Hurricane Beryl Is the Exact Nightmare Meteorologists Predicted | DARPA Wants to Use AI to Find New Rare Minerals | The Crucial Role of Open Source Data In Combating Terrorism, and more

The Jones Act mandates that cargo transiting between U.S. ports must be carried on U.S. built, flagged, and crewed vessels. The Jones Act may actually be providing an additional layer of protection against intentional acts of sabotage and lax safety standards. Decisions on the future of the Jones Act should consider the value of these potential benefits as an additional layer of protection. The vulnerabilities of infrastructure exposed by the complete loss of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from a single ship strike underscores the need for a layered approach to protection.  

The Crucial Role of Open Source Data In Combating Terrorism: Unveiling GTTAC and GRID  (Mahmut Cengiz, HSToday)
The world faces a wide array of threats, ranging from natural disasters and human conflicts to technological risks, with terrorism standing out as a particularly pressing concern. Terrorism databases document between 7,000 to 10,000 attacks annually, resulting in over 20,000 fatalities. These attacks are motivated by factors such as ongoing conflicts, repression under authoritarian regimes, and economic and political grievances. Despite continuous efforts in counterterrorism, these groups persist in posing significant challenges, indicating that current strategies have not adequately addressed their activities.
Terrorism databases are crucial in countering terrorism by recording current attacks and providing details on recent trends. One prominent open-source database is GRID (the Global Terrorism and Trends Analysis Center (GTTAC) Records of Incidents Database), accessible on the GTTAC website. GRID offers real-time data on global terrorist attacks and groups. This article emphasizes the critical importance of collecting open-source data on terrorism, with a focus on GRID’s insights and examples from jihadist groups, including ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates, as well as Iran-backed militia groups.
Terrorism databases rely significantly on open sources, particularly reputable media outlets, to ensure objectivity and minimize bias in their data collection. This approach is crucial because authoritarian regimes often exert control over media channels, using them to portray political dissenters and opposition groups as terrorists. These regimes manipulate information, providing minimal or fabricated evidence to justify their accusations. As a result, databases prioritize sourcing information from credible media outlets that uphold journalistic standards, ensuring they provide verified and balanced reports on terrorism incidents worldwide.
Despite using open sources, terrorism databases often report different numbers of terrorist attacks. For instance, according to the Global Terrorism Index, there were 3,955 incidents resulting in 6,701 deaths in 2022, whereas GRID reported 7,341 incidents with 21,943 fatalities for the same year. These discrepancies arise mainly from differences in how databases define terrorism and collect data. Some databases include all instances of violence and conflicts involving state actors and terrorist groups, regardless of the initiator. 

DARPA Wants to Use AI to Find New Rare Minerals  (Patrick Tucker, Defense One)
Secure access to rare Earth minerals is a critical national security issue, as the entire United States’ economy is highly dependent on minerals—and the majority of them discovered so far are in China. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has partnered with a company called HyperSpectral that applies artificial intelligence to spectroscopic data, which could be key to using satellites or drones to find minerals that would be difficult to detect otherwise.
HyperSpectral CEO Matt Thereur explained how it works in an exclusive interview with Defense One. Spectroscopy is the study of how matter interacts with light or other forms of radiation across different wavelengths. The solar radiation a specific mineral or substance emits, due to its unique molecular makeup, is a unique signifier. 
The company until now has focused on food safety. Want to find out if large shipments of raw food are carrying deadly pathogens? Want to know about the new breakout of medication-resistant strep? Spectroscopy can help find the bacteria the eye can’t see. 

A US Agency Focused on Foreign Disinformation Could Shut Down After the Election  (Lauren C. Williams, Defense One)
The State Department’s epicenter for combating disinformation worldwide could sunset this year if Congress doesn’t reauthorize it, a foreign policy official warned. 
“I cannot figure out why Congress wouldn’t want people to do what I do every day, which is wake up in the morning and figure out how to fight Russian, Chinese, and Iranian disinformation and propaganda,” James Rubin, the State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for the Global Engagement Center, said Tuesday during an Association of the U.S. Army event on cyber and information operations. “I think all Americans want that to happen. Unfortunately, a small number seem to think we do something else which we don’t do, which is operate in the United States. And we’ve fallen into a guilt-by-association situation where people think we’re doing something we’re not doing in the United States.” 
Republican lawmakers have accused the GEC of censoring and surveilling Americans. And two conservative media outlets, the Daily Caller and the Federalist, in May filed a lawsuit alleging the Biden administration violated free speech rights by encouraging social media companies to delegitimize the publications. 
Funding for the center—about $61 million a year—could expire if Congress doesn’t reauthorize it later this year. If that happens, it would shut down amid continuing U.S. struggles with global perceptions and its own influence operations.
Increasing disinformation operations out of Russia and China have raised concerns at the State Department. And the department has recently focused on providing partner nations in the Indo-Pacific access to reliable internet and “accurate journalism” to combat the false narratives.