how life-saving aid is being hampered from entering the Gaza Strip as the dire humanitarian crisis worsens with no end in sight to Israel's weeks of constant siege and bombardment of the populated coastal territory.
• IRGS Quds commander: Palestinian resistance operation on its own planning, decision IRNA 29 Dec 2023 -- IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani said that the resistance at the regional level is the owner of the decision and diagnosis, and added that the Palestinian resistance started the work with its own plan and the plan that it had prepared.
• Iran's FM denounces U.S. arms supply to Israel for use against Palestinians People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday condemned the United States for its nonstop arms delivery to Israel for use against the Palestinians, reported the semi-official Fars news agency.
• South Africa files ICJ lawsuit against Israel over 'genocidal acts' Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- South Africa has instituted proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the regime's "genocidal" onslaught on Gaza, which has so far killed over 21,000 Palestinians.
• Many more will die from attacks, disease and famine if we do not stop the humanitarian catastrophe: UK statement at the UN Security Council UK FCDO 29 Dec 2023 -- Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.
• Hamas Goes to Cairo to Consider Egyptian Peace Proposal VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- A delegation of high-level Hamas officials is expected in Cairo on Friday, where they will consider an Egyptian peace proposal designed to bring an end to the war between Hamas and Israel.
• Hamas: Al-Aqsa Storm put Israel on path of extinction Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Hamas has said the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movements' Operation al-Aqsa Storm against Israel put the occupying regime "on the path of extinction."
• Hezbollah launches eight more anti-Israel attacks in support of Gaza Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement launched eight more attacks against Israeli military positions on Friday, hitting bases as well as troops, in continuation of its support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
• Hezbollah launches fresh strikes on Israeli targets Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has launched fresh strikes on Israeli targets across the occupied territories in support of Palestinians who are subjected to Israeli atrocities.
• Yemen warns foreign military forces against supporting Israel in Red Sea, Arabian Sea Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Yemen's defense minister has warned tarns-regional military forces against offering support to the Israeli regime and securing passage of Israel-owned ships or vessels bound to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea waters.

Other Conflicts

• Suspicious of China, Philippines Expands US Military Presence VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- Naval Base Camilo Osias, a small military facility on the northern tip of the Philippines' largest island, does not look important.
• The Philippines' provocation over Ren'ai Jiao infringes China's sovereignty: Chinese FM Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- The Philippines' blatant claim of building a permanent structure on the Ren'ai Jiao (Ren'ai Reef) in the South China Sea is a major move that once again serves as an attempt at breaking a promise, a change in policy, and the destruction of the uninhabited status of Ren'ai Jiao, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Friday.
• The Taliban has a responsibility to meet its international commitments: UK statement at the UN Security Council UK FCDO 29 Dec 2023 -- Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.
  
• IRGC denies martyrdom of 11 advisors bombing of Damascus airport IRNA 29 Dec 2023 -- Spokesman of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) denied the news of martyrdom of 11 IRGC advisors as a result of the bombing of the Damascus airport.
• Syria's air defense units repel Israeli aggression near Damascus Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Syrian air defenses have intercepted most Israeli missiles near the country's capital city of Damascus, amid an upsurge in the regime's acts of aggression against the Arab nation following the bloody onslaught against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
• Junta raid kills 10 Rohingyas, injures 17 in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2023 -- Ten Rohingyas were killed and another 17 injured in the Buthidaung and Mrauk-U townships in Myanmar's Rakhine state as a result of airstrikes by the junta on Thursday, local residents told RFA Burmese on Friday.

News Reports

• India Asks Pakistan to Extradite Suspected Terror Mastermind VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- Pakistan confirmed Friday that India officially demanded the extradition of Hafiz Saeed, a hardline Pakistani cleric suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks on Indian soil.
• The Week In Russia: Party Of War RFE/RL 29 Dec 2023 -- The choreographed backlash over a risqué holiday party speaks volumes about Russia as the New Year approaches. So does the treatment of imprisoned Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny, who has been moved to a harsh prison in the country's frigid Far North.
• China guards against new variant of COVID-19 People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- China is taking proactive measures to counter new COVID-19 cases caused by the JN.1 variant of the virus, which is spreading globally, China's health authority said Thursday.
• China's domestically built icebreaker makes debut Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- China's new generation of domestically designed and manufactured icebreaking scientific research ship, Jidi, made its debut on Friday.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on December 29, 2023 PRC MofA 29 Dec 2023
• Media Freedom Coalition Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Closure of Stand News and Media Freedom in Hong Kong US Dept. of State 29 Dec 2023 -- The text of the following statement was signed by the Governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• 'Futile to evade legal responsibility,' Chinese FM said as secessionist flees to UK for asylum Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- It's futile to evade legal responsibility and secessionists will be held accountable in accordance of law, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday, after a former leader of a Hong Kong secessionists group said Thursday that he had fled Hong Kong to seek asylum in the UK.
• Hong Kong puts runaway activist Tony Chung on wanted list Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2023 -- Authorities in Hong Kong on Friday issued a "recall" order for prominent independence activist Tony Chung, who recently arrived in the United Kingdom to seek political asylum, as police questioned the parents of activist Agnes Chow, who skipped bail and fled to Canada.
• China's Residential Property Sector Filled With Livid Buyers of Unfinished Units VOA 29 Dec 2023 -- A growing number of home buyers in China have seen their dream of moving into new homes dashed in the past year after a slew of bankrupt developers left behind millions of unfinished pre-sold properties.
• Yearender: China's role as peacekeeper, global devt promoter further highlighted in a turbulent 2023 Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- An eventful 2023 is drawing to an end. The Palestine-Israel conflict has again drawn the US into another Middle East crisis, whilst chaotic US domestic politics exacerbated by the country's domestic polarization, continues to create uncertainty and cast a dark shadow across the world. The protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict unnerves Europe, and it's finding it more difficult to grapple with the supply of weapons to Ukraine. In addition, the continent is battered with financial and industrial setbacks, as well as rising far-right forces.
• 2023 Yearender: China's commercial space industry delivers unprecedented progress Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- China's commercial space industry has experienced a year of robust and all-around advancement in 2023, which has been lauded by industry insiders and observers as a prominent feature of China's overall development of its space program, with the unprecedentedly rapid emergence of private space companies a particular highlight.
• Xi stresses fostering new dynamics in ties with world Global Times 29 Dec 2023 -- China concluded the latest Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs on Thursday, with the participation of top leaders and senior officials covering the Party and central and local governments, as well as all departments and agencies related to foreign affairs.
• Central conference on work relating to foreign affairs held in Beijing People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the conference and delivered an important address.
• Conference maps path for foreign affairs People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- China called for promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world, and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization to meet the challenges facing the world, while setting out blueprints for its foreign affairs efforts during a two-day national conference.
• China-U.S. military video call achieves constructive progress: defense ministry People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- A recent video call between senior Chinese and U.S. military officers has achieved constructive progress, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
• China's MOC warns of harm from U.S. action on chips People's Daily 29 Dec 2023 -- A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday that any actions that go against market principles and sever the global semiconductor market will not only undermine the rights and interests of Chinese enterprises but also weigh on those from other countries, including the United States.
• Boosting defense shows resolve to protect Taiwan, isn't provocation: Tsai CNA 29 Dec 2023 -- Developing the domestic defense industry is not to provoke Beijing but to demonstrate Taiwan's resolve to defend itself, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told a rally in Taipei on Friday evening as she called for support for the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential ticket.
• Keelung ward chief returned to custody over China trip case CNA 29 Dec 2023 -- A ward chief in Keelung was returned to custody on Friday after prosecutors appealed to have his bail overturned over his alleged involvement in organizing a recent "disproportionately subsidized" trip to China.
• Where did Taiwan's fake presidential election poll come from? Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2023 -- On the evening of Dec. 22, Taiwanese prosecutors confirmed the arrest of Lin Hsien-yuan, a journalist of the online news site Fingermedia. They said they suspected him of concocting a "fabricated" presidential poll and taking direction from the Chinese Communist Party in Fujian province, across the Taiwan Strait.
• PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan Dec. 29, 2023 ROC MND 29 Dec 2023
• Third-day Sitting of 9th Plenum of 8th WPK Central Committee Held KCNA 29 Dec 2023 -- The December 2023 Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) continued on Thursday to confirm the new year's bold and positive development strategy full of the confidence and efforts of our state and people advancing toward the goal of great victory.
• Iran reiterates peaceful nature of its nuclear program IRNA 29 Dec 2023 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has once again stressed that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and will continue to remain so.
• Iran says E3, US had better stop pressure on its nuclear program Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Iran says France, Germany, Britain and the United States must quit issuing statements and exerting fruitless pressure on Tehran and take the necessary political steps instead.
• Israel assassinated IRGC advisor after failing in Gaza battleground: Quds Force cmdr. Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- The commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps puts the Israeli regime's recent assassination of a senior IRGC advisor in Syria down to the regime's failure in its ongoing war against the Gaza Strip.
• Iran executes four Mossad-related saboteurs IRNA 29 Dec 2023 -- Four members of a Mossad-related team, which carried out acts of sabotage in different parts of Iran, have been executed.
• Four Mossad-linked saboteurs executed: Iran judiciary Press TV 29 Dec 2023 -- Four convicts who were found guilty of working with the Israeli Mossad spy agency and participating in armed kidnapping, intimidation and assault of security forces in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan were executed on Friday.
• Year End Review of Department of Space India PIB 29 Dec 2023