Laser

US military pumps millions into developing Star Wars-style lasers that can slice through aircraft like butter

Britain is already working on a laser which could slice aircraft like butter and the US has already begun testing the technology to shoot down incoming missiles and drones.

And now Clemson University researchers John Ballato and Lin Zhu, in South Carolina, have been tasked with advancing these terrifying high energy weapons.

They have been handed taxpayer dosh to improve the way light is channelled through an optic fibre and to engineer a highly powerful light beam that goes in just one direction – a tricky task.

International security

Russia is forsaking the West and moving toward China

Russia’s three-year-old pivot, away from Europe and toward Beijing, isn’t some Kremlin bluff. Instead, it’s a real process, more visible in the regions than Moscow or St. Petersburg, and heralds the end of a quarter century where the country attempted to integrate into the Western fold. Needless to say, there are serious geopolitical implications here.

Luckily, being a journalist who isn’t intrinsically hostile to Russia, and tries to report and analyze the country fairly, has its upsides. Such as the ability to gain insight from insiders who understand real government thinking. Something completely denied to correspondents of North American and West European outlets in recent years. Thus, I’ve been taking advantage of this access over the past few weeks to get an idea of where Russia is headed in the medium to short term. And the answer is fairly clear: as close to China as possible.

Economic security

National Security Bulldogs — Electric Cars

Tesla electric cars built in the United States help the US economy. Electric Volkswagens, BMWs, and Mercedes (Mercedess? Mercedeses? Mercedi?) built in Germany help boost the German economy. Electric Nissan LEAFs built in Japan help boost the Japanese economy.

Actually, come on, we all realize as well that LEAFs built in the UK help the UK economy, LEAFs built in the US (Tennessee) help the US economy, and Mercedes EQs built in the US would boost the US economy, right? … Right?

But that 20th century thinking misses why electric cars are really patriotic bulldogs of any country they are sold in.

Furthermore, that simplistic approach to the economic potential of electric cars misses why electric cars should be seen as best friends of our troops and our troops’ families.

How much does our military presence abroad protecting our oil interests cost the United States? Some estimates of what were widely seen as “oil wars” run into the trillions. (Trillions of dollars, not trillions of bushels of good ideas.)

Foreign affairs

Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York

The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, that its officials were ejected from in late December as punishment for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

President Barack Obama said Dec. 29 that the compounds were being “used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes” and gave Russia 24 hours to vacate them. Separately, Obama expelled from the United States what he said were 35 Russian “intelligence operatives.”

Early last month, the Trump administration told the Russians that it would consider turning the properties back over to them if Moscow would lift its freeze, imposed in 2014 in retaliation for U.S. sanctions related to Ukraine, on construction of a new U.S. consulate on a certain parcel of land in St. Petersburg.

Statecraft

Priebus, Conway among White House staffers who got ethics waivers

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway were two of 11 Trump administration staffers who received ethics waivers, according to a list made public Wednesday evening. 

In addition to the 11 named staffers, the list also noted that so-called "blanket" waivers were given to all appointees in the Executive Office of the President (EOP), commissioned officers in the White House Office and former employees of the law firm Jones Day, including White House Counsel Don McGahn.

The EOP waiver states that all presidential appointees "may participate in communications and meetings with news organizations regarding broad policy matters." That clears the way, ethically, for Steve Bannon, Breitbart's former chief executive and now Trump's chief strategist, to ring up reporters at the news site.

Priebus, the former head of the Republican National Committee, is permitted to "participate in communications and meetings involving the [RNC]." Conway, Trump's former pollster, is allowed to "participate in communications and meetings involving former clients which are political, advocacy, trade, or non-profit organizations."

Drug smuggling

Interpol operation exposes bizarre method of smuggling liquid cocaine

Through ongoing investigations by an Interpol-coordinated operation, there have been reports of drug trafficking across Asia and the Pacific.

Because drug traffickers have become “creative” with their ways of smuggling drugs into countries, Interpol has released an anti-drug campaign named ‘Operation LionFish – ASEAN’ to counteract this problem.

According to Interpol, Operation Lionfish – ASEAN, which involves more than 2,000 police and customs officials across 14 countries, have exposed a network of West African and Asian organized crime groups behind trafficking the drug methamphetamine.

The drug, known as ‘Ice’ due to its resemblance of a piece of glass or a chip of ice, is said to be the most smuggled drug in the ASEAN, and has allegedly caused around 15 seizures.

Flight security

Homeland Security says there is ‘no timeline’ for European laptop ban, but it’s still an option

Business travelers between the U.S. and Europe can breathe a small sigh of relief and clutch their laptops a little closer — for now, anyway. Following a call between Secretary John Kelly and defense leads in Europe, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement clarifying that it would not seek to ban laptops from the cabin on commercial flights from Europe at this time.

“While a much-discussed expansion of the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin on flights to the United States was not announced today, the Secretary made it clear that the an expansion is still on the table,” the department wrote.

“Secretary Kelly affirmed he will implement any and all measures necessary to secure commercial aircraft flying to the United States — including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin — if the intelligence and threat level warrant it.”

Data security

US military data reportedly left on unsecured Amazon server

Highly sensitive military data about a US intelligence agency project has been discovered on a publicly accessible server without password protection, according to a new report.

UpGuard said Wednesday an analyst with the security firm discovered tens of thousands of documents last week on an Amazon cloud server that are connected to the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the US military's combat support agency. Credentials found in the exposed files suggest the data was uploaded to the cloud by defense and intelligence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, UpGuard reported.

The files included the log-in credentials that could have provided access to more sensitive data, including code repositories, UpGuard said.

Booz Allen has a large presence at US intelligence agencies. The company has a workforce of about 22,600, and 69 percent of its workers hold security clearances with US intelligence agencies, according to company tax filings. Booz Allen generated $1.3 billion in revenue from contracts with US intelligence agencies, including the NSA, in the fiscal year ending in March 2016.

Intel oversight

House Intelligence Committee sends subpoenas to intel agencies

Three of the nation’s intelligence agencies received subpoenas Wednesday afternoon issued by the House Intelligence Committee, Fox News has confirmed, with each of the three demands for documents explicitly naming three top officials of the Obama administration: Susan Rice, who served as President Obama’s White House national security adviser; former CIA Director John Brennan; and former U.N. ambassador Samantha Power.
The three subpoenas, among a total of seven signed by panel chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), were served on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency, and all three explicitly referenced “unmasking” – a signal that the House panel is intensifying its investigation into allegations that Obama-era aides improperly demanded the “unmasking” of names of associates of President Trump that had appeared, in coded form, in classified intelligence reports, then leaked the data to news media organizations.

Terror threat

'Terrorist groups in Afghanistan strengthened, security deteriorating’

What does the deadly Kabul deadly say about the state of security in Afghanistan? Could this attack prompt the US and its allies to go back with more troops? How is it possible the attack hit the heavily protected diplomatic district? RT asked analysts.

TrendsGlobal terrorism

At least 80 people have been killed and over 350 injured as a result of a powerful car bomb in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul. The explosion occurred during the morning rush hour on Wednesday. It ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic district which is thought to be one of the most secure areas of the city.

Middle East expert Ali Rizk told RT that “terrorist groups in Afghanistan appear to have strengthened.”

He recalled that another attack in Kabul on March 8 killed over 40 people.

READ MORE: Bombing in Kabul’s embassy district kills dozens

“The security in the capital appears to be deteriorating,” he said, adding that it could have been because of many reasons, including an increased number of terrorist groups present in the country.

Health security

Hillary Clinton: I was victim of ‘1,000 Russian agents’ & ‘broad assumption’ I would win

In her latest public appearance, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blamed the Democratic Party, the media, “weaponized information” and even a thousand Russians for her loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Clinton told an audience at the annual Code Conference in Ranchos Palos Verdes, California, on Wednesday that the most important lesson from the election was the new “war” on information. 

Clinton, 69, said she takes responsibility for “every decision” she made, but added, “That's not why I lost.”

Her comments sparked outrage from many on Twitter, including President Donald Trump, who said Clinton “refuses to say she was a terrible candidate.” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called Clinton’s comments “sad.”

Forensics

New Technique to Find Latent Prints at Crime Scenes

A new technique has been developed to assist in finding latent prints at the crime scene. In a crime scene examination, investigators collect items of evidence and process them for possible latent prints. Latent prints are left by chance on a surface when someone touches an item, and represent a partial impression of the unique ridge pattern located on an individual’s fingers and palms.

Evidence that is collected is categorized as nonporous, semi-porous or porous. Nonporous evidence can include weapons, vehicles, glass bottles, and plastic bags. Semi-porous evidence can include magazines, varnished wood, and some plastic materials. Porous evidence includes paper, unfinished wood, and fabrics.

Latent prints on nonporous surfaces can pose a challenge for investigators because they are very fragile. They consist of 99% water and approximately 1% amino acids, lipids, and other compounds that can easily be wiped away if the evidence is not handled carefully.

Weapons

Rafael advances fifth-generation Spike variant

In a step-change development of its tactical weapons portfolio, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems is introducing a new, fully network-enabled capability to its family of Spike multipurpose missile systems.

Designed to be fired from ground launchers, vehicles, ships and helicopters, the new Spike LR II is an evolution of the legacy fourth-generation Spike LR multipurpose missile (now designated Spike LR I), and features reduced weight, a significant range increment, enhanced lethality, advanced target recognition and tracking, and a new third-party target allocation (networked-enabled) enhancement with an embedded inertial measurement unit (IMU) assembly.

Developed in response to operational feedback from the 26-strong Spike User Community, the emergence of new, more challenging targets in the contemporary battlefield, and from knowledge accrued in the development of earlier Spike systems, Spike LR II retains full commonality with the legacy Spike family, and can be fired from any Spike launcher.

Missile defense

Missile takedown: Historic ICBM intercept test sends strong message to North Korea

A monumental intercept test for the United States’ critical homeland defense system designed to defend against intercontinental ballistic missile threats from North Korea and Iran was a success, the Missile Defense Agency announced Tuesday shortly after the test.

As North Korea’s missile capabilities continue to grow, successful tests of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System that are specifically designed to go up against those possible missile threats are imperative, defense officials have said.

The test marks the first time the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system has gone up against an ICBM-class target, although some previous tests have featured intermediate-range ballistic missile targets that have approached ICBM speeds.

Terror threat

There's a reason why so many terrorists like Salman Abedi have had dealings with British intelligence before

The full extent of the security services' knowledge of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi may never be known. But it seems clear that MI5 and counterterrorism police were first made aware of his extremist thinking five years ago when classmates warned of his support for suicide attacks.

Politicians have rightly begun to ask why a known Islamist extremist, if not a terror suspect, wasn't stopped before he carried his bomb into the Manchester Arena on Monday night.

When MI5 comes to review its intelligence on Abedi, their officers will have to recognise they have been here before.

Before all the major terror attacks committed in the UK since, and including, the 7/7 London bombings, the security services had knowledge of, or even dealings with, at least one of the suspects.

Intel briefing

Trump demands pictures and graphics for his intelligence briefings every day - and Jared is getting his own briefings

President Trump likes his nearly daily intelligence briefing to be visually stimulating – charts, map, pictures, even videos, along with 'killer graphics' – CIA Director Mike Pompeo told the Washington Post. 

'That's our task right? To deliver the material in a way that he can best understand the information we're trying to communicate,' Pompeo told the paper for a story about Trump's intelligence consuming habits, adding that like Trump the CIA director likes to 'get to the core of the issue quickly.' 

The same report revealed that while Trump takes his briefings around 10:30 a.m., with a Diet Coke in hand, his son-in-law Jared Kushner gets his own intelligence briefing in the hours before. 

Counterterrorism

Terrorist suspects should be locked up in internment camps, says ex-police chief

Thousands of suspected terrorists should be placed in internment camps, as the threat of terrorism in the UK has reached an unprecedented level, a Muslim ex-police chief has said.

According to Tarique Ghaffur, who occupied a high-ranking position in Scotland Yard, mass incarceration is a necessary measure for national security, as there are far too many suspects for the police and intelligence services to monitor.

He called for at least 3,000 people to be sent to internment camps, which have been historically used to lock up suspects without trial or evidence of wrongdoing.

It emerged over the weekend that Britain’s domestic security agency, MI5, has monitored 23,000 people suspected of involvement in Islamist extremism in recent years, of which 3,000 are still “subjects of interest.”

Writing for the Mail on Sunday, Ghaffur claimed 500 plots are currently being monitored by intelligence officers.

Law enforcement

Trump meets with two additional candidates for FBI director

President Trump will meet Tuesday afternoon with two additional candidates who could potentially replace former FBI Director James Comey.

Trump, picking up where he left off with his search for a new FBI chief, invited former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole, and former head of the Justice Department’s criminal division under former President George W. Bush, Chris Wray, to the White House for consideration.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his first press briefing since the president’s overseas trip that the candidate meetings will continue until Trump finds the “right leader.”

“The president will be meeting two additional candidates this afternoon- Chris Wray and John Pistole,” Spicer said. “He’ll meet candidates today, and will continue to do so until he finds the right leader.”

War on terror

Russian frigate & submarine fire 4 cruise missiles at ISIS targets near Palmyra – MoD

The Russian warships, a frigate named Admiral Essen and submarine named Krasnodar, fired Kalibr cruise missiles on combat vehicles and militants outside the Syrian city of Palmyra, the Defense Ministry said. 

The four cruise missiles were fired from the eastern Mediterranean, it noted in a statement. The submarine fired its missiles while submerged.

According to the MoD, “[the ships] targeted an area east of Palmyra, where the militants’ heavy weaponry and manpower were located. The militants moved there from Raqqa. All targets have been destroyed,” it said.

The US, Turkish, and Israeli militaries received appropriate warning in advance of the missile launches through active hotlines, the Defense Ministry added.

On May 25, a large Islamic State convoy, comprising 39 vehicles and 120 militants, was spotted outside Raqqa, a Defense Ministry source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

“The terrorist convoy of 39 pickup trucks was detected and destroyed by the Air Force on its way to Palmyra,” the source said, adding that the vehicles were equipped with large-caliber machine guns.

Tortures

Music torture: How heavy metal broke Manuel Noriega

On Christmas Day, 1989, Panamanian strongman General Manuel Noriega - who died this week - became the most famous victim.

The repressive military leader had holed himself up in the Vatican's embassy in Panama City, after President George Bush Senior invaded Panama.

Noriega was facing a US indictment for drug-trafficking, as well as claims he had rigged the 1989 election.

The embassy was surrounded by US troops, but he refused to give himself up.

The US army decided to use psychological warfare - by blasting a wall of sound non-stop outside. A fleet of Humvees mounted with loudspeakers rolled in, and rock music rolled out.

...Perhaps inevitably, The Holy See complained to President Bush, and the musical war was stopped after three days.

By 3 January 1990 the general, said to be an opera lover, had agreed to surrender.

Missile defense

Pentagon Accelerates Work on Multi-Warhead Interceptor


The Missile Defense Agency, or MDA, is accelerating the development of an interceptor that can take down several incoming warheads — or one warhead and several decoys — simultaneously. While MDA officials say the move is not a response to any specific threat, one prominent defense watcher notes that North Korea is likely working hard on missiles that can fire decoys to confuse interceptors.

The most recent Pentagon budget request seeks $259 million to move the Multi-Object Kill Vehicle, or MOKV, program into a new development phase — and speed up its projected completion by five years.

“We have accelerated MOKV risk reduction and product development phases to achieve a demonstrated capability in the 2025 timeframe,” said an MDA official in an email to Defense One.

MDA’s decision to accelerate the MKOV program is, in part, a vote of confidence in recent technological gains. On Tuesday, Boeing announced that MDA had awarded the company a $58 million, 35-month contract, to demonstrate their MOKV design.

Communication security

ABA Encourages Encryption Of Emails When Transmitting Confidential Client Information

In a recent formal Ethics Opinion, the American Bar Association stressed that lawyers must make reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorized access to confidential information relating to the representation of their clients. The ABA recognized that in the age of constant cybersecurity threats, law firms are targets for hackers for two reasons:

(1) they obtain, store and use highly sensitive information about their clients while at times utilizing safeguards to shield that information that may be inferior to those deployed by the client, and (2) the information in their possession is more likely to be of interest to a hacker and likely less voluminous than that held by the client.

The Opinion further recognizes that while the Model Rules of Professional Conduct do not impose greater or different duties of confidentiality based upon the method by which a lawyer communicates with his or her client, electronic communication involves risks that are constantly changing.

Cybersecurity

Cyber Attacks – Immediate Steps And Legal Immediate Response Team. CSI: My System.

The first thing to remember in such instances is that your initial instincts are most often counterproductive (as those reactions are the first things any 'decent' malware expects or targets) and that your computer / systems / accounts are now, effectively, a crime scene (hence the "CSI" heading). So, if you've watched any TV series that deals with crime scenes, you would probably do well to apply some of the fictional lessons with the required changes to adapt to the real world:

• Do NOT tamper with a crime scene (which actually means do not turn on, off, save, email or do any other activity in or connecting the affected systems). Malware often targets your initial response as a means to further its own causes or to trigger automated (definitely not pleasant) responses. The correct technical responses should be determined with professionals and in coordination with your legal.
• Do NOT cover the occurrence up, pretend it didn't happen or assume it will go away if untreated or unfound. Early detection and even more importantly, early reporting for the organization to take a well measured response in a timely manner is crucial both from operational and liability perspectives. Has everyone who needs to be notified been notified? Within the organization? What about stakeholders or down / up the supply chain? Determine your legal obligations in a timely manner to avoid compounding your legal issues...

Military

Military is trending regional and 'all in the family.' We need more diversity.

Places where the military has historical roots, including locations close to military bases, draw more young men and women into the service. So 60% of new military recruits come from the South and the West, with the South alone contributing 36.9% of all recruits, while the Northeast and Midwest remain underrepresented relative to their population of people aged 18 to 24. In fact, half of the states in the U.S. contribute more than their fair share, and half contribute less. Though the service academies receive nominations from all 50 states, they are only one source of military commissions, focused solely on officers. Geographically, the military today is simply not representative of the U.S. population, depriving the armed forces of the organizational strength that comes from diversity.

International security

Russian Lawmaker: We Would Use Nukes if US or NATO Enters Crimea


Russia would be forced to use nuclear weapons in any conflict in which U.S. or NATO forces entered eastern Ukraine, a member of Russia’s parliament told an international gathering of government security officials on Sunday.

“On the issue of NATO expansion on our borders, at some point I heard from the Russian military — and I think they are right — If U.S. forces, NATO forces, are, were, in the Crimea, in eastern Ukraine, Russia is undefendable militarily in case of conflict without using nuclear weapons in the early stage of the conflict,” Russian parliamentarian Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Nikonov told attendees at the GLOBSEC 2017 forum in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Russian military leaders have discussed Moscow’s willingness to use nuclear weapons in a conflict with military leaders in NATO, as part of broader and increasingly contentious conversations about the alliance’s expansion, Nikonov later told Defense One.

Air defense

Russia working on advanced air defense system

Eight priority R&D works are underway in Russia on assignment from the Defense Ministry to create an advanced air defense system, Air Defense Force Commander Lieutenant-General Alexander Leonov said on Friday.

"The works are underway for creating an air defense system to comprise the entire range of modern and promising automated control systems, reconnaissance means, air defense missile and artillery systems and complexes," the commander said at a conference on the prospects of battlefield air defense.

Intel recruiting

MI5 in race to hire spooks in record numbers to fight back against 23,000 jihadists on the loose

MI5 is frantically recruiting spooks in record numbers to cope with 23,000 jihadists on the loose in Britain.

But it takes more than a year to train new spies before they are ready to combat what one Whitehall source called the “unprecedented scale of threat” we now face.

Jeremy Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror the astonishing number of extremists shows that “no one should be in any doubt about the scale of the challenge we face keeping people safe.”

The Labour leader added: “The Government can’t keep cutting resources. Labour pledges more police in our communities to build the links and trust that form an essential part of the wider fight against terrorism.”

MI6, which gathers intelligence abroad, also plans to boost its staff by 1,000 to 3,500 by 2020.

Terror threat

PETER OBORNE: Why MI6 must share the blame for the jihadis in our midst

Traditionally, among Britain’s intelligence services, there was a clear hierarchy.

MI6, otherwise known as the Secret Intelligence Service, was foremost. Its staff — mostly privately educated and considered charismatic yet smooth operators, were rated much higher than their socially inferior counterparts in MI5, the domestic intelligence service.

This categorisation was, of course, an over-simplification, and, thankfully, much has changed in the 25 years since I first began working as a political journalist at Westminster.

Inevitably, this week’s terrorist massacre in Manchester has put the spotlight on the work of both MI6 and MI5 in their role to protect the British people from those who wish to do us harm and who want to destroy our way of life.

Weapons

How the media’s weapons fetish primes us for war

Footage of American weapons at work -- usually provided to news networks by the military -- makes for cheap and entertaining television, which explains why those images have been so widespread on cable news networks and on Twitter. One study found that CNN played nearly an hour of MOAB test footage in the six hours after news broke of the weapon’s use, and Pentagon footage of Tomahawk missiles being fired from American destroyers played on a near constant loop during news coverage of the strike on Syria.

But cable news’ fixation with treating American weapons like products to be packaged and sold for ratings can end up sanitizing and even glamorizing violence -- like when NBC’s Brian Williams fawned over the video of Tomahawks being fired. As Deborah Jaramillo, author of “Ugly War, Pretty Package,” explains, focusing on the weapons of war often distracts us from thinking critically about the consequences of military action -- distancing viewers from the consequences of war by showing them animated or decontextualized images of American firepower. And that problem is compounded when news networks rely on ex-military guests to describe how weapons work, framing discussions around how America engages in violence, rather than why.

Laser

The U.S. Military Might Have Come Up with the Ultimate Weapon: B-52’s Armed with Lasers

Air Force scientists are working to arm the B-52 with defensive laser weapons able to incinerate attacking air-to-air or air-to-ground missile attack.

Offensive and defensive laser weapons for Air Force fighter jets and large cargo aircraft have been in development for several years now. However, the Air Force Research Lab has recently embarked upon a special five-year effort, called the SHIELD program, aimed at creating sufficient on-board power, optics and high-energy lasers able to defend large platforms such as a B-52 bomber, C-130 aircraft or fighter jet.

“You can take out the target if you put the laser on the attacking weapon for a long enough period of time,” Air Force Chief Scientist Greg Zacharias told Scout Warrior in an exclusive interview.

Homeland security

UK Homeland Security and Public Safety Market to Grow at a 2016-2020 CAGR of 11.4%


The UK is facing security problems far greater than its economic ones. This has been underlined by the recent ISIS terror attack in Manchester.

As is evident from this past week, the present UK security measures, which have been effective in the past, cannot meet the 21st century ISIS-inspired terror tactics. A revision of the UK security infrastructure and funding is already underway. Following a 5-year 2011-2015 CAGR of 2-3%, this UK Homeland Security & Public Safety Market - 2017-2022 research forecasts a 4-fold increase in the 2016-2020 market, a CAGR of 11.4%.

The recent "UK Homeland Security & Public Safety Market - 2017-2022" (May 27 2017 Edition) report is the most comprehensive review of the UK internal security market available today. It provides a detailed and reasoned roadmap of the UK growing Homeland Security, Public Safety, Counter Terrorism related National Security, Homeland Defense and Domestic Security market.

The report covers the Homeland Security Immigration Enforcement & Public Safety markets since, in most cases, products and services have dual or triple use applications, and present the same business opportunities (e.g., biometric modalities are used for the following three sectors: counter-crime, immigration enforcement, law enforcement and counter terror).

British elections

National security is the issue that may decide the election – so where are the new ideas?

Terrorist attacks on the scale of the Manchester Arena suicide bomb always prompt a good deal of introspection from those in a position to make a difference. For good reason, questions are asked endlessly of the security services, politicians, and Muslim communities. The last attack of this magnitude on British soil prompted the development and publication of the CONTEST strategy – which has, for the most part, done its job.

Now MI5 has announced that it will review its reporting and triage methods to answer the questions being asked of them this week: Why was this attack not prevented, if Salman Abedi was a subject of interest? Did the security service respond effectively to the three different alerts of Abedi’s growing extremism? And if the security services know who the extremists are, where they are, and have the resources to monitor them, what more do they need to prevent attacks? 

Air defense

Israeli military test-fires undisclosed type of missile (VIDEO)

Israel has conducted a test-launch of a rocket propulsion system of an undisclosed missile type, according to the Israeli Air Force.

The launch took place in the early hours of Monday at a military base in central Israel, the military said on Twitter.

The Air Force didn’t specify what system was tested, only saying that the scheduled launch was “carried out as planned.”

It is the first missile firing in the country since January, when the military successfully tested its Magic Wand missile interception system, which it said was close to going into service.

Israel currently uses three different systems of air defense. The Iron Dome system intercepts short-range rockets, the Arrow system deals with ballistic missiles outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the David’s Sling system shoots down tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles.

According to Western media reports, Israel is also in possession of its own Jericho 3 surface-to-surface intercontinental ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

The Jericho 3 propulsion system reportedly had a range of 4,000 kilometers in 2013, which has since been increased to over 10,000 kilometers.

International security

British nuclear submarine is spotted lurking beneath the surface off the coast of Gibraltar in a show of force towards Spain after Brexit sovereignty row

There was increased security around a naval base as a nuclear submarine was spotted breaching the surface - just one day after Spanish warships were reportedly seen.

British Forces took to their official MOD twitter account to announce the arrival of HMS Torbay at Her Majesty's Naval Base in Gibraltar. 

The imposing Royal Navy vessel is one of Britain's four Trafalgar Class submarines – HMS Talent, Torbay, Trenchant and Triumph – which entered service 30 years ago.

Eyewitnesses described 'increased security' during the submarine's arrival, and at her berth.

But the submarine, now in its 28th year of service, was welcomed by locals amid increasing tensions over the number of incursions into Gibraltar's waters by Spanish vessels.

Yesterday, a Spanish warship was reportedly in Gibraltar's waters, and some have claimed Torbay's arrival was seen as a 'show of force' towards the Spanish. 

The Trafalgar Class submarines HMS Talent, Torbay, Trenchant and Triumph have suffered from increasing problems due to their age.

Weather security

Moscow storm: 11 killed as high winds strike Russian capital

At least 11 people died when a severe thunderstorm hit the Russian capital Moscow, health officials say.

Hundreds of trees were toppled by the storm, and more than 50 people sought medical help.

Reports say that electrical cables were damaged as Moscow was lashed with high winds, hail and torrential rain.

The winds of up to 110 km/h (70 mph) were described by meteorologists as extremely rare for the city, and caused structural damage to buildings.

If the death toll of 11 is confirmed - and some officials give a lower figure - it would be the deadliest storm in the city for more than 100 years.

The city's investigative committee said that "hurricane winds" had caused trees to fall in various parts of the city, killing five pedestrians.

Nuclear security

Desert Mystery: Intelligence Assessments of Israel’s Nuclear Program

Israel’s nuclear program is unique: foreign intelligence agencies extensively evaluated its progress during the Cold War, yet we understand only the outlines of its overall history. As part of its “opacity” policy, Israel refuses to admit to developing weapons at its nuclear facility near the desert town of Dimona, whose name came to stand for the entire nuclear program.

My dissertation research compares how Cold War-era intelligence agencies evaluated the nuclear programs of other countries. With the benefit of hindsight, we can compare these historical evaluations to one another and to the contemporary consensus on Israel’s nuclear program.

The United States was especially eager to understand Israel's nuclear capabilities and intentions, but struggled to do so. Two years ago, historians Avner Cohen and Bill Burr released several documents chronicling the inglorious frustration among friends:

The Eisenhower administration's "discovery" during the last months of 1960 that Israel was secretly building a large nuclear complex at Dimona was a belated one indeed...