Af/Pak & Other News (12/11/2020)

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UN backs Afghan peace talks in resolution, Russia votes `no’

https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-belarus-russia-regional-cooperation-taliban-a71061f771ae2517fa7b2b91d858fc7b



Pak-China Joint Air Exercise “Shaheen-IX” Has Started At PAF Base Bholari

https://fighterjetsworld.com/air/pak-china-joint-air-exercise-shaheen-ix-has-started-at-paf-base-bholari/24090/



General confirms the US has helped the Taliban by launching drone strikes against ISIS

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-drone-strikes-isis-assist-taliban/



Russian Black Sea Fleet to participate in AMAN-2021 naval exercise in Pakistan

https://navalnews.net/russian-black-sea-fleet-to-participate-in-aman-2021-naval-exercise-in-pakistan/









Indian Navy Orders Israeli Rifle Mounted Anti-Drone Systems

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/10/india-rifle-mounted-system-drones/









Gen. McKenzie: Troop drawdowns in Iraq, Afghanistan will limit how US assists future operations

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/gen-mckenzie-troop-drawdowns-in-iraq-afghanistan-will-limit-how-us-assists-future-operations-1.654908



Fears Iran-backed militias in Iraq readying attack to avenge nuke chief – report

https://www.timesofisrael.com/fears-iran-backed-militias-in-iraq-readying-attack-to-avenge-nuke-chief-report/



Inside the Kurdish guerrilla group that saved the Yazidis – but now faces annihilation by Turkey

https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-kurdish-guerrilla-group-saved-135537435.html









Hezbollah man convicted in 2005 Hariri bombing sentenced to five life terms in prison

https://www.reuters.com/article/lebanon-tribunal-hariri-sentencing/hezbollah-man-convicted-in-2005-hariri-bombing-sentenced-to-five-life-terms-in-prison-idUSKBN28L152









Morocco, Israel normalize ties as US recognizes Western Sahara

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-morocco-agree-to-normalize-relations-in-latest-us-brokered-deal-651742



Israel-Morocco Deal Follows History of Cooperation on Arms and Spying

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/world/middleeast/Israel-morocco-cooperation-history.html



After Trump Morocco Deal, Which Countries Still Don't Recognize Israel?

https://www.newsweek.com/after-trump-morocco-countries-do-not-recognize-israel-1554109



U.S. Set to OK MQ-9B Drone Sales to Morocco after it Normalizes Ties with Israel

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28520/U_S__Set_to_OK_MQ_9B_Drone_Sales_to_Morocco_after_it_Normalizes_Ties_with_Israel




U.S. airstrikes in Somalia kill 8 al-Shabaab-linked weapons experts

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/12/10/US-airstrikes-in-Somalia-kill-8-al-Shabaab-linked-weapons-experts/5031607629812/




Hackers stole data on Nigeria’s A-29 program

http://alert5.com/2020/12/12/hackers-stole-data-on-nigerias-a-29-program/




U.S. says reports of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray are 'credible'

https://www.reuters.com/article/ethiopia-conflict-eritrea-usa-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-says-reports-of-eritrean-troops-in-ethiopias-tigray-are-credible-idUSKBN28L05Q









Russia Is Using Augmented Reality To Produce Its Su-57 Fighter

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38083/russia-is-using-augmented-reality-to-produce-its-su-57-fighter



Russia says 6 officers hurt in Caucasus attack, bomber blew himself up

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/russia-says-6-officers-hurt-in-caucasus-attack-bomber-blew-himself-up-651829



Russia Vows 'Retaliatory Measures' After Dutch Expel Diplomats For Spying

https://www.newsweek.com/netherlands-russia-moscow-spies-hi-tech-1554027




NATO Ineffective as Mediterranean Tensions Build up

https://sofrep.com/news/nato-ineffective-as-mediterranean-tensions-build-up/



The Weird Trick That Lets Amateurs Detect Warships at Sea

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a34935947/satellite-imagery-tracks-military-radars-warships/




Serbian Air Force testing new VRVZ-200 air-to-surface guided missile

https://www.airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2020/december/6740-serbian-air-force-testing-new-vrvz-200-air-to-surface-guided-missile.html




Netherlands Orders Expulsion Of Two Alleged Russian Spies Who Targeted Tech Sector

https://www.rferl.org/a/netherlands-russia-expulsion-alleged-spies/30994535.html




What exactly is Bulgaria´s naval procurement strategy playing at?

https://navalnews.net/what-exactly-is-bulgarias-naval-procurement-strategy-playing-at/




Italy Plans To Buy New Gulfstream G550s For SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) Missions

https://theaviationist.com/2020/12/11/italy-plans-to-buy-new-gulfstream-g550s-for-sigint-signal-intelligence-missions/




Safran’s 1,000-kg AASM Hammer Air-to-Ground Weapon Completes First Separation Tests from Rafale

https://defpost.com/safrans-1000-kg-aasm-hammer-air-to-ground-weapon-completes-first-separation-tests-from-rafale/



France Gives Ethical Nod To ‘Augmented Soldiers’

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/11/france-augmented-soldiers/



French nuclear attack submarine Perle to be repaired in Cherbourg

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2020/december/9396-french-nuclear-attack-submarine-perle-to-be-repaired-in-cherbourg.html









PLA border patrol unit in Tibet using new exoskeleton system

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/pla-border-patrol-unit-in-tibet-using-new-exoskeleton-system



Chinese Type-093 (Type-09III) Class Submarine

http://www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Navy-Type-093-Shang-Class-Submarine.html



China boosts nuclear strike capability in face of growing rivalry with US, report says

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3113639/china-boosts-nuclear-strike-capability-face-growing-rivalry-us



China's extensive 'honey trap' spy network could involve thousands of ploys underway now, ex-operative says

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/how-china-has-built-its-extensive-honey-trap-spy-network



Nuke Weapons Prolif to-from China, Pak, NK, Libya, France - Snippets

https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2020/12/nuke-weapons-prolif-to-from-china-pak.html



The Undeclared Seafood War

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htpeace/articles/20201211.aspx



China Unveils Innovative Assault Vehicles for Fighting on Off-road Terrain

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-troops-test-new-mobile-howitzers-xinjiang-desert-1553746



Recent Lunar Mission Success Could Be An Indicator For Boots On The Moon

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2020/12/11/recent-lunar-mission-success-could-be-an-indicator-for-boots-on-the-moon/



Chinese Scholar Calls for Beijing to Draft 'Taiwan National Security Law'

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-scholar-calls-beijing-draft-taiwan-national-security-law-1554020





U.S. spy plane flies from South Korea into Taiwanese air space

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/12/10/US-spy-plane-flies-from-South-Korea-into-Taiwanese-air-space/5811607624046/



U.S. Approves Sale of Field Information Communications System (FICS) to Taiwan

https://defpost.com/u-s-approves-sale-of-field-information-communications-system-fics-to-taiwan/



Taiwanese Coast Guard takes delivery of its new CG 601 Anping patrol vessel

https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2020/december/9398-taiwanese-coast-guard-takes-delivery-of-its-new-cg-601-anping-patrol-vessel.html





U.S. returns 12 military sites to South Korea after years of haggling

https://www.reuters.com/article/southkorea-usa-military/u-s-returns-12-military-sites-to-south-korea-after-years-of-haggling-idUSKBN28L0T5





Indonesia Moving Navy Combat Squad HQ to Tiny Remote Islet

https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/indonesia-moving-navy-combat-squad-hq-tiny-remote-islet





Thailand acquires aunav.NEXT UGVs

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/thailand-acquires-aunavnext-ugvs





Australia: Super Hornet, Growler fleets grounded

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/strike-air-combat/7397-super-hornet-growler-fleets-grounded









Canada: Trudeau government invited the Chinese army for training in Canada

https://warisboring.com/trudeau-government-invited-the-chinese-army-for-training-in-canada/










Army officer's secret journal could offer new clues about the UFO crash in Roswell in 1947

https://www.livescience.com/roswell-the-first-witness-history-channel.html



Several Ships Conducting Search and Rescue for Possible Man-Overboard from USS Theodore Roosevelt

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/10/several-ships-conducting-search-and-rescue-for-possible-man-overboard-from-uss-theodore-roosevelt



The Ft. Bragg Delta Force Murders: New Details Come to Light

https://sofrep.com/news/the-ft-bragg-delta-force-murders-new-details-come-to-light/



Officials: F-16 pilot who crashed in Michigan declared dead

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/12/11/Officials-F-16-pilot-who-crashed-in-Michigan-declared-dead/9061607672212/



Geospatial Intelligence—‘Geoint’—Becomes A Focus Of Military & Economic Competition

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2020/12/11/geospatial-intelligence-geoint-becomes-a-focus-of-military--economic-competition/



Pentagon withdrawing support from CIA counter-terrorism efforts: report

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/529686-pentagon-withdrawing-support-from-cia-counter-terrorism-efforts-report



How a pilot who's landed on 6 different classes of aircraft carrier prepared to land on the Navy's newest flattop

https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-navy-pilot-who-landed-6-different-aircraft-carrier-classes-2020-12



Navy submarine used as a target vessel in the 1930s found off Maryland coast

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/12/10/navy-submarine-used-as-a-target-vessel-in-the-1930s-found-off-maryland-coast/



ULA Launches NROL-44 Mission for National Reconnaissance Office Aboard Delta IV Heavy Rocket

https://defpost.com/ula-launches-nrol-44-mission-for-national-reconnaissance-office-aboard-delta-iv-heavy-rocket/



Here are the weapons and gear that soldiers and Marines can look forward to in 2021

https://www.businessinsider.com/weapons-and-gear-soldiers-and-marines-will-get-in-2021-2020-12



Army orders new UH-60M and HH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for cargo, troop carrying, and medical evacuation.

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/14188816/helicopters-avionics-black-hawk



Aegis/SM-3 Cancels ICBM

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htada/articles/20201211.aspx



New Project Will Give U.S. MQ-9 Reaper Drones Artificial Intelligence

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/12/11/new-project-will-give-us-mq-9-reaper-drones-artificial-intelligence/



USAF F-15Es are getting recycled wings from Saudi F-15S

http://alert5.com/2020/12/11/usaf-f-15es-are-getting-recycled-wings-from-saudi-f-15s/



Navy Creates New Warrant Officer Role To Operate Its Carrier-Based Tanker Drones

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38098/navy-creates-new-warrant-officer-role-to-operate-its-carrier-based-tanker-drone



C-130 comes within inches of DARPA’s Gremlins, but aerial captures aborted

https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/excess-movement-prevents-c-130-from-retrieving-gremlins-in-mid-air-test/141565.article



The first nine attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here’s what’s next.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/12/11/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next/



Report to Congress on Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/10/report-to-congress-on-coast-guard-polar-security-cutter-9



Navy's New Controversial Shipbuilding Plan Raids Air Force And Army's Piggy Banks

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38086/navys-new-controversial-master-shipbuilding-plan-raids-the-air-force-and-armys-piggy-banks



Light-driven sonar could survey the oceans from the air

https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/sensors/remote-sensing/lightdriven-sonar-could-survey-the-oceans-from-the-air



Here Is What Each Of The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Costs

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38102/here-is-what-each-of-the-navys-ship-launched-missiles-actually-costs