Source: United States Air Force
This historic collaboration marks the school’s first major engagement with academia in recent memory and is part of a broader effort to prepare future military test leaders for the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, data-driven systems, and autonomous technologies.
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 9:42PM by PIB Delhi
In the backdrop of India’s growing maritime partnerships and security initiatives, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is organizing a two-day international conference in collaboration with the Advanced Study Institute of Asia ( ASIA) at SGT University titled ‘Monsoon: The Sphere of Cultural and Trade Influence’. ‘Project Mausam’, is an Indian transnational initiative under the Ministry of Culture. This conference, exploring historical and cultural connections among Indian Ocean nations through maritime interactions, will highlight India’s central role in shaping trade, traditions, and connectivity across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The inaugural session of the conference began today at IGNCA, New Delhi, and will continue until 13th February 2025. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister Minister of Culture and Tourism, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, with a keynote address by Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and a welcome address by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA. Prof. Amogh Rai, Research Director, ASIA, SGT University, and Dr. Ajith Kumar, Director of Project Mausam, were also present during the inaugural session.
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, while speaking at the inaugural session, highlighted the deep interlinkages between India and the region, emphasising that India’s cultural influence across the Indian Ocean Region stems from its rich cultural, intellectual, and knowledge traditions. He noted that this influence stemmed not only from commerce and trade but also from India’s intellectual prowess and golden prosperity. He remarked that the footprints of India’s cultural impact are visible among those who came as students, monks, or even as aggressors, carrying with them the essence of India’s cultural progress, fostering diversity and unity over thousands of years. He also spoke about the unique vision of ‘Project Mausam’ to showcase a Transnational Mixed Route of Natural and Cultural Heritage, stating, “The world realises that culture is the factor that unites us all.”
The initiative is particularly timely, as India and France recently concluded their Maritime Cooperation Dialogue in New Delhi, agreeing on joint measures to assess and counter threats to maritime security in the IOR. These threats include piracy, maritime terrorism, smuggling, illegal fishing, hybrid and cyber threats, and marine pollution. Oman will also be hosting the 8th edition of the Indian Ocean Conference from February 16-17, focusing on ‘Voyages to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership’. Simultaneously, the Indian Navy’s 2025 capstone Theatre Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX) is underway, showcasing India’s preparedness in the Indian Ocean.
‘Project Mausam’ not only emphasizes India’s historical maritime influence but also resonates with the nation’s evolving geopolitical strategy in the region. The conference will focus on key themes such as ancient navigational routes, port city networks, and coastal settlements. By integrating tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the project highlights India’s continued leadership in fostering connectivity and maritime partnerships, contributing to UNESCO’s maritime heritage studies.
Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe in his address emphasised the cultural foundations of India-Southeast Asia relations, calling for intellectual and emotional investment to integrate Southeast Asia into India’s popular consciousness. Noting that cultural bonds need revitalisation, he highlighted the monsoon as a symbol of enduring connections and urged moving beyond Eurocentric perspectives. He advocated deepening cultural engagement through the Act East policy to ‘Attract East’ by strengthening cultural, strategic, and economic ties. He also called for reinforcing Dharma-Dhamma relations, reviving shared epics, promoting collaborative art and craft, advancing educational and technological exchanges, addressing climate change, and building linguistic bridges.
Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi said that IGNCA’s area studies in South and Central Asia led to the development of Vrihattar Bharat to explore cultural routes and linkages, expanding beyond the initially identified 39 countries. He noted that over 70 countries share cultural heritage with India. Emphasising international cooperation, as reflected in the G20 summit’s motto, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, he highlighted that IGNCA’s efforts were ongoing, with the conference serving as a catalyst to expand these studies.
Prof. Amogh Rai expressed his views on the monsoon as both a physical and cultural force, highlighting its role as a cultural multiplier and the conference’s potential for further research. Dr. Ajith Kumar concluded the inaugural session by extending a formal vote of thanks and emphasising the cultural unity between India and Southeast Asian countries.
IGNCA’s international conference aims to foster deeper cultural diplomacy, with academic collaborations and heritage conservation paving the way for future policy dialogues. This dialogue aligns seamlessly with India’s evolving maritime strategies and international partnerships.
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Sunil Kumar Tiwari
(Release ID: 2102534) Visitor Counter : 16
Source: Government of India (2)
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 7:54PM by PIB Delhi
The grand finale and prize distribution ceremony of the Defence Innovation Challenge for Excellence (DICE-2024) was organised during Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru on February 12, 2025. The competition witnessed an overwhelming response, attracting applications from 47 cities across 17 states. After rigorous screening across three levels, 24 start-ups advanced to the grand finale, with winners selected across three categories: Revenue Stage, Pre-Revenue Stage, and Idea Stage. These are:
Revenue Stage
Pre-Revenue Stage
Idea Stage
The grand jury panel for the finale featured senior officials from the Armed Forces, Distinguished Academicians, and seasoned industry leaders. Winners were awarded a total cash prize of Rs 6.50 lakh, along with exclusive incubation and seed funding opportunities through MAGIC. DICE-2024 was launched in October 2024 to identify and support cutting-edge solutions for critical defence challenges while enabling start-ups to transform their research into commercially viable technologies.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General (Electronic and Communication Systems), DRDO Dr BK Das emphasised the crucial role of initiatives like DICE-2024 in strengthening India’s defence innovation ecosystem. He said DRDO remains committed to supporting innovative start-ups that align with the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence. Challenges like DICE-2024 provide a crucial platform for breakthrough technologies, he added.
The event was organised by the Marathwada Accelerator for Growth and Incubation Council (MAGIC), and powered by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 3D Engineering LLP, with support from Start-up India, the Office of the Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, iDEX, and the Maharashtra State Innovation Society.
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SR/Savvy
(Release ID: 2102470) Visitor Counter : 54
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 7:24PM by PIB Delhi
“India is strategically poised to play a pivotal role due to the geostrategic position in the Indian Ocean for which indigenous capability was essential for peaceful coexistence and security in the region,” stated Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth during a seminar organised by Indian Navy on February 12, 2025 at Aero India 2025, Bengaluru. With the theme ‘Transition to Aatmanirbhar Indian Naval Aviation – 2047 and its Associated Ecosystem’, a vision document, ‘Indian Naval Aviation –Technological Roadmap 2047’ was unveiled by the Raksha Rajya Mantri with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi present during the seminar.
Shri Sanjay Seth stated that recent world conflicts have demonstrated that a credible defence force supported by a robust industrial base was key to a strong and vibrant nation. He urged all the stakeholders to remain steadfast and resolute in their efforts to provide innovative, indigenous and long-lasting solutions to complex problems through a productive & collaborative approach. He commended the Indian Navy’s efforts in formulating the technology road map 2047 towards becoming an ‘Aatmanirbhar’, agile, responsive and future ready force.
Raksha Rajya Mantri highlighted the fact that the technology roadmap being unveiled was not merely a book but a credible document towards realising the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ enunciated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The document would serve as a guiding beacon to indigenous defence R&D, DPSUs, Industry partners, MSMEs, Startups and academia and various stakeholders. He called for the necessity to reduce timeframes in design, development and deployment of systems.
Throwing light upon the power of Indian Navy, Shri Sanjay Seth stated that the last decade had witnessed the emergence of India as a reckonable economic power with the Indian Navy ranking among the top advanced navies of the world. He mentioned that the Indian Navy with over 60 warships under construction in various Indian Shipyards and over 39 indigenous ships & submarines having been commissioned in the last couple of years was a true ambassador of ‘Aatmanirbharta’. He exhorted the Indian Navy for their nation first attitude and commended the dedication and unrelenting efforts towards self-reliance.
Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi in his address stated that the ever-evolving nature of war fighting particularly in the air domain called for continual efforts and adoption of niche technologies in the aviation sector. He further highlighted that Aero India had been aptly themed as a runway to a billion opportunities as it offers a common platform to all stakeholders, R&D establishments, Industry, MSMEs, Startup and academia to exchange ideas; provide access to examine, evaluate & gain first-hand experience of advanced systems, technologies and equipment.
Chief of the Naval Staff bolstered the fact that the Indian Navy aviation was leapfrogging from traditional Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) roles to technology intensive tasks such as communication relay, jamming platforms, scientific research and SAR roles. He further stated that the futuristic design and development of fighters, helicopters, airborne systems, avionics and weapon equipment were all testimony to the relentless efforts and unwavering commitment of the Indian Navy to mission Aatmanirbharta and 100% self-reliance by 2047.
‘Aatmanirbhar Indian Naval Aviation – 2047’ seminar highlighted the priorities and objectives that will guide naval aviation in its growth over the next two decades by unshackling innovation, creating a conducive ecosystem to enable capability development by being a catalyst in the indigenous aviation technology revolution.
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VK/SR/KB
(Release ID: 2102455) Visitor Counter : 71
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 7:23PM by PIB Delhi
Induction ceremony for third 25T Bollard Pull (BP) Tug Ashva was held on 12 Feb 25 at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam in presence of Rear Admiral K Srinivas, ASD(V) as the Chief Guest.
These Tugs are a part of the contract for construction of six (06) 25T BP Tugs concluded with M/s Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), Kolkata on 12 Nov 21. These Tugs have been indigenously designed and built in accordance with relevant Naval Rules and Regulation of Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The Shipyard had successfully delivered two of these Tugs which are utilised by Indian Navy to provide assistance to Naval ships and submarines during berthing, un-berthing and manoeuvring in confined waters. The Tugs will also provide afloat fire fighting support to ships alongside or at anchorage and will also have the capability to conduct limited Search and Rescue Operations.
These Tugs are proud flag bearers of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of Government of India.
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VM/SKY 37/25
(Release ID: 2102454) Visitor Counter : 57
Source: Government of India (2)
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 7:13PM by PIB Delhi
Manthan 2025, the flagship annual defence innovation event, was held as part of Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru on February 12, 2025. Organised by the Innovations for Defence Excellence – Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) under the aegis of the Department of Defence Production, the event brought together stakeholders of the defence innovation ecosystem, including innovators, industry leaders, academia, incubators, investors, thought leaders, and senior government officials.
As part of the event, a Roundtable Conference was chaired by Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar. He stressed on enhancing India’s combat readiness through the adoption of futuristic technologies to secure a strategic advantage in defence. He emphasised that by integrating latest innovations into the defence strategy, the country can modernise its Armed Forces, strengthen its readiness for future combat scenarios, and maintain a technological edge over potential adversaries.
Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Chairman IN-SPACe, Axilor Ventures, SKEGEN Management Advisors, CMDs of major DPSUs, CEO Bharat Forge Defence & Aerospace and President, Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, ideaFORGE, Sagar Defence, NewSpace Research & Technologies Pvt Ltd and major Incubators including IITs and IIMs attended the roundtable.
The conference deliberated on emerging challenges and opportunities in the sector, with a focus on supporting defence start-ups & MSMEs, enhancing innovation capabilities and fostering strategic collaborations within the defence ecosystem. This was particularly relevant as iDEX-DIO has collaborated with leading investors and banks to accelerate defence innovation and enable ease of doing innovation.
Manthan 2025 stood as a testament to the scale and speed of iDEX, showcasing the rapid strides made in defence innovation and the pivotal role of startups in transforming India’s defence capabilities. It contributed to driving the self-reliance mission of the Ministry of Defence as the nation progresses towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.
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VK/Savvy
(Release ID: 2102448) Visitor Counter : 46
Source: Government of India (2)
“The time has come for the private industry to take a lead in defence manufacturing sector in India”
India’s indigenous ingenuity in defence manufacturing displayed through 33 state-of-the-art items at ‘Samarthya’ indigenisation event, first-of-its-kind at Aero India
Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 6:59PM by PIB Delhi
“India is going through a revolutionary phase of transformation and is moving towards becoming a global leader in defence innovation & aerospace technology,” said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing the Valedictory event of 15th Aero India in Bengaluru, Karnataka on February 12, 2025. Raksha Mantri stated that, at the beginning, holistic national empowerment was the underlying philosophy of the mantra of self-reliance given by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. “This philosophy gradually turned into our national spirit and now it is rapidly moving ahead to becoming a national resolution and national revolution,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh acknowledged the energy and enthusiasm being witnessed at Aero India 2025, stating that the growing participation of domestic & global exhibitors at the event and the breath-taking aerobatic performances by the Indian Air Force have made the 15th edition of Asia’s biggest aerospace and defence exhibition an unparalleled & historic event. He expressed optimism towards deeper and meaningful engagements amongst participating defence and aerospace companies.
Elaborating on the drastic change being witnessed in the field of defence manufacturing in the country, Raksha Mantri expressed appreciation over the fact that while 65-70% of defence equipment was imported a decade ago, today almost the same percentage of weapons/platforms are being manufactured on the Indian soil. “Today, we are at a juncture where many defence products, including fighter jets, missile systems & naval vessels, are not only protecting our borders, but also catching the attention of the world. From small artillery to large platforms like Brahmos and Akash missile system, we are exporting a variety of products to many countries. We have forged new partnerships at the global level, which has resulted in increased defence exports,” he added.
Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that India possesses a strong defence industrial complex, comprising 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), 430 licensed companies & about 16,000 MSMEs. He underlined that, with its current share of 21% in total defence production, the private sector is playing an active role in achieving the goal of self-reliance. He listed out the policies being constantly rolled out by the Government for the progress of both public and private sectors, including the revision of Defence Acquisition Procedure and the launch of initiatives/schemes such as Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) and Technology Development Fund (TDF). The time has come for the private industry to take a lead in the defence manufacturing sector in India, he said.
Raksha Mantri stressed on the fact that, in addition to the public & private sectors, the Armed Forces play the biggest role in the country’s pursuit of self-reliance. “National security is of utmost importance and there is no scope for any compromise. Nothing less than the best can be allowed when it comes to national security. Be it the equipment for our soldiers or provision of proper amenities for them & their families, providing them the best in everything is our national responsibility. I am happy to say that today our forces are not only being equipped with the ‘best’ weapons/technologies, they possess the platforms manufactured in India,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh appreciated the Armed Forces for their full trust in indigenously-manufactured defence products. “The military has wholeheartedly adopted weapons and equipment manufactured in the country. Only with the complete satisfaction of our Armed Forces can we move ahead to achieve self-reliance at a faster pace. The huge Defence Industrial Complex being built in India is based on the trust and faith of all our forces,” he said.
Raksha Mantri reiterated the Government’s commitment to constantly increase defence preparedness, keeping in mind the dimensions of warfare emerging today. He said Aero India 2025 has shown the potential that the future of Indian defence and aerospace sector is not just limited to the skies, but beyond it. He expressed gratitude to everyone for participating in the 15th Aero India, and hoped that it sows seeds of many collaborative, mutually beneficial and successful ventures & alliances amongst the participants.
Earlier, Shri Rajnath Singh graced ‘Samarthya’ indigenisation event, which was first-of-its-kind at Aero India. It showcased India’s indigenous ingenuity in defence manufacturing through 33 major items including 24 of DPSUs, DRDO & Indian Navy and nine successful innovation projects of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX).
The items included ELECTRO BLOCK of Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun, Electric Mobile Part for submarine, Torsion Bar Suspension of HMV 6×6, Extruded Al alloy for components of LCA MK-I/II, LCH, Indian High temperature alloy (IHTA) Forged, Solution Annealed & Machined Billet, VPX-135 Single Board Computer, Muzzle Bore Sight of Tank T-90, RudraM II MISSILE, Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Short Range, C4ISR System, DIFM R118 Electronic Warfare Systems, Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast Receiver, Next-Generation Electric Ferry, Computerised Pilot Selection System, Counter measures for illegal drones (RF Jammer Guns), 4G/LTE TAC-LAN, Generation of Quantum Secure Keys between two nodes connected directly over 200 Kms) QKD – Armos, Abhed1 Secure Hardware based offline Encryption, Advanced autonomous systems for the armed forces, Attack surface monitoring tool, AI/ Ml Based Analytical and Decision Support Platforms (DeepDarshak), Smart Compressed Breathing Apparatus, Fire Wire for IFDSS, Portable RCS measuring device, Penetrator Assy for 125mm FSAPDS, Pilot Parachute PSU-36 for SU-30MKI, Knock out Engine (KOE) Charge for Konkurs-M missile, Diffusion Technology based Drivers Night Sight for BMP II and 30mm Six Barrel AO-18 Gun for AK630M Naval Gun.
During the event, three booklets – Coffee Table Booklet ‘Samarthya’ on Indigenisation; Compendium of Problem Definition Statement (CPDS) i.e. 2025 and Booklet of HQ IDS – were released by Raksha Mantri. The Coffee Table Booklet provides an overview of the indigenisation journey led by the Department of Defence Production. The Booklet of HQ IDS offers insights into conducting multi-domain operations in a data-centric environment, in the backdrop of emergence of new & transformative technology.
The CPDS aims to bridge the gap between the operational challenges of the Indian Army and the innovative solutions offered by academia, industry start-ups and research institutions. It contains 82 Problem Statements across 11 functional domains of warfare, including AI, communications, electronic warfare, situational awareness, survivability, mobility, armament, unmanned systems, cyber, logistical challenges etc. It also includes problem statements for Indigenisation/ import substitution to reduce our import dependency for certain components or assemblies of legacy equipment.
The CPDS is a structured approach where the Army identifies and documents critical operational challenges and provides a platform for the Indian defence ecosystem to engage directly while accelerating the research and deployment of cutting-edge technologies tailored to the Army’s needs. The detailed guidelines elaborating on the procedure for submitting responses and evaluation criteria have been included in the Compendium available for download in the Army Design Bureau webpage of Indian Army website.
During the event, employees and associated industry partners of the DPSUs, DRDO, Services, who have contributed immensely in the indigenisation of the displayed items were felicitated during the event. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth; Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan; Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi; Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi; Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh; Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh; Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar were among those who attended the event.
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VK/Savvy
(Release ID: 2102439) Visitor Counter : 52
Source: European Parliament
On 18 February, the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) will hold an exchange of views with Robert DE GROOT, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), on the Bank’s role in strengthening European defence. This discussion is particularly timely after the recent informal European Council retreat discussions on the need to enhance the financing of European Defence. …
SEDE Members will also have an exchange of views with Marcos PERESTRELLO, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). This item will be held jointly with the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (DNAT).
Source: US State of North Carolina
Headline: Prominent Civil Rights Attorney James Walker Jr., to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker
Prominent Civil Rights Attorney James Walker Jr., to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker
jejohnson6
James Robert Walker Jr., a prominent civil rights attorney from northeastern North Carolina, soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.
The marker commemorating Walker will be dedicated during a ceremony at the New Ahoskie Missionary Baptist Church (410 West Hayes St., Ahoskie, N.C.) on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. The marker will be installed at the intersection of U.S. 13 and N.C. 42 in Ahoskie.
Born in 1924 as the first of eight children, Walker grew up in Ahoskie, in a family of educators with advanced degrees and the grandson of a preacher. He served in World War II and earned his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University, after being honorably discharged from the United States Army.
Walker later became the first of two Black graduates from any program at UNC-Chapel Hill, having graduated from its law school in 1952. He returned to his native northeastern North Carolina and became a grassroots civil rights attorney, namely waging battles in the realm of voting rights across a six-county area (Halifax, Northampton, Warren, Bertie, Hertford, Gates).
Walker was the principal organizer and president of the Eastern Council on Community Affairs. This group advocated for Black representation in local and state governing bodies, including town councils and state legislatures. It also opposed bills for school separation or segregation.
Walker became the first Black member of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, the school’s debating and literacy society, and the oldest student organization on the campus. The state’s NAACP also recognized him with its Distinguished Service Award for his efforts in civil rights. In 1961, he was the keynote speaker for the National Lawyers Guild in Detroit, Michigan, and in 1978, was named Lawyer of the Year by the same organization.
Walker died in 1997.
For more information about the historical markers, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/07/10/james-walker-jr-1924-1997-96, or call (919) 814-6625.
The Highway Historical Marker Program is a collaboration between the N.C. departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Jensen, Associate professor, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, University of Canberra
Hate speech on X was consistently 50% higher for at least eight months after tech billionaire Elon Musk bought the social media platform, new research has found.
The research looked at the prevalence of overt hate speech including a wide range of racist, homophobic and transphobic slurs.
The study, published today in PLOS ONE, was conducted by a team of researchers led by Daniel Hickney from the University of California, Berkeley.
It clearly demonstrates how a platform initially invented to help friends and family stay in touch has now metamorphosed into a place where hate speech is prolific. This is especially concerning given hate speech online has been linked to violent hate crimes offline.
On October 27 2022, Musk officially purchased X (then known as Twitter) for US$44 billion and became its CEO. His takeover was accompanied by promises to reduce hate speech on the platform and tackle bots and other inauthentic accounts.
But after he bought X, Musk made several changes to the platform to reduce content moderation. For example, in November 2022 he fired much of the company’s full time workforce. He also fired outsourced content moderators who tracked abuse on X, despite research showing social medial platforms with high levels of content moderation contain less hate speech.
The following month, Musk also disbanded the platform’s Trust and Safety Council – a volunteer advisory group of independent human rights leaders and academics formed in 2016 to fight hate speech and other problems on the platform.
Previous research has shown hate speech increased on X immediately after Musk took over. So too did the prevalence of most types of bots.
This new study is the first to show that this wasn’t an anomaly.
The study examined 4.7 million English language posts on X from the beginning of 2022 through to June 9 2023. This period includes the ten months before Musk bought X and the eight months afterwards.
The study measured overt hate speech, the meaning of which was clear to anyone who saw it – speech attacking identity groups or using toxic language. It did not measure covert types of hate speech, such as coded language used by some extremist groups to spread hate but plausibly deny doing so.
As well as measuring the amount of hate speech on X, the study also measured how much other users engaged with this material by liking it.
The researchers’ access to X data was cut off during the study due to a policy change by the platform, replacing free access to approved academic researchers with payment options which are generally unaffordable. This significantly hampered their ability to collect sample posts. But they don’t mention whether it affected their results.
The study found “a clear increase” in the average number of posts containing hate speech following Musk’s purchase of X. Specifically, the volume of posts containing hate speech was “consistently” 50% higher after Musk took over X compared to beforehand – a jump from an estimated average of 2,179 to 3,246 posts containing hate speech per week.
Transphobic slurs saw the highest increase, rising from an average of roughly 115 posts per week before Musk’s acquisition to an average of 418 afterwards.
The level of user engagement with posts containing hate speech also increased under Musk’s watch. For example, the weekly rate at which hate speech content was liked by users jumped by 70%.
The researchers say these results suggest either hate speech wasn’t taken down, hateful users became more active, the platform’s algorithm unintentionally promoted hate speech to users who like such content – or a combination of these possibilities.
The study also detected no decrease in the activity of inauthentic accounts on X. In fact, it found a “potential increase” in the number of bot accounts partly based on a large upswing in posts promoting cryptocurrency, which are typically associated with bots.
There were a number of limitations to the study. For example, it only measured hate speech posts in English, which accounts for only 31% of posts on the platform.
Even so, the study is an important, data-driven deep dive into the state of X. It shows it is a platform where hate speech is prolific. It also shows Musk has failed to fulfil his earlier promises to address problems on X such as hate speech and bot activity.
As Musk himself said at the White House earlier this week: “Some of the things I say will be incorrect and should be corrected”.
Michael Jensen receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Bayer, and the Australian Department of Defence Science and Technology Group.
– ref. Hate speech on X surged for at least 8 months after Elon Musk takeover – new research – https://theconversation.com/hate-speech-on-x-surged-for-at-least-8-months-after-elon-musk-takeover-new-research-249603
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 12, 2025
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) outlined his serious concerns with Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence ahead of her confirmation vote. Durbin began his remarks by highlighting the history of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was established after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
“[September 11 led to the creation] of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the 18 intelligence agencies that span the CIA, Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, and others. It is now essential to modern safety in America. But yet, the President—Donald Trump—has selected a person who has little or no experience to lead this critical part of America’s security apparatus: her name is Tulsi Gabbard,” Durbin said.
“During President Trump’s first term, he made clear his fondness for certain leaders of the world that are controversial such as Viktor Orban of Hungary, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea. So, he ends up picking a person to run America’s intelligence network who shares similarly terrible judgment on critical security matters. Tulsi Gabbard is infamous fordefending despots and other autocratic leaders in the world—including Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad—and traitors to the United States such as Edward Snowden. And her fondness for these oppressive, anti-democratic regimes does not go unreciprocated—they know her [and] they like her,” Durbin continued.
Durbin then highlighted examples on the floor of the anti-democratic regimes who are cheering for Ms. Gabbard’s confirmation—including hosts of Russian media who believe her nomination will “dismantle America,” and some on Russian state channels have even referred to her as their “girlfriend.” Russian state TV also called her a Russian “comrade” in President Trump’s emerging cabinet. A pro-Putin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev once called Gabbard “our friend.” Later, when asked if she was “some sort of Russian agent?” Soloviev replied: “yes.” In a profile in a Russian state newspaper, it said of Gabbard’s nomination: “The C.I.A. and the F.B.I. are trembling,” noting that Ukrainians consider her “an agent of the Russian state.”
“Imagine that. The person tapped to head America’s intelligence community—being called a puppet of an adversary’s country by that very same country. It seems too ridiculous to be true. But I’m sorry to say it is. To merely join America’s intelligence community—never mind lead it—candidates must go through vigorous background checks and earn security clearances… If Tulsi Gabbard was applying for an entry-level position, her relationship with Russia would disqualify her for the job. Why, then, would we trust her to [head the entire intelligence network] given the examples that abound of Tulsi Gabbard proving publicly, shamelessly, and carelessly her sympathies for nations that undermine U.S. interests and security. That is unexplainable and irresponsible,” Durbin continued.
“Our allies depend on us as much as we depend on their security and to share critical intelligence. Now, they are looking at us in disbelief that we would let someone like Tusli Gabbard with such an appalling record anywhere near the leadership of the intelligence community. Intelligence professionals from Canada and the United Kingdom—which are members of the critical Five Eyes intelligence alliance along with the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand—have expressed concern about even working with her if she is in charge. In order to keep Americans safe throughout the world, we need to have the trust of our allies,” Durbin said.
Durbin then spoke about the impacts Ms. Gabbard’s confirmation would have on supporting our Ukrainian ally and their defense against Russia. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Gabbard has taken Russia’s side—claiming ‘Russia had legitimate security concerns,’ and blaming NATO, one of our most significant security alliances.
“Let me be clear: Supporting democracies has not historically been a partisan matter,” Durbin continued. “For example, contrast Tulsi Gabbard’s nonsense with former President Ronald Reagan’s clear-eyed understanding of the danger of the communist Russian empire. Nearly 40 years ago, he stood at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin and famously challenged the Soviet Union to ‘tear down this wall.’ Reagan understood the true nature and threat of the Russians. And we have all seen the horrific costs of Russia’s war in Ukraine and increasing attacks against NATO allies.”
“Is there a deal to be made to end this war? Perhaps. But doing so must be with the best intelligence available—a clear eye about who we are negotiating with and long-term guarantees of the security of Ukraine, of Europe, and the transatlantic alliance. One would think that any American president navigating such difficult waters would want a top official to serve as the head of National Intelligence. Tulsi Gabbard fails that test,” Durbin said.
Durbin concluded, “Tulsi Gabbard would not be qualified for an entry-level position within our intelligence community. And she is not qualified to lead it. Period. Some of the President’s cabinet nominees are hard to imagine because they are so unqualified. But for the position of DNI—putting someone unqualified in charge is not funny at all. It is life or death dangerous.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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Source: United States Department of Defense
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: How’s it going everybody? Sir. Good to see you. It’s been a great day, really. Any day we can spend with the troops from the very early morning of PT with some high speed guys and gals to two COCOMs that are right in the front lines of advancing American interests. Proud to be here today.
Just an impressive display of what Americans are doing in far flung places for the American people, so proud to be here for sure. I think we have a local — where’s our local reporter? I’d like to go first to our local.
Q: Thank you so much. So —
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Where are you from?
Q: I’m from Suddeutsche Zeitung. That’s the second biggest newspaper in Germany.
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, it’s my favorite now.
Q: And you are visiting Africom as one of your first points in your duty. Does that mean that the American strategic aims in Africa are going to change?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I think it’s a reflection of the importance of that command as well as EUCOM. We spent this morning at EUCOM, as well; made sense to come to both if we’re here in Germany.
But it’s also a reflection that, you know, the PRC’s intentions are pernicious, not just in their part of the world, but also in South America and on the African continent. And America’s posture there along with allies and partners is going to matter about contesting that space. So, it certainly remains a priority.
You saw the strike in Somalia on February 1st. That — as we talked to the command, that’s a reflection also of pushing decision authority down, untying the hands of war fighters who in the previous administration made multiple requests and were often denied for that kind of kinetic action, or the decision had to be made at the White House when it should be made at the four star level or at the Secretary of Defense level more quickly based on the ability to degrade the enemy.
So, this is a very important part of the world for us. The President feels that way, as well, and we’re honored to be here. Thank you.
Q: Mr. Secretary, are you planning to cut the number of American forces in Europe, shift to the Pacific and focus on China?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: There are no plans right now in the making to cut anything.
There is an understanding that we’re going to review force posture across the world, right. President Trump’s planning assumptions are different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions than Joe Biden’s were. We certainly don’t want to plan on the back of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and what happened on October 7th and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine.
You have to manage and mitigate those things by coming alongside your friends in Israel, ensuring their defense and peacefully resolving the conflict in Ukraine. But those shouldn’t define how we orient and with hopefully a rapid peace deal in Ukraine, which the President is committed to delivering, we can then review force posture and encourage as we’re going to — you’re going to see tomorrow in Ukraine and — or at the Ukraine Contact Group and the NATO ministerial, we’re going to have straight talk with our friends.
This kind of urgency of this moment requires friends talking to friends about capabilities, about leadership, about stepping up, about burden sharing and the incentives to say the European continent deserves to be free from any aggression.
But it ought be those in the neighborhood, investing the most in that collective — individual and collective defense. That’s common sense. As the President talks a lot about, common sense is you defend your neighborhood and the Americans will come alongside you in helping in that defense. If and when that happens, and I believe it will because of President Trump, most NATO countries are already close to 2 percent.
We believe that needs to be higher. The president has said 5 percent. I think he’s right. That’s a reflection of a need to invest on the continent. If and when that happens through investments in the defense industrial base, as well, then yes, America as the leader of the free world defending American interests is going to need to make sure we’re focused properly on the Communist Chinese and their ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, and as I mentioned before, around the world.
So, we would be remiss in not reviewing force posture everywhere, but it would be the wrong planning assumption to say, oh, America is abandoning something or America is leaving. No, America is smart to observe, plan, prioritize and project power where we need to deter conflict. We don’t want conflict with China.
We don’t want — the President has ran on being a peace president, and he’s delivered that. But being strong, peace through strength is how you deter that, and we want to posture for that just like we believe the Europeans alongside our support need to on the continent, as well.
Q: Is China the biggest threat to the United States?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, right now, the biggest threat was securing our own border, which we are addressing rapidly. And I’m proud of what NORTHCOM has done and the Defense Department has done is shifting there. You don’t have a country if you don’t have borders, as the President has pointed out. And we’ve been defending other people’s borders for a long time; time to defend ours. So we’re sealing that border. We continue to do that. But as far as external threats, there’s just no doubt the communist Chinese ambitions are robust. Their view of the world is quite different than ours. And whoever carries that mantle is going to set the tone for the 21st century.
UNKNOWN: Christine —
Q: You made the point to do PT with tenth group this morning on very little sleep. Why was it so important for you to do this? And tell us about the workout?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: I did do PT with the troops this morning. Listen, it’s not that long ago that I was right there with them. I probably — no offense, General — I probably connect more with those guys than I do with four-star Generals. But now I get the chance of working with four stars and others who are committed to the troops.
But when I can get down, do push ups and deadlifts with the troops, and just hear from them, what’s working, what isn’t, how do you see your mission set, I love that. So there was never a doubt. even though we got in at 2:00 in the morning, that we were getting up a couple hours later to go do PT. It’s a reminder that — you guys — the press in Washington might think I’m young, but in military terms, I’m old.
And that showed this morning with these young guys who ran circles around me in that parking lot.
UNKNOWN: We’ll [Inaudible] then Zach.
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Go ahead.
Q: Thanks for doing this. Uh, you mentioned earlier that President Trump wants, uh, NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense. Do you think the US should also spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I think the US needs to spend more than the Biden administration was willing to, who historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military. So the president is committed, as he was in the first term, to rebuilding America’s military by investing. And you’re going to see that in the conversations on Capitol Hill.
We’ve already been intimately involved with the folks on HASC and SASC and appropriations, talking about the capabilities we’re going to need, not just next year and the year after that or for the next four years, but for power projection going forward and then the reforms needed to make sure that every dollar goes further.
Now at a minimum, we should not go below 3 percent. That’s a view I know the President shares. But as far as going forward in that, those are decisions he will make based on my consultations with him. Listen, any defense secretary would be lying if they said they didn’t want more. You always want more.
But we live in fiscally constrained times where we need to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. We’re $37 trillion in debt. That’s a national security liability, as well. So, we’re going to work with Capitol Hill. The President is going to lead the way on making sure the troops have the resources they need and that we truly rebuild our military just like President Trump did in the first term.
Q: And President Biden — President Biden vowed against sending US troops into Ukraine. Would you be open to sending US troops into Ukraine to track weapons shipments?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: We are not sending US troops to Ukraine.
Q: You talked about wanting to welcome Elon Musk and DOGE into the Pentagon potentially in the next few weeks. Do you expect him to start unilaterally cutting programs and contracts the way he’s done at USAID and other agencies? And are there any limits or supervision you’d want to place on his team, given his conflicts of interest [Inaudible]?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, we’ve been in touch with — I’ve been in touch with Elon Musk, who’s a great patriot, interested in advancing the America First agenda, knows that President Trump got 77 million votes and a mandate from the American people. And part of that is bringing actual businesslike efficiency to government; hence, what DOGE is doing.
Uh, we’ve been talking to them, in partnership with them. And as I said on social media, we welcome DOGE to the Pentagon, and I hope to welcome Elon to the Pentagon very soon and his team, working in collaboration with us. There are waste, redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed.
There’s just no doubt. Look at a lot of the climate programs that have been pursued at the Defense Department. The Defense Department is not in the business of climate change, solving the global thermostat. We’re in the business of deterring and winning wars. So, things like that we want to look for to find efficiencies and many others – the way we acquire weapons, system procurement.
There’s plenty of places where we want the keen eye of DOGE, but we’ll do it in coordination. We’re not going to do things that are to the detriment of American operational or tactical capabilities. There’s just — President Trump is committed to delivering the best possible military. The Defense Department is not USAID. USAID has got a lot of problems that I talked about with the troops, pursuing globalist agendas that don’t have a connection to America First.
That’s not the Defense Department, but we’re also not perfect, either. So where we can find billions of dollars — and he’s right to say billions — inside the Defense Department, every dollar we save there is a dollar that goes to warfighters, and that’s good for the American people.
Q: [Inaudible] Mr. Secretary, Since we’re here at AFRICOM, I have a question about Africa. Now when you served, you fought jihadists in the Middle East, and there’s a lot of jihadists in Africa, whether it’s ISIS, al-Qaida, al-Shabab, go on and on. How do you plan to handle that threat?
I’m not saying put troops on the ground in Africa to fight them, but are you concerned that there could be some sort of cell that might be plotting attacks against other parts of the world, trying to recruit soldiers because it’s Africa with a growing population? How concerned are you about the jihadist threat in Africa today?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Definitely concerned. I mean, anybody of our — anybody of my generation that served in Iraq and Afghanistan or have been a part of post-9-11 understands the threat of global jihad, especially the desire to export that against our allies in Europe or Israel or certainly the United States of America. So the counterterrorism threat focused on those who would seek to do us harm is of the highest priority, which is why you saw what AFRICOM did so well in that strike in Somalia.
Where we see those growing, plotting or planning with increased capabilities we will strike. And that pertains to Islamist organizations all across the continent. But it also — we have to work with partners and allies. I mean, foreign internal defense and security force assistance — I was with Green Berets this morning.
You know, we think of Green Berets in the context of post-9-11, right – kicking down doors, and they’re really good at that. But what they’re best at is doing security force assistance and foreign internal defense where they work with local security forces to build up their capabilities so that it’s indigenous forces fighting Islamists because they want to secure their country, as well.
And AFRICOM is very directly committed to doing that. That’s a mission very much worth resourcing. I mean Africa is very much the front lines of a fight from Islamists. You’ve got Christian populations that are under siege in Africa and have been ignored for far too long and American interests there. It matters a great deal. And Islamists — we’re not going to allow them to maintain a foothold, especially to try to strike at America.
UNKNOWN: We’re going to finish up with two questions from these two [Inaudible].
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Ok. One more here and then here.
Q: John Barrowman, Stars and Stripes. Also related to AFRICOM and Somalia, during the end of President Trump’s first term, he elected to pull forces out of Somalia and switched to more of a rotational concept.
President Biden sent troops back in there on a full time basis. What’s your vision going forward for Somalia? Do you want to maintain troops there continuously, or are you looking more towards pulling them back?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I mean, I’m going to listen to the commanders on the ground, first and foremost, as is the President.
And he’s charged me with, hey, give me your best advice, but also keep your ear to the ground of what’s most effective. But he’s also been very clear that we’re not trying to have American boots all over the globe. Where we can do counterterrorism effectively over the horizon, that’s the preference. But we’ll review the force posture there and with the generals doing the heavy lifting and take it into consideration, no doubt.
But thankfully, we have the intelligence capabilities to do the kind of strike that we saw, and we believe we can do more of that.
UNKNOWN: Last question.
Q: So — so you renamed the name of Fort Liberty into Fort Bragg, and you honored the private first class who lost his life while liberating Germany. What does that mean for the US forces?
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, first, it means Bragg is back. It means the legacy of an institution that generations of Americans have mobilized through and served at is back.
I mean, it’s a shame what was done to vets, service members, their families who were born there, deployed out of there, lived there, gave there — I was with airborne troops here, some of which spent 25 years at Fort Bragg and never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn’t Fort Liberty, it’s Fort Bragg.
And so I was honored to be able to put my signature on that. By the way, with the support of the President of the United States who set the tone on this and said, I want Fort Bragg back.
And we’re honored to support a private first class who received a Purple Heart and the Silver Star at the battle of the bulge. We’re honoring a private first class and I’m proud that we have a Marine corporal as the vice president of the United States too. Junior enlisted have never seen better days. But it’s about that legacy.
It’s about the connection to the community, to those who served. And we’re not, as the President has said and I’ve said as well, we’re not done there. There are other bases that have been renamed that erodes that very same legacy. There’s a reason I said Bragg and Benning when I walked into the Pentagon on day one.
But it’s not just Bragg and Benning. There are a lot of other service members that have connections and we’re going to do our best to restore it. It’s an honor to do so. Thank you all for your time. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT) (“Red Cat”), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, today announced it has entered into an agreement for up to $20 million and closed on the initial tranche of $16.5 Million in debt financing with The Lind Partners, a New York based institutional fund manager (“Lind”). Details of the agreement include:
Additionally, Red Cat has applied for $58 million in debt financing from the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital (OSC). OSC implements strategies and partnerships to accelerate and scale private investment in critical supply chain technologies needed for national security. They have identified 14 critical technology areas vital to maintaining the United States’ national security. These have been grouped into three categories as found in the 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.
The investment is expected to provide Red Cat with the working capital needed to scale up production and the ongoing development of its Arachnid Family of Systems, which includes Black Widow™, Edge 130, and a new line of FANG™ First-Person View (FPV) drones. The goal of the Family of Systems is to meet the needs of the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO Allies for drone systems that are low-cost, portable, field repairable, and recoverable.
“The recent financing will allow us to expedite and expand the Edge 130 factory and build-out and ramp up mass production of the Black Widow,” said Jeff Thompson. Red Cat CEO. “As a company focused on technology that advances the Department of Defense capabilities, we are a strong candidate for the Office of Strategic Capital’s low-cost debt program. The potential total financing of $93 million is the least dilutive option for our shareholders.”
About Red Cat, Inc.
Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT) is a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations. Through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Teal Drones and FlightWave Aerospace, Red Cat has developed a Family of Systems. This includes the Black Widow™, a small unmanned ISR system that was awarded the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record contract. The Family of Systems also includes TRICHON™, a fixed wing VTOL for extended endurance and range, and FANG™, the industry’s first line of NDAA compliant FPV drones optimized for military operations with precision strike capabilities. Learn more at www.redcat.red.
About The Lind Partners
The Lind Partners manages institutional funds that are leaders in providing growth capital to small- and mid-cap companies publicly traded in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. Lind’s funds make direct investments ranging from US$1 to US$30 million, invest in syndicated equity offerings and selectively buy on market. Having completed more than 150 direct investments totaling over US$1.5 Billion in transaction value, Lind’s funds have been flexible and supportive capital partners to investee companies since 2011.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on Red Cat Holdings, Inc.’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the final prospectus related to the public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Red Cat Holdings, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
Contacts:
INVESTORS:
E-mail: Investors@redcat.red
NEWS MEDIA:
Indicate Media
Phone: (347) 880-2895
Email: peter@indicatemedia.com
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are introducing bipartisan legislation to protect a higher-quality veterans’ experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Improving Veteran Experience Act would lock into law the Veterans Experience Office (VEO), making it an official fixture to help meet the increased demand for services.
Founded in 2015, the VEO collects veterans’ feedback through surveys and uses that data to continuously improve the VA’s website and other resources used by veterans interacting with the VA. Currently, the VEO is not formally established within the VA, so this service’s long term future is at risk of being cut or changed despite its usefulness to the veteran community. In order to protect the office from being disbanded or reconsidered by future administrations or Congressional sessions, the Improving Veteran Experience Act would codify the VEO into law so it can continue to provide consistent and quality care into the future.
“When I was Governor, I would regularly call our constituent relations hotlines to make sure we were delivering for Maine people; my thinking is that customer service doesn’t have to be a private sector mentality. Our veterans consistently and courageously answered the call of duty when serving and we owe it to them to have the VA positioned to help them access their hard-earned benefits,” said Senator King. “Establishment of a Veterans Experience Office (VEO) is foundational to helping our veterans get the proper care and support they deserve from the VA. The bipartisan Improving Veteran Experience Act will lock in the VEO and better guarantee we continue to deliver on our promise to veterans — whether it’s 20 days after rejoining civilian life or 20 years.”
“The brave men and women who have selflessly served our country deserve the highest-quality health care, services and benefits,” said Senator Cornyn. “The Veteran’s Experience Office helps the VA deliver tailored, efficient customer service to our veterans, and I’m glad to support this legislation to make it permanent.”
Representing one of the states with the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he has worked to ensure that veterans have access to jobs and training after separating from military service. He has previously cosponsored bipartisan legislation to provide veterans with job opportunities in the trucking industry. In 2024, Congress passed Senator King’s bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and benefits. He has been among the Senate’s most prominent voices on the need to address veteran suicide, and has repeatedly pressed for action from top Department of Defense (DoD) officials on this issue. Last summer, Senator King introduced the Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act to help reduce suicides among veterans by providing firearm lockboxes and bolstering mental health training for VA caregivers. He also contributes to the Veterans History Project, a Library of Congress initiative to collect and preserve the stories of American veterans; he most recently interviewed a 101-year-old World War II veteran from Millinocket, Maine. Senator King uses this interview series to learn and share the stories of the lives, service and sacrifices of Maine’s veteran community.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement today on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence:
“The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand. When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a key participant in the process that informs every major national security decision the President makes. The ODNI wields significant authority over how the intelligence community allocates its resources, conducts its collection and analysis, and manages the classification and declassification of our nation’s most sensitive secrets. In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust.
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment.
“Edward Snowden’s treasonous betrayal of the United States and its most sensitive lawful intelligence activities endangered sources, methods, and lives. Japan is among America’s closest treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, and the risk of conflict in the region is the product of Chinese aggression, not western ‘threat inflation’. Russia’s escalation of its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine threatens American interests and is solely the responsibility of Vladimir Putin.
“Entrusting the coordination of the intelligence community to someone who struggles to acknowledge these facts is an unnecessary risk. So is empowering a DNI who only acknowledged the value of critical intelligence collection authorities when her nomination appeared to be in jeopardy.
“Beginning today, the brave men and women of America’s intelligence community will turn to Director Gabbard for principled leadership and sounder judgment in the service of America’s interests and national security. I join all of them in hoping that she rises to the immense responsibilities of her office.”
Source: United States Navy
U.S. 6th Fleet held a joint celebration of its 75th anniversary and the Navy’s 250th birthday onboard its flagship, the Blue Ridge-Class Command and Control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) Feb. 12, 2025.
Originally named U.S. Naval Forces, Mediterranean, U.S. Sixth Fleet was established February 12th, 1950. Sixth Fleet provides credible combat forces to Europe and Africa, promoting regional security and stability to ensure safety for the world’s oceans and sea lanes.
“As we mark the 75th anniversary of the U.S. 6th Fleet, we honor the enduring legacy of our Sailors, past and present, who have worked tirelessly to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Mediterranean,” said Vice Adm. J.T. Anderson, Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet. “Sixth Fleet has been a cornerstone of U.S. Naval presence in Europe and Africa and we remain committed to defending our nation’s interests and upholding the principles of freedom and security that have guided us since our founding.”
Sixth Fleet has enhanced transatlantic security through support to NATO, building partnership capacity and working with partners to promote trade and freedom, stop unlawful activity at sea, and ensure enduring relationships with allies.
This year’s celebration coincides with the 250th birthday of the U.S. Navy, on Oct. 13. For 250 years, America’s Navy has promoted prosperity and security, deterred aggression, and protected the American way of life. The U.S. Navy, through Sixth Fleet, deploys its force of combat-ready Sailors, alongside Allies and partners, in waters and coasts throughout Europe and Africa.
Gaeta served as the home of U.S. Sixth Fleet from 1967-2005 when it was united with U.S. Naval Forces Europe in Naples, Italy. One of the Navy’s first visits to Gaeta came in 1849 when Pope Pius IX visited former flagship USS Constitution. It marked the first time a Pope stepped foot on sovereign U.S. territory.
Mount Whitney became Sixth Fleet’s flagship when it transited to Italy and relieved USS LaSalle (AGF 3) in 2005. The ship’s current Commanding Officer, Capt. Colin Price, assumed command Jan. 31.
“Mount Whitney has proudly served as the Sixth Fleet Flagship for the last 20 years,” Price said. “Our ship and crew enables the Sixth Fleet Commander to lead both U.S. and NATO forces at sea and deliver decision advantage to Vice Adm. Anderson and his staff. We’re honored to be a part of this team and to play a role in writing the next chapter in the Sixth Fleet’s storied history.”
Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered remarks on the Senate floor yesterday opposing President Donald Trump’s nominee Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard was confirmed with solely Republican votes this morning.
In his speech, Senator Coons highlighted how Gabbard’s confirmation poses a significant threat to the trust that is the foundation of our national security. He also raised significant concerns about Gabbard’s troubling past statements and actions undermining U.S. foreign policy. From defending whistleblower Edward Snowden, to blaming the U.S. and NATO for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to defending recently deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad—Senator Coons pointed out these actions make America less safe and are directly opposed to the efforts of our intelligence services. Gabbard has also become a favorite with Russian state media for her habit of spewing pro-Kremlin talking points.
“Our nation faces massive threats that are growing day by day,” Senator Coons said on the floor. “Our nation is facing threats around the world from North Korea and Iran, from China and from Russia, and we need an intelligence service equipped to respond to these challenges. Can we trust Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence services and to respond to these threats? I cannot, we cannot, and we should not.”
At a time when the United States faces an increasingly hostile world and threats from Russia, China, Iran, and other adversaries, Senator Coons believes our nation needs intelligence leadership that protects and strengthens American interests. Gabbard has shown she is not up to this role, and the Senate should have rejected her nomination.
A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ comments are available below.
WATCH HERE.
SENATOR COONS: Mr. President, trust––trust is at the very center of our national security. The trust that we share with allies and partners around the world, the trust that the American people have in us and in our armed services and in our intelligence services, the trust that vital allies have that causes them to share with us information about threats, challenges, opportunities—that’s the very foundation of our national security, and today I rise to warn my colleagues about the risks to our national security posed by the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence.
As the Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I have a significant involvement in our nation’s intelligence apparatus, and over the course of the confirmation hearings and the debate here on the floor about former Congresswoman Gabbard, I’ve concluded that she has an alarming record, revealed more fully in her confirmation hearings, but also in a review of her speeches, her travels, her positions as a Democrat, as a Congresswoman, as a candidate for president, as a supporter for President Trump.
She has gone quite a distance. She has defended Edward Snowden. Snowden is widely viewed by folks in our intelligence community, our national security apparatus, our armed forces, and many here as a traitor who betrayed some of the most important secrets that are critical to keeping the United States secure. She would not in her confirmation hearings answer the question: is Edward Snowden a traitor?
Ms. Gabbard bemoaned the rise of [Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham] in Syria, which recently overthrew the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad, without mentioning the fall of Assad. She mentioned how tragic it was that HTS overran Damascus, without mentioning the side benefit of the fall of a brutal dictator, and in her confirmation hearings repeatedly dodged questions about FISA and section 702, key tools for our intelligence community. All of this is in keeping with a long-standing record as an apologist for authoritarians and even enemies of the United States. She has repeatedly blamed the United States and NATO for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
I will tell you as someone who is about to go to the Munich Security Conference this weekend with a broad and bipartisan delegation from this body and from the House, I will never forget being at the Munich Security Conference just before Russia invaded Ukraine, broad spectrum.
They had been in Eastern Ukraine for years. They had occupied Crimea and then launched a war into the eastern part of Ukraine. It was days after the Munich Security Conference in February of 2022, that tens of thousands of Russian troops, whole divisions, poured over the line in a broad-spectrum invasion that included brutality against civilians, bombardment of the entire nation, ultimately—cruel acts of violence against women and children, fully documented in the press and courts around the world. And yet, Ms. Gabbard blamed the United States and NATO for provoking this invasion by Russia of a sovereign nation––a nation where the United States, in writing, guaranteed its sovereignty in the 1994 agreement that led to them giving up their nuclear weapons.
Ms. Gabbard visited Syria and met with Bashar al-Assad for several days in 2017 and relied on pro-Assad sources to cast doubt on the use of chemical weapons against his own people. She has a history of repeating pro-Kremlin talking points and is a favorite on Russian state media. She appears frequently because she frequently is attacking the United States in Russian state media.
Mr. President, this body will all too soon take up the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard. We should not proceed. We should not vote for her. Our nation—our nation faces massive threats that are growing day by day. Our nation is facing threats around the world from North Korea and Iran, from China and from Russia, and we need an intelligence service equipped to respond to these challenges. Can we trust Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence services and to respond to these threats? I cannot, we cannot, and we should not. This body should not vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the next Director of National Intelligence. Thank you.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Evelyn Namakula Mayanja, Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Carleton University
At a recent summit in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, leaders of eight African states released a statement calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The statement comes after a flareup in fighting in eastern DRC that has killed hundred and wounded thousands.
On Jan. 31, 2025 the rebel group known as the March 23 Movement (M23) captured the city of Goma in the eastern DRC. At a news conference, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance that includes M23, declared that they were there to stay and would march to the DRC’s capital of Kinshasa.
The World Health Organization reported 900 bodies had been recovered from the streets of Goma, with about 3,000 people injured and thousands forced to flee. The Congolese government said that it had started burying more than 2,000 people and thousands had been displaced.
On Feb. 4, 2025, the Congo River Alliance declared a ceasefire. This isn’t the first time M23 attacked Goma and then declared a ceasefire. The renewed violence is the latest in a long-running conflict in the region that has grown to involve local militias, regional countries and foreign companies seeking to exploit Congo’s mineral wealth.
M23 is an armed group made up predominantly of ethnic Tutsis. It emerged as an offshoot of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), which disbanded in March 2009 after the Goma peace agreement. The agreement stipulated the integration of CNDP soldiers into Congo’s military and police, while its political wing would be recognized as an political party.
However, a faction within the CNDP disapproved of the Goma agreement and created a militia group in 2012 that came to be known as M23. A United Nations group has said senior government officials from Rwanda and Uganda have provided M23 with weapons, intelligence and military support.
Multiple reports from the UN Group of Experts on the DRC have noted Rwanda’s and Uganda’s support for M23 and other militias such as the Alliance of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo Zaire, the Congolese Rally for Democracy and the CNDP.
The roots of the conflict lie in the history of Belgium’s colonial rule of the region that pitted the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups against each other. In 1956, ethnic tensions in Rwanda forced many Tutsis to seek refuge in Congo (then Zaire), Uganda, Tanzania and beyond.
Tutsis who fled to Congo and Uganda were not accorded full citizenship rights, and this led to resentment.
In the mid-1990s, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni collaborated with Congolese rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila to create the AFDL. The group waged the First Congo War from October 1996 to May 1997 that ended with the overthrow of the DRC’s long-time ruler, Mobutu Sese Seko. Kabila became president.
Kagame and Museveni fought along with Congolese Tutsis to assert their citizenship once the war ended. However, when Kabila turned against his backers, it led to the waged Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003, with Rwandan and Ugandan-backed militas fighting against the DRC government.
M23 claims that it wants to defend the interests of Congolese Tutsis, and to protect them against the Congo government and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
The FDLR was implicated in orchestrating the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed 800,000 people, most of whom were Tutsi. The FDLR has been based in eastern Congo since 1996, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front, led by Kagame and others, pushed them out of Rwanda.
Fear of the FDLR was one of the drivers for the First Congo War. In a recent interview with CNN, Kagame said:
“If you want to ask me, is there a problem in Congo that concerns Rwanda? And that Rwanda would do anything to protect itself? I’d say 100 per cent.”
Before the fall of Goma in February 2025, M23 captured mineral-rich areas like Rubaya, the largest coltan mine in the Great Lakes region; Kasika and Walikale, where there are numerous gold mines; Numbi, which is rich with tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold; and Minova, which is a trade hub.
In December 2024, a UN expert group noted that M23 exported about 150 tonnes of coltan to Rwanda, and was involved with Rwanda’s production, leading to “the largest contamination of mineral supply chain.”
One of the central dynamics of this conflict is the control and profit from natural resources. The DRC is rich in minerals and metals needed around the world, including the critical minerals used in the technology and renewable energy industries.
The World Bank has noted that the “DRC is endowed with exceptional mineral resources.” However, administration of the sector is dysfunctional and handicapped by insufficient institutional capacity.
This problem is exacerbated by the interference of neighbouring countries, foreign corporations and their international backers who destabilize the DRC to balkanize and control resources.
Ending the M23 insurgency requires taking Tutsi citizenship seriously. Politics researcher Filip Reyntjens has argued that any peaceful transition in the DRC needed to take regional countries seriously. He emphasized:
“By turning a blind eye to Rwanda’s hegemonic claims in eastern Congo, the future stability of the region remains in doubt. Rwanda may once again, in the not too distant future, become the focal point of regional violence.”
A factor contributing to the violence is the lack of measures to ensure ceasefires are respected by different parties engaged in conflicts. In addition, armed groups and their backers have not been effectively prosecuted. A 2010 UN mapping report describes 617 alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights between March 1993 and June 2003. No perpetrators have never been prosecuted.
Furthermore, there must be strong international efforts to prevent conflict minerals from getting into international supply chains. M23 and other militias smuggle Congo’s minerals through regional neighbours, where they are considered conflict-free.
Tech giants that rely on these minerals must do more to scrutinize where they come from. Equally, all of us, as consumers of products made from the DRC’s minerals, must demand accountability.
Read more:
Overcoming racism depends on respect for every person’s dignity
It’s usually only men who participate in such talks. Women, who endure the brutality of sexual violence and other human rights violations, must be represented in peace and security talks.
In his 2018 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Congolese physician and human rights activist Dr. Dennis Mukwege noted that:
“What is the world waiting for before taking this into account? There is no lasting peace without justice. Yet, justice in not negotiable. Let us have the courage to take a critical and impartial look at what has been going on for too long in the Great Lakes region.”
To effectively respond to the plight of the people of eastern Congo will take more than situational and short-term intervention. National, regional and international parties must negotiate peaceful and just access to minerals. Peace and security in Congo will happen when sectarian and partisan politics is replaced with commitment to democracy, sovereignty and peoples’ well-being.
Evelyn Namakula Mayanja receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada and Carleton University.
– ref. M23’s capture of Goma is the latest chapter in eastern Congo’s long-running war – https://theconversation.com/m23s-capture-of-goma-is-the-latest-chapter-in-eastern-congos-long-running-war-248833
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and a number of their Senate colleagues in a letter demanding that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) perform its essential work supervising and investigating violations of consumer financial protection laws and taking forceful enforcement actions against scammers and payday lenders. This letter comes on the heels of an ill-advised move by the Trump administration to shutter the CFPB, which collects, investigates, and monitors consumer complaints about financial products and services, and provides relief to consumers who have been wronged by unscrupulous financial providers.
As a consumer watchdog, the CFPB looks out for Americans’ financial wellbeing, preventing scams and holding offenders accountable. This is especially true for servicemembers, veterans, and their families, Since the agency’s inception, the CFPB has returned over $21 billion back to consumers who have fallen victim to abusive and illegal activity.
“This morning, in your capacity as Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), you issued a directive to employees to cease all work without your express written approval. This includes investigations, supervision, enforcement, and litigation activities, as well as all stakeholder engagement and public communications. This decision leaves all Americans susceptible to predatory lending and other abusive practices, but in particular, it eliminates protections that prevent servicemembers from being exploited,” wrote the senators.
In this letter, the Senators also express The Trump Administration’s decision to stop supervision, enforcement, and litigation eliminates key protections enacted by Congress through the Military Lending Act (MLA) and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to protect servicemembers, who are disproportionally targeted by predatory lenders and schemes, and often face greater financial risks than civilian borrowers due to the nature of their military service. The financial and legal protections in these bipartisan laws – most notably a temporary reduction in interest rates on mortgages, credit cards, and auto loans – are critical to national defense and military readiness.
“Nullifying the MLA and imperiling servicemembers’ rights under the SCRA will degrade military readiness, cost taxpayers money, and tarnish servicemembers’ records. The Department of Defense (DOD) has stated that ‘high-cost debt can detract from mission focus, reduce productivity, and require the attention of supervisors and commanders.’ Morale suffers when servicemembers and their families are trapped in cycles of debt. And taxpayers are on the hook when our servicemembers leave the military due to avoidable personal issues like financial insecurity. According to DOD, each separated servicemember costs the Pentagon more than $58,000,” they continued.
“Accordingly, we request that the CFPB continue to supervise and investigate violations of the consumer financial protection laws and take forceful enforcement actions against lenders that violate the law, especially when it comes to predatory lending that harms our military readiness. We also request that the CFPB continue to make public communications to consumers, especially to servicemembers regarding the rights that they are owed under the SCRA,” the letter concluded.
In addition to Sens. Warner and Reed, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Edward Markey (D-MA).
A copy of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Director Vought:
This morning, in your capacity as Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), you issued a directive to employees to cease all work without your express written approval. This includes investigations, supervision, enforcement, and litigation activities, as well as all stakeholder engagement and public communications. This decision leaves all Americans susceptible to predatory lending and other abusive practices, but in particular, it eliminates protections that prevent servicemembers from being exploited.
This funding, supervision, enforcement, and communications freeze will hit military families especially hard. Without a functional CFPB, military families will be stripped of their financial protections under the bipartisan Military Lending Act (MLA) that they have earned and deserve by serving our Nation. The CFPB is the primary agency responsible for supervising and enforcing the MLA against nonbank financial companies, including payday lenders, pawnshops, and debt collectors who have charged servicemembers interest rates as high as 600% and who have threatened to derail their careers if they do not pay up.
The agency’s supervision and enforcement program has delivered concrete results for the military. The CFPB has resolved 39 cases involving harm to servicemembers and veterans, returning $363 million to victims, including six enforcement actions for violations of the MLA. Two additional MLA cases are currently pending in court, alleging that a pawn shop and an installment lender charged sky high interest rates to military families and engaged in deceptive practices to illegally harvest fees. With these cases frozen, no supervision, staff locked out, and additional enforcement off the table, unscrupulous lenders will exploit these circumstances to engage in additional predatory lending. The actions that you have taken since being installed as Acting Director betray our servicemembers and empower scammers who want to rip them off.
Further, recent CFPB research identified a long-running pattern of lenders failing to decrease servicemembers’ interest rates while on active duty as required by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). These failures cost servicemembers thousands of dollars per year. The CFPB’s public communications have held lenders accountable and helped servicemembers exercise their rights under Federal law.
Nullifying the MLA and imperiling servicemembers’ rights under the SCRA will degrade military readiness, cost taxpayers money, and tarnish servicemembers’ records. The Department of Defense (DOD) has stated that “high-cost debt can detract from mission focus, reduce productivity, and require the attention of supervisors and commanders.” Morale suffers when servicemembers and their families are trapped in cycles of debt. And taxpayers are on the hook when our servicemembers leave the military due to avoidable personal issues like financial insecurity. According to DOD, each separated servicemember costs the Pentagon more than $58,000.
Accordingly, we request that the CFPB continue to supervise and investigate violations of the consumer financial protection laws and take forceful enforcement actions against lenders that violate the law, especially when it comes to predatory lending that harms our military readiness. We also request that the CFPB continue to make public communications to consumers, especially to servicemembers regarding the rights that they are owed under the SCRA.
We request your commitment no later than February 12, 2025. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Source: United States Department of Defense
Good afternoon, friends.
Thank you, Secretary Healy for your leadership, both in hosting and now leading the UDCG.
This is my first Ukraine Defense Contact Group. And I’m honored to join all of you today.
And I appreciate the opportunity to share President Trump’s approach to the war in Ukraine.
We are at, as you said Mr. Secretary, a critical moment. As the war approaches its third anniversary, our message is clear: The bloodshed must stop. And this war must end.
President Trump has been clear with the American people – and with many of your leaders – that stopping the fighting and reaching an enduring peace is a top priority.
He intends to end this war by diplomacy and bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the table. And the U.S. Department of Defense will help achieve this goal.
We will only end this devastating war – and establish a durable peace – by coupling allied strength with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.
We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.
Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.
A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.
This must not be Minsk 3.0.
That said, the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.
Instead any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.
If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission. And they should not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact.
To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine.
To further enable effective diplomacy and drive down energy prices that fund the Russian war machine, President Trump is unleashing American energy production and encouraging other nations to do the same. Lower energy prices coupled with more effective enforcement of energy sanctions will help bring Russia to the table.
Safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO. As part of this Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.
Members of this Contact Group must meet the moment.
This means: Donating more ammunition and equipment. Leveraging comparative advantages. Expanding your defense industrial base. And importantly, leveling with your citizens about the threat facing Europe.
Part of this is speaking frankly with your people about how this threat can only be met by spending more on defense.
2% is not enough; President Trump has called for 5%, and I agree.
Increasing your commitment to your own security is a down payment for the future. A down payment as you said Mr. Secretary of peace through strength.
We’re also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must – and we are – focusing on security of our own borders.
We also face a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognizing the reality of scarcity, and making the resourcing tradeoffs to ensure deterrence does not fail.
Deterrence cannot fail, for all of our sakes.
As the United States prioritizes its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front.
Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific respectively.
In my first weeks as Secretary of Defense, under President Trump’s leadership, we’ve seen promising signs that Europe sees this threat, understands what needs to be done, and is stepping up to the task.
For example, Sweden recently announced its largest ever assistance package. We applaud them for committing $1.2 billion in ammunition and other needed materiel.
Poland is spending 5% of GDP on defense already, which is a model for the continent.
And 14 countries are co-leading Capability Coalitions. These groups are doing great work to coordinate Europe’s contributions of lethal assistance across eight key capability areas.
These are first steps. More must still be done.
We ask each of your countries to step up on fulfilling the commitments that you have made.
And we challenge your countries, and your citizens, to double down and re-commit yourselves not only to Ukraine’s immediate security needs, but to Europe’s long-term defense and deterrence goals.
Our transatlantic alliance has endured for decades. And we fully expect that it will be sustained for generations to come. But this won’t just happen.
It will require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on the continent.
The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defense partnership with Europe. Full stop.
But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency. Rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.
Honesty will be our policy going forward – but only in the spirit of solidarity.
President Trump looks forward to working together, to continuing this frank discussion amongst friends, and to achieve peace through strength – together.
Thank you.
Source: United States Department of Defense
Department of Defense Spokesman John Ullyot provided the following readout:
On February 9, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to affirm the strong partnership between the United States and Jordan and to discuss opportunities to advance shared interests. The Secretary expressed his appreciation for over 75 years of diplomatic ties between the United States and Jordan and for Jordan’s leadership in promoting security and stability in the Middle East.
US Senate News:
Source: The White House
class=”has-text-align-center”>BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
1. On January 19, 2018, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to me a report on his investigation into the effect of imports of aluminum on the national security of the United States under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (section 232). The Secretary found and advised me of the Secretary’s opinion that aluminum is being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.
2. In Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), I concurred in the Secretary’s finding that aluminum was being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States, and decided to adjust the imports of aluminum articles by imposing a 10 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from most countries. Proclamation 9704 further stated that any country with which the United States has a security relationship is welcome to discuss alternative ways to address the threatened impairment of the national security caused by imports from that country, and noted that, should the United States and any such country arrive at a satisfactory alternative means to address the threat to the national security such that I determine that imports from that country no longer threaten to impair the national security, I may remove or modify the restriction on aluminum articles imports from that country and, if necessary, adjust the tariff as it applies to other countries, as the national security interests of the United States require.
3. In Proclamation 9704, I also directed the Secretary to monitor imports of aluminum articles and inform me of any circumstances that in the Secretary’s opinion might indicate the need for further action under section 232 with respect to such imports. Pursuant to Proclamation 9704, the Secretary was authorized to provide relief from the additional duties, based on a request from a directly affected party located in the United States, for any aluminum article determined not to be produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality, or based upon specific national security considerations. Proclamation 9776 of August 29, 2018, and Proclamation 9980 of January 24, 2020, similarly authorized the Secretary to provide relief from certain tariffs on other aluminum products and derivatives set forth in those proclamations.
4. In subsequent proclamations, the President adjusted the tariffs applicable to aluminum articles imports from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the European Union (EU), and the United Kingdom (UK), after engaging in discussions with each of those parties on alternative ways to address the threat to the national security from such imports.
5. The Secretary has informed me that, notwithstanding the 10 percent ad valorem tariff imposed by Proclamation 9704 that mitigated the threatened impairment of our national security, aluminum imports into the United States have continued at unacceptable levels as the global aluminum excess capacity crisis continues. In addition, the exclusion of certain countries and products from the tariff and efforts by foreign producers to circumvent the tariff have undermined the purpose of Proclamation 9704, which was to adjust the level of imports of aluminum to remove the threatened impairment of the national security. This has again resulted in aluminum smelter capacity utilization rates in the domestic aluminum industry that are well below the target level recommended in the Secretary’s January 19, 2018, report. This indicates that the initial tariff of 10 percent ad valorem is not high enough to address the threatened impairment to our national security posed by aluminum imports.
6. In particular, the Secretary has informed me that global primary aluminum capacity has continued to increase, fueled by expansions in the People’s Republic of China (China) and South America, which is seen in rising aluminum imports that continue to weigh on the price domestic aluminum producers may charge. There has also been a significant increase in Chinese investment in Mexico, driven by massive Chinese government subsidies and the continued ability to exploit loopholes in U.S. trade policy.
7. Domestic aluminum producers have been forced to idle additional production and shut down facilities. Two primary aluminum smelters within the United States have closed since Proclamation 9704 was promulgated. In addition, U.S. primary aluminum production decreased by 30 percent from 2020 to 2024, and U.S. smelter capacity utilization was only 52 percent in 2024. Overcapacity for primary aluminum has harmed downstream aluminum producers, including producers of aluminum extrusions and aluminum sheet. To allow U.S. aluminum producers to restart production and to incentivize new capacity, additional adjustments to section 232 tariffs on aluminum need to be made, including limiting exemptions and increasing the tariff rate.
8. The Secretary has informed me that imports of aluminum articles from countries that are excluded from the tariff regime or have alternative arrangements have remained significantly elevated at levels that once again threaten to impair the national security of the United States. The volume of U.S. imports of aluminum articles from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, EU countries, and the UK in 2024 was approximately 14 percent higher than the average volume of such imports in 2015 through 2017. In particular, the volume of U.S. imports of primary aluminum from Canada in 2024 was approximately 18 percent higher than the average volume for 2015 through 2017.
Notwithstanding Proclamation 10782 of July 10, 2024, which imposed higher tariffs on certain aluminum imports from Mexico, imports of aluminum from Mexico have continued to surge beyond historical volumes. The volume of U.S. imports of aluminum articles from Mexico in 2024 was approximately 35 percent higher than the average volume for 2015 through 2017. Proclamation 10782 did not resolve the surge of imports of aluminum from Mexico. Mexican producers are using unfair trade to gain market share in the United States and are leveraging their access to unfairly traded global primary aluminum to do so. I understand that Mexican producers are commingling primary aluminum from China and the Russian Federation (Russia) with primary aluminum from other countries to produce downstream aluminum articles. These practices are distortive and provide continued outlets to absorb the massive amount of global excess capacity and must be remedied. The volume of U.S. imports of primary aluminum from Australia has also surged and in 2024 was approximately 103 percent higher than the average volume for 2015 through 2017. Australia has disregarded its verbal commitment to voluntarily restrain its aluminum exports to a reasonable level.
9. These volume increases occurred even though demand for aluminum in the United States and Canada (the market measured by industry) has generally remained flat, averaging about 20 percent since 2018.
10. These increasing import volumes support the conclusion that aluminum producers in countries subject to the additional ad valorem tariff proclaimed in Proclamation 9704 are engaging in transshipment or further processing of upstream aluminum products in countries that have since been exempted from that tariff. Foreign producers have shifted assembly or manufacturing operations to third countries, such as Mexico. For example, Chinese producers are using Mexico’s general exclusion from the tariff to funnel Chinese aluminum to the United States through Mexico while avoiding the tariff.
11. The Secretary has informed me that producers in countries that remain subject to the ad valorem tariff have continued to evade the tariff by processing covered aluminum articles into additional downstream derivative products that were not included in the additional ad valorem tariffs proclaimed in Proclamation 9704 and Proclamation 9980. Foreign producers are continuing to expand downstream production to absorb the global excess capacity. Imports of additional derivative aluminum products have increased significantly since the issuance of Proclamation 9704 and Proclamation 9980, eroding the domestic industry’s customer base and resulting in depressed demand for aluminum articles produced in the United States.
12. The Secretary has also informed me of the impact of the product exclusion process authorized by Proclamation 9704, Proclamation 9776, and Proclamation 9980 and implemented by subsequent regulations. This process has resulted in exclusions for a significant volume of imports, in a manner that undermines the purpose of the section 232 measures and threatens to impair the national security of the United States. Certain general approved exclusions remain in effect for entire tariff lines of aluminum imports, notwithstanding the domestic industry’s potential to produce many excluded products.
13. I determine that these developments and modifications to the original tariff regime as proclaimed in Proclamation 9704 have undermined the regime’s national security objectives by preventing the domestic aluminum industry (including derivatives) from achieving sustained production capacity utilization of at least 80 percent, as determined in the Secretary’s January 19, 2018, report. I also determine that the modifications failed to achieve their articulated objectives. As a result, I determine that these modifications have resulted in significantly increasing imports of aluminum articles that once again threaten to impair the national security of the United States.
14. In light of the Secretary’s findings, I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to adjust the tariff proclaimed by Proclamation 9704, as amended, and the tariff proclaimed by Proclamation 9980, as amended, to increase the tariff rate from 10 percent ad valorem to 25 percent ad valorem. These actions are necessary and appropriate to remove the threatened impairment of the national security of the United States.
15. In light of the Secretary’s findings regarding the alternative agreements with Argentina proclaimed in Proclamation 9758 of May 31, 2018; Australia proclaimed in Proclamation 9758; Canada proclaimed in Proclamation 9893 of May 19, 2019, and Proclamation 10106 of October 27, 2020; Mexico proclaimed in Proclamation 9893 and Proclamation 10782 of July 10, 2024; the European Union proclaimed in Proclamation 10327 of December 27, 2021, and Proclamation 10690 of December 28, 2023; and the United Kingdom proclaimed in Proclamation 10405 of May 31, 2022, I have decided that it is necessary to terminate these agreements as of March 12, 2025. As of March 12, 2025, all imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, EU countries, and the UK shall be subject to the additional ad valorem tariff proclaimed in Proclamation 9704, as amended, with respect to aluminum articles and Proclamation 9980, as amended, with respect to derivative aluminum articles. Imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, EU countries, and the UK shall be subject to the revised tariff rate of 25 percent ad valorem established in clause 2 of this proclamation, commensurate with the tariff rate imposed on such articles imported from most other countries. In my judgment, these modifications are necessary to address the significantly increasing imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from these sources, which threaten to impair the national security of the United States. Replacing the alternative agreements with the additional ad valorem tariffs will be a more robust and effective means of ensuring that the objectives articulated in the Secretary’s January 19, 2018, report and subsequent proclamations are achieved.
16. In light of the information provided by the Secretary that the significant increase of imports of certain derivative aluminum articles has depressed demand for aluminum articles produced by domestic aluminum producers, I have determined that it is necessary to adjust the tariff proclaimed in Proclamation 9704 and Proclamation 9980 to apply to additional derivative aluminum articles.
17. I have also determined that it is necessary to terminate the product exclusion process as authorized in clause 3 of Proclamation 9704, clause 1 of Proclamation 9776, and clause 2 of Proclamation 9980.
18. Section 232, as amended, authorizes the President to take action to adjust the imports of an article and its derivatives that are being imported into the United States in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.
19. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) the substance of statutes affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder, including the removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, and section 232, do hereby proclaim as follows:
(1) The provisions of Proclamation 9758 with respect to imports of aluminum articles from the Argentina; Proclamation 9758 with respect to imports of aluminum articles from the Australia; Proclamation 9893 and Proclamation 10106 with respect to imports of aluminum articles from Canada; Proclamation 9893 and Proclamation 10782 with respect to imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from Mexico; Proclamation 10327 and Proclamation 10690 with respect to imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from the European Union; and Proclamation 10405 with respect to imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from the United Kingdom shall be ineffective as of 12:01 a.m. eastern time on March 12, 2025. The provisions of clause 1 of Proclamation 9980 as applicable to imports of derivative aluminum articles from Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Mexico shall be ineffective as of 12:01 a.m. eastern time on March 12, 2025; all imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from these countries shall be subject to the additional ad valorem tariffs proclaimed in Proclamation 9704, as amended, and Proclamation 9980, as amended. Imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, EU countries, and the United Kingdom will be subject to the revised tariff rate of 25 percent ad valorem established in clauses (2) and (3) of this proclamation, commensurate with the tariff rate imposed on such articles imported from most countries, as amended by this proclamation.
(2) As of 12:01 a.m. on March 12, 2025, the tariff proclaimed by Proclamation 9704, as amended, and the tariff proclaimed by Proclamation 9980, as amended, are adjusted to increase the respective tariff rates from an additional 10 percent ad valorem to an additional 25 percent ad valorem.
(3) Clause 2 of Proclamation 9704, as amended, is further amended in the second sentence by deleting “and” before “(k)”; replacing “11:59 p.m. eastern standard time on December 31, 2025” after (k) with “12:01 a.m. eastern time on March 12, 2025”; and inserting before the period at the end: “, and (l) on or after 12:01 a.m. on March 12, 2025, at a revised rate of an additional 25 percent ad valorem rate, from all countries except from Russia.”
(4) The first two sentences of clause 1 of Proclamation 9980 are revised to read as follows:
(5) Except as otherwise provided in this proclamation, all imports of derivative aluminum articles specified in Annex I to this proclamation or any subsequent annex published in the Federal Register pursuant to this Proclamation shall be subject to an additional 25 percent ad valorem rate of duty, with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the Commerce certification date in accordance with clause 9. For any derivative aluminum article identified in Annex I that is not in Chapter 76 of the HTSUS, the additional ad valorem duty shall apply only to the aluminum content of the derivative article. These rates of duty, which are in addition to any other duties, fees, exactions, and charges applicable to such imported derivative aluminum articles, shall apply to imports of derivative aluminum articles described in Annex I to this proclamation from all countries, except Russia, but shall not apply to derivative aluminum articles processed in another country from aluminum articles that were smelted and cast in the United States. Further, all imports of derivative aluminum articles specified in Annex I to this proclamation that are the product of Russia and all imports of derivative aluminum articles specified in Annex I to this proclamation where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the derivative aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the derivative aluminum articles are cast in Russia, shall be subject to the 200 percent ad valorem rate of duty established in Proclamation 10522, with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the Commerce certification date in accordance with clause 9. Primary aluminum is defined as new aluminum metal that is produced from alumina (or aluminum oxide) by the electrolytic Hall-Heroult process. The Secretary shall continue to monitor imports of the derivative articles described in Annex I to this proclamation, and shall, from time to time, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary of Defense, or other officials as appropriate, review the status of such imports with respect to the national security of the United States.
(6) The Secretary shall not consider any new product exclusion requests under clause 3 of Proclamation 9704, clause 1 of Proclamation 9776, or clause 2 of Proclamation 9980, or renew any such product exclusions in effect as of the date of this proclamation. Granted product exclusions shall remain effective until their expiration date or until excluded product volume is imported, whichever occurs first. The Secretary shall take all actions, including publication in the Federal Register, necessary to terminate the product exclusion process. In addition, all general approved exclusions shall be ineffective as of March 12, 2025, and the Secretary shall publish a notice in the Federal Register to this effect. I have determined that this is necessary to ensure that these general exclusions do not allow high volumes of imports, including of products that the domestic industry can produce and supply, to undermine the objectives articulated in the Secretary’s January 2018 report and relevant subsequent proclamations. Following the elimination of quantitative restrictions on certain sources pursuant to this proclamation, and subject to any restrictions set forth in or pursuant to other provisions of applicable law, imports of any aluminum article or derivative article from any source and in any quantity will be available to domestic importers, provided that the additional ad valorem tariffs are paid upon entry or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption. For purposes of implementing the requirements in this proclamation, importers of aluminum derivative articles shall provide to CBP any information necessary to identify the aluminum content used in the manufacture of aluminum derivative articles imports covered by this Proclamation. CBP is hereby authorized and directed to publish regulations or guidance implementing this requirement as soon as practicable.
(7) Within 90 days after the date of this proclamation, the Secretary shall establish a process for including additional derivative aluminum articles within the scope of the ad valorem duties proclaimed in Proclamation 9704, as amended, Proclamation 9980, as amended, and clause 5 of this proclamation. In addition to inclusions made by the Secretary, this process shall provide for including additional derivative aluminum articles at the request of a producer of an aluminum article or derivative aluminum article within the United States, or an industry association representing one or more such producers, establishing that imports of a derivative aluminum article have increased in a manner that threatens to impair the national security or otherwise undermine the objectives set forth in the Secretary’s January 19, 2018 report or any Proclamation issued pursuant thereto. When the Secretary receives such a request from a domestic producer or industry association, it shall issue a determination regarding whether or not to include the derivative aluminum article or articles within 60 days of receiving the request.
(8) The provisions of clause 3 of Proclamation 9704, clause 1 of Proclamation 9776, and clause 2 of Proclamation 9980, or any other provisions authorizing the Secretary to grant relief for certain products from the additional ad valorem duties or quantitative restrictions set forth in the prior proclamations described herein are hereby revoked, except to the extent required to implement clause 5 of this proclamation.
(9) The modifications made by this proclamation with respect to derivative aluminum articles identified in the annex that are not in chapter 76 of the HTSUS shall be effective upon public notification by the Secretary of Commerce, that adequate systems are in place to fully, efficiently, and expediently process and collect tariff revenue for covered articles.
(10) Any aluminum article or derivative article, except those eligible for admission under “domestic status” as defined in 19 CFR 146.43, that is subject to the duty imposed by this proclamation and that is admitted into a U.S. foreign trade zone on or after the Commerce certification date, in accordance with clause 9, may be admitted only under “privileged foreign status” as defined in 19 CFR 146.41, and will be subject upon entry for consumption to any ad valorem rates of duty related to the classification under the applicable HTSUS subheading.
(11) The United States International Trade Commission, in consultation with the Secretary, the Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland Security, and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies, shall revise the HTSUS so that it conforms to the amendments and effective dates directed in this proclamation within ten days of the date of this proclamation. The Secretary is authorized and directed to publish any such modifications to the HTSUS in the Federal Register.
(12) CBP shall prioritize reviews of the classification of imported aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles and, in the event that it discovers misclassification resulting in loss of revenue of the ad valorem duties proclaimed herein, it shall assess monetary penalties in the maximum amount permitted by law.In addition, CBP shall promptly notify the Secretary regarding evidence of any efforts to evade payment of the ad valorem duties proclaimed herein through processing or alteration of aluminum articles or derivative aluminum articles as a disguise or artifice prior to importation.In such circumstances, the Secretary shall consider the processed or altered aluminum articles or derivative aluminum articles for inclusion as derivative aluminum articles pursuant to clause 5 of this proclamation.
(13) No drawback shall be available with respect to the duties imposed pursuant to this proclamation.
(14) The Secretary may issue regulations and guidance consistent with this proclamation, including to address operational necessity.
(15) Any provision of a previous proclamation or Executive Order that is inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation is superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thistenth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming our society, opening up unprecedented opportunities in many fields. For this technological revolution to benefit everyone, it is crucial to ensure its responsible and ethical development, with trust at its heart. AI raises major concerns regarding safety and security, as clearly demonstrated by the summits in Bletchley Park (United Kingdom – November 2023) and Seoul (South Korea – May 2024). Whether in anticipating extreme risks or addressing those already visible, a resolutely ambitious approach to building trust in AI is essential on an international scale.
Technological advances in AI also offer exceptional possibilities in the field of security. With this in mind, the AI Action Summit is committed to promoting safe and secure AI, particularly by providing the necessary tools to mitigate these risks.
For AI to fulfill its promises, a collaborative approach is essential. The AI Action Summit calls on public, private, and academic stakeholders to work together to build a trusted AI ecosystem.
This global approach is based on three pillars: science, solutions, and standards. With a robust international scientific consensus on AI, the time has come to develop technical solutions that are open and accessible to all, while creating common international standards recognized by the entire ecosystem. This will help prevent fragmentation and encourage convergence at all levels.
As part of the AI Action Summit, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security have supported the action of the thematic envoy, Guillaume Poupard, to federate an ecosystem of stakeholders, both nationally and internationally, mobilised to strengthen the safety and security of AI.
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements
Defence leaders from across the world have gathered in Brussels today as the UK convenes a major Ukraine summit at NATO HQ.
UK convenes the 26th Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels today – the first time the meeting has been chaired by a European nation – supporting UK and European security, a foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Defence Secretary confirms landmark half a million rounds of artillery ammunition – worth more than £1 billion – has now been provided to Ukraine by the UK
New £150 million firepower package of military aid including drones, tanks and air defence systems will give Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia the equipment they need.
Defence leaders from across the world have gathered in Brussels today as the UK convenes a major Ukraine summit at NATO HQ, demonstrating the UK’s leadership and unwavering military support for Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s illegal invasion.
Over 50 allies and partners, including Ukraine, the US, Japan and Australia, met for the 26th Ukraine Defence Contact Group, chaired by Defence Secretary John Healey, the first time for any European nation.
Opening the meeting, the Defence Secretary announced a new £150m military support package to support Ukrainian troops fighting Russia on the frontline, part of the UK’s unprecedented £3 billion annual pledge to Ukraine.
This year, the UK’s total commitment has reached its highest ever level, standing at £4.5 billion, ensuring Ukraine can achieve peace through strength and underscoring the new 100 Year Partnership between the UK and Ukraine.
2025 is the critical year for the war in Ukraine. Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage – military and civilians alike, and their bravery – fused with our support – has proved a lethal combination.
Speaking as a European Defence Minister, we know our responsibilities. We are doing more of the heavy lifting and sharing more of the burden.
While Russia is weakened, it remains undeniably dangerous. We must step up further – and secure peace through strength – together.
Speaking at today’s meeting, where he was joined by Ukrainian Defence Minster Rustem Umerov, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Defence Secretary Healey confirmed that the UK has sent a landmark 500,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, worth over £1 billion.
The Defence Secretary also confirmed that the UK is on track to provide more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine in a single year, with final deliveries due next month.
Today’s £150 million package includes thousands of drones, dozens of battle tanks and armoured vehicles and air defence systems.
More than 50 armoured and protective vehicles, including modernised T-72 tanks will be deployed to Ukraine by the end of spring, building on the thousands of pieces of equipment the UK has already given to Ukraine.
The air defence equipment will support more than 100 Ukrainian air defence teams, and has a 90% success rate of shooting down kamikaze drones, protecting Ukrainian critical national infrastructure including electricity sites frequently targeted by Russia. Announced by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv last month, the UK and Denmark are also providing fifteen Gravehawks to Ukraine.
Today’s package also includes major new maintenance contracts to support in-country repairs to critical kit – helping keep Ukraine’s tanks and artillery in the fight and bringing broken equipment back into use.
The Government is clear that the security of the UK starts in Ukraine and is therefore committed to Ukraine’s long-term security as a foundation for the government’s Plan for Change.
As part of today’s announcement, thousands of pieces of military equipment the UK has already donated to Ukraine will be repaired and better maintained through contracts worth around £60 million.
In a boost the UK’s economy, this includes a multi-million-pound contract with UK defence firm Babcock, who will train Ukrainian personnel to maintain and repair crucial equipment such as Challenger 2 tanks, self-propelled artillery, and combat reconnaissance vehicles inside Ukraine. Through this agreement, equipment can be serviced and returned to the front line quicker.
UK defence giant BAE Systems has also been awarded a £14 million contract, funded by Sweden and procured through the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine, to repair Archer artillery systems. Working with Lancashire-based firm AMS, repairs of the Swedish-gifted Archer systems will be carried out in Ukraine with Ukrainian soldiers given technical training so they can maintain equipment for years to come.
Today’s announcement comes ahead of tomorrow’s NATO Defence Ministerial meeting, where Defence Secretary Healey will set out that in this critical year, nations must step up and back Ukraine with the resources they need to achieve long-term peace in the face of Russian aggression.
Published 12 February 2025
Source: United States Navy
SNOWCRABEX, controlled this year by Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, is a two-week exercise designed to test and evaluate Naval Expeditionary Combat Forces (NECF) capabilities in a simulated arctic environment and, ultimately, improve Navy EOD’s combat effectiveness in mountain and arctic, winter warfare. During the exercise, U.S. Navy EOD technicians from EOD Mobile Units (EODMU) 12 and 2 and Navy divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 tested, evaluated, and refined tactics, equipment and operations in an austere and demanding environment with unpredictable weather conditions and temperatures dropping below zero.
“Snow Crab Exercise is about training Arctic capable forces individually and collectively in cold weather operational skills like ice diving, skiing, shooting, unit movement, medical care, equipment sustainment, and survival—skills required for successful joint and combined operations in an arctic environment, so our units can successfully complete their mission when and where they’re called to,” said Lt. Samuel Baker, MDS Co. 2-1 company commander, MDSU 2. “This exercise provides a perfect training environment for our forces to build readiness for operations at high latitudes.”
As stated in the Department of Defense’s Arctic Strategy 2024, “The United States is an Arctic nation, and the region is critical to the defense of our homeland, the protection of U.S. national sovereignty, and our defense treaty commitments.”
Minnesota provides an ideal setting for Navy EOD and salvage divers to learn what it takes to not only survive in sub-zero temperatures and operate in heavy snow, but also how to succeed and thrive to become experts in an Arctic environment.
SNOWCRABEX 2025 also allowed units to test equipment and refine load out standards to improve their ability to operate in harsh regions. Navy EOD and Navy divers utilize highly specialized equipment to conduct their missions, and this exercise provides a valuable opportunity to test sensitive gear in an austere environment that it wasn’t necessarily designed for, allowing for refinement of methods or the development of alternative solutions. The key lessons learned from the exercise will inform capability requirements and strategic planning for future arctic operations.
“The training at SNOWCRABEX this year was priceless. It takes experience training in extreme cold weather so Sailors know how to operate, and prevent their hands and equipment from freezing,” said Cmdr. Garrett Pankow, commander, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2. “When you’re diving under ice or mitigating explosive threats, the extreme conditions in mountain and arctic environments aren’t forgiving; the training experience gained at Snow Crab allows us to reduce risk already inherent in Navy EOD and salvage operations. We’ll continue to improve U.S. Navy EOD and mobile diving and salvage teams’ readiness to support Fleet operations anywhere, anytime.”
U.S. Navy EOD cleared simulated unexploded ordnance, secured critical infrastructure, and integrated with local U.S. Air Force EOD; exercising communication between distributed operating units. Prior to arriving at Camp Ripley, they learned avalanche safety, mountain survivability, and winter mobility skills at training courses in Utah and Wyoming.
Navy divers successfully completed ice dive training, arctic survivability, and mobility training, scenario based response drills, and diving casualty medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) training. The unique training environment at Camp Ripley allowed Navy divers to expand their capabilities for diving and salvage operations in an Arctic environment.
In preparation for SNOWCRABEX 2025, components of EODGRU 2’s medical unit attended a week-long arctic mountain medicine course in Anchorage, Alaska, Jan. 6-13, 2025, where they learned extraction techniques and cold weather injury treatment that will enhance medical care capabilities within the Naval Expeditionary Force (NECF). Treating a casualty in an austere environment with difficult terrain, such as crevasse, cliff sides, and mountains requires special extraction techniques.
The medical team exercised these techniques at SNOWCRABEX and trained EOD and ND units on advanced cold weather care, including rewarming techniques, hypothermia and frostbite treatment, and prolonged casualty care. Their training culminated with integrated support to MDSU 2 executing a complex MEDEVAC scenario simulating an ice diving casualty, extracting the diver from the water, coordinating helicopter landing at a local landing zone, and transporting the victim by medical support helicopter to a medical facility.
“In an austere environment, where we have difficulty moving them out of location to a medical facility, we need a way to get someone the care they need within or as close to the ‘golden hour’ – the window of time that is most critical for a life-threatening injury. At SNOWCRABEX 2025, we are honing our medical skills and developing techniques which will enhance our medical care capabilities in these far out, hard to reach environments to support prolonged casualty care,” said Cmdr. Nikunj Bhatt, the Undersea Medical Officer (UMO) and Senior Medical Officer for EOD Group 2.
“We have an incredible team developing techniques to deliver medical supplies, including blood, using unmanned air systems. Snow Crab is a unique environment to exercise these techniques; we are looking at temperature integrity, drone handling, drone payload capacity, its range of travel, and other variables. Having tools like this will be powerful for enhancing care capabilities for an expeditionary unit; to increase odds of survivability in the event of a cold weather medical casualty,” continued Bhatt.
The exercise was a success due to the support from The Minnesota National Guard and Camp Ripley leadership and staff. MN Air National Guard provided air support for portions of the exercise. U.S. Air Force EOD Technicians from the 148th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Flight provided support to demolition training and operations.
The U.S. Navy routinely patrols on, above, below and around Arctic waters to ensure the security of commerce and demonstrate freedom of navigation. Navy EOD and expeditionary divers constantly train to operate in all environments to execute the Nation’s tasking and enable the Fleet’s freedom of maneuver. Exercises like SNOWCRABEX 2025 allow our teams to improve Arctic literacy, training proficiency, and tactical competency to build readiness for operations in the austere and demanding Arctic environment.
Other Navy Expeditionary Combat Command units that participated in SNOWCRABEX 2025 included: EOD Expeditionary Support Unit (EODESU) 2, Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 2, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG), Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command (NEIC), and Navy Expeditionary Warfighting Development Center (NEXWDC).
EODGRU 2 operates as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and provides skilled, capable, and combat-ready deployable Navy EOD and Navy diver forces around the globe to support a range of operations.
For additional news about U.S. Navy EOD and diving, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/EODG-2.
Source: United States Navy
Ocean Giant arrived at McMurdo Station Jan. 26, delivering a floating marine causeway system along with 380 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with mechanical parts, vehicles, construction materials, office supplies and electronics equipment, and mobile office units; supplies needed to sustain the next year of operations at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Following the offload, Ocean Giant was loaded with 360 containers of retrograde cargo for transportation off the continent. This includes trash and recyclable materials for disposal and equipment no longer required on the station.
The MSC chartered ship MV Ocean Gladiator is scheduled to arrive in McMurdo Station later this week, and will begin a cargo offload as well as retrieving the causeway.
Operation Deep Freeze is a joint service, on-going Defense Support to Civilian Authorities activity in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program. Mission support consists of active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard as well as Department of Defense civilians and attached non-DOD civilians. ODF operates from two primary locations situated at Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica. An MSC-chartered cargo ship and tanker have made the challenging voyage to Antarctica every year since the station and its resupply mission were established in 1955.
Source: US Army (video statements)
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Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister
Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte. He was joined by the Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair.
The leaders underscored the importance of unity amongst NATO Allies in responding to global security challenges, strengthening maritime and arctic security co-operation, and addressing regional instability. They also reaffirmed NATO’s role in ensuring global stability.
Prime Minister Trudeau and Secretary General Rutte reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion. The leaders discussed NATO’s role in supporting Ukraine’s defence and underscored the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia. They emphasized that there can be no sustainable peace in Europe without security for Ukraine and that any peaceful outcome to the dispute must involve Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary General emphasized their commitment to NATO’s core mission of collective defence and stability. They also agreed on the importance of adapting to current and future security challenges amid rising uncertainty in the international order. Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to strengthening the Alliance and increasing defence spending.
The leaders agreed to remain in close contact.
Source: US State of Connecticut
When Grégory Pierrot talks about growing up in northeastern France near Luxembourg and Germany, he uses the word “American” at least a half dozen times.
“I’ve had a long personal relationship with American culture,” he says, describing how as a boy he’d listen to American music and write down as many words as he could catch to translate into French, so he could figure out what was being said.
Now an associate professor of English at UConn Stamford who teaches African American literature, Pierrot says he’s been a student of American culture – its literature, music, and history – since he was a teenager, even as his methods have turned more intellectual.
His latest project for Rot Bo Krik, “It was Nation Time: Fictions of African American Revolution,” which looks at African American literature during the Black Power era and how readers of French translations received the works, might be the best way to encapsulate all that has intrigued him since his youth.
“I’m very interested in the way literature, music, and film – all those things that may seem less serious than politics or unrelated to it – actually convey most of what people think they know about a given moment or given political period,” Pierrot says. “Ideas are conveyed in those texts, in those songs, and in those films, and they have much more of an impact on us than scholarly studies or political speeches even.”
Pierrot says the French, even though an ocean away, are fascinated by what happened in America in the mid-1960s to 1970s, those volatile years after Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks when the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts took effect, the Black Panthers took rise, and Martin Luther King Jr. took his last breath.
Writers including John A. Williams, best known for “The Man Who Cried I Am”; Chester Himes, who wrote a series of “Harlem Detective” novels; and Sam Greenlee, author of “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” told fictionalized but compelling accounts of what being Black in the United States was like.
“This is such a fraught moment in American history, with fraught ideas in American politics,” Pierrot says. “This idea of a ‘Black Revolution,’ while it wasn’t greatly popular, it was in the air. So, when novels like these came out everybody would be talking about them.”
Through the years, for instance, Williams’ novel “Sons of Darkness, Sons of Light,” which imagined the outset of such a revolution, and his “Captain Blackman,” which traces Black soldiers’ contributions to the Army, have been forgotten – along with so many other works, even as those stories echo in the events of today.
“It’s shocking just how much the plots in these novels often sound like they could have been written yesterday,” Pierrot says. “In quite a few of these, either the premise or one of the important events in the plot has to do with young African American boys being shot by police for no reason. Others have to do with the rise of extreme right-wing politics. To that extent, they are very much of this moment.”
Of course, France and the U.S. have been connected since long before the American Revolution gave this country its independence from Britain, and France gifted the Statue of Liberty to celebrate a century of liberty.
France has been the place where African Americans, particularly artists, have fled when wanting or needing to escape racism in North America, Pierrot explains, as France, perhaps infamously, prides itself as being a place where racism doesn’t exist.
“Racism in France was different enough than what was happening in the U.S. that it felt like relief for African Americans who still get treated very differently than other members of the African diaspora in France,” Pierrot says. “Historically, to put it simply, it’s often been easier to be African American than to be Black and French in France.”
In research for the project, funded as part of a year-long fellowship from the UConn Humanities Institute, Pierrot says that even though he’s built a career absorbed in the literature of this period, he found himself fascinated recently by Malcolm X’s connection to France, which remains largely unknown among citizens there despite pop culture references to him.
In the 10 years before the Black activist was assassinated in 1965, despite his growth in the U.S. as a name known around the dinner table, he was mentioned only a handful of times in the French newspaper of record.
Malcolm X traveled to Paris in November 1964 to deliver a speech and attempted to visit a second time in February 1965 but was stopped by French customs at the border and blocked from entry, Pierrot says. Three weeks later he was killed and only then did the French public start hearing about him.
“The novels from this time, even though they’re works of fiction, are historical artifacts. They give us a view of that moment that we may have forgotten,” he explains.
“We all have a sense of the 1960s based on the media – films, books, and music – that we consume,” he continues. “There was flower power and Woodstock, but that’s not all the 1960s were. It was a violent time. There were assassinations left and right and wars around the world. The texts I study offer elements of American history that many people do not know or do not quite remember.”
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SEATTLE, Feb. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nametag, the leading provider of integrated identity verification and account protection solutions, today announced VerifiedHire™, a groundbreaking solution for secure employee onboarding and initial credentialing. VerifiedHire combats North Korean IT workers and other remote worker fraud schemes using Nametag’s revolutionary Deepfake Defense™ identity verification (IDV) engine, ensuring that only legitimate users gain access to enterprise networks and applications.
Nation State Actors Are Exploiting Insecure Hiring Practices to Infiltrate Global Enterprises
Investigations have uncovered numerous programs to place Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)-affiliated operatives into remote IT jobs within U.S. and global enterprises. This enables the country to avoid international sanctions, funnel money to weapons development programs, and steal secrets. Hundreds of western enterprises have been compromised; one program involving two front companies employing more than 130 DPRK IT workers has generated over $88 million for North Korea’s government. To combat these and other remote worker fraud schemes, Nametag created VerifiedHire.
VerifiedHire Stops Fake IT Workers and Remote Worker Fraud
Nametag’s solution prevents imposters from infiltrating corporate networks by replacing outdated, insecure initial credentialing procedures with robust identity assurance. New hires are directed to a self-service onboarding microsite, where they navigate intuitive workflows to verify their identity with Nametag’s Deepfake Defense engine. Verified hires can then set their passwords and enroll in multi-factor authentication (MFA) with their company’s identity provider(s). Imposters are prevented from gaining access, while security and risk teams gain crucial visibility into potential insider threats.
“Employee onboarding is a gap in IT security that nobody has been able to figure out—except Nametag,” said the senior IT director at a top-ranked, publicly-traded biotechnology company. “VerifiedHire has transformed our employee onboarding experience. The ability for new hires to set up their own accounts without IT intervention is a game-changer. VerifiedHire is the only solution for employee onboarding and credentialing that delivers the level of identity security and assurance we require.”
Key Features and Benefits
“Nametag’s launch of VerifiedHire underscores our continued commitment to creating end-to-end workforce account protection,” said Aaron Painter, CEO at Nametag. “Since every organization employs a unique approach to employee onboarding, we developed an out-of-the-box-solution that is easily customized to each enterprise’s workflows, software environments, and business requirements.”
VerifiedHire fits seamlessly into enterprise onboarding workflows through plug-and-play integrations with Identity and Access Management (IAM) providers such as Okta, Microsoft Entra, Cisco Duo, and OneLogin. Nametag also integrates with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms such as ServiceNow and Zendesk. Turnkey integrations with Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) such as Workday are under development. Nametag’s platform supports a deep level of configuration and customization, including industry-leading privacy controls.
Nametag VerifiedHire™ is available today. Visit getnametag.com to learn more and view a demo.
About Nametag
Nametag provides integrated identity verification and account protection solutions that prevent modern impersonation threats and streamline user experiences. Powered by Deepfake Defense™, Nametag detects and blocks sophisticated attacks which bypass other, outdated approaches to user verification, delivering the highest possible level of identity assurance. Nametag’s out-of-the-box solutions help enterprises secure their entire user account lifecycle, from onboarding through recovery, while ensuring compliance with the latest privacy standards. Security-conscious enterprises trust Nametag to protect their businesses and reduce IT and support costs. For more information, visit getnametag.com.
Nametag Media Contact:
Jennifer Schenberg
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7a13a7c-3efe-4e03-ae07-f395f05d3af5
