NewzIntel.com

Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-left”>By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

    Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Safe communities rely on the backbone and heroism of a tough and well-equipped police force.  My Administration is steadfastly committed to empowering State and local law enforcement to firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens. 
    When local leaders demonize law enforcement and impose legal and political handcuffs that make aggressively enforcing the law impossible, crime thrives and innocent citizens and small business owners suffer.  My Administration will therefore:  establish best practices at the State and local level for cities to unleash high-impact local police forces; protect and defend law enforcement officers wrongly accused and abused by State or local officials; and surge resources to officers in need.  My Administration will work to ensure that law enforcement officers across America focus on ending crime, not pursuing harmful, illegal race- and sex-based “equity” policies. 
    The result will be a law-abiding society in which tenacious law enforcement officers protect the innocent, violations of law are not tolerated, and American communities are safely enjoyed by all their citizens again.

    Sec. 2.  Legal Defense of Law Enforcement Officers.  The Attorney General shall take all appropriate action to create a mechanism to provide legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law.  This mechanism shall include the use of private-sector pro bono assistance for such law enforcement officers.

    Sec. 3.  Empowering State and Local Law Enforcement.  (a) The Attorney General and other appropriate heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall take all appropriate action to maximize the use of Federal resources to:
    (i)    provide new best practices to State and local law enforcement to aggressively police communities against all crimes;
    (ii)   expand access and improve the quality of training available to State and local law enforcement;
    (iii)  increase pay and benefits for law enforcement officers;
    (iv)   strengthen and expand legal protections for law enforcement officers; 
    (v)    seek enhanced sentences for crimes against law enforcement officers;
    (vi)   promote investment in the security and capacity of prisons; and
    (vii)  increase the investment in and collection, distribution, and uniformity of crime data across jurisdictions.
    (b)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall review all ongoing Federal consent decrees, out-of-court agreements, and post-judgment orders to which a State or local law enforcement agency is a party and modify, rescind, or move to conclude such measures that unduly impede the performance of law enforcement functions.

    Sec. 4.  Using National Security Assets for Law and Order.  (a)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the heads of agencies as appropriate, shall increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist State and local law enforcement.
    (b)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall determine how military and national security assets, training, non-lethal capabilities, and personnel can most effectively be utilized to prevent crime.

    Sec. 5.  Holding State and Local Officials Accountable. The Attorney General shall pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to enforce the rights of Americans impacted by crime and shall prioritize prosecution of any applicable violations of Federal criminal law with respect to State and local jurisdictions whose officials:
    (a)  willfully and unlawfully direct the obstruction of criminal law, including by directly and unlawfully prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying out duties necessary for public safety and law enforcement; or    
    (b)  unlawfully engage in discrimination or civil-rights violations under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives that restrict law enforcement activity or endanger citizens.

    Sec. 6.  Use of Homeland Security Task Forces.  The Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall utilize the Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTFs) formed in accordance with Executive Order 14159 of January 20, 2025 (Protecting the American People Against Invasion) to coordinate and advance the objectives of this order.

    Sec. 7.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

    i. the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

    ii. the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

      (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
      (c)  This order 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.
      (d)  The Department of Justice shall provide funding for this order’s publication in the Federal Register.
        

                                                  DONALD J. TRUMP

       THE WHITE HOUSE,
          April 28, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Budget 2025: The Growth Budget

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Tēna koutou kātoa.  Greetings everyone. Can I thank you Malcolm for that kind introduction and thank everyone who has taken the time to be here today. My special thanks go to our hosts Metco Engineering and the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce.
    Let me also acknowledge my colleagues who join us today – your local MP and my Associate Minister of Finance the Hon Chris Bishop, together with the Minister of Education the Hon Erica Stanford. 
    This factory is a bit of a different setting than the conference centre or ballroom Ministers typically use for a pre-Budget speech. Why?
    Because places like this are the engine room of the New Zealand economy.
    Our Government knows that to speed up the economic recovery New Zealanders need we have to get this growth engine cranking.
    I appreciate that economic growth can be a bit of an abstract concept: the work that happens on this factory floor is what it’s all about.
    The workers at Metco solve problems, coming up with new products and manufacturing processes for a range of industries. They design and create clever components for customers around the world – producing everything from window stays through to bus stops.
    Metco has grown successfully by making investments in its own machinery and technology and by hiring and up-skilling great people who come up with innovative ideas and then make them happen.
    The growth of businesses like MetCo, and indeed of all the businesses represented in this room today, has created good jobs and livelihoods for the people of the Hutt Valley community. 
    It’s also allowed your businesses to make healthy tax contributions, which helps fund the Government’s investment in health services, schools, vital infrastructure and other important public spending. 
    Thank you for that contribution, we don’t take it for granted.
    New Zealand needs more success stories like MetCo: Your growth is what’s needed to deliver the kind of country we all want: with better living standards, better job opportunities and more financially secure families.
    That’s why our Government is going for growth.
    Earlier this year we released a snapshot of the work we have underway to support this growth agenda. Going for Growth sets out 87 specific actions we are taking under five key themes: 

    Developing talent
    Competitive business settings
    Innovation, technology and science
    Overseas investment and trade
    Infrastructure for growth

    I encourage you to check out the plan and the work underway. There’s more to come.  
    For today though, I’m going to switch out of my Economic Growth hat and into my Minister of Finance hat and focus my remarks on this year’s Budget. 
    The Context for Budget 2025
    The Government’s growth ambition has been front and centre as we’ve put the Budget together.  
    We know that global uncertainty is challenging for many of you and we’re determined our Budget will play a role in giving you confidence for the future.  
    But let me be blunt: it’s not the easiest time to be putting together a Budget.
    New Zealand is still recovering from the economic damage inflicted during the Covid period and we’re now facing the headwinds of further global instability.
    There is a pressing need for greater investments in our health system, our education system, our defence force and other areas, and very little money to pay for those investments.   
    Our Government is also acutely conscious of the challenging economic circumstances many New Zealanders have experienced in the past few years as we’ve emerged from a period of very high inflation and rapidly rising interest rates. 
    The pain is still rippling through our communities. Kiwis feel it in the higher prices they still pay for almost everything, in higher levels of unemployment and in struggling local businesses. The cost of living remains a top-of-mind concern.  
    The good news is that, despite significant global challenges, a steady economic recovery is now taking place here, with export-led growth gathering strength, business confidence coming off its lows and the primary sector benefiting from higher commodity prices and mostly favourable growing conditions. 
    Having considered everything happening around the world, the Treasury is continuing to forecast accelerating growth in the New Zealand economy over the coming year, with falling unemployment forecast to follow in the second half of the year. 
    There’s no magic wand to wish away the price rises baked in over recent years, but getting inflation and interest rates under control has been essential to achieving this economic recovery.  
    That’s why I always take pause to celebrate that since our Government came to office inflation has returned to normal levels, resulting in a 200 basis point reduction in interest rates. 
    We must not take this progress for granted. 
    While some pretend we can fix all the post-Covid damage with yet more extravagant government spending, the economic truth is that they are wrong. 
    The only way to sustainably overcome cost of living pressures is through successive years of stable inflation, careful investment and sustained economic growth. 
    Our Government is committed to the responsible fiscal management and growth supporting policies needed to make that happen. 
    Debt, deficit and the path out
    An important part of that effort is getting our own books in order. That’s a big task.
    The previous Government’s spending decisions during and after Covid have left New Zealand with a sea of debt and red-ink in the government finances.
    Government debt leapt up by almost $120 billion between 2019 and 2024, soaring from under $58 billion to $175 billion. 
    Those are big numbers, almost too big to comprehend, so let me explain it this way: That amounts to $22,000 more in debt for every New Zealander.
    You may well ask: what do we have to show for all that debt? 
    To give you some further historical context, New Zealand’s net core Crown debt, which once hovered between five and 25 per cent of GDP, rose to around 42 per cent last year. That’s the highest level of government debt New Zealand has shouldered since the mid-1990s.    
    Servicing that debt is expensive.  
    The interest bill on government debt has soared from $3.6 billion in 2014 to $8.9 billion last year.  That sum is more than annual core Crown expenses for the Police, Corrections, the Ministry of Justice, Customs and the Defence Force combined.
    Our Government’s goal is to put net core Crown debt on a downward trajectory towards 40 per cent of GDP and in the longer term keep it below that percentage. 
    Why?  Because allowing debt to keep spiralling would threaten the livelihood of every New Zealander.  
    We must ensure our country is financially strong and resilient enough to effectively respond to whatever the future may throw: be it earthquakes, extreme climatic events, biosecurity incursions or whatever. We need the world to keep seeing us as a good country to invest in and lend to. Manageable debt levels are an essential foundation for a strong economy and for your financial future.
    Achieving lower debt levels isn’t easy: especially because the government books remain out of balance.
    The post-Covid ‘structural deficit’ has left a big gap between what the country needs to fund to deliver on the spending commitments previous Budgets have made and what we need to earn to pay for that spending.  
    The Government is currently borrowing billions to bridge the gap.
    Every Thursday afternoon, New Zealand Debt Management issues around $500 million of Government bonds. Some of this is to that roll over existing bonds that have expired, but large chunks of it are for new borrowing. 
    That level of borrowing obviously can’t go on forever, or else our kids and grandkids will be left with unsustainable debt and considerable economic uncertainty. 
    Most of you can probably relate to this if you think about your own household budget: sure, sensible borrowing has its place, but no overdraft can be extended forever, and while you can keep giving the credit card a hammering, left unpaid, it does, eventually, get declined.  
    It’s worth bearing this in mind next time somebody tries to suggest to you that the New Zealand Government needs to spend more on something.  
    The second question always needs to be: but how will we pay for it?  
    Our Government’s strategy is to reduce the deficit over time, through a gradual programme of consolidation and careful spending choices.  
    We are committed to maintaining stability for New Zealanders, by continuing to invest in essential frontline services, infrastructure for growth and social supports like superannuation. 
    But delivering those things requires us to make careful choices about what we spend elsewhere. 
    That’s why we’ve committed ourselves to ongoing reprioritisation and fiscal restraint. It isn’t easy, but it is essential. 
    Believe me, I’d rather we were in clover, with money to spend on all the good ideas we hear. But the reality is that we are governing in tighter times.  
    Economic growth is essential to our fiscal repair job.  It’s simply the most effective way to raise government revenue, and to give us better choices for the future.
    Some have suggested a different approach. They say New Zealand should seek to close the deficit by simply adding more and higher rates of taxes to Kiwis’ wages, savings, wealth or capital.  
    We reject that approach.
    Punishing Kiwis with higher taxes right now would undermine our recovery, strangle growth and threaten the economic stability New Zealand needs. 
    It would pull the rug out from all those businesses and industries who are already just hanging on. And it would send an exodus of Kiwi talent and wealth to Australia and beyond.  
    It would be exactly the wrong recipe for a country whose future prospects depend on investment and growth.  
    Changes in the economic and fiscal outlook since HYEFU
    The Treasury’s last set of economic forecasts was presented at the Half Year Update in December.
    As you know, the global economic outlook has worsened considerably since that update.
    Tarriff announcements by the US government, countervailing tariffs being imposed by China and an uncertain path for future tariffs and exemptions have created volatile global economic conditions with forecasters around the world agreeing that global growth will be lower this year and next year than they were previously predicting.  
    New Zealand can’t escape the fallout. 
    Accordingly, Treasury has adjusted the forecasts it presented in December, reducing their assumptions of real GDP growth in New Zealand in 2025 and 2026.  
    New Zealand’s economy will still be growing, but not as fast as forecast a few months ago.
    That lower growth trajectory has an inevitable impact on the government books, reducing revenue and threatening our already difficult return to surplus and debt reduction.  
    At the same time, it’s clear that the country’s need for investment has not lessened: whether it be in the infrastructure we need for a more productive future, the funding needed to meet pressures in our health service and education system; or the need to rebuild our defence capability to meet the challenges of a less stable world.
    On top of all of that, it’s also the case that New Zealand’s long-term productivity and savings challenges haven’t gone away. 
    So there’s a huge amount to juggle in this year’s Budget.
    How has the Government managed these challenges?
    We started with that question that I suggested to you earlier:  How do we pay for the things we need now without putting our future economic stability at risk?  
    Our approach has been threefold.  
    First, there has been a very high bar for new initiatives in the Budget.  I can confirm today that there will be no lolly scramble in Budget 2025.  New spending initiatives are strictly limited to the most important priorities: our focus has been on health, education, law and order, defence, and a small number of critical social investments. We have also found room for modest measures to support business growth and to provide some carefully targeted cost of living relief.
    Second, beyond a small number of exceptions, government departments are not receiving additional funding in the Budget. We expect government agencies to adjust themselves to New Zealand’s limited fiscal means. This will require restraint in public sector wage increases and an ongoing commitment to getting more impact out of every dollar spent.  
    Third, we have undertaken a significant savings drive.  
    That effort has involved Ministers identifying areas of previously committed spending that can no longer be justified in light of the challenging circumstances New Zealand now faces.   
    We’ve analysed spending decisions made by previous governments and re-evaluated them in the context of today’s constraints. This has involved a line-by-line review of previous funding commitments, including money put aside in contingency.
    This reprioritisation exercise has required careful consideration and some tough, but necessary, choices. 
    At every step, we’ve asked ourselves two questions:

    Can these dollars be justified when we are borrowing to pay for them?
    Can we be sure these dollars will do more good in this area than if invested in our most pressing priorities – like funding essential health services, better educating our kids, defending New Zealand’s security or ensuring our future growth?

    Taken together, the Government’s savings drive has freed-up billions of dollars. Those savings will now be re-deployed to fund New Zealand’s most pressing priorities.
    Sticking to the fiscal strategy
    In this year’s Budget we’ve also had to carefully consider whether, in light of major global economic events, our fiscal strategy still remains achievable.
    The strategy is focused on two key goals: putting net debt on a downward trajectory and returning the books to an OBEGALx surplus by 2028.  
    This strategy matters, it matters for getting the books back in order and that’s about more than a set of numbers. It’s about keeping interest rates lower and providing a solid platform for future growth. It’s about ensuring New Zealand continues to be seen as a stable, reliable place to invest in and lend to. It’s about making sure we don’t leave our kids and grandkids with debts they just can’t repay. 
    At our last update in December – well before President Trump’s “Liberation Day” – we were expecting a small surplus in 2029, and it remained our intention to returning it a year earlier if possible.  
    I can confirm that our Government remains committed to those goals. 
    Sticking to them has required some careful adjustments in this year’s Budget.
    The key change we have made is to the size of this year’s “operating allowance” – that is the amount of money put aside for new spending.   
    At the Half Year Update, the Treasury forecast that the “allowance” in Budget 2025 would be $2.4 billion. 
    That was always a small envelope. However, as I outlined earlier, our approach has been to supplement our new spending by reprioritising funds from elsewhere.
    I am confirming today that the Government has reduced the size of our Budget 2025 operating allowance to $1.3 billion.
    This means we will be spending billions less over the forecast period than would have otherwise been the case. This will reduce the amount of extra borrowing our country needs to do over the next few years and it will keep us on track towards balanced books and debt reduction.
    The fiscal forecasts will not be finalised until later this week, but according to the latest numbers I have seen, this smaller operating allowance means we will continue to forecast a surplus in 2029. 
    The reality of global economic events is that if we’d pushed on with a larger operating allowance then we would be staring down the barrel of even bigger deficits and debt.  
    Let me emphasise once again: our Budget will still deliver increased investment in the things that really matter to Kiwis: like health, education, law and order, the defence force, business growth and targeted cost of living relief. Those things are important to you and they’re important to our Government. 
    Our careful reprioritisation approach means we can continue to make progress on today’s priorities while ensuring we are better positioned to face the challenges tomorrow will bring.
    Yes, those challenges loom large. 
    But let’s get real: global instability may not be a passing trend. New Zealand can’t expect to keep borrowing as much as we are now. The world doesn’t owe us any favours.
    This is not the time to kick the can down the road.  
    We must act now to secure our financial future.  
     
    Conclusion
    In conclusion, Budget 2025 takes place against a difficult global backdrop. 
    We can’t wish that away. What we can do is focus on the things in our control.
    Our Government is doing just that, by providing a predictable, steady approach to economic and fiscal management. 
    In an unstable world we are staying the course with responsible policies that provide stability, support investment and make New Zealand an attractive place for the world to trade and do business with.  
    These sensible policy approaches are the base from which we will deliver better choices and investments in the years ahead.
    With those basics in place, there is much for Kiwi businesses to feel optimistic about.  
    New Zealand has enormous economic growth potential. 
    We are a safe, secure country with a growing constellation of free trade agreements and a global reputation as a good place to do business.
    We are blessed with abundant natural resources – everything from ocean to freshwater, fertile land and temperate weather to abundant minerals.
    In a world worried about food security, we feed more than 40 million people with levels of efficiency and sustainability that are the envy of many.
    We have a long history of stable democracy, strong institutions and rule of law.
    We’ve delivered scientific breakthroughs and global success stories and we will continue to do so.  As I stand here today, we are world leaders in sending rocket to space – rockets that include components made right here in this factory. 
    Fundamentally, I’m optimistic about New Zealand’s economic future because I have faith in you: the New Zealanders who get out of bed each morning and go and make things happen.  
    I’m optimistic because I see how hard Kiwis work. I see how much effort Kiwi parents go to for their kids. I see how much employers and workers care about their communities. We are a smart, innovative, resilient people.  
    The next decade can be our decade. That requires good and steady government and careful spending choices. This year’s Budget will not be a lolly scramble.  What this Budget will be is a responsible Budget that secures New Zealand’s future.
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: President Trump Appoints New Members to Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON—Today, President Donald J. Trump appointed several new members to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council, a bipartisan group tasked with reforming and streamlining the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system. Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will co-chair the council. 

    The FEMA Review Council is charged with streamlining operations and ensuring FEMA delivers rapid, efficient, and mission-focused relief to Americans in need. 

    Appointed Members:

    • Co-Chair: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
    • Co-Chair: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
    • Greg Abbott, Governor, State of Texas
    • Phil Bryant, Former Governor, State of Mississippi
    • Jane Castor, Mayor, City of Tampa, Florida
    • Mark Cooper, Former Chief of Staff, Governor John Bel Edwards
    • Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Sheriff, Miami-Dade County
    • Evan Greenberg, CEO, Chubb Limited
    • Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management
    • W. Nim Kidd, Chief, Texas Division of Emergency Management
    • Michael Whatley, Chairman, Republican National Committee
    • Glenn Youngkin, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
    • Robert J. Fenton, Jr., Region 9 Administrator and two-time Acting Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

    About the FEMA Review Council
    On January 24, 2025, the President established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The goal of the FEMA Review Council is to advise the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest. 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Amplify Energy Schedules First Quarter 2025 Earnings Release and Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amplify Energy Corp. (“Amplify” or the “Company”) (NYSE: AMPY) announced today that it will report first quarter 2025 financial and operating results after the U.S. financial markets close on May 12, 2025. Management will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. CT on May 13, 2025, to discuss the Company’s results. Interested parties are invited to participate in the conference call by dialing (888) 999-3182 (Conference ID: AEC1Q25) at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. A telephonic replay will be available for fourteen days following the call by dialing (800) 654-1563 and providing the Access Code: 52458798. A transcript and a recorded replay of the call will also be available on our website after the call.

    About Amplify Energy

    Amplify Energy Corp. is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, exploitation and production of oil and natural gas properties. Amplify’s operations are focused in Oklahoma, the Rockies (Bairoil), federal waters offshore Southern California (Beta), East Texas / North Louisiana, and the Eagle Ford (Non-op). For more information, visit www.amplifyenergy.com.

    Investor Relations Contacts

    Jim Frew — SVP & Chief Financial Officer
    (832) 219-9044
    jim.frew@amplifyenergy.com

    Michael Jordan — Director, Finance and Treasurer
    (832) 219-9051
    michael.jordan@amplifyenergy.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Service Members Help the NFL Draft Mark 90yrs

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    #ICYMI The #NFLDraft marked its 90th year in Green Bay, Wis. and our #military service members made their presence known during the three-day event. Congrats to the new @NFL players and thanks to our service members for proudly representing our nation.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1aruzQAUnw

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: President Trump Appoints 20 New Members to Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON—Today, President Donald J. Trump appointed 20 members to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council, a bipartisan group tasked with reforming and streamlining the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system. Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will co-chair the council. 

    The FEMA Review Council is charged with streamlining operations and ensuring FEMA delivers rapid, efficient, and mission-focused relief to Americans in need. 

    Appointed Members:

    • Co-Chair: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
    • Co-Chair: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
    • Greg Abbott, Governor, State of Texas
    • Phil Bryant, Former Governor, State of Mississippi
    • Jane Castor, Mayor, City of Tampa, Florida
    • Mark Cooper, Former Chief of Staff, Governor John Bel Edwards
    • Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Sheriff, Miami-Dade County
    • Evan Greenberg, CEO, Chubb Limited
    • Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management
    • W. Nim Kidd, Chief, Texas Division of Emergency Management
    • Michael Whatley, Chairman, Republican National Committee
    • Glenn Youngkin, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
    • Robert J. Fenton, Jr., Regional Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

    About the FEMA Review Council
    On January 24, 2025, the President established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The goal of the FEMA Review Council is to advise the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest. 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kelly Announces Service Academy Appointment

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Trent Kelly (R-Miss)

    Kelly Announces Service Academy Appointment

    Washington, April 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Conner Couch to the U.S. Naval Academy. A senior at Hernando High School, Conner has earned numerous academic honors and awards in the classroom, sports, and extracurricular activities.

    Conner is dedicated to community service as a volunteer for HHES Mentoring and Hernando Parks and Recreation. He has been involved in various leadership roles, including serving on the Hernando Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as a student at Air Venture Flight Center, and as a Student Ambassador Leader.

    “I am excited to attend the United States Naval Academy because I can pursue a desired STEM major and actively work toward a career in the Navy,” Conner said. “I hope to become a Naval Aviator, but if that doesn’t work out, I aspire to pursue a career in submarine warfare. I am very thankful for my family, community, and God for making this aspiration possible.”

    For more information about Service Academy nominations through our office, please contact Robert Smith at (662) 687-1540 or send him an email at Robert.Smith@mail.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressional Delegation Presses for Urgent Risk Assessment of Portsmouth Memorial Bridge

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Senator Maggie Hassan (NH), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) in urging the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to work expeditiously with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to evaluate Portsmouth’s Memorial Bridge, one of the 68 bridges across the country identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as lacking up-to-date risk assessments.
    The tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is a reminder of the urgent need to assess bridge safety. The members wrote, “As part of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the March 26, 2024, containership Dali’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the bridge’s subsequent collapse, NTSB identified 68 bridges across 19 states and recommended that 30 bridge owners conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the probability of bridge collapse. Memorial Bridge was one of these identified bridges.”
    With time and safety being of the essence, the members urged, “We urge FHWA to quickly begin working with New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to review and respond to the NTSB Safety Recommendations memo. Additionally, we urge FHWA to follow the recommendations by working in coordination with the US Coast Guard and Army Corps to support NHDOT.”
    Shaheen, Hassan, and Pappas fought to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law which is the single largest dedicated investment ever to improve the safety and performance of bridges and included $225 million for New Hampshire. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pappas works to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, from roads to bridges, creating jobs and improving quality of life for Granite Staters. Last month, Pappas recently joined a bicameral letter urging states to conduct critical bridge safety tests in communities across the country.
    The letter is available here.
    XXX

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Navy Reserve Force Officially 100% Manned, Advancing Warfighting Readiness and Strategic Depth

    Source: United States Navy

    WASHINGTON — The Navy Reserve Force is officially 100% manned. This week, the Reserve reached its authorized strength of 57,700 Sailors for Fiscal Year 2025, the first time since 2020, reinforcing the Navy’s ability to project power, respond to global contingencies, and deliver warfighting capabilities across all domains.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group F/A-18 Super Hornet Lost at Sea

    Source: United States Navy

    MANAMA, Bahrain – USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28. All personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand, Murkowski Press Hegseth On Potential Undermining Of DoD Sexual Assault Prevention And Response

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing serious concern about possible Department of Defense guidance that would significantly alter, or even terminate, the Department’s sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) services. The senators noted that multiple reports have indicated that changes to SAPR may be coming, and raised the risk these changes pose to decades of efforts to end sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Department.
    The senators wrote, “As staunch advocates for improving SAPR efforts, to include the historic and bipartisan reforms to military justice, we are writing to express our deep concern with the mere possibility of significant alterations or termination of SAPR regulations. There can be no ambiguity in the Department’s position on ending sexual misconduct across the services, and any lack of clarity risks casting a chilling effect across the services.”
    The senators noted that during his confirmation process, Secretary Hegseth had publicly acknowledged that “the Department must do better to train and ingrain the fact that sexual abuse and assault is not tolerated in the force” and had also declared that “[e]very servicemember deserves the opportunity to serve their nation without fear of harassment or assault.” 
    For nearly a decade, Senator Gillibrand fought alongside survivors, veterans and legal experts to build a broad bipartisan coalition to fundamentally change the military justice system. Senator Murkowski was a strong ally throughout this effort. In the FY2023 defense bill, Gillibrand successfully incorporated her legislation to remove judicial functions and prosecutorial decisions from the chain of command for certain serious crimes, including sexual assault, and put them in the hands of trained, professional military prosecutors. This bipartisan reform was supported by leading veterans service organizations and advocacy groups, including VFW, IAVA, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, Protect Our Defenders, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, SWAN, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), Common Defense, and Veterans Recovery Project.
    The full text of the letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is available here or below: 
    Dear Secretary Hegseth,
    Over the last week, our offices received multiple reports of pending Department of Defense guidance that would significantly alter, or even terminate, large portions of the Department’s sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) services. According to these reports, SAPR guidelines are included in a list recently circulated by Deputy Secretary Feinberg for review and potential cancellation. As staunch advocates for improving SAPR efforts, to include the historic and bipartisan reforms to military justice, we are writing to express our deep concern with the mere possibility of significant alterations or termination of SAPR regulations. There can be no ambiguity in the Department’s position on ending sexual misconduct across the services, and any lack of clarity risks casting a chilling effect across the services.  
    This topic arose during your confirmation process, and we agree with your Advanced Policy Questions (APQ) response to the Senate Armed Services Committee that “the Department must do better to train and ingrain the fact that sexual abuse and assault is not tolerated in the force.” Meaningful progress toward this goal is fundamentally incompatible with any effort to dismantle those SAPR-related programs and regulations that are already in place. Even minor reductions risk compromising decades of progress toward ending sexual abuse and harassment in the Department. Prompt action is essential to reinforcing victims’ belief in the words of their leadership.       
    As you have stated, “[e]very servicemember deserves the opportunity to serve their nation without fear of harassment or assault.” Yet this “fear” inevitably takes hold in environments where victims do not feel protected from their abusers or supported by their leadership. Thus, we request immediate action to eliminate any ambiguity and clarify the Department of Defense’s position. Consistent with your previous commitment to “ensuring high-level focus on this issue,” we encourage you to make public assurances that victims of sexual misconduct will be supported, that offenders will be held accountable, and that no changes will be made to reduce the Department’s SAPR services. The readiness of our forces and the security of our nation depend on a swift and unequivocal response.                                        
    Sincerely,
    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
    U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski
    cc:
    Mr. Jules Hurst, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
    The Honorable Daniel Driscoll, Secretary, Department of the Army
    The Honorable John Phelan, Secretary, Department of the Navy
    The Honorable Gary Ashworth, Acting Secretary, Department of the Air Force

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Public Service Commission announced the result of the written part of the National Defence Academy And Naval Academy Examination (I), 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 28 APR 2025 8:15PM by PIB Delhi

    On the basis of the result of the written part of the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination, (I) 2025 held by the Union Public Service Commission on 13th April, 2025, candidates with the under mentioned Roll Nos. have qualified for interview by the Services Selection Board (SSB) of the Ministry of Defence for Admission to Army, Navy and Air Force Wings of the National Defence Academy for the 155th Course and for the 117th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 2nd January, 2026. The result is also available at Commission’s website www.upsc.gov.in.

    2        The candidature of all the candidates, whose Roll Nos. are shown in the list is provisional. In accordance with the conditions of their admission to the examination, “candidates are requested to register themselves online on the Indian Army Recruiting website joinindianarmy.nic.in  within two weeks of announcement of written result. The successful candidates would then be allotted Selection Centers and dates, of SSB interview which shall be communicated on registered e-mail ID. Any candidate who has already registered earlier on the site will not be required to do so. In case of any query/ Login problem, e-mail be forwarded to dir-recruiting6-mod[at]nic[dot]in.”

     

              “Candidates are also requested to submit original certificates of Age and Educational Qualification to respective Service Selection Boards (SSBs) during the SSB interview.” The candidates must not send the Original Certificates to the Union Public Service Commission. For any further information, the candidates may contact Facilitation Counter near Gate ‘C’ of the Commission, either in person or on telephone Nos. 011-23385271/011-23381125/011-23098543 between 10:00 hours and 17:00 hours on any working day. In addition for SSB/Interview related matter the candidates may contact over telephone no. 011-26175473 or joinindianarmy.nic.in for Army as first choice, 011-23010097/ Email:       officer-navy[at]nic[dot]in or joinindiannavy.gov.in for Navy/ Naval Academy as first choice and 011-23010231 Extn. 7645/7646/7610 or www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in for Air Force as first choice.

     

    3        The mark-sheets of the candidates will be put on the Commission’s website within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication of final result. (After concluding SSB Interviews) and will remain available on the website for a period of thirty (30) days.

     

    Click here to see Result:-

    ****

    NKR/PSM

    (Release ID: 2124979) Visitor Counter : 36

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Inter-Governmental Agreement inked with France for 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft for Indian Navy

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 28 APR 2025 3:53PM by PIB Delhi

    The Governments of India and France have signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the procurement of 26 Rafale Aircraft (22 Single-Seater and four Twin-Seater) for the Indian Navy. It includes Training, Simulator, Associated Equipment, Weapons and Performance-Based Logistics. It also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

    The IGA has been signed by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Armed Forces of France Mr Sebastien Lecornu. The signed copies of the agreement, aircraft package supply protocol and weapons package supply protocol were exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh at Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi on April 28, 2025.

     

     

    In line with the Government’s thrust on Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the agreement includes Transfer of Technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. It also includes setting up of production facility for Rafale Fuselage as well as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities for aircraft engine, sensors and weapons in India. The deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of MSMEs in setting up, production and running of these facilities.

    Manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in maritime environment. The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India.

    Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by IAF. Its procurement will substantially enhance joint operational capability, besides optimising training and logistics for the aircraft for both Indian Navy and IAF. The induction would lead to the addition of a potent force multiplier to the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, substantially boosting the nation’s air power at sea.

    ******

    VK/SR/Savvy

    (Release ID: 2124851) Visitor Counter : 244

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Regular Press Conference of the Ministry of National Defense on April 24, 2025 2025-04-29 Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China, answers questions at a regular press conference on the afternoon of April 24, 2025.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense 2

    By Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND)

    Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), answers questions at a regular press conference on the afternoon of April 24, 2025. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    (The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

    Zhang Xiaogang: Friends from the media, welcome to this month’s regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

    Today, I have one piece of information to announce on the top.

    The inaugural Navigator Meeting of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held in Beijing from April 28 to 30. The theme of the meeting will be “Opportunities and Challenges Facing Global Security”. Over 200 defense officials, experts, scholars and media representatives from more than 30 countries and international organizations will attend the event. Through multilateral seminars and dialogues, the meeting aims to enhance the effectiveness of international participation and contribute insights to global security governance. Bilateral and multilateral meetings as well as cultural and technological visits will also be arranged on the margins of the event.

    Journalist: It’s reported that President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Malaysia. With a focus on building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, he underlined the importance of deepening exchanges and cooperation on national security, defense and law enforcement. Please share with us what measures will the Chinese side take to bolster China-Malaysia military-to-military relationship.

    Zhang Xiaogang: President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Malaysia upon invitation from April 15 to 17, which ushered in the next “golden 50 years” for bilateral relations. China and Malaysia are neighbors across the sea with a millennium-old friendship. Under the strategic guidance of leaders of our two countries, the Chinese and Malaysian militaries have had productive cooperation in different areas. A 2+2 diplomatic and defense dialogue mechanism will be established to deepen exchanges and cooperation on national security, defense and law enforcement. Exercise Aman Youyi, initiated by China and Malaysia, has become a brand of military cooperation with significant influence in the region.

    Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), answers questions at a regular press conference on the afternoon of April 24, 2025. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei)

    The Chinese and Malaysian people both believe that solidarity brings strength. We are ready to work with the Malaysian side to deliver on the important consensus between leaders of our two countries, strengthen high-level engagements, and deepen strategic trust. Our two sides will have more cooperation in areas such as joint exercises, maritime security, and multilateral coordination, and promote greater quality-oriented growth of our military-to-military relationship.

    Journalist: It’s reported that the US, the Philippines and other countries are conducting Exercise Balikatan. As part of drills, the US military has, for the first time, deployed anti-ship missile system to the Luzon Strait north of the Philippines. Some analysts believe that this is to simulate the blockade of the Bashi Channel during a crisis in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippines and the US also organized Exercise Cope Thunder previously. What’s your comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: We always hold that military cooperation between countries should not target or hurt the interests of any third party, nor should it jeopardize regional peace and stability. The South China Sea should be a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship. However, the Philippines holds a candle to the devil by currying favor and colluding with the US and other outside countries to make provocations. It frequently conducts the so-called joint patrols and exercises, and invites and deploys strategic and tactical weapons, which seriously undermines the common interests of regional countries. We firmly oppose any country strengthening military deployment in the region and provoking tensions and confrontation under the excuse of the Taiwan question. Regardless of external challenges and turbulence, the Chinese side will resolutely safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and firmly maintain peace and stability in the region.

    Journalist: The Chinese and Egyptian air forces are conducting their first joint training. Could you please brief us what are the strategic and tactical achievements of this training?

    Zhang Xiaogang: Thanks for your attention. Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air force training is the first joint training between the Chinese and Egyptian armed forces. The two sides deployed fighter jets, AEW&Cs, tankers and helicopters to the activity. Drills on air combat and air refueling began on April 19, and subjects of air support and battlefield search and rescue will also be covered. The training will run until early May. The participating PLAAF aircraft will train in collaboration with assets of the Egyptian Air Force. This will help enhance capabilities of the two air forces and deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries.

    Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, the US Secretary of Defense reportedly claimed that China is building an army specifically designed to destroy the US. He said that China’s hypersonic missiles can destroy all US aircraft carriers in 20 minutes. In every war game played by the Pentagon, the US loses to China. In addition, the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command stated that China is producing warplanes and warships much faster than the US, and is capable of denying US air superiority along the first island chain. Do you have any comment on that? My second question is about the on-going vessel open-day events held by the PLA Navy in 10 cities. Some netizens asked when will the Chinese aircraft carrier also open to the public? What’s your comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On your first question, some individuals in the US see the Chinese military through colored lens and keep hyping up the so-called “China military threat”. I think this is an obstacle hindering engagements between the Chinese and US militaries. Non-conflict, non-confrontation and peaceful coexistence is in the most fundamental interests of both China and the US, and meets the common expectation of people across the world. We have a sober understanding of the state of our development. We hope the US side will break away from “persecution mania” and stop using others as excuses.

    On your second question, I fully understand the public’s interest in China’s aircraft carriers, and I believe their wish will come true sometime in the future.

    Journalist: It’s reported that President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Cambodia. At his talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, President Xi pointed out the importance of ensuring greater security. Please share with us the Chinese side’s consideration in advancing China-Cambodia military-to-military relationship.

    Zhang Xiaogang: President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Cambodia upon invitation from April 17 to 18. During his visit, he met with leaders of Cambodia to chart the way forward for jointly building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era. China and Cambodia are friends with ironclad bonds. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China and Cambodia always stand by each other in good faith, support each other, and pursue shared success. Under the strategic guidance of leaders of our two countries, the Chinese and Cambodian armed forces have had close high-level engagements and productive cooperation in different areas. The China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at Port Ream has been put into operation. The two sides have held Exercise Golden Dragon and Exercise Peace Angel. Exchanges in areas including demining, medical care and publicity continue to deepen. Our military relationship is rock-solid and unbreakable.

    Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), answers questions at a regular press conference on the afternoon of April 24, 2025. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Sun Yue)

    Standing at a new starting point, we are ready to work with the Cambodian side to implement the important consensus between leaders of our two countries and make good use of the newly-established 2+2 strategic dialogue mechanism. The two sides will further enrich and expand substantive cooperation in areas such as education and training, joint exercises, medical service, and equipment and technology, and will elevate our military-to-military relationship to a new level.

    Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, as revealed by Taiwan media outlets, there is a wave of resignation inside the troops of Taiwan. Many military officers on the ground chose early decommissioning or resignation to avoid fighting in war. Some analysts think that it’s because they don’t want to be cannon fodder for “Taiwan independence” separatists. What’s your comment on this? Secondly, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued Diplomatic Bluebook 2025. In the document, the Japanese side labeled China as an “unprecedented strategic security challenge” and hyped up situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea as well as military cooperation between China and Russia. In addition, the Japanese Defense Minister said that Japan will invest nearly 2 trillion yen in 2 Aegis system equipped vessels. Each of them will have a displacement of over 10,000 tons and firepower far beyond the need required for defense. The Japanese side keeps violating its “exclusively defense-oriented policy” and accelerates the building of offensive capabilities. What’s your comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On your first question, this is another evidence that “Taiwan independence” separatists have no support from the people of Taiwan and will collapse like a house of cards.

    On your second question, we firmly oppose the Japanese side playing up the so-called “China military threat”, hyping up tensions in the region, and deliberately provoking confrontation. China follows a path of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Our military development is aimed at safeguarding our national sovereignty, security and development interests. We have no intention to challenge or threaten any country. Engagements and cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries feature non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting any third party.

    In recent years, the Japanese side has drastically increased defense budget, and sought breakthroughs in military build-up. Its behaviors have led to serious concerns among its Asian neighbors and the international community. We urge the Japanese side to recalibrate its strategic perception of China, stop provoking bloc confrontation, be prudent with its words and actions in the military and security domain, and contribute more to regional peace and stability.

    Journalist: The Japanese Defense Minister reportedly claimed that Chinese military drones operate frequently near Japan’s airspace and are expanding their flying zone, which concerns the Japanese side and the international community. He also said that the Japanese side will take comprehensive measures for vigilance and reconnaissance. The Japanese Defense Ministry said that the number of emergency scrambles conducted in response to Chinese military drones in 2024 more than doubled year-on-year. May I have your comments on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: The Chinese military’s operations in relevant waters and airspace are in line with international law and practices, and do not target any specific entity. They are aimed at enhancing our capability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. There is absolutely no need for the Japanese side to be paranoid. We require the Japanese side to stop its hype and stop monitoring and disrupting operations of the Chinese side. This will help avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation, prevent accidents at sea and in the air, and avert negative impacts on the relationship between the two countries.

    Journalist: This year marks the 35th year of the Chinese military’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs). Since the Chinese military dispatched military observers for the first time to UNPKOs in April 1990, it has now become a major troop contributor. Could you provide an overview of the Chinese military’s participation in UNPKOs?

    Zhang Xiaogang: Since our first deployment 35 years ago, the Chinese military has participated in 25 peacekeeping missions, and dispatched over 50,000 personnel to more than 20 countries and regions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon and South Sudan. Chinese peacekeepers completed tasks such as mine clearance and explosive ordinance disposal, medical treatment, security escorts, and protection of civilians. China’s Blue Helmets have stepped forward for world peace with courage and persistence in despite of difficulties and dangers. 17 Chinese service members, including Liu Mingfang, Du Zhaoyu and Shen Liangliang, have made the ultimate sacrifice for the UN peacekeeping cause.

    It’s our objective to preserve peace and protect the people. China is the largest troop contributor to UNPKOs among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments. We maintain an 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force, which consists of 28 units in 10 categories, such as infantry, medical and rapid response units. The Chinese military has conducted exchanges and cooperation on peacekeeping with over 90 countries and 10 international and regional organizations. We have built “Shared”series, an international brand of peacekeeping operations. As we speak, approximately 1800 Chinese peacekeepers are executing tasks in the UN headquarters and seven mission areas. The Chinese military will continue to deepen and expand our participation in UNPKOs, and contribute more to the implementation of the Global Security Initiative and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

    Journalist: According to reports, the US Chief of Naval Operations announced that a large-scale inter-service joint-operation exercise will be conducted in the Pacific Ocean as a “stress test” to evaluate the combat capabilities of the US military. The US side claimed that the exercise aims to prepare the military for potential conflicts with China in the Pacific. In addition, a US B-1B bomber task force has arrived at the Misawa Air Base in Japan, and US MQ-4C long-endurance drones will be deployed to Okinawa. Do you have any comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: The Asia-Pacific is a promising land for peace and development, not a “hunting ground” for geopolitical games. Show of force and provocation are “stress tests” that no regional country wants to see or take. We hope the US side will do more to promote peace and stability in the region, rather than the opposite. China remains a force for peace, stability and progress in the Asia-Pacific, and will never be swayed by fallacies, deterred by intimidation, or cowed by pressure. We will resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty, security and development interests.

    Journalist: It’s reported that the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a recent Senate hearing that “China’s increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, but rehearsals for attacking Taiwan”. He suggested that the US should significantly advance autonomous systems and deploy them in the Taiwan Strait, so as to build a “hellscape” to deter China. What’s your comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese, which brooks no foreign interference. Some individuals of the US side point fingers at and make groundless speculations on the legitimate and necessary measures taken by the Chinese side to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also attempt to bluff us with a fancy slogan. This exposes their true motive of clinging to US hegemony and selfish interests at the cost of destroying others’ homeland. Threats and intimidation will never work on China or the Chinese military.

    Journalist: I have two questions. The first one is that the Philippine corvette BRP Apolinario Mabini (PS-36) invaded into China’s territorial waters of Huangyan Dao on April 20. The naval force of the Southern Theater Command carried out tracking, monitoring, warning and repelling in accordance with law. Analysts believe that by changing the subject of its harassing activities from fishing boats, PCG vessels to warships, the Philippine side is attempting to escalate the South China Sea issue from law enforcement by coast guard to military conflict, leaving space for following diplomatic and public opinion manipulations. What’s your comment on this? Secondly, according to Japanese media outlets, the Japanese and Philippine governments will make legal arrangements to facilitate military intelligence exchanges. The Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit the Philippines at the end of April to reach an agreement on starting discussions as soon as possible for signing the General Security of Military Information Agreement. The Philippines signed with the US a military intelligence-sharing agreement last year. If it signs another with Japan, the three countries will be able to share intelligence regarding the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Analysts believe that this is aimed at monitoring and deterring military presence of the PLA in this region. Do you have any comment?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On your first question, the PLA Southern Theater Command has issued a statement in response. We urge the Philippine side to stop right-infringing provocations. If it keeps barreling down the wrong path and acting recklessly, it will do itself more harm than good and taste the bitter fruit of its own doing.

    On your second question, the Philippine side soliciting foreign support to stir up troubles in the South China Sea will not work. External countries meddling in the South China Sea issue will bring about chaos and is not welcomed.

    Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, it’s reported that the troops in Taiwan started the computer-assisted command post drill (computer-simulated war games) under  Exercise Han Kuang 41 on April 5. The drill will last for 14 days and 13 nights. The scenarios include the so-called potential operations by the Chinese mainland, such as “gray-zone harassment” and “transition from exercise to war”. Koo Li-hsiung, Head of Taiwan’s military authorities, said that as it takes the PLA shorter time to shift from training to war, the troops in Taiwan needs to test and enhance its ability to respond to potential situations at any time. What’s your comment on this?

    The second one is that it is reported that the DPP authorities is considering using over 13,000 convenience stores as “wartime hubs” in the event of “a cross-Strait war”. This is one of the plans under discussion for the ”Whole of Society Defence Resilience Committee”, a unit set up by the Lai Ching-te authorities. May I have your comments on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On your first question, the military elements of “Taiwan independence” separatist forces put on a flashy show by conducting exercises. This does nothing more than embolden and comfort themselves. No matter how many drills they carry out, they will not be able to escape from their destined failure.

    Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), answers questions at a regular press conference on the afternoon of April 24, 2025. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Sun Yue)

    On your second question, for its selfish gains, the DPP authorities hysterically hype up the so-called “mainland’s threat”, stir up social panic, and double down on their “combat readiness for Taiwan independence”. If left unchecked, their behaviors will surely plunge Taiwan into war. The DPP authorities’ so-called “whole-of-society defence” actually harms the whole society, as they take the Taiwan island as a battlefield and coerce the local people into cannon fodders for “Taiwan independence”. Their actions are shameful. The PLA is committed to fighting against “Taiwan independence” separatists, promoting national reunification, and safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope our Taiwan compatriots recognize the true nature of the DPP authorities as a source of chaos and disasters, take active actions to oppose “Taiwan independence”, and protect their own well-being and livelihood. We hope the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will join hands to promote national reunification and rejuvenation.

    Journalist: According to reports from Taiwan media, the US side sent a retired four-star army general, who was also a former commander of US Forces Korea, to serve as the senior observer for the war games of this year’s Han Kuang Exercise. In addition, the war games revealed five potential patterns of joint operations between Taiwan and the US in wartime. May I have your comment on this?

    Zhang Xiaogang: We firmly oppose any form of military collusion between the US and Taiwan. To embolden and support “Taiwan independence” separatists is to ruin peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Those who do that will get burned for playing with fire, and taste the bitter fruit of their own doing. We urge the US side to stop stirring up troubles on the Taiwan question, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, and deliver on its promise of not supporting “Taiwan independence”. We solemnly warn the DPP authorities that those who solicit US support for “Taiwan independence” will be stabbed in the back, and be abandoned as a useless pawn.

    Zhang Xiaogang: If no other questions, this concludes today’s press conference. Thank you.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Oskar Fischer: the forgotten pioneer of Alzheimer’s disease research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Hornberger, Professor of Applied Dementia Research, University of East Anglia

    Davide Angelini/Shutterstock

    Ever heard of Fischer’s disease? No? Maybe that is not surprising, because it doesn’t exist. But it could have. In fact, the disease we now know as Alzheimer’s disease might just as easily have been called Fischer’s disease or Alzheimer-Fischer disease.

    Back in 1907, Dr Oskar Fischer published detailed research on what we now recognise as Alzheimer’s disease. Fischer described cases of older people who had cognitive symptoms in their lifetime and noted tiny plaque-like structures and fibrous tangles in their brains after their death.

    These changes were the same as those observed by Alzheimer’s at around the same time. But unlike Alzheimer’s brief two-page publication highlighting this new disease in one person, Fischer’s work, published in 1910, was a meticulous and wide-ranging study – spanning more than 100 pages – including several people he investigated. So why have we never heard of him?

    In my new book, Tangled Up: The Science and History of Alzheimer’s disease, I attempt to answer this question.

    A promising mind from Prague

    But before we get to why Fischer was forgotten, let’s look at who he was.

    Oskar Fischer was born in 1876 in a small town near Prague, part of the German-speaking minority in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying medicine in Strasbourg and Prague, he began working at the German University of Prague’s Department of Psychiatry.

    Fischer’s career flourished under the leadership of Professor Arnold Pick – another lesser-known scientific giant. Pick was the first to describe a different kind of dementia, now called frontotemporal dementia. It was in this forward-thinking academic environment that Fischer began his research into dementia.

    Fischer wasn’t working in isolation. At the time, other doctors had also noticed unusual plaques in the brains of people with dementia. Researchers like Paul Blocq and Georges Marinesco in Paris, Emil Redlich in Vienna and Koichi Miyake in Tokyo had all seen similar features.

    But Fischer, like Alzheimer, went a step further: he identified not only plaques but also twisted protein fibres — now known as tau tangles — that disrupt the brain’s function. This combination is still central to how we define Alzheimer’s disease today.

    Oskar Fischer, the forgotten great of Alzheimer’s research.
    Public Domain

    But if both men made this important discovery, why is only one name remembered?

    There are two theories as to why Fischer has been forgotten. One is that Fischer believed these brain changes were specific to a type of dementia called presbyophrenia, which was thought to affect people who showed unusual cheerfulness and confusion in old age.

    He may have limited his own findings by tying them to this narrow diagnosis. Indeed, in the 1920s it was realised that presbyophrenia was not a separate disease but simply how certain people with dementia presented – and the term was not used anymore.

    Another factor might be politics and influence. Alzheimer had a powerful supporter: Emil Kraepelin, one of the most influential psychiatrists of the time, who Alzheimer worked for. Kraepelin included Alzheimer’s work in his bestselling textbook and named the condition after him, helping to cement Alzheimer’s name in medical history.

    There’s no record showing whether Kraepelin knew of Fischer’s similar discoveries. If he did, he never acknowledged them in his textbook.

    Despite his scientific achievements, Fischer’s academic career stalled. In 1919, he was denied a permanent university position, despite his groundbreaking work. He opened a private practice in Prague and continued to teach, but without the recognition he deserved.

    A tragic end

    Then came the darkest chapter of his life. In 1941, during the Nazi occupation, Fischer was arrested by the Gestapo. He was imprisoned at Theresienstadt (now Terezín), a ghetto and transit camp for Jews and political prisoners. It’s unclear why he was targeted – perhaps for his Jewish ancestry or his earlier communist activism. He died there in 1942.

    Oskar Fischer’s story is a reminder that scientific discovery is rarely the work of one lone genius. It’s built on shared ideas, collaboration, and often forgotten contributors.

    It’s somewhat similar to Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace describing the theory of evolution at the same time but most only remember Darwin now. While Alois Alzheimer certainly made important observations, Fischer’s role in defining this devastating disease was just as significant.

    Maybe it’s time we remembered Oskar Fischer and gave him the credit he so rightly deserves.

    Michael Hornberger is the author of Tangled Up: The History and Science of Alzheimer’s Disease, published by Canbury Press.

    – ref. Oskar Fischer: the forgotten pioneer of Alzheimer’s disease research – https://theconversation.com/oskar-fischer-the-forgotten-pioneer-of-alzheimers-disease-research-254815

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New King’s Gurkha Artillery Unit to boost Armed Forces Capabilities

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    New King’s Gurkha Artillery Unit to boost Armed Forces Capabilities

    Gurkhas are to take on artillery roles for the first time with the creation of a new regiment.

    • Over the next four years, 400 Gurkha personnel will join the unit known as The King’s Gurkha Artillery, bolstering UK security through the Plan for Change
    • New unit will offer career and development opportunities for Gurkha soldiers in recognition of their service to the UK
    • A new Gurkha unit is being created to bolster the Army – with the famous Nepalese soldiers taking up artillery roles for the first time.  

    The King’s Gurkha Artillery (KGA), announced today, will be a new unit in the Brigade of Gurkhas and will operate within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. 

    The regiment will strengthen the UK’s military capabilities by taking on 400 Gurkha personnel, yet another example of Government action to deliver national security for Britain as part of our Plan for Change.

    A new Gurkha cap badge has also been created – the first in 14 years – to represent the new unit and the expanded breadth of specialisms that the Brigade of Gurkhas deliver, continuing their proud tradition of military service to the UK. 

    The KGA will become an integral part of the UK Armed Forces’ artillery capabilities. As part of the new offer for Gurkha soldiers, and in recognition of the demands of modern warfare, personnel who join the KGA will be trained on advanced equipment, including the Archer and Light Gun artillery systems. In the future they will also train on the remote-controlled Howitzer 155 artillery system. 

    Today’s announcement follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, recognising the critical importance of military readiness in an era of heightened global uncertainty.   

    Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns said: 

    The Brigade of Gurkhas has rightly earned a reputation as being amongst the finest soldiers in the world, and the formation of The King’s Gurkha Artillery recognises the outstanding contribution that they have made, through their years of dedicated service.  

    Our government is already delivering for defence through our Plan for Change, and this latest development will support retention efforts amongst Gurkhas while protecting and defending UK interests at home and abroad.

    The first recruits will finish initial training in November 2025 before going to Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire, the home of the Royal Artillery for trade training.  

    Currently, around 4,000 Gurkhas serve across many trades in the British Army. All Gurkhas are recruited from Nepal, with thousands of candidates competing annually for a limited number of places. 

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bethlehem Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Drug Distribution, Firearms Offenses

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Search of Residence Located Cocaine, Submachine Gun With Obliterated Serial Number, Extended Magazine, and Suppressor

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Romig, 38, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. last week to 57 months’ imprisonment, six years of supervised release, and a $900 special assessment for drug and gun offenses.

    Romig was charged by indictment in October 2024 with five counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school or playground, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of an unregistered machine gun. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him in January.

    As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Romig repeatedly sold cocaine in Bethlehem and often did so within a few hundred feet of a community playground near his residence.

    On July 26, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at that residence, located on the 600 block of Hayes Street. In Romig’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered approximately $760 and more than three grams of cocaine. Inside Romig’s residence, authorities recovered approximately eight grams of cocaine, as well as a .45 caliber Military Armament Corp select-fire machine pistol model MAC-10, an extended magazine, and a suppressor. The MAC-10, which was unregistered, had an obliterated serial number and was switched to full-automatic mode.

    In 2005, Romig was convicted of robbery in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas and sentenced to 14 to 36 months’ imprisonment for the offense, a second-grade felony. As a result, he was not permitted to legally possess a firearm.

    “Matthew Romig endangered his community, selling cocaine and arming himself with a deadly weapon,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He wasn’t allowed to have any firearm, let alone a submachine gun set to full automatic, with extended magazine and suppressor. It’s critical to get dangerous drugs off the street and illegal guns out of criminals’ hands, to crack down on violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.”

    “Matthew Romig was selling drugs near a playground and armed with a fully automatic MAC-10 .45 submachine gun,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This criminal is going to federal prison, where he will no longer endanger this community. Together with our state and local partners, and the United States Attorney’s Office, we continue to make Pennsylvania’s communities safer from such dangerous criminals.”

    The case was investigated by the ATF, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the Bethlehem Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Kulik and Robert Schopf. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Resilience Academy to help secure Britain’s future with “generational upgrade” in emergency training

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    UK Resilience Academy to help secure Britain’s future with “generational upgrade” in emergency training

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has launched the UK Resilience Academy

    • Academy to train more than 4,000 public and private sector workers in crisis skills and expertise every year, strengthening resilience in communities across the UK.
    • Biggest upgrade to resilience workers’ occupational standards in a generation to help keep the public safe as part of the Plan for Change.
    • Pat McFadden unveils Risk Vulnerability Tool to help Ministers and civil servants support vulnerable groups during a crisis and learn lessons from the Covid pandemic.

    Communities up and down the country are set to be better protected in the face of national crises from today as the government opens the UK Resilience Academy – helping to secure Britain’s future as it delivers on the Plan for Change.

    The cutting-edge centre will transform crisis training for thousands of public and private sector workers, with at least 4,000 people set to be trained at the Academy’s North Yorkshire campus every year, on courses covering everything from business continuity planning, to crowd management and crisis communications.

    The UK Resilience Academy, which will train citizens, businesses, the emergency services, the Armed Forces and the Civil Service, will sit at the heart of a newly formed network of public and private sector organisations – including the College for National Security and the Defence Academy – who have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to improve the quality and accessibility of resilience training. 

    Today’s announcement comes as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster unveils new software that will allow decision makers to identify groups that are vulnerable to particular risks, by mapping real-time crisis data alongside demographic statistics.

    The Risk Vulnerability tool is now available to 10,000 ministers and civil servants across Whitehall and the Devolved Nations. It has been developed by the National Situation Centre and the Office for National Statistics, and will feed directly into government decision making during future crises. 

    Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: 

    Our first duty is to keep people safe – and through our Plan for Change, we are creating strong and resilient communities across the country. 

    Today, we’re making a generational upgrade to crisis training for thousands of workers, and helping decision makers identify vulnerable groups in a crisis. This is all part of our plan to secure Britain’s future.

    In extreme cold weather, the software would show demographic data, such as households that rely either on gas or electricity, or areas with elderly people who would need support with food supplies, alongside near real-time data such as live weather warnings and power outages, helping decision-makers target support to those most in need. When planning for potential flooding, ministers and officials can identify areas where people have less mobility, and target these if evacuation is needed.

    This capability will strengthen the government’s approach to crisis management and better protect vulnerable people – learning from past events such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Investing in American leadership in quantum technology: the next frontier in innovation

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Investing in American leadership in quantum technology: the next frontier in innovation

    Artificial intelligence has captured the public imagination—and with good reason. It’s transforming how we work, create, learn, and navigate the world. But as AI carries the headlines, we also are on the cusp of another technological frontier: quantum computing. Long the domain of theory, quantum technologies are edging closer to reality, with profound implications for the world and American national competitiveness and security. As basic research and private sector advancements accelerate, a new global race is picking up steam. Now is the time for the United States and its allies to double down and invest in their strengths to claim the quantum frontier.

    Quantum technologies harness the mysterious and powerful behaviors of particles at the atomic level, offering unprecedented capabilities in computing, communication, and sensing. A single quantum computer at scale could offer more computing power than collectively exists in all of today’s computers. And like AI, quantum computing not only has the potential to transform entire sectors of our economy, but tackle previous insurmountable problems, opening pathways in science, medicine, and technology. The possibilities for chemistry, drug discovery, materials, energy, and agriculture provide promise in solving some of the defining challenges of our time.

    Microsoft’s recent quantum breakthrough adds to the breadth and pace of quantum science innovation. The development of our Majorana quantum chip leverages the unique properties of so-called “Majorana quasiparticles,” creating qubits that are more stable and less prone to decoherence. This approach promises to overcome one of the biggest challenges in quantum computing, enabling the construction of scalable and more efficient quantum systems. We believe it’s the type of advancement that can help accelerate the timeline for practical quantum applications.

    Countries around the world understand the criticality of quantum technology to their own economic competitiveness and security. During his confirmation hearing earlier this year, Michael Kratsios, the White House Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), rightfully emphasized that the shape of the global order “will be defined by whomever leads across AI, quantum, nuclear, and other critical and emerging technologies.” It is no surprise that over the past decade, governments around the world have poured resources into the fiercely competitive global quantum race. China, in particular, seeks to challenge American leadership in quantum through significant investments in infrastructure, research, and workforce skilling.

    The Trump administration’s long-standing leadership in quantum science

    Since the earliest days of quantum sciences, the United States has led the research and development of this technology. While most believe that the United States still holds the lead position, we cannot afford to rule out the possibility of a strategic surprise or that China may already be at parity with the United States. Simply put, the United States cannot afford to fall behind, or worse, lose the race entirely.

    The Trump administration understands well the national imperative and the risks of falling behind. During his first term, President Trump set the foundation for sustained leadership in the quantum sciences. This included the passage of the National Quantum Initiative Act in December 2018 (currently up for reauthorization), which accelerated quantum research and development. The Trump administration inaugurated the National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) within the OSTP. This office was empowered to oversee interagency coordination, serve as a central point of contact for federal quantum activities, and promote public outreach and early application of quantum technologies. These initiatives underscored the administration’s commitment to maintaining the American leadership and fostering quantum innovation.

    Last month, President Trump emphasized that actions during his first term “established the foundation for national quantum supremacy” and tasked newly confirmed Director Kratsios to “blaze a trail to the next frontiers of science.” Meeting the moment demands another round of decisive action—one that must be rooted in the very principles that gave rise to the past century of American primacy in the sciences.

    Harnessing America’s heritage of scientific innovation

    For the last 80 years, the United States has led the world with its scientific and technological prowess, resulting in transformative products and capabilities. This federally funded science and technology ecosystem is essentially America’s golden goose. It generates immense wealth and benefits for society by supporting scientific progress that in turn drives economic growth, extends life expectancy, and boosts national power. In many respects, it is the envy of the world.

    The United States has not always prioritized federal funding in scientific research. In fact, before World War II, the United States played a minor role in supporting research at U.S. colleges and universities. Instead, research institutions relied on philanthropic endowments or funding from private companies, often with vested interests. “Curiosity-driven” science, a cornerstone of discovery and innovation, was stymied in the process.

    This limitation changed dramatically after World War II when the federal government recognized the strategic importance of scientific research. In November 1944, thinking ahead to the end of the war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, Vannevar Bush, asking how the successful application of scientific knowledge to wartime problems could be carried over into peacetime—and requesting recommendations on a national policy for science. This initiative led to the creation of many of the research institutions and funding mechanisms that have driven American innovation for decades.

    For 80 years, American innovation has been driven by two critical ingredients. The first is basic research. This is based on curiosity rather than a profit motive, supported by federal funding, and pursued mostly by scientists at our universities and national labs. The second is private sector investment in product development by companies of all sizes. The United States, more than any other country, has mastered the process of bringing these together.

    This combination has led to spectacular discoveries with profound implications for our health, safety, and quality of life. Innovative cancer treatments, the laser, MRI, touchscreens, GPS, the internet, and even artificial intelligence are just a few of the successes from federal investment in research. These innovations have not only advanced science and improved lives but have also created entirely new industries and millions of jobs.

    The United States will need this extraordinary combination of resources more than ever to sustain its quantum leadership, especially as China invests more in its own quantum work.

    China’s focus on gaining quantum supremacy

    Since at least 2000, China has made quantum technology a cornerstone of its national technological strategy and has invested heavily to assert dominance in the quantum sciences. Over this time, China’s public spending on overarching R&D has grown 16-fold, placing it second in the world behind the United States for total spending. It surpassed Japan in 2009 and the combined R&D expenditures of the European Union countries over a dozen years ago, in 2013.

    The scale and focus of China’s efforts continue to accelerate. Last year alone, China announced a 10 percent increase in R&D with public reports indicating that China has increased government spending in quantum research to approximately $15 billion. This represents more than double what the European Union has pledged in quantum spending and eight times what the U.S. government previously planned to allocate. And earlier this year, China launched a government-backed venture fund worth 1 trillion yuan (approximately $138 billion) to support high-risk, long-term projects across various sectors, including quantum computing.

    In addition to state-directed quantum R&D funding, China has prioritized quantum infrastructure and domestic capabilities. The creation of the National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences, backed by over $1 billion, alongside a separate $10 billion investment in key projects such as the Micius satellite[1], and the Beijing–Shanghai backbone, underscores China’s ambition to dominate quantum technology—with the Chinese government hoping this institutional infrastructure will provide it with a significant advantage in developing and deploying quantum technologies at scale.[2] Moreover, during the last five years, China has methodically nationalized quantum efforts to pursue strategic, government-coordinated efforts that transition scientific breakthroughs into practical applications.[3]

    The importance of the federal research triad

    Given these coordinated efforts in China, sustained American quantum leadership will require continuing support across the federal government. Coordinated in substantial part by OSTP, American strength rests in substantial part on three federal agencies that collectively serve as the driving force of this leadership. The Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) possess the legislative authority and institutional capability to advance quantum technology research and development under existing Congressional mandates. This “research triad” provides a resilient science and technology research infrastructure as a bulwark against threats to our technological superiority. Indeed, perhaps more than any military capability, this American research triad is largely responsible for the preeminence of the United States’ global leadership over the past century.

    Each prong of this triad uniquely and collectively contributes to ensuring American technological superiority.

    For example, DOD, through the military labs and defense industrial base, provides a strong and reliable foundation for military readiness and battlefield dominance. There are several notable examples of research efforts funded by DOD for military applications that eventually found enormous civilian uses—the internet, GPS, and voice recognition are among countless other breakthrough technologies.

    DOE, through the network of national laboratories and university partnerships, provides a vital link to state and local communities across a range of national security priorities, such as maintenance of our strategic weapons (e.g., our nuclear weapons arsenal), energy security and innovation, and high-performance computing.

    And the NSF is perhaps the most robust frontline agency that supports workforce development goals in addition to promoting hugely important translational research through federal grants. Specifically, the NSF provides critical incentives for U.S. students to enter STEM fields from early education through post-graduate schooling by way of subsidizing their apprenticeships in research laboratories in colleges and institutions so they can learn from leading scientists and engineers who otherwise would not have the funds or resources to take on students.

    Three strategic actions to ensure American quantum leadership

    Winning the quantum race will require us to deploy and reinvest in our greatest American strengths: our intellect, our curiosity, and our drive to innovate and build. All these qualities are carried forward by the three great and enduring federal agencies that comprise our research triad. We will need to activate all three to succeed in the race to develop next-generation quantum technologies. More specifically, to win this race, we must deploy our research triad in three key areas: driving innovation through robust government-funded quantum research and innovation; developing quantum talent and a skilled quantum workforce; and directing efforts to secure the quantum supply chain.

    These strategic actions—described more fully below—will require DOD, DOE, and the NSF to work together to ensure our competitive edge in the face of intense global competition.

    1. Increase funding for quantum research and development

    To ensure leadership in quantum research, the U.S. government should consider prioritizing federal funding in quantum technologies through a directed approach. A survey by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington-based think tank, suggested that China’s centralized funding approach might offer comparative advantages over the fragmented approach in the United States, where competing priorities can hinder systemic progress.

    To start with, the United States cannot win the quantum race without significant and sustained federally funded quantum research. While federal funding in quantum sciences more than doubled between 2019 and 2022 (from $456M in FY 2019 to $1,041M in FY2022), this funding started to decline during the last three years of the Biden Administration (from $1,041M in FY2022 to $998M in President Biden’s requested budget authority for FY25).[4] This means that the United States is not keeping pace—either with itself or with our global competitors.

    The first and most important step this Administration must take is fully funding research and grant programs in the basic and fundamental sciences across DOD, DOE national labs, and the NSF. As noted above, this research triad has been largely responsible for the sustained period of American technological leadership. We cannot make strides in the quantum race without reinvesting and building on these critical capabilities.

    Specific to the quantum sciences, Congress can begin by reauthorizing the National Quantum Initiative Act and this administration should work to ensure that all its programs are fully funded. This must include the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes funded through the NSF, as well as the important work being led by the DOE’s National Quantum Initiative Centers. These initiatives were established through the National Quantum Initiative Act and are already demonstrating results, with each dollar of federal funding typically leveraging additional private sector investment. Expanding these proven programs would spur innovation in every region of the country while advancing American leadership in critical technologies of strategic importance.

    But even as we expand federal funding for the basic sciences and quantum research, the administration must simultaneously increase funding for government evaluation and validation programs that are focused on identifying scientific breakthroughs and supporting their continued development. DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) is the nation’s flagship program and must be expanded as public and private sector investments in quantum technology begin to bear fruit and achieve tangible results.

    2. Promote workforce and talent development

    Winning the quantum race requires the world’s best talent. While the United States and its institutions—both public and private—have thus far been able to leverage unique, highly skilled technical talent, the state of the domestic talent pipeline is alarming and requires immediate action. At a topline level, the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is comprised of 36.8 million people of which foreign-born individuals make up 43 percent of doctorate-level scientists and engineers. That number is likely to increase given the wide gap between the United States and global competitors at the undergraduate level. In 2000, for example, the United States awarded 900,000 undergraduate degrees in STEM fields, compared to 2 million degrees in China and 2.5 million in India.[5]

    It is therefore no surprise that, when including all education levels, India and China were the leading birthplaces of foreign-born STEM workers in the United States, accounting for 29 percent and 12 percent respectively. The good news is that many international students have chosen to stay in the United States after completing their studies, contributing to the country’s technology innovation ecosystem. For example, according to the 2024 State of U.S. Science and Engineering Report, from 2018-2021, temporary visa holders—primarily from China or India—represented 37 percent of U.S. science and engineering research doctorate recipients. Over 70 percent of these doctorate recipients expressed an intention to reside in the United States following graduation. The same report indicated that when these doctorate recipients were surveyed in 2021 across all countries of citizenship and degree fields, the 5-year stay rate for those who were on temporary visas at graduation was 71 percent and the 10-year stay rate was 65 percent.

    In the quantum fields specifically, the number of quantum job postings globally outstrips qualified talent by as much as three to one. Currently, the European Union has the highest concentration of quantum talent, followed by India, China, and then the United States.[6] The United States faces a critical shortage of quantum-ready talent, particularly as other nations invest significant resources in their own national quantum programs and quantum research capabilities. Without concerted action by the federal government to address this skilling gap, even the most advanced quantum research programs will fail to translate into practical capabilities or economic benefits.

    The Trump administration can begin by launching a series of concerted efforts to expand the domestic pipeline. One historical analog is the National Defense Education Act of 1958, enacted in response to the Sputnik challenge. The NDEA provides a useful precedent for how targeted federal investment in technical education can rapidly address strategic workforce gaps.

    For starters, comprehensive STEM education programs must be introduced at all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, to develop a robust domestic pipeline of talent. Research has shown that elementary and secondary education in mathematics and science are the foundation for entry into postsecondary STEM majors and STEM-related occupations. To develop this pipeline, the Trump administration can leverage the existing strength and reach of the NSF. NSF programs, such as those specifically focused on the quantum sciences like the National Q-12 Education Partnership, are ready-made vehicles to promote awareness of STEM and quantum technology in K-12 institutions.

    Second, the United States can provide grants for quantum research and education to encourage students to pursue careers in this field, focusing not only on traditional four-year colleges but also community colleges and vocational programs that are often entry points for many Americans pursuing higher education. In 2021, the U.S. government supported 15 percent of full-time STEM graduate students (mostly doctoral degree students), a decline from the most recent high of 21 percent in 2004. Here, again, the administration should activate and expand NSF research initiatives, including the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) programs,[7] as well as those focused specifically on the quantum sciences such as the Next Generation Quantum Leaders Pilot Program envisioned by the CHIPS and Science Act. The National Quantum Virtual Laboratory is another promising initiative that would create shared research infrastructure and make quantum education more accessible to students and researchers across the country. Collectively, these national incentives enable the best and brightest of the world to conduct their cutting-edge research in the labs of the United States as opposed to the labs of our adversaries.

    Beyond looking to the NDEA to attract and develop the unique talent to lead the world in quantum development, the Trump administration can focus on three additional priorities.

    First, building on the themes described above, the administration should address the current talent gap in the current STEM workforce. Although there is no substitute for graduate degree programs to drive innovation in the quantum sciences, the broader quantum ecosystem would benefit greatly from an increase in the STEM workforce. To this end, the administration can again utilize the reach of the NSF to promote adult education, retraining, and professional development programs to facilitate current workers’ transition into quantum-related roles.

    Second, research universities also play a pivotal role as powerful economic engines in their communities, often ranking among the largest employers in their congressional districts while generating high-tech spin-off companies that create well-paying jobs. The presence of federally-funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) and university-affiliated research centers (UARCS)—which are not-for-profit organizations established to meet special long-term engineering, research, development, or other analytic needs—also attract private sector investment and create innovation clusters. But most importantly, these entities lead to organic skilling initiatives to up-level the existing labor market.

    Finally, with regard to foreign talent, it’s imperative that the United States continue to attract the world’s best and brightest. This requires developing fast-track immigration pathways for highly skilled individuals with unique technical expertise in the quantum sciences, and expanding the number of visas available to employ quantum STEM PhDs trained at American institutions. This also requires the United States to promote, coordinate, and potentially fund international research initiatives with strategic allies to facilitate cross-pollination of expertise and develop the talent pool within a sphere of select, like-minded countries.

    This includes deepening ties with strategic allies to advance our collective success in the quantum race. Denmark, for example, has continued the great legacy of Niels Bohr by creating a vibrant hub for quantum innovation—one that benefits not only Denmark, but the entire Nordic region and the United States. Through a steady, long-term strategy that has brought together the government, academic, private sector, and startup communities—including multilateral institutions, such as NATO’s Deep Tech Lab-Quantum hosted at the Niels Bohr Institute—Denmark has become a hotbed for quantum talent, as well as quantum research and early commercialization. For our part, Microsoft has benefited greatly from this rich ecosystem of talent and innovation through the Microsoft Quantum Lab on the outskirts of Copenhagen, where later this year we will expand our presence by opening a new state-of-the-art quantum research center.

    3. Ensure supply chain security for quantum technologies

    Securing our leadership in quantum technology requires a reliable supply chain and onshoring of key capabilities within the United States. This is a complex task that cannot be achieved without direct action by the federal government that tightly aligns to specific strategic objectives. To that end, the Trump administration could task the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee or another board of advisors to develop a detailed national strategy and execution plan aimed at de-risking the quantum supply chain. This strategy would focus on making the supply chain more independent, increasing the availability of quantum components, lowering prices, and introducing incentives to encourage the private sector to make the necessary investments in the United States for chip fabrication and assembly.

    More specifically, the U.S. strategy to secure the quantum supply chain must include at least three critical action items. First, the federal government can take a direct role through the Departments of Commerce and Energy to promote the diversification of essential quantum components and materials. This can be achieved through government-organized long-term purchase agreements and the deployment of strategic capital for widely needed components such as dilution refrigerators, superconducting cables, amplifiers, circulators, attenuators, lasers, and fiber at frequencies relevant for quantum technologies.

    Second, the administration should work to establish specialized facilities dedicated to the fabrication, packaging, prototyping, and manufacturing of quantum systems and their essential components, such as cryogenic systems, lasers, and advanced chips. By developing, testing, and ultimately producing essential components domestically, this initiative would reduce our dependence on foreign sources and work to mitigate the risk of supply chain disruptions.

    Finally, and most importantly, it is imperative to onshore domestic manufacturing of advanced technologies tailored for quantum devices and additional capabilities needed by American companies and research organizations. This includes design and fabrication of advanced lasers and optics, amplifiers, and advanced chip design and fabrication. It also includes critical capabilities for domestic cryogenic electronics fabrication and design, advanced metrology to characterize chips for quantum computing, and advanced packaging and 3D integration for quantum components.

    The way forward

    At the start of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order to advance American leadership in artificial intelligence. President Trump should now do the same with quantum by setting national priorities that support robust funding, promote a skilled workforce, and protect supply chain security through incentivized onshoring. Taken together, these strategic actions will not only bolster our nation’s security and competitive edge against competitors and adversaries, but it will also drive innovation and economic growth at home towards a new frontier of American prosperity.

    [1] Karen Kwon, “China Reaches New Milestone in Space-Based Quantum Communications,” Scientific American, June 29, 2020, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-reaches-new-milestone-in-space-based-quantum-communications.

    [2] One likely goal of these massive projects is undoubtedly to signal that the People’s Republic of China backs these investments, thereby attracting and retaining skilled professionals. According to the 2024 State of U.S. Science and Engineering Report developed, a regular report mandated by Congress, China is the top overall producer of science and engineering publications and international patents. For decades, the United States was the unparalleled leader in science and engineering doctorate awards until 2019 when we were surpassed by China. That being said, the United States remains the destination of choice for internationally mobile students, hosting 15% of all international students worldwide in 2020. National Science Board, The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024, March 2024, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243/talent-u-s-and-global-stem-education-and-labor-force.

    [3] Hodan Omaar and Martin Makaryan, How Innovative is China, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, September 2024, https://www2.itif.org/2024-chinese-quantum-innovation.pdf.

    [4] National Science and Technology Council:  Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science, National Supplement to the President’s FY 2025 Budget, April 24, 2025, https://nqi.gov/supplement-fy2025-budget.

    [5] National Science Board, “The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024,” March 2024, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243/talent-u-s-and-global-stem-education-and-labor-force.

    [6] McKinsey & Company, “Quantum Technology Monitor,”  April 2023,  https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business functions/mckinsey digital/our insights/quantum technology sees record investments progress on talent gap/quantum-technology-monitor-april-2023.pdf (defining quantum talent as “[g]raduates of master’s level or equivalent in 2019 in biochemistry, chemistry, electronics and chemical engineering, information and communications technology, mathematics and statistics, and physics.”).

    [7] National Science Foundation, “NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates,” accessed April 24, 2025, https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/reu; National Science Foundation, “NSF 24-503: Research Experiences for Teachers in Engineering and Computer Science,” accessed April 24, 2025, https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/research-experiences-teachers-engineering-computer-science/nsf24-503/solicitation.

    Tags: AI, quantum, STEM, Technology, United States

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Mattermost Wins Two Global InfoSec Awards for Incident Response and Secure Communication at RSA Conference 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Palo Alto, Calif., April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mattermost, Inc., the trusted leader in secure, real-time collaboration and workflow solutions for defense, intelligence, security, and critical infrastructure, today announces it is named a “Trailblazer for Incident Response” and “Cutting Edge in Secure Communications” as part of the 13th annual Global InfoSec Awards presented by Cyber Defense Magazine during the 2025 RSA Conference.

    Selected by a distinguished panel of information security experts, these accolades reinforce Mattermost’s position as the definitive leader in secure, mission-critical collaboration. They highlight the company’s proven ability to deliver resilient, real-time communication and workflow solutions that meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and Fortune 500 enterprises operating in the world’s most demanding environments.

    “Mattermost embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk and get one step ahead of the next breach,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

    “We are proud to be recognized for our unwavering commitment to strengthening cybersecurity operations and advancing mission resilience,” said Leigh Dow, Chief Marketing Officer at Mattermost. “These awards affirm the critical role Mattermost plays in enabling organizations to secure their most vital communications, maintain operational continuity, and execute with confidence—even in the most complex, high-risk environments.”

    A cutting edge solution for secure communication, the Mattermost platform delivers scalable, encrypted collaboration in air-gapped and self-hosted environments. With deployment options designed to support stringent data sovereignty and compliance needs, Mattermost empowers organizations to maintain complete control of their communications. The platform’s integrated suite of capabilities—including messaging, file sharing, calls, automation, and AI-powered support—helps teams across defense, government, utilities, financial and other organizations streamline workflows and maintain operational continuity.

    The Mattermost secure collaboration platform is also highly effective for coordinating incident response efforts in the event of service outages and cyberattacks. Mattermost’s deep integrations with SIEM, SOAR, and ticketing systems centralize incident management efforts while preserving auditability and compliance. Leveraging AI-powered triage tools, the platform streamlines response workflows with customizable, automated digital playbooks, role-based communications, and real-time alerting. By ensuring fast, secure coordination across global teams, Mattermost redefines how cybersecurity teams coordinate and execute response efforts during high stakes events.

    For more information about how Mattermost can eliminate information silos, automate workflows, and streamline incident response, please visit: https://mattermost.com/solutions/use-cases/out-of-band-incident-response/.

    About Mattermost
    Mattermost is the leading collaboration and workflow platform for mission-critical work. We serve national security, government, and critical infrastructure enterprises, from the U.S. Department of Defense, to global tech giants, to utilities, banks, and other vital services. We accelerate out-of-band incident response, DevSecOps workflow, mission operations, and self-sovereign collaboration to bolster the focus, adaptability, and resilience of the world’s most important organizations.

    Our enterprise software and single-tenant SaaS platforms are built to meet the custom needs of rigorous and complex environments while offering a secure and unrivaled collaboration experience across web, desktop, and mobile with channel-based messaging, file sharing, audio calling and screen share, with integrated tooling, workflow automation and AI assistance.

    Mattermost is developed on an open core platform vetted by the world’s leading security organizations, and co-built with over 4,000 open source project contributors who’ve provided over 30,000 code improvements towards our shared vision of accelerating the world’s mission-critical work. For more information visit mattermost.com.

    About Cyber Defense Magazine
    Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM) is the premier source of cybersecurity news and information for infosec professionals. Founded in 2012, CDM delivers expert insights, threat intelligence, and best practices from leading minds in the field. As an independent publication with a strong editorial team and an advisory board of global cybersecurity thought leaders, CDM covers everything from next-gen cyber technologies to critical vulnerabilities affecting the digital world.

    With a readership spanning CISOs, security practitioners, and enterprise IT leaders, Cyber Defense Magazine is known for its annual Global InfoSec Awards, celebrating the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the industry. CDM is also the official media partner of the RSA Conference, where it amplifies the voices of cybersecurity pioneers through exclusive coverage, interviews, and multimedia content.

    For more information, visit www.cyberdefensemagazine.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Cequence Snags Top Cybersecurity Honors at RSAC 2025 for API and Bot Protection

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cequence Security, a pioneer in next-generation API security and intelligent bot management, today announced it has been named the winner of two prestigious Global InfoSec Awards by Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s premier source for cybersecurity news and insights.

    • Hot Company in API Security
    • Most Innovative in Bot Management

    These awards highlight Cequence’s leadership in defending the modern enterprise against rapidly evolving API threats, ranging from automated bot attacks to sophisticated fraud and business logic abuse.

    In addition to the Global InfoSec wins, Cequence announced major developments at RSAC this year:

    • Skyfire Launch – Cequence now supports Skyfire, enabling secure, compliant access for autonomous AI agents to digital services by verifying agent identity and intent while continuing to block malicious bots and abuse.
    • New Product Enhancements – Expanded capabilities in discovery, risk scoring, and threat mitigation across multi-cloud environments were announced, giving security teams even greater control over complex API ecosystems.

    “We’re honored to receive these two highly competitive and globally recognized cybersecurity awards from Cyber Defense Magazine, especially during their 13th anniversary of celebrating innovation in infosec,” said Ameya Talwalkar, CEO of Cequence. “These accolades validate the innovation and relentless focus of our team in helping enterprises proactively secure every inch of their API surface and outsmart automated threats before damage is done.”

    Cequence Security’s UAP platform provides comprehensive protection across the entire API security lifecycle, with key capabilities including:

    • API Attack Surface Discovery: Provides an attacker’s view into an organization’s public-facing resources, identifying external API hosts as well as edge, infrastructure, gateway, and hosting providers.
      view, prioritizing risks for zero-friction security.
    • API Security Posture Management: Safeguards APIs by assessing risk across the entire inventory, ensuring compliance, and actively detecting and remediating coding errors.
    • Bot Management and Fraud Prevention: Protects against the full range of bot attacks, preventing data loss, theft, and fraud, eliminating downtime, brand damage, skewed sales analytics, and increased infrastructure costs.
    • Support for Agentic AI – Enables secure, authenticated access for autonomous AI agents through intelligent identity recognition, allowing businesses to safely serve agents without compromising on security or compliance.

    In addition, the platform offers deployment flexibility, supporting SaaS, on-premises, and hybrid environments, and can be onboarded in less than 15 minutes without app instrumentation or additional integrations.

    “Cequence embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk and get one step ahead of the next breach,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

    Additional Resources:

    About Cequence Security
    Cequence is a pioneer in API security and bot management, protecting the applications and APIs that organizations depend on from attacks, business logic abuse, and fraud. Our unique Unified API Protection platform unites discovery, compliance, and protection capabilities, providing unmatched real-time security in the face of sophisticated threats. Demonstrating value in minutes rather than days or weeks, Cequence offers a flexible deployment model that requires no app instrumentation or modification. Cequence solutions scale to meet the needs of the largest and most demanding private and public sector organizations, protecting more than 8 billion daily API interactions and 3 billion user accounts. To learn more, visit www.cequence.ai.

    About the Global InfoSec Awards
    This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s 13th year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. The awards celebrate startups to public companies with groundbreaking products that demonstrate unique value and forward-thinking technology in the information security space. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com.

    About Cyber Defense Magazine
    Cyber Defense Magazine is the industry’s leading source of information for cybersecurity professionals. Published by and for ethical InfoSec experts, CDM shares cutting-edge knowledge, real-world case studies, and honors the best in the field during major industry events like RSAC. Visit www.cyberdefensemagazine.com to learn more.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Optery Wins Best Service for Attack Surface Management in the 13th Annual Global InfoSec Awards at RSAC 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Optery has won the Best Service for Attack Surface Management award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine. Now in its thirteenth year, the Global InfoSec Awards recognize cybersecurity companies with innovative and compelling solutions that push the industry forward.

    “Data broker exposure, now officially part of the enterprise attack surface, is a huge security risk for organizations,” said Paul Mander, General Manager of Optery for Business. “The recent Black Basta leaks confirmed what we’ve long known—cybercriminals actively use data broker sites for reconnaissance and targeting. Optery delivers the most comprehensive and scalable solution for finding and eliminating employee PII exposure across these sites. In doing so, we help businesses dramatically reduce their attack surface for social engineering, credential compromise, and other PII-based threats. We’re honored to be recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine in this critical category.”

    “We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber-crime. Optery is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and consideration for deployment in your environment,” said Yan Ross, Global Editor of Cyber Defense Magazine.

    We’re thrilled to be a member of this exceptional group of winners, located here: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

    Optery will be at RSAC 2025 providing live demos on how Optery’s patented technology works at booth N-6467 in the North Moscone Convention Center.

    About Optery
    Optery is the first company to offer a free report with dozens of screenshots showing where your personal information is being posted by hundreds of data brokers online, and the first to offer IT teams a completely self-service platform for finding and removing employee personal information from the web. Optery subscription plans automatically remove customers from these sites, clearing your home address, phone number, email, and other personal information from the Internet at scale. The service provides users with a proactive defense against escalating PII-based threats such as phishing and other social engineering attacks, credential compromise, identity fraud, doxing, and harassment. Optery has completed its AICPA SOC 2, Type II security attestation, and distinguishes itself with unparalleled search technology, data removal automation, visual evidence-based before-and-after reporting, data broker coverage, and API integration options. Optery was awarded “Editors’ Choice” by PCMag.com as the most outstanding product in the personal data removal category in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, received Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech award for security and privacy in 2023, was named winner in the Employee Privacy Protection, Attack Surface Management, and Digital Footprint Management categories of the 2024 and 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, and received the Top InfoSec Innovator Award for Attack Surface Management by Cyber Defense Magazine in 2024. Hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of businesses use Optery to prevent attacks and keep their personal information off the Internet. Learn more at https://www.optery.com/.

    About the Global InfoSec Awards
    This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s thirteenth year of honoring InfoSec innovators from around the Globe. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage, or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

    About the Judging
    The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for best of breed, next generation InfoSec solutions.

    About Cyber Defense Magazine
    Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of cyber security news and information for InfoSec professions in business and government. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products, and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

    Optery Media Inquiries
    Sara Trammell
    sara@optery.com 

    CDM Media Inquiries:
    Contact: Irene Noser, Marketing Executive
    Email: marketing@cyberdefensemagazine.com
    Toll Free (USA): 1-833-844-9468
    International: 1-646-586-9545
    Website: www.cyberdefensemagazine.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c5138f0-3846-4d00-8e79-e7bfb8fea02b

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: ReversingLabs Named Winner of the Global InfoSec Awards at RSA 2025 Conference

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ReversingLabs Spectra Assure® Named Most Advanced Software Supply Chain Security Solution

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RSAC 2025: Booth N-4428 — ReversingLabs (RL), the trusted name in file and software security, today announced that Spectra Assure has been named a winner in the Top Global InfoSec Awards in the Most Advanced Software Supply Chain Security category from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine.

    “At this year’s RSA conference, conversations about software supply chain security threats remain front and center, with awareness shifting from threats hiding within open source to identifying and eliminating malware and tampering within the largest and most under-addressed attack surface for enterprises today, third-party commercial software,” said Mario Vuksan, CEO and co-founder, ReversingLabs. “We are excited that Cyber Defense Magazine has recognized Spectra Assure, which is helping software vendors and enterprise buyers see and stop supply chain threats they never could before with their legacy AST solutions.”

    The 2025 Global InfoSec Award winners were announced today during RSAC 2025 in San Francisco. You can access the complete list of winners at http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com.

    “ReversingLabs embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution, and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk and get one step ahead of the next breach,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

    ReversingLabs at RSAC 2025
    In addition to the award, RL executives will be on-site at this week’s RSA Conference at Booth #N-4428, where attendees can hear about Spectra Assure and the recent news that it has expanded support for CycloneDX Extended Bill of Materials (xBOMs), including Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM), Software-as-a-Service Bill of Materials (SaaSBOM), and Machine Learning Bill of Materials (ML-BOM), providing the most comprehensive xBOM and risk analysis for fully compiled commercial software.

    RL executives will be speaking about current software supply chain challenges and opportunities. Details include:

    • ReversingLabs: What’s in Your Commercial Software?
    • Executive: RL Chief Trust Officer Saša Zdjelar
    • Time: Tuesday, April 29 from 12:40 PM – 1:00 PM PT
    • Location: Briefing Center, South Expo Hall, S-2100
    • Topic:  How the attacks on SolarWinds, CodeCov, and 3CX show that enterprises need a better tool to identify the risks in third-party commercial software beyond vulnerabilities. Come learn why SBOMs and questionnaires won’t protect your business from third-party software risks like malware and tampering and how two F100 companies use binary analysis to stay safe.

    Additionally, the RL booth will feature the second annual RL Book Club at RSAC. This year’s authors include:

    • Michael Sikorski, author of Practical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide to Dissecting Malicious Software
      Date / Time: Tuesday, April 29 at 2 pm PT
    • Joseph Menn, author of Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World
      Date / Time: Wednesday, April 30 at 2 pm PT

    For complete details on all ReversingLabs RSA activities and to schedule a meeting, visit here. For additional details on the award-winning Spectra Assure software supply chain security solution, click here.

    About ReversingLabs
    ReversingLabs is the trusted name in file and software security. We provide the modern cybersecurity platform to verify and deliver safe binaries. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and leading cybersecurity vendors, RL Spectra Core powers the software supply chain and file security insights, tracking over 422 billion searchable files with the ability to deconstruct full software binaries in seconds to minutes. Only ReversingLabs provides that final exam to determine whether a single file or full software binary presents a risk to your organization and your customers.

    About Cyber Defense Magazine
    Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of cyber security news and information for InfoSec professionals in business and government. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products, and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

    Media Contact
    Doug Fraim
    Guyer Group
    Doug@Guyergroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huffman, Merkley Lead Bill to End Drilling in the Arctic Ocean

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

    April 22, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – On Earth Day, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, which would permanently ban new or renewed leases for oil, gas, or mineral extraction in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. This legislation protects one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems and all the Alaska Native communities that rely on it, closing the door on future drilling in the region once and for all.

    “Big Oil sees a melting Arctic as a business opportunity. I see it as our final wake-up call,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “We can either let polluters exploit this sacred region — threatening fragile ecosystems, endangered wildlife, and Indigenous communities who have protected these waters since time immemorial — or rise to the occasion and safeguard the Arctic from irreversible harm. There is no safe way to drill in the Arctic Ocean, but there is a safer, cleaner, more just path forward. My Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is our chance to take that path and respond to the climate crisis with the urgency and leadership it demands.”

    “Trump’s Dirty Energy First strategy would see his administration expand Arctic Ocean drilling—all to enrich billionaire corporate polluters,” said Senator Merkley. “Communities across America and around the world right now face the devastating impacts of climate chaos, which disproportionately harm Alaska’s Native and rural populations that depend on healthy Arctic ecosystems for their livelihoods. It’s time to make this region permanently off-limits for oil and gas corporations, and Congress must stop the Trump Administration from opening up more of the Arctic and protected waters off our coasts for dangerous drilling. We must protect our oceans, planet, and future.”
     

    BACKGROUND

    The Arctic Ocean is a place of rich biodiversity and some of the planet’s most delicate ecosystems. For Alaska Native communities like the Iñupiat, the Arctic Ocean is a lifeline, sustaining transportation, food security, and cultural traditions passed down for generations. But the region is in crisis—warming four times faster than the rest of the planet and facing rapid sea ice loss, ocean acidification, and widespread ecological disruption.

    The High Arctic is a bellwether for climate collapse, warming at breakneck speed and facing growing pressure from industrial expansion. Oil and gas development here threatens to irreparably damage ecosystems that have withstood extremes for millennia. That threat escalated with the Interior Secretary Burgum’s latest move to designate the High Arctic as a new planning area in its 11th Offshore Leasing Program — a clear sign that no corner of the Arctic is safe from corporate polluters under the Trump administration.

    President Obama permanently protected these waters in 2016. Just a year later, President Trump attempted to undo those protections, illegally moving to reopen the Arctic to drilling on his first day in office. A judge in the District Court for Alaska later determined that the underlying statute does not give the president authority to revoke prior withdrawals. President Trump has again sought to illegally open the Arctic to drilling during his second term. But his intentions have been clear from the start: during his first administration, the Interior Department proposed a sweeping offshore leasing plan with 47 lease sales across nearly every U.S. coastline, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.

    Drilling in the Arctic presents uniquely dangerous risks due to the region’s extreme cold, treacherous seas, and prolonged periods of darkness during the winter months. These harsh and unpredictable conditions not only increase the chances of catastrophic spills, but also make emergency response efforts significantly more difficult and delayed, increasing the threat to nearby communities, fragile ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them.

    Scientists estimate that ending new offshore drilling could prevent up to 19 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, a crucial step toward meeting our climate goals. The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is a cornerstone in the fight to end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels and build a cleaner, safer future. 

    Companion legislation was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley.

    Original cosponsors of the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act
    House:     Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
    Senate: Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    Statements of Support

    Alaska Wilderness League
    “We applaud Rep. Huffman and Rep. Merkley for their leadership in introducing this vital bill to protect the Arctic Ocean from destructive drilling,” said Alex Cohen, Government Affairs Director at Alaska Wilderness League. “Oil giants like Shell have already abandoned their attempts to drill here, proving that this extreme region is too risky, too expensive, and incompatible with a thriving Arctic ecosystem. These waters are home to beluga whales, walruses, and some of the most resilient yet vulnerable wildlife on Earth—species that cannot afford the dangers of oil spills and climate disruption. Keeping the Arctic Ocean free from drilling isn’t just about protecting biodiversity; it’s about upholding our responsibility to future generations.” 

    NRDC
    “The Trump administration is determined to sell off our oceans to pad Big Oil pockets. Permanently protecting the Arctic Ocean puts coastal communities and wildlife above polluters and brings us closer to a world where our waters are free from oil spills, endangered whale populations are free from seismic blasting, and Arctic ecosystems have a chance to thrive,” said Taryn Kiekow Heimer, Director of Ocean Energy at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).  “Now more than ever, we need leadership from Congress to set us back on track to tackle climate change and protect our ocean from an industry that only cares about its bottom line.”

    Defenders of Wildlife
    “Drilling in Arctic waters would disrupt and ultimately devastate fragile habitats for many species that may not withstand the stresses of offshore drilling. These areas — crucial to the survival of polar bears and other marine life — make up some of the few remaining pristine American landscapes and deserve protection,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, Defenders of Wildlife Senior Director of Alaska and Northwest Programs.
      
    The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is endorsed by Alaska Wilderness League, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Earthjustice, Surfrider Foundation, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America; Food & Water Watch, Environmental Protection Information Center, Peace Boat US, Defenders of Wildlife, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Huffman, Pallone, and Castor Introduce Bills to Permanently Protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from Offshore Drilling

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

    April 22, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – On Earth Day, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), along with Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), announced a package of legislation to permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling. This package includes Rep. Huffman’s West Coast Ocean Protection Act, Rep. Pallone’s Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act, and Rep. Castor’s Florida Coast Protection Act. 

    This legislation comes days after the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which resulted in the deaths of 11 workers, 134 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf over 87 days, the demise of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and billions of dollars in economic losses from the fishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism industries.  

    “It’s clear that in the 15 years since the most catastrophic oil spill disaster in history, Republicans in the pocket of Big Oil have learned nothing. Offshore drilling poses significant threats to our public health, coastal economies, and marine life. The science is clear, and so is the public sentiment: we need to speed up our transition to a clean energy future, not lock ourselves into another generation of fossil fuel fealty,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “We cannot let history repeat itself. My Democratic colleagues aren’t standing idly by as the Trump administration tries to reverse all of our progress so they can give handouts to Big Oil. Our legislation will cut pollution and ramp up clean energy, ensuring our coasts remain safe, clean, and open to all Americans— not turned into open season for fossil fuel billionaires looking to drill, spill, and cash in.”

    “We must end offshore oil drilling in coastal waters once and for all,” said Senator Padilla. “Over 50 years ago, after a catastrophic oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Californians rose up and demanded environmental protections, spurring the modern environmental movement and creating the very first Earth Day. As the Trump Administration threatens to recklessly open our coasts to new drilling, California and the West Coast need permanent safeguards to protect our communities from the devastation of fossil fuels and disastrous oil spills. We must act now to fulfill the promises we made to our children and our constituents to meet the urgency of this environmental crisis with bold action.” 

    “This week marks both Earth Day and the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster,” said Senator Booker. “I’m standing alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate to reaffirm our commitment to protecting our communities and our environment. Offshore drilling endangers our coastal communities – both their lives and their livelihoods – and threatens marine species and ecosystems. The COAST Act, along with this critical package of legislation, will ensure that marine seascapes along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and the wildlife, industries, and communities that rely on them, are protected from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling. 

    “Offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean would open up the eastern seaboard to considerable risk, and we have seen the destruction that an accident can cause. This legislation is about more than simply protecting the environment, it’s also about protecting the tourism and fishing industries that create jobs and help power Rhode Island’s economy,” said Senator Reed.

    “For decades, I’ve fought to protect our coasts from the dangers of oil and gas development, and this legislative package reaffirms that commitment. Offshore drilling risks devastating spills, accelerates climate change, and threatens the livelihoods of coastal communities like those in New Jersey. On Earth Day and every day, we must stand up to Big Oil and prioritize renewable energy that actually protects our planet,” Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

    “Florida is a beautiful but fragile place, and we depend on clean water and healthy beaches,” said Rep. Castor. “I’m proud to lead the Florida Coastal Protection Act as part of this larger package to stop dangerous oil drilling near our coasts for good. The Deepwater Horizon disaster served as a wake-up call, as the blowout hurt people, our environment and our economy. We can’t let that happen again. Our beaches, fishing, and tourism are too important to risk. We must protect our oceans, our way of life and our future.”

    These bills reaffirm vital protections for America’s coastal communities and ecosystems. Under President Biden, more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean waters—including the entire East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, and parts of the Northern Bering Sea—were permanently protected from offshore oil and gas drilling. President Trump wasted no time trying to rollback those protections, attempting to illegally reopen those same areas to drilling on day one of his second term. His record speaks for itself: during his first administration, the Interior Department proposed a sweeping plan to open 47 offshore oil and gas lease areas across nearly every U.S. coastline, from California to New England.

    Congressional Democrats are taking a stand to protect coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems. U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs, $10 trillion in goods and services, and pay $4 trillion in wages. Offshore drilling poses significant threats to our public health, coastal economies, and marine life. Our oceans are home to diverse marine wildlife, including the California sea lion, North Atlantic right whale, yellowtail flounder, and countless other economically, ecologically, and culturally important species. There is a long history of bipartisan efforts to protect U.S. coasts from offshore drilling to safeguard our oceans’ enormous environmental, economic, and cultural values, safeguard coastal communities, restore ecosystems, and defend against climate change. 

    Rep. Huffman’s West Coast Ocean Protection Act prohibits new oil and gas leases off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Companion legislation was introduced today by Sen. Padilla.

    Rep. Pallone’s COAST Anti-Drilling Act permanently prohibits the U.S. Department of Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Companion legislation was introduced by Sen. Booker and Sen. Reed.

    Rep. Castor’s Florida Coast Protection Act places a permanent moratorium on oil and natural gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities off Florida’s coast. 

    Other offshore drilling legislation introduced by House Democrats include: 

    • New England Coastal Protection Act of 2025 (Rep. Magaziner)
    • Defend our Coast Act (Rep. Ross)
    • California Clean Coast Act of 2025 (Rep. Carbajal)
    • Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act (Rep. Levin)
    • Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025 (Rep. Panetta)

    Original cosponsors of the West Coast Ocean Protection Act

    House: Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), 

    Senate: Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Original cosponsors of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act 

    House: Representatives Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Robyn McIver (D-N.C.), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), David Scott (D-Ga.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).

    Senate: Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Original cosponsors of the Florida Coast Protection Act 

    House: Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).

    Read Statements of Support

    Supporters of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Earthjustice, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Futureswell, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America, Food & Water Watch, Waterspirit, Business Alliance to Protect the Atlantic, Clean Ocean Action, Jersey Coast Anglers Association (NJ), American Littoral Society, Save Coastal Wildlife, Environmental Protection Information Center, Defenders of Wildlife, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, National Aquarium, American Bird Conservancy, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    Supporters of the West Coast Protection Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Surfrider Foundation, Seattle Aquarium, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Futureswell, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America, WILDCOAST, Food & Water Watch, Environmental Protection Information Center, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Business Alliance to Protect the Pacific Coast, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Surf Industry Members Association, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast (BAPPC), Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    Supporters of the Florida Coastal Protection Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Healthy Gulf, League of Conservation Voters, Environment America, Surfrider Foundation, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, Ocean Conservancy, Food & Water Watch, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Secretary General welcomes German Federal President to NATO to mark 70 years of Germany’s membership in the Alliance

    Source: NATO

    On Monday (28 April 2025), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to NATO to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany’s accession to NATO. Mr Steinmeier was accompanied by the Acting Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius.

    The Secretary General and the German Federal President laid a wreath together at the NATO headquarters in Brussels and held bilateral talks. Mr Rutte emphasised that a strong Germany matters for Europe’s security and for global stability, “with troops along the eastern part of the Alliance, jets patrolling the Baltic skies, and ships protecting key supply lines and critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Germany is also the largest European contributor of military aid to Ukraine,” he said.

    This year Germany marks 70 years of membership in NATO, an anniversary that reflects its deep commitment to peace, security and international cooperation. Since becoming NATO’s 15th member in 1955, just a decade after the Second World War, Germany has undergone a remarkable transformation from a divided, war-torn nation to one of NATO’s leading members. It stands as a symbol of how former adversaries can become pillars of peace through shared values and collective defence. 

    Following the ceremony at the NATO headquarters, the German Federal President met with Philippe, King of the Belgians, at the Palace of Laeken.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Essex County Man Sentenced to Multiple Life Sentences in Prison for Murder and Other Crimes Committed in His Role as Leader of Sprawling Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man was sentenced to four life sentences on April 23, 2025 for ordering and committing three murders and for his role in a large-scale narcotics enterprise, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Michael Healy, 44, of Montclair, New Jersey, was convicted by a federal jury in April 2024 of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiring to murder a federal witness, three counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms offenses following a four-week trial before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court. 

    “Michael Healy orchestrated three murders in order to silence the victims in this case.  When Healy believed that someone in his drug trafficking enterprise was cooperating with law enforcement, he demonstrated that he was willing to go to the greatest lengths possible – to commit multiple acts of murder – to protect his profitable enterprise.  This sentence will prevent Healy from harming any other members of our community and will send a message that attacks on the justice system will not be tolerated.”

    – U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

    “Healy spent much of his life building an illegal drug trafficking enterprise, fueled by greed and violence,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly said.  “He used his power to destroy communities through the distribution of poisonous narcotics and murdered those who he perceived as a threat to his empire. Now, he will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, where his power and money won’t matter.”

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:

    In February 2018, Healy found out that one of his conspirators in the drug trafficking enterprise (DTE) was cooperating with law enforcement by providing information about the drug enterprise. Healy ordered members of the Bloods in East Orange to kill the informant, referenced in the Indictment as ‘A.S.” On Feb. 3, 2018, outside the informant’s residence in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Healy’s conspirators shot and killed a bystander, referenced in the Indictment as “Victim-1,” believing the bystander was the informant. Realizing they killed the wrong person, Healy ordered the Bloods to finish the job, and on March 12, 2018, in Bloomfield, the conspirators killed the informant while he was walking his dog in the area of his residence. On April 6, 2018, believing that another member of the enterprise – identified in the indictment as “J.C.” – might also pose a risk to the Enterprise, Healy himself shot and killed “J.C.” in Newark.

    Healy’s DTE operated in and around Newark beginning in approximately 2012. Between 2003 and 2012, Healy became a member of the Tree Top PIRU set of the Bloods street gang in Maryland. In and around 2012, Healy formed and led the Healy DTE, a large and sophisticated drug distribution organization that obtained, transported and distributed large amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana. Healy used his leadership status in the Tree Top PIRU Bloods to assist him with obtaining suppliers, recruiting and controlling enterprise members, and otherwise conducting the Healy DTE’s operations.

    The Healy DTE transported multi-kilogram quantities of controlled substances from California to New Jersey by various means, including private aircraft, vehicles with hidden secret compartments, and the U.S. Postal Service. The Healy DTE then processed and repackaged the controlled substances at various “stash houses” in New Jersey. The Healy DTE distributed some of the controlled substances in New Jersey, including through Bloods gang members in East Orange.

    The Court sentenced Healy to four life sentences plus 360 months’ imprisonment. On Counts One (Racketeering Conspiracy), Six (Murder of a Federal Witness), and Twelve (Drug Trafficking Conspiracy), Healy was sentenced to life in prison, each term ordered to run concurrent to each other and consecutive to the prison sentences imposed on the remaining counts.  On Counts Two (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of Victim-1), Five (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of A.S.), and Nine (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of J.C.), the Court imposed life sentences on each count to run consecutively.  On Counts Three, Seven, and Ten (each charging Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence), the Court imposed consecutive 10-year sentences for a total of 360 months, ordered to run consecutively to the sentences imposed on all other counts.

    Thomas Zimmerman, Tyquan Daniels, and Ali Hill – all members of the Brick City Brims subset of the Bloods street gang in East Orange – previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for their respective roles in the murders of Victim-1 and A.S.  Zimmerman was sentenced to a 37-year term of imprisonment; Daniels was sentenced to a 35-year term of imprisonment; and Hill was sentenced to a 25-year term of imprisonment.  In addition, on February 22, 2024, Leevander Wade pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for his roles in all three murders, and was sentenced to a term of 36 years and 8 months’ imprisonment.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Newark FBI Joint Organized Crime Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda; the Essex County Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Theodore N. Stephens, II; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of William A. Daniel, the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Phyllis L. Bindi; the Montclair Police Department, under the direction of Todd M. Conforti, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Intelligence and Investigative Division, under the direction of Secretary Robert Green; the Ohio State Highway Patrol, under the direction of Colonel Charles A. Jones.

    The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Robert L. Frazer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha C. Fasanello.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel: Stephen Turano and Thomas Ambrosio

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Taliban Commander Haji Najibullah Pleads Guilty to Hostage Taking and Providing Material Support for Acts of Terrorism Resulting in Death

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that HAJI NAJIBULLAH, a/k/a “Najibullah Naim,” a/k/a “Abu Tayeb,” a/k/a “Atiqullah,” a/k/a “Nesar Ahmad Mohammad,” pled guilty to hostage taking and providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death in connection with NAJIBULLAH’s role in the hostage taking of an American journalist and two Afghan nationals in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2008 and 2009, and his leadership of Taliban fighters who carried out attacks on U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009, resulting in the deaths of American soldiers.  NAJIBULLAH pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “Haji Najibullah was a Taliban commander who committed acts of terrorism against U.S. servicemembers and civilians in Afghanistan. His vicious acts of terrorism included taking hostage multiple civilians and providing material support for attacks that resulted in the deaths of brave Americans.  Najibullah committed his crimes in Afghanistan over 15 years ago, and now faces justice in an American courtroom.  Today’s guilty plea serves as an emphatic reminder that this Office, and our law enforcement partners, will aggressively pursue those who harm Americans through acts of terror, no matter where in the world they may be, and no matter how long it may take to achieve justice for their victims.  I thank the career prosecutors of this Office, and our dedicated partners, for their work in holding Najibullah accountable for his heinous crimes.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “For years, the FBI New York JTTF and our law enforcement partners tirelessly sought justice for the hostage taking of civilians, and also for the deaths of United States service members at the hands of Taliban fighters under Najibullah’s command.  These terrorist attacks demonstrated utter disregard for humanity, and Najibullah finally admitted to his role in these premature deaths of our citizens.  Today’s plea emphasizes the FBI New York JTTF’s unwavering resolve to disrupting all acts of terrorism and ensuring any individual who targets our country will be held accountable.”

    As alleged in the charging instruments, court filings, and statements in the public record:

    Between approximately 1996 and 2001, the Taliban controlled Afghanistan and harbored and supported terrorists, including terrorists involved in perpetrating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.  After losing power in approximately October 2001 as a result of the U.S. and NATO-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban engaged in a deadly insurgency campaign to regain control of the country.  Beginning in the early 2000s, as part of that campaign of violence, the Taliban conducted numerous suicide bombings, targeted killings, assassinations, improvised explosive device (“IED”) attacks, paramilitary ambushes, and hostage takings against the then-government of Afghanistan, U.S. military forces and their NATO and Afghan partners, and American civilians in Afghanistan.

    Between in or around 2007 and 2009, NAJIBULLAH served as a Taliban commander in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, which borders Kabul.  During that time, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command carried out deadly attacks against American and NATO troops and their Afghan allies, using, among other things, suicide bombers, automatic weapons, IEDs, and rocket-propelled grenades (“RPGs”) and other anti-tank weapons and explosives, including against U.S. military helicopters. 

    For example, on or about June 26, 2008, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command ambushed and attacked a U.S. military convoy in the vicinity of Wardak Province, Afghanistan, with IEDs, RPGs, and automatic weapons, killing three U.S. Army servicemembers: Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer, and their Afghan interpreter. Several other servicemembers were also injured in the attack.  

    In or about November 2007 and September 2008, NAJIBULLAH participated in two videorecorded interviews with a French reporter in Afghanistan.  NAJIBULLAH and fighters under his command discussed how they targeted American and French troops—including a specific attack they conducted against French troops in or around August 2008.  They also identified a particular location where they had used IEDs and anti-tank weaponry to destroy American military vehicles.  During the interview, NAJIBULLAH further demonstrated how to operate a rocket-propelled grenade launcher to shoot troops guarding checkpoints and boasted that fighters under his command were ready to fight the “holy war,” including that they were “ready to be suicide bombers” and “put on a belt and blow themselves up if we ask them.”  In September 2008, in the French reporter’s presence, NAJIBULLAH and fighters under his command attacked and destroyed an Afghan National Police outpost using automatic weapons and rockets.

    On or about November 10, 2008, NAJIBULLAH and other Taliban fighters took hostage an American journalist (“U.S. Hostage-1”) and two Afghan nationals who were assisting U.S. Hostage-1 (together with U.S. Hostage-1, the “Hostages”) at gunpoint in Afghanistan.  Shortly thereafter, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators forced the Hostages to hike across the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan, where NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators detained the Hostages.  For the next approximately seven months, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators held the Hostages captive in Pakistan.  NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators forced the Hostages to make numerous calls and videos seeking help, in an attempt to compel ransom payments and the release of Taliban prisoners by the U.S. Government.

    *                *                 *

    NAJIBULLAH, 49, pled guilty to providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and to hostage taking, which also carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.  

    The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department.  He also thanked the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police, the Department of Defense, and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for their assistance with this investigation, as well as the Ukrainian authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance in the arrest and extradition of the defendant.

    This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Jacob H. Gutwillig, and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Southern Lightning: NIWC Atlantic, NSWC Crane Advance Navy’s Unmanned Mission

    Source: United States Navy

    SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. — Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic completed a week of intensive research and communications testing on April 18 involving unmanned autonomous systems off the coast of Sullivan’s Island in partnership with Indiana-based Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: USAFRICOM Successfully Tests AI-Powered Personnel System During Continuity of Operations Exercise

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    AFRICOM logo PNG_release thumbnail

    U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) recently completed a successful Continuity of Operations (COOP) exercise, significantly bolstered by a use of an emerging artificial intelligence (AI) PowerApp capability designed to enhance efficiency with human resources management. The PowerApp demonstration showcased how AFRICOM can track and maintain situational awareness of geographically dispersed personnel across myriad agencies to maintain critical functions and operational readiness under challenging circumstances, leveraging AI for rapid personnel accountability and resource allocation.

    The COOP exercise simulated a disruption to normal operations, requiring AFRICOM to quickly assess personnel status and maintain command and control across the African continent. The AI tool, established through a collaboration between the AFRICOM J8 Resources and Assessments, J6 C4S (Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems), and J1 Manpower and Personnel directorates, proved instrumental in this effort.

    This system extracts and consolidates human resources data from multiple sources into a refined AFRICOM Data Environment (ADE), providing an unprecedented, real-time view of personnel supporting the command – both at the headquarters and dispersed across the African continent. During the exercise, this capability allowed AFRICOM to swiftly identify available personnel, assess skillsets, and re-allocate resources to maintain essential functions despite the simulated disruption.

    “Working with a contract partner, we developed the tool and demonstrated its capabilities during the COOP exercise, validating the critical role AI can play in our ability to continue operations even in the face of adversity,” said Col. Scott Johnson, AFRICOM Director of Manpower and Personnel. “The speed and accuracy with which we were able to account for and redeploy personnel was a direct result of this technology.”

    The AI PowerApp tool is the result of an increased focus on innovation at AFRICOM and recent call for AI solutions by the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) AI Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC). AFRICOM’s J1 directorate submitted a proposal in January 2025 and has been working with the CDAO on funding solutions.

    AFRICOM is the first Combatant Command (COCOM) to prototype such a transformative tool, underscoring its commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology and aligning with the National Defense Strategy and DoD’s Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative. The successful COOP exercise demonstrates the practical application of this technology, paving the way for substantial cost savings and increased efficiency in the long term.

    This AI-powered personnel system has the ability to not only enhance AFRICOM’s daily operations but also solidify its ability to maintain a strategic edge and fulfill its vital mission in Africa’s complex environment, even during times of crisis.

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