Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 19, 2016

Bloomberg: China’s Drone Seizure Sows Concern That U.S. Secrets Were Stolen

* President-elect said in tweet China had stolen unmanned vessel
* China’s foreign ministry: Militaries in touch to handle case

A top U.S. lawmaker said China may be poring over a seized underwater drone to unearth secret information about Navy technology, hours after President-elect Donald Trump suggested Beijing should “keep it.”

“The Chinese are able to do a thing called reverse-engineering, where they are able to -- while they hold this drone, able to find out all of the technical information. And some of it is pretty valuable,” Senator John McCain of Arizona said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 19, 2016

China: Seized underwater drone 'tip of iceberg' when it comes to US surveillance -- CNN

U.S. sees China returning drone as early as Tuesday in South China Sea -- Reuters

China drone seizure throws down gauntlet to Obama and Trump -- Michael Auslin, CNN

China's H-6 Bomber: Everything You Want to Know about Beijing's 'B-52' Circling Taiwan -- National Interest

Chinese military expert: J-20 stealth fighter may break Western monopoly -- Defence Blog

N. Korea's ability to wage special operations warfare has improved -- Korea Times

India appoints new army, air force and intelligence chiefs -- Reuters

Indonesia air force plane crashes, killing all 13 on board -- BBC

Russia sells $14 billion worth of military hardware in 2016 -- TASS

All 39 aboard military plane alive after crash-landing in Yakutia, Russia – MoD -- RT

Serbia to Get Russian Fighter Jets to Counter NATO Threat -- AP

NATO and Russia talk, but remain divided on Ukraine -- Reuters

NATO, Russia discuss air safety talks but differ on Ukraine -- AP

NATO to procure U.S. munitions for members -- UPI

Germany's army union slams conditions for soldiers in Mali -- DW

Turkey's post-coup military purge has cut its armed forces by a third — and NATO is worried -- Reuters

UK 'secretly selling arms to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere under opaque licencing system' -- The Independent

Saudi official denies reports US has decided to restrict military support -- The Guardian

Pentagon report: Afghan forces show 'promising but inconsistent' progress -- The Hill

Difficult Year Ahead for US Military in the Pacific -- VOA

Pentagon Arsenal Plane to Fly With F-35, F-22 -- Scout Warrior

Marines Resume Osprey Flights in Japan After Crash -- Military.com

Navy's Super Hornet and Growler jets cleared to fly after being grounded -- Washington Examiner

Air Force Cautions Trump Team on Defense Costs -- WSJ

Versatile F-4 Phantoms making 'final flight' for US military -- AP

US fails to renegotiate arms control rule for hacking tools -- AP

Army veteran Vincent Viola, billionaire owner of the Florida Panthers, named Trump’s Army secretary -- Washington Post

Top general to review problems plaguing Army brass -- USA Today

McCain: Military wasted $1 million on strip clubs and casinos -- Washington Examiner

Rebuilding the military -- Jed Babbin, Washington Times

Here’s What Trump Will Get From His Generals -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report

Trump’s Generals: How Wartime Service Shaped Mattis, Kelly, & Flynn -- James Kitfield, Breaking Defense

2016 National Wreaths Across America Day Sees the Placement of 1.2 Million Remembrance Wreaths at 1,228 Cemeteries Across the Country -- PR Newswire