Af/Pak & Other News (3/27/2021)

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With U.S. withdrawal delay likely, and new peace proposal on the table, Taliban faces inevitable crossroads

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/27/afghanistan-taliban-peace-plan/



Afghanistan: US intelligence warns Biden against troop pullout

https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-us-intelligence-warns-biden-against-troop-pullout/a-57024183



U.S. spy agencies warn Biden of possible Taliban takeover of Afghanistan -NY Times

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-security-report/u-s-spy-agencies-warn-biden-of-possible-taliban-takeover-of-afghanistan-ny-times-idUSKBN2BI35Q



Taliban threatens to ‘continue its Jihad’ if U.S., NATO forces remain in Afghanistan

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/03/taliban-threatens-to-continue-its-jihad-if-u-s-nato-forces-remain-in-afghanistan.php



At a Pivotal Moment in Afghanistan, Journalists Are Being Killed in Record Numbers

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/afghanistan-journalists-killed-in-record-numbers-taliban-1146998/



Ending Pakistan's proxy war in Afghanistan

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/545117-ending-pakistans-proxy-war-in-afghanistan?rl=1



Pakistan’s Taliban Strategy: A Half-Century of Terror?

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/pakistan%E2%80%99s-taliban-strategy-half-century-terror-181187









India to Make Nuclear Attack Sub Push at Expense of 3rd Carrier: Report

https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/india-to-make-nuclear-attack-sub-push-at-expense-of-3rd-carrier-report/









Radioactive material found inside oil facility in Lebanon

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-beirut-lebanon-26cf482c01d8ba0ec59ee304800f31e7









Suez Canal: Satellite Clues on a Stricken Cargo Ship

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/03/26/suez-canal-satellite-clues-on-a-stricken-cargo-ship/



Russia is in no hurry to see the Suez Canal re-opened

https://qz.com/1989702/the-global-oil-market-shrugs-off-the-suez-canal-jam-for-now/



Finally There’s Good News for the Giant Boat Wedged in the Suez Canal

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ever-given-the-ship-blocking-the-suez-canal-could-be-freed-by-saturday



‘Some risks of the ship breaking’: How the Suez Canal blockage could move from meme to ‘serious obstruction’

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-the-suez-canal-blockage-could-move-from-meme-to-serious-obstruction-131646211.html




'Blind' France bears responsibility on Rwanda genocide, historical commission reports

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210326-france-braces-for-historians-report-over-rwanda-genocide-failings




Militants attack security convoy in northern Mozambique

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/03/27/mozambique-isis-militants-raid/7211616876904/










Three Russian Ballistic Missile Submarines Just Surfaced Through The Arctic Ice Together

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39953/three-russian-ballistic-missile-submarines-just-surfaced-through-the-arctic-ice-together



Russian Navy Spy Submarine Belgorod: evolution of OSINT

http://www.hisutton.com/Russian-Navy-Belgorod-Submarines-Evolution.html



Tsirkon missile completes flight development tests

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/03/tsirkon-missile-completes-flight-development-tests/



The Russian Air Force is its own worst enemy

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-russian-air-force-is-its-own-worst-enemy/



Russia pushes Northern Sea Route after Suez Canal Blockage

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2021/03/russia-pushes-northern-sea-route-after.html




The Quiet End of Kazakhstan’s Denuclearization Program

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/the-quiet-end-of-kazakhstans-denuclearization-program/618424/




Royal Navy receives futuristic Madfox unmanned surface vessel

https://defbrief.com/2021/03/27/royal-navy-receives-futuristic-madfox-unmanned-surface-vessel/








China and Iran sign 25-year strategic cooperation agreement

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210327-china-and-iran-sign-25-year-strategic-cooperation-agreement



China-Russia alliance can never work, despite US rivalry, observers say

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3127253/china-russia-alliance-can-never-work-despite-us-rivalry



China has unleashed the nationalist genie. Beijing may regret letting it out of the bottle

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/china/xinjiang-china-us-wolf-warrior-patriotism-intl-hnk/index.html



Naval Air: The China Syndrome

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htnavai/articles/20210327.aspx



The days of China ‘hiding and biding’ its might are officially over

https://www.yahoo.com/news/days-china-hiding-biding-might-180832968.html





China's growing firepower casts doubt on whether U.S. could defend Taiwan

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/china-s-growing-firepower-casts-doubt-whether-u-s-could-n1262148



Chinese Aerial Armada With Bombers, Fighters, And More Filled Airspace Near Taiwan

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39955/chinese-aerial-armada-with-bombers-fighters-and-more-filled-airspace-near-taiwan



Taiwan releases new defense review aimed at countering Chinese tactics

https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2021/03/26/taiwan-releases-new-defense-review-aimed-at-countering-chinese-tactics/





North Korea's Arsenal Has Grown Rapidly. Here's What's in It.

https://news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-arsenal-grown-rapidly-141515615.html





Why South Korea’s Aircraft Carrier Makes Sense

https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/why-south-koreas-aircraft-carrier-makes-sense/





Myanmar forces kill over 100 in deadliest day since coup

https://apnews.com/article/aung-san-suu-kyi-min-aung-hlaing-myanmar-5bd5fd1e20adc5c5e16a0bb2a3db3102



Myanmar army launches air strikes in Karen state, group says

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-karen/myanmar-army-launches-air-strikes-in-karen-state-group-says-idUSKBN2BJ0IZ










Let’s talk about Foo Fighters (no, not Dave Grohl’s band)

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/lets-talk-about-foo-fighters-no-not-dave-grohls-band/



Pentagon linguist pleads guilty to exposing U.S. intelligence sources to Hezbollah

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-linguist-mariam-taha-thompson-pleads-guilty/



U.S. Seizes Iran-Backed Militia Websites Spreading COVID Disinformation

https://www.newsweek.com/us-seizes-iran-backed-militia-websites-spreading-covid-disinformation-1579049



The US has extradited a suspected North Korean intelligence operative to stand trial on money laundering charges, as tensions rise between Washington and Pyongyang

https://news.yahoo.com/us-extradited-suspected-north-korean-103000877.html



DARPA Hopes to Improve Computer Vision in ‘Third Wave’ of AI Research

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/03/darpa-hopes-improve-computer-vision-third-wave-ai-research/172948/



Turns Out This Sophisticated Hacking Campaign Was Actually the Work of 'Western Government Operatives'

https://gizmodo.com/turns-out-this-sophisticated-hacker-campaign-was-actual-1846561206



7 secrets the internet's best sleuths use to build eye-popping investigations against dictators, war criminals, and Putin's assassins

https://www.businessinsider.com/secrets-the-internets-best-sleuths-use-to-build-investigations-2021-3



Marine Corps Investigation into 2020 Amphibious Assault Vehicle Sinking

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/26/marine-corps-investigation-into-2020-amphibious-assault-vehicle-sinking



'Be aware': The Pentagon's target list for extremist infiltrators — right and left

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/27/military-extremism-target-list-478200



Classified US military war game set to take place as concerns about threats posed by China and Russia increase

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/27/politics/us-war-game-russia-china/index.html



US Army launches second Gunsmoke-J demonstration satellite

https://www.armyrecognition.com/weapons_defence_industry_military_technology_uk/us_army_launches_second_gunsmoke-j_demonstration_satellite.html



SOCOM is looking to upgrade its Little Bird choppers

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/special-operations-command-looking-to-upgrade-little-bird-choppers/



Bell’s 360 Invictus attack helicopter 30 percent complete

https://verticalmag.com/news/bells-360-invictus-attack-helicopter-30-percent-complete/



The Air Force Spills Some Secrets About its New Bomber

https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/b-21s-are-coming-180977314/



U.S. Air Force seeking new multirole unmanned aircraft system

https://defence-blog.com/news/u-s-air-force-seeking-new-multirole-unmanned-aircraft-system.html



With The Opening Of A Modification Line, The Navy’s EA-18G Growlers Will Finally Get Next Generation Jammers

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2021/03/26/with-the-opening-of-a-modification-line-the-navys-ea-18g-growlers-will-finally-get-next-generation-jammers/



Status Report: Navy Unmanned Aerial, Subsurface Platforms

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/26/status-report-navy-unmanned-aerial-subsurface-platforms



What should become of the Zumwalt class? The US Navy has some big ideas.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2021/03/25/what-should-become-of-the-zumwalt-class-the-us-navy-has-some-big-ideas/