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Wednesday, April 26, 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:  

Americas

Yellen Warns Congress of “Economic Catastrophe” In Event of Debt Default. US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen called on Congress to fulfill their “basic responsibility” to raise or suspend the current debt ceiling. Yellen claims the failure to raise the debt ceiling and subsequent default on debt could trigger economic and financial catastrophe for years to come. Reuters

US Hosts South Korean President for Official Visit. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is in Washington this week for an official state visit at the White House. On Tuesday, he appeared with Vice President Harris to talk about space at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center. Today, he and President Biden are set to discuss a range of issues including the war in Ukraine, concerns over China, the North Korean nuclear threat, and various issues related to business interests of major companies in the U.S. and South Korea. President Biden is expected to announce specific new nuclear deterrence efforts, a new cybersecurity initiative, economic investments, and an educational partnership to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining a strong relationship between the two countries. President Yoon is expected to seal deals for South Korean companies like chipmakers and car manufacturers, and praised US efforts to reduce reliance on China for critical goods in a Tuesday speech at the US Chamber of Commerce. Yoon will address a joint session of Congress on Thursday. Bloomberg Washington Post Associated Press 

US and South Korea Pledge Cooperation on Potential Use of Nuclear Weapons against North Korea. U.S. officials revealed on Wednesday that in exchange for a South Korean commitment to not develop its own nuclear weapons, the U.S. has agreed to give Seoul more of a voice in consultations on a potential U.S. response to a North Korean attack. The U.S. will still retain control over targeting and the execution of nuclear operations. The text of the agreement, which both sides are calling the Washington Declaration, will be released during President Biden’s meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday. As a demonstration of the United States’ commitment to the agreement, a U.S. ballistic missile submarine will make a high-profile visit to South Korea at a future date. The Biden administration is not planning to redeploy nuclear weapons, which were removed in 1991 after the end of the Cold War, on the Korean Peninsula. The accord will also establish a new Nuclear Consultative Group in which senior officials from the two countries will meet to discuss how to reinforce deterrence and how the two countries might respond in a variety of scenarios. The declaration also calls for steps to spotlight the deployment of U.S. bombers and other strategic systems that are capable of carrying nuclear weapons in and around the Korean Peninsula. Wall Street Journal

Pentagon Using Lessons Learned from Ukraine to Prepare for Potential China Conflict. In an April 21 interview, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is teaching the US lessons it will use to prepare for a potential conflict with China, ranging from innovation in space to the necessity of a steady ammunition pipeline. In response to challenges the US has experienced keeping Ukraine supplied with weapons and ammunition, for example, the Pentagon has pushed for longer-term contracts for weapons manufacturers, to give them more predictability. The Defense Department also secured a Presidential Drawdown Authority to expedite weapons deliveries to Taiwan, which allows it to send existing stockpiles to the island and then backfill them later. Hicks told Bloomberg News the war in Ukraine has also highlighted the brilliance of the US space innovation system, which has helped keep the internet running in Ukraine, allowed Ukrainian forces to accurately detect targets, and produced satellite images to gain insight into Russian troop movements. Hicks reiterated past US assessments that China is not planning an imminent attack on Taiwan. Bloomberg

UN Secretary General Trying to Salvage Black Sea Grain Deal with Trip to DC. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is set to travel to Washington today to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and members of Congress in three days of meetings. In addition to broader conversations about Ukraine, the meetings are part of his attempt to salvage the Black Sea grain deal amid complaints from Russia that aspects of the agreement that would facilitate the export of Russian grain and fertilizers despite ongoing sanctions are not being upheld. On Tuesday, the Russian foreign minister described the agreement as being in a “deadlock”. The UN and Turkey helped broker the agreement last July to allow Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea. An adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky told Reuters that Mr. Guterres’ proposal to extend the deal past the current May deadline could succeed “only if the international community collectively punishes Russia.” New York Times

Haitian Residents Fight Gangs in Capital, One Day After Mob Killed 13. Residents in the Canape Vert suburbs of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince fought back against gangs on Tuesday, a day after 13 gang members were burned to death by locals. The local police are reportedly understaffed and have been largely ineffective in battling the gangs, so members of the local community have begun to take matters into their own hands, forming a makeshift brigade. According to the UN, gangs now control 80% of the capital.  Associated Press 

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Guaidó Reaches U.S., Not Seeking Political Asylum. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó arrived in Miami from Caracas, Venezuela Monday night, after Venezuelan President Gustavo Petro confirmed that he traveled  by his own free will, and was not deported. Guaidó claimed to the Associated Press that the US Government intervened following deportation threats. He also told the Associated Press that he is not looking to seek asylum in the United States, and is considering running in the presidential primary in October back in Venezuela. Associated Press New York Times Wall Street Journal  

Clandestine Dumping Grounds: Mexican Officials Discover 8 Bodies on Cancun Resort. Mexican authorities discovered multiple bodies that match missing persons reports in the tourist capital of Cancun. The bodies are likely victims of the cartel or warring gangs stashed in clandestine dumping grounds. Associated Press 

Western Europe

Germany Authorities Arrest Syrian Brothers Suspect Accused of Planning Attacks. On Tuesday morning German authorities arrested one of two brothers, a 28-year old Syrian national, on allegations that they were planning a terror attack on German soil using a homemade explosives belt. The investigation and arrest was conducted in the northern city of Hamburg, while the other brother lives in the southern Bavaria state. The suspect had reportedly bought raw materials used to make bombs off of the internet. Neither suspect has been named, and no specific target of attack has been identified. Associated Press Reuters 

China Uninterested in Mediating Peace in Ukraine, Czech President Pavel Cautions. As China positions itself as a peace broker in Ukraine, Czech President Petr argue that Beijing is not only a untrustworthy broker in negotiations, but that it is actually “in China’s interest to prolong the status quo,” he told Politico, “because it can push Russia to a number of concessions.”  The comments by the former general and senior NATO leader came just hours after China’s ambassador to France claimed that former Soviet bloc nations enjoy “no effective status.” Politico

UK Foreign Secretary Calls for “Robust and Constructive” Engagement with China. In a speech on Tuesday, the UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged China to be more open about what he called the biggest military build-up in peacetime history in the South China sea, and said continued secrecy around Beijing’s intentions could lead to a “tragic miscalculation”. Cleverly called for “robust and constructive” British engagement with China despite his disgust over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Analysts say that Cleverly’s speech is the clearest attempt to explain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vision for Britain’s relationship with China. Cleverly said Britain is also open to deepening its cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific. Cleverly also said that while it would be “clear and easy” to declare a new Cold War with China, such a move would be wrong, and warned against an era of open confrontation that might harm the UK’s economic interests. The speech comes weeks after the UK’s updated Integrated Review of defense and foreign policy, which described relations with China as an “epoch-defining and systemic challenge”. Politico Reuters

Central & Eastern Europe

Ukrainian President Zelensky Confirms Call with Chinese President Xi. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He said the call was “long and meaningful” but gave few details. A summary of the call published in Chinese media reportedly made no reference to either ‘war’ or ‘Russia’, but Xi did offer that respect for territorial integrity formed the ‘political basis’ of the China-Ukraine relationship.  Beijing says it will also send an envoy to Ukraine for talks with all parties. Zelenskiy said on Twitter that the call would “give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.” Washington Post CNN BBC

Former Russian President & Putin Ally: We Are Probably On Verge of a New World War. Former President of Russia and Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev said during a conference in Moscow that we are on the verge of a new world war with growing risks of nuclear confrontation. During the conference, the deputy chairman of Putin’s security council added that these risks are more pressing than the concerns over climate change.  Reuters

Ukraine Carries Out Frequent Raids across Dnipro River Ahead of Counteroffensive. In an effort to dislodge Russian forces on the eastern shore of the Dnipro river, Ukrainian forces have been reportedly conducting raids. Russian troops have held positions there since November, after being driven from the southern Ukrainian city. Security analysts soon expect a Ukrainian counteroffensive in an effort to secure more territory. Reuters

Moscow Focusing on Attacking Bakhmut, Claims Ukrainian Military. Meanwhile, Russian forces are concentrating their efforts against the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military reported Tuesday, in a move that may be reducing offensive operations in some other areas. Over the past 24 hours, Russians "attacked our positions 23 times, fired 280 times with various types of artillery, and carried out four air raids,” reportedly said Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “There were 85 attacks and 20 firefights in the Bakhmut area alone. One-hundred-and-seventy-five occupiers were killed in action, 213 were wounded." CNN

Results of Coming Ukrainian Counteroffensive will Determine Future U.S. Support. Ukraine’s performance during an expected spring offensive by Russian forces will be critical for the U.S. to continue military assistance to the country, according to U.S. lawmakers and Western officials. While the Biden administration insists the U.S. will provide aid to Ukraine for “as long as it takes”, continued assistance has increasingly become a political flashpoint in the U.S. Congress, where some Republicans warn the U.S. should not “write a blank check to Ukraine”. Sen. Jack Reed, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently emphasized that the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive is important to make the case for continued U.S. support politically and to the American public. Sen. Ted Cruz said that he expects “significant scrutiny” to be applied to future supplemental packages for Ukraine, and expected that Republicans would be more inclined to support military assistance as opposed to economic and humanitarian relief. Wall Street Journal

Ukraine Launched 6 HIMARS at the Southern Town of Tokmak, Claims Russian Authority. Six High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems were fired at the town of Tokmak by Ukrainian forces according to Vladimir Rogov, a senior Russian-backed military official. According to Rogov, four of the rockets were shot down by Russian air defense systems, while the other two landed in a northern part of the city. One civilian was killed and four others were injured, according to a statement made on Telegram.  CNN

Russia Bombs Ukrainian Museum, Kills Two and Wounds 10. At least two people are dead and 10 injured after an S-300s Russian missile hit a museum in the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. The museum that was hit was a museum of local history located in the city center. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video of the damage site.  Associated Press

Russia Fires on Ukraine with New T-14 Armata Battle Tank, Claims RIA. A new class of Russian battle tank has entered the battlefield in Ukraine, the RIA state news agency reported Tuesday. The T-14 Armata battle tanks, which have a max speed of 50 mph and are equipped with extra protection on their flanks, also boast an unmanned turret, which crew remotely guiding the armaments. The tanks have not yet been deployed in direct assault operations. British military intelligence previously reported that Russian forces were hesitant to take the earlier tanks due to their poor condition. Reuters

Belarus Fears Being Pulled into Ukraine War. Concerns are mounting in neighboring Belarus among residents that their country may be pulled into the ongoing conflict in Ukraine following recent conscription drives in the Eastern European nation. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is deeply unpopular in Belarus, was complicated after Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed thousands of Russian forces and offered to house Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Associated Press 

EU to Deploy Mission to Moldova to Counter Russian Threats. On Monday, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borell said the EU, under the Common Security and Defense Policy, would send a civilian mission to Moldova to help the Eastern European country combat growing threats from Russia. The mission will focus on “crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference.” The decision follows a string of reports that Moscow is actively attempting to destabilize Moldova. In February, Ukrainian President Zelensky said Kyiv’s security services had intercepted Russian plans to establish control over Moldova, which Moldovan President Maia Sandu later alleged included plans to use sabotage and militarily-trained people disguised as civilians to conduct violent acts, take hostages, and attack government buildings. Although its elected president is pro-EU and has repeatedly condemned Moscow for invading Ukraine, Moldova was once one of Moscow’s closest allies, and 1500 Russian troops are currently stationed in the breakaway region of Transnistria. President Sandu has consistently called for the withdrawal of those forces from her country. Politico

Asia & Oceania

China Moves Ahead with New Revised Spy Law. During a Standing Committee meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Wednesday, China approved a newly revised counterespionage law, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It is unclear what changes were made to the current anti-espionage law, which dates back to 2014; no additional details have been reported by Xinhua. A NPC spokesperson said last week that the existing legal definition for espionage activities was “too narrow” and that prevention measures were insufficient. The official Legal Daily newspaper reported Tuesday that changes would be made to how Beijing defines “spying activities” to include cyberattacks targeting state organs and critical information infrastructure. The move comes as President Xi Jinping looks to bolster national security amid increasing friction with the US. Bloomberg

China Launches “National Security Investigation” and Detains Taiwan-Based Publisher. Chinese officials confirmed on Wednesday that they have detained Li Yanhe, widely known by his pen name, Fu Cha, a Chinese citizen who has been living in Taiwan since 2009. He has reportedly been detained for suspected violations of security laws during a visit to China. Analysts perceive Mr. Li’s detention as a warning that Beijing is sending to Taiwan’s publishing sector. Mr. Li’s company, Gusa Publishing, is well known in Taiwan for publishing books that are critical of the China Communist Party. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, and Mr. Li’s wife, who is Taiwanese, has declined to speak publicly about the case. The investigation into Mr. Li is the second case linked to Taiwan that China confirmed this week. On Tuesday, Chinese prosecutors said that Yang Chih-yuan, the vice chairman of the Taiwanese National Party which promotes independence for Taiwan, was formally arrested and accused of “separatist activities”. New York Times

Taiwan’s Annual Military Drills to Begin in May, Will Prioritize Fighting Blockade of the Island. Taiwan is expected to begin its annual Han Kuang military drills starting on May 15, followed by another set of drills beginning on July 24. The drills will use computer simulations to focus on how to combat a blockade of the island. According to a statement from the defense ministry, civilian airports will be used in the drills, and will involve sea, air, and land forces.  Al Jazeera 

Middle East & Northern Africa

Taliban Forces Claim to Have Killed Islamic State Leader Behind 2021 Suicide Bombing at Kabul Airport. Tuesday night Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder confirmed with “high confidence” that the person behind the August 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport was killed earlier this month by the Taliban. Neither the US nor the Taliban knew that the perpetrator was killed following a series of clashes in southern Afghanistan between the Taliban and the Islamic State, but recent US intelligence reports have confirmed with high confidence that he was killed. The 2021 attack killed 13 US troops and 170 Afghans during the US withdrawal from the country.  Associated Press CNN Washington Post 

Turkish Police Detain 110 Over Suspicions of Financing PKK Ahead of Elections. Turkish authorities announced on Tuesday that they had arrested 110 people over alleged ties to the illegal Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) ahead of the upcoming elections. According to authorities, those arrested are suspected of financing the group, as well as recruiting members or promoting propaganda on the group’s behalf. The group, which is considered by Turkey and other western countries to be a terrorist group, has been at war with Turkey since 1984.  Al Jazeera 

U.S. Claims Russian Military’s Interference in Syria Could Escalate, Lead to “Miscalculation” A surge in Russian military operations in Syria have stoked concerns among U.S. officials that the theater could result in a miscalculation that results in a direct conflict with U.S. forces still operating in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country.  A series of air strikes, particularly near a base in the southern part of the country prompted those concerns, and has increased already high tensions brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the  west’s supply and logistics support of Kyiv.  Wall Street Journal 

Sub Saharan Africa

Evacuations Continue in Sudan as Fighting Resurges. Fighting in Sudan flared again on Tuesday night, despite a 72-hour ceasefire that was agreed to by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF is reportedly using drones to target RSF positions in Omdurman and to drive paramilitary fighters from a fuel refinery in Bahri, according to Reuters. The UN special envoy on Sudan told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that while the ceasefire seems to be holding in some parts of the country, neither side is showing a readiness to seriously negotiate, probably because they think they can still achieve a military victory. He also said that Khartoum International Airport was operational, but the tarmac is damaged, which will hinder attempts to use it for larger-scale evacuations. Millions of Sudanese remain caught in the crossfire and are struggling to find food, shelter, and medical care; the UN’s refugee agency said it is gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of additional people to flee into neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the international community continues to try to evacuate foreign nationals from Sudan. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed late Monday that the U.S. is positioning naval assets off the coast of Sudan; the naval destroyer U.S.S. Truxtun is near Port Sudan, and the U.S.S. Lewis, which serves as a floating base for special operations forces, is on its way. Turkey’s foreign minister said that Turkey had evacuated nearly 1500 people, including 110 non-Turkish nationals, by bus. There are approximately 1250 UN staff members in Port Sudan waiting to leave for Saudi Arabia; they traveled over land for 35 hours in an evacuation convoy, according to a UN official who asked to remain anonymous. Reuters New York Times

Horrific Mass Killings of Civilians in Northern Burkina Faso, UN Calls for Investigation.  The UN is calling for an investigation into the killing of at least 150 civilians, allegedly perpetrated by Burkino Faso’s security forces, in northern Burkino Faso. Earlier this week, Burkino Faso’s prosecutor said it had already opened an investigation into the killings, but put the death toll at 60, less than half the UN estimate. Since Capt. Ibrahim Traore seized power in Burkino Faso via a coup in September 2022, extrajudicial killings of civilians have increased according to rights groups and residents. This incident – one of the deadliest purportedly committed by security forces – comes alongside other allegations that the military is committing abuses against those it believes are supporting Islamist insurgents. Associated Press

South African President Backtracks, Will Not Attempt to Pull Away from ICC. On Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa walked back earlier statements that South Africa would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The earlier pledge to withdraw from the ICC had been made as South African authorities contend with how to handle a potential August visit to the country from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, for whom the ICC issued an arrest warrant last month. South Africa has historically held close ties with Russia, and refused to cut ties even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a signatory to the ICC, South Africa, which is set to host the next BRICS summit in August, would theoretically be obligated to enforce the ICC’s warrant and arrest Putin if he entered the country. Still, lack of action by South Africa would not be unprecedented; South Africa refused to execute an ICC arrest warrant against then-president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir when he visited the country in 2015. Bloomberg Reuters Politico

Cyber & Tech

CISA-Cyber Command Response to SolarWinds, Ongoing Foreign Deployments Described. CISA and Cyber Command officials participating in an RSA conference panel revealed that the two organizations responded quickly to SolarWinds breaches in 2020 by entering foreign networks, observing threat actors, and closing down access.  Maj. Gen. William Hartman, commander of the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), told the conference that in the days following the breach of Federal agencies, the CNMF sent a team to an unidentified “partner nation” and began to track down intruders in networks within that country.  Hartman added, “Not only were we able to gain access to the adversary, but we were able to do so in a manner that the adversary didn’t know we were there.”  In related news, Reuters reported that the CNMF has been deployed in 47 “hunt forward” operations involving 20 countries in the last three years. CyberScoop Reuters Wall Street Journal Washington Post   

 Cyber Command, DHS Disrupted 2020 Iranian Cyber Attack on Local U.S. Election System. Acting before votes were tallied, Cyber Command teams disrupted an Iranian hacking attack on a local government election site in 2020.  While actual votes could not have been interfered with, the hack could have resulted in a confidence-damaging distortion of results reported on the election website, or disrupting public access to the website.  Members of Cyber Command’s “hunt forward” teams discovered the attempted cyberattack during an overseas deployment and alerted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which then helped local government officials fend off the breach.  TheRecord Washington Post 

Deputy Attorney General Describes “Pivot” in Law Enforcement Cybercrime Tactics. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told an RSA conference audience that law enforcement has shifted to a practice of preventing victims of cybercrime rather than tallying up arrests.  Describing the recent takedown of the Hive ransomware infrastructure, Monaco said the focus was on disrupting attacks and providing decryption keys to victims of cybercriminals.  This approach resulted in preventing nearly an estimated $130 million in ransomware payments to Hive hackers.  CyberScoop

National Intelligence Director Sees Signs of Global Digital Repression of Dissent. China and Iran, among other countries, increasingly are using technological tools to monitor and suppress dissent both at home and abroad, according to Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence.  The proliferation of spyware to intimidate and disinformation campaigns to manipulate public opinion of dissenters is exacerbated by artificial intelligence tools used by authoritarian regimes to counter detection and prevention.  Haines was speaking at an event sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  A Chinese Embassy spokesperson criticized Haines’ remarks, stating that “China firmly opposes the U.S. 's slanders and smears, its political manipulation, the false narrative of ‘transnational repression.”  Bloomberg

U.S. Sanctions North Koreans Supporting Lazarus Group, Iranian Cyberspace Official. Three North Korean supporters of the Lazarus cybercrime group, including a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank representative, were sanctioned this week by the Justice Department.  The three individuals were added to the U.S. sanctions list for supporting the Lazarus group by helping to convert virtual stolen cryptocurrency into fiat currency.  A Federal indictment alleged that the Foreign Trade Bank representative and three others conspired to launder stolen cryptocurrency and to purchase goods through  front companies for the North Korean government.  Meanwhile, the Treasury Department added the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace to the Federal sanctions list for his role in leading actions against recent protesters by blocking online news and communications platforms and using digital tools to monitor journalists and dissidents.  CoinDesk Decrypt TheRecord   

Google Launches Integrated, AI-Enabled Cybersecurity Platform. Google has introduced an integrated platform aimed at providing cyber analysts with generative AI tools to perform threat intelligence assessments.  The Google Cloud Security AI Workbench combines the Mandiant cyber intelligence unit and Chronicle security operations platform with its Vertex AI infrastructure and an AI model named Sec-PaLM.  With the goal of protecting Google’s own systems as well as Google Cloud customers, the platform would allow analysts to upload potentially harmful code to the AI model, generate alerts from Mandiant, and interact with Google’s library of historical security data.  A Google Cloud security official explained that the AI tool will examine suspected malware, identify possible system breaches, and deliver quick and easily understood explanations.  Wall Street Journal

Chinese Cyberspace Agency, PLA Assessing Potential of Generative AI Sector. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) recently disseminated draft regulations that would mandate data protection, provisions to prevent bias, and standards for training quality in generative AI products.  Particular attention is given to political sensitivities, with one draft article requiring content that “embodies socialist core values” and is free of false or divisive information.  Chinese military circles are also monitoring the potential of ChatGPT-like applications.  A recent PLA journal noted that in peacetime ChatGPT could assist the analysis of vast data holdings while in wartime the technology “could generate comprehensive battlefield reports.”  South China Morning Post New York Times

 Chinese Scientists Conduct Successful 6G Wireless Transmission Test. Researchers from a Chinese aerospace institute have conducted the first real-time wireless transmission using 6G communications technology in a development viewed as a significant step toward 6G telecommunications.  According to an official Chinese S&T newspaper, the research team used “terahertz orbital angular momentum communication technology” successfully in the test.  6G is projected to perform data-intensive tasks not possible with today’s technology, including virtual reality and holographic communication applications.  In describing the research team’s methods, a report said they used a special antenna capable of generating four different beam patterns at 110 GHz, achieving wireless transmission at a speed of 100 GB per second.   South China Morning Post

France, Singapore Announce Joint AI Research Center for Cyber Defense. The French Ministry of Armed Forces and Singapore Ministry of Defense have agreed to jointly operate a research facility in Singapore focusing on how artificial intelligence can aid cyber defense and security.  Of particular interest are AI applications for geospatial analysis, the extraction of information for analysis through natural language processing, and computer monitoring of image and video sources to identify threats.  ZDNet