2013-2014 Year in Review

TOP 5 KEY FINDINGS

1. Border Conflicts ‘appear’ to be intensifying world wide – Israel/Palestine, Russia/Ukraine, Pakistan/India, China/Japan, China/SCS Nations, US/Mexico, Syria/Iraq, Algeria/Libya/Mali – not only creates global insecurity but attracts misaligned youth and believers to go to conflict and later return home trained and militant – i.e. Private Lee Rigby murder (UK), Boston Bombing (USA)
   1. Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium referred to an informal survey to determine how many countries have violent internal instability problems that involve the use of conventional military forces. They counted 21. That means there are more countries with active insurgency and uprising problems that at any time since World War II
2. MO of attacks on Western targets currently focusing on lone wolf attacks, small arms/IEDs, soft public targets – community events (marathons, races), public streets, museums, synagogues, shopping centres and airports. Traditional terror targets – consider 70s/80s – Olympics, Sporting Events, Plane Hijackings
3. Global Ally Defence Structure Forming between the USA, Japan to combat China, Russia and North Korea

4. Cyber Security may be a catalyst for determining war and remains high risk to critical infrastructure

5. Policing Models alongside Drug Prohibition Models changing around the world

   Boston Bombings
   – 2 Pressure cooker bombs were detonated at 2:49PM EDT
   – Killed 3. Seriously injured 264.
   – Exploded 12 seconds apart and were 190m away from each other.
   – Suspects identified as Chechen brothers Dzhoklar and Tamerlan Tsarnev.
   – Motivated by Islamic Beliefs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
   – Learnt how to make pressure cooker bombs from an al-Qaeda magazine.
   – Tamerlans ‘ambitions’ were to travel to New York to bomb Times Square after Boston.

   Sydney / Gang Shooting(s)
   – March 2013
   – Body of Khaled Kahwaji was found with several gunshot wounds next to the open driver’s side door of his Mazda 3.
   – Door and windscreen were riddled with bullet holes.
   – This man had previously been charged with murder.
   – Police believe that the gang has links to 6 other shootings and attacks in the past several months (from March 2013).

   Edward Snowden
   – June 2013 released to several Media Outlets were thousands of classified documents.
   – Snowden was working as a NSA Contractor, for Dell, and for Booz Hamilton at the time.
   – Criminal Charge was Theft of Government property, unauthorised communication of National Defence information, and wilful communication of classified Intelligence to an unauthorised person.
   – US cancelled his passport (June 22) and is currently on temporary asylum in Russia.
   – Most significant leak of info I U.S History, since the release of the Pentagon Papers
   – Snowden’s acts are punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
   
   SAPOL Drone Usage
   – South Australia Police will use sophisticated remote-controlled Drones too spy on suspects.
   – Will be able to be used to spy on bike fortresses, find drug crops, and gather other intelligence without putting other officers at risk.
   – Police Minister Michael O’Brien said UAV’s have become a recognised policing tool throughout the world.
   – Total cost of UAV’s along with training and CASA licencing is to be about $200 000

   QLD Police Using Drones
   – Operating 2 UAV
   – Had trail back in 2012
   – First deployment was on Boxing Day 2013.
   – Mainly used to provide aerial ‘Situational Awareness’QLD Bikie Laws
   – Premier Campbell Newman says ‘Bikies will be destroyed’
   – QLD Laws are the toughest in Australia.
   – Critics are saying that laws are tough enough already to deal with the bikie gangs.
   – Being described as ‘scaremongering’.

   Kenya Mall Shootouts
   September 21^st gunmen attacked the upper market Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
   – Over 175 people were injured with all of the gunmen killed.
   – 64 deaths including 4 attackers and 1 Australian citizen.

   New Zealand Floods
   – Cause numerous landslides
   – Around 1500 people lost power (mainly because of fallen branches and wet vegetation).
   – People north of Auckland were worst affected

   Victoria Fires (Jan 2014)
   – Over 500 people at relied centres at Horsham, Statewell and Ararat.
   – The Grampians fire was so intense it created a 12Km wide convection column and generated its own lightning and sparked its own spot fires.
   – Total fire ban across the state, however an illegal bonfire started a bush fire that came within close proximity of homes.

   MH370
   – 227 Passengers, 12 crew.
   – Boeing 777 – 2H6 ER
   – Flight route: Kuala Lumpar Int. – Beijing Capital Int.
   – Lost contact at 1:20MYT on March 8^th 2014.
   Assumed Lost – 24^th March. – Biggest Aviation Mystery.

   Russia – Ukraine Conflict
   – Conflict went on for 3 weeks and 3 days. (Feb 23 – Mar 19)
   – Caused by:   – Opposition to the Euromaidan movement
   – Opposition to the Turchynov Presidency and Yatsenyuk Government
   – Ukraine loses control over Crimea; republic of Crimea declares independence with the intention of joining Russia. Referendum passed with 96% support.

   MH17
   37 Australians died on board flight MH17 which was shot down by a ground-to-air missile, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
   Pro-Russian separatists are being blamed for the attack, which left bodies and smouldering wreckage scattered across fields.
   A team of 17 investigators from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe were allowed to examine the wreckage for about 75 minutes, before being forced out by gunmen.

   North Korean Ballistics
   – Test Fired a Mid-Range Rodang Missile. –Range of over 1 000Km.
   – Prompting condemnation from UN Security Council.
   – Being see as preparing to conduct a fourth nuclear test.
   – UN Security Council prohibit North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile tests.

   Syria
   – Biggest humanitarian crisis in the world.
   – Aid workers are struggling to reach everyone who needs support.
   – UN has plead for people to meet their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and to let aid in.
   — Situation will only get worse unless a political solution is found.

   QLD Floods
   – Over 500mm of rain fallen.
   – Cyclone Ita caused $953Million damage in total
   – over 300Km/h gusts were recorded.
   – 22 fatalities in total.
   – Qld, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were effected.

   Bring Back Our Girls
   – Nigerian girls kidnapped
   – April 15
   – Kidnappers are members of the Islamic Militant Group ‘Boko Haram’.
   – Name means “Western Education is forbidden”.
   – Obama sent a team to Nigeria to help find the girls.

   Heartbleed
   – Fixed version on April 7, 2014, on the same day Heartbleed was publicly disclosed.
   – 17% (about half a million) of secure web servers were believed to be vulnerable to attack.
   – Effected servers urged customers to change their password as soon as possible.

   Anonymous Court Case
   – Adam John Bennett, a 40 year old from Scarborough appeared in Perth’s Magistrates Court.
   – AFP believe he is 1 of 2 men from the online hacking group ‘Anonymous’.
   – They were arrested after a search of their homes in Penrith NSW, and Scarborough in WA.

   South Korea Ferry
   – 16 April 2014
   – MU Sewol
   – 1.5Km off the coast of Donggeocha Island.
   – 288 on-board, 1 Navy Sailor and 1 civilian diver die in the incident.
   – 16 Missing
   – 476 on board in total
   – 172 Survivors
   – Vice Principal of school on the ferry committed suicide

   Drone Triathlete Accident
   – Raija Ogen was treated for a head injury
   – Operator lost control.
   – Attacker wrestles the control away from the operator.
   – Being used to film competitors in the Endure Batauia Triathlon.
   – Treated at scene, but went to hospital to get stitches to close head wound

   Turkish Mine Disaster
   – Soma Mine (480Km south-west of Istanbul).
   – Claims hundreds of lives.
   – 25 arrested and charged of manslaughter. This includes executives that ran the mine.
   – 787 people were inside the mine when the blast hit.
   – About 1000 mourners held their palms up to the sky and said ‘Amen’ when the bodies were buried

   Sovereign Borders
   -Operation to stop the boats.
   – Makes it impossible for people who travelled to Australia by boat illegally to call Australia Home.
   – Any illegal boats found in Australian Waters will be removed.
   – Asylum Seekers will be transferred to Papua New Guinea or Nauru within 48 hours for the processing of all illegal maritime arrivals.
   – There is no limit on the amount of people who are transferred to the neighbouring countries.

   Iraq
   – Iraq is under attack of the ISIL.
   – ISIL have taken over many cities in Iraq.
   – ISIS are planning on taking down Baghdad.
   – Iraqi security forces aren’t fighting back. They have little sense of professionalism or loyalty to the Baghdad government.
   – ISIL command between 7 000 and 10 000 fighters.
   – ISIL is also known as ISIS

   ISIS
   – An al-Qaeda militant group.
   – Overrun Tikrit, an Iraq city only 150Km north of Bagdad, as 500,000 people flee.
   – Already captured Mosul. This is the second largest city in Iraq.
   – Claim that they are ‘flighting devils and not ordinary people’.
   – Hostages being held include special-forces soldiers, diplomats and children.
   – Considered the most powerful military force in Northern Syria.

   Karachi Airport Attack
   – 24 dead after gunfire at airport. This includes 10 militants.
   – Heavily armed militants launched an attack on the busiest airport in Pakistan.
   – 3 huge blasts due to suicide bombers.
   – Gunmen entered the building from two sides of the airport at around 11:00pm on the Sunday.

   A strong national approach to illegal firearms
   New legislation will be introduced July 2014 to target gun-related crimes that will implement minimum mandatory five year jail terms for illegal firearm trafficking. The Australian Crime Commission estimates there are 250,000 illicit ‘long arms’ and at least 10,000 illicit hand guns in Australia. The Government will target gun traffickers and criminals who move firearms and firearm parts into and out of Australia.
   Anyone caught in the illegal firearms trade will face mandatory minimum sentences of five years under the new regime. Light sentencing sends the wrong message to criminals.

   H5N1
   – Avian Flu
   – It is prevalent in many bird populations in Southeast Asia.
   – H stands for Hem agglutinin, which is a substance that causes red blood cells to agglutinate (clump together).
   – Australia had over 101 cases of H5N1 in 2010.
   
   Organised Crime – cost
   The Australian Crime Commission reports that Organised Crime now costs $15 billion a year, increasing at an estimated average of $1 billion per year during the past five years. Alongside this increase, since 2007, OMCG gang member numbers have also surged, increasing by 53 percent to about 4,500 individuals, in 44 active gangs. “If organised crime was a country it would be in the G20” – Jason Clare releasing the ACC’s Report ‘Organised Crime in Australia 2013’

   Jindalee Operational Radar Network achieves Final Operational Capability
   The Jindalee Operational Radar Network, provided by Joint Project 2025 Phase Five, has achieved Final Operational Capability (FOC) Defence announced by Minister David Johnston.
   Senator Johnston said the successful delivery of JP 2025 Phase Five has improved JORN’s over-the-horizon-radar performance and its integration with the wider Defence command and control and intelligence networks.

   Royal Commissions current in 2014
   Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption
   Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program
   Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse