News Story: No Safe Place In Next War - The Army’s Expanded Battlefield

Bradley M2A3 IFVs are unloaded at Busan port RoK (File Photo)

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

What if the next war starts, not with a gunshot, but with a tweet? As tensions rise, US troops discover their families’ names, faces, and home addresses have been posted on social media as they prepare to deploy, along with exhortations to kill the fascists/imperialists/infidels (pick one). Trolls call them late at night with death threats, a mentally ill lone wolf runs over a soldier’s children, fake news claims the military is covering up more deaths, and official social media accounts are hacked to post falsehoods. The whole force is distracted and demoralized.

Meanwhile, defense contractors discover the networks they use to deliver supplies to the military have been penetrated. Vital spare parts go missing without ever leaving the warehouse because the serial number saying which crate they’re in has been scrambled in the database. As railways and seaports prepare to transport heavy equipment, they discover key railroad switches, loading cranes, and other equipment – civilian-owned but vital to the military operation – now malfunction unpredictably, forcing prolonged safety inspections.

US forces finally cut through this cyber thicket and begin to deploy abroad by air and sea – but now the shooting starts. A thousand miles from enemy territory, submarines sink transport ships with torpedoes, cruise missiles and covertly laid mines. A few hundred miles out, long-range anti-aircraft missiles blunt the US air offensive. While stealth fighters can penetrate the defenses, the lumbering fuel tankers that let them cover long distances cannot. Transport planes must unload the troops at airfields well outside the danger zone, while transport ships must unload at distant ports.

US forces face a long road march just to reach the ally they’re supposed to be defending. The whole way, they must fight through attacks by everything from surface-to-surface missiles to local malcontents stirred up by social media. By the time the Americans arrive, their ally’s territory is not only occupied but thoroughly defended by dug-in enemies.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: Indonesia set to strengthen cyber security

JAKARTA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The government of Indonesia plans to strengthen cyber security across the country, Chief Security Minister Wiranto said on Friday.

With 132 million Internet users in the country, Wiranto said coordination must be conducted among the government's institutions and ministries in protecting cyber world.

In the near future, the government would establish an agency, known as BSSN, with mission of carrying out the coordination, he added.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Australian Military Revises Small Drone Operating Procedures

DJI Phantom 3 UAV (File Photo)

by Bill Carey

Australia’s Department of Defence has established “revised operating procedures” for small unmanned aircraft, an action that follows a U.S. Army directive to its units in August to stop using drones manufactured by China’s DJI because of “cyber vulnerabilities.”

On August 9, “after Defence became aware of the U.S. Army’s actions, the use of all commercial off-the-shelf UAS[unmanned aerial systems] was suspended until a formal assessment into the cyber risk presented by these systems could be conducted,” said a spokesperson with the Australian department, in a statement provided to AIN. “Flight operations recommenced on 21 August 2017 following the completion of the risk assessment that led to the development of revised operating procedures for commercial off-the-shelf unmanned aerial systems.”

Australia’s military “operates a number commercial off-the-shelf UAS, including the DJI Phantom,” according to the statement, which did not describe the revised operating procedures. The Australian newspaper first reported the revised procedures.

Citing “increased awareness over cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products,” the U.S. Army in an August 2 memorandum ordered units to “cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media from devices, and secure equipment for follow-on direction.” The memorandum, which was leaked to the news service sUAS News, cited as references a classified Army Research Laboratory report on DJI technology and a U.S. Navy memorandum regarding operational risks of using DJI products.

Read the full story at AINonline

News Story: Indonesia proposes establishment of joint cyber-patrol to battle extremism in Southeast Asia

JAKARTA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian national police has suggested nations in Southeast Asia set up a joint force which will carry out a cyber-patrol in an effort to prevent spread of radicalism and extremism in the region.

Deputy Chief of Indonesian National Police Commissioner General Syafruddin disclosed on Tuesday that he had delivered the proposal at the 11st ASEAN ministerial meeting on transnational crime in the Philippines, scheduled from Monday to Thursday.

The deputy chief said that the joint force will immediately detect terrorist's activity in the cyber world.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: ASEAN countries express support for developing cyber security norms

SINGAPORE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states on Monday expressed their support for the development of basic, operational and voluntary norms of behavior to guide the use of ICTs in the bloc in a responsible manner.

They made the remarks at the second ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC), which is part of the Singapore International Cyber Week 2017 (SICW).

According to a press release from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the norms will take reference from the norms set out in the 2015 Report of the United Nations Group of Government Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE).

The AMCC agreed that such norms will help to enhance trust among ASEAN member states and build confidence in the use of cyberspace so as to harness its full potential to bring about greater economic prosperity.

Read the full story at Xinhua

Related Story:

• Singapore to set aside 1.1 mln USD to promote ASEAN capacity in cybersecurity

News Story: Brunei's Sultan cautions army of cyber-related threats

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's armed force should be ready to deal with the cyber-related threats which prevailed in the digital age, said Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei's Sultan on Sunday.

Delivering a speech on the 56th Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) anniversary, the Sultan, who is also the country's minister of defense and supreme commander of RBAF, emphasized the importance for RBAF personnel to strengthen their respective internal fortress and adhere to the ethics of social media usage as part of the wider efforts to safeguard against radicalization and extremism.

Apart from this, the Sultan also raised the increasing prevalence of cyber-related threats in today's digital age and took note of the on-going efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Defense and the RBAF in enhancing Cyber Defense.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Int'l computer emergency response drill held in Vietnam

HANOI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The 2017 ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Incident Drill, or ACID, took place here on Monday with the participation of 10 Southeast Asian nations and Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Addressing the 2017 ACID themed "The Dangers of Insufficient Authentication and Poor Access," Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung said the drill aimed to reinforcing smooth communication channels among countries and strengthening their coordination to better respond to network security incidents.

During the drill, computer emergency response teams from the 15 countries participated in reporting, handling, investigating, analyzing, and overcoming specific incidents.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Foreign ministry sees hike in cyberattack attempts from China this year

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry has seen a sharp rise in attempted hackings from China in 2017 from a year earlier, parliamentary sources said Sunday.

A total of 8,263 cases of cyberattacks or attempted hackings were detected in the foreign ministry servers from January through July, according to data provided to Rep. Park Joo-sun of the minor opposition People's Party by the foreign office.

The figure is almost on par with the corresponding number of 8,482 tallied for all of 2016, the lawmaker said.

The analysis on Internet IP addresses that attempted the cyberattacks showed that a considerable portion of them came from China.

The cyberattacks detected from the neighboring country stood at 4,509, accounting for 75 percent of all attempted cyber penetrations. The percentage has risen sharply from 54.7 percent in 2016.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: S. Korea, Vietnam to hold defense strategy talks

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Friday it will hold vice ministerial defense talks with Vietnam on improving bilateral cooperation on North Korea and other security issues.

South Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk is scheduled to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Chi Vinh later in the day for the annual Defense Strategy Dialogue, which was launched in 2012.

He's on a visit here to attend the sixth Seoul Defense Dialogue, a security forum hosted by Suh's ministry.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: India Secures Diplomatic Victory as BRICS Condemns Pakistan-Based Terrorists

Before the BRICS Summit China had conveyed its intention of not letting India make terrorism a dominant agenda for discussion. However, New Delhi was decisive in obtaining consensus on the issue.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — The joint condemnation of Pakistan-based terror outfits by BRICS is being seen as a major diplomatic victory for India which had been struggling to bring the issue to the table after China skirted the matter in last year’s summit in Goa. The BRICS declaration 2017 explicitly names Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with other regional terror outfits, and implores joint BRICS action against terrorism.

“We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organizing, or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable,” read the BRICS statement issued on Monday.

India and China have been at loggerheads over designating Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed Chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist. Azhar enjoys political clout in Pakistan and China blocking India’s efforts to get him enlisted in the UN list of terrorists is largely seen as China’s attempt to avoid consternation in Pakistan – its closest ally in the region.

News Story: China remains persistent in denuclearizing Korean Peninsula - Xi

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in a telephone conversation late Wednesday that Beijing remains persistent on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

During the phone conversation, Xi and Trump exchanged their views on the current situation on the peninsula.

Xi said China has been adamant in preserving international nuclear non-proliferation regime, maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and resolving the nuclear issue through talks.

The Chinese president said the general direction should head toward a peaceful settlement of the issue, adding that dialogue combined with a set of comprehensive measures is best for seeking a long-term solution.

Trump said Washington has been deeply concerned over the ongoing situation on the Korean Peninsula, and attaches importance to China's essential role in resolving the issue.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: China, Indonesia to further comprehensive strategic partnership

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and Indonesia held the sixth meeting of vice-premier-level dialogue on Monday, vowing to improve the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and visiting Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

Yang called on both sides to implement the consensus reached by their leaders.

China-Indonesia ties have seen rapid development and the two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits, while expanding cooperation in various fields, Yang said.

As major developing countries, both China and Indonesia shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national security and boosting economic development, Yang said, noting that China is willing to work with Indonesia to integrate development strategies and enhance pragmatic cooperation.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: DPRK accuses Japan of planning cyberspace war of aggression

PYONGYANG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday accused Japan of building a cyberspace attack force in its military under the pretext of self-defense.

The official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said the Japanese Defense Ministry is planning to boost the size and capability of its cyber unit under the excuse of self-defense against hackers.

The members of the cyber unit will be drastically increased and a department for specializing in cyber attack capability will be set up.

"Their cyber unit is not for merely protecting the computer system of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) from hacking, but for attacking the computer systems of its rivals," said the newspaper, adding that once the unit has the capability to attack, the SDF will "completely turn into the force in attack formation."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Japan seeks new missile defense ‘assets,’ increased cyber cooperation

CGI of an Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System

By: Aaron Mehta

WASHINGTON — Japan is seeking new missile defense assets in light of the North Korean threat, while also looking at ways to expand a 2015 defense agreement with the United States.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, speaking Thursday at the State Department following a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, said that the threat from Pyongyang is driving Japan to look to accelerate certain defense decisions.

Among those changes is an increased focus on missile defense capabilities. In his opening comments, Onodera, speaking through a translator, said “we will continue to promote cooperation in ballistic missile defense, including acquisition of new assets,” a signal that the Japanese government would consider adding to its defensive capabilities.

While nothing official was announced during the 2+2, the Japan Times newspaperreported shortly before the event that officials expect to procure an Aegis Ashore missile defense system. The same report, citing government sources, said the Ministry of Defense is pushing to speed up planned procurement of another Aegis destroyed.

Japan currently has missile defense systems aboard its Aegis class ships, along with Patriot systems on the ground. If Japan sought the Aegis Ashore system, it would join Romania and, by 2018, Poland as partner nations using that design.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Japan, US to boost steps against cyberattacks in security talks

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan and the United States are expected to agree in bilateral security talks next week to boost defenses against cyberattacks, a diplomatic source said Saturday, apparently with North Korea and China in mind.

Expanded cooperation is expected to be stipulated in a joint statement to be issued after a so-called "two-plus-two" security meeting of their foreign and defense chiefs in Washington on Thursday, the source said.

As cyberattacks pose a serious threat to national security, Japan and the United States aim to bolster measures to prevent any leak of classified information, including regarding state-of-the-art weapons, and to protect essential communication and transport infrastructure, the source said.

Bolstering cybersecurity as well as ballistic missile defense in light of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs will be priority issues, the source said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have surged since North Korea twice tested intercontinental ballistic missiles last month. That led to the United States and North Korea trading threats to take military action, including Pyongyang threatening to fire four ballistic missiles near the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and U.S. President Donald Trump vowing that the North Korean leader "will truly regret it" if that happened.

The Japanese and U.S. governments will agree during the two-plus-two meeting, the first since Trump took office in January, on the need to tackle cyberattacks in a comprehensive manner.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Report: Fear of Chinese Spies Halts Australia-Solomons Cable Project

A project to build a 4,000-kilometer underwater cable connecting Sydney and the Solomon Islands came to a screeching halt following the Australian Secret Intelligence Service’s warning to the Solomons Islands prime minister that the Chinese firm contracted to do the work, Huawei, allows Chinese spies access to conduct cyberattacks.

During a June visit to the Solomons, ASIS head Nick Warner informed Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of his concerns about the use of Huawei as a contractor. Huawei’s ability to securely install the cable came into question as a result of “backdoors” found in the firm’s products.

"It is no secret that China is very active in intelligence activities directed against us," Defence Secretary Dennis Richardson said in his final speech before retiring in May.

Honiara gave contract rights to Shenzhen-based telecom giant Huawei in mid-2016, though a US-UK firm was initially awarded contract rights following "a competitive tender process," the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The US-UK company had full permission from Canberra’s Attorney General to carry out the work. Huawei has yet to be granted such a permit. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) promptly pulled its financing of the project after the US-UK firm was snubbed.

News Report: China Escalates Efforts to Shut Down Unauthorized VPNs

Joyce Huang

In spite of an earlier denial, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on the Internet, stepping up efforts against netizens’ access to unsupervised connections, including those via virtual private networks (VPNs) halfway through its 14-month-long crackdown nationwide.

VPNs are third-party services that help bypass the so-called Great Firewall, installed by state censors to filter traffic between Chinese and overseas servers and block banned websites such as Google, Twitter and scores of international news media, including VOA.

“Some local services have been brought offline, some VPN apps no longer work, and the authorities are targeting other specific VPN providers,” Charlie Smith, a co-founder of Greatfire.org, said in an emailed reply to VOA.

The anti-censorship group’s earlier report showed that China blocked 135 of the world’s top 1,000 websites.

News Story: Lucrative friendship - Israeli firms secure R&D, investment and trade with India

By: Barbara Opall-Rome

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s top defense and aerospace firms are riding the wave of a high-profile friendship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More and more companies are benefiting from expanded defense trade, joint research and development, and a shared commitment by both leaders to augment strategic cooperation against common threats ranging from global terror to cybercrime.

With an average $1 billion in annual defense sales in recent years, India already constitutes a key export market for Israeli industry. From air-defense systems and drones to anti-tank missiles, cybersecurity and space, India is for many firms here the largest single defense market.

Just since the beginning of this year, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries reported some $2.5 billion in new joint projects with New Delhi for medium-range and long-range surface missiles based on the Israeli-developed Barak-8 system, with state-owned Rafael Limited serving as a major subcontractor.

India also selected Rafael’s Spike anti-tank missile over a competitor by Lockheed Martin in a deal that could exceed $1 billion, industry executives say.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: 1,100 peacekeepers participate in multinational exercise in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Some 1,100 peacekeepers from 26 countries took part in the annual multinational peacekeeping exercise code-named "Khaan Quest-2017," which kicked off on Sunday at the training center of the Armed Forces of Mongolia in Tavan Tolgoi, 60 km from Ulan Bator.

Khaltmaa Battulga, president of Mongolia and commander-in-chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces, stressed that Mongolia will continue its contribution to strengthening security and peace in the world during the "Khaan Quest-2017" exercise from July 23 to Aug. 2.

This year's event is specific in field maneuvers at the level of military units and information processing training to repel cyberattacks.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Vietnam, Singapore share concern over terrorism

Singapore (VNA) – Vietnam and Singapore have shared concern over terrorism in the region and the world and affirmed willingness to fight terrorism and extreme violence. 

It was one of the important agenda during Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh’s visit to Singapore from July 13-15 at the invitation of Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. 

Both sides agreed to continue facilitating all-level visits and exchanges on the Party, State and government channels and people-to-people exchange, effectively tap strategic consultation mechanisms and enhance ties between the two countries’ defence forces, particularly in naval and aviation fields, anti-piracy cooperation and search and rescue. 

The Singaporean side pledged to boost security collaboration with Vietnam, especially in cyber security, sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence information, immigration management, information security and personnel training. 

Read the full story at VietnamPlus