• The Trump Administration Says Tren de Aragua Is a Terrorist Group – but It’s Really a Transnational Criminal Organization. Here’s Why the Label Matters.

    By Ernesto Castañeda

    The U.S. declared the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as well as some Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations. But classifying Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization has sparked debate among observers: Tren de Aragua is primarily a profit-driven group, not an ideological one –placing the organization more firmly in the transnational organized crime category rather than a political terrorist group.

  • U.K. Counter Terrorism Officers Call on Parents to Be Aware

    Counter Terrorism officers from the Met Police are urging parents across London to be aware of the signs that might indicate that their child could be vulnerable to radicalization or being drawn into dangerous forms of violent extremism.

  • Former SPFPA’s Official Pleads Guilty to Illegal Labor Payments

    A Florida couple pled guilty earlier this week to conspiracy to provide and receive prohibited labor payments. The husband, Ricky Dallas O’Quinn, served as both an officer and employee of International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA), a labor organization which represents protective security officers at federal workplaces.

  • Risk Analysis of Mass Shootings Committed by Immigrants and Native-Born Americans

    By Alex Nowrasteh

    Foreign-born people are not disproportionately responsible for deaths or injuries caused by mass shootings. The chance of being murdered in a mass shooting committed by a native-born American was about 1 in 10.5 million per year, about 6.5 times higher than the chance of being killed by a foreign-born mass shooter, which was about 1 in 68.4 million per year.

  • A Flexible Robot Can Help Emergency Responders Search Through Rubble

    By Haley Wahl

    SPROUT, developed by Lincoln Laboratory and University of Notre Dame researchers, is a vine robot capable of navigating under collapsed structuresSPROUT, developed by Lincoln Laboratory and University of Notre Dame researchers, is a vine robot capable of navigating under collapsed structures.

  • Can Europe Defend Itself Against a Nuclear-Armed Russia?

    By Christina Pazzanese

    National security expert details what’s being done, what can be done as U.S. appears to rethink decades-long support. Regarding the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which has covered Europe since the 1950s, Richard Hooker says: “Is it reliable? I wouldn’t think so. If Putin were to threaten or actually use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine or, let’s say in Estonia, would the administration respond with nuclear threats of its own? Personally, I have my doubts.”

  • Negotiating a New Iran Nuclear Deal

    By The Institute for Science and International Security

    In August 2019, the Institute for Science and International Security produced astudy at the request of the administration for an internal discussion. It is not the current administration’s or the Institute’s position, although the Institute supports the general thrust, especially the need to go beyond JCPOA limits and for Iran to provide the IAEA a verified complete nuclear declaration.

  • Devastation from 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake in Myanmar Underscores Regional Lag in Construction Standards, Regulations, Says Resilience Expert

    By Tanner Stening

    A lot of factors are converging here,” says Daniel Aldrich, director of the university’s Resilience Studies Program. “But the bottom line is we’re talking about construction standards in developing countries.”

  • If FEMA Didn’t Exist, Could States Handle the Disaster Response on Their Own?

    By Ming Xie

    Coordinating disaster response is complex, the paperwork for federal assistance can be frustrating, and the agency does draw criticism. However, it also fills an important role. As the frequency of natural disasters continues to rise due to climate change, ask yourself: How prepared is your state for a disaster, and could it get by without federal aid?

  • The Siege of the Red Sea

    By Michael Froman

    With the degradation of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis stand out as one of Iran’s proxies that continues to pose a serious threat to U.S. interests in the region. But with Iran on its back foot and Trump’s determination to bring the full capabilities of the U.S. military to bear against the Houthis, the group’s days running roughshod in the Red Sea may be numbered.

  • Under Pressure from Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries

    By Vernal Coleman

    Confrontations with judges are grabbing attention, but more quietly a pattern of questionable arrests shows the extent to which the administration is willing to test norms and laws.

  • Bolt from the Blue: What We Know (and Don’t Know) About the U.S. Powerful F-47 Fighter

    By Bill Sweetman

    When the F-47 enters service, at a date to be disclosed, it will be a new factor in US air warfare. The design will have much more range than earlier fighters, both at supersonic and subsonic speed. But it is not even a fighter as it is generally understood. It will be more stealthy. It will be larger, trading dogfight maneuverability for reach, and it will be designed to work within a family of systems, many of them unmanned.

  • Air Force Options Plentiful for Basing of New F-47 Fighter

    By Steve Wilson, The Center Square

    The need for the F-47 was crystalized as potential foe China has already flown a pair of tailless sixth generation prototypes and already has two fifth generation fighters, the Chengdu J-20 and the smaller Shenyang J-35, in service.

  • Robot with LiDAR Laser Explores Danger Zones

    In a disaster such as a chemical plant incident or flooding, emergency services need ways to quickly get an overview of the situation. But in many cases, they are not permitted to enter the scene itself in order to avoid putting themselves at risk.

  • Could the EU Become a Military Superpower?

    By Rikard Jozwiak

    Only two weeks after a European Union summit where the bloc’s leaders pledged to spend billions on defense in a “watershed moment for Europe,” they are returning to Brussels to solidify plans for strengthening Europe’s defense autonomy amid ongoing doubts about the US commitment to protecting European nations and sustaining military support for Ukraine.