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Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Haitian capital ‘paralysed and isolated’ by gang violence, Security Council hears

    Source: United Nations 2-b

     Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.  

    “The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,” Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the department of political affairs (DPPA), told ambassadors in the Security Council on Wednesday.

    Having visited the country recently, he warned that, gangs have only “strengthened their foothold”, which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, “pushing the situation closer to the brink.”

    He called on the international community to act decisively and urgently or the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario”.

    Gang control expands

    Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), echoed that warning.

    “As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,” she told ambassadors, briefing remotely from Vienna.

    “This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,” she said, with legal commerce becoming paralysed as gangs control major trade routes, such conditions worsening “already dire levels of food insecurity and humanitarian need,” she added.  

    Rise of ‘vigilante’ groups

    Amidst increasing public frustration with the limited protection capacity of the state, “vigilante” or self-defence groups are now gaining in popular appeal.  

    Although some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases, engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs.  

    The rise of these actors is pushing demand for guns and military-grade weapons, “fuelling illicit arms markets and raising the risk of licit weapons being diverted to criminal elements,” Ms. Waly said.  

    Human trafficking

    Meanwhile, the broader deterioration of the security and economic situation in the capital and the rest of the country continues to fuel a sharper escalation in human rights violations.  

    Despite persistent under-reporting of sexual violence due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and lack of trust in institutions, BINUH reported an increase in sexual violence committed by gangs in the past three months.  

    In May, Haitian police raided a medical facility in Pétion-Ville suspected of being involved in illicit organ trade, as allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal are now arising.  

    As the situation in Haiti remains desperate, “there is not a moment to lose,” Mr. Jenča urged. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Advance Cooperation Grounded in Science to Safeguard Ocean for Everyone’s Benefit, Secretary-General Urges in International Seabed Authority Anniversary Message

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    SG/SM/22737

    Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the thirtieth anniversary of the International Seabed Authority, in Kingston today:

    I am pleased to join you in celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the International Seabed Authority — a cornerstone in the governance of our ocean commons.

    The international seabed area is not the domain of any nation.  It is the common heritage of humankind — a principle enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which must continue to guide us.  We must bring together our global efforts in climate action, biodiversity preservation, and marine protection.

    The deep ocean remains one of our last frontiers.  It holds great promise but also requires great caution.

    For thirty years, the Authority has helped protect this shared realm through peaceful, sustainable and inclusive governance.  Today, it is navigating complex challenges with care and clarity, and I commend its commitment to finding balanced and effective solutions.

    As we mark this milestone, let us advance cooperation grounded in science, and keep working together to safeguard the ocean for the benefit of all people, everywhere.

    For information media. Not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Taking action to improve classroom safety | Passer à l’action pour améliorer la sécurité dans les salles de classe

    Members of the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team

    The Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team held its first meeting on July 23, bringing together teachers, school leaders, school board trustees and other front-line professionals with classroom experience to help address the growing challenges in Alberta’s classrooms.

    The 25-member action team includes teachers, school administrators and support staff who have direct experience working with students every day and understand the complexities of today’s learning environments.

    “The action team’s insights will be key to finding practical solutions that reduce aggression, manage classroom complexity and improve safety and support for students and staff. I look forward to building on their input to make classrooms safer and strengthen Alberta’s education system.”

    Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare

    The action team’s mandate is to provide advice and recommendations to Alberta’s government on how to:

    • reduce incidents of aggression in schools
    • address increasing classroom complexity
    • improve safety and support for students and school staff

    Over the coming months, the team will examine policies, teacher training, inclusive education supports, funding considerations and coordination across sectors. To inform this work, they may invite front-line professionals to share insights as subject matter experts. The team’s recommendations will focus on both immediate and long-term strategies to better support classrooms across Alberta.

    “CASS welcomes the formation of this action team and appreciates the government’s commitment to listening to the voices of those working directly with students. Superintendents across Alberta are eager to support practical, evidence-informed strategies that enhance safety, reduce classroom complexity, and promote the well-being of both staff and students.”

    Mike McMann, president, College of Alberta School Superintendents

    “Alberta’s locally elected school boards remain deeply committed to safe, supportive and effective learning environments for all students and staff. Alberta School Boards Association looks forward to collaborating, sharing insights and perspectives to support the diverse needs of students and school communities across the province.”

    Marilyn Dennis, president, Alberta School Boards Association

    Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring these decisions are informed by the real-world experience of educators and other professionals who work directly with students. Practical supports and interventions stemming from the action team’s work are expected to begin rolling out as early as the 2025-26 school year.

    Quick facts

    • The action team will meet at least four times between July and September.
    • A final report with recommendations will be submitted to the Minister of Education and Childcare by Sept. 30.

    Related information

    • M.O. 031/2025 – Education and Childcare
    • Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team

    Related news

    • Addressing classroom aggression and complexity (June 30, 2025)

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta travaille avec des experts de première ligne pour rendre les salles de classe plus sécuritaires pour les élèves et les enseignants.

    L’équipe Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team a tenu sa première réunion le 23 juillet, rassemblant des enseignants, des leadeurs scolaires, des conseillers scolaires et d’autres professionnels de première ligne possédant une expérience en salle de classe, afin d’aider à relever les défis croissants rencontrés dans les salles de classe de l’Alberta.

    Parmi les 25 membres de cette équipe, on retrouve des enseignants, des administrateurs scolaires et du personnel de soutien qui ont déjà travaillé directement avec les élèves au quotidien et qui comprennent la complexité des environnements d’apprentissage d’aujourd’hui.

    « Les réflexions de cette équipe d’experts seront essentielles pour trouver des solutions pratiques permettant de réduire les cas de violence, de faire face à la complexité des besoins en salle de classe, d’améliorer la sécurité des élèves et du personnel et de mieux les soutenir. Je compte mettre à profit leur travail pour rendre les salles de classe plus sécuritaires et pour renforcer le système d’éducation de l’Alberta. »

    Demetrios Nicolaides, ministre de l’Éducation et de la Garde d’enfants

    Le mandat de l’équipe est de fournir des conseils et des recommandations au gouvernement de l’Alberta sur la façon :

    • de réduire le nombre de cas de violence dans les écoles;
    • de faire face à la complexité croissante des besoins en salle de classe;
    • d’améliorer la sécurité des élèves et du personnel scolaire et de mieux les soutenir.

    Au cours des prochains mois, l’équipe se penchera sur les politiques, la formation des enseignants, les mesures de soutien à l’éducation inclusive, le financement et la coordination intersectorielle. Pour orienter ce travail, l’équipe pourra inviter des professionnels de première ligne à partager leurs perspectives à titre d’experts en la matière. L’équipe recommandera des stratégies immédiates et à long terme afin de mieux soutenir les salles de classe de l’Alberta.

    « CASS salue la création de cette équipe d’action, ainsi que l’engagement du gouvernement d’écouter les personnes qui travaillent directement avec les élèves. Les directions générales de toute l’Alberta sont prêtes à mettre en place des stratégies pratiques et fondées sur des données probantes qui améliorent la sécurité, réduisent la complexité des classes et favorisent le bienêtre du personnel et des élèves. »

    Mike McMann, président, College of Alberta School Superintendents

    « Les conseils scolaires élus localement de l’Alberta restent profondément engagés à fournir des environnements d’apprentissage sécuritaires, bienveillants et efficaces pour tous les élèves et le personnel. L’Alberta School Boards Association se réjouit à l’idée de collaborer en partageant ses réflexions et ses perspectives afin de répondre aux divers besoins des élèves et des communautés scolaires de la province. »

    Marilyn Dennis, présidente, Alberta School Boards Association

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta est résolu à ce que ces décisions se fondent sur l’expérience pratique des éducateurs et des autres professionnels qui travaillent directement avec les élèves. Certaines mesures de soutien et interventions concrètes découlant du travail de cette équipe devraient être mises en place dès l’année scolaire 2025-2026.

    En bref

    • L’équipe Aggression and Complexity in Classrooms Action Team se réunira au moins à quatre reprises entre juillet et septembre 2025.
    • Un rapport final contenant des recommandations sera remis au ministre de l’Éducation et de la Garde d’enfants d’ici le 30 septembre 2025.

    Renseignements connexes (en anglais seulement)

    • M.O. 031/2025 – Education and Childcare
    • Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team

    Nouvelles connexes

    • Faire face aux comportements violents et à la complexité des besoins en salle de classe (30 juin 2025)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 1442, Youth Poisoning Protection Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    H.R. 1442 would ban the sale of products containing 10 percent or more by weight of sodium nitrite that are covered under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The ban would not apply to commercial or industrial products not ordinarily intended for consumer use or consumption.

    Using information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CBO estimates that implementing and enforcing the ban under H.R. 1442 would cost $2 million over the 2025-2030 period; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    H.R. 1442 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by banning the sale of consumer products containing 10 percent or more by weight of sodium nitrite. Because only a small consumer market exists for such products and some states already have curtailed their sale, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would not exceed the private-sector threshold established in UMRA ($206 million in 2025, adjusted annually for inflation).

    The legislation would not impose any intergovernmental mandates as defined in UMRA.

    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Cyrus Ekland (for federal costs) and Andrew Laughlin (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by Emily Stern, Senior Adviser for Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: W.W. Industrial Group Recalls Pear Slices in Juice Due to Elevated Levels of Lead and Cadmium

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    July 23, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    July 23, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & BeveragesContaminants
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential Metal Contaminant – Lead and Cadmium

    Company Name:
    WW Industrial Group
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Parashore

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Canned Sliced Pears

    Company Announcement
    W.W. Industrial Group, Inc., NY is recalling Parashore Pear Slices in juice, 15 oz, because they have the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead and cadmium.
    Lead and cadmium are toxic substances present in our environment in small amounts and everyone is exposed to some of these heavy metals from daily actions such as inhaling dust, eating food, or drinking water. In general, the small exposure to lead within the U.S. population does not pose a significant public health concern.
    However, exposure to larger amounts of lead and cadmium can cause poisoning. While these heavy metals can affect nearly every bodily system, its effects depend upon the amount and duration of lead exposure and age. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy, irritability, weakness, behavior or mood changes, delirium, seizures, and coma. However, infants, young children and the developing fetus can be affected by chronic exposure to amounts of heavy metals that may not result in obvious symptoms of lead poisoning. A child with heavy metal poisoning may not look or act sick. Heavy metal poisoning in children can cause: learning disabilities, developmental delays, and lower IQ scores.
    Product was distributed through Grocery Outlet stores in California and other Grocery Outlet stores across the US.
    The recalled product is packaged in a 15oz can and labeled as PARASHORE Pear Slices in Juice, 15oz (425 g), UPC#704817164237. The specific lot found positive for heavy metals was Lot 3700/01172 6122J, Prod: 02/19/2024, Best by 2/19/2027.
    No illnesses have been reported as of 07/22/2025.
    The heavy metal contamination was discovered via sampling by the Maryland Department of Health which is part of the FDA Laboratory Flexible Funding Model program.
    The company has recalled the products and is continuing an investigation to determine cause.
    Consumers who have purchased Parashore Pear Slices in Juice 15oz (425 g) should not consume the products and are urged to discard in the trash or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 516-676-9188 Monday to Friday 10AM – 4PM EST.
    This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    W.W. Industrial Group
    516-676-9188

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    07/23/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Topic(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: First Teen Tech Council for New York

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced the launch of the New York School (NYS) x #HalfTheStory Teen Tech Council, a groundbreaking statewide initiative placing teens at the forefront of educational innovation. This new advisory group will empower students to lead the conversation on digital wellness and support phone-free learning environments across New York State as schools across the state prepare to implement Governor Hochul’s nation-leading distraction-free learning law for the 2025-2026 school year

    “Launching the Teen Tech Council will help make sure New York’s Distraction-Free Schools is successfully implemented,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m fired up to be working with #HalfTheStory, the Clinton Foundation, and all of you with you to usher in a generational shift — bringing back meaningful interactions during such formative years and securing a healthier future.”

    Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “Here at the Clinton Foundation, we’re guided by our belief that putting people first — putting people’s concerns, needs and hopes first — is essential to creating a better world. That starts with you. As the largest state to adopt a phone-free policy in schools, New York has the opportunity to show the rest of the country what we can accomplish when we combine the capacity of government and nonprofits with the energy of smart young leaders.

    #HalfTheStory Founder and Executive Director Larissa May said, “Teens are often left out of the conversation when it comes to the policies that shape their lives, and in this case, teens are the missing piece of the bell-to-bell movement. #HalfTheStory is committed to identifying the next generation of digital activists and powering the movement from the bottom up. We’re training these future leaders at scale to make NYC the model for the world—in and outside the classroom—to support student wellbeing and digital citizenship. Teen work makes the dream work.”

    The inaugural Teen Tech Council Board Meeting was held on July 22, 2025, in New York City. Co-hosted by the Governor’s Office and the Clinton Foundation in partnership with #HalfTheStory — a nonprofit committed to strengthening young people’s relationship with technology — the event marks a pivotal step in reimagining how students engage with tech in and out of the classroom.

    As an extension of #HalfTheStory’s Civics Academy, an annual summer program for teens that aims to educate and empower today’s youth to learn effective activism, storytelling, and leadership techniques essential for driving global and local change, the Teen Tech Council is launching as a scaled state initiative, with teens from across New York joining from their districts. Students will be nominated by teachers and peers to help schools successfully implement bell-to-bell policies and create a shared culture of digital wellness — one that extends beyond the classroom into play, connection, and creativity.

    Teens can apply now to join NYS x #HalfTheStory Teen Tech Council — or teachers can nominate a star student to help shape the future at: halfthestoryproject.com/teen-tech-council.

    The launch of the council underscores Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to working with young people to ensure an equitable and successful rollout of a distraction-free environment in schools statewide. The Distraction-Free Schools law signed by Governor Hochul requires bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions in K-12 school districts statewide, starting this fall for the 2025-2026 school year. This law is part of Governor Hochul’s nation-leading commitment to protecting youth mental health and promoting student success in the digital age, following her action last year to win a first-in-the-nation law to restrict addictive social media feeds for minors.

    In accordance with the Distraction Free Learning Law, public school districts statewide must finalize and publish their distraction-free policy by August 1. The Governor also recently launched a website with a policy FAQ, toolkit and other key information about the State law as a resource for districts as they finalize their policy. The Governor also recently highlighted that nearly 150 school districts across New York have already submitted their distraction-free policy.

    Governor Hochul’s bell-to-bell policy creates a statewide standard for distraction-free schools in New York including:

    • Prohibits unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from “bell to bell”), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods
    • Allows schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day — giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students
    • Secures $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them go distraction-free
    • Requires schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary
    • Requires teachers, parents and students to be consulted in developing the local policy
    • Prevents inequitable discipline

    Governor Hochul’s policy allows authorized access to simple cellphones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans.

    Additionally, the Governor’s policy includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Tours Coca-Cola Consolidated Facility, Meets with Apprenticeship Students

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Tours Coca-Cola Consolidated Facility, Meets with Apprenticeship Students

    Governor Stein Tours Coca-Cola Consolidated Facility, Meets with Apprenticeship Students
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Josh Stein toured the Coca-Cola Consolidated facility in Charlotte and met with Coca-Cola Consolidated leadership and students in its apprenticeship program. Through a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College, the nation’s largest Coca-Cola bottler is preparing students for high-demand positions in manufacturing, equipment repair, and logistics. 

    “Every North Carolinian deserves a shot at a brighter future and that shouldn’t necessarily require a traditional four-year degree,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Opportunities like Coca-Cola Consolidated’s apprenticeship program allow students to pursue their interests in high-demand fields and set them up for success in the job market.”

    This month, CNBC named North Carolina as the top state for business, citing the state’s workforce as one of its biggest strengths. Established in Executive Order No. 11 on March 25, 2025, the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships recently shared its first report, outlining goals to expand access to good jobs, including by investing in statewide apprenticeship and technical education programs, engaging with employers to identify and address industry needs, and ensuring that every student in North Carolina has a post-secondary pathway to employment, education, or enlistment in the military. On July 1, 2025, Stein also signed into law Senate Bill 124, which reduces the number of state government jobs that require a four-year college degree.

    Governor Stein believes every North Carolinian should have the opportunity to achieve success – no matter their background. Since taking office, Governor Stein has announced more than more than $18 billion in investments and more than 24,000 new jobs coming to North Carolina.   

    Jul 23, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: During House Agriculture Committee Hearing, Feenstra Speaks Out Against California’s Proposition 12 Mandates on Iowa Hog Farmers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing on California’s Proposition 12, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) discussed the negative economic impacts of this egregious mandate on Iowa hog farmers and submitted for the congressional record letters penned by Iowa hog farmers about the adverse effects of Proposition 12 on their farms and operations.

    Matt Schuiteman, a hog farmer from Sioux County, Iowa, also testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee about the negative ramifications of Proposition 12.

    “California’s Prop 12 mandates threaten the safety and health of hogs, increase operating costs for Iowa hog farmers, raise pork prices for families, and jeopardize our food and farm security. It’s why I helped lead legislation and voted for a Farm Bill that overturns Prop 12, restores consumer choice, and supports Iowa farmers and our rural communities,” said Rep. Feenstra. “During today’s hearing, I submitted for the congressional record personal letters from Iowa hog farmers who have faced decreased herd health, substantial financial expense, and market losses because of Prop 12. Allowing a state that represents less than 1/10 of 1% of hog production to mandate activist-driven practices for farmers across the country is blatantly wrong. Representing the largest pork-producing congressional district in the country, I will continue to work to repeal Prop 12 and stand up for our hog farmers.”

    In response to Feenstra’s question about the implications of Proposition 12 on the health of hogs,Schuiteman responded, “Part of the root of the problem is just simply the fact that you have an initiative that was crafted by people who have not lived the industry and have not been around the animals. Prop 12 takes away our ability to act on what we know for the best interest of the animal. And we would prefer to have the freedom to manage our animals the best way we can see fit for the best possible outcome.” 

    Schuiteman further noted that “We [hog farmers] have talked about the $3,500 – $4,500 range per sow or more,” to convert operations to comply with Proposition 12.

    Today, Feenstra helped introduce the Save Our Bacon Act, which would ensure that states, like California and Massachusetts, cannot set arbitrary mandates on production practices for farmers across the country. 

    Last year, Feenstra also voted to pass a Farm Bill out of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee that would have repealed Proposition 12.

    You can watch Feenstra’s full remarks HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: During House Agriculture Committee Hearing, Feenstra Speaks Out Against California’s Proposition 12 Mandates on Iowa Hog Farmers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing on California’s Proposition 12, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) discussed the negative economic impacts of this egregious mandate on Iowa hog farmers and submitted for the congressional record letters penned by Iowa hog farmers about the adverse effects of Proposition 12 on their farms and operations.

    Matt Schuiteman, a hog farmer from Sioux County, Iowa, also testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee about the negative ramifications of Proposition 12.

    “California’s Prop 12 mandates threaten the safety and health of hogs, increase operating costs for Iowa hog farmers, raise pork prices for families, and jeopardize our food and farm security. It’s why I helped lead legislation and voted for a Farm Bill that overturns Prop 12, restores consumer choice, and supports Iowa farmers and our rural communities,” said Rep. Feenstra. “During today’s hearing, I submitted for the congressional record personal letters from Iowa hog farmers who have faced decreased herd health, substantial financial expense, and market losses because of Prop 12. Allowing a state that represents less than 1/10 of 1% of hog production to mandate activist-driven practices for farmers across the country is blatantly wrong. Representing the largest pork-producing congressional district in the country, I will continue to work to repeal Prop 12 and stand up for our hog farmers.”

    In response to Feenstra’s question about the implications of Proposition 12 on the health of hogs,Schuiteman responded, “Part of the root of the problem is just simply the fact that you have an initiative that was crafted by people who have not lived the industry and have not been around the animals. Prop 12 takes away our ability to act on what we know for the best interest of the animal. And we would prefer to have the freedom to manage our animals the best way we can see fit for the best possible outcome.” 

    Schuiteman further noted that “We [hog farmers] have talked about the $3,500 – $4,500 range per sow or more,” to convert operations to comply with Proposition 12.

    Today, Feenstra helped introduce the Save Our Bacon Act, which would ensure that states, like California and Massachusetts, cannot set arbitrary mandates on production practices for farmers across the country. 

    Last year, Feenstra also voted to pass a Farm Bill out of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee that would have repealed Proposition 12.

    You can watch Feenstra’s full remarks HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • India’s media sector booms with regional growth and digital expansion: govt

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s media and broadcasting sector is undergoing a dynamic transformation, driven by steady growth in traditional platforms and rapid advancement in the digital space.

    In a statement presented in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan highlighted key developments across print, television, and public broadcasting.

    The number of registered publications has increased from 1.05 lakh in 2014-15 to 1.55 lakh in 2024- 25, reflecting the strong rise of regional and vernacular media. Private satellite television channels have also grown from 821 to 908 over the same period, underscoring the sector’s resilience and adaptability.

    Doordarshan’s Free Dish platform now carries 92 private channels along with 50 DD channels, offering content in multiple regional languages. This multilingual outreach has played a crucial role in bridging the information gap in remote and underserved areas.

    The platform’s expansion is part of a larger strategy to democratize access to news and entertainment. Under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) Scheme 2021- 26, Prasar Bharati continues to modernize its transmission infrastructure.

    As part of this initiative, three new transmitters have been approved for Himachal Pradesh- including a 5kW unit in Mandi and 1kW FM transmitters in Chamba and Dharampur.

    With a total outlay of ₹2,539 crore, the BIND scheme aims to modernize All India Radio and Doordarshan facilities, expand FM coverage to over 80 percent of the population, and strengthen signal reach in strategically important border areas.

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Maritime News – Passenger Ship HANARIA Equipped with Yanmar’s Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell System Wins Marine Engineering of the Year 2024

    Source: Yanmar Holdings

    July 23, 2025 – Osaka, Japan – The passenger vessel HANARIA, equipped with Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd.’s GH240FC maritime hydrogen fuel cell system, has received the Marine Engineering of the Year 2024 (Dokou Memorial Award). The honor is awarded by the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering for outstanding technological innovation in the field. This year, the award recognized four companies: MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd., HONGAWARA Ship Yard Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, and Yanmar Power Technology, a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings.

    HANARIA is Japan’s first hybrid passenger ship powered by both hydrogen and biodiesel. Operated by MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd., the vessel features Yanmar’s first maritime hydrogen fuel cell system, a proprietary lithium-ion battery system developed by Yanmar, and an integrated management system that controls all onboard power. It features two operating modes: a zero-emission mode using only hydrogen fuel cell systems and lithium-ion batteries, and a hybrid mode that combines hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and a biodiesel generator running in parallel.

    The onboard systems aim to reduce the environmental footprint of vessels—a challenge in the hard-to-electrify maritime sector—while also enhancing passenger comfort by significantly cutting noise, vibration and exhaust odor.

    Furthermore, HANARIA has been selected for the “Ship of the Year 2024,” an award presented by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers that recognizes vessels demonstrating technical, artistic, and social excellence. This marks the first time in history that a vessel has received both the “Marine Engineering of the Year” and the “Ship of the Year” awards.

    The Yanmar Group continues to advance its sustainability goals through its YANMAR GREEN CHALLENGE 2050 initiative and remains committed to providing decarbonization solutions that meet customer needs.

    References

    Press release (November 9, 2023): Yanmar Makes First Delivery of Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell System to Hybrid Passenger Ship

    https://www.yanmar.com/global/marinecommercial/news/2023/11/09/130776.html

    Press release (July 9, 2025): Yanmar Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell System Wins Red Dot Design Award 2025

    https://www.yanmar.com/global/news/2025/07/09/154079.html

    About Yanmar

    With beginnings in Osaka, Japan, in 1912, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933. A pioneer in diesel engine technology, Yanmar is a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment, from small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine, to machine tools, and components — Yanmar’s global business operations span seven domains. On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar provides advanced solutions to the challenges customers face, towards realizing A Sustainable Future. For more details, please visit the official website of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: How public development banks could narrow inequality gaps between the Global North and South

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Alicja Paulina Krubnik, PhD Candidate, Political Science, McMaster University

    The United Nations’ Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) recently concluded in Seville, Spain. It gathered global leaders from government, development, academia and civil society to discuss key barriers to sustainable development and shape collaborative efforts to address them.

    FFD4 comes at a crucial time, when the Action Agenda from the last FFD3, set 10 years ago, must be built upon and upheld. With only five years left to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more than 80 per cent are off track. More tangibly, 2030 is a key deadline for global emissions reduction.

    The global aid environment is also in crisis, just as low- and middle-income countries face mounting pressures due to the interconnected impacts of climate change, environmental damage, poverty and inequality.

    Boosting global co-operation

    FFD4 was an opportunity to revitalize and transform international development co-operation to help states meet these challenges and pursue sustainable development.

    Achieving this requires more than decarbonizing development financing. FFD4 faced its most testing challenge yet: how to reform the global financial systems that direct development resources.

    Key factors include aligning funding with the sustainable development needs of low- and middle-income countries, increasing access to long-term concessional financing — loans or other forms of financing provided on terms more favourable than those in the market — and reducing public debt burdens.

    Public development banks offer crucial leadership here. They provide affordable financing, direct resources where urgently needed and align funding with long-term development strategies, giving them significant potential to democratize project ownership.

    Urgent human development needs

    At the FFD4 gathering, many representatives, especially from Global South and climate-vulnerable countries, highlighted the inadequacy of development financing. Seedy Keita, the minister for finance and economic affairs from The Gambia, told the conference that as developing countries are being urged to invest more in climate and human development initiatives, they lack the tools to do so.

    The countries facing the worst climate impacts also struggle with urgent human development needs. Adapting to and mitigating climate breakdown are inseparable from economic and social development, with human welfare — access to food, water and clean air, avoiding displacement and the safety of women and girls — intimately linked to climate.

    Yet climate-vulnerable states receive a small share of global development financing, particularly for adaptation projects that yield lower returns. Additionally, resources for building value-added industries in low- and middle-income countries remain insufficient.

    Scant commitment to action

    Simply increasing financing is not enough. At the launch of the latest SDGs Report, UN Secretary General António Guterres stated:

    “There is something fundamentally wrong in the structure of the economic and financial architecture and in the way it operates to the detriment of developing countries.”

    In short, it’s too rigid and unresponsive to the Global South’s unique needs, ultimately constraining their ability to act on the SDGs.

    The most ambitious and pressing outcome of FFD4, the “Sevilla Commitment,” addresses key issues in efforts to reform international financial systems but lacks commitment to strong, transformative action.

    Too much priority is given to enabling low- and middle-income countries to access private finance for development. Using public development finance to mobilize private investments and lending has failed to close the financing gap.

    Poverty and inequality worsens

    Private support for the structural green transformation needed for long-term economic development in low- and middle-income countries remains inadequate, widening the divide between the Global North and South. The strategy of catalyzing private finance has shifted risk to public balance sheets while reserving most of the profits for private, often multinational corporations — what’s known as “de-risking.”

    A privatized development strategy has pushed fiscal austerity measures on Global South countries to access international capital markets to fund development initiatives. Many of these countries are struggling with alarming debt, forcing them to divert scarce funds from essential services like health and education to service debts, which worsens poverty and inequality.

    FFD4’s efforts to create a fairer debt system include scaling up debt swaps and forming an alliance between creditor countries and multilateral banks to implement debt “pause clauses” during crises. While many states called for deeper debt reforms and a UN convention on sovereign debt, several wealthy countries resisted bold changes.

    They largely overlooked the Global North’s climate debt — estimated at $192 trillion. The Sevilla Commitment proposes launching a UN-led intergovernmental process, opening a potential path for creditor action.

    As Spain’s economy minister put it, FFD4 is a “launchpad for action” not a “landing zone.”

    Directing money to where it’s needed most

    Public development banks have the potential to lead this action for a more prosperous and equitable future. They can mobilize under-utilized public resources more economically, rapidly and effectively to serve development goals in a climate-forward way.

    These banks can direct finance to where it’s most needed, aligning with development priorities across diverse low- and middle-income countries.

    Public development banks are also well-positioned to co-ordinate at multilateral, regional and national levels and to align global decarbonization goals to local demands. The largest coalition of banks, the Finance in Commons group, was recognized in the Sevilla Commitment. The group called for strengthening public development banks’ co-operation and leadership at the FFD4. Already a leader in global climate financing, further co-ordination among public debate banks could amplify its impact.



    Read more:
    Your essential guide to climate finance

    Supporting green, equitable development

    Structural change requires the long-term, affordable and counter-cyclical financing that public development banks can provide.

    For indebted developing countries facing high borrowing costs, steadfast concessional financing is crucial. Beyond finance, public development banks have a privileged role in knowledge formation and dissemination, which can be leveraged alongside their financial power to support green and equitable development.

    As public organizations, public development banks offer greater potential for transparency and accountability to democratic decision-making, aligning financing with public values. Beyond simply de-risking, these banks can leverage their financial power to generate broader public benefits.

    Alicja Paulina Krubnik receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the International Development Research Centre.

    – ref. How public development banks could narrow inequality gaps between the Global North and South – https://theconversation.com/how-public-development-banks-could-narrow-inequality-gaps-between-the-global-north-and-south-261160

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker: The Pentagon needs major reform. Now is our chance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    Fox News Opinion

    Read the full opinion editorial below.

    Last year, I released two plans for reforming the military. The first, 21st Century Peace through Strength, focused on the need for additional defense funding to produce what the U.S. military needs to keep the peace.

    The second, Restoring Freedom’s Forge, outlined a plan to change fundamentally the Pentagon’s business processes away from a Soviet-style bureaucratic mess to a modern process that rewards commercial innovation and fosters competition. 

    Fortunately, President Donald Trump campaigned on both these issues. He promised a defense spending boost, and we are well on our way after the $150 billion military infusion included in the reconciliation bill.  And the president promised to pursue wholesale Pentagon reform, getting rid of red tape and instead freeing our innovators to build weapons better, faster and at lower cost.

    In Congress, we recognize that we have no time to waste. The Senate Armed Services Committee recently voted overwhelmingly (26-1) to advance Congress’ annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill contains the most significant reforms to the Pentagon’s weapons-buying process in generations.

    For decades, we have paid defense companies to develop weapons primarily with taxpayer money. While this process will still be necessary for some systems, there are thousands of innovative companies who are developing weapons using private capital. This bill is written to encourage acquisition by those companies, who are often outpacing the Pentagon’s processes by years. 

    We have also spent many years under a broken weapons buying process. At dozens of stages, officials can say “No” and slow programs down. As it stands, program managers decide what to buy but shortly thereafter lose authority over the process. From there, contracting officers under a separate reporting structure can take 18 months to run a compliance-based process. This NDAA would create portfolio acquisition executives who are empowered to make decisions, take risk and then be held accountable for decisions.

    For decades, we have levied a crazy, years-long bureaucratic process to qualify new parts and types of weapons for military use. That process rewards the status quo and severely discourages competition. This bill will create a new streamlined process for qualification, pairing it with a new $1 billion fund from the reconciliation bill. Taken together, we will dramatically improve competition at the Pentagon and protect against price-gouging.

    The United States has a legacy of building some of the most advanced munitions in the world. The track records of our GMLRS surface-to-surface missiles and Patriot air defense interceptors are undeniable. But not every one of our weapons needs to be “exquisite,” a term of art for systems that are sophisticated, intricate and difficult to build. Instead, we are providing nearly $5 billion in defense reconciliation for new lower-cost munitions, many of which will be produced through advanced manufacturing. 

    We are living in the most dangerous moment since World War II. To enable an American-led 21st century, we need a military and a defense industrial base capable of maintaining the peace. The defense reconciliation bill made a big bet on American innovation, and the Senate’s 2026 NDAA introduces fundamental Pentagon reforms. With both, we can achieve a generational rebuilding of the U.S. military.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Secures Key Commitments from Social Security Chief to Protect Americans’ Benefits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 23, 2025

    Bisignano agrees to independent investigation into data and metrics, no Schedule F, and more

    Bisignano admits responsibility for inaccurate email about Big Beautiful Bill, says doesn’t know whether White House Office of General Counsel (OGC) reviewed before SSA sent to all beneficiaries

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a leader of the Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, secured key commitments and admissions from Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano during a private meeting. The commitments relate to data and metrics, staffing, paper checks, and more. She also pressed Bisignano for information on his politicization of the SSA.

    “It’s my job as a United States Senator to conduct oversight, ask tough questions, and get real answers for the American people. The commitments I secured in today’s meeting with Commissioner Bisignano will make it easier for people to get their checks and get help with their benefits,” said Senator Warren. “I’ll keep pressing on these issues and fighting to protect Americans’ Social Security.”

    Senator Warren secured the following commitments and admissions from Commissioner Bisignano:

    • Commissioner Bisignano agreed to an independent IG investigation of Social Security service data and metrics. Recent reporting highlighted that under Bisignano’s watch, SSA has removed key service metrics, such as call wait times, from its website. An investigation from Senator Warren’s office revealed that the remaining metrics appear to be inaccurate and misleading. In the meeting with Senator Warren, Commissioner Bisignano agreed to an independent audit of both the collecting and reporting of data. He also committed that specific data will be publicly reported, such as the number of dropped calls, how often calls are transferred to incorrect departments, and what percentage of callers actually resolve their issue over the phone.
    • Commissioner Bisignano committed that SSA will not shift workers to Schedule F. Previous Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek publicly called for entire SSA offices to be converted to Schedule F, which would, in effect, make it easier for leadership to fire workers with little cause. In today’s meeting, Senator Warren secured a commitment from Commissioner Bisignano to change course and not shift SSA workers to Schedule F. However, Senator Warren was concerned that Bisignano confirmed SSA has no plans to hire back workers who have been gutted from the agency — even amid reported capacity issues.
    • Commissioner Bisignano admitted he was responsible for the inaccurate SSA email about Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that went out to all beneficiaries, that his team had discussed the email with the White House, and that he was not sure whether the SSA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) had reviewed it. Immediately following Congressional Republicans passing Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” SSA sent an inaccurate email to all beneficiaries with inaccurate information about benefits they could expect as a result of the bill. After receiving backlash, SSA quietly added a few lines at the bottom of the online version of their press release and sent out no correction email to beneficiaries.In the meeting with Senator Warren, Commissioner Bisignano revealed that his team at SSA was responsible for the initial email. He confirmed that it was discussed with the White House, but admitted that he didn’t know whether it had been run by SSA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) before it was sent out to all beneficiaries. When Senator Warren asked whether he planned to send out a correction to all beneficiaries given the inaccurate and misleading information provided to them about their benefits, Bisignano said he did not know why they had not initially sent out a correction but believed the email had “aged” and did not require a follow-up.
    • Commissioner Bisignano committed not to entirely remove the option for beneficiaries to receive paper checks, backtracking on the agency’s own recent announcement to “stop issuing” them. SSA recently announced that it would stop issuing paper checks, which would significantly disrupt services for some of the most vulnerable Americans. In the meeting with Senator Warren, Commissioner Bisignano backtracked, confirming that paper checks will remain an option for beneficiaries who need them.

    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Governments of Canada and Manitoba investing over $6 million to strengthen local food processing sector

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    July 23, 2025 – Brandon, Manitoba – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

    The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing more than $6 million to help modernize food processing facilities and increase food production capacity across Manitoba under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.

    Nineteen food processors in Manitoba have been approved for funding for equipment upgrades, facility expansions, and new technologies that will improve efficiency, production capacity, and environmental performance.

    Some of the approved projects include:

    • Jowett Farms in Blumenort, for refrigeration and line speed improvements
    • River Valley Specialty Farms Inc., in Bagot, for installation of high-accuracy sorter
    • Prairie Flour Mills Ltd., in Elie, for grain receiving expansion
    • Buffalo Creek Mills in Altona, for doubling capacity of oat flaking
    • Prairie Fava Ltd., in Glenboro, for increasing storage capacity

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Gumboot Friday supporting young people faster

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey joined the Gumboot Friday team today, an initiative that is helping thousands of young people access mental health support faster.

    “We are turning the corner with reducing wait times and increasing the workforce. Initiatives such as Gumboot Friday are helping drive that change,” Mr Doocey says.

    “In the first twelve months of Government funding, Gumboot Friday has been able to scale up and deliver more than 30,000 free counselling sessions. They have supported more than 10,000 young New Zealanders who might not otherwise have access to timely support.”

    Last year, the Government committed $24 million over four years to the Gumboot Friday initiative under the National – New Zealand First coalition agreement to scale up its support for young people across the country.

    “This funding has given certainty moving forward for the organisation, for counsellors delivering the service, and most importantly, for young people who rely on it. It means Gumboot Friday can continue to scale up knowing they are backed by the Government.

    “There are now more than 700 qualified counsellors registered on the Gumboot Friday platform, a 33 per cent increase over the last year. This is an additional 175 counsellors. This has given young people a greater choice of the counsellor they see and has ensured that if someone is reaching out, they are seen when and where they need it.

    “There are not many organisations that can get our young people off waitlists into counselling often within just a few days.

    “The Government is backing Gumboot Friday to deliver more. Funding for 2025/26 will deliver 40,000 individual counselling sessions, reaching as many as 15,000 young New Zealanders.

    “Over the next 12 months, the organisation will be looking at how it can scale up and encourage even more young people to access free counselling.

    “I want to acknowledge the tireless work of the team at I Am Hope. It’s a powerful partnership between Government and a grassroots organisation that’s making a real difference in the lives of many New Zealanders.” 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp Announces TCSG, USG Sign First Articulation Agreement Since Passage of Top State for Talent Act

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA – Governor Brian Kemp today announced that the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and the University System of Georgia (USG) signed an articulation agreement to help nursing students seamlessly advance their education and careers, the first of its kind following the passage of HB 192, the Top State for Talent Act. The agreement allows graduates of TCSG’s associate degree in nursing programs to transfer directly into participating USG institutions to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), establishing a true 2+2 transfer model between the two systems.

    “Georgia’s success as the No. 1 state for business depends on a strong pipeline of talent, especially in critical fields like healthcare,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “This agreement between TCSG and USG is a perfect example of how our state is working together to expand opportunities for students, strengthen our workforce, and ensure that every Georgian has the opportunity to succeed.”

    Governor Kemp has made aligning the state’s workforce pipeline with the needs of employers a top priority. The Top State for Talent Initiative, including the state’s first unified high-demand career list, seeks to bring private and public sector leaders together to help Georgians pursue the opportunities available to them statewide.

    This partnership between TCSG and USC supports the initiative by developing and retaining a highly skilled healthcare workforce. Under the agreement, students who graduate from a TCSG college with an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) will be eligible for admission into BSN programs at participating USG institutions. This streamlined transition offers students a cost-effective and accessible option to continue their education without interruption or loss of credit.

    “With this agreement, we’re eliminating barriers and opening doors for more Georgians to pursue rewarding careers in nursing,” said TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier. “It’s a strategic move that helps our students, our healthcare partners, and our communities—especially as we work together to fill critical nursing shortages across the state.”

    “Georgia’s growing population means a greater demand for healthcare, and this partnership helps meet it by preparing more nurses, especially in rural and underserved areas,” said USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue. “As we align programs, we’re making it easier for students to grow their skills. It’s a smart investment that drives student success, expands access to care, and builds a more prosperous Georgia.”

    In addition to easing the transition between systems, the agreement expands career pathways for students by creating a clear route from an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree in one of the state’s most in-demand fields. It is part of a broader strategy by TCSG and USG to increase educational attainment and create upward mobility for students pursuing careers in high-demand industries, including nursing, healthcare, and allied health professions.

    For more information, visit www.tcsg.edu or www.usg.edu.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smoke and Wildfires Impacting Road Safety Across Oregon

    Source: US State of Oregon

    strong>SALEM, Ore. – As wildfires continue to impact parts of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek has declared a State of Emergency, effective July 16, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Travelers are urged to use extra caution on the roads and know the conditions in the areas they are traveling to. Smoke can severely reduce visibility and create dangerous driving conditions. In some areas, wildfire activity has led to road closures or detours. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM), and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are working together to keep Oregonians safe—and they’re asking the public to do their part before hitting the road.

    “If you’re planning a road trip this summer, make sure your car is ready,” OEM spokesperson, Erin Zysett said. “Start your trip with a full tank of gas or electric charge, check your tires and air conditioner, and know your route. Conditions can change quickly during wildfire season.”

    OEM urges travelers to carry a well-stocked emergency car kit in case they become stranded or delayed. Your kit should include:

    • Jumper cables
    • Flares or a reflective triangle
    • Flashlight and extra batteries
    • First aid kit
    • Blanket
    • Map or printed directions
    • Cell phone and car charger
    • Backup power supply
    • Hand-crank Weather Radio
    • N95 mask (to help filter smoky air)
    • Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place if needed)
    • Wet wipes, garbage bags, and toilet paper for sanitation
    • Whistle to signal for help
    • Water and non-perishable snacks
    • Cash or traveler’s checks
    • Portable shovel

    “Smoke affects visibility as well as air quality and can lead to sudden changes in driving conditions,” said Chris Varley, DEQ Spokesperson. “If visibility is poor or the air is hazardous, consider delaying your trip. Your safety comes first. If you must drive in smokey conditions, close all the windows and direct the car’s air system to recirculate to help reduce the amount of smoke entering the car.”

    Before You Go:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Florida Man Sentenced for Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud the IRS

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A Miami man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS.

    Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil.

    Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte.

    In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use.

    Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS  audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States.

    The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys.

    In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts.

    In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children.

    In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.

    Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case.

    Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, Trial Attorney William Montague, and former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Chicago Announces 2025 Recipient of Director’s Community Leadership Award

    Source: US FBI

    DCLA recipient Reverend Dr. Donovan E. Price Sr. and FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta

    The Chicago Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today that Reverend Dr. Donovan E. Price Sr., Th.D., has been named the recipient of the division’s Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA).

    Established in 1990, the DCLA honors individuals and organizations for their efforts in preventing federal crimes and enhancing law enforcement efforts in their communities. This award is given annually to recipients in each of the FBI’s 55 field offices.

    “The FBI is proud to recognize Rev. Dr. Price, who has selflessly stepped in to help others in their greatest hour of need since 2016,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta. “DCLA recipients exemplify the FBI’s commitment of working toward justice in its many forms and protecting society’s most vulnerable members. Rev. Dr. Price’s work across Chicago illustrates the critical nature of local partnerships and the importance of working shoulder-to-shoulder to serve and protect our great communities.”

    Rev. Dr. Price is the founder and executive director of Solutions & Resources, Inc./Street Pastors Chicago, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on providing comprehensive support to individuals affected by violence, particularly through victim advocacy and crisis intervention work. He leads a ministry that assists families and victims of violence with a holistic approach to healing. He assists families in finding resources for the funeral and, in most cases, conducts the funeral. In further assistance to the family and community, his organization helps in providing social services, resources, and, most importantly, an example of love and respect to the family that they can hold on to for the rest of their lives. Rev. Dr. Price is a member of FBI Chicago’s Community Engagement Council and a 2021 Citizens Academy graduate.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Sentenced for Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud the IRS

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A Miami man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS.

    Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil.

    Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte.

    In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use.

    Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS  audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States.

    The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys.

    In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts.

    In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children.

    In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.

    Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case.

    Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, Trial Attorney William Montague, and former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide

    United Artists/Getty Images

    In 1955, director Charles Laughton crafted one of the darkest, strangest fairytales ever to come out of Hollywood. The Night of the Hunter remains visually exquisite and profoundly unsettling.

    Shortly before Ben Harper is hanged for robbing a bank and killing two men, he hides the $10,000 loot in the toy doll of his young daughter Pearl. Only Pearl and her brother John know the secret – until the deranged serial killer-priest Harry Powell hears about the money and sets out to recover it.

    Harry marries Willa, Harper’s widow, and then, after killing her, pursues John and Pearl relentlessly across West Virginia.

    Set in the Depression-hit 1930s, The Night of the Hunter is, to quote film critic Pauline Kael, “one of the most frightening movies ever made”. Mitchum’s depiction of pure evil is one of cinema’s most vivid creations, with LOVE and HATE tattooed on the fingers of each hand.

    But this is no simple chase film. It’s about the fight for the souls of two children between the forces of evil and good.

    Gothic nightmares

    Laughton was an odd choice to adapt Davis Grubb’s original 1952 novel – the Oscar-winning British actor had never directed before. Yet Laughton’s “outsider” status meant he wasn’t bound by Hollywood convention and could follow his surreal instincts.

    The film draws heavily from German Expressionist cinema, especially in the use of stark black-and-white contrast and exaggerated shadows. Cinematographer Stanley Cortez described it as his best work, and rightly so: the film often feels more like a dream (or a nightmare).

    Laughton and Cortez craft a series of remarkable images: Pearl and John fleeing down the river, watched over by owls, frogs and rabbits; Powell’s looming shadow cast across a bedroom wall; the slain Willa’s blonde hair floating under the river after her death.

    The film is deeply allegorical. It plays with Christian imagery, ideas of sin and salvation and the vulnerability of the innocent.

    Laughton’s masterstroke was to pit the predatory adult world against the instinctual wisdom and resilience of children.

    Powell (played by Robert Mitchum in his greatest role) is no monster or madman, but a religious fanatic who murders under the guise of righteousness. He embodies the Gothic trope of the corrupt or false preacher. His looming menace turns small-town America into a place of paranoia, dread and moral confusion.

    Rachel Cooper (the silent film star Lillian Gish, never better), who protects the children in the second half of the film, stands as the maternal, angelic counterpoint to Powell’s demonic figure. Her role emphasises another key point of the film: the redemptive, almost sacred, power of kindness.

    A perfect performance

    As Powell, Mitchum drew on his uncanny knack at exuding charm and menace. Many actors would have clashed with Laughton’s expressionistic style, but Mitchum hit the perfect tone: heightened and theatrical, but never camp.

    His delivery is hypnotic, musical and terrifying.

    At a time when many stars were protective of their public image, Mitchum had no problem playing a child-killing religious maniac.

    Known for his rebellious streak and brushes with scandal (including a marijuana arrest in 1948), Mitchum wasn’t bound by Hollywood’s moral expectations. That gave him the freedom to push into darker territory with no vanity.

    That moral delusion, delivered with conviction, is what makes Powell so frightening. Mitchum’s Powell anticipates later predators like Norman Bates (Psycho) or Max Cady (the role he would play in the 1962 version of Cape Fear), but he also echoes much older archetypes: the Big Bad Wolf, the false prophet and the devil in a black coat.

    A flop turned masterpiece

    The film was a critical and commercial failure. Laughton’s bold and unconventional choices were risky. His blend of German Expressionism, Southern Gothic Americana and psychological horror was unlike anything American cinema had seen before.

    It did not align with the mainstream tastes of the era – the top grossing Hollywood films of 1955 were family-friendly, comforting offerings like Oklahoma! and Lady and the Tramp.

    Audiences and reviewers didn’t know what to make of this abnormal mix of fairy tale logic, nightmarish imagery and biblical allegory.

    So heartbroken was Laughton by the savage reception the film received (“a horrible yarn […] a repulsive picture”, one reviewer called it), he never directed again. Yet the reputation of his one-hit wonder has only grown over time.

    Successive generations of critics and filmmakers have caught on to its brilliance. Critic Roger Ebert said it was “one of the greatest of all American films”. In 2008, French film magazine Cahiers du cinéma voted it as the second-best film of all time, behind only Citizen Kane (1941).

    A long-lasting legacy

    Margaret Atwood, David Lynch and the Coen Brothers have all cited the film as a major influence. Spike Lee paid homage to LOVE and HATE in Do The Right Thing (1989). And surely James Cameron admired it, for what is Terminator 2 (1991) if not a rehash of Powell’s insistent chase-down of children?

    Its depiction of a charming, violent manipulator speaks to contemporary fears about religious hypocrisy and the abuse of moral authority. And it reminds us the bucolic innocence of rural America can hide evil in plain sight.

    It’s often the case that films which are misunderstood on first release are ahead of their time, and never fully appreciated until many years later.

    That’s the case with The Night of the Hunter. It remains unsettlingly modern, 70 years on.

    Ben McCann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever – https://theconversation.com/after-70-years-twisted-gothic-thriller-the-night-of-the-hunter-remains-as-disturbing-and-beguiling-as-ever-251049

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne

    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland. Once abundant, fish are now harder to find. Sandy beaches and coconut trees have been washed away.

    Like many coastal communities, including those across the Pacific Islands region, this village is now under real pressure from climate change and declining fish stocks. Methods of fishing are no longer guaranteed, while extreme weather and coastal erosion threaten homes and land. As one villager told us:

    we can’t find fish easily, not compared to previous times […] some fish species we used to see before are no longer around.

    When stories like this get publicity, they’re often framed as a story of loss. Pacific Islanders can be portrayed as passive victims of climate change.

    But Nagigi’s experience isn’t just about vulnerability. As our new research shows, it’s about the actions people are taking to cope with the changes already here. In response to falling fish numbers and to diversify livelihoods, women leaders launched a new aquaculture project, and they have replanted mangroves to slow the advance of the sea.

    Adaptation is uneven. Many people don’t want to or can’t leave their homes. But as climate change intensifies, change will be unavoidable. Nagigi’s experience points to the importance of communities working collectively to respond to threats.

    Unwelcome change is here

    The communities we focus on, Nagigi village (population 630) and Bia-I-Cake settlement (population 60), are located on Savusavu Bay in Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island. Fishing and marine resources are central to their livelihoods and food security.

    In 2021 and 2023, we ran group discussions (known as talanoa) and interviews to find out about changes seen and adaptations made.

    Nagigi residents have noticed unwelcome changes in recent years. As one woman told us:

    sometimes the sea is coming further onto the land, so there’s a lot of sea intrusion into the plantations, flooding even on land where it never used to be

    Tides are pushing ashore in Nagigi, threatening infrastructure.
    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    In 2016, the devastating Tropical Cyclone Winston destroyed homes and forced some Nagigi residents to move inland to customary mataqali land owned by their clan.

    As one resident said:

    our relocation was smooth because […] we just moved to our own land, our mataqali land.

    But some residents didn’t have access to this land, while others weren’t willing to move away from the coast. One man told us:

    leave us here. I think if I don’t smell or hear the ocean for one day I would be devastated.

    Adaptation is happening

    One striking aspect of adaptation in Nagigi has been the leadership of women, particularly in the small Bia-I-Cake settlement.

    In recent years, the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative has launched a small-scale aquaculture project to farm tilapia and carp to tackle falling fish stocks in the ocean, tackle rising food insecurity and create new livelihoods.

    Women in the cooperative have built fish ponds, learned how to rear fish to a good size and began selling the fish, including by live streaming the sale. The project was supported by a small grant from the United Nations Development Programme and the Women’s Fund Fiji.

    Recently, the cooperative’s women have moved into mangrove replanting to slow coastal erosion and built a greenhouse to farm new crops.

    As one woman told us, these efforts show women “have the capacity to build a sustainable, secure and thriving community”.

    The community’s responses draw on traditional social structures and values, such as respect for Vanua – the Fijian and Pacific concept of how land, sea, people, customs and spiritual beliefs are interconnected – as well as stewardship of natural resources and collective decision-making through clans and elders, both women and men.

    Nagigi residents have moved to temporarily close some customary fishing grounds to give fish populations a chance to recover. The village is also considering declaring a locally-managed marine area (known as a tabu). This is a response to climate impacts as well as damage to reefs, pollution and overfishing.

    For generations, village residents have protected local ecosystems which in turn support the village. But what is new is how these practices are being strengthened and formalised to respond to new challenges.

    A women’s cooperative have built aquaculture ponds to raise and sell fish.
    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    Adaptation is uneven

    While adaptation is producing some successes, it is unevenly spread. Not everyone has access to customary land for relocation and not every household can afford to rebuild damaged homes.

    What Nagigi teaches us, though, is the importance of local adaptation. Villagers have demonstrated how a community can anticipate risks, respond to change and threats, recover from damage and take advantage of new opportunities.

    Small communities are not just passive sites of loss. They are collectives of strength, agency and ingenuity. As adaptation efforts scale up across the Pacific, it is important to recognise and support local initiatives such as those in Nagigi.

    Sharing effective adaptation methods can give ideas and hope to other communities under real pressure from climate change and other threats.

    Many communities are doing their best to adapt often undertaking community-led adaptation, even despite the limited access Pacific nations have to global climate finance.

    Nagigi’s example shows unwelcome climatic and environmental changes are already arriving. But it’s also about finding ways to live well amid uncertainty and escalating risk by using place, tradition and community.

    The authors acknowledge the support of the people of Nagigi and Bia-I-Cake, and especially the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative, for sharing their time and insights.

    Celia McMichael receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).

    Merewalesi Yee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt – https://theconversation.com/as-seas-rise-and-fish-decline-this-fijian-village-is-finding-new-ways-to-adapt-261573

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor in Geography, University of Adelaide

    JJ Harrison/Wikimedia, CC BY

    Picture this. A small, rainbow-coloured chick emerges from its nest for the first time. It stretches its wings and prepares to take flight. But before the fledgling’s life in the wild has begun, a sharp-beaked predator swoops in, leaving nothing but a tiny skeleton.

    This is the sad scenario playing out on Cape York Peninsula, new analysis shows. There, trees are invading the open, grassy habitat of the endangered golden-shouldered parrot (Psephotellus chrysopterygius). The trees give cover to predators – meaning they can lie in wait, before striking the adult birds and their young.

    The golden-shouldered parrot is endangered, now found in just 5% of its original range. The new findings suggest more work is needed to restore grassland habitat to its former open state, to ensure the parrots’ survival.

    A vanishing species

    The initial decline of the golden-shouldered parrot was likely caused by a loss of food plants and degradation of the termite mounds in which it nests. Birds that remained in two small areas in central Cape York Peninsula faced other issues.

    In the 1990s, researchers began studying the parrot on Artemis Station, to better understand why numbers were declining. A new suspect was identified: native woody plants, such as the broad-leaved tea-tree (Melaleuca viridiflora), which had crept into the birds’ grassy habitat.

    The change was largely due to overgrazing, which reduced fuel loads and led to fewer fires. This allowed the woodland trees to overtake the grasslands. But exactly how were these trees affecting the survival of the golden-shouldered parrot? New research by my colleagues and I set out to answer this question.

    The above image shows the three phases of woodland invading the parrots’ habitat. Left, a few scattered trees establish around the nesting mound. Centre, tea trees emerge from the grass layer. Right, dense thickets of tea trees shade out the termite mounds.
    Gabriel Crowley

    Counting eggs, nest by nest

    We monitored 108 termite-mound nests over three years, tracking the success of 555 eggs. We visited each nest every few days to record whether chicks successfully fledged (grew strong enough to leave the nest) or died.

    We also counted the number of trees around the nests, and recorded signs of interference from predators.

    So what did we find? The proportion of nests that produced a fledgling from every egg decreased in proportion to the number of trees around the nest. The percentage of eggs, chicks and adults that were killed or disappeared from a nest also increased in line with tree numbers.

    That’s because the trees bring different predators – and places for them to hide.

    We suspected reptiles were the main predators. This was due to scratches on the nests and disappearance of eggs without any other signs of damage. While the exact species of reptile predator was hard to pinpoint, we know tree snake numbers increase as woodlands encroach.

    However, of all predators, we found butcherbird numbers increased most strongly as trees crept in. Butcherbirds tear prey apart with their strong, hooked beaks. Trees close to the nests give butcherbirds cover, enabling them to wait for adults or their young to emerge.

    Tragically, we found skulls of chicks pierced by the butcherbirds’ sharp bills. In one case, the shredded flesh of a bird was wedged atop a termite mound.

    Butcherbirds have strong, hooked beaks, which they use to tear apart prey.
    Conservation Partners

    Parrots successfully fledged from just over half of the 555 eggs we monitored.

    In the most dense woodlands, the number of birds that successfully fledged was just one-third of the rate needed to maintain the golden-shouldered parrot’s population.

    Adult birds were lost from one-third of the nests we studied. This is especially troubling. Modelling from similar tropical birds shows this rate of adult deaths can push a species towards extinction.

    Unusually, golden-shouldered parrots nest in termite mounds.
    Peter Valentine

    Restoring the parrots’ grassland home

    The world’s grassland habitats are under threat. This has devastating consequences for species that depend on them – including the golden-shouldered parrot.

    Our findings show Cape York’s grasslands should be maintained and restored to ensure the survival of the golden-shouldered parrot. Much work is needed to ensure the species avoids the fate of its closest relative, the paradise parrot, which is presumed extinct.

    Work is already underway. Golden-shouldered parrot habitat in national parks and on Indigenous-owned land has been destocked, and more traditional Indigenous fire regimes reinstated. This will help maintain open grasslands and reverse early woodland encroachment. Such work is also being undertaken at the study site on Artemis Station.

    Where woody plant invasion is more advanced, more intensive methods have been deployed. At the study site, this includes using chainsaws and brush-cutters to clear trees, before the stump is poisoned.

    Where woody vegetation is well established, trees must be felled to help restore grassland habitat.
    Conservation Partners

    Other measures include installing electric fences to keep out reptiles, reseeding grasslands with food plants and providing feeding stations in seasons when food is scarce.

    Land managers across Cape York have also been provided guidelines for managing woodland encroachment.

    These efforts must be sustained in the long-term, to ensure the golden-shouldered parrot can return to its former range.

    Gabriel Crowley undertook the work cited in this article with Susan Shephard (Artemis Station), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University and Conservation Partners) and Stephen Murphy (Conservation Partners). Funding was provided by the Queensland and federal governments, Gulf Savannah NRM and WWF Australia. Gabriel has provided advice on golden-shouldered parrots and their habitat to the Olkola Aboriginal Corporation, Conservation Partners and Bush Heritage Australia as a volunteer and/or consultant. She is a volunteer for Helen Haines MP (Member for Indi).

    – ref. From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds – https://theconversation.com/from-grasslands-to-killing-fields-why-trees-are-bad-news-for-one-of-australias-most-stunning-birds-259898

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia

    Walstrom, Susanne/Getty

    We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough is bad for your brain, heart and overall health, not to mention your skin and sex drive.

    But what about sleeping “too much”? Recent reports that sleeping more than nine hours could be worse for your health than sleeping too little may have you throwing up your hands in despair.

    It can be hard not to feel confused and worried. But how much sleep do we need? And what can sleeping a lot really tell us about our health? Let’s unpack the evidence.

    Sleep is essential for our health

    Along with nutrition and physical activity, sleep is an essential pillar of health.

    During sleep, physiological processes occur that allow our bodies to function effectively when we are awake. These include processes involved in muscle recovery, memory consolidation and emotional regulation.

    The Sleep Health Foundation – Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation that provides evidence-based information on sleep health – recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

    Some people are naturally short sleepers and can function well with less than seven hours.

    However, for most of us, sleeping less than seven hours will have negative effects. These may be short term; for example, the day after a poor night’s sleep you might have less energy, worse mood, feel more stressed and find it harder to concentrate at work.

    In the long term, not getting enough good quality sleep is a major risk factor for health problems. It’s linked to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease – such as heart attacks and stroke – metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, such as depression and anxiety, cancer and death.

    So, it’s clear that not getting enough sleep is bad for us. But what about too much sleep?

    Could too much sleep be bad?

    In a recent study, researchers reviewed the results of 79 other studies that followed people for at least one year and measured how sleep duration impacts the risk of poor health or dying to see if there was an overall trend.

    They found people who slept for short durations – less than seven hours a night – had a 14% higher risk of dying in the study period, compared to those who slept between seven and eight hours. This is not surprising given the established health risks of poor sleep.

    However, the researchers also found those who slept a lot – which they defined as more than nine hours a night – had a greater risk of dying: 34% higher than people who slept seven to eight hours.

    This supports similar research from 2018, which combined results from 74 previous studies that followed the sleep and health of participants across time, ranging from one to 30 years. It found sleeping more than nine hours was associated with a 14% increased risk of dying in the study period.

    Research has also shown sleeping too long (meaning more than required for your age) is linked to health problems such as depression, chronic pain, weight gain and metabolic disorders.

    This may sound alarming. But it’s crucial to remember these studies have only found a link between sleeping too long and poor health – this doesn’t mean sleeping too long is the cause of health problems or death.



    Read more:
    If ‘correlation doesn’t imply causation’, how do scientists figure out why things happen?

    So, what’s the link?

    Multiple factors may influence the relationship between sleeping a lot and having poor health.

    It’s common for people with chronic health problems to consistently sleep for long periods. Their bodies may need additional rest to support recovery, or they may spend more time in bed due to symptoms or medication side effects.

    People with chronic health problems may also not be getting high quality sleep, and may stay in bed for longer to try and get some extra sleep.

    Additionally, we know risk factors for poor health, such as smoking and being overweight, are also associated with poor sleep.

    This means people may be sleeping more because of existing health problems or lifestyle behaviours, not that sleeping more is causing the poor health.

    Put simply, sleeping may be a symptom of poor health, not the cause.

    What’s the ideal amount?

    The reasons some people sleep a little and others sleep a lot depend on individual differences – and we don’t yet fully understand these.

    Our sleep needs can be related to age. Teenagers often want to sleep more and may physically need to, with sleep recommendations for teens being slightly higher than adults at eight to ten hours. Teens may also go to bed and wake up later.

    Older adults may want to spend more time in bed. However, unless they have a sleep disorder, the amount they need to sleep will be the same as when they were younger.

    But most adults will require seven to nine hours, so this is the healthy window to aim for.

    It’s not just about how much sleep you get. Good quality sleep and a consistent bed time and wake time are just as important – if not more so – for your overall health.

    The bottom line

    Given many Australian adults are not receiving the recommended amount of sleep, we should focus on how to make sure we get enough sleep, rather than worrying we are getting too much.

    To give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep, get sunlight and stay active during the day, and try to keep a regular sleep and wake time. In the hour before bed, avoid screens, do something relaxing, and make sure your sleep space is quiet, dark, and comfortable.

    If you notice you are regularly sleeping much longer than usual, it could be your body’s way of telling you something else is going on. If you’re struggling with sleep or are concerned, speak with your GP. You can also explore the resources on the Sleep Health Foundation website.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/is-sleeping-a-lot-actually-bad-for-your-health-a-sleep-scientist-explains-259991

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University

    The green-headed tanager (_Tangara seledon_) has a hidden layer of plumage that is white underneath the orange feathers and black underneath the blue and green feathers. Daniel Field

    Birds are perhaps the most colourful group of animals, bringing a splash of colour to the natural world around us every day. Indeed, exclusively black and white birds – such as magpies – are in the minority.

    However, new research by a team from Princeton University in the United States has revealed a surprising trick in which birds use those boring black and white feathers to make their colours even more vivid.

    Male golden tanagers (Tangara arthus) have hidden layers of white which make their plumage brighter, while females have hidden layers of black which make their plumage darker.
    Daniel Field

    In the study, published today in Science Advances, Rosalyn Price-Waldman and her colleagues discovered that if coloured feathers are placed over a layer of either white or black underlying feathers, their colours are enhanced.

    A particularly striking discovery was that in some species the different colour of males and females wasn’t due to the colour the two sexes put into the feathers, but rather in the amount of white or black in the layer underneath.

    Why birds are so bright – and how they do it

    Typically, male birds have more vivid colours than females. As Charles Darwin first explained, the most colourful males are more likely to attract mates and produce more offspring than those that aren’t as vivid. This process of “sexual selection” is the evolutionary force that has resulted in most of the colours we see in birds today.

    Evolution is a process that rewards clever solutions in the competition among males to stand out in the crowd. Depositing a layer of black underneath patches of bright blue feathers has enabled males to produce that extra vibrancy that helps them in the competition for mates.

    The blue feathers of a red-necked tanager (Tangara cyanocephala) stand out against a black underlayer.
    Rosalyn Price-Waldman

    The reason the black layer works so well is that it absorbs all the light that passes through the top layer of coloured feathers. The colour we see is blue because those top feathers have a fine structure that scatters light in a particular way, and reflects light in the blue part of the spectrum.

    The feathers appear particularly vivid blue because the light in other wavelengths is absorbed by the under-layer. If the under-layer was paler, some of the light in the other parts of the light spectrum would bounce back and the blue would not “pop out” as much.

    Different tricks for different colours

    Interestingly, in the new study, the researchers found that for yellow feathers the opposite trick works. Yellow feathers contain yellow pigments – carotenoids – and in this case they are enhanced if they have a white under-layer.

    The white layer reflects light that passes through the yellow feathers, and this increases the brightness of these yellow patches, making them more striking in contrast to surrounding patches of colour.

    The red feather tips of a scarlet-rumped tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) are enhanced by the white feathers beneath them.
    Rosalyn Price-Waldman

    A surprisingly common technique

    The authors focused most of their work on species of tanager, typically very colourful fruit-eating birds that are native to Central and South America.

    However, once they had discovered what was happening in tanagers, they checked to see if it was occurring in other birds.

    The vivid blue colouring of the Australian splendid fairy wren (Malurus splendens) is enhanced by an underlayer of colourless feathers.
    Robbie Goodall / Getty Images

    This additional work revealed that the use of black and white underlying feathers to enhance colour is found in many other bird families, including the Australian fairy wrens which have such vivid blue colouration.

    This widespread use of black and white across so many different species suggests birds have been enhancing the production of colour in this clever way for tens of millions of years, and that it is widely used across birds.

    The color of the vibrant red crown of this red-capped manakin (Ceratopipra mentalis) is magnified by a hidden layer of white plumage.
    Daniel Field

    The study is important because it helps us to understand how complex traits such as colour can evolve in nature. It may also help us to improve the production of vibrant colours in our own architecture, art and fashion.

    Simon Griffith receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful – https://theconversation.com/birds-use-hidden-black-and-white-feathers-to-make-themselves-more-colourful-261567

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim O’Hara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria Research Institute

    A brittle star of the species _Gorgonocephalus eucnemis_. Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images

    You may have read that the deep sea is a very different environment from the land and shallow water. There is no light, it is very cold, and the pressure of all the water above is immense.

    Plants can’t grow there, and the energy powering life mostly comes from organic matter sinking from the sunlit surface. These facts have been known for more than 150 years.

    But I want to tell you something you probably don’t know about the deep sea: for animals on the seafloor, it is a very connected environment. There are few environmental barriers to stop animals slowly expanding their distribution to cover thousands of kilometres. Over a million years, deep-sea animals can spread from Iceland to Tasmania.

    In a new study published today in Nature, we map the distribution and relatedness of a single group of marine animals across all ocean seafloors, from the coast down to the abyssal plains of the deep sea, from the equator to the pole.

    Australia’s ocean research vessel RV Investigator, operated by the CSIRO Marine National Facility, was used to explore deepsea life around Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
    Chris Bray / CSIRO, CC BY-NC

    Five arms, no brain, no eyes or heart

    We sequenced the DNA of thousands of animal specimens stored in natural history collections of museums across the globe, deposited from hundreds of research voyages. For the first time, we have enough data to explore how marine life has evolved and dispersed across the oceans over the past 100 million years.

    We studied a group of animals called brittle stars, strange spiny creatures with a disc-like body and five sinuous or branched arms. They have a central mouth and gut, but no brain, no eyes and no heart.

    A branched brittle star (Gorgonocephalus chilensis) specimen taken from Coral Seamount, southwest Indian Ocean.
    Tim O’Hara / Museums Victoria, CC BY

    While these shy animals would not be always familiar to beach combers or snorkelers, they are perfect for our project as they are found in abundance across deep seafloors and frequently surveyed by research expeditions. They have inhabited our planet for more than 480 million years, efficiently consuming and recycling organic matter.

    Deep-sea lifestyles

    Life in the deep is distributed in a different way to that in shallow seas.

    In shallow waters, the temperature differs a lot between the tropics, the temperate regions (mid latitudes) and the poles. This imposes a barrier to the movement of marine life. Animals (and plants) generally adapt to a narrow range of temperatures and only rarely spread to other climates.

    So, if you are a tropical shallow-water species, you cannot migrate through frigid waters around South America, or through the Canadian Arctic, to get from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean. For tens of millions of years, shallow marine species have evolved independently in different oceans and seas.

    Tropical shallow-water brittle stars such as Ophiothrix purpurea cannot migrate through cold waters.
    Julian Finn / Museums Victoria, CC BY-NC

    But we found the deep sea is not like that. Species in different regions are much more closely related.

    In fact, the age and geographic distribution of species on a family tree of deep-sea brittle stars resembles that of a group of seabirds or marine mammals. Yet these brittle stars don’t have wings or fins to get around.

    The deep-sea brittle star Ophiotholia can burrow like a corkscrew into muddy seafloors.
    Caroline Harding / Museums Victoria, CC BY

    How eggs and larvae roam the globe

    The secret of how slow-moving brittle stars migrate across oceans appears to be their eggs and larvae.

    In warm, shallow waters, a yolk-filled food reserve is rapidly used up by the developing larva. But in the cold deep sea, a yolky larva can survive with very slow metabolic activity, drifting on slow-moving currents for more than a year before settling. This greatly expands the range of a brittle star’s offspring.

    Moreover, there are numerous seamounts, ridges and plains on the oceanic seafloor that offer transit points for long-distance migration at different depths. This dispersal across oceans has been going on for a long time.

    Deep-sea ‘highways’ where brittle stars disperse across the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
    Tim O’Hara / Museums Victoria, CC BY

    The most prominent of these dispersal highways is across the southern Indian Ocean, transporting deep-sea animals from the Atlantic and Southern Oceans to Australia and New Zealand. In contrast, very few shallow-water animals have traversed such vast distances.

    A patchwork of deep-sea life

    While brittle star populations show lots of evidence of long-distance connections, deep-sea communities are not uniform around the planet.

    Life in the deep is perilous. There is always the threat that a given species may be wiped out in particular regions.

    Seawater conditions can change, as can currents and food supplies. New predators or diseases may arrive at any time.

    Over time, the combination of high connectivity and high rates of regional extinction has led to a patchwork of deep-sea species distributions across oceans.

    To conserve these ecosystems into the future, we will need a much better understanding of the global patterns of deep-sea life.

    Tim O’Hara has received funding from CSIRO’s Marine National Facility, Parks Australia, Ocean Census, and from philanthropic support of Museums Victoria Research Institute.

    – ref. Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars – https://theconversation.com/five-arms-no-heart-and-a-global-family-what-dna-revealed-about-the-weird-deep-sea-world-of-brittle-stars-261566

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: CNRC Launches “Top Doc” in Fort Lauderdale

    Source: United States Navy

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Navy Recruiting Command launched its national initiative pilot program, “Top Doc,” showcasing Medical Corps capabilities and career paths at Nova Southeastern University’s Fort Lauderdale campus on Saturday, July 12.

    “Top Doc,” is designed to draw in a wide variety of people in various stages of their medical career path. This includes medical students, residents, residency program leaders and staff, and attending physicians in any type of practice or specialty.

    “The involvement of a scholarly team of professionals, enabled by Nova Southeastern University’s prestigious health sciences programs, is a cornerstone of our excitement for launching the ‘Top Doc,’ pilot in South Florida, where we’ve received unparalleled community support,” said Capt. Tara Mcginnis, medical officer programs officer, Navy Recruiting Command. “This event captivates Florida residents by showcasing Navy Medicine’s advanced emergency care techniques, directly relevant to the state’s veteran and active-duty communities. It offers local medical professionals and students the chance to explore rewarding careers in Navy Medicine, while residents take pride in the military-civilian partnerships fostered here.”

    Mcginnis believes the “Top Doc” initiative prioritizes the Medical Corps by attracting top medical talent from medical schools, residencies, and direct accessions.

    “The experience offers military medical trainees and staff the opportunity to collaborate with civilian healthcare programs, foster a mutual exchange of knowledge, innovation, and service,” said Navy Counselor (Recruiting) 1st Class Jason Catano, assigned to the Hometown Medical Recruiter pilot program with Medical Accessions, Navy Recruiting Command. “The whole intent with this is to bring that all to the table and also give an opportunity to have hands-on training with the different professionals that are here from different career fields.”

    Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), the headquarters for Navy Medicine, was represented at “Top Doc,” by surgeons, an anesthesiologist, and a dermatologist. Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) instructors, Nurse Corps officers, and enlisted hospital corpsmen also lent their experience and expertise to the event.

    Matthew Chenworth, senior director of military affairs for Nova Southeastern University and Marine Corps veteran, believes ensuring connecting the university’s students, faculty, and staff with the military is a top priority. Chenworth says NSU’s collaboration on “Top Doc,” and the long-standing relationship with NTAG Miami helps to achieve that goal.

    “We’ve been coordinating a lot of scholarship opportunities specifically with our medical students who are looking to serve their country as a medical officer with the United States Navy upon their graduation,” said Chenworth. “We introduced [“Top Doc”] to our pre-medicine students, our nursing students, and to those who are currently within our health profession division that are going to be [Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Medical Doctors, and Physician Assistants]. We also extended the invite to our public safety office as well because those might be skills that our security officers here on campus may need.”

    This joint effort brought in local medical professionals and community leaders, adding to the value of the event. Dr. Joshua Lenchus, former Florida Medical Association president, and Dr. Aeyal Oren, general surgeon in private practice, spent time working with simulation manikins and leading procedural demonstrations.

    “It was a big role to step into, but I have prior experience doing simulation experience with my training down in Miami as well as dealing with the military because we ran trauma simulations there as well,” said Lenchus. “I think that the opportunities in the military are tremendous and there’s never enough gratitude that we can pay to the people who choose to put on the uniform and serve this country.”

    Lenchus believes that while financial aid is extremely important, the leadership development gained through the military’s specialized training and coursework—often not available in the civilian sector—is equally vital.

    Those in attendance gained insights from active-duty and reserve healthcare professionals working in the fleet.

    Navy Medicine personnel presented specialized training capabilities on simulation tools, such as the TCCC Cut Suit, used to train medical personnel in treating battlefield traumas. Several presenters shared information sessions explaining the availability and requirements of medical officer programs and how they applied those programs in their careers.

    Lt. Gahen Pendlebury, a full-time out-service medical officer and, emergency medicine resident, facilitated at the event.

    “What I’ve realized through talking with civilian colleagues is that there are a lot of misconceptions [about military careers],” said Pendlebury. “Some people think that they’re too old, and they are no where near that. Some think that because they went to a Caribbean school, they can’t join as physicians. There are all sorts of entryways. These types of events really help not only expand Navy branding, but really help people understand that it’s not too late and that there are different pathways.”

    Pendlebury believes there is a need for these kinds of events where interested people can obtain information about different career paths in Navy Medicine whether as active duty or reserve Sailors.

    David Missel, a first-year optometry student at NSU and Navy medical officer applicant, said he attended “Top Doc,” to learn more about Navy Medicine and to celebrate his commitment to serve upon graduation.

    “I decided to come here today because I’ve really had a passion for the Navy ever since I was a little kid,” said Missel. “I didn’t even know that I could be an optometrist in the Navy until very recently. Speaking to a recruiter and other people in the Navy, the more I learned about it the more I realize that this is such an amazing program and it’s a wonderful career opportunity. I’m just really looking forward to diving into this.”

    Navy Medicine, represented by more than 44,000 highly trained military and civilian health care professionals, provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter any time, any place.

    Missed the event but want to learn about Navy Medicine opportunities? Visit www.navy.com/navy-medicine or call 1-800-USA-NAVY for information.

    NTAG Miami, has 38 recruiting locations throughout South Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, with the combined mission to recruit the highest caliber Sailors to meet the needs of the Fleet.

    Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, Navy Recruiting Reserve Command, and 26 NTAGs that serve more than 970 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: Holloman AFB medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise

    Source: United States Airforce

    HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) —  The medics of the 49th Medical Group added a new layer of depth to their monthly training day by incorporating field tactics and wartime medical practice in a Medic-X exercise on July 16, 2025.

    The training consisted of 16 stations and substations that ranged from spinal immobilization to infection control to post-mortem protocol, all scenarios that are critically important for a medic to know but unlikely to experience in a clinical setting such as the clinic at Holloman Air Force Base.

    “Gone are the days when a medic would only be expected to perform duties within their specific specialty – our medics need to be versatile and better equipped to provide speedy and effective support to the warfighter,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jason Estrada, 49th MDG senior enlisted leader. “That versatile mindset is what our medical group education and training team has used to shape our Medic-X and other hands-on training.”

    The Air Force is one of the most lethal parts of the Department of Defense, and the flipside of lethality is the medical skill needed to keep the warfighters in the fight downrange. This more hands-on approach to training was brought about after an education and training member went through the intense two-week Tactical Combat Casualty Care Tier 3 course and realized how important it would be to bring lessons learned to the entire medical group.

    “We’re focusing on operating in an austere environment where it’s not going to be calm, it’s not going to be like day-to-day clinic operations,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Natasha Lindbloom, 49th MDG education and training flight commander. “You could tell somebody to recite the alphabet, but if it’s stressful, they’re going to mess it up. We want our people to be able to do this until they can perform these simple tasks under pressure.”

    Although we cannot mirror a battlefield environment, we can put our medics in situations where critical thinking and a sense of urgency fuels their training to ‘kick in.’Chief Master Sgt. Jason Estrada, 49th MDG senior enlisted leader

    Coupled with the chance to exercise underutilized but combat-effective skills, the exercise served to underscore the importance of medics who are fit to fight and capable of doing what’s needed when it’s needed in a stressful and possibly deadly environment. A low-crawl obstacle course was put together using furniture and gear inside the clinic, streamlining the flow of training and simulating a more realistic urban environment.

    “Although we cannot mirror a battlefield environment, we can put our medics in situations where critical thinking and a sense of urgency fuels their training to ‘kick in,’” Estrada said. “Since so few of our current medics possess the real-world experience, it’s our training team that brings these scenarios to life with realism and pressure-induced decision making, which results in the desired sets & reps our teams need to build muscle memory.

    Constant Improvement

    Medic-X training exercises are not a new concept for medical personnel; in fact, Medic-X was rolled out across the enterprise two years ago and has provided quarterly training objectives to all Defense Health Agency members. The ever-changing global environment and nature of future warfare were other driving factors in the 49th MDG collectively getting ahead of the curve and practicing these critical wartime skills on top of staying adept at their daily clinical duties.

    “I’m hoping this gives people the mindset of ‘Hey, I know I’m in this job right now and I’m comfortable, but I’m not always going to be comfortable if we’re put in these situations in real life,’” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Claire Pruitt, 49th MDG education and training program manager.

    All Airmen take TCCC Tier-1 training that covers the basics of what was formerly known as self-aid and buddy care, while all medics are required to take Tier-2 training to gain more expertise in the ability to treat wounds sustained in combat. Tier-3 training is optional but available for all medics and provides a realistic, grueling experience of austere field conditions and the physical limits that medics can be pushed to in wartime.

    “There’s going to be a bit of a shock factor for people working in a clinic, where even though we’re incredibly busy, a lot of it is just administrative work instead of intense, hands-on medical practice,” Pruitt said. “I’m trying to integrate some of the things that they did with us in a physical aspect at the Tier 3 training so that these Airmen have more experience and understand that if they have to do this in real life tomorrow, it’s not going to be easy. They’ll have to think about getting the patient out of the combat zone, treating their wounds, stopping the bleeding, loading them onto a helicopter, etc.”

    The success of the first iteration of integrated field work with Medic-X has laid the groundwork for an ever-improving series of exercises to better prepare Team Holloman’s medics for unpredictable and challenging fights of future conflict.

    “Today’s potential adversaries are better equipped and more prepared than any potential foe has ever been,” Estrada said. “For that reason, every uniform-wearing member of our military needs to understand that he/she is one bad day, one ill-guided decision, one perceived threatful action away from finding themselves, in support of our country, inside a combat environment where the old rules may not apply.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Valadao Urges DOT to Reinvest $4 Billion from High-Speed Rail to Infrastructure Improvements

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G. Valadao (California)

    It’s been over 10 years since the California High-Speed Rail Authority began construction, and after wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, missing numerous deadlines, and forcing the Central Valley to suffer due to neglect, they have zero miles of operational track to show for it.

    WASHINGTON – Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Reps. Vince Fong (CA-20), Ken Calvert (CA-41), Darrell Issa (CA-48), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Young Kim (CA-40), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), and Kevin Kiley (CA-03) to send Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy a letter applauding the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to terminate funding for California’s High-Speed Rail project. The letter urges DOT to redirect the $4 billion in recovered federal funds to critical infrastructure priorities across California.

    “It’s been over 10 years since the California High-Speed Rail Authority began construction, and after wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, missing numerous deadlines, and forcing the Central Valley to suffer due to neglect, they have zero miles of operational track to show for it,” said Congressman Valadao. “This project has been overfunded and grossly mismanaged from the start, and it’s past time we refocus our efforts and resources on infrastructure projects our region needs.” 

    The letter recommends funds be redirected to:

    • Expanding State Route 99, Interstate 15, Interstate 5, Interstate 395, Interstate 80, and State Route 65.
    • Supporting repairs on roadways designated as farm-to-market roads.
    • Shifting State Route 152 and modify a bridge on Interstate 5 to accommodate for needed reservoir capacity improvements.
    • Improving a bypass on State Route 70.
    • Repairing roads damaged by the Los Angeles wildfires.
    • Supporting infrastructure improvements needed for the 2028 Olympics.

    Read the full letter here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –