Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 15, 2021

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a news conference. 

Reuters: NATO's Afghanistan withdrawal depends on violence levels, Stoltenberg says 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Taliban militants in Afghanistan must do more to meet the terms of a 2020 peace agreement with the United States to allow for any possible foreign troop withdrawal by a May deadline, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

Allied defence ministers will discuss later this week whether the Taliban is making good on the peace deal, which called for militants to curb attacks and foreign troops to withdraw by May 1. 

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 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 15, 2021 

Germany says troops may stay longer in Afghanistan -- DW

In NATO debut, Biden's Pentagon aims to rebuild trust damaged by Trump -- Reuters 

New Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to reassure NATO allies -- The Australian 

Macron meets G5 Sahel leaders amid questions over France’s strategy -- France 24

France to meet Sahel leaders over Islamist insurgency -- DW 

US Admits Problem of Civilian Casualties, Collateral Damage in Military Operations in Middle East -- Sputnik 

Air Force Cuts Back F-35 Demo Performances Due to Engine Shortage -- Militayr Times 

Sikorsky to build final lot of VH-92A helicopters, including Marine One -- UPI 

Grumman’s LongShot drone can search & destroy -- Asia Times 

U.S. Space Force Dumps Northrop and Blue Origin in Favor of Boeing, Lockheed, and SpaceX -- Motley Fool 

Obscure 23-Year Old Navy SAM Was So Ahead Of Its Time That It's Still In High Demand Today -- Warzone/The Drive 

'It's Going To Be Hard': A New West Point Leader On Confronting Extremism In Military -- NPR 

U.S. Army to review gender-neutral physical fitness evaluation -- UPI 

eterans Used Their Military Training to Plot Violence in Capitol Riot, Feds Say -- Military.com 

US spy-busters put Chinese ‘grad students’ under a microscope -- Asia Times 

Pentagon approves 20 additional COVID-19 vaccination teams -- The Hill 

The Ike Carrier Strike Group to get COVID vaccine this weekend, before its deployment -- Navy Times 

US apologizes to Ireland after American troops flout strict Covid-19 regulations during overnight stopover -- RT 

Denmark Greenlights Major Surveillance Build-Up in North Atlantic, Arctic -- Sputnik 

NATO’s new fleet of surveillance drones is deemed mission-ready -- Defense News 

Iran says it opposes nukes after minister's controversial remarks -- Times of Israel 

Israeli air force holds "surprise" combat drill along northern border -- Reuters 

Israeli forces stage surprise military drill simulating Hezbollah attack -- UPI 

A Group Of Israelis Secretly Built And Tested Suicide Drones For An Unknown Asian Customer -- Warzone/The Drive 

Iron Dome plans being finalized as US Army begins training on systems -- Defense News 

Israeli NSA holds second phone call with US counterpart over Iran -- i24 News 

Can the UAE emerge as a leading global defense supplier? -- Haena Jo, Defense News 

Pakistan Hosts 45 Navies for Joint Drills, Including Russia, China, NATO Members -- Sputnik 

French, Russian foes from Napoleonic war ceremonially buried together 200 years later -- NYPost