ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Iraqi battle tanks enter Kirkuk city. Click to see the full-size image The Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have been rapidly developing momentum in the countryside of Kirkuk city amid sporadic clashes with the Kurdish Peshmerga. The Peshmerga is a military force of the separatist Kurdistan Regional Government that seeks to turn the Kurdistan Region into an independent state and include the oil-rich province of Kirkuk into this entity. The army and the PMU launched its advance in the area on late October 14.  Since then, government forces have captured the villages of Kifri and Tuz-Khormato, K1 Airbase, North Oil Company in the Kirkuk countryside and entered Kirkuk city itself. Pro-Kurdish sources say that the Peshmerga is still in control of Bai Hassan and Havan oil fields. Iraqi troops are near North Oil Company Clashes between the sides are reported south and southwest of the city. The Iraqi army is entering Kirkuk city amid the clashes:

The US Army has initiated a prototyping effort to develop a Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV). According to  Defense News , the $700 million contract to build two prototypes was awarded to SAIC as the team lead, as well as Lockheed Martin, Moog Inc., GS Engineering, Inc., Hodges Transportation Inc. and Roush Industries. The prototypes are due September 30, 2022, with tentative testing scheduled for 2023. The project is managed by the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). TARDEC and the industry team will help inform future Army ground combat vehicle decisions as well as accelerate future efforts in acquisition and reduce developmental costs. With regards to squad-centric, mounted maneuver concept , the vehicles are to be designed to be operated with a two-person crew and six soldiers. The prototypes are also expected to have unmanned 50mm cannons, and the vehicles are supposed to have an advanced 1000hp powertrain and running gear. Among