Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 23, 2020

The Pentagon. (Arlington County / CC-by-SA 2.0) 

CNN: Tensions intensify between Biden and Pentagon over stalled transition briefings 

(CNN)President-elect Joe Biden's transition team on Wednesday disputed suggestions from Pentagon officials who questioned the accuracy of Biden's assertion a day earlier that the Department of Defense has refused to brief his team on the massive cyberattack on government agencies and major American technology and accounting companies. 

"As the President-elect noted yesterday, the Department of Defense has continued to refuse to meet with our Agency Review Team members," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the Biden transition, said in a statement to CNN. 

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 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 23, 2020 

Defense Department Fires Back at Biden’s Claims of Pentagon Stonewalling -- US News and World Report 

Trump vetoes defense bill, but Congress appears poised to override him -- Military Times 

House Democrats push Biden's Pentagon pick on civilian control of military -- The Hill 

How Biden will deal with the Pentagon's generals -- Sean D. Naylor, Yahoo News 

Congress demands Pentagon take Russian bounties story seriously -- Task & Purpose 

Space acquisition reform awaits Biden’s Pentagon team -- Space News

Soldiers really need to wear seat-belts, year-end analysis shows -- Army Times 

Congress allots about half the money requested for Army command post modernization program -- C4ISNet

Next-generation US nuclear sub facing cost overruns, delays -- Bloomberg 

Congress guts funding for cruiser replacements -- Defense News 

The Air Force’s Secret New Fighter Jet Will Come With an R2-D2 -- Popular Mechanics 

Funding for MQ-9 Reaper drone back in federal budget -- UPI 

L3Harris to build Next Generation jammers in $496 million contract -- UPI 

Pentagon Targets Emerging Smart Technologies to Pilot in 2021 -- NextGov 

Two Women Are Currently Attempting Special Warfare Training, Air Force Says -- Military.com 

West Point Professor On Cheating Scandal At The U.S. Military Academy -- NPR 

Gen. Mark Milley definitely has a tattoo and the mystery is killing me -- Task & Purpose 

DoD spends millions on protecting bases from climate change but fails to track program impact, report says -- Military Times 

COVID-19 Cases Among US Military Personnel Top 100,000 -- Military.com 

The Air Force has deployed its drone-killing microwave weapon to Africa -- Task & Purpose 

Trump administration advances bomb sale to Saudis -- The Hill

Advantage at sea: US maritime strategy focuses on China -- 1945 

Rand report highlights how Japan could assist US military with conflicts in East China Sea -- Stars and Stripes 

Sweden edges closer to NATO membership -- Politico 

Why German Troops Won’t Get Armed Drones -- Defense One 

NATO chief wades into fiery German debate on armed drones -- Defense News 

Over 900 drones enter service in Russia since 2012 -- TASS 

Some 50 countries to take part in 2021 International Army games -- TASS 

Israeli submarine transits Suez Canal in show of force against Iran -- UPI 

Hey Iran: Israeli Sub Heads To Persian Gulf With Egypt OK -- Breaking Defense 

Pentagon sends 7,000 gallons of eggnog and 21,000 pounds of ham to U.S. troops around the world -- CNBC 

Does NORAD Really Track Santa? -- Military.com