Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 1 - 2, 2021

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked the Pentagon (above) to step in to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to help meet Biden's goal of 150 million shots a day 

Daily Mail: FEMA asks the Pentagon to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to meet Joe Biden's goal of 1.5 million shots a day 

 * Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Thursday it had received a request from FEMA to assist with getting shots in the arms of Americans 

 * He said it is evaluating the request to see what 'kinds of support it can provide' 

 * Kirby said that 'given the significance of the request it will be reviewed urgently but carefully' to determine what military assets can be safely made available 

 * The Pentagon did not go into detail on how many troops could be involved 

 * Kirby said later that it will likely involve a mix of active-duty National Guard and reserve troops performing 'a variety of coronavirus related tasks' 

 * White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said the plan is for the Pentagon to provide 10,000 troops and help open up 100 vaccination centers nationwide 

 * President Biden has vowed to embark on a 'full scale war-time effort' to beat the pandemic that has so far killed more than 420,000 Americans 

 * Biden on Monday upped his COVID-19 vaccination goal to 1.5 million doses every day - equivalent to 150 million in his first 100 days in office 

 * To date, just 27.3 million doses have been administered nationwide in the more than six weeks since the first American got a shot on December 14 

 * That said, an average of 1.26 million doses are now being administered per day

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked the Pentagon to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to meet Joe Biden's goal of 1.5 million shots a day. 

The Pentagon's top spokesman announced Thursday it had received a request to assist with getting shots in the arms of Americans across different parts of the country. 

'The Department of Defense has received a request from FEMA for assistance in administering COVID-19 vaccine at various locations across the country. 

Read more .... 

 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 1, 2021 

Pentagon evaluating request for help in administering COVID-19 vaccines -- Reuters 

FEMA requests help from Pentagon to administer COVID vaccine: DoD -- FOX News 

'No full withdrawal' of international troops from Afghanistan by May: report -- The Hill 

Pentagon uncertain on pullback date for U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- CNBC 

White House reviewing whether Trump should continue receiving intel briefings -- The Hill 

Biden seen likely to keep Space Force, a Trump favorite -- AP 

US Air Force has a fix for two major KC-46 problems -- Defense News

How the US Navy's nuclear-powered submarines have quietly dominated the seas for 67 years -- Business Insider 

We need a bigger and smarter Navy -- Steve Cohen, The Hill

Joe Biden freezes billions of dollars of arms sales to the Middle East including F-35s to the UAE and smart bombs for Saudi Arabia -- Daily Mail 

Pentagon Advisory Boards Need to Offer 10X Ideas, Not 10% Ones -- Defense One 

Submarine USS Toledo arrives at Norfolk for overhaul -- UPI 

Submarine maker to add jobs amid $39 billion backlog in work -- Defense News 

Navy pushes back window for physical fitness test due to COVID -- UPI 

Hospitalized Fort Bliss soldiers mistook antifreeze for alcohol, Army says -- UPI 

Cheating scandal during COVID lockdown ensnares 249 Air Force Academy cadets -- Air Force Times 

Pentagon says unspecified number of troops are refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine -- Task & Purpose 

Frosty relations: US Marines equipped for Arctic warfare land near Russian-Norwegian border as tensions heat up in frozen North -- RT 

Pentagon: U.S. committed to troop readiness, exercises on Korean Peninsula -- UPI 

B-52H task force deploys to Guam in support of Pacific Air Forces -- UPI 

Putin signs off on extension of New START treaty -- France 24 

Putin Signs Bill Extending New START Nuclear Arms-Control Treaty -- Radio Free Europe 

Russia extends key New START nuclear treaty -- DW 

Foreign customers eye Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighter -- TASS 

US did not secretly deploy missile launchers in violation of New START — senior diplomat -- TASS 

Russia ready to discuss preservation of Open Skies Treaty if US is ready as well -- TASS 

Satellite Photo Purports to Show First Hint of China’s New Submarine Class Under Construction -- Sputnik 

China launches 3rd Type 075 amphibious assault ship -- Global Times 

China launches two new warships, one for Pakistan -- Global Times 

The new missile ‘raising the cost’ of a US fight with China -- SCMP 

PLA Xinjiang Military Command commissions first Type 15 light tanks -- Global Times 

Prof: Norway May Become Battlefield for Russia-US Standoff as American Bombers Tipped for Deployment -- Sputnik 

Italy blocks sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia and UAE -- Reuters

Iran launches new satellite-carrying rocket -- France 24