Af/Pak & Other News (2/15/2021)

[dump...@hotmail.com]

NATO will leave Afghanistan when ‘time is right’: Stoltenberg

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/15/nato-will-leave-afghanistan-when-time-is-right-stoltenberg



The Taliban Close In on Afghan Cities, Pushing the Country to the Brink

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-taliban-close-in-on-afghan-cities-pushing-the-country-to-the-brink/ar-BB1dGGQm



After 3 days, Afghan-Iran border blaze brought under control

https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-fires-iran-explosions-34e88529e4c783aacd01f198a53d5be0



Afghanistan-Pakistan: Hazara Shiites, prime targets of Sunni extremists

https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/reporters/20210212-afghanistan-pakistan-hazara-shiites-prime-targets-of-sunni-extremists



Pakistan: Not Our Kind Of Islam

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htiw/articles/20210215.aspx









Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM planning terror strike in Delhi; NSA Ajit Doval's security beefed up

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/pakistan-based-terror-outfit-jem-planning-terror-strike-in-delhi-nsa-ajit-dovals-security-beefed-up/720325



Indian Navy gets third Scorpene submarine, to be commissioned as INS Karanj

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/indian-navy-gets-third-scorpene-submarine-to-be-commissioned-as-ins-karanj-121021501077_1.html



India to start trials of 160 km strike range Astra missile this year

https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2021/02/india-to-start-trials-of-160-km-strike-range-astra-missile-this-year/









Iran says U.S. move to seize oil shipment is 'act of piracy'

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-tanker/iran-says-u-s-move-to-seize-oil-shipment-is-act-of-piracy-idUSKBN2AF152



Fired Armyman ‘Main Element’ Behind Iran Nuclear Scientist Assassination

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28967/Fired_Armyman____Main_Element____Behind_Iran_Nuclear_Scientist_Assassination



In a Dangerous Game of Cat and Mouse, Iran Eyes New Targets in Africa

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/world/africa/iran-ethiopia-plot.html









Contractor For U.S.-Led Coalition Dead, U.S. Serviceperson Injured After Rocket Attack In Iraq

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39266/contractor-for-u-s-led-coalition-dead-u-s-serviceperson-injured-after-rocket-attack-in-iraq









Yemen's Houthis say they have struck Saudi's Jeddah, Abha airports with drones

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-yemen/yemens-houthis-say-they-have-struck-saudis-jeddah-abha-airports-with-drones-idUSKBN2AF0X1



Yemen: Top army commander killed in clashes with rebels

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-top-army-commander-killed-in-clashes-with-rebels/2145441



Yemen: Rules Of Disengagement

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20210215.aspx




Turkey to discuss use of its S-400 air defense system

https://www.armyrecognition.com/analysis_focus_army_defence_military_industry_army/turkey_to_discuss_use_of_its_s-400_air_defense_system.html



Turkey accuses US of backing PKK after Turks killed in Iraq

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-middle-east-recep-tayyip-erdogan-syria-iraq-b8821c586cc6b7a20162c8694d781d92



Turkey arrests hundreds over alleged Kurdish militant links in Iraq executions

https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210215-turkey-arrests-hundreds-over-alleged-kurdish-militant-links-in-iraq-executions



Kurdish opposition swept up in Turkish arrests after Iraq killings

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-iraq-security-opposition/kurdish-opposition-swept-up-in-turkish-arrests-after-iraq-killings-idUSKBN2AF1IW



Code Brown As This F-4 Phantom Nearly Collides With A Mosque's Minaret

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39258/code-brown-as-this-f-4-phantom-nearly-collides-with-a-mosques-minaret









ISIS campaign holds lessons for near-peer conflict: Rand

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/isis-campaign-holds-lessons-for-near-peer-conflict-rand/142424.article



IDF launches surprise air exercise, as it reportedly strikes sites in Syria

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-launches-surprise-air-exercise-as-it-reportedly-strikes-sites-in-syria/



Reports: Israeli Strike Near Syrian Capital Kills 6 Fighters

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/15/reports-israeli-strike-near-syrian-capital-kills-6-fighters.html









Israel decides not to participate in Emirati arms fair

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-coronavirus-pandemic-united-arab-emirates-b295b23fd262892d20ae857b44961016



Once again, funds illegally transferred from Turkey to Hamas in Gaza

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/48341



Hezbollah publication says Israel has become talkative, warns its defeat is coming

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/02/hezbollah-publication-says-israel-has-become-talkative-warns-its-defeat-is-coming.php









Libya’s revolution was derailed by ‘deadly cocktail.’ U.N. now sees glimmers of hope.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/libyas-revolution-was-derailed-by-deadly-cocktail-un-now-sees-glimmers-of-hope/ar-BB1dHkos



Will Peace Ever Come to Libya or Will Outside Powers Ruin Any Deal?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/will-peace-ever-come-libya-or-will-outside-powers-ruin-any-deal-178122




Chad's Deby says deploying soldiers to tackle islamists in Sahel

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20210215-chad-s-deby-says-deploying-soldiers-to-tackle-islamists-in-sahel









Reports: Separatist Leader Targeted In Bomb Attack In Eastern Ukraine

https://www.rferl.org/a/reports-separatist-leader-targeted-in-bomb-attack-in-eastern-ukraine/31103938.html



Kalashnikov unveils AK-19 assault rifle and PLK compact pistol

https://www.africanmilitaryblog.com/2021/02/kalashnikov-unveils-ak-19-assault-rifle-and-plk-compact-pistol



Role of Russian FSO expands beyond presidential protection

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/role-of-russian-fso-expands-beyond-presidential-protection



Russian Cyber Strategy

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/russian-cyber-strategy



The Kremlin is interested in taking up Elon Musk's offer to chat with Putin on Clubhouse

https://news.yahoo.com/kremlin-interested-taking-elon-musks-123712085.html



Why Russia Is Terrified of SpaceX -- and Starlink

https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/02/15/why-russia-is-terrified-of-spacex-and-starlink/


Russia in prisoner swap talks with U.S. over detained American - lawyer

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-whelan-exclusive/exclusive-russia-in-prisoner-swap-talks-with-u-s-over-detained-american-lawyer-idUSKBN2AF1RT



New report traces the history of conspiracy theories claiming COVID-19 is a bioweapon

https://medium.com/dfrlab/new-report-traces-the-history-of-conspiracy-theories-claiming-covid-19-is-a-bioweapon-49903924182e



The Pandemic Is Putting Gangsters in Power

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/15/the-pandemic-is-putting-gangsters-in-power/




NATO’s new fleet of surveillance drones is deemed mission-ready

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/15/natos-new-fleet-of-surveillance-drones-is-deemed-mission-ready/




Political Concerns of the Walrus Replacement Program

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2021/02/political-concerns-of-walrus.html




German Tornado fighter jets will fly until 2030

https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/february/6949-german-tornado-fighter-jets-will-fly-until-2030.html




France fights hold of Islamist radicals with dragnets, laws

https://apnews.com/article/world-news-paris-bills-4e2ad8f3d9f4cd283f9a9453f12d97a1




P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft conducts flights over western Scotland

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/p-8-maritime-patrol-aircraft-conducts-flights-over-western-scotland/



Inside the battle between the BBC and China

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/14/media/bbc-china-battle/index.html









Brazil conducts extreme cold weather trials for KC/C-390 in Alaska

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/brazil-conducts-extreme-cold-weather-trials-for-kcc-390-in-alaska









Xi licenses Chinese coastguard to be ‘wolf warriors’ at sea

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/xi-licenses-chinese-coastguard-to-be-wolf-warriors-at-sea/





Taiwan’s Antelope air defense system

http://alert5.com/2021/02/16/taiwans-antelope-air-defense-system/





Japan’s ground troops to get transport ships amid concerns over China’s military build-up in Indo-Pacific

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3121781/japans-ground-troops-get-transport-ships-amid-concerns-over





Vietnam orders Czech L-39NG Albatros jet trainers from Aero Vodochody

https://defbrief.com/2021/02/15/vietnam-orders-czech-l-39ng-albatros-jet-trainers-from-aero-vodochody/





New Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile for South Korea’s KF-X Breaks Cover

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/02/new-supersonic-anti-ship-missile-for-south-koreas-kf-x-breaks-cover/





Fresh protests in Myanmar after junta cuts off internet, deploys tanks

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210214-myanmar-military-ratchets-up-pressure-tanks-deployed-soldiers-fire-at-protesters



Smaller protests in Myanmar as junta deploys more troops, armoured vehicles

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics/smaller-protests-in-myanmar-as-junta-deploys-more-troops-armoured-vehicles-idUSKBN2AE01U





What’s up with the Royal Australian Navy’s weapons program?

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/whats-up-with-the-royal-australian-navys-weapons-program/










Roswell crash: Pentagon admits 'testing' wreckage from UFO crashes

https://www.wionews.com/science-technology/roswell-crash-pentagon-admits-testing-wreckage-from-ufo-crashes-363656



SolarWinds: How Russian spies hacked the Justice, State, Treasury, Energy and Commerce Departments

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/solarwinds-hack-russia-cyberattack-60-minutes-2021-02-14/



Microsoft: SolarWinds attack took more than 1,000 engineers to create

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-solarwinds-attack-took-more-than-1000-engineers-to-create/



Why the SolarWinds Hack Was All But Inevitable

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-solarwinds-hack-was-all-inevitable-177958



Former top cybersecurity official on why U.S. intelligence missed Russia's SolarWinds hack

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/former-top-cybersecurity-official-on-why-us-intelligence-missed-russias-solarwinds-hack/



Nancy Pelosi Wants 9/11-Style Inquiry Into Capitol Riot

https://www.thedailybeast.com/nancy-pelosi-calls-for-911-style-commission-to-investigate-jan-6-capitol-riot



Illiteracy, Not Morality, Is Holding Back Military Integration of Artificial Intelligence

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/illiteracy-not-morality-holding-back-military-integration-artificial-intelligence-178261



Nat Geo Provides Unprecedented View of New Air Force VC-25B “Air Force One”.

https://theaviationist.com/2021/02/15/nat-geo-provides-unprecedented-view-of-new-air-force-vc-25b-air-force-one/



USAF EMSO strategy due later this year

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usaf-emso-strategy-due-later-this-year



Eroding America from within: Marketing data threatens military cohesion

https://www.c4isrnet.com/opinion/2021/02/15/eroding-america-from-within-marketing-data-threatens-military-cohesion/



6 crazy new DoD programs that sound like science fiction

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/6-crazy-new-dod-programs-that-sound-like-science-fiction/



These cool photos of Davis-Monthan A-10s under a snowstorm give a whole new meaning to “Brrrr-t”!

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/these-cool-photos-of-davis-monthan-a-10s-under-a-snowstorm-give-a-whole-new-meaning-to-brrrr-t/



The drone defense dilemma: How unmanned aircraft are redrawing battle lines

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/15/the-drone-defense-dilemma-how-unmanned-aircraft-are-redrawing-battle-lines/



All You Need To Know About Italy’s F-35 Carrier That Just Arrived In the US

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39262/all-you-need-to-know-about-italys-f-35-carrier-that-just-arrived-in-the-us



The Race for the Weaponization of Space

https://www.myind.net/Home/viewArticle/the-race-for-the-weaponization-of-space/



What is the Boeing Starliner Mission and Will it Succeed this Time?

https://thedebrief.org/what-is-the-boeing-starliner-mission-and-will-it-succeed-this-time/



U.S. Military Awards Contracts Striving To Take Lead In The Hypersonic Arms Race

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2021/02/15/us-military-awards-contracts-striving-to-take-lead-in-the-hypersonic-arms-race/



US Army assesses AI-enabled sensor-to-shooter system

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-assesses-ai-enabled-sensor-to-shooter-system



Iron Dome plans being finalized as US Army begins training on systems

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/02/15/iron-dome-plans-being-finalized-as-us-army-begins-training-on-systems/



Army Moves Closer to Deploying Laser-Armed Combat Vehicles

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/land/army-moves-closer-to-deploying-laser-armed-combat-vehicles-2w331vLEU0Cdm6-yykOFsw



U.S. Special Operations Command pursuing ‘limited competition’ for MH-6 Little Bird upgrade

https://defence-blog.com/news/army/u-s-special-operations-command-pursuing-limited-competition-for-mh-6-little-bird-upgrade.html



After more than $5bn in losses, can KC-46A become profitable?

https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/after-more-than-5bn-in-losses-can-kc-46a-become-profitable/142419.article



AF, Navy May Both Fly DARPA Missile Mothership

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/02/af-navy-may-both-fly-darpa-missile-mothership/



Report to Congress on Constellation-class Frigate Program (FFG-62)

https://news.usni.org/2021/02/15/report-to-congress-on-constellation-class-frigate-program-ffg-62-2



The Navy Wants To Get Rid Of Its Nearly Brand New Patrol Boats

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39240/the-navy-wants-to-get-rid-of-its-nearly-brand-new-patrol-boats