Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 15, 2020

While the number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen since a count in 2019, China, India, Britain, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have increased their nuclear weapon stocks. Photo: AFP

SCMP: China boosts its nuclear arsenal as world’s stockpile shrinks

* China, India and Pakistan are modernising their weapons while Russia and the US shed old nuclear arms, say monitors
* New threats such as chemical and biological weapons emerge, adding to global instability, finds peace research institute

China is one of the six countries that increased its nuclear arsenal in the past year, adding 30 warheads since a 2019 tally, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday.

The five other countries were India, Britain, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea, the report said, but all increased by fewer than 20 warheads.

“China is in the middle of a significant modernisation and expansion of its arsenal, and India and Pakistan are also thought to be increasing the size of their nuclear arsenals,” the report said.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 15, 2020

Nuclear modernization speeding up as arms control on the brink: report -- Defense News

Nuclear Warhead Reductions Continue Despite Heightened Global Tensions [Infographic] -- Forbes

America Shouldn’t Restart Production of Weapons-Grade Uranium -- Alan J. Kuperman, War On The Rocks

Three US Navy aircraft carriers are patrolling the Pacific Ocean at the same time. And China's not happy -- CNN

SEALs Test New Mini Sub To Stay Dry, Ship To Shore -- Breaking Defense

Repaired USS Fitzgerald sets sail three years after deadly collision off Japan -- Stars and Stripes

USS Fitzgerald Leaves Ingalls Shipbuilding for New Homeport In San Diego, 3 Years After Fatal Collision -- USNI News

The Mysterious Case Of The Air Force's New Strangely Modified 737 With A Puzzling Past -- Warzone/The Drive

COVID-19 slows development of Army's new helicopter engines -- UPI

Defense Department COVID-19 cases continue on an upswing -- Military Times

Military spy agencies did not monitor protesters, Pentagon official says -- Washington Post

Senate Looks To Block Many Of The Pentagon's "Tough Choices" Airpower Cuts In Next Budget -- Warzone/The Drive

This week in Congress: Racial problems in the military get a closer look -- Military Times

Senators Continue Building Space Force with Caution -- Air Force Magazine

General Dynamics receives contract to produce Colombia-class and Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines -- Navy Recognition

Easing Drone Export Rules Is Great For The Defense Industry, But Doing So Has Consequences -- Warzone/The Drive

This 'nerdy' Special Forces soldier is getting paid to play 'Call of Duty' in the US Army -- Business Insider

Rocket Lab launches three more US spy satellites from New Zealand -- C4ISRNet

Yankee go home: What does moving American troops out of Germany mean? -- David Rising, AP

American F-15 crashes in North Sea -- UK Defense Journal

Lockheed Martin awarded $368.2M to build six F-35s for Italy -- UPI

U.S. confirms plan for troop reduction in Germany -- UPI

90 Canadian troops to leave for Ukraine as military looks to resume mission -- CBC

Denmark to compensate homeowners for excessive noise from F-35s -- UPI

France’s ‘Le Téméraire’ nuclear submarine passes test to fire atomic missiles -- Defense News

Secret military base making Britain’s nuclear weapons hit by series of safety failures -- The SUN

Russian Missile Forces in Baltic Region Conduct Drills Amid Ongoing NATO Exercises Nearby -- Sputnik

Russian Orthodox Church consecrates huge cathedral dedicated to military -- Euronews/AP

Poroshenko Blames Yanukovych For Ukrainian Army's Weak State When Russia Seized Crimea -- RFE

Japan suspends Aegis Ashore deployment, pointing to cost and technical issues -- Defense News

International Criminal Court, seeking to investigate US troops for war crimes, condemns Trump’s sanctions order -- Military Times