LA MODERNIZZAZIONE DELLA US SPACE FORCE

FOCUS

July 5, 2022. By Breaking Defense. Missile tracking and early warning were never easy tasks, but with the proliferation of advanced ballistics and the emergence of hypersonic weapons, the mission has gotten exponentially harder. In the op-ed below, the Mitchell Institute’s Christopher Stone argues the Pentagon and congress need to support Space Force’s modernization efforts to deal with the new threats. Congress must support a diversified, multi-layered approach to space missile warning

AROUND THE WORLD

Algeria – Morocco

• July 5, 2022. By Agnes Helou, Breaking Defense. While it may not make the rounds in Washington as one of the big geopolitical rivalries of the era,  tensions between Morocco and Algeria are real, and have escalated in recent years thanks to a dispute over the Western Sahara, which Morocco claims to be its own territory, while Algeria backs the Tindouf-based Polisario Front rebel group. In North Africa, a fighter jet arms race, with Russia and the US on either side

Australia – China

• July 5, 2022. By Lisa Toohey, Markus Wagner, Weihuan Zhou, East Asia Forum. The Australia–China relationship is in need of a reset, especially on the trade front. The change in the Australian government and China’s official reaction to the election provides a unique opportunity for the two nations to rebuild cordial relations and prevent further fractious exchanges. A road to rapprochement for Australia–China relations

Australia – Pacific Islands Countries

• July 6, 2022. By Jeffrey Wall and Anthony Bergin, The Strategist. Pacific island countries may halt the use of Australian-donated patrol boats with defects including cracking in the coupling between the engine and the gearbox, and a fault in the vessels’ exhaust system. It’s a blow to the $2.1 billion maritime program that’s the centrepiece of our security assistance to the region. In fairness, all vessels have teething issues. It would be remarkable if there weren’t any problems with the Guardian-class boats. Wong leads new era of engagement with Pacific island states

Ecowas

• July 6, 2022. By US Department of State. The United States is encouraged by the outcomes of the most recent ECOWAS Summit, held on July 3.  We welcome the agreement between ECOWAS and Mali on a 24-month transition timeline starting in March 2022. On the ECOWAS Summit

Europe

• July 5, 2022. By Grégory Claeys, Lionel Guetta-Jeanrenaud, Bruegel. Spreads versus German yields for the euro-area countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios have increased significantly since September 2021. Even if spreads are not yet at the worrying levels of previous stress episodes (and have decreased since the European Central Bank’s 15 June announcement that it is finally working on a new fragmentation tool), this increase could still represent a risk at a time when growth is slowing quickly because of the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and when many countries have historically high levels of debt after the highly expansive fiscal policy put in place during the COVID-19 crisis. How rate increases could impact debt ratios in the euro area’s most-indebted countries

Europe – Ukraine

• July 6, 2022. By Charles Tannock, Project-Syndicate, The Strategist. In September 2002, I published a commentary in The Wall Street Journal entitled ‘Kyiv has a case for the EU.’ I was a first-term member of the European Parliament and, I believe, the first elected official anywhere to openly support Ukraine’s inherent right to future European Union membership. Nearly 20 years later, the EU has at long last decided to grant Ukraine candidate status. The move is both momentous and fully justified. Ukraine’s case for EU membership

Georgia – NATO

• July 5, 2022. By Giorgi Menabde, The Jamestown Foundation. On June 28–30, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili took part in the ceremonial portions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit held in Madrid, Spain. In general, this latest gathering of Alliance leaders not only did not bring about anything new or substantial for Georgia, but it confirmed the steady weakening of the South Caucasus country’s Euro-Atlantic integration process (1tv.ge, June 29). Georgia-NATO: The Pause ‘Deepens’

India

• July 4, 2022. By PK Khup Hangzo, VIF. North-east India has been witnessing unusually heavy rainfall since the beginning of May. That has resulted in one of the worst floods ever recorded in Assam. As of 3 July, flood has affected 1,835,551 people in 26 out of the state’s 35 districts and it submerged 471.98 square kilometers (47,198.87 hectares) of cropland. Floods in Assam: The Case for Rethinking Adaptation

Japan

• July 6, 2022. By Rajaram Panda, VIF. With less than a year in office, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida now confronts domestic political challenge when the country’s Upper House goes to the polls on 10 July in which his ruling coalition government expects to get a majority, which shall help Kishida to implement some of his long cherished goals as law-making shall be a smooth affair. According to an Asahi Shimbun survey, the ruling coalition expects to gain some seats from the opposition Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party). In a house of 247 members, 125 seats shall be open to contest and the LDP-Komeito coalition hopes to win close to 63 seats as the opposition is fragmented and there is no electoral cooperation among the opposition camp. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) is likely to lose some of its present 23 seats. Fresh Challenges for Kishida as Upper House Elections are held on 10 July

Philippines

• July 6, 2022. By  Sandra Seno-Alday, East Asia Forum. In June 2022, the Philippines will sweep the Marcos family back into power after they were unceremoniously ousted 36 years ago. Marcos Junior ran for president with a message of unity. But social media chatter in the lead up to the election reflected a desire not for unity but for a return to the ‘golden age’ of the Marcos Senior presidency. Another golden age of growth in the Philippines?

Russia – Ukraine

• July 5, 2022. By Arvind Gupta, VIF. The Ukraine conflict has been a turning point in both geopolitics and geoeconomics. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director VIF takes a purview on the geostrategic implications of the Ukraine conflict, delving into the global food and energy crisis, impact on carbon commitments and climate change, and pondering on possible course of policy ahead for India with Prerna Gandhi. Geostrategic Implications of Ukraine Conflict
• July 5, 2022. By Burzine Waghmar, RUSI. Iran, India and China have found themselves dragged into the crisis in Ukraine, as their wagons remain hitched to the invading power for complicated reasons. Elective Affinities: Iran, India and China’s Responses to the Ukraine War
• July 5, 2022. By Pavel K. Baev, The Jamestown Foundation.  On the Donbas battlefields, Russian troops still strive to advance, but in the global arena of confrontation with the collective West, Russia keeps losing ground. A sequence of heavy blows breached Russian defensive geopolitical positions last week, and Moscow’s attempts at counterstrikes only aggravated the sustained damage. The first major setback for Russia was the commitment made by the G7 to support Ukraine in its struggle against aggression for as long as it takes; but it was still possible for some Russian pundits to argue that the gathering in Bavarian Alps was short on practical results (Rosbalt, June 28). Western leaders then proceeded to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, however; and there was certainly no shortage of detailed, binding and material decisions there (Novaya Gazeta, July 1). Even mainstream commentaries from Moscow-based think tanks had to acknowledge an unprecedented level of Western solidarity fostered under the United States’ unwavering leadership (Valdaiclub.com, July 1). Seeking to Crack Western Unity, Putin Sinks Russian Economy
• July 5, 2022. By Karolina Hird, George Barros, Grace Mappes, and Frederick W. Kagan, ISW. Russia’s stated objectives in its invasion of Ukraine remain regime change in Kyiv and the truncation of the sovereignty of any Ukrainian state that survives the Russian attack despite Russian military setbacks and rhetoric hinting at a reduction in war aims following those defeats.Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated on July 5 that the Russian military operation in Ukraine will continue until Russia achieves its goals of protecting civilians from “genocide,” “denazifying” and demilitarizing Ukraine, and obliging Ukraine to be permanently neutral between Russia and NATO—almost exactly restating the goals Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his February 24 speech justifying the war. Putin had stated that the operation aimed to protect civilians from humiliation and genocide, demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, and prosecute genocidal perpetrators. Patrushev’s explicit restatement of Putin‘s initial objectives, nearly five months later, strongly indicates that the Kremlin does not consider recent Russian gains in Luhansk Oblast sufficient to accomplish the initial goals of the “special operation,” supporting ISW’s ongoing assessment that the Kremlin has significant territorial aspirations beyond the Donbas. Patrushev’s statement suggests that Russian military leadership will continue to push for advances outside Donetsk and Luhansk blasts and that the Kremlin is preparing for a protracted war with the intention of taking much larger portions of Ukraine. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 5
• July 5, 2022. By Irina Plaks, Atlantic Council. The power to sway public opinion is an increasingly essential asset in any state’s toolkit. The war in Ukraine provides a clear example: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has successfully targeted his appeals at specific Western audiences to strengthen global support for his country. Winning friends and influencing Russians: Three audiences the US should target

UK 

• July 5, 2022. By Kathryn Westmore and Helena Wood, RUSI. The outcome of a wide-ranging consultation on the UK’s anti-money laundering (AML) regulatory regime suggests the UK’s regulations are in good shape; they just need to be properly enforced. The UK’s AML Regulatory Regime: An Exercise in Eternal Patience

USA

• July 6, 2022. By  Quinta Jurecic, Lawfare. Again and again in recent years, current and former Justice Department officials—along with academics, journalists, and other commentators—have struggled to explain to the public the importance of Justice Department independence: the idea that the powers of law enforcement should not be wielded as a tool of political power. Donald Trump attacked this norm again and again during his presidency—asking the FBI to back off its investigation into his national security adviser, Michael Flynn; working to undermine the Mueller investigation; demanding that the Justice Department investigate Hillary Clinton; and on and on. His efforts to use the department to help him hold on to power after the 2020 election were one more instance of that long-running trend. Why the Jan. 6 Committee Is Talking About Justice Department Independence
• July 5, 2022. By Jeff Kosseff, Matthew Schafer, Lawfare. After months of deliberation, last week the Supreme Court declined the most recent chance to revisit New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 case that requires public officials to meet a high bar to succeed in a defamation lawsuit. How States and Congress Can Prepare for a Looming Threat to Freedom of Speech

USA – Ukraine

• July 5, 2022. By Conor Savoy, Janina Staguhn, CSIS. Since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February, the United States has provided unprecedented levels of security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. This assistance reflects the United States’ remarkable commitment to a country fighting for its right to exist as a sovereign democratic country. In two separate packages, Congress has appropriated $54 billion in assistance to Ukraine. On an inflation-adjusted basis, the United States has already allocated more money for assistance to Ukraine in the past five months than it did on a yearly basis during the height of the Marshall Plan. Balancing Oversight and Risk: Transparency for U.S. Foreign Assistance to Ukraine
• July 5, 2022. By Shibley Telhami, Brookings. In May, a University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll found a drop in the American public’s expressed preparedness to pay a price for supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, compared to the levels expressed in March, on three dimensions: increased energy costs, rising inflation, and preparedness to pay a price in American lives. Americans’ preparedness to pay a price for supporting Ukraine remains robust

Uzbekistan

• July 5, 2022. By Paul Globe, The Jamestown Foundation. At the end of June, Uzbekistan’s central government published the draft of a new constitution that would strip the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan of the right to secede, which heretofore had been guaranteed in the existing basic law. As a result, on July 1, thousands of ethnic Karakalpaks (a Turkic group similar linguistically and culturally to Kazakhs) took to the streets in protest, prompting Tashkent first to send in more soldiers to the region, which has some two million people and occupies a third of Uzbekistan’s territory, and then to declare martial law in the autonomy for the next month. These actions were a clear sign that Karakalpak nationalism is growing in strength and that Tashkent is worried. How successful the authorities’ responses will be remains unclear. Indeed, such use of force may prove counterproductive. Moreover, because new oil fields have been discovered in Karakalpakstan and the region was once part of Kazakhstan, this new display of popular anger has the potential to become an international problem, with either Russia or Kazakhstan moving in to exploit it. Notably, Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has already conceded as much, warning yesterday (July 4) of the danger of outside intervention in Karakalpakstan (Podrobno.uz, July 4). Tashkent Cracks Down Hard on Massive Protests in Karakalpakstan

TOPICS

Cybersecurity

• July 6, 2022. By Maggie Smith, Mark Grzegorzewski, Barnett Koven, Lawfare. It was the morning of Sept. 12, 2001, and from the back seat of a Cessna, Lt. Col. Andrew Feldman was taking photos with his 35-mm Nikon fitted with Zeiss lenses. As armed U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-15 Eagles circled above them like angry bees, the three officers aboard the Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 became some of the first to witness the devastation at Ground Zero after two hijacked airliners struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. The photographs they took helped shape the emergency response, informed the investigation, and demonstrated the capability of the USAF auxiliary, or the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Taking the Elf Off the Shelf: Why the U.S. Should Consider a Civilian Cyber Defense
• July 5, 2022. By Mary Brooks, Sofia Lesmes, Lawfare. In an interview last month, Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), acknowledged the challenges that the U.S. government’s complex patchwork of cyber incident reporting requirements imposes on industry.  Last Call at the “Star Wars Bar”: Harmonizing Incident and Breach Reporting Requirements
• July 6, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. The UK’s leading cybersecurity agency has urged organizations to follow best practices and take care of their infosecurity staff in order to weather an extended period of elevated cyber risk due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. NCSC: Prepare for Protected Period of Heightened Cyber-Risk
• July 6, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Security researchers have discovered a significant new software supply chain attack affecting thousands of applications and websites involving the use of malicious npm packages. Software Supply Chain Attack Hits Thousands of Apps
• July 5, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected the first-ever group of encryption tools that could potentially withstand the attack of a quantum computer. NIST Acknowledges First Four Quantum-Resistant Encryption Tools
• July 5, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has provided answers to questions from nine Republican Senators who recently raised concerns about TikTok’s privacy data following a related BuzzFeed News investigation. TikTok CEO Addresses US Security Concern
• July 5, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. CloudSEK researchers have identified an extensive phishing campaign in which threat actors (TA) were impersonating the Ministry of Human Resources of the UAE government. Advanced Phishing Scams Target Middle East and Impersonate UAE Ministry of Human Resources
• July 5, 2022. By Adam Mazmanian, Nextgov. The Department of Defense is offering $110,000 in bug bounties for flaws in its public-facing systems through July 11. The effort is part of the Hack the Pentagon’s vulnerability disclosure program managed by HackerOne. The company announced on its website that findings of high- and critical severity- level vulnerabilities are eligible for cash payouts. DOD rings in Independence Day with bug bounties
• July 5, 2022. By Mariam Baksh, Nextgov. The Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration has added to its roster of cybersecurity professionals in efforts to relax security requirements the agency issued for pipeline owners and operators following a landmark ransomware attack. TSA Implements ‘Surge Team’ to Allow Pipeline Industry Flexibility on Security Directives

Defense – Military – Space

• July 6, 2022. By Naval News. Boeing, ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH and Lufthansa Technik signed a three-party agreement on July 5, 2022 that reinforces joint efforts to support Germany’s new P-8A Poseidon fleet. With the new agreement, Boeing, ESG and Lufthansa Technik will be the team responsible for executing the P-8A sustainment program in Germany. Boeing, ESG and Lufthansa Technik Expand Partnership to Support German P-8A fleet
• July 6, 2022. By Naval News. The Royal Australian Navy’s Supply-class replenishment oiler, HMAS Supply, has fired live for the first time with the Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS). The event marked the first Phalanx firing in her class. HMAS Supply carries out the first firing with Phalanx CIWS
• July 5, 2022. By Andrew Eversden, Breaking Defense. With the release of a new request for proposal, the US Army has signaled that there may be other companies interested in competing for its future Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, outside of the five that participated in the last phase of the contest. For next OMFV phase, new competitors could join contest to replace Bradley
• July 5, 2022. By Theresa Hitches. Northrop Grumman has tapped Airbus U.S. Space and Defense to provide the baseline bus under its contract with the Space Development Agency’s to build satellites for a future communications mesh network, the two companies announced today. Airbus U.S. nabs subcontract for SDA’s mesh communications satellites
• July 5, 2022. By  Colin Demarest, Defense News. More than two dozen companies including a division of AT&T Inc. are entering the competition to make real the Pentagon’s vision of seamless communications as part of a deal worth up to $950 million. AT&T, 26 other companies join Air Force’s $950 million JADC2 effort
• July 5, 2022. By Catherine Buchaniec, Defense News. The U.S. government must commit to “meaningful” spending on emerging technologies to keep up with China and other competing nations, according to a report from data analytics firm Govini. US must invest in emerging tech to keep pace with China, Govini report says

Digital & Tech

• July 5, 2022. By Maria Demertzis, Bruegel. France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, has compared crypto markets to the wild west. At the end of last week, in the last moments of France’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, negotiators from the EU institutions announced a provisional deal on the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, which is intended to set standards for service providers and those that issue stablecoins, with a view to protecting consumers. The New York Fed has also issued guidelines covering similar areas for the United States, aiming to deal with an increasingly significant but also risky part of the financial system. Is MiCA the end of the crypto wild-west?
• July 6, 2022. By Nina Xiang, East Asia Forum. The metaverse — a concept that initially appeared in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash — has been described as the next chapter of the internet. It will allow people to experience the internet in three dimensions, eventually engaging all five of their senses with immersive technologies. In contrast to today’s cyberspace which is centred on the exchange of information, the metaverse has been called the internet of experience. Metaverse — the latest chapter of the Splinternet?
• July 5, 2022. By Ross Wilkers, Nextgov. The General Services Administration has restarted the process for its Polaris governmentwide IT solutions contract vehicle and reopened the portal for submitting proposals. GSA Puts Polaris Contract Back in Motion

Digital Health

• July 5, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows that machine-learning (ML) models can assist healthcare workers with differentiating between alcohol-associated hepatitis and acute cholangitis using routine clinical variables. Mayo Clinic ML Models Can Help Diagnose Hepatitis, Bacterial Infections

Energy & Climate Action

• July 6, 2022. By Alexander Lehmann, Bruegel. Collectively, the European Union and its members are the largest providers of public sector funds for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. Mobilising EU investors to narrow the developing-country climate-finance gap
• July 6, 2022. By George Zachmann, Bruegel. The transition to climate neutrality requires the reallocation of production factors from polluting activities to non-polluting activities. The main push for this reallocation will come from governmental decarbonisation targets that are translated into stringent climate policy tools, such as carbon pricing and emissions standards. But the complex process of recombining production factors will require the coordination of millions of individuals and firms. The efficiency of this recombination process will be a main driver of the cost of the transition. The role of competition in the transition to climate neutrality
• July 6, 2022. By Grace Stanhope, The Strategist. Halfway between Alice Springs and Darwin is a 10,000–square kilometre property formerly used by the Packer family as a cattle station. In the 20th century, this land was part of Australia’s vast and economically vital agricultural industry. Now, it’s set to become a key element of a new Australian economic vision. The land is flagged for a massive project that’s attracted support from prominent Australian tech billionaires and has been assessed by Infrastructure Australia as ready for investment. Bold steps needed to power Australia and the region
• July 5, 2022. By David Wessel, Brookings. The notion that oil-consuming nations should organize a buyers’ cartel to cap the price of oil—promoted by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and recently endorsed by the leaders of the Group of Seven—sounds fanciful. After all, if this were workable, why didn’t we do it years ago to bring down oil prices? The story behind the proposed price cap on Russian oil

Global 

• July 5, 2022. By Samir Saran, Jhanvi Tripathi, ORF. India takes over the presidency of the group in December. To live up to the potential of this opportunity, it must choose a policy direction to focus on continuity, incorporate green and digital transitions, and recognise the realities of a post-pandemic world. What will India’s G20 presidency focus on?
• July 6, 2022. By Marek Dabrowski, Bruegel. In September 2021, I warned against inflation resulting from over ten years of ultra-soft monetary policies, in particular, the massive asset purchase programmes that have built up record-high central bank balance sheets. Expansionary fiscal policies have added to this build-up. Both the purchases and the policies have been continued for too long despite a change in the macroeconomic environment. Central banks have been too slow in responding to higher inflation
• July 6, 2022. By US Department of State. Secretary Blinken will travel to Bali, Indonesia, to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where he will reinforce the U.S. commitment to working with key economies to advance U.S. interests and address global challenges.  These challenges include: reducing food and energy insecurity; combating the climate crisis; tackling COVID -19 and strengthening global health security; and addressing the global consequences of confronting Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine.  In addition to attending G20-related engagements, the Secretary will hold a bilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.  Secretary Blinken will also meet with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the U.S.-PRC bilateral relationship and global issues of concern to the two countries.  The United States and G20: Building a More Peaceful, Stable and, Prosperous World Together

Vedi il nostro primo docufilm – Talking Milan. Milano si racconta – TALKING MILAN-MILANO SI RACCONTA. LA “SCIENZA DEL DOVE” DIVENTA PRODOTTO TELEVISIVO