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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Recovery and Resilience Fund to subsidise afternoon surgeries in private healthcare facilities – E-002580/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    On 21 January 2024, the Council adopted the Council Implementation Decision amending the Implementing Decision of 13 July 2021 on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Greece.

    A subproject related to afternoon surgeries was introduced under measure 16756 (Organisational Reforms in the Health System) under component 3.3 (Improve resilience, accessibility and sustainability of healthcare).

    The main objective of the subproject is the reduction of the waiting list for elective surgeries. More specifically, this allocates EUR 51 million of the Recovery and Resilience Facility grants to fund the operational cost of 37 500 afternoon surgeries. Priority would be given to patients that have been waiting the longest.

    Afternoon surgeries will be performed in public hospitals. The subproject also provides that for cases where it will not be possible to carry out the surgeries in the hospital, the surgery may be carried out in another public hospital in proximity, or in a collaborating private hospital.

    If the possibility for the surgery to take place in a private hospital is activated, it will be the citizen who will choose the private provider from a list which will include all collaborating hospitals.

    The Greek National Health Service Organisation (ΕΟPYY) has the main responsibility for the implementation of afternoon surgeries in private hospitals. The Ministry of Health is the supervising authority for the implementation of the entire project.

    The target associated with this subproject (T164a) is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2025 and submitted as part of Greece’s ninth payment request.

    Last updated: 18 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Insurance category of professional school bus drivers – E-002734/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009[1] regulates the conditions of access to the occupation of road transport operator. It does not concern the social security system of each Member State, does not set out the type of insurance required, and is not relevant in determining whether there is a need to be insured.

    2. As regards passenger transport, Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 applies to undertakings operating passenger transport services for the public or for specific categories of users in return for payment by the person transported or by the transport organiser; it does not apply to undertakings which have a main occupation other than that of road passenger transport operator or which are engaged in road passenger transport services exclusively for non-commercial purposes as defined in its Article 1(4) in fine. The regulation therefore does not apply to the ancillary activity of an undertaking which has a main occupation other than that of road passenger transport operator.

    As regards the transport of goods, the regulation applies to natural or legal persons engaged in the transport of goods for hire and reward with a commercial purpose. Own-account transport of goods, which does not involve hire and reward operations, is therefore not covered.

    • [1] Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing common rules concerning the conditions to be complied with to pursue the occupation of road transport operator and repealing Council Directive 96/26/EC, OJ L 300, 14.11.2009, p. 51.
    Last updated: 18 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Unexplained death, Puketaha, Waikato

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    An investigation is under way into the death of a person, who was found following a car fire at Puketaha overnight.

    Emergency services were called to a vehicle fire at the intersection of Marshmeadow and Holland roads about 3.50am. The person was found deceased in the vehicle by firefighters, who notified Police.

    The death is being treated as unexplained and cordons are in place while a scene examination is carried out.

    Diversions are expected to be in place for several hours and trains are delayed while Police work at the scene.

    Information will be released proactively when it becomes available.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Health Net Federal Services, LLC and Centene Corporation Agree to Pay Over $11 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability for Cybersecurity Violations

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Note: View the settlement agreement here. 

    Health Net Federal Services Inc. (HNFS) of Rancho Cordova, California and its corporate parent, St. Louis-based Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay $11,253,400 to resolve claims that HNFS falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements in a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to administer the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) TRICARE health benefits program for servicemembers and their families. In 2016, Centene acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Health Net Inc., HNFS’s corporate parent, and assumed the liabilities of HNFS.

    “Companies that hold sensitive government information, including sensitive information of the nation’s servicemembers and their families, must meet their contractual obligations to protect it,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue knowing violations of cybersecurity requirements by federal contractors and grantees to protect Americans’ privacy and economic and national security.”

    “Safeguarding sensitive government information, particularly when it relates to the health and well-being of millions of service members and their families, is of paramount importance,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “When HNFS failed to uphold its cybersecurity obligations, it didn’t just breach its contract with the government, it breached its duty to the people who sacrifice so much in defense of our nation.”

    “This settlement reflects the significance of protecting TRICARE, and the service members and their families who depend on the health care program, from risks of exploitation,” said Cyber Field Office Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the DoD Office of Inspector General. “DCIS will not be deterred from investigating contractors that fail to comply with federal cybersecurity requirements and risk exposing protected information vulnerable to criminal hackers. The U.S. taxpayers who fund these government contracts expect no less.”

    The settlement resolves allegations that, between 2015 and 2018, HNFS failed to meet certain cybersecurity controls and falsely certified compliance with them in annual reports to DHA that were required under its contract to administer the TRICARE program. The United States alleged that HNFS failed to timely scan for known vulnerabilities and to remedy security flaws on its networks and systems, in accordance with its System Security Plan and the response times HNFS had established. Furthermore, the United States alleged HNFS ignored reports from third-party security auditors and its internal audit department of cybersecurity risks on HNFS’ networks and systems related to asset management; access controls; configuration settings; firewalls; end-of-life hardware and software in use; patch management (i.e., installing critical security updates released by vendors to counter known threats); vulnerability scanning; and password policies.

    The Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California handled the matter, with assistance from DoD’s Office of Inspector General, including the DCIS, Cyber Field Office Western Region and the Inspector General’s Office of Audits, Cyberspace Operations Directorate, and DoD’s Defense Contract Management Agency, Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center.

    Trial Attorneys Christopher Wilson, Laura Hill, and Jonathan Thrope of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Tennyson for the Eastern District of California represented the United States in this matter.

    The claims asserted against defendants are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune earns reverification as a Level III Trauma Center

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NMCCL) has earned reverification as a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma (ACS).

    The ACS Verification, Review, and Consultation Program helps hospitals to evaluate and improve trauma care by providing an objective, external review of a trauma center’s resources and performance in program features such as readiness, resources, patient and care among other components.

    “The certification or verification is good for three years, and it’s a pretty rigorous process that examines all the standards set by the American College of Surgeons, which is the governing body of trauma centers in the United States,” said Cmdr. Ryan Schutt, trauma medical director for NMMCL. “Receiving the verification means that NMCCL is meeting the metrics that ACS considers the gold standard for how to run a trauma system in the United States.”

    Since the original designation as a Level III Trauma Center in 2018, making NMCCL the first Navy military treatment facility in the nation to provide trauma care to a local community, NMCCL continues to make positive contributions in the military and civilian communities. Since last verification cycle in 2022, the NMCCL Trauma Center has recorded more than 5,000 trauma activations, receiving patients from Onslow County and five adjacent counties.

    “If you look at when we first became a verified in 2018, I think probably two-thirds of our trauma [cases] were coming from on base. Then, as our system has grown and we’ve kind of gained the trust of the public and the [Emergency Medical Service] systems; that’s basically flipped where now probably over 70% of our trauma cases come from off base.”

    ACS Trauma Quality Programs aim to improve quality of care for the patient by setting standards that define the structures and processes of care, measuring patient outcomes through risk-adjusted benchmarking, promoting best practices, and adhering to performance improvement principles.

    To receive certification, NMCCL has to adhere to the Committee on Trauma’s standards for measuring trauma center success like risk-adjusted benchmarking, promotion of best practices, and adherence to improvement principles.

    ACS also looks at the development and implementation of programs that support injury prevention and ensure optimal patient outcomes across the continuum of care. For The NMCCL Trauma Center, the impact on the non-Department of Defense community is not just in trauma patient care but trauma and injury prevention.

    “On base we are talking to Marines about weapons safety, vehicle safety, motorcycle safety, and drinking and driving,” said Schutt. “Off base, we do events like Stop the Bleed campaigns, which is teaching the public how to use tourniquets, car seat safety for new and expectant mothers and fall prevention for the elderly.”

    Since the trauma center’s inception, trauma nurses and corpsmen have instructed more than 8600 community members on Stop the Bleed techniques.

    Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune has provided more than 80 years of dedicated, passionate care for warfighters and beneficiaries at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF responds as M23 fighters enter Bukavu, one of the largest cities in eastern DR Congo News Feb 18, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments in Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province, breaks down the current situation on the ground.

    A family fleeing violence waits to take a boat at the port of Bukavu, South Kivu province. | DR Congo 2025 © Amani Alimasi/MSF

    What’s happening in South Kivu right now?

    While the hotspot of the conflict has been North Kivu, neighboring South Kivu province has also long been receiving displaced people and has been touched by the violence. In the first three weeks of 2025, with the intensification of the conflict, MSF-supported health structures in northern South Kivu received more than 315 injured patients. 

    In late January, M23 took control of Numbi in the highlands of northern South Kivu, and of Minova, by the shores of Lake Kivu. Following the takeover of Goma, North Kivu’s capital, the group continued making quick advances in South Kivu. Last week, they captured the strategic towns of Kalehe and Kavumu.

    The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile.

    Marcus Bachmann, MSF head of programs for South Kivu province

    Over the weekend, M23 fighters progressively entered Bukavu, South Kivu’s capital and one of the most populated cities in eastern DRC, as FARDC troops and allied forces reportedly withdrew from the town. Major armed clashes haven’t taken place in Bukavu, but there has been widespread looting and shootings amid the chaos. The city has been quite empty, with hardly any traffic, and very few people walking in the streets, as many residents opted to stay at home and others left town. The situation is still volatile. 

    An MSF team installs a medical consultation tent in Cibitoke province, Burundi, where people fleeing fighting in DRC have been arriving since mid-February 2025. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    How is MSF responding?

    We were not running regular medical activities in Bukavu, but we have offices to coordinate activities in the province. However, we have now started to support four hospitals in the city to deal with big influxes of injured and to reinforce capacity for treating victims and survivors of sexual violence. 

    By Monday, February 17, our supported hospitals in Bukavu had already received 48 injured patients with wounds from gunshots and shrapnel, as a result of the violence that has taken place over the last few days. In one of the hospitals, they received 42 of these patients; all the injured were civilians, including 11 people under 18 years of age, and 16 of them were women. 

    In the north of South Kivu province, MSF continues to provide support to various departments of Minova General Referral Hospital, three other health centers in Minova health zone, and Numbi health center. These are areas where there are still thousands of displaced people.

    What to know about the intensified conflict in DR Congo

    View the timeline

    In Uvira, further south in South Kivu province, where our teams have been providing care for patients with mpox in recent months, the situation has also become quite concerning. Fighting has been reported on the road from Bukavu to Uvira, and the general hospital there is receiving dozens of injured people, including civilians. 

    We are closely assessing the situation and exploring ways to scale up our emergency efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of people in areas around Minova, Bukavu, and Uvira. 

    As thousands of people have been crossing the border from South Kivu into Burundi to seek refuge in the province of Cibitoke, MSF has immediately dispatched a team to assess the urgent needs and provide emergency assistance in cooperation with the Burundian authorities. MSF’s priority is to support access to primary health care through mobile clinics, improve sanitation and access to water, and fight epidemics such as measles and cholera. 

    Congolese people fleeing violence are sheltering in Burundi’s Cibitoke province. | Burundi 2025 © MSF

    MSF supporting Congolese in Burundi

    Thousands of people fleeing the fighting in the DR Congo have crossed the border into Burundi in recent days. In cooperation with Burundian authorities, MSF has sent a team to the province of Cibitoke to assess needs and provide emergency assistance.

    The priority for MSF teams in Burundi will be to help people access primary health care through mobile clinics, improve access to water and prevent the risk of epidemics such as measles and cholera.

    What are the main concerns about the situation in South Kivu?

    The spread of violence and armed clashes, as well as related logistic constraints such as the closure of airports and lake navigation routes, is affecting our ability to provide medical care in various parts of northern South Kivu province. We urge all the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical infrastructure and personnel in all areas affected by the conflict.

    Due to the volatility of the situation, there is a risk of humanitarian needs exacerbating, particularly among communities that have been displaced for a long time. 

    We are also concerned about the potential surge in outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Our teams are prepared to respond if needed, including providing safe drinking water to communities.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Video: From Ground Zero – Global Event featuring Oscar-shortlisted Film | United Nations Movie Society

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    On Friday, 21 February 2025, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council – dedicated to advancing UN global causes through the transformative power of storytelling, will present an event featuring excerpts from the 2025 Oscar-shortlisted International Feature Film, FROM GROUND ZERO. The programme will be broadcasted live & on demand on the global channels of the United Nations – UN Web TV and UN YouTube.

    FROM GROUND ZERO was filmed during the devastating war in Gaza, during which – according to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) – over 48,000 Palestinians have been reportedly killed since October 7th, 2023 – the vast majority of them children, women and the elderly. And many more are feared missing under the rubble. Sadly, 273 UNRWA colleagues have also been killed since the war began.

    In under two hours, the film weaves together 22 short films created by 22 courageous Palestinian filmmakers living and surviving in Gaza over this past year. While pulling from the rubble of their homes and their cities, these filmmakers have come together to share these stories with us – mixing dramatic storytelling, documentary, and animation. FROM GROUND ZERO is a moving and compelling story about resilience and the human spirit. The very existence of this film is remarkable, given the dangerous circumstances that existed on the ground at the time of filming. It is a portrayal of resilience and the human spirit that explores the importance of storytelling in a powerful way.

    On this occasion, the event will be opened with remarks delivered by H.E. Mr. Riyad H. Mansour, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. In addition, remarks by Director Rashid Masharawi will be featured.

    Movies hold the unique power to promote universal ideals, principles, and values so deeply enshrined by the United Nations – including peace, development, respect for human rights, cultural appreciation, the dignity of the human person, and equal rights for all. Founded at the United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fEfCFAo9yY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Adult Support and Protection Day 2025

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Issued by NHS Highland on behalf of the Highland Adult Protection Committee.

    Residents across Highland are being asked to be alert to vulnerable adults in their communities who are susceptible to financial harm.

    Adult Support and Protection Day takes place on Thursday 20 February 2025 and NHS Highland is urging everyone to report any concerns to ensure those in need are able to access support.

    Financial harm can cover theft, fraud and pressure to sign over property or money. It also relates to rogue traders, online scammers and misuse of benefits.

    People can be at increased risk to be harmed financially through factors such as ill health, trauma and physical or mental health conditions.

    It can happen anywhere – in someone’s home, where they work, or in a public place – and is often caused by the people closest to them. It can even happen in places responsible for keeping someone safe, such as a care home, hospital or day centre.

    The Highland Adult Committee is hosting an Adult Protection Day on Thursday, 20th February 2025 in Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, Wellside Road, Balloch.

    The event will focus on combating financial harm and protecting vulnerable adults in our communities. Tickets for the event are free, and you can book your space by visiting https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/highlandadultprotection . The event will run from 10am-3pm.

    Mark McGinty, Chair of the Adult Support and Protection Community Awareness Group for the Highland area said: “Financial harm has an impact upon us all, whether its being caught out by a scammer, a mistrust by a family member or friend, or an organisation or public body helping prevent financial harm or helping a victim recover.

    “This event provides an opportunity for professionals and the wider public alike, to learn more about what financial harm is, how to spot it, who to speak to and how to prevent it from happening. I’d urge professionals and those associated with adult care, as well as the general public, to come along if possible, it could save you or someone you know from the stress and heartache of losing money to financial harm.”

    Councillor David Fraser, Highland Council Chair of Housing and Social Work Committee said: “Highland Council welcomes this event being organised by the Adult Support and Protection Committee which ultimately aims to protect vulnerable adults in our communities who are susceptible to financial harm. If anyone has concerns about a vulnerable adult in their community who they suspect is being financially harmed they should contact either Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 600, who partner Trading Standards in tackling consumer scams, or Police Scotland on 101 where the financial harm is more family, friend, guardian related.”

    It’s important to speak up about any concerns you have, as the person may not be able to do so themselves. 

    Please see NHS Highland website for more details on raising a concern  Adult support and protection | NHS Highland

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Robber Sentenced to Additional Prison Term After Firing Machine Gun at Law Enforcement Officer

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

    ATLANTA – Montrez Ballard has been sentenced to ten years in prison after firing a machine gun at a Georgia State Patrol officer. 

    “Ballard’s brazen actions endangered the life of a law enforcement officer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Moultrie, Jr.  “This lengthy prison sentence reflects Ballard’s dangerous, and potentially lethal, attack on a Georgia State Patrol trooper whose very mission is to help keep our community safe.”

    “The swift and coordinated response of law enforcement ensured that a dangerous individual was taken off the streets before he could inflict further harm. ATF will not stand by while criminals use illegally modified weapons to terrorize our communities. We will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who believe they can act without consequence,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Jones.

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court:  On July 21, 2023, Ballard, driving a Nissan Maxima, abruptly cut off a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) trooper in Atlanta.  Ballard fled from the trooper after the officer activated his emergency equipment to stop Ballard.  In his attempt to evade the trooper, Ballard drove more than 20 miles per hour above the speed limit in a residential neighborhood, ran stop signs, and nearly struck another motorist. 

    Minutes into the chase, Ballard’s vehicle crashed into a stop sign.  Ballard then exited his vehicle and fled on foot.  When the trooper chased him, Ballard confronted the officer and fired at least three shots at the trooper.  The trooper returned fire but Ballard escaped.

    Other law enforcement agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, responded to help locate Ballard.  Officers eventually arrested Ballard – who was on probation for a state robbery offense at the time – and recovered his firearm.  Ballard’s gun, a Glock 19 9mm handgun, was examined and determined to be equipped with a device that converted the weapon into a machine gun, allowing the gun to fire continuously without multiple trigger pulls. 

     Montrez Ballard, 21, of Hampton, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to ten years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Atlanta Police Department and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorney Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Security pros: Join us for Microsoft RSAC 2025 beginning April 27

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Security pros: Join us for Microsoft RSAC 2025 beginning April 27

    AI adoption is picking up speed. Many companies are growing their technology estates by embracing powerful new solutions like generative AI. But to maximize the benefits of new technology with confidence, security professionals need to stay compliant with the evolving regulatory and audit requirements in the age of AI. It is in this spirit that Microsoft invites you to join us at RSACTM 2025 Conference in San Francisco, where we will showcase end-to-end security designed to help organizations accelerate the secure adoption of AI with ready-to-go security and governance tools and solutions to multiply security teams’ productivity.

    Across the Microsoft Security portfolio, our innovations, together with world-class threat and regulatory intelligence, will help give security experts the advantage they need in the era of AI. From our signature Pre-Day to hands-on demos and one-on-one meetings, join the Microsoft experience at RSAC 2025 designed just for you.

    Microsoft at RSAC

    From our signature Pre-Day to hands-on demos and one-on-one meetings, discover how Microsoft Security can give you the advantage you need in the era of AI.

    Kick things off at Microsoft Pre-Day

    The Microsoft experience at RSAC 2025 begins with Microsoft Pre-Day on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the Palace Hotel, just around the corner from the Moscone Center. For the fourth year running, the keynote speech held on Microsoft Pre-Day will kick off the full lineup of Microsoft events and activities throughout RSAC 2025. By joining us on Sunday, you’ll have the chance to hear directly from Microsoft Security business leaders—including Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security Business; Charlie Bell, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Security; Sherrod DeGrippo, Director of Threat Intelligence Strategy; and other Microsoft Security leaders as they share reporting on emerging cyberthreat trends and the product innovations designed to protect against them. Vasu will also take the RSAC 2025 stage on Day 1 for the conference keynote.

    At Pre-Day, attendees will hear Microsoft Security threat intelligence on emerging trends, explore new AI-first tools, demos, and best practices, and attain a better understanding of how Microsoft can help them secure and govern their AI deployments. Attend to discover how the adaptive, end-to-end security platform from Microsoft, including Microsoft Security Copilot, can help your team catch what others miss, speed up remediation, lower your total cost of ownership, and boost—rather than burden—you and your teams.

    Stick around after Pre-Day for the reception—an evening of fun, networking, and entertainment, celebrating the vibrant security community. This is a unique opportunity to meet Microsoft security leaders, expand your professional network, and learn how others are addressing the latest security trends and challenges. Light refreshments will be served. CISOs who register to attend Microsoft Pre-Day will automatically be invited to a chief information security officer (CISO) dinner with Vasu Jakkal.  

    Make sure to register for Microsoft Pre-Day to join in on all the day’s activities.

    Register for Microsoft Pre-Day at RSAC 2025

    Dedicated calendar of events for CISOs

    Microsoft will be hosting a number of events tailored to CISOs throughout RSAC 2025. To kick off the week, Microsoft will be hosting a Pre-Day, followed by the exclusive CISO dinner on April 27, 2025. Following, there will be daily lunch and learn opportunities that address some of the primary challenges facing CISOs organizations:

    • Monday April 28, 2025: Innovating Securely CISO Lunch—Learn insights concerning secure innovation centered around the new AI regulations, including the EU Act, Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), and more.
    • Tuesday April 29, 2025: SFI Executive Lunch—Open to all and focused around the needs of Latin America-based CISOs, this lunch will bring together leaders and experts interested in understanding the latest Secure Future Initiative (SFI) progress and exchanging their thoughts on related best practices.
    • Wednesday April 30, 2025: Embracing Cyber resilience CISO Lunch—Attendees are invited to network, learn, and exchange their insights regarding cyber resilience as the AI landscape evolves.

    Finally, CISOs who attend RSAC 2025 are invited to stay through the end of the conference to attend the Microsoft Post-Day Forum at the Microsoft Experience Center at Silicon Valley on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 9:00 AM PT to 1:00 PM PT. The day will be full of insightful presentations, interactive discussions, networking opportunities, and a curated CISO roundtable session. This informative day will also include an immersive tour of the unique state-of-the-art Microsoft Experience Center, which highlights larger-than-life solutions that show Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology solving many of today’s challenges. This experience is facilitated by envisioning specialists who spark inspired conversations, creative ideas, and new opportunities for leaders to participate in before returning home.

    Sign up for Microsoft experiences at RSAC, including the Pre-Day, the CISO dinner, CISO lunch, and the Post-Day Forum. Request a one-on-one meeting with Microsoft experts to discuss your most pressing questions here.

    Discover solutions to your challenges during the keynote speech and Microsoft sessions

    As part of the RSAC agenda, Vasu Jakkal will take the stage on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 4:40 PM PT. During the speech, she will discuss the potential of agentic workflows to dramatically reshape the security landscape. Agentic AI has the power to enable more complex problem-solving, deeper agent collaboration, and iterative learning. All of this leads us toward a previously unheard-of new paradigm for security. Join Vasu Jakkal for an imaginative look at the future of AI security agents and how the people of our security teams will work alongside them to change the game.

    ​After the keynote and throughout the conference, attendees will be able to split their time between the Microsoft Security sessions included in the RSAC 2025 agenda, live demonstrations at booth #5744 in Moscone North, and a variety of roundtables, one-on-one meetings, and presentations at the Microsoft Security Hub at the Palace Hotel.

    Here are two sessions not to miss:

    • Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 9:40 AM PT: Shaping the Future of Security with Agentic AI​—In a time of rapidly evolving cyberthreats, agentic AI is emerging as a transformative force in security. Join Dorothy Li, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Security Copilot and Marketplace, to discover how autonomous decision-making is reshaping our approach to cybersecurity. This session will reveal how agentic AI empowers organizations to proactively mitigate risks, enhance operational efficiency, and elevate the effectiveness of your security tools. Attendees will gain actionable insights and practical strategies for harnessing the potential of agentic AI. Prepare to rethink the future of security and position your organization at the forefront of innovation.​
    • Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 9:40 AM PT: Accelerate AI Adoption with Stronger Security—AI adoption is accelerating, creating both new opportunities and security challenges. Led by Neta Haiby, Partner Product Manager at Microsoft​, this session covers key AI adoption trends, emerging risks, and common cyberthreats. Discover actionable steps to secure and govern AI, from establishing a dedicated security team for AI to adopting AI-specific solutions, ensuring your organization can innovate with confidence.​

    Other well-known Microsoft experts will host session sharing what they’ve learned from their work pioneering and securing AI:

    • Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 8:30 AM PT: Guardians of the Cyber Galaxy: Allies Against AI-Powered Cybercrime by Sean Farrell, Assistant General Counsel, Digital Crimes Unit.
    • Monday, April 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM PT: AI Era Authentication: Securing the Future with Inclusive Identity by Abhilasha Bhargav-Spantzel, Partner Security Architect, and Aditi Shah, Senior Data and Applied Scientist.
    • Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 8:30 AM PT: AI Safety: Where Do We Go From Here? by Ram Shankar Siva Kumar, Principal Research Lead, AI Red Team Lead.
    • Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 2:25 PM PT: Lessons Learned from a Year(ish) of Countering Malicious Actors’ Use of AI by Sherrod DeGrippo, Director, Threat intelligence strategy.

    View live demonstrations and discover engaging ways to learn at booth #5744

    At the Microsoft booth, attendees will have the chance to engage with experts, discover ready-to-go security and governance tools built for generative AI, and watch theater sessions showcasing the latest products, innovations, and industry perspectives from Microsoft. They’ll also get to enjoy a fun and interactive gaming experience. 

    Microsoft product and partner experts will be on hand to showcase the newest advancements through captivating demonstrations, informative videos, and valuable resources. 

    Visit the Microsoft booth theater for exclusive 20-minute demos and expert-led sessions on the latest in security and AI. Explore strategies to protect, govern, and secure AI. Listen in to insights on identity, compliance, privacy, threat defense, data protection, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and stay ahead in the ever-evolving security landscape.

    Meetings and connections at the Microsoft Security Hub

    The historic and luxurious Palace Hotel is home base for Microsoft during the week. RSAC 2025 attendees are invited to meet with Microsoft experts and executives, attend thought leadership sessions and roundtable lunches, and join networking opportunities. Detailed information about individual sessions can be found on the Microsoft Security Experiences at RSAC 2025 Landing Page.

    Customers are also invited to deepen their understanding of the latest cybersecurity threats, trends, and developments by discussing their most important security product and threat intelligence questions directly with Microsoft security experts through scheduled one-on-one meetings, held from Monday, April 28, 2025, to Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the Palace Hotel. Request your meeting directly through the Microsoft Security Experiences at RSAC 2025 Home Page.

    The Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) will once again have a considerable presence at RSAC 2025. MISA partners will be featured in the Microsoft Booth #5744 and included in other events happening throughout the week. Additionally, the sixth annual Microsoft Security Excellence Awards, presented by MISA, will be held at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on April 28, 2025, celebrating our finalists and announcing winners in nine award categories as well as enjoying a time of connecting. 

    Activities include:

    • MISA demo station: Stop by the Microsoft Booth to explore the innovative solutions developed by MISA members, which integrate Microsoft Security technology.
    • Theater sessions: Attend one or more of our five theater sessions at the Microsoft booth, led by MISA members, focusing on partner strategies and solutions for cyberthreat protection.
    • View the MISA demo and theater schedule.
    • MISA Partner awards: MISA members are invited to attend the Microsoft Security Excellence Awards on Monday, April 28, 2025, where winners will be announced in nine security award categories.

    Get the most by staying through Microsoft Post-Day

    Microsoft Post-Day Forum is a unique experience designed to help customers, CISOs, and security leaders dive deep into new concepts, ask questions they need answered about product features, and prepare to realize and enable the AI-first, end-to-end security concepts they’ve learned about throughout RSAC 2025. The Microsoft Post-Day Forum, hosted by Microsoft Security executives, will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 10:00 AM PT to 1:00 PM PT, at the Silicon Valley Experience Center. Pick up for the event will be held at the Palace Hotel at 8:00 AM PT, with drop off organized for 2:00 PM PT.

    We look forward to seeing you at RSAC 2025!

    Learn more about the Microsoft experience at RSAC 2025

    Customers and partners can register for the events highlighted in this blog as well as other Microsoft ancillary events and more here.

    Explore Microsoft Security events at RSAC 2025

    To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Building resilient digital security in education with Windows 11

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Building resilient digital security in education with Windows 11

    Learn ways to strengthen your institution’s digital security, drive greater productivity, and accelerate learning with Windows 11.

    Around the world, the education sector is increasingly targeted by cyberthreats. In fact, education was the third-most targeted industry by cybercriminals in Q2 2024, and the second-most targeted sector by nation-state threat actors in 2024. These attacks often carry devastating consequences, from identity theft to severe breaches across education networks and systems. With the rise of digital learning and the proliferation of connected devices—alongside continually evolving threats—IT departments face a greater challenge to secure digital environments in education.

    In the modern threat landscape, it’s important to consider whether your cybersecurity strategy is equipped to help you navigate these challenges. Deploying the most up-to-date devices, software, and operating systems can help close security vulnerabilities and build proactive protection. Windows 11 helps you strengthen your overall security posture, drive greater productivity, and build safer communities for learning, working, and teaching.

    Unlock greater productivity while maintaining robust and comprehensive protection

    Today, organizations around the world are rethinking their security approaches down to their hardware. Cybersecurity software alone is no longer enough to protect systems as bad actors leverage new technologies and tactics to bypass defenses and access critical resources.

    Designed to address education’s most critical cyberthreats, Windows 11 is the most secure version of Windows to date, designed with security built into each level, including:

    • Cloud
    • Identity
    • Application
    • Operating system
    • Hardware

    The default security features of Windows 11 were created based on threat intelligence, global regulatory requirements, and Microsoft Security expertise. Through partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and silicon manufacturers, Windows 11 is designed for greater security starting at the chip level—enabling hardware and software to work together to shrink the organizational attack surface, protect system integrity, and secure institutional data.

    Get the Windows 11 security whitepaper

    To simplify deployment for IT teams, Windows 11 comes with key out-of-the-box features enabled, including:

    • Credential safeguards
    • Application protection
    • Malware shields

    It’s also designed to integrate with Microsoft Security Copilot, which leverages generative AI capabilities to provide greater insights and efficiency to help improve security at scale. Windows 11 Pro devices drive a 62% drop in reported security incidents and are shown to accelerate workflows by 50% on average, helping you and your organization achieve more with less time and effort. Let’s take a deeper look at how Windows 11 helps you tackle cybersecurity challenges across different environments.

    Application safeguards help keep critical data safe

    Windows 11 offers a complete platform for educational institutions to house and protect critical applications such as learning management systems (LMS), administrative software, and productivity tools. Attackers often target poorly secured applications, which is why Windows 11 provides you with built-in capabilities such as preemptive application and driver control to isolate breaches quickly. Robust application safeguards help you maintain governance of your sensitive data, including:

    • Student records
    • Financial information
    • Access credentials
    • Research data

    Windows 11 is designed to support Zero Trust strategies, which play a key role in helping you strengthen application and operating system protection. This approach is centered around the principles of “verify explicitly, use least privilege access, and assume breach,” meaning that you and your team can verify each access request as though it originated from an uncontrolled network—instead of assuming that everything behind the firewall is safe.

    To that end, Windows 11 enables you to more easily find and detect cyberthreats, respond to them, and prevent or block undesired events across your education institution. In the case of a presumed breach, you can combat common application attacks from the moment a device is provisioned. When it comes to network security, granting access within a trust-by-exception policy versus a trust-by-default policy helps better protect the digital security, privacy, and compliance needs of your educational community.

    Deliver end-to-end protection with Windows 11 cloud-based device management

    With the introduction of more tech solutions, many education institutions face new challenges in managing cybersecurity. Having more devices across school and home environments creates more access points for potential attackers. To get ahead of potential breaches, get started with proactive, end-to-end device management strategies that help protect privacy and security.

    Windows 11 helps empower you and your IT team by offering comprehensive cloud services for identity, storage, and access management. Adhering to Zero Trust principles, enforcing compliance, and granting conditional access helps verify that Windows 11 devices connected to an organization’s networks are trustworthy and safe. With more than 90% of ransom-stage cyberattacks leveraging unmanaged devices in a network, interoperable cloud-based device management solutions enable you to secure the digital estate and quickly respond to threats.

    Managing and enabling secure use of devices at scale can also be a challenge for IT departments at education institutions. To give you and your team greater visibility and control over their digital estate, Windows 11 offers an integrated management suite. This suite supports comprehensive endpoint management solutions such as Microsoft Intune that help secure, deploy, and manage users, apps, and devices.1 Intune can further integrate with Microsoft Entra ID to manage security features and processes, including multifactor authentication.

    Additionally, Windows Hello enables you to deploy passwordless authentication for a safer and simpler sign-in experience. Thanks to the addition of passkeys, students can enjoy even greater security and convenience by using their face, fingerprint, or PIN to sign in to websites and apps. Enhanced threat detection on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps shield devices against phishing and malware and empowers IT teams to thwart attacks before they cause harm.1 By adding Security Copilot, IT staff can leverage natural language queries to get holistic insights on the security and safety of their organization, which can help drive better decision-making and strategic planning.

    Start preparing now for future security protections

    In planning your security approach, your institution has an opportunity to adopt modern, secure, and highly efficient computing solutions that help your organization tackle the cybersecurity challenges of today and tomorrow. Windows 11 offers powerful, hardware-backed protection that provides a foundation for implementing new technology solutions as they’re developed, such as AI that helps accelerate workflows and supercharge efficiency of operations.

    Explore Windows 11

    Now is the time to identify devices in your organization that are due for upgrades and start improving your institution’s security and your IT team’s efficiency today. Get started with these resources:

    1 Sold separately from Windows 11

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Highly anticipated fantasy role-playing game Avowed now available

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Highly anticipated fantasy role-playing game Avowed now available

    Play today on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, and cloud, to experience Obsidian’s latest RPG adventure. Available day one on Game Pass!

    A Land in Turmoil

    The Living Lands is a frontier unlike any other. This rugged and untamed island has become a haven for exiles, dreamers, and adventurers seeking a fresh start. Its vibrant regions and scattered settlements pulse with life, each hiding untold stories and ancient secrets waiting to be uncovered.

    But this land of promise is fraught with peril. The Dreamscourge, a devastating soul-plague, is driving settlers to madness and turning them against one another. The very land itself resists colonization, haunted by echoes of lives long past. As an envoy chosen by a foreign emperor and blessed by a mysterious god, you are thrust into the heart of this chaos. With divine powers at your fingertips and the will to shape your own destiny, you’ll confront ancient threats, unravel mysteries, and decide the fate of the Living Lands. Will you unite its people or watch as their struggles tear them apart? The choices you make will define the future of the Living Lands—and the person you become.

    Forge Your Own Path

    In Avowed, the power of choice is yours. Create a character and shape your playstyle with four expansive skill trees—Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, and Godlike. Using two separate weapon loadouts, you can play as a stealthy sniper armed with dual pistols and a longbow or a spell-slinging barbarian wielding an axe and a grimoire, or whatever combination of loadouts you choose. This means that the possibilities are endless. Your choices define who you are and how you’ll tackle the challenges ahead.

    But you’re not alone on this journey. Your companions each bring their own skills, personalities, and deeply personal stories:

    • Kai, the steadfast protector, whose calm demeanor and unwavering loyalty make him a dependable shield in battle.
    • Giatta, a brilliant animancer scientist, whose relentless curiosity drives her to uncover the mysteries of the Dreamscourge, even at great personal risk.
    • Marius, a lone-wolf hunter, whose sharp wit and tracking expertise make him an invaluable ally in the wilderness.
    • Yatzli, a fiery Godless expert, harnessing explosive magic and a rebellious spirit. Her disdain for the gods adds complexity to her character and your choices.

    Their history, relationships, and perspectives intertwine with your story, adding depth and weight to every decision you make. Will you earn their trust, challenge their beliefs, or forge something more profound? How you guide your companions—and how they influence you—shapes the adventure in unexpected ways.

    Your Living Lands, Your Way

    Avowed is a game built to immerse you in its world. The Living Lands is a sprawling playground for adventurers, rewarding exploration at every turn. Traverse rugged cliffs, wade through winding rivers, and uncover unique hidden treasures—from ancient elemental weapons to fragments of God Shrine Totems that come together to create powerful new abilities.

    Combat is equally immersive, offering a seamless blend of magic, melee, and ranged attacks. Unleash shockwaves with Grimoire Snap, trade health for devastating power with Blood Magic, wield weapons you have upgraded and enchanted, or mix and match abilities to create a playstyle that’s entirely your own. Every encounter is an opportunity to experiment, strategize, and push the boundaries of your party’s potential.

    At the heart of Avowed lies its dedication to player choice. Inspired by the freedom of tabletop RPGs, the game puts the power in your hands. Your decisions ripple across the Living Lands, shaping alliances, influencing factions, and determining the fate of your companions. Whether you negotiate peace, spark conflict, or carve your own path through the chaos, your actions leave a lasting impact on the world of Eora.

    This seamless blend of storytelling, exploration, and creativity makes Avowed an unforgettable RPG experience, one where every choice matters and every discovery feels personal.

    Start Your Adventure Today

    Whether you’re a longtime fan of Obsidian Entertainment or new to Eora, Avowed invites you to dive into a world of wonder, danger, and opportunity. With its vibrant setting, unforgettable characters, and deeply immersive gameplay, this is the role-playing experience you’ve been waiting for.

    The Living Lands are calling. Gather your courage, forge your path, and let the adventure begin!

    Avowed is available now for Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, cloud, and with Game Pass. Avowed also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning when you buy the game through the store on Xbox or Windows, it’s yours to play on Xbox and Windows PC at no additional cost, and your game progress and achievements are saved across Xbox and Windows PC. 

    When you purchase Avowed on Battle.net or Xbox, or have an Xbox Game Pass membership (PC or Ultimate only), and connect your Battle.net and Xbox accounts, it’s also yours to play on Battle.net, Xbox and Xbox App for Windows at no additional cost. Avowed lets you pick up where you left off, bringing all of your saves, game add-ons, and Xbox achievement progress with you.

    Avowed Premium Edition

    Xbox Game Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆ 651

    ★★★★★

    $89.99

    Premium Edition includes: – Avowed base game – Up to 5 days early access – Two Premium Skin Packs – Access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder? The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem. Visceral Combat to Play Your Way Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance. Companions as part of your journey Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.

    Avowed Standard Edition

    Xbox Game Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆ 560

    ★★★★★

    $69.99

    Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder? The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem. Visceral Combat to Play Your Way Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance. Companions as part of your journey Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Economic ‘green shoots’ and lower interest rates disguise worrying trends in NZ’s job market

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cristóbal Castro Barrientos, PhD candidate, NZ Policy Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology

    Max Dallocco/Shutterstock

    Despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s reassurance that “some green shoots” are starting to show in the economy, including a 50 point cut in the official cash rate expected to be announced later today, the outlook for 2025 remains uncertain for many – and grim for some.

    Unemployment reached 5.1% in the final quarter of 2024, the highest level since 2020, according to the latest data from Stats NZ. That translates to a total of 156,000 unemployed individuals.

    At the same time, a 1% decrease in gross domestic product in the third quarter of 2024 puts more pressure on the job market.

    While the unemployment rate may not have reached the levels of past crises – the rate exceeded 6% during the 2008-2009 recession – the devil is in the detail.

    The Stats NZ data show the most affected sectors include male-dominated occupations such as technicians and machinery operators, accounting for 85% of the latest job losses.

    Women have seen smaller declines in employment and a slight increase in transitions to part-time roles. But the shift from full-time to part-time employment, especially among men, suggests the creation of quality full-time jobs will be a challenge.

    Job losses concentrated in male-dominated industries also have broader economic implications. They may signal shifts in household income dynamics, particularly for families that depend on a male breadwinner.

    It could also contribute to rising male underemployment (when a worker’s job doesn’t fully utilise their skills, education or experience) and further disparities in the employment rates of men and women.

    Overall, these trends raise questions about the nature and quality of work now available in the job market, and what strategies the government can respond with.

    A rise in ‘discouraged’ workers

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, the annualised employment rate (representing the proportion of the working-age population employed over a year, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations) was 67.4%, compared with 69% in the same period of the previous year.

    This is the most significant decline since 2009. It reflects job losses and a “discouraged worker” effect.

    Discouraged workers are those who have stopped seeking employment due to a perceived lack of opportunities. Instead of remaining in the labour force, they may rely on savings, family support, welfare, or transition into informal or temporary work.

    According to recent data, the most affected sectors include male-dominated occupations such as technicians and machinery operators.
    Kajohnwit Boonsom/Shutterstock

    A drop in quality work

    The rise in part-time employment, particularly among men, raises concerns about the quality of the labour market. Although employment levels appear stable, the growth of less secure jobs may conceal structural weaknesses.

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, the number in part-time employment reached 585,000, the highest figure since 1986. Over the past year, 36,000 men left full-time jobs, while 9,000 transitioned to part-time work.

    One of the main risks of this trend is that companies may be cutting costs without resorting to mass layoffs, which implies reduced job security for workers. Many of these transitions to part-time employment are not voluntary but rather a sign that the economy is not generating enough stable job opportunities.

    Additionally, part-time jobs often offer lower wages, fewer benefits and fewer opportunities for career advancement.

    This type of employment can contribute to stagnation in skill development and reduce workers’ purchasing power, ultimately affecting consumer spending and overall economic growth.

    There is also a perception of discrimination against part-time workers, with one in three reporting feeling discriminated against in their jobs.

    A year of two halves

    While consumer confidence has been low, recent revisions to economic growth estimates suggest the economy hasn’t been as weak as perceived.

    Current projections are that unemployment may reach a peak between 5.3% and 5.6% in mid-2025 and then trend downwards.

    With inflation now within the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s target range, changes in the official cash rate are needed to contain the damage to a weakened labour market. The central bank is forecast to cut the interest rate by 50-points today.

    The weak growth in the working-age population and a potential decline in labour force participation could limit how high unemployment rises, as fewer people may be actively looking for work. But this does not mean a strong recovery is imminent.

    New Zealand faces a significant but not insurmountable challenge. An unemployment rate of 5.1% should raise a red flag and is devastating for the increasing number of workers who have lost their jobs. But the data also show the increase is part of an anticipated economic cycle.

    What matters is how the government reacts to the increases in unemployment and changes to the job market. A supportive job-creation policy and a coordinated strategy for the most affected sectors will be key in avoiding long-lasting pain in the labour market.

    Cristóbal Castro Barrientos 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. Economic ‘green shoots’ and lower interest rates disguise worrying trends in NZ’s job market – https://theconversation.com/economic-green-shoots-and-lower-interest-rates-disguise-worrying-trends-in-nzs-job-market-249685

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Here’s why increasing productivity in housing construction is such a tricky problem to solve

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney

    This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal.

    The commission found physical productivity – the total number of houses built per hour worked – has more than halved over the past 30 years.

    The more nuanced measure of labour productivity – which accounts for improvements in size and quality – has also fallen, by 12%.

    Both measures put home-building productivity well behind the broader economy, something the report’s authors attribute to “decades of poor performance”.

    We’ve known about this problem for a long time. The Productivity Commission’s report is well researched and makes some sensible recommendations.

    Solving the underlying problem will require a coordinated approach between government, home-owners, construction companies and workers.

    Measuring productivity

    Housing can take many forms. However, from a productivity perspective, the process of development is essentially the same.

    In very simple terms it involves:

    • concept and initial design, feasibility, finance and business case development
    • land acquisition and due diligence
    • detailed design, development and building approvals
    • pre-construction planning and working drawings
    • construction project management
    • practical completion, final certificates and settlement, commissioning and handover.

    There are no official estimates of housing construction productivity. So, the Productivity Commission used Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data to create its own new measures to capture productivity across this entire process.

    Falling or flat-lining productivity in this sector is a well-known long-term problem. Under the National Housing Accord, the federal government has committed to building 1.2 million new well-located homes by the end of this decade.

    But in the first three months since the National Housing Accord was launched, only 44,884 homes were built across Australia. That’s about 15,000 fewer than the required quarterly target of 60,000.

    The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council projects that new market housing supply will ultimately come in at about a quarter of a million homes below the accord’s target.

    4 key problems

    The report identified four key factors behind the malaise:

    1. complex, slow approvals, as well as delayed construction certificates and essential infrastructure connections
    2. lack of innovation and slow uptake of digital technologies and modern methods of construction
    3. the dominance of smaller building firms resulting in low economies-of-scale and project management challenges associated with supply chain fragmentation
    4. difficulties attracting and retaining skilled workers resulting in skills and labour shortages.

    The report proposes seven reform directions in response. These centre on speeding up the planning approval process, investing in research and development, and increasing workforce flexibility.

    Fixing things won’t be simple

    The Productivity Commission’s report has brought a welcome focus on planning and approvals as a key element of easing the housing crisis.

    It acknowledges that under-resourcing of agencies involved in the approvals process, such as local governments, has made the problem worse.

    One issue with increasing the number of planning approvals processed is that you then need to have a construction industry that can build fast enough to keep up with them.

    Currently, we don’t. Industry research shows since 2013, the number of workers within Australia’s construction workforce has increased by more than 25%. But they are working 2% fewer hours each year, and achieving an output that’s 25.4% lower.

    Keeping an eye on quality

    Amid any push to speed up approvals, we need to be mindful of the possible risks. Loosening building regulations can increase the risk of quality problems and inappropriate development.

    If widespread across the industry, such problems can cause significant personal and economic harm to households, social and economic costs for society. They can also increase building costs, insurance premiums and strata fees.

    This problem calls for a range of tools to reduce the risk of compromising on quality when regulations are loosened or changed. New South Wales has two key pieces of legislation in place that could act as a model for other states.

    One allows owners to sue if a person who carries out construction work fails to exercise reasonable care. The other allows the Building Commission to investigate building work and require rectification of defects for up to six years.

    NSW also has an independent builder trustworthiness rating scheme. This is known as iCirt and operated by credit rating agency Equifax.

    Innovation isn’t a panacea

    A major feature of the Productivity Commission’s report discusses the housing construction industry’s low innovation culture.

    However, much innovation is hidden from view, since it occurs at the manufacturing stage. And innovation itself is not a panacea.

    While calling for greater innovation seems obvious on the surface, research has shown its ability to increase productivity depends on a wide range of factors and is certainly not guaranteed. It can even increase costs and reduce quality and productivity if not managed effectively.

    More holistic workforce planning

    The report also highlights issues with attracting and retaining a skilled workforce. Issues include low apprenticeship take-up and completion rates, restrictive trade pathways, and large infrastructure projects drawing talent away.

    This raises a bigger issue. Despite workforce planning across the industry by the Construction Industry Training Board the industry still seems to be constantly reacting to a skilled labour shortage rather than planning ahead to predict and prevent one.



    Read more:
    Will new $10,000 apprentice payments help solve job shortages in construction? Not anytime soon

    Martin Loosemore 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. Here’s why increasing productivity in housing construction is such a tricky problem to solve – https://theconversation.com/heres-why-increasing-productivity-in-housing-construction-is-such-a-tricky-problem-to-solve-250048

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

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

    CLEVELAND – Conner Matthew Walker, 21, of Rocky River, Ohio, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan, after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), and one count of possession of child pornography. He was also ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release after imprisonment.

    Walker admitted to harming his victims and recording the sexual abuse on his cellphone from September 2023 through January 2024. He connected with an 11-year-old victim through a children’s app and coerced her to send him sexually explicit photos. Two additional victims were identified as toddlers at a home daycare in Parma Heights, Ohio, where Walker resided occasionally. He further exploited his young victims when he uploaded and shared the content he produced to social media chat forums. Investigators searched Walker’s cellphone and discovered he possessed more than 1,000 additional CSAM images and videos.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio.

    To report child sexual abuse, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Timothy A. Ferguson Named Assistant Director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division

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

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Timothy A. Ferguson as the assistant director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Mr. Ferguson has served as the acting assistant director of the CJIS Division since April 2024.

    Mr. Ferguson joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002 and was assigned to the Dayton Resident Agency under the Cincinnati Field Office in Ohio, where he primarily worked criminal investigations with the Southern Ohio Safe Streets Task Force. He was promoted to supervisory senior resident agent in 2011.

    In 2015, Mr. Ferguson was promoted to assistant section chief of the Violent Crime and Gang Section in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He oversaw the division’s Safe Streets and Gang Unit, Violent Crime Unit, and Indian Country Crime Unit.

    Mr. Ferguson moved to the Springfield Field Office in Illinois in 2018 to serve as the assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch. In 2020, he returned to FBI Headquarters as the section chief of the Field Operations Section and the Digital Forensics and Analytics Section in the Operational Technology Division.

    In 2023, Mr. Ferguson was promoted to deputy assistant director of the CJIS Division, responsible for the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Section.

    During his FBI career, Mr. Ferguson has served as a crisis negotiator, a SWAT Team operator, a medic, an adjunct faculty member, and a Behavioral Analysis Unit coordinator.

    Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Ferguson served in the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Welsh College in Nashville, Tennessee, and a master’s degree in behavioral science from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Confirmation Hearing, Warren Lays Out Concerns with Deputy Defense Secretary Nominee Stephen Feinberg

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    February 18, 2025
    As former head of private equity firm Cerberus, Feinberg drove Massachusetts’ Steward hospital into the ground, would have significant financial conflicts of interest 
    “Your track record at Cerberus includes mismanagement, profiteering, and little relevant government experience. You have put profits at the center of your work when the Deputy Secretary role requires that you put the Department and its people at the center.” 
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – Ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the SASC Subcommittee on Personnel, wrote to Mr. Stephen Feinberg, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD), pressing him to explain his “serious conflicts of interest” and his track record of mismanagement. 
    As Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Feinberg will need to be able to manage the building, support the workforce, and “(e)nsure Department-wide capability and resources across all functions to carry out the strategic plan of the DoD in support of national security objectives.” Upon his nomination, President Trump regarded him as “(a)n extremely successful businessman.” However, as the former head of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, Mr. Feinberg reportedly ran several companies, including Chrysler, into the ground. 
    “I am concerned that your track record as a private equity executive shows you lack the skills and demonstrated experience needed to manage and execute the scale of reforms necessary at the Department of Defense,” wrote Senator Warren. 
    In Massachusetts, residents have had first-hand experience with the damage caused by Cerberus’ private equity model. Cerberus bought into Massachusetts’ Caritas Christi hospital system, in 2010, investing $246 million, rechristening it as Steward, and leaving Dr. Ralph de la Torre in charge as CEO. In 2020, Cerberus began to exit by transferring its ownership stake and then, over a six-year period, straddled Steward with over a billion dollars in liabilities – while Cerberus executives profited handsomely, receiving $800 million in profits. Unable to handle the massive debt load, Steward went bankrupt last year – resulting in the closure of two hospitals in the Commonwealth. 
    Mr. Feinberg is estimated to own about 75% of Cerberus, which holds large investments in companies that do business with DoD. These investments have included everything from a company testing hypersonic missile technology to an open-source internet scrapping company. They have also included companies that have defrauded the U.S. government. DynCorp, a private military contractor Cerberus previously owned, was sued by the Department of Justice for intentionally overcharging the Department of State while doing a contract overseas. The letter finds Cerberus has investments in at least 7 companies that do at least $15.9 billion in business with the DoD.
    “These holdings would pose a conflict of interest between your duty as Deputy Secretary to advance the Department’s national security interests and your personal interest in delivering profits for the defense companies in which you or Cerberus have invested,” said Senator Warren. 
    The Deputy Secretary is supposed to help ensure international law is followed, including protecting civilians from harm. However, the New York Times, found that “(f)our Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training” from a company owned by Cerberus. 
    “If the Deputy Secretary has shown disregard for those laws, that will undermine the faith in these laws for the entire organization,” wrote Senator Warren. 
    Senator Warren also questioned Mr. Feinberg’s qualifications to manage the Department. Beyond a lengthy business and political relationship with President Trump, Mr. Feinberg lacks military experience to lead the Department. Mr. Feinberg participated in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) while studying at Princeton University, but left the program before graduating. 
    “Without Department of Defense knowledge or experience in government leadership, I have doubts about your qualifications and how your past has prepared you to take on a role such as Deputy Secretary of Defense,” concluded Senator Warren. 
    Given Mr. Feinberg’s severe conflicts of interest, record of mismanagement and profiteering, and lack of relevant government experience, Senator Warren asked Mr. Feinberg to respond to questions about several areas of concern with his record, including his experience with private equity, potential ties to human rights violations, history of defrauding the federal government, and vision for managing a key part of the federal workforce by February 24, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Have your say on proposed updates to Cemetery and Crematoria Bylaw

    Source: Auckland Council

    You can now have your say on proposed updates to Auckland Council’s Cemetery and Crematoria Bylaw. These changes follow a statutory review of the bylaw and will not impact the day-to-day running of Auckland’s public cemeteries.  

    Auckland Council looks after more than 50 cemeteries in Tāmaki Makaurau, including North Shore Memorial Park, Waikumete Cemetery and Manukau Memorial Gardens.  Each offers a peaceful place to honour and remember loved ones, while catering to the customs and traditions of the diverse communities of Tāmaki Makaurau. 

    Councillor Josephine Bartley, chair of the Regulatory and Safety Committee explains a bylaw is one tool the council uses to help keep public cemeteries and crematoria safe and serving Aucklanders effectively. 

    “Our cemeteries are special places, and they deserve to be treated with care and respect. That’s why we have a bylaw in place and a dedicated, thoughtful team managing them,” she says. 

    The Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw sets out how our cemeteries operate on a daily basis, taking into consideration the cultural, physical and social needs of those who use them. It is supported by a code of practice.  

    Like all bylaws, there is a legal requirement to review it every few years to ensure it continues to work for Aucklanders. 

    Following our statutory review, council staff recommend keeping the rules we have now. This means there are no changes proposed to how Auckland’s cemeteries run on a day-to-day basis, and no change to the rules for Aucklanders. 

    However, the review found some duplicated and outdated information in the code of practice. To make the bylaw clearer and easier to understand, we propose to move most rules in the code of practice to the bylaw, so they are in one place. 

    These proposed changes will not impact the rules for Aucklanders, they will just tidy up the bylaw so it is clearer. Changes like this can only be made through a statutory review of the bylaw. 

    “Council staff carried out the legally required review of this bylaw in 2024 and found it to be working well. Therefore, we propose for the rules to stay the same,” says Cr Bartley. 

    “While the changes being proposed are administrative, we want to hear from Aucklanders whenever we make changes to our bylaws – no matter how small. It’s important these local rules work for our communities, and now is the perfect time to share your thoughts if this matters to you” she says.   

    You can have your say on the proposed changes to the Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw on the Have Your Say website. The consultation closes on Sunday 23 February. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Files Felony Charges Against a Gun Show Trader for Running an Illegal Assault Weapon Manufacturing Operation out of His Garage

    Source: US State of California

    Tuesday, February 18, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

      
    SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest and charges filed against a suspect who was running an illegal assault weapon manufacturing and assembly operation out of his garage in Roseville. In addition, a significant cache of rifles, large capacity magazines, and ammunition were seized from his residence. An investigation began after the suspect was found to be attempting to sell assault weapons as a gun show trader at the Placerville Gun Show. Felony charges were filed by the DOJ Criminal Division for manufacturing assault weapons for sale, possession of assault weapons, and possession of a silencer.      
     
    “As California’s chief law enforcement officer, protecting public safety and our communities from the threat of gun violence is my top priority,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The regulations and protocols surrounding firearm purchases have been put in place to ensure the safety of California. When bad actors try to skirt the rules and bypass these integral processes, it creates situations with deadly consequences. I’m proud of the work our Field Representatives and Special Agents do on behalf of the people of California. These brave agents and field representatives are rarely in the spotlight, but they are working every day to prevent gun violence from ever happening by removing dangerous weapons from communities.”
     
    On November 3, 2024, Field Representatives from the Bureau of Firearms Regulatory Compliance Unit carried out a regulatory inspection at the Placerville Gun Show. During this inspection, they overheard a gun show trader attempting to sell a silencer to potential buyers. Consequently, the trader’s firearms were examined, revealing two illegal assault weapons available for sale. This led Special Agents to conduct a thorough investigation. On November 12, 2024, with the assistance of the Roseville Police Department SWAT team, Special Agents executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence. They seized 8 illegal assault rifles and a silencer, as well as numerous other handguns, rifles, disassembled rifles, firearm parts, large capacity magazines, and rounds of ammunition. 
     
    It is important to note that criminal charges must be proven in a court of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Loss of forests brought new birds to NZ during the last Ice Age – we’re witnessing a similar process now

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago

    Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa New Zealand and began to turn the land to their needs, they set in motion great changes.

    The landscape of today bears little resemblance to that of a mere thousand years ago. More than 70% of forest cover has been lost since human arrival. Native bush has been replaced by tussocks, scrublands and, most of all, open agricultural land.

    These changes affected our birdlife dramatically. Some species, like the moa, were simply hunted to extinction. Others fell directly to mammalian predators. Many species were victims of severe habitat destruction. The loss of suitable habitat remains a key conservation challenge to this day.

    However, a changing distribution of plants is not a uniquely modern feature. New Zealand has seen equally radical shifts in habitat before – during the Ice Age, which lasted 2.6 million years and ended about 12,000 years ago.

    This reconstruction shows the extend of glaciers during the height of the last Ice Age some 20,000 years ago.
    Shulmeister et al, 2019, CC BY-SA

    At its height, parts of the country were up to 6°C colder than today, and glacial ice sheets spread wide fingers across the Southern Alps. The dry, cold climate resulted in widespread grass and scrubland. Forest cover became patchy everywhere except for the northern North Island.

    Our new research tracks how bird life responded to these changes – in particular how exotic species took advantage of the shifting landscapes to make New Zealand home.

    Ice Age invaders

    Native birds responded to the Ice Age in a variety of ways. Kiwi populations became so isolated in forest patches they split into new lineages. Several moa species moved across the landscape, following their shifting habitat.

    Some groups adapted, spreading into novel environments. Kea split off from their relatives the kākā, becoming more generalised. This is known as in situ adaptation; an existing group changing its habits or character to deal with new environments.

    But where new ecological opportunities arise, species from elsewhere will also come to take advantage of them. Our research uncovers a pulse of colonisation by exotic bird species that coincides with the reduction of forest cover and the expansion of grasslands at the start of the Ice Age some 2.6 million years ago.

    Many endemic New Zealand birds belong to young lineages that date back to landscape changes during the last Ice Age.
    Wikimedia Commons, Te Papa by Paul Martinson, CC BY-SA

    These species were primarily generalists, able to take advantage of a variety of habitats. But there was also an influx of birds pre-adapted to more open conditions, such as the ancestors of Haast’s eagle, pūtangitangi (paradise shelduck) and pīhoihoi (pipit).

    Where did these “invaders” come from? Principally, from Australia. For millions of years, they have ridden the winds across the Tasman Sea and, occasionally, established breeding colonies on our shores.

    Over a long enough time, those new populations evolved to become distinct, endemic New Zealand species found nowhere else on earth. Pīwakawaka (fantail), ruru (morepork), weweia (dabchick) and kakī (black stilt), to name a few, are all descended from Ice Age Australian ancestors.

    They arrived in a New Zealand characterised by scrub, tussock and grass during cold glacial periods, followed by slowly expanding forests during warmer interglacials.

    History repeats itself

    Today, open vistas once again dominate the landscape. This time they were sculpted by humans rather than a cooling climate. The changing environment means new ecological opportunities – and vacancies – have been left by the great number of species that have gone extinct.

    The open landscapes of today mirror the impacts of the Ice Age. Forest cover is reduced, grass and scrub cover the North and South islands.
    Lubbe et al, 2025, CC BY-SA

    Correspondingly, many new species have naturalised on our shores. Welcome swallows, royal spoonbills, Australian coots, spur winged plovers and white-faced herons started making their home here during the 1930s to 50s.

    Silvereyes have been here longer, first reported during the 1850s, while glossy ibis and barn owl only started breeding here this century. All likely flew across the Tasman to settle here.

    Some arrivals seem to serve as ecological replacements of a kind. The kāhu (swamp harrier) is a stand-in for the now-extinct Eyles’ harrier and Haast’s eagle. The poaka (pied stilt) is a common sight where kakī once dominated. And Australian coots proliferate where New Zealand coots once waded.

    Native habitats for native birds

    These birds are following ancient patterns and processes. Where new opportunities appear, new organisms will rise to fill them. Our highly modified ecosystems are responding in the only way open to them, with exotic species expanding their range to take advantage of empty ecological niches – job vacancies in the ecosystem.

    Indeed, these invasions are likely to become more frequent as species distributions shift in a warming climate. As our native species decline under threats of habitat loss and predation by mammalian pests, they will be ecologically replaced by other species.

    Left to their own devices, Aotearoa’s plants and animals will look different in the future. The unique species that have called these islands home for millions of years will increasingly be replaced by more generalist species from elsewhere.

    The good news is that in predator-free native bush, endemic birds can outcompete introduced species.

    The route to protecting our native species in a fast changing world remains as clear as ever – protect and restore native habitat and eradicate mammalian predators.

    Pascale Lubbe currently receives funding from the Marsden Fund.

    Michael Knapp has received funding from The Royal Society of New Zealand (Rutherford Discovery Fellowship).

    Nic Rawlence receives funding from the Marsden Fund.

    – ref. Loss of forests brought new birds to NZ during the last Ice Age – we’re witnessing a similar process now – https://theconversation.com/loss-of-forests-brought-new-birds-to-nz-during-the-last-ice-age-were-witnessing-a-similar-process-now-248523

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barr, Artificial Intelligence: Hypothetical Scenarios for the Future

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have accelerated rapidly over the past few years.1 It is now commonplace to see autonomous vehicles navigating city streets, and generative AI tools are available on phones and other devices wherever we go. AI innovations make headlines and play a big role in financial markets, and generative AI has the potential to change how we think about productivity, labor markets and the macroeconomy.2 Today, I will address that question by outlining two hypothetical scenarios for AI’s impact and the implications for businesses, regulators, and society. I will focus my comments on Generative AI, or GenAI, a subset of AI that has seen significant growth and integration into economic activity in just a few short years.
    GenAI and Its AdoptionCompared to earlier iterations of AI, GenAI is able to generate content, which allows it to significantly enhance productivity across a range of knowledge-based activities and be used by people without coding skills. GenAI will likely become a “general purpose technology,” with widespread adoption, continuous improvement, and productivity enhancements to a wide range of sectors across the economy. We are already seeing GenAI improve the productivity of its own R&D.3 There is widespread enthusiasm for GenAI, and survey evidence shows much faster rates of consumer adoption of GenAI already than were seen for the personal computer or the internet.4 While actual deployment of GenAI is limited to some business functions, and there have been pitfalls along the way, businesses in almost every sector are experimenting with or considering how to make use of the technology.5
    Firms are also exploring Agentic AI—Gen AI systems that not only produce new content, but are also able to proactively pursue goals by generating innovative solutions and acting upon them at speed and scale.6 Imagining Agentic AI’s ultimate application, some speculate that we could experience a “country of geniuses in a data center”—a collective intelligence that surpasses human capabilities in problem-solving and collaboration.7 Some believe Agentic AI has the potential to connect ideas in disparate domains, potentially transforming research and development and society more broadly.8
    Hypothetical Scenarios Considering How GenAI Could EvolveToday, I will outline two hypothetical scenarios for considering how GenAI could evolve.9 In one, we see only incremental adoption that primarily augments what humans do today, but still leads to widespread productivity gains. In the other, we see transformative change where we extend human capabilities with far-reaching consequences. For each scenario, I consider the potential implications for the economy and financial sector.
    Thinking through hypothetical scenarios can help widen our lens to a range of possible outcomes and provide a framework for assessing the balance between benefits and risks. Scenarios are not predictions of the future, but provide a framework for analyzing the factors that could lead to different outcomes. Reality is complex. GenAI adoption rates will vary across industries, leading to diverse impacts on market structures. Elements of both scenarios will likely come to pass, and play out at different rates, which will influence the effects on the economy and society. In the short term, GenAI may be overhyped, while in the long run, it may be underappreciated. And, of course, things might turn out differently from these hypotheticals.
    Hypothetical 1: Incremental Progress with Widespread Productivity GainsFirst, let me begin with the incremental scenario, where GenAI primarily augments work in existing processes and leads to steady and widespread productivity gains, but does not fundamentally unlock new capabilities or transform the economy.
    In this state of the world, GenAI tools enhance efficiency and enable more personalized solutions across industries, in ways that have incremental—but still meaningful—effects on people’s lives. For instance, in customer service, professional writing—but not this speech—and software engineering, GenAI-powered tools are already supporting workers, improving accuracy and speed, and these effects could spread to other sectors.10 In this world, health care sees significant improvements as GenAI reduces administrative burdens, assists with diagnostics, and personalizes treatment plans based on real-time patient data. Medicines and other treatments are developed at a faster pace.11 Education is similarly affected, as GenAI alleviates administrative tasks for teachers, allows lessons to be tailored to individual students, and permits students to learn by doing.12 In manufacturing, GenAI-optimized supply chains anticipate and adjust more quickly to disruptions, and current manufacturing processes are refined through virtual iteration.13 In materials science, GenAI-driven experimentation accelerates the discovery of new materials, leading to advances in everything from construction to electronics.14 Turning to the financial sector, we could see similar productivity gains. Community banks leverage GenAI-powered chatbots to provide customized financial advice rooted in local knowledge, while institutions of all sizes continue to advance use of GenAI for compliance monitoring, fraud detection, risk management, and document analysis.15
    The impact to society would be incrementally positive in this state of the world. Humans would use GenAI as a tool to deliver goods and services that we currently produce in a more efficient way. Productivity would go up. The economy would grow at a faster pace.16
    What does this mean for the labor force? The impact will depend on the industry and the nature of the job. GenAI experiments suggest the technology holds the promise of levelling up skills and bringing productivity of lower-performing workers into line with higher performing workers.17 In other cases, it could augment the highest performers, leaving them more time for creativity or strategic aspects of their roles. Increasing automation for certain tasks may displace some workers, where certain skills can be replicated by GenAI. Historically, as technology has replaced some jobs, it has augmented existing roles or created new ones.18 However, this is not to downplay the individual cost for workers who need to retrain, find other employment, or change careers in response to major changes in labor demand. Society will need to account for these possible effects of AI.
    What does this mean for the economy? As I noted before, the economy should grow, if the incremental productivity gains are widespread. However, in this scenario, it is possible that the expected value creation from GenAI was overhyped, anticipating transformative breakthroughs rather than incremental productivity gains. This could trigger market corrections for the firms that have heavily invested in this technology if reality doesn’t measure up to expectations. While the U.S. economy experienced a surge of productivity growth during the dot.com boom in the late 1990s, it was followed by a wave of bankruptcies, capital overhang, and a cautious business investment climate.19 The effects of the ensuing recession were widespread.
    What does this mean for financial stability and other financial risks? In this incremental scenario, GenAI may magnify both the vulnerabilities and sources of resilience that already exist in the system. Attractive trades become more crowded, but risk managers gain new insights.20 Malicious actors gain new tools, but cyber defenders become better armed. So long as financial regulators, enterprise risk managers, and others charged with managing downside risks prioritize efforts to keep pace with the evolving financial ecosystem, there’s nothing to suggest a wholesale transformation of the balance of risks. Of course, keeping pace will pose challenges, and it’s important that we all focus on the need to meet these risks.
    Hypothetical Scenario 2: Transformative ChangeNow, let’s consider a more dramatic hypothetical scenario, in which GenAI adoption extends beyond improving on what we currently do, and provides new expertise and capabilities that have transformative effects on the economy and society. In this scenario, humans deploy their imagination and creativity—combined with robust investment in research and development—to deploy intelligent GenAI systems to make rapid breakthroughs in, for example, biotechnology, robotics, and energy, fundamentally reshaping existing industries and creating new ones. In this instance, to focus the mind, we can think of GenAI as no longer only a tool for scientists to analyze data—in a sense, it becomes the scientist, directing the research.21
    For instance, let’s say that GenAI applications in health care do not simply improve how we currently deliver care, but also enable therapies that target genetic mutations and cure diseases previously considered incurable.22 Similarly, manufacturing evolves to create GenAI-driven robotic factories, with goods produced with new materials and atomic precision.23 Materials science is transformed through the discovery of programmable materials and self-healing substances, all of which reshape construction, technology, and consumer goods.24 Meanwhile, GenAI optimizes fusion energy research, expediting the shift to sustainable energy sources.25 And GenAI helps to create the next generation of quantum computing.26 In that way, GenAI improves its own energy sources and computing capabilities, enabling it to become a more powerful creative tool.27
    Finance also looks radically different than it does today. Individuals with access to hyper-personalized financial planning and businesses with innovative products and services seamlessly connect with one another through near-frictionless or novel forms of financial intermediation.28 Trading strategies and risk-management practices are boosted by greater GenAI-based analytic tools that have dynamic real-time access to an enormous knowledge base in both the public and private domains.29
    Although this transformative scenario is more speculative and is accompanied by a far greater degree of uncertainty than the first, it is important to consider given the extraordinary opportunities for human advancement and welfare that could arise, even if just one of its transformative components were to come to fruition. We would need to fundamentally reimagine how the economy is structured.
    What are the impacts on the labor force, in a world where GenAI’s capabilities extend beyond what humans can accomplish today? Humans may have a role to manage multi-agent GenAI frameworks, or fill gaps where GenAI solutions remain expensive or inefficient for some applications. But this is a world where some workers may see their current jobs disappearing. It is also a world in which they may see their own work transformed and have many more choices about the work they do. The nature of labor would radically change, and this will require us to have broader conversations about how to organize the economy. These conversations should wrestle with how to navigate major economic shifts in a way that recognizes the impact on the human condition, and the extent to which people derive their communities, friendships, personal sense of meaning and dignity from their work.
    What about the competitive landscape? There is probably a greater likelihood that rewards for businesses would be distributed more unevenly at first, as significant breakthroughs with far-reaching ramifications may benefit a subset of firms and industries and concentrate economic power in firms that control GenAI breakthroughs. If only a handful of firms have the ability to accomplish the incredible things I’ve mentioned above, they may dominate markets and crowd out competitors. To the extent that GenAI becomes broadly effective, widely available, and cheap, these market advantages could lessen over time if the right regulatory environment supports competitive market dynamics.30 But history suggests caution in this regard; a handful of players may dominate.31
    And finally, for finance, we should anticipate fundamental changes in this scenario. When it’s working well, the financial system helps move money and risk through time and space.32 To the extent there are fundamental changes to how the economy is organized, we could need a new set of institutions, markets, and products to facilitate transactions among households, businesses, and GenAI agents.
    What Should We Do?Among the many ways in which we can help to harness the potential benefits of GenAI and minimize its risks, I will highlight only a couple today.
    Financial institutions, and the Federal Reserve System, should consider investing sufficient resources in understanding GenAI technology, incorporating it into their workflows where appropriate, and training staff on how to use the technology responsibly and effectively.33 Meanwhile, the financial regulatory community should approach the changing landscape with agility and flexibility. And beyond the financial sector, collaboration between governments, private industry, and research institutions will be critical to ensure that GenAI systems are not weaponized in catastrophic ways. We should continue to focus on responsible AI research and development and implement safeguards against misuse, including monitoring systems, standards for secure AI system development, and agreement on red lines for acceptable use cases.34 We should be attuned to the impact of GenAI on our economic and political institutions. There’s a risk that it concentrates economic and political power in the hands of the very few and could lead to the gains being realized only by a small group, while the rest are left behind.
    Another thing I want to emphasize is AI governance. I think most would agree that the goal of the technology is to improve the human condition, and to do that, we need to be intentional in advancing that goal. We should make sure that we think about GenAI as enhancing, not replacing, humans, and set up best practices and cultural norms to that end. Every financial institution should recognize the limitations of the technology, explore where and when GenAI belongs in any process, and identify how humans can be best positioned to be in the loop. We should also focus on data quality, and make sure that uses of GenAI do not perpetuate or amplify biases inherent in the data used to train the system or make incorrect inferences to the extent the data is incomplete or nonrepresentative.35 In the realm of regulation, frameworks for understanding model risk may need to be updated to address the complexity and challenges of explaining AI methods and the difficulty of assessing data quality.
    We need to be attuned to the risk in finance. The very attributes that make GenAI attractive—the speed, automaticity, and ability to optimize financial strategies—also present risk.36 When the technology becomes ubiquitous, use of GenAI could lead to herding behavior and the concentration of risk, potentially amplifying market volatility. As GenAI agents will be directed to maximize profit, they may converge on strategies to maximize returns through coordinated market manipulation, potentially fueling asset bubbles and crashes. Speed, automaticity, and ubiquity could generate new risks at wide scale.37
    We also should monitor how introduction of this technology changes the banking landscape. Nonbanks may be more nimble and risk-forward in incorporating GenAI into their operations, which may push intermediation to less-regulated, less transparent corners of the financial sector. In addition, this competitive pressure may push all institutions, including regulated institutions, to take a more aggressive approach to GenAI adoption, heightening the governance, alignment, and financial risks I mentioned before.
    In conclusion, while AI’s impact will vary across industries and the reality is evolving, the scenarios I have outlined today provide a framework to begin thinking about how we should respond to developments in GenAI. However, as I mentioned above, elements of both scenarios will likely be present in the future, and play out at different rates, which will influence the effects on the economy and society. Rapid advances in this technology, such as Agentic AI and advancements in open-source models, underscore just how new this technology is and the importance of understanding what it means for individuals, businesses, and markets. Thank you.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board. Return to text
    2. See, for instance, Lisa D. Cook, “Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Path Ahead for Productivity,” (speech at Technology-Enabled Disruption: Implications of AI, Big Data, and Remote Work Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, October 1, 2024). Return to text
    3. See Gaurav Sett, “How AI Can Automate AI Research and Development,” RAND Commentary, October 24, 2024. Return to text
    4. See Cory Breaux and Emin Dinlersoz, “How Many U.S. Businesses Use Artificial Intelligence?” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, November 28, 2023); Alexander Bick, Adam Blandin, and David J. Deming, “The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI,” NBER Working Paper No. 32966 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, September 2024, revised February 2025); and Leland Crane, Michael Green, and Paul Soto, “Measuring AI Uptake in the Workplace,” FEDS Notes (Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, February 5, 2025). Return to text
    5. There’s evidence of firms experimenting with these tools and then abandoning them—due to a multitude of reasons. See Kathryn Bonney, Cory Breaux, Cathy Buffington, Emin Dinlersoz, Lucia S. Foster, Nathan Goldschlag, John C. Haltiwanger, Zachary Kroff, and Keith Savage, “Tracking Firm Use of AI in Real Time: A Snapshot from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey,” NBER Working Paper No. 32319 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2024). Return to text
    6. For more on Agentic AI’s uses, advantages, and risks, see Mark Purdy, “What Is Agentic AI, and How Will It Change Work?” Harvard Business Review (December 12, 2024). Return to text
    7. See Dario Amodei, “Machines of Loving Grace,” October 2024, https://darioamodei.com/machines-of-loving-grace. Return to text
    8. For biology and drug discovery, see Jean-Philippe Vert, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Complex Biological Systems with Agentic AI,” MIT Technology Review (November 13, 2024), https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/13/1106750/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-complex-biological-systems-with-agentic-ai; and “Owkin Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase I AI-Optimized Clinical Trial of OKN4395, a First-in-Class EP2/EP4/DP1 Triple Inhibitor for Patients with Solid Tumors,” Business Wire, January 30, 2025, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250130436779/en/Owkin-Announces-First-Patient-Dosed-in-Phase-I-AI-optimized-Clinical-Trial-of-OKN4395-a-First-in-Class-EP2EP4DP1-Triple-Inhibitor-for-Patients-with-Solid-Tumors. Return to text
    9. Others have used other types of scenarios. See Anton Korinek, “The Economics of Transformative AI,” The Reporter (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, December 31, 2024); Iñaki Aldasoro, Leonardo Gambacorta, Anton Korinek, Vatsala Shreeti, and Merlin Stein, “Intelligent Financial System: How AI Is Transforming Finance (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1194 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, June 2024); and Ethan Mollick, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2024). Return to text
    10. For worker productivity gains in customer service, see Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond, “Generative AI at Work,” NBER Working Paper No. 31161 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2023, revised November 2023). For GenAI assisted writing gains, see Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang, “Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” Science, vol. 381, no. 6654 (July 2023): 187–92; Jordan Usdan, Allison Connell Pensky, and Harley Chang, “Generative AI’s Impact on Graduate Student Writing Productivity and Quality,” SSRN (August 29, 2024), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4941022. For software engineering, see Sida Peng, Eirini Kalliamvakou, Peter Cihon, and Mert Demirer, “The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity: Evidence from GitHub Copilot,” arXiv:2302.06590, February 13, 2023; Leonardo Gambacorta, Han Qiu, Shuo Shan, and Daniel M. Rees, “Generative AI and Labour Productivity: A Field Experiment on Coding (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1208 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, September 2024); Zheyuan (Kevin) Cui, Mert Demirer, Sonia Jaffe, Leon Musolff, Sida Peng, and Tobias Salz, “The Effects of Generative AI on High-Skilled Work: Evidence from Three Field Experiments with Software Developers,” SSRN (September 5, 2024, revised February 10, 2025), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4945566. For worker gains in the consulting industry, see Fabrizio Dell’Acqua, Edward McFowland III, Ethan Mollick, Hila Lifshitz-Assaf, Katherine C. Kellogg, Saran Rajendran, Lisa Krayer, François Candelon, and Karim R. Lakhani, “Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality (PDF),” Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 24-013 (September 2023). Return to text
    11. See Ethan Goh, Robert Gallo, Jason Hom, et al., “Large Language Model Influence on Diagnostic Reasoning: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA Network Open (October 28, 2024), https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2825395; Nikhil Agarwal, Alex Moehring, Pranav Rajpurkar, and Tobias Salz, “Combining Human Expertise with Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Evidence from Radiology,” NBER Working Paper No. 31422 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2023, revised March 2024); Ashley Capoot, “Reid Hoffman Enters ‘Wondrous and Terrifying’ World of Health Care with Latest AI Startup,” CNBC, February 2, 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/02/reid-hoffman-launches-manas-ai-a-new-drug-discovery-startup.html; Kang Zhang, Xin Yang, Yifei Wang, Yunfang Yu, Niu Huang, Gen Li, Xiaokun Li, Joseph C. Wu, and Shengyong Yang, “Artificial Intelligence in Drug Development,” Nature Medicine, vol. 31 (January 2025): 45–59, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03434-4; Qian Liao, Yu Zhang, Ying Chu, Yi Ding, Zhen Liu, Xianyi Zhao, Yizheng Wang, Jie Wan, Yijie Ding, Prayag Tiwari, Quan Zou, and Ke Han, “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Drug-Target Interactions Prediction: A Review,” NPJ Biomedical Innovations, vol. 2, no. 1 (January 2025), https://doi.org/10.1038/s44385-024-00003-9. Return to text
    12. For more on education, see Justin Wolfers, “An Econ Educators Guide to our AI-Powered Future,” Macmillan Learning, EconEd (presentation), September 26, 2024, https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/events/econed; and Anne J. Manning, “Professor Tailored AI Tutor to Physics Course. Engagement Doubled,” Harvard Gazette, September 5, 2024. Return to text
    13. See Maxime C. Cohen and Christopher S. Tang, “The Role of AI in Developing Resilient Supply Chains,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (February 5, 2024); and Remko Van Hoek and Mary Lacity, “How Global Companies Use AI to Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions,” Harvard Business Review, November 21, 2023. Return to text
    14. See Sheldon Fernandez, “How Generative AI Can Be Used in Electronics,” Forbes, April 26, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/04/26/how-generative-ai-can-be-used-in-electronics-manufacturing. Return to text
    15. For U.S. financial institutions, see Elizabeth Judd, “How to Balance Human and Machine While Using Chatbots,” Independent Banker, January 1, 2025; and U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services (PDF)” (Washington: U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 2024). For foreign financial institutions, see Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, “Artificial Intelligence in UK Financial Services—2024” (London: Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, November 21, 2024); and Bank of Japan, “Use and Risk Management of Generative AI by Japanese Financial Institutions,” Financial System Report Annex (Tokyo: Bank of Japan, October 29, 2024). For global financial institutions, see OECD, “FSB Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance (PDF),” Financial Stability Board, September 30, 2024. Return to text
    16. Lida R. Weinstock and Paul Tierno, “The Macroeconomic Effects of Artificial Intelligence (PDF),” Congressional Research Service, January 28, 2025. Return to text
    17. See Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang, “Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” Science, vol. 381, no. 6654 (July 13, 2023): 187–92; Brynjolfsson et al., “Generative AI at Work” (see footnote 9); and “for software engineering” from footnote 9; Korinek (2024) from footnote 7. Return to text
    18. See David H. Autor, “Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 29, no. 3 (Summer 2015): 3–30.See Simona Abis and Laura Veldkamp. Return to text
    19. See Ben S. Bernanke, “Will Business Investment Bounce Back?” (speech at the Forecasters Club, New York, NY, April 24, 2003). Return to text
    20. See Financial Stability Board, The Financial Stability Implications of Artificial Intelligence (Basel, Switzerland: Financial Stability Board, November 14, 2024); and Jon Danielsson and Andreas Uthemann, “How AI Can Undermine Financial Stability,” VoxEU: CEPR, January 22, 2024. Return to text
    21. For some very early examples, see Davide Castelvecchi, “Researchers Built an ‘AI Scientist’—What Can It Do?” Nature, August 30, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02842-3; Daniil A. Boiko, Robert MacKnight, Ben Kline, and Gabe Gomes, “Autonomous Chemical Research with Large Language Models,” Nature, December 20, 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06792-0; and Helena Kudiabor, “Virtual Lab Powered by ‘AI Scientists’ Super-Charges Biomedical Research,” Nature, December 4, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01684-3. Return to text
    22. For more on drug discovery and gene therapy, see Betty Zou, “Team Uses AI and Quantum Computing to Target ‘Undruggable’ Cancer Protein,” Phys Org, January 27, 2025; and Mohammad Ghazi Vakili et al., “Quantum-Computing-Enhanced Algorithm Unveils Potential KRAS Inhibitors,” Nature Biotechnology, January 22, 2025, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02526-3. Return to text
    23. See NASA Technology Transfer Program, “Robonaut 2: Hazardous Environments (MSC-TOPS-44)”. Return to text
    24. For more on material sciences innovation, see Andy Extance, “First GPT-4-Powered AI Lab Assistant Independently Directs Key Organic Reactions,” Chemistry World, January 8, 2024, https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/first-gpt-4-powered-ai-lab-assistant-independently-directs-key-organic-reactions/4018723.article; Chenyang Liu, Xi Zhang, Jiahui Chang, You Lyu, Jianan Zhao, and Song Qiu, “Programmable Mechanical Metamaterials: Basic Concepts, Types, Construction Strategies—A Review,” Frontiers, vol. 11 (March 19, 2024); Aidan Toner-Rodgers, “Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Discovery, and Product Innovation,” MIT, November 27, 2024, https://aidantr.github.io/files/AI_innovation.pdf; and Thomas Hayes et al., “Simulating 500 Million Years of Evolution with a Language Model,” Science, January 16, 2025. Return to text
    25. See Tan Sui, “AI Could Help Overcome the Hurdles to Making Nuclear Fusion a Practical Energy Source,” The Conversation, January 29, 2025, https://theconversation.com/ai-could-help-overcome-the-hurdles-to-making-nuclear-fusion-a-practical-energy-source-247608; Jaemin Seo, SangKyeun Kim, Azarakhsh Jalalvand, Rory Conlin, Andrew Rothstein, Joseph Abbate, Keith Erickson, Josiah Wai, Ricardo Shousha, and Egemen Kolemen, “Avoiding Fusion Plasma Tearing Instability with Deep Reinforcement Learning,” Nature, vol. 626, February 21, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07024-9; and Massimiliano Lupo Pasini, German Samolyuk, Markus Eisenbach, Jong Youl Choi, Junqi Yin, and Ying Yang, “First-Principles Data for Solid Solution Niobium-Tantalum-Vanadium Alloys with Body-Centered-Cubic Structures,” Nature: Scientific Data, vol. 11, no. 907 (August 22, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03720-3. Return to text
    26. Nakia Melecio, “Exploring the Synergy: Quantum Computing and Generative AI at the Intersection of Innovation,” ScaleUp Lab Program, Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech. Return to text
    27. For an example on GenAI and quantum computers, see Rahul Rao, “Quantum Computers Can Now Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain,” Scientific American, April 22, 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-computers-can-run-powerful-ai-that-works-like-the-brain. For an example about AI and clean energy, see Office of Policy, “How AI Can Help Clean Energy Meet Growing Electricity Demand” (Washington: U.S. Department of Energy, August 16, 2024). For examples of how GenAI is augmenting creativity, see Tojin T. Eapen, Daniel J. Finkenstadt, Josh Folk, and Lokesh Venkataswamy, “How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity,” Harvard Business Review (July–August 2023); and Anil R. Doshi and Oliver P. Hauser, “Generative AI Enhances Individual Creativity but Reduces the Collective Diversity of Novel Content,” Science Advances, vol. 10, no. 28 (July 12, 2024). Return to text
    28. See Iñaki Aldasoro, Leonardo Gambacorta, Anton Korinek, Vatsala Shreeti, and Merlin Stein, “Intelligent Financial System: How AI Is Transforming Finance (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1194 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, June 2024); and Sarah Hammer, “From Turing to Trading: How AI Is Revolutionizing Finance,” Finance Centers at the Wharton School, July 10, 2024. Return to text
    29. Large language models may even allow for the creation of synthetic data that allows for enhancing macroeconomic nowcasting and forecasting through economic AI agents that can also help with analyzing macroeconomic trends and contribute to more informed financial decisionmaking. See Anne Lundgaard Hansen, John J. Horton, Sophia Kazinnik, Daniela Puzzello, and Ali Zarifhonarvar, “Simulating the Survey of Professional Forecasters,” SSRN (December 1, 2024), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5066286. Return to text
    30. Kelly Ng, Brandon Drenon, Tom Gerken, and Marc Cieslak, “DeepSeek: The Chinese AI App That Has the World Talking,” BBC News, February 4, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv5976z9po. Return to text
    31. For example, see IBM Newsroom, “Data Suggests Growth in Enterprise Adoption of AI Is Due to Widespread Deployment by Early Adopters, But Barriers Keep 40% in the Exploration and Experimentation Phases,” IBM, January 10, 2024, https://newsroom.ibm.com/2024-01-10-Data-Suggests-Growth-in-Enterprise-Adoption-of-AI-is-Due-to-Widespread-Deployment-by-Early-Adopters; and Jefferies Editorial Team, “Can Startups Outsmart Big Tech in the AI Race?” Jefferies, September 17, 2024, https://www.jefferies.com/insights/boardroom-intelligence/can-startups-outsmart-big-tech-in-the-ai-race. Return to text
    32. If AI agents proliferate in financial transactions, we will also need to be careful about the potential for unintended consequences such as collusion among AI agents. See Winston Wei Dou, Itay Goldstein, and Yan Ji, “AI-Powered Trading, Algorithmic Collusion, and Price Efficiency,” Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research Paper, The Wharton School Research Paper, May 30, 2024, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4452704. Return to text
    33. See Request for Information on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, 90 Fed. Reg. 9,088 (PDF) (February 6, 2025). Return to text
    34. See Heather Domin, “AI Governance Trends: How Regulation, Collaboration, and Skills Demand Are Shaping the Industry,” World Economic Forum, September 5, 2024. Return to text
    35. For more on bias introduced in models, see Moshe Glickman and Tali Sharot, “How Human–AI Feedback Loops Alter Human Perceptual, Emotional, and Social Judgements,” Nature Human Behavior, December 18, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02077-2; Saul Asiel Flores, “‘Bias in, Bias out’: Tackling Bias in Medical Artificial Intelligence,” Yale School of Medicine, November 18, 2024; and Adam Zewe, “Researchers Reduce Bias in AI Models While Preserving or Improving Accuracy,” MIT News, December 11, 2024. For governance in central banks, see Claudia Alvarez Toca and Alexandre Tombini, Governance of AI Adoption in Central Banks (PDF) (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, January 2025). Return to text
    36. See, e.g., Michael P. Wellman, “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services (PDF)” (written testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, September 20, 2023). Return to text
    37. See Jon Danielsson and Andreas Uthemann, “AI Financial Crises,” VoxEU: CEPR, July 26, 2024. For more on algorithm collusion, see Wei Dou et al., “AI-Powered Trading, Algorithmic Collusion, and Price Efficiency” (see footnote 33). Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Declares State of Emergency, Shares Updates on Winter Weather

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Declares State of Emergency, Shares Updates on Winter Weather

    Governor Stein Declares State of Emergency, Shares Updates on Winter Weather
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Stein declared a state of emergency as emergency officials prepare for winter weather to impact the majority of the state. In a briefing this morning, Governor Stein, Director of Emergency Management Will Ray, and Secretary of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins provided an update on the winter weather that will impact much of the state starting Wednesday and into Thursday. The Governor advised that all North Carolinians take precautions by listening to local officials and plan accordingly for low temperatures, ice, and snow.  

    “This morning, I declared a state of emergency across North Carolina, and we are activating a cross-agency storm response,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Most of North Carolina will be impacted by this storm, and our greatest concerns are potential power outages and road safety. We urge all travelers to stay off the road once the storm hits on Wednesday, to keep their devices charged, and to monitor local weather.”  

    “The State Emergency Response Team has been activated and is working with the Department of Transportation, North Carolina National Guard, State Highway Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services, and local emergency management to provide resources quickly throughout the state,” said Director of Emergency Management Will Ray. “We ask that all North Carolinians continue to monitor the weather tomorrow and stay off the roads when possible.”  

    A winter storm will impact much of North Carolina Wednesday into Thursday. The forecast for northern central and eastern North Carolina includes snowfall accumulations of 2 to 6 inches, with localized totals reaching up to 9 inches across the far northeast. The northern mountains and higher elevations in western North Carolina are expected to receive 2 to 4 inches of snow. Elsewhere, lighter snowfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are anticipated, with the exception of far southeastern North Carolina, where light freezing rain or rain is expected. 

    Significant ice accumulation is possible in parts of central and eastern North Carolina. Accumulations of a quarter inch or more may cause tree limbs to break and lead to power outages. It is crucial for all North Carolinians to stay informed about the weather, as the forecast will be updated and refined as Wednesday approaches. 

    The State Emergency Response Team is activated, and the State Emergency Operations Center and Regional Coordination Centers remain in close communication with local emergency management officials to ensure that all resources are available and ready to quickly respond to aid our North Carolina communities.   

    The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) has activated more than 180 guardsmen to assist and support local communities across the state.  

    More than 1,500 employees with the N.C. Department of Transportation have been pre-treating roads across the state. As of Tuesday morning, the agency had spread 1.8 million gallons of brine to pretreat hundreds of miles of interstates, highways, and secondary roads statewide. Nearly 600 trucks with plows and spreaders and 240 motor graders are ready to remove snow and ice, and more than 130,000 tons of salt are ready to treat roads after the storm hits. 

    Once the storm hits, NCDOT crews are prepared to work around-the-clock in shifts to plow and treat snow and ice until all state-maintained roads are cleared. The agency will prioritize clearing interstates first, followed by U.S. and N.C. routes and then secondary roads. 

    Visit ReadyNC.gov for power outage information and for information on how you and your family can prepare for winter weather. For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.   

    To prepare for winter weather, North Carolina Emergency Management officials recommend these tips:  

    • Pay close attention to your local forecast and be prepared for what’s expected in your area. Use a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio or a weather alert app on your phone to receive emergency weather alerts.   

    • Stock up on water and non-perishable food. 

    • Keep cell phones, mobile devices, and spare batteries charged. 

    • Stay home and off the roads if you can. 

    • Store an emergency kit in your vehicle in case you must travel. Include scraper, jumper cables, tow chain, sand/salt, blankets, flashlight, first-aid kit, and road map.   

    • Dress warmly if you go outside. Wear multiple layers of thin clothing instead of a single layer of thick clothing.   

    • Gather emergency supplies for your pet including leash and feeding supplies, enough food for several days, and a pet travel carrier.   

    • Do not leave pets outside for long periods of time during freezing weather.   

    • Check in on your friends and neighbors, especially the elderly, during winter weather.  

    • If your power goes out:  

    • Only operate generators outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. 

    • Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas grill indoors. 

    • Properly vent kerosene heaters. 

    • Use battery-powered sources for light, instead of candles, to reduce the risk of fire.  

    • If you are utilizing a portable heater, make sure that it is properly ventilated, has at least 3 feet of space on all sides, and never leave children unattended near a heater.  

    Feb 18, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) 2025 to Position Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) as a Catalyst for Gas Monetization

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    BRAZZAVILLE, South Africa, February 18, 2025/APO Group/ —

    The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) will feature a Hallmark Celebration of FLNG session, dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the remarkable advancements in FLNG technology and its domestic application within the Republic of Congo.

    The session is designed to underscore the nation’s progress in harnessing FLNG solutions to bolster its energy infrastructure and economy. Attendees can anticipate in-depth analyses of current projects, insights into future initiatives and evaluations of the economic and environmental impacts of FLNG utilization.

    The inaugural Congo Energy and Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société National des Pétroles du Congo, will bring together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities. The event will explore the latest gas-to-power projects and provide updates on ongoing expansions across the country.

    The Republic of Congo has made significant strides in the FLNG arena, positioning itself as a notable player in the global LNG market. In February 2024, Italian energy conglomerate Eni shipped its first LNG Cargo from its Tango FLNG unit, boasting a liquefaction capacity of 0.6 million tons per annum (MTPA). Building on this momentum, Eni launched the hull of the Nguya FLNG facility in November 2024 at Wison Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Nantong, China. This new facility is slated to add an additional 2.4 MTPA, bringing the total liquefaction capacity of the Congo LNG project to 3 MTPA by the end of 2025.

    The integration of FLNG technology is anticipated to have a transformative impact on the Republic of Congo’s energy landscape. By enabling offshore gas liquefaction, FLNG units offer a flexible and efficient means to monetize natural gas resources, facilitating exports and generating revenue. Moreover, the domestic application of FLNG is expected to enhance energy security, support industrial development and contribute to the nation’s economic diversification efforts.

    Sandra Jeque, Events & Project Director at CEIF event organizer Energy Capital & Power, stated, “The Hallmark Celebration of FLNG will provide a platform for stakeholders to reflect on these achievements, share best practices and explore collaborative opportunities to further advance FLNG initiatives. Participants will gain valuable insights into the technical, regulatory and financial aspects of FLNG projects, equipping them with the knowledge to navigate this dynamic sector.”

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Introduces American Investment in Manufacturing and Main Street Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) recently introduced the American Investment in Manufacturing and Main Street (AIMM) Act, legislation that would reinstate the Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) measure, supporting a competitive tax code for American job creators and businesses. Reinstating EBITDA will make it easier for capital-intensive companies to raise capital or obtain financing, protect U.S. jobs and wages, and strengthen global competition.
    “After years of sustained inflation, high interest rates, and increased taxes burdening U.S. businesses due in part to the failed policies of the Biden administration, additional limitations jeopardize American manufacturers, retailers, and service providers’ ability to compete across global markets. This legislation would reinstate a needed measure to encourage industrial growth, increase jobs and wages at all levels, and contribute to America’s economy. I’m proud to support American workers and businesses by leading the introduction of this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in this effort,” Senator Capito said.
    Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.-03), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.-25), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.-01), and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.-10).
    BACKGROUND:
    Prior to 2022, businesses could deduct 30% of its EBITDA. A new limitation that went into effect would limit the deduction to only EBIT. This change is an added cost to businesses environment in the U.S. and could harm global competition. This restriction harms a wide range of industries including – but not limited to – American manufacturers, broadband providers, healthcare systems, and restaurants. Without this change, businesses will on average see close to a threefold increase in their incremental tax obligations
    The legislation has been endorsed by: The National Association of Manufacturers, Business Roundtable, Global Business Alliance, RAIN Coalition, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, West Virginia Manufacturers Association, Rural Broadband Association (NTCA), Americans for Tax Reform, Inspire Brands, National Restaurant Association, American Petroleum Institute, National Taxpayers Union, Novelis, and Charter Communications.
    Click here to read what others are saying about the legislation.
    Click here for full text of the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WV Delegation Sends Letter to Trump in Support of Disaster Declaration Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), along with U.S. Representatives Carol Miller (R-W.Va.-01) and Riley Moore (R-W.Va.-02) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Regional Administrator Lilian Hutchinson in support of Governor Patrick Morrisey’s request for a major disaster declaration for West Virginia as a result of the recent severe weather events. 
    “We applaud the tireless dedication of our State and local first responders, as well as the invaluable contributions of our neighbors and volunteers. Nevertheless, the demand for aid remains substantial, and we urge you to do everything in your power to make sure that our communities have the federal support they need to rebuild and recover,” the delegation wrote.
    Read the full letter below or by clicking HERE.
    Dear President Trump and Acting Regional Administrator Hutchinson,
    As members of the West Virginia Congressional Delegation, we write in support of Governor Patrick Morrisey’s request for a major disaster declaration for the State of West Virginia following recent severe weather events.
    Severe storms moved through our State causing widespread damage. Heavy rains, straight- line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides caused damage in 13 counties throughout central and southern West Virginia beginning on February 15, 2025.
    To access federal disaster aid, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey has made a request for a major disaster declaration for the State of West Virginia, submitted on February 17, 2025, under the provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5208 (Stafford Act).
    We respectfully ask that you carefully review the submission that requests assistance from the FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) Program and Public Assistance (PA) Program for Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mercer, McDowell, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties. Additionally, assistance from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program has been requested statewide.
    We applaud the tireless dedication of our State and local first responders, as well as the invaluable contributions of our neighbors and volunteers. Nevertheless, the demand for aid remains substantial, and we urge you to do everything in your power to make sure that our communities have the federal support they need to rebuild and recover. Therefore, we kindly request that you thoroughly consider the State of West Virginia’s request for a major disaster declaration to address our communities’ recovery needs.
    Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need further assistance in this effort.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Securing a future for Grangemouth

    Source: Scottish Government

    Additional £25 million to establish a Grangemouth Just Transition Fund.

    First Minister John Swinney has announced an additional £25 million to establish a fund to help secure the future of Grangemouth.

    During a statement to Parliament he also called on the UK Government to address the immediacy and urgency of the situation facing Grangemouth by at least matching the Scottish Government’s investment.

    The First Minister said:

    “The aim of this fund is to expedite any of the potential solutions that will be set out in the Project Willow report, as well as other proposals that will give Grangemouth a secure and sustainable future.

    “We have made the strategic decision to support this key activity through an additional draw down of ScotWind revenue totalling £25 million, to add to the £7.8 million in our budget for 2025-26. Altogether, the Scottish Government – with a finite budget – has committed or already invested £87 million in Grangemouth.

    “We need the UK Government to do at least the same and deliver a fair amount to avoid significant economic disruption in central Scotland, and to protect and promote Scotland’s – and Grangemouth’s – future interests.”

    The First Minister confirmed to Parliament that an amendment will be lodged to the Scottish Government’s 2025-26 Budget Bill to allocate an additional £25 million to establish a Grangemouth Just Transition Fund.

    Funds will be available immediately in the new financial year to support businesses and stakeholders to bring forward investible propositions over the next 12 months, and if necessary, beyond.

    He added:

    “We believe that refining at Grangemouth should continue, that this closure is premature and that it is detrimental to Scotland’s transition to net zero.

    “We recognise the significance of the fact that we are now facing a programme of redundancies at Grangemouth and the impact this will have on the lives of those employed at the site. Every person, every family and every business impacted by the closing of the Grangemouth refinery, matters. Our immediate focus, rightly, is on providing those who are losing their jobs with targeted skills support.

    “Everyone working at Grangemouth’s refinery is a valued employee with skills that are key to Scotland’s net zero future. We want them to stay in Scotland and continue to make their lives here. We will do all we can to ensure they have a future in the Scottish economy as we make the transition to net zero.

    “That is why we are also working to secure Grangemouth’s role in that future and create an investible industrial strategy for the site.”

    The First Minister also called on the UK Government to continue to work together with the Scottish Government to drive forward the next phase of Project Willow; to expedite a decision on Acorn and the Scottish Cluster of carbon capture projects; and to make urgent progress on allocating funding for the second round of hydrogen production projects. 

    Background

    Securing a future for Grangemouth – First Minister’s statement – 18 February 2025

    In September 2024 the Scottish and UK Governments published a joint plan to secure the industrial future of Grangemouth. 

    In November the Scottish Government also sought views on a draft Just Transition Plan for the wider Grangemouth industrial cluster.

    Project Willow is assessing credible options to begin building a new long-term industry at the refinery site. A range of proposals have been shortlisted by the UK and Scottish governments, as part of a joint-funded £1.5 million feasibility study. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Philadelphia apprehends alien previously arrested for multiple criminal offenses

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    YORK, Pa. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Noel Chinchilla-Avilez, a citizen of Honduras with a final order of removal, in York, Pennsylvania, Feb. 14. Chinchilla-Avilez has been charged with statutory rape and receiving stolen property in the United States.

    “The arrest of Noel Chinchilla-Avilez, a criminal alien with a history of serious offenses, highlights our unwavering commitment to public safety. Our officers work tirelessly to protect our communities by removing individuals who pose a threat to our nation’s security,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia acting Field Office Director Brian McShane. “We will continue to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the American public by ensuring that dangerous criminals are held accountable and removed from our streets.”

    “Today’s operation displays the dedication and expertise of our ICE team in tracking criminals. By targeting individuals with serious criminal backgrounds, we are sending a clear message that there is no safe-haven for those who commit heinous acts,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Edward V. Owens. “Operations like this demonstrate our commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety of the American public.”

    A federal arrest warrant for Chinchilla-Avilez was obtained from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Feb. 10, for violation of failure to depart.

    Chinchilla-Avilez was transported to the U.S. District Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after his arrest and is currently remanded to federal custody while pending criminal proceedings.

    Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives, transnational gang members or other criminal aliens who are in the U.S. illegally are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

    For more news and information on how ICE carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia, follow us on X at @EROPhiladelphia.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Supersonic passenger aircraft may be returning – here’s what it means for the climate

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kshitij Sabnis, Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, Queen Mary University of London

    The US aerospace company Boom Supersonic recently announced it has successfully tested its latest aircraft, the XB-1. The company is developing a larger plane and aims to begin passenger flights at supersonic (faster than sound) speed within the next five years, and claims it already has orders from a handful of airlines.

    However, with ever-increasing scrutiny on the environmental consequences of flying, it is important to consider how supersonic aviation may affect the industry’s ability to meet its ambitious net zero by 2050 target.

    The latest test flight represents an important stage in the development of supersonic aircraft that minimise their characteristic “sonic boom” – the considerable noise generated as the shock waves travelling along with a supersonic aircraft pass over people on the ground.

    Boom Supersonic has carefully designing the aircraft shape to reduce this noise pollution. It did this by exploiting a phenomenon known as “Mach cutoff”, where air temperatures in the atmosphere cause shock waves to reflect upwards rather than towards the ground.

    Supersonic aircraft won’t receive certification to fly over land if they are too noisy, and overland flights are essential for their commercial viability. Indeed, failing to receive such certification limited Concorde’s routes to London-New York and Paris-New York, ultimately contributing to its demise. These recent noise improvements pave the way for Boom Supersonic to progress its larger 80-seat supersonic airliner, Overture. If all goes to plan, Overture will cruise at 1.7 times the speed of sound and could fly from London to New York in just 3.5 hours.

    Other organisations working on supersonic flight are making similar progress. US firm Spike Aerospace is developing a smaller business jet, for instance, while Nasa and defence and aerospace firm Lockheed Martin plan to begin test flying their supersonic X-59 later this year. There is every indication that planes like these are on their way back, more than two decades after Concorde last took to the skies.

    Concorde’s maiden flight back in 1969. It flew commercially between 1976 and 2003.
    Andre Cros / wiki, CC BY-SA

    Shock waves increase aerodynamic drag

    The key to understanding the environmental effects of supersonic aircraft is that, whenever its speed exceeds the speed of sound, shock waves form around the aircraft. These shock waves significantly increase the aerodynamic drag, and so more fuel needs to be burned to compensate for the drag force. Indeed, it is estimated that up to ten times more fuel needs to be burned by a supersonic aircraft compared to the equivalent subsonic airplane for every passenger mile.

    At supersonic speeds, sound itself is a drag.
    Chabacano / wiki, CC BY-SA

    The cost of this extra fuel is why typical aircraft speeds have remained pretty constant at around 85% of the speed of sound for several decades. It also leads to greater greenhouse gas emissions – as much as five to seven times more than subsonic aircraft.

    In fact, the situation may be even more stark. Supersonic aircraft tend to fly at high altitudes (Concorde flew at 60,000ft (18km) rather than the 40,000ft (12km) typical for most passenger jets) to take advantage of lower turbulence levels. This means their emissions tend to remain in the atmosphere for longer.

    Supersonic and sustainable?

    There are considerable efforts to align supersonic aircraft development with the aviation industry’s environmental ambitions. For instance, the new engines designed by Boom Supersonic are powered entirely by “sustainable aviation fuels” (Saf) which are direct replacements for traditional jet fuels that are made from renewable raw materials, often used cooking oil or crop residues. Due to its exclusive use of Saf, the Overture is advertised as having a zero-carbon footprint.

    A concept image of the Overture, the plane Boom Supersonic ultimately wants to build.
    Boom Supersonic, CC BY-SA

    In reality, the situation is more complex. Saf is often produced from edible crops and has been linked to deforestation – the total land required to power all of commercial aviation in this way is impractically immense.

    To address this longer-term problem, it is necessary to look towards alternative fuel sources. While hydrogen or electric power is being developed for regular aircraft, for now they aren’t developed enough to ensure a plane reaches supersonic speeds. Instead, one possibility is e-kerosene, a synthetic fuel generated from hydrogen and carbon dioxide using renewable electricity.

    Despite all these technological advances, a supersonic aircraft still cannot beat physics. Shock waves, and their associated drag, will still exist. So, a single supersonic aircraft will still produce considerably more carbon emissions than its subsonic counterpart.

    Beyond carbon emissions, contrails also have an effect. These are thin clouds of water vapour produced by aircraft exhausts, which can trap heat in the atmosphere the same way as greenhouse gases. These contrails are thought to have twice the impact of carbon emissions, or perhaps even more, so it is essential to take their effects into account. For now, we simply don’t know enough about contrails, especially at much higher altitudes, to definitively say how supersonic aircraft will affect the environment.

    Given the costs involved, supersonic aircraft will account for only a very small percentage of aircraft worldwide. The overall impact on the environment, in comparison to the tens of thousands of subsonic aircraft currently in operation, will be moderate.

    There is perhaps one environmental upside. The research and development activity making supersonic aviation more environmentally friendly (such as developments in fuel and propulsion technology) will likely yield technologies that transfer to subsonic aircraft too. This should help to address the much broader problem of environmental damage caused by the aviation industry as a whole.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Kshitij Sabnis 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. Supersonic passenger aircraft may be returning – here’s what it means for the climate – https://theconversation.com/supersonic-passenger-aircraft-may-be-returning-heres-what-it-means-for-the-climate-250116

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cottontail review: how a man’s journey through grief mirrors our search for peace – by an expert in death and grieving

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chao Fang, Lecturer in Sociology, Deputy Director of the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course, University of Liverpool

    Cottontail (コットンテール), a newly released Japanese film, tells the touching and relatable story of Kenzaburo (Ken), a man in his late middle age grieving the loss of his wife, Akiko, after a long illness. To honour her dying wish, he embarks on a journey to take her ashes to the Lake District in northern England – a place deeply meaningful to her.

    It was not just the beauty of the landscape that drew her, but also its connection to Peter Rabbit, a character she had loved since childhood and where she had made cherished memories with her parents.

    What begins as a cross-continental trip with his son and family soon unfolds into a deeply personal and solitary quest for Ken. As a husband and father, he struggles to connect with his son, confronting the unspoken emotional walls that make expressing grief so profoundly challenging. Through this journey, Ken seeks not just peace for his loss but also a way to reconcile the past with the present.

    I found Cottontail a beautifully delicate film with a thought-provoking narrative. As an expert in ageing, death and dying, particularly in Japan, I also found its depiction of grief realistic.

    Like Ken, many of us may feel disbelief or denial when facing loss. Memories of our loved ones can wash over us in overwhelming waves, catching us off guard in the most unexpected moments. Whether it’s a familiar scene that evokes a flood of emotions, a conversation with a friend, or even a fleeting dream, the smallest reminders – both joyful and painful – can surface at any time.

    The root of these challenges lies in navigating a world that no longer includes our loved one. Psychiatrist Colin Parkes described bereavement as a psychosocial transition, a profound shift requiring adaptation to a new reality.

    Grief, he suggested, emerges from the breakdown of the world we take for granted, the beliefs and expectations we hold about the future and our plans. When loss occurs, this framework collapses, forcing us to relearn how to live in a world forever changed.

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

    Yet, grief is not simply about building a new life without the person we’ve lost.

    Over a century ago, the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud emphasised the importance of gradually detaching from the pain of loss and redirecting our emotional energy toward new relationships and pursuits. Today, in a society that often prioritises efficiency and productivity, there’s an unspoken expectation to “complete” the process of grief and quickly return to “normal”.

    But grief resists such timelines. As I’ve argued elsewhere, healing is not about moving on but learning to carry loss forward.

    This is poignantly illustrated in Cottontail: for Ken, scattering Akiko’s ashes in England is not about leaving her or the life they shared behind, but about learning to live with loss, weaving memories of her into his ongoing life.

    Cottontail trailer.

    Rewriting the book of life

    To grieve is like rewriting the book of our lives – a painstaking process of revisiting, revising, and reimagining a narrative that once felt complete. The concept of “narrative identity” captures this: not erasing the past but weaving it into a new story that continues to unfold, where love and loss coexist, shaping who we are now and who we will become.

    Rewriting life after loss is never a solitary journey – it’s shared with others. Ken’s grief is intertwined with his strained bond with his son, Toshi.

    Preoccupied with work, Ken had neglected their relationship, leaving Toshi yearning for deeper connection. Now, drowning in grief, Ken faces the challenge of reconciling his own pain while rebuilding their bond – a dilemma familiar to many experiencing loss.

    A key theme in Ken’s grief journey is the “stiff upper lip” mentality – an emotional restraint that stops him from expressing feelings or accepting support from his son. This stoic attitude, common among older men but seen across genders, ages and cultures, often comes at the cost of hidden stress.

    My research with bereaved older adults shows that suppressing emotions isolates individuals and blocks external support, making healing and connection harder.

    On his journey, Ken meets a grieving father and daughter who openly acknowledge their emotions and support each other. Their willingness to express their feelings shows the power of emotional literacy – the ability to recognise and communicate emotions.

    This highlights the importance of grief literacy not just for individuals, but for wider social networks. When people can understand and support one another’s grief, finding peace with loss becomes more attainable, and the process of rewriting life after loss becomes a collective endeavour.

    The film concludes with Ken chasing a rabbit by Lake Windermere for his granddaughter, joined by Toshi’s family. For Ken, the rabbit is not just Cottontail or a memory of Akiko – it’s a symbol of hope, a reminder that moving forward is possible, with renewed bonds and an enduring love.

    Chao Fang 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. Cottontail review: how a man’s journey through grief mirrors our search for peace – by an expert in death and grieving – https://theconversation.com/cottontail-review-how-a-mans-journey-through-grief-mirrors-our-search-for-peace-by-an-expert-in-death-and-grieving-250198

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Shein could be a shot in the arm for the London Stock Exchange – but the fashion giant might not like the added scrutiny

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Isaac T. Tabner, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Director of the MSc Finance, University of Stirling

    T. Schneider/Shutterstock

    Fast fashion giant Shein’s mooted flotation on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) could be larger than any stock exchange listing seen in Europe in the last year. Coming at a time when the LSE is struggling to attract new listings, with some firms migrating to other exchanges, this could be a welcome boost. So it is perhaps unsurprising that the Chinese-founded company has been courted by the UK government, the LSE and those whose role it is to champion the City of London.

    Yet there are ongoing concerns about the controversial business model and practices of Shein, whose founder Chris Xu relocated himself and the company’s headquarters to Singapore in 2022. These were exacerbated when Shein’s lawyer struggled to tell the UK’s business and trade parliamentary committee whether the company uses cotton from China.

    Campaign group Stop Uyghur Genocide recently said it will seek a judicial review if the UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), approves the LSE listing. And a “Say No to Shein” campaign has nearly 50,000 signatures on the activist website 38 Degrees. (Shein says it strictly prohibits forced labour in its supply chain globally.)

    More idealistic observers might question whether it is really a good idea for the UK to be courting such a controversial listing. The UK, after all, is a second-choice destination after Shein’s ambition to list on the US market failed – amid concerns about forced labour, among other things.

    So what are the claims against Shein? On environmental, social and governance (ESG) grounds the firm is controversial. Although Shein says it is working hard to reduce its environmental impact, its business model – supplying items cheap enough to be discarded after a single use – is at odds with a more sustainable society and thus problematic for the “E” in ESG.

    Some people add an additional “E” (for ethics) to the acronym. Concerns raised about the human and employee rights of workers in Shein’s supply chain and Shein’s reluctance to talk about them, even to a parliamentary committee, highlight both the “social” and the “ethical”. For its part, the company said last year it was actively working to improve its suppliers’ practices.

    If less than 10% of Shein’s equity is floated, which is the what company is proposing, it will still be controlled by its founders and majority shareholders as if it had remained a fully private company. An LSE listing would normally compel Shein to either comply with the UK corporate governance code, or explain why it did not. But dispersed minority investors with a combined ownership of less than 10% would have little or no say in the governance of a business that remained more than 90% owned and controlled by a few founding investors.

    Therefore, a listing of 10% or less would also raise concerns among minority investors about the “G” for governance. This is particularly true if their holding is involuntary, for example as part of an employee pension scheme. Shein said in a social impact report, however, that it has set up a sustainability committee to provide an extra layer of corporate governance.

    Shein’s lawyer struggled to answer questions on the source of its cotton.

    Given these issues, who gains and who loses from the proposed flotation? Shein itself could of course be among the winners. Common motives for a stock exchange listing are raising capital to finance new investment or giving founding shareholders an opportunity to cash out. Listing can also make mergers and acquisitions more straightforward and incentivise employees to stay with the company by offering preferential terms for buying shares.

    There is also no doubt that a listing would be presented as a positive sign that the UK is open and attractive for business. It would generate an initial windfall, and ongoing revenue for the LSE, plus substantial fees for financial and legal service providers based in the City of London.

    Downsides

    As a private company, Shein has kept details of its financial situation out of the public domain. If the LSE listing does go ahead (which is by no means certain), the company will be required to give detail on its legal and reputational risks, as well as its financial accounts.

    This will let prospective investors and others involved in the listing estimate a pricing range for the flotation. Recent headlines suggest a total equity valuation between US$50 billion and US$66 billion (£40 billion and £52 billion), yet if the listing does not go ahead it is impossible to estimate its market value with any reliability using information that is currently in the public domain.

    Shein’s apparent desire for secrecy, and its reluctance to publish detailed financial data, suggests that its founders and controlling investors may not be comfortable with the increased scrutiny that a listing will require. A 2023 report from the company, however, claimed Shein was committed to “continued progress and transparency” in terms of sustainability and its social impact.

    If credible revelations about controversial business practices such as forced labour or illegal working conditions emerge, this is likely to damage the stock price. No doubt outside investors would have plenty of incentive to scrutinise Shein’s activities – at least, more than the consumer buying a £10 dress for a night out.

    Perhaps a cautionary example can be drawn from the UK’s much smaller home-grown fast-fashion contender, Boohoo.com (now worth around £400 million after peaking at more than £5 billion in 2020). After an initial stellar performance, the firm’s stock price never recovered from reports in 2020 about workers in its UK supply chain being paid £3.50 an hour.

    An independent review published the same year found many failings in the company’s UK supply chain – Boohoo Group responded by pledging to implement the recommendations of the review in full. However, a BBC Panorama investigation indicated that it had not fulfilled its pledges. And at under 30 pence per share, its stock price is down more than 90% since the scandal first broke. (After the programme, Boohoo insisted that it had implemented “every one” of the independent review’s recommendations.)

    Shein’s listing – if it goes ahead – will open its inner workings to public scrutiny in a way that it has never experienced before. Already, people who have never engaged with fast fashion are discussing the business practices of the company.

    If awareness is the first stage of progress, such increased scrutiny can only be a good thing for those concerned about the darker side of the fast fashion industry.

    Isaac T. Tabner is a member of the following professional bodies:

    CFA Institute,
    CFA Society of the UK,
    Personal Finance Society and Chartered Insurance Institute.

    – ref. Shein could be a shot in the arm for the London Stock Exchange – but the fashion giant might not like the added scrutiny – https://theconversation.com/shein-could-be-a-shot-in-the-arm-for-the-london-stock-exchange-but-the-fashion-giant-might-not-like-the-added-scrutiny-249541

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –