Headlines – August 2, 2021

U.S. military warns China is building more nuclear missile silos-
The underground missile silo field in the Xinjiang region is the second one reported this summer.

Philippines retains pact allowing U.S. war exercises as China tensions mount-
Austin thanked Duterte for the decision, which he said would further bolster the two nations’ 70-year treaty alliance.

Citing Taliban violence, U.S. expands Afghan refugee program-
The Biden administration on Aug. 2 expanded its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as Taliban violence increases ahead there of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month.

Here’s how Shield AI’s tech will boost V-Bat’s capability on a contested battlefield-
Shield AI’s purchase of Martin UAV, maker of the V-Bat vertical take-off-and-landing unmanned aircraft system, became official on July 30.

Defense top-line ‘will probably go up.’ Key Dems see GOP boost as path to a deal-
Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed says the defense top-line “will probably go up” to win Republican support on the path to a budget deal for fiscal 2022 ? and some other key Democrats on defense matters grudgingly say the same.

Navy decommissions littoral combat ship Independence-
The Independence, which was commissioned in 2010, was one of the test and training vessels for the littoral combat ship program.

$270 billion VA budget plan moves ahead, with an eye towards completion in early fall-
The new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, a deadline that Congress has rarely met in recent years for their budget bills.