NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Chiefs of Defence meet in Brussels

    Source: NATO

    Brussels, 14 May 2025 – The 193rd NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, today. Thirty two Allied Chiefs of Defence discussed NATO’s vigilance & deterrence, continued support to Ukraine, and preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague in June. The final meeting of the day saw the Ukrainian Chief of Defence, General Sikyrsky, join the NATO-Ukraine Council virtually from Kyiv.

    Opening the working session, the Chair of the Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, underscored that the meeting of Allied Chiefs of Defence is a testament to NATO’s enduring unity and strength, and that cohesion among Allied militaries is the bedrock of NATO’s collective defence. The Chair stressed the priorities for the NATO Military Authorities, especially in these challenging times: continue providing unfettered and timely military advice to political leadership, underpinned by collective clarity and decisiveness. The Allied Chiefs of Defence session focus was to discuss further strengthening NATO’S deterrence and defence, in order to continue adapting to the security challenges facing the Alliance. 

    During the following session, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) briefed the Chiefs of Defence on NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, and the status quo and way ahead of NATO’s operations, missions, and activities. 

    Then, Chiefs of Defence discussed with Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) about NATO’s Defence Planning Process and developments in innovation and the adoption of new systems.

    The final session with the Chief of Defence of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi (attending via videoconference), focused on the current state of play in Ukraine. Allies reiterated their support to Ukraine, and emphasised why now – more than ever – it is key for NATO to continue to provide Ukraine what is needed for its defence.

    Wrapping up a fruitful meeting, CMC farewelled fellow Chiefs of Defence, looking forward to the next meeting in this format later in the year.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Atlanta Attorney Sentenced in Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A Georgia attorney was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for obstructing the IRS in connection with his participation in the promotion of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Vi Bui was an attorney and partner at Sinnott & Co., an Atlanta-based company. Beginning at least in 2012 and continuing through at least May 2020, Bui participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS by organizing, marketing, implementing, and selling illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters created and organized by co-conspirators Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and others. Fisher and Sinnott were convicted at trial for their involvement in the scheme, and in January 2024, they were sentenced to 25 and 23 years in prison, respectively.

    The scheme entailed the creation of partnerships that purchased land and land-owning companies and then donated conservation easements over that land or the land itself. Appraisers generated fraudulent and inflated appraisals of the conservation easements. The partnerships then claimed a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the inflated value of the conservation easement, resulting in a fraudulent tax deduction flowing to the wealthy clients who purchased units in the partnership. Many of these clients joined the tax shelters after the donation of the interest in land and after the end of the relevant tax year. Bui knew that in order to make it appear that the participants had timely purchased their units in the tax shelters, Fisher, Sinnott, and others backdated and instructed others to backdate documents, including subscription agreements, checks, and other documents.

    Bui anticipated that the syndicated conservation easement transactions would be audited. In order to deceive the IRS, Bui and others took steps to make the partnerships appear as legitimate real estate development companies. They created and disseminated lengthy documents disguising the true nature of the transaction, instituted sham “votes” for what to do with the land that the partnership owned despite knowing that outcome was predetermined, and falsified paperwork such as appraisals and subscription agreements.

    In one instance, when investigators conducted an undercover operation in 2018, Bui, believing that the IRS was auditing an individual’s tax returns, prepared false documents related to a 2014 syndicated conservation easement tax shelter with the intent to make it appear that the documents were executed before the purported donation of the conservation easement in 2014 and before the 2014 tax returns had been filed.

    Bui earned substantial income for his role in the illegal scheme. He also used the fraudulent tax shelters to evade his own taxes, filing false personal tax returns from 2013 through 2018 that claimed false tax deductions from the illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.

    In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Bui to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $8,250,244 in total restitution to the IRS.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement. They also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

    IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Richard M. Rolwing, and Trial Attorneys Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft, and Nicholas Schilling of the Tax Division prosecuted the case, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal for the Northern District of Georgia. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Guilty of Re-Entry of Removed Alien

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EDGARDO AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ (“AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ”) , age 29, a native of Honduras, pled guilty on May 13, 2025, to an indictment charging him  with re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.  His sentencing is set for June 17, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long.

    According to court documents, AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ re-entered the United States after being previously deported on June 8, 2018.  On December 22, 2024,  AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center after being arrested for several state charges.  Thereafter, on March 5, 2023, The Pacific Enforcement Response Center issued a detainer for AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ, after he was arrested in Jefferson Parish on municipal and traffic attachments.  Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans picked up AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ, on March 7, 2025, after his release from local custody and turned him over to immigration authorities.

    EDGARDO AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Ceasefire declared in Libya’s Tripoli after overnight clashes

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    TRIPOLI, May 14 (Xinhua) — Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) declared a ceasefire on Wednesday following intense overnight clashes between rival armed groups in the capital’s downtown and residential areas, prompting international calls to protect civilians and prevent further escalation.

    Fighting broke out overnight between forces loyal to Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh, including the 444th Brigade, and forces linked to Special Deterrence Forces chief Abdel Raouf Kara.

    According to local residents, the shooting continued until the morning, and the Libyan Red Crescent reported finding a dead person in the center of Tripoli. The extent of the human casualties has not yet been established.

    The UN Support Mission in Libya condemned the violence and attacks on civilian areas and warned that damage to non-combatants and infrastructure “may amount to crimes under international law.”

    The GNA Defense Ministry said the ceasefire had come into effect by midday. Buffer forces had been deployed to separate the conflicting parties and stabilize the situation in hot spots.

    The fighting followed deadly clashes on May 12 between forces loyal to A.H. Dbeibah and the Stability Support Apparatus following the killing of the head of the organisation, Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, better known as Ghaniwa.

    A senior official said A.G. al-Kikli was killed in a compound controlled by the 444th Brigade, which is commanded by Mahmoud Hamza, a militia leader linked to A.H. Dbeibah. A.G. al-Kikli’s death triggered a wave of clashes that left at least six people dead, according to security sources.

    More than a decade after the 2011 overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains a deeply divided country. The government in the east relies on the Libyan National Army, led by commander-in-chief Khalifa Haftar, while the UN recognizes the GNA, which controls the west. Meanwhile, rival militia groups loyal to the western government are also battling for power. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ6: Expansion of United Christian Hospital

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Tang Ka-piu and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 14):

    Question:

         There are views pointing out that the expansion project of United Christian Hospital (UCH) has been delayed since its launch in 2015, and that the design specifications do not meet the latest medical requirements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) of the progress of the aforesaid expansion project and the exact date when the expanded facilities will officially commence operation; whether the completion date of the project is later than originally planned; if so, of the main reasons for that;

    (2) as there are views that the design of the renovated buildings and facilities (e.g. height of storeys and load bearing standards, etc) under the aforesaid expansion project is different from the specifications of new hospitals nowadays and may not meet the storage or operational requirements of some medical devices, whether the Government knows if the Hospital Authority has put in place remedial measures or make appropriate arrangements in this regard; and

    (3) whether the playground site adjacent to UCH be retained for use in the next phase of the hospital’s expansion project; if so, of the specific boundary of the site and the timetable for planning and survey works; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:

    President,

         Established in 1973, the United Christian Hospital (UCH) is a major acute general hospital in the Kowloon East Cluster (KEC). It provides 24-hour accident and emergency (A&E) services and a range of specialist out-patient, inpatient, ambulatory, extended care and community medical services. Together with the Tseung Kwan O Hospital and the Haven of Hope Hospital in the cluster, the UCH provides comprehensive clinical services to the residents of the Kwun Tong and Sai Kung districts. To meet the ever-increasing healthcare service demand of the two districts, the Government obtained funding approval from the Legislative Council to carry out the main works of the expansion project of the UCH in 2020, which is one of the 16 projects under the First Hospital Development Plan (HDP).

         Having consulted the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Tang Ka-piu is as follows:

    (1) The UCH expansion project will not only bring about additional diagnostic and medical facilities to comprehensively improve the ambulatory care services and integrated healthcare services, but also provide a new oncology centre and an additional 560 beds as well as five operating theatres. The area of the expanded A&E Department will be increased to more than 250 per cent, from the existing 1 600 square metres to 4 240 square metres.

         The main works of the expansion project commenced in September 2020 and were originally planned for completion by 2024. Due to some delays, the Ambulatory Block is now anticipated to be progressively completed starting from the end of 2025 and to commence operation in phases in mid-2026 the earliest.

         The expansion project of the UCH involves in-situ expansion and redevelopment. During the works period, on-going clinical operations have to be maintained to provide service and the new block has to interface with the existing hospital premises. As such, adjustments are required to address various construction constraints during the works period. The works progress is therefore affected and deviates from the previously over-optimistically estimated completion time. In addition, other major reasons of the delay can be summarised in the following three points: 

    (a) Site constraints

    The limited space and vehicular access at UCH, the extensive and complex nature of the project, its location in an old district and the adjacent slope, together with the numerous underground utility pipes and facilities and the difference between their actual and expected locations have resulted in modifications to the design from time to time. The existing underground utilities were also needed to accommodate the actual ground conditions. 

    (b) Unsatisfactory performance of the consultants and the contractors of the works

    The HA has repeatedly urged the consultants and contractors of the works to take measures to catch up with works progress. If it is proved that the delay was caused by inappropriate design or works arrangements, the HA will follow up in accordance with the terms of the contracts.

    (c) Impact from the COVID-19 epidemic and inclement weather 

    The contractors’ deployment of manpower and supplies of materials had long been affected by the COVID-19 since the commencement of works in September 2020. The severe epidemic situation during the fifth wave of the epidemic in early 2022 had hindered the progress of the works project. Besides, major exterior works were also affected by inclement weather, resulting in the extension of the overall construction period.

         The expansion project involves in-situ redevelopment, with clinical services being maintained under sub-optimal conditions. I would like to express my gratitude towards all healthcare staff of the UCH and KEC for their patient-oriented spirit in providing high-quality services to the patients unwaveringly, as well as towards the public for their understanding and patience towards the inconveniences during the works period. The HA will continue to maintain close communication with District Councils and the community and report the related works progress and service developments in a timely manner. 

    (2) In respect of hospital works projects involving in-situ redevelopment or expansion, as the projects need to be undertaken amidst on-going hospital operations with new block(s) interfacing with existing portions of hospital premises, constraints would be imposed to the relevant designs and the works. Such constraints, however, are not insurmountable. The HA has been taking measures to address them. In setting up healthcare services and facilities in the UCH, existing conditions and constraints, as well as the operational needs have been taken into consideration while new medical facilities are set up in accordance with the relevant standards and specifications, with the structure of the building reinforced according to the requirements in the Building (Construction) Regulation if necessary to ensure that such facilities can operate and meet service needs.

    (3) The Government announced in 2018 that it has invited the HA to commence planning for the Second HDP, which was to be implemented to meet the service demand up to 2036. With the changes in the planning and development strategies in Hong Kong and the population policy of the Government, as well as the latest corresponding change in population projections in Hong Kong, the Health Bureau and the HA are currently reviewing the Second HDP by extending the planning horizon to up to 2041 and beyond to project the healthcare services demand. The Health Bureau and the HA also consider the supply of the land required, various major transport infrastructure development plans, etc, as well as the development need of individual hospitals and its cost-effectiveness for optimising the Second HDP, so as to determine the distribution, scale and priority, etc of various hospital development projects under the Second HDP. 

         In the light of the experience gained under the First HDP, the Government will, in the Second HDP, strive to implement hospital development projects on clear sites as far as practicable (such as a composite development in an adjacent government site of existing hospitals) so as to optimise the development potential of the projects, minimise the impact on existing hospital operations and enhance the cost-effectiveness of the redevelopment. In the case of UCH, exploring the use of the adjoining recreational ground as a decanting site for further expansion is an option that may be considered.

         After the completion of the review, the Government will announce the details of the Second HDP at an appropriate juncture.

         Thank you, President.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Grade 1 historic building Haw Par Mansion guided tour features new virtual reality exhibition

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Grade 1 historic building Haw Par Mansion guided tour features new virtual reality exhibition 
    Co-organised by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of the Development Bureau (DEVB), the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Chu Hai College, the “Virtual Reality: The ‘Ten Courts of Hell’ of Tiger Balm Garden” exhibition is sponsored by the Aw Boon Haw Foundation and with venue support from the Commissioner for Heritage’s Office of the DEVB.
     
    Premised on a virtual reality metaverse platform developed by the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Chu Hai College, the exhibition focuses on reconstructing the former “Ten Courts of Hell” of the Tiger Balm Garden. Participants wearing virtual reality headsets can explore details of the murals of the “Ten Courts of Hell” and learn about the historical and cultural contexts through an interactive interface. There will also be display boards introducing the “Ten Courts of Hell” and videos of the project.
     
    The guided tours of the Haw Par Mansion are free of charge and conducted in Cantonese from Fridays to Sundays and on public holidays (except for the first three days of Lunar New Year). Four sessions will be held per day, and each session can accommodate 24 participants. Docents will guide participants through the private garden and the Mansion’s interior, introducing its history, architectural features and heritage value, followed by the “Virtual Reality: The ‘Ten Courts of Hell’ of Tiger Balm Garden” exhibition. The public can enrol in the guided tours through the AMO’s website (www.amo.gov.hk/en/visitor-centre/docent-services/public/haw-par-mansion/index.html 
    Located at No. 15A, Tai Hang Road, Hong Kong, the Haw Par Mansion was the residence of Mr Aw Boon Haw, an overseas Chinese merchant. It was accorded Grade 1 historic building status in 2009.
    Issued at HKT 18:17

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by CE at Partnering for Success – Hong Kong as a “Super Connector” and “Super Value-adder” High-level Business Luncheon in Kuwait (English only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Partnering for Success – Hong Kong as a “Super Connector” and “Super Value-adder” High-level Business Luncheon in Kuwait today (May 14):

    Your Excellency Khalifa Abdullah Dhahi Al-Ajeel Al-Askar (Minister of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait), Excellency Ambassador Zhang Jianwei (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Kuwait), Excellency Mr Rabah Al-Rabah (Director General of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

    As-salamu alaykum. Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to be with you today in Kuwait, home to one of the world’s largest oil reserves, and a country as committed to talent development as it is to economic diversification. 

    This is our second day in your resplendent capital, Kuwait City, where past, present and future – in design, culture, lifestyle and so much more – come together like no other city in the world.

    Yesterday, I was honoured to have met with His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait; His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of Kuwait; His Excellency Sheikh Fahad Yousuf Saud Al-Sabah, Acting Prime Minister of Kuwait, and other senior government officials. I thanked them sincerely for the time, interest and hospitality they have shown us, from the moment we arrived in Kuwait. Kuwait has generously arranged for our government delegates to stay at Bayan Palace, a majestic landmark in Kuwait City. I reaffirmed to them the commitment, and sincerity, of Hong Kong and Mainland China in strengthening relations with Kuwait.  

    Yes, I am delighted to be here. So too, are the business and professional leaders with me, a delegation counting some 30 Hong Kong business and institutional heads, together with high-profile representatives of over 20 Chinese Mainland companies from seven provinces and municipalities across the country.

    The delegation brings with them wide-ranging expertise, and invaluable experience, from both Hong Kong and Mainland China, in green development, and innovation and technology, including advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, new energy and materials, health and smart city evolution. They also offer Hong Kong’s wealth of experience in finance, infrastructure, transport and logistics, as well as global business operations and deal-making.

    We are here to better understand the opportunities of Kuwaiti business and investment. To explore how Hong Kong, Mainland China and Kuwait, working together, can create long-term mutual opportunities.

    We’re also here to explore closer ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, GCC), which, as all of you know, includes Kuwait. Kuwait currently holds the presidency of the GCC, wielding significant influence in the region’s development.

    Our ties run deep and far. China, our country, and Kuwait established diplomatic ties in 1971 – making Kuwait the first GCC country to do so. Last year, trade between China and Kuwait reached well over US$16 billion. 

    Kuwait, I’m pleased to note, was the first country in the Middle East to sign a Belt and Road co-operation document with China. From of the Central Bank of Kuwait’s headquarters building and housing projects, to telecommunications and smart city developments, Chinese enterprises have participated in numerous infrastructure and business projects here.

    Hong Kong treasures its trade ties with Kuwait, too. Last year, our bilateral merchandise trade totalled US$200 million, up more than 21 per cent over the year before. 

    Hong Kong’s trade with the GCC last year reached nearly US$20 billion, up 53 per cent over the past four years. And that robust growth is underpinned by our mutual will to advance trade ties.

    Thanks to our internationally recognised professional services sector, Hong Kong is a pivotal player in the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2023, we included a Middle East Forum, for the first time, at our annual Belt and Road Summit. And we continue to feature Middle East speakers and guests at the Summit. 

    Hong Kong’s Belt and Road Summit will take place in September this year. As earlier the Chairman of the Trade Development Council (Hong Kong Trade Development Council) said, it’s our 10th anniversary Summit, and I invite you all to join us, to take part in a world of Belt and Road opportunities – in business, investment and more.

    And the Asian Financial Forum, Hong Kong’s flagship event bringing together prominent leaders in finance and business sectors, hosted its first GCC Chapter this January. 

    Yes, the ties between Hong Kong and the Middle East continue to grow and diversify. 

    They include the launching of the Middle East’s first two exchange-traded funds tracking Hong Kong stocks. Hong Kong is partnering with a Middle East sovereign wealth fund, too. Together, we are committed to jointly establishing a US$1 billion fund, investing in companies connected to Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.  

    The Greater Bay Area, let me add, is a cluster city development that brings together Hong Kong, Macao and nine southern cities in China. The fast-integrating regional economic powerhouse presents a collective GDP (Gross Domestic Product) that closely rivals the world’s 10th largest economy.

    Hong Kong has much to offer Kuwait. Asia’s financial hub and one of the world’s three biggest financial centres, Hong Kong is also the world’s largest offshore Renminbi business centre. Coupled with our Islamic finance experience, Hong Kong is a trusted partner in your project financing – today and long down the road. 

    Free trade is among our great competitive advantages, fuelling our success for the past two centuries. Hong Kong is a free port, and we will continue to be a free port. Like our country, we are a vocal advocate of a multilateral, rules-based global economy, in spite of mounting protectionism and geopolitical tensions.

    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a testament to our “one country, two systems” governing principle at work. 

    Under the principle, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has its own legal, legislative and judicial systems. Our legal system is a common law system, similar to that in many major financial hubs around the globe. We maintain our own currency, with no capital or foreign exchange controls. Information, capital, goods and people flow freely in Hong Kong. 

    The principle of “one country, two systems” also gives Hong Kong unparalleled access to our country’s markets and wide-ranging opportunities. It allows us, as well, to pursue our longstanding ties with the world at large, the Middle East very much included. 

    As today’s luncheon title, Partnering for Success: Hong Kong as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” emphasises, we do more than connecting companies and people. We also add value to their businesses, their services and their future.

    With companies and investors from Mainland China, and all over the world, looking for a financial haven in this time of global economic uncertainty, Hong Kong is flourishing, and keen to work with you, our partners. 

         An international financial newspaper, spotlighting the Hong Kong Exchange and its record quarterly profits, recently noted that Hong Kong has, and I quote, “benefited from a spate of initial public offerings and rising interest from Mainland Chinese and global investors in Hong Kong-listed shares, especially of technological-related companies, driven by optimism over China’s progress in artificial intelligence”. 

    That speaks of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” advantages working for you – linking a world of investors to the secure and rapidly growing Chinese market.

    It helps, and greatly, that Hong Kong’s economy is inextricably tied to our common law system and a judiciary that exercises its powers independently, a legal regime that resembles many of the world’s leading financial hubs. They give international companies and investors – Kuwait certainly included – all the confidence and the certainty they need to do business, in Hong Kong and throughout China. Kuwait certainly included.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to note that during our visit, Hong Kong and Kuwait have reached consensus on 24 concrete deliverables, through MOUs and related agreements. A ceremony will take place in just a moment.  

    The agreements cover a broad range of collaboration, from trade and the economy, to investment promotion, financial services, aviation and the maritime industries, post-secondary education, the legal profession, sports and more. 

    And our customs authorities will commence negotiations on the mutual recognition of respective Authorized Economic Operator Programmes. This will create smoother, more convenient international links for our respective companies, making it much easier to do business together.  

    Our Airport Authority Hong Kong will soon sign a new MOU with Kuwait Airways, aimed at enhancing air connectivity between the two regions, fostering operational excellence, supporting sustainability, and advancing talent development in the aviation sector.  

    They will lay a solid foundation for long-term collaboration between our two economies and our two peoples. 

    That just touches on our growing co-operation. Indeed, we are now looking into opening a second Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the GCC region, to manage our many ongoing Middle East projects and prospects in the offering.

    One key area is boosting merchandise trade between our economies. Hong Kong, I’m pleased to say, has signed Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreements (IPPA) with five of the six GCC states. We have also entered into Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements with three of the states, with Kuwait being the first. We have also substantially concluded negotiations on an IPPA with Qatar, our previous stop on this trip, and commenced negotiations with another state. 

    Indeed, our burgeoning trade and investment co-operation, I believe, could well add momentum to the possibility of a free trade agreement between Hong Kong and the GCC. I look forward to our continuing discussions with the Council.

    Beyond business and investment connectivity, there is boundless promise, too, in co-operating in sectors such as arts and culture. 

    Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting the dazzling Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, one of the world’s largest museum complexes. Seeing, firsthand, Kuwait’s compelling commitment to arts, culture and science. I must add that Kuwait is this year’s Arab Culture Capital, presenting nearly 100 activities as part of the country’s cultural celebration.

    Like Kuwait, Hong Kong believes in the primacy of arts and culture. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District is rising as one of the world’s largest cultural developments. And we are committed to becoming the world’s East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. That very much includes Kuwait and the Middle East in general.

    My thanks to our Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the Middle East and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for organising today’s welcome gathering. And to the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority and the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry for kindly supporting us on this memorable occasion.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will enjoy today’s luncheon. Including, let me add, a musical performance by TroVessional, a Hong Kong group dedicated to Cantonese and Chinese ethnic music, brought to engaging life with classic Chinese instruments.

    Enjoy it and thank you!

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Health Bureau responds to enquiries regarding ban on flavoured conventional smoking products

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

       In response to media enquiries regarding the rationale behind the Health Bureau’s proposal to ban flavoured conventional smoking products under the new phase of tobacco control measures, the Health Bureau gave the following response today (May 14):

    Tobacco companies have been adding various flavourings, such as menthol, fruit and confectionary flavourings, into conventional smoking products to disguise the harshness of tobacco smoke, making it easier for non-smokers to initiate and maintain smoking habit. Research showed that banning flavoured conventional cigarettes can reduce the chances of young people using tobacco.

    The Health Bureau has already clearly stated in the Consultation Document on Tobacco Control Strategies in 2023 and subsequent relevant Legislative Council documents that around 50 countries and regions worldwide, including 27 European Union member states, Canada and the United Kingdom, have banned the sale of flavoured cigarettes. China’s Taiwan region also announced last year the prohibition of the use of specified flavour additives in tobacco products.

    The Health Bureau reiterates that banning flavoured conventional smoking products is not unique to Hong Kong, nor is it “over the top”. Contrarily, Hong Kong needs to align itself with international tobacco control policies through this legislative work.

    Ends/Wednesday, May 14, 2025
    Issued at HKT 22:14

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 11 killed in Ethiopia truck crash

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    ADDIS ABABA, May 14 (Xinhua) — At least 11 people were killed and 25 others injured in a road accident in southern Ethiopia, local authorities said.

    A truck carrying 42 people and goods lost control and overturned in West Hararghe area of Oromia region, state broadcaster Fana reported on Tuesday.

    West Hararghe communications director Farid Yishak said 25 people with serious and minor injuries were taken to nearby health facilities following the tragedy. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China issued 10.06 trillion yuan in new loans in first four months of 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) — China issued 10.06 trillion yuan (1.39 trillion U.S. dollars) worth of new renminbi-denominated loans in the first four months of 2025, data from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) showed Wednesday.

    According to the PBOC, the volume of outstanding loans stood at 265.7 trillion yuan at the end of April, up 7.2 percent year-on-year.

    In the first four months, loans to households increased by 518.4 billion yuan, while loans to businesses increased by 9.27 trillion yuan.

    As noted by the Central Bank, by the end of April this year, the volume of money supply M2, which includes cash in circulation and all deposits, increased by 8 percent year-on-year to 325.17 trillion yuan.

    At the same time, the volume of M1 money supply, covering cash in circulation, demand deposits and funds in accounts of clients of non-bank payment institutions, amounted to 109.14 trillion yuan, showing an increase of 1.5 percent year-on-year.

    The M0 money supply, which includes all cash in circulation, reached 13.14 trillion yuan by the end of last month, up 12 percent year-on-year.

    In the first four months, the volume of yuan deposits in China increased by 12.55 trillion yuan, of which 7.83 trillion yuan came from household deposits.

    According to preliminary estimates, China’s public finance reserves reached 424 trillion yuan at the end of April, up 8.7 percent year-on-year.

    Preliminary data also showed that public funding increased by 16.34 trillion yuan in the first four months, up 3.61 trillion yuan from the same period last year. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King Urge OPM to Process Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Civilian Hires to Address Shipyard Workforce Needs and Support U.S. National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), are urging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to process nearly 150 personnel that have received initial job offers from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for civilian positions that have been approved by U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan. In their letter to OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell, the Senators note that individuals who are needed to fill critical national security roles cannot be fully onboarded at the Shipyard until OPM processes their job offers. The letter follows the Senators’ recent visit to the Shipyard with Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.
    “On April 17, we held a roundtable discussion at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with the Secretary of the Navy and leaders from both the shipyard and the submarine industrial base,” the Senators wrote. “During that meeting, we were made aware that nearly 150 personnel have received initial job offers for civilian general schedule (GS) positions at the shipyard which have been approved by Secretary Phelan but have not been processed through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As a result, individuals who are needed to fill roles critical to our national security cannot been fully onboarded into their positions.”
    “On March 18, 2025, Mr. Jules Hurst, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, issued guidance directing that “positions at depots, shipyards, arsenals, and maintenance facilities” would be exempt from the current civilian hiring freeze,” they continued. “In keeping with that directive and with Secretary Phelan’s approval for the hiring of these nearly 150 new shipyard workers, we request that you provide the following information no later than May 16, 2025: 1. What screening and/or processing of hiring decisions approved by Department of Defense leadership is conducted by OPM prior to final onboarding of new employees? 2. How long does OPM require to conduct its internal processing of new hires for the public shipyards? 3. How long does OPM anticipate that it will take to complete processing of the backlog of positions that have been approved by Secretary Phelan for employment at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?
    The full text of the letter can be read here.
    The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a key economic driver in the region, supporting thousands of jobs integral to America’s national security. After calls from Senators Collins and Shaheen, and Senators King and Shaheen, the U.S. Department of Defense exempted the shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze. Last month, Collins, King, and Shaheen visited the Shipyard with Navy Secretary Phelan to highlight the Shipyard’s role in supporting U.S. national security and the need to bolster the Shipyard’s workforce to meet workload demand.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Lashes Out at Administration’s Decision to Cut Critical Research Budgets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee, pressed Connor Prochaska, nominee to serve as the Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency within the Department of Energy, and Dr. Ned Mamula to serve as the Director of U.S. Geological Survey within the Department of the Interior, on extreme budget cuts impacting critical research programs at both departments. During his exchange with Prochaska, Senator King repeatedly asked him to justify drastic budget cuts to the Advanced Research Project Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) after he touted the value of its work, and grilled him on the Trump Administration’s attacks on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
    “One of the sages of New England, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘what you do speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.’ I have never been at a hearing where what’s being done is at such variance with what is being said. Mr. Prochaska, you waxed eloquent about the talented and dedicated staff of ARPA-E and all the great work that they’ve done. Their budget’s being cut by 57%. How do you justify all this nice talk about what you’re going to do when your agency’s being cut more than in half? You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but what speaks here is 57% cut. Tell me. And you went through your entire testimony, all of your answers to your questions, until you got to Senator Cortez-Masto, and never once mentioned renewables, the fastest growing, cheapest source of electricity in the United States today. And let me read from the budget document, ‘green new scam technologies are not supported.’ That’s in the ARPA-E budget document, green new scam technology are not supported. That means no renewables, right? You’ve got an order from the President of the United States, no renewables. Is that correct,” began Senator King.
    “That is not correct,” said Prochaska.
    “So what? What does he mean? Green, new scam technologies. He’s talking about solar and wind. Everybody knows that,” replied Senator King.
    “Senator, I can’t opine on what the definition of that language is. I can commit to, if confirmed, that the ARPA-E and the portfolio that we investigate and we look into will include all technologies,” Prochaska responded.
    “So, it was just a coincidence that when you listed the technologies, the nearest you got to renewables was a mention of geothermal. You never mentioned solar and wind, and you use the code word reliable, which is a new code word for we don’t like solar and wind because they’re intermittent, but as you indicated in your answer to Senator Cortez-Masto, when you have batteries with solar and wind, it’s base load. Is that correct,” asked Senator King.
    “Senator, it very well could be. It depends on the situation. But the portfolio that we will investigate will include all technologies and reliable is important to the energy that we need for the future, to fund some of the some of the emerging technologies that we’ve talked about,” Prochaska replied.
    “I appreciate what you’re saying here. What I’m going to watch is what you do. Understood, budgets are policy, and this budget, the policy of this budget, is a drastic cut, a drastic cut, more than half in the in ARPA-E, I think, one of the most important agencies the United States government. It’s where fracking started. The shale revolution started with research funds for the Department of Energy, and we’re talking about a more than half cut. So, I’m going to watch what you do and not what you say,” concluded Senator King.
    Later in the hearing, Senator King raised his concerns to Dr. Mamula about the Trump Administration’s attempts to downsize the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) biology and hydrology research, including the stream gauge program which provides data on river and stream flow that is critical to ensure adequate water supply and safety. During the exchange, Dr. Mamula refused to provide satisfactory answers about his familiarity with the Administration’s slashes to the USGS’ budget.
    “Now, Mr. Mamula, you talked about the importance of data and science and all of those kinds of things. And yet, there have been reports in the last few weeks that biological research in the in the USGS is being cut entirely, and 25 water science centers, which are stream gages measuring storms. I get the feeling this is like, if we don’t measure anything on climate change, it will go away. Is that what’s going on here,” asked Senator King.
    “I don’t think so, Senator, thanks for the question. Let’s discuss it. Again, I’m not at the survey, but I want to take a look, if confirmed, I want to go out and look at each and every single program, its budget and cuts proposed,” replied Dr. Mamula.
    “Somebody has already done that and cut your budget 37% before you even walk in the door. Assuming Congress agrees, which I hope they won’t,” said Senator King.
    “Yeah, I don’t know about that either, but I’m not familiar. But the program, the contents of the program that has a cut associated with it, I’m not familiar. I don’t know what’s in, what’s being cut,” responded Dr. Mamula.
    “I thought you’re pretty familiar with USGS,” questioned Senator King.
    “I am, but I don’t know what —,” said Dr. Mamula.
    “Do you believe it’s appropriate to cut all of their biological research programs,” pressed Senator King.
    “Well, I have to see what they’re talking about, if they’re talking about,” replied Dr. Mamula.
    “All means all as I understand it,” finished Senator King.
    As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has advocated for climate solutions that deliver on the clean energy potential of the historic Inflation Reduction Act. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of permitting reform to deliver carefully considered, timely approvals of sorely-needed clean energy projects. Senator King has also been one of the Senate’s most vocal advocates for improving energy storage technologies and development and worked to include significant storage investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Earlier this year, Senator King reiterated the importance of an “all of the above” energy policy strategy during an ENR hearing considering the nominations of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. In a recent ENR hearing, he received agreement from two nominees to prioritize renewable energy storage technology.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Stefanik Delivers Remarks, Leads Press Conference on Educational Choice for Children Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York)

    ICYMI: Stefanik Delivers Remarks, Leads Press Conference on Educational Choice for Children Act | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CFTC Warns Public of Imposter Scam Targeting Fraud Victims

    Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is warning the public about a growing imposter scam involving individuals falsely claiming to represent the agency.
    Scammers are contacting members of the public and claiming to represent the CFTC Office of Inspector General. These imposters promise to help financial fraud victims recover lost funds from foreign bank accounts, a ruse to further defraud those already harmed by previous scams.
    The CFTC Office of Inspector General will never contact individuals with offers to recover money lost to investment scams.
    If someone contacts you claiming to be from the CFTC, write down as much information as possible, but do not share or confirm any personal details, including account numbers, Social Security numbers, or digital wallet private keys. End the call immediately. 
    Email scams may also use fraudulent addresses or domains. All legitimate CFTC emails will come from @cftc.gov — no exceptions. Government employees will never contact you from personal or web-based email services such as Yahoo! or Gmail.
    If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, you may file a complaint with the CFTC’s Division of Enforcement or report the incident to the Office of Inspector General through the online portal at www.cftc.gov/OIG.
    For questions about emails, letters, or calls that appear to come from the CFTC, contact [email protected] to verify the communication. To learn more about imposter scams, visit https://www.cftc.gov/LearnAndProtect.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Republicans Block Schatz Resolution Condemning Qatar’s $400 Million Gift To Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday called for unanimous consent on the Senate floor to adopt a resolution authored by Schatz and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) that would condemn a luxury airplane gift, valued at $400 million, President Donald Trump announced he will receive from the government of Qatar. Senate Republicans blocked it.

    “It really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country,” said Senator Schatz. “It is gross. It is reckless. It is corrupt. And the outrage and condemnation especially on the Republican side should be universal.”

    In addition to Schatz and Coons, the resolution is cosponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.).

    Video of Schatz’s unanimous consent request and the Senate Republican response available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Joins Ernst To Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Improve USDA Conservation Programs For Farmers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    May 14, 2025

    Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act modernizes USDA’s process for updating conservation standards

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) to introduce bipartisan legislation, the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act, that would remove bureaucratic barriers and better support farmers in implementing conservation practices that improve soil health and water quality.

    “Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in planted cropland, but for years, has ranked as low as 37th in farm conservation funds that USDA distributes to help farmers adopt cover crops, conservation tillage, and other critical environmental practices.  USDA’s statewide one-size-fits-all conservation practice rules do not always match the unique needs of each farm,” said Durbin. “This bill creates a process to add more flexibility to these standards, provide routine updates to keep up with the latest innovations, and ensure more academic and farmer input into developing the conservation practices.”   

    “Traveling across Iowa, I regularly hear from farmers who are eager to implement conservation practices that improve soil health, water quality, and long-term productivity — but they face real barriers when rigid USDA standards slow things down,” said Ernst. “I’m leading the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act to modernize how USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service updates its technical standards. Ultimately, the goal is simple: let’s cut the red tape, let’s keep standards science-based and flexible, and help farmers get conservation tools in use faster.

    The Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act would update the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) process to:

    • Require a regular review of existing conservation practice standards,
    • Create a public process for submitting and adopting new practices, and
    • Prioritize the integration of innovative tools like nutrient efficiency technologies — biological fertilizer being one example that’s proven to improve plant growth.

    The introduction of the legislation follows yesterday’s hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee, where Durbin spoke about improving USDA conservation programs. 

    Durbin has long-advocated for Illinois to receive USDA conservation funding that is proportionate to Illinois’ ranking as a top agricultural state.  Last August, Durbin led members of the Illinois delegation in writing to USDA, urging the agency to allocate additional conservation funds to Illinois. In her opening statement, Mrs. Dwyer shared that Illinois received an additional $15 million in EQIP funds last year due to outreach by Durbin and others members of the Illinois delegation to USDA.

    Durbin has also written about the importance of providing farmers with conservation funding, which allows farmers to plant cover crops to mitigate dangerous, and sometimes deadly, dust storms in Central Illinois.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Meets With USCIS Nominee Ahead Of Confirmation Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    May 14, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after meeting with Joseph Edlow, President Trump’s nominee to be the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a fee-funded agency tasked with keeping our lawful immigration system functioning. Mr. Edlow currently serves as a Senior Advisor at USCIS.

    “The Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant record is a shameful betrayal of American values. The Administration continues to ignore due process and wrongfully divert resources away from processing applications for lawful immigration status. I will continue calling out their cruelty and illegality, as well as stress the need for serious bipartisan immigration reform to deliver forAmerican communities and businesses that rely on immigrants.

    “I shared as much with Mr. Edlow, and I asked him important questions on workforce cuts to USCIS staff, DACA, and family separation. I look forward to hearing more from him under oath.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Milestone for Naver bridge project

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Works on the Naver Bridge replacement scheme, on the A836 section of the North Coast 500 route near Bettyhill, have reached a major milestone this week with the completion of the in-river works.

    This includes all piling works for the bridge foundations, and enables the contractor, Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd, to continue with the remaining foundation and bridge superstructure works throughout the summer months.

    All equipment associated with the piling works, such as piling rig and support cranes, are now off site.

    Chair of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: “I am delighted to see progress on this vital transport link – a major north coast project which demonstrates our commitment to improving the infrastructure in rural areas of Highland.”

    The next phases of the scheme involves the construction of the bridge abutments and piers, with the main bridge beams due to be delivered to site towards the end of the year.

    Road makeup, utility diversion and retaining wall construction works will also progress alongside the bridge construction works.

    This milestone was achieved with the unwavering support of all stakeholders, particularly the River Naver Fisheries and Naver District Salmon Fisheries Board, who have worked with the project team to support the scheme and complete the in-river works.

    Without stakeholder support, delivery of the works would be infinitely more difficult.

    Works are planned to continue throughout year, with bridge construction, utility diversion, road construction and landscaping works due to be completed and open to traffic by Summer 2026. Demolition of the existing bridge structure is scheduled for the in-river working window in November 2026, enabling full project completion by December 2026.

    Highland Council appreciates the impact these works are having on the local community and North Coast 500 traffic, particularly as we approach the busier summer months.

    The works will be managed with a view to introducing as little disruption as possible.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Equinor ASA: Minutes from the annual general meeting 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    On 14 May 2025, the annual general meeting in Equinor ASA (OSE: EQNR, NYSE: EQNR) approved the annual report and accounts for Equinor ASA and the Equinor group for 2024, as proposed by the board of directors.

    Further, the annual general meeting approved a cash dividend of US dollar (USD) 0.37 per share to be distributed for the fourth quarter of 2024.

    The fourth quarter 2024 dividend accrues to the shareholders as registered in Equinor’s shareholder register with the Norwegian Central Securities Depository (VPS) as of expiry of 16 May 2025. Subject to ordinary settlement in VPS, this implies that the right to dividend accrues to shareholders as of 14 May 2025. The shares will be traded ex-dividend on the Oslo Stock Exchange (Oslo Børs) from and including 15 May 2025. For US ADR (American Depository Receipts) holders, dividend accrues to the ADR-holders as of 14 May 2025, and the ex-dividend date will be from and including 16 May 2025.

    Shareholders whose shares trade on the Oslo Stock Exchange will receive their dividend in Norwegian kroner (NOK). The NOK-dividend will be communicated on 22 May 2025. The expected payment date for the dividend is 28 May 2025.

    The general meeting authorised the board of directors to resolve dividend payments based on the company’s approved annual accounts for 2024. The authorisation is valid until the next annual general meeting, but no later than 30 June 2026.

    The general meeting supported the company’s energy transition plan available at www.equinor.com/investors/2025-annual-general-meeting.

    The plan describes the strategy for the company’s energy transition, including its actions and climate ambitions, its support for the Paris Agreement and how it plans to deliver energy with lower emissions over time while protecting long-term shareholder value and competitiveness.

    Ten proposals from shareholders were up for voting. The shareholders’ supporting statements and the board of directors’ responses are available at www.equinor.com/investors/2025-annual-general-meeting. None of the shareholder proposals were adopted. Details are included in the attached minutes.

    The general meeting endorsed the board’s report on Corporate Governance for 2024 and the board of directors’ 2024 Remuneration report.

    Remuneration to the company’s external auditor for 2024 was approved.

    The general meeting adopted the nomination committee’s recommendation on election of members to the corporate assembly and the nomination committee, effective as from 1 June 2025 and until the annual general meeting in 2026. See attached minutes for details on elected members.

    In accordance with the proposal from the nomination committee, the general meeting adopted the remuneration to the corporate assembly and to the nomination committee, effective as from 15 May 2024.

    The general meeting authorised the board of directors on behalf of the company to acquire Equinor shares in the market to continue the company’s share-based incentive plans for employees. The authorisation is valid until 30 June 2026. See attached minutes for details.

    As part of the company’s share buyback programme, the general meeting approved a reduction in capital through the cancellation of own shares and the redemption of shares belonging to the Norwegian State. See attached minutes for details.

    To enable Equinor’s board of directors to utilise the share buyback mechanism permitted by the Norwegian Public Limited Liability Companies Act with respect to the distribution of capital to the company’s shareholders, the general meeting authorised the board of directors on behalf of the company to acquire Equinor shares in the market. It is a precondition that the repurchased shares are subsequently cancelled through a resolution by a new general meeting to reduce the company’s share capital. The authorisation is valid until the next annual general meeting, but no later than 30 June 2026.

    Minutes of the annual general meeting are enclosed.

    Contact persons:

    Investor relations: Bård Glad Pedersen, senior vice president,
    +47 918 01 791

    Media relations: Sissel Rinde, vice president,
    +47 412 60 584

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Remarks to the media following the Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting on the Future of Peacekeeping

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Minister Wadepuhl, Minister Pistorius,

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    I thank the Government of Germany for hosting impeccably this important meeting in Berlin.

    Germany is a pillar of the multilateral system…

    A strong and generous supporter of the United Nations…

    And an essential partner in our peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance efforts — with almost 200 German peacekeepers now serving in our ranks.

    I am especially pleased to be here so soon after the new Government took office, and I look forward to building on our partnership in the time ahead.

    The commitment of the German government — and the German people themselves — is strongly reflected in this Ministerial meeting on the future of peacekeeping.

    As I said in my remarks, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.

    And nothing symbolizes our organization’s commitment to peace more clearly than our Blue Helmets.

    UN Peacekeeping operations are a cornerstone of the United Nations.

    Each and every day, peacekeepers are hard at work in trouble spots around the world.

    Protecting civilians caught in the line of fire.

    Maintaining ceasefires.

    Keeping lifesaving humanitarian aid flowing.

    And building the foundations of peace in countries shattered by conflict.

    Many have paid the ultimate price over the years — 4,400 in all.

    Their memories, and their service in the cause of peace, will never be forgotten.

    Which is why the commitments being made here today and tomorrow are so important.

    I am heartened by the exceptional turn-out of Ministers from across the globe, representing the full range of peacekeeping partners.  

    Now more than ever we need the political support of UN Member States.

    The goal is not just to keep a lid on conflicts — but to build political support for lasting solutions that can build peace.

    Over these two days, we welcome Member States’ statements of support for peacekeeping — as well as their pledges of military and police capabilities, new partnerships and technological support.

    This meeting is also about something more fundamental:

    The future of peacekeeping itself.

    Let me be clear.

    Peacekeeping operations today are facing massive challenges, increasing the dangers that our brave peacekeepers already face.

    A record number of conflicts.

    Deepening division and mistrust.

    Terrorism and transnational crime.

    And the direct targeting of peacekeepers through drones, improvised explosive devices and even social media.

    We need to ask some tough questions about the mandates guiding these operations, and what the outcomes and solutions should look like.

    Every context is different.

    From our operations in Lebanon, the Central African Republic and South Sudan…

    To our partnerships with the African Union, made stronger with the Security Council’s resolution to support peace enforcement missions under the AU’s responsibility, supported by the UN, including through assessed contributions…

    We are working to adapt, to tailor and to support our missions to the needs and requirements of each context.

    Unfortunately, peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems.

    It is absolutely essential that all Member States respect their financial obligations, paying their contributions in full and on time. 

    At the same time, we’re moving forward on an ambitious Review of Peace Operations — including peacekeeping — but also the peace enforcing missions that are becoming more and more neccessary has called for by Member States in September’s Pact for the Future.

    We’re examining how to make peace operations more efficient, cost-effective, flexible and resilient — including in contexts where there is no peace to keep.

    Today’s Ministerial is an important part of this work as we share ideas, and explore ways to strengthen this important function for the future.

    Peacekeepers — and the populations they protect — deserve nothing less.

    In their names, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Germany and all the countries in attendance, for helping us ensure that peacekeeping is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.

    Question [through an interpreter]: What do you think about current diplomatic efforts regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine, would the United Nations be willing to send Blue Helmets?

    Secretary-General: We have been calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. But we do not see the ceasefire only in itself. We think a ceasefire must be something to pave the way for a solution. And for us, the solution is just peace, and just peace for us means peace that respects the UN Charter international law and resolutions of the General Assembly of United Nations, including the territory integrity of Ukraine. This is our position, and I believe that it is extremely important in a moment like this that international law prevails. The day we have decays about defending international law, we are paving the way for chaos all over the world. On the other hand, the UN is ready to provide whatever support the parties if the parties agree, would ask the UN to do. But obviously this does not depend. It depends on the parties. It is obvious that if a ceasefire and a peace as described by me, could be approved by the Security Council, it would be a major step forward, but I am aware that it will not be an easy job.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin Brings New Commitments to Strengthen Peacekeeping Operations

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    The United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 Berlin concluded today. More than 130 Member States and international partners – over a thousand participants in total – came together to reaffirm their support for UN peacekeeping and to announce concrete pledges aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and adaptability of peace operations in the face of evolving global challenges. 

    Hosted by the Government of Germany, the two-day high-level meeting marked a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to strengthen Member State support and help shape the future of UN Peacekeeping. The Ministerial focused on the Future of Peacekeeping, reflecting the need for innovative approaches to address complex conflicts, leverage emerging technologies, and address threats such as mis- and disinformation. 

    “In trouble spots around the world, Blue Helmets can mean the difference between life and death. Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations. And the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his opening remarks.  

    “We welcome Member States’ political statements of support for peacekeeping as well as their pledges of military and police capabilities, new partnerships and technological support. This meeting is also about something more fundamental: the future of peacekeeping itself,” he added. 

    “In an interconnected world, no nation can achieve peace and security for its citizens on its own. In the past two days, more than 130 UN member states have come together in Berlin, determined 

    to make progress towards this goal together. We all agree that setting up strong and effective peacekeeping missions is our joint responsibility. We want to tailor future missions to the exact needs of the host countries and increase their acceptance and effectiveness. This is the way forward in a world in which peacekeeping is more important now than ever before, but where the challenges are greater than at any time in the past. The participants have lived up to this challenge by making many very significant contributions. Germany’s support for the UN and its peacekeeping missions remains unwavering. We are committed to standing up for international peace and security,” said Johann Wadephul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. 

    Meanwhile, announcing his country’s pledged contributions worth 82 million Euros to UN Peacekeeping, Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany, said: “I am grateful to all partners, who have come to Berlin to make significant pledges to ensure efficient global Peacekeeping Missions. Germany continues to be a steadfast supporter of UN Peacekeeping and has pledged contributions worth 82 million Euros. In addition, we will continue our support to missions and partners with training and equipment. Our goal was to focus on new and innovative pledges, ranging from renewable energy technologies to medical transport drones to the protection from improvised explosive devices. We remain committed to supporting the three UN Peacekeeping Missions that the German Armed Forces currently deploy to in South Sudan, Lebanon and Western Sahara.” 

    Key outcomes: 

    A total of 74 Member States made pledges including: 

    • Pledges of military and police units 
      53 Member States pledged uniformed capabilities, including 88 military and police units, as well as various critical capabilities, airlift, individual experts, staff officers and individual police officers. 

    • Specialized training 
      59 Member States pledged specialized trainings on critical issues such as peacekeeping-intelligence, protection of civilians, gender and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. 

    • Women, Peace and Security 
      38 Member States made pledges to further implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda, including gender-responsive peacekeeping and women in peacekeeping.  

    • Safety and Security 

    16 Member States pledged capabilities and projects to enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers. 

    Eleven Member States made pledges related to the conduct and accountability of peacekeepers and UN Peacekeeping’s fight against sexual exploitation and abuse. This response includes targeted contributions to the Trust Fund for victims. 

    Background 

    Today, more than 61,000 military and police peacekeepers from 119 countries and more than seven thousand civilian personnel serve across 11 Peacekeeping Missions.  

    The Berlin Ministerial is part of a series of high-level meetings aimed at galvanizing political support and generating tangible commitments to improve UN Peacekeeping. It follows previous Ministerial meetings held in Accra (2023), Seoul (2021), New York (2019) Vancouver (2017) and London (2016). The 2025 Ministerial also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and the 10-year anniversary of the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping. 

    More information on the meeting, including statements and the list of pledges, please visit the UN Peacekeeping website and @UNPeacekeeping digital channels.   

     

    For media inquiries and further information, please contact: 

    • Federal Republic of Germany: Anna Laura Vitzinger, German Foreign Office:  presse@diplo.de; and Sonja Momberg, German Ministry of Defence: sonjamomberg@bmvg.bund.de  

    ****** 

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Specialized nurses strengthen substance-use care in Fraser Valley

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Addiction assessment nurses now support patients in nine hospital emergency departments in the Fraser Health region, helping streamline access to personalized treatment and recovery services.

    “People facing substance-use challenges deserve compassionate, trauma-informed care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “Addiction assessment nurses play a key role in reducing barriers to care and ensuring people in crisis have access to the right supports. These nurses are an important part of the government’s dedication to strengthening mental-health and substance-use services around the province to support people on their journey to recovery.”

    Addiction assessment nurses work collaboratively with patients, emergency department teams, addiction medicine physicians and community services to assess substance-use and care needs, and then help them access the right treatment and recovery services. Since 2020, more than 6,000 patients have received this specialized care and have been connected to treatment and recovery services in hospitals and communities.

    “There is a growing demand to improve access to substance-use services when someone visits an emergency department and our role as addiction assessment nurses helps to connect people with the care they need,” said Decery Frondoso, addiction assessment nurse, Langley Memorial Hospital. “We had a patient who was worried about relapsing during their transition from hospital to their community, and by securing support and resources, the patient was able to move closer to their goals.”

    Introduced at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Burnaby Hospital in 2020, the program expanded in April 2024 to 30 full-time-equivalent positions in nine hospitals. The program now includes Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital, Fraser Canyon Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital and Ridge Meadows Hospital.

    “When people in crisis require immediate support, they need to be met with care and compassion by those who understand what they are going through and how to best support them,” said Lisa Beare, MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. “By having addiction assessment nurses in hospital emergency departments, we are supporting recovery by helping people access services faster and more effectively.”

    Similar health-care professionals, including mental-health and substance-use specialists and liaisons, are available in hospitals and communities throughout B.C. These roles are part of the Province’s ongoing commitment to improving access to treatment and recovery services.

    Through continued investments in compassionate, trauma-informed care, B.C. is working to enhance patient outcomes and ensure people facing substance-use challenges receive timely support on their path to recovery. The introduction of addiction assessment nurses to emergency departments is one part of the government’s work to build the entire continuum of mental-health and substance-use care for people to get the right support for them.

    Quotes:

    Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions –

    “Seeking treatment and support for substance use takes a lot of courage and we must ensure that people in need of addiction services aren’t left to navigate the system alone. These nurses are making a real difference by building trust and linking patients with the best care options and services based on their individual needs.”

    Dr. Sharon Vipler, regional department head and program medical director, addiction medicine and substance-use services, Fraser Health –

    “Individuals deserve access to timely and compassionate care. Our addiction assessment nurses are crucial in empowering patients and their families by connecting them to essential resources to ensure rapid access to services and improving health outcomes with equitable and non-judgmental care.”

    Learn More:

    To find mental-health and substance-use supports in B.C., visit: https://helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca/

    To see the new data snapshot on mental health and substance-use in B.C., visit:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/mental-health/building_a_mental_health_and_substance_use_system_of_care_snapshot.pdf 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Empowering teen students to achieve more with Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Empowering teen students to achieve more with Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Learn about Microsoft 365 Copilot availability for students aged 13 and older. Enhance learning with AI, enterprise protection, and IT controls.

    We’re excited to announce Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot availability for students aged 13 and older is coming this summer with enterprise data protection and IT controls. AI provides new and unique learning opportunities when integrated thoughtfully as a complement to established practices with input from educators. A study from Microsoft Research found that most students demonstrated remarkable curiosity when using AI, asking sophisticated questions that extended beyond their task at hand and led to deeper understanding. Further, the latest report from LinkedIn calls for action to equip the future workforce with AI and uniquely human skills as demand is rapidly increasing.

    We’re optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead to help students advance their learning and build skills to prepare for success in their future. We’ll share impact and insights from our private preview for students aged 13 and older, product details, and resources to help you get started.

    Try Copilot Chat today

    Increasing student agency with Copilot Chat

    Throughout our preview, we heard feedback from K-12 institutions that reinforced the importance of providing training and support for educators and students, setting appropriate guidelines, and granting permission to experiment and learn together. They also demonstrated what’s possible when these needs are met. Read on for testimonials from Fulton County Schools and Brisbane Catholic Education, with more insights from our preview and resources later in the blog.

    Fulton County Schools first set a foundation with an AI task force, evaluation of over 200 use cases, and alignment on critical goals such as preparing students for their future and giving every student the opportunity to learn in a way that works best for them. After initial training, educators introduced Copilot Chat as a thought partner, provided coaching on topics like prompting, and quickly saw student confidence and curiosity increase. Students used it to ideate, receive immediate feedback without judgment, design multimedia projects, identify and fix code errors, adjust content based on their preferences or pace, and manage their time. Educators are also now able to challenge them more than ever, and students are using Copilot Chat as a force multiplier to bring their ideas and passions to life in ways they couldn’t previously imagine or access.

    Hear Johns Creek High School educators and students share their experience with Copilot Chat in their own words in the following video and read the full story.

    Read the Johns Creek High School story

    For Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE), the journey began with a plan to use AI to support their mission to teach, challenge, and transform in a time where there are increasing needs for reduction of administrative workload and evolution of learning models for digital-native students. Educators in an early trial reported saving an average of 9.3 hours per week which contributed to BCE’s interest and confidence to expand access more broadly. Copilot Chat increased student agency, enabled more project-based work, and accelerated a shift they’ve been trying to make for years to help students truly become learners, not just receivers of knowledge. Shane Tooley, Assistant Principal, noted, “The real promise of Copilot Chat isn’t efficiency—it’s cognition. It’s helping us push students beyond knowledge recall into evaluation, synthesis, and justification.”

    BCE’s success was built on strong leadership buy-in, aligning AI with broader strategic goals, ongoing measurement, and transparent engagement with opportunities for co-design. It sparked new ways of thinking, a culture of sharing, and thoughtful reflection on the future of education. Learn more about how BCE boosts agency and efficiency with Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

    My role has shifted from lesson planner to facilitator and mentor. One of the most powerful moments was watching a student ask Copilot Chat to reformat their assignment for dyslexia accessibility. That’s agency. That’s personalization. And it happened without pulling the teacher away from the rest of the class.

    Michael Parker, Student Academic Performance and Growth Leader, Trinity College

    Get started with Copilot Chat, learn more about Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Copilot Chat offers free, secure AI chat powered by GPT-4o and the ability to maintain IT control with enterprise data protection and management and is included with Microsoft 365. It also includes features like file upload, image generation, Copilot Pages, and agents. Learn more by reviewing our Copilot Chat documentation. Copilot Chat will be generally available for students aged 13 and older this summer and administrators will need to take additional steps to grant access based on their institution’s plans and preferences. We recommend administrators review the details on managing Copilot Chat access for students and begin taking the next steps to prepare today.

    Manage Copilot Chat access for students

    When you add a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Copilot Chat becomes more powerful by drawing on the Microsoft Graph for access and understanding of your institutional data, working directly in productivity apps like Outlook, Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, and Excel, and using advanced measurement and management tools. Microsoft 365 Copilot will be eligible to purchase as an add-on for students aged 13 and older with a Microsoft 365 subscription later in May 2025. Higher education institutions like Indiana University and Miami Dade College are already seeing the impact of Microsoft 365 Copilot to enhance career readiness and increase student engagement.

    Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot offer enterprise data protection, the same enterprise terms available in our Microsoft 365 offerings. This means we secure your data, your data is private, your existing Microsoft 365 access controls and policies apply, you’re guarded against AI security and copyright risks, and your data isn’t used to train foundation models. Keeping your institutional data protected is important, and Copilot Chat has built-in safeguards to help ensure it stays that way. Additionally, IT administrators and security professionals can further secure, manage, and analyze the use of Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and agents across their institution with the Copilot Control System.

    We look forward to hearing how Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot bring new opportunities to life for your students and institutions. A National 4-H Council survey with young people found that many kids (72%) are seeking support from adults in learning how to use these tools correctly and with confidence. The importance of helping students, educators, and staff adapt to an evolving future will increase and we’ll continue to provide access to the latest technology and relevant resources.

    Explore Microsoft Copilot for personal use

    Many students are not only starting to use AI tools in the classroom, but also at home and for purposes outside of schoolwork. Microsoft Copilot for individuals is designed to inform, entertain, and inspire and can be accessed for free with a Microsoft personal account. Learn more about default settings and policies to protect those aged 13 and older using Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft 365 Personal or Family is also available for use of productivity apps and credits for new AI features. Eligible students can receive a 50% discount on Microsoft 365 Personal and starting today—students in the United States can sign up for a free three-month trial.

    Additional insights from our preview

    We want to thank the inspiring educators, students, and institutional leaders who have shared their insights with us and agreed to share them more broadly with you. Participants emphasized the importance of professional development, guidelines, prompting practice, and creating space for transparency and sharing of successes and failures. Educators noticed Copilot Chat helped keep students engaged, immediately receive and act on feedback, improve their research and analysis process, explore counterarguments, and build AI skills that they’ve already begun using to their advantage in the hiring process and even teaching to their employers in part-time jobs. Students also appreciated time savings, providing relief from the stress of deadlines, through the ability to easily brainstorm, troubleshoot issues, ask unlimited questions, and learn at their own pace.

    Shane Tooley, Assistant Principal Curriculum at St. Peter Claver College says, “If you’re on the fence about AI, it comes down to this: Your students will surprise you. Given the chance, they’ll use AI ethically and meaningfully. The key is to guide them—not restrict them. Show them what good use looks like.”

    Students in Onslow County enjoyed interacting with Copilot Chat to learn more about historical figures, create questions geared towards their specific needs, and receive assistance while away from school. One educator reflected, “Using AI was an eye-opening experience, all I had ever heard or thought about were the negatives, but actually using it allowed me to see many of the wonderful benefits it can bring to our students’ educational experience.”

    Jorge Ledezma, Director of Educational Technology, Santa Margarita Catholic High School advises, “It’s crucial to provide AI literacy courses and resources so that students can learn how to use AI responsibly. Furthermore, emphasizing the importance of privacy and security when using AI tools is vital. This not only helps students understand the ethical implications but also ensures they are well-prepared to navigate the digital world safely.”

    In Saga Prefecture, ⁠instructors helped students use Copilot Chat to learn how to prompt AI tools, program 3D games in Python, resolve issues on their own, and take initiative to further explore their interests. They used Copilot Chat side by side with Microsoft MakeCode for easy access to troubleshooting support and the ability to ask deeper questions about the task at hand. Educators and leaders emphasized the importance of data protection when providing AI tools to their students.

    Dr. Faisal Al Busaidi, Director General of Information Technology, Ministry of Education Oman urges, “Successful adoption of Copilot Chat hinges on the preparedness of educators. I strongly encourage institutions to invest in structured training programs that empower teachers to guide students in using AI tools effectively and thoughtfully.”

    Educators at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby noted that Copilot Chat fostered further independence and critical thinking for their students as they reflected on how to use AI effectively and responsibly in and outside of school. They also expressed the importance of providing training for students and staff, and that like any new technology in education—the experience will only be as good as the guidelines and learning sequence that accompany it.

    Lisvette Flores Quiñones, Department of Education, Puerto Rico shared “Copilot Chat’s use in education and document management has been incredibly beneficial in all teaching and learning processes, I look forward to continuing learning and exploring the potential of AI. I encourage my students to start with Copilot Chat, adjust information to their learning style, and to be specific in their prompts to achieve great results.”

    Resources to begin your AI journey

    Educators in our preview program consistently highlighted the need for training in AI rollout and we have several resources and tools to help you and your students get started:

    • AI Classroom Toolkit – Try this creative resource to introduce AI to teen students that blends engaging narrative stories with instructional information for an immersive and informative learning experience.
    • Copilot Chat Adoption Kit – Review the collection of resources for IT, educators, and guardians to get started with Copilot Chat.
    • Family Safety Toolkit – Learn more about online safety guidance for all ages, tools and tips, and resources we have developed over time through engagement with young people and digital safety partnerships.
    • Minecraft Education AI Foundations – Discover a set of accessible, interactive materials for building AI literacy such as curriculum, short videos, Minecraft lessons, and more.
    • Additional free AI tools – Explore the AI-enhanced Learning Accelerators to help students build foundational skills, GitHub Copilot to empower the next generation of developers, and Khan Academy Writing Coach.
    • FarmBeats for Students program expansion – Access a free, comprehensive course providing training on precision agriculture, data science, and AI designed for classrooms of all kinds.

    Discover even more resources for educators, leaders, and administrators:

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Podcast: Data scientist Cassie Kozyrkov on how AI can be a leadership partner

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Podcast: Data scientist Cassie Kozyrkov on how AI can be a leadership partner

    MOLLY WOOD: Today I’m talking with statistician and decision-making expert Cassie Kozyrkov. She advises companies on how to approach decision making and AI strategy. She is also the founder of a discipline called decision intelligence, which is the name of her popular newsletter. Cassie joins us to share her insights on decision making, how people often get it wrong, and how to understand the value AI can bring to an organization. And now my conversation with Cassie. Thanks so much for being here.  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: I’m so excited to be here, Molly.  

    MOLLY WOOD: Cassie, you’re credited with founding a field, which all by itself is amazing, and that field is called decision intelligence. Could you give us, broadly, a definition of what that means?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Decision intelligence is the discipline of turning information to better action—any scale, any setting. So what it does is it annihilates the silos between the decision disciplines, and perspectives on decision making come from the classic ones like psychology and other social sciences, managerial sciences, and, of course, the data and mathematical sciences. Decision intelligence is a kind of end-to-end approach, and if we think about why we might need it—if you have technology that makes the actual execution of something relatively effortless, you might say, hey, machine, do this thing for me, and you get an answer like that. Two questions for you. Did you ask the right thing? And do you know what you’re looking at when you get an answer? We are beginning to speak more and more powerful words to machines. Are we aware of the consequences of what we’re saying, and are we aware of what we’re actually saying? That’s the decision intelligence approach.  

    MOLLY WOOD: So, one of the things that you’ve written that I found completely compelling is this Harvard Business Review article saying many decision makers think they’re being data-driven. You brought up this idea of the gap sometimes between data and intelligence: they think they’re being data-driven when they look at a number, when they form an opinion and execute their decision. Unfortunately, such a decision will be data-inspired, at best. What do you mean by that?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: You can look at that as data-decorated—data as a decoration or as something that makes us feel better about what we’re going to do anyway. We don’t always realize when we’re doing this. We can be completely convinced that we’re integrating information from the real world, but all we’re doing is using it so much more like a mood board and less as a recipe plan or blueprint for decision making. And this really jumps into the concept of confirmation bias. The way that we see information changes based on what we would like to be true or what we believe already. If you have already made a decision, the way that you’re going to look at a number, a fact, is going to be very, very different from, if you haven’t made the decision yet and you intend to use that number to actually drive your decision. When it comes to confirmation bias, there’s a very simple antidote to it—the discipline of pre-committing to how you’re going to use information to drive your decision. In other words, the structure for your decision has to be there before the data. That’s kind of like saying, I’m going to set my goalposts before I actually kick the ball and see where it lands. Not afterwards, where I could just put the goalposts around the ball and say, yay, I scored. And that pre-commitment process that happens way before the data, that is something that leaders, decision makers have to be responsible for. So it’s really about that gap bridging and fluently speaking both languages: the language of engineering and data, and the language of leadership and decision making.  

    MOLLY WOOD: So then we introduce this big, endless opportunity for data, and I believe you have referred to it as endless right answers. How do we think about decision intelligence in the age of generative AI?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Right. So—   

    MOLLY WOOD: Now things get really messy… [laughter]  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Yeah. Now things do get very messy. So there’s a lot of work done by psychologists where they would show things like, people find it a lot easier to choose between two options. Would you like to have this flavor of gem or that flavor of gem than, say, 16 options? Having more choice doesn’t necessarily make things better and easier. Sometimes having a structure that limits your options can be healthier because we just can’t deal with optimization as humans on that scale. And if 16 is too many for us, what do we do when it’s 16,000 or 16 million? So the thing about generative AI is that it will generate as many as you like, as many as you can afford, compute-wise. What does it mean to have a good customer service interaction where a chatbot is interacting with your customer? What does it mean to draft a good email? What is good in this situation? If you haven’t really thought about that and you start, maybe, going down a rabbit hole, you have to learn how to cut it off and limit your own options and get to where you’re trying to go faster, because if you don’t, here you are looking at potentially infinite good-ish possibilities. How do you choose in those situations? One of the hardest types of choices that you can face is the—good problem to have—situations where the distance between two options is actually quite small. So, a classic example here is going on vacation. And if I asked you whether you would prefer to go to vacation in, let’s say, your local landfill or Paris, right. [laughter] I mean, that’s a fairly easy vacation choice. But let’s say it’s Paris versus another place that you feel quite similarly about—let’s say Paris and Madrid. They’re both great. So how do I then choose between these two if they are so similar, and how do I find what would break that tie? I may find myself overspending effort on that minuscule distance between these two pretty good options. With generative AI as well, you now start to get this proliferation of fairly good answers, and the distance between them might be really small. And then how do you figure out how to inform a choice between all those options? How you would do that would be similar to how you would break a tie between Madrid and Paris. There’s not one right answer.   

    MOLLY WOOD: But it is interesting because it points to what you were saying, which is that you sort of have to go to the end. You have to go to, even if it’s individual, what you value the most. So for example, I might prefer croissants to tapas, and therefore I can optimize backwards. But, and what I like about what you’re saying is that, there’s really still a human, there’s really still goal setting. There’s not this sort of blind following of whatever generative AI is telling you.  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Hundred percent. Hundred percent. Connecting with your personal reason, your why, is how you break these ties. What AI can help you with is generating a bunch of options for you. There’s this tendency to maybe skip a step when we see something that calls itself AI, or it’s computer-y, there’s math somewhere around it, there’s data somewhere around it, that people think that now what we get is access to objectivity, access to the only possible answer. It still comes back down to who is driving, what is important to them, and how they create the criteria for what happens next. So how do we set everything up so that at the end, the technology, the tools, the outputs really do serve the people who are behind all of it? A piece of advice that I have for absolutely everybody is, find the practice, the discipline, of seeing the humans in any technological system. There are so many trade-offs and choices that happen before we get to the mathematical stuff, and understanding that there are people making those trade-offs—we hope that they’re doing it wisely—is maybe the best skill that we can have as decision makers in an increasingly complex and technological world.  

    MOLLY WOOD: This sort of leads us naturally, then, into what you have called the generative AI value gap—the difference between individuals finding enormous value in generative AI and organizations struggling to measure that value. How do they get across that gap?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: When you get a new tool or a new toy, it is enough that it feels useful to you, quite often. I feel like I go faster at writing email if I have generative AI do some pre-drafts for me. That feels good. But if we were actually to dig in and say, well, how do you measure, do you actually know how much of a speed-up you’re getting? And now you want to implement this tool at some kind of scale in an organization. Scale demands to be measured. The first question is, okay, what’s the ROI here? And it’s going to be fairly straightforward to figure out what it costs to put it in, this much headcount, this much processing power, this much technical debt. Then what do we get out of it? These technologies don’t come with that concept built into them. The leader has to take responsibilities down and say, This is why we’re doing it. This is what it means for the system as a whole to succeed. This is the cutoff where the answers are good or better. I want to create a system that generates social media copy automatically, let’s say. Well, then, how do I determine whether one piece of copy is better than another piece? How much better? And that articulation is something that a lot of people find very difficult.   

    MOLLY WOOD: What this is raising for me is the other kind of interesting question about making decisions with AI, being able to use this potential thought partner to break out of some of those patterns, to say, I know that I could be working toward a better outcome that I have not yet determined, because I’m still only human—even if I’m a really good leader and I know I need one. Imagine, then, how could we engage with AI thought partners to help us think differently, get to a different end goal before we start putting in all the data?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: One of your procedures that you would want to do as you’re structuring a decision is to think about what you haven’t thought of. One approach to doing that is analytics. You can also go to an AI brainstorming partner and say, What haven’t I thought of? This is how I’m structuring my decision. What am I ignoring? What hasn’t occurred to me? What assumptions might I be making that I don’t even realize I’m making? AI will keep pushing you. You say, give me 50 more. It will try. A lot of them will be garbage, but you might go, huh, that 47th one, I really didn’t think of that. Maybe that’s much more important than what I’m focusing on.   

    MOLLY WOOD: And that feels magical because it takes a little bit of that pressure off. Like, yes, you still have to lead, but you maybe have a partner in getting you to the leadership part.  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Right, right.   

    MOLLY WOOD: With that in mind, are there problems that come to mind for you that we might be able to solve that we would’ve had a hard time solving before?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Drug discovery is a great one, right? That timeline is shortening because you now have this ability of a machine that really supplements two things that we used to think of as very uniquely human. One of these was memory, and the kind of memory that can hold abstract concepts and layer Lego blocks of abstractions in a way that we haven’t really found evidence of animals doing. So, what a fantastic property. Data is really good for memory, data is really good for attention. Machines, they’re pretty cool memory prosthesis. The other thing that’s quite special about us is language, and that we are able to transmit information with language. AI is really participating in both of these topics, suddenly giving us access to vast amounts of shared memories. And then with language, the reason that generative AI, I think, is really wowing people is that, before, if you wanted to talk to a computer, you would have to learn a language—your C++, your Python, whatever it is. Whereas now, you have this democratization where you can speak your own language and have a shot at the machine being able to do things for you. The trouble with our own language, though, is that it is not precise. Mathematics is a great way to say very little, very precisely. So that gives you a lot of control. Poetry is a great way to say a lot, very imprecisely. Now we can express ourselves poetically and be a little bit surprised by what we get. Now think about that element of being surprised by what we get, and put it in the context of generating ideas, of brainstorming. How wonderful. And then put it in the context of something mission-critical, where the system has to work. How do you put guardrails and safety nets on what is essentially a kind of proto-genie, and the prompt is a kind of proto-wish. And are we sure that we are able to express ourselves properly, particularly when we’re going to scale that wish up? How do we think about what we actually mean? How do we do it well? That prompt is more like a wish. You might make a terrible prompt and get something that, you know, you definitely don’t deserve, based on the effort you put in—  

    MOLLY WOOD: Your poor construction. [laughter] 

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Yeah, right, exactly. Your poor construction. You didn’t know what you were asking for, and somehow you got something good back. That’s possible. You might also have done a really great job of asking, gotten something garbage back, this surprise factor. As we put in this surprise factor and we start to scale it up beyond the individual user, we start to take it into the organization. What does it mean to have a system that has this greater propensity for surprise, uncertainty, for complexity, for chaos?   

    MOLLY WOOD: If you wouldn’t mind sharing, how are you using AI in your work and, ideally, your personal life?   

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: What AI needs to do for me is make me more effective. Does it make me better? Does it augment me, does it help me do something faster, smarter, or in a more inspired way than before? So of course, I look at things I work on and find all the drudgery—a lot of it is translation. So language translation is what we’re actually talking about quite often when we’re thinking about these generative AI systems. Language is the interface to human collaboration. Naturally attempting to express myself is more convenient, and so I can get my wishes translated. I can get them translated into code, I can get them translated into action. So if I am really dreading writing a particular kind of email, I might ask for a draft—edit the email a bit and put it into my voice. If you think translation is like English to Spanish and back, that’s too narrow. Translation also includes taking bullet points and translating them into a fleshed-out email, and taking a fleshed-out email and translating it back into bullet points, which was a use case that I found that a lot of people were doing with generative AI, which tells you a lot about the human condition. What I don’t use AI for is thinking on my behalf. A classic thing—so my dad absolutely does this, or at least pretends to do this. So he will be looking at a menu, he will be stuck between two fairly good options. Maybe it’s the Caesar salad that he likes. Maybe it’s the steak. Those to him are quite similar, as it turns out. And then he will take out a coin. He will flip that coin and that will tie-break for him. He knows there that he’s fairly indifferent. He’s thought about it, and that’s why I say it’s like something he pretends to do, to say the coin makes the decision. It is very possible to use AI in this way. And in the same way that I don’t recommend letting a coin run your life, I also don’t recommend having what is also a very similar process. An AI system is composed of much smaller Lego blocks, which if you take them down to their atoms will look a lot like coin tosses. It’s a probability engine. You don’t want that running your life either. So you, the human, you have to stay in control. You have to say, this is how I’m setting things up. This is what’s important to me. This is what I’m choosing not to pay attention to. This is what I’m choosing to pay attention to. You are the author of meaning as a human. You choose what’s important, and then you use AI afterwards.   

    MOLLY WOOD: Knowing that this is how you’re going to approach this question, I feel like it’s going to be an extra interesting answer to the question we always ask, which is, if you’re fast-forwarding three to five years, what do you—not necessarily think—what do you predict may be some of the most important changes in the way we work, or the biggest changes.  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: So I have this concept of thunking versus thinking. Thinking is exactly what it sounds like. Thunking is where, it’s like the sound of a dull brick—thunk, thunk, thunk. It’s where, if we’re honest with ourselves, we are executing on something that we’ve already decided how we’re going to approach, and now we’re a little bit checked out. It’s the difference between a conversation where you are engaged and a conversation where you’ve already pre-planned what you’re going to say, you’re not listening anymore. The thing with AI and other kinds of machine automations is that they will automate more and more and more of the thunking, and every job has a thunking component, where you’ve figured out what to do. What’s going to be interesting, challenging, is how we approach managing thinking as we take out a lot of the thunking, because I’ll tell you what not to do. What not to do is to say, great, I had this employee and I have automated out so much thunking that I’ve taken out seven hours out of a nine-hour workday. Great. Let me compress that and make them do thinking for two hours. And now they come to work at 9 a.m., they leave at 11 a.m., and they’re just going to do pure thinking. If anything’s wishful thinking it’s that. That is not how we optimize for the creative and engaged moments. I’m not sure that we know how to optimize for them. What we’ve been measuring this entire time is the most repetitive, the most digitized, and the least creative aspects of work. That’s what we know how to measure, because they’re easy to measure. How do you define creativity so you can measure it? That’s hard. But you can measure the amount of time someone sat in their chair, words per minute that they typed, the number of customers that they served. These are all the things that AI sees. What AI doesn’t see is the creative bit. So then if you’re going to take away the thunking, what are you going to do to make sure that the thinking still happens well? Okay, I am in charge of myself as my own boss and CEO of my company. So no one tells me how to spend my thinking, thunking, creative, not creative time. Every time that I find a way to automate some of the thunking, which I do quite aggressively, I try to remove as much of it as possible, I find that I still need to put something like that back into my schedule so that I have the creative thoughts. Now, it’s nice that I can choose between, you know, I find data entry quite soothing, so sometimes I’ll enter data into a spreadsheet that I don’t even need to enter, just for the soothing relaxation that I think a lot of people seek when they play games on their phone. That when you distract yourself from pure thinking, you may be more likely to be creative, you may find that you actually need those things. What we’ll see is that work is trying to push those things out, because that’s what we used to optimize for. We used to optimize for those things. Now we will find how to really optimize for those things, and then we’ll have empty space. Workers will have empty space. How will leadership deal with that empty space, and will they deal with it in a way that really optimizes for creative ideas, healthy cultures, and productive work environments? That’s going to be a massive challenge, and in three to five years we will have to solve this challenge. And so that’s something we’d better start with today. 

    MOLLY WOOD: Thank you again to Cassie Kozyrkov, AI and decision intelligence expert. You can find her Substack at decision.substack.com. Thank you so much for the time.  

    CASSIE KOZYRKOV: Thank you so much for having me.   

    MOLLY WOOD: Thank you all for joining us, and keep checking your feeds. We have more fascinating guests on the way with actionable insights that can help leaders develop an AI-first mindset, reimagine their business for a new era of work, and maximize the ROI of AI. If you’ve got a question or a comment, please drop us an email at worklab@microsoft.com, and check out Microsoft’s Work Trend Indexes and the WorkLab digital publication, where you’ll find all our episodes, along with thoughtful stories that explore how business leaders are thriving in today’s new world of work. You can find all of that at microsoft.com/worklab. As for this podcast, please, if you don’t mind, rate us, review us, and follow us wherever you listen. It helps us out a ton. The WorkLab podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of work, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own, and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft’s own research or positions. WorkLab is produced by Microsoft with Godfrey Dadich Partners and Reasonable Volume. I’m your host, Molly Wood. Sharon Kallander and Matthew Duncan produced this podcast. Jessica Voelker is the WorkLab editor. 

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Republicans Shoot Down Rep. Peters’ Amendment to Save Medicaid for Millions of Needy Americans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    [embedded content]

    Washington, D.C. – Today, during the 17th hour of the marathon Energy and Commerce Committee meeting on the Republican tax plan, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) offered an amendment to protect millions of Americans from being kicked off Medicaid. Their legislation would kick 13.7 million people off their healthcare, according to a new analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. In every state that has experimented with so-called “work requirements,” employment was not increased, but tens of thousands of people – many of whom are in fact working – have lost their healthcare. The Republican majority on the committee rejected Rep. Peters’ commonsense amendment to protect sick and uninsured Americans on a party-line vote of 23-28.  

     

    Speaking on his amendment, Rep. Peters stated, “I want to talk about what’s at stake today. Medicaid covers more than 72 million Americans. That includes nearly 40 million children, 7 million seniors, and 15 million people with disabilities. In my district alone, Medicaid (or Medi-Cal, as we call it), covers nearly one in five people. Across the San Diego region, that number is almost one in three. Medicaid helps working families who don’t get health insurance through their jobs, and it keeps struggling rural hospitals afloat. Medicaid provides treatment for opioid addiction and mental health services for those who need them the most. And let’s not forget: Medicaid is also the largest provider of long-term care in this country.” 

     

    He continued, “Look, I believe that work is valuable. It provides stability, dignity, and a path toward opportunity. I also believe deeply that every American who can work should be encouraged and supported in doing so. But time and again, when states have made these cuts, we have not seen increases in employment. But we have seen people lose health coverage, more red tape for doctors, and worse health outcomes.” 

     

    And he concluded, “People who should qualify still lose coverage. My constituents—veterans with post-traumatic stress injury, new mothers recovering from childbirth, or people managing chronic conditions often can’t make it through the reporting process in time. My Republican colleagues will point to the bill text and say people with disabilities are clearly exempted. Tragically, it already takes people who are disabled almost 8 months to receive a formal determination from the Social Security Administration. So, this bill would kick disabled people who have health care today off of their coverage. That’s because many of them are covered by the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which the legislation before us would gut. And even for those who do work — often in low-wage, unstable jobs — these mandates create a penalty for workers. A missed shift, a lost job, or a technical error can trigger a cascade that ends in lost coverage. That’s not promoting work. It’s punishing job loss. When people lose Medicaid, they don’t stop getting sick. They just stop getting preventive care. They end up in the emergency room, often sicker, and often at greater cost to their family and the taxpayers.”  

     

    Watch Rep. Peters’ opening statement against the Republican tax plan here.  

    Watch Rep. Peters’ remarks on the Republican tax plan’s fossil fuel favoritism here.   

     

    CA-50 Medicaid Facts:  

    • 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents. 
      • 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities. 
    • At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example: 
      • Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
    • There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients. 
    • Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage. 
    • Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins. 
    • Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including: 
      • Family Health Centers of San Diego 
      • Neighborhood Healthcare 
      • North County Health Project 
      • San Diego American Indian Health Centers 
      • St. Vincent De Paul Village 

     

    Read Rep. Peters full remarks below:  

     

    I want to talk about what’s at stake today. Medicaid covers more than 72 million Americans. That includes nearly 40 million children, 7 million seniors, and 15 million people with disabilities. 

      

    In my district alone, Medicaid (or Medi-Cal, as we call it), covers nearly one in five people. Across the San Diego region, that number is almost one in three.   

      

    Medicaid helps working families who don’t get health insurance through their jobs, and it keeps struggling rural hospitals afloat. 

      

    Medicaid provides treatment for opioid addiction and mental health services for those who need them the most. And let’s not forget: Medicaid is also the largest provider of long-term care in this country. 

      

    If you have a loved one who relies on home care or if you have a grandparent in a nursing home, Medicaid is there to make sure they get the care they need. 

     

    So, when Republicans propose slashing Medicaid, let’s be clear about what that really means. It means seniors will be kicked out of nursing homes. It means people with disabilities will lose their independence. It means kids will miss critical doctor visits. 

      

    We know this because we’ve seen it before. 

      

    Let’s look at Arkansas. When the state piloted its Medicaid work requirement, over 18,000 people lost coverage. 

      

    Not because they refused to work, but because they struggled to report their hours in a newly created, online-only portal. 

      

    The vast majority of these people had jobs. Many more were caring for disabled relatives, recovering from illness, or navigating mental health challenges. The problem is: the work requirement didn’t account for that. 

      

    Local doctors and clinics felt the strain almost immediately. Physicians reported longer waits. Patients missed their follow-up appointments. Emergency rooms saw increases in uncompensated care. 

      

    It wasn’t just those subject to the mandate who suffered—everyone in the system felt the impact including the elderly, pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities. 

      

    Similar results followed when Georgia experimented with its own mandate. The evidence is consistent: Republican policies will increase red tape and cut health care coverage for everyone, but they do not increase employment for “able-bodied” people. 

      

    Medicaid is the difference between children getting the medication they need or not. It’s the difference between a working mother affording prenatal care or risking her pregnancy. 

      

    It’s the difference between a senior being able to stay in their home or being forced into a nursing facility. 

      

    Look, I believe that work is valuable. It provides stability, dignity, and a path toward opportunity. I also believe deeply that every American who can work should be encouraged and supported in doing so. 

      

    But time and again, when states have made these cuts, we have not seen increases in employment. But we have seen people lose health coverage, more red tape for doctors, and worse health outcomes. 

      

    We’ve heard plenty of arguments today that there are exemptions for the elderly or people with disabilities. 

      

    The problem is: in practice, these exemptions are often poorly implemented and difficult to navigate, as is the bill before us. 

      

    People who should qualify still lose coverage. My constituents—veterans with post-traumatic stress injury, new mothers recovering from childbirth, or people managing chronic conditions often can’t make it through the reporting process in time. 

      

    My Republican colleagues will point to the bill text and say people with disabilities are clearly exempted.  

      

    Tragically, it already takes people who are disabled almost 8 months to receive a formal determination from the Social Security Administration. 

      

    So, this bill would kick disabled people who have health care today off of their coverage. 

      

    That’s because many of them are covered by the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which the legislation before us would gut. 

      

    And even for those who do work—often in low-wage, unstable jobs—these mandates create a penalty for workers. 

      

    A missed shift, a lost job, or a technical error can trigger a cascade that ends in lost coverage. That’s not promoting work. It’s punishing job loss. 

      

    When people lose Medicaid, they don’t stop getting sick. They just stop getting preventive care. They end up in the emergency room, often sicker, and often at greater cost to their family and the taxpayers. 

      

    The evidence is overwhelming: these policies will drastically cut Medicaid funding and take health care away from more than 13 million Americans. 

      

    The short-term spending cuts we may see on our balance sheet will be outweighed by downstream costs—in both dollars and American lives. 

      

    We can do better than this, I encourage my colleagues to vote yes on my amendment. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Republicans Reject Amendment to Protect Women’s Health Care as GOP Reconciliation Bill Risks Worsening Maternal Mortality Crisis

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – During today’s House Energy and Commerce Committee markup on the Republican reconciliation legislation, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) spoke in support of an amendment to prevent the bill from accelerating the closure of community hospitals and women’s health clinics, which will worsen the maternal mortality crisis in the United States. The amendment introduced by Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) would reverse the GOP cuts to Planned Parenthood and other health care organizations that provide lifesaving women’s health care, despite the existing ban on using taxpayer funds to perform abortion care.
    “At a time when maternal health outcomes are worsening across this country, when we’re dead last in maternal mortality among developed nations, this bill doesn’t just turn a blind eye – it pours gasoline on a fire that is already consuming our hospitals, our providers, and our patients,” Congresswoman Trahan said.
    CLICK HERE or the image below to view Trahan’s remarks during the Committee’s consideration of reconciliation legislation. A transcript is embedded below.

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee is currently marking up House Republicans’ reconciliation package that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would cut $715 billion from Medicaid and eliminate health coverage for at least 13.7 million Americans. Medicaid is the largest single-payer of maternity care in the United States, covering an estimated 40% of births. One in five women, and nearly half the country’s children, are covered by Medicaid.
    The amendment introduced by Congresswoman Fletcher would strike the provision limiting federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, which would force clinic closures and force more patients to visit hospitals that will be stretched thin by other Medicaid cuts in the bill. During debate over the amendment, Trahan pointed to the recent closing of the maternal birth center in Leominster as well as the devastation caused by the Steward Health Care crisis that closed two hospitals in Massachusetts, including Nashoba Valley Medical Center in her district.
    “Maternal health is life or death, and right now, far too many women are dying because our health care system is failing them. In my district, that failure is not theoretical. We don’t have sprawling hospital systems with billion-dollar reserves. We have community hospitals that barely survived COVID and now face impossible decisions,” Congresswoman Trahan continued. “In 2023, the only maternity ward in the western part of my district shut down due to staffing shortages. Last year, two more hospitals closed during the Steward Health Care crisis, including one that served as the primary care provider for thousands of families. These aren’t hypothetical losses. These are real delivery rooms, real emergency rooms – closed for good. Hallways dark. Doors locked. Services gone.”
    The amendment was defeated following a vote along party lines, with all Republicans voting against it.
    A copy of the amendment can be accessed HERE.
    ——————————————–
    Congresswoman Lori Trahan
    Remarks As Delivered
    House Energy and Commerce Committee Markup – Hospital Closure & Maternal Health Amendment
    May 13, 2025
    I move to strike the last word, and I want to thank my colleague from Texas for introducing this important amendment.
    Every one of us has heard stories from constituents – mothers, daughters, families – about how hard it is to access the care they need. And yet, this bill crafted behind closed doors by Republicans on this committee will only deepen that crisis.
    At a time when maternal health outcomes are worsening across this country, when we’re dead last in maternal mortality among developed nations, this bill doesn’t just turn a blind eye – it pours gasoline on a fire that is already consuming our hospitals, our providers, and our patients.
    Cutting Medicaid means cutting off care when women are most vulnerable. Pregnancy is not a luxury. Safe childbirth isn’t a partisan issue. Maternal health is life or death, and right now, far too many women are dying because our health care system is failing them.
    In my district, that failure is not theoretical. We don’t have sprawling hospital systems with billion-dollar reserves. We have community hospitals that barely survived COVID and now face impossible decisions.
    In 2023, the only maternity ward in the western part of my district shut down due to staffing shortages. Last year, two more hospitals closed during the Steward Health Care crisis, including one that served as the primary care provider for thousands of families. These aren’t hypothetical losses. These are real delivery rooms, real emergency rooms – closed for good. Hallways dark. Doors locked. Services gone.
    When a maternity ward shuts down, it sends a chilling message: that a community’s needs aren’t worth the investment. That we’re okay forcing mothers to drive two or three hours just to give birth. That we’ll accept more premature births, more untreated complications, and more babies who never take their first breath.
    According to the March of Dimes, 1 in every 25 obstetric units has closed in just the last two years. Over a thousand counties in America are now classified as maternity care deserts, meaning 2.3 million women live in places where there isn’t a single birthing facility – not one obstetrician.
    These women are not numbers on a chart. They’re real people. Women who fear bleeding out in labor with the nearest hospital 90 minutes away. Women who skip prenatal care because they can’t afford the gas. Women who bury their babies because help came too late.
    And now, Republicans want to gut the very program that keeps these fragile systems afloat just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk who loves to talk about falling birth rates but refuses to fund the health care that women need to give birth safely?
    It doesn’t stop there. This bill targets Planned Parenthood, blocking their health centers from receiving Medicaid dollars in states where abortion is already banned. I want to be clear – these centers aren’t performing abortions. What they’re doing is delivering cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and preventive care in places where there’s no other option.
    So let’s call this what it is – not a fight over abortion, but a deliberate campaign to dismantle reproductive health care altogether. And it’s happening while maternal mortality is rising and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
    Cutting Medicaid, which covers half of all births in this country, will only make that crisis worse. We will lose coverage. We will lose hospitals. And we will lose lives.
    If you care about healthy moms and babies, if you care about rural communities surviving, if you care about the basic dignity of giving birth safely in America in 2025,  then you cannot support the bill as written. 
    Give us a meaningful Mother’s Day gift this year. Support this amendment, and do not balance your budget on the backs of mothers.
    I yield back.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump administration moves to undo appliance efficiency standards that save consumers billions, reduce pollution and fight climate change

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David J. Vogel, Professor Emeritus of Business Ethics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

    Refrigerators were the target of the very first energy efficiency standards for appliances, back in 1974. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The Trump administration has begun the process of undoing decades of regulations that improved energy efficiency in American household appliances. In a statement announcing the move, the U.S. Department of Energy said those regulations are “driving up costs and lowering quality of life for the American people.”

    The legality of this effort is problematic, however, as federal law prohibits the Department of Energy from reversing already approved appliance efficiency standards.

    And as a scholar of environmental regulations, I know those regulations were created to save energy and lower utility bills for consumers. I also know that many companies and consumers have supported federal regulation to strengthen energy efficiency standards and generally have opposed weakening them.

    The first government-set energy efficiency standards for appliances were issued by California in 1974. They were initially for refrigerators, the household appliance that used the most energy. Subsequently, several other household appliances were added. During the next decade, more states issued standards, as saving energy would help avoid the costs of constructing new power plants.

    The proliferation of state standards led the federal government to prohibit states from issuing appliance efficiency standards once the federal government had done so. The first federal standards, in 1987, applied to 13 household products, including refrigerators.

    Since then, the federal government has created standards for additional products and tightened existing ones. Those changes have progressively made home appliances and business and industrial equipment more efficient, saving consumers billions of dollars, decreasing air pollution from power plants and reducing carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.

    Electric meters like these at a Mississippi apartment complex keep track of how much – or how little – electricity residents use.
    AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

    Broad application

    Federal data indicates that 40% of total U.S. energy consumption – and 28% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions – is attributable to household and industrial appliances, such as heating and cooling systems, refrigerators, lighting and various kinds of equipment, such as computers, printers and electric motors.

    At present, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Appliance and Equipment Standards Program covers more than 70 products that the government estimates consume about 90% of energy used in homes, 70% of energy in commercial buildings and 30% of energy used in industry. The government estimates the standards saved American consumers $105 billion just in 2024 – with a typical household saving about $576 over the expenses if there were no efficiency standards.

    Appliance energy efficiency standards now in place are cumulatively expected by the Department of Energy to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2 billion metric tons over 30 years. That’s as much carbon dioxide as 15 million gas-powered cars would emit in that same period.

    Many federal standards, including on light bulbs, electric motors and commercial heating and cooling equipment, have been based on those previously adopted by one or more states. Federal law permits states to issue standards for products that the federal government has not yet regulated: As of 2024, 18 states had set efficiency rules for a total of 22 types of appliances, including computers and televisions.

    Additional benefits

    These appliance standards have reduced American energy use, including electricity. The existing national standards are projected to reduce overall national energy consumption by 10% between 2025 and 2035.

    Those standards also improve public health, because there is less need to build new fossil-fuel power plants or operate existing ones. As a result, power generators have been able to reduce their emissions of dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury.

    Energy efficiency standards reduce the need for fossil fuel-powered electric plants, like this one in Ohio.
    Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    A popular policy

    Making appliances more energy efficient has proved popular. A national survey released by the Consumer Federation of America in 2018 found that 71% of Americans “support the idea that the government should set and update energy efficiency standards for appliances.” Significantly, 72% of those surveyed named lowering electrical bills and 57% stated that avoiding construction of new power plants to keep electricity rates from rising were important reasons to increase appliance efficiency.

    Support remains strong: A June 2024 YouGov poll found that 60% of Americans support tougher appliance efficiency standards.

    From 1987 through 2007, more than three-quarters of national appliance energy efficiency standards were passed into law by Congress, with the rest created by administrative processes under existing laws. These legal standards received bipartisan support and were signed into law by Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

    But more recently, partisanship has affected the setting of standards. Since 2008, whether standards improve or remain unchanged has depended on whether Democrats or Republicans occupied the White House.

    Political back-and-forth

    The Obama administration enacted among the most ambitious energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment to date. New standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces affected heating and cooling equipment for half of the square footage used by the nation’s businesses. The rules were projected to reduce energy costs to businesses by $167 billion over the life of the regulated products.

    But during the first Trump administration, improvements in existing standards came to a halt.

    When Joe Biden became president, his administration resumed issuing new standards, most notably phasing out incandescent light bulbs. The Biden administration also issued new standards for furnaces, residential water heaters, stoves, washing machines and refigerators.

    Electric induction stoves, like this one, are more energy efficient than gas stoves.
    Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

    Controversy continues

    A new Biden rule for electric motors, which are widely used in manufacturing and processing equipment, incorporated recommendations from businesses and advocacy organizations. The rule was slated to take effect in 2028 and was expected to save businesses and consumers up to $8.8 billion over a 30-year period.

    But the Trump administration has withdrawn this standard, along with others issued by the Biden administration, including for ceiling fans, dehumidifers and external power supplies. The administration has postponed the effective dates of other standards that had been finalized before Trump took office. The administration said the reversals would “slash unnecessary red tape and regulations that raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and frustrate the American people.”

    Another set of politically controversial standards Biden introduced sought to encourage consumers to switch from stoves, furnaces and water heaters that use natural gas or propane to electric ones. The electric versions of those appliances are more energy efficient, while gas cooking emits toxic chemicals into the home. Switching can be expensive, and many consumers prefer gas-powered appliances, as of course does the natural gas industry, which has opposed these federal efforts.

    And in early April 2025, Republicans in Congress used their legislative authority to overturn the regulations for natural gas water heaters. But most of the federal standards – and all of the state ones – remain in effect, at least for now.

    This article, originally published April 17, 2025, was updated on May 14, 2025, to reflect the Trump administration’s latest move on efficiency standards.

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

    – ref. Trump administration moves to undo appliance efficiency standards that save consumers billions, reduce pollution and fight climate change – https://theconversation.com/trump-administration-moves-to-undo-appliance-efficiency-standards-that-save-consumers-billions-reduce-pollution-and-fight-climate-change-253673

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Schatz, Coons, Murphy Lead 27 Senators in Introducing Resolution to Condemn $400 Million Airplane Gift to Trump from Qatar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) in leading a group of 27 Senators to introduce a resolution condemning a luxury airplane gift, valued at $400 million, President Donald Trump announced he will receive from the government of Qatar. According to reports, Trump intends to designate the plane as Air Force One while in office and then transfer it to a foundation for personal use following the end of his term.
    “While Republicans plot to gut vital services like Social Security and Medicaid and unleash economic uncertainty onto hardworking Americans, Donald Trump is planning to accept a luxury jet, valued at $400 million, from a foreign government,” said Senator Booker. “This not only creates a clear conflict of interest, raises serious national security concerns, and undermines public trust in our government, but is a slap in the face to the people across the country who are struggling to make ends meet. All Senators should be able to agree that no one should use public service for personal gain through foreign gifts. I hope my Republican colleagues will support this resolution.”
    “Air Force One is more than just a plane — it’s a symbol of the presidency and of the United States itself,” said Senator Schatz. “Any president who accepts this kind of gift, valued at $400 million, from a foreign government creates a clear conflict of interest, raises serious national security questions, invites foreign influence, and undermines public trust in our government. We are asking the Senate to vote to reiterate a basic principle: no president should use public service for personal gain through foreign gifts.”
    “We wouldn’t trust another country to decorate the Oval Office, to set up our Situation Room, or to wire the White House briefing room, so why would we let another country build Air Force One for us, which is an airborne version of all three? This isn’t just a massive act of corruption, it’s a national security risk of the highest order,” said Senator Coons, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. “If President Trump is so willing to put his own administration in danger for the sake of a $400 million gift, imagine how much danger he’s willing to put the American people in.”
    “The president doesn’t get to trade U.S. foreign policy and national security for a private jet,” said Senator Murphy. “This resolution sends the message Trump won’t: the Oval Office is not for sale.”
    “President Trump’s penchant for corruption and grift has risen to a new level with the news his presidency is for sale – if you happen to have $400 million dollars,” said Leader Schumer. “This Qatari plane deal would be the largest Presidential bribe in modern history and it’s not just naked corruption, it’s a grave national security threat. Senate Republicans may bury their heads in the sand while Trump tries to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies, but Senate Democrats are going to stand up for the American people and say enough is enough – we condemn this attempt at corruption and gross violation of the Constitution.”
    “No, Donald Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar. Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Senator Sanders. “Congress must not allow this over-the-top kleptocracy to proceed.”
    “President Trump wants to accept a $400 million private jet from a foreign government, have American taxpayers pay to retrofit it as Air Force One, and then keep it for himself to jet around the world as soon as he leaves office. It’s hard to imagine more brazen corruption or a clearer violation of our Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, and there’s no question this outlandish proposal puts our country’s national security at risk,” said Senator Murray. “Every member of Congress should support this simple resolution condemning violations of the Emoluments Clause and making clear Trump cannot accept a $400 million private jet from Qatar without explicit consent from Congress.”
    “If someone came to one of my town halls in Oregon and tried to argue that getting a $400 million jet from the government of Qatar wasn’t corruption, they would be laughed out of town,” said Senator Wyden. “Instead of securing new allies against adversaries like China or opening new markets for American products, Trump is using America’s clout to get a private jet. It’s corruption plain and simple that fritters away American influence and leaves us weaker.” 
    “While Republicans in Congress are working to gut Medicaid and Social Security, President Trump is brazenly accepting a luxury jumbo jet from Qatar — for his use during and after he leaves office,” said Senator Padilla. “Once again, Trump is showing us that he puts his own interests above those of the American people, benefiting himself and leaving working families behind. This foreign gift reeks of corruption, is blatantly against the law, threatens our national security, and will cost taxpayers tens of millions in retrofit costs and security upgrades.”
    “Donald Trump is accepting a multimillion dollar plane from a foreign government as a personal gift, while clearly ignoring the Constitution,” said Senator Rosen. “Trump gets richer off of his position while hardworking families suffer from his reckless actions. This is corruption plain and simple, and I’m supporting this resolution to make our strong opposition clear.”
    “This is corruption plain and simple. The President of the United States accepting a $400 million plane from a foreign government is unheard of, and would require direct consent from Congress,” said Senator Warner. “This is just the latest act by President Trump that shows his administration has no regard for the rule of law and is ripe to be exploited by foreign actors.”
     “Trump’s brazen willingness to accept a luxury jet from Qatar raises the dangerous prospect that the president can be bought and paid for by foreign powers — putting their interests over Americans’ and our national security. Every Senator should join us in rejecting it and blocking the sale of the presidency to the highest bidder,” said Senator Van Hollen.
    “Our founding fathers knew that we must protect ourselves from corruption and foreign influence, which is exactly why we have a constitutional provision prohibiting presidents from accepting lavish gifts from foreign governments—a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, reportedly valued at $400 million, is no exception,” said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Shaheen. “Congress and the American public have a right to know the details of any arrangement that calls into question whether the President is acting on behalf of American interests and American interests alone. Further, the security implications of taking a foreign-owned and managed plane and outfitting it with the most sensitive U.S. technology continues to demonstrate a lack of judgement in this administration when it comes to guarding U.S. intelligence.”
    “There’s no such thing as a $400 million “no-strings-attached” gift,” said Senator Duckworth. “This is the mother of all bribes. It puts our national security in jeopardy and erodes public trust—all for the President’s own personal gain. Donald Trump wants to sell our foreign policy and sell out our people.”
    “Donald Trump accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country is corruption in plain sight,” said Senator Hirono. “Trump’s latest grift undermines our national security, flies in the face of the Constitution, and will cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions, if not billions, in retrofits.”
    “The mere notion that the President would cravenly accept a $400 million attempt to win favor from a foreign power is beyond the pale and reeks of corruption.  The White House and presidency are sacred trusts from the American people, not venues for Trump to enrich himself and his family with shady deals and influence buying,” said Senator Durbin. “Our resolution reaffirms what our Constitution makes clear – no President should receive gifts from a foreign power.”
    “While President Trump claims to target fraud and abuse, his actions continue to prove that his priorities are his own interests and those of his wealthy friends,” said Senator Bennet. “His plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari government for use as Air Force One is an act of blatant corruption and a violation of our Constitution that poses severe counterintelligence risks, needlessly undermining U.S. national security.”
    “This is corruption in plain sight. Under no circumstance should a sitting president be accepting luxury gifts from a foreign government, especially while negotiating an arms sale,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “This is yet another example of President Trump focusing on enriching himself rather than improving the lives of everyday Americans. I’m joining with my colleagues on this resolution to protect national security, to stand up for our constituents, and to uphold the rule of law.”
    “If an ordinary government official accepted a gift even a fraction as valuable as this, there would be a full investigation, and potential firings due to concerns of foreign influence,” said Senator Slotkin. “Now the President is taking a $400 million foreign gift. Beyond the perception of corruption, the idea that a foreign country would have access to Air Force One, as the buyer, during production, leaves it incredibly vulnerable to bugs, tracking devices, and whatever else they or other countries may attempt to manipulate.”
    “This is corruption, plain and simple. The U.S. is not for sale, and we cannot allow the presidency to be bought by foreign interests,” said Senator Klobuchar.
    “Just when you think the Trump Administration can’t sink to a new low of ethical misconduct, he accepts a luxury jet from a foreign nation. Corruption on full display,” said Senator Merkley.
    “We’re beyond foreign interference at this point. We’re watching a President invite a foreign government to buy him off,” said Senator Alsobrooks. “American values are actively being flushed down the toiled by this corrupt President.”
    In addition to Booker, Schatz, and Coons, the resolution is cosponsored by Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Andy Kim (D-NN).
    To read the full text of the resolution, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support American Innovation and Outcompete China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 05.14.2025
    Bill Would Provide Assistance to Michigan Small Businesses and Startups to Invest in R&D

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped introduce the American Innovation and Jobs Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand and strengthen research and development (R&D) incentives for American small businesses and startups. The bill – which Peters reintroduced with U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) – would help the U.S. outcompete and out-innovate our global competitors, particularly China, who are significantly investing in R&D. 
    “From putting the world on wheels to producing the aircraft and vehicles that led the Allied Forces to victory in World War II, Michigan has long excelled at developing cutting-edge technologies that have kept our state and nation competitive on the world stage,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan, commonsense bill would help ensure Michigan small businesses and startups can continue to spearhead innovation that keeps us competitive against our adversaries like China by boosting federal support for R&D, while creating good jobs for Michigan workers in the process.”
    Businesses and startups that invest in R&D have long been able to either claim a tax credit or deduct their investments. This support enables them to invest in developing new, innovative products that help create jobs and build a stronger economy. With the goal of increasing investment in cutting-edge American technologies, the American Innovation and Jobs Act would restore and make permanent U.S. businesses’ ability to deduct their R&D costs from their taxable income in the year in which those costs were incurred. In addition, the bill would also expand the cap for the refundable R&D tax credit, which is a critical tool for small businesses that are just getting off the ground. Prioritizing R&D investment is essential now more than ever as U.S. foreign adversaries like China are attempting to out-innovate the United States.  
    Specifically, the American Innovation and Jobs Act would:

    Expand support for innovative startups by immediately doubling the current cap on the refundable R&D tax credit to $500,000, and ultimately raising it to $750,000 over ten years. The bill would also expand access to the R&D tax credit for startups by lowering certain thresholds needed to qualify.

    Expand the number of startups eligible to use the refundable R&D tax credit by increasing the eligibility threshold from $5 million to $15 million in in annual revenue. It would also extend the period during which startups can claim the credit from 5 years to 8 years after beginning to generate at least $25,000 in revenue.

    The legislation is endorsed by the R&D Coalition, which includes numerous organizations such as Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers, Information Technology Industry Council, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 
    Peters has long led efforts to support American innovation and help U.S. businesses compete in the global marketplace. Peters helped craft and pass into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which invested $170 billion in research and development for cutting-edge scientific advancements. This law also invested heavily in strengthening our domestic supply chains for critical semiconductor technologies to create good-paying American jobs and keep the U.S. competitive on the world stage. Peters additionally helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which will strengthen domestic manufacturing, onshore our supply chains, and create millions of American jobs. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Peters and Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect U.S. Nuclear Facilities from Drone Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 05.14.2025

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect our nation’s nuclear facilities from the growing threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. The senators’ Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense (NEDD) Act would expand the Department of Energy’s (DOE) authority to counter drones presenting threats to U.S. nuclear facilities and assets, specifically to cover facilities that store and transport nuclear material as well as facilities used to research, design, or manufacture components for nuclear weapons. As drones become more advanced, this legislation would help to better secure America’s major nuclear sites as well as smaller facilities that are critical to national security.  
    “As drone technologies evolve and advance, we need to be taking every step necessary to protect our national security and keep America’s nuclear assets, and the communities near them, safe,” said Senator Peters. “This bill would give the Department of Energy the additional authority it needs to counter evolving drone threats and protect some of our nation’s most sensitive and critical infrastructure.” 
    “Unmanned aircraft systems are threatening our nuclear and national security,” said Senator Blackburn. “The NEDD Act would protect nuclear facilities from unauthorized drones, enhancing the Department of Energy’s ability to safeguard its assets, and counter threats to our national security.”
    Between 2022 and 2024, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) reported six unauthorized drone sightings at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), one suspicious UAS overflight of the Pantex Plant (PTX), and five suspicious drone overflights of the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) restricted airspace. These events have underscored the need for DOE to have expanded authorities and capabilities to combat evolving drone threats. 
    The NEDD Act would help address weaknesses in DOE’s current drone authorities to better counter nefariously operated drones. While current law focuses on protecting high-profile sites where special nuclear materials are stored, the U.S. is also home to other important facilities, such as those involved in research or production, that are not thoroughly covered. This bipartisan bill would help close those gaps and ensure that DOE can respond quickly to threats and implement comprehensive safeguards for all sites under its purview.  Peters has been fighting to expand authorities to ensure our nation is prepared to address public safety threats from drones. Last year, he pressed his colleagues to pass long overdue, bipartisan legislation he authored that would provide state and law enforcement with tools to better detect and track drones so they can protect their communities. Peters’ legislation is supported by a wide range of stakeholders including the National Football League, airports and law enforcement organizations.   

    MIL OSI USA News –