Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 23, 2020

The Pentagon. (Arlington County / CC-by-SA 2.0)

CNN: Tensions intensify between Biden and Pentagon over stalled transition briefings

(CNN)President-elect Joe Biden's transition team on Wednesday disputed suggestions from Pentagon officials who questioned the accuracy of Biden's assertion a day earlier that the Department of Defense has refused to brief his team on the massive cyberattack on government agencies and major American technology and accounting companies.

"As the President-elect noted yesterday, the Department of Defense has continued to refuse to meet with our Agency Review Team members," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the Biden transition, said in a statement to CNN.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 23, 2020

Defense Department Fires Back at Biden’s Claims of Pentagon Stonewalling -- US News and World Report

Trump vetoes defense bill, but Congress appears poised to override him -- Military Times

House Democrats push Biden's Pentagon pick on civilian control of military -- The Hill

How Biden will deal with the Pentagon's generals -- Sean D. Naylor, Yahoo News

Congress demands Pentagon take Russian bounties story seriously -- Task & Purpose

Space acquisition reform awaits Biden’s Pentagon team -- Space News

Soldiers really need to wear seat-belts, year-end analysis shows -- Army Times

Congress allots about half the money requested for Army command post modernization program -- C4ISNet

Next-generation US nuclear sub facing cost overruns, delays -- Bloomberg

Congress guts funding for cruiser replacements -- Defense News

The Air Force’s Secret New Fighter Jet Will Come With an R2-D2 -- Popular Mechanics

Funding for MQ-9 Reaper drone back in federal budget -- UPI

L3Harris to build Next Generation jammers in $496 million contract -- UPI

Pentagon Targets Emerging Smart Technologies to Pilot in 2021 -- NextGov

Two Women Are Currently Attempting Special Warfare Training, Air Force Says -- Military.com

West Point Professor On Cheating Scandal At The U.S. Military Academy -- NPR

Gen. Mark Milley definitely has a tattoo and the mystery is killing me -- Task & Purpose

DoD spends millions on protecting bases from climate change but fails to track program impact, report says -- Military Times

COVID-19 Cases Among US Military Personnel Top 100,000 -- Military.com

The Air Force has deployed its drone-killing microwave weapon to Africa -- Task & Purpose

Trump administration advances bomb sale to Saudis -- The Hill

Advantage at sea: US maritime strategy focuses on China -- 1945

Rand report highlights how Japan could assist US military with conflicts in East China Sea -- Stars and Stripes

Sweden edges closer to NATO membership -- Politico

Why German Troops Won’t Get Armed Drones -- Defense One

NATO chief wades into fiery German debate on armed drones -- Defense News

Over 900 drones enter service in Russia since 2012 -- TASS

Some 50 countries to take part in 2021 International Army games -- TASS

Israeli submarine transits Suez Canal in show of force against Iran -- UPI

Hey Iran: Israeli Sub Heads To Persian Gulf With Egypt OK -- Breaking Defense

Pentagon sends 7,000 gallons of eggnog and 21,000 pounds of ham to U.S. troops around the world -- CNBC

Does NORAD Really Track Santa? -- Military.com