Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 21, 2021

Lloyd Austin after being nominated by President-elect Joe Biden in Delaware on Dec. 9

Breaking Defense: Updated: Austin Easily Clears Waiver Votes, Could Be In Pentagon By Friday

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith issued a statement this morning saying, “while we hoped to hold an open hearing with the Secretary-designate and he had agreed to do so, procedural issues have prevented a hearing,” since the HASC has yet to finalize its member roster.

WASHINGTON: The House and Senate today grated President Biden’s nominee for Defense Secretary the legal waiver he required to serve, as he hasn’t met the mandated 7-year “cooling off” period after retiring from the Army, paving the way for him to become the first African American SecDef in history.

The Senate is expected to vote on his actual nomination on Friday, and given the bipartisan vote total today on the waiver issue, 69-27, he is expected to be confirmed easily.

The House granted the waver overwhelmingly, 326 to 78.

Austin appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 19, and met with the House Armed Services Committee behind closed doors today.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 21, 2021

Why I Chose Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense -- President Biden, Defense One

Austin Pledges to Recuse Himself from Military Decisions Involving Raytheon -- Defense One

House approves waiver for Biden's Pentagon nominee -- The Hill

Austin To Scrub US Pacific Posture; More Bases, Troops Likely -- Breaking Defense

Austin pledges to protect civilian leadership at Pentagon -- Defense News

Biden orders Pentagon to stop paying for Trump’s border wall -- Task & Purpose

The 26K Guard Troops in DC Did Not Face a Single Inauguration Security Threat: Top General -- Military.com

Nearly one in five people charged in Capitol riot have military history: analysis -- The Hill

Army falsely denied Flynn brother was in meeting on riot response: report -- The Hill

US Army seeks ‘Predator-like’ radar-proof camo -- Asia Times

The Army’s next-generation body armor plates don’t currently get the job done -- Task & Purpose

J UST IN: Army Looking to Base More Operational Forces in Arctic Region -- National Defense

Army chief teases new Arctic strategy -- Defense News

U.S. Army repainting its military vehicles with green paint for camouflage -- Defence-Blog

Boeing nabs $2.1B deal for 15 KC-46A tankers -- UPI

Women in the Air Force will be able to wear longer hair, in braids -- UPI

New career field lets officers focus on overseas jobs -- Air Force Times

Biden’s Pentagon Ready To Take Hard New Look At Navy Plans -- Breaking Defense

The Marines’ New Amphibious Combat Vehicle Has Some Issues -- National Interest

How the Air Force is making Marine recon better -- Marine Times

US War Surge Production Too Slow, CSIS Finds -- Breaking Defense

Three National Guardsmen killed after military helicopter crash in New York -- The Hill

Soldier Found Dead at Base in Kuwait, Army Says -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes

Two more US service members killed by COVID-19 -- The Hill

Next-Generation Interceptor: How America Will Kill Nuclear Missiles -- Kris Osborne, National Interest

Pentagon moves Israel into Central Command to boost cooperation with Arab states -- Times of Israel

Biden to seek five-year extension of key arms control pact with Russia -- The Hill

Former Turkish Spy: Biden Cabinet Showed It is Not Planning to Cooperate With Ankara on S-400 Issue -- Sputnik

India, France, UAE Likely To Hold ‘Trilateral Military Drills’; Abu Dhabi To Help India With Rafale Jets -- EurAsian Times

PLA plateau special forces adopt low-visibility Starry Sky camouflage uniforms -- Global Times

China boosting naval footprint at its southern tip, new satellite images suggest -- Defense News

How Good Is Indian Swarm Drone Technology In Comparison To China? -- EurAsian Times

Gulf War: How Israel went from 0 to world's best missile defense -- Jerusalem Post