Military

• [New] The Defense Department announced Monday that will finish initial assessments of possible PFAS contamination stemming from nearly 700 of its installations by 2023. Washington Post
• [New] China's signature would be significant because it has declared no first use of nuclear weapons and that it will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or in NWFZs established by treaty. Asia Times
• [New] None of America's desperate alliance building will mean much if China enjoys a considerable lead in developing an arsenal of hypersonic weapons against which the US military has no viable defense. Asia Times
• [New] The United States is closely watching China's military modernization program to assess the possible risks posed to it by its increasingly assertive strategic competitor. Al Arabiya English
• [New] The United States is closely watching China's military modernisation programme to assess the possible risks posed to it by its increasingly assertive strategic competitor. Reuters
• [New] Unlike the U.S. and Britain, China seeks to project itself as an economic power instead of a military power. The Diplomat
• [New] Iran's aspiration to develop nuclear weapon is directed towards projecting its offensive capacity to dissuade US from acquiring larger regional space working through allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Eurasia Review
• [New] The growing aerospace and defense sector in the United States is expected to boost the demand for the market studied during the forecast period. Mordor Intelligence
• [New] The US has in recent years been fabricating excuses like 'the China threat' to justify its arms expansion and development of hypersonic weapons. The Telegraph
• [New] The spokesperson of the US Department of Defense accused the Chinese mainland of provocative military activity near Taiwan that is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability. China Daily
• [New] Taiwan needs to prepare for a possible military conflict The threat of military confrontation with the United States will likely continue to deter direct Chinese military action against Taiwan. Small Wars Journal
• [New] As there are no countermeasures against the hypersonic threat, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has been developing missile defence systems against hypersonic threats together with the Space Development Agency as part of the National Defense Space Architecture. Royal United Services Institute
• [New] In the short term, Ankara's priority is to deter further Syrian Kurdish attacks through threats or military escalation. Institute for the Study of War
• [New] The United States will still have an interest in curbing Iran's program, and Iran will still have a desire for sanctions relief and avoiding a military strike, suggesting some type of deal may be possible. CSIS
• [New] Changes to Iran's nuclear program not only make a return to the original JCPOA more difficult, but they will also require that the United States rethink how to detect any future attempt by Iran to build nuclear weapons. CSIS
• [New] For Britain, the EU's defence initiatives could lead to a restructuring of the European defence market and effectively exclude outsiders. Centre for European Reform
• [New] The UK cannot afford to produce a complete range of weapon systems domestically and, as the smaller partner in co-operation projects with the United States, it risks losing out. Centre for European Reform
• [New] The United States and Russia might be able to agree in the near term on a policy that nuclear weapons would only be used as a measure of defensive last resort. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
• [New] Philippines The outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army has become quite critical of Chinese foreign policy and has persistently voiced concern over the perceived threat posed to national sovereignty and territorial security by the intensifying US-China great power competition. Lucas Webber
• [New] The Philippines and the United States are returning to full-scale joint military exercises in 2022 as the Philippines shifts away from deepening ties with China and moves back toward buddying up with Washington. Foreign Policy
• [New] If nuclear weapons spread and a greater number of states possessed them, there would be heightened risks of the United States being vulnerable to attack. Business Insider
• [New] A strong South Korean response could anger North Korea, which has been accusing Seoul of hypocrisy for criticizing the North's weapons tests while expanding its own conventional military capabilities. CBC

Last updated: 21 October 2021