A British former military intelligence officer has said that the high civilian death toll in the Israeli hostage rescue operation would have been difficult to avoid. Colonel Philip Ingram, a former member of the Intelligence Corps and a NATO planner, said the involvement of civilians in the detention of the hostages meant that they had become legitimate targets. He spoke out amid the growing international criticism surrounding the rescue operation. Hamas claimed that over 200 Palestinians were killed and wounded in the military operation but did not distinguish between civilians and terrorists in this figure, while the Israeli Government said…

With Iran continuing its sabre-rattling in the Middle East, NSN speaks with Henry Jackson Society Senior Research Fellow Barak Seener, at the launch of his new report, Restoring Deterrence: Destabilising the Iranian Regime, where Seener calls for a new Iran policy of disproportionate response to Iranian aggression, including military strikes in Iranian territory, to destabilise the regime and scupper Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. In this interview, Barak takes us through the complexities of Iran’s machinations in the Middle East, how they are using proxies to foster regional instability, and how a more robust and aggressive response to Iran and its…

Amid concerns that China’s Change’e 6 mission to the moon, launched on May 3, could be a part of a strategy to militarise the moon, Dr John Plumb, the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy at the U.S Department of Defence, said, “I do not buy the idea of the militarisation of the moon.” He expressed his belief that space could instead serve as a significant platform for diplomacy with China. On the threat of nuclear weapons in space, Dr Plumb said the Defence Department (DOD) was taking the threat of Russia sending a nuclear head into space very seriously,” and…

Imagine a battlefield where lightning-fast algorithms decide who lives and dies. That’s the chilling vision some experts held as artificial intelligence (AI) began infiltrating warfare. But recent reports like Israel’s alleged use of AI in targeting operations within Gaza, and Ukraine’s exploration of autonomous drone technology, highlight that the danger of unregulated AI in warfare is very real. Without clear international frameworks, military AI risks spiralling out of control, potentially causing devastating consequences. AI Reshapes Warfare, But Safety Concerns Loom Large Nations around the world are integrating AI systems for everything from target identification to autonomous drone operations. The rapid…

The Space Economy is on a trajectory to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, marking a substantial leap from $630 billion in 2023. This growth, averaging 9% annually, outpaces the global GDP. This projection is the result of extensive research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey & Company, which involved over 60 experts from various sectors worldwide. Published in April, their report underscores the swift transformation of the space economy from a niche industry to a ubiquitous force. The growth, the report says, isn’t confined to traditional space-related sectors. It extends across numerous industries, influencing everything from daily weather…

“What is clear is that something is happening to make diplomats ill and I am very surprised given the increasing profile of Havana Syndrome and the length of time it has been suspected that the Americans have not been able to pinpoint a cause.” – Colonel Philip Ingram, Former British Army Intelligence Officer A five-year joint investigation by CBS’s 60 Minutes, Der Spiegel, and The Insider links a mysterious illness with unexplained symptoms including dizziness to a Russian intelligence unit. It is known as Havana Syndrome as it was first reported by diplomats at the US embassy in Cuba in…

The owners of TikTok will need to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States, following a landslide vote in the House of Representatives.   The move follows a campaign by Congressman Mike Gallagher, the lead sponsor of the bill, who argued he did not want to “censor speech” but insisted there was a need to ban the app because it’s “becoming the dominant news platform for Americans under 30”.   Congressman Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House select China committee, and the bill’s co-author Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the panel’s top Democrat, introduced legislation to…

In a technological revelation, researchers from the University of Colorado and esteemed counterparts in China uncovered a novel method to compromise biometric security measures. Dubbed PrintListener, this cutting-edge technique cleverly reconstructs a person’s fingerprints by analysing the sounds produced during the simple act of fingertip swiping on a touchscreen. The implications of this discovery extend beyond the realm of casual smartphone use, impacting biometric security systems employed in various applications, from smartphones to door access locks. While the technical details are complex, the essence of the threat lies in the ability to exploit the sounds generated as fingers traverse a…

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. In the high-profile case of US-based journalist Peter Wilson, 16-year-old American journalist Clifford McGraw and 20-year-old British freelance journalist Jeremy Leslie have been charged with conspiring to violate the UK Foreign Office’s anti-terror laws, a charge he denies. On Monday, UK attorney Andy McDonald revealed that he had spoken. “Few worry about catching Covid anymore, as it’s just a matter of time before they do,” says Tea, a teacher at a school for…

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. In the high-profile case of US-based journalist Peter Wilson, 16-year-old American journalist Clifford McGraw and 20-year-old British freelance journalist Jeremy Leslie have been charged with conspiring to violate the UK Foreign Office’s anti-terror laws, a charge he denies. On Monday, UK attorney Andy McDonald revealed that he had spoken. “Few worry about catching Covid anymore, as it’s just a matter of time before they do,” says Tea, a teacher at a school for…

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. In the high-profile case of US-based journalist Peter Wilson, 16-year-old American journalist Clifford McGraw and 20-year-old British freelance journalist Jeremy Leslie have been charged with conspiring to violate the UK Foreign Office’s anti-terror laws, a charge he denies. On Monday, UK attorney Andy McDonald revealed that he had spoken. “Few worry about catching Covid anymore, as it’s just a matter of time before they do,” says Tea, a teacher at a school for…

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. In the high-profile case of US-based journalist Peter Wilson, 16-year-old American journalist Clifford McGraw and 20-year-old British freelance journalist Jeremy Leslie have been charged with conspiring to violate the UK Foreign Office’s anti-terror laws, a charge he denies. On Monday, UK attorney Andy McDonald revealed that he had spoken. “Few worry about catching Covid anymore, as it’s just a matter of time before they do,” says Tea, a teacher at a school for…