Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 27, 2020

Trident II (D-5) missile underwater launch. © PHOTO : US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Sputnik: Incoming Biden Administration to Review Costly US Nuclear Weapons Programs - Report 

US President-elect Joe Biden will face a slew of tough issues left over from the Trump administration, with perhaps none bearing greater weight than the US’ nuclear weapons policies.

Under US President Donald Trump, billions of dollars have been pumped into revamping the US nuclear arsenal and introducing new nuclear weapons into the stockpile, while the US has withdrawn from, or done nothing to stop the expiration of, key arms limitation treaties designed to reduce the risk of nuclear war. 

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 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 27, 2020 

Under Trump, America's nuclear weapons industry has boomed -- L.A. Times 

Biden to Review U.S. Nuclear-Weapons Programs, With Eye Toward Cuts -- WSJ 

Biden’s First Move on Nuclear Weapons -- Defense One 

Report to Congress on US Strategic Nuclear Weapons -- USNI News 

New in 2021: Biden’s defense secretary pick faces some hurdles -- Military Times 

F-35: Strengthening U.S. Alliances With 5th Generation Interoperability -- Scott Swift & Philip Breedlove, RCD 

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

Cross-domain Army tactical missile terminated in FY21 defense spending bill -- Defense News 

After Stumble, Army to Restart Design Competition for Bradley Replacement -- Military.com 

U.S. Navy Finally Includes Smaller, Cheaper Aircraft Carriers In Possible Fleet Mix -- Forbes 

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

New in 2021: The Corps is going to get smaller -- Marine Times 

Lawmakers slash funding for Marine Corps’ long-range fires development -- Defense News 

Biden Defense Team Inherits Navy Robotic Warship Research Aimed At Deterring And Defeating China -- Forbes 

This year, Norfolk’s Battleship has more lights than Disneyland -- We Are The Mighty 

Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Arrives at US Bases in Japan for Priority Inoculations -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes 

Obesity and Other Problems Barring Teens from Military Service Need National Attention, Leaders Say -- Military.com 

The Military Designed Aircraft with Only Men in Mind. Now It Is Working to Change That -- McClatchy 

New in 2021: Will you be getting orders to an Arctic base? -- Military Times 

Dutch prosecutors asked to check whether Dutch soldiers killed Afghan civilians -- Reuters 

European allies to tap brakes on any rush to cyber 'war' with Russia -- Washington Examiner 

British double agent George Blake dies in Russia at 98 -- AP 

World arms market to regain pre-crisis rates in 2023 - Russia’s deputy defense minister -- TASS 

Russian 'Okhotnik' Combat Drone to Perform First Weapon Tests Next Year, Source Says -- Sputnik 

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Stealth Fighter: A Threat By 2028? -- 1945 

Russian Army Chief Warns of Nuclear Risks in Cyber Hacks, Space -- Bloomberg 

NATO’s activity near Russian borders may cause major incidents - deputy defense minister -- TASS 

The Chinese Navy Has A Command Problem -- Forbes 

China research finds flaws in US nuclear blast equation to protect shelters -- SCMP 

Tech Giants Are Giving China a Vital Edge in Espionage -- Zach Dorfman, Foreign Policy

India, Vietnam to conduct military ‘passing exercise’ in South China Sea -- SCMP 

Japan Going Ahead With ‘Godzilla’ Fighter Jet -- Bradley Perrett, The Strategist 

U.S. Should Station New First Fleet in Australia -- Salvatore Babones, The Australian 

Duterte threatens to end US military pact if no vaccines -- Nikkei Asian Review 

Military Chopper Crashes in North Pakistan, Killing All 4 -- Military.com/AP

How Israel, the US combined media, military power to prevent war -- Jerusalem Post