Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 22, 2020

Italian soldiers from Task Force Arena, Train Advise Assist Command-West, peel back the roof of a truck while training with Pararescuemen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, March 19, 2016.. (U.S. Air Force/Capt. Bryan Bouchard) 

Military.com: In First, NATO Forces Now Outnumber US Troops in Afghanistan 

As the U.S. military scrambles to meet a mid-January deadline to draw down to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, a milestone in the conflict has passed almost unremarked: The combined NATO force on the ground now outnumbers the U.S. contingent. 

About 13,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan as of the end of February, when the U.S. government inked an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw all forces over the course of 14 months if conditions were kept. 

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 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 22, 2020 

Acting SecDef Visits Afghanistan, Helps Set the Stage for the US Withdrawal -- Military.com 

Pentagon chief meets with Afghan president in Kabul -- France 24 

Congress races to pass $2.3T spending deal, with $696B for Pentagon -- Defense News 

Funding deal includes $696B for Pentagon -- The Hill 

Congress boosts Missile Defense Agency budget by $1.3 billion -- Defense News 

Congress wants an inventory of all AI projects at the Pentagon -- C4ISRNet 

McConnell: Senate to return Dec. 29 for potential Trump veto override vote -- The Hill 

The Navy Wants to Recruit 450 Warrant Officers to Fly Its New MQ-25 Tanker Drones -- Military.com

AF Says Lasers Are Being Field Tested, But NOT THOR Or Other Microwave Weapon -- Breaking Defense 

How the Air Force Will Expand Its Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign in 2021 -- Military.com

5 Army Weapons US Soldiers Might Actually Get Their Hands on Soon -- Military.com 

Navy Wants C-130J Hercules as Next Doomsday Plane -- War Zone/Drive

Navy's new carrier Gerald R. Ford may deploy sooner than expected -- Business Insider 

Why The Navy Is Looking To End Carrier Qualifications Entirely For Its Pilots In Training -- Warzone/The Drive 

The military needs to crack down on extremists within the ranks, Pentagon report finds -- Task & Purpose 

Soldier held in death of Fort Drum corporal who was found shot, buried under snow -- NBC 

Four Midwestern universities form alliance to lure U.S. Space Command headquarters -- Chicago Tribune 

President-Elect Joe Biden Should Continue Building Intermediate-Range Missiles -- Luke Griffith, RCD 

US troops leaving Somalia to move to other East Africa bases -- The Hill 

US Navy announces nuclear submarine passed through Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran -- Navy Times/AP

USS John S. McCain trains with French and Japanese navies in the Philippine Sea -- Stars and Stripes 

The US is helping India keep an eye on China's military, top US commanders say -- Business Insider 

US warship transits Taiwan Strait, prompting outcry from Beijing -- Navy Times

China claims U.S. destroyer 'driven out' of South China Sea area -- UPI 

Russia sent 300 military instructors to CAR at government request -- TASS 

Russian Su-30 jet fighter escorts Japanese patrol plane over Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk -- TASS 

Japan releases record-high budget, but not all programs made the cut -- Defense News 

India To Modify Used Airliners Into Early-Warning Radar Jets To Keep Pace With Its Rivals -- Warzone/The Drive 

Britain’s Capita nabs $1.3 billion deal for Royal Navy personnel training -- Defense News

How The Army Out-Innovated The Islamic State's Drones -- War On The Rocks