Af/Pak & Other News (4/26/2021)

[dump...@hotmail.com]

US sending around 650 troops to Afghanistan to protect forces as they withdraw

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/26/politics/us-troops-afghanistan-withdraw/index.html



U.S. begins Afghanistan withdrawal, handing over bases

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-begins-afghanistan-withdrawal-handing-over-bases-n1265331



Five things to watch as the U.S. prepares to exit Afghanistan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/26/five-things-watch-us-prepares-exit-afghanistan/



Millions in Taliban Taxes Show Who’s in Charge as U.S. Departs

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-26/deadly-tax-shakedowns-spur-afghan-fears-of-return-to-1990s-chaos



How to Think About Counterinsurgency After Afghanistan

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/04/how-think-about-counterinsurgency-after-afghanistan/173596/



Pakistan's biggest worry is regrouping of militants after American troops pullout from Afghanistan: US general

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/pakistans-biggest-worry-is-regrouping-of-militants-after-american-troops-pullout-from-afghanistan-us-general/articleshow/82259525.cms









India third-largest military spender after the US and China

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-third-largest-military-spender-after-the-us-and-china/articleshow/82262833.cms



Israeli Super Heron vs US Sea Guardian: Which one is more suitable for Indian Navy?

https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2021/04/israeli-super-heron-vs-us-sea-guardian-which-one-is-more-suitable-for-indian-navy/









Iran-China fighter deal deadlock: an opportunity for Russia?

https://www.aerotime.aero/27776-iran-china-fighter-deal-deadlock-an-opportunity-for-russia



What Lifting Sanctions on Iran Will Mean

https://sofrep.com/news/what-lifting-sanctions-on-iran-will-mean/



Open-source analysis of Iran’s missile and UAV capabilities and proliferation

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/research-paper/2021/04/iran-missiles-uavs-proliferation



Iran's top diplomat speaks bluntly on nuclear deal, Gen. Qasem Soleimani in leaked recording

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/04/26/irans-top-diplomat-blunt-nuclear-deal-soleimani-leaked-tape/7380274002/



John Kerry told Iranians about secret Israeli operations in Syria: Report

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/26/john-kerry-told-iranians-about-secret-israeli-oper/









Counter-drone director talks testing in Saudi Arabia and regional expansion

https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2021/04/26/counter-drone-director-talks-testing-in-saudi-arabia-and-regional-expansion/



Houthis' missile depot explodes in Yemen's Sanaa: residents

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/26/c_139907913.htm




The Nurol Ejder 6x6: Turkey’s First Wheeled APC

https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/04/the-nurol-ejder-6x6-turkeys-first.html









Syria now a gateway for drugs and mercenaries to Libya

https://www.theafricareport.com/82641/libya-strengthens-ties-with-syria-with-help-from-the-uae-and-russia/









TikTok intifada is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ - analysis

https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/tiktok-intifada-is-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-analysis-666403



Security cabinet authorizes broad military action if Gaza rocket fire continues

https://www.timesofisrael.com/security-cabinet-authorizes-broad-military-action-if-gaza-rocket-fire-continues/



Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Group 42 create Presight AI

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_april_2021_global_security_army_industry/rafael_advanced_defense_systems_and_group_42_create_presight_ai.html









‘War weary’ Libya reflects 10 years on from Gaddafi and Arab spring

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/26/war-weary-libya-reflects-10-years-on-from-gaddafi-and-arab-spring




Déby’s Death Unsettles North Africa, Sparks Conspiracy Theories

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethanchorin/2021/04/26/dbys-death-unsettles-north-africa-sparks-conspiracy-theories/



Chad’s new military rulers name prime minister, opposition cries foul

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/chad-military-council-names-former-pm-padacke-prime-minister-2021-04-26/




Dozens of Nigerian soldiers killed in militant attack on army base

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20210426-dozens-of-nigerian-soldiers-killed-in-militant-attack-on-army-base




Congo: Tribal Power Persists

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/congo/articles/20210426.aspx









Ukrainian Man Trying to Obtain S-300 Parts Sentenced to 10 Years in Russia

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29440/Ukrainian_Man_Trying_to_Obtain_S_300_Parts_Sentenced_to_10_Years_in_Russia



Putin draws a 'red line' on Ukraine, and he means it

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/550036-putin-draws-a-red-line-on-ukraine-and-he-means-it



A Missile Radar in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Is Now a Protected Heritage Site

https://www.vice.com/en/article/88nagx/a-missile-radar-in-the-chernobyl-exclusion-zone-is-now-a-protected-heritage-site



Unsealed Soviet archives reveal cover-ups at Chernobyl plant before disaster

https://www.reuters.com/world/unsealed-soviet-archives-reveal-cover-ups-chernobyl-plant-before-disaster-2021-04-26/



How GRU Sabotage and Assassination Operations in Czechia and Bulgaria Sought to Undermine Ukraine

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/04/26/how-gru-sabotage-and-assassination-operations-in-czechia-and-bulgaria-sought-to-undermine-ukraine/



U.S. Global Hawk Drone "Lost Contact" While Flying Over Ukraine: Russian Media

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29433/U_S__Global_Hawk_Drone__Lost_Contact__While_Flying_Over_Ukraine__Russian_Media



Russia successfully test-fires new ABM interceptor missile

https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/april/7239-russia-successfully-test-fires-new-abm-interceptor-missile.html



Video: Russia Is Practicing Killing Missiles (Like U.S. Missiles and More)

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/video-russia-is-practicing-killing-missiles-like-u-s-missiles-and-more/



Russia considers using convicts to build railway

https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRCV009O69



Russia-China union casts dark cloud over West

https://frchriswebbmail.medium.com/russia-china-union-casts-dark-cloud-over-west-f14eac63ebc4



'Cock.li' Admin Says He’s Not Surprised Russian Intelligence Uses His Site

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyv87z/cockli-admin-russian-intelligence-svr-fbi-dhs-cisa-report



Russia orders Kremlin critic Navalny's activist network to stop operations

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny/russia-orders-kremlin-critic-navalnys-activist-network-to-stop-operations-idUSKBN2CD0W6



Taking Things Personally? Prosecutor Seeking 'Extremist' Tag For Navalny Groups Was Subject Of A 2019 Corruption Exposé

https://www.rferl.org/a/navalny-prosecutor-popov--extremist-corruption-expose-russia/31223928.html




Czech Government Rejects President's Comments Casting Doubt On Russian Role In Arms Depot Blast

https://www.rferl.org/a/czech-government-rejects-president-comments-russian-role-arms-depot-blast/31223886.html




A Look At How Germany’s Military Fleet Is Evolving

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/z/look-how-germanys-military-fleet-evolving




Warnings Posted For A Peculiar French Ballistic Missile Test In The Atlantic

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40334/warnings-posted-for-a-peculiar-french-ballistic-missile-test-in-the-atlantic



France Seeks To Avoid Collisions

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/hticbm/articles/20210426.aspx




Royal Navy’s ARCIMS USV can now be deployed by Air

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/royal-navys-arcims-usv-can-now-be-deployed-by-air/



Astute-class Attack Submarine: Why The Royal Navy Love This Underwater Killer

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/astute-class-attack-submarine-why-the-royal-navy-love-this-underwater-killer/



GDLS-UK Demonstrates AJAX-Brimstone ‘Overwatch’ Variant

https://defense-update.com/20210426_ajax-brimstone-overwatch.html



Britain's Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to visit Japan, S Korea on maiden deployment

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-says-queen-elizabeth-aircraft-carrier-visit-japan-s-korea-maiden-2021-04-26/



Merlin helicopters drop torpedoes in Falmouth Bay

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/merlin-helicopters-drop-torpedoes-in-falmouth-bay/









Cartel gun battle with armored trucks kills 8 in Mexico

https://apnews.com/article/world-news-mexico-7a8d60f6e795f95f7a9fc23b425f469f



Mexican gangs use retail drones as airborne IEDs

https://dronedj.com/2021/04/26/mexican-gangs-airborne-ieds-explosive-drones/









China reasserts Diaoyus claim with island survey as tensions rise with Japan

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3131166/china-reasserts-diaoyus-claim-island-survey-tensions-rise



China’s state rocket company unveils rendering of a Starship look-alike

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/04/chinas-state-rocket-company-unveils-rendering-of-a-starship-look-alike/



Just How Safe Is Taiwan From China? American Experts Aren’t Sure.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/04/26/just-how-safe-is-taiwan-from-china-american-experts-arent-sure/



Chinese military tests Taiwan’s radar system with surface-level incursion into air defence zone

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3131164/chinese-military-tests-taiwans-radar-system-surface-level





The Coming Blockade of Taiwan by China?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/coming-blockade-taiwan-china-183715





S.Korea Plans to Develop Marine Corps Chopper by 2031

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29437/S_Korea_Plans_to_Develop_Marine_Corps_Chopper_by_2031





Indonesian brigadier general killed in 2-week Papua clash

https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-indonesia-3bae3d45658d06885e597e42831969fb



Much Debris Recovered from KRI Nanggala, Indonesian Submarine

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2021/04/much-debris-recovered-from-kri-nanggala.html



How To Escape From A Submarine Stranded On The Seabed

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2021/04/26/how-to-escape-from-a-submarine-stranded-on-the-sea-bed/










Study: Total 2020 global military expenditures reached nearly $2 trillion

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/04/26/sweden-SIPRI-expenditure/4491619463080/



Supreme Court to Rule on Whether C.I.A. Black Sites Are State Secrets

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/politics/supreme-court-cia-black-sites-guantanamo.html



Women positioned to make history as Air Force’s first ground special operators

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/women-positioned-to-make-history-as-air-forces-first-ground-special-operators/



US spec ops are using AI to look for an edge

https://www.wearethemighty.com/intel/socom-artificial-intelligence/



Artificial intelligence and war without humans

https://asiatimes.com/2021/04/artificial-intelligence-and-war-without-humans-analysis/



Artificial intelligence and machine learning for unmanned vehicles

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/unmanned/article/14202040/artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-for-unmanned-vehicles



War in All but Name

https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2021/4/26/war-in-all-but-name



‘Band of Brothers’ Sequel ‘Masters of the Air’ Has Finally Started Production

https://www.military.com/off-duty/television/2021/04/26/band-of-brothers-sequel-masters-of-air-has-finally-started-production.html



A new microwave energy weapon claims to disable a whole swarm of drones at once

https://dronedj.com/2021/04/26/a-new-microwave-energy-weapon-claims-to-disable-a-whole-swarm-of-drones-at-once/



FCC prohibits high-power microwave weapons for counter-UAV uses because of RF interference or jamming

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/rf-analog/article/14201992/highpower-microwave-counteruav-interference-or-jamming



Help Us Identify This Mysterious SR-71-Looking "Tow Target"

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40325/help-us-identify-this-mysterious-sr-71-looking-tow-target



SDA opens door to expanded, space-based electronic warfare

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/sda-opens-door-to-expanded-space-based-electronic-warfare



U.S. military’s appetite for information fueling demand for space technology

https://spacenews.com/u-s-militarys-appetite-for-information-fueling-demand-for-space-technology/



National Reconnaissance Office conducts first launch of 2021

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2021/04/26/national-reconnaissance-office-conducts-first-launch-of-2021/



A Risky Bet? The U.S. Army of the Future Will Be Electric

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/a-risky-bet-the-u-s-army-of-the-future-will-be-electric/



The Marine Corps Is Experimenting with a Concept that Could Reshape the Infantry

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/26/why-some-marines-are-training-operate-every-infantry-weapon.html



Top Priority: Marines Want New Loitering Drones

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/top-priority-marines-want-new-loitering-drones/



Logos Technologies successfully tests WAMI sensor on RQ-21A Blackjack

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/logos-technologies-successfully-tests-wami-sensor-on-rq-21a-blackjack/



Kaman’s autonomous K-Max Titan helicopter makes first flight

https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/kamans-autonomous-k-max-titan-helicopter-makes-first-flight/143460.article



USAF to retrofit Reaper against jamming, fit further enhancements

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usaf-to-retrofit-reaper-against-jamming-fit-further-enhancements



Two US Democrats vow to oppose additional F-35 requests to those in budget

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/two-us-democrats-vow-to-oppose-additional-f-35-requests-to-those-in-budget



Congress May Put the Kibosh on Buying Extra F-35 Fighter Jets

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/26/congress-may-put-kibosh-buying-extra-f-35-fighter-jets.html



DoD Weighs More ‘Organic’ F-35 Maintenance; Bartering With Lockheed

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/dod-weighs-more-organic-f-35-maintenance-bartering-with-lockheed/



Marines Eyeing New ‘LXX’ Concept As More Lethal Alternative to LPD Flight IIs

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/26/marines-eyeing-new-lxx-concept-as-more-lethal-alternative-to-lpd-flight-iis



Is it Time for the U.S. Navy to Build the Drone Carrier Warship?

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/op-ed-is-it-time-for-the-u-s-navy-to-build-the-drone-carrier-warship/



The U.S. Navy’s New Unhackable GPS Alternative: The Stars

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a36078957/celestial-navigation/



Navy mine countermeasures unit uses undersea drones in exercise

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/04/26/navy-mine-countermeasures-MK18/3131619457594/



Four Ways a China-U.S. War at Sea Could Play Out

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-04-25/u-s-china-sea-war-could-spread-to-japan-australia-india

[SolomonW]

On Mon, 26 Apr 2021 17:17:12 -0700 (PDT), dump...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Pakistan's biggest worry is regrouping of militants after American troops pullout from Afghanistan: US general
>
> https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/pakistans-biggest-worry-is-regrouping-of-militants-after-american-troops-pullout-from-afghanistan-us-general/articleshow/82259525.cms

Why Pakistan supported these people, its India that should be worried.

[SolomonW]

On Mon, 26 Apr 2021 17:17:12 -0700 (PDT), dump...@hotmail.com wrote:

> How to Think About Counterinsurgency After Afghanistan
>
> https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/04/how-think-about-counterinsurgency-after-afghanistan/173596/

I think this is nonsense, no where has al Qaeda been able to establish
bases like it had in Afghanistan in 2001.