War

[New] The Trump administration unveiled plans to auction off 100 megahertz of midband spectrum previously dedicated to military purposes for commercial use starting in mid-2022, to ramp up fifth-generation network coverage in the United States.
[New] China and Russia present the most immediate and serious threats to U.S. space operations as they develop counterspace capabilities - which may disrupt, degrade or destroy space systems - and have military doctrines that view space as import to modern warfare.
[New] China's strategic investment together with military cooperation with Ir would boost one of the most anti-American powers, threaten American allies in the Middle East from Riyadh to Jerusalem, and provide Chinese companies preferred access to trillions of dollars in untapped hydrocarbons and markets.
[New] The increase in investments in the defense sector from India and China is expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period.
[New] Going forward, Washington should expect Vietnam to continue seeking balance between neighboring China, which has economic and military superiority over it, and the United States, which can help offset Chinese power.
[New] China has now demonstrated a super heavy launch system to deep space, and if it succeeds with a soft landing on Mars and deep space operations, it will be close on NASA's heels in Mars sample return.
[New] ANA's ISR capabilities support the U.S. and Afghan governments' broader goals for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to plan and execute special, conventional, and police operations, using Afghan-derived intelligence to counter current and future threats to Afghanistan.
[New] The Missile Defense Agency will receive USD 10.4 billion, including USD 108 million for the creation of a space sensor system to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles and the development of a sensor array to counteract the hypersonic missile systems of Russia and China.
[New] The Chinese threat against Taiwan has grown so acute that it's been suggested the United States should equip Taiwan with medium-range nuclear weapons as a means to deter attack.
[New] As an effort to strengthen its military power in space, South Korea is promoting a three-stage space development program dubbed Space Odyssey, which aims to build satellite and surveillance systems and deterrence power by 2050, to protect the military's space forces.
[New] The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy plans to launch a limb observing spectrometer in 2023 as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Watch Programme to monitor ozone and aerosol changes.
[New] Any Chinese military push against Taiwan is more likely to come later in the 2020s, when Beijing thinks the military balance will have shifted even further in its favor-enough to effectively deter the United States and perhaps cause Taiwan to capitulate without a fight.
[New] India continues to increase its defense spending, with a defense budget of US$ 44.6 billion for 2019-2020, up 9.3 percent.30 Over the next five years, India plans to spend US$ 130 billion to modernize armed forces and strengthen combat capabilities.
[New] If Tianwen succeeds, the China National Space Administration will become the second space agency after NASA to operate a rover on Mars.
[New] The United Arab Emirates launched its first Mars orbiter Sunday, and NASA has said it plans to send its Perseverance rover into space in late July or August.
[New] With expectations that the first stage of China's military modernisation efforts will be completed in 2020, Xi could become more confident that China would succeed in pressing its claims militarily, especially if the United States is distracted internally.
China has laid the groundwork to assemble a space station by 2022 and gain a permanent foothold in Earth orbit.
The expansion of India's nuclear posture to take a conventionally and nuclear superior China into account will result in significantly new capabilities being deployed over the next decade, which could potentially also influence how India views the role of its nuclear weapons against Pakistan.
The United States might need to nationalize parts of the military aviation sector if the Pentagon does not come up with new ways to buy planes that stimulate more competition in private industry..
Iran's Shiite leadership is not an ideological ally of the Sunni Taliban, but as Russia does, it looks for opportunities to hasten America's withdrawal from Afghanistan, increase influence with the Taliban and make the United States pay a price for a military presence so near its borders.

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Last updated: 15 August 2020