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Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Colleagues Demand Answers on Trump Admin’s Mass Firings of Federal Workers, Impact on Colorado

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Colorado is home to 57,000 federal employees who manage public lands, serve veterans, support wildfire mitigation, and more
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Representatives Brittany Pettersen, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, and Jason Crow demanded answers from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) about the Trump administration’s recent firings, layoffs, and resignations of federal employees in Colorado.
    “The consequences of mass firings of our federal employees will undermine the mission and services provided by each agency serving our state, harm the economy, and threaten our Colorado way of life,” wrote the Colorado lawmakers.
    The letter comes after the Trump administration illegally fired thousands of federal workers. These cuts threaten essential programs that millions of Coloradans rely on and have caused widespread uncertainty for the federal employees affected.
    Specifically, the lawmakers are requesting more information regarding:
    Federal Employee Firings in Colorado: The number of probationary and non-probationary federal employees fired since January 20, 2025, with breakdowns by agency, location, job level, veteran/disability status, and service length.
    Deferred Resignations: The number of federal employees in Colorado who accepted DOGE’s “deferred resignation” offer, with detailed lists and copies of signed contracts.
    Impact on Federal Lands: The effects of federal workforce downsizing on managing Colorado’s federal lands.
    Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Firings: How DOD civilian employee firings or resignations are affecting military operations at key Colorado bases, with detailed personnel data and signed contracts.
    Workforce Reductions & Public Services: How OPM is ensuring federal workforce cuts don’t disrupt essential programs like Social Security.
    Data Collection & Security: What worker/employer data DOGE is collecting and how it’s being secured, including any firings linked to Elon Musk or DOGE members.
    Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below.
    We write to request information regarding the recent firings, layoffs, and resignations of federal employees in Colorado. Our state is home to 57,000 federal employees who are critical to managing and protecting Colorado’s public lands, ensuring veterans receive their benefits, helping entrepreneurs start businesses, delivering our mail, forecasting weather, conducting research, and more.1 We are deeply concerned about the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s efforts to indiscriminately cut the workforce in our state. The consequences of mass firings of our federal employees will undermine the mission and services provided by each agency serving our state, harm the economy, and threaten our Colorado way of life.
    In Colorado, we have a year-round wildfire season, and our Wildland Firefighters and other essential U.S. Forest Service employees are our frontline defense and stewards of our public lands. Layoffs of U.S. Forest Service employees threaten life-saving wildfire mitigation efforts, undercut our wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, and impede our robust outdoor recreation industry.
    Colorado is also home to more than 928,000 people over the age of 65—a number that is expected to grow to 1.2 million by 2030. Reductions in the number of Social Security Administration employees in our state could result in delays in processing the Social Security payments that seniors rely on. Additionally, as tax season is underway, IRS layoffs could delay
    hardworking Coloradans from getting their federal tax returns. These are just a few examples of how sweeping Reductions in Force (RIF) and other actions to arbitrarily cut the federal workforce will hurt the constituents we serve.
    Therefore, we request the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) share information about how, and to what extent, the Trump Administration’s actions are impacting our state. Specifically, please respond to the following questions:
    How many probationary federal employees in Colorado have been fired since January 20, 2025? Please share a complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
    How many non-probationary federal employees in Colorado have been fired since January 20, 2025? Please share a complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
    How many federal employees in Colorado have accepted the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) “deferred resignation” offer? Please include the following information:
    A complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
    A copy of the final contract signed by all employees who accepted the “deferred resignation” offer to better understand their benefits and rights.

    How will federal workforce downsizing affect the management of federal lands in Colorado?
    To what extent are the firings of civilian Department of Defense employees impacting operations or military readiness at Peterson Air Force Base, Buckley Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, United States Air Force Academy, United States Northern Command, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, United States Space Command and Fort Carson? In your response, please include a list of DOD employees who have been fired or accepted a deferred resignation offer and include the following information:
    A complete list by military base, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
    A copy of the final contract signed by all employees who accepted the “deferred resignation” offer to better understand their benefits and rights.

    How does OPM plan to work with agencies to ensure that the reductions in force do not result in delays or disruptions to the programs and benefits that constituents rely on? For example, is OPM working with the Social Security Administration to ensure that reductions in force do not result in delays or disruptions to individuals receiving their social security checks?
    What types of worker and employer data are being harvested or reviewed by DOGE?
    Additionally, what measures are OPM and DOGE taking to ensure that worker and employer data are secure? Please provide all documents and communications referring or related to each federal employee fired on orders, advice, or recommendation of Elon Musk, or any individual considered to be a member of DOGE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Crapo Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Establish Space National Guard

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Legislation would move space-related Air and Army National Guard members under Space Force
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Mike Crapo reintroduced the Space Guard Establishment Act to create a Space National Guard, incorporating current Air National Guard and Army National Guard members performing space-related duties within the Space Force command structure.
     “A dedicated Space Force reserve component will make sure our National Guard space experts have a clear path to continue their service to community and country,” said Hickenlooper. “It’s a win-win for service members and our leadership in space!”
    “Guardsmen and Reservists are often highly specialized and trained individuals tasked with combatting significant threats from global threats such as China and Russia, and those who work on our space capabilities are no different,” said Crapo. “Establishing a Space National Guard will better prepare and streamline the work of our existing space personnel to maintain readiness to respond to and thwart attacks from our adversaries.”
    When the Space Force was established in 2019, active-duty service members responsible for space missions were moved out of the Air Force and placed under the authority of the Space Force. No corresponding change was made to ensure that National Guard members working on space also fall under Space Force authority. The proposed legislation would correct this organizational inconsistency.
    “Air National Guard fighter wings operate at 1/3rd the cost of their active-duty counterparts but still provide the same ‘fight-tonight’ capability. By acting as a retention net for talent exiting active duty and serving as a cost-effective model to both develop and retain fighter pilots, the Air National Guard presents the nation with an unrivaled value proposition. Throw in the secondary uses of Air Guardsman domestically such as wildfire mitigation, homeland airspace defense, and manpower for civil support all for a fraction of the cost of an active-duty Wing; the Air Guard’s value proposition truly is unparallelled. By providing 30% of the fighter force, for 1/3rd the cost, Air National Guard fighter wings operate as a shining example of efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars. It’s simple, we provide more for less, without sacrificing capability,” said Major General Clellan.
    The Department of the Air Force, Space Force, and the National Guard Bureau have already developed a plan to establish a Space National Guard, but that plan has yet to be implemented. There are more than 1,000 National Guard members performing space-related duties from within the Air National Guard. However, organizational problems consistently arise now that all other space service members fall under the Space Force.
    A dedicated National Guard for the Space Force would help talented active-duty Space Force personnel transition to civilian careers, ensuring they are able to continue serving their country as well as their states. This bill would also streamline funding, and allow for better implementation of the mobilization processes, inspection systems, and policies and culture of the Space Force.
    The bill would override Legislative Proposal (LP) 480, which moved Air National Guard units with space missions into the U.S. Space Force without obtaining a governor’s consent prior to the transfer.
    Hickenlooper led 124 members of Congress in a bipartisan letter urging the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to adopt language in the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would preserve the authority of governors to oversee National Guard forces within their states. He also led another letter with 85 other members of Congress opposing the inclusion of LP 480 in the NDAA and joined in support of the National Governors Association Council of Governors calling on the Department of Defense to retract LP 480. In addition, Hickenlooper led 31 of his colleagues in submitting an amendment to the NDAA to permit the transfer only with gubernatorial approval. However, the amendment was not included in the final package for the Senate bill and did not have the opportunity for floor consideration.
    The Space Guard Establishment Act is supported by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS).
    Representatives Crow and Boebert introduced companion legislation in the House.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Comments on the CR

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today on government funding:
    “Government shutdowns mean pain for the American people and political consequences for Congress. I will vote, as I have repeatedly, to avoid such a disastrous outcome.
    “But even in averting a shutdown – in meeting the bare minimum of the expectations of our office – Congress must be honest with the taxpayers who entrust us with providing for the common defense. This week, the price of keeping the lights on will be to consign the Department of Defense to topline funding even lower than President Biden’s last defense budget request.
    “As I have warned publicly, a truly clean continuing resolution for defense would do real, immediate, and measurable harm to the U.S. military’s readiness and lethality. It would force the armed services to meet tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s budget. Fortunately for the national defense, this is not a clean CR. I am grateful that, with Leader Thune and Senator Collins’ help, we forestalled the worst impacts of such an outcome by securing new start authority, needed flexibility, and additional resources beyond the Biden FY24 topline. But this measure still falls well short of meeting the U.S. military’s growing needs.
    “Punting the responsibilities of new full-year appropriations for an entire year also makes Congress’ own job harder down the road. It means that the task before us this fall will entail even greater requirements and steeper costs. Under this continuing resolution, governed by an outdated budget topline, more and more of Congress’ authority to set defense spending priorities is crowded out by these rising mandatory and operational costs.
    “Budget reconciliation, for its part, is only a supplement to steady, annual appropriations – not a substitute. This CR represents a missed opportunity to make those overdue, full-year investments in rebuilding our national defense. The next opportunity to deliver on our responsibility to provide for the common defense will require that the Administration use its FY26 budget request to assess growing threats, requirements, and costs with clear eyes and engage defense appropriators to ensure that they respect Congressional intent in the obligation of funds provided by this CR.
    “Restoring peace through strength is an urgent priority. And the longer we wait to get serious about it, the more expensive it becomes. The Administration and Congress must come quickly to terms with the fact that rebuilding the national defense requires more of us than we have thus far managed to give.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Around the Air Force: More Air Force, Space Force Priorities, Flexible Spending Accounts

    Source: United States Air Force

    Headline: Around the Air Force: More Air Force, Space Force Priorities, Flexible Spending Accounts

    In this week’s look Around the Air Force, CSAF Gen. David Allvin describes his strategy for defending the homeland and meeting the nation’s security priorities, CSO Gen. Chance Saltzman outlines the USSF’s path to ensure space superiority, and enrollment opens for a new Health Care FSA benefit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Republic of Korea Air Force, US Air Force, US Navy Conducts F-35 Air Integration Training during Freedom Shield 25

    Source: United States Navy

    AT SEA – Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 participated in Freedom Shield 25, a defense-oriented, annual exercise between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States featuring live, virtual and field-based training that engaged alliance forces and governmental agencies, March 13.

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China urges Japan to exercise prudence in military security

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A Chinese military spokesperson on Friday urged Japan to draw lessons from history and exercise prudence in the field of military security.

    Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference when responding to a media inquiry concerning Japan’s disclosure of its development of a new ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers.

    In recent years, Japan has moved further down the path of military expansion, which is dangerous and goes against the will of the people, Zhang said.

    Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Zhang urged the Japanese side to do more for regional peace and stability, and to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.

    He was also asked about a Japanese vessel’s recent navigation in the Taiwan Strait, as well as Japanese defense officials’ recent remarks on “serious concerns” about Chinese military activities near Japan.

    “We firmly oppose any country stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Strait, undermining China’s sovereignty and security, or sending erroneous signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Zhang said.

    He also voiced firm opposition to Japan’s groundless accusations concerning China’s regular military exercises.

    The activities of the Chinese military in relevant maritime and airspace areas are legitimate, reasonable and beyond reproach. They are entirely in line with international law and international practices, the spokesperson said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China to host SCO military meeting

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China will host the first meeting of International Military Cooperation Organs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States for 2025 on March 26 and 27, a defense spokesperson said Friday.

    The meeting will be held in Qingdao in Shandong Province, east China, said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

    Representatives from defense ministries of the SCO member states and the SCO secretariat will attend the meeting to exchange views on future defense and security cooperation, Zhang said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Long Island DRI and NY Forward Winners Announced

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that Hempstead will receive $10 million in funding as the Long Island winner of the eighth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and Farmingdale will receive $4.5 million as the Long Island winner of the third round of NY Forward. For Round 8 of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and Round 3 of the NY Forward Program, each of the State’s 10 economic development regions receive awards from each program, to make for a total State commitment of $200 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods.

    “Long Island’s downtowns are more than hubs for business, they’re the infrastructure that inspires people to build a better world around them,” Governor Hochul said. “By investing nearly $15 million in revitalizing Hempstead and Farmingdale, we’re creating stronger communities that honor their history and possibility — paving a path for generations of Long Islanders to experience all they have to offer.”

    To receive funding from either the DRI or NY Forward program, localities must be certified under Governor Hochul’s Pro-Housing Communities Program — an innovative policy created to recognize and reward municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential. Governor Hochul’s Pro-Housing Communities initiative allocates up to $650 million each year in discretionary funds for communities that pledge to increase their housing supply; to date, 287 communities across New York have been certified as Pro-Housing Communities. This year, Governor Hochul is proposing an additional $100 million in funding to cover infrastructure projects necessary to create new housing in Pro-Housing Communities, and a further $10 million to technical assistance to help communities seeking to foster housing growth and associated municipal development.

    Many of the projects funded through the DRI and NY Forward support Governor Hochul’s affordability agenda. The DRI has invested in the creation of more than 4,400 units of housing — 1,823 of which are affordable or workforce. The programs committed over $8.5 million to 11 projects that provide affordable or free child care and child care worker training. DRI and NY Forward have also invested in the creation of public parks, public art (such as murals and sculptures) and art, music and cultural venues that provide free outdoor recreation and entertainment opportunities.

    $10 Million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award for the Village of Hempstead
    Hempstead’s Main Street is the social, retail and civic heart of the community, serving as a key destination for the Village, Town and County. Its strategic location offers walkable access to essential transit services, commercial corridors and cultural institutions, including restaurants, Denton Green and the Nassau County African American Museum. Signature buildings with distinctive facades line the street, adding to its character and enhancing its unique visual identity. With a vibrant mix of arts, culture and retail, Hempstead seeks to transform its Main Street into a thriving hub of activity, community and commerce. Specific community goals include creating a broad mix of housing opportunities, increasing business and service offerings, enhancing cultural arts and fostering recreation and entertainment.

    $4.5 Million NY Forward Award for the Village of Farmingdale
    The Village of Farmingdale’s downtown is a compact area mixed with small parcels and dense building coverage, mixed land uses and charming architecture. It is situated among some of the most popular tourist destinations in New York State. Due to the Village’s characteristics, Farmingdale is focusing on projects that will yield dramatic and positive effects, thereby advancing an active downtown with a strong sense of place. The Village seeks to attract new businesses, encourage a diverse population, improve downtown living and quality of life and enhance the pedestrian walkability and cyclability of the downtown.

    New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “Residents and visitors of Long Island have witnessed first-hand how impactful the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward programs have been for countless communities and the entire region. Now, the Villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale will receive this critical funding that will help to jumpstart their downtowns and join in on the wave of revitalization that is sweeping our state. Congratulations to both of these communities, and we look forward to working with you throughout this process!”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward programs continue to be transformative forces for communities across Long Island. With these strategic investments in Hempstead and Farmingdale, New York State is supporting locally-driven solutions that will create vibrant, walkable downtowns while expanding housing opportunities and strengthening local economies. These projects demonstrate the State’s commitment to building sustainable, prosperous communities that attract both residents and businesses.”

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Today’s $14.5 million in transformative NY Forward and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative investments demonstrate Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to rewarding communities that are serious about expanding housing and economic opportunities for current and future residents. As two of the 287 current participants in the Governor’s Pro-Housing Communities program, Farmingdale and Hempstead have unlocked access to today’s funding that will enrich their neighborhoods and grow the housing supply through targeted investment. We thank these communities for their commitment to improving housing supply and congratulate them on today’s awards.”

    LIREDC Co-Chairs Linda Armyn, President & CEO at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, President of Long Island University, said, “Hempstead and Farmingdale presented compelling visions for their downtown corridors that will create new opportunities for housing, business growth, and community engagement. The Village of Hempstead’s focus on enhancing its historic Main Street while expanding housing and cultural amenities, coupled with Farmingdale’s plans to strengthen its walkable downtown core, exemplify the kind of forward-thinking development that will benefit Long Island for generations to come. We look forward to working with both communities as they implement their strategic investment plans.”

    State Senator Siela Bynoe said, “This Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant will provide much-deserved investment to the Village of Hempstead. As we’ve seen in Westbury Village, this grant will have a transformational impact on Hempstead’s downtown by improving walkability, and creating opportunities through investment in the Village’s commercial downtown. In Westbury Village, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative provided a blueprint for innovation to address our housing and infrastructure needs, and it is exciting to see Hempstead have this same opportunity. I’d like to thank the Governor and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council for their commitment to helping to empower our communities.”

    Assemblymember Noah Burroughs said, “I’m pleased to hear that finally the Village Of Hempstead is being recognized as the great hub in Nassau County as well as Long Island. Today I was notified that the Village of Hempstead has been awarded the downtown revitalization initiative. I would like to thank Governor Hochul for seeing the vision we have in the 18th assembly district. This brings us one step closer to having a downtown that the residents could be proud to visit, shop, dine and enjoy on a daily basis.”

    Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said, “Hempstead is a proud, hardworking community, and this $10 million investment will go a long way in making our downtown a place where families, businesses, and visitors can thrive. We’re incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul for believing in Hempstead and for giving us the tools to build a stronger, more vibrant future. This funding means more opportunities for local businesses, more housing for our residents, and a downtown that truly reflects the energy and diversity of our village. We’re excited to get to work and make this vision a reality.”

    Village of Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said, “On behalf of Myself and the Board of Trustees, all Farmingdale Village Residents, Our Merchants & Local Community; we are thrilled to have won a $4.5 million grant for a Performing Arts Center! Thank you to New York State! We are so fortunate and thankful for the incredible efforts of all involved who helped secure the grant, it’s truly spectacular news for our community! As everyone knows, Farmingdale Village has been going through an incredible Revitalization and has become a downtown destination. Our (BID) Business Improvement District was formed in 2021, and shortly thereafter; our Downtown was designated as “the Culinary Quarter Mile”. Farmingdale Village was also voted Best LI Downtown 2025 – in the Four Leaf (Formerly BFCU), Annual contest, the last 10 out of 11 years! In the Village; we all work as a team; and there are also many Music Fests (“Music on Main, etc..); Art Shows and basically Culture Everywhere! But the one desire was always for a Cultural Arts Center! So this is the Icing on the Cake; the Farmingdale Village Cake! We are beyond thrilled and our community will be dancing in the street! (Literally!) Thank You!”

    Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis said, “Thank you, Governor Hochul, for selecting the Village of Hempstead as a recipient of the 2025 Downtown Revitalization Program Award in the amount of $10,000,000. These funds will provide much needed assistance in helping to make the vision of a vibrant downtown become a reality. I look forward to seeing the village continue on the path toward a promising future for residents and a destination for visitors.”

    Hempstead and Farmingdale will now begin the process of developing a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize their downtowns. A Local Planning Committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders will lead the effort, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners. The Strategic Investment Plan will guide the investment of DRI and NY Forward grant funds in revitalization projects that are poised for implementation, will advance the community’s vision for their downtown and that can leverage and expand upon the State’s investment.

    The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council conducted a thorough and competitive review process of proposals submitted from communities throughout the region and considered all criteria before recommending these communities as nominees.

    About the Downtown Revitalization Initiative
    The Downtown Revitalization Initiative was created in 2016 to accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods in all ten regions of the state to serve as centers of activity and catalysts for investment. Led by the Department of State with assistance from Empire State Development, Homes and Community Renewal and NYSERDA, the DRI represents an unprecedented and innovative “plan-then-act” strategy that couples strategic planning with immediate implementation and results in compact, walkable downtowns that are a key ingredient to helping New York State rebuild its economy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to achieving the State’s bold climate goals by promoting the use of public transit and reducing dependence on private vehicles. Through eight rounds, the DRI will have awarded a total of $900 million to 89 communities across every region of the State.

    About the NY Forward Program
    First announced as part of the FY22 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul created the NY Forward program to build on the momentum created by the DRI. The program works in concert with the DRI to accelerate and expand the revitalization of smaller and rural downtowns throughout the State so that all communities can benefit from the State’s revitalization efforts, regardless of size, character, needs and challenges.

    NY Forward communities are supported by a professional planning consultant and team of State agency experts led by DOS to develop a Strategic Investment Plan that includes a slate of transformative, complementary and readily implementable projects. NY Forward projects are appropriately scaled to the size of each community; projects may include building renovation and redevelopment, new construction or creation of new or improved public spaces and other projects that enhance specific cultural and historical qualities that define and distinguish the small-town charm that defines these municipalities. Through three rounds, the NY Forward program will have awarded a total of $300 million to 60 communities across every region of the State.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Sailors and Marines Team Up for Integrated Advance 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – Sailors from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT) and Marines from U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH) are serving together on the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC) staff during Exercise Integrated Advance 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: VeeMost Technologies Announces E-Rate Wins, New Vendor Partnerships, and Contracts with a Government Services Provider in the Defense Sector

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Red Bank, NJ, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VeeMost Technologies Inc. (OTC: $GDVM) is pleased to announce several key business achievements, reinforcing its commitment to growth and innovation in the IT and cybersecurity sectors.

    Major E-Rate Wins Strengthen Position in Education Sector

    VeeMost has successfully won Nine E-Rate bids to provide technology solutions for schools, with additional contract awards expected in the coming weeks. This marks a significant step forward in the company’s continued success within the E-Rate program, which enables schools and libraries to access affordable IT infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions.

    “As an experienced technology provider in the education sector, we are proud to support schools with the critical IT services and products they need to enhance learning environments,” said Mr. Ejiogu, President at VeeMost. “These wins validate our expertise and position us for continued success as more E-Rate funding is allocated.”

    Expansion into the Defense Industry

    VeeMost has also secured multiple contracts with a defense industry company, strengthening its role in providing secure, high-performance IT solutions to critical infrastructure and national security sectors. These deals mark an important milestone as the company expands its capabilities to serve defense and government-related clients.

    New Vendor Partnerships with Vertiv, Nutanix, and Lenovo

    To enhance its portfolio of solutions, VeeMost has established new strategic partnerships with vendors such as Vertiv, Nutanix, Lenovo and more. These partnerships will allow the company to continue to provide cutting-edge IT, cloud, and infrastructure solutions to its clients, including businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions.

    “With the addition of these key partners, we are positioned to deliver even more comprehensive and scalable solutions to our customers,” said Mr. Ejiogu. “Our goal is to continuously expand our offerings and meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

    Progress Toward GSA Schedule Approval

    VeeMost has officially begun the process of obtaining a GSA Schedule contract, which will provide direct access to federal, state, and local government contracts. To streamline this process, VeeMost has engaged the services of Government Services Exchange (GSE), a leading consulting firm specializing in helping businesses obtain GSA certification and secure government contracts.

    “GSE has an outstanding track record of guiding companies through the GSA approval process, and we are confident that their expertise will help us achieve certification efficiently,” said Mr. Ejiogu. “The GSA Schedule is a key part of our long-term growth strategy, opening doors to significant government business opportunities.”

    CEO Honored with Lifetime Gratitude Award at Prestigious Gala

    VeeMost Technologies is also proud to announce that Mr. Melvin Ejiogu was honored with a Lifetime Gratitude Award at the 50th Gala Celebration of a leading educational institution in Cleveland, Ohio, for contributions to education technology. This recognition highlights the company’s deep commitment to supporting schools through cybersecurity, networking, and IT infrastructure solutions.

    “This recognition underscores the impact VeeMost has had on the education sector, not just as a service provider but as a true partner in shaping the future of learning,” said Mr. Ejiogu. “It reflects our dedication to making a meaningful difference in communities through technology.”

    Looking Ahead

    With multiple contract wins, new contracts in a key sector, strong vendor partnerships, and progress toward GSA certification, VeeMost Technologies continues to execute its vision for expansion. The company remains committed to delivering cutting-edge IT solutions and driving value for its shareholders.

    For more information about VeeMost Technologies, please visit www.veemost.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by the use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to successfully execute its expanded business strategy, including by entering into definitive agreements with suppliers, commercial partners and customers; general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technical advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, regulatory requirements and the ability to meet them, government agency rules and changes, and various other factors beyond the Company’s control.

    CONTACT:
    VeeMost Technologies Inc.
    info@veemost.com

    The MIL Network –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Marshall Islands: How the Rongelap evacuation changed the course of history

    SPECIAL REPORT: By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal and RNZ Pacific correspondent in Majuro

    The late Member of Parliament Jeton Anjain and the people of the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll changed the course of the history of the Marshall Islands by using Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship to evacuate their radioactive home islands 40 years ago.

    They did this by taking control of their own destiny after decades of being at the mercy of the United States nuclear testing programme and its aftermath.

    In 1954, the US tested the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, spewing high-level radioactive fallout on unsuspecting Rongelap Islanders nearby.

    For years after the Bravo test, decisions by US government doctors and scientists caused Rongelap Islanders to be continuously exposed to additional radiation.

    Marshall Islands traditional and government leaders joined Greenpeace representatives in showing off tapa banners with the words “Justice for Marshall Islands” during the dockside welcome ceremony earlier this week in Majuro. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    The 40th anniversary of the dramatic evacuation of Rongelap Atoll in 1985 by the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior — a few weeks before French secret agents bombed the ship in Auckland harbour — was spotlighted this week in Majuro with the arrival of Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior III to a warm welcome combining top national government leaders, the Rongelap Atoll Local Government and the Rongelap community.

    “We were displaced, our lives were disrupted, and our voices ignored,” said MP Hilton Kendall, who represents Rongelap in the Marshall Islands Parliament, at the welcome ceremony in Majuro earlier in the week.

    “In our darkest time, Greenpeace stood with us.”

    ‘Evacuated people to safety’
    He said the Rainbow Warrior “evacuated the people to safety” in 1985.

    Greenpeace would “forever be remembered by the people of Rongelap,” he added.

    The Able US nuclear test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on 1 July 1946. Image: US National Archives

    In 1984, Jeton Anjain — like most Rongelap people who were living on the nuclear test-affected atoll — knew that Rongelap was unsafe for continued habitation.

    There was not a single scientist or medical doctor among their community although Jeton was a trained dentist, and they mainly depended on US Department of Energy-provided doctors and scientists for health care and environmental advice.

    They were always told not to worry and that everything was fine.

    Crew of the Rainbow Warrior and other Greenpeace officials — including two crew members from the original Rainbow Warrior, Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Hazen, from Aotearoa New Zealand – were welcomed to the Marshall Islands during a dockside ceremony in Majuro to mark the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Atoll. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    But it wasn’t, as the countless thyroid tumors, cancers, miscarriages and surgeries confirmed.

    As the desire of Rongelap people to evacuate their homeland intensified in 1984, unbeknown to them Greenpeace was hatching a plan to dispatch the Rainbow Warrior on a Pacific voyage the following year to turn a spotlight on the nuclear test legacy in the Marshall Islands and the ongoing French nuclear testing at Moruroa in French Polynesia.

    A Rainbow Warrior question
    As I had friends in the Greenpeace organisation, I was contacted early on in its planning process with the question: How could a visit by the Rainbow Warrior be of use to the Marshall Islands?

    Jeton and I were good friends by 1984, and had worked together on advocacy for Rongelap since the late 1970s. I informed him that Greenpeace was planning a visit and without hesitation he asked me if the ship could facilitate the evacuation of Rongelap.

    At this time, Jeton had already initiated discussions with Kwajalein traditional leaders to locate an island that they could settle in that atoll.

    I conveyed Jeton’s interest in the visit to Greenpeace, and a Greenpeace International board member, the late Steve Sawyer, who coordinated the Pacific voyage of the Rainbow Warrior, arranged a meeting for the three of us in Seattle to discuss ideas.

    Jeton and I flew to Seattle and met Steve. After the usual preliminaries, Jeton asked Steve if the Rainbow Warrior could assist Rongelap to evacuate their community to Mejatto Island in Kwajalein Atoll, a distance of about 250 km.

    Steve responded in classic Greenpeace campaign thinking, which is what Greenpeace has proved effective in doing over many decades. He said words to the effect that the Rainbow Warrior could aid a “symbolic evacuation” by taking a small group of islanders from Rongelap to Majuro or Ebeye and holding a media conference publicising their plight with ongoing radiation exposure.

    “No,” said Jeton firmly. He wasn’t talking about a “symbolic” evacuation. He told Steve: “We want to evacuate Rongelap, the entire community and the housing, too.”

    Steve Sawyer taken aback
    Steve was taken aback by what Jeton wanted. Steve simply hadn’t considered the idea of evacuating the entire community.

    But we could see him mulling over this new idea and within minutes, as his mind clicked through the significant logistics hurdles for evacuation of the community — including that it would take three-to-four trips by the Rainbow Warrior between Rongelap and Mejatto to accomplish it — Steve said it was possible.

    And from that meeting, planning for the 1985 Marshall Islands visit began in earnest.

    I offer this background because when the evacuation began in early May 1985, various officials from the United States government sharply criticised Rongelap people for evacuating their atoll, saying there was no radiological hazard to justify the move and that they were being manipulated by Greenpeace for its own anti-nuclear agenda.

    Women from the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll greeted the Rainbow Warrior and its crew with songs and dances this week as part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Atoll in 1985 by the Rainbow Warrior. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    This condescending American government response suggested Rongelap people did not have the brain power to make important decisions for themselves.

    But it also showed the US government’s lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation in which Rongelap Islanders lived day in and day out in a highly radioactive environment.

    The Bravo hydrogen bomb test blasted Rongelap and nearby islands with snow-like radioactive fallout on 1 March 1954. The 82 Rongelap people were first evacuated to the US Navy base at Kwajalein for emergency medical treatment and the start of long-term studies by US government doctors.

    No radiological cleanup
    A few months later, they were resettled on Ejit Island in Majuro, the capital atoll, until 1957 when, with no radiological cleanup conducted, the US government said it was safe to return to Rongelap and moved the people back.

    “Even though the radioactive contamination of Rongelap Island is considered perfectly safe for human habitation, the levels of activity are higher than those found in other inhabited locations in the world,” said a Brookhaven National Laboratory report commenting on the return of Rongelap Islanders to their contaminated islands in 1957.

    It then stated plainly why the people were moved back: “The habitation of these people on the island will afford most valuable ecological radiation data on human beings.”

    And for 28 years, Rongelap people lived in one of the world’s most radioactive environments, consuming radioactivity through the food chain and by living an island life.

    Proving the US narrative of safety to be false, the 1985 evacuation forced the US Congress to respond by funding new radiological studies of Rongelap.

    Thanks to the determination of the soft-spoken but persistent leadership of Jeton, he ensured that a scientist chosen by Rongelap would be included in the study. And the new study did indeed identify health hazards, particularly for children, of living on Rongelap.

    The US Congress responded by appropriating US$45 million to a Rongelap Resettlement Trust Fund.

    Subsistence atoll life
    All of this was important — it both showed that islanders with a PhD in subsistence atoll life understood more about their situation than the US government’s university educated PhDs and medical doctors who showed up from time-to-time to study them, provide medical treatment, and tell them everything was fine on their atoll, and it produced a $45 million fund from the US government.

    However, this is only a fraction of the story about why the Rongelap evacuation in 1985 forever changed the US narrative and control of its nuclear test legacy in this country.

    The crew of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior III vessel were serenaded by the Rongelap community to mark the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Islanders from their nuclear test-affected islands this week in Majuro. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    Rongelap is the most affected population from the US hydrogen bomb testing programme in the 1950s.

    By living on Rongelap, the community confirmed the US government’s narrative that all was good and the nuclear test legacy was largely a relic of the past.

    The 1985 evacuation was a demonstration of the Rongelap community exerting control over their life after 31 years of dictates by US government doctors, scientists and officials.

    It was difficult building a new community on Mejatto Island, which was uninhabited and barren in 1985. Make no mistake, Rongelap people living on Mejatto suffered hardship and privation, especially in the first years after the 1985 resettlement.

    Nuclear legacy history
    Their perseverance, however, defined the larger ramification of the move to Mejatto: It changed the course of nuclear legacy history by people taking control of their future that forced a response from the US government to the benefit of the Rongelap community.

    Forty years later, the displacement of Rongelap Islanders on Mejatto and in other locations, unable to return to nuclear test contaminated Rongelap Atoll demonstrates clearly that the US nuclear testing legacy remains unresolved — unfinished business that is in need of a long-term, fair and just response from the US government.

    The Rainbow Warrior will be in Majuro until next week when it will depart for Mejatto Island to mark the 40th anniversary of the resettlement, and then voyage to other nuclear test-affected atolls around the Marshall Islands.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese defense ministry to host meeting of international military cooperation organs of SCO member states: Defense Spokesperson 2025-03-14 The first meeting of International Military Cooperation Organs of the SCO Member States for 2025 will be held in Qingdao from March 26 to 27.

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

      BEIJING, Mar. 14 — “The first meeting of International Military Cooperation Organs of the SCO Member States for 2025 will be held in Qingdao City of east China’s Shandong Province, from March 26 to 27,” said Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a press briefing on Friday.

      According to the spokesperson, representatives from defense ministries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states and the SCO secretariat will attend the meeting and exchange views on future defense and security cooperation, and the meeting will be hosted by the Chinese MND.

    loading…

    MIL OSI China News –

    March 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dual Russian And Israeli National Extradited To The United States For His Role In The LockBit Ransomware Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A dual Russian and Israeli national was extradited to the United States on charges that he was a developer of the LockBit ransomware group, United States Attorney John Giordano announced.

    In August, Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest request.  Today, Panev was extradited to the United States and had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa where Panev was detained pending trial.

    “Rostislav Panev’s extradition to the District of New Jersey makes it clear: if you are a member of the LockBit ransomware conspiracy, the United States will find you and bring you to justice,” said United States Attorney John Giordano. “Even as the means and methods of cybercriminals become more sophisticated, my Office and our FBI, Criminal Division, and international law enforcement partners are more committed than ever to prosecuting these criminals.”

    “No one is safe from ransomware attacks, from individuals to institutions. Along with our international partners, the FBI continues to leave no stone unturned when it comes to following LockBit’s trail of destruction. We will continue to work tirelessly to prevent actors, such as Panev, from hacking their way to financial gain,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Newark Division Terence G. Reilly.

    According to the superseding complaint, documents filed in this and related cases, and statements made in court, Panev acted as a developer of the LockBit ransomware group from its inception in or around 2019 through at least February 2024. During that time, Panev and his LockBit coconspirators grew LockBit into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world. The LockBit group attacked more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, including 1,800 in the United States. Their victims ranged from individuals and small businesses to multinational corporations, including hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure, and government and law-enforcement agencies. LockBit’s members extracted at least $500 million in ransom payments from their victims and caused billions of dollars in other losses, including lost revenue and costs from incident response and recovery.

    LockBit’s members were comprised of “developers,” like Panev, who designed the LockBit malware code and maintained the infrastructure on which LockBit operated. LockBit’s other members, called “affiliates,” carried out LockBit attacks and extorted ransom payments from LockBit victims. LockBit’s developers and affiliates would then split the ransom payments which were extorted from victims.

    As alleged in the superseding complaint, at the time of Panev’s arrest in Israel in August, law enforcement discovered on Panev’s computer administrator credentials for an online repository that was hosted on the dark web and stored source code for multiple versions of the LockBit builder, which allowed LockBit’s affiliates to generate custom builds of the LockBit ransomware malware for particular victims. On that repository, law enforcement also discovered source code for LockBit’s StealBit tool, which helped LockBit affiliates exfiltrate data stolen through LockBit attacks. Law enforcement also discovered access credentials for the LockBit control panel, an online dashboard maintained by LockBit developers for LockBit’s affiliates and hosted by those developers on the dark web.

    The superseding complaint also alleges that Panev exchanged direct messages through a cybercriminal forum with LockBit’s primary administrator, who, in an indictment unsealed in the District of New Jersey in May, the United States alleged to be Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev (Дмитрий Юрьевич Хорошев), also known as LockBitSupp, LockBit, and putinkrab. In those messages, Panev and the LockBit primary administrator discussed work that needed to be done on the LockBit builder and control panel.

    Court documents further indicate that, between June 2022 and February 2024, the primary LockBit administrator made a series of transfers of cryptocurrency, laundered through one or more illicit cryptocurrency mixing services, of approximately $10,000 per month to a cryptocurrency wallet owned by Panev. Those transfers amounted to over $230,000 during that period.

    In interviews with Israeli authorities following his arrest in August, Panev admitted to having performed coding, development, and consulting work for the LockBit group and to having received regular payments in cryptocurrency for that work, consistent with the transfers identified by U.S. authorities. Among the work that Panev admitted to having completed for the LockBit group was the development of code to disable antivirus software; to deploy malware to multiple computers connected to a victim network; and to print the LockBit ransom note to all printers connected to a victim network. Panev also admitted to having written and maintained LockBit malware code and to having provided technical guidance to the LockBit group.

    The LockBit Investigation

    The superseding complaint against, and apprehension of, Panev follows a disruption of LockBit ransomware in February 2024 by the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA)’s Cyber Division, which worked in cooperation with the Justice Department, FBI, and other international law enforcement partners. As previously announced by the Department, authorities disrupted LockBit by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and by seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threatening to publish stolen data. That disruption succeeded in greatly diminishing LockBit’s reputation and its ability to attack further victims, as alleged by documents filed in this case.

    The superseding complaint against Panev also follows charges brought in the District of New Jersey against other LockBit members, including its alleged primary creator, developer, and administrator, Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev. An indictment against Khoroshev unsealed in May alleges that Khoroshev began developing LockBit as early as September 2019, continued acting as the group’s administrator through 2024, a role in which Khoroshev recruited new affiliate members, spoke for the group publicly under the alias “LockBitSupp,” and developed and maintained the infrastructure used by affiliates to deploy LockBit attacks. Khoroshev is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at www.tips.fbi.gov/.

    A total of seven LockBit members have now been charged in the District of New Jersey. Beyond Panev and Khoroshev, other previously charged LockBit defendants include:

    • In July, two LockBit affiliate members, Mikhail Vasiliev, also known as Ghostrider, Free, Digitalocean90, Digitalocean99, Digitalwaters99, and Newwave110, and Ruslan Astamirov, also known as BETTERPAY, offtitan, and Eastfarmer, pleaded guilty in the District of New Jersey for their participation in the LockBit ransomware group and admitted deploying multiple LockBit attacks against U.S. and foreign victims. Vasiliev and Astamirov are presently in custody awaiting sentencing.
    • In February 2024, in parallel with the disruption operation described above, an indictment was unsealed in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the United States, including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Sungatov and Kondratyev remain at large.
    • In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Mikhail Matveev, also known as Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin, and Uhodiransomwar, with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev remains at large and is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s TOC Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at www.tips.fbi.gov/.

    The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering rewards of:

    Information is accepted through the FBI tip website at tips.fbi.gov.

    Khoroshev, Matveev, Sungatov, and Kondratyev have also been designated for sanctions by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for their roles in launching cyberattacks.

    Victim Assistance

    LockBit victims are encouraged to contact the FBI and submit information at www.ic3.gov. As announced by the Department in February, law enforcement, through its disruption efforts, has developed decryption capabilities that may enable hundreds of victims around the world to restore systems encrypted using the LockBit ransomware variant. Submitting information at the IC3 site will enable law enforcement to determine whether affected systems can be successfully decrypted.

    LockBit victims are also encouraged to visit www.justice.gov/usao-nj/lockbit for case updates and information regarding their rights under U.S. law, including the right to submit victim impact statements and request restitution, in the criminal litigation against Panev, Astamirov, and Vasiliev.

    The FBI Newark Field Office, under the supervision of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, is investigating the LockBit ransomware variant. Israel’s Office of the State Attorney, Department of International Affairs, and Israel National Police; France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command, Paris Prosecution Office — Cyber Division, and judicial authorities at the Tribunal Judiciare of Paris; Europol; Eurojust; the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency; Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein, Bundeskriminalamt, and the Central Cybercrime Department North Rhine-Westphalia; Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice, Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich, and Zurich Cantonal Police; Spain’s Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil; authorities in Japan; Australian Federal Police; Sweden’s Polismyndighetens; Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Politie Dienst Regionale Recherche Oost-Brabant of the Netherlands; and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation have provided significant assistance and coordination in these matters and in the LockBit investigation generally.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, David E. Malagold, and Vinay Limbachia for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Debra Ireland and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are prosecuting the charges against Panev and the other previously charged LockBit defendants in the District of New Jersey.

    The Justice Department’s former Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust, Office of International Affairs, and National Security Division also provided significant assistance.

    Additional details on protecting networks against LockBit ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov. These include Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisories AA23-325A, AA23-165A, and AA23-075A. 

    The charges and allegations contained in the superseding complaint and above-named Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    ###

    Defense counsel: Frank Arleo, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Creating disability-inclusive jobs

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Nestled in the Museum of the War of Resistance & Coastal Defence, Madam Hong Cafe enjoys the spectacular views of Shau Kei Wan and Lei Yue Mun. In addition to rejoicing in the views and delicious food here, customers can also show their support for people with disabilities.

    Warm hospitality

    The cafe is run by a social enterprise and is one of the projects subsidised by the Social Welfare Department’s Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise Project (3E Project). It aims to provide an inclusive working environment for those with disabilities, so as to enhance their self-confidence.

    There are more than 30 staff members in the cafe and about 60% of them are persons with disabilities. Albert is one of them. He has been working at enterprises of the Fu Hong Society for six years and joined Madam Hong Cafe as a waiter about three years ago.

    Albert speaks English and Putonghua fluently and a little bit of French. He often recommends food to customers, even foreign visitors. To him, the most challenging part of the job is to handle complaints. He also shared his experience of encountering situations when children get too excited and romp about in the cafe. “My secret trick is to approach them with a big smile and remind them softly to be careful.”

    Employee empowerment

    The cafe’s supervisor Bobo Lau described Albert as a conscientious worker who is very attentive to the customers.

    Ms Lau said one of the reasons why it is not easy for people with disabilities to find a job is that many employers do not understand their needs. For example, people with disabilities need repeated guidance, encouragement and appreciation from others.

    “Moreover, some of them cannot work long hours. As such, I adjusted the duration of work shifts and assigned work according to their strengths so that each employee can give full play to their strengths.”

    Promoting equality

    The Social Welfare Department launched the 3E Project in 2001 with the aim of enhancing the employment of persons with disabilities through a market-driven approach and direct creation of more work opportunities. The project provides funding support to non-governmental organisations in setting up small enterprises or businesses to ensure people with disabilities can enjoy an inclusive working environment.

    The grant’s maximum amount is $3 million per application and at least half of the employees must be persons with disabilities.

    Enhancement measures were introduced in 2019 to provide further support. This includes additional funding for salary expenses for one employee in the preparatory stage and an extending funding support for salary expenses of employees with disabilities immediately after the funding period is over.

    As at the end of January 2025, a total grant of over $175 million was approved to set up around 140 businesses of different types, including retail, food and beverage as well as car wash and car care services. Approximately 1,430 jobs have been created and about 70% of them are especially for persons with disabilities.

    Social Welfare Department Senior Executive Officer (Marketing Consultancy) Christine Ngan noted that the objective of the Government’s rehabilitation policy is to help persons with disabilities to develop their physical, mental and social capabilities to the fullest extent, and to encourage them to integrate into the community. It also aims to acknowledge the equal rights of those with disabilities as members of the community.

    She said: ”Through the 3E Project, the Government aims to enhance the public understanding of the capabilities of persons with disabilities and encourage more employers to engage them. These will help them achieve self-reliance and integrate into the community.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: A Day At Sea Aboard The USS America

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    —————
    @USNavy sailors aboard the USS America conduct daily operations from the @US7thFleet #DYK The USS America is the fourth U.S. warship to be named after the United States of America.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
    —————
    Keep up with the Department of Defense on social media!

    Like the DoD on Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/DeptofDefense

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqy2eHxn6v0

    MIL OSI Video –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Shaheen, Warner, Reed, Kelly, and Reps. Himes, Smith release joint statement on European Security Announcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jack Reed (D-R.I), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee released the following statement about the announcement of a new European security agreement:

    “We applaud the bold new steps outlined by our European partners to strengthen their defense and stand with Ukraine on the frontlines of democracy. This historic announcement paves the way for more than $800b in additional defense investments across the continent and shows that the leaders of Europe are clear-eyed about the dangers we face and are willing to rise to the challenge. They understand that a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace rests on strengthening our collective defense and deterrence, particularly in the face of a growing alignment between our adversaries in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. 

    “This announcement also demonstrates Europe’s resolve in working to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Ukraine must come to the negotiating table from as strong a position as possible in pursuit of a deal that protects Ukrainian sovereignty, strengthens transatlantic security, and ensures that Putin and his fellow dictators understand that aggression will never triumph over the drive for freedom. Our own nation’s strategy towards Ukraine was driven by that reality. For the past three years, we’ve been helping Ukraine on the battlefield to ensure it has the strongest position at the negotiating table. We know Putin will only stop when we stop him, and Ukrainian troops have been bravely fighting and dying to achieve that goal without putting any of our own servicemembers in harm’s way. That must continue. Now, the Europeans, who have already contributed more to Ukraine’s war effort than we have, have pledged major increases in defense spending and investments and signaled that they will take the lead in crafting a package of security guarantees to give Ukraine the best chance to ensure their security and bring the war to an end. The United States is stronger and safer when we stand with our partners in Europe, and we must continue to do so.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: THIS is Aura – Army style!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

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

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

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

    #Soldiers #Military

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

    MIL OSI Video –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia: 8 March 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia: 8 March 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, this morning.

    The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese this morning.

    The Prime Minister began by expressing his support for all Australians affected by the Cyclone and paid tribute to the strength of the partnership between the two countries.

    He welcomed Prime Minister Albanese’s commitment to consider contributing to a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine and looked forward to the Chiefs of Defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

    The Prime Minister also reiterated the UK’s commitment to the AUKUS programme.

    The leaders agreed to stay in touch.

    Share this page

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    Updates to this page

    Published 8 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Indo-Pacific nations begin Exercise Sea Dragon 25

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    Pilots and aircrew from the participating countries will coordinate to build plans and discuss tactics incorporating their respective capabilities and equipment for ASW. The exercise will culminate in a final battle problem in the vicinity of Guam, during which participants will track a live U.S. Navy submarine.

    “I am eager for the opportunity to further develop our partnerships with Australia, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea during Sea Dragon 2025,” said LT Marshad Huq, officer-in-charge for the U.S. Navy (USN) detachment from VP 16. “The continued growth and increasing complexity of this exercise affords an opportunity to practice ASW tactics, techniques, and procedures with allies and partners.”

    Each event in the exercise will be assessed and graded, and the nation that scores the most points will receive the coveted Dragon Belt award. JMSDF began a three-year winning streak in 2022 and brought the belt back to Sea Dragon 2025 to defend the title once again.

    Exercise Sea Dragon has been held annually since 2019.

    The “War Eagles” of VP 16, part of CTF 72, are stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and are currently forward-deployed to Misawa Air Base in Misawa, Japan. The “Golden Swordsmen” of VP 47, also a part of CTF 72, are stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington, and are currently forward-deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. While deployed, both squadrons will conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance and theater outreach operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Strategic Command pushes for standardized data in Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations

    Source: United States Strategic Command

    Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.   –  

    United States Strategic Command, along with Department of Defense and industry leaders, made significant progress in identifying electromagnetic spectrum modeling, simulation and analysis data usability processes during a technical interchange meeting Feb. 19-20 in Los Angeles, California.

    The meeting, a third of its kind and led by USSTRATCOM’s Advanced Warfare Capabilities Division, focused on the need to strive for model-agnostic data, which is essential for interoperability and data reusability across different MS&A systems used by the DoD.

    Meeting participants identified a set of core data issues and potential paths forward, prioritizing solutions into four key areas, which they called “make-or-break” for data usability:

    1. Adhere to VAULTIS Principles: EMS data objects must strive to meet the following immutable data characteristics identified in the 2020 DoD Data Strategy: Visible, Accessible, Understandable, Linked, Trustworthy, Interoperable and Secure (VAULTIS).
    2. Data Re-use: Participants agreed that leveraging large language models (LLMs) will be essential for efficient data reuse and for simplifying alignment with the DoD Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy.
    3. Standardize Data Translation: LLMs can help translate disparate data objects into a globally re-usable format. Participants agreed that all EMS data objects should translate into Systems Modeling Language (SysML V2) format.
    4. Create a Centralized Data Hub: A centralized repository will be established to house all SysML V2 EMS data objects. This aligns with the 2020 DoD Data Strategy’s emphasis on enterprise-wide data access and availability.

    “Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations require data that meet the VAULTIS standards, and the work done here in modeling and simulation will help progress operational requirements,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. AnnMarie Anthony, Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center director, who has long focused on standardized EMS data.

    The Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division, a central USSTRATCOM mission partner for EMS MS&A, will provide a simple unclassified scenario, with corresponding mission threads. The scenario will serve as a baseline for all participants to test data objects and their integration within the disparate MS&A systems.

    U.S. Navy CAPT. Travis Wood, USSTRATCOM Advanced Warfare Capabilities’ division chief, acknowledged the project’s ambitious nature, emphasizing the need for close collaboration between LLM developers, service partners, and industry experts. He stressed the importance of rigorous verification and validation of the EMS data objects to ensure their accuracy and reusability.

    Mr. Tom Woods, USSTRATCOM’s lead for EMS campaign MS&A, also underscored the importance of common data.  

    “Data is king,” said Woods. “Ensuring we can all use the same EMS objects impacts not only how the EMS is visualized within a model, but it also ensures analysis cohesion. This is one step in a long road, but it’s an important step.”

    The EMS MS&A technical meetings are directly tied to accomplishing taskings within the 2020 Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy’s Implementation Plan and also support USSTRATCOM’s JEC mission.

    United States Strategic Command, a global warfighting command, deters strategic attack through a safe, secure, effective, and credible global combat capability and, when directed, is ready to prevail in conflict.

    Learn more about USSTRATCOM:

    United States Strategic Command: Peace is our Profession…(YouTube.com)

    About (stratcom.mil)

    Mission, Vision & Intent (stratcom.mil)

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Stealing COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits; Others Previously Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to illegally obtain over $570,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.

    Jose Tavares, 37, of Englewood, New Jersey, was convicted on Oct. 28, 2024, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch. Judge Kirsch imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court. Tavares’ conspirators, Yanira Abreu, 43, of Keasbey, New Jersey, and Christopher Valerio, 34, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, were each sentenced previously by Judge Kirsch in the same scheme.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    From July 2020 through February 2021, Tavares, Valerio, Abreu and others submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) through fictitious online profiles that they created using personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of other individuals without their consent. Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Tavares and his conspirators obtained debit cards with the illegally obtained funds totaling over $570,000, which they used for personal gain, including vacations, luxury retail purchases, and cosmetic surgery.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Tavares to 3 years of supervised release and ordered Tavares to pay in $570,077 in restitution.

    U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation that led to the sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                           ###

    Defense Counsel for Tavares: Jeffrey Simms, Esq. and Roberto Espinosa, Esq., of New Jersey.

    Defense counsel for Valerio: Kevin Roe, Esq., of New Jersey.

    Defense counsel for Abreu: John Russo, Esq., of New York.   

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Labrador Letter – Trump Admin Halts EMTALA Lawsuit Against Idaho

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Dear Friends,
    I’m pleased to share the Trump Department of Justice dismissed the previous administration’s attack on Idaho’s Defense of Life Act.  I have been fighting against the Biden Administration’s twisted interpretation of federal statutes to keep individual states from enacting pro-life laws for the last two years, and this dismissal is a welcome relief.  It shows we finally have an administration that respects the principles of Federalism and the sovereignty of states to enact their own laws and set their own standards.
    As a quick background, the Biden Administration sued Idaho’s Defense of Life Act in 2023, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision.  Idaho’s law says that abortions were not permitted unless in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother was in jeopardy.  The Idaho Supreme Court went on to clarify our law, saying that the decision to perform an abortion in an emergency situation was left to a doctor’s subjective, good-faith medical judgement, and that a danger to the mother’s life did not need to be either imminent nor did the doctor need to be certain.
    Instead of respecting the SCOTUS decision to put the issue of abortion back under state control, the Biden Administration manipulated a federal statute on the books, known as EMTALA – the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.  Biden’s DOJ insisted that providing abortions was a mandated function of any emergency room that accepts federal Medicaid payments.   EMTALA was designed to prevent hospitals from turning away patients who could not pay.  In fact, EMTALA language does not mention abortion.  Instead, the federal law refers to providing stabilizing treatment for both a mother and her unborn child – five times, actually.  Undeterred by reality, the Biden Administration pressed forward with a legal challenge to Idaho’s law, leading to the first Supreme Court showdown on abortion laws since the Dobbs decision.
    Last April, we fought the federal government to a standstill at the Supreme Court in Idaho v. United States, leaving Idaho’s law virtually intact.  We maintained there is absolutely no conflict between Idaho’s law and EMTALA, where the goal of both is to save lives.  SCOTUS remanded the case back to the 9th Circuit for more arguments since it was demonstrated there was no actual emergency circumstances claimed by the federal government that would require an abortion to stabilize a patient that would be somehow disallowed by Idaho’s very clear and straightforward law.
    But then November Fifth happened.  President Trump won a decisive victory across the country and pro-abortion activists and their attorneys began to worry that a new Department of Justice might not support the same creative interpretations of federal law that the Biden Administration had hung their hat on.  It turns out they were right.  This Wednesday, under the new leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ filed for a dismissal of the challenge of Idaho’s Defense of Life Act.  Idaho responded in kind by filing to dismiss our appeal that is sitting at the 9th Circuit.  I wish I could say that’s where the story ends, but in the legal profession, that is rarely the circumstance.
    Those same pro-abortion activists, lawyers and providers saw the writing on the wall.  Six days before President Trump’s inauguration they filed a similar challenge to Idaho’s law, led by St. Luke’s Health System.  St. Luke’s claimed they would suffer irreparable harm by having to instruct their doctors that Idaho’s law directs them to treat patients in emergencies without abortions unless necessary to save a woman’s life, according to a doctor’s subjective, good-faith medical judgement.
    This new suit from St. Luke’s is ongoing and is being heard by the very same Clinton-appointed federal judge that had blocked Idaho’s Defense of Life Act with the first EMTALA challenge from the Biden Administration.  I have every reasonable expectation that we will need to continue this fight via appeal, all the way back to the Supreme Court so we can settle this issue of EMTALA once and for all.
    As your Attorney General, I will always fight to protect the sovereignty of Idaho’s laws, the voice of the people, and for the protection of the unborn.  Through our laws, Idaho has chosen Life and I am proud to defend it, wherever that fight takes us.
    Best regards,

    Not yet subscribed to the Labrador Letter?  Click HERE to get our weekly newsletter and updates.  Miss an issue?  Labrador Letters are archived on the Attorney General website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister announces a change in the senior ranks of the public service

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the following change in the senior ranks of the public service:

    David Angell, currently Political Director and Assistant Deputy Minister, International Security and Political Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, becomes Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office, effective March 31, 2025.

    The Prime Minister also congratulated Stephen de Boer, Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office, as well as Jean-Guy Forgeron, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, on their upcoming retirements from the public service. He thanked them for their dedication and service to Canadians throughout their careers and wished them all the best in the future.

    Biographical Note

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Fast Rope Training

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    —————
    Fast Rope Training

    @marines with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit participate in a land-based training exercise at Fort Barfoot, Va., to strengthen both cohesion with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force and integration with @USNavy operations.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
    —————
    Keep up with the Department of Defense on social media!

    Like the DoD on Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/DeptofDefense

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

    MIL OSI Video –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Note to Correspondents: United Nations-African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security Holds its Twenty Fourth Consultative Meeting

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Joint Communiqué: United Nations-African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security Holds its Twenty Fourth Consultative Meeting

    Addis Ababa, 07 March 2025 — The United Nations-African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security held its Twenty Fourth consultative meeting on 17 February 2025, in Addis Ababa.

    The meeting reviewed the status of the partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) with an update on the implementation of the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. In this context, the meeting discussed peace and security developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Libya, Somalia, South Sudan and The Sudan, as well as discussions on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 adopted on 21 December 2023, and a follow-up on discussions on the security transition and the new African Union mission in Somalia.

    The AU Commission and the UN Secretariat were represented respectively by Commissioner Bankole Adeoye (Political Affairs, Peace and Security); and the Under-Secretaries-General Rosemary DiCarlo (Political and Peacebuilding Affairs), Jean-Pierre Lacroix (Peace Operations), Atul Khare (Operational Support), and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union. The meeting was also attended by other senior officials from the two Organizations. Ms. Minata Cessouma Samate, outgoing Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), addressed the opening segment of the meeting to acknowledge and expressed appreciation for the excellent collaboration with the United Nations during her tenure in office as Commissioner for Political Affairs (2017-2021), before its merger into the current Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, and in her current capacity as Commissioner for HHS.

    The Joint Task Force took note of the considerable progress achieved in the UN-AU partnership including with regional economic communities and mechanisms in Africa, together with international partners. These include sustained collaboration on support to AU peace support operations, early warning, prevention initiatives and coordinated support to national authorities for the conduct of timely, peaceful, and inclusive elections, as well as for the promotion and protection of human rights.

    The meeting welcomed efforts to deepen collaboration on operational support matters, including through joint learning and the exchange of knowledge and expertise. The meeting acknowledged the positive impact these efforts have had on mandate implementation across various operational contexts. Both Organizations emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration in support of mediation and to continue to prioritize their joint initiatives on the women, peace and security, youth for peace and security,  and the emerging climate, peace and security nexus agendas.

    On Libya, the Joint Task Force welcomed the appointment of Ms. Hannah Tetteh as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya. Participants also welcomed the establishment of a Libyan Advisory Committee to provide recommendations for resolving outstanding issues to enable the holding of national elections. The meeting noted the signing of the intra-Libya Reconciliation Charter as an important step in the process and underscored the imperative of UN-AU cooperation in advancing the Libyan political transition and national reconciliation.

    Regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Joint Task Force expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the eastern part of the country, which has brought the region to the brink of war, affecting the lives of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. The meeting reminded all parties of the responsibility to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law. The meeting recalled the initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis, including, lately, the Ministerial AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) session held on 28 January, the East Africa Community (EAC) Extraordinary Summit held on 29 January, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit held on 31 January, the Joint EAC-SADC Summit held on 8 February and the AU PSC session at the level of Heads of State and Government which convened on 14 February. The meeting deplored the fact that despite the urgent call for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities following the 8 February joint summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), hostilities continue as the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), pushes further into South Kivu and continues to assert military control over parts of North Kivu. The meeting called the M23 and RDF to respect the ceasefire agreement, immediately cease all hostile actions, and withdraw from occupied areas. The Joint Task Force further called on the RDF to cease support to the M23 and withdraw from DRC territory. It called for the immediate implementation of the joint EAC-SADC Summit decisions related to the opening of Goma airport and supply routes too humanitarian aid. The Task Force expressed its condolences for the UN blue helmets and the forces of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) killed in the line of duty, underscoring that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. It called on the M23 and RDF to lift all restrictions on the freedom of movement of United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and refrain any action that may impede the implementation of its mandated responsibilities. The Task Force commended H.E. President João Lourenço for progress achieved under the Luanda process and called for an immediate resumption of talks between the parties to the conflict. The Task Force reaffirmed its support to the Luanda and Nairobi processes and underscored that the implementation of the provisions of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region remains a critical pathway to durable peace and stability.

    On Somalia, the Joint Task Force highlighted the strong partnership between the AU and the UN in Somalia and the need for continued close cooperation to ensure support for Somalia in advancing state building priorities and in the security transition. The meeting noted that the potential hybrid application of resolution 2719 to the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia is essential to ensure the Mission’s predictable and sustainable financing and to protect and build on the security gains achieved in Somalia.

    The meeting welcomed progress achieved in the elaboration of the Joint AU-UN Roadmap for the Operationalization of resolution 2719 which was endorsed during the 8th UN-AU Annual Conference held on 21 October 2024. The meeting noted that while the roadmap is not a prerequisite for implementing resolution 2719, it serves as a framework for continuously strengthening the performance and impact of both the AU and the UN.

    On Sudan, the Joint Task Force expressed grave concern about the escalation of violence in the Sudan, including the increasing intercommunal tensions and ethnicization of the fighting in Darfur. The Joint Task Force reiterated its call on the warring parties to immediately cease fighting and take steps towards the lasting peace that the people of Sudan demand. The Joint Task Force urged continued efforts to ensure coordination in diplomatic initiatives to put an end to the conflict and support the Sudanese in embarking on an inclusive political process that will return Sudan to a democratic transition. The Joint Task Force reaffirmed the indispensable UN-AU partnership on Sudan which provides an anchor for a broad multilateral coalition to end the conflict. It was noted that there is need to work together to fulfil the provision of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) Act (2024) which requires the Chairperson of the AU Commission and the United Nations Secretary General to nominate three commissioners to be appointed to the CTRH.

    On South Sudan, there was consensus on the need for ongoing support and closer collaboration on the operationalisation of key institutions, including the national unified forces, the constitutional review process, as well as support to electoral management bodies. This is with the aim to ensuring forward momentum with regards to the Revitalized Agreement, while allowing for efforts to expand the peace process through the Tumaini Peace Initiative. 

    The next statutory meeting of the Joint Task Force will be hosted by the United Nations in New York at a date to be agreed by both Organizations.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Scores killed in ‘abhorrent attack’ on UN helicopter in South Sudan

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    7 March 2025 Peace and Security

    A UN helicopter attempting to evacuate wounded South Sudanese soldiers in the north of the country was attacked on Friday, killing a crew member and injuring two others.

    More than two dozen members of the South Sudanese military, including an injured General, were also reportedly killed when the UN mission (UNMISS) helicopter came under fire in Nasir, Upper Nile State.

    According to news reports, the helicopter later landed safely.

    The extraction was being carried out at the request of the signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which was signed as part of a commitment to end the civil war in the country.

    It was part of UNMISS’ efforts to help prevent violence in Nasir and de-escalate political tensions, following recent clashes between Government troops of the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) and armed youth which caused significant casualties and civilian displacement, according to the Mission.

    Call for accountability

    “The attack on UNMISS personnel is utterly abhorrent and may constitute a war crime under international law,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Head of UNMISS.

    He expressed deep regret over the loss of UNMISS personnel as well as the killing of the military evacuees, “particularly when assurances of safe passage had been received.”

    “UNMISS urges an investigation to determine those responsible and hold them accountable,” he added.

    Maintain commitments

    UNMISS called on all parties to refrain from further violence and for political leaders to urgently resolve tensions through dialogue – ensuring that the security situation in Nasir, and elsewhere, does not deteriorate.

    “It is vital that parties adhere to their commitment to uphold the ceasefire and protect the integrity of the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” the Mission stressed.

    History of tensions

    The attack comes amid ongoing instability in Upper Nile State, which has faced months of clashes and insecurity. Thousands have been displaced, while humanitarian access remains difficult due to terrain and armed activity.

    Violent clashes erupted in Nasir on 14 February between the SSPDF and armed youth, with heavy weapons reportedly used. According to UNMISS, the fighting led to casualties among both civilians as well as combatants.

    An UNMISS patrol also came under fire during the clashes, leaving a peacekeeper injured due to mortar shelling.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Postal Service announces stamps celebrating the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

    Source: United States Army

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service announces stamps celebrating the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on March 6, 2025.

    USPS full press release is located at USPS Announces Commemorative Stamps.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Readout of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher W. Grady’s Meeting with the U.K.’s Chief of the Defense Staff Adm. Sir Tony Radakin

    Source: US Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff

    March 7, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey provided the following readout:

    Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher W. Grady met with the U.K.’s Chief of the Defense Staff Adm. Sir Tony Radakin today at the Pentagon.

    During their meeting, Adm. Grady and Adm. Radakin discussed several items of mutual security concern between the U.S. and the U.K.

    The U.S. and U.K. are strong military partners and share a special relationship rooted in longstanding mutual support and cooperation.

    For more Joint Staff news, visit: www.jcs.mil.
    Connect with the Joint Staff on social media: 
    Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
    LinkedIn and Flickr.

    MIL Security OSI –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh interacts with women crew members of Navika Sagar Parikrama (NSP) II online on the eve of International Women’s Day

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh interacts with women crew members of Navika Sagar Parikrama (NSP) II online on the eve of International Women’s Day

    “Their courageous journey aboard INSV Tarini, tackling the immense challenge of circumnavigating the globe, stands as a beacon of Nari Shakti”: Raksha Mantri

    Posted On: 07 MAR 2025 7:02PM by PIB Delhi

    Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh interacted with the crew members of Navika Sagar Parikrama II (NSP II), Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A of the Indian Navy, through video conferencing today on 7 March, 2025 on the eve of International Women’s Day in New Delhi. Their sailing vessel INSV Tarini, currently in the South Atlantic Ocean at a distance of 450 nautical miles from the previous port of call Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, is heading to Cape Town, South Africa.

    During the interaction, the Raksha Mantri lauded the courage, dedication, and resilience of the NSP II crew, who have embarked on a challenging voyage of circumnavigating the globe, as part of India’s continued efforts to showcase Nari Shakti in high-endurance missions. He congratulated the crew for the remarkable milestones of crossing Point Nemo, the world’s most isolated waters and sailing through the Drake Passage, one of the most treacherous water bodies.

    On the eve of International Women’s Day, I interacted with the amazing crew of Navika Sagar Parikrama II. Their courageous journey aboard INSV Tarini, tackling the immense challenge of circumnavigating the globe, stands as a beacon of Nari Shakti. Their unwavering resilience,… pic.twitter.com/M20YzFer2F

    — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 7, 2025

    Raksha Mantri reiterated the government’s vision of a gender-inclusive armed force, encouraging more young women to aspire for careers in defence and adventure sports. He acknowledged the invaluable role of women in bolstering national security and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for women in the defence sector.

    Navika Sagar Parikrama II (NSP II) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Navy, aimed at circumnavigating the globe through a two-women crew on board.  NSP II symbolises India’s resolve to encourage women’s participation in maritime and defence sectors, fostering leadership and self-reliance.  The crew, comprising two women officers of the Indian Navy, underwent rigorous training in navigation, weather management, and ocean survival techniques before undertaking this prestigious journey, which was flagged off on 02 October 2024 at Goa by the Chief of the Naval Staff.

    The Ministry of Defence has been at the forefront of ensuring greater representation of women in the Indian Defence Forces. Various initiatives, including permanent commission opportunities, increased intake in the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA), and leadership roles in combat and aviation branches, have significantly contributed to a more inclusive force. 

    *******

    VK/SR/GC

    (Release ID: 2109200) Visitor Counter : 43

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    March 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pentagon Culls Social Science Research, Prioritizes Fiscal Responsibility and Technologies for Future Battlefield

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    Cost savings of more than $30 million in first year through discontinuation of 91 studies

    The Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) is scrapping its social science research portfolio as part of a broader effort to ensure fiscal responsibility and prioritize mission-critical activities. This initiative involves focusing resources on technologies essential for maintaining a strong national defense, aligning with the Administration’s commitment to efficient government and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. 

    The Department recognizes the value of academic research but – in response to President Trump’s Executive Orders and Secretary Hegseth’s priorities in his January 25, 2025, “Message to the Force” and January 29, 2025, Memorandum, “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” –  recognizes that funded research must address pressing needs to develop and field advanced military capabilities. Several studies are affected by this shift, including those focused on global migration patterns, climate change impacts, and social trends. Examples include:

    • The Climate-Food-Urbanization Nexus and the Precursors of Instability in Africa
    • Social and Institutional Determinants of Vulnerability and Resilience to Climate Hazards in the African Sahel
    • Anticipating Costal Population Mobility: Path to Maladaptation or Sociopolitical Stability 
    • Comparing Underlying Drivers of South-North Migration in Central America and West Africa
    • Democracy Quest
    • The Language of Parasocial Influence and the Emergence of Extremism 
    • Weaponized Conspiracies
    • Beyond the Clock: Understanding Cross-Cultural Temporal Orientation of Military Officers
    • Food Fights: War Narratives and Identity Reproduction in Evolving Conflicts
    • Future Fish Wars: Chasing Ocean Ecosystem Wealth

    The Department expects to see cost savings of more than $30 million in the first year through the discontinuation of 91 studies, including the examples listed above. 

    Secretary of Defense Hegseth has emphasized the importance of equipping the American military with the tools and capabilities necessary to deter adversaries and maintain a strong defense. This initiative directly supports that commitment by prioritizing investments in areas like hypersonic weapons development, AI-powered systems for enhanced battlefield awareness, and strengthening the domestic military industrial base.

    The realignment also reflects the Department’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and ensuring every dollar invested in defense generates the greatest possible return for the American people. By focusing on the most impactful technologies, the Department is ensuring the U.S. military remains the most powerful and advanced fighting force in the world.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 8, 2025
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