Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 1, 2021

The airstrike was the first military action undertaken by the Biden administration, after repeated tensions between Iran and the Trump White House over the previous four years which reached a peak following Qassem Soleimani's killing in early 2020 

Daily Mail: Biden's first air strike: Satellite images reveal how seven 500lb bombs wiped out Iranian-backed Shia militia compound in Syria 'killing 22 fighters' - as Pentagon calls attack 'the more restrained option' 

 * The US dropped seven 500lbs bombs on site - which was used by two Iranian-backed Shia militia groups 

 * Images taken before the blast shows the border compound with around buildings inside it 

 * But after Thursday's attack all the buildings have been obliterated and there is a sea of blackened debris

Before-and-after satellite images have revealed the devastation caused to a Syrian militia compound by the first military action of President Biden's administration. 

The US dropped seven 500lbs bombs on the site - which was used by two Iranian-backed Shia militia groups - killing an estimated 22 fighters. 

Images taken before the blast shows the large compound - located around 370 yards from the Iraqi border - with around a dozen buildings inside it. 

Read more .... 

 Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 1, 2021 

U.S. used F-15E Strike Eagles, precision-guided munitions in Syria airstrikes -- UPI 

What’s the significance of Biden’s first military strikes in Syria? -- Brookings Institute 

Democrats renew push for war powers overhaul after Biden’s Syria strike -- Politico 

Why Didn’t U.S. Air Defenses At Erbil Airport Fire During Recent Rocket Attack? -- Forbes 

US Officials Reportedly Raise Threat Level for Troops Stationed in Iraq After Recent Syria Strikes -- Sputnik 

Austin mulling whether to send carrier Ike back to the Middle East -- Military Times 

Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle undergoes tests at Arizona’s Yuma Proving Ground -- Army Times 

Air Force general worried US won’t field sixth-gen fighter in time to beat China -- Defense News 

TacAir Study Will Determine If F-35 Production Surge Needed -- Air Force Magazine 

B-52 Could Get New Hypersonic Missile: Global Strike Commander -- Breaking Defense 

No Way Out: Why Nuclear Modernization Is Necessary (In Six Slides) -- Loren Thompson, Forbes 

Space Force sees itself as a startup trying to launch a new product -- Space News 

Don’t Skimp on Space S&T -- Peter Garretson, RCD 

Cruiser USS Vella Gulf returns home to repair fuel oil leak -- UPI 

U.S. Navy destroyer arrives in Port Sudan, days after Russian frigate -- UPI 

2 U.S. Navy ships in Middle East with COVID-19 outbreaks ordered back to port -- UPI 

Algorithmic Warfare: Spending on Quantum Tech on the Upswing -- National Defense 

Pentagon releases training materials to address extremism -- The Hill 

How the National Cyber Director Position Is Going to Work: Frequently Asked Questions -- John Costello & Mark Montgomery, Lawfare 

The Military Can’t Get Troops to Take the Covid Vaccine. Come Again? -- The Nation 

Secretary of Defense Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy in Military -- US Department of Defense 

Senate Armed Services chair expects 'some extension' of troops in Afghanistan -- The Hill 

US wasted billions of dollars in Afghanistan: watchdog -- The Hill 

With Fewer US Troops in Europe, MQ-9 Reaper Drones Are Filling the Gap -- Military.com 

British tanks to receive next-generation camouflage -- Defence Bog 

Canada’s CAE buys L3Harris military training unit, with eyes on US programs -- Defense News 

'Shortcomings of Greater Nature': Danish Chief of Defence Says Country is Vulnerable to Airstrikes -- Sputnik 

Almost 40 jets, drones were sent on reconnaissance missions near Russian borders last week -- TASS 

China to hold month-long military drills in South China Sea -- Global Times 

China Rattles Its Rare-Earth-Minerals Saber, Again -- National Review 

China Seeks 'to Build Up Survivability' of Nuclear Arsenal to Counter US Threat, Analyst Claims -- Sputnik

China’s defense budget to continue to rise in 2021, buttressed by economic upturn, strong fiscal foundation: experts -- Global Times 

How Japan Is Upgrading Its Military -- Sheila A. Smith, Council on Foreign Relations