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Category: Pandemic

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on Pathways to Work reform

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Speech

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on Pathways to Work reform

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP delivered the below speech to the House of Commons on the 18 March 2025.

    INTRODUCTION

    Mr Speaker

    This Government is ambitious for our people and our country.

    And we believe that unleashing the talents of the British people is the key to our future success.

    But the social security system we inherited from [political content removed] is failing the very people it is supposed to help, and holding our country back.

    The facts speak for themselves.

    1 in 10 people of working age now claiming a sickness or disability benefit.

    Almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training – that’s 1 in 8 of all our young people.

    2.8 million out of work due to long term sickness. 

    And the number of people claiming Personal Independence Payments set to double this decade, from 2 to 4.3 million…

    … with the growth in claims rising faster among young people and mental health conditions. 

    … and with claims up to 4 times higher in parts of the Midlands, Wales and the North where economic demand is weakest. Places that were decimated in the 80s and 90s, written off for years by successive Tory governments, and never given the chances they deserve. 

    And the consequences of this failure are there for all to see. 

    Millions of people who could work trapped on benefits… denied the income, hope, dignity and self-respect that we know good work brings.

    And taxpayers paying millions more on the costs of failure, with spending on working age sickness and disability benefits up £20 billion since the pandemic, set to rise by a further £18 billion by the end of this Parliament to £70 billion a year. 

    And it is not like this in most other comparable countries where spending on these benefits since the pandemic is either stable or falling – whilst ours continues to inexorably rise. 

    [political content removed]

    And today, Mr Speaker, we say – no more.

    Since we were elected, we have hit the ground running to get more people into good work through our Plan for Change. 

    We’re investing an extra £26 billion into the NHS to drive down waiting lists and get people back to health and back to work.

    We’re improving the quality of work and making work pay with our landmark Employment Rights legislation and increases in the national living wage.

    We’re creating more good jobs in every part of the country in clean energy and through our modern industrial strategy.

    And we are introducing the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, with our £240 million Get Britain Working plan.

    Today, our Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out decisive action to fix the broken benefits system.

    Creating a more pro-active, pro-work system for those who can work. 

    And so we protect it for those who cannot work; now and for the long-term.

    Mr Speaker, I know as a constituency MP for 14 years, that there will always be people who can never work, because of the severity of their disability or illness. 

    Under this Government, the social security system will always be there for people in genuine need. That is a principle we will never compromise on.

    But disabled people and people with health conditions who can work should have the same rights, choices and chances to work as everybody else. That principle of equality is vital too.

    Because –  [political content removed] – many sick and disabled people want to work, with the right help and support.

    [political content removed]. 

    Mr Speaker, our first aim is to secure a decisive shift towards prevention and early intervention.

    Almost 4 million people are in work with a work limiting health condition, and around 300,000 fall out of work every year.

    So we’ve got to do far more to help people stay in work, and get back to work quickly – because your chances of returning are 5 times higher in the first year. 

    Our plans to give statutory sick pay for 1 million of the lowest paid workers and more rights to flexible working will help keep more people in work.

    The Work Well programme is trialling new approaches like GPs referring people to employment advisors, instead of signing them off sick.

    And our Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield, will set out what government and employers can do together, to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. 

    So we help more employers offer opportunities for disabled people, including through measures like reasonable readjustments, alongside our Green Paper consultation on reforming Access to Work so it is fit for the future. 

    And today I can announce another step. 

    Our Green Paper will consult on a major reform of contributory benefits …

    … merging contributions-based Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance into a new time limited Unemployment Insurance, paid at a higher rate, without having to prove you cannot work in order to get it 

    … so if you have paid into the system you’ll get stronger income protection, while we help you get back on track.  

    Our second objective is to restore trust and fairness in the benefits system … 

    …. by fixing the broken assessment process and tackling the perverse incentives that drive people into welfare dependency.

    Now Members  [political content removed]  have long argued that the Work Capability Assessment is not fit for purpose.

    Going through the WCA is complex, time consuming and often stressful for claimants, especially if they also have to go through the PIP assessment.

    And more fundamentally, it’s based on a binary can / can’t work divide, when we know the truth is that many people’s physical and mental health conditions fluctuate.

    The consultation on  [political content removed] WCA proposals was ruled unlawful by the courts.

    So today I can announce we will not go ahead with their proposals.

    Instead we will scrap the WCA in 2028.

    In future, extra financial support for health conditions in Universal Credit will be available solely through the PIP assessment…

    .. so extra income is based on the impact of someone’s health condition or disability, not on their capacity to work.

    … reducing the number of assessments that people have to go through

    … and a vital step towards de-risking work.

    And, Mr Speaker, we will do more …

    by legislating for a ‘right to try’, guaranteeing that work in and of itself will never lead to a benefit reassessment. 

    Giving people the confidence to take the plunge and try work – without the fear this will put their benefits at risk.

    Mr Speaker, we will also tackle the perverse financial incentives –[political content removed] – which actively encourage people into welfare dependency.

    [political content removed]

    As a result, the health top up is now worth double the Standard Allowance, at more than £400 a month.

    And in 2017, they took away extra financial help for the group of people who could prepare for work. 

    So we’re left with a binary assessment of can or can’t work and a clear financial incentive to define yourself as incapable of work….

    …something the OBR, IFS and others say is a likely factor driving people onto incapacity benefits. 

    Today, we tackle this problem head on. 

    We will legislate to rebalance the payments in Universal Credit from April next year …

    … holding the value of the health top up fixed in cash terms for existing claimants and reducing it for new claimants

    … with an additional premium for people with severe, lifelong conditions that mean that they will never work – to give them the financial security they deserve. 

    And alongside this, Mr Speaker, we will bring in a permanent, above inflation rise to the standard allowance in Universal Credit… for the first time EVER, a £775 annual increase in cash terms by 2029/30. 

    And a decisive step to tackle the perverse incentives in the system.

    We will also fix the failing system of reassessments.

    [political content removed]  failed to switch reassessments back on after the pandemic, so they’re down by more than two thirds, with face to face assessments going from 7 in 10 to only 1 in 10.

    We will turn these reassessments back on at scale, and shift the focus back to doing more face to face, and we will ensure they are recorded as standard – to give confidence to claimants and taxpayers that they’re being done properly.

    And Mr Speaker I can also announce …

    … for people on Universal Credit with the most severe disabilities, and health conditions that will never improve, we want to ensure that they are never reassessed, to give them the confidence and dignity they deserve. 

    And we will fundamentally overhaul the DWP’s safeguarding approach to make sure all our processes and training are of the highest quality so we protect and support the most vulnerable people. 

    Mr Speaker, alongside these changes we will also reform disability benefits, so they focus support on those in greatest need and to ensure the social security system lasts for the long-term, into the future.

    Social and demographic change means more people are now living with a disability.

    But the increase in disability benefits is double the rate of increasing prevalence of working age disability in the country.

    With claims amongst young people up 150%.  For mental health conditions, up 190%. And claims for learning difficulties up over 400%, according to the IFS. 

    Every day, there are more than 1,000 new PIP awards. 

    That’s the equivalent of adding a population the size of Leicester every single year. 

    Mr Speaker, that is not sustainable long-term, above all, for the people who depend on this support. [political content removed]

    So today I can announce this Government will NOT bring in  [political content removed]  proposals for vouchers – because disabled people should have choice and control over their lives.

    We will not means-test PIP. Because disabled people deserve extra support, whatever their incomes.

    And Mr Speaker I can confirm we will not freeze PIP either.

    Instead, our reforms will focus support on those with the greatest needs.

    We will legislate for a change in PIP so people will need to score a minimum of 4 points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP from November 2026. 

    This will not affect the mobility component of PIP and only relates to the daily living element.  

    And alongside this, we will launch a review of the PIP assessment … 

    … led by my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, in close consultation with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts

    … so we make sure PIP and the assessment process is fit for purpose, now and into the future. 

    And Mr Speaker, this is a significant reform package that is expected to save over £5 billion in 2029/30. And the OBR will set out their final assessment of the costings next week.

    Our third and final objective is to deliver personalised support to sick and disabled people who CAN work to get the jobs they need and deserve.

    We know  [political content removed] young people and the long-term unemployed – the difference that proper employment support can make.

    And more recent evidence – from the Work Choice programme and Additional Work Coach time – shows support can make a significant difference in the number of people getting work, keeping work, and improving their mental health and wellbeing too.

    This   [political content removed] Government believes that an active state can transform people’s lives. We know this because we have done it before.

    So today I can announce we will invest an additional £1 billion a year for employment support with the aim of guaranteeing high-quality, tailored and personalised support to help people on a Pathway to Work. 

    The largest ever investment in opportunities to work for sick and disabled people. 

    And alongside this – for those on the UC Health top up – we will bring in an expectation to engage and a new Support Conversation to talk about people’s goals and aspirations, combined with an offer of personalised health, skills and employment support. 

    And because being out of work or training when you’re young is so damaging for your future prospects, we will go further.

    In addition to funding our Youth Guarantee through the £240 million Get Britain Working plan…

    … we will consult on delaying access to the health top up in Universal Credit until someone is aged 22, with the savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.  

    So every young person is earning or learning, and on a pathway to success. 

    CONCLUSION

    Mr Speaker  [political content removed]  … a broken benefit system that’s failing the people who depend on it, and our country as a whole.

    The status quo is unacceptable. 

    But it is not inevitable.

    We were elected on a mandate for change. 

    To end the sticking plaster approach… and tackle the root causes of problems in this country that have been ignored for too long. 

    Because we believe in the value and potential of every single person. 

    That we all have something positive to contribute and can make a difference. 

    Whether that’s in paid work, in our families or communities alongside our neighbours and friends. 

    We will unleash this potential in every corner of the land. 

    Because we are as ambitious for the British people as they are for themselves. 

    Today, we take decisive action. And I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 18 March 2025 Departmental update New Health Investment Platform to improve primary health care convenes its first Steering Committee

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Yesterday the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP) held its inaugural Steering Committee meeting, marking a significant milestone in advancing innovative financing for global health. As the Platform’s highest decision-making body, the Committee – consisting of representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Investment Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank – reviewed progress, endorsed key governance and operational priorities, and provided strategic guidance on HIIP’s efforts to expand primary health care (PHC) services in low- and middle-income countries. The meeting represents a significant step forward in advancing sustainable financing solutions for global health.

    The HIIP was unveiled during the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris in 2023, and is a landmark partnership between WHO, multilateral development banks and beneficiary countries. Amid a US$ 371 billion annual health financing gap for health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a US$ 31.1 billion annual funding requirement for pandemic preparedness, the Platform innovates multilateral solutions to increase the share of development funding going to the health sector. Integrating technical expertise, financial resources and local knowledge into impactful, country-driven investments in vulnerable communities, the Platform has mobilized over US$ 30 million of investment for WHO to support countries in developing prioritized investment plans for potential support from MDBs and donors.

    The Platform aims to use these plans to generate over US$1.5 billion funding for low- and middle-income country governments to build resilience against pandemic threats and the climate crisis.

    “Primary health care is the cornerstone of equitable, cost-effective, and inclusive health systems,” said Catharina Boehme, Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization. “The Health Impact Investment Platform is a transformative initiative to mobilize financing for climate-adaptive and crisis-resilient primary health care in the countries that need it most. WHO is proud to partner with multilateral development banks and countries to ensure these funds deliver tangible impact for the communities we serve.”

    The First Steering Committee builds on months of progress since the Platform’s official launch in September 2024, with early-stage engagements in more than 10 countries. During the meeting, Committee members approved key operational documents for the platform, reviewed Concept Notes developed to operationalize primary health care investments in Burundi, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Morocco and Zambia and formally approved the Proposal for Action in Ethiopia, unlocking funding to support the finalization of its national PHC investment plan. Members reinforced the platform’s core focus on scaling primary health care investments, accelerating progress toward universal health coverage, and strengthening health system resilience in low- and middle-income countries.

    Issa Faye, Director General of Global Practice and Partnerships at the Islamic Development Bank noted, “We are committed to catalyzing impactful, sustainable investments that strengthen health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Today’s discussions reaffirmed our shared vision and commitment to scaling up investment in primary health care, ensuring that no country is left behind in achieving universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness.”

    The next Steering Committee meeting will convene on the margins of the Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly (19–27 May 2025), where progress on Ethiopia’s investment plan and new country engagements will be reviewed.

    Thomas Östros, Vice President at the European Investment Bank and the newly appointed Chair of the Steering Committee emphasized, “The Health Impact Investment Platform is a unique opportunity to bridge the health financing gap and drive sustainable investments where they are most needed. As we look ahead to the next Steering Committee, our focus remains on turning commitments into action. We call on all stakeholders to join us in expanding access to quality primary health care, ensuring that investments today translate into stronger, more resilient health systems for the future.”

    Going forward, the HIIP will deepen engagements with the first wave of applicants and expand support to other interested countries. Eligible countries for the HIIP include low- and middle-income countries which are a country of operation for at least one of the partner Multilateral Development Banks. Governments seeking to strengthen PHC through tailored technical assistance and investment support are invited to express their interest via an email addressed to hiip_secretariat@who.int.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kevin A. Young, Associate Professor of History, UMass Amherst

    Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder.

    Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to fear of retribution. But there’s also a sense that the protests of Trump’s first term were ultimately futile. This has contributed to a widespread mood of despair.

    As The New York Times noted not long ago, Trump “had not appeared to be swayed by protests, petitions, hashtag campaigns or other tools of mass dissent.” That’s a common perspective these days.

    But what if it’s wrong?

    As a historian, I study how our narratives about the past shape our actions in the present. In this case, it’s particularly important to get the history right.

    In fact, popular resistance in Trump’s first term accomplished more than many observers realize; it’s just that most wins happened outside the spotlight. In my view, the most visible tactics – petitions, hashtags, occasional marches in Washington – had less impact than the quieter work of organizing in communities and workplaces.

    Understanding when movements succeeded during Trump’s first term is important for identifying how activists can effectively oppose Trump policy in his second administration.

    Quiet victories of the sanctuary movement

    Mass deportation has been a cornerstone of Trump’s agenda for more than a decade. Yet despite his early pledge to create a “deportation force” that would expel millions, Trump deported only half as many people in his first term as Barack Obama did in his first term.

    Progressive activists were a key reason. By combining decentralized organizing and nationwide resource-sharing, they successfully pushed scores of state and local governments to adopt sanctuary laws that limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    When the sociologist Adam Safer examined thousands of cities and dozens of states, he found that a specific type of sanctuary law that activists supported – barring local jails and prisons from active cooperation with ICE – successfully reduced ICE arrests. A study by legal scholar David K. Hausman confirmed this finding. Notably, Hausman also found that sanctuary policies had “no detectable effect on crime rates,” contrary to what many politicians allege.

    Another important influence on state and local officials was employers’ resistance to mass deportation. The E-Verify system requiring employers to verify workers’ legal status went virtually unenforced, since businesses quietly objected to it. As this example suggests, popular resistance to Trump’s agenda was most effective when it exploited tensions between the administration and capitalists.

    The ‘rising tide’ against fossil fuels

    In his effort to prop up the fossil fuel industry, Trump in his first term withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, weakened or eliminated over 100 environmental protections and pushed other measures to obstruct the transition to green energy.

    Researchers projected that these policies would kill tens of thousands of people in just the United States by 2028, primarily from exposure to air pollutants. Other studies estimated that the increased carbon pollution would contribute to tens of millions of deaths, and untold other suffering, by century’s end.

    That’s not the whole story, though. Trump’s first-term energy agenda was partly thwarted by a combination of environmental activism and market forces.

    His failure to resuscitate the U.S. coal industry was especially stark. Coal-fired plant capacity declined faster during Trump’s first term than during any four-year period in any country, ever. Some of the same coal barons who celebrated Trump’s victory in 2016 soon went bankrupt.

    CBS News covered the bankruptcy of coal firm Murray Energy, founded by Trump supporter Robert E. Murray.

    The most obvious reasons for coal’s decline were the U.S. natural gas boom and the falling cost of renewable energy. But its decline was hastened by the hundreds of local organizations that protested coal projects, filed lawsuits against regulators and pushed financial institutions to disinvest from the sector. The presence of strong local movements may help explain the regional variation in coal’s fortunes.

    Environmentalists also won some important battles against oil and gas pipelines, power plants and drilling projects. In a surprising number of cases, organizers defeated polluters through a combination of litigation, civil disobedience and other protests, and by pressuring banks, insurers and big investors.

    In 2018, one pipeline CEO lamented the “rising tide of protests, litigation and vandalism” facing his industry, saying “the level of intensity has ramped up,” with “more opponents” who are “better organized.”

    Green energy also expanded much faster than Trump and his allies would have liked, albeit not fast enough to avert ecological collapse. The U.S. wind energy sector grew more in Trump’s first term than under any other president, while solar capacity more than doubled. Research shows that this progress was due in part to the environmental movement’s organizing, particularly at the state and local levels.

    As with immigration, Trump’s energy agenda divided both political and business elites. Some investors became reluctant to keep their money in the sector, and some even subsidized environmental activism. Judges and regulators didn’t always share Trump’s commitment to propping up fossil fuels. These tensions between the White House and business leaders created openings that climate activists could exploit.

    Worker victories in unlikely places

    Despite Trump self-promoting as a man of the people, his policies hurt workers in numerous ways – from his attack on workers’ rights to his regressive tax policies, which accelerated the upward redistribution of wealth.

    Nonetheless, workers’ direct action on the job won meaningful victories. For example, educators across the country organized dozens of major strikes for better pay, more school funding and even against ICE. Workers in hotels, supermarkets and other private-sector industries also walked out. Ultimately, more U.S. workers went on strike in 2018 than in any year since 1986.

    This happened not just in progressive strongholds but also in conservative states like West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky. At least 35 of the educators’ strikes defied state laws denying workers the right to strike.

    In addition to winning gains for workers, the strike wave apparently also worked against Republicans at election time by increasing political awareness and voter mobilization. The indirect impact on elections is a common side effect of labor militancy and mass protest.

    Quiet acts of worker defiance also constrained Trump. The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic featured widespread resistance to policies that raised the risk of infection, particularly the lack of mask mandates.

    Safety-conscious workers frequently disobeyed their employers, in ways seldom reflected in official strike data. Many customers steered clear of businesses where people were unmasked. These disruptions, and fears they might escalate, led businesses to lobby government for mask mandates.

    This resistance surely saved many lives. With more coordination, it might have forced a decisive reorientation in how government and business responded to the virus.

    Labor momentum could continue into Trump’s second term. Low unemployment, strong union finances and widespread support for unions offer opportunities for the labor movement.

    Beyond marches

    Progressive movements have no direct influence over Republicans in Washington. However, they have more potential influence over businesses, lower courts, regulators and state and local politicians.

    Of these targets, business ultimately has the most power. Business will usually be able to constrain the administration if its profits are threatened. Trump and Elon Musk may be able to dismantle much of the federal government and ignore court orders, but it’s much harder for them to ignore major economic disruption.

    While big marches can raise public consciousness and help activists connect, by themselves they will not block Trump and Musk. For that, the movement will need more disruptive forms of pressure. Building the capacity for that disruption will require sustained organizing in workplaces and communities.

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

    – ref. Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize – https://theconversation.com/social-movements-constrained-trump-in-his-first-term-more-than-people-realize-248843

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on welfare reform

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on welfare reform

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP delivered the below speech to the House of Commons on the 18 March 2025.

    INTRODUCTION

    Mr Speaker

    This Government is ambitious for our people and our country.

    And we believe that unleashing the talents of the British people is the key to our future success.

    But the social security system we inherited from [political content removed] is failing the very people it is supposed to help, and holding our country back.

    The facts speak for themselves.

    1 in 10 people of working age now claiming a sickness or disability benefit.

    Almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training – that’s 1 in 8 of all our young people.

    2.8 million out of work due to long term sickness. 

    And the number of people claiming Personal Independence Payments set to double this decade, from 2 to 4.3 million…

    … with the growth in claims rising faster among young people and mental health conditions. 

    … and with claims up to 4 times higher in parts of the Midlands, Wales and the North where economic demand is weakest. Places that were decimated in the 80s and 90s, written off for years by successive Tory governments, and never given the chances they deserve. 

    And the consequences of this failure are there for all to see. 

    Millions of people who could work trapped on benefits… denied the income, hope, dignity and self-respect that we know good work brings.

    And taxpayers paying millions more on the costs of failure, with spending on working age sickness and disability benefits up £20 billion since the pandemic, set to rise by a further £18 billion by the end of this Parliament to £70 billion a year. 

    And it is not like this in most other comparable countries where spending on these benefits since the pandemic is either stable or falling – whilst ours continues to inexorably rise. 

    [political content removed]

    And today, Mr Speaker, we say – no more.

    Since we were elected, we have hit the ground running to get more people into good work through our Plan for Change. 

    We’re investing an extra £26 billion into the NHS to drive down waiting lists and get people back to health and back to work.

    We’re improving the quality of work and making work pay with our landmark Employment Rights legislation and increases in the national living wage.

    We’re creating more good jobs in every part of the country in clean energy and through our modern industrial strategy.

    And we are introducing the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, with our £240 million Get Britain Working plan.

    Today, our Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out decisive action to fix the broken benefits system.

    Creating a more pro-active, pro-work system for those who can work. 

    And so we protect it for those who cannot work; now and for the long-term.

    Mr Speaker, I know as a constituency MP for 14 years, that there will always be people who can never work, because of the severity of their disability or illness. 

    Under this Government, the social security system will always be there for people in genuine need. That is a principle we will never compromise on.

    But disabled people and people with health conditions who can work should have the same rights, choices and chances to work as everybody else. That principle of equality is vital too.

    Because –  [political content removed] – many sick and disabled people want to work, with the right help and support.

    [political content removed]. 

    Mr Speaker, our first aim is to secure a decisive shift towards prevention and early intervention.

    Almost 4 million people are in work with a work limiting health condition, and around 300,000 fall out of work every year.

    So we’ve got to do far more to help people stay in work, and get back to work quickly – because your chances of returning are 5 times higher in the first year. 

    Our plans to give statutory sick pay for 1 million of the lowest paid workers and more rights to flexible working will help keep more people in work.

    The Work Well programme is trialling new approaches like GPs referring people to employment advisors, instead of signing them off sick.

    And our Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield, will set out what government and employers can do together, to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. 

    So we help more employers offer opportunities for disabled people, including through measures like reasonable readjustments, alongside our Green Paper consultation on reforming Access to Work so it is fit for the future. 

    And today I can announce another step. 

    Our Green Paper will consult on a major reform of contributory benefits …

    … merging contributions-based Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance into a new time limited Unemployment Insurance, paid at a higher rate, without having to prove you cannot work in order to get it 

    … so if you have paid into the system you’ll get stronger income protection, while we help you get back on track.  

    Our second objective is to restore trust and fairness in the benefits system … 

    …. by fixing the broken assessment process and tackling the perverse incentives that drive people into welfare dependency.

    Now Members  [political content removed]  have long argued that the Work Capability Assessment is not fit for purpose.

    Going through the WCA is complex, time consuming and often stressful for claimants, especially if they also have to go through the PIP assessment.

    And more fundamentally, it’s based on a binary can / can’t work divide, when we know the truth is that many people’s physical and mental health conditions fluctuate.

    The consultation on  [political content removed] WCA proposals was ruled unlawful by the courts.

    So today I can announce we will not go ahead with their proposals.

    Instead we will scrap the WCA in 2028.

    In future, extra financial support for health conditions in Universal Credit will be available solely through the PIP assessment…

    .. so extra income is based on the impact of someone’s health condition or disability, not on their capacity to work.

    … reducing the number of assessments that people have to go through

    … and a vital step towards de-risking work.

    And, Mr Speaker, we will do more …

    by legislating for a ‘right to try’, guaranteeing that work in and of itself will never lead to a benefit reassessment. 

    Giving people the confidence to take the plunge and try work – without the fear this will put their benefits at risk.

    Mr Speaker, we will also tackle the perverse financial incentives –[political content removed] – which actively encourage people into welfare dependency.

    [political content removed]

    As a result, the health top up is now worth double the Standard Allowance, at more than £400 a month.

    And in 2017, they took away extra financial help for the group of people who could prepare for work. 

    So we’re left with a binary assessment of can or can’t work and a clear financial incentive to define yourself as incapable of work….

    …something the OBR, IFS and others say is a likely factor driving people onto incapacity benefits. 

    Today, we tackle this problem head on. 

    We will legislate to rebalance the payments in Universal Credit from April next year …

    … holding the value of the health top up fixed in cash terms for existing claimants and reducing it for new claimants

    … with an additional premium for people with severe, lifelong conditions that mean that they will never work – to give them the financial security they deserve. 

    And alongside this, Mr Speaker, we will bring in a permanent, above inflation rise to the standard allowance in Universal Credit… for the first time EVER, a £775 annual increase in cash terms by 2029/30. 

    And a decisive step to tackle the perverse incentives in the system.

    We will also fix the failing system of reassessments.

    [political content removed]  failed to switch reassessments back on after the pandemic, so they’re down by more than two thirds, with face to face assessments going from 7 in 10 to only 1 in 10.

    We will turn these reassessments back on at scale, and shift the focus back to doing more face to face, and we will ensure they are recorded as standard – to give confidence to claimants and taxpayers that they’re being done properly.

    And Mr Speaker I can also announce …

    … for people on Universal Credit with the most severe disabilities, and health conditions that will never improve, we want to ensure that they are never reassessed, to give them the confidence and dignity they deserve. 

    And we will fundamentally overhaul the DWP’s safeguarding approach to make sure all our processes and training are of the highest quality so we protect and support the most vulnerable people. 

    Mr Speaker, alongside these changes we will also reform disability benefits, so they focus support on those in greatest need and to ensure the social security system lasts for the long-term, into the future.

    Social and demographic change means more people are now living with a disability.

    But the increase in disability benefits is double the rate of increasing prevalence of working age disability in the country.

    With claims amongst young people up 150%.  For mental health conditions, up 190%. And claims for learning difficulties up over 400%, according to the IFS. 

    Every day, there are more than 1,000 new PIP awards. 

    That’s the equivalent of adding a population the size of Leicester every single year. 

    Mr Speaker, that is not sustainable long-term, above all, for the people who depend on this support. [political content removed]

    So today I can announce this Government will NOT bring in  [political content removed]  proposals for vouchers – because disabled people should have choice and control over their lives.

    We will not means-test PIP. Because disabled people deserve extra support, whatever their incomes.

    And Mr Speaker I can confirm we will not freeze PIP either.

    Instead, our reforms will focus support on those with the greatest needs.

    We will legislate for a change in PIP so people will need to score a minimum of 4 points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP from November 2026. 

    This will not affect the mobility component of PIP and only relates to the daily living element.  

    And alongside this, we will launch a review of the PIP assessment … 

    … led by my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, in close consultation with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts

    … so we make sure PIP and the assessment process is fit for purpose, now and into the future. 

    And Mr Speaker, this is a significant reform package that is expected to save over £5 billion in 2029/30. And the OBR will set out their final assessment of the costings next week.

    Our third and final objective is to deliver personalised support to sick and disabled people who CAN work to get the jobs they need and deserve.

    We know  [political content removed] young people and the long-term unemployed – the difference that proper employment support can make.

    And more recent evidence – from the Work Choice programme and Additional Work Coach time – shows support can make a significant difference in the number of people getting work, keeping work, and improving their mental health and wellbeing too.

    This   [political content removed] Government believes that an active state can transform people’s lives. We know this because we have done it before.

    So today I can announce we will invest an additional £1 billion a year for employment support with the aim of guaranteeing high-quality, tailored and personalised support to help people on a Pathway to Work. 

    The largest ever investment in opportunities to work for sick and disabled people. 

    And alongside this – for those on the UC Health top up – we will bring in an expectation to engage and a new Support Conversation to talk about people’s goals and aspirations, combined with an offer of personalised health, skills and employment support. 

    And because being out of work or training when you’re young is so damaging for your future prospects, we will go further.

    In addition to funding our Youth Guarantee through the £240 million Get Britain Working plan…

    … we will consult on delaying access to the health top up in Universal Credit until someone is aged 22, with the savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.  

    So every young person is earning or learning, and on a pathway to success. 

    CONCLUSION

    Mr Speaker  [political content removed]  … a broken benefit system that’s failing the people who depend on it, and our country as a whole.

    The status quo is unacceptable. 

    But it is not inevitable.

    We were elected on a mandate for change. 

    To end the sticking plaster approach… and tackle the root causes of problems in this country that have been ignored for too long. 

    Because we believe in the value and potential of every single person. 

    That we all have something positive to contribute and can make a difference. 

    Whether that’s in paid work, in our families or communities alongside our neighbours and friends. 

    We will unleash this potential in every corner of the land. 

    Because we are as ambitious for the British people as they are for themselves. 

    Today, we take decisive action. And I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Biggest shake up to welfare system in a generation to get Britain working

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Biggest shake up to welfare system in a generation to get Britain working

    Largest welfare reforms for a generation to help sick and disabled people who can and have the potential to work into jobs – backed by a £1 billion investment, unveiled by the Work & Pensions Secretary today [Tuesday 18 March]. 

    • Work Capability Assessment to be scrapped and “right to try” work guarantee to be introduced in drive to tear down barriers to work
    • Changes will unlock work, boost employment, and tackle the broken benefits system to unlock growth as part of the government’s Plan for Change

    Record £1 billion employment support measures announced to help disabled and long-term sick people back into work.

    The new measures are designed to ensure a welfare system that is fit for purpose and available for future generations – opening up employment opportunities, boosting economic growth and tackling the spiralling benefits bill, while also ensuring those who cannot work get the support they need as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

    This will end years of inaction, which has led to one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to long term sickness – one of the highest rates in the G7. 

    The number of people receiving one of the main types of health and disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), has also risen rapidly and is becoming unsustainable. 

    Since the pandemic, the number of working-age people receiving PIP has more than doubled from 15,300 to 35,100 a month. The number of young people (16-24) receiving PIP per month has also skyrocketed from 2,967 to 7,857 a month. Over the next five years, if no action is taken, the number of working age people claiming PIP is expected to increase from 2 million in 2021 to 4.3 million, costing £34.1 billion annually. 

    All this has driven the spiralling health and disability benefits bill, forecast to reach £70 billion a year by the end of the decade, or more than £1 billion a week. This is equivalent to more than a third of the NHS budget, and more than three times as much as is spent on policing and keeping communities safe.

    Speaking in Parliament today, Liz Kendall announced a sweeping package of reforms to overhaul the system, so it better supports those who need it while tearing down barriers to work including:

    Ending reassessments for disabled people who will never be able to work and people with lifelong conditions to ensure they can live with dignity and security

    Scrapping the controversial Work Capability Assessment to end the dysfunctional process that drives people into dependency – delivering on the government’s manifesto commitment to reform or replace it

    Providing improved employment support backed by £1 billion – one of the biggest packages of employment support for sick and disabled people ever – including new tailored support conversations for people on health and disability benefits to break down barriers and unlock work

    Legislating to protect those on health and disability benefits from reassessment or losing their payments if they take a chance on work. 

    To ensure the welfare system is available for those with the greatest needs now and long into the future, the government has made bold decisions to improve its sustainability and protect those who need it most, including:

    • Reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren’t indefinitely written off.
    • Targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs by changing the eligibility requirement to a minimum score of four on at least one of the daily living activities to receive the daily living element of the benefit, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.
    • Rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit to improve the Standard Allowance. Raising it above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 annually in cash terms.
    • Consulting on delaying access to the health element of Universal Credit until someone is aged 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training opportunities through the Youth Guarantee.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    We inherited a fundamentally broken welfare system from the previous government. It does not work for the people it is supposed to support, businesses who need workers or taxpayers who foot the bill.

    This government will always protect the most severely disabled people to live with dignity. But we’re not prepared to stand back and do nothing while millions of people – especially young people – who have potential to work and live independent lives, instead become trapped out of work and abandoned by the system. It would be morally bankrupt to let their life chances waste away. 

    When I talk about opportunity for all, I mean it. That’s why we are bringing forward the biggest changes to the welfare system in a generation and improving support for those who need it. Ensuring those who can work do work is not only right, but it will also improve living standards and drive growth, the number one priority in our Plan for Change.

    Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:

    Our social security system must be there for all of us when we need it, now and into the future. That means helping people who can work to do so, protecting those most in need, and delivering respect and dignity for all. 

    Millions of people have been locked out of work, and we can do better for them. Disabled people and those with health conditions who can work deserve the same choices and chances as everyone else.

    That’s why we’re introducing the most far-reaching reforms in a generation, with £1 billion a year being invested in tailored support that can be adapted to meet their changing circumstances – including their changing health – while also scrapping the failed Work Capability Assessment.

    This will mean fairness for disabled people and those with long term health conditions, but also for the taxpayers who fund it as these measures bring down the benefits bill. 

    At the same time, we will ensure that our welfare system protects people. There will always be some people who cannot work because of their disability or health condition. Protecting people in need is a principle we will never compromise on.

    In her statement to Parliament, the Work and Pensions Secretary outlined the clear case for change to the welfare system and set out her commitment to ensuring that disabled people and those with a health condition have the same opportunities to work as anyone else.

    In particular, she highlighted that the UK has one of the highest reported rates of working-age people out of work due to ill health in Western Europe and the UK is the only major economy whose employment rate hasn’t recovered since the pandemic – exacerbated by a broken NHS with millions of people on waiting lists. 

    The government has already made huge progress to fix the NHS, including by hitting the manifesto commitment to deliver over two million extra elective care appointments seven months early, and bringing forward a wider programme for NHS reform through the rollout of community diagnostic centres and 10-year plan. The Health Secretary has also sent crack teams spearheaded by top clinicians into areas of high economic inactivity, and the latest data shows waiting lists in these areas have reduced at almost double the rate of the rest of the country. 

    The reformed system will be built on a straightforward guarantee: any disabled person or person with a long-term health condition who is claiming out of work benefits will be able to access high quality, tailored help into a job. It will also mean that those who cannot work will always get the support they need. In Scotland and Wales, we will work closely with the devolved governments as we develop this package of support.

    The reforms are based on five key principles:

    Protecting disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and supporting them to live with dignity by:

    • Income Protection: Those currently in receipt of UC health will benefit from the increased standard allowance and will not be affected by plans to reduce UC health in future. 
    • Extra Financial Support: For people who receive the new rate of UC health in the future system, we are proposing a new premium for individuals with severe, life-long health conditions who will never be able to work. The details, eligibility criteria and rate of this premium will be set out in due course.
    • Ending Reassessments: Reassessments for disabled people and people with life-long conditions who will never be able to work will be scrapped.
    • Improving Safeguarding Practices: The government will look at how safeguarding practices for the most vulnerable can be improved and improve experiences with the system, working with stakeholders to identify areas for improvement. 

    Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work. This includes: 

    • £1 Billion employment package to deliver tailored support for disabled people and those with long-term conditions.
    • New Support Conversations to provide earlier opportunities for people with health conditions to discuss work goals and available help.
    • Investing in the Youth Guarantee by delaying access to UC health element until age 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training for young people.

    Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support by:

    • Access to Work Scheme: We will consult on improvements to help people start and stay in work with reasonable adjustments including aids, appliances and assistive technology. These would be the first substantive changes to Access to Work since its introduction in 1994
    • Unemployment Insurance: We will reform contributory benefits (ESA and JSA) into a single, non-means tested, time-limited benefit for those who have paid into the system to ensure people get the support they need to find a new job that makes the most of their skills, contributing to a dynamic and productive economy.

    Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare by:

    • Scrapping the WCA to end the labelling of people as either ‘can or can’t work’ and consulting on a new single assessment. Under the new system, any extra financial support for health conditions (including PIP, ESA or UC health) will be assessed via a new single assessment which will be based on the PIP assessment – considering on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work.
    • Increasing Face-to-Face Assessments for PIP and the WCA to improve the quality of assessment decision while ensuring we continue to meet the needs of those with who may require a different method of assessment.
    • Longer term reform of the PIP Assessment – In the long term we will set out broader reforms to the PIP assessment, and intend first to carry out a review involving experts and stakeholders to adapt and improve it.
    • Right to Try Guarantee: which will ensure someone trying work or on a pathway towards employment will never lead to an immediate reassessment or award review.
    • Restarting Mandatory Reassessments: We will reintroduce reassessments for incapacity benefits, with exceptions for those who will never work and those under special rules for end-of-life care. Reassessments have largely been switched off since 2021, leaving people stuck on benefits when they could be helped into work and to improve their quality of life.

    Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most by:

    • Changing PIP Eligibility:  PIP will be targeted more on those with higher needs by requiring a minimum of four points on one daily living activity, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.. DWP will work with DHSC to ensure that existing people who claim PIP who may no longer be entitled to the benefit following an award review under new eligibility rules have their health and eligible care needs met. The government is consulting on how best to achieve this.

    • Rebalancing Universal Credit: by improving the Standard Allowance to provide more adequate support. The government plans to raise the Standard Allowance above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 in cash terms annually. This aims to avoid people having to choose between employment or adequate financial support. This change addresses the current issue where the health element rate is double that of the standard allowance, creating an incentive for people to prove they are unfit to work to claim the health element and access greater financial support.

    Further Information

    • This is a significant reform package that is expected to save over £5 billion in 2029 to 2030. The government will publish OBR-certified costings of individual measures at the Spring Statement on 26 March. 
    • The UC standard allowance increase of £775 per year is for a single person aged 25 or over. Equivalent percentage increases will be applied to the standard allowances of couples and those aged under 25.
    • This consultation applies to England, Wales and Scotland. Note that the proposals in the consultation will only apply to the UK Government’s areas of responsibility in Scotland and Wales.
    • We will bring forward primary legislation this session to enable delivery of the PIP additional eligibility requirement and UC rebalancing reforms from 26/27, subject to parliamentary approval. The Right to Work Guarantee will be delivered through separate primary legislation which will be introduced in due course. 

    • In Scotland, some elements of support for disabled people and people with health conditions remain reserved (for example, the health element in UC) and some have been devolved to the Scottish Government (for example PIP and DLA). The proposals in this paper would only apply directly to UK Government areas of responsibility in Scotland. The interactions between the reserved and devolved systems will need to be fully considered before they are implemented.

    • DWP and the Scottish Government both have powers to provide different types of employment support in Scotland. Some elements of our employment support offer will apply across Great Britain. We will respect the Scottish Government’s devolved powers in relation to skills, health and employment support and work with the Scottish Government as we work through the details of the package and what this will mean in terms of additional funding and delivery in Scotland.

    • In Wales, DWP is responsible for social security and employment support. Welsh Ministers also have powers to provide employment support outside Jobcentre Plus. Some elements of our employment support offer will apply across Great Britain. We will respect the Welsh Government’s devolved powers in relation to skills, health and employment support and work with the Welsh Government as we work through the details of the package and what this will mean in terms of additional funding and delivery in Wales.

    • Social security and employment support are transferred in Northern Ireland, although the UK government and the Northern Ireland Executive work closely together to maintain parity between their respective social security systems. However, the consultation welcomes comments from individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland, which will then be shared with the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Massachusetts Department of Transportation Selects Draganfly for Drone Medical Delivery Demonstration and Reports Its Successful Completion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Boston, MA., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8A) (“Draganfly” or the “Company”), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions and systems developer, is excited to announce it was selected by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division for and, successfully completed a demonstration for the simulated delivery of medical supplies for use in support of home-based healthcare.

    The medical delivery demonstrations took place between August and October 2024 and involved three selected companies, including Draganfly.

    “This medical delivery demonstration underscores the value of drones for many operational needs,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt, “Drones already have proven useful with operations, including MBTA track corridor inspections, MassDOT Highway bridge inspections, overhead project evaluations, and other needs. We continue to assess the use of drones for other purposes in the future.”

    “This demonstration project underscores our commitment to exploring the use of drones to meet critical needs, such as the timely and cost-effective delivery of supplies and devices for healthcare and emergency management, across the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Aeronautics Acting Administrator Denise Garcia.

    “We are grateful to have been selected for this groundbreaking pilot project,” said Cameron Chell, President and CEO of Draganfly. “Our drone technology has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of medical supplies, providing timely and cost-effective solutions for home-based healthcare and emergency responses. This collaboration with MassDOT Aeronautics underscores our credibility and commitment to advancing public safety and healthcare through innovative drone solutions.”

    Draganfly’s participation in the Drone Medical Delivery Pilot is a testament to its capabilities, reputation and dedication to providing drone solutions that define industry standards, empowering global organizations, to save time, money, and lives.

    About Draganfly

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8A) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software, and AI systems that revolutionize how organizations can do business and service their stakeholders. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 24 years, Draganfly is an award-winning industry leader serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping, and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity, and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money, and lives.

    For more information on Draganfly, please visit us at www.draganfly.com.

    For additional investor information, visit

    CSE
    NASDAQ
    FRANKFURT

    Media Contact
    email: media@draganfly.com

    Company Contact
    Email: info@draganfly.com

    This release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward-looking ‎‎‎‎information” as ‎‎‎‎defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information can ‎‎‎‎generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‎‎‎‎‎“may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, ‎‎‎‎‎“estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar ‎‎‎‎terminology. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information are based on forecasts of future ‎‎‎‎results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and ‎‎‎‎assumptions that, while believed by ‎‎‎‎management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant ‎‎‎‎business, economic and ‎‎‎‎competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎include, but are not ‎‎‎‎limited to, statements with respect to the project’s ability to revolutionize the delivery of medical supplies, providing timely and cost-effective solutions for home-based healthcare and emergency responses. Forward-‎‎‎‎looking statements and information are subject to various ‎known ‎‎and unknown risks and ‎‎‎‎‎uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to ‎control or ‎‎predict, that ‎‎‎‎may cause ‎the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be ‎materially ‎‎different ‎‎‎‎from those ‎expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions ‎about ‎‎such ‎‎‎‎risks, uncertainties ‎and other factors set out here in, including but not limited to: the potential ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎impact of epidemics, ‎pandemics or other public health crises, including the ‎COVID-19 pandemic, on the Company’s business, operations and financial ‎‎‎‎condition; the ‎‎‎successful integration of ‎technology; the inherent risks involved in the general ‎‎‎‎securities markets; ‎‎‎uncertainties relating to the ‎availability and costs of financing needed in the ‎‎‎‎future; the inherent ‎‎‎uncertainty of cost estimates; the ‎potential for unexpected costs and ‎‎‎‎expenses, currency ‎‎‎fluctuations; regulatory restrictions; and liability, ‎competition, loss of key ‎‎‎‎employees and other related risks ‎‎‎and uncertainties disclosed under the ‎heading “Risk Factors“ ‎‎‎‎in the Company’s most recent filings filed ‎‎‎with securities regulators in Canada on ‎the SEDAR ‎‎‎‎website at www.sedar.com and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on EDGAR through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes ‎‎‎no obligation to update forward-‎looking ‎‎‎‎information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-‎‎‎looking information represents ‎‎‎‎‎managements’ best judgment based on information currently available. ‎‎‎No forward-looking ‎‎‎‎statement ‎can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. ‎‎‎Accordingly, readers ‎‎‎‎are advised not to ‎place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or ‎‎‎information.‎

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Members of the Committee on Fuel Poverty reappointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Members of the Committee on Fuel Poverty reappointed

    Caroline Flint (chair), Gordon McGregor, Belinda Littleton and Anthony Pygram have been reappointed to the Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP).

    Caroline Flint has been reappointed to the Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP) in the role of Chair. This reappointment took effect from 31 January 2025 and will last for 3 years.

    Belinda Littleton, Anthony Pygram and Gordon McGregor have also been reappointed to the Committee. Gordon McGregor’s reappointment takes effect from 17 May 2025 for 2 years. Belinda and Anthony’s reappointments each take effect from 3 May 2025 for 3 years.

    The Committee on Fuel Poverty advises on the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing fuel poverty and encourages greater co-ordination across the organisations working to reduce fuel poverty.

    Biographies

    Caroline Flint

    Caroline has a wealth of experience in politics as a Labour MP for Don Valley, from 1997-2019. She was the first woman MP for Don Valley and a Minister in 5 government departments, developing legislation and leading major policy initiatives, before serving in Her Majesty’s Opposition Shadow Cabinet from 2010 to 2015. During her significant political career, she led the Smoke Free England legislation, led Opposition strategy on energy market reform and climate change, has contributed to multiple All-Party Parliamentary Groups and committees, including the Commons Public Accounts Committee and Intelligence and Security Committee.

    Caroline was appointed chair of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust in 2021 and has been re-appointed for a second term. She was a member of the UK Commission on COVID Commemoration which reported to the government on how our collective experience of the pandemic should be remembered. Caroline is an Advisory Board member for the thinktank Reform, works with Dods delivering training on how government and Parliament works and is a broadcaster and commentator on news and current affairs. She won Celebrity Mastermind in 2021 with her specialist subject the movie ‘Alien’ raising money for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA). She lives in Doncaster.

    Belinda Littleton

    Belinda Littleton works for National Grid and is currently Head of Asset Engineering Assurance, Electricity Transmission. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Belinda’s work at National Grid has included:

    • leading a team of specialists to deliver appropriate system upgrades that provide value to the consumer during the clean energy transition
    • focusing on enabling a net zero future that doesn’t leave anyone behind
    • setting out National Grid’s strategic perspective on the decarbonisation of transport

    Previously working as an economist at Ofgem, Belinda looked at the impact of the smart meter rollout on vulnerable customers.

    Belinda has also previously worked at PwC. During this time she worked with the former Department of Energy and Climate Change to develop their Household Energy Efficiency Strategy considering the carbon reduction contribution that could be made by households.

    Belinda is passionate about designing inclusivity into future policy that delivers against net zero commitments within the UK.

    Anthony Pygram

    Anthony Pygram is a regulatory expert. He was the Director of Conduct and Enforcement at Ofgem (where, amongst other things, he oversaw the development of Ofgem’s Consumer Vulnerability Strategy). He was subsequently a specialist adviser to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee for its Ofgem and net zero inquiry, and more recently a Senior Manager at the Payment Systems Regulator.

    Anthony is Lay Vice President and a member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, a Lay Member of the Regulatory Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and the independent Chair of the Code Change Committee for the non-household water market.

    Gordon McGregor

    Gordon has worked for over 3 decades in the energy and utilities sector. He has a depth of experience working in retail, distribution, generation and corporate management. Most recently, he has helped lead a number of highly innovative companies that have a strong focus on energy efficiency, renewables and clean technology.

    Gordon was a founding member of the Electricity Association Taskforce on Fuel Poverty, working on how energy regulation and industry structures could improve energy efficiency and affordability. Throughout his career, he has helped design energy efficiency programmes, developed affordable payment approaches, created social action initiatives and has helped design tariffs that help priority and vulnerable customers. He has also been involved in market design and managed the implementation of regulations to support new renewable targets. As a director of a vertically integrated utility, he helped lead the transition from a largely fossil fuel based portfolio towards a lower carbon alternative.

    Gordon is Chief Sustainability and Digital Officer for Sweco UK & Ireland, a leading European engineering and architecture consultancy. Gordon also sits on the Natural Environmental Research Council and is a member of the UKRI Advisory Board for Building a Green Future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel inaugurates the India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End TB

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel inaugurates the India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End TB

    Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has embraced a multi-sectoral, innovation-driven approach to eliminating TB: Smt. Patel

    “The number of missing cases reduced from 15 lakh in 2015 to 2.5 lakhs in 2023; 25.5 lakh TB cases in 2023 and 26.07 lakh cases in 2024 notified, marking the highest no. of notified cases ever”

    “17.7% decline in incidence rate of TB in India, from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh population in 2023; TB deaths reduced by 21.4% from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023”

    “Innovations are crucial for TB elimination, offering faster and more accurate diagnostics, improved treatment regimens, and better prevention strategies”

    India is resolved to eliminate 5 diseases in the coming 5 years that include: Leprosy, Lymphatic filariasis, Measles, Rubella and Kala-azar: Dr. VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog

    Posted On: 18 MAR 2025 2:01PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel inaugurated the India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End TB, at Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre, here today. The Summit is being organized jointly by the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR) and the Central TB Division (CTD), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW). The summit aims to accelerate India’s progress towards TB elimination by 2025.

    Addressing the gathering, Smt. Anupriya Patel highlighted India’s remarkable progress in TB control and the pivotal role of innovation in this mission. She stated that “under the pathbreaking leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, India’s public health landscape has seen a remarkable transformation over the past decade and many of you have played a critical role in ensuring innovations and quality healthcare services reach the last mile.”

    Highlighting the achievements of the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), Smt. Patel stated that “the Program is steadily progressing towards the goal of eliminating TB by 2025. The number of missing cases has been reduced from 15 lakh in 2015 to 2.5 lakhs in 2023. The programme was able to notify 25.5 lakh TB and 26.07 lakh cases in 2023 and 2024-the highest ever.”

    Citing the WHO’s Global TB Report 2024, Smt. Patel stated that “the incidence rate of TB in India has shown a 17.7% decline from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh population in 2023. TB deaths have reduced by 21.4% from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023.” She also added that “TB treatment coverage in India increased by 32% in last eight years from 53% in 2015 to 85% in 2023.”

    The Union Minister of State also highlighted the new initiatives under NTEP.  She stated that “a shorter and safer oral Bedaquiline-containing drug resistant TB treatment regimen has been rolled out across all State/ UTs that has improved treatment success rates of drug-resistant TB patients from 68% in 2020 to 75% in 2022. A more efficacious treatment regimen, mBPaL (Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid (300mg) has also been introduced for drug-resistant TB which is 80% more efficacious for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB)  and will reduce treatment duration to 6 months.”

    She also highlighted the Energy Dense Nutritional Support (EDNS), offered to under-nourished TB patients during the first 2 months of their treatment along with drugs. Talking about the Ni-kshay Mitra Initiative that was launched with the objectives to provide additional support to TB patients in order to improve treatment outcomes, augment community involvement and leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, Smt. Patel stated that “this initiative was launched to bring together people from all backgrounds into a ‘Jan Andolan’ and escalate the progress toward TB elimination.” She further added that “the Government has doubled the financial assistance under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) for nutritional support to TB patients from Rs 500/per month/per patient to Rs 1,000 per month per patient effective from 1st November 2024 while the Ni-kshay Mitra Initiative has also been expanded wherein food baskets to TB patients and their household contacts are being provided.

    In addition to this, Smt. Patel also underscored the progress of the ongoing TB Mukt Bharat– 100 Days Intensified Campaign. Launched on 7th December 2024, the campaign covers 455 selected high priority districts and involves a comprehensive strategy to mobilise resources, raise awareness and intensify actions against TB across all prioritized districts. The campaign activities involve active TB case finding in vulnerable populations, early diagnosis, prompt treatment initiation and linkage to nutritional care. The report of the campaign will be released on World TB Day on 24th March 2025.

    Underlining the new Innovations rolled out under the program, Smt. Patel stated that “ICMR has validated three indigenous handheld X ray devices, which makes it possible to reach vulnerable population groups for TB screening. Hand-held devices offer advantages of low weight, portability, and low radiation exposure and are being used in the 100-day accelerated programme.” She also added that “ICMR partnered with Institute of Plasma Research, Ahmedabad, to develop DeepCXR, a tool for artificial intelligence-based reporting chest X ray films.  AI tools are expected to be a gamechanger in detecting presumptive TB patients and quick initiation of treatment.  ICMR also validated CyTb skin test for detection of latent TB infection, developed by Serum Institute of India Ltd. against Interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), which is the preferred test for latent TB detection. However, IGRA is expensive and it may not be feasible to be introduced in resource limited countries. Overall performance of CyTb was better than the currently used tuberculin skin test.”

    Smt. Patel further added that “ICMR conducted a multicentric validation of PathoDetectTM an indigenous molecular diagnostic NAAT test which can perform 32 tests simultaneously, detects MTB complex and first line drug resistance to rifampicin (RIF) and Isoniazid (INH) simultaneously as a one step process. Overall, the performance of PathoDetectTM was comparable to other molecular assays. Deployment of this test in the 100-day program, along with the already available TruNat test, has enhanced capacity of molecular diagnosis of TB and early detection of drug resistance. Moreover, the Quantiplus MTB FAST Detection Kit developed by Huwel Lifesciences is the first in world indigenous open system RTPCR kits developed in India and validated by ICMR. In comparison to the gold standard liquid culture, sensitivity of the kit is 86 % and specificity is 96 %. These kits are likely to be low-cost and have a potential to expand the outreach of TB molecular testing, including more than 3300 RTPCR machines used during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    “Health Technology Assessment India under Department of Health Research has assessed the TB health Technologies like Truenat for TB diagnosis, BPAL/BPALM regime for MDR TB, Techo plus for tracking and managing TB health services, AI enabled chest X-ray diagnosis and TMEAD an adherence monitoring device for TB treatment”, she further added.

    Underlining the role of innovations in TB elimination, Smt. Patel stated that “innovations are crucial for TB elimination, offering faster and more accurate diagnostics, improved treatment regimens, and better prevention strategies. Use of digital health, artificial intelligence, data collection and health promotion will also play a critical role in reaching the “missing millions” of people with TB who go undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, each year.” In her concluding remarks, she encouraged all innovators “to continue their endeavour to develop useful tools for introduction into the program and help achieve the goal of TB elimination.”

    In his address, Dr. V. K Paul, Member NITI Aayog, stated that “the event is an important step in the direction of innovation-led push in achieving the goal of elimination of TB. The Summit is bringing together pioneers in TB research and technology to translate ideas into impactful solutions.

    He stated that “India has achieved tremendous success in the direction of eliminating TB under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.” India is resolved to eliminate 5 diseases in the coming 5 years that include: Leprosy, Lymphatic filariasis, Measles, Rubella and Kala-azar, he further stated.

    Dr. Paul also underlined the need of advanced and better tools for diagnosis of drug-resistant TB and underlined the potential of AI to provide solutions for TB detection and elimination. He further stated that for elimination of TB, technology that can be taken to scale is of high priority along with facilitation of newer technologies and their approval while ensuring funding for important innovations and identify areas for further research.

    He concluded his remarks by stating that “India’s efforts for TB elimination are truly global that will be beneficial globally”. He put emphasis on the need of bringing innovative ideas to the forefront that can “bring speed and scale to TB elimination and added that the summit will also help facilitate spin-offs for elimination of other diseases from the country.

    Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, DHR & Director General, ICMR, highlighted the transformative role of research and indigenous technologies in India’s TB elimination effort. Emphasizing the role of technology in detection, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of TB, he stated that “scientific advancements have been at the forefront of our fight against TB. Through rigorous research, we have validated innovative diagnostics, treatment regimens, and AI-based tools that enhance early detection and improve patient outcomes.” He added that “the summit serves as a crucial platform to bring together stakeholders and fast-track the adoption of these solutions into national TB programs.” He underlined the crucial role played by homegrown innovations benefit not only India but also contribute to the global TB elimination mission.

    The one-and-a-half-day summit features over 200 groundbreaking innovations, including handheld X-ray devices for rapid TB screening, AI-powered diagnostic tools, and new molecular testing technologies. The event provides a platform for innovators to engage with policymakers, regulators, and experts, ensuring that promising solutions are integrated into national TB programs.

    With over 1,200 participants from academia, industry, healthcare, and research, the summit aims to foster crucial collaborations. A key focus is identifying innovations with potential for large-scale implementation and linking them with government initiatives for further development. The India Innovation Summit reaffirms the government’s unwavering commitment to eradicating TB by 2025, leveraging scientific advancements and community-driven efforts to accelerate progress toward this ambitious goal.

    More than 200 innovations shaping India’s fight against TB to be showcased at an exhibition along with over 30 scientific sessions on innovations, lectures, roundtable and panel discussions during the summit.

    Former Secretary DHR and DG ICMR Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Joint Secretary DHR Ms Anu Nagar, Sr DDG (Admin) ICMR MS Manisha Saxena and other senior officials and scientists from the Ministry and ICMR also participated in the summit. Among the global participants, Dr. Trevor Mundel, President, Global Health, Gates Foundation and Prof. Guy Marks (the Union) marked their presence at the inaugural event.

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    MV

    HFW/MoS inaugurates India Innovation Summit- Pioneering Solutions to End TB /18March2025/1

    (Release ID: 2112158) Visitor Counter : 28

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai meets Commander-in-Chief of US Veterans of Foreign Wars Alfred Lipphardt  

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-02-17
    President Lai meets former United States Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger
    On the morning of February 17, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by former United States Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger. In remarks, President Lai thanked the delegation for demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan through their visit. The president pointed out that increased cooperation between authoritarian regimes is posing risks and challenges to the geopolitical landscape and regional security. He emphasized that only by bolstering our defense capabilities can we demonstrate effective deterrence and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and around the world. The president stated that moving forward, Taiwan will continue to enhance its self-defense capabilities. He also expressed hope of strengthening the Taiwan-US partnership and jointly building secure and resilient non-red supply chains so as to ensure that Taiwan, the US, and democratic partners around the world maintain a technological lead. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I am delighted to welcome our good friends Mr. Pottinger and retired US Rear Admiral Mr. Mark Montgomery to Taiwan once again. Last June, Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Ivan Kanapathy came to Taiwan to launch their new book The Boiling Moat. During that visit, they also visited the Presidential Office. We held an extensive exchange of views on Taiwan-US relations and regional affairs right here in the Taiwan Heritage Room. Now, as we meet again eight months later, I am pleased to learn that Mr. Kanapathy is now serving on the White House National Security Council. The Mandarin translation of The Boiling Moat is also due to be released in Taiwan very soon. This book offers insightful observations from US experts regarding US-China-Taiwan relations and valuable advice for the strengthening of Taiwan’s national defense, security, and overall resilience. I am sure that Taiwanese readers will benefit greatly from it. I understand that this is Mr. Montgomery’s fourth visit to Taiwan and that he has long paid close attention to Taiwan-related issues. I look forward to an in-depth discussion with our two friends on the future direction of Taiwan-US relations and cooperation. Increased cooperation between authoritarian regimes is posing risks and challenges to the geopolitical landscape and regional security. One notion we all share is peace through strength. That is, only by bolstering our defense capabilities and fortifying our defenses can we demonstrate effective deterrence and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and around the world. Moving forward, Taiwan will continue to enhance its self-defense capabilities. We also hope to strengthen the Taiwan-US partnership in such fields as security, trade and the economy, and energy. In addition, we will advance cooperation in critical and innovative technologies and jointly build secure and resilient non-red supply chains. This will ensure that Taiwan, the US, and democratic partners around the world maintain a technological lead. We believe that closer Taiwan-US exchanges and cooperation not only benefit national security and development but also align with the common economic interests of Taiwan and the US. I want to thank Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Montgomery once again for visiting and for continuing to advance Taiwan-US exchanges, demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan. Let us continue to work together to deepen Taiwan-US relations. I wish you a smooth and fruitful visit.  Mr. Pottinger then delivered remarks, first congratulating President Lai on his one-year election anniversary and on the state of the economy, which, he added, is doing quite well. Mentioning President Lai’s recent statement pledging to increase Taiwan’s defense budget to above 3 percent of GDP, Mr. Pottinger said he thinks that the benchmark is equal to what the US spends on its defense and that it is a good starting point for both countries to build deterrence. Echoing the president’s earlier remarks, Mr. Pottinger said that peace through strength is the right path for the US and for Taiwan right now at a moment when autocratic, aggressive governments are on the march. He then paraphrased the words of former US President George Washington in his first inaugural address, saying that the best way to keep the peace is to be prepared at all times for war, which captures the meaning of peace through strength. In closing, he said he looks forward to exchanging views with President Lai.

    Details
    2024-12-26
    President Lai presides over second meeting of Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee
    On the afternoon of December 26, President Lai Ching-te presided over the second meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. President Lai stated that the committee’s goal is to enhance overall resilience in terms of national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention, and democracy through five key areas: civilian force training and utilization, strategic material preparation and critical supply distribution, energy and critical infrastructure operations and maintenance, social welfare, medical care, and evacuation facility readiness, and information, transportation, and financial network protection. That morning, he said, was the first time that central and local government officials, as well as civilian observers, gathered at the Presidential Office to conduct cross-disciplinary tabletop exercises, demonstrating cooperation between central and local governments to jointly enhance social resilience. President Lai also announced that the existing Wan An and Min An Exercises, which are air raid drills and disaster response drills, respectively, beginning from next year will be combined into the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercises, the nomenclature of which matches up with that of similar exercises carried out overseas. The exercises, he said, will strengthen the defensive mechanisms of the non-military sector, and verify the ability of civil defense and disaster preparedness systems to protect our nation’s people. The president emphasized that combining government and private-sector forces is the only way to strengthen Taiwan’s overall defense capabilities, jointly consolidate global democratic resilience, and maintain regional peace and stability. A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows: Today, we are convening the second meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, implementing the conclusions reached at the last meeting, conducting tabletop exercises, and verifying the preparedness of government agencies to address extreme situations. Looking back over the past year, circumstances at home and abroad have changed rapidly. Authoritarian states around the world continue to converge, threatening the rules-based international order, and they now present a collective challenge to the peace and stability of the entire first island chain. To address threats, whether natural disasters or ambitions for authoritarian expansion, we believe that as long as the government and all of society are prepared, we can respond. With determination, there is no need to worry. With confidence, our people can rest assured. This is the goal of whole-of-society defense resilience. Of course, these preparations are not easy. Taiwan’s society must race against time, and work together to build capabilities to respond to major disasters and threats, and deter enemy encroachment. Therefore, the goal of this committee is to formulate action plans through the five key areas: civilian force training and utilization, strategic material preparation and critical supply distribution, energy and critical infrastructure operations and maintenance, social welfare, medical care, and evacuation facility readiness, and information, transportation, and financial network protection, thereby verifying central and local government capacities to respond in times of disaster, and enhance overall resilience in terms of national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention, and democracy. This morning at the Presidential Office, we conducted the first-ever cross-disciplinary tabletop exercises involving central and local government officials as well as civilian observers. Participating teams from central government departments were all led by deputy ministers, Tainan City Deputy Mayor Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山) led a team, and Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) also came to participate, demonstrating cooperation between central and local governments to jointly enhance social resilience. The exercises were based on Taiwan’s mature disaster prevention and relief system’s response to comprehensive threats. We had scenarios, but no scripts, so the participating units did not prepare notes in advance, but reacted on the spot. When presented with a problem, they proposed countermeasures, which is closer to a real crisis situation. To address the continued threat of authoritarian expansion to regional stability and order, in the first scenario we simulated that a high-intensity gray-zone operation occurred; for the second scenario, we simulated a state of being on the verge of conflict. The most important core objectives of the exercises were to ensure that people could carry on their daily lives and that society could function normally. I would like to thank our three deputy conveners for serving as exercise commanders, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) for serving as deputy exercise commanders, and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Chang Tun-han (張惇涵) as well as National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) for serving as chief officials. I also want to thank all our advisors, committee members, and colleagues from government agencies at both the central and local levels for coming together to complete tabletop exercises aimed at testing out components of the five key areas. After conducting numerous exercises in the past, many government agencies improved their emergency response capabilities, and I want to recognize those achievements. However, I also want to emphasize that we must identify problems in our current systems, and then make improvements. Whether it be the central or the local level, we cannot just talk about the good things and sweep the unpleasant things under the rug. We have to rigorously ascertain numbers and make sure just how accurate the sources of our information are, because it is always a good thing when we discover problems in our exercises, and find places where improvements are needed. This means that our testing has achieved its purpose, and that there is much room for progress and improvement. I also want to report to you all that, over the past few years, due to the global pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, countries throughout the world have been bolstering their defense resilience. NATO and the European Union, for example, have both adopted guidelines aimed at strengthening whole-of-society resilience. This shows that Taiwan is not a special case. The task of whole-of-society defense resilience is being addressed throughout the world. Taiwan’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its whole-of-society defense resilience is something the international community at large is wanting to see. This month I visited the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Republic of Palau, all of which are Pacific allies of Taiwan, and I made transit stops in the United States islands of Hawaii and Guam. Friends in each of these places expressed firm support for Taiwan and repeatedly said they hope for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We must continue taking action to respond to the international community’s support. Taiwan must have the capability to defend its own security. As president, I want to take this opportunity to emphasize to the international community that Taiwan is determined to defend regional peace and stability. We will accelerate the pace of efforts to build a more resilient Taiwan. I therefore wish to announce that our existing Wan An and Min An Exercises, which are air raid drills and disaster response drills, respectively, beginning from next year will be combined, and we will hold the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercises. This new nomenclature matches up with that of similar exercises carried out overseas, making it easier for others to understand the efforts that Taiwan is putting forth. In addition, the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercises will feature absolutely no reliance on military support, and will have a design that takes the latest international experiences into account. These resilience exercises will be distinct from the Han Kuang military exercises, and yet complementary at the same time. In other words, whole-of-society defense resilience must particularly strengthen the defensive mechanisms of the non-military sector, and must verify the ability of civil defense and disaster preparedness systems to protect our nation’s people. I want to emphasize once again that the more resilient we make Taiwan, like-minded nations around the world will be more willing to coordinate with us in responding to various challenges together. I realize that to defend democracy, we must gather together every bit of strength we have. The task of promoting whole-of-society defense resilience is a massive undertaking. The public sector must adopt a more open-minded attitude and be willing to tap into private-sector human resources, because combining government and private-sector forces is the only way to jointly respond to challenges arising under extreme conditions, and is the only way to strengthen Taiwan’s overall defense capabilities, jointly consolidate global democratic resilience, and maintain regional peace and stability. In just a few moments, Minister Liu will deliver a report on the progress of certain items listed in the first committee meeting, and Deputy Secretary-General Lin will deliver a report on the outcomes of the tabletop exercises held this morning. Next, let us engage in open discussions and examine and verify each component of the tabletop exercises, so that together we can improve whole-of-society defense resilience, make Taiwan more secure, and make the region more stable. Thank you. After listening to the report on the progress of certain items listed in the first committee meeting and the report on the outcomes of the tabletop exercises, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the reports.123

    Details
    2024-11-30
    Presidential Office thanks Biden administration for announcing its 18th military sale to Taiwan
    On November 29 (US EST), the United States government announced that it had notified Congress of the sale to Taiwan of two military packages: a US$320 million sale of spare parts and support for F-16 aircraft and Active Electronically Scanned Array radar spare parts and support; and a US$65 million sale of Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment Follow-on Support and related equipment. Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) stated that the Presidential Office is sincerely grateful to the US government for its unwavering commitment to continue to strengthen the cooperative partnership between Taiwan and the US and support Taiwan in enhancing self-defense capabilities in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances.  Spokesperson Kuo stated that this marks the 18th military sale to Taiwan announced during the Biden administration since 2021, emphasizing that the deepening Taiwan-US security partnership is a critical cornerstone for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The spokesperson said that in the face of mounting security challenges in the region, Taiwan will continue to enhance self-defense capabilities and work alongside like-minded countries to jointly defend the values of freedom and democracy and ensure the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

    Details
    2024-10-26
    Presidential Office thanks Biden administration for announcing its 17th military sale to Taiwan
    On October 25 (US EST), the United States government announced that it had notified Congress of the US$1.988 billion sale to Taiwan of three military packages, including the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System as well as L-band and non-L-band radar turnkey systems. Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) on October 26 stated that strengthening Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities is the foundation for maintaining regional stability. The spokesperson said that the Presidential Office is grateful to the US government for continuing to provide Taiwan with the weaponry it needs in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. Spokesperson Kuo stated that this marks the 17th military sale to Taiwan announced during the Biden administration since 2021, as well as the largest single military sale since President Biden took office, demonstrating the unwavering commitment of the US government to the security of Taiwan. She emphasized that Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities as it works to maintain the rules-based international order, ensuring the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

    Details
    2024-09-26
    President Lai presides over first meeting of Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee
    On the afternoon of September 26, President Lai Ching-te presided over the first meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. As the committee’s convener, the president presented committee members with their letters of appointment, and explained that in order to build up our whole-of-society defense resilience, we will actively engage in comprehensive preparation to make our nation stronger and our people more confident. The president stated that we will enhance Taiwan’s response capabilities and expand cooperation between the public and private sectors. He stated that he looks forward to working together with everyone to establish a platform through which we can communicate and coordinate on our national resilience strategy, fostering a national consensus, and strengthening resilience throughout Taiwan in national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention, and democracy. President Lai stated that a more resilient Taiwan will contribute more to global democracy, peace, and prosperity. He emphasized that as our society becomes better prepared, our nation grows more secure; and as Taiwan shows more determination to defend itself, the international community will feel more at ease. He expressed hope that we will engage in wide-ranging discussions and build a fortress of unity, making Taiwan a cornerstone for ensuring regional stability and democratic sustainability. A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows: In order to consolidate forces from various sectors to strategize on national development, at the end of my first month in office, I announced that the Presidential Office will establish three committees in response to three major global issues: climate change, health promotion, and social resilience. Last month we convened the first meetings for two of those committees – the National Climate Change Committee and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. Today, we are convening the first meeting for the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. I want to thank our three deputy conveners and all advisors and committee members for their joint commitment. I also want to thank our fellow citizens and friends for following the committee’s proceedings online. Climate change, large-scale natural disasters, and the threat to democracy posed by expanding authoritarianism are all challenges not just for Taiwan, but for the entire world. The operations and goals of these three committees are interrelated, and they are closely connected by the issue of national resilience. We intend to build up a more resilient Taiwan, proactively deal with challenges, and bring Taiwan into deeper cooperation with the international community. When former President Tsai Ing-wen was in office, the government took stock of resources in the public and private sectors in order to lay a solid foundation on which to build up our social resilience. Now, we will continue forward, from stocktaking to validation. This will entail three principles for whole-of-society defense resilience. The first principle is “preparedness through vigilance.” We will actively engage in comprehensive preparation to make our nation stronger and our people more confident. That way, in a disaster or emergency, the government and the public can quickly leverage their respective strengths and maintain the normal operation of society. The second principle is “enhanced response, fearlessness in action.” We will expand the training and utilization of civilian forces, enhance our strategic material preparation and critical supply distribution, and reinforce the operations and maintenance of energy and critical infrastructure. We will also improve the readiness of our social welfare, medical care, and evacuation facilities, and ensure the protection of information, transportation, and financial networks. All of this will enhance Taiwan’s response capabilities. The third principle is “orderly execution, methodical action.” At all levels of government, from central to local, we will conduct extensive validation and drilling, and we will expand connections with civil society groups and societal forces so that we can all work together, in a systematic and professional manner, to identify problems, propose solutions, and follow through with implementation. This is how we will resolve problems. The work involved in whole-of-society defense resilience is diverse and complex. Accordingly, this committee needs members from the public and private sectors who can work together in coordination. The members must be guided by practical experience, have interdisciplinary expertise, span different generations, and constitute a balance between the genders. These were the factors we took into consideration when we invited representatives from industry, government agencies, academia, and research institutions to serve as the four advisors and 23 members who make up this committee. Of the total committee membership, 67.7 percent are not government officials, and 32.3 percent are women.  First, I want to thank the committee advisors who have taken on that important responsibility. With us today we have Master Jing Yao (淨耀) of the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China; Huoh Shoou-yeh (霍守業), chairman of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research; and Lin Ming-hsiung (林敏雄), chairman of Chuan Lian Enterprise Co. I thank each of you for your participation, and look forward to seeing you provide the committee with broadly considered, professional views on such matters as civilian force preparedness, strategic frameworks, and supply distribution. I also want to introduce committee members who are here today. We have with us Wang Pao-tzong (王寶宗), chairman of the Holy Glory Temple; Chen Hsin-liang (陳信良), general secretary of the General Assembly Executive Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan; and Yen Po-wen (顏博文), CEO of the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation. I thank you all for your commitment and for giving us all the opportunity to learn how religious groups engage in disaster preparedness and relief efforts. Let me also thank James Liao (廖英熙), president of the National Defense Education Association; Enoch Wu (吳怡農), founder of the Forward Alliance; Hsiau Ya-wen (蕭雅文), honorary chairperson of the Taiwan Development Association for Disaster Medical Team; Liu Wen (劉文), chairperson of the Kuma Civil Defense Education Association; and Tseng Po-yu (曾柏瑜), consultant at Doublethink Lab. You have all been long involved in civil defense education, emergency medicine, and other fields, so I am quite confident that you will help the committee to better understand civilian force training and utilization. Let me also introduce Tu Wen-ling (杜文苓), distinguished professor in the Department of Public Administration at National Chengchi University, and Hsiao Hsu-chun (蕭旭君), associate professor of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Taiwan University. I thank both of you for generously contributing your expertise to make Taiwan’s energy and critical infrastructure operations more robust. Also, I want to thank Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信), director general of the Taiwan Space Agency; Kenny Huang (黃勝雄), chairman of the Taiwan Network Information Center; and Dai Chen-yu (戴辰宇), board member of the Association of Hackers in Taiwan. Your involvement will contribute immensely to the protection of information, transportation, and financial networks in Taiwan. Among our committee members we have the following six government representatives: Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄); Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝), who could not attend today’s meeting; Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱); Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季); Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源); and Minister of Ocean Affairs Council Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲). The committee has two executive secretaries, namely Chi Lien-cheng (季連成), minister without portfolio of the Executive Yuan, and Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳). In addition, one member who will be joining us shortly is Bob Hung (洪偉淦), general manager of Trend Micro Taiwan. I also want to introduce one advisor and three committee members who could not attend today. They are, respectively, Robert Tsao (曹興誠), founder of United Microelectronics Corporation; Kuo Chia-yo (郭家佑), president of the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association; Liu Yu-hsi (劉玉晳), associate professor in the Department of Communications Management at Shih-Hsin University; and Tina Lin (林雅芳), managing director of sales and operations at Google Taiwan. I also thank them for participating in this committee’s operations and for contributing their valuable advice at today’s proceedings in written form. Last Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of the major earthquake that struck Taiwan on September 21, 1999. For the past 25 years, we have worked continuously to improve Taiwan’s disaster preparedness and relief capabilities. Today, our purpose in building up whole-of-society defense resilience is to enable each and every individual to realize, when an emergency arises, where to best make a contribution and how to protect themselves, contribute to society, or deter an approaching enemy. We want to enable all our citizens to feel utterly confident in the continuity and future of Taiwan’s society. Today, in this first meeting of the committee, the National Security Council (NSC) will brief us on the topic of “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience: Planning and Challenges.” The NSC will familiarize all of us here, as well as our citizens and friends watching online, with the concepts and operations involved in whole-of-society defense resilience, the associated challenges and goals, and the progress we have made toward achieving our tasks. I have said before that a sudden natural disaster is like an acute cold, while climate change is more like a chronic disease. What whole-of-society defense resilience addresses is both the chronic and the acute. In addition to national disasters and emergencies, Taiwan has also been dealing for a long time with the challenges of gray-zone aggression and cognitive warfare. Located in the first island chain, Taiwan stands on the frontline of the democratic world. As such, we have always endeavored to safeguard regional peace and stability. I firmly believe that a more resilient Taiwan will contribute more to global democracy, peace, and prosperity. I also believe that when Taiwan is properly prepared and shows determination, our like-minded partners from around the world will be more willing to help Taiwan, jointly respond to all kinds of challenges, and work in concert to mitigate risks. As the people of Taiwan become more united, our nation grows more stable. As our society becomes better prepared, our nation grows more secure. And as Taiwan shows more determination to defend itself, the international community will feel more at ease. And so, I want to thank all of you once again for taking on the major task of enhancing our whole-of-society defense resilience. I look forward to working together with everyone, as we continue to observe global conditions, to establish a platform through which we can communicate and coordinate on our national resilience strategy, thereby fostering a nationwide consensus and strengthening resilience throughout Taiwan in national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention, and democracy. Moving forward, let us engage in wide-ranging discussions, build a fortress of unity, and further empower our whole-of-society defense resilience, making Taiwan a cornerstone for ensuring regional stability and democratic sustainability. Thank you. Following his statement, President Lai presented letters of appointment to the committee members and heard a report from NSC Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) on the topic of “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience: Planning and Challenges.” Afterward, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the report and the Rules of Procedure for Meetings of the Office of the President Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee.

    Details
    2025-03-13
    President Lai holds press conference following high-level national security meeting
    On the afternoon of March 13, President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting, following which he held a press conference. In remarks, President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth. President Lai emphasized that in the face of increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and expressed hope that all citizens unite in solidarity to resist being divided. The president also expressed hope that citizens work together to increase media literacy, organize and participate in civic education activities, promptly expose concerted united front efforts, and refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, he said, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: At many venues recently, a number of citizens have expressed similar concerns to me. They have noticed cases in which members of the military, both active-duty and retired, have been bought out by China, sold intelligence, or even organized armed forces with plans to harm their own nation and its citizens. They have noticed cases in which entertainers willingly followed instructions from Beijing to claim that their country is not a country, all for the sake of personal career interests. They have noticed how messaging used by Chinese state media to stir up internal opposition in Taiwan is always quickly spread by specific channels. There have even been individuals making careers out of helping Chinese state media record united front content, spreading a message that democracy is useless and promoting skepticism toward the United States and the military to sow division and opposition. Many people worry that our country, as well as our hard-won freedom and democracy and the prosperity and progress we achieved together, are being washed away bit by bit due to these united front tactics. In an analysis of China’s united front, renowned strategic scholar Kerry K. Gershaneck expressed that China plans to divide and conquer us through subversion, infiltration, and acquisition of media, and by launching media warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare. What they are trying to do is to sow seeds of discord in our society, keep us occupied with internal conflicts, and cause us to ignore the real threat from outside. China’s ambition over the past several decades to annex Taiwan and stamp out the Republic of China has not changed for even a day. It continues to pursue political and military intimidation, and its united front infiltration of Taiwan’s society grows ever more serious. In 2005, China promulgated its so-called “Anti-Secession Law,” which makes using military force to annex Taiwan a national undertaking. Last June, China issued a 22-point set of “guidelines for punishing Taiwan independence separatists,” which regards all those who do not accept that “Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China” as targets for punishment, creating excuses to harm the people of Taiwan. China has also recently been distorting United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, showing in all aspects China’s increasingly urgent threat against Taiwan’s sovereignty. Lately, China has been taking advantage of democratic Taiwan’s freedom, diversity, and openness to recruit gangs, the media, commentators, political parties, and even active-duty and retired members of the armed forces and police to carry out actions to divide, destroy, and subvert us from within. A report from the National Security Bureau indicates that 64 persons were charged last year with suspicion of spying for China, which was three times the number of persons charged for the same offense in 2021. Among them, the Unionist Party, Rehabilitation Alliance Party, and Republic of China Taiwan Military Government formed treasonous organizations to deploy armed forces for China. In a democratic and free society, such cases are appalling. But this is something that actually exists within Taiwan’s society today. China also actively plots ways to infiltrate and spy on our military. Last year, 28 active-duty and 15 retired members of the armed forces were charged with suspicion of involvement in spying for China, respectively comprising 43 percent and 23 percent of all of such cases – 66 percent in total. We are also alert to the fact that China has recently used widespread issuance of Chinese passports to entice Taiwanese citizens to apply for the Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents, permanent residency, or the Resident Identity Card, in an attempt to muddle Taiwanese people’s sense of national identity. China also views cross-strait exchanges as a channel for its united front against Taiwan, marking enemies in Taiwan internally, creating internal divisions, and weakening our sense of who the enemy really is. It intends to weaken public authority and create the illusion that China is “governing” Taiwan, thereby expanding its influence within Taiwan. We are also aware that China has continued to expand its strategy of integrated development with Taiwan. It employs various methods to demand and coerce Taiwanese businesses to increase their investments in China, entice Taiwanese youth to develop their careers in China, and unscrupulously seeks to poach Taiwan’s talent and steal key technologies. Such methods impact our economic security and greatly increase the risk of our young people heading to China. By its actions, China already satisfies the definition of a “foreign hostile force” as provided in the Anti-Infiltration Act. We have no choice but to take even more proactive measures, which is my purpose in convening this high-level national security meeting today. It is time we adopt proper preventive measures, enhance our democratic resilience and national security, and protect our cherished free and democratic way of life. Next, I will be giving a detailed account of the five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces and the 17 major strategies we have prepared in response. I. Responding to China’s threats to our national sovereignty We have a nation insofar as we have sovereignty, and we have the Republic of China insofar as we have Taiwan. Just as I said during my inaugural address last May, and in my National Day address last October: The moment when Taiwan’s first democratically elected president took the oath of office in 1996 sent a message to the international community, that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent, democratic nation. Among people here and in the international community, some call this land the Republic of China, some call it Taiwan, and some, the Republic of China Taiwan. The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and Taiwan resists any annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty. The future of the Republic of China Taiwan must be decided by its 23 million people. This is the status quo that we must maintain. The broadest consensus in Taiwanese society is that we must defend our sovereignty, uphold our free and democratic way of life, and resolutely oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (1) I request that the National Security Council (NSC), the Ministry of National Defense (MND), and the administrative team do their utmost to promote the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to demonstrate the people’s broad consensus and firm resolve, consistent across the entirety of our nation, to oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (2) I request that the NSC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs draft an action plan that will, through collaboration with our friends and allies, convey to the world our national will and broad social consensus in opposing annexation of Taiwan by China and in countering China’s efforts to erase Taiwan from the international community and downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty. II. Responding to China’s threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting our military (1) Comprehensively review and amend our Law of Military Trial to restore the military trial system, allowing military judges to return to the frontline and collaborate with prosecutorial, investigative, and judicial authorities in the handling of criminal cases in which active-duty military personnel are suspected of involvement in such military crimes as sedition, aiding the enemy, leaking confidential information, dereliction of duty, or disobedience. In the future, criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel who are suspected of violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces will be tried by a military court. (2) Implement supporting reforms, including the establishment of a personnel management act for military judges and separate organization acts for military courts and military prosecutors’ offices. Once planning and discussion are completed, the MND will fully explain to and communicate with the public to ensure that the restoration of the military trial system gains the trust and full support of society. (3) To deter the various types of controversial rhetoric and behavior exhibited by active-duty as well as retired military personnel that severely damage the morale of our national military, the MND must discuss and propose an addition to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces on penalties for expressions of loyalty to the enemy as well as revise the regulations for military personnel and their families receiving retirement benefits, so as to uphold military discipline. III. Responding to China’s threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan (1) I request that the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), and other relevant agencies, wherever necessary, carry out inspections and management of the documents involving identification that Taiwanese citizens apply for in China, including: passports, ID cards, permanent residence certificates, and residence certificates, especially when the applicants are military personnel, civil servants, or public school educators, who have an obligation of loyalty to Taiwan. This will be done to strictly prevent and deter united front operations, which are performed by China under the guise of “integrated development,” that attempt to distort our people’s national identity. (2) With respect to naturalization and integration of individuals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau into Taiwanese society, more national security considerations must be taken into account while also attending to Taiwan’s social development and individual rights: Chinese nationals applying for permanent residency in Taiwan must, in accordance with the law of Taiwan, relinquish their existing household registration and passport and may not hold dual identity status. As for the systems in place to process individuals from Hong Kong or Macau applying for residency or permanent residency in Taiwan, there will be additional provisions for long-term residency to meet practical needs. IV. Responding to China’s threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges  (1) There are increasing risks involved with travel to China. (From January 1, 2024 to today, the MAC has received reports of 71 Taiwanese nationals who went missing, were detained, interrogated, or imprisoned in China; the number of unreported people who have been subjected to such treatment may be several times that. Of those, three elderly I-Kuan Tao members were detained in China in December of last year and have not yet been released.) In light of this, relevant agencies must raise public awareness of those risks, continue enhancing public communication, and implement various registration systems to reduce the potential for accidents and the risks associated with traveling to China. (2) Implement a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public officials at all levels of the central and local government. This includes everyone from administrative officials to elected representatives, from legislators to village and neighborhood chiefs, all of whom should make the information related to such exchanges both public and transparent so that they can be accountable to the people. The MOI should also establish a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public welfare organizations, such as religious groups, in order to prevent China’s interference and united front activities at their outset. (3) Manage the risks associated with individuals from China engaging in exchanges with Taiwan: Review and approval of Chinese individuals coming to Taiwan should be limited to normal cross-strait exchanges and official interactions under the principles of parity and dignity, and relevant factors such as changes in the cross-strait situation should be taken into consideration. Strict restrictions should be placed on Chinese individuals who have histories with the united front coming to Taiwan, and Chinese individuals should be prohibited from coming to Taiwan to conduct activities related in any way to the united front. (4) Political interference from China and the resulting risks to national security should be avoided in cross-strait exchanges. This includes the review and management of religious, cultural, academic, and education exchanges, which should in principle be depoliticized and de-risked so as to simplify people-to-people exchanges and promote healthy and orderly exchanges. (5) To deter the united front tactics of a cultural nature employed by Chinese nationals to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, the Executive Yuan must formulate a solution to make our local cultural industries more competitive, including enhanced support and incentives for our film, television, and cultural and creative industries to boost their strengths in democratic cultural creation, raise international competitiveness, and encourage research in Taiwan’s own history and culture. (6) Strengthen guidance and management for entertainers developing their careers in China. The competent authorities should provide entertainers with guidelines on conduct while working in China, and make clear the scope of investigation and response to conduct that endangers national dignity. This will help prevent China from pressuring Taiwanese entertainers to make statements or act in ways that endanger national dignity. (7) The relevant authorities must adopt proactive, effective measures to prevent China from engaging in cognitive warfare against Taiwan or endangering cybersecurity through the internet, applications, AI, and other such tools. (8) To implement these measures, each competent authority must run a comprehensive review of the relevant administrative ordinances, measures, and interpretations, and complete the relevant regulations for legal enforcement. Should there be any shortcomings, the legal framework for national security should be strengthened and amendments to the National Security Act, Anti-Infiltration Act, Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs, or Cyber Security Management Act should be proposed. Communication with the public should also be increased so that implementation can happen as soon as possible. V. Responding to threats from China using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth (1) I request that the NSC and administrative agencies work together to carry out strategic structural adjustments to the economic and trade relations between Taiwan and China based on the strategies of putting Taiwan first and expanding our global presence while staying rooted in Taiwan. In addition, they should carry out necessary, orderly adjustments to the flow of talent, goods, money, and skills involved in cross-strait economic and trade relations based on the principle of strengthening Taiwan’s foundations to better manage risk. This will help boost economic security and give us more power to respond to China’s economic and trade united front and economic coercion against Taiwan. (2) I request that the Ministry of Education, MAC, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and other relevant agencies work together to comprehensively strengthen young students’ literacy education on China and deepen their understanding of cross-strait exchanges. I also request these agencies to widely publicize mechanisms for employment and entrepreneurship for Taiwan’s youth and provide ample information and assistance so that young students have more confidence in the nation’s future and more actively invest in building up and developing Taiwan. My fellow citizens, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. History tells us that any authoritarian act of aggression or annexation will ultimately end in failure. The only way we can safeguard freedom and prevail against authoritarian aggression is through solidarity. As we face increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and to ensure that the freedom, democracy, and way of life of Taiwan’s 23 million people continues on as normal. But relying solely on the power of the government is not enough. What we need even more is for all citizens to stay vigilant and take action. Every citizen stands on the frontline of the defense of democracy and freedom. Here is what we can do together: First, we can increase our media literacy, and refrain from spreading and passing on united front messaging from the Chinese state. Second, we can organize and participate in civic education activities to increase our knowledge about united front operations and build up whole-of-society defense resilience. Third, we can promptly expose concerted united front efforts so that all malicious attempts are difficult to carry out. Fourth, we must refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. The vigilance and action of every citizen forms the strongest line of defense against united front infiltration. Only through solidarity can we resist being divided. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘It’s not a vaccine, it’s a shot’: uncovering a new trend in vaccine scepticism

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elena Semino, Distinguished Professor in Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University

    It has long been recognised that attitudes towards vaccines may be vaccine-specific, so that people may take up some, but not others.

    On July 26 2021, the following statement was posted on Twitter (later renamed X) about the COVID-19 vaccine:

    It’s not even a real vaccine. You can catch Covid and also spread it if you are vaccinated. You don’t catch polio or MMR after you are vaccinated.

    My colleagues and I came across this comment and many like it while analysing a nine-million-word dataset consisting of tweets about the COVID and MMR vaccines posted between 2008 and 2022, to learn more about vaccine scepticism. We discovered that the author of this tweet is not alone in questioning the status of the COVID-19 vaccines as vaccines, and comparing it to others.

    Vaccines (but not as you know them)

    Our study also investigated how, in the years of the pandemic, people compared the COVID-19 vaccines unfavourably with the MMR vaccine. Many described a perception that the COVID vaccines were not very effective at preventing infection:

    Yes because the covid vaccine is just like the MMR vaccine. NOT. MMR vaccine provides 99.8% protection from catching measles, mumps or rubella. Covid vaccine does NOT stop you from catching covid. Vaccinate away but it’s not going to stop covid.

    Some people go one step further and state that, therefore, the COVID-19 vaccines are not vaccines:

    How about we start with the fact that it’s not a vaccine, it’s a therapeutic. True vaccines immunize you from the virus. The COVID “vaccine” still allows you to catch COVID just with lesser symptoms. Not the same with polio, MMR, etc.

    In some tweets, posters use the term “shot” in contrast with “vaccine”, to suggest an inferior intervention, despite the fact they mean the same thing:

    Stop calling it a vaccine. It’s a shot.

    Over 20 years ago a discredited but still influential claim that the MMR vaccine may cause autism caused a wave of vaccine scepticism. But this is a new type of vaccine-specific scepticism.

    In our data, there is almost no evidence before 2020 of people claiming that some vaccines are not in fact vaccines. In the period 2020-2022, this form of scepticism increased rapidly in relation to the COVID-19 vaccines, and also applied to the flu vaccine:

    Can you tell me more about this “vaccine” for the flu that allows tens of thousands of deaths? That’s not a vaccine, it’s a flu shot. Much different than say a polio vaccine or MMR vaccine. I would argue that we do NOT have a flu vaccine.

    How can we explain this?

    Experts were already aware that some diseases, such as measles, are vaccine-preventable: if you are vaccinated, you are extremely unlikely to be infected. In contrast, other diseases, including influenza and COVID-19, are vaccine-modifiable: if you are vaccinated, you may still be infected, but you are much less likely to become seriously ill or die.

    This is not to do with the quality of the vaccines, never mind their status as vaccines, but with differences between, for example, more stable viruses and viruses that mutate over time, and between different rates at which immunity wanes.

    Nonetheless, definitions of vaccination by, for example, the World Health Organization and the UK’s National Health Service, tend to focus on the prevention of disease.

    Up until the pandemic, these definitions were mostly consistent with people’s experiences of vaccination. Even with flu, there was no easy access to tests that could show that you had been infected with the strain you had been vaccinated against.

    The COVID-19 pandemic changed all that. It became a common experience to test positive for COVID-19 even after receiving one or more vaccine doses. Our research found that for some people, this did not undermine confidence in the status of the COVID-19 vaccines as vaccines. For others it did.

    This probably explains the new type of scepticism my colleagues and I discovered. It is a scepticism that may be shared by people who normally take up vaccines, for themselves and for their children. The use of informal alternatives to the term “vaccine”, such as “shot”, in public health messaging may unintentionally contribute to this confusion about what counts as a vaccine.

    If left unaddressed, this new scepticism may affect the take up of seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as confidence in vaccines in future pandemics.

    Elena Semino receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation (grant number: ES/V000926/1).

    – ref. ‘It’s not a vaccine, it’s a shot’: uncovering a new trend in vaccine scepticism – https://theconversation.com/its-not-a-vaccine-its-a-shot-uncovering-a-new-trend-in-vaccine-scepticism-251938

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai meets Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Furuya Keiji

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-03-17
    President Lai addresses opening of 2025 Yushan Forum
    On the morning of March 17, President Lai Ching-te attended the opening of the 2025 Yushan Forum, the theme of which was “New Southbound Policy+: Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, and a New World.” In remarks, President Lai stated that the New Southbound Policy has led to great success in economic and trade cooperation, professional exchanges, resource sharing, and building regional links. He said that in the past, Taiwanese industries went from moving westward across the Taiwan Strait, to shifting southbound, to working closer with the north, but that now, Taiwan is confidently stepping across the Pacific, reaching eastward, to the Americas and other regions. While staying firmly rooted in Taiwan, he said, Taiwan’s enterprises are expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. The president stated that Taiwan will strive alongside its partners in democracy to bolster non-red supply chains and digital solidarity, and together respond to the threats and challenges posed by expanding authoritarianism. He indicated that the Yushan Forum is a place to share experiences, and more importantly, lay down firm foundations for exchanges and cooperation among participants’ countries to create greater stability for the region and greater prosperity for the world. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of all the people of Taiwan, I want to welcome our good friends joining us from around the world. Your presence shows support for a peaceful and stable Taiwan and a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The Yushan Forum has become more than just an important platform for the New Southbound Policy. Over these eight years, more than 3,600 participants from Taiwan and 28 other countries have helped deepen Taiwan’s connections with nations around the world. The New Southbound Policy has led to great success in economic and trade cooperation, professional exchanges, resource sharing, and building regional links. Looking ahead, the Yushan Forum will be taking on the important mission of carrying its legacy forward and transforming it into action. Not only must we turn consensus into action plans for close cooperation among countries in the region; we must also work with partners around the world to forge ahead with cooperative plans for mutual prosperity. We hope to envision a new world from Taiwan – and see Taiwan in this new world. We are also embracing an era of smart technology. The government sessions of this Yushan Forum are therefore centered around topics including smart healthcare, smart transportation, and resilient supply chains for semiconductors. Taiwan is intent on working side by side with other countries to face the challenges of this new era. Today’s Taiwan celebrates not only the democratic achievements that are recognized by the international community, but also our strengths in the semiconductor and other tech industries, which enable us to play a key role in restructuring global democratic supply chains and the economic order. We are building on Taiwan as a “silicon island” for semiconductors while accelerating innovation and AI applications for industry. These efforts will help Taiwan become an “AI island” as well. We are also developing forward-looking fields such as quantum technology and precision medicine, which will create an industry ecosystem that is highly competitive and innovative. The government will also develop economic models powered by innovation. This will help SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) upgrade and transform through the power of digital transformation and net-zero transition. In the past, Taiwanese industries went from moving westward across the Taiwan Strait, to shifting southbound, to working closer with the north. But now, we are confidently stepping across the Pacific, reaching eastward, to the Americas and other regions. While staying firmly rooted in Taiwan, our enterprises are expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan. As we gather here today, I am confident that we share the same goal: Through international cooperation, we hope to build an even more inclusive, resilient, prosperous Indo-Pacific, while jointly defending the democracy, freedom, and peace we so firmly believe in. I want to thank you all once again for supporting Taiwan. We will strive alongside our partners in democracy to bolster non-red supply chains and digital solidarity, and together respond to the threats and challenges posed by expanding authoritarianism. Yushan is also known as Jade Mountain. It is Taiwan’s highest peak and stands as firm as our unwavering spirit. During this critical time of global change and transformation, the Yushan Forum is a place where we can share our experiences, and more importantly, lay down firm foundations for exchanges and cooperation among our countries. This way, we can create greater stability for the region and greater prosperity for the world. I wish everyone a successful forum. Thank you. Also in attendance at the event were former Prime Minister of Denmark and Alliance of Democracies Foundation Chairman Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Janez Janša, Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Furuya Keiji, and American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.

    Details
    2025-03-13
    President Lai attends Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2025 Spring Banquet  
    On the evening of March 13, President Lai Ching-te attended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2025 Spring Banquet for foreign ambassadors and representatives stationed in Taiwan. In remarks, President Lai thanked our diplomatic allies and like-minded countries for continuing to demonstrate their high regard and support for Taiwan at international venues. The president stated that a stronger Taiwan will be able to contribute even more to the world, explaining that is why he established the National Climate Change Committee, the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. He added that he hopes to pool our strengths so as to formulate national development strategies and enhance Taiwan’s international collaboration. The president also expressed hope of developing opportunities for cooperation with other countries across many domains to jointly advance democracy, peace, and prosperity throughout the region and around the world. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Today is my first time attending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spring Banquet since becoming president. It is a pleasure to be able to meet and socialize with esteemed guests from other countries and good friends from all sectors of Taiwan. The global landscape has changed rapidly over the past year. Geopolitical volatility, the restructuring of supply chains, technological advancements, and other factors have had a profound impact on nations’ strategic plans. I want to take this opportunity to thank our diplomatic allies and like-minded countries for continuing to demonstrate their high regard and support for Taiwan at international venues. Last month, the leaders of the United States and Japan, the US secretary of state and the foreign ministers of Japan and the Republic of Korea, and the G7 foreign ministers all issued joint statements emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, underscoring Taiwan’s vital role in global progress and prosperity.  I would especially like to thank members of the diplomatic corps for working with us to build even closer partnerships between our countries. I have always believed that a stronger Taiwan will be able to contribute even more to the world. That is why, after taking office, I established the National Climate Change Committee, the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee under the Office of the President. These committees continue to address global concerns and seek to solve important issues that impact our own people. I hope to pool our strengths so as to formulate national development strategies and enhance Taiwan’s international collaboration.  Last year, I visited our Pacific allies – the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Republic of Palau. I deeply appreciated our friends’ warm hospitality and came to feel very deeply that we are like a family. Through local visits and mutual exchanges, we deepened our diplomatic alliances and cooperation, creating win-win outcomes. We also showed Taiwan’s determination to work with allies to tackle the many challenges related to climate change, net-zero transition, and digital transformation. At the start of this month, Taiwan hosted the first-ever workshop on whole-of-society defense resilience under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. Experts and scholars from 30 countries participated in the discussions. I once again thank the diplomatic corps for their support and assistance. In the future, we look forward to developing opportunities for cooperation with other countries across many domains to jointly advance democracy, peace, and prosperity throughout the region and around the world. In the face of authoritarian expansion, Taiwan will continue to bolster its national defense capabilities. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow democracies to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. We will also join hands to build non-red supply chains, strengthen our economic resilience, and promote an initiative on semiconductor supply chain partnerships for global democracies. All of this will ensure steady technological and economic development.  In my New Year’s Day address, I said that in this new year, we have many more brilliant stories of Taiwan to share with the world. Everyone gathered here tonight is a dear friend of Taiwan. And each of you plays an important role in the stories this land has to tell.  I am deeply grateful to you all for the incredible efforts you make in support of Taiwan. In so many ways, you connect Taiwan to the rest of the world and allow the world to see the many different sides of this amazing nation. I believe that through even deeper and more extensive cooperation, we will create many more wonderful stories of Taiwan and build an even brighter future together. I wish you all a pleasant evening. Also in attendance at the event were Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman and other members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan.

    Details
    2025-03-04
    President Lai meets US Heritage Foundation founder Dr. Edwin Feulner
    On the afternoon of March 4, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by founder of the US-based Heritage Foundation Dr. Edwin Feulner. In remarks President Lai thanked the foundation for publishing the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom, in which Taiwan ranked fourth globally and which recognized Taiwan’s sound legal foundation and ideal investment environment. The president said that Taiwan and the United States are important economic and trade partners and engage closely in industrial exchange. The president also expressed hope to expand investment in and procurement from the US in such areas as high-tech, energy, and agricultural products, and to work with the US and other democratic partners to create more resilient and diverse semiconductor supply chains to address new circumstances. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Feulner back to Taiwan today. I recall meeting with Dr. Feulner and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts here at the Presidential Office at the end of last February. We had a fruitful discussion on Taiwan-US relations and regional affairs. When President Donald Trump was elected for his first term, Dr. Feulner played a crucial role in the administration’s transition team. Today, I look forward to hearing his thoughts on possible ways to further deepen relations between Taiwan and the US. I would like to thank the Heritage Foundation for publishing the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom, in which Taiwan ranked fourth globally. The report also recognized Taiwan’s sound legal foundation and ideal investment environment. Taiwan and the US are important economic and trade partners and engage closely in industrial exchange. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) historic US$65 billion investment in Arizona–negotiated and finalized during President Trump’s first term–is a case in point. And today, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) and President Trump jointly announced that the company would be expanding its investment in the US with new facilities. Looking ahead, we hope to expand investment in and procurement from the US in such areas as high-tech, energy, and agricultural products. We also look forward to working with the US and other democratic partners to create more resilient and diverse semiconductor supply chains to address new circumstances. At present, we continue to face authoritarian expansionism. As a country that deeply loves and staunchly defends freedom, Taiwan will collaborate with the US and other like-minded countries to maintain regional peace and stability. I would like to thank President Trump for his recent joint statement with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, which emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And last month, the US was also part of a G7 foreign ministers’ statement in which “they strongly opposed any attempts to change unilaterally the status quo using force.” We firmly believe that only peace attained through one’s own strength can truly be called peace. Currently, Taiwan’s defense budget stands at approximately 2.5 percent of GDP. Going forward, the government will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that Taiwan’s defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. Also, we will continue to reform national defense in the conviction that help comes most to those who help themselves. This will allow us to contribute even more to regional peace and stability. In closing, I once again thank Dr. Feulner for visiting and for demonstrating support of Taiwan. I wish you all a smooth and successful trip. Dr. Feulner then delivered remarks, first stating that on behalf of his successor, President Roberts, and all of his colleagues at the Heritage Foundation, it is his pleasure to present President Lai with the first copy of the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom. Pointing out that in the Index the Republic of China (Taiwan) is number four of 176 countries around the world in terms of its economic freedom, Dr. Feulner extended his congratulations to President Lai.  Dr. Feulner said he looks forward to a discussion about the present situation and how we can improve relations between the US and Taiwan. Dr. Feulner expressed his gratitude on hearing the wonderful announcement from TSMC, which was released right before his visit, that it will be expanding its investment in the US. In past trips, he said, he has had the opportunity to visit the TSMC headquarters in Taiwan, and fairly recently he has had the opportunity to view the site in Arizona where the construction continues and where the initial operations are beginning. He stated that they are proud to have TSMC now as an integral part of our responsible bilateral relationship. Dr. Feulner noted that while TSMC is of course very big, he also wants to express appreciation for all of the hundreds and hundreds of Taiwan-based companies that are strong, close partners throughout the US with American companies and with American people in terms of making a close and unified alliance of two freedom-loving countries.

    Details
    2025-03-04
    President Lai attends opening ceremony of GCTF Workshop on Whole-of-Society Resilience Building, Preparation, and Response
    On the morning of March 4, President Lai Ching-te attended the opening ceremony of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) Workshop on Whole-of-Society Resilience Building, Preparation, and Response. In remarks, President Lai stated that global challenges such as extreme weather, pandemics, and energy crises continue to emerge, and growing authoritarianism presents a grave threat to freedom-loving countries. These challenges have no borders, he said, and absolutely no single country can face them alone. The president said that as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is both willing and able to contribute even more to the democracy, peace, and prosperity of the world, and that the GCTF is an important platform where Taiwan can make those contributions by sharing its experiences with the rest of the world. President Lai indicated that Taiwan will join the forces of the central and local governments to enhance social resilience across the board, enhance disaster response capabilities in the community, and leverage its strengths to make contributions to the international community. He said that we are demonstrating to the world our determination to create an even more resilient Taiwan, and expressed hope to advance mutual assistance and exchanges with all the countries involved, so that we can together promote stability and prosperity around the world. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: To begin, I would like to welcome more than 60 distinguished guests from 30 countries, as well as experts from Taiwan. You are all here for this GCTF workshop to discuss whole-of-society resilience building, preparation, and response. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is both willing and able to contribute even more to the democracy, peace, and prosperity of the world. The GCTF is an important platform where Taiwan can make those contributions by sharing its experiences with the rest of the world. I want to thank our full GCTF partners, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada. Over the past several years, we have worked with even more countries through this framework and have expanded our exchanges into even more fields. Together, we have met all kinds of new challenges. I am confident that as our cooperation grows stronger, so will our ability to promote global progress. Each of today’s guests is contributing a vital force in that regard. I extend my sincere thanks to you all. Global challenges such as extreme weather, pandemics, and energy crises continue to emerge. And growing authoritarianism presents a grave threat to freedom-loving countries. These challenges have no borders, and absolutely no single country can face them alone. Taiwan holds a key position on the first island chain, and stands at the very frontline of the defense of democracy. With this joint workshop, we are demonstrating to the world our determination to create an even more resilient Taiwan. We are also aiming to advance our mutual assistance and exchanges with all the countries involved, so that we can make our societies more resilient and together promote stability and prosperity around the world. Moving forward, we will continue advancing the following three initiatives: First, we will join the forces of the central and local governments to enhance social resilience across the board. Just last year, I established the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee at the Presidential Office. Civilian force training, strategic material preparation, and critical infrastructure operation and maintenance are all key discussion areas for our committee. These aim to enhance Taiwan’s resilience in national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention, and democracy. They are also items on the agenda for this GCTF workshop. To cover all the bases, Taiwan must unite and cooperate as a team. Last year, our committee held the very first cross-sector tabletop exercise at the Presidential Office which included central and local government officials as well as civilian observers. We aim to test the government’s emergency response capabilities in high-intensity gray-zone operations and near-conflict situations. We will continue to hold exercises to help the central and local governments work together more efficiently, and strengthen Taiwan’s overall disaster response capabilities. Second is to enhance disaster response capabilities in the community. We fully understand that to build whole-of-society resilience, we must help people increase risk awareness, know how to respond to disasters, and develop abilities to help themselves, help one another, and work together. We are grateful to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) for collaborating with the Taiwan Development Association for Disaster Medical Teams to host “Take Action” workshops around the country since 2021. A 2.0 version is already in practice, and continues to train the public in first aid skills. Director of the AIT Taipei Office Raymond Greene and I took part in a Take Action event in New Taipei City last year and personally saw the positive outcomes of the training. In addition to the Take Action workshops, the government is also providing Disaster Relief Volunteer training for ages 11 to 89, and is continuing to expand its target audience. We have also set up Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams at key facilities nationwide, enhancing the ability of these important facilities to respond independently to disasters. Civilian training will continue to be refined and expanded so that members of the public can serve as important partners in government-led disaster prevention and relief. Third, we will leverage Taiwan’s strengths to make contributions to the international community. The inspiration for our Disaster Relief Volunteer training comes from a similar program run by The Nippon Care-Fit Education Institute in Japan. I am confident that through exchanges like this workshop, Taiwan and other countries can also inspire one another in many areas, and enhance whole-of-society resilience in multiple ways. Taiwan also excels in information and communications and advanced technology. We will set up even more robust cybersecurity systems, expand usage of emerging technologies, and improve the ways we maintain domestic security. We hope that by leveraging our capabilities and sharing our experiences, Taiwan can contribute even more to the international community. I want to welcome all our partners once again, and thank AIT for co-hosting this event. Let’s continue down the path of advancing global security and developing resilience together. Because together, we can travel farther, and we can travel longer. Also in attendance at the event were Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Deputy Representative Takaba Yo, Australian Office in Taipei Representative Robert Fergusson, and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel.

    Details
    2025-02-24
    President Lai meets Japanese House of Representatives Member Tamaki Yuichiro
    On the afternoon of February 24, President Lai Ching-te met with Japanese House of Representatives Member Tamaki Yuichiro. In remarks, President Lai noted that Taiwan and Japan are important trading partners. The president expressed hope that, in addition to semiconductors, Taiwan and Japan can also bolster cooperation in the fields of hydrogen energy and drones and build non-red supply chains, thus creating economic win-win situations and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to start by warmly welcoming Representative Tamaki on his first trip to Taiwan. Now is a key moment for the cooperative ties between Taiwan and Japan, and the fact that Representative Tamaki has chosen to take time out of his busy schedule to make this trip demonstrates his especially meaningful support for Taiwan. For this I want to express my deepest gratitude. At the beginning of this month, Japan and the United States held a summit meeting. In the post-summit joint leaders’ statement the government of Japan reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion, and expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. I would like to thank the government of Japan for these statements. Taiwan and Japan are both responsible members of the international community. I welcome an even firmer friendship between Japan and the US and hope to see cooperation among Taiwan, Japan, and the US become a solid force in consolidating peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to complex international conditions, we now also face the threat of China’s red supply chain. More and more countries are becoming increasingly concerned about such issues as economic security and supply chain resilience. As authoritarianism consolidates, democratic nations must also come closer in solidarity. Taiwan and Japan are important trading partners. I hope that, in addition to semiconductors, Taiwan and Japan can also bolster cooperation in the fields of hydrogen energy and drones, and that we can build non-red supply chains, thus creating economic win-win situations and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. Lastly, I would like once again to welcome Representative Tamaki to Taiwan and wish him a successful visit. I hope he departs Taiwan with a deep impression and that he will visit again. Representative Tamaki then delivered remarks, noting that this was his first visit to Taiwan and thanking President Lai and officials of the Taiwan government for their warm welcome. Pointing out that Taiwan-Japan ties are closer than ever thanks to the major efforts made on this front by President Lai since taking office, Representative Tamaki expressed his admiration and gratitude. Representative Tamaki pointed out that in a changing global landscape, Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region all face major changes, but he firmly believes that Taiwan-Japan relations will develop even further. Recalling President Lai’s previous remarks, the representative said that Japan and the US recently held a summit meeting that yielded important results. In the joint leaders’ statement, he noted, the two sides made a clear commitment regarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and firmly opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion. Representative Tamaki said that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito did not win a majority in last year’s House of Representatives general elections, while the number of seats held by his own Democratic Party for the People quadrupled. This result, he said, has filled him with a feeling of great responsibility. Moving forward, he intends to continue promoting Taiwan-Japan cooperation and strengthening relations. Also in attendance at the meeting was Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Katayama Kazuyuki.

    Details
    2025-03-13
    President Lai holds press conference following high-level national security meeting
    On the afternoon of March 13, President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting, following which he held a press conference. In remarks, President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth. President Lai emphasized that in the face of increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and expressed hope that all citizens unite in solidarity to resist being divided. The president also expressed hope that citizens work together to increase media literacy, organize and participate in civic education activities, promptly expose concerted united front efforts, and refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, he said, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: At many venues recently, a number of citizens have expressed similar concerns to me. They have noticed cases in which members of the military, both active-duty and retired, have been bought out by China, sold intelligence, or even organized armed forces with plans to harm their own nation and its citizens. They have noticed cases in which entertainers willingly followed instructions from Beijing to claim that their country is not a country, all for the sake of personal career interests. They have noticed how messaging used by Chinese state media to stir up internal opposition in Taiwan is always quickly spread by specific channels. There have even been individuals making careers out of helping Chinese state media record united front content, spreading a message that democracy is useless and promoting skepticism toward the United States and the military to sow division and opposition. Many people worry that our country, as well as our hard-won freedom and democracy and the prosperity and progress we achieved together, are being washed away bit by bit due to these united front tactics. In an analysis of China’s united front, renowned strategic scholar Kerry K. Gershaneck expressed that China plans to divide and conquer us through subversion, infiltration, and acquisition of media, and by launching media warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare. What they are trying to do is to sow seeds of discord in our society, keep us occupied with internal conflicts, and cause us to ignore the real threat from outside. China’s ambition over the past several decades to annex Taiwan and stamp out the Republic of China has not changed for even a day. It continues to pursue political and military intimidation, and its united front infiltration of Taiwan’s society grows ever more serious. In 2005, China promulgated its so-called “Anti-Secession Law,” which makes using military force to annex Taiwan a national undertaking. Last June, China issued a 22-point set of “guidelines for punishing Taiwan independence separatists,” which regards all those who do not accept that “Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China” as targets for punishment, creating excuses to harm the people of Taiwan. China has also recently been distorting United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, showing in all aspects China’s increasingly urgent threat against Taiwan’s sovereignty. Lately, China has been taking advantage of democratic Taiwan’s freedom, diversity, and openness to recruit gangs, the media, commentators, political parties, and even active-duty and retired members of the armed forces and police to carry out actions to divide, destroy, and subvert us from within. A report from the National Security Bureau indicates that 64 persons were charged last year with suspicion of spying for China, which was three times the number of persons charged for the same offense in 2021. Among them, the Unionist Party, Rehabilitation Alliance Party, and Republic of China Taiwan Military Government formed treasonous organizations to deploy armed forces for China. In a democratic and free society, such cases are appalling. But this is something that actually exists within Taiwan’s society today. China also actively plots ways to infiltrate and spy on our military. Last year, 28 active-duty and 15 retired members of the armed forces were charged with suspicion of involvement in spying for China, respectively comprising 43 percent and 23 percent of all of such cases – 66 percent in total. We are also alert to the fact that China has recently used widespread issuance of Chinese passports to entice Taiwanese citizens to apply for the Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents, permanent residency, or the Resident Identity Card, in an attempt to muddle Taiwanese people’s sense of national identity. China also views cross-strait exchanges as a channel for its united front against Taiwan, marking enemies in Taiwan internally, creating internal divisions, and weakening our sense of who the enemy really is. It intends to weaken public authority and create the illusion that China is “governing” Taiwan, thereby expanding its influence within Taiwan. We are also aware that China has continued to expand its strategy of integrated development with Taiwan. It employs various methods to demand and coerce Taiwanese businesses to increase their investments in China, entice Taiwanese youth to develop their careers in China, and unscrupulously seeks to poach Taiwan’s talent and steal key technologies. Such methods impact our economic security and greatly increase the risk of our young people heading to China. By its actions, China already satisfies the definition of a “foreign hostile force” as provided in the Anti-Infiltration Act. We have no choice but to take even more proactive measures, which is my purpose in convening this high-level national security meeting today. It is time we adopt proper preventive measures, enhance our democratic resilience and national security, and protect our cherished free and democratic way of life. Next, I will be giving a detailed account of the five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces and the 17 major strategies we have prepared in response. I. Responding to China’s threats to our national sovereignty We have a nation insofar as we have sovereignty, and we have the Republic of China insofar as we have Taiwan. Just as I said during my inaugural address last May, and in my National Day address last October: The moment when Taiwan’s first democratically elected president took the oath of office in 1996 sent a message to the international community, that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent, democratic nation. Among people here and in the international community, some call this land the Republic of China, some call it Taiwan, and some, the Republic of China Taiwan. The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and Taiwan resists any annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty. The future of the Republic of China Taiwan must be decided by its 23 million people. This is the status quo that we must maintain. The broadest consensus in Taiwanese society is that we must defend our sovereignty, uphold our free and democratic way of life, and resolutely oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (1) I request that the National Security Council (NSC), the Ministry of National Defense (MND), and the administrative team do their utmost to promote the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to demonstrate the people’s broad consensus and firm resolve, consistent across the entirety of our nation, to oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (2) I request that the NSC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs draft an action plan that will, through collaboration with our friends and allies, convey to the world our national will and broad social consensus in opposing annexation of Taiwan by China and in countering China’s efforts to erase Taiwan from the international community and downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty. II. Responding to China’s threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting our military (1) Comprehensively review and amend our Law of Military Trial to restore the military trial system, allowing military judges to return to the frontline and collaborate with prosecutorial, investigative, and judicial authorities in the handling of criminal cases in which active-duty military personnel are suspected of involvement in such military crimes as sedition, aiding the enemy, leaking confidential information, dereliction of duty, or disobedience. In the future, criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel who are suspected of violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces will be tried by a military court. (2) Implement supporting reforms, including the establishment of a personnel management act for military judges and separate organization acts for military courts and military prosecutors’ offices. Once planning and discussion are completed, the MND will fully explain to and communicate with the public to ensure that the restoration of the military trial system gains the trust and full support of society. (3) To deter the various types of controversial rhetoric and behavior exhibited by active-duty as well as retired military personnel that severely damage the morale of our national military, the MND must discuss and propose an addition to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces on penalties for expressions of loyalty to the enemy as well as revise the regulations for military personnel and their families receiving retirement benefits, so as to uphold military discipline. III. Responding to China’s threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan (1) I request that the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), and other relevant agencies, wherever necessary, carry out inspections and management of the documents involving identification that Taiwanese citizens apply for in China, including: passports, ID cards, permanent residence certificates, and residence certificates, especially when the applicants are military personnel, civil servants, or public school educators, who have an obligation of loyalty to Taiwan. This will be done to strictly prevent and deter united front operations, which are performed by China under the guise of “integrated development,” that attempt to distort our people’s national identity. (2) With respect to naturalization and integration of individuals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau into Taiwanese society, more national security considerations must be taken into account while also attending to Taiwan’s social development and individual rights: Chinese nationals applying for permanent residency in Taiwan must, in accordance with the law of Taiwan, relinquish their existing household registration and passport and may not hold dual identity status. As for the systems in place to process individuals from Hong Kong or Macau applying for residency or permanent residency in Taiwan, there will be additional provisions for long-term residency to meet practical needs. IV. Responding to China’s threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges  (1) There are increasing risks involved with travel to China. (From January 1, 2024 to today, the MAC has received reports of 71 Taiwanese nationals who went missing, were detained, interrogated, or imprisoned in China; the number of unreported people who have been subjected to such treatment may be several times that. Of those, three elderly I-Kuan Tao members were detained in China in December of last year and have not yet been released.) In light of this, relevant agencies must raise public awareness of those risks, continue enhancing public communication, and implement various registration systems to reduce the potential for accidents and the risks associated with traveling to China. (2) Implement a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public officials at all levels of the central and local government. This includes everyone from administrative officials to elected representatives, from legislators to village and neighborhood chiefs, all of whom should make the information related to such exchanges both public and transparent so that they can be accountable to the people. The MOI should also establish a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public welfare organizations, such as religious groups, in order to prevent China’s interference and united front activities at their outset. (3) Manage the risks associated with individuals from China engaging in exchanges with Taiwan: Review and approval of Chinese individuals coming to Taiwan should be limited to normal cross-strait exchanges and official interactions under the principles of parity and dignity, and relevant factors such as changes in the cross-strait situation should be taken into consideration. Strict restrictions should be placed on Chinese individuals who have histories with the united front coming to Taiwan, and Chinese individuals should be prohibited from coming to Taiwan to conduct activities related in any way to the united front. (4) Political interference from China and the resulting risks to national security should be avoided in cross-strait exchanges. This includes the review and management of religious, cultural, academic, and education exchanges, which should in principle be depoliticized and de-risked so as to simplify people-to-people exchanges and promote healthy and orderly exchanges. (5) To deter the united front tactics of a cultural nature employed by Chinese nationals to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, the Executive Yuan must formulate a solution to make our local cultural industries more competitive, including enhanced support and incentives for our film, television, and cultural and creative industries to boost their strengths in democratic cultural creation, raise international competitiveness, and encourage research in Taiwan’s own history and culture. (6) Strengthen guidance and management for entertainers developing their careers in China. The competent authorities should provide entertainers with guidelines on conduct while working in China, and make clear the scope of investigation and response to conduct that endangers national dignity. This will help prevent China from pressuring Taiwanese entertainers to make statements or act in ways that endanger national dignity. (7) The relevant authorities must adopt proactive, effective measures to prevent China from engaging in cognitive warfare against Taiwan or endangering cybersecurity through the internet, applications, AI, and other such tools. (8) To implement these measures, each competent authority must run a comprehensive review of the relevant administrative ordinances, measures, and interpretations, and complete the relevant regulations for legal enforcement. Should there be any shortcomings, the legal framework for national security should be strengthened and amendments to the National Security Act, Anti-Infiltration Act, Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs, or Cyber Security Management Act should be proposed. Communication with the public should also be increased so that implementation can happen as soon as possible. V. Responding to threats from China using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth (1) I request that the NSC and administrative agencies work together to carry out strategic structural adjustments to the economic and trade relations between Taiwan and China based on the strategies of putting Taiwan first and expanding our global presence while staying rooted in Taiwan. In addition, they should carry out necessary, orderly adjustments to the flow of talent, goods, money, and skills involved in cross-strait economic and trade relations based on the principle of strengthening Taiwan’s foundations to better manage risk. This will help boost economic security and give us more power to respond to China’s economic and trade united front and economic coercion against Taiwan. (2) I request that the Ministry of Education, MAC, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and other relevant agencies work together to comprehensively strengthen young students’ literacy education on China and deepen their understanding of cross-strait exchanges. I also request these agencies to widely publicize mechanisms for employment and entrepreneurship for Taiwan’s youth and provide ample information and assistance so that young students have more confidence in the nation’s future and more actively invest in building up and developing Taiwan. My fellow citizens, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. History tells us that any authoritarian act of aggression or annexation will ultimately end in failure. The only way we can safeguard freedom and prevail against authoritarian aggression is through solidarity. As we face increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and to ensure that the freedom, democracy, and way of life of Taiwan’s 23 million people continues on as normal. But relying solely on the power of the government is not enough. What we need even more is for all citizens to stay vigilant and take action. Every citizen stands on the frontline of the defense of democracy and freedom. Here is what we can do together: First, we can increase our media literacy, and refrain from spreading and passing on united front messaging from the Chinese state. Second, we can organize and participate in civic education activities to increase our knowledge about united front operations and build up whole-of-society defense resilience. Third, we can promptly expose concerted united front efforts so that all malicious attempts are difficult to carry out. Fourth, we must refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. The vigilance and action of every citizen forms the strongest line of defense against united front infiltration. Only through solidarity can we resist being divided. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After a century of Monday to Friday, could the 4-day week finally be coming to Australia?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John L. Hopkins, Associate Professor of Management, Swinburne University of Technology

    The reality of shorter working hours could be one step closer for many Australians, pending the outcome of the federal election.

    The Greens, who could control crucial cross bench votes in a hung parliament, have announced plans for a four-day working week, with no loss of pay. They say the policy would alleviate stress and burn out, and increase women’s participation in the workforce.

    Earning the same money for fewer hours would appeal to most workers. But is it too good to be true? Could it really be rolled out cost free to all workplaces, especially to “client facing” companies and service providers?

    Or does research suggest the Greens could be onto something?

    The Greens’ plan

    The Greens’ policy would involve a new National Institute for the Four Day Work Week and a test case through the Fair Work Commission.

    A series of national trials would be set up in a number of different industries, whereby workers would work 80% of their normal hours, while maintaining 100% of their pay.

    According to Greens Senator Barbara Pocock, it’s a win-win for everyone:

    It can increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, improve recruitment and retention and give employees more time to manage their home life. This change will allow workers to create a working week that works for them.

    The 100:80:100 model

    The four-day work week being proposed in this instance is commonly regarded as the 100:80:100 model.

    It delivers 100% of the pay, for 80% of the hours, in return for maintaining 100% of productivity.

    This is unlike other forms of shorter working weeks, which compress five days’ worth of work into four longer days. This obviously disadvantages some employees.

    Recent research conducted by Swinburne University of Technology involved interviews with ten Australian firms that have already adopted the 100:80:100 model.

    They were a mixture of small and medium sized private sector businesses, including management consulting firms, a shipping and logistics company, and recruitment and marketing agencies.

    The research underlined the potential for a range of positive outcomes for both employers and employees.

    Workers reported having better work-life balance, more time to complete “life administration” tasks, and more time to invest in hobbies, exercise, wellness and self-care. Bosses cited productivity gains, reduced sick days, and significant improvements in recruitment and retention rates.

    However, the 100:80:100 model is viewed with scepticism in some quarters. There is still doubt that productivity and output would be maintained, or in some cases improved, when workers are working one day fewer per week.

    Also, there could be costs associated with the implementation of this work model for front-line roles, such as retail, schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Additional workers may need to be hired, at extra expense, to cover the hours dropped by the existing workforce.

    100 years of working 5 days a week

    The year 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the five-day work week.

    It was car maker Henry Ford who reduced the working week in the United States from six days to five. Other sectors and countries followed suit. This was at a time when the average life expectancy of Australian workers was just 55 and households typically only had one bread-winner.

    Despite the time saved by the many technological breakthroughs in the past 100 years – from the photocopier, desktop computer and fax machine, to the internet, mobile phones and AI – the average Australian is now working longer hours in paid and unpaid labour than ever before.

    The Greens point out Australian society is changing. More women and carers are either in the workforce or would be encouraged into the workforce by more flexible arrangements:

    yet we are constrained by archaic labour laws that see the fruits of our efforts swallowed up in profits for bosses and shareholders.

    The role of generative AI technologies in the workplace may also deliver benefits to workers. Separate Swinburne research has revealed an increasing expectation among workers that they will receive a share in the time saved by future technologies in the form of improved work-life balance and wellbeing gains.

    Time to enter the 21st century

    Earlier this year, 200 UK companies signed up to the 100:80:100 model, as part of a campaign to “reinvent Britain’s working week”. Large scale trials are also underway in Canada and several European countries.

    The global interest in a shorter working week is not surprising, and has likely been fuelled by the COVID pandemic, which has caused workers and employers to re-imagine their working lives.

    If the Greens are in a position to leverage any balance of power after the coming election, it could be Australia’s turn to recognise the conventional five-day working week is no longer fit for purpose.

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

    – ref. After a century of Monday to Friday, could the 4-day week finally be coming to Australia? – https://theconversation.com/after-a-century-of-monday-to-friday-could-the-4-day-week-finally-be-coming-to-australia-252379

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed: Trump’s Cancellation of USDA Local Food Purchasing Programs Hurts Hungry Students & Families, Local Farmers, & the Economy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – As the Trump Administration confirms it is halting more than $1 billion in federal assistance that enables public schools and food banks to purchase nutritious produce and food from local farmers, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says these cancellations will harm hungry students and low-income families, farmers and food producers, and local economies.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs on the chopping block include the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). In a statement to The Hill, Trump’s USDA claimed that the essential programs that help provide nutritious food to hungry Americans “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.”

    This year, the programs were set to distribute $660 million for schools and child care facilities and $500 million for food banks to work with local farmers within a set geographic range to purchase local food from farmers, fishermen, and food producers. The successful programs have increased access to locally-grown, nutritious food in underserved communities and helped family farmers, fishermen, and local food producers significantly expand their markets.

    Senator Reed joined with U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and 30 other colleagues in urging USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to reverse course on these cuts and provide additional information about implementation of the USDA programs set to be cancelled.

    “At a time when food insecurity remains high, providing affordable, fresh food to food banks and families while supporting American farmers is critical. Notably, LFPA and LFS have benefitted producers and consumers by providing funding for purchases through all 50 states, four territories, and 84 tribal governments,” the Senators wrote. “Through LFPA and LFS, USDA has prioritized the procurement and distribution of healthy, nutritious, domestic food. It has also taken an important step towards igniting rural prosperity by expanding and strengthening markets among farmers and rural economies. As of December 2024, the programs had supported over 8,000 producers, providing increased marketing

    opportunities.”

    According to Farm Fresh Rhode Island, these cuts would cost Rhode Island approximately $3 million and negatively impact about 100 small businesses in the Ocean State.

    Senator Reed noted that these drastic cuts come as Republican budget proposals threaten access to critical nutrition assistance programs and as the demand on local food banks across the nation continues to soar in Rhode Island and across the nation.

    “Making it harder for schools and food banks to serve up fresh, nutritious, local foods to students and struggling families is a shameful way to scrounge up cash for President Trump’s billionaires-first tax giveaway.  We know that hungry students do not perform as well in the classroom as their peers who have access to regular, nutritious meals. These reckless cuts to essential USDA programs will have an outsized impact on low-income families and on the local farmers, fishermen, and food producers who have benefitted significantly from expanded local markets for their goods,” said Senator Reed.  “Time and time again, President Trump has insisted that his Administration’s devastating cuts will magically not impact vulnerable American families. By cutting these vital USDA programs, he is making his priorities crystal clear – billionaires come first and American families come last.”

    During the COVID pandemic, Congress made $900 million available for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food purchasing efforts through the LFPA.  These programs helped strengthen local and regional food systems, improved agricultural supply-chain resiliency, and supported underserved producers and communities.  Using LFPA funds, states set up approved programs to purchase food produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination, which was then distributed through food banks, pantries, and other food distribution centers where hungry families in need can receive food.

    In Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), working with nonprofits like Farm Fresh Rhode Island, was awarded a total of $1.78 million to purchase local foods for distribution within the state.  To date, DEM, Farm Fresh, and their partners, have purchased food from 95 local producers and distributed that nutritious, local food to over 65,000 Rhode Islanders.

    Last year, Senator Reed introduced legislation that would codify LFPA into law, providing permanent funding to ensure the program continues. Reed’s EAT Local Foods Act gained the support of a wide range of farmers, food hubs, coalitions, and business networks across the nation in addition to several leading Rhode Island organizations, including: the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, and Southside Community Land Trust.

    In addition to Senators Reed and Schiff, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Ben Ray Luján (D-NM); Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Tina Smith (D-MN); Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Ron Wyden (D-OR); Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Martin Heinrich (D-NM); Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Michael Bennet (D-CO); Elissa Slotkin (D-MI); Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY); Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Raphael Warnock (D-GA); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Richard Durbin (D-IL); Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV); Patty Murray (D-WA); Angus King (I-ME); Bernie Sanders (I-VT); John Hickenlooper (D-CO); Gary Peters (D-MI); Jacky Rosen (D-NV); Peter Welch (D-VT); Alex Padilla (D-CA); Cory Booker (D-NJ); Ed Markey (D-MA); and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    March 14, 2025

    Ms. Brooke Rollins

    Secretary

    U.S. Department of Agriculture

    1400 Independence Ave SW

    Washington, DC 20250

    Dear Secretary Rollins:

    We write to express serious concerns regarding the cancellation of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs supporting local and regional food purchases providing assistance to those in need. These successful programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), allow states, territories, and Tribes to purchase local foods from nearby farmers and ranchers to be used for emergency food providers, schools, and child care centers.

    At a time when food insecurity remains high, providing affordable, fresh food to food banks and families while supporting American farmers is critical. Notably, LFPA and LFS have benefitted producers and consumers by providing funding for purchases through all 50 states, four territories, and 84 tribal governments.

    Through LFPA and LFS, USDA has prioritized the procurement and distribution of healthy, nutritious, domestic food. It has also taken an important step towards igniting rural prosperity by expanding and strengthening markets among farmers and rural economies. As of December 2024, the programs had supported over 8,000 producers, providing increased marketing

    opportunities.

    Most importantly, we ask that you reverse the cancellation of LFPA and LFS. We also ask that you provide a thorough and complete update on USDA’s implementation of LFPA and LFS,

    including answers to the following questions:

    1. What is the status of reimbursements for entities that have agreements with USDA through LFPA and LFS? What is the last date for which states, territories, and Tribes received reimbursements for food purchases under LFPA and LFS?
    2. Has the Administration conducted any assessments of how these program cancellations will impact producers and recipient organizations (e.g., food banks, schools, child care centers)? If so, please provide a copy of any such assessments.

    We have grave concerns that the cancellation of LFPA and LFS poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country. At a time of uncertainty in farm country, farmers need every opportunity to be able to expand market access for their products.

    Please provide responses to the information requested in our questions no later than Friday, April 4. Thank you for your attention to this urgent and important matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT Community Protection Medal recognises exceptional emergency service members

    Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 17/03/2025

    Six local emergency service members have been recognised for their contributions to the Canberra community, with each receiving an ACT Community Protection Medal at a ceremony today.

    The Community Protection Medal was established in 2002 to acknowledge police and emergency services members who have made sustained and distinguished or outstanding service to the community.

    The medals are awarded each year, with Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Dr Marisa Paterson presenting medals to the recipients during a ceremony at Regatta Point today.

    Minister Paterson said that these six recipients embodied the best of our emergency service staff and volunteers.

    “I’m deeply impressed by the unwavering dedication of the people in these agencies in ensuring the safety and well-being of our community,” said Dr. Paterson.

    “Today’s award recipients are being acknowledged for their excellence in training, response, membership, and health and wellbeing, and they should all should be very proud of their work.”

    “They are true examples of the outstanding individuals within our emergency services. In times of crisis, they are the people who step up. We have seen this recently with our personnel heading to Queensland.”

    “We also extend our gratitude to the families for their ongoing support. The commitment, the deployments, and the overnight and public holiday shifts is what allows us to live in a safe and secure city.”

    “To the six award recipients, on behalf of the ACT community and the ACT Government, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and thank you for your service.”

    The six recipients of the 2024 ACT Community Protection Medal are:

    Michael Caldwell, ACT Ambulance Service

    In recognition of his commitment to the provision and improvement of professional pre-hospital emergency services within the ACT Ambulance Service Communication Centre. During his 14-year career with the Service, Michael has progressed through the Communications Centre as a call taker, to now being the Coordination Officer. His leadership and experience has assisted in building the knowledge of the team around him, ensuring the Canberra community have call-takers who can respond effectively in times of need.

    Commander Guy Cassis, ACT Fire and Rescue

    In recognition of his distinguished and outstanding contribution to community safety through the awareness and promotion of firefighter health, safety and wellbeing. Throughout his 22-year career, Commander Cassis has dedicated his time, over and above that required of his regular duties, to develop and improve process and procedure around firefighter safety, including being a Peer Support Officer and Health and Safety Representative.

    Mr Colin Dawes, ACT Emergency Services Agency

    In recognition of his leadership within ESA for almost 20 years. Whether an emergency event or day-to-day operations, Colin consistently provides outstanding service, working tirelessly to deliver aid and support to the Services as they respond and help the community. During the most recent emergency events of fire, smoke, storm, and the pandemic, Colin proved himself to be an adaptable, reliable, competent, and compassionate leader, colleague, and mentor.

    Detective Sergeant Lauren Gilliland, ACT Policing

    In recognition of her sustained distinguished and outstanding service to the ACT community over the past 15 years as an extremely highly regarded and effective police officer, instructor, mentor, and role model. Detective Sergeant Gilliland’s work has revolutionised the delivery of training and investigations into sexual offences and child abuse in the ACT and is now recognised internationally as best practice. Detective Sergeant Gilliland has had a major positive contribution to the lives of numerous victims in Canberra and is an exemplary police officer in every regard.

    Commander Adam Hartnett, ACT State Emergency Service

    Adam has significantly increased membership participation and ensured robust ready team for emergency callouts. His active participation in all aspects of the SES, from frontline operations to training and community engagement exemplifies his commitment to service. Adam has fostered a culture of preparedness and resilience, ensuring his team is always ready to provide critical assistance to the ACT community during storms, floods and land searches.

    Ms Nicola Lewis, ACT Rural Fire Service

    In recognition of her sustained service to training and recruitment across the ACT Rural Fire Service. For the past 15 years Nicola has provided outstanding service to individual and collective training, recruitment, and provided administration and operational support to the Service. During her service, Nicola has served as the Gungahlin Brigade Training Coordinator and has coordinated 10 firefighter courses. She has also been the lead assessor across courses and her knowledge and wisdom will shape the next generation of firefighters within the ACT Community.

    – Statement ends –

    Marisa Paterson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Monetary Policy: Forward Looking and Data Dependent in the Face of Uncertainty

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    I would first like to pay respect to the traditional and original owners of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, to pay respect to those who have passed before us and to acknowledge today’s custodians of this land. I also extend that respect to any First Nations people joining us here today.

    Introduction

    Three weeks ago, the Reserve Bank Board cut interest rates for the first time since 2020. Naturally there is a lot of interest in what lies behind the Board’s decision-making process. Today I want to shine a light on three key inputs to the process, how they interact with one another and how they fit together to support the Board in its decision making.

    The first is our view of how changes in the cash rate affect the economy. The impact of policy changes takes time to flow through the economy; looking at the response of banking credit flows to interest rate changes, which many here today know intimately, clearly highlights this. So policy decisions today shape inflation and employment outcomes in the future.

    This necessitates a forward-looking approach to meeting our mandate. Policy decisions require both a view of the outlook for the economy and an understanding of how policy is likely to affect that outlook. That helps the Board set the cash rate to give the best chance of achieving the RBA’s objectives over time.

    The second is how we form our view of the outlook – our baseline forecast – and how it responds to incoming data. When we talk about being ‘data dependent’, we are referring to the way we update our view of where the economy is and the outlook. The implication of continuously updating our view on the outlook means we also continuously update our policy advice to the Board; the future pathway for the cash rate is not predefined.

    Finally, I will say a bit about the Board’s approach to setting policy under uncertainty. In practice we are uncertain about both the outlook for the economy, and the effect of monetary policy, and this complicates policy decisions. Under uncertainty, policy depends on more than just the central forecast – judgements about the risks and uncertainties matter too. That’s why, as we have discussed on a number of occasions recently, it’s important to consider alternative possible pathways for the economy and how policy would have to respond.

    Monetary policy is forward looking …

    Central bankers and macroeconomists often say that monetary policy impacts the economy with a lag.

    So, if inflation moves away from our target, or employment falls below full employment, monetary policy cannot immediately offset those moves. Instead, central banks have to look ahead. Ideally we would know when and by how much the economy is going to move away from our targets in the future. Knowing this, we would calibrate policy today to prevent this from happening, and the economy would stay at full employment and inflation at target.

    In practice of course, this isn’t what happens. We can’t foresee shocks, and even in times of relative calm outcomes are rarely (if ever) exactly as we expect. The economy and our understanding of it is always evolving and our models, analysis and judgements aren’t perfect; we don’t have a crystal ball and even if we did it would be very cloudy.

    Despite this, given the lags in monetary policy transmission, we always have to forecast how we think the economy will evolve, and set policy now so that we expect to achieve our mandate once any policy change has had time to have its effect. In practice, as I will explain later, policy decisions also take account of uncertainties about the outlook. We put significant effort into identifying and understanding the risks around the baseline forecast, and the Board explicitly considers such risks in its decision-making.

    … because there are lags in transmission

    It is important, then, to understand how policy changes affect the economy. In a speech in 2023 my colleague Christopher Kent set out the RBA’s view of how monetary policy works, and how the sequence of increases in the cash rate up to that point had affected the Australian economy. I plan to use the same framework to explore the lags in transmission, so let me briefly summarise it here.

    Figure 1: How Changes in the Cash Rate Flow through the Economy

    When the cash rate changes, the first step in transmission is that other short and longer term market interest rates and other asset prices (including the exchange rate) adjust, more or less straightaway. Then these changes affect economic activity and ultimately inflation through a number of ‘channels’:

    • Cash flow: lower interest rates flow into households’ disposable income; borrowers pay less to service their debt, and savers earn less on their deposits.
    • Savings and investment: a decrease in saving and borrowing rates typically encourages people and businesses to borrow, invest and consume more, and save less.
    • Asset prices: A cut in interest rates typically encourages investment in assets, resulting in higher house, equity and other asset prices. Higher household wealth tends to increase household consumption.
    • Credit: Lower interest rates can increase the flow of loans to households and the availability of external funding to businesses.
    • Exchange rate: a decrease in interest rates can contribute to a depreciation of the exchange rate, making imports less competitive and exports more competitive, leading to stronger growth. Higher import prices also directly increase inflation.

    Macroeconomists often talk about expectations, and whether or not an interest rate change is partially or fully anticipated by financial markets, households and businesses is an important determinant of the size of each transmission channel. If the change is fully anticipated by financial markets then we may see little if any change in asset prices and the exchange rate, which limits the size of the exchange rate and asset price channels after the decision. Households and businesses may also start to adapt their spending and investment decisions ahead of a change in the cash rate, but they typically respond less than financial markets prior to the policy decision.

    Overall, then, the size and timing of the impact of policy changes through these channels varies.

    Take the cash flow channel as an example. Some variable loan and savings rates change quickly, as we saw following the Board’s latest decision. Households in aggregate have more interest-sensitive loans than deposits, so lower interest rates increase household disposable income. That prompts higher spending by borrowers, though households typically adjust their spending by less than the changes in their incomes in the short run. For those with fixed-rate mortgages, cash flows remain unchanged until loans roll over, though they might start adjusting their spending in anticipation (Graph 1).

    Or consider the exchange rate channel. All else equal, an interest rate cut in Australia lowers the relative rate of return on Australian assets compared with overseas. This typically leads to a depreciation of the dollar, making exports cheaper and imports more expensive. However, while the exchange rate adjusts immediately, the volume of traded goods responds more gradually. Domestic businesses will have existing contracts to purchase goods from overseas, while foreign buyers are similarly committed to purchasing Australian products at previously agreed prices. If there is a trade deficit this price effect may exacerbate it. But as these contracts come up for renewal, and as firms and consumers adjust their purchasing behaviour, there will be a gradual increase in the volume of exports and a decline in imports, leading to an increase in net trade over time.

    So far I’ve been discussing the direct channels through which cash rate changes impact the economy; these start working immediately, though they take time to fully play out. But there are also indirect spillovers, such as the impact of spending decisions by businesses, households, and importers on employment and income. For example, a business might hire new workers for an investment project that is made viable by a rate cut, boosting household income and spending. This ripple effect can amplify the direct impact of policy and may occur quickly or over time. Recent research suggests these indirect effects could be a major part of the transmission mechanism.

    While identifying these channels helps us think through how monetary policy operates, in practice they operate at the same time and there is no precise way to isolate or quantify the contribution of each one. Nevertheless, one simple way to build intuition about their relative roles is to look at how the components of GDP evolve after a change in monetary policy.

    To do this we can use a model of the economy – here I will use MARTIN, the RBA’s main macroeconomic model, to illustrate the transmission of a reduction in interest rates.

    There are a number of helpful insights from the decomposition shown in Graph 2:

    1. The immediate GDP response to lower interest rates is relatively limited – it takes time for everyone to adjust
    2. In MARTIN it takes 9–12 months for a loosening in monetary policy to have its peak effect on economic output.
    3. The effect from total investment is an important channel over the first year, with dwelling investment in particular responding relatively quickly compared with business investment, whose response builds fairly gradually. Intuitively this makes sense – businesses might immediately be encouraged to invest more by higher valuations and cheaper credit, but it takes time to get projects off the ground, and some businesses will wait to respond once they see an increase in the demand for their goods and services from consumers.
    4. Changes in imports and exports also play an important role in driving the initial response of GDP, at least according to this particular model. This highlights that the exchange rate channel is important and operates relatively quickly compared with other channels; if overseas holidays become expensive, households tend to quickly switch to vacationing at home and vice versa.
    5. The response of household consumption to lower interest rates is initially small but grows over time. This suggests the ‘cash flow channel’ – which should start working quickly – plays a minor role in the overall transmission mechanism, as the boost from lower debt payments is offset by reduced interest income on deposits. The slow response likely reflects the indirect effects of transmission channels and households’ tendency to smooth their spending changes.

    While it takes about nine months for the cash rate to have its biggest impact on GDP, the peak effect on inflation is estimated to take nearly twice as long (Graph 3). This could be because it takes time for an increase in demand to affect the hiring decisions of firms and the job search decisions of households, which then ultimately feed into price setting. Or it may simply reflect some ‘stickiness’ in prices.

    This tells us that – according to MARTIN at least – the decisions we make today will have their largest effect on economic output at the end of 2025, and on inflation in mid-2026.

    Monetary policy is always data dependent …

    So to set policy we need an estimate of how changes in the cash rate affect the economy and a view of the outlook for the economy – a forecast.

    As forecasters, we essentially try to do two things. First, we try to understand the state of the economy now. Second, we use models based on economic theory and capturing historical patterns in the data combined with our judgement, to extrapolate from the current state of the economy into the future.

    In both cases this comes down to our understanding of the data – both quantitative information such as official ABS data, surveys and financial market data, and qualitative information such as liaison. Extracting reliable signals from noisy data and forming a coherent economic picture is challenging. New or revised data can alter our view of the starting point or how the economy might evolve. As things constantly change, we continuously update our views with new information.

    In recent years many central banks have described their policy setting as ‘data dependent’. Rather than meaning that policy responds mechanically to particular pieces of data, we are data dependent in the sense that incoming data affects our view of where the economy is today and the outlook, and this in turn influences the path for policy. At times of heightened uncertainty about how the economy is responding to shocks – for example, during the pandemic and the immediate aftermath –central banks may put a higher weight on real time data relative to baseline forecasts and models. But these weights change over time, as conditions evolve and we learn more about how the economy is responding; policymakers must always take a forward-looking view on the outlook. So, how does this work in practice?

    … because data informs our view of the outlook

    To give a sense of how we draw this information together into a forecast, I am going to use the example of our household consumption forecasts.

    In our most recent Statement on Monetary Policy (SMP), one of our key judgments was that household consumption growth had started to recover in line with the pick-up in real household incomes. This judgement was informed by analysis of a range of timely indicators – such as the ABS Household Spending Indicator, and credit and debit card spending indices – which suggested that consumption growth had picked up in the December quarter.

    But was this just a temporary pick-up as financially squeezed households concentrated their spending around Black Friday and other sales? Digging further into the data suggested there was more to it than that (Graph 4). Not surprisingly, spending on the types of goods that tend to have significant sales, such as household goods and clothing, did grow strongly in the quarter. However, we had also seen a modest lift in household disposable income from the middle of 2024, and discretionary spending not impacted by sales (e.g. eating out) also showed signs of picking up, which suggested a genuine improvement in underlying momentum. Information from our liaison contacts also supported this assessment.

    Our read of the data is a crucial input to our forecasts. In fact, one way to think about the forecast is that it captures and projects forward what we think is signal from the latest data, while disregarding what we think is mostly noise.

    The outlook for consumption is only one part of the forecast, and we spend considerable time thinking about how different assumptions impact different sectors, and how these interactions might magnify or offset one another. But underneath it all, the links between data, forecast and policy sits at the heart of us saying that policy is ‘data-dependent’.

    Policy under uncertainty

    As I set out earlier, the link between our forecast and the Board’s policy decision is not mechanical. It is not as simple as constructing our central forecasts, then working out what the Board needs to do with the cash rate to meet its objectives.

    The main reason for this is that there are always risks and uncertainties around the central forecast; the baseline pathway is just one of a vast number of possible outcomes. Board decisions are always made in an uncertain environment, which means thinking about the distribution of risks around the central forecast. One of the things we are focused on right now is US policy settings, the impact of these on the global economy and how this flows through to activity and inflation here in Australia; we have been using scenarios, analysis and judgement to assess the policy implications.

    As the Governor and Deputy Governor have both indicated recently, the February decision reflected a judgement by the Board that it was the right time to take some restrictiveness away, but the Board were more cautious than the market about prospects for further easing.

    In all of this, the RBA uses a range of timely indicators to form its economic forecasts. These data help to distinguish between temporary fluctuations and more sustained trends, informing policy decisions. The RBA’s policy decisions are made in the context of various risks and uncertainties. The Board considers a wide range of possible outcomes and uses scenarios, analysis and judgment to assess the implications of different policy paths, ensuring a balanced and forward-looking approach. This is why being forward looking is not in tension with being data dependent.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Louis Woman Accused of $177,000 Pandemic-Era Tax Credit Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri has been accused of fraudulently obtaining $177,000 in pandemic-era tax refunds.

    Ayana J. Brown, 33, was indicted February 20 on two felony counts of theft of government property. She turned herself in Monday and pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

    The indictment says that on Dec. 22, 2022, Brown filed two fraudulent quarterly employment tax returns (IRS Form 941s) with the IRS on behalf of Yaya Flowtiques LLC. Brown falsely claimed the company had five employees and paid approximately $177,321 in wages for the first quarter of 2021 and $145,098 in wages for the second quarter, the indictment says.  In fact, Yaya Flowtiques had no employees during this time, the indictment says.  Brown fraudulently claimed credits under the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) program, resulting in two U.S. Treasury checks totaling $177,000 in refunds that were mailed to Brown, the indictment says.

    The ERC was a tax credit designed to encourage businesses to retain employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, businesses qualified for the ERC if they were shut down by a government order, experienced a 50% decline in gross receipts or qualified as a recovery startup business and if they paid qualified wages to employees during the pandemic.

    Each theft of government property charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine

    Charges set forth in an indictment are merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Giving Women Jobs ‘Smartest, Fastest’ Way to Grow Economy, Commission Told

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The Commission on the Status of Women entered its second week today with an interactive dialogue on inclusive development, shared prosperity and decent work.  Speakers emphasized the urgency of turning gender equality commitments into concrete, actionable policies to ensure women have equal opportunities to improve their employment prospects and livelihoods.

    The Commission’s two-week annual session focuses on accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 conference on women in Beijing, where world leaders pledged to achieve gender equality and uphold women’s rights.  Discussions also focus on contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Women Friendly Tax Administration

    Diane Elson, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, England, said that systemic barriers to women’s enjoyment of decent work include discrimination in hiring, misogyny, sexual harassment, violence in the workplace and lack of investment to reduce and redistribute unpaid work.  “Unfortunately, some of these barriers are actually intensifying in some countries, where there are now attempts to wipe from the record the gains that women and ethnic minorities and other minorities have made,” she said.  However, there are many things that can be done.  While inclusive development policies tend to garner wide support, there are many forms of inclusion that are impoverishing and exploitative.  It is therefore important to focus on “rights at work as well as the right to work, and to understand that economic growth does not necessarily create more jobs,” she stressed.  To that end, it is critical to improve women friendly tax administration systems for filing taxes.  “We need the elimination of tax breaks that do not increase investment and productivity and serve only to reduce tax payments for well off people and businesses,” she said.

    Access to Technology Training Key to Empowering Women  

    Corina Rodriguez, researcher at the National Council of Research and the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Public Policy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization presents many opportunities to reduce gender disparities but also creates challenges and presents risks.  Technology might lead to a displacement of the working population to get cheaper labour, particularly in certain sectors where women are overrepresented, and those perhaps where the qualifications are lower.  Technology creates new employment opportunity in design, in goods and services, technological services, logistics, customer care — opportunities that women can seize.  “But it depends, of course, on whether they’re able to first access training in these careers,” she said.  “Women are under much more time pressure, because in addition to work, they have to very often care for other members of the family,” she said.  It is essential to ensure that women do not “fall into the work trap” and take on additional hours without additional pay while also having to balance numerous other responsibilities. 

    Lekha S. Chakraborty, Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) in New Delhi, India, called on Governments to “move beyond the paradigm” of the gross domestic product (GDP).  “The fiscal policy space is shrinking,” she went on to underscore, noting that funds to women’s programmes have been substantially cut in the post-pandemic landscape.  However, it still remains true that the “smartest and fastest” way to increase GDP is to have women involved in economic growth through employment and empowerment.  “There are challenges with the care economy infrastructure,” she emphasized, spotlighting a sector of the economy where women are overrepresented.  In the post-pandemic paradigm “conscious public policy decisions are crucial”, she added.  Gender-responsive budgeting should not be confined solely to “what is specifically targeting women”.  She discussed the connection between gender bonds and fiscal policy, stating that in countries with high fiscal deficits, internal bond financing could be tied to gender equality outcomes.  However, she cautioned against linking bond financing to external funding, as it is subject to external factors, which carry inherent risks.  She emphasized that there are innovative approaches to addressing this issue.  “Public financial management reforms for climate change are currently under way without being tied to a job guarantee,” she added.

    Gender Mainstreaming

    Barbara Ky, director of gender at the West African Economic and Monetary Union, discussed how the Union is working to translate gender perspective and gender equality commitments into practical public policies that can be implemented by Governments and thereby enhance women’s employment prospects and livelihoods.  The Union has developed guidelines, digital tools and information technology procedures that are carried out by the sectoral ministry in each of the Union’s member country.  Public policy is based on goals that will integrate a gender perspective.  “This requires mainstreaming the gender perspective and integrating it into every stage of planning, programming, budgeting and implementation,” she said.  At the highest level all documents prepared by Government ministries should include a gender-related aspect “so that public policy is truly permeated by an awareness of these issues and gender has to be taken into account from the initiative of the process,” she said.  For example, to address the issue of women’s unpaid employment, the hours that women spend bringing water to the household, compared with men, has been assessed.  Planning programmes need to be aware of women’s contributions.

    Women Spend 4.5 Hours Daily on Unpaid Care Work

    Marija Babovic, a professor affiliated with the University of Belgrade, shared her perspective on the sustained negative impact that unpaid work has on women’s employment, income and economic security.  These negative impacts are increasing as more women work in unpaid care and in unprotected domestic work.  She noted that while in developed countries many women have entered the formal labour market since the 1970s, women and girls still provide more than three fourths of the unpaid care work around the world.  For example, women spend 4 hours and 25 minutes each day on these activities while men spend 1 hour and 23 minutes each day on the same type of activities.  More than 600 million women are working outside the paid labour force because of their care responsibilities, compared with 41 million men.  “Unpaid work lowers women access to the labour market and paid work and is a factor in their higher financial poverty and time poverty,” she said.  The paid care economy accounts for 11.5 per cent of the global economy, including jobs in such areas as childcare, disability care, aged care and paid domestic work.  However, “across the world, paid care work remains characterized by a lack of rights, benefits or protections, low wages or non-compensation,” she said, adding that some women are subject to physical, mental and even sexual harassment.

    The discussion was moderated by Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, founder of the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a leading non-profit organization that addresses the prevalence of sexual violence in Nigeria and Africa.

    The Commission also held a second interactive dialogue this afternoon on poverty eradication, social protection, and social services.

    __________

    *     The 12th meeting was not covered.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Baltimore Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Maryland Unemployment Insurance Scheme

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    Defendant obtained people’s personal information to file false and fraudulent unemployment insurance claims.

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Devante Smith, 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with his role in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme. Through the conspiracy, victims lost at least $298,685. 

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Baltimore Field Office.

    According to the guilty plea, beginning in June of 2020, and continuing through at least May 2021, Smith engaged in a conspiracy to defraud and obtain money under fraudulent pretenses in connection with an unemployment insurance scheme.  Smith obtained personal identifiable information of identity victims to fraudulently file claims for unemployment insurance with the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL).

    Smith and his co-conspirators used the unemployment insurance benefits, which were designated to assist persons who were unemployed or underemployed due to the COVID-19 national emergency, for their own personal use. Additionally, Smith and co-defendant Tiia Woods, 47, of Jacksonville, Florida, stole identification cards, social security cards, and/or birth certificates from identity victims, to submit with fraudulent UI applications to MD-DOL.

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a federal law enacted in March 2020 — provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized increased unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits.  UI benefits have historically been a state and federal program that provided monetary benefits to eligible workers.  The CARES Act expanded states’ ability to provide UI benefits for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including self-employed workers or independent contractors, who would not normally be eligible for UI benefits. 

    The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.  The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

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

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DOL-OIG and FBI, along with Bank of America – Detection and Complex Investigations Fraud Rings and Analytics, for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evelyn Lombardo Cusson and Harry M. Gruber who prosecuted the federal case

    For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2024 Financial and Operating Results; Provides 2025 Guidance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Midland, Texas, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (“NGS” or the “Company”) (NYSE:NGS), a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology, and services to the energy industry, today announced financial results for the three months and year-ended December 31, 2024. The Company also provided guidance for its full year 2025, anticipating significant top- and bottom-line growth with strong momentum moving into 2026.

    Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Highlights

    • Rental revenue of $38.2 million for the fourth quarter and $144.2 million for the full year 2024, representing increases of 21% and 36%, respectively, compared to the prior year comparable periods.
    • Net income of $2.9 million or $0.23 per diluted share for the fourth quarter and $17.2 million or $1.37 per diluted share for the full year 2024, representing increases of 68% and 263%, respectively, compared to the prior fourth quarter and full year 2023 periods.
    • Cash flow generated from operating activities of $9.4 million for the fourth quarter and $66.5 million for the full year 2024. This compares to net cash used in operating activities of $7.7 million for the fourth quarter and cash generated of $18.0 million for the full year 2023.
    • Adjusted EBITDA of $18.0 million for the fourth quarter and $69.5 million for the full year 2024; 2024 Adjusted EBITDA was 52% higher than 2023 and represented the highest level in the Company’s history. Please see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA, below.

    Management Commentary and Outlook

    “2024 was a transformational year for Natural Gas Services Group as we executed against our strategic objectives and significantly improved our market presence and financial performance,” stated Justin Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer. “During the year, we enhanced our team and infrastructure, further diversified and expanded our customer base, organically expanded into large horsepower electric units, maintained our industry-leading service levels, and materially increased the size of our overall fleet. I am quite proud of the NGS team as their unwavering dedication to our customers and their passion to excel are the driving forces of our results.”

     “2024 was also a record year for NGS as our utilized rental fleet approached 500,000 horsepower and our Adjusted EBITDA increased by over 50% compared to 2023. Equally important, our business became significantly more capital efficient: our total debt increased by only $6 million over the course of 2024 and our leverage declined from 2.53x at the end of 2023 to 2.36x at 2024 year-end. The reduction of working capital was a material driver in the improvement in capital efficiency, and we believe there is more opportunity to monetize non-cash assets in the near term.”

    “Looking forward, we see continued strength in the market. We believe our organic growth rate leads the industry and we are taking market share. This was made possible by the hard work of our service technicians and field service team, our leading compressor technology, and strong partnerships with our customers. We expect 2025 will be another year of significant growth in new large horsepower units and we have already signed material new unit contracts for 2026. We are excited for the future and believe we are well positioned to continue to increase shareholder value.”

    Corporate Guidance – 2025 Outlook

     In November 2024, the Company noted it expected 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $67 – $69 million, total growth capital expenditures for the year to be in the range of $65 – $75 million, and total maintenance expenditures for the year to be in the range of $8 – $11 million. For the full year 2024, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $69.5 million, growth capital expenditures of $60.5 million and maintenance capital expenditures of $11.4 million. Additionally, as of December 31, 2024, rented horsepower stood at 491,756, representing year-over-year growth of 17%.

    The Company today provides the following commentary regarding its financial expectations for the 2025 Fiscal Year. For the year ending December 31, 2025, the Company expects growth capital expenditures, which are mostly comprised of new units (essentially all of which are under contract), to be in the range of $95 – $120 million. Once all these units are deployed with customers, which is expected by early 2026, the Company expects its rented horsepower to increase by approximately 90,000 horsepower, which represents an increase of approximately 18% versus year-end 2024. The timing of unit deployments is very heavily weighted to the second half of 2025 and early 2026. Accordingly, the majority of the impact of 2024 and 2025 growth capital expenditures will start to be reflected in Adjusted EBITDA in the second half of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

    Based on the timing of contractual orders and deployments in 2025, the Company expects 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $74 – $78 million, which at the mid-point of the range, represents a 9% increase over 2024. This range is reflective of the timing of anticipated unit deployments.

      Outlook
    FY 2025 Adjusted EBITDA $74 – $78 million
    FY 2025 Growth Capital Expenditures $95 – $120 million
    FY 2025 Maintenance Capital Expenditures $10 – $13 million
    Target Return on Invested Capital At least 20%

    The Company further notes that once all the 2025 growth capital expenditures are spent and the units are deployed, its “run rate” Adjusted EBITDA should increase at a rate (when compared to the fourth quarter of 2024) well in excess of the Company’s anticipated horsepower growth of 18% as noted above. The Company expects 2025 maintenance capital expenditures of $10 – $13 million and its targeted return on invested capital of at least 20% remains unchanged.

    2024 Fourth Quarter Financial Results

    Revenue: Total revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 increased 12% to $40.7 million from $36.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. This increase was due primarily to an increase in rental revenues. Rental revenue increased 21% to $38.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from $31.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to the addition of higher horsepower packages and pricing improvements. As of December 31, 2024, we had 491,756 horsepower (1,208 rented units) compared to 420,432 horsepower (1,247 rented units) as of December 31, 2023, reflecting a 17% increase in total utilized horsepower. Sequentially, total revenue was essentially flat for the comparable periods, primarily related to lower sales revenue offset by an increase in rental revenue.

    Gross Margins: Total gross margins, including depreciation expense increased to $14.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $13.3 million for the same period in 2023 and decreased from $14.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Total adjusted gross margin, exclusive of depreciation expense, for the three months ended December 31, 2024, increased to $23.0 million compared to $20.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, and $22.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.  For a reconciliation of Gross Margin, see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin, below.

    Operating Income: Operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was $6.0 million compared to operating income of $4.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and operating income of $9.5 million, during the third quarter of 2024.

    Net Income: Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was $2.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share compared to net income of $1.7 million or $0.14 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023, and $5.0 million or $0.40 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2024. The increase in net income year-over-year was primarily related to higher rental revenue and rental gross margin, while the sequential decline was primarily related to the inventory allowance and decrease in sales gross profit related to the closure of our Midland fabrication operations, the intangible asset impairment, an increase in stock-based compensation, and an increase in depreciation.

    Cash Flows: At December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were approximately $2.1 million, while working capital was $30.8 million. For the twelve months of 2024, cash flows provided by operating activities were $66.5 million, while cash flows used in investing activities was $71.4 million. This compares to cash flows provided by operating activities of $18.0 million and cash flows used in investing activities of $153.9 million for the comparable twelve-month period in 2023. Cash flow used in investing activities during 2024 included $71.9 million in capital expenditures.

    Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA increased 11% to $18.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, from $16.3 million for the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to higher rental revenue and rental adjusted gross margin. Sequentially, adjusted EBITDA declined by 1% when compared to $18.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

    Debt: Outstanding debt on our revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2024 was $170 million. Our leverage ratio at December 31, 2024 was 2.36x and our fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.44x. The Company is in compliance with all terms, conditions and covenants of the credit agreement.

    Selected data: The tables below show revenue by product line, gross margin and adjusted gross margin for the trailing five quarters. Adjusted gross margin is the difference between revenue and cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation.

      Revenues
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $             31,626   $             33,734   $             34,926   $             37,350   $             38,226
    Sales                   2,921                     2,503                     2,270                     1,843                        997
    Aftermarket services                   1,674                        670                     1,295                     1,493                     1,435
    Total $             36,221   $             36,907   $             38,491   $             40,686   $             40,658
      Gross Margin
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $              12,366   $             13,761   $             13,211   $             15,043   $             14,865
    Sales                       553                        253                         (50)                      (258)                      (531)
    Aftermarket services                       421                        163                        269                        151                        296
    Total $              13,340   $             14,177   $             13,430   $             14,936   $             14,630

               

      Adjusted Gross Margin (1)
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $              19,199   $             20,620   $             20,698   $             22,908   $             23,107
    Sales                       620                        323                           21                      (185)                      (449)
    Aftermarket services                       440                        170                        283                        169                        321
    Total $              20,259   $             21,113   $             21,002   $             22,892   $             22,979
      Adjusted Gross Margin %
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Rental 60.7 %   61.1 %   59.3 %   61.3 %   60.4 %
    Sales 21.2 %   12.9 %   0.9 %   (10.0) %   (45.0) %
    Aftermarket services 26.3 %   25.4 %   21.9 %   11.3  %   22.4 %
    Total 55.9 %   57.2 %   54.6 %   56.3 %   56.5 %
      Compression Units (at end of period)
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Rented horsepower            420,432                444,220                454,568                475,534                491,756   
    Fleet horsepower available            520,365                542,256                552,599                579,699                598,840   
    Horsepower utilization 80.8 %   81.9 %   82.3 %   82.0 %   82.1 %
                       
    Units utilized                1,247                     1,245                     1,242                     1,229                     1,208    
    Fleet units                1,876                     1,894                     1,899                     1,909                     1,912    
    Unit utilization 66.5 %   65.7 %   65.4 %   64.4 %   63.2 %

    (1) For a reconciliation of adjusted gross margin to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance GAAP, please read “Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin” below.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measure – Adjusted Gross Margin: “Adjusted Gross Margin” is defined as total revenue less costs of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization expense). Adjusted gross margin is included as a supplemental disclosure because it is a primary measure used by our management as it represents the results of revenue and costs (excluding depreciation and amortization expense), which are key components of our operations. Adjusted gross margin differs from gross margin, in that gross margin includes depreciation and amortization expense. We believe Adjusted gross margin is important because it focuses on the current operating performance of our operations and excludes the impact of the prior historical costs of the assets acquired or constructed that are utilized in those operations. Depreciation and amortization expense does not accurately reflect the costs required to maintain and replenish the operational usage of our assets and therefore may not portray the costs from current operating activity. Rather, depreciation and amortization expense reflect the systematic allocation of historical property and equipment costs over their estimated useful lives.

    Adjusted gross margin has certain material limitations associated with its use as compared to gross margin. These limitations are primarily due to the exclusion of depreciation and amortization expense, which is material to our results of operations. Because we use capital assets, depreciation and amortization expense is a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate revenue. In order to compensate for these limitations, management uses this non-GAAP measure as a supplemental measure to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of our performance. As an indicator of our operating performance, Adjusted gross margin should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, gross margin as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our Adjusted gross margin may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company because other entities may not calculate Adjusted gross margin in the same manner.

    The following table calculates our gross margin, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and reconciles it to Adjusted gross margin for the periods presented:

      Adjusted Gross Margin
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Total revenue $              36,221   $             36,907   $             38,491   $             40,686   $             40,658
    Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation                (15,962)                 (15,794)                 (17,489)                 (17,794)                 (17,679)
    Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue                  (6,919)                   (6,936)                   (7,572)                   (7,956)                   (8,349)
    Gross margin                 13,340                   14,177                   13,430                   14,936                   14,630
    Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue                    6,919                     6,936                     7,572                     7,956                     8,349
    Adjusted gross margin $              20,259   $             21,113   $             21,002   $             22,892   $             22,979

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA: “Adjusted EBITDA” reflects net income or loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash equity-classified stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring restructuring charges including severance expenses, impairments, increases in inventory allowance and retirement of rental equipment. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure used by management, analysts and investors as an indicator of operating cash flow since it excludes the impact of movements in working capital items, non-cash charges and financing costs. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA gives the investor information as to the cash generated from the operations of a business. However, Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under accounting principles GAAP, and should not be considered a substitute for other financial measures of performance. Adjusted EBITDA as calculated by NGS may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA as calculated and reported by other companies. The most comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted EBITDA is net income (loss).

    The following tables reconciles our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Net income $                1,702   $                5,098   $                4,250   $                5,014   $                2,865
    Interest expense                    2,297                     2,935                     2,932                     3,045                     3,015
    Income tax expense                       431                     1,479                     1,294                     1,383                        283
    Depreciation and amortization                    7,160                     7,087                     7,705                     8,086                     8,469
    Stock-based compensation expense                       228                        274                        242                        522                        783
    Severance and restructuring charges                         —                           —                           33                           —                           —
    Impairments                         —                           —                           —                        136                        705
    Inventory allowance                    3,965                           —                           —                           —                     1,863
    Retirement of rental equipment                       505                             5                           —                           —                           23
    Adjusted EBITDA $              16,288   $             16,878   $             16,456   $             18,186   $             18,006
      Year ended December 31,
      2023   2024  
      (in thousands)
    Net income $                4,747   $             17,227  
    Interest expense                    4,082                   11,927  
    Income tax expense                    1,873                     4,439  
    Depreciation and amortization                 26,550                   31,347  
    Stock-based compensation expense                    2,054                     1,821  
    Severance and restructuring charges                    1,224                           33  
    Impairments                       779                        841  
    Inventory allowance                    3,965                     1,863  
    Retirement of rental equipment                       505                           28  
    Adjusted EBITDA $              45,779   $             69,526  

    Conference Call Details: The Company will host a conference call to review its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results on Tuesday, March 18 at 8:30 a.m. (EST), 7:30 a.m. (CST). To join the conference call, kindly access the Investor Relations section of our website at www.ngsgi.com or dial in at (800) 550-9745 and enter conference ID 167298 at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Please note that using the provided dial-in number is necessary for participation in the Q&A section of the call. A recording of the conference will be made available on our Company’s website following its conclusion. Thank you for your interest in our Company’s updates.

    About Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.
    Natural Gas Services Group is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology and services to the energy industry. The Company designs, rents, sells and maintains natural gas compressors for oil and natural gas production and plant facilities, primarily using equipment from third-party fabricators and OEM suppliers along with limited in-house assembly. The Company is headquartered in Midland, Texas, with a fabrication facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and service facilities located in major oil and natural gas producing basins in the U.S. Additional information can be found at www.ngsgi.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements herein (and oral statements made regarding the subjects of this release) constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions.

    These forward–looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements, many of which are outside the control of the Company. Forward–looking information includes, but is not limited to statements regarding: guidance or estimates related to EBITDA growth, projected capital expenditures; returns on invested capital, fundamentals of the compression industry and related oil and gas industry, valuations, compressor demand assumptions and overall industry outlook, and the ability of the Company to capitalize on any potential opportunities.

    While the Company believes that the assumptions concerning future events are reasonable, investors are cautioned that there are inherent difficulties in predicting certain important factors that could impact the future performance or results of its business. Some of these factors that could cause results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

    • conditions in the oil and gas industry, including the supply and demand for oil and gas and volatility in the prices of oil and gas;
    • our reliance on major customers;
    • failure of projected organic growth due to adverse changes in the oil and gas industry, including depressed oil and gas prices, oppressive environmental regulations and competition;
    • our inability to achieve increased utilization of assets, including rental fleet utilization and monetizing other non-cash balance sheet assets;
    • failure of our customers to continue to rent equipment after expiration of the primary rental term;
    • our ability to economically develop and deploy new technologies and services, including technology to comply with health and environmental laws and regulations;
    • failure to achieve accretive financial results in connection with any acquisitions we may make;
    • fluctuations in interest rates;
    • regulation or prohibition of new well completion techniques;
    • competition among the various providers of compression services and products;
    • changes in safety, health and environmental regulations;
    • changes in economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate;
    • the inherent risks associated with our operations, such as equipment defects, malfunctions, natural disasters and adverse changes in customer, employee and supplier relationships;
    • our inability to comply with covenants in our debt agreements and the decreased financial flexibility associated with our debt;
    • inability to finance our future capital requirements and availability of financing;
    • capacity availability, costs and performance of our outsourced compressor fabrication providers and overall inflationary pressures;
    • impacts of world events, such as acts of terrorism and significant economic disruptions and adverse consequences resulting from possible long-term effects of potential pandemics and other public health crises; and
    • general economic conditions.

    In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to other various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    For More Information, Contact:
    Anna Delgado, Investor Relations
    (432) 262-2700
    IR@ngsgi.com
    www.ngsgi.com

     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands)
    (unaudited)
      December 31,
      2024   2023
    ASSETS      
    Current Assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents $                2,142   $                2,746
    Trade accounts receivable, net of provision for credit losses                 15,626                   39,186
    Inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence                 18,051                   21,639
    Federal income tax receivable                 11,282                   11,538
    Prepaid expenses and other                   1,075                     1,162
    Total current assets                 48,176                   76,271
    Long-term inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence                         —                        701
    Rental equipment, net of accumulated depreciation               415,021                 373,649
    Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation                 22,989                   20,550
    Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization                         —                        775
    Other assets                   6,342                     6,783
    Total assets $           492,528   $           478,729
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
    Current Liabilities:      
    Accounts payable $                9,670   $             17,628
    Accrued liabilities                   7,688                   15,085
    Total current liabilities                 17,358                   32,713
    Credit facility               170,000                 164,000
    Deferred income taxes                 45,873                   41,636
    Other long-term liabilities                   4,240                     4,486
    Total liabilities               237,471                 242,835
    Commitments and contingencies      
    Stockholders’ Equity:      
    Preferred stock, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding                         —                           —
    Common stock, 30,000 shares authorized, par value $0.01; 13,762 and 13,688 shares issued as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively                      138                        137
    Additional paid-in capital               118,415                 116,480
    Retained earnings               151,508                 134,281
    Treasury shares, at cost, 1,310 shares for each of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively               (15,004)                 (15,004)
    Total stockholders’ equity               255,057                 235,894
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $           492,528   $           478,729
     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
      Three months ended   Year ended
      December 31,   December 31,
      2024   2023   2024   2023
    Revenue:              
    Rental $         38,226   $         31,626   $       144,236   $       106,159
    Sales                  997                 2,921                 7,613                 8,921
    Aftermarket services               1,435                 1,674                 4,893                 6,087
    Total revenue            40,658              36,221            156,742            121,167
    Cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)              
    Rental            15,119              12,427                 7,903                 8,919
    Sales               1,446                 2,301              56,903              48,877
    Aftermarket services               1,114                 1,234                 3,950                 4,658
    Total cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)            17,679              15,962              68,756              62,454
    Selling, general and administrative expenses               5,831                 4,390              21,012              16,938
    Depreciation and amortization               8,469                 7,160              31,347              26,550
    Impairments                  705                      —                    841                    779
    Inventory allowance               1,863                 3,965                 1,863                 3,965
    Retirement of rental equipment                    23                    505                      28                    505
    Loss (gain) on sale of property and equipment, net                    45                  (200)                  (430)                  (481)
    Total operating costs and expenses            34,615              31,782            123,417            110,710
    Operating income               6,043                 4,439              33,325              10,457
    Other income (expense):              
    Interest expense             (3,015)               (2,297)             (11,927)               (4,082)
    Other income (expense)                  120                       (9)                    268                    245
    Total other expense, net             (2,895)               (2,306)             (11,659)               (3,837)
    Income before income taxes               3,148                 2,133              21,666                 6,620
    Provision for income taxes                (283)                  (431)               (4,439)               (1,873)
    Net income $           2,865   $           1,702   $         17,227   $           4,747
    Earnings per share:              
    Basic $              0.23   $              0.14   $              1.39   $              0.39
    Diluted $              0.23   $              0.14   $              1.37   $              0.38
    Weighted average shares outstanding:              
    Basic            12,438              12,378              12,412              12,316
    Diluted            12,586              12,435              12,543              12,383
     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
      Three months ended   Year ended
      December 31,   December 31,
      2024   2023   2024   2023
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:              
    Net income $           2,865   $           1,702   $         17,227   $           4,747
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:              
    Depreciation and amortization               8,469                 7,160              31,347              26,550
    Impairments                  705                      —                    841                    779
    Inventory allowance               1,863                 3,965                 1,863                 3,965
    Retirement of rental equipment                    23                    505                      28                    505
    (Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment                    45                  (200)                  (430)                  (481)
    Amortization of debt issuance costs                  216                    138                    746                    425
    Deferred income taxes                  182                    430                 4,237                 1,838
    Stock-based compensation                  783                    228                 1,821                 2,054
    Provision for credit losses                    —                    293                    433                    492
    (Gain) loss on company owned life insurance                     (4)                    186                  (156)                    235
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:              
    Trade accounts receivables               9,183             (11,438)              23,127             (25,010)
    Inventory               1,355                 1,939                 2,477                  (669)
    Prepaid expenses and prepaid income taxes               1,177                    274                    152                       (7)
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities           (18,580)             (12,478)             (17,727)                 2,436
    Other               1,144                  (369)                    477                    174
    NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES               9,426               (7,665)              66,463              18,033
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:              
    Purchase of rental equipment,  property and other equipment           (14,544)             (25,380)             (71,894)          (153,943)
    Purchase of company owned life insurance                (187)                    (44)                    (22)                  (422)
    Proceeds from sale of property and equipment                  (28)                    246                    476                    477
    NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES           (14,759)             (25,178)             (71,440)          (153,888)
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:              
    Proceeds from credit facility borrowings            20,000              36,000              28,000            139,000
    Repayments of credit facility borrowings           (13,000)                      —             (22,000)                      —
    Payments of other long term liabilities                (158)                    (45)                  (780)                    (95)
    Payments of debt issuance costs                    —                  (562)                  (962)               (2,693)
    Proceeds from exercise of stock options                  223                      —                    293                      —
    Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards                    —                       (1)                  (178)                  (983)
    NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES               7,065              35,392                 4,373            135,229
    NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS               1,732                 2,549                  (604)                  (626)
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD                  410                    197                 2,746                 3,372
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $           2,142   $           2,746   $           2,142   $           2,746

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Leads Legislation to Extend Reporting Deadline for Emergency Tribal Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, reintroduced legislation to extend the reporting deadline for Indian Health Service (IHS) patients who seek emergency care outside of IHS facilities. The IHS Emergency Claims Parity Act would extend the emergency notification requirements of IHS’s Purchased and Referred Care (PRC) program from within 72 hours to 15 days.
    “Medical emergencies are emergencies – people can’t choose when and where they occur,” said Cortez Masto. “In a crisis, IHS patients should be able to seek care at the closest hospital without worrying about having to fill out burdensome paperwork after an emergency.”
    IHS beneficiaries are subject to a number of restrictive rules when seeking outside care; however, few of these rules are as problematic as the emergency reporting deadline. Currently, in emergency cases, the patient must notify the PRC office within 72 hours of receiving outside care. Native American patients determined to be elderly or disabled are given 30 days to notify the IHS of emergency medical care received from non-IHS medical providers or at non-IHS medical facilities.
    The IHS Emergency Claims Parity Act would increase the window for timely consideration of emergency care payments to 15 days for all IHS beneficiaries. This excludes reporting requirements for patients considered to be elderly or disabled, which will stay at 30 days.
    You can find the full text of the legislation here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has long been a champion for Tribal communities and led efforts to provide Native American communities across Nevada with access to quality health care. Last year, the Senate passed her legislation to make it easier for IHS to recruit and retain medical workers. She helped secure over $1 billion in coronavirus relief funding for the Indian Health Service to combat the pandemic and $125 million in additional funding for Tribes and urban Indian health organizations within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address the mental health needs of Native communities. She has also cosponsored legislation to help address health disparities for Native Americans in urban areas and expand access to physician training to address the state-wide doctor shortage. The Senator has continuously highlighted the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW), and she was instrumental in passing Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act into law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Star Acquisition Inc. Commences Trading on the OTC Markets

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Star Acquisition Inc. (OTC Markets: GLST) (“Global Star” or the “Company”), a special purpose acquisition company, received a notification letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) on March 7, 2025, notifying the Company that it no longer meets continued listing requirements. As a result, Nasdaq pursuant to its discretionary authority under Listing Rules 5101,1 and IM-5101-12 suspended trading of the Company’s securities on March 7, 2025. Following the suspension of trading on Nasdaq, the Company’s securities began trading on the OTC Markets as of March 14, 2025.

    On February 3, 2025, Global Star’s shareholders approved the previously announced business combination between Global Star and K Enter Holdings, Inc. (“K Enter”). Both Global Star and K Enter remain committed to consummating the business combination and plan to have the securities of the post-business combination entity, K Wave Media, Ltd., to be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

    About Global Star Acquisition Inc.

    Global Star Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

    About K Enter Holdings Inc.

    K Enter Holdings Inc. is a Delaware corporation that operates an internal K drama production team and is the owner of the controlling equity interests in six diversified entertainment operating companies based in Korea, engaged in the entertainment content, IP creation, merchandising and entertainment investment businesses (the “Six Korean Entities”). The Six Korean Entities include Play Company Co., Ltd, a Korean IP merchandising company, and Solaire Partners Ltd., a Korean IP content-specialized private equity firm, Studio Anseilen Co., Ltd., a K drama production company, and The LAMP Co., Ltd., Bidangil Pictures Co., Ltd., and Apeitda Co., Ltd., each of which is a K movie production company.

    Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release is provided for informational purposes only and has been prepared to assist interested parties in making their own evaluation with respect to the Proposed Business Combination and for no other purpose. No representations or warranties, express or implied are given in, or in respect of, this press release. To the fullest extent permitted by law under no circumstances will Global Star, K Enter, or any of the Six Korean Entities, interest holders, affiliates, representatives, partners, directors, officers, employees, advisors or agents be responsible or liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or loss of profit arising from the use of this press release, its contents, its omissions, reliance on the information contained within it, or on opinions communicated in relation thereto or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Industry and market data used in this press release have been obtained from third-party industry publications and sources as well as from research reports prepared for other purposes. Neither Global Star nor K Enter has independently verified the data obtained from these sources and cannot assure you of the data’s accuracy or completeness. This data is subject to change. In addition, this press release does not purport to be all-inclusive or to contain all the information that may be required to make a full analysis of Global Star, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination. Viewers of this press release should each make their own evaluation of Global Star and K Enter and of the relevance and adequacy of the information and should make such other investigations as they deem necessary. This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the benefits of the Proposed Business Combination, including K Enter’s ability to accelerate the development of its products and bring them to market, the anticipated timing for completion of the Proposed Business Combination, and Global Star’s and K Enter’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Global Star and K Enter anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Global Star’s and K Enter’s assessments to change. These forward-looking statements, which may include, without limitation, words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will”, “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “might,” “continues,” “think,” “strategy,” “future,” and similar expressions, involve significant risks and uncertainties (most of which factors are outside of the control of Global Star or K Enter).

    In addition, this press release includes a summary set of risk factors that may have a material impact on Global Star, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination, which are not intended to capture all the risks to which Global Star, K Enter or the Proposed Business Combination is subject or may be subject. Factors that may cause such differences include but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; (2) the risk that the Proposed Business Combination may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of the securities; (3) the risk that the Proposed Business Combination may not be completed by Global Star’s business combination deadline; (4) the inability to complete the Proposed Business Combination, including but not limited to due to the failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of Global Star or K Enter for the Merger Agreement, to receive certain governmental, regulatory and third party approvals or to satisfy other conditions to closing in the Merger Agreement; (5) the failure to achieve the minimum amount of cash available following any redemptions by Global Star ‘s stockholders; (6) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of Global Star’s common stock on Nasdaq following the Proposed Business Combination, including but not limited to redemptions exceeding anticipated levels or the failure to meet Nasdaq’s initial listing standards in connection with the consummation of the Proposed Business Combination; (7) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Proposed Business Combination on K Enter’s business relationships, operating results, and business generally; (8) risks that the Proposed Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of K Enter or the Six Korean Entities; (9) the inability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Business Combination and to realize estimated pro forma results and underlying assumptions, including but not limited to with respect to estimated stockholder redemptions and costs related to the Proposed Business Combination; (10) the possibility that Global Star or K Enter or the Six Korean Entities may be adversely affected by other economic or business factors; (11) changes in the markets in which K Enter and the Six Korean Entities compete, including but not limited to with respect to its competitive landscape, technology evolution, changes in entertainment choices or regulatory changes; (12) changes in domestic and global general economic conditions; (13) risk that K Enter may not be able to execute its growth strategies; (14) the risk that K Enter experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations after the Proposed Business Combination; (15) the risk that the parties will need to raise additional capital to execute the business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (16) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Business Combination to achieve its commercialization and development plans, and identify and realize additional opportunities, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of K Enter to grow and manage growth economically and hire and retain key employees; (17) risk that K Enter may not be able to develop and maintain effective internal controls; (18) the risk that K Enter may fail to keep pace with rapid technological developments or changes in entertainment tastes to provide new and innovative products and services, or may make substantial investments in unsuccessful new products and services; (19) the ability to develop, license or acquire new content, products and services; (20) the risk that K Enter is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; (21) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to K Enter’s business; (22) the risk of cyber security or foreign exchange losses; (23) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (24) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties related to the Merger Agreement or the Proposed Business Combination; (25) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and response on any of the foregoing risks, including but not limited to supply chain disruptions; (26) the risk that K Enter fails to successfully and timely consummate its acquisition of one or more of the Six Korean Entities`; and (27) other risks and uncertainties identified in the registration statement on Form F-4, which included a proxy statement/prospectus filed in connection with the Proposed Business Combination (the “Registration Statement”), including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and in other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) made by Global Star. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Global Star’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the Registration Statement filed with the SEC with respect to the Proposed Business Combination, and other documents filed by Global Star from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive, are provided for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Global Star nor K Enter presently know or that Global Star and K Enter currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Global Star and K Enter anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Global Star’s and K Enter’s assessments to change. However, while Global Star and K Enter may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Global Star and K Enter specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. Neither Global Star nor K Enter gives any assurance that Global Star or K Enter, or the combined company, will achieve its expectations. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements, and they should not be relied upon as representing Global Star’s and K Enter’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

    Contact

    Global Star Acquisition, Inc.
    Investor Contact
    MZ Group
    Shannon Devine/Rory Rumore
    +1 (203) 741-8811
    GLST@mzgroup.us

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Indian Railways’ financial condition is good, providing more subsidy to passengers: Union Railway Minister

    Source: Government of India

    Indian Railways’ financial condition is good, providing more subsidy to passengers: Union Railway Minister

    The cost of travel per kilometer by train is ₹1.38, but passengers are charged only 73 paise.

    This year, 1,400 locomotives have been produced, which is more than the combined production of America and Europe.

    By March 31, Indian Railways, with 1.6 billion tons of cargo carriage, will be among the world’s top 3 countries.

    Important steps have been taken to prevent incidents like the New Delhi Railway Station accident in the future: Union Railway Minister

    Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 8:28PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, today, during the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Railways in the Rajya Sabha, highlighted the achievements of Indian Railways and its future plans. He said that Indian Railways is not only providing safe and quality services to passengers at affordable fares but is also making a distinct identity at the global level. He also mentioned that in India, railway fares are lower compared to neighboring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, whereas in Western countries, they are 10 to 20 times higher than in India.

    Regarding the subsidy being given to rail passengers, the Railway Minister said that currently, the cost of travel per kilometer by train is ₹1.38, but passengers are charged only 73 paise, meaning 47% subsidy is provided. In the financial year 2022-23, passengers were given a subsidy of ₹57,000 crore, which increased to approximately ₹60,000 crore in 2023-24 (provisional figure). Our goal is to provide safe and better services at minimal fares.

    Highlighting the benefits of railway electrification, the Union Minister said that despite the increasing number of passengers and freight transport, energy costs have remained stable. Indian Railways is working on the target of achieving ‘Scope 1 Net Zero’ by 2025 and ‘Scope 2 Net Zero’ by 2030. He informed that the export of locomotives manufactured at the Madhepura factory in Bihar will soon begin. Currently, Indian Railways’ passenger coaches are being exported to Mozambique, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, while locomotives are being sent to Mozambique, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Apart from this, bogie underframes are being exported to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, and Australia, while propulsion parts are being sent to France, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Romania, and Italy.

    This year, 1,400 locomotives have been produced in India, which is more than the combined production of America and Europe. Along with this, 2 lakh new wagons have been added to the fleet. The Minister stated that in the financial year ending March 31, Indian Railways will transport 1.6 billion tons of cargo, making India one of the top three countries in the world, including China and America. This reflects the increasing capacity of the railway and its significant role in the logistics sector.

    Talking about railway safety, Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that 41,000 LHB coaches have been prepared, and all ICF coaches will be converted into LHB coaches. Long rails, electronic interlocking, fog safety devices, and the ‘Kavach’ system are being implemented rapidly. Thanking Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Vaishnaw stated that earlier, the railway used to receive ₹25,000 crore in support, which has now increased to more than ₹2.5 lakh crore, leading to significant infrastructure improvements. Meanwhile, 50 Namo Bharat trains are being manufactured, offering both AC and non-AC options for short-distance travel.

    Regarding the recent accident at New Delhi Railway Station, the Union Railway Minister informed the House that a high-level committee is investigating this tragic incident. CCTV footage and all data have been secured, and facts are being examined by talking to about 300 people. Important steps have been taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

    The Minister said that our government is committed to the poorest of the poor. That is why the number of general coaches is being increased by 2.5 times compared to AC coaches. According to the current production plan, there is a program for the manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches. Along with this, he stated that the financial condition of Indian Railways is good, and continuous efforts for improvement are ongoing. The railway has successfully overcome the challenges related to the COVID pandemic. The number of passengers is increasing, and freight transport is also rising. Now, railway revenue is about ₹2.78 lakh crore, and expenses are ₹2.75 lakh crore. Indian Railways is covering all major expenses from its own income, which has been made possible due to the better performance of the railway.

    In his concluding remarks in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Vaishnaw assured that the railway would emerge as a more modern, safe, and environmentally friendly transportation system in the future.

    ****

    Dharamendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

    (Release ID: 2112013) Visitor Counter : 60

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why we are so scared of space – and how this fear can drive conspiracy theories

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tony Milligan, Research Fellow in the Philosophy of Ethics, King’s College London

    klyaksun/Shutterstock

    There are many home-grown problems on Earth, but there’s still time to worry about bad things arriving from above. The most recent is the asteroid 2024 YR4, which could be a “city killer” if it hits a heavily populated area of our planet in the early years of the next decade.

    The chances of that happening are now estimated to be around 0.001%. But there was a brief moment after the asteroid’s discovery last year when the estimated danger of a direct hit crossed the 1% threshold of comfortable risk.

    There’s a need to worry about planetary defence if we are to avoid going the way of the dinosaurs. But there are many other things that could kill us, including climate change and wars. So what is it about space that grabs our attention? And how do these fears affect us – individually and as a society?

    In the long run, something big will hit us, unless we can redirect it. The responsibility for preparation begins with us.

    Yet preparation also carries risks. Daniel Deudney, a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University in the US, has warned that the technologies used for planetary defence can not only guide asteroids away from Earth – they can also guide them towards it as a tool in a military conflict.

    As explained in his book Dark Skies, Deudney’s solution is to reverse, regulate and relinquish most of our human activities in space for several centuries to come. The more we do in space, he believes, the greater the likelihood that states will end up in catastrophic conflict. “The avoidance of civilisation’s disaster and species extinction now depends on discerning what not to do, and then making sure it is not done,” he writes.

    He ultimately argues space expansion has come too soon, and we must reverse the process until we are ready. That said, he thinks we may still need some form of planetary defence, but that it can be limited.

    Holding off for centuries is an unlikely option though. The chances of an asteroid strike may well be too high. And the political interest in space expansion is, at this point, irreversible.

    Fear of space has grown alongside space programs. Worries about asteroid strikes and over-militarisation lean into deeper fears about space as the unknown. Yet they also lean into worries about the self-destructive side of humanity.

    Both fears are very old. One of our earliest traceable human tales, the story of the Cosmic Hunt dating back at least 15,000 years, combines the two.

    An indigenous Sami version, surviving in Scandinavia, describes how a great hunt in the skies would go wrong if the hunter is impatient and fires an arrow which misses its target and accidentally strikes the pole star. This would bring the canopy of the night sky crashing down to Earth. Again, fears about misguided human actions and the threat from above fuse.

    We can see this in modern technologically driven fears such as UFOlogy. Some hard-core believers in UFOs are not only concerned about hostile visitors, but about secret collaborations among scientists on Earth, or, an entire conspiracy to keep the truth from the public.

    Without belief in a conspiracy to suppress the evidence, the whole idea falls apart. But without belief that there is actually something to fear from space, there is nothing for the conspiracy to be about. Fear of space is a necessary part of this picture.

    This is an idea neatly captured in recent times by the Chinese science fiction author Cixin Liu, who compares space to a “dark forest” in which alien civilisations are trying to hide from each other.

    All of this presupposes something of a bunker mentality, an over-separation of Earth and space, or sky and ground. This is something I have referred to as ground bias. The bias allows space to appear as a threatening outside, rather than something that we, too, are part of.

    Alien viruses

    The rationalisation for such fear shifts about and is not restricted to asteroids, aliens, meteors and runaway military conflict. There is even a theory that viruses come from space.

    When COVID sceptics went looking for an idea to explain why mask wearing was pointless, what many of them struck upon was an obscure theory put together by the astrophysicists Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramsinghe in 1979.

    Some believe Covid came from space.
    Viacheslav Lopatin

    The duo ultimately had a good idea which they followed up with a bad idea. The good idea was that the components for the emergence of life may have come from space. The bad idea was that they came ready formed, as viruses and bacteria, and that they are still coming.

    According this theory, well known pandemics of the past (such as the lethal 1918 flu pandemic and even epidemics in antiquity) were apparently the result of viruses from space and could not be the result of person-to-person transmission – least of all from asymptomatic carriers.

    The COVID version involved a meteor exploding over China. In an interview, Wickramsinghe claimed “a piece of this bolide containing trillions of the COVID-19 virus broke off from the bolide as it was entering the stratosphere” releasing viral particles which were then carried by prevailing winds.

    The idea illustrates the way in which fears about space are used to drive anxiety about human failings or wrongdoing. COVID scepticism has since gone all the way into the White House.

    But fears about space can also be used to critique those in power. In our own times, they are used to fuel narratives about billionaires with private space agendas and presidential access, wealthy space tourists and even wealthier prospective colonisers of Mars and beyond. It is a tempting narrative, but one that sees Earth as closed system, which should not be opened to the outside.

    We may, at some level, be afraid of space itself. We certainly have an exaggerated sense our our Earthly separateness from it. And there are some particular things that we do have cause to worry about. But there is also the risk that a fear of space can combine with suspicions about governments, leading us to embrace conspiracy theories as a way to consolidate different kinds of worries into a single, manageable, set of beliefs.

    Tony Milligan receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 856543).

    – ref. Why we are so scared of space – and how this fear can drive conspiracy theories – https://theconversation.com/why-we-are-so-scared-of-space-and-how-this-fear-can-drive-conspiracy-theories-252195

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2025 Article IV Consultation with Antigua and Barbuda

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    March 17, 2025

    Washington, DC: On March 13, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Antigua and Barbuda and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting on a lapse-of-time basis. The authorities need more time to consider the publication of the Staff Report prepared for this consultation.[2]

    Antigua and Barbuda’s post-pandemic economic expansion is continuing. Real output is estimated to have surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with growth estimated at 4.3 percent, driven by strong tourism and one-off events (including the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States and the T20 Cricket World Cup). Inflation was elevated in 2024, reflecting contributions from specific items, notably communication, as well as increases in indirect taxes.

    The recovery in nominal GDP, along with improved fiscal balances, brought down the public debt from around 100 percent of GDP in 2020 to 67 percent in 2024. However, gross financing needs are projected to remain around 10 percent of GDP in the medium term. Substantial domestic and external arrears, albeit with domestic arrears uncertain in size, have limited financing options. The fiscal primary balance improved to 4.6 percent in 2024, aided by indirect tax increases, a broader economic recovery, and one-off factors (e.g., nearly 2 percent of GDP from an asset forfeiture and unusually low capital spending). The 2025 Budget envisages stronger tax revenues and higher capital spending.

    According to Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) preliminary estimates, the current account deficit narrowed to 7 percent of GDP in 2024, reflecting both a higher service trade balance—mainly tourism receipts—and a smaller goods deficit due to a contraction in imports. FDI inflows were resilient to tightening global financial conditions and continued to support ongoing hotel construction. Credit growth is recovering, with nonperforming loans contained.

    Executive Board Assessment[3]

    In concluding the 2025 Article IV consultation with Antigua and Barbuda, Executive Directors endorsed the staff’s appraisal, as follows:

    Antigua and Barbuda’s post-pandemic economic expansion continues. Economic activity, boosted by tourism, is estimated to have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. As the recovery matures, staff projects economic growth to moderate from 3 percent in 2025 to 2½ percent over the medium term. After an increase in inflation in 2024, in part reflecting one-off factors, underlying price pressures are expected to dissipate. The external position in 2024 is assessed to be moderately weaker than the level implied by medium term fundamentals and desirable policies. Efforts to raise revenue and address debt and fiscal challenges bore fruit in 2024, though further steps will be needed to restore debt sustainability, address the stock of outstanding arrears, and reduce gross financing needs in the medium term.

    Risks are currently tilted to the downside, although upside risks are also present. Downside risks emanate from elevated uncertainty about the global outlook; a deepening of geoeconomic fragmentation; commodity price volatility; climate-related vulnerabilities; and capacity constraints in the construction sector. Upside risks stem from stronger demand for tourism; improved air connectivity; new cruise port facilities; hosting of special events; and the intensification of productivity-enhancing structural reforms, which could support higher medium- and long-term growth.

    Addressing external and domestic arrears is key to broadening financing options. While the fall in nominal debt in 2024 is welcome, outstanding arrears to domestic suppliers and to the Paris Club remain obstacles to debt sustainability and constrain Antigua and Barbuda’s potential access to external and domestic financing. Given the additional vulnerabilities stemming from climate change and the resulting substantial adaption and resilience-building investment needs, efforts to address the current debt challenges, bolster government revenues, and improve public financial management are all the more critical. 

    Recent improvements in tax revenue are welcome, with further domestic revenue mobilization needed in the medium term to ensure fiscal sustainability. Antigua and Barbuda’s tax revenues remain below the authorities’ fiscal resilience guideline targets and are low by peer country standards. The authorities’ 2024 Budget measures have started to close the gap, but more will be needed in the medium term. To mobilize revenue without recourse to a personal income tax or higher ABST rates, near-term priorities could include tighter control of tax exemptions, transitioning to HS2022 classification in customs, and modernizing the framework for property taxation. Intensifying efforts to introduce a single window system at customs and to operationalize systems to allow e-filing, e-payment and e-registration of taxes is warranted. Introducing a large taxpayer unit as well as modernized IT systems would strengthen tax administration.

    Better targeted social assistance would enhance inclusion while curbing inefficiencies. The current framework of social protection is fragmented across sectors and ministries. Staff sees scope to streamline these social programs to reduce overlap and tailor social assistance to the most vulnerable households. In this vein, staff encourages the development of a centralized information system or unified database to maintain accurate records of all beneficiaries, track support received, and identify gaps or duplications in coverage.

    Room remains to strengthen fiscal institutions and oversight, building on recent progress. The operationalization of the Fiscal Responsibility Oversight Committee is welcome. To promote transparency and help build public understanding, staff encourages publication of FROC reports once further experience has been gained. These goals would also be served by parliamentary endorsement of the Fiscal Resilience Guidelines and the medium-term fiscal framework. Statutory exemptions should be consistent with the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority Act and the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority should monitor the approved projects. The envisaged reestablishment of the SOE unit in the Ministry of Finance would enhance SOE oversight and contain potential fiscal risks.

    To reinforce financial stability and build on efforts to promote financial inclusion, regional coordination remains key. Staff assesses the financial sector to be broadly stable, with credit growth recovering and non-performing loans approaching prudential levels. The launch of the regional credit bureau can promote faster access to credit while maintaining lending standards. The ECCB-led climate risk initiatives and the regional partial credit guarantee scheme should also boost credit quality and financial intermediation. A more risk-based supervisory framework for credit unions, with enhanced monitoring of asset quality and credit forbearance measures in the context of the planned regional common regulatory standards, would help put credit unions and banks on a more level playing field. The inclusion of the ECCB in the National Oversight Committee on Financial Action improves coordination among supervisory authorities. The increase in investment thresholds for the Citizenship by Investment Program and the improved due diligence process can help safeguard the program’s integrity. 

    Intensifying reforms to improve the business environment would support potential growth by improving the allocation of resources between firms and addressing obstacles to firms’ operations. Staff analysis finds potential for large aggregate productivity gains from the reallocation of resources between firms, and scope to continue addressing obstacles that firms report in areas such as workforce education, access to finance, and customs and trade regulations. Targeted efforts to increase educational opportunities, employer‑employee matching at the One Stop Employment Centre, and the completion of the Skills Demand Survey, are warranted. Offering courses at local institutions could increase financial literacy among MSMEs, and implementing the single electronic window at customs would increase the efficiency of importing and exporting of goods.

    Table 1. Antigua and Barbuda: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators

     

    Population (2023)

    102,195

    Adult literacy rate (2015)

    99

    GDP per capita (US$, 2023)

    19,627

    Mean years of schooling (2022)

    10.5

    Life expectancy at birth (years, 2022)

    79.2

    Human Development Index rank

    54

    Mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births, 2022)                    10                                        (2022, of 193 economies)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Est.

    Projections

    2020

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    National Income and Prices

    Real GDP

    -18.9

    8.2

    9.1

    2.4

    4.3

    3.0

    2.5

    2.5

    2.5

    2.5

    Nominal GDP

    -18.2

    13.5

    16.5

    7.5

    10.9

    6.7

    5.0

    4.6

    4.5

    4.5

    Consumer prices (end of period)

    2.8

    1.2

    9.2

    3.3

    6.0

    3.0

    2.0

    2.0

    2.0

    2.0

    Consumer prices (period average)

    1.1

    1.6

    7.5

    5.1

    6.4

    3.5

    2.4

    2.0

    2.0

    2.0

     

    Money and Credit

    Net foreign assets

    -4.4

    18.2

    3.3

    0.2

    3.3

    3.2

    3.8

    2.5

    1.3

    0.3

    Net domestic assets

    -0.6

    -4.4

    1.3

    4.4

    -1.3

    6.4

    1.3

    2.0

    3.2

    4.2

    Broad money (M2)

    -8.7

    13.9

    4.6

    4.6

    2.1

    9.5

    5.0

    4.6

    4.5

    4.5

    Credit to private sector

    4.8

    -4.1

    -2.1

    7.0

    10.2

    6.0

    5.5

    5.0

    5.0

    5.0

     

    Central Government

    Primary balance

    -3.7

    -2.3

    -0.3

    0.5

    4.6

    0.7

    0.8

    0.9

    1.0

    1.0

    Overall balance

    -6.2

    -4.5

    -2.8

    -1.7

    2.5

    -1.3

    -1.0

    -0.7

    -0.6

    -0.5

       Total revenue and grants

    19.8

    18.9

    17.9

    17.1

    21.4

    19.9

    20.1

    20.2

    20.1

    20.0

       Total expenditure

    26.0

    23.4

    20.7

    18.8

    18.9

    21.2

    21.1

    20.9

    20.7

    20.5

     

    External Sector

    Current account balance

    -15.6

    -17.8

    -15.6

    -13.5

    -7.0

    -10.5

    -10.2

    -10.1

    -9.8

    -9.5

    Trade balance

    -28.6

    -29.6

    -34.4

    -32.8

    -28.2

    -30.4

    -30.3

    -30.2

    -30.0

    -29.9

    Nonfactor service balance

    17.3

    19.5

    28.2

    28.4

    30.4

    28.8

    29.1

    29.4

    29.6

    29.9

       Of which: Gross tourism receipts

    29.2

    30.5

    44.4

    45.4

    46.8

    46.7

    47.2

    47.7

    48.1

    48.5

    Overall balance

    -6.5

    3.5

    -0.1

    -2.5

    0.5

    0.9

    1.5

    -0.1

    -1.1

    -1.4

    External public sector debt

    47.5

    45.5

    39.4

    36.0

    30.9

    31.1

    34.5

    37.3

    39.7

    39.0

     

    Savings-Investment Balance

    -15.6

    -17.8

    -15.6

    -13.5

    -7.0

    -10.5

    -10.2

    -10.1

    -9.8

    -9.5

    Savings

    22.4

    28.4

    25.4

    25.3

    28.0

    25.6

    25.2

    25.0

    24.8

    24.7

    Investment

    38.0

    46.2

    41.0

    38.8

    35.0

    36.1

    35.4

    35.0

    34.6

    34.2

     

    Memorandum Items

    Net imputed international reserves (US$ million)                      222          324           346           319          322           375           443

    491

    517

    524

      (Months of prospective imports)

    3.1

    3.2

    3.3

    3.1

    2.7

    3.0

    3.4

    3.6

    3.6

    3.5

    GDP at market prices (EC$ million)

    3,811

    4,326

    5,040

    5,416

    6,007

    6,408

    6,731

    7,037

    7,353

    7,684

    Public debt stock (EC$ million) 1/, 2/

    3,829

    4,021

    4,134

    4,134

    4,028

    4,063

    4,265

    4,410

    4,502

    4,601

      (Percent of GDP)

    100.5

    93.0

    82.0

    76.3

    67.1

    63.4

    63.4

    62.7

    61.2

    59.9

    Sources: Country authorities, ECCB, UN Human Development Report, World Bank, and IMF staff estimates and projections.

    1/ Includes stock of principal and interest arrears, unpaid vouchers, and suppliers’ credits.

    2/ Includes central government guarantees of state enterprises’ and statutory bodies’ debt.
                                 

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] Under the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, publication of documents that pertain to member countries is voluntary and requires the member consent. The authorities have requested additional time to decide on the publication of the staff report. A final decision is expected not later than 28 days from the Board consideration date.

    [3] The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Meera Louis

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/03/17/pr25067-antigua-and-barbuda-imf-executive-board-concludes-2025-article-iv-consultation

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: FAO warns of ‘unprecedented’ avian flu spread, in call for global action

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Health

    The rapid spread of the highly infectious avian flu virus H5N1 has reached an “unprecedented” scale, wiping out hundreds of millions of birds worldwide and increasingly spilling over into mammals, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday.

    Briefing Member States in Rome, FAO officials called for urgent action to strengthen biosecurity, surveillance and rapid-response mechanisms to curb the outbreak.

    FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi stressed that the crisis threatens to have “serious impacts on food security and food supply in countries, including loss of valuable nutrition, rural jobs and income, shocks to local economies, and of course increasing costs to consumers.”

    With millions relying on poultry for meat and eggs, the challenge is not only to contain the virus but also to protect food production systems.

    The economic impact is also being felt worldwide. For example, egg prices reached a record high in the United States during February according to the US Consumer Price Index, with farmers forced to slaughter over 166 million birds so far in total as avian flu has spread – mostly egg-laying chickens.

    So far this year more than 30 million birds in the US have been killed, according to news reports.

    Coordinated response needed

    FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol underlined the need for a global, coordinated response, calling H5N1 a “transboundary” threat that no country can tackle alone.

    To address the crisis, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) have launched a ten-year Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza.

    “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. By working together, we can reduce the impact of avian influenza and protect both animal and human health – locally and globally,” Ms. Bechdol said.

    Over the past four years, H5N1 has expanded to new regions, causing massive losses in domestic birds, disrupting food supplies and pushing poultry prices higher.

    At least 300 new wild bird species have been affected since 2021, posing a serious threat to biodiversity.

    Collective action and innovation

    FAO reaffirmed its commitment to global monitoring, data sharing and technical guidance to help countries contain the virus.

    Ms. Bechdol also stressed the importance of private sector engagement, particularly in developing vaccines, diagnostics and high-quality animal health services.

    The briefing also included a third call for funding proposals under the Pandemic Fund, hosted by the World Bank.

    Over the past two years, FAO has co-led dozens of Pandemic Fund projects aimed at strengthening disease surveillance, early warning systems and health infrastructure to prevent future outbreaks.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is the rules-based order? How this global system has shifted from ‘liberal’ origins − and where it could be heading next

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

    Global order? Put a pin in it. Getty Images

    The phrase “international rules-based order” has long been a fixture in global politics.

    Western leaders often use it to describe a framework of rules, norms and institutions designed to guide state behavior. Advocates argue that this framework has provided the foundation for decades of stability and prosperity, while critics question its fairness and relevance in today’s multipolar world.

    But what exactly is the international rules-based order, when did it come about, and why do people increasingly hear about challenges to it today?

    The birth of a universal vision

    The rules-based international order, initially known as the “liberal international order,” emerged from the devastation of World War II. The vision was ambitious and universal: to create a global system based on liberal democratic values, market capitalism and multilateral cooperation.

    At its core, however, this project was driven by the United States, which saw itself as the unmatched leader of the new order.

    The idea was to replace the chaos of great power politics and shifting alliances with a predictable world governed by shared rules and norms.

    Central to this vision was the establishment of institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. These institutions, alongside widely accepted norms and formalized rules, aimed to promote political cooperation, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and economic recovery for countries damaged by war.

    However, the vision of a truly universal liberal international order quickly unraveled. As the Cold War set in, the world split into two competing blocs. The Western bloc, led by the United States, adhered to the principles of the liberal international order.

    Meanwhile, the Soviet-led communist bloc established a parallel system with its own norms, rules and institutions. The Warsaw Pact provided military alignment, while the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance managed economic cooperation. The communist bloc emphasized state-led economic planning and single-party rule, rejecting the liberal order’s emphasis on democracy and free markets.

    Emerging cracks

    When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, the liberal international order appeared to have triumphed. The United States became the world’s sole superpower, and many former communist states integrated into Western institutions. For a brief period, the order’s universal vision seemed within reach.

    By the 1990s and early 2000s, however, new cracks began to appear.

    NATO expansion, the creation of the World Trade Organization and greater emphasis on human rights through institutions such as the International Criminal Court all closely aligned with Western liberal values. The spread of these norms and the institutions enforcing them appeared, to many outside the West, as Western ideology dressed up as universal principles.

    In response to mounting criticism, Western leaders began using the term rules-based international order instead of liberal international order. This shift aimed to emphasize procedural fairness – rules that all states, in theory, had agreed upon – rather than a system explicitly rooted in liberal ideological commitments. The focus moved from promoting specific liberal norms to maintaining stability and predictability.

    New challenges to the status quo

    China’s rise has brought these tensions into sharp relief. While China participates in many institutions underpinning the rules-based international order, it also seeks to reshape them.

    The Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank illustrate Beijing’s efforts to establish alternative frameworks more aligned with its interests. These initiatives challenge existing rules and norms by offering new institutional pathways for economic and political influence.

    Meanwhile, Russia’s actions in Ukraine – especially the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the 2022 invasion – challenge the order’s core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    Western inconsistencies have long undermined the credibility of the rules-based order. The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, widely criticized for bypassing international norms and institutions, exemplified a selective application of the rules. This double standard extends toward Washington’s selective engagement with international legal bodies and its inconsistent approach to sovereignty and intervention.

    An uncertain future

    Supporters argue that the rules-based order remains vital for addressing global challenges such as climate change, pandemics and nuclear proliferation.

    However, ambiguity surrounds what these “rules” actually entail, which norms are genuinely universal, and who enforces them.

    This lack of clarity, coupled with shifting global power dynamics, complicates efforts to sustain the system.

    The future of the rules-based international order is uncertain. The shift from “liberal” to “rules-based” reflected an ongoing struggle to adapt a complex web of rules, norms and institutions to a rapidly changing international environment.

    Whether it evolves further, splinters or endures as is will depend on how well it balances fairness, inclusivity and stability in an increasingly multipolar world.

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

    – ref. What is the rules-based order? How this global system has shifted from ‘liberal’ origins − and where it could be heading next – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-rules-based-order-how-this-global-system-has-shifted-from-liberal-origins-and-where-it-could-be-heading-next-250978

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Europe had worst measles outbreak since 1997 – new data

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton

    SamaraHeisz5/Shutterstock

    Europe has had the highest number of measles cases since 1997, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). There were 127,350 cases in 2024 – about double the number from 2023.

    “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” says Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. “Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.” Last year, there were 38 deaths from measles.

    Transmission is similar to COVID, with respiratory droplets and aerosols (airborne transmission) spreading the virus between people. The infection produces a rash and fever in mild cases, and encephalitis (brain swelling), pneumonia and blindness in severe cases.

    Hospitalisation and deaths are overwhelmingly in unvaccinated people, with mortality rates in developed countries around one in 1,000 to one in 5,000 measles cases.

    Each person infected with measles will, on average, spread the virus to between 12 and 18 other people. This is more infectious than COVID. For example, someone with the omicron variant would spread the virus to around eight others.

    In 2022 the WHO had described measles as an “imminent threat in every region of the world”. The widespread impact of COVID made it harder for people to access healthcare, reducing the ability of regular health services, like vaccinations, to function properly.

    These new stark figures from WHO Europe are an inevitable consequence of lower vaccination rates. Measles is almost entirely vaccine-preventable, with two doses providing greater than 99% protection against infection. The vaccine has an excellent safety record, with severe harm being extremely rare.

    The proportion of the population that needs to be vaccinated to keep local transmission low and prevent outbreaks (so-called “herd immunity”) is around 95%.

    WHO Europe highlighted some examples of where there are clear gaps in vaccine coverage. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania, fewer than 80% of eligible children were vaccinated in 2023, with rates below 50% for the past five or more years. Romania had the highest number of measles cases in Europe in 2024 – an estimated 30,692 cases.

    Misinformation is the driver

    Misinformation is an important factor that reduces vaccine uptake. For example, in the UK, former physician Andrew Wakefield presented falsified data in 2002 claiming the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine caused autism. He somehow got these claims published in The Lancet – although the paper was later retracted.

    This fake scare received sustained media coverage, which resulted in lower uptake in young children at the time and was then a key factor a large measles outbreak among teenagers in England in 2012.

    The claims have spread internationally. In 2020, a US population survey found that “18% of our respondents mistakenly state that it is very or somewhat accurate to say that vaccines cause autism”.

    Sadly, misinformation about health can even be found at the highest levels of government. US President Donald Trump repeatedly made false claims during the COVID pandemic, including the suggestion that injecting disinfectant might cure COVID. In 2025, he appointed Robert F. Kennedy as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has long espoused anti-vaccine viewpoints, including being required to apologise in 2015 for comparing vaccination programmes to the Holocaust.

    RFK Jr. was made to apologise for comparing vaccination programmes with the Holocaust.
    Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock

    In a recent interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, Kennedy said of the MMR vaccine: “It does cause deaths every year. It causes — it causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, et cetera.”

    This is untrue. The Infectious Disease Society of America points out that there have been “no deaths related to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in healthy individuals”. This is amid two measles deaths in unvaccinated people in the US, the first such deaths since 2003. There are estimates that the measles vaccine prevented 94 million deaths globally between 1974 to 2024.

    The US National Institute for Health, one of the world’s biggest funders of health research, announced on March 10 2025 that it was axing research that aimed to understand and address vaccine hesitancy.

    This goes alongside the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) apparently planning a large study into potential associations between vaccines and autism, despite dozens of studies indicating there being no such link.

    This volatility coming from the US and elsewhere matters for Europe. Trump and the US have political supporters in Europe, so their messaging carries weight and could do harm. Anti-vaccine sentiment promoted on Facebook from within the US resulted in comments on the posts from multiple countries. The use of social media has been observed to spread misinformation internationally, for example, within Europe. Russian trolls are also involved in creating arguments about vaccines.

    There is an urgent need for outbreaks to be brought back under control and for accurate information about vaccines to be the key message in public discussions. As Dr Kluge highlights: “The measles virus never rests – and neither can we.”

    Michael Head has previously received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Research England and the UK Department for International Development, and currently receives funding from the UK Medical Research Foundation.

    – ref. Europe had worst measles outbreak since 1997 – new data – https://theconversation.com/europe-had-worst-measles-outbreak-since-1997-new-data-252327

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Europe faces worst measles outbreak since 1997 – new data

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton

    SamaraHeisz5/Shutterstock

    Europe has had the highest number of measles cases since 1997, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). There were 127,350 cases in 2024 – about double the number from 2023.

    “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” says Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. “Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.” Last year, there were 38 deaths from measles.

    Transmission is similar to COVID, with respiratory droplets and aerosols (airborne transmission) spreading the virus between people. The infection produces a rash and fever in mild cases, and encephalitis (brain swelling), pneumonia and blindness in severe cases.

    Hospitalisation and deaths are overwhelmingly in unvaccinated people, with mortality rates in developed countries around one in 1,000 to one in 5,000 measles cases.

    Each person infected with measles will, on average, spread the virus to between 12 and 18 other people. This is more infectious than COVID. For example, someone with the omicron variant would spread the virus to around eight others.

    In 2022 the WHO had described measles as an “imminent threat in every region of the world”. The widespread impact of COVID made it harder for people to access healthcare, reducing the ability of regular health services, like vaccinations, to function properly.

    These new stark figures from WHO Europe are an inevitable consequence of lower vaccination rates. Measles is almost entirely vaccine-preventable, with two doses providing greater than 99% protection against infection. The vaccine has an excellent safety record, with severe harm being extremely rare.

    The proportion of the population that needs to be vaccinated to keep local transmission low and prevent outbreaks (so-called “herd immunity”) is around 95%.

    WHO Europe highlighted some examples of where there are clear gaps in vaccine coverage. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania, fewer than 80% of eligible children were vaccinated in 2023, with rates below 50% for the past five or more years. Romania had the highest number of measles cases in Europe in 2024 – an estimated 30,692 cases.

    Misinformation is the driver

    Misinformation is an important factor that reduces vaccine uptake. For example, in the UK, former physician Andrew Wakefield presented falsified data in 2002 claiming the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine caused autism. He somehow got these claims published in The Lancet – although the paper was later retracted.

    This fake scare received sustained media coverage, which resulted in lower uptake in young children at the time and was then a key factor a large measles outbreak among teenagers in England in 2012.

    The claims have spread internationally. In 2020, a US population survey found that “18% of our respondents mistakenly state that it is very or somewhat accurate to say that vaccines cause autism”.

    Sadly, misinformation about health can even be found at the highest levels of government. US President Donald Trump repeatedly made false claims during the COVID pandemic, including the suggestion that injecting disinfectant might cure COVID. In 2025, he appointed Robert F. Kennedy as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has long espoused anti-vaccine viewpoints, including being required to apologise in 2015 for comparing vaccination programmes to the Holocaust.

    RFK Jr. was made to apologise for comparing vaccination programmes with the Holocaust.
    Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock

    In a recent interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, Kennedy said of the MMR vaccine: “It does cause deaths every year. It causes — it causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, et cetera.”

    This is untrue. The Infectious Disease Society of America points out that there have been “no deaths related to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in healthy individuals”. This is amid two measles deaths in unvaccinated people in the US, the first such deaths since 2003. There are estimates that the measles vaccine prevented 94 million deaths globally between 1974 to 2024.

    The US National Institute for Health, one of the world’s biggest funders of health research, announced on March 10 2025 that it was axing research that aimed to understand and address vaccine hesitancy.

    This goes alongside the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) apparently planning a large study into potential associations between vaccines and autism, despite dozens of studies indicating there being no such link.

    This volatility coming from the US and elsewhere matters for Europe. Trump and the US have political supporters in Europe, so their messaging carries weight and could do harm. Anti-vaccine sentiment promoted on Facebook from within the US resulted in comments on the posts from multiple countries. The use of social media has been observed to spread misinformation internationally, for example, within Europe. Russian trolls are also involved in creating arguments about vaccines.

    There is an urgent need for outbreaks to be brought back under control and for accurate information about vaccines to be the key message in public discussions. As Dr Kluge highlights: “The measles virus never rests – and neither can we.”

    Michael Head has previously received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Research England and the UK Department for International Development, and currently receives funding from the UK Medical Research Foundation.

    – ref. Europe faces worst measles outbreak since 1997 – new data – https://theconversation.com/europe-faces-worst-measles-outbreak-since-1997-new-data-252327

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: This is why physical affection can boost your health

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    By Viren Swami, Anglia Ruskin University

    In the opening scene of Love, Actually, Hugh Grant’s character says how, whenever he gets gloomy with the state of the world, he thinks about the arrivals gate at Heathrow airport. The reason is on screen: we see couples kissing, old friends embracing, children smiling and laughing as they jump into the arms of their parents.

    Airports are great places to really understand the importance of physical affection – hugging, kissing, cuddling, holding hands, or even just touching. But physical affection is ubiquitous in everyday life, too – and with good reason. Science shows that non-sexual physical affection produces more than just moments of joy – it also benefits our mental and physical health.

    Physical affection is one of the most direct and important ways that people communicate intimacy in their romantic relationships. And it seems to occur in romantic relationships all over the world, despite cross-cultural differences in ideas of love and romance.

    People in romantic relationships report more intimate physical affection than singletons. They’re also more comfortable allowing their partners to touch more of their bodies than strangers or friends. For example, most people are comfortable being touched on their thighs and abdomen by their partner, but not by other people.

    Even how we touch our partners is different to how we touch other people. When participants in one study were asked to stroke their partner, a friend, a stranger, or an artificial arm, they did so more slowly with their partner. Slower strokes may be experienced as more pleasant and erotic than quicker strokes. Even just thinking about physical affection from a partner evokes pleasant and erotic sensations.

    There is now strong evidence showing that physical contact is associated with better physical and mental health. One review of “touch interventions” – think massage – in 212 studies involving more than 13,000 participants found that physical touch benefited everything from sleep patterns to blood pressure to fatigue. Touch interventions were especially helpful in reducing pain, depression and anxiety.

    Couple’s therapy

    Before you rush off to book yourself a massage, you should know that much of the evidence suggests the strongest benefits come from physical affection with romantic partners. Several studies have found that, in couples, physical affection is associated with a range of physiological effects, including lower blood pressure and better immune responses.

    In couples, physical affection is also associated with better psychological wellbeing. One study found that couples who sleep-touched – cuddling shortly before or after sleep – felt happier and calmer in the morning, which meant they were more likely to enjoy the company of their partners.

    Physical affection – including kissing and affection after sex – is also associated with greater relationship and sexual satisfaction, and better ratings of one’s relationship overall, which in turn contribute to better psychological wellbeing. And even when conflicts do occur, hugging seems to reduce levels of negative mood in couples.

    Cuddle up, because there’s more. Receiving physical affection from a partner makes us feel psychologically stronger. One study found that women showed less activation in parts of the brain that respond to threat when holding their husband’s hand. Even just imagining touch from a partner can increase one’s willingness to take on challenging tasks.

    Another way to look at this is to examine what happens when we lose physical affection. Studies have shown that “touch deprivation” – the absence of touch – is associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety. Indeed, the loss of affection from others during the pandemic hit many people hard. Among couples, a lack of physical affection is associated with lower relationship satisfaction, stress, and feelings of loneliness.

    There are several ways in which physical affection provides these benefits. Affectionate touch is known to activate reward centres of the brain, which boosts our mood and promotes feelings of wellbeing. Touch also stimulates the release of oxytocin, which can strengthen social bonds and increase feelings of trust between individuals. It’s for these reasons that oxytocin is sometimes called the “cuddle chemical”.

    Physical affection also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reduces perceived pain, which suppress physiological stress systems. One study found that a 10-minute neck-and-shoulder massage from one’s partner helped lower cortisol responses, helping to regulate levels of stress.

    Psychologically, physical affection in romantic relationships is an important way to keep our emotions under control. Touching one’s partner in a caring manner helps to improve their mood and makes them feel loved, secure, and safe. As feelings of connection, trust, and belonging are strengthened through non-sexual physical signs of affection, negative effect is reduced and psychological well-being is improved.

    However, not everyone likes to be touched, even if it is by their romantic partners. Some people are “touch avoidant” – and some people may actually be apprehensive about being touched. For instance, people with avoidant attachment styles – characterised by a discomfort with emotional closeness – often have very negative views about cuddling and are more hesitant to touch their partners. Conversely, people with anxious attachment styles – characterised by a fear of abandonment – may desire more touch than they receive.

    But when couples have similar touch preferences, it can lead to greater attraction, closeness, and commitment to one another. And if you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate non-sexual physical affection into your relationships, consider home massage. One study found that couples who took turns massaging each other at home felt a deeper connection with each other, and felt more relaxed and less stressed.

    Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hot Springs Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Money Laundering and Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOT SPRINGS – An Arkansas man was sentenced on March 12, 2025, to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $252,344.00 in restitution, followed by three years of supervised release following his guilty pleas to money laundering and wire fraud charges.  The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing, which took place in the United States District Court in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

    According to court documents, John Christopher Bates, 57, waived indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to an information charging him with money laundering and wire fraud. The two counts related to separate schemes, one involving false applications for benefits to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, who administers the state’s distribution of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.  The other related to Bates’s fraudulent applications for Economic Impact Disaster Loans, totaling more than $1 million. 

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trent Daniels and Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –