Posts By: Jacob Charles

REGIONAL THREAT WATCH: LATIN AMERICA Major terrorist groups

Matthew Henman, Head of the IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre analyses the various threats FARC The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) is a Marxist insurgent group based and operating in Colombia, and represents the best equipped, trained, and organised guerrilla organisation in Latin America. The group was officially founded in 1966 by Pedro… Read more »

First class airport security

Francis Morgan, Director of Policy at London Heathrow Airport discusses the growing importance of security on the aviation agenda and how technology is helping win the battle   intersec: Could you start by telling us what your role as Director of Policy involves? FM: In essence, it’s my job to take an overview of where… Read more »

The right ticket for train security

Timothy Compston discovers if train security is on track in the aftermath of the failed French attack   The attack on a high-speed train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris in August – which was thankfully thwarted by the actions of those on board – has once again brought into sharp relief just how vulnerable rail… Read more »

The future of UAV technology

Dr David Abrutat explores the changing face of combat from the air as UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are being deployed now more than they have ever been and are being utilised for increasingly imaginative purposes.   Modern warfighting has undergone a transformation, in the last decade of counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, faster… Read more »

Saudi Arabia braces for ISIS

Jeff Moore investigates the growing influence of ISIS in Saudi Arabia, the rise of incidents, the different cells and what the future holds for the Kingdom   While Saudi Arabian forces battle it out with Houthi rebels in Yemen in their most intense conventional fighting since Operation Desert Storm, a domestic irregular threat looms over… Read more »

Targeting Radicalisation

Anthony Tucker-Jones reports on the Government’s latest efforts to save the country’s youth from extremists and asks are they counterproductive   The media would have us believe the new ‘enemy within’ is our Muslim school children and university students. Such a generalised approach is understandably insulting to the vast majority of Britain’s law abiding Muslim… Read more »

Syria: Land of Confusion

John Chisolm wonders if Russia’s involvement in Syria might create more problems than it solves   “Russia will not participate in any troop operations in the territory of Syria or in any other states. Well, at least we don’t plan on it right now”. So claimed President Putin in an interview on CBS at the… Read more »

Europe under siege

Anthony Tucker-Jones reports on the escalating European refugee crisis and assesses the border security implications   During the first half of 2015, the European Union found itself under siege after a dramatic increase in the numbers of asylum seekers. There is no denying that Europe is facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions thanks to… Read more »

Women and ISIS

Lina Kolesnikova asks what drives women to extremist groups like ISIS and calls for more effective and better-targeted counter-radicalisation efforts   In May 2014, Russian social networks Facebook and Vkontakte (“In Contact”) were full of reposts of the cry for help from family of a run-away girl. For his own reasons, the father of the… Read more »

Power play

Timothy Compston finds out why utility providers are switching on to emerging cyber security threat   It is all too easy to sit back and take the electricity that powers our day-to-day lives and the water we drink for granted, especially as we are in an era which is far removed from the days of… Read more »