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10:00 AM ET, Monday, October 23, 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 TOP STORIES

Philippine, Chinese Vessels Collide in South China Sea.  Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels in the South China Sea on Sunday.  Philippine coast guard commodore said that five Chinese coast guard ships, eight accompanying vessels and two navy ships formed a blockade to try and prevent two Philippine coast guard ships and two supply boats from reaching Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, a part of the Spratly Islands.  A Philippine coast guard ship and supply boat were separately hit by a Chinese coast guard ship and vessel.  China said there was a “slight collision” and asserted that its ships were “lawfully” blocking Philippine boats from sending “illegal construction materials” to the disputed shoal.  Manila said the Chinese coast guard vessels “intentionally” hit the Philippine boats and summoned a Chinese Embassy official to protest the incident.  Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said that China is resorting to “brute force” to assert its territorial claims in the region and that Beijing is “deliberately obfuscating the truth” about the incident.  Teodoro added that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a further investigation into the collisions but did not provide further details.  Manila is set to raise the incident at talks that China is holding on a South China Sea “code of conduct.”  Meanwhile, the U.S blamed the incident on dangerous actions by Chinese ships and renewed a warning that it is obligated to defend the Philippines under their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.  China’s foreign ministry dismissed the U.S. warning, saying that it “disregarded the facts.”  Al Jazeera Associated Press Deutsche Welle Reuters France24 South China Morning Post 

U.S. Advises Against Travel to Iraq After Attacks on U.S. Forces. The State Department is warning U.S. citizens not to travel to Iraq in the wake of recent attacks on American forces and personnel in the region. The department issued a travel advisory which says Americans should “not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to U.S. citizens." There has been an increase in attacks against U.S. forces in both Iraq and Syria related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The advisory has ordered the departure of eligible family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad due to increased security threats against U.S. personnel. The statement added that anti-U.S. militias pose a threat to U.S. citizens and international companies alike, throughout Iraq. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have both recently warned of the prospect of an escalation in attacks on American troops in the Middle East and of Iran in an effort to widen the Israel-Hamas war. Reuters

ISRAEL AND HAMAS WAR

Israeli Soldiers, Hamas Fighters Clash in Gaza.  Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that one of its soldiers was killed and three others were injured during raids into Gaza.  An Israeli military spokesperson said the raids were aimed at preparing for an Israeli ground invasion of the territory and eliminating “terrorists who were preparing for the next stage of war.”  The spokesperson also said the raids were focused on gathering information on hostages held by Hamas, adding that there are at least 222 operations aimed at gathering intelligence about hostages.  Hamas said it encountered an Israeli armored unit in southern Gaza east of Khan Younis.  The group said its fighters destroyed some Israeli military equipment in the ensuing clash before the ISF unit returned to its base. Israel acknowledged that its forces were operating in the area and had clashed with Hamas fighters.   Al Jazeera Wall Street Journal  CNN

Israeli Tank Fire Accidentally Hits Egyptian Post Near Gaza.  Israel’s military said an Israeli tank fired at a “terrorist cell” in Gaza and “accidentally” damaged an Egyptian post near a border crossing.  The Israeli military said shell fragments from the strike injured several people, including Egyptian border guards.  The Israel Defense Forces said it ““expresses sorrow regarding the incident” and is investigating the matter.  The Egyptian military said the incident caused “minor injuries” but did not provide further details.  Al Jazeera  Reuters Times of Israel

Israel Escalates Air Strikes on Gaza.  Israel escalated its bombardment of areas in northern and central Gaza early on Monday following overnight air strikes in southern Lebanon.  Israel’s military said on Monday that it hit 320 targets in Gaza in the past day, including tunnels and outposts used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.  Israel’s military said on Saturday that it planned to “intensify” airstrikes ahead of the “next stages” of war, referring to a possible ground invasion into Gaza.  Palestinian authorities said on Monday that Israeli air strikes have killed at least 5,087 people in Gaza and injured over 15,200.  Israeli officials say 1,400 people in Israel have been killed since the Hamas attacks.  Associated Press Wall Street Journal Washington Post

Israel Conducts Air Strike in West Bank.  The Israeli military carried out an air strike on a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.  Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike hit an “underground terror route” at the mosque, adding that it was being used as a base by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to plan and carry out terror attacks.  The Palestinian Authority said two people were killed in the strike.  The IDF said those killed were Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members.  Israel’s military conducts regular raids in the West Bank, but rarely uses air strikes as it does in Gaza.   Al Jazeera BBC Reuters Times of Israel 

Israeli Air Strikes Hit Southern Lebanon.  The Israeli military said its aircraft struck two Hezbollah cells in Lebanon, claiming that they were planning to launch rockets and anti-tank missiles into Israel.  Israel’s military reported that one cell was about 8 miles southwest of Aitaroun, adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Mattat; the other was in the Shebaa Farms zone, further north.  Hezbollah on Monday reported that one of its men had been killed but did not offer details, and the Lebanese state media outlet NNA said an Israeli air strike hit the outskirts of Aitaroun. It is unclear if both sides were referring to the same incidents.  The Israel Defense Forces later said Iron Dome air defenses downed a drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon via the sea.  Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Hamas attacks, increasing concerns about an escalation of the Hamas war.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanuyahu has warned that if Hezbollah increases its attacks, Israel “will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine.”  Israel has since evacuated 42 communities along its northern border with Lebanon in response to the fighting.  Reuters Wall Street Journal New York Times Times of Israel

Israel Strikes Damascus and Aleppo Airports.  Syrian media reported Sunday that Israel’s military again struck airports in Damascus and Aleppo, damaging runways and shutting them down for the second time in two weeks.  According to NOTAMs, formal notices to international aviation officials, the runways at the airport will be unusable for at least 48 hours.  Syria’s SANA state news agency said that the attacks killed a civilian worker at the Damascus airport and wounded one additional individual.  The Syrian general directorate of meteorology added that two of its workers were killed in the strikes.  Syria’s Ministry of Transport reported that flights have been diverted to the airport in Latakia.  SANA said that Israel fired missiles at the Damascus International Airport from the Golan Heights, and that jets traveling over the Mediterranean close to Latakia hit the Aleppo International Airport. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes. Sunday’s assault was the first time in which simultaneous Israeli strikes targeted both of Syria’s main airports since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.  Reuters Al Jazeera Times of Israel

Two Aid Convoys Allowed Into Gaza, But U.N.Says Much More is Needed. U.N. officials said on Sunday that a second aid convoy has crossed into Gaza from Egypt. The U.N. said that at the request of the U.S., Israel allowed 14 trucks to cross at Rafah after 20 trucks were allowed into Gaza on Saturday.  Egyptian security and humanitarian sources said that as many as 19 trucks were allowed to enter Gaza on Sunday, but relief workers said far more aid is needed. The U.N. said Saturday’s convoy carried about 4% of an average day’s imports before the war and called for 100 trucks a day to be allowed to enter.  The U.N. also said Israel still is not allowing deliveries of fuel. The White House said that in a telephone call on Sunday, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden promised “a continued flow of this critical assistance to Gaza.” The White House also said Biden spoke with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy yesterday about support for Israel and the need for diplomacy with partners in the region to prevent the conflict from spreading.  Associated Press Reuters New York Times Al Jazeera

Hamas Manual Provided Directions for Making Chemical Weapon, Israeli President’s Office Says.  Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office says directions for making a chemical weapon to be used on civilian targets were found on the body of a Hamas fighter in the October 7 attack. Herzog’s office said a USB key contained instructions from a 2003 al Qaeda manual that included a diagram of a “device for dispersing cyanide agents.” Herzog’s office released two pages of the document, including a sketch of the device. An Israeli official told CNN that the information was sent to Israeli embassies around the world under the heading “Hamas intention of using chemical weapons.” A Hamas field manual and other documents found after the attack on Israel two weeks ago show some of the group’s military capabilities and preparations for the attack. The manual found on the body of a Hamas fighter includes weapons operations instructions and identifies vulnerabilities in Israeli military equipment. On the manual’s back cover was a picture of Palestinian Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, said to be a mentor of Osama bin Laden. Other Hamas documents have included maps and detailed plans for attack on kibbutzim around Gaza, including plans to kill and kidnap civilians. The Israeli military says hundreds of such documents and other material have been collected by the country’s intelligence and combat engineering units.  CNN Times of Israel Axios Washington Post

U.S. to Send Additional Air Defenses to the Middle East.  The Pentagon on Saturday announced plans to send additional air defense equipment — including a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and Patriot air defense missile system battalions — to the Middle East in response to recent attacks on U.S. troops in the region.  This comes just a few weeks after the deployment of two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the heightened activity is in response to “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces” and to bolster regional deterrence and support for Israel.  Austin mentioned plans for additional troop deployment, but did not mention specifics.  U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq have been targeted by drone and missile attacks in recent days.  A U.S. warship also reportedly shot down over a dozen drones launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis group from Yemen north towards Israel.  Reuters Axios

Iran Warns Israel to Stop Gaza Attacks or Risk Regional Escalation.  Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian issued a warning to Israel that the Middle East could spiral out of control if Israel does not stop its attacks on Gaza.  Amirabdollahian said during a news conference in Tehran, “I warn the U.S. and its proxy Israel that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control.” In response, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is in a battle for their lives and the war against Hamas was “do or die”. BBC

Israel Creates Civilian Security Squads.  Israel has set up hundreds of volunteer security squads and is arming them in the event of growing Jewish-Arab unrest. Authorities announced the action on Sunday. The last conflict in Gaza in 2021 saw occasional violent pro-Palestinian protests among Arab citizens who make up 21% of the Israeli population. The attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 has stirred Israel’s worries regarding already frayed internal ethnic relations amongst their Jewish-Arab population. Israeli police have arrested dozens of Arab citizens under suspicion of inciting unrest and supporting Hamas. As a measure to prepare for any further unrest, 527 security squads have been created to patrol the streets and provide back up to police. The deputy director-minister of police has told lawmakers that 20,000 firearms have been ordered for the new squads, with another 20,000 on the way. Reuters

No Breakthroughs After Cairo Peace Summit. Arab leaders met in Cairo this past weekend to discuss the violence between Israel and Gaza and some expressed condemnation at the Israeli government for its part in the killing of Palestinian citizens. Leaders from Egypt and Jordan were especially vocal in their criticism, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II calling the actions of Israel “a war crime.” The Egyptian government says that the aim of the meeting was to promote peace and reignite discussion of the Palestinian request for statehood. The government of Egypt fears a flood of Palestinian refugees into its territory. The meeting ended without any formal consensus, a disappointing result as Israel comes closer to launching a ground invasion of Palestinian territories. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the council of diplomats that Palestinians would not be forced from their homes, saying, “We won't leave, we won't leave.” Neither representatives from the U.S. nor Israel publicly attended the meeting.  Associated Press Reuters 

Pope Francis and President Biden Discuss Israel and Gaza. In a phone call on Sunday, President Biden and Pope Francis discussed the current conflict in the Middle East. The discussion centered around “the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East,” according to a statement by the White House. The Vatican also released a statement describing the 20-minute conversation as “focused on conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace.” President Biden also supposedly condemned the attacks by Hamas and reaffirmed his desire to protect the civilians of Gaza. Pope Francis had spoken to crowds earlier in the day, expressing his great sadness at the bombing of an Anglican hospital and Greek Orthodox church.  Reuters  

Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia Condemns Hamas and Israel. Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal made a statement at Rice University this weekend in clear condemnation of all parties involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Prince Turki condemned anyone involved in killing civilians, including the Israeli military and Hamas, saying that there were no heroes, only victims. Turki charged Hamas with violating Islamic injunctions not to harm civilians while denouncing the “indiscriminate bombing of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza” by the Israeli military. Prince Turki also condemned Western politicians for their hypocrisy for refusing to “even express sorrow when Israelis kill Palestinians” while openly mourning the deaths of Israeli citizens. BBC analysts speculate that the former head of Saudi foreign intelligence and ex-diplomat speaks on behalf of the country’s Royal Court, as it is unlikely that he would have made these statements so openly without consultation.  BBC 

THE UKRAINE UPDATE

Russian Attack on Postal Depot in Eastern Ukraine Kills Six. At least six people have been killed and sixteen others have been injured after a Russian missile strike on a postal terminal in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. Russian forces fired two missiles from the Belgorod region, at “a building belonging to a logistics company located in the Kharkiv region” on Saturday. Search and rescue operations are still underway and the identities of the victims are still being investigated. “Terror and murder will not get Russia anywhere. Terrorists will end up facing justice for everything they have done,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on a post to the social media platform X. United States Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, in a social media post added that “Again, overnight horrific images of Russian violence against civilians in Ukraine”. Kharkiv was liberated from Russian occupation last year yet is still often targeted by aerial assaults from Moscow. CNN NY Times Reuters 

Russia Claims it Thwarted Ukrainian Attempts to Cross Dnipro River. Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Sunday claimed that its forces had foiled several attempts by Ukrainian units to cross the Dnipro River in southern Kherson over the past day. According to the ministry, Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance” units were stopped trying to cross the river near the villages of  Pridniprovske, Tiahynka and Krynky. The ministry also said that it had destroyed Ukrainian personnel, water-crossing equipment, and vehicles near the village of Stanislav. This comes as on Friday, U.S. research group, the Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces had appeared to break the eastern bank of the river in Kherson. Reuters

Russian Forces Escalate Shelling Attacks.  Russian shelling across Ukraine killed at least three people in recent days.  Russian shelling on the southern town of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed one man, and a missile strike on an industrial facility in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, killed another person.  Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that the strike in Kryvyi Rih took out local Ukrainian fuel and ammunition depots.  Ukrainian officials did not respond to the claim.  Russian shelling also hit areas in the northeastern Kharkiv region and southern Kherson region.  Associated Press Reuters 

Ukraine’s Intelligence Agencies Bolstered by CIA.  Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine’s intelligence agencies have developed capabilities they are using now in the war with Russia, part of what The Washington Post calls a “shadow war” that includes twice bombing the bridge that connects Russia and Crimea, piloting drones to the Kremlin, and blowing holes in Russian ships in the Black Sea. According to current and former Ukrainian and U.S. officials, Ukraine’s security services have worked closely with the American CIA, which has spent tens of millions of dollars in the effort. Officials say that since 2015, the agency has provided Ukraine with advanced surveillance systems, trained recruits, built new headquarters, and shared intelligence, and that the CIA continues to maintain a significant presence in Kyiv. U.S. intelligence officials stress that the CIA is focused on intelligence gathering and is not involved in targeted killing operations by Ukrainian agencies. Over the past year and a half, Ukrainian intelligence services have engaged in dozens of assassinations of Russian officials in occupied territories, alleged Ukrainian collaborators, military officers, and prominent supporters of the war inside Russia. The prevalence of such attacks has raised concerns by some officials in Kyiv and Washington.  Washington Post

Hundreds of Nepali Men Joining Russian and Ukrainian Armies for Financial Reasons. Increasingly desperate economic conditions for young people in Nepal have led hopeful workers down the dark path of joining fighting in the Ukraine war.  Most of those recruited go into the Russian army, but a small group has reportedly joined the Foreign Legion on the side of Ukraine, raising the prospect of Nepalis fighting each other in the Ukraine war.  Nepal itself has remained neutral in the Ukraine war, refusing sanctions on Russia.  Rajendra Bajgain, a member of the Nepali coalition parliament, said that the government simply didn’t have “the guts” to force the Russian Army to recruit elsewhere. Enlistment by Nepali citizens increased in 2022 with the introduction of a protocol by Russian Vladimir Putin to a fast track to citizenship after a year of military service.  Men from India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo reportedly joined the program.  New York Times

THE CYBER AND TECH RUNDOWN

Evolution of Hamas Drone Program Leading to October Attack Profiled.  Amid the video evidence of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel was a clip circulated by the terrorist group showing its operatives launching a string of suicide drones from a desert location.  Hamas reportedly has been developing various drone capabilities for years, and in 2022 announced that Israel could no longer claim exclusive use of the sky.  Hamas Telegram posts have claimed about 40 suicide drone missions against Israel, although proof of substantial damage has been lacking.  Hamas may view drones as an important complement to its unguided rockets since the unmanned aerial vehicles are harder to detect and counteract.  A Tunisian-born aerospace engineer, Mohamed Zouari, was employed by Hamas in the early 2010’s to design its drone fleet, with initial models providing surveillance, small munition delivery, and suicide attack capabilities.  Following Zouari’s assassination in 2016, Hamas reconstituted its drone program and in 2021 unveiled a new model, the Shehab suicide drone.  Hamas announced in May 2022 that its drone program had made major progress, describing the new platforms as a “turning point” in its aggression against Israel.  Wired

U.S. Explores Ways to Control Chinese Access to Cloud Computing for AI Programs.  A senior U.S. Commerce Department official told Nikkei on Saturday that the government is weighing measures aimed at limiting China’s access to American cloud computing services in connection with overall efforts to restrict Beijing’s access to AI capabilities with military applications.  Alan Estevez, undersecretary of commerce for industry and security, said in an interview that “we’re looking at what the best way to control” Chinese use of cloud computing services to develop AI technologies.  Estevez added that “AI in the future will probably command and control military logistics [and] military radar, [and] electronic warfare capabilities will be advanced. So we want to make sure that we're controlling the use."  Estevez was a keynote speaker at the Mount Fuji Dialogue policy forum in Tokyo.  Nikkei Asia

OpenAI Executives Anticipate Rapid Approach of AGI, Impact on Workforce.  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told the Wall Street Journal that AI will accelerate the rate of change of work faster than any previous technological revolution.  Not only that, but the jobs that emerge under AI’s influence will be unrecognizable from those that exist today.  Altman said society will need to come to grips with the speed of this change, adding we “really (have to) do something about this transition.”  OpenAI’s CTO, Mira Murati, added that her company’s objective is to create AGI – artificial general intelligence – which she described as “a system that can generalize across many domains that would be equivalent to human work.”  In Murati’s view, AGI will produce “a lot of productivity and economic value.”  Altman added that AGI will create capabilities to solve what are now regarded as impossible problems and will lead to “incredible things.”  The OpenAI executives declined to define a specific timeframe for AGI, but they pointed out that an “Internet’s worth” of training data is not needed.  Instead, the quality of data will be the difference maker to improve the technology’s skill at reasoning.  Altman expressed “deep misgivings” about the way generative AI chatbots are being introduced into popular use.  “Personalization is great,” he said, “personality is great, but it’s important that it’s not person-ness.”  He noted that OpenAI intentionally named its bot “ChatGPT” instead of picking a person’s name to avoid confusion in perception of what a chatbot is, and is not.  Wall Street Journal

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

China Arrests Man Accused of Spying for U.S.  China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) said on Sunday that a Chinese citizen who worked for a defense institute had been accused of spying for the U.S. and that his case has been transferred to a court in the city of Chengdu for trial.  Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said that a man surnamed Hou working at an undisclosed defense institute was coerced into revealing Chinese state secrets.  The MSS additionally released a statement with the report on its WeChat social media account saying that “espionage activities go hand in hand with deception, temptation, and conspiracy”. Hou was reportedly detained in July of 2021 and charged on suspicion of espionage.  This case comes after China’s expansion of its anti-spying laws and increased arrests of individuals on espionage charges.  Reuters

China Detains Three Foreign Business Employees on Commercial Bribery Charges.

Shanghai police said Saturday they have detained an employee and two former employees of GroupM, a unit of London-based advertising company WPP, citing suspicions that they accepted bribes. Police said a preliminary investigation found bribery took place from 2019 until February 2023, but they did not specify the amounts involved or the frequency of incidents. The detentions came as concerns have grown among foreign companies operating in China over police raids, detentions and prevention of employees from leaving the country. Much of the concern is over an updated espionage law China adopted in July, although China did not cite that law in the GroupM case. Dale Buckner, CEO of U.S. private security firm Global Guardian, said the Chinese government may have decided to charge the GroupM executives with commercial bribery in an attempt to avoid the scrutiny that has come from previous detentions of Westerners under espionage laws.  Wall Street Journal Financial Times

Australia PM to Travel to China, Meet with Xi on Wine Resolution, Wind Tower Contention.  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday revealed that he will travel to Beijing from November 4 to 7 for meetings with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang as part of efforts to improve ties. The announcement of the trip came after Saturday’s resolution of a dispute over wine tariffs, as China had imposed duties of up to 218% on Australian wine in 2021. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Sunday that Beijing and Canberra had agreed to resolve the World Trade Organization (WTO) issue, in addition to a dispute over Australian duties on Chinese wind towers. The topics of discussion at the meetings will center around climate change, economic links, and ties “between our people,” Albanese said in a statement. China’s Commerce Ministry said that the two nations are “important trading partners” and emphasized the commitment to “dialogue and consultation.” Reuters Associated Press Bloomberg 

South Korea Holds First Joint Air Drills with U.S., Japan.  South Korea, Japan, and the United States held a joint aerial exercise near the Korean peninsula Sunday, the first such collaboration between the three countries. South Korea’s air force said that the drill aimed to expand the country’s response capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The drill included a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber and fighter jets from all three countries. At the Camp David summit in August, the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States all agreed to carry out annual exercises and establish a hotline for communications in a crisis. Additionally, on Sunday, the South Korean and U.S. navies completed a joint anti-submarine exercise.  Associated Press Bloomberg Reuters Japan Times

U.S, Sends Drone Ships to Navy Bases in Japan. The U.S. has sent two multi-role surface vessels (USVs) to naval bases in Japan. Analysts say it may indicate plans to increase the use of drone ships in Washington’s deterrence strategy towards Beijing. The Mariner and the Ranger are both USVs and began their journey from California to Yokosuka, Japan, last month as part of the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Battle Problem 23.2 exercise. Before arriving in Yokosuka, the Mariner and Ranger made a stop in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The exercise’s purpose was to test the use of USVs alongside manned vessels within the Indo-Pacific. The journey marks the first time the U.S. Navy has sent driverless ships over such a long distance. USV development was highlighted in the Pentagon’s replicator initiative, a military technology innovation plan announced by the US Deputy Secretary of Defense in August. The Pentagon aims to develop thousands of UAVs under the new plan, which has been seen as a response to the influx of Chinese warships in recent decades.  South China Morning Post

Estonia Asks China for Cooperation Over Baltic Sea Cable Damage, Russia Reiterates it is Not Responsible.  Estonia’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it has asked China to cooperate in investigations into damaged telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea.  It is still unclear if the damage was an accident or a deliberate act of sabotage.  Finland says its probe into the cables, as well as a damaged gas pipeline, is currently focused on the potential role of a Chinese container vessel, which investigators say appears to have been in the area at the time of the damage.  Meanwhile Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said last week that NATO should close the Baltic Sea to shipping if Russia was found responsible for the damage to the undersea infrastructure.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Monday by saying any such “threats” against Moscow are “unacceptable.”  He also reiterated that Russia had nothing to do with the incident and referred to the Nord Stream pipeline blasts, which Russia has blamed on the U.S. and its allies, without providing evidence.  Reuters Reuters

Serbia Emphasizes China’s Role in Military Buildup, Modernization.  Milos Vucevic, Serbia’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, told Chinese state media that military cooperation with China has significantly strengthened Serbia’s military.  He highlighted China's FK-3 medium-range anti-aircraft missile system and its CH-95 and CH-92A drones as “undoubtedly” the most important defense systems acquired by Serbia from Beijing.  Vucevic emphasized that the military equipment from China is meant to bolster Serbia’s defenses and said relations between the two countries will continue to develop as they are the “most reliable” of friends.  His comments come after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic last week in Beijing and amid heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.  Reuters 

At Least 18 Arrested after Bomb Threats Across France. Multiple bomb threats were reported at multiple sites across France, including the Palace of Versailles and multiple airports, on Friday, just a week after a suspected jihadist attack in Arras killed a school teacher. Fifteen regional airports reported threats resulting in evacuations and the cancellations of at least 130 flights. French authorities report that the actors behind the threats have mostly been minors. The Palace of Versailles closed for a fifth time on Friday due to a bomb threat, leading Mayor François de Mazières to make a statement regarding the potential consequences of these threats on tourism. On Thursday, French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin told reporters that France was under no immediate threat and that the “little jokers” would be “found and punished.”  BBC 

Belgium’s Justice Minister of Belgium Resigns after the Killing of Two Swedes by an Islamic Extremist. Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne resigned on Friday after what he called a “monumental error” in the investigation of an Islamic extremist who would go on to kill two Swedish men and wounding another this past week. It was discovered that Tunisian authorities had sought an extradition of the man, Abdesalem Lassoued, a year before his fatal attack outside of a soccer stadium. Lassoued had disappeared from Belgian radar after being ordered to return to Tunisia. Quickenborne told reporters that his office “did not follow up on this extradition demand, and the dossier was not acted upon.” Belgian authorities were recently informed that Lassoued expressed intent to join a holy war abroad and claimed his actions were inspired by that of the Islamic State. The minister took all responsibility for the oversight-turned-deadly.  Associated Press 

Slovenian Policy Deployed to Borders with Croatia and Hungary. Slovenia instituted what it said were anti-terror measures over the weekend, requiring travels to show documents before crossing in from Hungary and Croatia. The move comes after a similar border security program took effect on the Italian-Slovenia border last week. Travelers have not had to display any documentation when entering Slovenia from Croatia since the latter joined the control-free Schengen Area in January of this year. The government explained its reasoning for this tightening of security by saying that “members of various terrorist and extremist movements and groups” were making an effort to cross into Europe. The government also cited a rise in violent crime in the Balkans.  Reuters 

U.S. State Department Expresses Concern Over Departure of Canadian Diplomats from India. After Friday’s departure of 41 Canadian diplomats from India at the urging of the Indian government, the U.S. State Department urged both parties to reconsider. The Canadian government alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Some analysts say The U.S. hesitates to condemn the involvement and risk potential damage to the state’s relationship with India. On Friday, a State Department spokesman told reporters, “Resolving differences requires diplomats on the ground. We have urged the Indian government not to insist upon a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic presence and to cooperate in the ongoing Canadian investigation.” The State Department also added that they expect India to “uphold its obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including with respect to privileges and immunities enjoyed by accredited members of Canada's diplomatic mission.”  Reuters 

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks with Russia, Iran, Turkey to Take Place in Tehran. Iranian and Russian media agencies reported that Tehran will host foreign ministers from Iran, Turkey and Russia, as well as their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia, on Monday for talks on reaching a peace agreement between the two feuding South Caucasus nations. IRNA news outlet cited the foreign ministry as saying that the countries sought to discuss regional issues "without the interference of non-regional and Western countries,” in reference to both the U.S. and the E.U. According to the Russian Interfax news agency, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also attend the meeting in Tehran. Georgia said Sunday that it would not send representatives to the gathering. Azerbaijan in September conducted a lightning offensive to retake control of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, causing the displacement of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians who had lived under de facto independence since the 1990s.  Reuters 

Pakistan Test-Fires Ababeel Nuclear Missile.  Pakistan test fired an Ababeel missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads on Saturday. Pakistan last tested the missile on Jan 24 2017. The military’s media branch stated that the test was performed to revalidate “various design, technical parameters, and performance evaluation of different sub-systems”' and was “aimed at strengthening deterrence and enhancing strategic stability in the region”. Mansoor Ahmed, an expert on Pakistan’s nuclear program noted that the Ababeel missile is the most important engineering milestone for the country’s nuclear triad in almost two decades.  Defense News

Thawing U.S.-Venezuela Relations Raise Hope for Prisoner Releases.  In the wake of a six-month suspension of U.S. economic sanctions, U.S. officials have told negotiators for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that they expect the release of more Venezuelan political prisoners and at least some of the eight Americans detained in his country. The State Department considers three of those Americans unlawfully detained. Maduro has released five Venezuelans so far. Forco Penal, a group whose lawyers represent people they say have been detained arbitrarily, says about 270 political prisoners remain. Forco Penal Deputy Director Gonzalo Himiob said he has received dozens of telephone calls every day from Venezuelan prisoners’ families, wondering who will be released. He said there is a lot of hope and expectation now, but that the Maduro government is not known for fulfilling its commitments.  Wall Street Journal

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