Air Incident over Rwanda: A Situational Assessment
On January 24th, the Rwandan Defense Forces accused the DRC of violating its airspace with a single Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
The Congolese fighter plane was targeted with an anti-air defence system and sustained visible damage. Despite that, the aircraft was able to make it back to Goma.
Rwanda and the DRC are already in the midst of a tense bilateral relationship over the M23 rebellion in the DRC's North Kivu province. The incident highlights the level of animosity and mistrust which permeates this fraught relationship.
There is a concern that this situation could escalate beyond the isolated incident and develop into a formal conflict between Rwanda and the DRC.
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#Africa #AirForce #Aircraft #DRCongo #Intelligence #Rwanda
Clip from our latest episode with Benjamin Strick on Vicarious Trauma and difficulties dealing with graphic imagery during OSINT investigations.
#OSINT #Investigations #research #intelligence
NORSOCOM: Norway's Special Operations Command
1.0. Background
Since the formation of Norway's Special Operations Command (NORSOCOM) the global and regional security situation has changed alongside Norway’s defence and foreign policy objectives.
However, the traditions of Norway’s special operations Forces date to the Second World War (WWII) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Norwegian Independent Company No. 1 stands out as the most prominent among the Norwegian units serving under British control. The unit, better known as Kompani Linge, conducted extensive intelligence and sabotage operations during the German occupation.
The Norwegian armed forces shut down the British-trained units after the war. Still, they regained attention in 1953 when establishing the predecessor to today’s Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK). Drawing on a small specialised group within the Norwegian Navy, MJK was organised and trained to carry out intelligence and sabotage operations on land and underwater.
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#NORSOCOM #Norway #SOF #specialforces
Ukrainian SBU: Protectors of the Homeland
1. Intro
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) is the country's primary intelligence, law enforcement, and security agency. It is also commonly known as the SBU, a transliterated acronym from the original Ukrainian Cyrillic. The SBU fulfils a multitude of functions ranging from ensuring state security to intelligence collection. The stated values of the SBU are:
- Rule of law and legality
- Integrity
- Responsibility and accountability
- Professionalism and constant development
Emblem of the SBU. (Source)
The Ukrainian SBU also oversees a special operations unit known as Alfa Group. The SBU can trace its lineage back to the times of the Russian Empire.
However, it came into existence as we know it now when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union. As one might expect from a government agency existing for well over 100 years, the SBU’s track record is anything but clean. Despite these controversies, the unit continues to play a vital role in the protection of Ukraine.
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#AlfaGroup #Russia #SBU #Ukraine
160th SOAR (A): The Night Stalkers
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the 160th SOAR or Night Stalkers, are the critically important aviation support of America’s special operations forces. Also known within JSOC as Task Force Brown, it fulfils a few different purposes, including direct combat engagement and support, as well as reconnaissance operations. They have the ability to conduct transportation and rescue operations, acting as an extremely rapid response force.
The Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 160th. (Source)
1. Doctrine
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment has the primary task of being an extremely rapid aerial response force, specializing in working alongside special operations forces and operating in extremely dangerous situations. (Source) Within this discipline, the Night Stalkers earn their namesake from proficiency in night operations, and low-altitude operations that let them remain undetected until the exact right moment.
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#160thSOAR #USARMY #Nightstalkers #Military #SpecialOperationForces
A clip from our podcast with Benjamin Strick on his passion for OSINT training!
“They are not picking up guns they are picking up keyboards”
Give us a follow on YouTube guys!
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#greydynamicspodcast #podcast #OSINT #GEOINT #Myanmar
Episode 21: GEOINT, OSINT & Facing Vicarious Trauma with Benjamin Strick
This week I spoke to Benjamin Strick, director of investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience. He leads teams using open source intelligence to support civil society, media, government and accountability mechanisms. He is also a Bellingcat contributor and previously worked as an investigator at BBC Africa Eye.
We spoke about
- Benjamin's background (2:46)
- Investigative diligence and the power of collaboration in OSINT (6:02)
- Mapping complex situations (7:52)
- Benjamin's most fulfilling project (12:13)
- Adding value and being a specialist (15:20)
- Generalists versus Specialists (19:19)
- Facing vicarious trauma (25:14)
- Why he does OSINT tutorials on YouTube (32:45)
- Digital literacy (35:48)
- Tools and advice (42:17)
- Advice on training (46:51)
- The importance of being to write for intelligence (49:35)
- What media Benjamin is consuming at the moment (53:16)
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#Africa #GeoInt #Myanmar #OSINT
Network-centric Warfare in Ukraine: The Delta System
The Delta system is a crucial factor behind the success of Ukrainian troops’ efficient Network-centric warfare in Ukraine. Further, it serves as a blueprint for NATO member states to counter Russian aggression.
1.0. The Delta System
The Delta situational awareness system (“The Delta system” or “the system”) is a cloud-based system designed to provide real-time situational awareness. Created in 2021 by the military A2724 unit and further developed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, they presented the system to the world in October 2022.
The Delta system collects, processes and displays information on hostile troop movements, coordinates defence forces and provides real-time situational awareness. In addition, the system provides a comprehensive picture of the current battle space displayed and summarised on a user-friendly digital map by collecting data from sensors and open and secret sources.
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#DeltaSystem #RussiaUkraine #SIGINT #Starlink
US Indo-Pacific Policy: 12-Month Outlook
Image: U.S. Army Green Berets and the Republic of Korea UDT SEAL conduct Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure training during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022.
United States (US) policy in the Indo-Pacific has ramifications for the region's future. Existing Indo-Pacific policy emphasises countering growing Chinese power.
In the next 12 months, the US is highly likely to enhance its existing military assets in the region and promote Pacific cooperation while maintaining lukewarm economic relations with China...
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#AUKUS #China #indopacific #Pacific #US