Tag Archive for: General

ASPI suggests

The world

After the US Senate’s acquittal of President Donald Trump on impeachment charges, The Atlantic’s washup includes a look at what might happen next—including the possibility that Trump will interpret the result as a licence to repeat the behaviour that led to his impeachment in the first place. A recent article in Foreign Policy highlights five takeaways from Trump’s state of the union address this week. Meanwhile, in the race for the Democratic nomination, Pete Buttigieg just leads the Iowa caucus results. As the Washington Post reports, both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders believe US foreign policy should be re-envisaged with a scaled-back military and fairer trade deals. Buttigieg and Joe Biden have stressed the need to heal after the Trump era, largely by returning to a foreign policy like that of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.

And as headlines in the US focus on the delays to the Iowa caucus process, this ABC opinion piece looks at the world’s youngest leader, Austria’s Sebastian Kurz, who’s just 33. K. Biswas in the New York Times argues the election result there showed a continuation of the right-wing politics the region has witnessed since 2000, noting Kurz’s anti-immigration stance.* However, as reported by the Financial Times, the coalition between Kurz’s conservative party and the progressive Green party demonstrates a shift from previous elections. Anti-immigration sentiments are reflected in other parts of Europe, with The Guardian reporting that Greece, as well as Italy and Hungary, have adopted stricter border-control and refugee policies. For some context, a report released by the Brookings Institution found that only 1% of refugees are resettled outside of their initial country of asylum.

This week we digested the details of Trump’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan and to be honest, we couldn’t find anything positive. Robin Wright in the New Yorker explains some of the issues with the plan, which include allowing the conflict between Israel and Palestine to continue for at least four more years, and writes that it could violate international law. The Palestinians were quick to reject the deal, with Foreign Policy citing water rights as a key reason the plan could not be accepted. Foreign Affairs examines how the Trump team decided key issues in Israel’s favour. The European Union has slammed the plan, according to Deutsche Welle, and called for more negotiations. Foreign Policy describes the UK’s decision to support the deal as a move to curry favour with the US ahead of negotiations on a post-Brexit trade agreement.

Speaking of Britain, it’s now officially single and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking to swipe right on any trade deal he can get his hands on. Bloomberg looks at Johnson’s plans for greater integration between Australia and the UK and highlights the need for a quick deal to ensure Brexit isn’t a failure. A similar story is being heard in Canada, with the UK attempting to replicate the current trade deal between the EU and the Canucks. This piece in The Conversation claims a deal would be relatively easy to achieve. For what’s to come in the Brexit saga on the international relations, security, economic and defence fronts, see the Atlantic Council. Chatham House highlights how Britain needs to avoid repeating the mistakes it made when negotiating with the EU.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, fears have been raised over possible disruptions to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Diplomat reports there is some concern that a vaccine may not be developed in time for the games. Twenty-five cases have already been reported in Japan, not including the 61 people who tested positive for coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which is docked in Yokohama with 3,700 on board . However, as the New York Times reports, the Tokyo organisers say they have no plans to cancel the Olympics. In The Interpreter, Khang Vu writes that the Olympics may provide an opportunity to ease tensions between Japan and North Korea, as happened between North and South Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Tech geek

Australia is leading efforts to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus. New technology is being used to try to come up with a vaccine within the next 16 weeks. For further information, check out the University of Queensland’s website here. For a list of major vaccines and drugs currently being considered to treat people against the new virus, see here.

China’s growing military relationship with Cambodia is becoming clearer, with the ABC revealing that Chinese military officials had visited their Cambodian counterparts three weeks before a Chinese military-style drone crashed in the country’s south. In January, an unidentified drone was found in a field in Koh Kong, increasing scrutiny of China’s military objectives in Cambodia.

The US Navy has conducted tests with two EA-18G Growlers that it has converted into unmanned aircraft. The Growlers were controlled by a third, manned version of the electronic attack aircraft. While it’s the first time news has emerged that Growlers can be converted into drones, at one level the practice isn’t new. The US has been converting retired jet fighters into simpler target drones for decades, including Boeing’s conversion of F-16s since 2010.

Could the Australian Space Agency help Australia fight bushfires? That idea has been canvassed by Bruce Forster in Policy Forum, in a piece which explores the need for Australia to invest in new firefighting capabilities.

In other space news, Iran’s information and communications technology minister has been caught passing off a kid’s costume as a space suit for an Iranian space mission.

This week in history

On 7 February 1952, King George VI died and his 25-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, became queen. King George famously overcame a stammer during his time as monarch (with the help of an Aussie) and ruled over the Commonwealth from 1936 to 1952. See here for images and information on Elizabeth’s first public engagement as queen.

Multimedia

This Al Jazeera documentary highlights the impact that toxic chemicals from weapons tests are having on the people of the Italian island of Sardinia. [25:00]

You may have heard of the 1,000-bed hospital built in Wuhan in just 10 days. The BBC has images of the construction process that illustrate just how this was achieved.

On the Carnegie Council podcast, Joseph Nye discusses how morals and ethics have affected US foreign policy from FDR through to Trump. [1:07.57]

Events

Canberra, 11 February, 12–1 pm, Australian National University: ‘Evaluating climate change mitigation policy of Japan: a multi-model approach’. Register here.

Brisbane, 11 February, 6–7.30 pm, Australian Institute of International Affairs: ‘Russia’s role in the transition to a stable world order’. Tickets here ($15).

Correction: An earlier version of this post misidentified the author of the New York Times article.

ASPI suggests

Welcome to our first ‘ASPI suggests’ for 2020. There’s a lot of reading to catch up on, so let’s dive right in.

The world

The Middle East remains embroiled in conflict and instability. A report from the US Air Forces Central Command notes that more bombs were dropped on Afghanistan in 2019 than in any other year since 2010—that’s despite Donald Trump’s promise to wind down actions in the region.

Questions still remain about the targeted US airstrike that killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian paramilitary Quds Force, on 3 January. For the details behind the assassination and why the Trump administration chose this time to conduct the strike, see this short explainer on Al Jazeera. The Center for Strategic and International Studies examines the justification for and legality of the strike against Soleimani and what it means for the use of force into the future. James Sherr offers his take on Russia’s view of the assassination—a contradictory blend of public condemnation of the US and a behind-closed-doors interest in restraining Iranian retaliation. Finally, see Chatham House for the ways in which Soleimani’s death has affected surrounding Middle Eastern countries, ranging from internal politics to international action.

On 18 January a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels hit a mosque in central Yemen where soldiers had gathered to pray, killing over 100 people. According to The Guardian, the incident threatens to damage the country’s fragile peace process. The New York Times reports that exiled internationally recognised Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi released a statement arguing that this act of aggression proves the rebels have ‘no desire for peace’. The BBC reminds us that the country’s civil war has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people living in famine-like conditions.

The Trump administration’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan, ‘Peace to prosperity’, was released earlier this week and was met by Israel’s adamant support and Palestine’s adamant rejection. The Wall Street Journal explains why some Middle Eastern leaders have decided to support the plan.

It has always been a question of ‘not if but when’ for the next global pandemic and the latest strain of the coronavirus may be just that. So far, 7,700 cases and 170 deaths have been recorded in China and there are at least 90 cases outside of the country. The New York Times analyses the human causes of the epidemic relating to population growth and ecological disturbance. Chatham House claims that panic is unwarranted, while Foreign Policy outlines the potential devastating impact the virus could have on the global market.

The French ‘yellow vest’ movement that made world headlines early last year eventually faded after a period of quiet, but the situation has heated up again. The Guardian details the latest protests across France, including by a group of firefighters who set their uniforms alight while wearing them. The protests have become more violent, as reported by BBC News, and more than 60 people have been arrested. While populist movements dominate France, Italy is experiencing the reverse, with a wave of anti-populist protests across the country. The Atlantic warns that in the 2020s voters will experience the consequences of the populist movement, as Britain is now doing after the prolonged Brexit process.

London recently hosted the UK–Africa Investment Summit as Britain prepared to depart the EU. Stephen Paduano argues in Foreign Policy that, despite this ambitious step towards a ‘global Britain’, the summit didn’t compare in scale and impact to other recent African summits with world powers like China and the United States. The BBC contends that trade relations with Africa won’t immediately be affected by Brexit; in fact, suggests Global Finance, they could be significantly improved in the near future as the UK seeks investment opportunities in markets outside of Europe. The new energy deals in the region announced at the summit have drawn criticism, with The Guardian reporting that 90% of them are in fossil fuels.

Tech geek

One of the problems associated with the F-35 joint strike fighter program is the cloud-based ‘autonomous logistics information system’. It doesn’t work. That’s leading to poor operational readiness and rising sustainment costs for the F-35 program. The Pentagon has finally announced a replacement, but it won’t appear until 2022 at the earliest.

For an emerging global sea power like China, aircraft carriers are a symbol of maritime power projection. They’ve been the centrepiece of the US Navy since the Battle of Midway in 1942. But they’re expensive and complex to operate. China is finding this out and has scaled back its carrier plans from six to four, cancelling two planned nuclear-powered ships.

Maybe the future of sea power isn’t big flattops but robots? China, like the US, is developing unmanned warships and has been testing a small one recently. The fact that both countries are moving in this direction is significant, and proposals are being made (and resisted) for sweeping cuts to US naval surface combatants in favour of unmanned platforms.

Or maybe the future of war is in the grey zone. There’s a great piece in The Daily Beast which looks at this argument.

In space, a key political battle is emerging in the US over the future of NASA’s plans for a new mission to the moon under project Artemis. A congressional bill, pushed by House Democrats and Republicans, would dramatically scale back ambitious plans to return US astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024, in favor of getting them to Mars orbit by 2033, and cancel long-term lunar operations. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has raised concerns—as has tech geek!

Multimedia

Living in a coastal town in Colombia has its struggles, and they’re being exacerbated by climate change. Watch the emotional journey of a young girl learning to swim so she will be prepared when her village sinks beneath the waves. [10:35]

See this photo series from Business Insider which illustrates the magnitude and violence of recent protests in France.

For more on the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and what to expect next between the US and Iran, listen to The Truth of the Matter from CSIS. [27:00]

Events

Sydney, 4 February, 7–8.15 pm, University of New South Wales: ‘The fight for human rights’. Register here.

Canberra, 5 February, 6–7 pm, Australian Institute of International Affairs: ‘Defence of the island continent: what to watch in the 2020s’. Register here.

ASPI suggests

The world

As exit polls predict a big victory for the Conservatives in the British general election, read this Washington Post piece that captures the mood of the average British voter. This BBC article explains the significance of the election in the context of Brexit and where the two major parties stand on one of the most consequential decisions in modern British history.

A trove of previously confidential documents on the US campaign in Afghanistan have been obtained by the Washington Post. The documents reveal that senior US leaders and officials lied to the public about the progress of what they knew was an unwinnable war. Foreign Policy has an article illustrating the difficulties faced by Afghan civilians in an increasingly violent conflict—not between the US and the Taliban, but between themselves. There’s some speculation that peace talks may be revived, however, with the Atlantic Council depicting the current situation and offering advice on how peace may be achieved. For a longer read on the history and prospects of progress in the Middle East, the Carnegie Endowment has a piece by former US deputy secretary of state William Burns.

The Indian parliament’s passing of a controversial citizenship amendment bill has caused quite a stir, both within the country and across the subcontinent. This New York Times article lays out the context. The legislation, if enacted, will narrow the gap between secular India and theocratic Pakistan, as Barkha Dutta argues. This piece on The India Forum delves into what the bill and the proposed creation of a register of citizens would mean for India’s national identity. Finally, listen to Shekhar Gupta dissect how the citizenship bill and national register threaten to damage New Delhi’s regional interests.

On a related note, this article in The Hindu critiques the ‘presentism’ of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s most recent speech. Ramesh Thakur, writing in The Strategist, argues that Jaishankar’s defence of India’s decision to walk away from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership failed the test of realism. And Nilanthi Samaranayake’s deep dive into Sri Lankan foreign policy under the new Rajapaksa government in East Asia Forum makes for a compelling read.

Moving on to the South Pacific, this article in The Guardian provides an interesting insight into Solomon Islands’ decision to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China. The Weekend Australian, meanwhile, took an in-depth look at Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s inner-most coterie of ministers, bureaucrats and advisers to divulge the most influential players in Canberra.

As debate surrounding the links between climate change and the bushfires burning in New South Wales and Queensland continues, this ABC article looks at the possibility that adapting to a new reality could become a security issue. The Climate Change Performance Index, which measures the climate-protection performance of 61 nations that contribute 90% of global emissions, has ranked Australia at 56th overall and, with a score of 0.0, dead last in terms of climate policy. Writing for The Strategist, Peter Layton argues that the Australian Defence Force should be more involved in addressing the domestic impacts of climate change. The New Zealand Defence Force has released its own climate change ‘implementation’ plan. And Foreign Affairs argues we must now adapt or perish as the compounding effects of climate change make the planet increasingly inhospitable.

For some extra reading, Carnegie Moscow Center examines how close the Russo-China military relationship really is following revelations that Russia will be helping China build a missile early warning system. Speaking of Russia, RAND Corporation has released a report looking into its grey-zone tactics and the West’s response to them. And finally, Al Jazeera has the full transcript of Aung San Suu Kyi’s address to the International Court of Justice regarding the genocide allegations levelled at Myanmar.

Tech geek

Yesterday, defence force chief General Angus Campbell launched ASPI’s case study on the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle. Written by Brendan Nicholson, the book offers detailed insights into not just the development of the Bushmaster itself, but the complexities of defence acquisitions in Australia more generally.

ASPI’s Marcus Hellyer launched a report this week that calls for the ADF to increase its investment in autonomous systems. Hellyer makes several key recommendations which include keeping the Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter in service until at least 2030 and establishing a funding line of $1 billion over the next decade to support the acquisition of unmanned autonomous systems.

Wired has published a short article which explores the US Air Force’s interest in 3D printing to maintain its ageing fleet of aircraft. As maintenance costs continue to increase, 3D printing is emerging as a possible solution to keep planes in the air. The USAF has organised a competition to see whether 3D printers can be used to make carbon fibre, circuit boards and composites.

The US military has conducted its first test of a non-nuclear-capable ballistic missile since it withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August.

This week in history

Just before 8 am on a date that has lived on in infamy, 7 December 1941, Japan launched a surprise aerial assault on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, although the absence of all three of the US Pacific Fleet’s aircraft carriers from the harbour and Japan’s failure to target infrastructure and supplies inland severely reduced the impact of the assault. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan the following day. See the hand-written edits FDR made to what became one of the historic addresses of the 20th century here.

Multimedia

Al Jazeera’s The Big Picture looks at ‘the China complex’ and shows how ancient Chinese culture can help explain the problems of modern China. [48:53]

Reuters has collated a photo series depicting the year in US politics.

Podcasts

Listen to the latest podcast from the International Institute for Strategic Studies for a panel discussion on the political geography of the Middle East and the challenges the region is facing. [27:33]

The Diplomat discusses what has changed in Asian geopolitics over the past 12 months. [21:20]

Events

Melbourne, 16 December, 5.30–6.30 pm, University of Melbourne: ‘The Australian paradox—smart, resilient cities in a rich but simple economy?’ Register here.

Canberra, 17–18 December, Australian National University: ‘International conference on China and the world’. Tickets here.

National security wrap

The beat 

Calls to reform NSW strip-search rules

Using data obtained by the Redfern Legal Centre under freedom of information laws, The Guardian reports that NSW police have carried out more than 300 strip searches on boys aged between 11 and 17, including six between the ages of 11 and 13, since 2016. A month ago it was revealed that NSW police had strip-searched 122 school-aged girls since 2016, including two 12-year-olds. It’s unlikely that every strip search conducted is represented in the data, as the state’s police watchdog found that officers are unclear on what constitutes a strip search.

Police bust European nuclear smuggling ring

Europol says it has assisted Austrian and Moldovan authorities in their investigations into an organised crime group suspected of smuggling nuclear materials, leading to the arrest of three people. The group attempted to sell uranium-235, an isotope used in nuclear power plants and atomic weapons, to an unnamed army for A$5 million. The group had been infiltrated by an undercover Moldovan police officer.

Dummies direct drivers in Bangalore

Police in the Indian city of Bangalore have turned to mannequins to help control traffic, dressing them up as traffic officers and placing them on roads at congested junctions. The objective is to encourage drivers to adhere to the road rules, with a senior (human) officer commenting that ‘people behave differently when there is a policeman present at the junction’.

Checkpoint

Chinese nationals found in truck at US–Mexico border

US customs officers have discovered 11 Chinese migrants hiding in furniture inside a truck attempting to cross the US–Mexico border at San Diego. The driver, a US citizen, was arrested for attempted human smuggling and officials placed an immigration hold on the Chinese nationals. Officers found six other Chinese migrants behind a fake wall in another truck at the same port last month.

Conman arrested over fake Russian border

Russian authorities have arrested a man for building a fake border crossing near the Russia–Finland border. He used the post to trick four migrants from South Asia into believing that they had entered the European Union. The conman installed makeshift signs in a nearby forest to mislead the migrants, who paid more than €10,000 (A$16,300) to cross into Finland. Authorities are considering charging the man with fraud, while the migrants are set to be fined and deported.

Bosnia closes border camp

Bosnian officials have begun closing a migrant camp near the country’s northwest border and moving the 600 migrants living there to a new centre near Sarajevo. The decision came after a visit by the EU’s human rights commissioner, who warned that deaths ‘would be imminent’ if the camp wasn’t immediately closed. Many of the migrants have said that they feared leaving the area near the Bosnia–Croatia border because they wanted to cross it to reach more prosperous parts of Europe.

CT scan 

Australian deported from Turkey faces terrorism charges

An Australian man will face multiple ‘very serious’ charges for terror-related offences that could carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Agim Ajazi was deported from Turkey last week, accused of being a ‘foreign terrorist fighter’ for Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Under Australian law, acts of terrorism can be prosecuted in Australia even if they occurred in a foreign country.

UK counterterrorism course goes public

The UK National Police Chiefs’ Council has opened up a free online counterterrorism course so members of the public can learn how to recognise suspicious behaviour and act appropriately in case of a terror incident. The 45-minute course was created for staff working in crowded areas in the aftermath of the 2017 London Bridge attacks. So far, 350,000 people have taken the course.

Saudi students grounded after Florida naval base shooting

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has grounded Saudi student pilots for up to 10 days following the shooting of three sailors at the Pensacola Naval Air Station by a Saudi Air Force lieutenant. The Pentagon confirmed that the no-fly rule affects 852 Saudi students enrolled in military programs across the US, although classroom studies will continue for all. While the motive of the attacker is still unknown, investigators are working on the assumption that it was an act of terrorism.

First responder

Support package for drought-affected SA farmers

The South Australian government has announced a $21 million drought support package for the state’s farmers. The package will fund rebates on council rates, an expansion of the Rural Financial Counselling Service and a rebate scheme for emergency water infrastructure. This comes after federal Drought Minister David Littleproud ‘named and shamed’ South Australia for not pulling its weight in efforts to ease the hardships faced by drought-affected rural communities.

NZ burns units over capacity after eruption

The White Island volcano eruption has stretched New Zealand’s burns units to capacity, with patients spread across the country. New Zealand’s chief medical officer, Peter Watson, said that the amount of work for some of the burns units in one day was equivalent to the normal workload seen in a year. Of the 31 people injured, 27 had burns to more than 30% of their bodies. Some injured Australians are being transferred to hospitals at home by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Drones a buzz kill for malaria

In a first for disease prevention, drones are being tested to help fight malaria. During the experiment on the island of Zanzibar, drones will spray Aquatain, a silicone-based liquid, onto areas of stagnant water to prevent the eggs from malaria-carrying mosquitoes from hatching. The test is part of the Tanzanian government’s efforts to eliminate malaria on the archipelago by 2023.

The month in women, peace and security: November 2019

Mapping WPS in the UN Security Council

The Working Group on Women, Peace and Security has published its annual policy brief evaluating the UN Security Council’s implementation of the WPS policy framework. The group found that the council’s approach to WPS in 2018 remained ‘superficial, ad-hoc and inconsistent’ and suffered from a lack of accountability for the failure to fully implement all of the provisions of the WPS agenda. The brief highlights areas of missed opportunity for the council and provides recommendations for improvement.

Next generation WPS: case studies in women’s Inclusion

The United Nations Development Programme has released its inaugural publication of Next generation women, peace and security: case studies on women’s inclusion’. The report details the ways in which women and gender activists from N-Peace, a UNDP flagship initiative, have been using social innovation to address ongoing and emerging conflicts. The publication focuses on the work done by recipients of the initiative’s civil society grants to strengthen gender equality on all levels in ‘some of the most remote and isolated peacebuilding contexts’.

Ten steps for turning WPS commitments into actions

Gender Action for Peace and Security, which is funded by the UK government, and its partners have published a report on their consultations to mark the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 in 2020. A total of 245 organisations and individuals from 11 countries participated in the project. The main finding was that commitments on WPS are ‘vast and comprehensive’ but haven’t led to the inclusion of gender perspectives and women’s rights in policy and program development. The report provides a set of recommendations, dubbed the ‘10 steps’, that institutions and organisations can implement to help create a more peaceful world in which all rights are upheld.

Action plan database released

The London School of Economics Centre for Women, Peace and Security, in partnership with the University of Sydney, has published a new interactive database that catalogues all publicly available WPS national action plans. The database provides English translations for all non-English plans and allows users to search by region, country, year and topic.

Parliamentary WPS handbook

As part of the Global Project on Parliaments and Civil Society as Partners Supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, the UNDP has partnered with the Norwegian government to produce a handbook that provides guidance to parliamentarians on what they can do to support the WPS agenda. The handbook brings together the lessons learned from the UNDP’s global project and provides insights into international best practices and the ways in which parliaments can support women’s participation in peacebuilding and security.

Women in cybersecurity

Sonya Moisset, lead security engineer at Photobox, started a ‘Follow Friday’ thread on Twitter to give more visibility to women in cybersecurity. Moisset has put all of the names she has collected in an article to make it widely accessible. The list will continue to grow as more women in the field put their names forward.

WPS and the A4P agenda

The Challenges Forum’s most recent policy brief, Women, gender and the A4P agenda: an opportunity for action?, analyses the progress made on the commitments under the UN’s action for peacekeeping (A4P) agenda and the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that it’s positioned to advance WPS and improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping and peace operations. The paper’s author, ASPI’s Lisa Sharland, explains that the A4P agenda needs to keep WPS at the forefront if peacekeeping reforms are to be effective.

Advancing WPS through women’s health

In a new paper, physician and US Air Force lieutenant colonel Chelsea B. Payne discusses the WPS agenda in the context of global health and humanitarian crises. She argues that a woman’s health is a ‘core component of her ability to participate in community development, assume leadership roles, and make meaningful contributions to security cooperation’. The article provides a number of practical recommendations to expand women’s participation in the WPS agenda by promoting women’s health and addressing global health issues, such as neglected tropical diseases.

Women in policing in the UN

The International Peace Institute hosted a discussion on the experiences of women in UN Police (UNPOL) and their contribution to the WPS agenda. Gender parity is a top priority for UNPOL. It seeks to build a diverse police force because of the positive effects women have in conflict-stricken communities. Of the 9,353 personnel serving in UNPOL, 1,320 are women police officers who work across 23 UN peace operations. The panel noted that while increasing women’s participation is important, it’s crucial to place them in key positions so they can realise their true value in conflict areas. Multiple UN initiatives are helping women achieve leadership positions as well as bolstering participation rates.

Women in Mozambique call for broader view of security

A report by Associação Sócio-Cultural Horizonte Azul, a Mozambican feminist civil society organisation, and Columbia University investigates the widespread insecurity faced by Mozambican women and girls despite decades of relative peace. The report found that peace ‘should include everyday human security and wellbeing, beyond issues of war and armed conflict’. It argues that viewing structural inequality and safety through a gendered lens will create a more durable peace for all. Improving public infrastructure and dismantling gender norms were some practical suggestions for achieving a sustainable peace.

The five-domains update

Sea state

The US Navy is developing a new network architecture with the US Air Force to better link all their platforms together. Named the ‘new Manhattan project’, the aim is to allow the navy to network with air force command and control platforms over a wide area, in order to meet the rising challenge from China. This comes as the chief of naval operations also hinted that the navy may look beyond traditional aircraft carriers for its future aviation needs.

Captain Miho Otani has become the first woman to assume command of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis missile destroyer. She will take charge of the Myoko, which has a crew of around 300. Speaking to reporters, she said she would like appointments like hers to become the norm. Otani became the first Japanese female warship captain in 2016, when she was promoted to the command of the destroyer Yamagiri.

France has ordered six offshore patrol vessels from shipbuilder Socarenam. While no official specifications have been published, it’s reported that they could carry remotely controlled weapons systems and will be used to patrol France’s economic exclusive zone ‘in a context of increasing threats to [its] fishing resources, biodiversity and international maritime rules’. The vessels are set to be delivered between 2022 and 2025, and will be based in France’s Pacific Ocean territories and islands.

Flight path

The Royal Australian Air Force held its inaugural Exercise Christmas Drop Australia last week. The RAAF airdropped gift parcels to isolated Indigenous communities in Queensland and Western Australia, using a C-27J Spartan aircraft. Wing Commander Ben Poxon said the exercise was a chance for the air force to test out the C-27J, which is used to deliver combat supplies to troops, allowing crews to conduct tactical training while also delivering some Christmas cheer.

The USAF is looking to use augmented reality and virtual reality technologies for pilot training, but because many of the technologies use Chinese components, their ability to be used for secure training is limited. The use of virtual reality systems has shortened basic training programs for new pilots, but the risk of data breaches is preventing the technology from being used with the air force’s most advanced aircraft like the F-35.

A MiG-23 fighter aircraft belonging to the Libyan National Army (LNA) was shot down by opposition forces last week. According to an online video, people claiming to be members of the Libyan Government of National Accord used a portable missile to target the aircraft, though the video doesn’t show the aircraft being hit. The LNA has acknowledged the loss of the MiG-23, but said it crashed due to technical issues. The pilot apparently managed to eject from the plane.

Rapid fire

For the first time in 10 years, Australian and Bruneian soldiers took part in a joint training exercise named Mallee Bull at Brisbane’s Gallipoli Barracks. The two-week exercise focused on ‘integration training in urban environments with mechanised vehicles and reconnaissance’. The Australian Army says the exercise was an opportunity to enhance security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as deepen regional counterterrorism partnerships.

For 80 years, the Land Engineering Agency has been designing, developing and testing critical equipment for the Australian Army. The agency provides specialist engineering support for a wide range of equipment, ensuring the army is combat-ready. Most of the testing occurs on a 260-hectare site in Monegeetta, Victoria, where weapons, body armour and vehicles are subject to rigorous testing including extremes of heat and cold and electro-magnetic interference.

The US Army should look to 3D printing, especially for parts that require regular replacement, according to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Parts made by 3D printers can be lighter and more durable than their traditional counterparts and can also reduce costs and increase the availability of weapons and vehicles. Compared to the commercial sector, which now routinely uses 3D parts, the uptake of 3D printing has been slow in the military mainly because of concerns over reliability.

Final frontier

The European Space Agency has signed on to NASA’s mission to test whether a ‘kinetic impactor’ could successfully deflect an asteroid. As part of the mission, ESA and NASA will each send a spacecraft to Didymos, a double-asteroid system, to test and assess the impact of NASA’s double asteroid redirection test, known as DART. NASA will first slam a probe into a satellite of Didymos called Didymoon. The ESA will then assess the effects using a spacecraft and two cubesats.

The second version of the ‘crew interactive mobile companion’ known as CIMON 2, has reached the International Space Station. The robot, built by Airbus, is equipped with IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence system, has received an upgrade called the ‘Watson Tone Analyzer’, which enables it to assess and react to astronauts’ emotions. An IBM representative said the update means ‘CIMON has transformed from a scientific assistant to an empathetic conversational partner’.

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station over the weekend, delivering more than 2,585 kilograms of supplies and equipment. The delivery was the 19th resupply mission for NASA by SpaceX under the company’s commercial resupply services contract and the spacecraft’s third trip to the station. The mission had been scheduled for launch on 4 December but was postponed for a day due to high winds.

Wired watchtower

The federal government has agreed to establish a Senate select committee that will look into the risk posed to Australia by cyber-enabled foreign interference. The focus of the inquiry will be the spread of ‘fake news’ on social media and its impact on Australia’s democracy. The committee is expected to hold a series of hearings with policy experts over the next 12 months before presenting a final report to parliament.

Reddit has issued a statement linking the account involved in the leak of the details of UK–US trade talks on its platform to a campaign ‘originating from Russia’. As a result of its investigation, the company has banned one subreddit and 61 accounts. The UK government has said that it’s ‘looking into the matter’, news of which comes amid heightened concerns over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision not to publicly release the parliamentary intelligence committee’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Russian investigative outlet MBKh Media has revealed that access to Moscow’s network of more than 170,000 surveillance cameras is being sold on the black market. For A$690, anyone can purchase the username and password of a government-accredited official with access to the cameras, and gain access to the entire network, which includes 3,000 facial recognition cameras. Access to live footage from a specific camera can be gained for ‘tens of dollars’.

ASPI suggests

The world

NATO members met in London this week to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary and discuss the increasing number of challenges they face. But instead of projecting an image of unity and strength, global leaders squabbled and gossiped. Tom McTague argues in The Atlantic that while NATO embodies the core values of the West, the organisation and those values no longer overlap. He asks how Australia, New Zealand and Japan might fit in a revised NATO framework.

With that in mind, see this article by the German Marshall Fund which argues the organisation must endure, even if the London meeting was the first nail in NATO’s coffin. Across at The National Interest, Daniel DePetris examines French President Emmanuel Macron’s question of whether NATO can shift its mandate from deterring Russia to defeating terrorism.

The meeting highlighted the widening rifts between key NATO partners, notably between France and the US, Turkey and the broader alliance, and US President Donald Trump and almost everyone. Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems has caused strains with the US and NATO; however, the Center for Strategic and International Studies claims it’s a relationship worth saving, particularly due to the country’s geostrategic location. As for Trump, calling some NATO members ‘delinquent’ was only the start of his contribution to the meeting. Foreign Policy has an interesting article illustrating NATO funding by country that proves the US leader isn’t solely responsible for the recent lift in defence spending by alliance members.

Australia’s China policy has been the subject of substantial debate for several years, but recent events have reinvigorated it. The debate, John Kehoe notes in the Australian Financial Review, shows a substantial divide among Canberra’s strategic and economic policymakers. Graeme Dobell talks about the ‘new normal’ in this provocative piece in The Strategist. This Canberra Times article by ASPI’s Michael Shoebridge calls for greater interagency cohesion within government ranks to deal with a revisionist China. On the broad sweep of bilateral relations, Peter Hartcher’s new Quarterly Essay, Red flag: waking up to China’s challenge, is an essential long read.

The voting process for the Bougainville referendum, which was spread across 829 locations in three countries, has almost concluded. Ballot boxes will remain sealed until postal voting ends tomorrow. It will be some weeks before the final result is known. People in the capital Buka are in high spirits, according to The Interpreter, although questions remain about the economic stability of the autonomous region and whether Bougainville has the necessary public administration skills that would be needed to establish a new country if it does eventually achieve independence. Foreign Brief has a great explainer on the referendum and what to expect next.

Papua New Guinea’s latest budget report confirms that Australia’s recent $440 million loan ‘replaces’ a proposed loan from China. The ABC has the details. This ASPI report highlights the growing challenges of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, from external influences to climate change. And see the Washington Post for the latest developments in the South China Sea.

Across to another part of the Indo-Pacific, Japan and India held their inaugural  ‘2+2’ meeting of defence and foreign ministers last week. This Foreign Policy article lays out a great roadmap for the future of bilateral relations between the two countries. On a related note, this article in The Diplomat presents an interesting argument outlining the significance of a new counterterrorism exercise conducted by the Quad countries.

Tech geek

If you like science fiction and are interested in military affairs, the Australian Defence College has a writing contest on future warfare for its journal, The Forge, for anyone who wants to be the next John Scalzi, Joe Haldeman or Peter Hamilton. The deadline is 1 March.

For those into maps, there’s a new tool out to quickly create military maps to show campaign plans and tactical actions.

CSIS has released an important report on the future of the US Air Force. The study finds that, in the face of increasing threats, the branch is spending more to get less operational capability. It argues that more emphasis should be placed on survivable long-range platforms, including bombers, given the emerging threat environment. It also calls for a shift away from platform-centric to payload-centric planning.

There’s a great piece in War on the Rocks on the future of military technology and the nature of warfare in the context of lessons gleaned from previous long-term forecasts. The WOTR staff have also compiled their holiday reading list.

Perhaps the coolest looking warship afloat is Sweden’s Visby-class corvette. The Drive has an article that looks at just how stealthy this platform is. And Strategy Page has an interesting article on the challenge facing the US Navy in sustaining its production of Virginia-class submarines.

Moving into space, the Council on Foreign Relations has a podcast on how to manage space junk, a graphical simulation of the problem, and a new tool which shows near misses between satellites and space junk in real time.

This week in history

Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on 1 December 1955. Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott in what proved to be a significant chapter in the American civil rights movement.

Multimedia

For the 25 best news photographs of the year, head across to The Atlantic.

In the shadow of the 70th anniversary of NATO, Al Jazeera’s Inside Story investigates what will happen if member states can’t settle their differences. [24.45]

Podcasts

The Interpreter discusses Chinese influence in the Pacific before looking at the probability of and risks that would be posed by a Chinese naval base in the region. [34.59]

For a deep dive into what Trump’s potential impeachment means for US foreign policy and national security, listen to this episode of the National Security Podcast. [57.01]

Events

Canberra, 7 December, 10 am – 3.45 pm, ASPI: ‘Indigi-cyber camp for kids’. Register here.

Sydney, 7 December, 2–3 pm, University of Sydney: ‘Troy: fact or fiction?’ Register here.

National security wrap

The beat

AFP and Europol trap cyber rats

Law enforcement agencies from Europe and Australia have dismantled an international cybercrime operation involving the use of malware known as ‘Imminent Monitor Remote Access Trojan’, or IM-RAT. The operation was led by the Australian Federal Police, and Europol and Eurojust provided assistance with coordinating the European agencies involved. The investigation found that the malware had been sold to more than 14,500 buyers in 124 countries. Officers executed 85 warrants, seized 434 devices and arrested 13 people in the bust.

Chinese and Serbian police units hold joint training

China’s special police joined Serbian anti-terrorist and local police in an exercise at a Chinese-owned steel mill outside Belgrade. The exercise marks the first time China’s special police have taken part in joint training drills in Europe. Officers worked together to rescue hostages in a staged raid. In September, Chinese police officers were deployed in Serbia to help deal with the growing number of Chinese tourists and workers there.

Amazon’s Ring provided US police with video doorbell map

CNET has revealed that for more than a year, Amazon’s home surveillance company, Ring, provided hundreds of US police departments with a detailed heat map of all its video doorbells. Police with access to the map could zoom in on specific locations, down to the street level, and also type in specific addresses to see whether there were any Ring devices in the surrounding area. The feature was removed in July.

Checkpoint

Tories pledge to introduce US- and Australian-style immigration controls

The UK Conservatives have vowed to strengthen border security, if they win next week’s election, by introducing a US-style electronic travel authorisation visa-waiver system, which all visitors would need to apply for. Alongside automated entrance and exit checks, the Tories say the system would help ‘screen arrivals against watchlists and block those deemed to be a threat from entering the UK’. The party also indicated that it plans to introduce an Australian-style points-based immigration system if it wins the election.

US proposes facial recognition expansion

The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed changing existing regulations to allow the use of facial-recognition technology on all people entering and leaving the country, including US citizens. According to an official, the change is in the ‘final stages of clearance’, though it won’t go into effect until after a period of public comment. A Democrat senator is planning legislation to block the proposal, which he says would ‘amount to disturbing government coercion’.

Turkey and Libya sign maritime border deal

Turkey has signed a deal with Libya to delimit maritime zones in the Mediterranean Sea, as a means of ‘protecting Turkey’s rights’. The agreement has already drawn anger from Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, which deemed the delimitation a ‘serious violation of international law’. This latest move has escalated tensions in the Mediterranean, spurred by conflicting claims over energy resources.

CT scan

Fake explosives used to generate fear

Two people were killed and three wounded in a terrorist attack on London Bridge on Friday. The attacker, Usman Khan, had been convicted of terrorism offences and was on parole when the attack occurred. Khan was wearing a ‘hoax explosive device’ similar to the ones used in the 2017 London Bridge attacks that killed 11 people. In 2016, an media group linked to Islamic State urged would-be attackers to wear fake explosives to create more fear and confusion.

Reward offered for high-ranking US terrorist

The US State Department is offering US$5 million for information that leads to the arrest of a US citizen on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list. Jehad Serwan Mostafa is wanted for providing material support from 2008 to 2017 to Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab. The FBI believes that Mostafa is the ‘highest-ranking United States citizen fighting overseas for a terrorist organization’, having learned earlier this year that he is a leader in the group’s ‘explosives department’.

Right-wing extremism cases mount in German army

Germany’s Bundeswehr will suspend an officer of its special forces for being involved in far-right extremism following a months-long intelligence operation by the military counterintelligence service. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said that the German special forces have a ‘special responsibility to counter any tendency toward radicalism’. Another 20 members of the elite unit, and a total of 450 across the German military, are being investigated for links to right-wing extremism.

First responder

Samoa shuts down government to combat measles epidemic

Samoa is in the midst of a two-day government shutdown in which all branches, except the water and electricity sectors, are closed as workers assist in a vaccination campaign in response to the measles outbreak. The shutdown comes as authorities ask unvaccinated families to display red flags outside their homes to help alert the community. The New Zealand Defence Force is providing logistics support and medical supplies and the UK is sending 13 doctors to assist in the program.

EU satellite tracks Australian bushfires

The EU’s Copernicus satellite emergency management service has been activated by the Australian government to assist with tracking bushfires in New South Wales. As part of the service, a team based in Belgium produced the year’s largest emergency mapping operation. The 29 maps provided to firefighters are designed to help them form a plan for fighting the fires based on their predicted movement.

Climate tipping points on the move

Scientists have warned that there’s evidence that more than half the climate tipping points identified a decade ago have been activated much earlier than expected. Tipping points occur when specific impacts of global warming become irreversible. Impacts can start to cascade once tipping points are reached, but there’s uncertainty over how they interact with each other. Scientists say the tipping points pose an ‘existential threat to civilisation’.

Indo-Pacific island states face increasing maritime security threats

In a new ASPI report, titled Ocean horizons, we examine how Pacific island countries and Indian Ocean island states are managing and prioritising their maritime security challenges. The Indo-Pacific islands face an intricate offshore tapestry: the pervasive maritime nature of the strategic environment in the region makes most threats maritime in one way or another.

We found that maritime threats and risks for the Indo-Pacific island states are increasing. That’s in part because of the general lack of effective maritime security identified in our study.

The geostrategic location of the island states in the Indo-Pacific, though perhaps not the biggest security concern in their own eyes, is nonetheless an important factor in determining their approach and response to their maritime security concerns.

The island states are facing an increasingly diversified threat environment when it comes to maritime security. Illegal fishing and the impacts of climate change are the highest priority risks and threats.

There are also a range of other environmental security threats to the Pacific islands, such as illegal dumping from sea-based sources, oil pollution, World War II shipwrecks with corroding metal hulls, the introduction of harmful species through ballast water, and marine litter. Smuggling of drugs (especially cocaine) through the region that are destined for Australia from Latin America is also a growing problem.

In nearly all the Pacific islands there’s a lack of coordination between the many agencies concerned with maritime security. Most agencies are starved of equipment, maintenance and operational funds. Many islands lack the communications infrastructure that would enable a quick response to some national emergencies, including a major maritime search and rescue operation. Air surveillance of areas of national maritime jurisdiction is conducted only occasionally.

The security priorities of Indian Ocean island states have evolved in recent years in response to a changing regional environment. After more than a decade of focusing on Somali-based piracy, especially by the western Indian Ocean islands, that threat is now largely under control. But there are other types of threats, including climate change, illegal fishing, people smuggling and violent extremism.

Drug trafficking in the western Indian Ocean, especially via the so-called Smack Track, is a serious and immediate security threat. Maritime safety is also a big concern: there are numerous ferry accidents and four out of the seven worst container ship disasters in recent years occurred in the Indian Ocean region. The number of port state inspections of shipping is low.

Like in the Pacific, efforts to enhance maritime security of the Indian Ocean island states should focus on enhancing national and regional maritime domain awareness.

The Indo-Pacific island states are characterised by great diversity in geography, ethnic and social makeup and historical experiences. But despite that diversity they share many characteristics.

Major powers are targeting the Indo-Pacific island states to gain strategic benefits or expand their political influence. China is continuing to push its Belt and Road Initiative and its world view. There’s a focus on investment but also a clear geostrategic element in its engagement with the Indo-Pacific islands.

A combination of their small size, weak governance and limited financial resources make many island states uniquely vulnerable to the adverse effects of major-power competition.

But it shouldn’t be assumed that the islands are always mere pawns in a wider strategic contest. They have agency, often considerable agency, in pursuing their own national interests, whether through aligning themselves with larger powers or playing off larger powers against each other.

But that can be a risky game, and many small island states have little room for error in resisting larger powers. The difficulty for small island states to go it alone means that regional institutions play a vital role in building their resilience to address both maritime security challenges and strategic competition.

We found that few Indo-Pacific island states have published a national maritime security strategy for their country, although some have developed national security strategies, national oceans policies, border security strategies, or some combination of them.

For the most part, the level of surveillance and patrol of Indo-Pacific island states’ waters is inadequate. Significant gaps also exist in many of the island states’ national legal frameworks and maritime law enforcement training schemes to deal with the full range of illegal activity at sea.

Among our recommendations for Indo-Pacific island states, we suggest that they develop and implement national maritime security strategies and be encouraged to pool their air surveillance capabilities. Remote island and coastal areas should be patrolled regularly to protect sovereignty, prevent illegal activity and support nation-building.

They should consider building national systems for maritime domain awareness, starting with effective coordination and information-sharing among their own national agencies as well as private organisations and local communities. We suggest that Australia, Japan and other like-minded countries working with Indo-Pacific island states help promote the development of such systems. They should establish a working group of their coastguard agencies to take stock of and coordinate their assistance to Indo-Pacific island and littoral states.

Australia needs to take a more active role in building capabilities among selected Indian Ocean island states, especially Sri Lanka and the Maldives. This should not seek to replicate Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program but can draw valuable lessons from that experience.

Given the importance of environmental security to Indo-Pacific island states, Australia and its partners must do more to help shape the regional narrative by building shared understandings of environmental security threats. If we don’t do it, then others will.

In the Indian Ocean, the newly established Indian Ocean Rim Association Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security should be given material support to help develop regional norms relating to maritime security and safety.

Finally, countries such as Japan and Australia have much to offer in helping Indo-Pacific island states to develop their blue economies through capacity building. Australia’s new Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre could play a useful role, particularly in policy and management, aquaculture species development and renewable energy converters to provide energy and fresh water (desalination).

Australia and Japan should also convene a regular forum of Indo-Pacific island states to exchange ideas on identifying potential areas of cooperation on the blue economy.

The five-domains update

Sea state

Australia’s fleet of 12 new submarines will cost about $225 billion to build and maintain, according to the program’s head. Greg Sammut told Senate estimates that it would cost $80 billion to build the vessels plus $145 billion to ‘sustain, update and upgrade’ them until 2080. ASPI’s Marcus Hellyer said the total cost wasn’t surprising, as submarines are ‘currently our most expensive capability to sustain’. This comes as businesses Berendsen Fluid Power and H&H Machine Tools were selected as the first Australian companies to deliver equipment designs and machines for the program.

Iran has confirmed it will participate in naval exercises with Russia and China later this year. Iran’s navy chief Hossein Khanzadi was reported as saying the drills will ‘ensure collective security and help strengthen security in the northern region of the Indian Ocean’. Tensions remain high between the three nations and the West, and Khanzadi also said that the exercises will show ‘that these three countries have reached a meaningful strategic point in their relations’.

The Netherlands will contribute to a French-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, after France pushed for a European alternative to the US-led coalition there. The initiative could start next year and is meant to ensure the safe passage of ships in the strait. The Dutch contribution will consist of a frigate and a number of officers who will be stationed at the mission’s headquarters, which will be a French naval base in Abu Dhabi.

Flight path

Australia has selected General Atomics’ MQ-9B Sky Guardian to be the country’s first armed medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. The unmanned aerial vehicle will help ‘ensure that [the] Australian Defence Force maintains state-of-the-art capability’, said Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. The next phase of the $1.3 billion project will be to develop an acquisition proposal that includes advice on aircraft numbers and cost profiles, which is scheduled for consideration in 2021–22.

The US Air Force flew a U-2S reconnaissance plane above South Korea following North Korea’s recent test-firing of a rocket launcher. The plane, nicknamed the Dragon Lady, was seen flying at an altitude of around 15,240 metres over Seoul and areas near the demilitarised zone. US monitoring efforts have increased as the end-of-year deadline Pyongyang set for Washington to ‘show flexibility in nuclear negotiations’ nears.

Two Typhoon fighter aircraft were scrambled under the UK’s ‘quick reaction alert’ procedures after a commercial flight from Tel Aviv lost communications over British airspace on its way to the US. Londoners and residents of Hertfordshire were awoken at around 4.20 am by the ‘explosions’ of supersonic booms as the jets chased after the plane.

Rapid fire

The ADF is devising a strategy to develop weaponised robots to ‘modernise levels of protection and lethality’ for soldiers. The Defence tender, which closed last Friday, called for the private sector to partner with the Australian Army to accelerate human–machine ‘teaming’. Much of the technology required already exists but the challenge lies in integrating it with humans to ‘achieve a collaborative effect’ that creates a tactical advantage.

The British Army and its Guards Division are using the controversial app TikTok to recruit soldiers despite concerns over the way data may be used by its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The official social media accounts now have a total of more than 50,000 followers and show soldiers operating tanks and answering questions about life in the military. The US has taken a different attitude towards TikTok, banning soldiers from using their personal accounts while in uniform as it undertakes a security assessment of the app.

The US Army is buying ‘barrier blind’ hollow-point ammunition for its new Sig Sauer M17 and M18 9-millimetre pistols, which are set to become the standard sidearms for the US military. The bullets can penetrate materials like windows, plywood and thin sheet metal, and maintain a uniform shape and therefore their stopping power.

Final frontier

After more than two years of preparation, the European Space Agency has secured €14.4 billion (A$23.4 billion) from its 22 member states to support its programs for the next three years. The agency’s earth observation program Copernicus was awarded more than 10% of the budget. The agency’s director-general, Jan Woerner, noted that efforts to monitor climate change were a strong driver behind  Copernicus funding. Germany, France, Italy and the UK were the top contributors.

France’s national space agency, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, and NASA have published the first global study on the migratory patterns of zooplankton. Between 2008 and 2017, the agencies used a LIDAR laser to monitor diel vertical migrations, which occur when aquatic animals rise to the surface at night and dive again during the day. The study’s lead researcher said the data will help researchers quantify the impact of the migration on the carbon cycle.

Russia has confirmed that its aerospace forces have delivered a classified military satellite into orbit using a Soyuz rocket. The satellite has been sent into low-earth orbit to monitor other Russian satellites and is equipped to take pictures of the earth’s surface. Space agency Roscomos confirmed that the launch was the fifth time this year a Soyuz-2 spacecraft has been launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome north of Moscow.

Wired watchtower

Huawei has claimed that Australia’s decision to bar it from the country’s 5G network could result in the loss of up to 1,500 jobs at suppliers and contractors, with the company’s pipeline of work set to ‘dry up’ by the end of 2020. The company has also engaged an Australian law firm, co-founded by former politician Nick Xenophon, to address ‘false and malicious attacks’ on the company. Huawei says it’s engaged the law firm as part of its new ‘strategic counsel’.

Mobile users in China are now required to submit to facial recognition scans when registering a new SIM card. China’s information ministry says the monitoring measure will ensure that the rights and interests of citizens in cyberspace will be protected. Under the new rule, telecommunications companies will use ‘artificial intelligence and other technical methods’ to check the identities of people registering SIM cards.

Facebook has issued its first ‘correction’ in accordance with Singapore’s controversial ‘fake news’ law. Singaporean authorities initially pushed for the author—a news site—to correct the post, which they claimed contained false information and ‘scurrilous accusations’. The correction notice stated that ‘Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information’ and is visible only to users in Singapore.