Infrastructure Protection

The evolution of asymmetric warfare means that NATO isn’t prepared to repel attacks by swarms of small drones and short-range missiles, according to Jason Rood, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for policy. He says such threats have developed faster than the alliance’s ability to rework missile defense and radar systems to detect small fast objects. [node:read-more:link]

Reacting to a U.S. decision to sent more troops and weapons to Saudi Arabia after the recent drone strike on critical oil infrastructure, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says he’s not confident that war can be avoided. He also said in a televised interview that “whoever starts one will not be the one who finishes it.” [node:read-more:link]

Saudi Arabia says it can prove Iran’s complicity in the recent drone attack on two major Saudi petroleum facilities. Even so, the kingdom is expected to wait until a UN inspection team completes its investigation. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. administration evidently is divided over whom to blame for the recent drone attck on Saudi Arabian petroleum installations. The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Johnathan Hoffman, says that while there are indications that Iran was in “some way” responsible, he declined to definitively blame Iran. This was after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was “abundantly clear” that Iran was responsible. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. National Security Agency is running an experiment designed to test whether the growing number of military and civilian satellites in lower earth orbit have been compromised. The focus, using artificial intelligence technology, is on trying to find out whether orbits have changed and what countermeasures are possible. [node:read-more:link]

Recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabian petroleum facilities evidently are raising concerns about the prospect of similar strikes against other strategic facilities. The extensive damage has spiked an increase in global oil prices. [node:read-more:link]

Jens Stoltenberg, the Dane who has been Secretary General of NATO since 2014, worries about Middle East tensions rising after the weekend drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s main oil-processing facility. While there’s an ongoing argument about who was responsible, Stoltenberg said Iran is “destabilizing” the region. [node:read-more:link]

Intermittent U.S. power grid shutdowns last March were caused by hackers exploiting utilities’ firewall vulnerabilities. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. says grids were down for up to five minutes at a time but that the software issues have been resolved. [node:read-more:link]

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has withdrawn contentious draft legislation which would have permitted extradition of Hong Kong residents to China. The bill sparked months of protests in the former British colony, raising fears of Chinese military intervention. [node:read-more:link]

RCMP believe someone deliberately cut the inch-thick cable of the two-kilometre Sea-to-Sky gondola line, a popular tourist attraction along Highway 99 north of Vancouver. Not operating at the time, it usually carries up to 240 passengers at a time on its 30 cars. [node:read-more:link]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says his country must intervene against any foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf. Calling their presence a “source of insecurity.” In his media, posted on social media, he calls the Gulf a “vital lifeline.” [node:read-more:link]