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September 16, 2021

 

Austin: Nuclear sub pact with Australia to deter China’s ‘destabilizing’ acts in Indo-Pacific region Top diplomats and military leaders for the United States and Australia on Thursday discussed the “increasingly contested security environment” in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has worked to assert its growing military power, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, after a hourslong meeting at the State Department. READ MORE

Debut of multifaceted Army unit modernizes fighting force in Europe A task force that drastically expands the Army’s combat capacity in Europe was activated Thursday, bringing hundreds of new soldiers to the service’s mission on the Continent. READ MORE

Rand report suggests using technology to track social media trends to fight extremism in the military Rand, a nonprofit think tank, published a report Thursday that offered a framework for identifying and extricating extremists from the military. The report noted multiple, recent instances of service members engaging in violent protest, including the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., and the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. READ MORE   ‘Extremely serious’: Japan says flotilla of gun-equipped Chinese ships appeared near Senkakus The Japanese government filed a protest with Beijing after seven Chinese coast guard ships appeared together last month in waters around disputed southern islets in the East China Sea. READ MORE   Nuclear submarine deal will reshape Indo-Pacific relations Here's what a new security alliance for the US, Australia and Britain might mean for various players. READ MORE

Thousands of Afghans at US bases in Germany to receive measles and chickenpox vaccines More than a dozen Afghan evacuees at Ramstein Air Base were vaccinated Thursday ahead of mass inoculations planned among the roughly 9,000 Afghans who fled Taliban rule and are awaiting flights to the U.S. at Ramstein and nearby Rhine Ordnance Barracks, the Air Force said in a statement. READ MORE   Louisiana Guard readies for Tropical Storm Nicholas with nearly 8,000 troops still deployed for Hurricane Ida recovery More than two weeks after Hurricane Ida made landfall, Louisiana still has more than 5,000 Guard members activated for recovery efforts. Another 2,500 Guard members from 14 states also remain on duty alongside about 400 active-duty troops. READ MORE   Dock landing ship USS Germantown departs Japan after a decade in the Indo-Pacific The USS Germantown steamed out of Sasebo Naval Base after a decade of service in the Indo-Pacific region. READ MORE   Nuclear weapons no real advantage for South Korea, former USFK commander says Vincent Brooks, the former commander of U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command, said South Korea has “withstood great pressures and tests” but possessing a nuclear weapon would not help it deter threats from North Korea. READ MORE   Purple Hearts to be awarded to service members injured in Kabul blast Seventeen service members wounded in the Kabul airport blast last month as they helped process evacuees trying to flee Afghanistan before U.S. troops withdrew have also been approved to receive Purple Hearts. A dozen more Purple Hearts are pending final approval. READ MORE   Tokyo’s COVID-19 count dips below 900; no new cases announced by Japan’s US bases New coronavirus cases in Tokyo fell below 1,000 on Thursday for the third time in 11 days. READ MORE

 

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