Unauthorized UAVs Above French Nuclear Plants Spark Critical Infrastructure Security Concerns

Spynel-C (Source: HGH Infrared Systems)

November 20, 2014-Cambridge, MA.-As reported recently by the New York Times, from October 5^th through November 2^nd, guards at 13 different French nuclear plants witnessed unauthorized civilian or commercial drones buzzing dangerously close overhead. Flying drones one kilometer over or 5 kilometers around nuclear sites is illegal in France and punishable by up to a year of jail time and about a $94,000 fine. With a total of 19 nuclear plants in France, they are responsible for supplying power as the primary source of energy for the country; these incidents are raising serious security concerns surrounding critical infrastructures as drones are becoming more popular and easily attainable.

F-35C Completes First Arrested Landing aboard Aircraft Carrier

The F-35 (Source: Lockheed Martin Corporation)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 3, 2014) The Navy made aviation history Nov. 3 as an F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter conducted its first arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) off the coast of San Diego. The arrested landing is part of initial at-sea Developmental Testing I (DT-I) for the F-35C, which commenced Nov. 3 and is expected to last two weeks.  (U.S. Navy video/Released)

Defence IQ releases Military Flight Training Sector Report 2015

M-346 Master advanced trainer (Source: Alenia Aermacchi)

London, UK – Defence IQ, the leading online resource for military and defence news and analysis, announces the release of its annual Military Flight Training Sector Report 2014 - 2015. The report is split into two sections; Part I of the Report offers a consolidated outline of the world’s fixed-wing and rotary training aircraft, listing nation-by-nation inventories and requirements alongside future plans. Part II provides an analysis of exclusive data generated through a comprehensive survey of the military flight training community.

Grab a copy of the full report to find out what the priority attributes are for flight training in the next 10 years, the integration of simulation with live fly, key investment areas for the future and what the globally accepted rate of attrition is among flight training professionals.

Increased Precision, Range and Greater Integration to be Addressed at the World’s Leading Joint Fires Conference

Senior representatives from armies from nations including Brazil, UK, US, Spain and Greece will be speaking at Future Artillery 2015, a two-day conference enabling the artillery community to reflect and explore contemporary thinking on the role of artillery in the joint fires environment.

The conference, hosted by Defence IQ – a division of global events company IQPC – is a unique opportunity for international industry, military and government to discuss the latest in interoperability, precision, communication technology and current and future training initiatives.

Sea Power as Hedge against Chinese Adventurism – Part 1

The two Prime Minister-class submarines enables the Royal Malaysian Navy to punch above its weight (Source: RMN)

By M Hanif Ismail

In the olden days, sea power is often used as the measure of how powerful a nation state/empire/kingdom is. This is because sea power is often the means used by the said nation state to extend, impose and protect their influences on others.

With the advent of air power, intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads etc., one might think that that the importance of sea power has diminished. Perhaps that is true, but with the end of Cold War, the threats of nuclear war has diminished, and even the threats of war between two equals powers is now somewhat remote, although still possible in few hotspots around the world.

It is against this backdrop that almost all of the current and former world powers have let their sea power dwindled, some more so than the others. Almost all that is, except China. 

Time to Use Back Act 82? I think so

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

When PM Najib Tun Razak announced that the government had agreed to repeal the Internal Security Act 1960 (Act 82), it was seen as a victory for democracy and liberalism in Malaysia. We believed that it was the right step forward towards the creation of a more liberal and mature society. In its place, the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Act 747) was enacted, a so-called more humane law, with controls that prevent the law to be misused for political gain.
In hindsight, the victory was premature. Not that the Government has turned its back against the liberals, but the extremists had used this lack of preventive law as a no-holds barred license to wreck dissent amongst Malaysians.
Pre-2012, we rarely heard or see openly racial taunts, insults against religions, and more worryingly, calls for secessions. Few dared as the preventive law allows the police to recommend to the Home Minister for such persons to be detained under the act.
The painful experience of Sulu terrorists intrusions in Sabah had painted a very bleak picture on the ability of SOSMA to deal with individuals linked to terrorist groups. Of a total of 713 individuals (149 in red zone, balance outside red zone) arrested during the mopping up operations, only 104 were prosecuted under SOSMA.
To rub salt on the wound, it was discovered that many of the former ISA detainees previously arrested for involvement of terrorist activities had reverted back to their old activities. Yazid Sufaat, former Malaysian Army Captain turned Osama’s most trusted biological weapons specialist reverted to his old ways and was arrested in early 2013 for recruiting impressionable Muslim youths to join Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) (now known as Islamic State or IS and was also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Sham or ISIS) to fight the war in Syria against Bashar al Assad’s government. One of his associates, Halimah Hussein escaped police dragnet and is still on the loose.
Further to the discovery of Yazid Sufaat’s return to his old ways, another further revelation was made this year. Soon after Obama’s first presidential visit to Malaysia ended, at least 10 other Malaysians, both males and females were arrested for recruiting Malaysians on behalf of IS/ISIS/ISL (henceforth would be identified only as IS). To-date, around 23 had been arrested for conspiring with international terrorist organization. Another 5 individuals were also arrested during the period, 1 for involvement with al She’bab terrorist organization, which is a known al Qaeda-linked organization operating in Somalia, and 4 others were South Asians, believed to be in the midst of planning a bomb attack in India.
Another five individuals, one of them a former UM lecturer, managed to escape arrest and is now on the run.
It was during this period that PDRM via NST had finally confirmed that Jemaah Islamiyah or JI, helmed by the late Dr Azahari Hussein and Nordin Mat Top, had previously planned to attack several locations in KL in 2000, but was foiled by strong police presence and poorly executed plans. Amongst the targeted locations were a restaurant in Jalan Telawi and Bukit Aman. More disturbing was that at least 2 other groups, with core members believed to be former ISA detainees, to have decided to take up the mantle to continue the attack. Both groups were said to be linked to IS.
But the biggest question today is, what are the status of these suspects? Have they been prosecuted in court? Have the police managed to crack the case wide open? Or worse still, have the police been forced to release these suspects due to lack of evidence?
Does SOSMA have teeth strong enough to bite these terrorists? Or is it a leash that only tighten itself around the neck of our officers who valiantly place their lives in danger for our safety? And with that, may be it is time for us to wipe off the dust that had settled on Act 82 and to return it to active use.
No offence to Act 747 supporters. It will work, in a society that is civil, liberal and mature. But we are now facing a very strong threat against way of life, sovereignity and security. And if Uncle Sam choose to establish their PATRIOT Act, and Singapore still maintains their own version of ISA, did we erred in our decision? As the Malay peribahasa has once said, kalau sesat, kembalilah ke pangkal jalan (transliterated as if you are lost, return to the point you began).

An edited version of this article was published by The Star on 18 August 2014 and can be found here:
http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Letters/2014/08/18/Did-we-repeal-ISA-in-a-haste/ 

MH17 - Justice Must Be Served

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

First of all, allow us at DSGC to post our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukrainian airspace on 17 July 2014. 

Just barely recovering from the tragedy of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, the news struck Malaysians from all walk of lives hardest.  As details of the incident began to filter back to Malaysia, it had the surreal feeling that we were all trapped in a never-ending nightmare.  But unlike the missing MH370, there seems to be a culprit that everyone could point there finger at in this latest tragedy.

Culprit, or Scapegoat?

Almost immediately, western world, led vociferously by the Ukrainian Government began to point fingers at the pro-Kremlin separatist movement that is currently operating in the area as the culprit that had shot down the plane, and by default, Putin-led government as the backer of this atrocity.

Imuniti Diplomatik dalam Pertimbangan Hubungan Diplomatik Malaysia-New Zealand

Oleh : Yusni Yussof

Sehingga kini, bekas Diplomat Malaysia, Muhammad Rizalman Ismail masih lagi menerima rawatan di negara dan belum ada tarikh yang jelas bilakah beliau akan dihantar pulang ke New Zealand bagi menghadapi pertuduhan jenayah ke atas beliau. Situasi beliau adalah bersifat unprecedented, kerana ini adalah kali pertama di dalam sejarah negara seorang Diplomat  negara berhadapan dengan situasi sedemikian.

Dalam menghadapi situasi ini, jelas kerajaan Malaysia sedang menimbangkan apakah bentuk tindakan yang paling tepat dan mempunyai nilai strategik kepada hubungan diplomatik yang terjalin antara Malaysia dan New Zealand. Sudah pasti wujud tekanan dari dalam negara, lebih-lebih lagi daripada New Zealand sendiri untuk memastikan keadilan dapat dilaksanakan.

Dalam konteks hubungan Diplomatik yang terjalin antara Malaysia dan New Zealand, secara amnya Rizalman, sebagai seorang yang dikategorikan sebagai Diplomat, mempunyai imuniti diplomatik ( diplomatic immunity) yang memberikan beliau perlindungan daripada sebarang bentuk bidang kuasa jenayah terhadap beliau oleh New Zealand. Perlindungan ini diberi dan dijamin menerusi Artikel 31  Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations yang merupakan peraturan yang mengawal hubungan diplomatik antara negara-negara di dunia, khususnya dalam pewujudan sebuah kedutaan, perlantikan petugas-petugas kedutaan di sesebuah negara penerima ( receiving state).

Walau bagaimanapun, dokumen undang-undang yang sama turut memberikan hak kepada Malaysia untuk mengenepikan  kekebalan dan imuniti diplomatik yang dinikmati oleh Diplomat menerusi Artikel 32. 

Importance of a Strong Indigenous Defence Industry for National Sovereignty

by Danny Liew Shan Lee

In discussing the defence capabilities of a nation, the most favourite comparison method is of the nation’s defence assets or OrBat (for Order of Battle). Today, we are beginning to see the proliferation of indigenously produced combat assets being used by the Malaysian Armed Forces, from our NGPV to Adnan AIFV.

Introduction of indigenously produced combat assets are a step forward towards creating a self-reliant military capable of defending the nation’s sovereignty. However, these procurements had been dogged by several scandals that had brought disrepute to the local defence industry. This had brought calls to the MAF to obtain combat equipment from reputable international defence equipment suppliers using the off-the-shelf concept.

Before going further, best that we have a look into several scandals that had brought disrepute to the industry.

Kedah class NGPV KD Selangor (Pennant No 176) as seen during the Navy Day 2014 in Lumut.  Photo courtesy of MalDef group.

Kuasa Udara Kuasa Negara - Masa Hadapan TUDM

Oleh Danny Liew Shan Lee

Kemerdekaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu pada 31 Ogos 1957 memperlihatkan perlunya sebuah angkatan tentera yang mantap bagi negara baru tersebut bagi menghadapi ancaman anasir dalam dan luar negara.  Bagi mencapai impian ini, cabang perkhidmatan udara diperkenalkan pada 2 Jun 1958, dan dinamakan sebagai Tentera Udara Diraja Persekutuan (nama ini diubah menjadi Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, atau singkatannya TUDM,  apabila Persekutuan Malaysia ditubuhkan pada 16 September 1963).

Sebagai cabang perkhidmatan ketenteraan yang termuda dalam Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), TUDM telah melalui perubahan ketara dari segi kekuatan ofensif dan defensif.  Daripada sebuah ketumbukan udara yang hanya memiliki sebuah pesawat pengangkut jenis Twin Pioneer buatan Scottish Aviation, ke sebuah ketumbukan udara yang bersifat sokongan kepada usaha counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare, dan kini, sebuah ketumbukan udara yang mampu melakukan serangan berkejituan tinggi (precision strike).