4/24/24 CHINA WATCH Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments German EU lawmaker Maximilian Krah on Wednesday said he would remain the nationalist Alternative for Germany’s lead candidate in upcoming European elections, despite the fact that one of his aides was charged with committing espionage for Chinese intelligence agencies. It was agreed, however, that Krah would take a lower profile at the start of the campaign. read more ..read more

4/24/24 NUCLEAR WORKFORCE Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments The U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet has been central to the country’s ability to project power globally for decades. But this world-class nuclear navy—including all current U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines—is under threat amid a steady exodus of highly trained officers and enlisted personnel. The attrition in the nuclear workforce raises serious concerns about the sustainability of the modern fleet in a time of rising geopolitical competition. read more ..read more

4/23/24 OUR PICKS Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  0 A National Security Insider Does the Math on the Dangers of AI  (Lauren Goode, Wired) Jason Matheny is a delight to speak with, provided you’re up for a lengthy conversation about potential technological and biomedical catastrophe. read more ..read more

4/23/24 MISSILE DEFENSE Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel in the early hours of April 14, with a barrage of more than 300 missiles and drones designed to inflict maximum damage.  Virtually all its projectiles were, however, intercepted in a coordinated operation by Israel with the United States, European allies and some Arab nations. It has been hailed as “a greater miracle” than the Six- Day War.  read more ..read more

4/23/24 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments Ever wonder what those colorful signs with symbols and numbers on the backs of trucks mean? They’re just one visible part of a web of regulations that aim to keep workers and the environment safe while shipping hazardous waste. read more ..read more

4/23/24 SUPPLY-CHAIN SECURITY Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments The accident that closed the Port of Baltimore initially raised concerns that supply chains would take another hit just as global shipping adjusted to disruptions from Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. But supply chains have been resilient thus far, and U.S. efforts to fortify them are accelerating.  read more ..read more

4/23/24 DEEPFAKES Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments In what has become a familiar refrain when discussing AI-enabled technologies, voice cloning makes possible beneficial advances in accessibility and creativity while also enabling increasingly sophisticated scams and deepfakes. To combat the potential negative impacts of voice cloning technology, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged researchers and tech experts to develop breakthrough ideas on preventing, monitoring and evaluating malicious voice cloning.  read more ..read more

4/23/24 EXTREMISM Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments Anti-Zionist student groups on over a dozen U.S. college and university campuses have established “encampments” in recent days to ostensibly protest Israel’s actions in Gaza and their academic institutions’ alleged “complicity” in those actions. read more ..read more

4/23/24 IRAN’S NUKES Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments Iran is “weeks rather than months” away from having enough enriched uranium to develop a nuclear bomb, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told DW. “But that does not mean that Iran has or would have a nuclear weapon in that space of time,” he added. read more ..read more

4/23/24 WORLD ROUNDUP Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  0 Germany Arrests ‘Chinese Spy’ in Second AfD Scandal  (David Crossland, The Times) German police have arrested an assistant to Maximilian Krah, the hard-right Alternative for Germany’s leading candidate in the European elections, on suspicion of spying for China. The man, named by law enforcement only as Jian G, was arrested on Monday in Dresden. He lives in Dresden and Brussels, the German public broadcasters ARD, RBB and SWR reported on Tuesday. read more ..read more