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5:30 PM ET, Friday, September 8, 2023

The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's headlines, broken down by region of the world:  

The Americas

Top Air Force General Warns China Exploiting Knowledge of U.S. Service Members.  General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the head of the U.S. Air Force and President Joe Biden’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that China is conducting an exploitation campaign to harvest knowledge from U.S. troops and veterans.  In a document distributed to Air Force personnel on Friday, Brown said U.S. and NATO-trained military talent are being recruited by companies that do business with the Chinese government to teach advanced military skills and tactics that “fill gaps” in the Chinese military’s capabilities.  He appealed to U.S. service members to not join these companies to protect “our national defense information.”  A special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation confirmed the activity to the Washington Post, saying that a mix of privately owned companies and those backed or contracted by the Chinese government offer seemingly innocuous consulting, advising or training positions to U.S. service members.  The special agent added that American pilots are routinely targeted, as well as officers and personnel who handle specialized equipment or conduct tasks like guiding military pilots and aircraft.  Officials have said they have seen a rise in this Chinese recruitment of U.S. military personnel without specifying how many service members have been involved.  A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington did not deny the assertions but urged the U.S. “to respect the normal business activities of relevant companies,” noting that the U.S. is “quick to accuse China” on national security grounds.  The U.S. has blacklisted several companies for links to the Chinese government, including several aviation training firms.  Washington Post 

U.S. Pressures Mexico to Put More Resources Into Fight Against Fentanyl.  The Biden administration is reportedly facing an “unwillingness” by Mexican authorities to devote sufficient resources to help address the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.  Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Tod Robinson told a Senate subcommittee about the issue, saying that the U.S. is continuing to engage with the Mexican government “to convince them to put more resources” into counter-fentanyl efforts.  Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador has defended his country’s efforts to address the fentanyl crisis and said he has written to Chinese President Xi Jinping urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl precursor chemicals allegedly made in China and used to produce fentanyl in Mexico.  Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said in early August that Mexico has been developing a digital tracking system for precursor chemicals.  Reuters The Cipher Brief

Western Europe

First Leopard 1 Tanks from Denmark Arrive in Ukraine.  The Danish Armed Forces said the first 10 German-made Leopard 1 tanks promised by Denmark have arrived in Ukraine.  An additional 10 tanks have been renovated and will soon be sent as well.  Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have pledged to send over 100 of the tanks, first introduced in the 1960s, after they are refurbished.  Barron’s CNN

Central and Eastern Europe

Zelensky Says Impossible to Negotiate With Putin.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are not possible since “compromise and dialogue” cannot be made with “a liar.”  He cited Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death after he sought permission to continue operating his mercenary group after his munity as an example of what happens when you try to make a deal with Putin.  He also noted that other countries attacked and partially occupied by Russian troops, such as Georgia and Moldova, have also been unable to reach a compromise with Moscow.  Zelensky made the remarks on Putin’s lack of trustworthiness as he rejected suggestions that Ukraine should negotiate for peace with Moscow since the counteroffensive has not made significant gains.  CNN

Russia Says More Drones Downed in Western Regions.  The Russian Ministry of Defense said air defenses downed aircraft-type drones over the western Belgorod and Bryansk regions on Friday.  The ministry called both incidents attempted terrorist attacks by Ukraine.  CNN

Russia Starts Elections in Occupied Areas of Ukraine.  Russian-installed officials are holding local elections in occupied areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea regions.  The so-called vote, which is being held from September 8 to 10, is happening at the same time as local elections in parts of Russia.  Russian-installed officials have called the vote a defining moment for occupied regions.  Analysts say the vote is meant to project stability and normalcy in areas that Russia does not have full control over.  Ukrainian officials added that the residents of occupied areas are being coerced to vote.  The Ukrainian Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said people carrying a ballot box are going door to door with at least two armed men to force people to vote, adding that “there was no secret voting.”  Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the “sham elections” as “null and void,” denying that it will change the “international status” of any of the occupied territories.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the so-called vote a “propaganda exercise,” saying that Moscow hopes the “pre-determined, fabricated results” will strengthen its “illegitimate claims” in occupied areas.  The Council of Europe also denounced the so-called elections, calling them a “flagrant violation of international law” and maintaining that occupied territories “remain an integral part of Ukraine.”  Russia held similar so-called referendums in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk after it said it annexed them.  Associated Press Al Jazeera BBC CNN The Hill

Elon Musk Said He Withheld Starlink From Ukraine During Attempted Attack in Crimea.  SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he refused to give the Ukrainian military access to his Starlink satellite communications network over Russian-occupied Crimea to avoid complicity in a “major act of war and conflict escalation.”  Musk said Kyiv specifically sent an emergency request to activate Starlink for a military operation in Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.  A senior Ukrainian official accused Musk of “committing evil” with his actions, asserting that by not allowing Ukraine to launch drones on the Russian fleet with Starlink support, he allowed Russia to preserve its naval vessels, which have fired Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets.  Musk’s comments came after Walter Isaacson alleged in a biography he wrote about the billionaire that he turned off Ukraine’s access to Starlink when it launched submarine drones at the Russian fleet to avoid provoking a potential nuclear response from Moscow.  Isaacson wrote that once the drones lost access to Starlink, they “washed ashore harmlessly.”  Musk maintains that SpaceX “did not deactivate anything” because nothing in the region had been activated in the first place.  Musk added that Starlink was meant for “good peaceful things, not drone strikes” and offered his personal opinion that a truce should be reached, noting that Ukrainians and Russians are dying “to gain and lose small pieces of land.”  Ukraine has relied on Starlink for communications since Russia’s invasion has disrupted the country’s infrastructure.  BBC Wall Street Journal 

Lithuania Donates 1.5 Million Rounds of Ammunition to Ukraine.  Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense announced that it has donated 1.5 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine.  The ministry added that Lithuania will also send NASAMS missile launch systems, anti-drones, logistical equipment and other support to Ukraine soon.  The Baltic state has already sent Mi-8 helicopters, L-70 anti-aircraft guns, M113 armored personnel carriers, and other weapons and ammunition to Kyiv, as well as trained Ukrainian troops.  Lithuania’s military support for Ukraine is among the highest in terms of percentage of GDP.  CNN Ukrinform

Asia and Oceania

Former Militant Killed in Pakistan-Controlled Kashmir.  Pakistani officials said Friday that a former Kashmiri militant was gunned down in a mosque in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.  Police said that Muhammad Riaz, also known as Abu Qasim Kashmiri, was killed by an “unknown” person at a mosque in the town of Rawalakot.  According to locals, Riaz was associated with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a charity organization linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which India says conducted the 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.  Riaz’s death is the third such incident this year, which a top Islamist guerilla leader called a “targeted killing.”  For decades, India has accused Pakistan of supporting Islamist militant groups fighting for Kashmiri independence. Pakistan denies these claims and has accused India of supporting separatist rebels in Pakistan.  Reuters

Middle East and Northern Africa

Egypt Intensifying Crackdown on Critics Ahead of U.S. Decision on Military Aid.  Egyptian authorities are reportedly increasing arrests of critics as part of a crackdown on dissent ahead of a decision by the U.S. on whether to withhold $320 million in military aid earmarked for Egypt.  The U.S. State Department must make a decision on the aid by September 14.  Some are pushing the Biden administration to deny Cairo the aid for failing to meet human rights requirements.  Others supporting the delivery of the aid say Egypt should be exempt from rights conditions due to its regional clout and strategic position.  While Egypt has pardoned several prominent political prisoners this summer, rights groups say the releases have distracted from a broader clampdown on speech and political activity.  Egypt is a strategic ally for the U.S. in the region and is one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid.  Washington Post

Sub Saharan Africa

Suspected Drone Strike Kills Five Civilians, Three Militants in Somalia.  A suspected drone strike in central Somalia killed five civilians and three al Shabaab militants after the fighters sought refuge in a house containing a family, according to local leaders. State news reported that the three militants were senior leaders of al Shabaab, including Olol Ali Guled, the alleged commander of the group in Galgadud. The U.S. military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM), which has been assisting the Somali government combat al Shabaab, confirmed the deaths of the three militants and some civilian casualties, adding that it evacuated injured civilians.  AFRICOM added that U.S. forces were not onsite for the operation and did not conduct airstrikes related to the operation.  Last year, Somalia’s interior minister said that the country was utilizing Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones in their campaign against al Shabaab.  Reuters

Al Qaeda-Linked Militants Claim Second Attack on Mali Military Base.  The al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) militant group claimed responsibility on Friday for a suicide attack on a military base near the Gao International Airport in northeastern Mali.  Authorities have not commented on the reported attack, but residents and Malian media reported sounds of gunfire and smoke rising from the base.  The reported attack came a day after officials blamed JNIM for an earlier attack on a river boat and another military camp, killing 49 civilians and 15 soldiers.  Insurgent attacks in Mali have increased since the country’s military junta asked French troops and UN peacekeepers to leave.  Reuters

Ethiopian Soldiers Allegedly Kill Two Dozen Civilians in Amhara.  Ethiopian soldiers allegedly killed approximately two dozen civilians earlier this week in the Amhara region during house-to-house searches after being ambushed by local militiamen. Residents told reporters that the killings took place in the town of Majete and that those who were killed were not involved with the militia.  Spokespeople for the Ethiopian military, the federal government, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond to requests for comment about the matter.  Reuters

Cyber and Tech

AI-Driven Human-Machine Teams to Change Warfare.  Technology experts say that innovative commercial software developers developing robots that are teamed with humans and powered by artificial intelligence could challenge traditional defense industry producers.  Experts said it is unclear if certain big, human-crewed systems like submarines or reconnaissance helicopters will be made obsolete, but it is likely the new machines will play a major role in warfare.  The Ukraine war in particular is demonstrating this shift in which commercial and non-traditional companies produce key AI-driven automated weapons, like drones.  Reuters

Apple Device Flaw Allows for NSO Group Spyware Infection.  Researchers at Citizen Lab have found that spyware linked to Israeli firm NSO Group exploited a newly discovered flaw in Apple devices.  The watchdog said an inspection of an Apple device of a member of a Washington-based civil society group found that the flaw was used to infect the device with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, which has been used to conduct surveillance of government officials, journalists and activists worldwide.  Citizen Lab said they likely found the spyware because of a mistake the attacker made during installation.  A new iOS update reportedly fixes the vulnerability that allowed the spyware infection, and Apple said the high security feature “Lockdown Mode” also blocks this particular attack.  Citizen Lab is urging consumers to update their devices.  NSO Group said it is “unable to respond to any allegations that do not include any supporting research.”  Reuters

China Bans Local Government, State-Owned Firm Employees from Using iPhones.  China is reportedly expanding its ban on the use of Apple’s iPhones by central government employees to local government and state-owned enterprises.  China has limited the use of foreign-branded devices as the country moves to attain self-reliance in technology amid heightened tensions with the U.S.  The latest restrictions on the use of iPhones comes ahead of an expected launch of a new line of iPhones next week.  Analysts said that while the Chinese market makes up nearly a fifth of Apple’s revenue, the bans for government workers is unlikely to have an immediate impact on earnings due to the popularity of the iPhone in China.  Nikkei Asia

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