• U.S. Concerned About Report China is Expanding Missile Silos

    By Lin Yang

    Using images provided by the satellite imaging company Planet, researchers found that China is building 119 silos in the desert of the northwestern province of Gansu.The expansion of the number of launch silos for China’s arsenal of intercontinental range ballistic missiles raises fears that nuclear weapons will become a new issue of contention between Washington and Beijing.

  • Extremism, Paramilitarism Threats in Europe

    A new report examines case studies from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine and outlines potential security risks as well as avenues to mitigate threats associated with extremism in paramilitary groups throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

  • Understanding Influence in the Strategic Competition with China

    What do qualitative metrics and case studies reveal about how China attempts to exert influence around the world? How should the United States respond to China’s influence-seeking activities? A new report assesses China’s ability to use various mechanisms of influence to shape the policies and behavior of twenty countries, as well as the lessons that these examples offer for the U.S. strategic competition with China.

  • The Role of Local Police in Countering Domestic Terrorism

    The Biden administration’s National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism lays out a multi-tiered approach to a growing threat. The White House strategy rests, in part, on increased federal-local cooperation, which remains difficult to achieve in practice. The administration’s strategy presumes local police departments have more insight into local permutations of violent extremism – and that federal agencies should have the capabilities to counter it. However, differing priorities and capabilities between local police departments will remain a significant challenge for federal agencies as they attempt to counter domestic terrorism.

  • Financing Violent Extremists

    Ethnically or racially motivated terrorism (EoRMT) is a complex phenomenon that encompasses a wide range of actors. These range from individuals, that operate as lone actors or so called “lone wolves” to small and medium organizations, as well as transnational movements which span borders, and sometimes even continents. A new report finds that the funding of such terrorist attacks varies from country to country, adding to the challenge of tackling such financing.

  • With Cyberattacks Growing More Frequent and Disruptive, a Unified Approach Is Essential

    By Yasser Morgan

    Coordinated cyberattacks can create massive disruptions to infrastructure and supply chains. New treaties are needed to prevent cyberwarfare, but it’s challenging to predict technological advances.

  • The Ideal Responses to Ransomware Attacks

    A ransomware attack is like a cyber hijacking, with criminals infiltrating and seizing an organization’s data or computer systems and demanding a payment or ransom to restore access.What is the best strategy to decrease the risk of digital extortion?

  • An Expert on Search and Rescue Robots Explains the Technologies Used in Disasters Like the Florida Condo Collapse

    By Robin R. Murphy

    Different types of robots may be used to search and rescue victims of disasters, such as the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida. A robotics experts says that the current state of the practice for searching the interior of rubble is to use either a small tracked vehicle, such as an Inkutun VGTV Extreme, which is the most commonly used robot for such situations, or a snakelike robot, such as the Active Scope Camera developed in Japan. Teledyne FLIR is sending a couple of tracked robots and operators to the site in Surfside, Florida.

  • What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say about Radicalization and Deradicalization in America?

    Violent extremism has become a serious and complex threat in the United States. This development raises several questions: Who is at risk of joining violent extremist organizations? How do they find groups of like-minded people to join with? Can families and friends recognize whether someone is becoming radicalized? How do individuals change their minds and walk away from extremism? What can communities do to stop the growth of extremism in their areas?

  • Black Nationalist Arrested Following Shooting of Florida Officer

    On 26 June, following a 56-hour manhunt, multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the arrest of Othal Toreyanne Resheen Wallace just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Wallace has been affiliated with the Not F*cking Around Coalition (NFAC), a paramilitary group that advocates for Black liberation and separatism.

  • Using Radio Signals to Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

    Radio signals can create real-time images and videos of hidden and moving objects, helping firefighters find escape routes or victims inside buildings filled with fire and smoke. The technique could also be used to track hypersonic objects such as missiles and space debris.

  • Al Qaeda Renews Its Focus on Anti-Semitism and Attacking Israel

    For decades, Al Qaeda has used the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to rally support for themselves and unify disparate Islamist movements under its banner. The terrorist organization, however, has failed to carry out attacks against Israel or against Jews in other countries, leading to criticism of Al Qaeda by other jihadist groups. In recent weeks, Al Qaeda has directed an unusual portion of its propaganda toward encouraging attacks on Israel, Jewish institutions, and Jewish people.

  • Disaster Response and Mitigation in an AI World

    Accurately forecasting the movement of natural disasters—wildfires, floods, hurricanes, windstorms, tornados, and earthquakes—gives first responders a jump, allowing them to take measures to reduce damage, conduct advanced resource planning, and increase infrastructure restoration time.

  • Using Intelligent Drones for Search and Rescue

    Finding people lost (or hiding) in the forest is difficult because of the tree cover. People in planes and helicopters have difficulty seeing through the canopy to the ground below, where people might be walking or even laying down. The same problem exists for thermal applications—heat sensors cannot pick up readings adequately through the canopy. New drone technology helps search and rescue teams locate missing persons - even in dense forests.

  • In Launching of Anti-Crime Campaign, Biden Cites Old Data

    By Masood Farivar

    Ninety percent of guns found at crime scenes were sold by just 5% of gun dealers, President Joe Biden said Wednesday while unveiling his anti-crime initiative. But the 2000 ATF report has long been considered out of date, and irrelevant to today’s gun control debate. Supporters of the president’s initiative and gun-safety groups note that Biden had to rely on the 2000 report because there are no more recent ones: In 2003, Congress, under pressure from the gun lobby, passed legislation that prevents ATF from releasing the data.