Month: November 2021

U.S. In Hypersonic Weapon ‘Arms Race’ With China -Air Force Secretary

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Reuters:

The United States and China are engaged in an arms race to develop the most lethal hypersonic weapons, the U.S. Air Force secretary said on Tuesday, as Beijing and Washington build and test more and more of the high-speed next-generation arms.

“There is an arms race, not necessarily for increased numbers, but for increased quality,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Reuters during an interview in his Pentagon offices. “It’s an arms race that has been going on for quite some time. The Chinese have been at it very aggressively.”

See also: Majority Of Americans See China As Top Threat, Concerned About War Breaking Out: Poll

Leaked Papers Link Top Chinese Leaders To Uyghur Crackdown

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BBC News:

A newly published cache of documents directly links top Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping to the state’s crackdown on Uyghur Muslims.

The documents include speeches which analysts say prove senior government leaders called for measures that led to mass internment and forced labour.

China has consistently denied that it is committing genocide against Uyghurs.

See also: Celtics’ Enes Kanter Freedom Says He’d Welcome Sit-Down With LeBron James On Human Rights Abuses In China: ‘I’m Here To Educate Him’

Russia Will Act If Nato Countries Cross Ukraine ‘Red Lines’, Putin Says

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The Guardian:

Vladimir Putin has warned Nato countries that deploying weapons or soldiers to Ukraine would cross a “red line” for Russia and trigger a strong response, including a potential deployment of Russian missiles targeting Europe.

Nato countries have warned Putin against further aggression against Ukraine as foreign ministers gathered in Latvia to discuss the military alliance’s contingencies for a potential Russian invasion.

Tensions have soared following a buildup of nearly 100,000 Russian troops, as well as tanks, artillery, and even short-range ballistic missiles, within striking distance of Ukraine’s borders.

See also:
–Russia Says NATO Deploying ‘Significant’ Hardware Near Its Borders
–Lukashenko Offers To Host Russia’s Nuclear Weapons, Recognizes Crimea As Part Of Russia

MI6 Spy Chief Says China, Russia, Iran Top UK Threat List

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ABC News:

China, which is increasingly flexing its muscles around the world, is one of the biggest threats to Britain and its allies, and a “miscalculation” by Beijing could lead to war, the head of the U.K.’s foreign intelligence agency said Tuesday.

MI6 chief Richard Moore said that China, Russia, Iran and international terrorism make up the “big four” security issues facing Britain’s spies in an unstable world where both countries and illicit organizations are racing to exploit fast-changing information technology.

He must not have gotten the memo about how Global Warming is now supposed to be as scary as an expansionist, Nuclear China.

See also: China And Russia Are Inking De Facto Military Alliance

Democratic Senator Calls On Biden To Appoint Afghanistan ‘Evacuation Czar’

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CNN:

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called on President Joe Biden to appoint an “evacuation czar” to lead efforts to bring thousands of at-risk Afghans to safety amid reports of targeted assassinations by the Taliban and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.

In a letter addressed to Biden on Tuesday, Blumenthal said he had “serious concerns about ongoing obstacles to evacuate at-risk Afghans,” urging the administration to expand its efforts “and articulate a clear, effective strategy to expedite the evacuation” of these Afghans and the US citizens remaining in the country.

It sounds like Da Nang Dick is insinuating that the most awesome, complete, and orderly withdrawal in all of military history was somehow insufficient.

See also: Veteran’s Outrage Over Afghanistan Withdrawal Leads To #1 New Book

Biden Could Soon End The Iraq War (No, Really)

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The Washington Post:

Under legislation being put together in fits and starts, Biden could be in a position to cancel the two-decades-old congressional measure that provided the March 2003 invasion’s legal rationale, the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) lawmakers adopted in October 2002.

Doing so will require the bitterly divided Congress to do its part by getting the proposal to his desk, so don’t bet the cryptocurrency farm just yet. But for the first time since 9/11, a president may actually take concrete steps to rein in, not expand, executive branch war-making powers.

We are keeping thousands of troops in Iraq. This is another Obama-Biden Administration-style phony “withdrawal” in which we pretend like we got everyone out while remaining firmly entrenched in this country where our military never had any legitimate business. If the Iraqis want to play hardball and tell us to leave, then we will just do another Operation Timber Sycamore to create another Salafist Caliphate to overrun their country again until they beg us to come back again.

See also:
–Iraqis Sceptical About Real Pullout Of US Forces From Iraq
–US Logistics Convoy Targeted In Iraq’s Babylon Prov.

Final Results Confirm Sadr’s Victory In Last Month’s Iraqi Vote

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Reuters:

Iraq released final results on Tuesday from last month’s general election, confirming populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement’s victoryas the biggest bloc, with 73 seats in the fractious 329-seat house.

The Taqaddum Party, which draws support from minority Sunni Muslims, won 37 seats. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law group won 33 seats, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) secured 31, according to the results cited by state media.

The results were broadly in line with preliminary figures released in the days after the Oct. 10 election, and unlikely to alter calculations much as politicians negotiate on the makeup of a new government. Pro-Iran groups who performed poorly have refused to accept the results.

See also: Moqtada Sadr: Iraq’s Political, Religious Force

Oklahoma Guard Paychecks Under Threat As Vaccine Battle With Pentagon Escalates

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Military News:

Oklahoma National Guard members who refuse mandatory COVID-19 vaccination will eventually lose pay because they won’t be able to train or drill, the Pentagon said this week as its dispute with the state’s governor continued to escalate.

Those individual troops will shoulder the repercussions — not getting paid — after Gov. Kevin Stitt and his state adjutant general challenged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s order that all members of the active-duty, Guard and reserve force get the shot, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.

But the governor’s office shot back on Tuesday, questioning the Pentagon’s ability to cut pay to individual service members. It was unclear how the federal pay for unvaccinated members could be flagged and withheld, and the Pentagon did not provide further details.

“With all due respect to Mr. Kirby, I think perhaps he has received incorrect information,” Charlie Hannema, a spokesman for Stitt, told Military.com. Hannema and a spokesperson with the Oklahoma Guard said there is no change in the state’s plan to defy the vaccine mandate.

Arkansas Covid Cases Jump By 1,044; Hospitalizations Top 400

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Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

After a slowdown around Thanksgiving, Arkansas’ surge in coronavirus cases resumed Tuesday, with the state’s count of cases rising by more than 1,000 and the number of people hospitalized with the virus topping 400, a level not seen in more than a month.

Health Secretary Jose Romero said the increase in cases – the first in a single day since late September that topped 1,000 – likely reflected some infections identified among people who put off being tested until after the holiday weekend.

Some of the cases could have also resulted from transmission that occurred during Thanksgiving gatherings, he said.

Study: Oklahoma Ranked 10th In ‘Most Overweight And Obese States In America’

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KFOR:

WalletHub recently created its list of the ‘Most Overweight and Obese States in America.’

Researchers compared the 50 states and District of Columbia across 31 key metrics including share of obese population, obesity-related health care costs, and sugary drink consumption.

Oklahoma ranked 10th overall on the list, and 7th in obesity and overweight prevalence.

Fort Smith Runway Expansion Costing Residents A Large Dog Park

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KFSM:

On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the Airport Dog Park in Fort Smith on Massard Road had its final day as the city makes way for a runway expansion. 

Back in June, the city announced it would be the home of a foreign military pilot training center. For this to happen, the dog park near the Fort Smith Regional Airport had to close.

The Airport Dog Park in east Fort Smith spans over 30 acres with plenty of trees, a pond, obstacles, and even a space for small dogs.

“Many people love this park. It provides a lot for the community,” said Shandi Siler, an advocate for the dog park.

Siler started the Facebook group ‘Fort Smith Dog Park,’ pushing for the park to stay. However, Nov. 30 was the final day for dogs and dog owners to spend time at the park, which was one of three dog parks in Fort Smith.

“It’s one of those things that have to happen for progress,” said Kevin Settle, Fort Smith City Director At-Large. “When you expand the runway, you have to get the land ready.”

Four-Star To Review 2019 Syria Strike That Killed Dozens Of Civilians

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Military Times:

Fewer than two weeks after the Pentagon announced Nov. 3 that it found no misconduct in a review drone strike on Kabul that mistakenly killed 10 civilians, the New York Times reported that a similar, never-before-publicized strike on ISIS in Baghouz, Syria, had targeted a group of women and children and killed 70 civilians. Now, that strike is getting its own review.

Army Gen. Michael X. Garrett, head of Army Forces Command, has 90 days to review not only the strike itself, but how its results were investigated and briefed up the chain of command, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday. Garrett held the top job at Army Central Command until 10 days before the March 18, 2019, strike.

Pentagon To Build Up US Bases In Guam And Australia To Meet China Challenge

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CNN:

The Pentagon will focus on building up bases in Guam and Australia to better prepare the US military to counter China, a senior defense official said on Monday.

The moves have been prompted by the Department of Defense’s global posture review, which President Joe Biden ordered Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to undertake shortly after taking office in February. Austin started the global posture review in March. The review is classified, but a senior defense official provided some details about the review’s findings.

Biden “recently approved” Austin’s findings and recommendations from the global posture review, Dr. Mara Karlin, performing the duties of deputy under secretary for policy, said at a briefing on Monday.

The Indo-Pacific region was a major focus, because of Secretary Austin’s emphasis on “China as the pacing challenge,” for the Department, the senior defense official said.

See also:
–Will China Render U.S. Aircraft Carriers Irrelevant?
–China Sends Warplanes Near Taiwan After U.S. Lawmakers Visit
–Taiwan Says China Military Trying To Wear It Out, But It Can Respond

Iran Doubles Down On Demands As Nuclear Talks Resume

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The Wall Street Journal:

Iran made many demands as it resumed talks Monday with the U.S. and other world powers aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, doubling down on its position before negotiations first started in the spring and raising doubts over an early breakthrough.

The talks, taking place in the Austrian capital amid a strict coronavirus lockdown, are intended to agree on the steps Iran and the U.S. will take to return into compliance with the 2015 deal, which lifted most international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for strict but temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work.

“The U.S. has no other way for its return to the JCPOA but to remove all the sanctions imposed on the Iranian nation since it walked out of the JCPOA,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, referring to the formal name of the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Ukraine Warns Russia Could Attack In ‘Blink Of An Eye’

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La Prensa Latina:

A Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen “in a blink of an eye,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned on Monday.

“If Russia decides to undertake a military operation, it will do so in a blink of an eye.

“In spring, they (Russia) brought a lot of military hardware, infrastructure and soldiers to the border with Ukraine,” Kuleba told reporters at a press conference, referring to the field hospitals and radio signal transmission jamming devices stationed at the Ukraine border.

“The reality is they never withdrew, all the infrastructure is there. (…) In spring they built a house, in winter all they have to do is move in, open the windows and start shooting,” he added.

See also: Belarus Announces Military Drills With Russia Near Ukraine Border

Sweden’s First Female Leader Quit Last Week After A Few Hours. She Was Just Reelected

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Public Radio Tulsa:

It looks like Sweden will soon have its first female prime minister after all. She’s the same one who resigned last week about seven hours after being tapped to lead the country.

Magdalena Andersson — a 54-year-old former finance minister who leads the Social Democratic Party — was reelected by a slim margin on Monday and will make history when she officially takes office on Tuesday.

Here’s what happened.

The title of the article is misleading. Sweden has been ruled multiple times by females–e.g. Queen Margaret I, Queen Christina, Queen Ulrika Eleonora, and the Regent Ingeborg. With the Kingdom of Sweden subordinate now to the EU, the first female prime minister certainly is not as impressive as the countless female monarchs who have ruled various lands throughout the last 2,000 or so years of Western Civilization.