Af/Pak & Other News (1/20/2021)

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Palantir’s God’s-Eye View of Afghanistan

https://www.wired.com/story/palantirs-gods-eye-view-of-afghanistan/



Peace talks at 'snail's pace' due to Taliban, says Afghan govt

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210120-peace-talks-at-snail-s-pace-due-to-taliban-says-afghan-govt



Pakistan Builds Fence Along Border with Afghanistan

https://www.voanews.com/episode/pakistan-builds-fence-along-border-afghanistan-4552736



Pakistan says test-fire of medium-range missile a success

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-india-e5eafa579280451fcc08104f9e6f6570









Pakistan Rangers use drones to drop arms in Indian border areas; two Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists held in J&K

https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2021/01/pakistan-rangers-use-drones-to-drop-arms-in-indian-border-areas-two-jaish-e-mohammad-terrorists-held-in-jk/



How India May Rely On Its Navy To Offset China

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/how-india-may-rely-its-navy-offset-china









U.S. is some ways from decision on resuming Iran nuclear deal: Blinken

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-state-iran/irans-nuclear-breakout-time-has-shrunk-to-three-four-months-bidens-top-diplomat-pick-says-idUSKBN29O2HD



Iran, South Korea bank negotiating new account after capture of tanker

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/01/20/Iran-South-Korea-bank-negotiating-new-account-after-capture-of-tanker/8931611160771/









Iraq: We Can Steal It For You Wholesale

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/iraq/articles/20210120.aspx









UAE signs deal with U.S. to buy 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 drones: sources

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-emirates-f35/uae-signs-deal-with-u-s-to-buy-50-f-35-jets-and-up-to-18-drones-sources-idUSKBN29P2AO




US looking for aerostat air-defence radars for Saudi Arabia

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-looking-for-aerostat-air-defence-radars-for-saudi-arabia




Turkey to Launch First Indigenous Frigate on Jan 23

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28797/Turkey_to_Launch_First_Indigenous_Frigate_on_Jan_23









U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Lands In Syria

https://fighterjetsworld.com/latest-news/aircraft-crash/u-s-army-uh-60-black-hawk-helicopter-crash-lands-in-syria/24406/




Lebanese military to receive 100 armored vehicles from UK to secure borders

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/01/19/lebanese-military-to-receive-100-armored-vehicles-from-uk-to-secure-borders/









Israel Security Officials Reveal the Top Threats They Face on Four Fronts This Year

https://www.newsweek.com/israel-security-officials-reveal-top-threats-four-borders-1562840









'Kleptocrats' will try to block Libya elections, says UN envoy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/kleptocrats-will-try-to-block-libya-elections-says-un-envoy




Armed men try to storm governor’s house in Sudan’s Darfur

https://apnews.com/article/sudan-middle-east-united-nations-e171c305da1c9d06f6c7764526079619




U.S. airstrikes kill 3 al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/01/19/US-airstrikes-kill-3-al-Shabaab-terrorists-in-Somalia/7761611085651/









Russia to Ready Coastal Base for Underwater Nuclear Drones by 2022

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/20/russia-base-underwater-drones/



Art Is Cheap, Aircraft Carriers Are Expensive—Russian Shipyard Dreams Up Wacky New Flattop

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/01/20/art-is-cheap-aircraft-carriers-are-expensive-russian-shipyard-dreams-up-new-flattop/



Russia develops Sotnik successor to Ratnik combat gear

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_january_2021_global_security_army_industry/russia_develops_sotnik_successor_to_ratnik_combat_gear.html



Russian Atomic Energy Agency Plans Statues Of Notorious Secret Police Chief Beria

https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-atomic-agency-statue-beria/31053629.html



Suspect in Il-80 theft case arrested

http://alert5.com/2021/01/20/suspect-in-il-80-theft-case-arrested/



Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny held in infamous Moscow jail

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny-prison/kremlin-critic-alexei-navalny-held-in-infamous-moscow-jail-idUSKBN29P1OS



Jailed Russian critic Alexei Navalny released a video accusing Putin of secretly building a $1 billion coastal palace funded through bribes

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/jailed-russian-critic-alexei-navalny-released-a-video-accusing-putin-of-secretly-building-a-dollar1-billion-coastal-palace-funded-through-bribes/ar-BB1cVnaU




U.S. Forces Conduct A New Multi-Domain Exercise With F-16s, KC-135s, P-8A And RQ-4B Over The Black Sea

https://theaviationist.com/2021/01/19/u-s-forces-conduct-a-new-multi-domain-exercise-with-f-16s-kc-135s-p-8a-and-rq-4b-over-the-black-sea/




First Greek F-16V Performs Maiden Flight After Block 72 Upgrade

https://theaviationist.com/2021/01/20/first-greek-f-16v-performs-maiden-flight-after-block-72-upgrade/



Greece to extend territorial waters amid Turkey tensions

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/greece-to-extend-territorial-waters-amid-turkey-tensions/vi-BB1cTk9u




Does Britannia Rule The Waves Again? U.K. Carrier Strike Group Declared Operational

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulkennard/2021/01/19/does-britannia-rule-the-waves-again--uk-carrier-strike-group-declared-operational/



UK eyes wide-ranging Chinook replacement

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/uk-eyes-wide-ranging-chinook-replacement/142042.article



UK orders three autonomus minesweepers from Atlas Elektronik

https://navalnews.net/uk-orders-three-autonomus-minesweepers-from-atlas-elektronik/









Mexican president accuses US of fabricating drug case against ex-defense chief

https://warisboring.com/mexican-president-accuses-us-of-fabricating-drug-case-against-ex-defense-chief/









China-India border dispute: new village near Tibet sparks talk of eastern front as neighbours face off

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3118491/china-india-border-dispute-new-village-near-tibet-sparks-talk



China builds massive Covid-19 quarantine camp for 4,000 people as outbreak continues

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/asia/china-shijiazhuang-covid-quarantine-intl-hnk-scli/index.html



China turbocharges bid to discredit Western vaccines, spread virus conspiracy theories

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-turbocharges-bid-to-discredit-western-vaccines-spread-virus-conspiracy-theories/ar-BB1cV4oK



Chinese Communist Party Apparatchik Demands Progress on Taiwan 'Unification'

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-communist-party-apparatchik-demands-progress-taiwan-unification-1562999





Taiwan Could Be America's 'Maritime Israel,' Says Taipei Defense Guru

https://www.newsweek.com/taiwan-could-americas-maritime-israel-says-taipei-defense-guru-1562527





North Korea cracks down on foreign media, speaking styles

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-media/north-korea-cracks-down-on-foreign-media-speaking-styles-idUSKBN29P0C4





Australia Reportedly Looking At An Alternative To Its Costly New French-Designed Submarines

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38790/australia-reportedly-looking-at-an-alternative-to-its-costly-new-french-designed-submarines





Emerging Threats to U.S. Personnel on Okinawa

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/january/emerging-threats-us-personnel-okinawa










Live: President-elect Biden set to take oath of office amid tight security

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20210120-live-presidential-elect-biden-set-to-take-oath-of-office-amid-tight-security



The Ultimate Guide To Surveillance Aircraft Available To Help Safeguard The Inauguration

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38737/the-ultimate-guide-to-surveillance-aircraft-available-to-help-safeguard-the-inauguration



Army pulls 12 National Guardsmen from inauguration security amid increased vetting

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/12-national-guard-removed-security-inauguration/



20-year-old US Army soldier charged with providing kill targets for ISIS, plotting ways to attack the 9/11 Memorial in New York

https://www.businessinsider.com/army-soldier-charged-kill-targets-for-isis-2021-1



Police, soldiers bring lethal skill to militia campaigns against US government

https://theconversation.com/police-soldiers-bring-lethal-skill-to-militia-campaigns-against-us-government-153369



The 22-year-old accused of stealing Pelosi's laptop and planning to sell it to Russia has been given new charges that could see her jailed for 20 years

https://www.yahoo.com/news/22-old-accused-stealing-pelosis-112244819.html



Airliner Pilot Says Jet Pack Guy Over Los Angeles Looked Just Like This Crazy Drone

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38802/airliner-pilot-says-jet-pack-guy-over-los-angeles-looked-just-like-this-crazy-drone



Big Brother Spies On Spies

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20210120.aspx



Feds say Iran scholar was secret Tehran agent

https://www.axios.com/feds-iran-scholar-secret-tehran-agent-8ee0bf92-c318-4503-a96d-0b356fbaf933.html



Trump pardons Israeli officer who enlisted spy Pollard

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-israel-jonathan-pollard-benjamin-netanyahu-united-states-c3d2e46029b23e7bdaa5bda6ec878247



Citing National Security, US Blocks Chinese Tech

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/20/us-blocks-chinese-tech/



United States Becomes First Country in World to Declare China's Uighur Treatment Genocide

https://www.newsweek.com/united-states-becomes-first-country-world-declare-chinas-uighur-treatment-genocide-1562717



EXPLAINER: Why US accused China of genocide and what’s next

https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-europe-asia-china-mike-pompeo-fcc28eee9c8715327718a67ec3a17323



Virgin Orbit Achieves Success With Second LauncherOne Test

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/virgin-orbit-achieves-success-second-launcherone-test



Army to evaluate high-power laser weapons mounted to Stryker armored combat vehicles in upcoming shoot-off

https://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/unmanned/article/14195812/laser-counter-uas-uav-drone



USMC logs maiden fleet flight for CH-53K helo

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usmc-logs-maiden-fleet-flight-for-ch-53k-helo



Which is Better? .. Two-Man Fighter Crew vs AI-enabled Computer Co-Pilot

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/air/which-is-better-two-man-fighter-crew-vs-ai-enabled-computer-co-pilot-0ojTSZX-RkSVZP2zqPjqBg



Boeing to install upgraded infrared search and track sensors aboard Air Force F-15 jet fighter aircraft

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/14195793/infrared-sensors-fighter-aircraft



U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Next-Gen Fighter Program Achieves e-Series Status

https://defpost.com/u-s-air-forces-next-generation-air-dominance-ngad-next-gen-fighter-program-achieves-e-series-status/



U.S., U.K. Sign Agreement on Upcoming Deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth with American F-35Bs, Destroyer

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/19/u-s-u-k-sign-agreement-on-upcoming-deployment-of-hms-queen-elizabeth-with-american-f-35bs-destroyer



Navy Awards Contract for P-8A Poseidon Protection

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/1/20/navy-awards-contract-for-p-8a-poseidon-protection



Four Reasons The Navy’s Bold Plans For Its Surface Fleet Are Doomed In The Biden Era

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2021/01/19/four-reasons-the-navys-bold-plans-for-its-surface-fleet-are-doomed-in-the-biden-era/



U.S. Considering Australian-Designed Light Amphibious Warship

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/01/20/us_considering_australian-designed_light_amphibious_warship_657201.html



US DoD’s completes successful test of its unmanned boat

https://dronedj.com/2021/01/20/us-dods-completes-successful-test-of-its-unmanned-boat/



No More Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ships For The Navy Until Major Design Defect Is Fixed

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38806/no-more-littoral-combat-ships-for-the-navy-until-transmission-problem-gets-fixed