PREVENIRE GRAZIE ALL’INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE

FOCUS – May 17, 2022. By  Colin Demarest, Defense News. Artificial intelligence and related digital tools can help warn of natural disasters, combat global warming and fast-track humanitarian aid, according to retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, a onetime Trump administration national security adviser. McMaster says AI can help beat adversaries, overcome ‘critical challenges’

TODAY:

• AROUND THE WORLD
• DEFENSE – MILITARY – SPACE
• TECH

AROUND THE WORLD

Afghanistan

• May 17, 2022. By Sahar Fetrat, HRW. Conflating humanitarian aid and the release of Afghanistan’s assets will only increase suffering. Afghanistan Remains an Open Wound

Belarus

• May 17, 2022. By Grigory Ioffe, The Jamestown Foundation. The ninth online poll of 823 urban-based and internet-using Belarusians, conducted by Chatham House during April 8–18 (Svaboda.org, May 6), showed that roughly one-third of respondents support Russia’s war and about the same fraction is against it, whereas 57 percent are afraid Belarus may be pulled into that conflict. More respondents prefer some sort of union with Russia over integration into the European Union: 60 percent versus 40 percent (New Belarus, May 13). By and large, the outcome of this survey coincides with more broad-based (not just urban and internet-active) polling conducted by phone (see EDM, May 4). May 9 Celebration in Belarus a Setback to Nationalization of Historical Memory

China

• May 18, 2022. By Global Times. China has maintained net inflows in cross-border capital this year, while the yuan has been basically stable against a basket of currencies, Wang Chunying, deputy head and spokesperson of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), said on Tuesday. China maintains net inflows in cross-border capital

China – India

• May 17, 2022. By Global Times. China’s mobile phone industry players, an increasingly important participant in the global market, are hoping Indian government will improve market environment in the wake of the recent government probe over Chinese company Xiaomi in April, which industry insiders fear is a follow-up to the probes targeting Chinese companies last year. Chinese mobile phone industry expects a ‘level-playing field’ in India while putting more weight on neighboring markets

China – USA

• May 17, 2022. By Global Times. The reported US investigation of Chinese solar panel makers will damage the US’ interests, including negatively impact the development of the US’ own solar industry and dent its clean energy goals, experts and industry sources said. Investigation of Chinese solar panel makers will damage US’ own interests

India – Vietnam – Indonesia

• May 17, 2022. By Matthew P. Goodman, Matthew Reynolds, Julianne Fittipaldi, CSIS. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain resilience has emerged as a policy priority of the United States and its allies. The issue of supply chains has also raised the profile of emerging economies that offer possible alternatives to China as production platforms for multinational firms. This report surveys economic security policy developments in three major emerging economies: India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It finds that all are attempting to take advantage of this new focus on supply chain resilience, while (to varying degrees) balancing the economic security risks posed by China’s rise. The United States and its allies have an opportunity to work with these emerging economies to shape their decisions about trade, investment, and technology policies in ways that promote mutual economic security and enhance international economic rules and norms. Economic Security in Emerging Markets: A Look at India, Vietnam, and Indonesia

Libya

• May 1, 2022. By The Libya Observer. The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, held an extensive meeting on Tuesday with a number of mayors of municipalities, accompanied by the Minister of Local Government and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Local Government for Municipal Affairs. Dbeibah discusses with a number of mayors of municipalities latest events in Tripoli
• May 18, 2022. By The Libya Observer. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has expressed the European Union’s concern about the situation in Libya. Borrell: The situation in Libya is worrying, but it was expected | The Libya Observer
• May 17, 2022. By The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said on Tuesday that a group, which committed a political suicide, tried to stir up sedition by infiltrating Tripoli at night, backed by a satanic party that receives funding from abroad, in an implicit reference to warlord Haftar. Dbeibah confirms the continuation of his government’s work as a sole guarantor for Libyans to hold elections
• May 17, 2022. By The Libya Observer. Ya Biladi Party has condemned the failed attempt of the parallel government to enter the capital, Tripoli, which resulted destabilization and intimidation of security inside the city. Ya Biladi Party condemns the parallel government’s attempt to enter Tripoli
• May 17, 2022. By The Libya Observer. A group calling themselves (The Association Of Guardians Of The Victims Of Tripoli’s Invasion) demanded the arrest of all parties involved in the attempt led by the PM-designate Fathi Bashagha Tuesday morning to overthrow the incumbent administration. Association in Tripoli launches campaign to bring to account Bashagha and groups supporting him
• May 17, 2022. By The Libya Observer. In the wake of Tuesday’s clashes in Tripoli, the US Embassy in Libya called on politicians to allow Libyans to choose their leaders. US embassy: Elections are the only viable path to legitimate leadership

Russia – Ukraine (impact, reactions, consequences)

• May 18, 2022. By HRW.  Russian forces controlling much of the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in northeastern Ukraine from late February through March 2022 subjected civilians to summary executions, torture, and other grave abuses that are apparent war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. Ukraine: Executions, Torture During Russian Occupation
• May 17, 2022. By Andrew Lohsen, CSIS. True to the opening line of its national anthem, “Ukraine has not yet perished.” Nearly three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the offensive has stalled. Fears voiced in February that Ukraine may cease to exist as an independent state have receded. Ukrainian democracy will survive. Yet, while the world’s focus has understandably centered on the course of the war, less attention has been paid to the impact the of the war on Ukrainian politics and democratic development. These shifts, outlined in four sections below, have the power to fundamentally change the country and must be critically considered by policymakers planning for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. How the War Could Transform Ukrainian Politics
• May 17, 2022. By John B. Barranco, Atlantic Council. The stories are harrowing: Children maimed by mines made to look like toys. Farmers killed in unmarked minefields while tending to their crops, years after a conflict has ended. Safe distance: Why Ukraine should embrace land mines
• May 17, 2022. By Vadim Shtepa, The Jamestown Foundation. At an April 26 meeting in the Kremlin with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, President Vladimir Putin again defended the “independence” of the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” in Ukraine’s Donbas. In referring to these puppet formations, backed near-exclusively by Russia’s military and financial support, Putin uttered a remarkable phrase: “One or another territory of any state is not obliged to apply for permission to declare its sovereignty to the central authorities of the country” (Kremlin.ru, April 26). The Russian leader said something similar following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014; but in a dialogue with the UN secretary general, Putin’s statement was especially noteworthy. He appealed to the fact that, in 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) effectively accepted the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, although the Serbian authorities opposed it. At that time, Russia also refused to recognize the independence of Kosovo, but now Moscow appears ready to manipulate this precedent for its own interests. Putin Opens Pandora’s Box for Russian Regionalism
• May 17, 2022. By Paul Globe, The Jamestown Foundation. Since Russia’s President Vladimir Putin launched his expanded invasion of Ukraine on February 24, fires at military bases and train accidents inside the Russian Federation have increased, military draft offices have been set aflame there, and draft resistance has spiked, as have cases in which soldiers in uniform are refusing to obey orders to deploy to Ukraine. Telephone bomb threats have become more frequent throughout the country, and hackers have posted anti-war messages on Kremlin propaganda sites. Taken together, those developments have led the Ekho Kavkaza portal to conclude that “anti-war protest in Russia” has acquired a powerful, new “underground” dimension, with many Russians opposed to what Putin is doing evidently prepared to take far more radical actions than in the past. This trend is prompting new crackdowns by the authorities (Ekho Kavkaza, May 13). An Anti-War Underground Emerges in Russia
• May 17, 2022. By IAEA. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to send its next nuclear safety, security and safeguards mission to Ukraine’s Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the coming weeks, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. Update 76 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine
• May 17, 2022. By Kateryna Stepanenko, Frederick W. Kagan, and George Barros, ISW. Mariupol defenders trapped in the Azovstal Steel Plant likely surrendered after Ukrainian officials negotiated evacuation measures with the Kremlin. Russian forces began evacuating wounded Ukrainian forces to Russian-occupied settlements in Donetsk Oblast on May 16 after the Russian Defense Ministry proposed the agreement earlier in the day. Ukrainian officials said that they will seek to return the Mariupol defenders to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange and continue to undertake appropriate measures to rescue all Ukrainian servicemen from Azovstal. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 17

Slovakia

• May 17, 2022. Slovenské Elektrárne has released a series of photos of work on a cooling tower at unit 1 of the nuclear power plant which has extended its life to 2060 and enabled an increase in power output. In pictures: Refurb of 125-metre cooling tower at Mochovce : Corporate

South Korea

• May 17, 2022. South Korea’s SK Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TerraPower of the USA to jointly develop “next-generational technologies” needed for small modular reactors (SMRs). Korean conglomerate to cooperate with TerraPower : Corporate

UK

• May 17, 2022. The Magnox reprocessing plant at Sellafield will end its operations in July, marking the completion of the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) Magnox Operating Programme. UK reprocessing plant to end operations : Waste & Recycling

USA

• May 17, 2022. By Laura Pitter, Dreisen Heath, HRW. The tragedy and depravity of the massacre in Buffalo, New York is hard to endure, especially for Black and other marginalized communities. An 18-year-old, white gunman, motivated by white supremacist ideology, is accused of opening fire at a grocery store in a majority-Black neighborhood, killing ten Black people and injuring three more. Eleven of the victims were Black, two were white. Before Mass Shooting, Systemic Racism Affected East Buffalo Community
• May 17, 2022. By Catrina Doxsee, Seth G. Jones, Jared Thompson, Grace Hwang, Kateryna Halstead, CSIS. There has been a significant rise in the number of domestic terrorist attacks and plots at demonstrations in the United States, according to new CSIS data. The result is escalating violence in U.S. cities between extremists from opposing sides, a major break from historical trends. In 2021, over half of all domestic terrorist incidents occurred in the context of metropolitan demonstrations. In addition, the most frequent targets of attacks were government, military, and law enforcement agencies, who are increasingly at the center of domestic terrorism by extremists of all ideologies. Pushed to Extremes: Domestic Terrorism amid Polarization and Protest
• May 17, 2022. By Jacqueline Feldscher, Defense One. The bipartisan consensus to financially support Ukraine’s fight against Russia is starting to fracture on Capitol Hill, where the Trump-aligned, isolationist wing of the Republican party is criticizing Biden for funding foreign aid while ignoring domestic issues. Trump Allies Slam Biden For Ukraine Aid Amid Inflation, Supply Chain Shortages
• May 17, 2022. By World Nuclear News.  The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) is to expand its fusion energy research and education activities under a new five-year agreement with MIT spinout company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). MIT expands fusion collaboration : New Nuclear

USA – Gulf

• May 17. By Melissa Horvath, Bilal Y. Saab, Defense One. Relations between Washington and some of its traditional Gulf Arab partners, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are at their lowest point in history, which is why the Biden administration on Monday sent a high-level delegation to Abu Dhabi: specifically to pay respects upon the death of former UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to congratulate his successor, Mohamed bin Zayed, but more generally to try to heal those ties.  Could Ukraine Offer a Template for Better US-Gulf Security Relations?

DEFENSE – MILITARY – SPACE

• May 18, 2022. By Bryant Harris, Defense News. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the White House and Congress this week to make his country’s case for acquiring the F-35 stealth fighter jet while lobbying against Turkey’s attempts to upgrade its aging fleet of F-16s and acquire additional aircraft. Greece seeks to join F-35 program as it lobbies against Turkey F-16 sale
• May 18, 2022. By  Stephen Losey, Defense News. Top senators on Tuesday told Air Force leaders the service’s plans for modernizing key portions of its fleet could hurt its ability to carry out crucial missions — perhaps for years. As Air Force plans for new aircraft, senators worry about capability gaps
• May 18, 2022. By  Joe Gould, Defense News. The Pentagon has modeled a new high-level team focused on rushing military aid to Ukraine on the group it used to speed supplies to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to a memo obtained by Defense News and sources familiar with the matter. Pentagon’s high-level group to aid Ukraine is rooted in Iraq and Afghanistan fight
• May 17, 2022. By Naval News. The U.S. Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Montgomery (LCS 8) successfully launched sea-based missiles at a land-based target for the first time during a proof of concept exercise, May 12. LCS-8 strikes land target with Longbow Hellfire for the 1st time
• May 17, 2022. By Naval News. L3Harris Technologies is one of three companies selected to provide Preliminary Designs for the next generation AS(X) submarine tender, a support vessel that will provide expeditionary maintenance and repairs for U.S. Navy submarines. L3Harris Selected for US Navy AS(X) Next-Generation Submarine Tender
• May 17, 2022. By Naval News. The Norwegian Navy-led multinational exercise Mjølner 2022 was held in the Arctic region between 07 and 13 May 2022. Norwegian-led Mjølner 2022 multinational exercise concludes in Arctic
• May 17, 2022. By Naval News. The keel laying of the amphibious vessel (LPD – Landing Platform Dock) ordered to Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place at the Palermo shipyard. Fincantieri Lays Keel of Qatar’s Air Defense LPD
• May 17, 2022. By Daehan Lee, Naval News. Neighboring countries of South Korea are accelerating the acquisition of aircraft carriers, aside from North Korea’s ongoing provocation and belligerence against the West and the Republic of Korea. Japan has renovated the Izumo-class amphibious ship into a light aircraft carrier, while the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as “China”) already possesses two Liaoning-class aircraft carriers, not additionally building two large-sized aircraft carriers that are reportedly and arguably equivalent to those of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. Prospect: CVX and K-SSN in South Korea’s New Administration
• May 17, 2022. By Naval News. UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contracts of over £2 billion have been awarded to begin the third major phase of the Dreadnought submarine nuclear deterrent programme. UK invests more than £2 billion to boost Dreadnought submarine programme
• May 17, 2022. By  David Auerswald, Atlantic Council. With the announcements that Finland and Sweden will apply for NATO membership, attention now turns to the existing members of the Alliance. How the US Senate could slow down Sweden and Finland’s NATO future
• May 17, 2022. By Atlantic Council. In the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and particularly since the outbreak of hostilities, the United States and NATO allies have taken numerous steps to bolster allied force posture in Eastern Europe, enhancing deterrence against further Russian aggression and demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to defend its eastern flank. The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Transatlantic Security Initiative has been tracking it all, as visualized in the animation, graphs, and table below. NATO Forward Forces Tracker
• May 17, 2022. By Arie Egozi, Breaking Defense. The Israeli Air Force may change its mode of operation when striking Iranian-related targets in Syria following a recent incident where Russia fired a missile from an S-300 air defense system at Israeli jets — a move that a senior Israeli defense source described as a “very strange and worrying” act by Russian forces. Russians fire S-300 at Israeli jets in Syria; could impact tactics, geopolitics
• May 17, 2022. By Justin Katz, Breaking Defense. The littoral combat ship St. Louis (LCS-19) is currently undergoing a maintenance availability where it will receive the fix to a class-wide problem discovered in the vessel’s combining gear. Why the Navy wants to fix a ship it is asking to decommission
• May 17, 2022. By Andrew Eversden, Breaking Defense. US Special Operations Command is looking to beef up its airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as it moves away from counterterrorism operations and towards potential conflicts against a near-peer adversary. ‘That still needs further development’: SOCOM leaders want more layered airborne ISR
• May 17, 2022. By Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense. The Space Force’s investment in new space systems designed to provide greater resiliency against adversary attack will begin to show results in 2027, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond told lawmakers today. Space Force targets 2027 for resilient on-orbit posture initial capability
• May 17, 2022. By Lee Ferran, Breaking Defense. Israeli defense firm Rafael has announced a new light-weight, air-launched missile dubbed the Aerospike, with close air support for ground forces like special operators in mind. Rafael’s Aerospike, new close air support missile, makes SOFIC debut
• May 17, 2022. By  Seth J. Frantzman, Defense News. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled a new air-to-surface missile that the company is pitching as a lightweight munition for fixed-wing aircraft performing close-air support missions. Rafael unveils Aerospike missile for close-air support
• May 17, 2022. By  Todd South, Defense News. Special operations forces had one hell of a February. In the span of the year’s shortest month, operators from across U.S. Special Operations Command killed the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in northwest Syria with mebers of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Special ops leader issues warning over information warfare capabilities, funding
• May 17, 2022. By  Stephen Losey, Defense News. The Air Force successfully tested its AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon Saturday, potentially giving the beleaguered hypersonic program a shot in the arm and a path to procurement. The test off the coast of Southern California broke a streak of three testing failures last year; during each ARRW had problems during launch. Successful test could rally Air Force hypersonics program
• May 17, 2022. By  Lt. Gen. David Deptula (ret.), Defense News. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to rapidly defeat a much smaller foe is not just a failure of strategy, but an overestimation of his military’s capability, training and prowess. U.S. leaders need to take a hard look in the mirror and question whether we are treading similar ground with a set of military capabilities too small and too old given current threats. Is America’s military headed down the same path as Russia’s?
• May 17, 2022. By  Diana Stancy Correll, Defense News. The Pacific Fleet has stood up Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One to expedite the integration of unmanned surface vessels. Navy creates Unmanned Surface Vessel Division to expedite integration of unmanned systems

TECH

• May 18, 2022. By Global Times. China released the nation’s first technology roadmap for intelligent agricultural machinery on Wednesday guided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), according to a CCTV report. China releases first technology roadmap for intelligent agricultural machinery
• May 17, 2022. China will support the sound and sustainable development of the digital economy and support digital enterprises to list in domestic and overseas capital markets, senior Chinese officials said at a closely watched meeting convened by the country’s top political advisory body on Tuesday, offering a major boost for internet companies that are facing a complex development environment. Special meeting of China’s top political advisory body reaffirms support for digital economy
• May 17, 2022. By Global Times. The US, Japan and five other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have agreed to make the Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system independent of the regional forum’s current framework, Japan’s Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. GT Voice: China, other nations must break US’ self-serving data rules system
• May 17, 2022. By Global Times. China rolls out 1.6m 5G base stations, broadband in all rural villages. Nearly 1.6 million 5G base stations have been rolled out in China, making it the first country to build a fairly complete 5G network based on an independent network model, a Chinese official said on Tuesday while marking World Telecommunication & Information Society Day (WTISD) 2022. China rolls out 1.6 million 5G base stations, all rural villages having access to broadband