Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 22, 2020

Italian soldiers from Task Force Arena, Train Advise Assist Command-West, peel back the roof of a truck while training with Pararescuemen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, March 19, 2016.. (U.S. Air Force/Capt. Bryan Bouchard)

Military.com: In First, NATO Forces Now Outnumber US Troops in Afghanistan

As the U.S. military scrambles to meet a mid-January deadline to draw down to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, a milestone in the conflict has passed almost unremarked: The combined NATO force on the ground now outnumbers the U.S. contingent.

About 13,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan as of the end of February, when the U.S. government inked an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw all forces over the course of 14 months if conditions were kept.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 22, 2020

Acting SecDef Visits Afghanistan, Helps Set the Stage for the US Withdrawal -- Military.com

Pentagon chief meets with Afghan president in Kabul -- France 24

Congress races to pass $2.3T spending deal, with $696B for Pentagon -- Defense News

Funding deal includes $696B for Pentagon -- The Hill

Congress boosts Missile Defense Agency budget by $1.3 billion -- Defense News

Congress wants an inventory of all AI projects at the Pentagon -- C4ISRNet

McConnell: Senate to return Dec. 29 for potential Trump veto override vote -- The Hill

The Navy Wants to Recruit 450 Warrant Officers to Fly Its New MQ-25 Tanker Drones -- Military.com

AF Says Lasers Are Being Field Tested, But NOT THOR Or Other Microwave Weapon -- Breaking Defense

How the Air Force Will Expand Its Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign in 2021 -- Military.com