Posts By: Jacob Charles

Inside explosive effects

Dr John Wyatt examines how stand off solutions and blast mitigation can be designed into vulnerable buildings to protect personnel and property from the explosive effects of VBIEDs The use of explosives by terrorists, extremists or individuals has not abated despite increased security measures and procedures. The current threat level in the UK is “Substantial”… Read more »

Instability Africa

John Chisholm looks deeper into the unrest spreading across the continent, and asks to what extent Western policies are sowing the seeds for long-term instability   While the world focuses on the headline-grabbing issues in Ukraine and the increasingly brutal behaviour of ISIS, Africa is still bedevilled with internal dissent that challenges governments whose authority… Read more »

March of the caliphate

Anthony Tucker-Jones charts the alarming expansion of the Islamic State terror group   Osama bin Laden, the late leader of al-Qaeda, dreamed of the return of the 7th Century Islamic Caliphate that once stretched across the Middle East and North Africa. Such aspirations were a dream in the face of the realities of geopolitics –… Read more »

Collaborative EOD

Chanan Levin discusses the latest challenges faced by EOD operatives working in urban areas, and calls for an international IED database to share research and experience   In recent years, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have become more widespread. As terrorist networks grow internationally, extremists from around the world turn to the Internet to learn how… Read more »

Ballooning surveillance

Timothy Compston finds out why aerostats are making their mark in the on-going battle to secure borders and critical infrastructure from a wide array of threats and to thwart drugs smugglers on land and sea   Although drones are very much in the news at the moment, aerostats are one family of aerial systems which… Read more »

Regional Threat Watch: Africa

Extremist groups proliferate Valerie Kong explores the threat posed by national and international extremist groups across Africa   Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) The resurgence of the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) franchise and affiliated groups in the Sahel region will continue to be a threat, given opportunities emerging from deteriorating states in… Read more »

On the airwaves

Steve Pearson assesses the communications systems available to the emergency services during major incidents and asks whether they can provide effective command and control   At a recent meeting between this writer and Kevin Roberts, the Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, he explained that, while he was at the Pentagon advising on how Brand… Read more »

Beyond dot tracking

Giles Peeters examines the developments in satellite tracking of high valued cargo through hostile environments, and highlights emerging capabilities which ensure far greater security   One of the most challenging elements of any first responder scenario is maintaining cargo security as it’s transported to and from an operation. Whether it’s keeping track of ISO containers… Read more »

La Haine

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings, Anthony Tucker-Jones assesses the trend in Islamist attacks sparked by the media’s depiction of Islam     France’s latest terror attack ended in a blaze of gunfire and the deaths of Cherif and Said Kouachi at a print works in the small town of Dammartin-en-Goele. Prior to… Read more »

Integrating the perimeter

The integration of human, physical and electronic security measures across the CNI is gathering pace, argues Chris Plimley, driven by the rapid evolution of the terror threat, technology and user demands   I watched my wife doing our weekly food shop on her phone from the comfort of a coffee shop the other day and… Read more »