Af/Pak & Other News (4/8/2021)

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Taliban attack on covert US base in Afghanistan complicates Biden withdrawal decision

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/08/politics/taliban-attack-afghanistan-covert-base-biden-withdrawal-decision/index.html



Taliban Targets Kandahar Airfield in ‘Disruptive’ Attack

https://www.airforcemag.com/taliban-targets-kandahar-airfield-in-disruptive-attack/



Biden seems ready to extend US troop presence in Afghanistan

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-news-afghanistan-taliban-28143e059b2f07fed62f9404b58a982c



Pakistan says naval drill with Iran was ‘unplanned’

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1839311/world









Facing Chinese Cyberattacks, India Turns to the U.S.

https://sofrep.com/news/facing-chinese-cyberattacks-india-turns-to-the-u-s/



Navy to seek nod for expansion of nuke, diesel submarine fleet

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/navy-to-seek-nod-for-expansion-of-nuke-diesel-submarine-fleet-101617845572473.html



Indian Air Force Chief Flies “Capability Enhanced” Su-30MKI

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29299/Indian_Air_Force_Chief_Flies____Capability_Enhanced____Su_30MKI









Iran Confirms Its Covert Mothership In The Red Sea Was Attacked

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40088/iran-confirms-its-covert-mothership-in-the-red-sea-was-attacked



Analysis: Attack on Iran ship off Yemen escalates shadow war

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-israel-iran-iran-nuclear-united-arab-emirates-9835ba4644959e9cb4584ca999f49002









Before becoming a terrorist leader, ISIS chief was a prison informer in Iraq for U.S., records show

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/isis-leader-us-informant/2021/04/07/354133d4-97d4-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html



RAF drop 42 bombs and 10 cruise missiles in huge operation

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/raf-drop-42-bombs-and-10-cruise-missiles-in-huge-operation/



Medal of Honor sought for A-10 pilot who was shot down and killed in his Hog during Operation Desert Storm while trying to save his wingman who was also shot down by the Iraqis

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/medal-of-honor-sought-for-a-10-pilot-who-was-shot-down-and-killed-in-his-hog-during-operation-desert-storm-while-trying-to-save-his-wingman-who-was-also-shot-down-by-the-iraqis/



US Agrees to Move ‘Remaining Combat Troops’ From Iraq

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/04/08/us-to-remove-troops-iraq/









Syria blames Israel for missile attacks near Damascus

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/8/syria-claims-israeli-missile-attack-near-damascus



Monitor claims 3 pro-Iran fighters killed in alleged Israeli strike in Syria

https://www.timesofisrael.com/syria-says-4-soldiers-wounded-in-israeli-airstrikes-near-damascus/



Inside secret Syria talks aimed at freeing American hostages

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-damascus-only-on-ap-syria-65e47a17070fe559fe7ea3f9ebd88d6e



Syria: Defeat Pretending To Be Victory

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/syria/articles/20210408.aspx









Israel: IDF establishes ‘expose and destroy’ companies for the modern battlefield

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/idf-establishes-expose-and-destroy-companies-for-the-modern-battlefield-664495



Cyprus Tor M1 in joint training with Israeli F-15s and F-35s

http://alert5.com/2021/04/08/cyprus-tor-m1-in-joint-training-with-israeli-f-15s-and-f-35s/









Ukraine’s Air Force Is at A Dead End

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/04/08/ukraines-air-force-is-at-a-dead-end/



Ukraine's Zelensky visits frontline amid rising tensions with Russia

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210408-zelensky-visits-frontline-positions-in-eastern-ukraine-amid-rising-tensions



Russia Piles Up the Pressure on Ukraine

https://rusi.org/commentary/russia-piles-pressure-ukraine



Putin Ups Efforts to Intimidate Ukraine and Its Allies

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/04/putin-ups-efforts-intimidate-ukraine-and-its-allies/173150/



Russia says it could be forced to protect its citizens in east Ukraine: TASS

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-kremlin-citizens/russia-says-it-could-be-forced-to-protect-its-citizens-in-east-ukraine-tass-idUSKBN2BV1S3



Russian Navy sends more landing crafts into Black Sea

https://defence-blog.com/news/russian-navy-sends-more-landing-crafts-into-black-sea.html



Russia moves warships to Black Sea for drills: Interfax

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-defence/russia-moves-warships-to-black-sea-for-drills-interfax-idUSKBN2BV14M



Russian atomic mortars spotted moving toward border with Ukraine

https://defence-blog.com/news/army/russian-atomic-mortars-spotted-moving-toward-border-with-ukraine.html



Kalashnikov supplies Vikhr-1 missiles ahead of schedule

https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/april/7161-kalashnikov-supplies-vikhr-1-missiles-ahead-of-schedule.html



Russia to Deploy Submarine Armed With Nuclear Drone in Pacific

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/04/07/russia-submarine-nuclear-drone-pacific/



Russian Kh-35 Bal coastal missiles deployed in the Arctic

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_april_2021_global_security_army_industry/russian_kh-35_bal_coastal_missiles_deployed_in_the_arctic.html



Was Russia’s New Top Secret ‘Burlak’ Tank Spotted on Social Media?

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/was-russias-new-top-secret-burlak-tank-spotted-on-social-media/



Russia Looks To Repurpose Surveillance Jets After Open Skies Treaty Exit

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40097/russia-looks-to-repurpose-surveillance-jets-after-open-skies-treaty-exit



MiG-31BM test new navigation system in Arctic

https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/april/7162-mig-31bm-test-new-navigation-system-in-arctic.html



Russia’s Battlecruiser Could Be the World’s Most Dangerous Warship

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/04/russias-battlecruiser-could-be-the-worlds-most-dangerous-warship/



Vladimir Putin's Adviser Says U.S. Is Developing Biological Weapons Near Russia

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-china-nikolai-patrushev-vladimir-putin-biological-weapons-1581896



Satellite images reveal how shadowy Wagner Group has become Vladimir Putin's 'private army'

https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-uk-prepared-confront-putin-105708094.html



Alexei Navalny's Prison Guards Try to Break His Hunger Strike By Frying Chicken Near Him

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-alexei-navalny-kremlin-critic-hunger-strike-fried-chicken-1581983



How the 1999 Russian apartment bombings led to Putin's rise to power

https://news.yahoo.com/1999-russian-apartment-bombings-led-192629590.html



Vladimir Putin Faces Mass Russia Protest as Alexei Navalny Disappears in Prison System

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-alexei-navalny-vladimir-putin-protests-1581702




Sweden clings to its non-NATO status amid substantial defense budget boost

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/04/08/sweden-clings-to-its-neutrality-amid-substantial-defense-budget-boost/




Exercise between French Navy and Lebanese Air Force

http://navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2021/april/9950-exercise-between-french-navy-and-lebanese-air-force.html



Airbus to test laser-based communications on airborne platform

https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/airbus-to-test-laser-based-communications-on-airborne-platform/143219.article



CNIM reveals new motorised floating bridges

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/cnim-reveals-new-motorised-floating-bridges



Dassault Paid 1 Million Euros As Gift To Indian Middleman In Rafale Deal

https://fighterjetsworld.com/air/dassault-paid-1-million-euros-as-gift-to-indian-middleman-in-rafale-deal/25086/




British jets ‘grapple with 50 aircraft’ over North Sea

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-jets-grapple-with-50-aircraft-over-north-sea/



The Boscombe Down Incident Remains One Of Military Aviation's Most Intriguing Mysteries

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37371/the-boscombe-down-incident-remains-one-of-military-aviations-most-intriguing-mysteries









The 2nd Cuban Missile Crisis you didn’t know about

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-2nd-cuban-missile-crisis-you-didnt-know-about/









Chinese company Zhongtian Feilong unveils UAV ‘mothership'

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/chinese-company-zhongtian-feilong-unveils-uav-mothership



China’s Shandong aircraft carrier ready for high seas test, insider says

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3128830/chinas-shandong-aircraft-carrier-ready-high-seas-test-insider



Lonely Child: China's Sea Hunter USV Copy Going Nowhere?

http://www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Sea-Hunter-USV-Update.html



Chinese Laser TOW Tryout

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20210408.aspx



China builds advanced weapons systems using American chip technology

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-hypersonic-missiles-american-technology/2021/04/07/37a6b9be-96fd-11eb-b28d-bfa7bb5cb2a5_story.html



China begins construction of its fifth rocket launch site

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-china/china-begins-construction-of-its-fifth-rocket-launch-site-idUSKBN2BV0CF



Chinese Combat and Spy Ships Monitor Taiwan Missile Tests

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-combat-spy-ships-monitor-taiwan-missile-tests-1581866



Is China Really Plotting to Invade Taiwan?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china-really-plotting-invade-taiwan-182155





Kestrel anti-armor rockets deployed by Taiwan Coast Guard to South China Sea islands

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_april_2021_global_security_army_industry/kestrel_anti-armor_rockets_deployed_by_taiwan_coast_guard_to_south_china_sea_islands.html





North Korea stole $1B during cyber heists over past decade, study says

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/04/08/nkorea-North-Korea-cyber-attack-crypto/5451617891625/





Japan Could Deliver 8 Cutting-Edge Frigates to Indonesia

https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/japan-could-deliver-8-cutting-edge-frigates-to-indonesia/



New Mission For Japan’s F-35 Fighters: Defending Okinawa from China?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-mission-japan%E2%80%99s-f-35-fighters-defending-okinawa-china-182243





Wings over Mandalay: Myanmar's junta deploy Chinese-made CH-3A tactical UAVs to observe protest movements

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/myanmar-junta-deploy-chinese-made-ch-3a-tactical-uavs-to-observe-protest-movements



Eleven killed as Myanmar protesters fight troops with handmade guns, firebombs: media

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-new/eleven-killed-as-myanmar-protesters-fight-troops-with-handmade-guns-firebombs-media-idUSKBN2BV1RO





Philippines Keeping ‘Options Open’ on South China Sea: Govt

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/04/08/philippines-options-south-china-sea/



Philippines Leaning Toward Allowing U.S. Troops After All

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/07/philippines-us-military-duterte-biden/





'We are all aviators': Australian air force replaces term 'airmen'

https://www.reuters.com/article/australia-defence/we-are-all-aviators-australian-air-force-replaces-term-airmen-idUSL4N2M11TK










Navy Knows More About 2019 “Mystery Drones” Incident Than It Says

https://sofrep.com/news/navy-knows-more-about-2019-mystery-drones-incident-than-it-says/



Found: Page 25 of the CIA’s Gateway Report on Astral Projection

https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7e4g3/found-page-25-of-the-cias-gateway-report-on-astral-projection



Report to Congress on Open Skies Treaty

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/08/report-to-congress-on-open-skies-treaty



U.S. Senate moves ahead with sweeping effort to counter China

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-senate/u-s-senate-moves-ahead-with-sweeping-effort-to-counter-china-idUSKBN2BV1UE



CPB pulls information on two Yemeni watchlisters captured at border, claims protocols not followed

https://warisboring.com/cpb-pulls-information-on-two-yemeni-watchlisters-captured-at-border-claims-protocols-not-followed/



CO of Destroyer USS Hopper Removed from Command

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/07/co-of-destroyer-uss-hopper-removed-from-command



U.S. Intelligence Report Warns of Global Consequences of Social Fragmentation

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/us/politics/intelligence-global-trends-report-pandemic.html



New 3D Radar Developed to Support Counter-UAS Efforts

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/4/8/new-3d-radar-developed-to-support-counter-uas-efforts



DARPA awards BAE Systems two awards under Wideband Adaptive RF Protection (WARP) program

https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/april/7159-darpa-awards-bae-systems-two-awards-under-wideband-adaptive-rf-protection-warp-program.html



Rebuilding Arecibo Is So Essential That NASA and the Military May Get Involved

https://thedebrief.org/rebuilding-arecibo-is-so-essential-that-nasa-and-the-military-may-get-involved/



SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites, now at 300 launched in just over one month

https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/07/spacex-launches-60-more-starlink-satellites-now-at-300-launched-in-just-over-one-month/



Boston Dynamics' Spot robot was thrown into an army field test — but it ran out of battery mid-combat

https://www.businessinsider.com/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-french-military-combat-out-of-battery-2021-4



GDLS preparing Tracked Robot 10-Ton for US Army soldier experiment

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/gdls-preparing-tracked-robot-10-ton-for-us-army-soldier-experiment



The U.S. Army Plans to Take on Drone Swarms with Microwaves

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/fact-us-army-plans-take-drone-swarms-microwaves-182162



Army Wants to Replace the Cold War-Era TOW Missile with a New Longer-Range Tank Killer

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/08/army-wants-replace-cold-war-era-tow-missile-new-longer-range-tank-killer.html



Army Revives ’10x Platoon’ Experiment In Robotics, AI

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/army-revives-10x-platoon-experiment-in-robotics-ai/



Sikorsky releases new video of Defiant X helicopter

https://defence-blog.com/news/army/sikorsky-releases-new-video-of-defiant-x-helicopter.html



US Marines get first look at tactical resupply UAS during field assessment

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



Aerospace & Defense Roundup: April. 07

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/z/aerospace-defense-roundup-april-07



Raytheon awarded $15.5 million to upgrade laser weapon

https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2021/04/07/raytheon-awarded-155-to-upgrade-laser-weapon/



US Air Force proceeds with Lockheed for new 3DELRR ground-based radar

https://defbrief.com/2021/04/08/us-air-force-proceeds-with-lockheed-for-new-3delrr-ground-based-radar/



USAF Explores Novel Technologies Through Agility Prime

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/usaf-explores-novel-technologies-through-agility-prime



Can the U.S. Military Protect Its F-35 Stealth Fighters From Being Hacked?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/can-us-military-protect-its-f-35-stealth-fighters-being-hacked-182247



US Navy looks to tackle LCS reliability and sustainability

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-navy-looks-to-tackle-lcs-reliability-and-sustainability



Navy asks Textron to build another unmanned surface vessel for mine warfare in large open-ocean areas

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/unmanned/article/14200886/unmanned-mine-warfare-surface-vessel



Leidos delivers Seahawk autonomous surface vessel to U.S. Navy

https://navalpost.com/leidos-delivers-seahawk-autonomous-surface-vessel-to-u-s-navy/



Navy Installing More Directed Energy Weapons on DDGs, Conducting Land-Based Laser Testing This Year

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/07/navy-installing-more-directed-energy-weapons-on-ddgs-conducting-land-based-laser-testing-this-year