Since April 2014, Open Briefing has produced a series of monthly intelligence briefings on developments in remote-control warfare, including special operations forces; private military and security companies; unmanned vehicles and autonomous weapons systems; cyber warfare; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. This report provides a detailed overview of the key trends that have emerged during the period covered by the previous five briefings.
Tag: unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV)
Drones, special forces and mercenaries: Remote-control warfare briefing #05
Monthly briefing from the Open Briefing intelligence unit on developments in remote-control warfare. This month: increasing number of mercenaries in foreign conflicts from Balkans region; state and non-state hacker groups launch cyber attacks on Israel in response to Operation Protective Edge; US officials grapple with political and economic costs of NSA’s surveillance activities; and more.
Remote-control warfare briefing #03
Monthly briefing from the Open Briefing intelligence unit on developments in remote-control warfare. This month: leaked defence company presentation reveals United States’ Afghanistan exit strategy relies on private contractors; US justice department indicts five members of Chinese People’s Liberation Army for hacking into US corporate networks; United Kingdom’s signals intelligence agency forced to reveal its policy on mass surveillance; and more.
Remote-control warfare briefing #01
The first in a new series of remote-control warfare monthly briefings. US special forces deployed to Uganda to assist in tracking down the LRA, Kiev accused of hiring US private military company to suppress pro-Russian dissent, new Israeli intelligence-gathering and surveillance system demonstrated during Brazilian carnival, and more.
2013: The year of the drone?
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's new annual report reveals that for the first time since 2004 there were no confirmed reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan from US drone strikes. However, in this blog post, Open Briefing's Executive Director, Chris Abbott, argues it is not all good news and asks whether 2014 might, in fact, be the year of the drone.
The weekly briefing, 28 October 2013
Political and security risk updates from the Open Briefing intelligence desks. Includes the German and French plans to renegotiate intelligence cooperation with the United States and the NGO reports that have renewed concerns over US drone strike programmes in Pakistan and Yemen.
US drone strikes in Pakistan: Ineffective and illegitimate
In this article co-published with SustainableSecurity.org, Shazad Ali and Chris Abbott argue that lack of transparency, dubious effectiveness, civilian casualties and negative consequences for US national security means that Washington needs to re-evaluate its drone strikes programme in Pakistan.
Remote control war: Unmanned combat air vehicles in China, India, Iran, Israel, Russia and Turkey
Open Briefing has identified at least 200 different UAVs in use or in development by China, India, Iran, Israel, Russia and Turkey, with 29 of these being armed drones. The study also assesses the likely future use of armed drones by each country.