Posts By: Jacob Charles

MANPADS: the threat below

Following the destruction of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH 17 over Ukraine, James Milnes argues we must not forget the wider terrorist threat to commercial aviation from shoulder-launched missile systems   Following the tragic downing of over Ukraine, the spectre of civilian aircraft being “shot out of the sky” has been brought sharply into focus. While… Read more »

Upgrading tactical comms

As Special Forces and security personnel operating in hostile territory struggle to find secure, reliable tactical communications systems, Giles Peeters argues short burst data may be the answer   As Islamic State fighters move through Iraq, militants retain a stranglehold on eastern Ukraine and al-Qaeda continues its guerrilla warfare in Yemen, the age of the… Read more »

Wargames

Following a series of revelations that Russian troops and ordnance are openly in play alongside the Eastern Ukrainian rebels, John Chisholm asks how far the Kremlin is willing to go to secure its near-abroad   It is now clear that Russia has, for all intents and purposes, invaded Ukraine in support of the rebels. Either… Read more »

Cracking drug data

Paul Stokes examines how advanced crime analytics tools can be used by the police and security services to effectively investigate and disrupt drug trafficking networks   Amphetamine-based drugs are becoming increasingly accessible to the public, partly driven by simple and flexible manufacturing techniques, readily available raw materials, high profit margins for producers and low consumer… Read more »

Hardening physical CNI protection

Michael Miles considers the role of physical access protection, including its growing integration with access control, as part of the security mix for CNI, but warns product performance claims must be approached with care   Advances at the high-tech end of security, in areas such as biometrics, cyber security and IP video surveillance, tend to… Read more »

Afghanistan: securing the peace

In spite of the internal and external security threats facing Afghanistan, Liane Sainsbury presents a cautiously optimistic view of the country’s unified future post-2014   From the departure of Soviet forces in 1989 to the disputed elections held in August 2014, the landscape of Afghanistan has been one of failed hopes, unrealised pragmatism and prolonged… Read more »

The ISIS offensive

As ISIS militants continue to steamroller across Iraq, John Chisholm examines the factors behind the group’s success and asks whether their campaign is likely to produce the results they desire   The taking of Mosul by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has propelled the crisis in northern Iraq into… Read more »

Britain’s Trojan war

Anthony Tucker-Jones reports on allegations that British society is facing an increasingly insidious Islamisation from within   In recent months there have been growing concerns that the UK faces Islamisation by stealth. Scaremongering by the British press had led to fears that Sharia law is to be enshrined in British law and that state schools… Read more »

Training for CBRN

James Milnes argues that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to terrorist CBRN attacks, and calls on governments and private companies to ensure personnel are properly trained to respond to such threats   For many years not enough investment has been made in CBRN training and capability in order to counter the threats that… Read more »

The Mecca of radicalisation

As threat grows from radicalised Europeans returning home from fighting in Syria, Lina Kolesnikova calls for closer intelligence sharing between member nations to help identify suspects     On 24 May 2014, a gunman shot dead two women and a man (they were an Israeli couple in their 50s, and a French female volunteer) at… Read more »