Af/Pak & Other News (4/23/2021)

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Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan Urge Taliban To Commit To Afghan Peace Process

https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/turkey-afghanistan-pakistan-urge-taliban-to-commit-afghan-peace-/31219577.html



Taliban’s deputy leader stresses importance of judges in the Islamic emirate

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/04/talibans-deputy-leader-stresses-importance-of-judges-in-the-islamic-emirate.php



Afghan Ambassador: ‘The Ball Is in the Taliban’s Court’

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/23/afghanistan-taliban-peace-talks-roya-rahmani-interview/



General McKenzie Says That the Afghan Military Will “Certainly Collapse”

https://sofrep.com/news/general-mckenzie-says-that-afghan-military-will-certainly-collapse/



US begins to move equipment out of Afghanistan and approves deployment of forces to protect withdrawal operations

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/politics/afghanistan-military-withdrawal-equipment/index.html



Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Could Extend Stay in Middle East to Cover Afghanistan Withdrawal

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/22/eisenhower-carrier-strike-group-could-extend-stay-in-middle-east-to-cover-afghanistan-withdrawal



Taliban Rule in Afghanistan Is Worse for Its Neighbors Than America

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/taliban-rule-afghanistan-worse-its-neighbors-america-183384









India's Hawk-i trainer jet gets deadly ASRAAM air-to-air missile

https://www.blogbeforeflight.net/2021/04/india-hawk-trainer-jet-asraam-missile.html



Indian Navy dispatches DSRV to assist Indonesian Navy’s search for missing submarine

https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2021/04/indian-navy-dispatches-dsrv-to-assist-indonesian-navys-search-for-missing-submarine/









Iran cuts number of centrifuges enriching uranium to 60% purity, IAEA report says

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-cuts-number-centrifuges-enriching-uranium-60-purity-iaea-report-says-2021-04-22/



Persian Posturing: Iran’s Drone Fleet Seen From Space

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2021/04/19/persian-posturing-irans-drone-fleet-seen-from-space/



A deadly fight 33 years ago shows just how destructive a war between the US and Iran could get

https://news.yahoo.com/deadly-fight-33-years-ago-121000262.html









Into Thin Air: Aviation Security Force Assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan

https://warontherocks.com/2021/04/into-thin-air-aviation-security-force-assistance-in-iraq-and-afghanistan/



Iraqi military: 3 rockets strike close to Baghdad airport

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iraq-baghdad-14e8ecc94deb7c2d8dfb53b051d72d0f



‘We’re going to stay in Iraq,’ says top US Middle East commander

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/04/22/were-going-to-say-in-iraq-says-top-us-middle-east-commander/










Italian Air Force, handover between Tornado and Typhoon jets in Kuwait to conduct ISR missions

https://www.blogbeforeflight.net/2021/04/italian-air-force-eurofighter-typhoon-kuwait.html




In a fabled desert city, a decisive battle could determine Yemen's fate

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/middleeast/yemen-marib-war-intl/index.html




Without The F-35, The Turkish Navy Is Desperate For Carrier Planes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/04/23/turkish-navy-gets-desperate-as-f-35-kerfuffle-leaves-flattop-plane-less/



Turkey’s Bayraktar AKINCI AUAV successfully completes its first firing test

https://www.defensehere.com/eng/defense-industry/turkey-s-bayraktar-akinci-auav-successfully-completes-its-first-firing-test/141697



Turkey’s Akıncı UCAV hits targets with latest Roketsan munitions

https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkeys-akinci-ucav-hits-targets-with-latest-roketsan-munitions



New special ammunition for Turkish SİHAs MAM-T – Aroged

https://www.aroged.com/2021/04/22/new-special-ammunition-for-turkish-sihas-mam-t-aroged/









Syrian Surface-To-Air Missile Flew Way Off Course Triggering Alarms Before Exploding Over Israel

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40290/syrian-surface-to-air-missile-flew-way-off-course-triggering-alarms-before-exploding-over-israel



The Fatemiyoun Army: Iran’s Afghan Crusaders in Syria

https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/the-fatemiyoun-army-irans-afghan-crusaders-in-syria/









More than 100 Palestinians wounded in overnight clashes in east Jerusalem

https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210423-more-than-100-palestinians-wounded-in-overnight-clashes-in-east-jerusalem



Israeli X95 Micro Tavor rifle draws interest from Swiss commandos

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/49456









Nigerian Navy explores frigate acquisition

https://www.africanmilitaryblog.com/2021/04/nigerian-navy-explores-frigate-acquisition




Ahead of Deby’s funeral, Chad rebels say command hit by air strike

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ahead-debys-funeral-chad-rebels-say-command-hit-by-air-strike-2021-04-23/



With eye on Islamist fight, France backs Chad military takeover

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/joint/diplomacy-a-peace/with-eye-on-islamist-fight-france-backs-chad-military-takeover/



Chad rebels prepare offensive as president Idriss Déby is buried

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/23/chad-rebels-prepare-offensive-as-president-idriss-deby-is-buried




Kenya commissions C-145 Skytrucks

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/kenya-commissions-c-145-skytrucks/




Congolese Navy operating BK-10 assault boats

https://www.africanmilitaryblog.com/2021/04/congolese-navy-operating-bk-10-assault-boats




The Islamic State’s Signing Bonus

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/23/africa-islamic-state-jihadi-affiliation-mozambique/




Zimbabwe air force helicopter crashes near capital, 4 killed

https://apnews.com/article/zimbabwe-accidents-africa-harare-helicopter-crashes-1077e2313e36f6a853ca55ff45152c67









Russia Says It Is Drawing Down Forces Near Ukraine But We Know Not Everyone Is Going Home

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40288/russia-says-it-is-drawing-down-forces-near-ukraine-but-we-know-not-everyone-is-going-home



Russia-linked alt news sources promote pro-Russian narratives about Ukraine and NATO

https://medium.com/dfrlab/russia-linked-alt-news-sources-promote-pro-russian-narratives-about-ukraine-and-nato-f1a3aba9d6ea



Putin withdraws troops but Russo-Ukrainian War continues

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/putin-withdraws-troops-but-russo-ukrainian-war-continues/



Pro-Kremlin actors amplify misleading narratives to fuel escalation in Eastern Ukraine

https://medium.com/dfrlab/pro-kremlin-actors-amplify-misleading-narratives-to-fuel-escalation-in-eastern-ukraine-684052683de1



Russian MiG-31 Fighter Jet Escorts U.S. Aircraft after Ukraine Border Retreat

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-mig-31-us-air-force-rc-135-intercept-ukraine-border-retreat-1585891



Is Russia Getting Ready to Buy Combat Drones from Turkey?

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/is-russia-getting-ready-to-buy-combat-drones-from-turkey/



ZALA Aero unveils hybrid engine UAV and GPS-independent UAS navigation system

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/zala-aero-unveils-hybrid-engine-uav-and-gps-independent-uas-navigation-system



Alexei Navalny Ends Hunger Strike: 'We Have Achieved Enough'

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-alexei-navalny-kremlin-vladimir-putin-hunger-strike-ends-1585943



'No One Is Leaving': Navalny's Backers Defiant As Threat Of 'Extremist' Label Looms

https://www.rferl.org/a/31219489.html



‘It’s about surviving’: where next for Russia’s beleaguered opposition?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/23/navalnys-supporters-face-battle-for-survival-as-putin-clamps-down-russia





Senior GRU Leader Directly Involved With Czech Arms Depot Explosion

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/04/20/senior-gru-leader-directly-involved-with-czech-arms-depot-explosion/




Report finds that damage control failures led to sinking of RNoN frigate

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/report-finds-that-damage-control-failures-led-to-sinking-of-rnon-frigate




Greece to take final six NH90s including special forces variant

https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/greece-to-take-final-six-nh90s-including-special-forces-variant/143348.article




US Army’s Germany-based 5-4 ADA unit fields first four M-SHORAD systems

https://defbrief.com/2021/04/23/us-armys-germany-based-5-4-ada-unit-fields-first-four-m-shorad-systems/



Classic West German Starfighter film

https://hushkit.net/2021/04/23/classic-west-german-starfighter-film/



Hensoldt awarded ‘Quadriga' radar contract for Luftwaffe Eurofighters

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/hensoldt-awarded-quadriga-radar-contract-for-luftwaffe-eurofighters



German and British defense officials discuss ‘Eurotank’ cooperation

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/04/23/german-and-british-defense-officials-discuss-eurotank-cooperation/




The First S-80-Plus Class Submarine Will Launch New Era For Spanish Navy

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/the-first-s-80-plus-class-submarine-new-capabilities-for-spain/




French Joint Commander for Asia-Pacific Outlines Paris’ Indo-Pacific Defense Plans

https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/french-joint-commander-for-asia-pacific-outlines-paris-indo-pacific-defense-plans/




UK cyber spy chief warns China’s tech power could allow it to ‘control the global operating system’ for 21st century

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3130874/uk-cyber-spy-chief-warns-chinas-tech-power-could-allow-it-control









Embraer and Brazilian air force to study development of advanced UAV

https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/embraer-and-brazilian-air-force-to-study-development-of-advanced-uav/143444.article









China’s surprising drone sales in the Middle East

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2021/04/23/chinas-surprising-drone-sales-in-the-middle-east/



Chinese navy marks 72nd anniversary, unveiling no new warships

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3130879/chinese-navy-marks-72nd-anniversary-unveiling-no-new-warships



Making Fascism Work

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20210423.aspx



China works to improve fixed-wing ASW capabilities

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/china-works-to-improve-fixed-wing-asw-capabilities/143431.article



No, This Mysterious Chinese Drone Isn't Better Than the B-21 Raider

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a36201955/chinese-stealth-drone-b-21-raider-comparisons/



The Chinese advanced radars taking on stealth aircraft

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3130844/chinese-advanced-radars-taking-stealth-aircraft



China is developing plans for a 13,000-satellite megaconstellation

https://spacenews.com/china-is-developing-plans-for-a-13000-satellite-communications-megaconstellation/



The Sino-American Race for Technology Leadership

https://warontherocks.com/2021/04/the-sino-american-race-for-technology-leadership/



Beijing Urges WHO Leader Not to Pursue 'Lab Leak' Theory

https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/beijing-urges-who-leader-not-pursue-lab-leak-theory





Japan Coast Guard Moving Forward with Maritime Surveillance UAV Procurement

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/japan-coast-guard-moving-forward-with-maritime-surveillance-uav-procurement/



Japan to Host First Joint Military Drill With US, France

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/04/23/japan-drills-us-france/





U.S. Navy P-8 Maritime Patrol Plane To Join Hunt For Missing Indonesian Submarine

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40302/u-s-navy-p-8-maritime-patrol-plane-to-join-hunt-for-missing-indonesian-submarine



Communications malfunction hampers rescue of missing Indonesian submarine

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/communications-malfunction-hampers-rescue-of-missing-indonesian-submarine



Indonesian navy detects object, narrows search area for missing submarine

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/asia/indonesia-submarine-australia-us-intl-hnk/index.html



KRI Nangalla's Oxygen Has Just Run Out - No Hope.

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2021/04/kri-nangallas-oxygen-has-just-run-out.html



Submarines are designed to hide – so what happens when one goes missing?

https://theconversation.com/submarines-are-designed-to-hide-so-what-happens-when-one-goes-missing-159634





The story behind this incredible photo of a North Vietnamese MiG-21 flying extremely close to a Firebee drone (and other BQM-34 tales)

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-story-behind-this-incredible-photo-of-a-north-vietnamese-mig-21-flying-extremely-close-to-a-firebee-drone-and-other-bqm-34-tales/





A Plan to Unite North, South Korea: 'One People, Two Countries, Two Systems, One Market'

https://www.newsweek.com/plan-unite-north-south-korea-one-people-two-countries-two-systems-one-market-1586091










Trump may have left D.C., but his beefs with the FBI and the CIA simmer on among his House allies

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-may-have-left-d-c-his-beefs-fbi-cia-n1264991



Alaska’s secret Cold War seafood export: Shellfish toxin for the CIA

https://kmxt.org/2021/04/alaskas-secret-cold-war-seafood-export-shellfish-toxin-for-the-cia/



The Hunt For A Soviet Submarine Desperately Trying To Sneak Through The Strait Of Gibraltar

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40286/the-hunt-for-a-soviet-submarine-desperately-trying-to-sneak-through-the-strait-of-gibraltar



Artificial Intelligence, Lawyers And Laws Of War

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/artificial-intelligence-lawyers-and-laws-of-war-the-balance/



Special Operators account for half of all US combat casualties

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/special-operators-account-for-half-of-all-us-combat-casualties/



190th Fighter Squadron emerged as the overall winner for Hawgsmoke 2021, a biannual A-10 Thunderbolt II competition, at Moody AFB

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/190th-fighter-squadron-emerged-as-the-overall-winner-for-hawgsmoke-2021-a-biannual-a-10-thunderbolt-ii-competition-at-moody-afb/



All B-1B Bombers Have Been Grounded

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40282/all-b-1b-bombers-have-been-grounded



Inside US military’s plans to use drones to detect drones

https://dronedj.com/2021/04/23/darpa-surveillance-drones-aerial-dragnet/



DARPA’s plan to use drones to find drones

https://www.c4isrnet.com/show-reporter/c4isrnet-conference/2021/04/22/darpas-plan-to-use-drones-to-find-drones/



DARPA wants cave robots that can scout ahead for threats or missing people

https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/darpa-subterranean-challenge-robots/



U.S. Army Orders more Switchblade 300 Systems

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29419/U_S__Army_Orders_more_Switchblade_300_Systems



US Army Explores Equipping Robots with Living Muscle Tissue

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/04/army-explores-equipping-robots-living-muscle-tissue/173559/



US Army opting for 23-round autoloader for ERCA

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-opting-for-23-round-autoloader-for-erca



The Army is optimizing electronic warfare equipment for Indo-Pacific

https://www.c4isrnet.com/show-reporter/c4isrnet-conference/2021/04/22/the-army-is-optimizing-electronic-warfare-equipment-for-indo-pacific/



The Army is giving its gun sights a seriously high-tech upgrade

https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/us-army-new-gun-sight/



King Stallion Summer: CH-53K to enter operational test in July

https://verticalmag.com/news/king-stallion-summer-ch-53k-operational-test-july/



Marines making big investments in electromagnetic warfare

https://www.c4isrnet.com/show-reporter/c4isrnet-conference/2021/04/23/marines-making-big-investments-in-electromagnetic-warfare/



An Unmanned Future for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps?

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/an-unmanned-future-for-the-u-s-navy-and-marine-corps/



Air Force Pursues Bomb-Dropping, Drone-Launching Attack Cargo Planes

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/air/air-force-pursues-bomb-dropping-drone-launching-attack-cargo-planes-7RmYDVVGQEqqotogvS1ixA



US Air Force starts MQ-9 Reaper upgrades to keep UAV relevant against sophisticated foes

https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/us-air-force-starts-mq-9-reaper-upgrades-to-keep-uav-relevant-against-sophisticated-foes/143403.article



MQ-9 Reaper Makes First Flight with Electronic Support Measure Payload

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29415/MQ_9_Reaper_Makes_First_Flight_with_Electronic_Support_Measure_Payload



B-21 A Good News Story; DoD Acquisition ‘Getting Better:’ HASC Chair

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/b-21-a-good-news-story-hasc-chairman/



B-52 Bomber: Could it Serve the Air Force For Almost 100 Years?

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/b-52-bomber-could-it-serve-the-air-force-for-almost-100-years/



Make-or-Break Time for the F-35

https://www.airforcemag.com/article/make-or-break-time-for-the-f-35/



Tolerating Failure

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20210423.aspx



Light Amphibious Warships Face Survivability Questions

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/4/23/light-amphibious-warships-face-survivability-questions



This Tiny Drone Boat Is Being Tested During The Navy's Big Manned-Unmanned Teaming Experiment

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40303/this-tiny-drone-boat-is-being-tested-during-the-navys-big-manned-unmanned-teaming-experiment



U.S. Navy developing tool to determine if damaged anti-ship missile can still be effective

http://alert5.com/2021/04/23/u-s-navy-developing-tool-to-determine-if-damaged-anti-ship-missile-can-still-be-effective/



The Navy’s Destroyer Fleet Needs A Bridge To The Future. Here’s The Obvious Solution.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2021/04/23/the-navys-destroyer-fleet-needs-a-bridge-to-the-future-heres-the-obvious-solution/