Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps have signed a new defense and security cooperation agreement to strengthen the partnership between Canberra and London on common issues and concerns. The U.K. government said the pact was signed during the annual Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations, or AUKMIN, held Friday...
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Category: Policy Updates
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UK Launches Funding to Boost Nuclear Defense, Energy Industry
The United Kingdom has launched a new effort to strengthen its defense and civil nuclear industry. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged a $963 million investment to build a skilled workforce to fill 40,000 new jobs in the nuclear sector by 2030. The government is working with industry leaders such as Babcock, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and EDF...
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US Designates Procurement Networks Supporting Iranian Defense Sector; Brian Nelson Quoted
The United States has imposed sanctions on three procurement networks for supplying designated Iranian entities with materials for the production of military weapons under Iran’s ballistic missile, nuclear and defense programs. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Iranian-German national Maziar Karim, his companies Mazixon GmbH and Co KG and...
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US Sanctions Money Laundering Network Supporting Somali Militant Group al-Shabab
The United States has sanctioned a network of individuals and entities that raise and launder money for Somalia-based al-Shabaab. According to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the al-Qaida affiliate is a militant group responsible for attacks in East Africa that have killed thousands of innocent civilians. The sanction targeted eight...
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US Designates Two Companies Over Links to Russia’s Wagner Group
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Russian company Broker Expert and Central African Republic-based Wood International Group for supporting the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company. According to the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Wagner Group has launched actions threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of...
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Treasury Designates Companies, Vessels Shipping Commodities to Finance Houthis
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned several foreign companies and vessels for transporting commodities to finance the terror activities of the Houthi militant group. According to the agency, Marshall Islands-based Reneez Shipping and the Hongkong Unitop Group operated Palau-flagged Reneez and Panama-flagged Eternal Fortune, respectively, to ship cargos on...
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Report: US Stalls AMD Bid to Supply China With AI Processor
The United States has reportedly stalled Advanced Micro Devices’ bid to sell an artificial intelligence chip with lower performance capability to China. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that U.S. officials informed AMD that the AI processor was still classified as powerful. They advised the chipmaker to secure a license from the Department...
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US Updates Advisory on Cyberthreats From Chinese-Made Port Equipment
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has added Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries to its list of Chinese government-backed logistics management companies with platforms posing cyberattack risks to maritime stakeholders. According to the new MARAD advisory effective Feb. 21 to Aug. 19, Shanghai Zhenhua’s ship-to-shore cranes are vulnerable to cyberattacks as some of their configurations...
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US Sanctions Procurement Network for Facilitating Export of Restricted Items to Iran
The United States has sanctioned a procurement network for facilitating the export of restricted items to end users in Iran. According to the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, the sanctions target three individuals and four entities linked with the transfer of U.S. technology to the Central Bank of Iran, which the...
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Pentagon Issues Cyber Defense Guidebook for US Allies, Partners
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a guidebook for international partners to share information on strengthening cybersecurity measures and command, control and communication modernization capabilities. “Standards Guide for Foreign Partners 2023,” issued on Wednesday, also covers the cloud structure and complementary domains, including artificial intelligence and data. The document’s contents are unclassified, readily available...