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USA
Future Laser Cannons On Order
This month the US Army completes six weeks of field testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the Boeing High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD). The Hel MD is the first mobile terrain high energy platform…
…The US Navy this last April, placed their solid state high energy Laser Weapon System (LaWS) near the stern of guided-missile destroyer, USS Dewey, stationed in San Diego…
…These programs are often costing the government tens rather than hundreds of billions of dollars in research and development funding. Moreover, they are much more cost-effective than missiles and ammunition. Admiral Klunder stated that the cost to fire energy directed weapons is conservatively somewhere around $1 versus the hundreds of thousands of dollars for missiles…
…Present practical downsides: obviously, US military energy directed weapons are in their initial stages. The time to take down a target is long and potentially consumes large amounts of power diverted from other key systems. They need to be smaller, carry more lethality and be much faster than they are today.
The Army’s 10 kilowatt HEL MD laser is planned to continue testing until 2017. The intention is to scale it down in size and increased to 50 kilowatts and eventually 100 kilowatts. This will also increase the time required to neutralize a target. This could be a drone, a plane, a missile, or a mortar, for example.
The Air Force wants to put lasers on their sixth generation fighters by 2030, at the latest and operational testing by 2022.
Aside from direct quick kill, these laser weapons systems will also be able to interfere with enemy electronics and offer the fastest and best precision available. Additionally, other directed energy weapons besides lasers include: sonic, radio, EM, microwave, particle-based, etc. All can offer greater non-lethal options for the US Armed Forces in future warfare.
December 23, KVVU 5 Las Vegas – (Nevada) Report: 59 test positive for TB in hospital outbreak. The Southern Nevada Health District released a preliminary report December 23 on the tuberculosis (TB) outbreak at Summerlin Hospital in Las Vegas stating that tests identified two active cases and 59 other positive cases of latent TB infection. The health district believes the disease may have stemmed from an expectant mother who was ill before being admitted to the hospital in May. Source: http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/24292807/report-59-test-positive-for-tb-in-hospital-outbreak
'Military-Style' Raid on California Power Station Spooks U.S.
When U.S. officials warn about "attacks" on electric power facilities these days, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a computer hacker trying to shut the lights off in a city with malware. But a more traditional attack on a power station in California has U.S. officials puzzled and worried about the physical security of the the electrical grid--from attackers who come in with guns blazing.
Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks -- or groups of transformers -- were hit in another, according to a PG&E spokesman....
AFRICA
South Sudan: Pressure Mounts for a Negotiated Agreement
Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood and Jihadism
South Sudan: Rebels Seize Capital Of Key Oil State December 22, 2013
Rebel forces loyal to former South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar have taken control of Bentiu, the capital of the country's oil-producing Unity state, a military spokesman said Dec. 22, AP reported. The ongoing conflict between forces loyal to Machar and troops backing President Salva Kiir Mayardit highlights the persisting tribal frictions in South Sudan.
Nigeria: Around 70 Reportedly Killed In Fighting With Islamists December 24, 2013
Nigeria's military on Dec. 24 said its troops killed at least 50 Boko Haram fighters who were fleeing toward Cameroon, Reuters reported. Fifteen soldiers and five civilians also died, the military said. Boko Haram continues to be limited in both geographic reach and military capabilities.
Central African Republic: Burundian, Chadian Troops Reportedly Exchange Fire December 24, 2013
Troops from Burundi and Chad who are in the Central African Republic as part of an African Union force exchanged fire in Bangui, the commander of the Burundian contingent said, AFP reported Dec. 24. The Burundian commander said his men were disarming a rebel contingent when Chadian troops opened fire on them. The Chadian troops are accused of siding with the rebels they are supposed to disarm.
Huge car bomb attack on Egypt police HQ kills 13
Mansoura — A suspected suicide bomber set off a car packed with explosives outside an Egyptian police headquarters Tuesday, killing at least 13 people in one of the worst attacks since president Mohamed Morsi's overthrow...
ASIA
NightWatch For the night of 23 December 2013
North Korea: New information indicates that Kim Jong Un was thoroughly drunk when he ordered the execution of the aides of his uncle, Chang Sung-taek in November. Eight of Chang's aides were executed before Chang. They were among the best and brightest economists in North Korea.
Comment: Kim Jong Un has his father's -- Kim Chong-il's -- strong despotic instinct for survival, but even less insight about how to govern anything, much less a country, such as North Korea.
Kim Chong-il was a drunk and voyeur of pornography who executed those who disagreed with him. Kim Jong Un is following his father's practices of making important decisions while drunk and executing those whom he is told disagree with him.
The key difference is that Kim Chong-il knew who his enemies were because he grew up in North Korea and studied with the veterans of the three Korean wars.
Kim Jong Un is essentially a foreigner; educated in Switzerland, who has no memories of the three wars; no military service, and has to be told who his enemies are by communist party hacks who are now wearing military uniforms. When Kim is drunk, the Army is always on duty
A History of the Uzbeks: From the Silk Road to the Soviet Union
EUROPE
Germany's Trilateral Initiative with Russia and Poland
A Troubled Greece to Assume the EU Presidency
MEXICO/LATIN AMERICA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
CHINA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
IRAN
Iran: 1,000 Centrifuges Installed But Offline December 29, 2013
Iran has installed 1,000 second-generation centrifuges at one of its nuclear enrichment sites but has not yet injected them with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Dec. 29, AP reported, citing local media. Salehi added that third- and fourth-generation centrifuges are currently undergoing tests
Iran: Tehran Will Play 'Constructive' Role In Syria Talks, If Invited December 22, 2013
Iran is ready to play a constructive role in the upcoming Geneva II conference on Syria if it is invited, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Dec. 22, Xinhua reported. Zarif stressed the importance of dialogue among Syrians in finding a political solution to the country's crisis. Syria is a critical Iranian ally, and the outcome of the Syrian crisis is a national security interest for Tehran
Iran: Last week, Iran and the six world powers - the five members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany - held talks for four days. Spokespersons from all countries said there was progress, but the progress was slow.
One point that Iran tried to clarify concerns access to military industrial facilities. After an earlier contradictory statement, Iran announced that it will permit the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect Iran's missile or ordnance factories or installations.
"The Islamic Republic will subject their (sic) missile and military industries under IAEA inspection in order for transparency and in accordance with the agreement signed between them and the International Atomic Energy Agency," according to an official statement carried by the Mehr news agency.
Comment: Iran's intention in making today's statement is not clear. What is clear is that IAEA inspectors must locate and inspect Iran's brigade of BM-25 ballistic missiles which were bought from North Korea. Any inspection that does not find those missiles, however they might have been renamed, is a prima facie failure.
The BM-25 is a North Korean-version of a Soviet SS-N-6 submarine-launched ballistic missile. It was designed to carry nuclear warheads. North Korea obtained the missile; re-engineered it for North Korean purposes; manufactured an export model and sold a brigade to Iran.
Confirmation of Iran's possession of a nuclear capable balistic missile should inform the work of IAEA inspectors.
IRAQ
Iraq: Ongoing Clashes East Of Fallujah December 30, 2013
Armed clashes are continuing between army troops and gunmen east of Fallujah, a security source said, NINA reported Dec. 30. The violence has spread to other quarters of the city where armed elements are active.
Iraq: Peshmerga To Support Iraqi Army December 30, 2013
The Ministry of Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region announced that its troops are ready to move toward the desert of Anbar to support Iraqi troops, a senior military official said, Shafaq News reported Dec. 30. The initiative came after an escalation of violence in Iraq
ISRAEL
Palestinian Territories: Israel Reportedly Launches Airstrikes December 24, 2013
Israel on Dec. 24 launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said, Reuters reported. The strikes reportedly came after a Palestinian sniper killed an Israeli civilian along the border.
RUSSIA
Sochi Olympics To Be Shadowed by Latest Suicide Bombing in Russia
Ukraine: Russia To Transfer Funds December 23, 2013
Russia on Dec. 24 will disburse $3 billion to Ukraine, Tass reported Dec. 23. The funds will come from Russia's national welfare fund, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said, as part of a deal reached Dec. 20
Russia: Pardoned Oligarch Will Not Become Active In Politics December 22, 2013
Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was recently released from prison after receiving a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said he will not finance political parties opposing Putin or become active in Russian politics, Bloomberg News reported Dec. 22. Khodorkovsky also said he will not try to recover assets lost after his arrest in 2003. Putin's decision to release Khodorkovsky -- and how he announced it -- is proof that the era of oligarch rule in Russia is over.
Putin’s Mediterranean Move
The race is on to exploit off-shore energy around Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus -- and Moscow is crashing the party.
On Christmas Day, Russian state-owned gas company Soyuzneftegaz inked a $90 million, 25-year deal with Damascus to start exploring for the first time some of Syria's offshore energy resources. On the surface, it represents another show of support from Russia for the beleaguered regime of Bashar al Assad. But the deal also fits into a larger pattern of Russian energy adventurism in one of the world's newest frontiers for oil and gas development. If the investments there work out as planned, they could help cement Russia's eroding hold over Europe's energy supply -- and help boost Moscow's standing as a global power on the rise.
At a time when the whole post-war architecture of the Eastern Mediterranean is crumbling, from the breakdown of Egypt's relations with Israel to tensions in the U.S.-Turkish relationship, Moscow seems to spy an opportunity to reassert itself in a region where it once loomed large, get a grip on a potentially big alternative to Russian energy, and make it easier to flex its military muscles....
SYRIA
Syria: Chinese Ship Supporting Chemical Weapons Mission Docks In Cyprus
January 4, 2014
A Chinese frigate that will help escort Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons out of the country docked in Cyprus on Jan. 4, Reuters reported. The Yangcheng, a missile frigate, will accompany a Norwegian-Danish convoy that is already in international waters off Syria and waiting for the go-ahead from international watchdogs overseeing the removal of the chemical arsenal. Russia will also be providing escort to the convoy carrying Syria's chemical weapons, which will be loaded onto two cargo ships and escorted to Italy, where a U.S. ship equipped with toxin-neutralizing equipment will take over.
Syria: Damascus Signs Oil And Gas Deal With Russia December 26, 2013
Syria signed a major oil and gas exploration deal with Russia's Soyuzneftegaz company, AFP reported Dec. 26. The deal allows the Russian company to explore for oil and gas in an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers in the Mediterranean off Syria's coast.
MIDDLE EAST GENERAL
Saudi Arabia's Complicated Pursuit of Foreign Policy Independence
...Riyadh's opposition to U.S.-Iranian diplomacy stems from a lack of confidence in Washington's ability to contain Tehran's regional ambitions. While Washington hopes a detente with Iran would create a sectarian balance of power in the region, the Saudis see the rapprochement process as naive and one that will backfire. In the end, the Saudis fear, Iran will outmaneuver the United States in the game of geopolitical chess and further Tehran's goals of regional hegemony. Thus, the Saudis need to be able to fend for themselves...
MISC
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/report-nsa-intercepts-computer-deliveries/2013/12/29/dc14c3da-70a2-11e3-bc6b-712d770c3715_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines
Report: NSA intercepts computer deliveries
LONDON — A German magazine lifted the lid on the operations of the National Security Agency’s hacking unit Sunday, reporting that American spies intercept computer deliveries, exploit hardware vulnerabilities, and even hijack Microsoft’s internal reporting system to spy on their targets.
Der Spiegel’s revelations relate to a division of the NSA known as Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, which is painted as an elite team of hackers specializing in stealing data from the toughest of targets.
Citing internal NSA documents, the magazine said Sunday that TAO’s mission was “Getting the ungettable,” and quoted an unnamed intelligence official as saying that TAO had gathered “some of the most significant intelligence our country has ever seen.”
Der Spiegel said TAO had a catalog of high-tech gadgets for particularly hard-to-crack cases, including computer monitor cables specially modified to record what is being typed across the screen, USB sticks secretly fitted with radio transmitters to broadcast stolen data over the airwaves, and fake base stations intended to intercept mobile phone signals on the go.
The NSA doesn’t just rely on James Bond-style spy gear, the magazine said. Some of the attacks described by Der Spiegel exploit weaknesses in the architecture of the Internet to deliver malicious software to specific computers. Others take advantage of weaknesses in hardware or software distributed by some of the world’s leading information technology companies, including Cisco Systems, Inc. and China’s Huawei Technologies Ltd., the magazine reported.
Der Spiegel cited a 2008 mail order catalog-style list of vulnerabilities that NSA spies could exploit from companies such as Irvine, California-based Western Digital Corp. or Round Rock, Texas-based Dell Inc. The magazine said that suggested the agency was “compromising the technology and products of American companies.”...
Geopolitical Calendar: Week of Dec. 30, 2013
December 20, Threatpost – (International) Cryptolocker creators infected nearly 250,000 systems, earned $300k since September. An analysis of the Cryptolocker ransomware by Dell SecureWorks researchers found that the unknown group behind the malware has infected between 200,000 and 250,000 systems since attacks began in September, bringing in more than $300,000 in ransom payments.
http://threatpost.com/cryptolocker-creators-infected-nearly-250000-systems- earned-30m-since-september/103261
Except where noted courtesy STRATFOR.COM
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