Af/Pak & Other News (3/30/2021)

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The Taliban Think They Have Already Won, Peace Deal or Not

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/world/asia/taliban-victory-afghanistan.html









Ex-IDF intel head: Iran-China megadeal includes ‘worrying’ military info-sharing

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-idf-intel-head-iran-china-megadeal-includes-worrying-military-info-sharing/









Iranian-backed militias accused of targeting Kurds in Iraq

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iranian-backed-militias-accused-of-targeting-kurds-in-iraq-analysis-663608









Saudi Air Defense Stops Most Houthi Strikes

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/03/saudi-air-defense-stops-most-houthi-strikes/









Kurds say more than 50 IS members netted in Syria's Al-Hol camp

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210330-kurds-say-more-than-50-is-members-netted-in-syria-s-al-hol-camp




ATAC one of the potential buyers for 5 Lebanese Hunters

http://alert5.com/2021/03/30/atac-one-of-the-potential-buyers-for-5-lebanese-hunters/









Gaza-West Bank: Running From Election

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/israel/articles/20210330.aspx









With ship now freed, a probe into Suez Canal blockage begins

https://apnews.com/article/egypt-middle-east-coronavirus-pandemic-shipping-suez-canal-494901d4bf6f06c88e30d56d7f5a86d8




Islamic State claims capture of coastal city in Mozambique

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/03/islamic-state-claims-capture-of-coastal-city-in-mozambique.php




UN finds French strike in Mali in January killed 19 civilians; France refutes report

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210330-un-probe-finds-french-strike-in-mali-in-january-killed-19-civilians









Ukraine says Russian military buildup threatens its security

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-military/ukraine-says-russian-military-buildup-threatens-its-security-idUSKBN2BM1N6



Russian Submarine Surfaced Beside Huge Hole Blown Open In The Ice Seen In Satellite Imagery

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39971/russian-submarine-seen-surfaced-beside-huge-hole-blown-open-in-the-ice-in-satellite-imagery



Russian Navy to convert large anti-submarine warship into frigate by 2025

https://navalpost.com/russian-to-convert-large-anti-submarine-warship-into-frigate/




Saab trials 3D-printed battle damage repair for Gripen

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/saab-trials-3d-printed-battle-damage-repair-for-gripen




Lilium Unveils SPAC Deal, Seven-Seat eVTOL

https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/urban-unmanned-aviation/lilium-unveils-spac-deal-seven-seat-evtol




Tempest FCAS Mock-Up Shown For The First Time With Italian Low-Visibility Roundels

https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/30/tempest-fcas-mock-up-shown-for-the-first-time-with-italian-low-visibility-roundels/




Thales and Mitsubishi will develop new sonar technology

https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2021/march/9905-thales-and-mitsubishi-will-develop-new-sonar-technology.html




U.K. Firm Secures Funding for Multi-Orbit Satcom

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/3/30/uk-firm-secures-funding-for-multi-orbit-satcom



Type 83 Destroyer concept phase to begin ‘in next few years’

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/type-83-destroyer-concept-phase-to-begin-in-next-few-years/



Royal Navy’s NavyX Welcomes “Madfox” Autonomous Ship

https://thedebrief.org/royal-navys-navyx-welcomes-madfox-autonomous-ship/









The Chinese military will outmatch the US in the Pacific by 2025

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-chinese-military-will-outmatch-the-us-in-the-pacific-by-2025/



Beijing Is Getting Better at Disinformation on Global Social Media

https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/beijing-is-getting-better-at-disinformation-on-global-social-media/



China formalises sweeping electoral shake-up for Hong Kong, demands loyalty

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-hongkong-committee/china-formalises-sweeping-electoral-shake-up-for-hong-kong-demands-loyalty-idUSKBN2BM0DS



Chinese Fighter Pilot Says Taiwan 'All Ours' After Being Asked to Leave Airspace

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-fighter-pilot-says-taiwan-all-ours-after-being-asked-leave-airspace-1579730



Data withheld from WHO team probing COVID-19 origins in China: Tedros

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-china-report/data-withheld-from-who-team-probing-covid-19-origins-in-china-tedros-idUSKBN2BM26S



Following report, WHO chief calls for deeper probe into lab-leak theory on Covid-19 origins

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210330-following-report-who-chief-calls-for-deeper-probe-into-lab-leak-theory-on-covid-19-origins





Chinese Warplanes Buzz Around Taiwan in Pincer Movement

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-warplanes-buzz-around-taiwan-pincer-movement-1579692



Taiwan Tried To Sneak A High-Tech Radar Onto Its Main Island Outpost

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/03/30/taiwan-tried-to-sneak-a-high-tech-radar-onto-its-main-island-outpost/



Taiwan to lift grounding of F-5 fleet next week

http://alert5.com/2021/03/30/taiwan-to-lift-grounding-of-f-5-fleet-next-week/





New satellite images show North Korea may be preparing to launch ballistic missile submarine

https://news.yahoo.com/satellite-images-show-north-korea-084632177.html



Analysis: Inter-Korean missile race may leave North Korea with tactical nuclear weapons

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-southkorea-analys/analysis-inter-korean-missile-race-may-leave-north-korea-with-tactical-nuclear-weapons-idUSKBN2BM0G8





JGSDF forms new EW unit to defend Japan's southern remote islands

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/jgsdf-forms-new-ew-unit-to-defend-japans-southern-remote-islands



Tokyo urged to increasingly focus on high-power microwave- and laser-based weapons

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/tokyo-urged-to-increasingly-focus-on-high-power-microwave-and-laser-based-weapons









NSA Opens Door to Domestic Internet Spying, Privacy Advocates Say

https://www.thedailybeast.com/nsa-suggests-it-should-spy-on-domestic-internet-use-to-stop-hacks



AP sources: SolarWinds hack got emails of top DHS officials

https://apnews.com/article/solarwinds-hack-email-top-dhs-officials-8bcd4a4eb3be1f8f98244766bae70395



Information Warfare: Children Of The Sun

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htiw/articles/20210330.aspx



Strange tweet from US Strategic Command goes viral before it is deleted

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/545373-strange-tweet-from-us-strategic-command-goes-viral-before-it-is-deleted



Russian Tu-142s Enter Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone

https://www.airforcemag.com/russian-tu-142s-enter-alaskan-air-defense-identification-zone/



Virgin Galactic’s VSS Imagine is its shiny, next-gen spaceship

https://www.engadget.com/virgin-galactic-vss-imagine-spaceship-3-123030976.html



SpaceX lost its fourth Starship prototype in a row

https://www.engadget.com/spacex-loses-sn11-starship-prototype-151339952.html



U.S. Army robotic armored combat vehicle prototypes move forward to anticipated demonstrations next year

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/unmanned/article/14200293/combat-vehicle-robotic-unmanned



US Army shares the science behind its new FAST helmet

https://defbrief.com/2021/03/29/us-army-shares-the-science-behind-its-new-fast-helmet/



Sikorsky and DARPA fly Black Hawk helicopter with a tablet from take-off to obstacle avoidance in a first-of-its-kind mission

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/sikorsky-and-darpa-fly-black-hawk-helicopter-with-a-tablet-from-take-off-to-obstacle-avoidance-in-a-first-of-its-kind-mission/



Army Pursues New 1,000km Precision Strike Missile

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/land/army-pursues-new-1-000km-precision-strike-missile-bkFr1HvsLUWnbtlOm9mgJw



US Army to begin receiving SMETs for final testing

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-to-begin-receiving-smets-for-final-testing



Boeing, Hypersonix Join Forces On Space Launch Scramjet Study

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/boeing-hypersonix-join-forces-space-launch-scramjet-study



U.S. Coast Guard Seeks Builders For Big New Cutters

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/03/29/us-coast-guard-seeks-builders-for-big-new-cutters/



Report on Navy Large Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/30/report-on-navy-large-unmanned-surface-and-undersea-vehicles-3