Posts Categorized: March 2015

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »