Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 8, 2020

Fu Cong, head of arms control department of Chinese foreign ministry, speaks at a news conference in Beijing, China July 8, 2020. REUTES/Shubing Wang

Reuters: China challenges U.S. to cut nuclear arsenal to matching level

BEIJING (Reuters) - China would “be happy to” participate in trilateral arms control negotiations with the United States and Russia, but only if the United States were willing to reduce its nuclear arsenal to China’s level, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Wednesday.

Washington has repeatedly called for China to join in trilateral negotiations to extend New START, a flagship nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia that is due to expire in February next year.

Fu Cong, head of the arms control department of Chinese foreign ministry, reiterated to reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that China has no interest in joining the negotiation with former Cold War-era superpowers, given that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is about 20 times the size of China’s.

“I can assure you, if the U.S. says that they are ready to come down to the Chinese level, China would be happy to participate the next day,” he said. “But actually, we know that’s not going to happen.”

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 8, 2020

Serbian military gets reconnaissance drones and missiles from China -- SCMP

China enters arms trade treaty after selling drones to Serbia -- UPI

Photos: New Satellite Images Confirm 2-Kilometer Pullback by Chinese Troops From Galwan Valley -- Sputnik

Aircraft carrier USS Truman docks for maintenance after seven months at sea -- UPI

Navy Captain Who Oversaw Embattled Carrier Ford Program Reassigned -- Military.com

US Navy shakes up the carrier Ford program after latest setback -- Defense News

Navy Will Inactivate 9 Ships in 2021 -- Sea Power Magazine

Navy scraps physical assessment test again, citing COVID-19 -- UPI

Defense Industry’s Covid Closings Decline, Pentagon Agency Says -- Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg

USA’s $550m B-21 NUKE bomber that can ‘hide from Russian and Chinese missiles’ is nearly ready -- The SUN

House Appropriators Add 12 F-35s, Boost Weapons Spending, But… -- Breaking Defense

Skywatcher Captures Rare Image of Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane -- Live Science

US Army’s Future Vertical Lift program will transform industry, so we must get it right -- Defense News

Lawmakers urge Pentagon to stop buying F-35 parts from Turkey -- UPI

House Appropriations Bill Includes Funding for Second Virginia-Class Submarine -- USNI News

Defense spending bill would make Pentagon return unspent money taken for border wall -- The Hill

House version of defense budget provides funding to rename bases -- UPI

116 House Democrats push for end to transgender military ban following Supreme Court ruling -- The Hill

Two Female Airmen Reclassify After Attempting to Complete Special Ops Training -- Military.com

USAF air wings gather in Germany for Large Force Exercise -- UPI

US general predicts some troops will remain in Iraq -- The Hill

Does the Pentagon Understand What a Navy Is For? -- Sam J. Tangredi, Defense One

CENTCOM commander doubts Russian bounty intel tied to US troop deaths in Afghanistan -- Fox News

Russia Denies Allegations It Paid Militants To Kill U.S. Troops As 'Nonsense' -- NPR

Ankara Testing Russian-Bought S-400s on US-Made Fighter Jets in Turkey, Report Says -- Sputnik


Russian Military To Deploy S-500 Missiles Soon, Could Make All ‘Stealth Jets’ Obsolete -- Eurasian Times

Russia's Super Deadly T-14 Armata Tank: Now For Sale? -- National Interest

Brazil starts producing Swedish Gripen jets -- Defense News

Venezuelan President Maduro shuffles military high command -- AFP

As Tensions With Iran Rise, Israel Asks Pentagon to Speed Up Aerial Refueler Deliveries -- Sputnik

Britain lifts ban on Saudi weapons exports -- Defense News