Corruption

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL: MIDEAST AND NORTH AFRICAN MILITARY CORRUPTION “CRITICAL”

WESTERN NATIONS, primarily the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, and Russia, have helped increase corruption among Middle Eastern and North African states by selling them vast quantities of weapons with little oversight, according to a new report by Transparency International. The resultant corruption, the report says, has worsened the region’s many conflicts, weakened military coherency, boosted extremism, and “formed a narrative for violent extremist groups.”

Many of the 17 countries listed in the report are already notoriously corrupt, and increasing military spending without adequate oversight, the report states, means defense budgets are not being spent to meet countries’ strategic needs, weapons are increasingly trafficked over porous borders and the governments’ domestic legitimacy — already battered by 2011’s revolts — are further undermined.

Snowden

European Parliament Says Snowden Should Be Welcomed in Europe

The European Parliament voted on Thursday to call on its member states to welcome “human rights defender” Edward Snowden to Europe with open arms.

The member states should “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as a whistleblower and international human rights defender,” read the resolution.

The resolution is a purely symbolic move, with no legal weight. Although a majority of the Parliament voted in favor, the body has only an advisory role in the European Union’s complicated system of governance — and no direct control over its member states.

Electoral battles

Trump and Carson top latest poll post-debate

Donald Trump and Ben Carson together command more than half of voters' preference atop the Republican field after Wednesday night's debate, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rose to third place in the latest national NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll released Friday evening.

In a survey of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters, Trump and Carson both earned 26 percent, while Cruz took 10 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio followed with 9 percent, trailed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (5 percent), Carly Fiorina (4 percent) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (all at 2 percent).

Perimetric security

Analytic Laser Radar For Perimetric Security

Segal suggests an alternative: Using a laser radar, which can overcome most common problems and sometimes even overlaps with existing VMD systems. Laser radar is basically a rangefinder. The system can be programmed to pick up a specific range and once an intruder enters the radar’s range, they immediately show up on the radar.

In fact, the laser radar can protect not only against intruders but also against other vehicles such as UAVs. Installing several of these detectors around a critical facility can create a number of virtual walls as high as 180 meters and even be used for surveillance of the target using analytics applications. The detector can transfer coordinates to the security camera, allowing focusing and trailing a certain target as it progresses.

Public alerts

Now You Can’t Miss Emergency Alerts

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Continuity Programs’ Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Division (IPAWS) has begun to assess the feasibility of a public alert and warning capability which is being developed in the private sector.

FEMA says that new technologies could deliver detailed emergency information to the public with pictures and videos of evacuation routes, storm tracks, and shelter information — increasing community preparedness before, during, and after a disaster. The media alerts will be able to include multilingual and multi-format information to warn non-English speaking populations and people with access and functional needs.

“FEMA is committed to working with the private sector to examine and improve future alerts and warnings,” said Roger Stone, Acting Assistant Administrator for National Continuity Programs. “New systems could someday include pictures and video as part of the advanced alert and warning information provided to the general public.”

Chemical security

ISIS terrorists obtain chemical weapons

Islamic State terrorists have gained access to the production of chemical weapons, the head of the department for non-proliferation and arms control of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Ulyanov said, Pravda.Ru reports with reference to TASS. 

"By all accounts, the Islamic State group has gained access to technologies for the production of chemical weapons," the official said.

Ulyanov said that the terrorist group has left traces of its use in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov stated that the Islamic State was expanding its zone of influence. Mercenaries from more than 100 countries of the world constantly join the organization. 

Flights security

Russian jetliner breaks into two as it crashes into rocks in Egypt 

Airbus A320 was of Russia's Kogalymavia Airlines was destroyed in the crash. The crash has left no survivors. There were only Russian tourists abroad. One of the victims is Deputy Mayor of the city of Pskov. 

Rescuers are searching through the wreckage of the plane. At least 100 bodies have been recovered. 

Most likely, the tragedy occurred as a result of the engine failure. The plane broke into two during the crash. Flight recorders of the crashed aircraft have been found. 

An Egyptian rescuer, who works on the crash site, said that he could probably hear the screams of survivors. The screams were coming from one of the sections of the fuselage of the plane. The rear, smaller part of the plane, has burnt, and the larger, front part of the aircraft, rammed into rocks. 

Terror threat

Terror threat to UK is greater than any point in career, says MI5 chief

The director general of MI5 has used a keynote speech in London, one week before the anticipated publication of a bill setting out a wide range of surveillance powers, to insist that the terrorist threat faced by the UK is greater than at any time in his career.

In the latest public intervention by the intelligence services before a debate among MPs about the government’s investigatory powers bill, Andrew Parker said his service would be unable to keep Britain safe without the use of tools to intercept communications data, which he said were subject to “strict safeguards”.

Terror threat

Terrorism, not terror

The purpose of terrorism, Vladimir Lenin said, is to terrorize. Political or, in our case, religiously inspired violence aims to create an atmosphere of terror, to immobilize the populace by making people so afraid that they can no longer act rationally. In its ultimate extent, terror is so blinding that it becomes morally incapacitating, such that one cannot differentiate between a terrorist enemy and an innocent bystander.

Intentaional security

David Cameron urged to cancel invitation to Egypt's 'regime of terror' dictator President Sisi

As if welcoming the Chinese President to Downing Street had not provided the UK with a sufficient crisis of conscience over relations with authoritarian regimes last week, another two controversial leaders are due to arrive in the coming days.
Preparations are entering the final stages for the arrival of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in London next week, despite concerns from campaigners that Britain is sending the “wrong signal” to the rest of the world after Cairo’s orders for mass executions.
Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev is also due to visit the UK shortly, amid concerns from Amnesty International that there has been no improvement in reports of human rights violations in the former Soviet state.

Law enforcement

James B. Comey, Unlike Other F.B.I. Directors, Takes On Controversial Issues

As a federal prosecutor in two of the country’s most violent cities in the 1980s and 1990s, James B. Comey pioneered some of law enforcement’s most aggressive tactics that put gang members behind bars for long sentences, and he believes, saved many lives.
But as F.B.I. director for the past two years, Mr. Comey has witnessed a major rethinking of that period, much of it by the Justice Department and the White House. President Obama and other administration officials have described law enforcement efforts from the time as “mass incarceration.”

Syrian war

Syria decision the latest blow to Obama's Middle East legacy

The decision to deploy US troops to Syria is seen in Washington as one of profound political consequence – both for the credibility of Barack Obama’s presidency and possibly for new peace talks aimed at ending the five-year war – but yet of limited military significance. 

Administration officials were left squirming on Friday to explain how sending special forces to work alongside Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State was compatible with Obama’s earlier promises not to “put boots on the ground” inSyria or “engage in combat operations” against Isis.

Middle East

These 5 Failing Middle Eastern States May Be Unsalvagable

Can outsiders—even one as powerful as the United States—stabilize the most fragile states in the greater Middle East? A look at five of the region’s toughest challenges—Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan—suggests not. True stability requires education, jobs, and an absence of corruption. All are in short supply across these countries, and the earnest efforts of outsiders can only do so much to make a difference. These five sets of facts demonstrate that while some of these countries have shown flashes of progress, none inspires confidence that a bright longer-term future lies ahead. That’s something leaders in the developed world must consider when deciding how many troops and taxpayer dollars to devote to the effort.

Innovations & technologies

U.S. Tech Giants May Blur National Security Boundaries in China Deals

One Chinese technology company receives crucial technical guidance from a former People’s Liberation Army rear admiral. Another company developed the electronics on China’s first atomic bomb. A third sells technology to China’s air-to-air missile research academy.
Their ties to the Chinese military run deep, and they all have something else in common: Each Chinese company counts one of America’s tech giants — IBM, Cisco Systems or Microsoft — as a partner.
Such links, which are generally not well publicized, are now at the center of a debate among some in the American defense community, including former United States military officials, analysts and others.

Hidden treasury

Lost Treasure – Nazi gold train found!

The Silesian Nazi gold train legend has intrigued Poles for decades and caused many treasure hunts.
The legend goes that in late 1944 or early 1945, as the Red Army advanced further westwards during the final days of World War II, the authorities in the Lower Silesian capital of Breslau (now Wroclaw) collected several tons of gold bullion from the city’s residents and deposited it in police headquarters.

The gold was then loaded on to a train that was to take it deeper into the territory of the Third Reich.
But the train disappeared and when the war ended the Allies gave Lower Silesia to Poland in compensation for the larger chunk of territory it lost in the east to the Soviet Union.
One story has a train located in an underground siding near the 13th Century Ksiaz Castle, another locates it in the hills near Piechowice.

International security

Who's Winning This Escalating Geopolitical Struggle Between The U.S. and Russia?

The U.S. and Russia continue to go head to head in an increasingly tenuous geopolitical struggle taking place on the world stage. Serious confrontations between these two adversaries have taken place over many decades, especially during the Cold War, but in more recent times we have seen them rise to very dangerous levels, from the Ukraine crisis to the current one in Syria.

As we analyze this struggle between the world's two greatest powers let's review what happened in Ukraine. Here's an insightful articleby the respected investigative reporter Robert Parry who identifies the countries that are most responsible for provoking the crisis that began when anti-government rebels initiated a coup that ousted the elected Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych and forced him into exile.

Prior to that coup the U.S. and its Western allies had been pressuring the Ukraine government to join NATO. Subsequently, the coup took place and it has been revealed that Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, was right there helping to organize the next government that would assume power.

GEOINT

NGA rolls out commercial GEOINT strategy

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is targeting private industry's capabilities in imagery and big data analytics as part of a broader, newcommercial strategy released Oct. 26.

Among the key goals are faster collection of real-time data and imagery "at the speed of the observable" – also known as persistence – and multi-source intelligence, among other priorities at the agency.

"Some customers are now willing to consider a trade of confidence level for speed, in order to support both operational and policy decision cycles," the strategy states. "NGA needs to meet these new customer desires as well as the traditional requirement for high-confidence analysis."

Cyber culture

Culture, not technology, DoD's latest big cyber push

Cyber strategies, cyber implementation plans, cyber mission forces – whether it's plans, policies or people, the Defense Department is all over the cyber domain. But for all the focus on governance and the technologies for offense and defense, there's another major area Pentagon officials must deal with: a cultural change across the department.

It turns out, defining and implementing a "cyber culture" may not be as easy as creating doctrine and training troops. That's a chief reason Defense Secretary Ash Carter, along with other DoD officials, are focusing on culture as part of a new DoD Cybersecurity Culture Compliance Initiative, or DC3I, unveiled in a recent internal memo.

Military

US Army scores 'weak' in think tank's review of military power

A smaller  U.S. Army, stretched too thin to fight two wars simultaneously, was judged "weak" in an annual assessment of U.S. military power issued by a conservative think tank.

The declining state of the overall readiness of the force — a situation leaders from all military branches have long warned was reaching crisis levels — was a major factor in the poor scorecard, according to the Heritage Foundation’s 2016 Index of Military Strength, released Wednesday.

“(T)he U.S. does not have the right force to meet a two–major regional contingency requirement and is not ready to carry out its duties effectively,” said the Foundation, which is often critical of the Obama administration. “Consequently, the U.S. risks seeing its interests increasingly challenged and the world order it has led since World War II undone.”

Intel transparency

Privacy Groups Challenge Director of National Intelligence to Uphold Transparency Promise

More than 30 privacy and civil liberties organizations are challenging Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to uphold the promise he made Tuesday to increase transparency in the intelligence community.

Specifically, they are asking Clapper to provide more information about how many Americans are “incidentally” spied on in the course of foreign intelligence gathering under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

“Disclosing this information is necessary, we believe, to enable informed public debate in advance of any legislative reauthorization efforts in 2017,” said the letter from the Brennan Center for Justice, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Government Accountability Project, and more than two dozen other organizations.

Intel recruitment

James Bond lacks the “emotional intelligence” to get a job as a real-life spy

Britain’s Secret Intelligent Service, the spy agency better known as MI6, has launched its latest recruitment campaign looking for people with “emotional intelligence” just as the new James Bond film, Spectre, is released. But it turns out its most famous son wouldn’t make the cut.

A MI6 source tells Buzzfeed: “They want people with a real passion for human interaction, understanding others, and dealing with the sometimes complex nature of human relationships.” Loners like Bond would “probably not be successful in joining SIS, if he were to apply.”

Weapons

Raytheon unveils next-generation TOW EagleFire launcher

Raytheon has introduced a next-generation TOW EagleFire launcher, the latest development in the TOW weapon family.

The launcher is designed to fire both wire-guided and wireless radio frequency missiles. Raytheon officials say the EagleFire is a followup to the TOW 2 launcher, and features improved capabilities at a lower cost. These improvements include integrated day-and-night sight, range-finding capabilities, ergonomic handgrips, and an extensive built-in test capability.

"We improved target acquisition and engagement found in the older TOW 2 launcher system," said Duane Gooden, vice president of Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems in a statement. "TOW EagleFire is simpler to maintain and more reliable, thanks to built-in test equipment and a significant reduction in system subassemblies."

Citizenship

Birthright Citizenship and Children Bornin the United States to Alien Parents:An Overview of the Legal Debate 

The first clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, known as the Citizenship Clause, provides that “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” This generally has been taken to mean that any person born in the United States automatically gains U.S. citizenship, regardless of the citizenship or immigration status of the person’s parents, with limited exceptions such as children born to recognized foreign diplomats. The current rule is often called “birthright citizenship.” However, driven in part by concerns about unauthorized immigration, some have questioned this understanding of the Citizenship Clause, and in particular the meaning of “subject to the jurisdiction [of the United States].” Proponents of a narrower reinterpretation of that phrase argue that the term “jurisdiction” can have multiple meanings, and that in the Citizenship Clause, “jurisdiction” should be read to mean “complete jurisdiction” based on undivided allegiance and the mutual consent of the sovereign and the subject.

Arms control

Time for a different kind of US-Russian arms control

Strategic arms control is not a popular topic these days. Since the United States and Russia signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in 2010, bilateral efforts have stalled. Though both countries continue to implement the treaty, Russia has refused to accept the Obama administration’s request to negotiate a successor agreement unless it agrees to the participation of smaller nuclear-armed states, legally-binding limits on US missile defenses, or a host of other unrealistic demands. The impasse has caused Carnegie Moscow Center scholar Alexei Arbatov to worry that we have reached “the end of history for nuclear arms control.” He writes that “the current period of disintegration is unprecedented, with literally every channel of negotiation deadlocked and the entire system of existing arms control agreements under threat.”

Nuclear security

A new push for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?

“Realists” represent arms control treaties as deals—negotiated accommodations of interests. But treaties also implicitly tell stories. They embody narratives of how we can make the world a better place. These narratives become compelling if they seem simultaneously hopeful and realistic.

The SALT I Treaty of 1972 between the United States and the Soviet Union did not just enact restrictions on the number of missile launchers the two superpowers could field. It also ushered in the era of détente by embodying in its enactment the belief that Washington and Moscow could increase geopolitical stability by regulating their competition. It implicitly established a new frame of possibility in the superpower relationship—not amity, but codified competition.

Demographic security

China lifts one-child policy amid worries over graying population

China said it would abandon its controversial “one-child policy” on Thursday and allow all couples to have two children, effectively ending the biggest population control experiment in history amid growing pressures from a rapidly aging population.The move, which came after a meeting of the Communist Party leadership, reflected concerns over potential labor shortages and rising numbers of elderly people that would put immense strains on the economy in the years ahead.

International security

U.S. scrambles jets as Russian planes buzz carrier

Two Russian aircraft got within one nautical mile of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on Tuesday, prompting the ship to scramble its fighter jets, according to a report.

While U.S. and Russian officials recently reached a memorandum of understanding to keep planes a safe distance apart over Syria, this incident suggests the document will not improve interactions between Russian and U.S. assets throughout the world.

The carrier was sailing in international waters near the Korean Peninsula when two Russian reconnaissance planes flew as low 500 as feet near the carrier, Stars and Stripes reported. Four F/A-18 Super Hornets took off from the Reagan in response to the Russian planes' actions.

Intel risky ops

Top-Secret Pentagon Program Exploited Aid Workers as Covert Spies

It is the stuff of spy novels, but a new investigation published Monday reveals that the U.S. Pentagon for years funneled millions to a charity organization employing it to serve as the front group for global espionage—very real revelations that experts warn could have dangerous implications for aid workers worldwide.

After a months-long investigation, The Intercept's Matthew Cole, with help from Margot Williams and Lee Fang, exposes the reach of a highly-classified Department of Defense program, which ran from December 2004 to 2013.

The program was reportedly the "brainchild" of Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin, an evangelical Christian who served under President George W. Bush. After the 9/11 attacks, Boykin was charged with expanding the intelligence gathering arm of the DoD and, "taking a page from the CIA's playbook," began tapping NGOs to use as a cover for Pentagon espionage operations.

Chemical security

Russia to complete destruction of its chemical weapons stocks by 2020 — OPCW

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has no doubts that Russia will complete the destruction of its chemical weapons stocks by 2020, OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu told TASS on Wednesday.

He said that initially all countries that possessed chemical weapons were supposed to dispose of their stocks of toxic agents by April 29, 2012. But that did not happen due to technical and financial problems.After consultations with the OPCW member states, the OPCW decided to prolong the deadline until 2020. Russia pledged to dispose of all chemical warfare agents by 2020.

This year, Russia has finished work at four chemical weapons disposal plants: Leonidovka (the Penza region); Pochep (the Bryansk region); Maradykovsky (the Kirov region) and Shchuchye (the Kurgan region). Russia has shut down the first two plants.

War on terror

Russia’s air force hits 118 terrorist targets in Syria over 24 hours — Defense Ministry

Russian warplanes have increased the number of combat sorties in Syria because of receiving more confirmed reconnaissance data about the Islamic State infrastructure facilities, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson went on to say.

"As you can see, the number of combat sorties has increased due to the fact that we have started to receive more accurate reconnaissance information, which is confirmed through various channels, about the location of terrorist infrastructure targets," Konashenkov said.

"This fact is a convictive answer to various anonymous sources in certain foreign media who take the liberty of making unfounded claims on allegedly insufficient technical soundness of our aircraft," he noted.

"I want to underscore once again: Russian aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase are all-weather and all support services for our air group work consistently, reliably and effectively," Konashenkov stressed.

Health security

Thousands Of Soldiers With Mental Health Disorders Kicked Out For 'Misconduct'

The U.S. Army has kicked out more than 22,000 soldiers since 2009 for "misconduct," after they returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and were diagnosed with mental health disorders and traumatic brain injuries. That means many of those soldiers are not receiving the crucial treatment or retirement and health care benefits they would have received with an honorable discharge.

The Army has taken these actions despite a 2009 federal law designed to ensure that troops whose mental illness might be linked to the wars aren't cast aside.

That's the finding of a joint investigation by NPR and Colorado Public Radio that listened to hours of secret recordings, looked at hundreds of pages of confidential military documents and interviewed dozens of sources both inside and outside the base.

Cybersecurity

Is better defense the answer to the China cyber threat?

While the U.S. and China in September reached a "common understanding" to stem China's ongoing cyber theft of U.S. intellectual property, the deal focused on economic interests – and left unaddressed the onslaught of attacks on the government, many of which are attributed to China.
That may not come as a surprise: Cyber is just one part of the delicate and fraught diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and China. That's one reason why the former director of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command says the government should instead focus on shoring up its cyber defense.

National security law

Red Sun Rising

Japan’s new national security laws are designed to help maintain the balance of power in the region in the face of the rising China. If the regional balance is maintained, it will be easier for Japan to prevent hardliners in China from becoming more influential, and to convince Chinese leaders and people that a cooperative approach is the best way to make China a great and respected nation.

The new security laws will also strengthen Japan’s commitment to the defense of South Korea. They will make it possible for Japan to shoot down ballistic missiles that North Korea has launched against Guam or Hawaii, protect U.S. naval vessels fighting for South Korea even before Japan is attacked, and undertake minesweeping operations in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula—all by exercising the right of collective self-defense.

Defense

Thinking Beyond Russia: Can America Succeed in the New Nuclear Age?

The fact that the world’s nuclear powers, and some would-be powers, were recommitting to their nuclear arsenals was largely ignored by U.S. policymakers and analysts more focused on immediate threats.

America’s fearsome nuclear arsenal sat quietly in its silos, submarines, and bombers while politicians turned to debates over counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. The nuclear enterprise, as it is called, became a military backwater, and morale and standards suffered, with cheatingscandals and the public firing of both the nation’s number two nuclear commanderand the Air Force general in charge of the country’s ICBM’s. Yet even as the military struggled to restore confidence in the nuclear mission, America’s nuclear war fighters continued their mission 24/7, deep underground in silos, in the ocean depths, or in cramped and aging bombers decades older than their pilots.

Terror threat

Russian intelligence chief says Taliban, IS militants may invade Central Asia

Russian intelligence on Wednesday warned of an increased risk of Taliban or Islamic State fighters invading Central Asia.FSB director Alexander Bortnikov said in comments carried by Russian news agencies that a concentration of Taliban fighters, some of whom had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, at Afghanistan's northern border make the risk of invasion tangible.Afghanistan shares a porous border with the former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan that has been a source of drugs coming into Russia and is a longstanding worry of Moscow's.Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month called the situation in Afghanistan "close to critical" and urged other ex-Soviet nations to be prepared to act together to repel a possible attack.