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2023-04-17 01:19:18 Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern officially merge

CPKC to service US, Canada and Mexico

“Today, we celebrate this historic combination creating a truly unique single-line rail network that begins a new chapter of railroad history in North America,” CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel said in a news release. “As we mark this once-in-a-lifetime occasion by driving the Final Spike in Kansas City, Missouri, where CP and KCS come together, we stand ready to bring new competition into the North American rail industry at a time when our supply chains have never needed it more.”

The combined network will span across both coasts of Canada, traverse through the U.S. Midwest and reach several points in Mexico, including the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas on Mexico’s Pacific coast. CP has said the network offers single-line service to shippers.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/canadian-pacific-and-kansas-city-southern-officially-merge Open / Comment

2023-04-17 01:19:10 Sanctions imposed on Russia and other countries by the United States may risk hegemony of US dollar, Treasury Secretary Yellen says.

- Insider Paper Open / Comment

2023-04-17 01:08:38 In the first three and a half months of 2023, illegal immigration across the Central Mediterranean has more than quadrupled compared to the same period last year. We haven't even reached summer yet, when migrant numbers will be at their peak, and now a major crisis is about to explode in a nation that is located one country away from the Mediterranean.

It's also worth mentioning that Sudan is the most important transit route for migrants from East Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan etc.) and hosts a large number of refugee camps that are already filled to the brim with people from neighbouring war-town countries. Open / Comment

2023-04-17 01:08:38 For those who aren't aware, Sudan has a total population of about 48 million people so there is potential for a massive migrant crisis to Europe on a scale never seen before if the country descends into civil war.

Even without the crisis in Sudan, the EU was projected to reach migration levels as high as 2015 or even higher this year.

https://t.me/geopoliticalblog/6536 Open / Comment

2023-04-17 01:01:12 At least seven people are dead, including one child, after gunmen stormed a resort in central Mexico, authorities say.

ABC News Open / Comment

2023-04-17 00:53:37 — For some reason, Pro-Trans activists on social medias considered such bill allowing "Death Penalty for Child Rapists" to be "dangerous for Transgender people", stating that Florida is paving the way for a "Genocide against Transgender people", accusing Florida's Governor of "going Full Putin mode" Open / Comment

2023-04-17 00:24:27 Sudan MAP: "The *approximate* situation in Sudan as of 22:00 on 16/04/2023.

Note that the situation is still very fluid and this map is only an indication of the approximate territorial balance of power across the country."

Thomas van Linge Open / Comment

2023-04-17 00:04:23 What it will look like if China launches cyberattacks in the U.S.

Chinese hackers are likely to target U.S. military networks and other critical infrastructure in the event of an invasion of Taiwan.

Military systems and transportation methods for troops and supplies to come to Taiwan’s aid are likely to be at the top of the list for Chinese hackers.

President Joe Biden has committed multiple times to sending U.S. troops to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, something China would want to stop. This could include targeting the networks of ports on the West Coast, airfields, and other transportation networks that move troops.

Interrupting operations at ports would be a top priority. Gallagher and Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) recently visited the Port of Miami to highlight Chinese investment in U.S. ports infrastructure. This included noting that the vast majority of cargo cranes at ports come from one Chinese company.

The lawmakers alleged that China could shut down the cranes to delay aid to Taiwan. Republican leaders of the House Homeland Security Committee subsequently sent a letter to DHS asking about cyber vulnerabilities at maritime ports.

“If an adversary exploits the operational technology (OT) system of these cranes, port operations could completely shut down,” the lawmakers wrote.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/16/chinese-hackers-military-taiwan-invasion-00092189 Open / Comment

2023-04-16 03:24:51 Top Navy Admiral Says No To Icebreakers

“China has participated in 33 Arctic operations in the last two decades. They engage in all major Arctic institutions and continue to expand their icebreaker fleet, which now includes two medium icebreakers, and they are currently developing heavy icebreakers,” Betty McCollum said while questioning Gilday and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. She highlighted that “Russia alone has 40 icebreakers, including two nuclear-powered ones.”

Although Admiral Gilday recognized the expansion of the Navy’s Arctic operations, he failed to address the pressing need for icebreakers. Congresswoman McCollum’s relentless questioning highlights the crucial reevaluation of the Navy’s involvement in Arctic missions. Gilday did concede to the Navy’s escalating role in the Arctic, noting plans for seven exercises this year in collaboration with the Marine Corps and allied nations. He also mentioned a $236 million allocation across the Future Years Defense Program for scientific research in partnership with countries such as Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Nonetheless, the urgency for icebreakers in the Arctic remains a vital concern, emphasizing the necessity for the Navy to commit to safeguarding American interests in the rapidly changing region.

And it’s not just the US Military’s role that’s expanding but it’s partnerships with allies. This month Bloomberg reported that with NATO flexing polar muscles with than 20,000 troops from the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and six other nations participating in Arctic exercises, the need for a strong U.S. presence in the region is more important than ever. These 11-day drills are training forces to survive and operate in remote Arctic areas, preparing them for potential conflicts in the area. While these exercises are crucial, they would require protection and supplies from Navy ships if Russia extends its current war in Ukraine to the Arctic. This raises the question of how the U.S. Navy will provide this support without icebreakers?

Congresswoman McCollum’s questioning emphasizes the Navy’s unwillingness to build the icebreakers the US Military needs or even help its small sister sea services, the US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard and US Merchant Marine, build their Arctic footprint. The challenges faced by the U.S. shipbuilding industry and the potential difficulties surrounding the construction of the new Heavy Icebreaker underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach to the Arctic, which must include the U.S. Navy taking on a more significant role in icebreaker operations.

Considering the US Navy has significantly more political influence, a vastly larger budget, and over 86,000 shipbuilding professionals in its NAVSEA department alone (making NAVSEA roughly twice the size of the entire US Coast Guard) it’s unfair to pawn this critical need off on smaller services.

https://gcaptain.com/top-navy-admiral-says-no-icebreakers/ Open / Comment

2023-04-16 02:56:48 Bring Back the Dirigibles, Maintain the Undersea Advantage

America’s long-range theater antisubmarine-warfare mission can be asymmetrically enhanced by the resurrection of the U.S. Navy’s airship program.

While the heritage of Navy lighter-than-air craft did not continue with any major investment following World War II and during the second half of the 20th century, blimps have found military applications in recent conflicts that highlight the opportunity they represent for future naval applications.

In Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as in other operations in the war on terror, the U.S. Army has deployed the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS). These platforms are stationary blimps, or aerostats, which use helium gas to elevate large, remotely controlled, state-of-the-art sensor platforms to altitudes above 6,000 feet. Since gas instead of an internal combustion engine and wings are used to keep these drones at altitude, the JLENS offers the Army virtually unlimited station keeping for surveillance systems and fire-control radars that can communicate long-range targeting data to ground-based weapons for installation defense.

The Army also has committed to further investment in lighter-than-air vehicles, commissioning the Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) project via British Hybrid Air Vehicles company, a 300-foot, 92-mph–capable helium airship with a 10-ton carrying capacity. The vessel was developed to provide a long-endurance surveillance capability using wide-area motion imagery technology with a five-day flight endurance.12 While the project was defunded following production, military applications of lighter-than-air craft remain present in the minds of U.S. military leadership as an ideal pairing with modern surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

As the U.S. military transitions back into an era of great-power competition with eyes toward the importance of sea control as stated in A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Sea Power, the advancing undersea platforms of our rivals threaten to put America’s way of life at risk.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2023/april/bring-back-dirigibles-maintain-undersea-advantage

https://archive.ph/WypF3 Open / Comment