Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 21, 2018

CNN: US military ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan

The US military has been ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan, a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN on Thursday.

The official said planning is underway, and it could take months to withdraw the nearly 7,000 troops.

The decision was made Tuesday, at the same time as President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US military from Syria -- moves that precipitated Defense Secretary James Mattis' resignation announcement on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the plan for the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Read more ....

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 21, 2018

US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to have little impact, official says -- AP

Syria exit has Pentagon scrambling amid withdrawal outrage -- FOX News/AP

Graham demands hearings on Trump plan to withdraw troops from Syria -- The Hill

Much Ado About 2,200 Troops in Syria -- The Atlantic

Mattis Is Out As Defense Secretary In Wake Of Trump's Sudden Syria Withdrawal Order -- Warzone/The Drive

Who will Trump tap to replace Mattis? -- Military Times

Shanahan poised to rewire the Pentagon with Mattis out -- Defense News

US allies and adversaries are in shock and bracing for an unchecked Trump as Mattis resigns -- Business Insider

Mattis, once one of ‘my generals,’ loses clout with Trump -- Anne Gearan and Josh Dawsey, Stars and Stripes/The Washington Post

US Army moves closer to equipping an active protection system on Bradley Fighting Vehicles -- Defense News

The Army Wants To Try

Out Next-Generation Rifle Prototypes Sooner Than You Think -- Task & Purpose/Military.com

What the Army Might Do To Replace the M4 Rifle Could Be Historic -- Business Insider/Task & Purpose

The Army is developing a lighter, more agile comms kit -- C4ISRnet

Boeing, Sikorsky awarded $1.1B for Special Ops helicopter support -- UPI

The US Air Force is finally going to get its brand-new tanker after years of delays -- Reuters

Joint Threat Emitters Train Pilots How To Defeat Enemy Air Defenses And The USAF Wants More -- Warzone/The Drive

Has The US Military Created A Small Class Of Killers? -- Task & Purpose

House Armed Services chairman says military funding should not be spent on wall -- CBS

NATO just held its largest war games since the Cold War — one of more than 100 exercises the alliance carried out in 2018 -- Business Insider

Kosovo assures NATO of transparency in army transformation -- ABC News

Kosovo's vote to create army divides international community -- Axios

Russian warship en route to Azov Sea from Crimea - Reuters witness -- Reuters

Russia says it won't let U.S. see missile at heart of nuclear dispute -- Reuters

Major Chinese shipyard rapidly expands in size amid military buildup -- CNN

Japan Beefs Up Military Might With Record Spending -- Wall Street Journal

Brazil’s oil revenue is set to fuel multibillion-dollar warship program -- Defense News

They're Back! Drones Briefly Bring Reopened Gatwick Airport To A Grinding Halt Again -- Warzone/The Drive