UNITED STATES: Fort Hood Consequences
On Dec. 8, the Secretary of the Army directed the relief or suspension of 14 Fort Hood commanders and other leaders down to the squad level based on the findings of an independent review of the command’s climate and culture.
The following leaders are relieved: Maj. Gen. Scott L. Efflandt, deputy commanding general (Support), III Corps; and Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment commander and command sergeant major.
The secretary also directed the suspension of Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Broadwater and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas C. Kenny, 1st Cavalry Division commanding general and command sergeant major, pending the outcome of a new Army Regulation (AR) 15-6 investigation of 1st Cavalry Division’s command climate and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program.
The Army is also opening a separate AR 15-6 investigation into the resourcing, policies and procedures of the 6th Military Police Group (Criminal Investigation Command).
As a matter of policy and to protect individual privacy, the Army will not release the names of the battalion level and below commanders and leaders who received administrative action.
In addition to these administrative actions involving Fort Hood leaders, Secretary McCarthy directed additional steps to address the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee’s findings and recommendations.
These actions come after the brutal murder of 20-year-old Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, who had made complaints about sexual harassment, but to no avail. Not long after her murder, fellow Specialist Aaron Robinson shot and killed himself after authorities tabbed him as a suspect. The deaths of Guillen and Robinson are just two of 25 linked to the base this year alone.
INDIA: Farmers Go On Strike
After an impasse in negotiations over new laws, farmers in India have had enough and they’re not going to take it anymore.
On Dec. 8, the farmers voted to go on strike, with the support of more than a dozen opposition parties. The tensions between the farmers and government have reached the level of Trump vs. Biden weirdness, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal allegedly put under house arrest after visiting the border to see the farmers. Delhi police refuted the allegations, claiming it was standard action to avoid physical clashes.
“I prayed for the protesting famers while sitting in my house. If I wasn’t stopped, I would have supported them,” the Chief Minister said in a translated quote.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in control of the country’s interests under Prime Minister Modi, has suggested that new laws permitting private sector funding to enter the industry would be a good thing. The reforms would allow easing of restrictions on things such as pricing, logistics, and the selling of farm produce. However, the farmers disagree, as the aforementioned three items would likely lead to private entities hoarding product at a convenience, and then selling at a price that would hurt the farmers.
Translation: Good old fashioned American-style monopolizing. Talks between both sides are still ongoing.
EUROPE: Securing 5G Networks
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has launched an audit to assess whether the EU and its Member States are implementing secure 5G networks in a timely and concerted manner. The audit follows on from the ECA’s recent review of the EU’s response to China’s state-driven investment strategy, which flagged 5G security as an issue of concern. The auditors will examine the EU’s 5G set-up, the European Commission’s support for the Member States, and the latter’s 5G roll-out and consideration of security concerns. They will focus on network security, encompassing cybersecurity and hardware.
“The way 5G is deployed across the EU will affect many aspects of citizens’ life, through developments such as e-health, smart cars and smart electricity networks. 5G will also impact Europe’s digitalization efforts and, due to its cross-border nature, the functioning of the single market,” said Annemie Turtelboom, the ECA Member leading the audit. “It is therefore essential that this new key technology is implemented in a fast, secure and concerted way.”
The fifth generation of mobile and wireless telecommunication systems (‘5G’) offers ultra-high-speed connection supporting not only individual users but also a high number of connected devices, known as the ‘internet of things’. In this way, it marks a revolutionary advance on the former standards, 3G and 4G.
A European Commission study estimates that benefits of €113 billion a year will arise from the introduction of 5G capabilities across four key strategic industries – automotive, health, transport and energy. It also indicates that 5G investments are likely to create 2.3 million jobs in the Member States.
However, another reason why 5G demands a concerted EU approach is that its infrastructure and potential threats to its security are of a cross-border nature. Any significant vulnerabilities and cybersecurity incidents concerning networks in one Member State would affect the EU as a whole.
In recent years, the EU has allocated considerable funding to 5G projects in Member States, including loans by the European Investment Bank. The EU’s action plan envisaged the launch of 5G services in all Member States by the end of 2020; by October this year, 5G had been deployed in 17 EU countries plus the United Kingdom. Delays in achieving appropriate 5G coverage, as well as security issues, may have huge implications for the EU’s competitiveness and strategic independence.
CARIBBEAN: Migrants Repatriated
The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier repatriated 12 migrants from an interdicted illegal voyage and transferred two men, who were rescued in a separate case, to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Dec. 7 near Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The migrant interdiction is the result of ongoing multiagency efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG).
“I commend the performance of the Joseph Napier crew in both of these cases,” said Lt. Matthew Miller, cutter Joseph Napier commanding officer. “Their swift and assertive actions ensured the safe transfer of two rescued boaters and 12 migrants to Dominican Republic Navy authorities.”
The migrant interdiction occurred Sunday morning, when the crew of a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit stopped a 35-foot makeshift boat, approximately three and half nautical miles west of Aguadilla. Coast Guard watchstanders diverted the cutter Joseph Napier to assist.
Once on scene, the crew of the cutter Joseph Napier safely embarked 10 men and two women from the grossly overloaded boat. The crew of the Joseph Napier provided the migrants with lifejackets before embarking the Coast Guard cutter, and once they were safely aboard, they received food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.
Later Sunday afternoon, Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a communication from a Good Samaritan aboard the motor vessel Statia Glory, who reported being on scene with a disabled vessel with two people aboard, approximately eight nautical miles south of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The cutter Joseph Napier diverted and once on scene embarked the two men from the disabled vessel that was taking on water from incoming swells. The men, who claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals, had no life jackets, marine radio or cell phone communications onboard.
Cutter Joseph Napier is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
