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  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the salmon on your plate contains less omega-3 than it used to – and how the industry can address that

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Newton, Lecturer in Aquaculture, University of Stirling

    Maria_Usp/Shutterstock

    Farmed Atlantic salmon has become one of the most highly traded food commodities in the world, enjoyed for its versatility as much as for its health benefits. It has long been known that eating oily fish such as salmon is the best way to consume long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential for brain development, mental health and cognition.

    In salmon, omega-3 fatty acids must come from the fish’s diet. For farmed fish, this means fishmeal and fish oil – so–called “marine ingredients” made from ground-up wild fish such as anchovy and fish by-products.

    But the global supply of omega-3s is severely limited, whether from farmed or wild seafood. Many of the key fisheries supplying marine ingredients reached full exploitation in the mid-1990s. Since the growth of salmon aquaculture, increasing volumes of the limited marine ingredients supply have been taken up by fish farming.

    This has raised concerns over sustainability and inflated the cost of these ingredients. The result has been a steady decline in the proportion of fish oil in farmed salmon diets, which has been replaced by plant oils. But these oils do not contain long-chain omega-3s.

    In turn, the amount of omega-3s in a portion of salmon halved between 2006 and 2015. However, the salmon industry increasingly uses omega-3 as a key selling point for its product – two portions of farmed Scottish salmon per week would meet the recommended intake for an adult at current levels.

    If the salmon industry is to continue to grow and maintain the omega-3 targets, it must be more efficient. And the seafood industry as a whole must do more to prevent omega-3 losses through its value chains. Part of the efficiency journey has been to produce more fish oil.

    This can be done by harnessing the value of fishery and aquaculture byproducts such as trimmings, skins and heads, so that more omega-3s are kept in the food (and feed) system.

    There is a growing incentive to use the whole fish – consequently there has been good progress in improving the use of byproducts. It is now estimated that around half of global fish oil supply is sourced from fishery, and particularly aquaculture, processing sources. However, there is still a lot of waste and logistical difficulties in storing and transporting seafood byproducts.

    Much of the industry incentive to use byproducts has been economic, as the global shortage of fish oil pushed prices above US$8,000 (£5,900) per tonne in 2024. Evidence from the past 20 years suggests that overall use of wild fish in the European salmon industry has dropped (replaced by plant ingredients), while production has grown several-fold.

    Despite improvements and reductions in the use of marine ingredients, the industry still comes under huge pressure from NGOs and conservation groups. They are concerned about the use of fish as feed, which may damage public perceptions of the aquaculture industry.

    To assess the use of fish as feed in aquaculture, the “fish in fish out” (Fifo) ratio was conceived, which measures the ratio of fish biomass included in fish feeds to the biomass of fish ultimately produced for consumption. The goal is for more fish to be produced for human consumption than is used as feed, and this would result in a Fifo of less than 1.

    New measure for nutrients

    Certification bodies such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices have adopted different forms of the Fifo metric. However, until now, Fifo has not addressed one of the fundamental reasons for including marine ingredients in aquafeeds – providing omega-3s to consumers. It has neither considered the omega-3 content within feed fish, nor in the final product.

    Similarly, studies examining nutrient retention in salmon have only looked at that from feed to the farmed fish. The omega-3 lost in the process of turning the fish raw material in feed is not currently measured. By introducing our new measure, the nutrient Fifo (nFifo), nutrients can be followed from wild fish capture, its separation into meal and oil, and through to the final product sold to consumers.

    Certification bodies like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council could adopt the new metric for nutrition.
    T. Schneider/Shutterstock

    The method used in nFifo favours the use of byproduct resources over virgin raw materials, so that diets containing byproducts receive a lower nFifo. In theory, this should promote circular economy initiatives.

    This is crucial in the marine ingredients industry. Seafood is highly perishable and the byproducts especially so. But they are also some of the richest sources of omega-3s, such as from herring or mackerel.

    However, the cost of retaining, stabilising, storing and transporting byproducts is often prohibitive. This is especially true on board fishing boats, where space is at a premium and byproducts are often dumped at sea.

    Introducing metrics that prevent bioresources being wasted is essential for sustainable food production. Current salmon feed contains around 20% to 25% marine ingredients, but only around 5% is from byproducts. This results in a nFIFO of 2.17.

    Incorporating only marine ingredients sourced from byproducts reduces that nFifo to below 0.5. Crucially, this still provides the same level of omega-3s to the consumer.

    If the seafood industry is serious about sustainable production, it needs to become much more efficient with resources. The nFifo metric links the use of wild fish to omega-3s consumed in farmed salmon for the first time – but it could also be applied to other species and nutrients.

    The methodology is similar to that used for environmental impact indicators for climate change, land or water use. It makes it possible to assess the trade-offs of including and substituting marine ingredients in fish diets at different points of production.

    For example, while marine ingredients may raise concerns around their impact on fisheries, they have comparatively low carbon footprints and almost no land or water footprints compared to plant ingredients. This could potentially lead to more balanced and sustainable approaches to seafood production.

    It is hoped that the nFifo metric and an accessible tool for calculating it (there is one provided on the Blue Food Performance website) will be adopted by certifiers. It could also lead to more complex sustainability indicators becoming mainstream, letting consumers make informed choices about the nutritional and environmental credentials of the products they buy.

    Richard Newton is the Chair of the Climate Action Committe for Best Aquaculture Practice and the Stakeholder Advisory Group for Seafood Watch. He has previously received funding in 2019 and 2013 from the International Fishmeal Fishoil Organisation to map supplies of underutilised by-product resources.

    Dave Little has received funding from various organisations supporting sustainable aquaculture development and has been affiliated to various organisations working to to improve farmed seafood assurance

    – ref. Why the salmon on your plate contains less omega-3 than it used to – and how the industry can address that – https://theconversation.com/why-the-salmon-on-your-plate-contains-less-omega-3-than-it-used-to-and-how-the-industry-can-address-that-258228

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester

    Bernardo Emanuelle/Shutterstock.com

    Beards have long attracted suspicion, sometimes seen as stylish, sometimes as unsanitary. But how dirty are they, really?

    Human skin is home to billions of microorganisms – mainly bacteria, but also fungi and viruses – and facial hair provides a unique environment for them to thrive. Research shows that beards, in particular, support a dense and diverse microbial population, which has fuelled a persistent belief that they are inherently unhygienic. The Washington Post recently reported that some toilets contain fewer germs than the average beard.

    But are beards truly a hygiene risk? A closer look at the evidence reveals a nuanced picture.

    The microbial population on skin varies by location and is influenced by factors such as temperature, pH, humidity and nutrient availability. Beards create a warm, often moist environment where food debris and oils can accumulate – ideal conditions for microbial growth.

    These microbes thrive not just because of the warm, moist conditions beards provide, but also because of constant exposure to new contaminants and microbes, especially from hands that frequently touch surfaces and the face.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Concerns among scientists about beard hygiene date back over 50 years. Early studies showed that facial hair could retain bacteria and bacterial toxins even after washing. This led to the enduring idea that beards act as bacterial reservoirs and could pose an infection risk to others.

    For healthcare workers, this has made beards a point of controversy, especially in hospitals where pathogen transmission is a concern. However, hospital-based research has shown mixed results. One study found that bearded healthcare workers had higher bacterial loads on their faces than clean-shaven colleagues.

    Another investigation, looking at whether it would be hygienic to evaluate dogs and humans in the same MRI scanner, found that most men’s beards contained significantly more microbes than dog fur, including a greater presence of harmful bacteria. The researchers concluded: “Dogs are no risk to humans if they use the same MRI.”

    Dogs and humans can share the same MRI scanner.
    Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com

    However, other studies have challenged the idea that beards increase infection risk. For example, one investigation found no significant difference in bacterial colonisation between bearded and clean-shaven healthcare workers.

    The same study also reported that bearded doctors were less likely to carry Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of hospital infections, and that there was no increase in infection rates among patients treated by bearded surgeons wearing surgical masks.

    Beards can sometimes spread skin infections, such as impetigo — a contagious rash often caused by S aureus, which is commonly found in facial hair.

    In rare cases, parasites like pubic lice – which usually live in the groin area – can also show up in beards, eyebrows or eyelashes, particularly in cases of poor hygiene or close contact with an infected person.

    The case for good beard hygiene

    Neglected beards can foster irritation, inflammation and infection. The skin beneath a beard – rich in blood vessels, nerve endings and immune cells – is highly sensitive to microbial and environmental stressors. When sebum, dead skin, food debris and pollutants accumulate, they can irritate the skin and provide fuel for fungal and bacterial growth.

    Experts strongly recommend washing your beard and face every day. Doing so removes dirt, oils, allergens and dead skin, helping prevent microbial buildup.

    Dermatologists also advise moisturising to prevent dryness, using a beard comb to clear debris, and trimming to control loose hairs and reduce shedding. These steps help maintain not only hygiene but also beard health and appearance.

    So, are beards dirty? Like most things, it depends on how well you care for them. With daily hygiene and proper grooming, beards pose little risk and may even be healthier than we once thought.

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

    – ref. Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows – https://theconversation.com/beards-and-microbes-what-the-evidence-shows-256917

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Conlin, Professor of Modern History, University of Southampton

    The National Gallery has recently rehung its entire collection. Taking hundreds of paintings off the wall and replacing them in a new arrangement requires considerable mental and physical labour on the part of curators, conservators and technicians.

    A rehang tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone with a stake in the collection – and in the case of a public gallery, “anyone” means “everyone”.
    Unsurprisingly then, it has only been done twice at the National Gallery since the second world war.

    Last month, I attended a launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance. It marked the end of NG200, a year-long programme of events celebrating the gallery’s 200th birthday. As the author of the gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, I had written about the refurbishment, albeit with only computer-generated impressions of what it would look like. Now I could see for myself.

    Inside the launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance.
    Jonathan Conlin, CC BY-SA

    Back in 1946, the director of the National Gallery was eager to offer both reassurance about his rehang and the promise of striking new juxtapositions. “The traditional grouping by schools has been largely maintained,” Sir Philip Hendy noted, “but a good many exceptions have been made, partly for the sake of a more harmonious and stimulating ensemble and partly for the sake of historical truth.”

    The rehang, Hendy argued, would show how “the spirit of the time is usually more important than national boundaries, and that ideas can transcend both”. A striking example was Hendy hanging Bronzino’s An Allegory With Venus and Cupid (1545) next to Holbein’s The Ambassadors, painted just 12 years earlier.

    “I enjoyed the intellectual shocks provided, lavishly, in the juxtaposition of unexpected artists,” wrote one regular visitor from Godalming in Surrey. But she soon found herself wondering if there was “some subtle plan” behind “having the Botticellis all in different rooms, the Venetians just anywhere, and the Rembrandts torn asunder?”

    Evacuation of paintings from the National Gallery during the second world war, shortly before the last rehang.
    Imperial War Museum

    The Bronzino and the Holbein were split up fairly quickly, perhaps in response to criticism from other confused visitors. While they have not been reunited on the same wall, as I stood back from The Ambassadors in room four, I could turn my head to the left and see Venus and Cupid neatly framed by the door to neighbouring room two.

    At least, I could have seen it, had Neil MacGregor not been standing in front of it. The National Gallery’s director from 1987 to 2002, MacGregor oversaw the last complete rehang as well as the construction of the Sainsbury Wing, which opened in 1991.

    This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

    At that time, the gallery’s then-head of exhibitions, Michael Wilson, replaced the traditional grouping by schools with the wing system, which organised the hang around three broad pan-European epochs. It was a profound shift, perhaps linked to broader pan-European political visions that would lead to the introduction of a common European currency in 1999.

    Former National Gallery trustee Robert Benson (as drawn by John Singer Sargent) believed art should be hung chronologically.
    Wiki Commons

    This was a world away from the previous arrangement. “Pictures must be hung in historical sequence,” trustee Robert Benson noted in 1914. “A salon carré, or a Tribuna, of masterpieces of all schools is an objective far ahead.”

    For Benson, it was clear that the collection could only be understood “school by school”. Each painter “must be appreciated and judged in relation to the chef d’école of whose artistic lineage, or entourage, he forms part”. Collecting works from the “period of eclecticism and decadence” that followed each chef d’école (the initiator or leader of a school of painting) was of secondary importance.

    But as a result, in the National Gallery that Benson (a wannabe gallery director) helped create and that MacGregor inherited, there were shocks aplenty as the visitor jumped from one school to another.

    Having followed the French school through from Corneille de Lyon’s Man in a Black Biretta (c. 1538-61) through Jacques-Louis David’s Jacobus Blauw (1795) to Cézanne’s Hillside in Provence (c. 1890-1912), you then jumped four or more centuries back to start over again with the Dutch or the Italians.

    The redesigned wing

    These shocks were compounded by gestures towards period interiors: terrazzo tile for the Italians, dark wood panelling for the Dutch. Opened in 1975, the northern extension’s carpet, suspended ceilings and floating walls were hailed as “a model of discretion and reticence in comparison to the grandeur of the Victorian interiors”.

    Under MacGregor’s wing system, “the spirit of the time” came first – nowhere more so than in the Sainsbury Wing, designed to set up a conversation between the artists of the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance. The system recognised that the Alps had not been a barrier to the exchange of artistic ideas, and had been criss-crossed by many Renaissance artists, including Albrecht Dürer.

    The postmodern American architects chosen to design the Sainsbury Wing, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, larded their design with a series of knowing, sometimes mannered quotations from much older buildings.

    The redesign of this Grade I-listed building by the American architect Annabelle Selldorf has now opened up Venturi and Scott Brown’s dark, crypt-like ground floor foyer. Squat columns originally intended to create a sense of anticipation have been thinned and in some cases removed. As the Twentieth Century Society noted in its planning objection, “the key sense of compression” (released upon climbing the stair) has been lost.

    Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria has not been hung in a specific women artists room.
    National Gallery

    A ‘tamer’ rehang

    Upstairs in the galleries, theme rooms have been introduced, scattered among the otherwise chronological hang. The choice of themes is tamer than the 2023 rehang of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, where some of the themes feel forced – such as “Tiepolo and multiracial Europe”.

    The National Gallery has resisted the temptation to devote a gallery to women artists: Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1615-17) hangs between Caravaggios in room three, not next to Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun’s Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (1782) in room 15.

    Those who admired the way in which MacGregor invited non-believers to engage with Christian art on an emotional level may nonetheless feel that an opportunity has been lost. This is a rehang that could have shocked more than it did.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Jonathan Conlin is the author of the National Gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, The National Gallery: A History.

    – ref. The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat? – https://theconversation.com/the-national-gallery-at-200-is-this-rehang-a-bold-relaunch-or-rinse-and-repeat-258334

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sharon E. Straus, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

    As climate change and disrupted weather patterns impact countries around the world, leaders must act to mitigate the negative effects on public health.

    Leaders from six western countries and Japan will soon gather in Kananaskis, Alta., for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting from June 15 to 17, 2025. In the lead-up to this meeting, the Royal Society of Canada hosted the Science 7 (S7). This is an engagement meeting of the leading academies of the G7 member countries.

    Following discussion and deliberation, three statements aimed at advancing science for society were published, entitled Advanced Technologies and Data Security, Sustainable Migration and Climate Action and Health Resilience.

    One of us (Sharon Straus) oversaw the S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience. This statement draws attention to the health impacts of climate change and recommends several mitigation strategies.

    Wide-ranging health impacts

    Experts on health and climate change have outlined the growing impact of delayed climate action. The data are clear. Extreme weather events such as heat, floods, droughts and wildfires are having wide-ranging health impacts.

    In the 10 years between 2014-2023, there was a 167 per cent increase in heat-related deaths in those aged 65 years and older compared with the 10 years between 1990-99. Extreme weather events also directly impact food and water security, as well as infectious diseases and chronic diseases.

    The health consequences of climate change are not only the result of environmental factors. Of equal importance are recent decisions eliminating funding for programs that mitigate the risks of climate change.

    Consider for example, the multiple threats to recent progress in eliminating malaria. The World Malaria Report published in December 2024 by the World Health Organization estimated that 2.2 billion malaria cases and 12.7 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 and 2023.

    Now, many countries anticipate a malaria resurgence. Antimalarial drug resistance, mosquito resistance to insecticides, changes in temperature and humidity affecting mosquito survival and the emergence of new mosquito species linked to climate change — combined with the recent abrupt funding freeze from the United States — are leading to a perfect storm.

    Economic impact of climate change

    The economic burden of climate change, which includes more health-care use, lost productivity, adaptation and mitigation expenses — to say nothing of the costs of rebuilding — is massive.

    Much of that burden is borne by those who live in low- and middle-income countries (80 per cent of the world’s population) and who are the lowest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

    To put this in perspective, in 2021, the United Nations Environment Program estimated the costs of annual adaptation for vulnerable countries at US$70 billion and predicted this would increase to US$140-300 billion by 2030.

    In addition to the costs of adaptation aimed at reducing vulnerability to climate change, there are the costs associated with losses resulting from climate change. The 2024 Lancet Countdown estimated that the average annual economic losses due to extreme weather-related events reached US$227 billion between 2019-2023. This value exceeds the gross domestic product of approximately 60 per cent of the world’s economies.

    What about Canada?

    In Canada, warming is happening at twice the global rate with resulting heat, wildfires and floods. There is also evidence of significant impacts on mental health and chronic diseases, leading to an increased need for health care.

    Indigenous communities, older adults and those who have experienced homelessness are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Indigenous Peoples, especially those living in remote and northern areas, are particularly vulnerable.

    Currently there are 37 long-term and 40 short-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada. The lack of safe, clean drinking water can exacerbate climate-related food and water insecurity and lead to infectious disease transmission.

    The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing and many of these individuals are over 50 years old. These older adults are physiologically 15-20 years older than their housed counterparts and are at higher risk of chronic diseases, including those exacerbated by climate change.

    Similarly, frail older adults are at higher risk of health effects of climate change. It is worth remembering the impact of poor air quality and lack of air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic on those living in long-term care homes.

    Climate change costs health-care systems more each year. The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices recently estimated that health-related hospitalizations will increase by 21 per cent by mid-century. Our health systems are not prepared for this.

    In addition, the costs of death and reduced quality of life from heat-related climate change is estimated to rise between $3 billion and $3.9 billion by the middle of this century. Factoring in other impacts such as those from air pollution, flooding and wildfires, the total estimated costs are in the tens to hundreds of billions.

    S7’s recommendations

    The S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience includes seven recommendations. Addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on populations who are particularly vulnerable and investing in innovative solutions are among them. Particularly critical are societal and political innovations that involve affected communities, including Indigenous communities.

    The S7’s climate and health resilience recommendations include:

    • Developing and optimizing climate change mitigation strategies to transform health and social services (such as early warning infectious disease systems and biomonitoring).

    • Developing new regulations nationally and internationally to transform health, public health and social services, increasing their readiness and safeguarding health from climate change impact.

    • Providing economic and regulatory incentives to foster adaptation and resiliency of health systems.

    • Investing in innovative solutions (including vaccine development for emerging diseases, wastewater surveillance) to mitigate climate change and its health risks.

    The G7 summit is an opportunity to centre climate change discussions and act on the S7 recommendations. Bold investment in innovations that address the health challenges resulting from climate change will benefit us all and drive new economic activity and resilience.

    Climate change is a health issue, a social justice issue and an economic issue, and the time to act is now. Scientists, policymakers, clinicians and the public must work together.

    Sharon E. Straus receives research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

    Françoise Baylis is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

    – ref. The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit – https://theconversation.com/the-world-needs-bold-equitable-climate-action-at-the-2025-g7-summit-256876

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Katherine G. Hastings, PhD Candidate in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

    Most households that own firearms have more than one − and owners often don’t secure all of them. StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images

    More than half of U.S. teens living in households with firearms believe they can access and load a firearm at home. Even when their parents report storing all firearms locked and unloaded, more than one-third of teens still believe they could access and load one. These are the main findings of our new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

    We are behavioral scientists investigating youth injury prevention and youth safety. In this study, we analyzed national survey data from nearly 500 parents who owned firearms and their teens. One survey asked the parents to report how many firearms they had in the home and how they stored each one. Another asked their teens to estimate how quickly they could access and load a firearm at home.

    While the presence of unlocked and loaded firearms in the home was weakly linked to perceived access among teens, we found that parents’ storage practices alone were a poor predictor of whether teens believed they could access a firearm. What’s more, in households with more than one firearm, locking up more firearms was not at all linked to perceived access among teens if at least one remained unsecured.

    In short, just one unlocked firearm can undo the protective benefit of securing all other firearms in the home, our results showed.

    Why it matters

    In the U.S., firearms are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. In most of these cases, the firearm used belonged to a parent, relative or friend.

    Our study focused on teens’ beliefs about firearm access, not their actual access. However, these perceptions may provide important clues around firearm access and use. Prior research shows that teens who believe they can access a firearm are more likely to access and carry one. This is particularly concerning for teens who already have a higher risk for dying by suicide.

    One of the most widely supported ways to reduce teen injuries and deaths by firearms is to encourage owners to keep firearms locked and unloaded. However, most firearm-owning households in the U.S. have multiple firearms, and owners often store some firearms securely but not all.

    Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens.
    Kypros/Stock Photos Gun Safe via Getty Images

    Despite evidence that securely storing firearms saves lives, efforts to promote that messaging may be less effective when it is not universally applied to all firearms in the home or when teens still know how to access them.

    Our study also points to the need for messaging and safety strategies that consider teen behavior amid household firearm dynamics. For example, teens may observe where firearms are stored or know where keys or combinations are kept and unlock firearms in moments of impulsivity or emotional distress. Beyond securely storing firearms, encouraging parents to treat every firearm in the household as a potential source of risk and talking with teens about how to address conflicts and promote mental and emotional well-being may also be protective.

    Additionally, our study adds support for universal laws that require securely storing all firearms in homes in which children live and mandating routine assessments of teen firearm access by pediatricians.

    What still isn’t known

    It is still unclear how teens’ beliefs about their access to firearms affects whether they actually seek them out – or how the variability of parents’ practices on storing firearms affects teen access.

    Another important question is how teens’ perceptions of their access to firearms at home may vary depending on cultural backgrounds, geography and different households’ attitudes and beliefs around firearm use.

    Additionally, our study looked only at teens ages 14 to 18. Further research is needed to explore these associations among younger children in firearm-owning households.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Rebeccah Sokol receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Katherine G. Hastings 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. Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows – https://theconversation.com/teens-say-they-can-access-firearms-at-home-even-when-parents-lock-them-up-new-research-shows-256550

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Permit Authorizing Green Corridors, LLC, to Construct, Maintain, and Operate a Commercial Elevated Guideway Border Crossing Near Laredo, Texas, at the International Boundary Between the United States and Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America (the “President”), I hereby grant permission, subject to the conditions set forth herein, to Green Corridors, LLC (the “Permittee”), to construct, maintain, and operate a commercial elevated guideway crossing located on the United States border with Mexico in Laredo, Texas, as described in the “Presidential Permit Application: Green Corridors Intelligent Freight Transportation System” dated October 3, 2024, by the Permittee to the Secretary of State and made complete with additional information provided by the Permittee on February 14, 2025 (collectively, the “Application”), in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 535d and associated procedures.
         The term “Border facilities” as used in this permit consists of the elevated guideway and bridge over the Rio Grande which connects inland terminals near Monterrey, Mexico, in the state of Nuevo Leon and near Interstate 35, north of Laredo, Texas, its approaches, and any land, structures, installations, or equipment appurtenant thereto located on the United States side of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico, located just downstream from the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge at the connection between Texas State Highway 255 and the Nuevo Leon State Highway Spur 1.
         This permit is subject to the following conditions:
         Article 1.  The Border facilities herein described and all aspects of their operation are subject to all the conditions, provisions, and requirements of this permit and any subsequent Presidential amendment to it.  The construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities shall be in all material respects as described in the Application.
         Article 2.  The standards for and the manner of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities are subject to inspection by the representatives of appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies.  The Permittee shall grant officers and employees of such agencies that are duly authorized and performing their official duties free and unrestricted access to said Border facilities.
         Article 3.  The Permittee shall comply with all applicable Federal laws and regulations regarding the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities.
         Article 4.  (1)  The Permittee shall take or cause to be taken all appropriate measures to mitigate adverse impacts on or disruption of the human environment in connection with the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities.  Mitigation measures are those that avoid, minimize, or compensate for adverse impacts.
         (2)  The Permittee shall hold harmless and indemnify the United States for any claimed or adjudged liability arising out of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities, including environmental contamination from the release, threatened release, or discharge of hazardous substances or hazardous waste.
         (3)  The Permittee is responsible for obtaining any required Federal, State, and local permits, approvals, and authorizations prior to commencing construction activities.  The Permittee shall implement the mitigation identified in any environmental decision documents prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Federal permits, including stormwater permits and permits issued in accordance with section 402 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1342).  The Permittee shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local environmental laws.
         Article 5.  The Permittee shall immediately notify the President or his designee of any decision to transfer custody and control of the Border facilities or any part thereof to any executive department or agency (agency) of the United States Government.  Said notice shall identify the transferee agency and seek the approval of the President for the transfer of the permit.  In the event of approval by the President of such transfer, this permit shall remain in force and effect, and the Border facilities shall be subject to all the conditions, permissions, and requirements of this permit and any amendments thereof.  The Permittee may transfer ownership or control of the Border facilities to a non-Federal entity or individual only upon the prior express approval of such transfer by the President, which approval may include such conditions, permissions, and requirements that the President, in the President’s discretion, determines are appropriate and necessary for inclusion in the permit, to be effective on the date of transfer.
         Article 6.  The Permittee is responsible for acquiring and maintaining any right-of-way grants or easements, permits, and other authorizations as may become necessary or appropriate.  To ensure the safe operation of the Border facilities, the Permittee shall maintain them and every part of them in a condition of good repair and in compliance with applicable law and use of best management practices.
         Article 7.  To the extent authorized by law, and consistent with any Donation Acceptance Agreements (DAAs) already executed with the Permittee under the Donation Acceptance Authority found in 6 U.S.C. 301a and section 559 of title V of division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76), as amended, as continued by 6 U.S.C. 301b, the Permittee shall provide to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Commissioner) of the Department of Homeland Security and the heads of any other relevant agencies, at no cost to the United States, suitable inspection facilities, infrastructure improvements, equipment, and maintenance, as set forth in the DAAs.  Nothing in this permit obligates such agencies to provide a particular level of services or staffing for such inspection facilities or for any other aspect of the port of entry associated with the Border facilities.
         Article 8.  Before beginning design activities, the Permittee shall fulfill requirements associated with the following conditions, as refined by the relevant agencies below and as consistent with applicable law:
         (1)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund and deliver the border facilities, staffing, vehicles, out year refresh cost and data sharing necessary for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to implement a design-appropriate inspections procedure and sustain it thereafter;
         (2)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) and the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund the necessary operations and maintenance costs for the Border facilities upon commencement of operations and thereafter;
         (3)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator and the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund construction, outfitting (furniture, fixtures, and equipment to include information technology and necessary inspection technologies), technology integration, and outyear refresh of said program elements for the Border facilities detailed in their Application; and
         (4)  Provide a plan for, and to the satisfaction of, the Secretary of Transportation detailing the Permittee’s design, deployment, operation, and related topics to enable the Department of Transportation to determine the regulatory framework that will govern the Permittee’s operations, as well as how the Permittee will ensure the necessary funding for appropriate Department of Transportation inspection facilities and staffing.
    Relevant agencies will coordinate with the Permittee to further refine the above conditions, as necessary, within 1 year of permit issuance.
         Article 9.  Before initiating construction, the Permittee shall obtain the concurrence of the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commissions, United States and Mexico.
         Article 10.  The Permittee shall not initiate construction until the Department of State has provided notification to the Permittee that the Department of State has completed its exchange of diplomatic notes with the Government of Mexico regarding authorization.  The Permittee shall provide written notification to the President or his designee at the time that the construction authorized by this permit begins, at the time as such construction is completed, interrupted, or discontinued, and at other times as may be requested by the President.
         Article 11.  Upon request, the Permittee shall provide appropriate information to the President or his designee with regard to the Border facilities.  Such requests could include requests for information concerning current conditions, environmental compliance, mitigation, or anticipated changes in ownership or control, construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the Border facilities.
         Article 12.  The Permittee shall file any applicable statements and reports required by applicable Federal law in connection with the Border facilities.
         Article 13.  The Permittee shall make no substantial change inconsistent with the Application to the Border facilities, in the location of the Border facilities, or in the operation authorized by this permit, unless such changes have been approved by the President.  The President may terminate, revoke, or amend this permit at any time at his sole discretion.  The Permittee’s obligation to implement any amendment to this permit is subject to the availability of funds.  If the Permittee permanently closes the Green Corridors Intelligent Freight Transportation System and it is no longer used as an international crossing, then this permit shall terminate, and the Permittee may manage, utilize, or dispose of the Border facilities in accordance with applicable authorities.  This permit shall continue in full force and effect for only so long as the Permittee continues the operations hereby authorized.
         Article 14.  This permit shall expire 5 years from the date of its issuance if the Permittee has not commenced construction of the Border facilities by that date.
         Article 15.  This permit is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ECB appoints Thomas Vlassopoulos as Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments

    Source: European Central Bank

    10 June 2025

    • Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments oversees and coordinates the operation and development of payment systems and market infrastructure
    • It also leads the digital euro project
    • Mr Vlassopoulos will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who is leaving the ECB

    The Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Thomas Vlassopoulos as Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments. Mr Vlassopoulos will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who is leaving the ECB.

    Thomas Vlassopoulos is currently Deputy Director General Market Operations, a post he has held since May 2021. He previously headed the Monetary Analysis Division and was also Deputy Head of the Financial Stability Surveillance Division. Mr Vlassopoulos joined the ECB’s Directorate General Economics in 2008, from the Bank of Greece. Mr Vlassopoulos holds a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

    The Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments (DG-MIP) coordinates and supports the operation and development of Eurosystem market infrastructures (TARGET Services), conducts oversight of payment, clearing and settlement systems, and acts as a catalyst for innovation in retail payments as well as exploring new technologies for wholesale central bank money settlement. It is also leading the digital euro project. Mr Vlassopoulos will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of DG-MIP, steering innovation, project workstreams and operational activities for TARGET Services, the digital euro project as well as retail and wholesale payments. He will chair a range of committees and high-level fora, maintaining working relationships with market participants and other stakeholders.

    For media queries, please contact Eszter Miltényi-Torstensson, tel.: +49 171 769 5305.

    Notes

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senior Congressional Intelligence & Defense Leaders Press DNI Gabbard Over Illegal Interference with Independence of the ICIG

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes (D-CT-04), and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard expressing “grave concern” about her recent interference in the independence of the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

    In the letter, the lawmakers strongly objected to Director Gabbard’s decision to unilaterally terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the ICIG’s office while reporting directly to the Director herself. The letter notes that these actions were taken without the approval of the Acting ICIG, in direct contravention of federal statues designed to protect the independence of the Inspector General’s office. Director Gabbard’s actions were brought to Congress’s attention in a letter the Acting Inspector General sent to lawmakers on May 28.

    “Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.”

    The lawmakers underscored that Director Gabbard’s appointment of a Senior Advisor inside the ICIG’s office compromised the ability to carry out its statutory mission of identifying and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in the intelligence community.

    “[The Acting ICIG’s] letter also disclosed that you have appointed a ‘Senior Advisor’ within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information,” the lawmakers stated. “Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor.”

    “Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process,” the lawmakers wrote.

    The lawmakers called on Director Gabbard to immediately cease “illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations” and to provide a detailed accounting of the personnel actions and communications that led to these decisions.

    The letter concludes with a clear warning: “The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.”

    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

    Director Gabbard:

    We are writing to express our grave concern with your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG without the approval of the Acting ICIG. 

    The Office of the ICIG was established by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 with a stated purpose of creating “an objective and effective office, appropriately accountable to Congress, to initiate and conduct independent investigations, inspections, audits, and reviews on programs and activities within the responsibility and authority of the Director of National Intelligence.”  To protect the independence of the Office, the law provides that the ICIG has “final approval of . . . personnel decisions concerning personnel permanently assigned to the Office of the Inspector General” and “shall . . . appoint a Counsel to the Inspector General who shall report to the Inspector General.”

    Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law.  Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.  Her letter also disclosed that you have appointed a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information.  Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor. 

    The Acting ICIG disputes your assertion that she “agreed” to terminate the Acting Counsel and described your actions as “contrary to law” and “never sufficiently explained.”  As you testified at your confirmation hearing, the ICIG’s independence is “essential to ensure oversight and accountability.”  Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process.  Therefore, we ask that you immediately provide our committees with the following information:

    The justification for your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG.

    The justification and legal basis for your decision to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces.

    The identity of the “Senior Advisor” described in the Acting ICIG’s letter.

    The names and positions of all ODNI personnel who participated in meetings regarding the decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG or appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the Office of the ICIG.

    All correspondence you have had with the Office of the ICIG since February 12, 2025.

    A description of, along with the justification and legal basis for any other personnel actions you have taken with regard to the Office of the ICIG.

    The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.

    We request that you immediately cease your illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations, and look forward to your prompt reply to the information we are requesting.

    Sincerely,

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Successfully Defends Army Corps of Engineers Permit for South Carolina Mixed Use Development

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Development projects may require a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit when wetlands need to be filled. Thus, developers of the Cainhoy Project — a more than 9,000-acre mixed use development in the Charleston, South Carolina — turned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2018 for a CWA permit.

    The Cainhoy Project will provide much needed housing (at least 9,000 residential units) in addition to commercial development, schools, city services, jobs, a medical center, and more. After a four-year environmental assessment — and a modified proposal by the developers to reduce by 90% how much wetlands would be filled — the Corps issued a permit. A lawsuit over the permit’s issuance brought the case before the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and  the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

    The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) defended the Corps’ decision to issue a permit. Plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction based on speculative harm to a species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The injunction was denied, however, and the ESA claim was abandoned after the Fourth Circuit affirmed the District Court’s order denying preliminary relief.

    The District Court then granted summary judgment to the federal defendants regarding the CWA and National Environmental Policy Act claims. The court concluded that the Corps had reasonably determined the least damaging and practicable alternative for the proposed development. And in light of the Corps’ extensive consideration of the project, the District Court deferred to the Corps’ determination that the project would not lead to significant deterioration of waters of the United States, as ENRD had argued.

    Attorneys from ENRD’s Environmental Defense Section, Natural Resources Section, and Wildlife and Marine Resources Section handled the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: New Power BI Copilot experiences include chatting with your data

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: New Power BI Copilot experiences include chatting with your data

    This week, we’re excited to announce the availability of two new Copilot experiences in Power BI. The Chat with your Data experience, which was announced at Build 2025, has now been fully deployed. Additionally, Copilot is now supported in securely embedded Power BI reports for portals and websites, enabling users to engage with the Copilot Report Pane directly within embedded report experiences.

    Chat with your data available now

    This dedicated, full-screen Copilot interface enables seamless content discovery and provides precise answers to your most critical business inquiries, drawing from any data you are authorized to access. Just ask your question, and Copilot will find the right data and use it craft a visual or summary to answer your question.

    Using the standalone Copilot experience to find a report and answer a data question

    The feature is off by default for now, so to take advantage of this experience, make sure to turn on the Users can access a standalone, cross-item Power BI Copilot experience tenant setting.

    To learn more about the requirements to get started, refer to the Copilot requirements documentation.

    Copilot in Embedded Reports for Portals and Websites (Now Available)

    Our second announcement is that Copilot is now supported in securely embedded Power BI reports for portals and websites. This means users can now engage with the Copilot Report Pane directly within the embedded report experience.

    To enable this feature, simply check the ‘Enable Copilot’ option when setting up your embedded report. Make sure Copilot is enabled for your organization, and that your workspace is backed by Power BI Premium or Fabric capacity. Check our documentation to learn more about Copilot requirements and for more details on enabling Copilot in secure embedded reports.

    Try it out today!

    There’s much more to come in this space, and you’ll continue to see new features and improved quality week over week and month over month. So, make sure to give these features a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: New Power BI Copilot experiences include chatting with your data

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: New Power BI Copilot experiences include chatting with your data

    This week, we’re excited to announce the availability of two new Copilot experiences in Power BI. The Chat with your Data experience, which was announced at Build 2025, has now been fully deployed. Additionally, Copilot is now supported in securely embedded Power BI reports for portals and websites, enabling users to engage with the Copilot Report Pane directly within embedded report experiences.

    Chat with your data available now

    This dedicated, full-screen Copilot interface enables seamless content discovery and provides precise answers to your most critical business inquiries, drawing from any data you are authorized to access. Just ask your question, and Copilot will find the right data and use it craft a visual or summary to answer your question.

    Using the standalone Copilot experience to find a report and answer a data question

    The feature is off by default for now, so to take advantage of this experience, make sure to turn on the Users can access a standalone, cross-item Power BI Copilot experience tenant setting.

    To learn more about the requirements to get started, refer to the Copilot requirements documentation.

    Copilot in Embedded Reports for Portals and Websites (Now Available)

    Our second announcement is that Copilot is now supported in securely embedded Power BI reports for portals and websites. This means users can now engage with the Copilot Report Pane directly within the embedded report experience.

    To enable this feature, simply check the ‘Enable Copilot’ option when setting up your embedded report. Make sure Copilot is enabled for your organization, and that your workspace is backed by Power BI Premium or Fabric capacity. Check our documentation to learn more about Copilot requirements and for more details on enabling Copilot in secure embedded reports.

    Try it out today!

    There’s much more to come in this space, and you’ll continue to see new features and improved quality week over week and month over month. So, make sure to give these features a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: EIA expects low crude oil prices and declining rig count to affect U.S. crude oil production trends through 2026

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
    WASHINGTON DC 20585

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 10, 2025

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the Brent crude oil price to fall to near $60 per barrel by the end of the year and to average about $59 per barrel in 2026. EIA expects the low price of crude oil to affect both U.S. crude oil production and retail gasoline prices in the short term.

    In its June Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts U.S. crude oil production to average about 13.4 million barrels per day this year, just below the record highs earlier this year. For 2026, the forecast is slightly lower than 2025 levels. EIA expects U.S. retail gasoline prices to average below $3.10 per gallon through the end of 2026, which is about 6% lower than the 2024 average price.

    U.S. energy market indicators 2024 2025 2026
    Brent crude oil spot price (dollars per barrel) $81 $66 $59
    Retail gasoline price (dollars per gallon) $3.30 $3.10 $3.10
    U.S. crude oil production (million barrels per day) 13.2 13.4 13.4
    Natural gas price at Henry Hub (dollars per million British thermal units) $2.20 $4.00 $4.90
    U.S. liquefied natural gas gross exports (billion cubic feet per day) 12 15 16
    Shares of U.S. electricity generation       
    Natural gas 42% 40% 40%
    Coal 16% 16% 15%
    Renewables 23% 25% 27%
    Nuclear 19% 19% 18%
    U.S. GDP (percentage change) 2.8% 1.4% 1.7%
    U.S. CO2 emissions (billion metric tons) 4.8 4.8 4.8
    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, June 2025

    Some key highlights from the June STEO include:

    • Global oil supply, demand, and prices: EIA revised its 2025 global oil production forecast slightly upward and its global petroleum products consumption forecast slightly downward for both 2025 and 2026, leading to an expectation of growing global oil inventories. EIA expects oil inventories to grow by about 800,000 barrels per day in 2025 and 600,000 barrels per day in 2026. EIA’s expectations for inventory growth are the primary reason it expects oil prices to decline through this year and next year.
    • U.S. crude oil production: Domestic crude oil production reached an all-time high of 13.5 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2025. EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to decline from that high through the end of 2026 as oil producers respond to lower prices. Data from Baker Hughes shows the number of active drilling rigs declined last month by much more than EIA had expected. Fewer active rigs affect EIA’s forecast for how many wells U.S. operators will drill and complete throughout 2026. EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to average about 13.4 million barrels per day this year and just below that amount in 2026.
    • U.S. gasoline prices: Another effect of lower oil prices is that EIA expects lower average U.S. gasoline prices through 2026. Regular-grade retail gasoline prices average $3.10 per gallon in the third quarter of 2025 in EIA’s forecast, down 7% from the same period last year. EIA expects retail gasoline prices in the eastern part of the country to be below $3.00 per gallon for most of the next year and a half. On the West Coast, EIA expects refinery capacity reductions to cause a 4% annual price increase next year.
    • Natural gas prices: EIA expects the Henry Hub natural gas spot price to average about $4.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025 and $4.90/MMBtu in 2026, compared with $2.20/MMBtu in 2024.
    • Electricity demand: EIA revised its forecast for electricity demand growth in 2025 upward by about 1% to reflect greater expected demand growth in the commercial and industrial sectors, particularly from data centers and manufacturing operations. This growth in power demand is especially notable in regions managed by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas and PJM independent system operators. EIA expects that U.S. commercial sector electricity consumption will grow by 3% in 2025 and by 5% in 2026.
    • Electricity generation: EIA expects total U.S. electricity generation this summer will be about 1% greater than last summer. EIA expects higher natural gas prices this summer to result in less generation from natural gas-fired power plants compared with last summer, which is expected to be offset by more generation from coal, solar, and hydro.
    • Trade policy assumptions: The U.S. macroeconomic outlook we use in the STEO is based on S&P Global’s macroeconomic model. S&P Global’s most recent model reflects the tariffs announced in April and includes the 90-day temporary suspension of tariffs granted to certain countries. However, the model was finalized before the ruling by the Court of International Trade on May 28th that temporarily halted all reciprocal tariffs. As a result, our macroeconomic forecast assumes lower tariffs on China’s products compared with last month’s STEO and 10% tariffs on countries subject to the 90-day temporary suspension. These differences in tariff rates likely have offsetting effects on the macroeconomic forecast.

    The full June 2025 Short-Term Energy Outlook is available on the EIA website.

    The product described in this press release was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA’s data, analysis, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. government. The views in the product and this press release therefore should not be construed as representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

    EIA Program Contact: Tim Hess, STEO@eia.gov
    EIA Press Contact: Chris Higginbotham, EIAMedia@eia.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Youth Fund empowers Eastern Cape youth 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has made strides in empowering young entrepreneurs, through the Isiqalo Youth Fund, an initiative that is aimed to support legally registered, youth-owned businesses across the province.

    The fund is part of a broader strategy to foster youth development, promote entrepreneurship, and create sustainable employment opportunities in the province.

    Launched in June 2019, the fund forms part of a broader provincial strategy aimed at fostering youth development, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating sustainable employment opportunities.

    The fund provides both financial and non-financial support to businesses that are still in the early stages of growth.

    To ensure accessibility, the Office of the Premier opens an annual application window, allowing young entrepreneurs to submit their proposals via a dedicated online portal. The call for applications is widely publicised through official websites, social media platforms, and municipal public notice boards across the province.

    According to the provincial government, the initiative has already yielded tangible impact, with a total of 82 youth-owned businesses having been approved for support through the Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme during the previous term.

    Of these, 22 enterprises have received funding, with over R12 million disbursed. The remaining 60 entrepreneurs have been identified in the programme pipeline and are scheduled to receive financial support during the current financial year.

    “In addition to financial support, the initiative will offer business development training, mentorship, and market linkage facilitation to help improve the sustainability and growth potential of the supported enterprises,” the provincial government said.

    Efforts are also underway to strengthen monitoring and evaluation mechanism to better track the impact of the fund and enhance accountability.

    Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, highlighted the province’s commitment to expand the reach and impact of the programme through deeper collaboration with financial institutions and private sector partners.

    He added that public awareness campaigns will be intensified to ensure that more young people are informed about the fund and can benefit from the initiative.

    “Isiqalo Youth Fund is not just about disbursing money, it is about building a new generation of confident, capable entrepreneurs who can transform their communities.

    “Young business owners across the Eastern Cape are urged to stay informed about future application windows, by following updates on official government platforms,” Mabuyane said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Presidential Youth Initiative continues to empower SA’s most excluded youth

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) is not only curbing youth unemployment but reshaping labour market access for South Africa’s most excluded youth, with government now working to elevate the programme to new heights.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa witnessed the impact of the programme on Tuesday when he visited the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Tshwane, to interact directly with beneficiaries, educators and learners. 

    “I’m glad to be here and to see you all. When I made the announcement a little while ago that we will be having up to 200 000 of you in all our schools, I did expect that you would all be coming through, and now I can see that you are real people, that you exist. 

    “We are so delighted to have you as our teacher assistants, you are assisting in our schools [and] a very important area of our nation’s lives, education. You are the ones who are going to be preparing these young people for the future of our country that we all desire,” the President told the young teacher assistants. 

    The President acknowledged the difficult socio-economic challenges young people face and highlighted government’s efforts to expand opportunities.

    “I’m delighted that it is through you, young people, that we are doing this. Yes, I know that your own situation is not the most ideal. We are working very hard to create more permanent positions for you in many, many ways in the economy. 

    “When government is dealing with these problems, it also initiates programmes like this one. We have up to now brought in almost two million of you as young people into this type of programme. 

    “I am proud to be working with Ministers and Deputy Ministers in departments, who have taken this whole process of creating job opportunities very seriously,” the President said. 

    He told the teacher assistants that what they are doing is very important to the country and government continues to invest money in youth initiatives meant to benefit young South Africans.

    “We devote a lot of money and effort to education, and you are the products of that. We now need to take you to the next level, and we will work very hard to take you to the next level, where you will get more permanent jobs and better livelihoods, so you can support your own families,” the President said. 

    He lauded the BEEI as a phenomenal programme, which has been able to employ more than two million young people since its inception. It is an overarching programme that covers over 25 000 schools across the country. 

    According to President Ramaphosa, the initiative also develops discipline, management, and interpersonal skills among participants. These skills are essential for success in future employment. 

    “That, to me, is hugely empowering for these young people, and we’ve had more than two million of them, and of course, we would want it to be much longer than what it is now. It’s a question of not having sufficient resources to be able to extend it beyond [that]. 

    “But those who participate are then empowered and beyond this, they are then able to get other jobs, get other opportunities. They are now job ready, as it were, and that is a great benefit of what we are doing here. 

    The President added that the programme is becoming a world-renowned programme.

    “Many other countries are looking at what we are doing here and some of them are going to copycat what we are doing… So, we are trailblazers in many ways,” he said. 

    President Ramaphosa praised the integrity of the programme, saying it has been “flawlessly executed” with the dedicated leadership within the Presidency and Departments of Basic Education and Employment and Labour.

    Two young teacher assistants, who are currently benefiting from the programme, shared the same sentiments with the President, confirming that the initiative has made a huge difference in their lives. 

    Joshua Given Machete told SAnews that he was grateful for the opportunity to become part of the labour market through the Basic Education Employment Initiative. 

    “I have benefited by getting employed as a curriculum assistant and I really appreciate the opportunity by our President, as well and the Department of Basic Education for initiating this. 

    “I work in the classroom, doing basic classroom management while the teachers focus on teaching. 

    “This programme contributes to human dignity in a sense that you are now able to look after yourself and buy the things you need. Economically, it has made a difference in my life and I’m going to use some of the stipend to further my studies. 

    “I encourage unemployed young people not to lose hope and keep on applying for programmes such as these. The President has promised that there will be more opportunities,” he said. 

    Valria Ndleve told SAnews that she is employed as an education assistant at WF Nkomo, helping teachers and learners. 

    “My job is to assist the teachers and learners in the classroom. This initiative is going to assist me personally and professionally. I am now financially stable and gaining experience at the same time,” she said.

    The BEEI is a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES), designed to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and support, for the basic education system by placing young people in roles within public schools as education and general school assistant. 

    The programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education and administrated by the Industrial Development Corporation.

    This visit is part of President Ramaphosa’s programme to engage with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.

    He began the visit at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville. He then proceeded to South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust and ended at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President reaffirms commitment to global diplomacy 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to global diplomacy, describing the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit as a critical opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and promote the country’s leadership within the G20.

    Speaking to members of the media during a visit to Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Pretoria, the President confirmed that South Africa had been officially invited to attend the G7 by Canada, this year’s chair of the summit.

    “Yes, we are going to the G7. We’ve been invited by Canada, who are the conveners, who are the head of the G7 this time around. I’m hoping that when we meet the various leaders of the G7, we’ll be able to interact meaningfully with them,” President Ramaphosa said.

    The President outlined a number of key bilateral engagements scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, including meetings with the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

    “The G7 gives us an opportunity to go and propagate our message, the message about the presidency of South Africa’s G20 and how we want to see great outcomes of the G20. We’re going to use it as a platform to begin to consolidate what we want to have in November when the leaders’ summit takes place here,” the President said on Tuesday.

    President Ramaphosa is set to jet off to Canada, Kananaskis from 14-17 June to attend and participate in the G7 Leaders’ Summit. 

    READ | President Ramaphosa to attend G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada

    Reflecting on the US working visit

    Reflecting on his recent visit to the White House in Washington DC, President Ramaphosa dismissed criticism of the trip, saying it was a strategic move to reset relations with one of South Africa’s key trading partners.

    “We do confirm that our visit to the White House in the United States was a moment where South Africa set out to reset the relationship with the United States, and I do believe that we have achieved that. 

    “Many people were very critical of our going there…and some were even suggesting that we were summoned. We were not summoned. In my telephone conversation with President Trump two weeks earlier, I said, I want to come and see you. And immediately conceded to that, and later they gave us a date. So that is not summoning, it is us taking the initiative that we want to go and see him,” the President said. 

    He said there was engagement that was taking place between the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition and the Department of International Relations. “So, we’ve opened the way for us to engage seriously with the United States. And on the other hand, we were also going to talk about trade matters, and that is now underway,” the President said. 

    He added that the White House meeting was also used to underscore the importance of President Trump attending the upcoming G20 Summit, which South Africa will host in November. 

    The President added that President Trump had “immediately conceded” that the G20 is not fully effective without the participation of the United States. 

    “For us, it’s important as a nation to reposition ourselves in the very turbulent geopolitical architecture or situation that we have, and that is why it was important to go to the United States, as we will go to many other countries, both on our own continent, in the Middle East and in Asia and in Europe as well. 

    “We are a country that is exposed and has relations with many countries around the world, and where the challenges and problems, we should immediately take action to correct those,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Exclusive Interview from Space: Army Senior Leaders Talk with Army Astronauts

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army:
    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: https://www.goarmy.com/?iom=BNL7-22-0029_N_OSOC_OCPA_AL_ocpagen_xx_xx

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter

    #USArmy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaLv8IehaCY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Announcement of the National Dialogue

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)

    Announcement of the National Dialogue

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWIoatCoE2s

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy in the LOGA Industry Report: GOP mission to clear Biden admin’s red tape will help Louisiana energy producers thrive

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this column for the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) Industry Report explaining how Congressional Republicans are working with the Trump administration to clear red tape to help unleash America’s energy dominance.
    Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
    “President Biden let TikTok teens, climate change zealots, and other members of the Democratic Party dictate American energy policy for four years. The results were not good.
    “The Biden administration left the American people with 29% higher electricity bills, a depleted strategic national fuel reserve, and a mountain of bureaucratic red tape that made it difficult for energy producers to produce energy and create good-paying jobs. In 2024 alone, Louisiana families had to pay nearly $1,000 more to keep their lights on and gas tanks full.
    “Fortunately, the American people voted to restore common sense in Washington. President Trump and my conservative colleagues in Congress are working to restore America’s global energy dominance. To do this, we must first clean up the mess left by the Biden administration — and President Trump and his team are off to a great start.”
    . . .
    “As common sense makes a comeback in Washington, energy dominance is on the horizon. I’m proud that Louisiana will continue to be a leader in oil and gas production as America enters a new era of prosperity and security.”
    Read Kennedy’s column here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Coons statement on deployment of Marines in Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement after the Department of Defense announced that approximately 700 Marines with the 2nd Battalion will be deployed to the Los Angeles area over the objections of state and local leaders:
    “Our warfighters are not political tools meant to patrol the streets of our own cities or to suppress the political views of their fellow Americans. Men and women put on the uniform of the United States to defend Americans and American values. Today, they’re being called on to police American citizens on American soil.
    “I trust local law enforcement, Mayor Bass, and Governor Newsom when they say that violence won’t be tolerated and that they are able to handle these protests without the military. What President Trump is doing is not only unneeded, it has made the situation much worse. 
    “President Trump is working to change the subject from his unpopular tax bill which will take away healthcare and food assistance from millions of American families while exploding the deficit. His attempt to do so, however, is an unconstitutional power grab that is putting American civilians and servicemembers in danger. Secretary Hegseth is scheduled to testify before our subcommittee tomorrow, and I expect him to have answers for the American people about this weaponization of our troops.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Releases New Data: Republican Budget Bill Would Kick Over 300,000 Massachusetts Residents Off Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 10, 2025
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released new data estimating over 300,000 total Massachusetts residents could lose access to their health care as a result of President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. 
    “Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans want to rip health care away from millions of Americans and raise costs for families — all to fund giant tax handouts for billionaires. Here in Massachusetts, that means hundreds of thousands of people would lose their care and our community hospitals and health centers could be forced to shut down,” said Senator Warren. “The “Big Beautiful Bill” is a lose-lose for Massachusetts families, and I’ll keep fighting to stop it.”
    The new data follows an updated analysis by the independent, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirming that the bill would kick 16 million Americans off of their health insurance in order to fund trillions in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) took the data a step further and broke down the disastrous impact of the proposed cuts by state.

    State

    Estimated # of People LosingAffordable Care ActCoverage

    Estimated # of PeopleLosing MedicaidCoverage

    Estimated Total # ofPeople Losing HealthInsurance

    Massachusetts

    136,700

    168,911

    305,611

    Senator Warren has led the resistance to these unprecedented cuts to Americans’ health care, pressing nominees to justify the cuts, mobilizing the public to fight back, and sharing stories of constituents set to be impacted by the cuts. The Senate is set to consider the budget bill this month. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China welcomes more foreign companies to achieve win-win: MFA

    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, June 10 (Xinhua) — China welcomes more foreign enterprises to take root in China and go global, and work together to achieve common goals and win-win outcomes amid China’s development of new productive forces, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday.

    The diplomat made the remarks at a regular briefing for journalists, commenting on the consistent investment in China by foreign enterprises in recent times.

    “The fact that more and more foreign companies are betting on China shows that foreign public circles attach great importance to the stability of China’s high-quality development and the certainty of its high-level opening up to the outside world,” Lin Jian said, noting that this also clearly demonstrates the powerful impetus provided by China’s new-quality productive forces and scientific and technological innovation ecosystem.

    In order to accelerate its institutional opening-up, China has put forward an action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025 and revised and expanded the list of industries encouraged for foreign investment, he said.

    “These new stimulus measures cover sectors such as high-tech manufacturing, the digital economy and other advanced industries. In the first five months of this year, more than 73,000 foreign-invested enterprises imported and exported to China, a five-year high,” the official said.

    “At the same time, China is continuously achieving innovative breakthroughs and there is huge market demand for new industries and business formats, which is complemented by the country’s unique advantages such as a comprehensive industrial and supply chain system, rich human resources and a mature innovation ecosystem,” Lin Jian said, noting that all this encourages foreign businesses to invest in new-quality productive forces at an accelerated rate and integrate into China’s innovation chain.

    In addition, as the official representative noted, an increasing number of foreign companies prefer to carry out scientific research and development in China and export products from there to the world market, thereby creating a favorable circulation of markets, enterprises and resource factors.

    China’s development from a manufacturing outpost to an innovation engine will always be an opportunity for the world, Lin Jian said, adding that China will continue to steadily improve its business environment and provide foreign-invested companies with more policy benefits. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Simpler and clearer – by 2026 the Ministry of Digital Development will change the procedure for processing tax deductions

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Mainfin Bank –

    What will change in the procedure for receiving a tax deduction by 2026?

    The registration of a deduction for personal income tax allows Russians to return part of the tax paid when buying a home, paying for medical, sports and educational services, and also to reduce the tax base when selling real estate and transport. You can take advantage of the benefit through State Services – by 2026, the Ministry of Digital Development promises to change the procedure:

    The Federal Tax Service will independently calculate the amount of tax to be deducted; taxpayers will not have to fill out a declaration when selling apartments and cars; an automatic notification service will appear – citizens will receive a mailing about the status of 3-NDFL inspections, which will allow them to track what stage the declaration is at.

    “The innovations are intended to simplify and make the process of processing deductions more transparent – the procedure will become more convenient for taxpayers,” the Ministry of Digital Development stated.

    Let us recall that persons paying personal income tax (most often, hired workers) can return 13% of certain types of expenses in Russia. Individual entrepreneurs and persons operating on the basis of a civil-law contract are also entitled to certain benefits.

    What other changes in the area of tax deductions await Russians?

    Simplifying the procedure for processing tax deductions is not the only change planned for the near future. The authorities are also discussing other innovations:

    introduction of a tax deduction for individuals who pass the GTO and undergo regular medical examinations – Vladimir Putin made the proposal; the limit for the personal income tax deduction for the purchase of housing may be increased to 6 million rubles – the Ministry of Construction supported the initiative; work on the launch of a multifunctional service that will allow for the automation of deductions will be completed by the end of the year.

    At the same time, the indicated changes regarding the introduction of new types of benefits and increasing limits have not yet been adopted at the legislative level – currently, discussions are underway on amendments that may be adjusted during the review process.

    15:00 10.06.2025

    Source:

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //Mainfin.ru/novosti/ Obrase- and-in-Knight-K-2026-Minzifry-Menit-Procedure-Registration-Nailural-Provisions

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DAUPHIN COUNTY – Lt. Governor Austin Davis and Governor’s Advisory Commissions Open Art Exhibit for Gun Violence Awareness Month

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    June 10, 2025 – Harrisburg, PA

    ADVISORY – DAUPHIN COUNTY – Lt. Governor Austin Davis and Governor’s Advisory Commissions Open Art Exhibit for Gun Violence Awareness Month

    Lt. Governor Austin Davis and the six Governor’s Advisory Commissions will be joined by surviving family members, artists, and policy makers to open the Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibit in Harrisburg to help commemorate Gun Violence Awareness Month.

    After peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence and crime rates are beginning to decline in many states across the country, and they fell significantly in Pennsylvania last year. The Shapiro-Davis Administration has focused on driving down gun violence rates by providing resources to help recruit and train nearly 1,500 state and local law enforcement officers, as well as increasing investments in community-based programs proven to reduce violence and standing up and staffing a state Office of Gun Violence Preventione.

    WHO:
    Lt. Governor Austin Davis
    Ashley Walkowiak, Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women
    Aubrey Fink, Souls Shot Portrait Project

    WHEN:
    Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 4:00 PM

    WHERE:
    The State Library, 607 South Drive, Harrisburg PA 17120

    RSVP:
    Press who are interested in attending must RSVP to ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZ places travel ban on extremist Israeli politicians

    Source: New Zealand Government

    New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.

     The bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to New Zealand.

     “Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages.  Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.

     “Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution.

     “New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement.

    “New Zealand’s consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution.”

     Today’s targeted sanctions are consistent with New Zealand’s approach to other foreign policy issues, Mr Peters says.

     “New Zealand has also targeted travel bans on politicians and military leaders advocating violence or undermining democracy in other countries in the past, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.”

     The international community is overwhelmingly in favour of a future Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution, Mr Peters says.

     “The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Minister of National Defence in response to the Auditor General of Canada’s report on Delivering Canada’s Future Fighter Jet Capability 

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    Following the tabling of the Auditor General of Canada’s (AG) report on Canada’s fighter force, the Minister of National Defence, The Honourable David McGuinty, issued the following statement:

    “I welcome the AG’s report on the administration of the fighter project. It lays out the tireless efforts by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Government of Canada to implement the fighter capability on time.

    “As articulated in Canada’s 2017 defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, and reaffirmed in our 2024 defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, the Government of Canada is investing in a modern fleet of fighter jets to support RCAF operations now and into the future.

    “The aim is to provide the RCAF with a fighter fleet that will be capable, lethal, survivable, upgradeable, resilient, and interoperable with our allies’ and partners’ fleets. This will enable Canada to continue to meet its North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commitments, and execute any other missions assigned to Canada.

    “The Government of Canada takes these findings seriously, and is taking several steps to address the AG’s recommendations:

    • We have put in place an approved and updated risk management plan to formally and regularly identify all known Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) risks ensuring there are appropriate mitigation strategies in place.
    • We will update and refine a master implementation plan to manage project activities in accordance with the Integrated Master Schedule. As with all major projects, the plans for the FFCP are evergreen, and will continue to be monitored and updated when required.                                           
    • We will review the FFCP cost estimates on an annual basis, or more frequently should significant issues be identified.
    • Additionally, we will communicate on milestones achieved on discrete projects in order to be transparent in public reporting.

    “The Future Fighter Capability Project value— which includes the costs for 88 fighter aircraft, associated equipment, sustainment set-up and services, training and information services, as well as construction of Fighter Squadron Facilities—has increased since initial estimates.

    “The increased cost to the FFCP is the result of external economic conditions driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, including global supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and increased inflation and foreign exchange rates. In combination with increased global tensions and related impacts on the availability and demand for materials, we would not have been able to deliver the full scope of this project under our previous budget. This increase included additional contingency funding to enable our ability to better mitigate potential economic risks and uncertainty in the future.

    “We will continue to work closely with our partners to actively manage costs throughout the duration of this project to ensure that the best value is being provided to Canadians. The FFCP represents the greatest investment in the RCAF since the Second World War. This project will provide Canada with an invaluable air defence capability that will continue to support the RCAF well into the future.

    “It is critical to note that Canada needs fighter aircraft to protect the sovereignty of Canadian airspace and ensure the safety and security of Canadians. Through the NORAD alliance, the RCAF makes substantial contributions to continental defence, generating the vital capabilities required to detect, deter, and defeat threats to Canada and, by extension, North America. Abroad, fighter aircraft are a critical contribution to NATO operations or other Coalition operations, where they operate to deter aggression or conducting air campaigns.

    “Additionally, I would like to highlight that the Government of Canada is currently reviewing the defence procurement system, including examining internal processes used by the Department of National Defence to define requirements and approve projects, and looking at the broader set of rules, regulations, and policies that govern military procurement. This effort will clarify mechanisms to facilitate the timely delivery of military equipment and look at how best to leverage existing programs to strategically invest in the domestic capacity building.

    “I will ensure that the AG’s recommendations are fully integrated and that the best value continues to be provided to Canadians.”

    Associated Link

    2025 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister Lightbound in response to the Auditor General’s report on her performance audit of real property management

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec               

    Today, the Auditor General of Canada presented her report on the performance audit of real property management, which examined the management of the government’s office space portfolio, as well as the management of the Federal Lands Initiative.

    I welcome the findings of the Auditor General’s report and thank her for her important work on this file. Our government remains fully committed to fairness, openness and transparency in the management of federal real property.

    In general, the report found that the government has encountered delays in achieving the target of reducing its office space portfolio by 50%, and that a lack of information from some federal tenants is impeding this work.

    The report also found that the Federal Lands Initiative, under the leadership of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), is on target to meet its housing affordability, energy efficiency and accessibility targets.

    The Auditor General makes recommendations for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). Our government accepts all of the recommendations.

    In particular, I welcome the recommendation that PSPC improve its public reporting on progress toward achieving the 50% reduction of its office portfolio by 2034. The department recently shared an update on its website and will provide updates on results annually going forward.

    My department also remains committed to working with federal departments and agencies to improve data collection so that we can better achieve our office space portfolio targets.

    The report recommends that TBS assess its capacity to resume the work of the former Centre of Expertise for Real Property. While the funding for this centre has concluded, TBS will continue to support departments in the management of real property and, based on available capacity, will seek opportunities to address outstanding priorities from the Horizontal Fixed Asset Review.

    Finally, the report recommends that HICC improve its reporting mechanisms and review its current tools and measures to ensure alignment with the goals of the Federal Lands Initiative. HICC will continue to work in collaboration with CMHC to report results on a quarterly basis through the National Housing Strategy Progress Report. HICC and CMHC will also work together to explore measures to ensure projects support housing that is affordable in communities that need it.

    I am committed to working closely with TBS and HICC to implement the Auditor General’s recommendations in an open and transparent way and will provide updates on our government’s progress toward reducing the federal office footprint.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister Lightbound in Response to the Auditor General’s Report on its Performance Audit of Professional Services Contracts

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec             

    Today, the Auditor General of Canada released her report on the Performance Audit of Professional Services Contracts, which included all professional services contracts awarded, and payments made by federal organizations to GC Strategies and other companies incorporated by its co-founders.

    I welcome the findings of the Auditor General, and the Government of Canada remains committed to maintaining fairness, openness and transparency in federal procurement.

    In March 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) suspended the security status of GC Strategies Inc., which precluded it from participating in all federal procurements with security requirements. In addition, PSPC also suspended the company from all professional services contracts and contract vehicles administered by the department. Last week, GC Strategies was determined to be ineligible from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the Government of Canada for 7 years under the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy.

    The results of this report are in line with previous internal and external audits and reviews relating to professional services contracts and other procurements. While the report did not make any new recommendations, the Government of Canada has taken significant actions on past recommendations and continues to take strong steps to improve oversight and management of federal procurement.

    PSPC is transforming and modernizing how the department procures professional services by simplifying existing mandatory procurement tools, while addressing the audits and reviews completed between 2023 and 2025. This includes measures to mitigate procurement risks, improve contract management practices and encourage the use of business approaches that focus on comprehensive solutions to achieve best value from the private sector.

    To date, the department has taken the following actions on previous recommendations from the Auditor General, including:

    • improving evaluation requirements to ensure resources are appropriately qualified
    • requiring increased transparency from suppliers around their pricing and use of subcontractors
    • improving documentation when awarding contracts and issuing task authorizations
    • clarifying work requirements and activities, and specifying which initiatives and projects are being worked on by contractors

    Our new government remains committed to strengthening federal procurement practices. We also expect public servants and departments to operate with the highest standards of integrity when procuring professional services to support their program delivery. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    Today, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions and other measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

    Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.

    We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.

    Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.

    The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas.  Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future.

    Today’s measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two-state solution.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: New sheriffs begin service to uphold safety in B.C. courthouses

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    A graduating class of 33 sheriffs is preparing to start their careers, helping keep people safe as they access court services throughout B.C.

    Niki Sharma, Attorney General, welcomed the graduates from the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s spring class at a ceremony on Monday, June 9, 2025. They will be assigned to work in provincial courthouses, including Fort St. John, Nelson, Terrace and the Lower Mainland.

    “Sheriffs play a critical role in our justice system, ensuring access to justice is preserved and keeping the people who use our courts safe and protected,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “We recognize and appreciate the dedication shown by each graduate. The sheriff-recruit training program is challenging and rigorous, and we celebrate their achievements and commitment to serving and protecting our communities.”

    Sheriffs maintain a safe environment for everyone, delivering justice services in 90 Provincial Court locations. They are highly trained peace officers who provide protective services for the judiciary, the Crown, defence, court staff, the public and all participants in the justice system. Sheriffs also protect court users, transport accused and convicted people to and from correctional institutions, and perform other duties. Without sheriffs, court matters cannot proceed.

    The spring class will continue training until July 8, 2025. Their first day on duty will be July 9, 2025. The next sheriff-recruit training class will start training on July 14, 2025.

     “We are proud to welcome 33 new deputy sheriffs to the BC Sheriff Service,” said Roger Phillips, acting chief sheriff, and executive director, BC Sheriff Service. “I know they will contribute to the safety of B.C.’s justice system by applying the skills and knowledge gained during the rigorous recruit training.”

    The BC Sheriff Service (BCSS) is recognized as an international leader in providing protective and enforcement services for the justice system. The BCSS is the oldest law-enforcement agency in B.C.

    The Province is collaborating with BCSS to enhance recruitment, retention and training. BCSS is focusing on deployment and growth opportunities, and implementing a more competitive pay and benefits framework for sheriffs.

    The Province is highlighting key investments this week that strengthen B.C.’s court system and improve access to timely justice. From appointing new judges to training and graduating more sheriffs and opening new court services, these efforts ensure B.C.’s courts are safer, more efficient and better equipped to serve people in the province.

    Learn More:

    To watch a video about working as a B.C. sheriff, visit: https://youtu.be/rdhf8trOoSM

    To explore career opportunities with the B.C. Sheriff Service, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/featured-careers/deputy-sheriff

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada imposes fourth round of sanctions on facilitators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations.

    This round of sanctions lists two individuals for their crucial role in facilitating the significant expansion of settlements and outposts in the West Bank, offering political cover to perpetrators of settler violence, and actively contributing to a more permissive environment for higher levels of harassment and violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians.

    Extremist settler violence is leading to greater destabilization in the West Bank, resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, and increasingly threatening the viability of a two-state solution, as well as regional peace and security.

    Today’s sanctions are in coordination with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, and are in response to the recent escalation of violence by Israeli extremist settlers and affiliates against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, contributing to insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis.

    The two individuals are the following:

    • Itamar Ben-Gvir
    • Bezalel Smotrich

    The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Canada continues to oppose the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and is committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

    These measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. Canada continues to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Canada will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. Canada will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. Canada wants to see a reconstructed Gaza, where Hamas can play no part, and ultimately a political pathway to a two-state solution.

    MIL OSI Canada News –