Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Friday, 23 May 2014

The European Union Times


Posted: 22 May 2014 03:46 AM PDT

The US has successfully test-fired Aegis Ashore, the land-based version of the naval antiballistic missile system, which is to be deployed in Eastern Europe starting next year despite Moscow’s objections.
The US Missile Defense Agency and the Navy have for the first time test-fired the land-based version of Aegis BMD on Tuesday, with engineers from Lockheed Martin, producer of the system, participating in the test. A Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IB was fired from an installation on Kauai, Hawaii, and successfully hit a simulated target. The test was aimed at verifying safe launch and fly-out of the missile from the launch facility.
The US plans to conduct a test with a real target next year before a scheduled deployment of Aegis Ashore in Romania. A second similar system is to be deployed in Poland in 2018.
The systems are meant to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles mid-course. The US insists they are needed to protect America’s Eastern European allies from possible missile attack by North Korea and Iran, but Russia is certain that they are aimed at weakening its nuclear deterrence capability.
“We had a very successful flight test,” Brendan Scanlon, Lockheed Martin’s director of Aegis Ashore programs, told reporters Wednesday morning during a phone conference. “That is a major milestone for us.”
Aegis Ashore is nearly identical to the version used on US cruisers. Vertical-launched SM-3 interceptors are stacked 24 per launch facility (with possibility of additional launchers and missiles to be added), controlled from a building similar to a regular Aegis deckhouse and targeted by SPY-1D radar. The arrangement tested on Tuesday differed from the shipboard sibling mostly by a large distance of 5.5 km separating the command-and-control center and the launcher facility.
In addition to the Hawaii test facility, Lockheed has built another Aegis Ashore deckhouse at its site in Moorestown, New Jersey. The installation, designed to be transportable, has been dismantled and is ready to be moved to Romania’s Deveselu site to become part of the $134 million antimissile facility, according to Scanlon.
Earlier in April the US Navy deployed SM-3 Block IB missiles, the latest generation of the interceptors. Raytheon Co, producer of the SM-3, compares its effect on a target to an impact of a 10-ton truck traveling 600 mph (965kph).
“The SM-3 Block IB deployed for the first time earlier this year at sea, and the success of this Aegis Ashore test keeps us on track to deploy the missile on land in 2015,” said Mitch Stevison, Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 senior director.
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Posted: 22 May 2014 03:31 AM PDT
News reports included an image purportedly of staff from the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations unwrapping a Cisco box.
Cisco’s CEO John Chambers has asked US president Barack Obama to consider new rules preventing agencies hijacking networking equipment at it moves through the supply chain, or risk undermining confidence in the multi-billion dollar US technology sector.
In a letter dated 15 May and published by Re/code on Sunday, Chambers responded to claims in a new book by journalist Glenn Greenwald that the National Security Agency (NSA) used “load stations” to implant spy beacons on servers and networking gear shipping from the US to particular customers. News reports included an image purportedly of staff from the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations unwrapping a Cisco box.
Chambers, who said Cisco doesn’t work with the government to weaken its own products, believes the intercepts pose a threat to trade and jobs across the US tech sector, and may leave its position in the industry “impaired”.
“We ship out products from locations inside, as well as outside the United States, and if these allegations are true, these actions will undermine confidence in our industry and the ability of technology companies to deliver products globally,” Chambers warned.
The letter comes as Cisco and other US tech companies face difficulties growing their businesses in developing economies. Ahead of its third quarter report, Cisco noted that its business in emerging markets declined overall by seven percent, with Brazil, Russia, India, and China collectively down 13 percent.
As noted by ZDNet’s Larry Dignan last week, the NSA’s attacks on the supply chain threatens to harm international sales, push manufacturing outside the US, cost jobs, kill trust in US technology and the supply chain; and may ultimately cost the US its technology leadership.
To restore trust in US tech companies, Chambers wants the president to write a new code of conduct that strike a better balance between national security and companies’ abilities to meet customers’ expectations of privacy.
“We simply cannot operate this way, our customers trust us to be able to deliver to their doorsteps products that meet the highest standards of integrity and security. That is why we need standards of conduct,” Chambers wrote.
Chambers’ letter followed a list of suggestions for surveillance reform aired last week by Cisco’s general counsel Mark Chandler, which included that government agencies require a court order to withhold newly-discovered flaws from vendors. Governments should also not interfere with companies lawfully trying to deliver internet infrastructure to customers, he said.
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Posted: 22 May 2014 03:19 AM PDT

The EU has been an espionage target since the Cold War, and recently has improved its security But recent developments such as the Ukraine crisis, human rights concerns and the risks posed by its own recent foreign policy present new challenges to its security.
In 2003, five espionage devices were discovered in the walls of the headquarters of the European Council. The devices could be activated remotely and were connected to the telephone lines of the delegation rooms of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and Austria. Prosecutions are rare as it’s in EU Member States’ interest to preserve relations with each other.
As home to major EU institutions and NATO, Brussels is a true spy capital. That’s according to the Belgian investigative journalist Kristof Clerix who writes for MO*, a Belgian magazine on international affairs. He has written two books Vrij Spel (2007) and Spionage: Doelwit:Brussel [Espionage-Target:Brussels] (2013) and has a website on espionage in Brussels.
“A recently published brochure by the Council’s security service literally states: ‘Everyone working at the European Council, no matter in which position, is a potential target for organisations who are trying to collect sensitive information’,” Clerix says. “In trade negotiations it’s always valuable to know the position of your counterpart beforehand… during negotiations with big fishery nations such as Morocco secret services are active in Brussels.” Even when the value of information is less clear, the EU is still targeted, as this declassified 1995 CIA memorandum proves.
The EU’s Security and Ukraine
The EU has been an ideal playground for intelligence agencies, as Belgium’s security services are small and the European Parliament’s security directorate was created in 2014; the Council’s counter-surveillance unit was founded in 2000.
However these are the days of the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre (INTCEN) and the intelligence directorate of the EU Military Staff. According to Kristof Clerix, together they only employ about 140 intelligence experts, don’t perform operations and are little more than platforms for analysis. But, he says, “It would be surprising if INTCEN would not be interested in the recent developments in Ukraine”. And while INTCEN’s role is limited to analysis and information sharing, it is very active; INTCEN produces over 500 reports per year, including intelligence assessments on hotspots worldwide, and a weekly intelligence report.
In 2013 the Commission announced that the EU and its Member States would cooperate closely with partner countries on security regarding “complex international events”. The CIA stated that an integrated Europe “serves US national interests” in a declassified document, so it may be interested in issues which could divide Europe- another reason for the US to target Russia and the Crimea over the Ukraine crisis. This might mean there is a lot of EU-US cooperation over Ukraine, the results possibly being analysed by INTCEN.
As the EU’s security services are relatively small, new and do not collect information, the EU may present an easier target than the individual Member States. Therefore Russia might target the EU in lieu of the states, to find out not just the EU’s policy on Ukraine but that of individual Member States. “Early March a confidential telephone conversation between EU High Representative Baroness Catherine Ashton and the Estonian minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet, on the developments in Ukraine, was leaked on YouTube. I’m wondering whether this was the result of an espionage operation,” Clerix commented.
The EU’s New Policies, A Security Risk?
Recently, the EU’s admirable determination to promote respect for human rights has driven it to become more involved in foreign affairs, such as giving non-military assistance to the Arab Spring. With a budget of €1.1 billion between 2007 and 2013, the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights supports non-governmental organisations. The EU intends to continue and increase its efforts; The EU Strategic Framework And Action Plan On Human Rights And Democracy states “The EU will strengthen its work with partners worldwide to support democracy, notably the development of genuine and credible electoral processes and representative and transparent democratic institutions…individuals fighting for human rights worldwide frequently find themselves the target of oppression and coercion; the EU will intensify its political and financial support for human rights defenders and step up its efforts against all forms of reprisals.” Its Action Plan includes working with NGOs at the local level and providing temporary shelter for persecuted dissidents.
It’s not difficult to imagine that some states may be less than overjoyed about the EU funding and protecting rebels and dissidents. Some of its new policies might put the EU at risk of being targeted by states which previously regarded the EU as a low priority.
“European Common Security and Defense Policy is a relatively new development,” explains Clerix. “The Serbian secret service will be interested in Europe’s position on Kosovo, the Russians in the position on Ukraine. The Chinese will be after information on the European activities in Africa…the External Action Service…is a spy target…[and] the EEAS is a spy target.”
The EEAS (European External Action Service) was set up by the 2009 Lisbon Treaty. The EEAS operates 139 delegations around the world. The EEAS’ Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) enables the EU to perform peace-keeping operations and conflict prevention, and draws on both civilian and military assets. INTCEN provides the EEAS with intelligence to support its policy making process and one of its key responsibilities is a daily briefing for the EEAS’ senior management.
Human Rights Concerns
Back in 1999 the Council of Europe was concerned about European national security services perpetrating human rights abuses, and cited the UK’s violation of the ECHR. Now, Snowden’s revelations have increased concern among the European public and led to GCHQ being sued by human rights NGO Amnesty International. The revelations were also detrimental to EU-US relations.
And it’s not just European states which target NGOs; the NSA surveillance Human Rights Watch. Clerix reveals that in 2010, the Belgian State Security Service launched an inquiry into the Colombian intelligence service, the DAS, which had been running an intelligence operation focused not just on the European Parliament, but on members of NGOs.
This might indicate a trend among intelligence agencies.
Though he has no evidence that espionage goes on in the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency, its Network of Independent Experts or Commission platforms which allow cooperation between NGOs in different states, Clerix doesn’t dismiss the possibility. “[Y]ou never know. Secret services sometimes use the cover of think tanks or lobby organisations in order to influence EU policy.”
And as this cover is used, intelligence agencies arguably have good reason to target NGOs to uncover foreign agents.
However the EU-Russia drama plays out, one thing is certain: even in less challenging times, the EU’s security services will always struggle to protect its vast amounts of information.
        
Posted: 22 May 2014 02:24 AM PDT

Thousands of Australian students continue their protest marches against government cuts to higher education.
On Wednesday, a student gathering in front of the University of Technology in Sydney led to clashes with security forces. Sources say Australian police also arrested at least two students there.
After the rally broke up, dozens of angry students staged a sit-in at an intersection, blocking trams and traffic.
Protest organizers say the current rallies are the first in a series of sit-ins and civil disobedience moves aimed at forcing the government of Prime Minister Tony Abbot to give up budget cuts to education funding.
Under the new policies, student loans will increase three times, but they have to pay back up to AUD 120,000 with interest by the time they graduate.
The demonstrators say the cuts will only affect the students from middle-class families and widen the gap between the poor and the rich.
The students also denounced the recent government plans to slash healthcare and education budgets which are expected to have an impact on a large portion of the country’s population.
The developments come after Australia’s Commission of Audit submitted a set of proposals, detailing deep cuts to government payments and services.
The plan recommends that the coalition government slash family payments, and cut spending on core public programs such as healthcare and education by requiring patients and students to pay more.
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Posted: 22 May 2014 02:10 AM PDT
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity
The NASA Curiosity rover that was thought to bring only cameras, sensors, and scientific equipment when it traveled to Mars in August 2012 may have brought along dozens of species of bacteria that originated on Earth, according to a new study.
A study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology and published in the Nature science journal revealed that 377 strains of bacteria may have survived the sterilization process that the Curiosity rover endured before it was launched in an attempt to avoid contaminating the red planet.
It was less of a surprise for scientists that the bacteria survived the cleaning process than the revelation about the conditions they went through. The microbes in question endured near-freezing temperatures and intense damage caused by ultra-C radiation, thought to be the most harmful type of radiation.
“Although studies are constantly expanding our knowledge about life in extreme environments, it is still unclear whether organisms from Earth can survive and grow in a Martian environment where there is intense radiation, high oxidation potential, extreme desiccation, and limited nutrients,” microbiologist Stephanie Smith of the University of Idaho in Moscow and lead author of the study wrote in the study’s abstract.
“Knowing if microorganisms survive in conditions simulating those on the Martian surface is paramount to addressing whether these microorganisms could pose a risk to future challenging planetary protection missions.”
Whether the bacteria spread to the Mars surface is unknown, although the very possibility has already made scientists concerned about unnaturally spreading life from earth to Mars.
There is already a United Nations Outer Space Treaty that aims to regulate how the increasingly advanced space programs from the international community explore the unknown. The parameters were first agreed upon in 1966 and they include, among others, the stipulation that “States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.”
The limits vary depending on where the spacecraft lands. Mars, Europa, and other bodies that could potentially nurture life have a relatively strict standard of 300 bacterial spores per square meter. The goal is to keep the odds of contamination Mars (and others) at less than 1 in 10,000.
“Up to 300,000 spores are allowed on the exposed surfaces of the landed spacecraft. That many spores would fit on the head of a large pin,” said Laura Newlin, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. “Currently our total spore count on the surface…is comfortably under 200,000, so we’re below the allowable level.”
The announcement comes at a time when another team of researchers published an unrelated study revealing that methanogens, the oldest organisms on earth, could be the perfect candidate to foster Martian life. The University of Arkansas Fayetteville study determined that, because methanogens are non-photosynthetic and capable of living without oxygen, they are capable of living underground on Mars.
“The surface temperature of Mars varies widely, often ranging between minus 90 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius over one Martian day,” Rebecca Mickol, a doctoral student of space and planetary sciences, told Science Daily. “If any life were to exist on Mars right now, it would have to at least survive that temperature range. The survival of these two methanogen species, exposed to long-term freeze thaw cycles, suggests methanogens could potentially inhabit the future of Mars.”
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 09:05