The beat

Victoria Police told to tackle officers’ misuse of personal data

Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission has warned the state’s police to be more proactive in preventing the misuse of personal data by officers. The watchdog found that the police database isn’t proactively monitored and audited, which means the misuse of personal data often goes unnoticed. It also found that most discoveries of data misuse are the result of a separate investigation into other types of misconduct.

Right-wing extremists trying to recruit police

German media have reported that a confidential Europol report revealed that right-wing extremist groups are looking to recruit police and military officers from EU member countries. According to the report, the extremists’ objective is to capitalise on the officers’ expertise in ‘surveillance and combat readiness’, and to gain access to weaponry. Europol has previously warned of increasing far-right violence in the EU and called for international action.

Greek police disrupt baby trade

An illegal ‘birth industry’ involving the sale of babies has been dismantled by police in northern Greece. Twelve people were arrested and a further 66 charged in connection with the illegal operation. Crime squad chief Antois Tzitzis said it was the ‘biggest and best organised’ such business in Europe, with police tracing the group to the sale of 22 babies, 24 eggs and 10 paid surrogates between 2016 and 2019.

Checkpoint

North Korean fishermen detained by Russia after shootout

Russian border patrol guards detained 161 North Korean poachers in the Sea of Japan, after discovering their boats fishing within Russia’s exclusive economic zone. A shootout occurred that injured both the border guards and poachers. One North Korean later died in custody. Russian authorities are preparing criminal cases against the men, and senior Russian and North Korean diplomats have met in Moscow to discuss the fate of the group.

Indian arrested for spying for Pakistan

Indian army officials have apprehended a man for allegedly sending photographs of the under-construction Kartarpur corridor to Pakistan. The suspect, identified as Vipan Singh, was arrested for passing vital information to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency for a payment worth A$20,000. Once complete, the Kartarpur corridor will connect Sikh shrines between the two countries and facilitate visa-free movement of pilgrims.

Palestinians hurt in Hamas rocket attack

Seven Palestinians have reportedly been injured in a failed attempt by Hamas to launch rockets into Israel. Three rockets are thought to have been fired, but all failed to cross the border and landed in Hamas-controlled territory. Two of the rockets landed outside a home in Rafah and the third fell near the Israel–Gaza border fence. The incident came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that war between Israel and groups like Hamas could break out ‘at any moment’.

CT scan

NSW government lets terror law lapse

The NSW government has been criticised after a terror law was allowed to lapse. Part 6B of the Crimes Act 1900, which contains the offence of membership of a terrorist organisation, was repealed after a sunset clause took effect. Attorney-General Mark Speakman played down the lapse, saying the offence is covered under federal legislation, but his opposition counterpart Paul Lynch called the failure ‘utterly extraordinary’.

Iran’s president labels US a ‘supporter of terrorism’

In an interview with Fox News, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the US a ‘supporter of terrorism’ and talked down Iran’s role in attacks on Saudi oil facilities, adding that they were an embarrassment for US-made missile defence systems used by the Saudis. Rouhani also downplayed the possibility of a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the UN in New York, saying they ‘must create mutual trust’ first.

US recognises white supremacy as domestic terror threat

The US Department of Homeland Security has added white supremacy to its list of domestic terrorism threats and has announced an updated framework to combat violent extremism. It marks the first time since its formation in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001 that the department has recognised white supremacists as posing a threat on par with that posed by foreign groups.

First responder

Speech shows defence force’s climate change concerns

A speech prepared for defence force chief Angus Campbell and obtained by the ABC notes that climate change could stretch the Australian Defence Force. It’s not clear how closely Campbell followed the written version of the speech, which was set to be delivered at a public service leaders’ retreat in June, but the text notes that climate change will make natural disasters more extreme and more common, something which could affect the ADF’s ability to provide disaster relief and deploy on other missions. The speech also warned that the ADF could be drawn into climate-change-induced conflicts around the world.

Ebola scare in Tanzania

The World Health Organization has issued a statement raising concerns regarding possible Ebola cases in Tanzania, as the country has refused to submit samples for secondary testing and verification. The news came after the WHO dispatched a team to investigate reports of the death of a person suspected of having Ebola. The Tanzanian government has since summoned the country’s WHO representative official for ‘co-operation talks’ on the issue.

Polio returns to Philippines after 19 years

The Philippines announced last week that polio had returned to the country after 19 years free of the infectious disease. Government scientists confirmed the re-emergence of polio after two cases were reported. Poor immunisation, sanitation and hygiene have been cited as probable causes for the disease’s return. Philippines Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that the government would roll out a new polio vaccination campaign in partnership with the World Health Organization.

The world

An attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities knocked out over 5% of the world’s daily crude oil production on Saturday. See Al Jazeera for the evidence put forward by Saudi Arabia accusing Iran of being behind the attack. Two Strategist articles are worth a read, one highlighting the infrastructure and equipment necessary to pull off such a precise attack, and the implications for Australia; the other explaining the need to adapt to this new form of warfare. Writing for the ABC, Ben Rich uses the Saudi experience to discuss how drones are levelling the playing field between military powers and more simply armed state and non-state actors. The Guardian explains how cheap and easy-to-acquire drones may have negated the need for fast jets and attack aircraft. This article by the Atlantic Council emphasises the importance of protecting critical infrastructure.

Immigration trouble is brewing ahead of the United Nations’ biggest annual diplomatic event next week—the UN General Assembly’s leaders’ week. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif have yet to receive their visas, which may keep them from participating. And two Cuban diplomats have been kicked out of the US for undertaking ‘influence operations’. The remaining Cubans will have their travel around New York further restricted. The US’s place as the host country of the UN has caused trouble in the past, despite the Headquarters Agreement which requires it to allow delegates to travel to the UN. In one famous example, the UN General Assembly relocated to Geneva for the 1988 session after President Ronald Reagan denied Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a US visa.

We’ve been tracking Afghanistan closely here on ASPI Suggests due in part to the recent volatility of the relationship between the US and the Taliban as negotiations between them collapsed. The Interpreter published an article weighing up the options. This week the White House accused the Afghan government of being ‘incapable of being a partner’ and slashed US$160 million from US aid to the country. Defense One has published an article looking at the efficacy of aid in a country like Afghanistan. The US announcement came just ahead of next week’s Afghan presidential election. See here for a good explainer of the main candidates and an overview of how the election will run.

Speaking of negotiations, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apparently abided by an agreement on a moratorium on nuclear testing. If a deal to denuclearise the Korean peninsula can be achieved, the next challenge will be establishing a monitoring group for North Korea. The Carnegie Endowment puts forward an interesting proposal on what such a group would look like. The way forward, according to 38 North, lies with convincing Kim that North Korea’s economic future will be secure if it gives up its WMDs. Speaking of which, did you know the US tested 1,032 nuclear weapons on its own soil between 1945 and 1992?

For some extra reads, see Foreign Policy for the latest on Europe’s arms sales and the need to stem its exports to reduce the impact on conflicts around the globe, and Foreign Affairs for a dive into how Taiwan’s defence strategy makes more political sense than military sense.

Tech geek

It’s an airpower theme this week. With combat-readiness low for the US Air Force’s B-1 Lancer bombers, and growing concern about looming shortfalls in capability, how to meet the requirements of the USAF bomber roadmap is a growing issue. USAF General Timothy Ray gave an interesting talk about the future role of bombers in which he suggested growth of the bomber force is essential and pushed for an overall bomber force of more than 225 aircraft (currently it’s 156).

Defence Connect suggests that constraints on America’s ability to meet such a target may open up an opportunity for allies to support the B-21 Raider project. For Australia, that could mean restoring the long-range strike capability lost with the retirement of the F-111C in 2010.

Raytheon has introduced a new medium-range air-to-air missile called the Peregrine that could double the magazine carried in the internal weapons bay of the RAAF’s F-35A to eight missiles. That could then be expanded to 12 weapons if Lockheed Martin’s proposed ‘Sidekick’ were to also be incorporated.

The Warzone has released a fantastic primer on unmanned combat aerial vehicles and why the US has been slow to embrace them. And speaking of drones, Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based tanker UAV has just flown for the first time.

The US’s ‘next generation air dominance’ program to develop a successor to the F-35 and F-22 jets may be a new ‘Century Series’ that develops and produces a new aircraft in five years or less.

And finally, the US Government Accounting Office has released a really useful fact sheet on hypersonics.

This week in history

On 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give women the right to vote. The Conversation explores the 1893 Electoral Act and why it took 26 years before women could stand for parliament. Women’s suffrage in Australia wasn’t granted until 1902, though South Australia and Western Australia gave women the vote in 1894 and 1899.

Multimedia

The largest expedition to ever head to the frozen north is setting out on an effort to find out what a warming Arctic means for our environment. National Geographic’s photo story shows the team’s preparations and what they expect to find.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan sat down with Al Jazeera to discuss the situation in Kashmir and the possibility of conflict with India. [25:30]

Podcasts

The Council on Foreign Affairs interviewed former US officials to get their thoughts on what a nuclear conflict between America and Russia would look like. [25:31]

Discussing the recent attacks on the Saudi oil facilities, a whistleblower incident in the US, how to build a coalition to fight climate change, and more, is Pod Save the World. [1:13.21]

Events

Canberra, 26 September, 4–5.30 pm, Australian National University: ‘China’s tech-enhanced authoritarianism’ with ASPI visiting fellow Samantha Hoffman. Register here.

Melbourne, 26 September, 5.30–7 pm, University of Melbourne: ‘Trump and the politics and ideology of American foreign policy’. Tickets here.

After World War II, Asia emerged from years of conflict and centuries of colonialism. The United States quickly became the main guarantor of regional security, signing bilateral defence treaties and establishing preferential trade and investment relationships with its Asian allies—in particular, the Philippines, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan. In the decades since, Asia has reaped substantial development gains from open trade, investment and multilateral cooperation, enabling the region to become a leading global trade hub.

But recent geostrategic and economic developments have called the post-1945 multilateral order into question, fuelling uncertainty in the region. First and foremost, the US under President Donald Trump is retreating from the global stage, and from Asia in particular. What’s more, the US is disengaging at a time when China is challenging not only the territorial integrity of several Asian countries but also the liberal tenor of the regional economic order.

Given this uncertainty, it is high time that Asia’s democratic governments made promoting regional peace and prosperity a top priority. And closer multilateral cooperation should be central to this effort.

True, Asian leaders seem collectively to understand the challenges arising from US disengagement and the increasingly Sinocentric regional order. Yet attempts to forge a homegrown Asian multilateralism that might address these issues are too often piecemeal and sporadic. To gain traction, these efforts will need greater buy-in from developed democracies such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, along with more enthusiastic participation from India, South Korea and other emerging powers.

Crucially, Asian leaders should avoid giving the impression that closer multilateral cooperation is primarily directed against China. Even if such initiatives may indeed serve as a counterweight to China’s bid for regional dominance, a confrontational approach will only prove counterproductive.

For example, democratic governments in Asia and elsewhere are concerned about several aspects of China’s massive transnational infrastructure investment program, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). They worry about excessive debt burdens for partner governments, disregard for labour standards and preferential treatment for Chinese investors at the expense of local actors. More generally, the BRI’s significant financial and other benefits often come at the expense of the liberal values that democracies hold dear.

But discouraging governments from participating in the BRI is not the way to go. On the contrary, partner countries must try to shape the initiative from within, in order to ensure that it adheres more closely to international norms and principles.

Similarly, Asian governments should use their collective weight to promote a democratic and rules-based order that incorporates their countries’ values and institutional preferences. In this regard, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed multilateral free-trade agreement for the Asia–Pacific region that originally included the US, could have been a powerful tool in counterbalancing the illiberal aspects of China’s rise. But the Trump administration, in one of its first official acts, withdrew the US from the TPP in January 2017.

Encouragingly, however, the remaining TPP members, spearheaded by Japan, have forged ahead without the US, establishing what is now called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans‑Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This new bloc should strive to include other large regional economies such as South Korea and India.

An expanded CPTPP could thus emerge as a viable counterweight to Chinese initiatives by offering liberal democracies a transparent, accountable and sustainable path to regional economic growth and social progress. Stronger cooperation among Asian countries might even help to mitigate the effects of US–China competition on the region’s smaller economies.

The CPTPP is also evidence of a shared commitment by Asian governments to freer trade and economic integration. Trade liberalisation in the region is being further boosted by the establishment of flexible ‘mini-lateral’ institutions such as the so-called ASEAN+3 and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, which promote good governance and free markets at the subregional level. The presence of these bodies, and of larger regional entities such as APEC, offers some reason for cheer at a time when global economic multilateralism is in deep trouble.

With the US retreating from Asia and China threatening to dominate the region, Asia’s democracies must assert their common interests more strongly. They have made a good start with the CPTPP. But building a thriving Asian multilateral order will require a much greater economic, political and social commitment than they have made so far.

This article is part of a joint initiative of the Körber-Stiftung and the Munich Security Conference on the future of multilateralism, multilateral best practices, and regional perspectives on multilateral cooperation. The full project is available for download at www.munich-young-leaders.org.

Sea state

The UK Ministry of Defence has named Babcock International as the preferred bidder of a £1.25 billion (A$2.27 billion) contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy. The vessels will be based on a Danish design and have been dubbed ‘Lidl frigates’ after a chain of cheap supermarkets because of their relatively low cost of £250 million (A$453 million) per ship. Construction is expected to start in 2021, with the first ship scheduled for launch in 2023. The government says the program will support more than 2,500 jobs across the UK.

The US Navy has achieved a major milestone in aquatic drone warfare, after completing a ‘single-sortie mine hunting’ mission using autonomous systems. The navy sent an unmanned boat equipped with sonar to identify underwater mines, before deploying a secondary autonomous system to destroy them. The ability to ‘get the man out of the minefield’ opens up the possibility of getting people out of harm’s way and allowing robots to sweep minefields instead.

Thailand and China have signed an agreement that will see state-owned company China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation construct a Type 071E amphibious transport dock for the Royal Thai Navy. The vessel is likely to be between 20,000 and 25,000 tons and will be able to carry amphibious vehicles as well as tanks and helicopters. This deal is the first time China has exported a landing platform dock warship.

Flight path

Poland will likely become the first ex-Warsaw Pact member to buy the F-35 fighter jet after a potential purchase was cleared by the US State Department. Warsaw wants to buy 32 of the conventional take-off and landing ‘A’ variants of the aircraft at a cost of US$6.5 billion to replace its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-22s. While Congress may still block the sale, it’s expected to approve the deal.

A new wedge-shaped aircraft that could be a supersonic drone has been spotted in images taken during preparations for a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The operational status and use of the craft are unknown, but the fact that China looks set to include it in a major parade means that it could be operational relatively soon.

Italy has become the second country, after Sweden, to join the UK’s Tempest project to create a next-generation fighter plane after signing a statement of intent to work on the project. The program aims to replace the current Eurofighter Typhoon program from 2040. Italy’s involvement in the Tempest project could spur a European fighter race, with France, Germany and Spain signed on to a separate effort to develop a next-generation combat aircraft.

Rapid fire

The British Army says it will continue down a ‘green’ path in order to protect the environment and raise recruitment numbers among young people, with recent evidence suggesting that environmental credentials increasingly contribute to a person’s career decision. Army chief Mark Carleton-Smith said that the current generation of weapons platforms and vehicles could be the last to rely on fossil fuels.

Indigenous soldiers now account for 40% of new recruits in the Australian Army’s 51st Battalion, a highly specialised Regional Force Surveillance Unit based in far north Queensland. The battalion is actively looking for the sorts of traditional skills that are passed down through the generations in Indigenous communities. Skills like moving silently and tracking and hunting translate well to the battalion’s border protection operations. The Australian Defence Force aims to increase its recruitment of Indigenous people to 5% of total recruits by 2025.

A study conducted by the University of South Australia and the US Air Force Academy has found that soldiers treat robots more like colleagues than machines. The study found soldiers work more closely with and value more highly robots that are more human-like. The study highlighted how emotional connections can affect battlefield decisions, with soldiers 12% less likely to risk the ‘life’ of a human-like robot than a non-human-like one.

Final frontier

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have made the first cement in microgravity. Cement might be useful for protecting astronauts and equipment from cosmic radiation and extreme temperatures if humans colonise the moon or Mars. Researchers hope colonists will eventually be able to use extraterrestrial materials, like moon dust, to form the material. The project found that cement made in space is much more porous than cement made on earth.

Business magnate Richard Branson revealed Virgin Orbit’s national security ambitions at the annual Air Force Association Air, Space & Cyber symposium on Monday. He noted that the company’s recent modification of a Boeing 747 into a spacecraft carrier will make it possible to launch a satellite with just four or five hours’ notice. Branson said the ability to provide quick replacements should serve as a deterrent to adversaries who are contemplating knocking out US satellites.

Two graduate students have published a study on the feasibility of a ‘lunar space elevator’. They found that it was ‘technologically and financially feasible’ to transport people to and from the moon using a cable. The cable would be attached to the moon and stretch more than 300,000 kilometres towards the earth. Travelers would have to take a shuttle from earth to the end of the cable and then move up the cable using ‘solar-powered robotic vehicles’. The authors estimate that the cable system would cost US$1 billion (A$1.46 billion).

Wired watchtower

It’s been revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate knew that Beijing was behind the cyberattacks on the Australian parliament and the Liberal, Labor and National parties in March. The decision not to go public with the information was reportedly made in order to avoid negatively affecting Australia’s trade relationship with China.

Israel has been implicated in a spying operation in the US. Israeli operatives are reported to have placed mobile surveillance devices known as ‘Stingrays’ near the White House and other high-profile areas in Washington. The devices are known as ‘international mobile subscriber identity-catchers’ and can record information on the location and identity of a mobile user, as well as call content and data usage. Despite US security agencies reportedly finding that Israel was the most likely culprit, President Donald Trump has dismissed the allegations.

Huawei chief executive Ren Zhengfei has offered to share the company’s ‘5G patents, licences, code, technical blueprints and production know-how’ for a one-time fee. Significantly, buyers would be able to ‘modify the source code’. Aside from the financial benefit to the company, the move could foster a more competitive 5G industry and offer an alternative to outright bans of Huawei’s 5G technology.

The beat

UK court rules in favour of police use of facial recognition

The High Court of England and Wales has dismissed a case brought against the South Wales Police for its use of automated facial recognition technology. It had been argued that Cardiff police were in violation of human rights and data protection laws by using the technology. The court ruled that ‘the current legal regime is adequate to ensure the appropriate and non-arbitrary use of [facial recognition technology]’. It’s the first time a court in the UK has considered this type of technology and its use by police.

South African reservists come up short

Concerns have been raised over an 86% decline in the number of reserve police officers in South Africa in less than 10 years. Responding to a question put before parliament by the Democratic Alliance, South African police commissioner Khehla Sitole revealed that the country’s police reservists have declined from 63,592 to 8,908 since 2010. The party argues that the ‘lack of visible policing has had a significant impact on safety and security’. South Africa’s police-to-citizen ratio is 1:380. The country would need 64,000 more officers to meet the United Nations target of 1:220.

Portuguese police pull plug on dark web network

Portuguese police have worked with Europol to dismantle a European counterfeit currency network worth €1.3 million (A$2.1 million) which was operating on the dark web,. Authorities raided eight properties in Portugal, resulting in the arrest of five suspects and the confiscation of 1,833 counterfeit banknotes of various denominations totalling €69,930 (A$112,089). The suspects have been accused of counterfeiting and organised crime. The dark web’s role in facilitating the trade of counterfeit banknotes was discussed just days earlier at an Interpol conference in Lyon.

Checkpoint

US to force social media scrutiny on more travellers

Australians travelling to the US could be forced to hand over social media account details under a Department of Homeland Security plan. While the department has already been collecting social media information from some visa applicants since 2016, it will now also require applicants from almost all visa categories, including Australians who don’t meet the conditions of the country’s visa waiver program, to allow their social media accounts to be scrutinised. Homeland Security says it will only review publicly available information.

Turkey threatens to ‘open the gates’ to Europe for refugees

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he may reopen a route for refugees and migrants into Europe if he doesn’t receive enough international support for a resettlement plan in northeast Syria. This comes as the Turkish government claims that it has barely received any of the financial support promised by the EU under a 2016 deal. Erdogan said Turkey is ‘not going to carry this weight alone’ and that it will ‘have to open the gates’ if it doesn’t get the support it wants.

UK eGates ‘unfit for purpose’

The UK Home Office has been accused of mismanaging and wasting taxpayers’ money after travellers complained of being repeatedly rejected at its electronic passport gates. Passengers say their names have been mistakenly linked to criminals with the same or similar names on Home Office databases, which then subjects them to further scrutiny by Border Force officials, delaying their journeys.

CT scan

US jets bomb IS-infested island in Iraq

US F-15 and F-35 aircraft have dropped 36,000 kilograms of bombs on Qanus Island in northern Iraq, a safe haven ‘infested’ with Islamic State militants moving from Syria into Iraq. A spokesman for US-led forces said the airstrikes disrupted the terrorists’ ability to hide in the island’s thick vegetation, allowing ground forces from the 2nd Iraqi Special Operations Forces Battalion to complete further clearance operations.

Trump administration given greater powers to target terrorists

On the eve of the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, US President Donald Trump expanded his administration’s counterterrorism capabilities by adding several clauses to an executive order which was initially signed by former president George W. Bush in 2001. The changes allow the state and treasury departments to target suspected leaders of terrorist groups and their affiliates without needing to link them with specific acts. Treasury laid sanctions on more than two dozen individuals and entities from 11 terrorist groups on the first day the new clauses were in effect.

Far-right terror plots are a rising concern in UK

British authorities have thwarted 22 terrorist plots since the deadly attack on Westminster Bridge in March 2017, but Scotland Yard admits attacks are becoming easier for perpetrators to carry out and harder for police to detect. Seven of the foiled attacks were related to right-wing extremism, which is becoming a ‘rising threat’ for authorities.

First responder

Britain sends reinforcements to Bahamas

The Royal Navy dispatched extra medics and a second ship to the Bahamas to help with the recovery from Hurricane Dorian. A team of 18 military medical personnel arrived on Saturday to provide emergency care, surgery and intensive care to those in need. HMS Protector, the navy’s only ice breaker, was deployed on Monday from Bermuda to provide aid and support. The British government also pledged £1.5 million (A$2.7 million) to help deliver aid. Several hundred British nationals live in the worst affected areas of the Bahamas, like the Abaco Islands.

Cause of bushfires ‘irrelevant’ to Australian government response

Bushfires are raging across Queensland and New South Wales at an unusually early point in the fire season, prompting members of the Greens to demand the government declare an ‘environment and climate emergency and to take urgent action consistent with internationally accepted science’. The federal minister for natural disasters and emergency management, David Littleproud, said he doesn’t know ‘if climate change is manmade’ and that whether climate change is caused by people or not is ‘irrelevant’ to the government’s response to the bushfires.

China rolls out emergency pork reserves

An outbreak of African swine flu across 32 Chinese provinces has raised concerns about a pork shortage ahead of a major public holiday season in the country. The Chinese government has responded by releasing thousands of tons of frozen pork from its emergency reserves. A third of China’s pigs have been lost to the flu over the past 12 months, resulting in soaring prices and food insecurity.