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  • MIL-OSI Global: The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University

    After prevaricating about whether the United States would enter Israel’s war on Iran, President Donald Trump finally made a decision.

    Early Sunday, US warplanes and submarines struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, where the Iranians have a uranium enrichment plant buried about 80 metres beneath a mountain.

    These strikes have to be viewed as part of an overall continuum that began with the Gaza war following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and then continued with Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah (the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon) and the fall of the Iran-backed Assad regime in Syria.

    Iran has never been weaker than it is now. And when Trump said it may take two weeks for him to decide whether to bomb Iran, the Israelis likely pushed him to act sooner.

    We can assume there was a lot of Israeli pressure on Trump to use the massive ordnance penetrators, the 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) “bunker buster” bombs that only the US can deploy with its B2 bombers.

    Now that Trump has taken the significant step of entering the US in yet another Middle East war, where could things go from here? There are a few possible scenarios.

    Iran strikes back

    The Iranians know they don’t have the strength to take on the US, and that the Americans can do enormous damage to their country and even put the Iranian regime’s stability at risk.

    This is always the prime consideration of the clerical regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – everything else is subordinate to that.

    To gauge Iran’s possible reaction, we can look at the how it responded to the first Trump administration’s assassination of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.

    Iran said there would be a major reaction, but all it did was launch a barrage of missiles at two American bases in Iraq, which caused no US fatalities and very little damage. After that token retaliation, Iran said the matter was closed.

    Iran’s reaction to the new US strikes will likely be along these lines. It probably won’t want to get into a tit-for-tat with the US by launching attacks against American facilities in the region. Trump has promised to respond with force:

    Iran, a bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

    It’s also unclear how long Iran will be able to prosecute this war. This depends largely on how many ballistic missiles and launchers it has left.

    There are various estimates as to how many ballistic missiles Iran may have remaining in its stockpiles. It was believed to have about 2,000 missiles capable of reaching Israel at the start of the war. Some estimates say Iran has fired 700 of them; others say around 400. Whatever the number is, its stockpiles are dwindling quickly.

    Israel has also destroyed about a third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. If Israel is able to destroy all of them, Iran would have very limited ability to fight back.

    Iran backs down

    Before the US got involved in the conflict, Iran said it was prepared to negotiate, but it wouldn’t do so while Israel was still attacking.

    So, one scenario is that some sort of compromise can now be worked out, in which Israel announces a ceasefire and Iran and the US agree to resume negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

    The big problem is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he doesn’t trust the negotiating process and he doesn’t want to stop Israel’s military actions until all of Iran’s nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed. He’s also been bombing Iran’s oil terminals and gas facilities to put even more pressure on the regime.

    But the regime has shown itself to be incredibly determined not to lose face. It was under great pressure at different times during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and never considered surrendering until a US missile mistakenly took down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people.

    Iran then agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire. But the Iran-Iraq war lasted eight years, causing an estimated one million deaths. And when the then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, agreed to the ceasefire, he said it was “worse than drinking poison”.

    Given the state of Iran’s military capabilities, Khamenei, the current supreme leader, might surrender simply to try to preserve the regime. But this would be quite a climbdown as far as he’s concerned, and he has been very obstinate in the past.

    The regime is very unpopular, but the Iranian people, in my experience, are strongly patriotic – loyal to their country, if not the regime. Though it’s difficult to gauge opinion in a country of 90 million people, a lot of Iranians would not want to be ordered to do anything by the US or Israel, and would rather fight on.

    Netanyahu has said he wants to create the conditions for the Iranian people to rise up against the regime.

    But it’s worth bearing in mind that the opposite of autocracy is not necessarily democracy. It could possibly be chaos. Iran has a number of different ethnic groups and there may be huge disagreements over what should take the place of the clerical regime, were it to fall.

    At this stage, the regime will probably be able to hold together. And even if Khameini were to die suddenly, the regime will likely be able to quickly replace him.

    Though we don’t know his probable successor, the regime has had plenty of time to plan for this. Those in senior positions will also know that a post-Khamenei succession struggle really would put the regime at risk.

    The US engagement is limited

    According to the new polling by The Economist and YouGov, released on June 17, 60% of Americans were opposed to joining the conflict between Israel and Iran, with just 16% in favour. Among Republicans, 53% opposed military action.

    So, these strikes were not an obviously popular move among Americans at this stage. However, if this is an isolated event and succeeds in bringing a swift end to the war, Trump will probably be applauded by a majority of Americans.

    If the US has to go back with more bombers – or there are serious attacks on US interests in the region – there could be more adverse reactions among Americans.

    Another question is whether Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium have been destroyed in the US attack.

    If it hasn’t been destroyed, and depending how much damage has been done to its centrifuges, Iran may be able to reconstruct its nuclear program relatively quickly. And it could have more incentive to further enrich this uranium to 90% purity, or weapons-grade level, to build a nuclear device.

    Ian Parmeter 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. The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next – https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-entered-the-israel-iran-war-here-are-3-scenarios-for-what-might-happen-next-259509

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By James Dwyer, Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

    The jagged silhouette of a B2 stealth bomber seen during a 2015 flyover in the US. Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

    Late on Saturday night, local time, the United States carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, marking its open participation in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

    The US says it fired 30 submarine-launched missiles at the sites in Natanz and Isfahan, as well as dropping more than a dozen “bunker buster” bombs at Fordow and Natanz.

    The kind of bomb in question is the extremely destructive GBU-57 Massive Ordance Penetrator, or MOP, which weighs around 13.5 tonnes.

    The attacks raise a lot of questions. What are these enormous bombs? Why did the US feel it had to get involved in the conflict? And, going forward, what does it mean for Iran’s nuclear ambitions?

    What are ‘bunker busters’, and why are they used?

    Bunker busters are weapons designed to destroy heavily protected facilities such as bunkers deep underground, beyond the reach of normal bombs.

    Bunker busters are designed to bury themselves into the ground before detonating. This allows more of the explosive force to penetrate into the ground, rather than travelling through the air or across the surface.

    Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan are built deep underground. Estimates suggest that Fordow for example could be 80m beneath the surface, and capped with layers of reinforced concrete and soil.

    What is the MOP?

    The bunker buster used in this particular operation is the largest in the US arsenal. Leaving aside nuclear weapons, the MOP is the largest known buster buster in the world.

    Weighing some 13.5 tonnes, the MOP is believed to be able to penetrate up to 60 metres below ground in the right conditions. It is not known how many the US possesses, but the numbers are thought to be small (perhaps 20 or so in total).

    We also don’t know exactly how many were used in Iran, though some reports say it was 14. However, it is likely to be a significant portion of the US MOP arsenal.

    Why does only the US possess this capability?

    The US is not the only state with bunker-busting weaponry. However, the size of MOP means it requires very specialised bombers to carry and drop it.

    Only the B2 stealth bomber is currently able to deploy the MOP. Each B2 can carry at most two MOPs at a time. Around seven of America’s 19 operational B2s were used in the Iran operation.

    There has been some consideration whether large transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules could be modified to carry and drop the MOP from its rear cargo doors. While this would allow other countries (including Israel) to deploy the MOP, it is for now purely hypothetical.

    Why has the US (apparently) used them in Iran

    The Trump administration claims Iran may be only a few weeks from possessing a nuclear weapon, and that it needed to act now to destroy Iranian nuclear enrichment sites. This claim is notably at odds with published assessments from the US intelligence community.

    However, Israel lacks bunker busting weaponry sufficient to damage the deeply buried and fortified enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

    An F-15E Strike Eagle releases a GBU-28 ‘bunker buster’ laser-guided bomb, a smaller equivalewnt of the 13,600 kg GBU-57 ‘Massive Ordnance Penetrator’ believed to have been used in Iran.
    Michael Ammons / US Air Force

    Only the MOP could do the job (short of using nuclear weapons). Even then, multiple MOPs would have been required to ensure sufficient damage to the underground facilities.

    The US has claimed that these sites have been utterly destroyed. We cannot conclusively say whether this is true.

    Iran may also have other, undeclared nuclear sites elsewhere in the country.

    Iran’s reaction

    The US has reportedly reached out to Iran via diplomatic channels to emphasise that this attack was a one-off, not part of a larger project of regime change. It is hard to say what will happen in the next few weeks.

    Iran may retaliate with large strikes against Israel or against US forces in the region. It could also interrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which would affect a large portion of global oil shipments, with profound economic implications.

    Alternatively, Iran could capitulate and take steps to demonstrate it is ending its nuclear program. However, capitulation would not necessarily mean the end of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

    The value of nuclear weapons

    Perhaps a greater concern is that the attack will reinforce Iran’s desire to go nuclear. Without nuclear weapons, Iran was unable to threaten the US enough to deter today’s attack.

    Iran may take lessons from the fate of other states. Ukraine (in)famously surrendered its stockpile of former Soviet nuclear weapons in the early 1990s. Russia has since felt emboldened to annex Crimea in 2014 and launch an ongoing invasion in 2022. Other potential nuclear states, such as Iraq and Gadaffi’s regime in Libya, also suffered from military intervention.

    By contrast, North Korea successfully tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006. Since then there has been no serious consideration of military intervention in North Korea.

    Iran may yet have the ability to produce useful amounts of weapons-grade uranium. It may now aim to buy itself time to assemble a relatively small nuclear device, similar in scale to the bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Depending on what facilities and resources have survive the US strikes, the attack has likely reinforced that the only way the Iranian regime can guarantee its survival is to possess nuclear weapons.

    James Dwyer 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. What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-bunker-buster-an-expert-explains-what-the-us-dropped-on-iran-259508

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: /China in Focus/ The Labubu Hype or China’s Rise as a Global Intellectual Property Power

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HANGZHOU, June 22 (Xinhua) — A pajama factory in east China’s Jiangsu Province was idle for a while but was brought back to life by one plush toy.

    “I didn’t like Labubu at first, but now I find it charming,” said Qiu Zunjun, general manager of Suzhou-based Shuofeng, a consumer goods company, with a smile.

    Labubu took the world by storm with its signature mischievous smile and sharp teeth. Noticing the excitement, Qiu Zunjun saw a gap in the market – clothes for collectors to dress up their plush friends. He bought samples of the toys and fabric, and by the end of May, the factory was churning out clothes for the little rascal.

    “In less than 20 days, we produced more than 80 types of doll clothes, earning about 170,000 yuan (approximately $23,643).” Qiu Zunjun estimates that monthly revenue could reach 1 million yuan if orders continue to increase.

    Cool, cute, with bunny ears, this character from China has inspired people around the world to line up for a chance to own it. It is the latest example of the globalization of Chinese intellectual property (IP), marking China’s transition from being a manufacturing hub to a source of original cultural exports that are breathing life into traditional industries.

    CHINESE IS CONQUERING THE WORLD

    Maraid Vintena of Sydney, Australia, queued for an hour at a Pop Mart Labubu machine in her local area this week. “There are four Pop Mart machines near my house,” she said. “But most of the time they’re empty. I check the site about 10 times a day… I feel like I’m addicted, but it’s fun.”

    “As you get older, life becomes a little mundane. A little joy like Labubu or a blind box is like a breath of fresh air,” Vintena explained her love for the doll.

    Amid growing excitement, clothing brand Uniqlo has announced a collaboration with Pop Mart to release a new collection, The Monsters.

    It is not the only IP from China to gain global recognition. From last year’s hit video game “Black Myth: Wukong,” which attracted 1.04 million concurrent players within an hour of its release, to the blockbuster “Nezha 2,” which has risen to fifth place in the history of the global box office, the success of Chinese IP demonstrates the growing cultural confidence and strength of the country’s industrial system, said Wang Ruotong, a researcher at Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

    Beyond culture, a number of Chinese brands have also made it into the global top tier of IP, from artificial intelligence (AI) to electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

    China maintained its growth momentum in new energy vehicle exports, with pure electric vehicle exports set to exceed 2 million units for the first time in 2024, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    Chinese automaker BYD is building factories in Thailand and Mexico, integrating Chinese aesthetics into car design.

    In the field of AI, China has made comprehensive progress, forming a thriving industrial ecosystem. The country is home to more than 400 “little giants” – small and medium-sized enterprises leading niche segments of the AI market, including innovator DeepSeek.

    The dynamic growth of China’s creative IP is driven by China’s booming domestic cultural consumption and strong industrial manufacturing base. As China moves from mass production to high-tech, intelligent manufacturing, the synthesis of aesthetics and craftsmanship is helping propel the country’s manufacturing industry up the global value chain.

    According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China (NBS), the average per capita expenditure on education, culture and entertainment in China was 3,189 yuan in 2024, up 9.8 percent year on year and accounting for 11.3 percent of total per capita consumption expenditure. The ever-expanding cultural services consumption market is becoming a powerful driver for the development of China’s intellectual property industry.

    REVIVAL OF TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES

    At a market in Yiwu, east China’s Zhejiang Province, shoppers with black bags wander from stall to stall asking, “Are there any clothes for Labubu?” The global buzz around the doll has opened up business opportunities for China’s “global supermarket.”

    Zhu Hui’s shop not only sells shirts, pants, and skirts for Labubu, but also accessories like glasses and hats. “Our clothes are 7-15 yuan each, and accessories are 1-2 yuan,” she said.

    Zhu Hui’s shop opened just half a month ago, but the number of orders is growing rapidly. “At first, we received orders for tens or hundreds of pieces a day, but now we have more than 10,000 pieces.” Her factory has about 50 workers, all of whom have recently had to work overtime.

    Inspired by Labubu, other toy manufacturers are also looking to make their products more appealing.

    Sun Lijuan is the manager of Yiwu Hongsheng Toy Factory, which exports dolls to more than 80 countries and regions in South America, the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe and Africa.

    “Our dolls can talk, sing and tell stories,” she said. They are now implementing AI technologies to create products that meet different consumer needs.

    According to Sun Lijuan, in recent years they have seen the development of new technologies, which have strengthened their business and helped them avoid homogeneous competition. Their factory is 13 years old, but its turnover has been growing steadily in recent years.

    “The main potential of the globalization of IP in the future lies in the continuous development of content and its deep integration with technology,” said Wang Ruotong. “With the maturation of technologies such as AI and virtual reality, IP display will move toward immersive and interactive experiences.”

    “China has a strong manufacturing base,” she continued. “So the current popularity of Labubu has opened up a huge opportunity for the industry. I’m sure there will be many more Labubu in the future.” -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Seminar on Educational Institution Management for SCO Countries Opens in Shenyang

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    SHENYANG, June 22 (Xinhua) — The opening ceremony of a seminar on educational institution management for SCO countries was held in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, on June 20.

    The seminar is organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and Shenyang Normal University (SNU). The event is supported by Liaoning Heshi Ophthalmology Hospital.

    The SCO Educational Institution Management Seminar is a project of China’s overseas aid training program. It aims to enable students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Chinese universities’ research and experience in talent cultivation, integration of industry, universities and scientific research, and digital medical service through training activities.

    Wang Xin, head of the International Relations Department of Shenyang Normal University, said that SHNU has successfully carried out 29 training projects since 2012, involving 756 students from 62 countries such as Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

    “The current seminar will become a platform for exchanges in medical universities. The students will be able not only to gain professional knowledge, but also to strengthen their friendship,” she said.

    The seminar lasts 14 days and is attended by 13 students from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

    Fathulloh Abdullaev from Uzbekistan said that China’s experience in medical education and health care is worth emulating. “This seminar not only created a platform for academic exchanges, but also became a clear evidence of fruitful cooperation between Uzbekistan and China,” he added. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Israel under missile attack, Iran says all options open after US strikes

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Israel faced a missile attack on Sunday as Iran said it reserved all options to defend itself after unprecedented U.S. strikes that President Donald Trump said had “obliterated” its key nuclear facilities.

    Hours after Trump dramatically escalated Middle East tensions by sending B-2 bombers to Iran, the Israeli military warned people to seek cover from a barrage that appeared heavier than the Iranian salvoes fired in the past few days.

    “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas, calling the U.S. strikes a “grave violation” of the U.N. charter, international law and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people,” Araqchi posted on X.

    Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said it would not allow development of its “national industry” to be stopped, and an Iranian state television commentator said every U.S. citizen or military member in the region would be legitimate targets.

    Israel’s ambulance service said at least 16 people were hurt in the morning barrage.

    Air raid sirens sounded across most of the country, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions rang out and missile interceptions were seen above Jerusalem and in other parts of the country.

    It was not immediately clear how many missiles had pierced Israel’s air defence systems, but police confirmed at least three impact sites in residential areas in central and northern Israel.

    Video from Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa further north showed rescue teams combing through debris, apartments reduced to rubble, mangled cars along a street filled with debris and medics evacuating injured people from a row of blown out houses.

    Most airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East after the U.S. strikes, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, with traffic already skirting airspace in the region due to recent missile exchanges.

    TRUMP SAYS IRAN FACES ‘PEACE OR TRAGEDY’

    Trump, in a televised address to the U.S. people, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, called the strikes a “spectacular military success” that had taken out Iran’s three principal nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.

    He warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace.

    After days of deliberation and long before his self-imposed two-week deadline, Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military campaign against its major rival Iran is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his two presidencies and one fraught with risks and unknowns.

    The major escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East risks opening a new era of instability in the Middle East.

    Trump said Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy,” and there were many other targets that could be hit by the U.S. military. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”

    The U.S. contacted Iran diplomatically on Saturday to say the strikes are all the U.S. plans and it does not aim for regime change, CBS News reported.

    Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity show that six “bunker-buster” bombs were dropped on the deep-underground Fordow facility, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites. U.S. B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    Reuters had reported the movement of the B-2 bombers, which can be equipped to carry the massive bombs that experts say would be needed to strike Fordow, which is buried beneath a mountain south of Tehran. Given its fortification, it will likely be days, if not longer, before the impact of the strikes is known.

    An Iranian official, cited by Tasnim news agency, confirmed part of the Fordow site was attacked by “enemy airstrikes.” However, Mohammad Manan Raisi, a lawmaker for Qom, near Fordow, told the semi-official Fars news agency the facility had not been seriously damaged.

    A reporter from Iranian state media IRNA reporter said he had arrived near the Fordow site at 3 a.m. (2330 GMT on Saturday) and saw smoke that “seems to be related to air defences”. He quoted a nearby witness as reporting “six explosions were heard, but they said it wasn’t very loud.”

    DIPLOMATIC FAILURE

    The U.N. nuclear watchdog said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.S. strikes.

    Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran’s state broadcaster, said Iran had evacuated the three sites some time ago.

    “The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots,” he told the channel.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his “bold decision”, saying, “History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapons.”

    Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries. Israel launched its attacks on June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.

    Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies.

    Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities have so far failed. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the U.S. strikes a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.”

    In the U.S., Democratic lawmakers and some from Trump’s Republican Party have argued that he must receive permission from Congress before committing the U.S. military to any combat against Iran.

    At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry.

    In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed and 1,272 people injured, according to local authorities.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ group slams Israeli ‘hoodwinking’ of US over nuclear strikes – Peters calls for talks

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has called on New Zealanders to condemn the US bombing of Iran.

    PSNA co-chair Maher Nazzal said in a statement that he hoped the New Zealand government would be critical of the US for its war escalation.

    “Israel has once again hoodwinked the United States into fighting Israel’s wars,” he said.

    “Israel’s Prime Minister has [been declaring] Iran to be on the point of producing nuclear weapons since the 1990s.

    “It’s all part of his big plan for expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine to create a Greater Israel, and regime change for the entire region.”

    Israel knew that Arab and European countries would “fall in behind these plans” and in many cases actually help implement them.

    “It is a dreadful day for the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s forces will be turned back onto them in Gaza and the West Bank.”

    ‘Dreadful day’ for Middle East
    “It is just as dreadful day for the whole Middle East.

    “Trump has tried to add Iran to the disasters of US foreign policy in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The US simply doesn’t care how many people will die.”

    New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters “acknowledged the development in the past 24 hours”, including President Trump’s announcement of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    He described it as “extremely worrying” military action in the Middle East, and it was critical further escalation was avoided.

    “New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks,” he said.

    “Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”

    The Australian government said in a statement that Canberra had been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme had been a “threat to international peace and security”.

    It also noted that the US President had declared that “now is the time for peace”.

    “The security situation in the region is highly volatile,” said the statement. “We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

    Iran calls attack ‘outrageous’
    However, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the “outrageous” US attacks on Iran’s “peaceful nuclear installations” would have “everlasting consequences”.

    His comments come as an Iranian missile attack on central and northern Israel wounded at least 23 people.

    In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dr Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said the people of Iran feared that Israel’s goals stretched far beyond its stated goal of destroying the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.

    “Many in Iran believe that Israel’s end game, really, is to turn Iran into Libya, into Iraq, what it was after the US invasion in 2003, and/or Afghanistan.

    “And so the dismemberment of Iran is what Netanyahu has in mind, at least as far as Tehran is concerned,” he said.

    US attack ‘more or less guarantees’ Iran will be nuclear-armed within decade

    ‘No evidence’ of Iran ‘threat’
    Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said there had been “absolutely no evidence” that Iran posed a threat.

    “Neither was it existential, nor imminent,” he told Al Jazeera.

    “We have to keep in mind the reality of the situation, which is that two nuclear-equipped countries attacked a non-nuclear weapons state without having gotten attacked first.

    “Israel was not attacked by Iran — it started that war; the United States was not attacked by Iran — it started this confrontation at this point.”

    Dr Parsi added that the attacks on Iran would “send shockwaves” throughout the world.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ group slams Israeli ‘hoodwinking’ of US over nuclear strikes – Peters calls for talks

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has called on New Zealanders to condemn the US bombing of Iran.

    PSNA co-chair Maher Nazzal said in a statement that he hoped the New Zealand government would be critical of the US for its war escalation.

    “Israel has once again hoodwinked the United States into fighting Israel’s wars,” he said.

    “Israel’s Prime Minister has [been declaring] Iran to be on the point of producing nuclear weapons since the 1990s.

    “It’s all part of his big plan for expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine to create a Greater Israel, and regime change for the entire region.”

    Israel knew that Arab and European countries would “fall in behind these plans” and in many cases actually help implement them.

    “It is a dreadful day for the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s forces will be turned back onto them in Gaza and the West Bank.”

    ‘Dreadful day’ for Middle East
    “It is just as dreadful day for the whole Middle East.

    “Trump has tried to add Iran to the disasters of US foreign policy in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The US simply doesn’t care how many people will die.”

    New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters “acknowledged the development in the past 24 hours”, including President Trump’s announcement of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    He described it as “extremely worrying” military action in the Middle East, and it was critical further escalation was avoided.

    “New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks,” he said.

    “Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”

    The Australian government said in a statement that Canberra had been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme had been a “threat to international peace and security”.

    It also noted that the US President had declared that “now is the time for peace”.

    “The security situation in the region is highly volatile,” said the statement. “We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

    Iran calls attack ‘outrageous’
    However, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the “outrageous” US attacks on Iran’s “peaceful nuclear installations” would have “everlasting consequences”.

    His comments come as an Iranian missile attack on central and northern Israel wounded at least 23 people.

    In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dr Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said the people of Iran feared that Israel’s goals stretched far beyond its stated goal of destroying the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.

    “Many in Iran believe that Israel’s end game, really, is to turn Iran into Libya, into Iraq, what it was after the US invasion in 2003, and/or Afghanistan.

    “And so the dismemberment of Iran is what Netanyahu has in mind, at least as far as Tehran is concerned,” he said.

    US attack ‘more or less guarantees’ Iran will be nuclear-armed within decade

    ‘No evidence’ of Iran ‘threat’
    Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said there had been “absolutely no evidence” that Iran posed a threat.

    “Neither was it existential, nor imminent,” he told Al Jazeera.

    “We have to keep in mind the reality of the situation, which is that two nuclear-equipped countries attacked a non-nuclear weapons state without having gotten attacked first.

    “Israel was not attacked by Iran — it started that war; the United States was not attacked by Iran — it started this confrontation at this point.”

    Dr Parsi added that the attacks on Iran would “send shockwaves” throughout the world.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MoS Defence Sanjay Seth to visit Kenya, Madagascar to strengthen defence ties

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, will lead an Indian delegation on a four-day official visit to Kenya and Madagascar from June 23 to 26, aimed at bolstering bilateral defence and diplomatic relations.

    In the first leg of the visit, MoS Sanjay Seth will travel to Kenya for the joint unveiling of a Commemorative Pillar on June 23 at Taita-Taveta County. The war memorial honours the shared sacrifices of Indian and Kenyan soldiers.

    On June 26, the Minister will attend the 65th Independence Day celebrations of Madagascar and the founding anniversary of the Malagasy Armed Forces in Antananarivo.

    India shares strong historical and maritime ties with both Kenya and Madagascar. The visit underscores India’s commitment to deepening defence cooperation and fostering strategic partnerships in the Indian Ocean Region.

    The visit is being undertaken at the invitation of Cabinet Secretary, Kenyan Defence Ministry and Madagascar Minister of Armed Forces.

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: [Blog] WHEN THE TIDE BECOMES THE TEACHER

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    © Charles Zander Deluna

    In Batasan, a small island in Bohol, there’s a classroom that floods at high tide.

    No storm. No warning. Just the tide, arriving like a ghost that knows its way in.

    It seeps through the cracks in the concrete, collects beneath plastic chairs, and wraps itself around the feet of children trying to sound out vowels. The water doesn’t knock. It doesn’t ask for permission. It comes because it always has, and it always will.

    No one panics.
    They’ve seen it before, and they’ll see it again.

    It isn’t treated like a disaster. It’s treated like an item pencilled into the schedule, part of the school day – that’s the real disaster.

    We live in a country where children are expected to learn inside rooms that are slowly being reclaimed by the sea, not during an emergency but during regular class hours. Few people are losing sleep over it, much less people in power. There’s no breaking news, no mobilized task force, no viral outcry. Just another island community adjusting its posture around a reality others would find intolerable.

    What does that tell us?

    It tells us that inequality in the Philippines and in the global context isn’t just about who has money. It’s about whose suffering has been normalized. Whose classrooms are allowed to flood, whose futures are allowed to be interrupted, and whose cries can be met with silence.

    © Charles Zander Deluna

    The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reports that sea levels in the Philippines are rising at a rate of 5.7 to 7.0 millimeters per year, which is approximately double the highest global average rate of 2.8 to 3.6 millimeters per year. The children in Batasan aren’t just surrounded by the sea but have already become a part of it. And yet, our developmental frameworks still prioritize broadband speed and skyscrapers over seawalls and school repairs.

    This is also not about weather anymore. This is about systems and how systems abandon people long before disasters arrive.

    Batasan, like many island barangays, sits in a blind spot. Too small for national coverage, too remote for immediate aid and outrage from the rest of us. The residents have learned not to wait for help. They’ve learned to build lives around the absence of support.

    And some have the gall to call that resilience. But let’s be honest: This isn’t resilience. This is adaptation forced by neglect.

    When a child grows up thinking that a flooded classroom is just part of school life, then those in power haven’t just failed them logistically, but rather, failed them morally and philosophically.

    How do we help Batasan? Or perhaps the question is whether we’ve decided it’s acceptable for us to let Batasan sink quietly. Whether we’re okay with some children sitting in clean, air-conditioned rooms, while others memorize multiplication tables with their ankles dipped in saltwater.

    When a nation learns to tolerate injustice in silence, it teaches the next generation how to disappear quietly, how to vanish with dignity. However, dignity alone isn’t a solution; it’s often just the last thing people cling to before they are forgotten. And that reality should make us angry.

    In the end, the problem goes beyond environmental. It’s rooted in structural decisions like how budgets are allocated, which priorities are upheld, and who is consistently left to survive in the margins while others remain complacent or keep pretending we are all making progress.

    Genuine progress towards climate justice is possible if we are willing to think differently, build differently, and finally, listen. Classrooms do not have to keep flooding, and silence doesn’t have to be the only thing passed onto the next generation.

    Charles Zander Deluna is a student and youth climate activist from Bohol. He is a volunteer for Greenpeace Philippines and has been involved in different climate campaigns and community work. His interest in climate action started after experiencing the impacts of Super Typhoon Odette (Rai), which inspired him to help protect the environment and support vulnerable communities.

    You might want to check out Greenpeace Philippines’ petition called Courage for Climate, a drive in support of real policy and legal solutions in the pursuit of climate justice.

    Courage for Climate

    The climate crisis may seem hopeless, but now is the time for courage, not despair. Join Filipino communities taking bold action for our planet.

    Make an Act of Courage Today!

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • Russian attacks kill one in eastern Ukraine, one in the north

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Russian strikes on Saturday on key towns in Donetsk region on the eastern front of the war in Ukraine killed at least one person while another died in a drone attack in the north near the Russian border, officials said.

    The Russian military said its forces had captured another village in its slow advance westward through Donetsk region. And reports from Kharkiv region in the northeast suggested Russian troops were closing in on the city of Kupiansk.

    Russian forces struck Sloviansk and Kramatorsk – two cities that Moscow will target as its forces press on with their westward drive. Both towns have come under frequent attack since the Russian invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

    Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin said one person died and three were injured in Sloviansk, with pictures posted online showing buildings reduced to rubble. He said four multi-storey dwellings and 32 private homes had suffered damage.

    In Kramatorsk, pictures posted by the city council showed heavy damage to part of an apartment building. Officials said at least one person was trapped under rubble and a number of other residents were injured.

    A mass drone attack on the town of Nizhyn near the Russian border killed one person and damaged local infrastructure.

    The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had seized the village of Zaporizhzhia, southwest of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces have been holding back Russian attacks for months.

    Zaporizhzhia village is distinct from the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional centre and large industrial hub located some 160 km (90 miles) to the southeast.

    The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces on Friday listed the village as one of several where Kyiv’s forces had repelled Russian attacks.

    On Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had captured the village of Moskovka, just outside the city of Kupiansk, also the target of repeated Russian attacks in recent months.

    Both Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers have reported an upswing in fighting around Kupiansk this past week. The town was first occupied by Russian forces in the first weeks of the 2022 invasion, but recaptured by Ukrainian troops later in the year in a lightning counter-offensive.

    (Reuters)

  • US B-2 bombers and bunker-busters used in Iran strike

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were involved in strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites on Saturday.

    Three Iranian nuclear sites were struck in a “very successful attack,” President Donald Trump said on Saturday, adding that the crown jewel of Tehran’s nuclear program, Fordow, is gone.

    The B-2 is one of America’s most advanced strategic weapons platforms, capable of entering sophisticated air defenses and delivering precision strikes against hardened targets such as Iran’s buried network of nuclear research facilities.

    B-2 SPIRIT SPECIFICATIONS:

    The U.S. B-2 costs about $2.1 billion each, making it the most expensive military aircraft ever built. Made by Northrop Grumman (NOC.N), opens new tab, the bomber, with its cutting-edge stealth technology, began its production run in the late 1980s but was curbed by the fall of the Soviet Union. Only 21 were made after the Pentagon’s planned acquisition program was truncated.

    The bomber’s range of over 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 km) without refueling enables global strike capabilities from continental U.S. bases. With aerial refueling, the B-2 can reach virtually any target worldwide, as demonstrated in missions from Missouri to Afghanistan and Libya and now Iran.

    Its payload capacity of more than 40,000 pounds (18,144 kg) allows the aircraft to carry a diverse array of conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber’s internal weapons bays are specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads which could include two GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), a 30,000-pound precision-guided “bunker buster” bomb.

    Reports said six bunker buster bombs were used on Iran’s Fordow research site.

    The B-2’s two-pilot crew configuration reduces personnel requirements while maintaining operational effectiveness through advanced automation systems.

    The B-2’s stealth technology incorporates radar-absorbing materials and angular design features that minimize detection by enemy air defense systems. Its radar cross-section is reportedly comparable to that of a small bird, making it nearly invisible to conventional radar.

    MASSIVE ORDNANCE PENETRATOR (MOP):

    The 30,000-pound MOP represents the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, specifically engineered to defeat hardened underground bunkers. Its massive size requires the B-2 to carry only one or two MOPs per mission, but provides unmatched bunker-penetration capability.

    The weapon’s 20.5-foot (6.25-m) length and GPS-guided precision targeting system enable accurate strikes against specific underground facilities. Its penetration capability of over 200 feet through hardened concrete makes it effective against the world’s most protected underground installations.

    CONVENTIONAL PAYLOADS:

    Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) provide the B-2 with precision conventional strike capability against fixed targets. These GPS-guided weapons can be deployed in large numbers, with the bomber capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets with high accuracy.

    Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) extend the aircraft’s engagement range while maintaining stealth characteristics during approach. These glide bombs allow the B-2 to strike targets from outside heavily defended airspace perimeters.

    Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) offer long-range precision strike capability with their own stealth features. The extended-range JASSM-ER variant provides strike options against targets over 500 miles (805 km) away.

    NUCLEAR PAYLOAD CAPABILITIES:

    The B-2 Spirit serves as a key component of America’s nuclear triad, capable of delivering strategic nuclear weapons with stealth and precision. The aircraft can carry up to 16 B83 nuclear bombs.

    (Reuters)

  • Strikes on Iran mark Trump’s biggest, and riskiest, foreign policy gamble

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    With his unprecedented decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites, directly joining Israel’s air attack on its regional arch-foe, U.S. President Donald Trump has done something he had long vowed to avoid – intervene militarily in a major foreign war.

    The dramatic U.S. strike, including the targeting of Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear installation deep underground, marks the biggest foreign policy gamble of Trump’s two presidencies and one fraught with risks and unknowns.

    Trump, who insisted on Saturday that Iran must now make peace or face further attacks, could provoke Tehran into retaliating by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil artery, attacking U.S. military bases and allies in the Middle East, stepping up its missile barrage on Israel and activating proxy groups against American and Israeli interests worldwide, analysts said.

    Such moves could escalate into a broader, more protracted conflict than Trump had envisioned, evoking echoes of the “forever wars” that America fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, which he had derided as “stupid” and promised never to be dragged into.

    “The Iranians are seriously weakened and degraded in their military capabilities,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Democratic and Republican administrations. “But they have all sorts of asymmetric ways that they can respond… This is not going to end quick.”

    In the lead-up to the bombing that he announced late on Saturday, Trump had vacillated between threats of military action and appeals for renewed negotiation to persuade Iran to reach a deal to dismantle its nuclear program.

    A senior White House official said that once Trump was convinced that Tehran had no interest in reaching a nuclear agreement, he decided the strikes were “the right thing to do.”

    Trump gave the go-ahead once he was assured of a “high probability of success,” the official said – a determination reached after more than a week of Israeli air attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities paved the way for the U.S. to deliver the potentially crowning blow.

    NUCLEAR THREAT REMAINS

    Trump touted the “great success” of the strikes, which he said included the use of massive “bunker-buster bombs” on the main site at Fordow. But some experts suggested that while Iran’s nuclear program may have been set back for many years, the threat may be far from over.

    Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, saying its program is for purely peaceful purposes.

    “In the long term, military action is likely to push Iran to determine nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence and that Washington is not interested in diplomacy,” the Arms Control Association, a non-partisan U.S.-based organization that advocates for arms control legislation, said in a statement.

    “Military strikes alone cannot destroy Iran’s extensive nuclear knowledge. The strikes will set Iran’s program back, but at the cost of strengthening Tehran’s resolve to reconstitute its sensitive nuclear activities,” the group said.

    Eric Lob, assistant professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, said Iran’s next move remains an open question and suggested that among its forms of retaliation could be to hit “soft targets” of the U.S. and Israel inside and outside the region.

    But he also said there was a possibility that Iran could return to the negotiating table – “though they would be doing so in an even weaker position” – or seek a diplomatic off-ramp.

    In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. strikes, however, Iran showed little appetite for concessions.

    Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said it would not allow development of its “national industry” to be stopped, and an Iranian state television commentator said every U.S. citizen or military member in the region would not be legitimate targets.

    Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, posted on X: “Trump indicated this is now the time for peace. It’s unclear and unlikely the Iranians will see it the same way. This is more likely to open a new chapter of the 46-year-old US-Iran war than conclude it.”

    ‘REGIME CHANGE’

    Some analysts suggested that Trump, whose administration has previously disavowed any aim of dislodging the Iranian leadership, could be drawn into seeking “regime change” if Tehran carries out major reprisals or moves to build a nuclear weapon.

    That, in turn, would bring additional risks.

    “Beware mission creep, aiming for regime change and democratization campaigns,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington. “You’ll find the bones of many failed U.S. moral missions buried in Middle East sands.”

    Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. deputy intelligence officer for the Middle East, said Iran’s leadership would quickly engage in “disproportionate attacks” if it felt its survival was imperiled.

    But Tehran will also have to be mindful of the consequences, he said. While actions such as closing the Strait of Hormuz would pose problems for Trump with the resulting higher oil prices and potential U.S. inflationary impact, it would also hurt China, one of Iran’s few powerful allies.

    At the same time, Trump is already facing strong push-back from congressional Democrats against the Iran attack and will also have to contend with opposition from the anti-interventionist wing of his Republican MAGA base.

    Trump, who faced no major international crisis in his first term, is now embroiled in one just six months into his second.

    Even if he hopes U.S. military involvement can be limited in time and scope, the history of such conflicts often carries unintended consequences for American presidents.

    Trump’s slogan of “peace through strength” will certainly be tested as never before, especially with his opening of a new military front after failing to meet his campaign promises to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

    “Trump is back in the war business,” said Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group. “I am not sure anyone in Moscow, Tehran or Beijing ever believed his spiel that he is a peacemaker. It always looked more like a campaign phrase than a strategy.”

    (Reuters)

  • Airlines keep avoiding Middle East airspace after US attack on Iran

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East on Sunday after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, with traffic already skirting airspace in the region due to recent missile exchanges.

    “Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week,” FlightRadar24 said on social media platform X.

    Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. They have chosen other routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if it results in higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times.

    Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic.

    Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said on Sunday that the U.S. attacks on Iran may increase risks to U.S. operators in the region.

    “While there have been no specific threats made against civil aviation, Iran has previously warned it would retaliate by attacking US military interests in the Middle East – either directly or via proxies such as Hezbollah,” Safe Airspace said.

    Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.

    In the days before the U.S. strikes on Iran, American Airlines (AAL.O), suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines (UAL.O), did the same with flights to Dubai.

    Safe Airspace said it was possible airspace risks could now extend to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    “We continue to advise a high degree of caution at this time,” it said.

    Israel’s largest carriers, El Al Israel Airlines (ELAL.TA), Arkia and Israir (ISRG.TA), said on Sunday they were suspending rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice. El Al said it would also extend its cancellation of scheduled flights through June 27.

    Israel’s airports authority said the country’s airspace was closed for all flights, but land crossings with Egypt and Jordan remained open.

    Tens of thousands of Israelis and others who had booked tickets to Israel are stuck abroad.
    At the same time, nearly 40,000 tourists in Israel are looking to leave the country, some of whom are going via Jordan’s borders to Amman and others by boat to Cyprus.

    The tourism ministry is trying to facilitate getting these people out.

    Japan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary.

    New Zealand’s government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.

    It said in a statement that government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday. The plane would take some days to reach the region, it said.

    The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI China: ChinaSat-9C to strengthen satellite broadcasting services

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    The newly launched ChinaSat-9C satellite will further bolster satellite broadcasting services and support the public cultural service system for radio and television, according to China Satcom, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

    China sent the ChinaSat-9C satellite into space on Friday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in its southwestern Sichuan Province, using a Long March-3B carrier rocket. After completing in-orbit testing, the satellite will be handed over to China Satcom for operation and management.

    Experts from China Satcom explained that as a dedicated broadcasting satellite, ChinaSat-9C features significant performance improvements, particularly in regional coverage capabilities.

    “Whether in a nomadic tent on the plateau or a fishing boat’s cabin at sea, a single satellite antenna enables information access across vast distances,” said a China Satcom representative, highlighting how China’s independently developed satellite communication network supports this capability.

    The development of China’s broadcasting satellites traces back to 1984 with the successful launch of Dongfanghong-2, the country’s first geostationary broadcasting satellite that conducted pioneering TV and radio transmission experiments.

    In 2017, China Satcom initiated a comprehensive upgrade program using the enhanced Dongfanghong-4 platform. This modernization effort saw ChinaSat-9B replace ChinaSat-9A in 2021, ChinaSat-6D succeed ChinaSat-6A in 2022, and ChinaSat-6E take over from the imported ChinaSat-6B in 2023. The newly launched ChinaSat-9C will completely replace the imported ChinaSat-9 satellite.

    “Through continuous innovation, we’ve achieved domestic production of critical components including onboard batteries, momentum wheels and power distribution units,” the representative noted.

    China’s domestically-produced broadcasting satellites have reached world-class levels in terms of both performance and service life, the representative added.

    Currently, China Satcom’s satellite fleet supports the transmission of over 200 standard-definition TV channels, nearly 100 high-definition channels, three ultra-high-definition channels and about 400 radio programs.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Dwyer, Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

    The jagged silhouette of a B2 stealth bomber seen during a 2015 flyover in the US. Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

    Late on Saturday night, local time, the United States carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, marking its open participation in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

    The US says it fired 30 submarine-launched missiles at the sites in Natanz and Isfahan, as well as dropping more than a dozen “bunker buster” bombs at Fordow and Natanz.

    The kind of bomb in question is the extremely destructive GBU-57 Massive Ordance Penetrator, or MOP, which weighs around 13.5 tonnes.

    The attacks raise a lot of questions. What are these enormous bombs? Why did the US feel it had to get involved in the conflict? And, going forward, what does it mean for Iran’s nuclear ambitions?

    What are ‘bunker busters’, and why are they used?

    Bunker busters are weapons designed to destroy heavily protected facilities such as bunkers deep underground, beyond the reach of normal bombs.

    Bunker busters are designed to bury themselves into the ground before detonating. This allows more of the explosive force to penetrate into the ground, rather than travelling through the air or across the surface.

    Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan are built deep underground. Estimates suggest that Fordow for example could be 80m beneath the surface, and capped with layers of reinforced concrete and soil.

    What is the MOP?

    The bunker buster used in this particular operation is the largest in the US arsenal. Leaving aside nuclear weapons, the MOP is the largest known buster buster in the world.

    Weighing some 13.5 tonnes, the MOP is believed to be able to penetrate up to 60 metres below ground in the right conditions. It is not known how many the US possesses, but the numbers are thought to be small (perhaps 20 or so in total).

    We also don’t know exactly how many were used in Iran, though some reports say it was 14. However, it is likely to be a significant portion of the US MOP arsenal.

    Why does only the US possess this capability?

    The US is not the only state with bunker-busting weaponry. However, the size of MOP means it requires very specialised bombers to carry and drop it.

    Only the B2 stealth bomber is currently able to deploy the MOP. Each B2 can carry at most two MOPs at a time. Around seven of America’s 19 operational B2s were used in the Iran operation.

    There has been some consideration whether large transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules could be modified to carry and drop the MOP from its rear cargo doors. While this would allow other countries (including Israel) to deploy the MOP, it is for now purely hypothetical.

    Why has the US (apparently) used them in Iran

    The Trump administration claims Iran may be only a few weeks from possessing a nuclear weapon, and that it needed to act now to destroy Iranian nuclear enrichment sites. This claim is notably at odds with published assessments from the US intelligence community.

    However, Israel lacks bunker busting weaponry sufficient to damage the deeply buried and fortified enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

    An F-15E Strike Eagle releases a GBU-28 ‘bunker buster’ laser-guided bomb, a smaller equivalewnt of the 13,600 kg GBU-57 ‘Massive Ordnance Penetrator’ believed to have been used in Iran.
    Michael Ammons / US Air Force

    Only the MOP could do the job (short of using nuclear weapons). Even then, multiple MOPs would have been required to ensure sufficient damage to the underground facilities.

    The US has claimed that these sites have been utterly destroyed. We cannot conclusively say whether this is true.

    Iran may also have other, undeclared nuclear sites elsewhere in the country.

    Iran’s reaction

    The US has reportedly reached out to Iran via diplomatic channels to emphasise that this attack was a one-off, not part of a larger project of regime change. It is hard to say what will happen in the next few weeks.

    Iran may retaliate with large strikes against Israel or against US forces in the region. It could also interrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which would affect a large portion of global oil shipments, with profound economic implications.

    Alternatively, Iran could capitulate and take steps to demonstrate it is ending its nuclear program. However, capitulation would not necessarily mean the end of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

    The value of nuclear weapons

    Perhaps a greater concern is that the attack will reinforce Iran’s desire to go nuclear. Without nuclear weapons, Iran was unable to threaten the US enough to deter today’s attack.

    Iran may take lessons from the fate of other states. Ukraine (in)famously surrendered its stockpile of former Soviet nuclear weapons in the early 1990s. Russia has since felt emboldened to annex Crimea in 2014 and launch an ongoing invasion in 2022. Other potential nuclear states, such as Iraq and Gadaffi’s regime in Libya, also suffered from military intervention.

    By contrast, North Korea successfully tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006. Since then there has been no serious consideration of military intervention in North Korea.

    Iran may yet have the ability to produce useful amounts of weapons-grade uranium. It may now aim to buy itself time to assemble a relatively small nuclear device, similar in scale to the bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Depending on what facilities and resources have survive the US strikes, the attack has likely reinforced that the only way the Iranian regime can guarantee its survival is to possess nuclear weapons.

    James Dwyer 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. What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-bunker-buster-an-expert-explains-what-the-us-dropped-on-iran-259508

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University

    After prevaricating about whether the United States would enter Israel’s war on Iran, President Donald Trump finally made a decision.

    Early Sunday, US warplanes struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, where the Iranians have a uranium enrichment plant buried about 80 metres beneath a mountain.

    These strikes have to be viewed as part of an overall continuum that began with the Gaza war following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and then continued with Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah (the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon) and the fall of the Iran-backed Assad regime in Syria.

    Iran has never been weaker than it is now. And when Trump said it may take two weeks for him to decide whether to bomb Iran, the Israelis likely pushed him to act sooner.

    We can assume there was a lot of Israeli pressure on Trump to use the massive ordnance penetrators, the 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) “bunker buster” bombs that only the US can deploy with its B2 bombers.

    Now that Trump has taken the significant step of entering the US in yet another Middle East war, where could things go from here? There are a few possible scenarios.

    Iran strikes back

    The Iranians know they don’t have the strength to take on the US, and that the Americans can do enormous damage to their country and even put the Iranian regime’s stability at risk.

    This is always the prime consideration of of the clerical regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – everything else is subordinate to that.

    To gauge Iran’s possible reaction, we can look at the how it responded to the first Trump administration’s assassination of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.

    Iran said there would be a major reaction, but all it did was launch a barrage of missiles at two American bases in Iraq, which caused no US fatalities and very little damage. After that token retaliation, Iran said the matter was closed.

    Iran’s reaction to the new US strikes will likely be along these lines. It probably won’t want to get into a tit-for-tat with the US by launching attacks against American facilities in the region. Trump has promised to respond with force:

    Iran, a bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

    It’s also unclear how long Iran will be able to prosecute this war. This depends largely on how many ballistic missiles and launchers it has left.

    There are various estimates as to how many ballistic missiles Iran may have remaining in its stockpiles. It was believed to have about 2,000 missiles capable of reaching Israel at the start of the war. Some estimates say Iran has fired 700 of them; others say around 400. Whatever the number is, its stockpiles are dwindling quickly.

    Israel has also destroyed about a third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. If Israel is able to destroy all of them, Iran would have very limited ability to fight back.

    Iran backs down

    Before the US got involved in the conflict, Iran said it was prepared to negotiate, but it wouldn’t do so while Israel was still attacking.

    So, one scenario is that some sort of compromise can now be worked out, in which Israel announces a ceasefire and Iran and the US agree to resume negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

    The big problem is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he doesn’t trust the negotiating process and he doesn’t want to stop Israel’s military actions until all of Iran’s nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed. He’s also been bombing Iran’s oil terminals and gas facilities to put even more pressure on the regime.

    But the regime has shown itself to be incredibly determined not to lose face. It was under great pressure at different times during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and never considered surrendering until a US missile mistakenly took down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people.

    Iran then agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire. But the Iran-Iraq war lasted eight years, causing an estimated one million deaths. And when the then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, agreed to the ceasefire, he said it was “worse than drinking poison”.

    Given the state of Iran’s military capabilities, Khamenei, the current supreme leader, might surrender simply to try to preserve the regime. But this would be quite a climbdown as far as he’s concerned, and he has been very obstinate in the past.

    The regime is very unpopular, but the Iranian people, in my experience, are strongly patriotic – loyal to their country, if not the regime. Though it’s difficult to gauge opinion in a country of 90 million people, a lot of Iranians would not want to be ordered to do anything by the US or Israel, and would rather fight on.

    Netanyahu has said he wants to create the conditions for the Iranian people to rise up against the regime.

    But it’s worth bearing in mind that the opposite of autocracy is not necessarily democracy. It could possibly be chaos. Iran has a number of different ethnic groups and there may be huge disagreements over what should take the place of the clerical regime, were it to fall.

    At this stage, the regime will probably be able to hold together. And even if Khameini were to die suddenly, the regime will likely be able to quickly replace him.

    Though we don’t know his probable successor, the regime has had plenty of time to plan for this. Those in senior positions will also know that a post-Khamenei succession struggle really would put the regime at risk.

    The US engagement is limited

    According to the new polling by The Economist and YouGov, released on June 17, 60% of Americans were opposed to joining the conflict between Israel and Iran, with just 16% in favour. Among Republicans, 53% opposed military action.

    So, these strikes were not an obviously popular move among Americans at this stage. However, if this is an isolated event and succeeds in bringing a swift end to the war, Trump will probably be applauded by a majority of Americans.

    If the US has to go back with more bombers – or there are serious attacks on US interests in the region – there could be more adverse reactions among Americans.

    Another question is whether Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium have been destroyed in the US attack.

    If it hasn’t been destroyed, and depending how much damage has been done to its centrifuges, Iran may be able to reconstruct its nuclear program relatively quickly. And it could have more incentive to further enrich this uranium to 90% purity, or weapons-grade level, to build a nuclear device.

    Ian Parmeter 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. The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next – https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-entered-the-israel-iran-war-here-are-3-scenarios-for-what-might-happen-next-259509

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: BYD Announces Delivery of Its Fifth BYD Ro-Ro “Xi’an”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    SHENZHEN, June 22 (Xinhua) — Leading Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD announced Saturday the official handover of its fifth BYD “Xi’an” ro-ro in Yizheng City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, marking a major advancement in the development of the company’s global sales and supply chain system.

    The 219.9-metre-long, 37.7-metre-wide BYD ro-ro Xi’an has 16 car decks, a top speed of 19 knots and can accommodate 9,200 cars, according to BYD, based in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong Province.

    The vessel uses advanced dual-fuel propulsion technology using liquefied natural gas (LNG), which significantly improves the vessel’s energy efficiency and reduces harmful emissions.

    BYD has previously launched four ro-ro carriers transporting Chinese new energy vehicles to global markets.

    The use of these ro-ro vehicles has significantly improved the efficiency of the company’s overseas deliveries, reduced logistics costs and transport cycles, and accelerated the implementation of BYD’s global expansion strategy, the company said in a statement. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Lu Ban’s Workshop Officially Opens at MTUCI

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    TIANJIN, June 22 (Xinhua) — The Lu Ban Workshop was officially opened at the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI) recently.

    This workshop was created through joint efforts of MTUCI and Tianjin Vocational College of Electronics and Information Science and will become an important bridge for Chinese-Russian cooperation in the field of digital technologies.

    The workshop has more than 800 square meters of modern training space. Chinese communications enterprises actively participate in training at Lu Ban Workshop and, together with the Russian side, train specialists in 5G technologies.

    The workshop is named after the ancient Chinese carpenter and builder Lu Ban, who is a representative of the Chinese architectural tradition. Lu Ban Workshop is a world-famous brand of professional education promoted and implemented by China. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The ASEAN Express train departed from Duisburg, Germany, on its return journey

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Duisburg, Germany, June 22 (Xinhua) — The ASEAN Express freight train departed from Duisburg, Germany, on Saturday.

    The train, loaded with maternity and childcare products, cosmetics and medical supplies, is expected to arrive in ASEAN countries in 19 days, passing through the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing.

    “ASEAN Express” has provided a “seamless connection” between two major international trade routes – the new international land-sea trade corridor and the China-Europe freight rail route. It has also significantly improved transportation efficiency compared with traditional sea routes.

    Li Yan, deputy director of Chongqing Port and Logistics Bureau, said that the ASEAN Express, an extension of the China-Europe freight rail service, has the potential to become an efficient, green and stable economic and trade corridor connecting the two continents.

    Following the departure ceremony of the ASEAN Express train, a promotional event was held, during which representatives of Chinese and German enterprises exchanged views on corridor cooperation and supporting services. Several cooperation agreements were signed. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: How Radiation Helps Fight Insect Pests

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency –

    Sterile insect method – is an approach that uses ionizing radiation to sterilize large numbers of laboratory-reared insects, which are then released into pest-infested areas to mate with wild populations of the same species. Since these sterilized insects are unable to produce offspring, the pest population eventually declines.

    When using MSN for many insect species, breeding of both sterile males and females is allowed. However, in most cases, breeding of males is more effective, including economically. There are several main reasons for this.

    First, sterile males are much more effective at preventing reproduction in wild insects, as they actively seek out wild females for mating and can mate with multiple females. Therefore, breeding and releasing only males into the wild speeds up the process of introducing sterility – sterile males mate only with wild females, without being distracted by sterile females. Moreover, in the unlikely event of a failure in the sterilization process, using only males eliminates the risk of fertile females being released into the environment.

    Secondly, when breeding only male insects, the costs of transporting and releasing sterile individuals are reduced by half compared to breeding both males and females.

    Thirdly, it is much safer, since in some cases releasing female insects can have negative consequences and be more dangerous. For example, only females mosquitoes They bite people in search of blood as a source of protein and can spread deadly diseases.

    MSN is one of the safest and most environmentally friendly methods of insect birth control, which protects the environment by reducing the use of insecticidesIn addition, since sterile insects cannot reproduce on their own, problems caused by insect pests are solved in the long term without the risk of introducing new species into the ecosystem.

    Since the 1950s, SIT has been used successfully to control certain insect species that affect human and livestock health, such as the tsetse fly and disease-carrying mosquitoes, and to control insect pests that destroy crops and affect trade, such as fruit flies and butterflies.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Director General briefed the Council on developments in Iran, Syria, Ukraine and other countries

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency –

    The Council was presented with the IAEA Annual Report and Technical Cooperation Report for 2024, which reflect the Agency’s work in the fields of science, international cooperation and innovation.

    In his speech, Mr. Grossi outlined the IAEA’s flagship initiatives:“Rays of Hope: Cancer Treatment for All“,Atoms4foodAnd“NUTEK plastics”.

    The 2025 Spotlight Forum will be held in Ethiopia in late June, providing an opportunity to take stock of the work done over the past three years, strengthen collaboration mechanisms, and continue to mobilize resources. Spotlight aims to increase access to affordable cancer care where it is needed most, supporting countries to deliver life-saving radiotherapy and build the capacity of radiation medicine professionals. More than 90 countries have applied for support from the initiative.

    The IAEA will also continue to work with partners through Atoms4Food, its joint initiative with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to fight hunger worldwide, Mr Grossi said. Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, which is one element of this initiative, promotes the use of nuclear technologies to strengthen global food security and sustainable agricultural development.

    Speaking about NUTEC Plastics, the IAEA initiative to combat plastic pollution, Mr Grossi said: “At the UN Ocean Conference this week, we are demonstrating what we are doing concretely to combat plastic pollution using new technologies.”

    IAEA uses opportunities nuclear technologies, which involve using radiation to improve waste recycling methods and create bioplastics, which are a sustainable alternative to conventional oil-based plastics.

    With support from the NUTEC Plastics Initiative, 104 Member States are now using nuclear technology to monitor microplastics and 52 are collaborating with the IAEA on their recycling.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: What are small modular reactors (SMRs)?

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency –

    Many of the advantages of SMRs are related to their design: they are small and modular. Given their small footprint, SMRs can be placed in locations that are not suitable for larger nuclear power plants. Prefabricated SMR units can be manufactured in advance and then shipped and installed on site, making them more affordable to build than large reactors, which are often designed specifically for a specific site, sometimes leading to construction delays. SMRs can save on construction costs and time, and they can be deployed gradually to meet growing energy demand.

    One of the barriers to expanding energy access is infrastructure – limited grid coverage in rural areas – and the cost of connecting to the grid to electrify these areas. No single power plant should account for more than 10% of the total installed capacity of the grid. In areas where there is insufficient transmission and grid capacity, SMRs can be connected to the existing grid or operate off-grid due to their smaller capacity, generating low-carbon power for industry and households. This is especially true for microreactors, a type of SMR designed to generate electricity, typically up to 10 MW(e). Microreactors have a smaller footprint than other SMRs and are better suited for areas where clean, reliable, and affordable energy is not available. Microreactors can also serve as a backup power source in emergency situations or be used to replace diesel-powered power generators, such as in rural areas or remote industries.

    Compared to existing reactors, proposed SMR designs are generally simpler, and the safety concept for SMRs often relies more heavily on passive systems and the inherent safety characteristics of these reactors, such as low power and low operating pressure. This means that no human intervention or external energy or force is required to shut down the systems, as passive systems rely on physical phenomena such as natural circulation, convection, gravity, and pressurization. This in some cases eliminates or significantly reduces the likelihood of hazardous radioactive releases to the environment and public exposure to them in the event of an accident.

    SMRs have reduced fuel requirements. SMR-based power plants can be refuelled less frequently: every 3-7 years, while traditional plants require it every 1-2 years. Some SMRs are designed in such a way that they can operate without refuelling for up to 30 years.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: How could nuclear technology revolutionise plastic recycling?

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency –

    How could nuclear technology revolutionise plastic recycling?

    Today, plastic is used to make everything from water bottles and medical devices to building materials and clothing. The material is an integral part of our daily lives. However, only about 9 percent plastic, and 91 percent ends up in landfills and pollutes the seas, oceans, soil and even the air we breathe.

    Last year alone, the world was formed 400 million tons plastic waste. Many plastic items are not designed to be reused or recycled, and some can only be recycled once or twice. In addition, plastic does not decompose naturally. Instead, discarded plastic breaks down into tiny fragments called microplastics, which can be toxic to humans and the environment.

    One innovative solution to this problem is based on advances in nuclear science. The IAEA is using nuclear technology to understand and address plastic pollution and the crisis it is causing. Through the initiative “NUTEK plastics”, which was launched in 2021, the Agency helps countries study microplastics already in the marine environment and use nuclear techniques to improve recycling technologies, ultimately reducing the amount of plastic waste ending up in the ocean.

    In honor of World Environment Day, we interviewed Selina Horak, an IAEA expert on the use of radiation to recycle plastic.

    How can we use nuclear science to prevent the negative impacts of plastic waste on our oceans and our lives?

    Nuclear science offers the opportunity to find innovative solutions to the problem of plastic pollution throughout its entire life cycle. To tackle this problem, we need to understand its root causes. According to research, about 80 percent of plastic in the sea comes from land (the remaining 20 percent comes from ocean sources such as fishing nets, etc.), so measures taken on land are especially important.

    The IAEA applies cutting-edge technology in two ways: first, we use radiation to create bioplastics, a sustainable alternative to conventional oil-based plastics. In simple terms, we are working to develop new materials that are both biodegradable and easily recyclable. This approach can not only reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but also support a circular economy by turning organic waste into a valuable resource.

    Second, we use radiation technologies to create more durable, strong, and valuable products from plastic waste. For example, radiation technologies can improve the properties of concrete by partially replacing cement with recycled plastic. Nuclear methods can more effectively sort and separate polymers in mixed plastic waste streams. In addition, we are exploring the use of pyrolysis to transform plastics under the influence of radiation into different types of plastic material, fuels, and other valuable chemical additives.

    Will new products made from irradiated plastic be dangerous?

    Not at all — quite the opposite. Radiation is considered a form of “green chemistry” because it does not require toxic chemicals or extreme conditions like heat or pressure. When we use radiation to create new types of biopolymer-based plastics or recycle plastic waste, it is a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly process.

    The radiation itself does not make the material radioactive. As with dental X-rays, the radiation passes through tissues but does not remain in the body. The same principle applies here: after processing, the materials do not become radioactive and are absolutely safe to use.

    You mentioned using nuclear technology to improve plastic recycling methods. Is this work already underway?

    Of the 52 countries collaborating with the IAEA on the NUTEC Plastics initiative to recycle plastics, nine have already opened their first plants – and are turning promising ideas into reality. These countries are rapidly advancing through the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) – an internationally recognised nine-step system that tracks the maturity of technologies from conceptual design to commercial deployment.

    We are already getting impressive, tangible results.

    Indonesia and the Philippines are developing wood-plastic composites for sustainable construction. In Malaysia, plastic waste is being turned into fuel. In Argentina, durable railroad ties made from recycled plastic are showing promise in early testing.

    These pilot projects are not just experiments, but proof of progress. We expect that some of these technologies will reach the final level of technological readiness and we will begin preparing for their full-scale implementation as early as next year.

    Why did you, as a scientist, decide to study this particular issue?

    I have always believed that science should be a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change. This belief has led me to focus on plastic recycling and finding alternatives to petroleum-based materials – areas where the environmental challenges we face today can be directly addressed through innovation.

    With over 30 years of experience working in the field of ionizing radiation, I have seen first-hand the untapped potential of ionizing radiation to transform waste into valuable resources. This work is more than just research: it is an effort to create a circular economy that will preserve ecosystems, reduce humanity’s carbon footprint, protect nature, and improve the sustainability of our planet – for future generations.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Update 296 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

    Nuclear safety remains precarious at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and its six reactors cannot be restarted as long as the military conflict continues to jeopardize the situation at the site, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told IAEA Member States this week.

    Addressing the regular June meeting of the Board of Governors, the Director General briefed them about his 12th mission to Ukraine during the current conflict, which took place in early June, followed by a visit to Russia, which also focused on nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP.

    Addressing the Board meeting, he highlighted “the extremely vulnerable” status of the off-site power supply at the site, which for more than a month now has relied on one single power line for the electricity it needs to cool its reactors and spent fuel. Before the conflict, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) had access to ten power lines.

    In addition, Director General Grossi noted that the ZNPP reactors’ “reliance on groundwater for cooling remains an interim solution, whilst in their cold shutdown state”.  The plant has depended on 11 groundwater wells since the downstream Kakhovka dam was destroyed two years ago.

    In their meeting in Kyiv on 3 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “made a point to recognize the importance of the IAEA’s permanent presence” at the ZNPP, the Director General told the Board, adding he had assured President Zelenskyy of the IAEA’s continued commitment to Ukraine’s nuclear safety and to helping it rebuild its energy infrastructure.

    The Director General added: “As the military conflict moves further into its fourth year, Ukraine needs support, and the IAEA is providing it … it is also crucial to prepare for the reconstruction phase.”

    At the ZNPP, the IAEA team based there has held several meetings with the ZNPP to discuss the site’s electrical system and also visited its 750 kilovolt (kV) switchyard.

    Apart from the sole remaining 330 kV back-up line that was disconnected due to military activities on 7 May, the site does not know the current condition of its five other 330 kV lines, which remain unavailable after they were damaged outside of the ZNPP area early in the conflict.

    The ZNPP said maintenance work was conducted at one of the four 750 kV power lines that was originally connected to the ZNPP before being damaged in 2022. Since the conflict, the ZNPP had lost access to three of its 750 kV lines.

    In addition, the ZNPP informed the IAEA about a planned project to pump water into the cooling pond from the Dnipro River in order to maintain a water level that is sufficient to cool one operating reactor initially, followed by a second unit, until the pond reaches its full capacity. According to the site, a pumping station will be constructed to supply water directly to the cooling pond until the plant can rebuild the Kakhovka dam.

    The exact location of the pumping station cannot yet be determined, as it depends on the security conditions, the ZNPP said, adding the project would only start once military activities cease.

    Separately this week, the IAEA team was informed that that the Russian regulator, Rostekhnadzor, over the next two weeks will perform pre-licensing inspection activities at ZNPP reactor units 1 and 2, whose current operational licences issued by Ukraine are due to expire in December this year and in February 2026, respectively. The IAEA team has requested to observe these activities and will seek additional information regarding items such as the scope of these undertakings and any criteria for assessing nuclear safety.

    Over the past several weeks, the IAEA team has also been monitoring a leak in one reactor unit’s essential service water system which delivers cooling water to the safety systems. The leak – which can occur in NPPs without any significant safety consequences – was discovered during maintenance and the team was informed that it was caused by corrosion. It has since been repaired.

    The IAEA team reported hearing military activities on most days over the past weeks, at varying distances away from the ZNPP including last week’s purported drone attack on the site’s training centre.

    The Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and the South Ukraine NPPs are continuing to operate amid the problems caused by the conflict. Three of their nine operating reactor units are still undergoing planned outages for refuelling and maintenance. The IAEA teams at these plants and the Chornobyl sites have continued to report on – and be informed about – nearby military activities, including drones observed flying nearby. Last Monday, the IAEA teams at Khmelnytskyy and Rivne were required to shelter.

    Over the past two weeks, the IAEA teams based at these four sites have all rotated.

    As part of the IAEA’s assistance programme to support nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, the Chornobyl site received essential items to improve staff living conditions and the National Scientific Centre Institute of Metrology received personal radiation detectors.

    These deliveries were funded by Austria, Belgium, France and Norway and brought the total number of IAEA-coordinated deliveries since the start of the armed conflict to 140.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: United Nations Security Council Update

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

    IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi

    (As prepared for delivery)

    I thank the President of the Security Council for allowing me the opportunity to update you on the IAEA’s activities concerning nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine. I also thank the Council for their continuing support of the IAEA’s efforts.

    It has been more than two years since the war began, the first ever to be fought amid the facilities of a major nuclear power programme.

    The IAEA has been monitoring the situation closely and assisting Ukraine every day since the start of the war. IAEA staff are continuously present, monitoring the situation at all five of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, including at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, which remains under Russian operational control.

    Today my statement will focus on the recent grave violations of the five concrete principles that I first established in this very chamber on 30 May. These five concrete principles are there to prevent a nuclear accident and to maintain the integrity of the Zaporizhzhya NPP.  Let me remind them what they are:  

    1. There should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant, in particular targeting the reactors, spent fuel storage, other critical infrastructure, or personnel;
    2. ZNPP should not be used as storage or a base for heavy weapons (i.e. multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks) or military personnel that could be used for an attack from the plant;
    3. Off-site power to the plant should not be put at risk. To that effect, all efforts should be made to ensure off-site power remains available and secure at all times;
    4. All structures, systems and components essential to the safe and secure operation of ZNPP should be protected from attacks or acts of sabotage;
    5. No action should be taken that undermines these principles.

    On 30 May last year I said here that observing these principles was essential to avoid the danger of a catastrophic nuclear incident and that I had respectfully and solemnly asked both sides to commit to them.

    At our meeting last May distinguished Members of the Security Council and Ukraine clearly supported those principles.

    Nevertheless, Madame President, over the past ten days, the first of these principles has been violated repeatedly in what marks a step-change increase in risk to nuclear safety and security at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

    On Sunday, 7 April, the International Support and Assistance Mission to ZNPP (ISAMZ) confirmed the first attacks since November 2022 to directly target ZNPP.

    The ISAMZ team was able to inspect the location of one direct strike at the apex of the containment dome of the Unit 6 reactor building.  Whilst the damage to the structure is superficial, the attack sets a very dangerous precedent of the successful targeting of the reactor containment. 

    The other two attacks were in close proximity to the main reactor buildings and resulted in at least one casualty.

    Agency experts at the site have been informed by ZNPP of a drone strike against the site’s oxygen and nitrogen production facility; two attacks on the training centre located just outside the site perimeter and reports of a drone shot down above the turbine hall of Unit 6. 

    These reckless attacks must cease immediately. Though, fortunately,  they have not led to a radiological incident this time, they significantly increase the risk at Zaporizhzhya NPP, where nuclear safety is already compromised.

    I am not only concerned about the attacks themselves, but also the context in which they have occurred. For several months before these direct attacks there had already been an increase in isolated drone incursions in the vicinity of the facility and in the nearby town of Energodar.

    In other areas of nuclear safety degradation, the plant is currently relying on just two lines of external power. There have been at least four occasions in the past year when the plant has had only one line of external power supply, with the precarity lasting for periods of up to four months.

    Let me put it plainly. Two years of war are weighing heavily on nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Every one of the IAEA’s 7 pillars of nuclear safety and security have been compromised.  We cannot sit by and watch as the final weight tips the finely balanced scale.   

    Even though the plant’s six reactors are now in cold shutdown, with the final unit shifting into that status two days ago following the IAEA’s recommendation, the potential dangers of a major nuclear accident remain very real.

    The Agency will continue closely to follow the operational status of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and provide technically viable alternatives in a context of rapid changes and challenges.

    Our work at this facility remains essential. This has been recognized by all, irrespective of their side in this conflict. But to be effective, the IAEA teams need timely access to assess the condition of the plant and evaluate the cumulative impact that more than 26 months in a war zone have had on nuclear safety.

    Madame President,

    We are getting dangerously close to a nuclear accident. We must not allow complacency to let a roll of the dice decide what happens tomorrow. We must do everything in our power today to minimize the risk of an accident.

    The five principles established in this very chamber one year ago must be adhered to. They are there to prevent a major nuclear accident with potentially significant radiological consequences.

    The latest attacks represent a flagrant violation of these crucial principles and must stop.

    I am asking this Council for its steadfast support for the five principles and the IAEA’s seven pillars of nuclear safety and security which they help to underpin. And I am asking for your continued support of the IAEA’s role monitoring the situation, in the service of the international community.  

    Despite huge challenges, the IAEA has kept open the indispensable lines of communication and will continue doing so. The support of your nations and of the Council as a whole is a necessity.

    I thank the Council for inviting me today, thereby demonstrating your continuing commitment to this critical issue.

    The IAEA and myself remain at your disposal to assist this body in its mission to preserve international peace and security.

    Thank you, Madame President.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Associate Professor and Director of Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project, Associate Graduate Faculty, Rutgers University

    Thousands of sculpted heads – captive African men, women, and children – meticulously created by the artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, emerge from the soil at the Nkyinkyim Museum, as a sacred gathering of ancestors. Together, they form a powerful monument to the horror, violence, and resistance to enslavement, as well as the ongoing work of remembrance and healing.

    Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist who engages with the histories and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism at home and, increasingly, internationally, on both sides of the Atlantic.

    As an archaeologist who works in the field of critical heritage studies, Akoto-Bamfo’s work is important for its powerful engagement with memory, material culture and restorative justice. I feature it in a chapter of a new book that I co-edited called Architectures of Slavery: Ruins and Reconstructions.

    Who is Kwame Akoto-Bamfo?

    Akoto-Bamfo studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He obtained his bachelor’s and master of fine arts degrees, both in sculpture. After graduating, the artist worked as a school teacher and a university lecturer.

    In 2015, Akoto-Bamfo rose to international fame through a series of large-scale installations. He called it ‘Nkyinkyim’ (“twisting” in the Ghanaian Twi language, as in the proverb, “Life’s journey is twisted”).



    Read more:
    Book review: how Africa was central to the making of the modern world

    Four years later, he established the ‘Nkyinkyim Museum’, a non-profit organisation known as the ‘Ancestor Project’. This open-air museum is located in Nuhalenya-Ada, a two-hour drive from Accra. It has become a space for people of African descent to engage in restorative healing through art and education.

    Nkyinkyim Museum

    At the site’s entrance, three twenty-five-foot monuments are displayed. They are made of stone, concrete and wood. The first is inspired by North and Eastern Africa, and the second by Sudano-Sahelian architecture. The third is inspired by the Forest regions in Central and West Africa.

    The collection includes multiple installations in collaboration with the local community. They illustrate “the diversity in our narratives surrounding history, philosophy, and religious beliefs”. The artist himself, demonstrates a mastery of multimedia art forms, working in cement, terracotta, brass, copper, and wood, noting “one can reach different heights with different technologies.”

    Today, the museum features a sacred healing space with a compelling display of thousands of unique concrete life size heads and 7,000 terracotta miniature sculpted heads. They include captive Africans abducted, sold and forcibly trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade.

    His sculptures capture captives’ shock, horror, anger, distress and fear—emotions. This is communicated through their facial expressions in an installation that is disturbingly evocative and profoundly haunting. It is inspired by ‘nsodie’, an Akan funerary sculpture tradition, that dates back to approximately the twelfth century. Akoto-Bamfo explains during our conversations relating to the research for book:

    I wanted to draw upon Akan belief in commemoration and remembrance after death in order to honour the young, old, men and women, who originated from various ethnic groups and who died in the Atlantic Ocean during the Middle Passage and did not get that chance.

    Each year, the annual ‘Ancestor Veneration’ ceremony takes place under the guidance of chiefs, priests, and priestess from various ethnic groups.

    Visitors are invited to participate in certain Akan rites and ceremonies – free from photography and selfies that undermine or commercialise sacred funerary art practices. Says Akoto-Bamfo:

    I am Akan, so initially I began with Akan traditional rites, but now our ceremonies welcome other African ethnic groups including the Ga-Dangme, Ewe, and Yoruba, from Ghana and Nigeria, as well as African descendant people in the African diaspora.

    In contrast, the ‘Freedom Parade Festival’ allows participants to creatively express and contribute to an evolving heritage tradition, without the specified observances. For example, painted bodily adornment applied directly onto the skin, yet without the necessary spiritual rites.

    A protest monument

    Akoto-Bamfo’s sculptures have also gained recognition beyond Ghana’s borders. For instance, the permanent installation at the Legacy Museum and National Museum for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama in the US.

    More recently, in 2021, his Blank Slate Project Monument toured throughout the United States. This included stops at Times Square in New York and the King Center in Atlanta. It depicts an enslaved ancestor, bent forward with his hands behind his back, head turned sideways, face on the ground, with a booted foot on his head.

    Akoto-Bamfo describes this work as “a noisy one — a protest piece that speaks against racist Civil War monuments.” The work was completed prior to the police killing of George Floyd that led to widespread protests in the US in 2020. It was first unveiled in a private viewing in Ghana, prior to its shipment to the United States.

    He says:

    We had a lot of discussions among those involved in the project: some feared it might incite violence, others said that it was a prediction.

    The work is interactive. It holds a removable placard that invites viewers to inscribe their reactions to the statue, which are then exhibited. Akoto-Bamfo emphasises:

    I wanted ordinary people, both individuals and communities, to relate, and to contribute to, not only towards my artwork but also to the wider ongoing discussions. As an artist, I believe that I do not have the sole right to speak. I wanted ordinary Americans to add their voices because I am already contributing.

    In Europe too, his work is featured at the 169 Museum in Germany.

    In Ghana, Akoto-Bamfo’s work was initially seen as too controversial. The artist shares:

    At first, I had to be extremely resilient because my work was concerned with the slave trade, slavery, colonialism, racism, and human rights. I embraced uncomfortable dialogue. Yet these were difficult topics for galleries and the art world at that time in Ghana.

    He adds:

    Today, however, some even view me as a spiritual leader… but I have always had an innate antipathy towards injustice. My work is not only about the past but what is unfolding now.

    Akoto-Bamfo offers a closing reflection on why this kind of memory work matters:

    I just want to use the little knowledge that I have to contribute towards the work of restorative and transformative justice.

    Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann 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. Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing – https://theconversation.com/kwame-akoto-bamfo-the-ghanaian-artist-using-work-about-slavery-to-find-justice-and-healing-259184

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Associate Professor and Director of Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project, Associate Graduate Faculty, Rutgers University

    Thousands of sculpted heads – captive African men, women, and children – meticulously created by the artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, emerge from the soil at the Nkyinkyim Museum, as a sacred gathering of ancestors. Together, they form a powerful monument to the horror, violence, and resistance to enslavement, as well as the ongoing work of remembrance and healing.

    Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist who engages with the histories and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism at home and, increasingly, internationally, on both sides of the Atlantic.

    As an archaeologist who works in the field of critical heritage studies, Akoto-Bamfo’s work is important for its powerful engagement with memory, material culture and restorative justice. I feature it in a chapter of a new book that I co-edited called Architectures of Slavery: Ruins and Reconstructions.

    Who is Kwame Akoto-Bamfo?

    Akoto-Bamfo studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He obtained his bachelor’s and master of fine arts degrees, both in sculpture. After graduating, the artist worked as a school teacher and a university lecturer.

    In 2015, Akoto-Bamfo rose to international fame through a series of large-scale installations. He called it ‘Nkyinkyim’ (“twisting” in the Ghanaian Twi language, as in the proverb, “Life’s journey is twisted”).



    Read more:
    Book review: how Africa was central to the making of the modern world

    Four years later, he established the ‘Nkyinkyim Museum’, a non-profit organisation known as the ‘Ancestor Project’. This open-air museum is located in Nuhalenya-Ada, a two-hour drive from Accra. It has become a space for people of African descent to engage in restorative healing through art and education.

    Nkyinkyim Museum

    At the site’s entrance, three twenty-five-foot monuments are displayed. They are made of stone, concrete and wood. The first is inspired by North and Eastern Africa, and the second by Sudano-Sahelian architecture. The third is inspired by the Forest regions in Central and West Africa.

    The collection includes multiple installations in collaboration with the local community. They illustrate “the diversity in our narratives surrounding history, philosophy, and religious beliefs”. The artist himself, demonstrates a mastery of multimedia art forms, working in cement, terracotta, brass, copper, and wood, noting “one can reach different heights with different technologies.”

    Today, the museum features a sacred healing space with a compelling display of thousands of unique concrete life size heads and 7,000 terracotta miniature sculpted heads. They include captive Africans abducted, sold and forcibly trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade.

    His sculptures capture captives’ shock, horror, anger, distress and fear—emotions. This is communicated through their facial expressions in an installation that is disturbingly evocative and profoundly haunting. It is inspired by ‘nsodie’, an Akan funerary sculpture tradition, that dates back to approximately the twelfth century. Akoto-Bamfo explains during our conversations relating to the research for book:

    I wanted to draw upon Akan belief in commemoration and remembrance after death in order to honour the young, old, men and women, who originated from various ethnic groups and who died in the Atlantic Ocean during the Middle Passage and did not get that chance.

    Each year, the annual ‘Ancestor Veneration’ ceremony takes place under the guidance of chiefs, priests, and priestess from various ethnic groups.

    Visitors are invited to participate in certain Akan rites and ceremonies – free from photography and selfies that undermine or commercialise sacred funerary art practices. Says Akoto-Bamfo:

    I am Akan, so initially I began with Akan traditional rites, but now our ceremonies welcome other African ethnic groups including the Ga-Dangme, Ewe, and Yoruba, from Ghana and Nigeria, as well as African descendant people in the African diaspora.

    In contrast, the ‘Freedom Parade Festival’ allows participants to creatively express and contribute to an evolving heritage tradition, without the specified observances. For example, painted bodily adornment applied directly onto the skin, yet without the necessary spiritual rites.

    A protest monument

    Akoto-Bamfo’s sculptures have also gained recognition beyond Ghana’s borders. For instance, the permanent installation at the Legacy Museum and National Museum for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama in the US.

    More recently, in 2021, his Blank Slate Project Monument toured throughout the United States. This included stops at Times Square in New York and the King Center in Atlanta. It depicts an enslaved ancestor, bent forward with his hands behind his back, head turned sideways, face on the ground, with a booted foot on his head.

    Akoto-Bamfo describes this work as “a noisy one — a protest piece that speaks against racist Civil War monuments.” The work was completed prior to the police killing of George Floyd that led to widespread protests in the US in 2020. It was first unveiled in a private viewing in Ghana, prior to its shipment to the United States.

    He says:

    We had a lot of discussions among those involved in the project: some feared it might incite violence, others said that it was a prediction.

    The work is interactive. It holds a removable placard that invites viewers to inscribe their reactions to the statue, which are then exhibited. Akoto-Bamfo emphasises:

    I wanted ordinary people, both individuals and communities, to relate, and to contribute to, not only towards my artwork but also to the wider ongoing discussions. As an artist, I believe that I do not have the sole right to speak. I wanted ordinary Americans to add their voices because I am already contributing.

    In Europe too, his work is featured at the 169 Museum in Germany.

    In Ghana, Akoto-Bamfo’s work was initially seen as too controversial. The artist shares:

    At first, I had to be extremely resilient because my work was concerned with the slave trade, slavery, colonialism, racism, and human rights. I embraced uncomfortable dialogue. Yet these were difficult topics for galleries and the art world at that time in Ghana.

    He adds:

    Today, however, some even view me as a spiritual leader… but I have always had an innate antipathy towards injustice. My work is not only about the past but what is unfolding now.

    Akoto-Bamfo offers a closing reflection on why this kind of memory work matters:

    I just want to use the little knowledge that I have to contribute towards the work of restorative and transformative justice.

    Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann 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. Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing – https://theconversation.com/kwame-akoto-bamfo-the-ghanaian-artist-using-work-about-slavery-to-find-justice-and-healing-259184

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kenya’s police still kill with impunity – what needs to be done to stop them

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kamau Wairuri, Lecturer in criminology, Edinburgh Napier University

    Weeks ahead of the first anniversary in Kenya of the Gen Z-led anti-government protests that resulted in at least 60 deaths and displays of police brutality, news broke that Albert Ojwang, a young Kenyan blogger, had died in police detention. Kamau Wairuri who has studied the politics of policing in Kenya, sets out why these events aren’t outliers, what efforts have been made to reform Kenya’s security forces, and what still needs to be done.

    When did this all begin?

    Recent events are part of a long history of police brutality in Kenya that can be traced back to colonial times.

    Historians (colonial and post-colonial Kenya) such as David Anderson and Caroline Elkins present gruesome details of how state authorities brutalised indigenous Africans during colonial times.

    The colonial origins of the police – largely modelled along the approaches of the Royal Ulster Constabulary known for its brutality in Ireland – partly explains why Kenya’s policing is the way it is. The police force was never designed for service. It was designed to safeguard the interests of the white minority ruling elite.

    While there have been important changes in the architecture of policing since independence, subsequent post-colonial Kenyan regimes have adopted the same brutal approaches to stay in power. My previous work demonstrates this use of state security apparatuses to enhance the capacity of incumbents to crack down on opposition protests.

    The brutal policing experienced under the current Kenya Kwanza regime falls within this broader historical trajectory.

    The ruling elite see and use the police as their last line of defence against challenges to their misrule.

    But police brutality goes beyond the policing of politics to everyday crime control. Police violence is a common occurrence, especially against poor young men.

    What’s changed

    Kenya’s history has been marked by strong agitation for justice and reform. Again, this goes back to colonial times.

    There have been important legal and institutional changes since independence. The most important was the disbandment of the Special Branch in 1998, an intelligence unit of the police responsible for political repression. It was replaced by the National Security Intelligence Service. This then became the National Intelligence Service.

    The most important changes came about through the constitutional reform of 2010. This saw a change in the architecture of the police, including:

    Internal Affairs, a unit within the police service, is supposed to investigate police misconduct. The policing oversight agency is a civilian-led institutions with a similar mandate. Ideally, the two institutions should work together in executing crucial investigations. Internal affairs should provide access to information from within the police service that would be difficult for outsiders to access.

    The National Police Service Commission was set up to handle the management of personnel. It’s mandated to address the challenges of corruption, nepotism and negative ethnicity that have characterised recruitment into the police service.

    But it’s clear from the continued police brutality that these institutions aren’t achieving the intended effect. This means that police officers can expect to continue acting with relative impunity despite the control measures in place.

    What still needs to be done

    Policing is often imagined as the investigation of crimes, arresting suspects, and presenting them to court for prosecution and punishment if guilty. In Kenya, the actions of the police often appear to substitute for the entire criminal justice system.

    In many cases, officers go beyond the metaphor of judge, jury and executioner to also become the complainant, mortician and undertaker. For instance, Mbaraka Karanja died in police custody in 1987 and officers proceeded to incinerate his body.

    In my view, the brutality won’t end until the following steps have been taken.

    First, the National Police Service Commission needs to reclaim its mandate. It seems to have completely abdicated duty, transferring crucial responsibilities back to the inspector general of the police service. As the human resource unit of the police, the commission has an important role of professionalising the service and maintaining discipline. It’s presently not doing so.

    Second, the Internal Affairs Unit needs to be strengthened and given more autonomy. So far, it has been difficult to assess the effectiveness the unit given the secrecy that characterises the police service. A better-resourced unit will enhance investigations of police misconduct. It would unearth obscure squads within the police service and reveal evidence to help identify perpetrators.

    Third, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority needs to defend its independence and develop popular legitimacy. With its limited success in prosecuting police officers – despite the prevalence of police abuse – many Kenyans have lost confidence in it. Crucially, the authority has failed in it’s deterrence role.

    Fourth, the independence of the National Police Service needs to be safeguarded. The police service leadership continues to serve at the pleasure of the prevailing regime. This in turn shapes the priorities of the service. Inspectors-general have been forced to resign. President William Ruto confessed to having fired the director of criminal investigations when he took power. Ruto had initially claimed that the director had resigned.

    Crucially, and in fifth place, there needs to be a change in policing culture alongside broader governance culture in Kenya. Impunity is rampant across the public service. Kenya won’t have a highly accountable police force while other agencies and senior officials are operating with significant impunity.

    Identifying the levers of cultural change isn’t easy. There are many proposals to alter policing culture. These include a complete redesign of Kenya’s Penal Code to dislodge its colonial roots, transforming the training of police officers, and strengthening the policing oversight authority’s capacity to investigate cases.

    But, in my mind, a crucial starting point is citizen agitation and demand for accountability. The light that Gen Z protesters, the media and civil society organisations are shining on police abuses should be encouraged. A clear signal that Kenyans will no longer tolerate police abuse is crucial for culture change within the service and among the political elite.

    However, this needs to be understood within the reality that many Kenyans support police violence, believing it to be the most effective way of dealing with crime as my earlier research demonstrates. In another study, I note how police abuse is endorsed by politicians and religious leaders as a way of responding to crime and punishing groups of people they don’t like.

    Combined with ineffective accountability mechanisms, this popular support for police violence, both tacit and explicit, gives the police the belief that they are the thin blue line between order and chaos. That they have the popular mandate to use any means they consider necessary – often brutal violence – to keep society safe.

    In other words, the conversation on police reform requires a fundamental reframing to kick start the journey towards democratic policing. At present, we’re not only way off the mark, we seem to be heading in the wrong direction.

    Kamau Wairuri 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. Kenya’s police still kill with impunity – what needs to be done to stop them – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-police-still-kill-with-impunity-what-needs-to-be-done-to-stop-them-259326

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • World leaders react to US attack on Iran

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The reaction of world leaders after U.S. forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday Iran time ranged from Israel lauding President Donald Trump’s decision to the U.N. calling for de-escalation and Iran and some other nations condemning the attacks.

    ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, RECORDED STATEMENT:

    “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history… History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.”

    IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER ABBAS ARAQCHI, ON X:

    “The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations. The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior. In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

    U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, STATEMENT

    “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world. I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”

    NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN MINISTER WINSTON PETERS, STATEMENT:

    “We acknowledge developments in the last 24 hours, including President Trump’s announcement of US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Ongoing military action in the Middle East is extremely worrying, and it is critical further escalation is avoided. New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”

    AUSTRALIA GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON, STATEMENT:

    “We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security. We note the US President’s statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

    MEXICO FOREIGN MINISTRY, ON X:

    “The ministry urgently calls for diplomatic dialogue for peace between the parties involved in the Middle East conflict. In keeping with our constitutional principles of foreign policy and our country’s pacifist conviction, we reiterate our call to de-escalate tensions in the region. The restoration of peaceful coexistence among the states of the region is the highest priority.”

    VENEZUELA FOREIGN MINISTER YVAN GIL, ON TELEGRAM:

    “Venezuela Condemns U.S. Military Aggression Against Iran and Demands an Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela firmly and categorically condemns the bombing carried out by the United States military, at the request of the State of Israel, against nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan complexes.”

    CUBA PRESIDENT MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL, ON X:

    “We strongly condemn the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The aggression seriously violates the UN Charter and international law and plunges humanity into a crisis with irreversible consequences.”

    (Reuters)

     

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IAEA and MedAccess Launch Partnership to Expand Access to Cancer Care

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

    A person receiving radiotherapy treatment for liver cancer in Mumbai, India. (Photo: IAEA)

    The IAEA and UK social enterprise MedAccess have launched a new partnership under the Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All initiative. This collaboration will focus on advancing innovative financing solutions to improve access to affordable, high-quality radiation medicine services in low- and middle-income countries.

    “Through this partnership with MedAccess under the framework of the Rays of Hope initiative, we are unlocking new pathways to accelerate access to life-saving cancer care” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi during the partnership signing ceremony on Monday. “By combining financial innovation with technical expertise, we are helping countries turn ambition into action”.

    “Innovative financing models have an important role in enabling countries to invest in radiotherapy equipment and services for cancer patients,” MedAccess CEO Michael Anderson said. “Rays of Hope provides a platform to evaluate and test such models to accelerate access to reliable radiation therapy.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –