Geopolitical Monitor: "Protests Shutter Mozambique’s Balama Graphite Mine"

 

"Protests Shutter Mozambique’s Balama Graphite Mine"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Geopolitical Monitor

Situation Reports

30 December, 2024

Published: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/protests-shutter-mozambiques-balama-graphite-mine/

Critical minerals and rare earth elements are commodities whose value continues to increase, given their importance to the global economy and new technologies. The problem is that many critical minerals are located in areas of the world that are either difficult to access or are unrest prone. The latter is the case of the Balama graphite mine in Mozambique, which recently shut down operations amid ongoing protests in the African nation.

Zona Militar: "SpearUAV secures high profile contract, discusses future with ZM" / "La empresa israelí SpearUAV se asegura un contrato para suministrar nuevas municiones merodeadoras Viper 300"

  "SpearUAV secures high profile contract, discusses future with ZM"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

28 December 2024

Published: https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2024/12/28/spearuav-secures-high-profile-contract-discusses-future-with-zm/

SpearUAV, the manufacturer of the Viper family of loitering munitions, announced on 16 December a USD20 million contract for its Viper 300 AI-based loitering munition systems to an undisclosed client. Zona Militar had an exclusive conversation with Yiftach Kleinman, deputy CEO of SpearUAV, about the contract and the company’s plans for the future.

 

"La empresa israelí SpearUAV se asegura un contrato para suministrar nuevas municiones merodeadoras Viper 300"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

28 de Diciembre, 2024

Publicado: https://www.zona-militar.com/2024/12/28/la-empresa-israeli-spearuav-se-asegura-un-contrato-para-suministrar-nuevas-municiones-merodeadoras-viper-300/

SpearUAV, el fabricante de la familia de municiones merodeadoras Viper, anunció el 16 de diciembre un contrato de 20 millones de dólares para suministrar sus sistemas de municiones merodeadoras Viper 300, basados en inteligencia artificial, a un cliente no revelado. Zona Militar tuvo una conversación exclusiva con Yiftach Kleinman, director ejecutivo adjunto de SpearUAV, sobre el contrato y los planes futuros de la compañía.

Shephard: "South American shipyards end 2024 positively as regional navies bet on local manufacturers"

 

"South American shipyards end 2024 positively as regional navies bet on local manufacturers"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Naval Warfare

Shephard

23 December 2024

Published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/naval-warfare/south-american-shipyards-end-2024-positively-as-regional-navies-bet-on-local-manufacturers/

The year ends with several South American navies undergoing ambitious programmes to modernise their fleets. A common denominator is that regional services want domestically manufactured surface vessels and even submarines.

Zona Militar: "Dutch Navy’s new Combat Support Ship Den Helder undergoes sea trials" / "Damen reportó los avances más recientes en las pruebas de mar del nuevo Buque de Apoyo al Combate de la Armada de los Países Bajos"

 

"Dutch Navy’s new Combat Support Ship Den Helder undergoes sea trials"

 Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

 21 December, 2024

 Originally published: https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2024/12/21/dutch-navys-new-combat-support-ship-den-helder-undergoes-sea-trials/

 The Dutch Navy and Dutch shipyard Damen have carried out sea trials for the future Den Helder (A834), a Combat Support Shipyard built for the Dutch Navy. Den Helder is scheduled to be commissioned in the spring of 2025.

The shipyard told Zona Militar that CSS Den Helder is a one-off support vessel, meaning Damen is not building another one. At least not yet. “The Netherlands Ministry of Defence ordered one vessel.

 

"Damen reportó los avances más recientes en las pruebas de mar del nuevo Buque de Apoyo al Combate de la Armada de los Países Bajos"

 Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

 21 de Diciembre, 2024

Publicado: https://www.zona-militar.com/2024/12/21/damen-reporto-los-avances-mas-recientes-en-las-pruebas-de-mar-del-nuevo-buque-de-apoyo-al-combate-de-la-armada-de-los-paises-bajos/

La Armada de los Países Bajos y el astillero neerlandés Damen han realizado las pruebas de mar del futuro Den Helder (A834), un Buque de Apoyo al Combate construido para la Armada neerlandesa. Está previsto que el Den Helder sea comisionado en la primavera de 2025.

El astillero informó a Zona Militar que el CSS Den Helder es un buque de apoyo único, lo que significa que Damen no construirá otro igual, al menos por el momento. “El Ministerio de Defensa de los Países Bajos encargó un único buque. Si necesitan más unidades en el futuro, podemos, por supuesto, adaptarnos a sus requerimientos”, declaró Damen a ZM.

NEGlobal: "Transforming Central Asia from a frontier market to a stable investment"

 

 "Transforming Central Asia from a frontier market to a stable investment"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

NEGlobal

21 December, 2024

Originally: https://www.neglobal.eu/transforming-central-asia-from-a-frontier-market-to-a-stable-investment/ 

Central Asia is considered a frontier market. However, at least two of the five countries that constitute this region, namely Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are eager to diversify their economies and attract investors to new industries. While global geopolitics will remain unstable throughout 2025, Astana and Tashkent want to reassure investors that, in a volatile world and geographically distant region, investors should feel confident about “taking a chance” and investing in these countries.

To attract new investors, both governments are creating special economic zones and tax-free regimes that are more investor friendly. The two countries also engage in public relations campaigns to approach potential Western investors. For example, Uzbekistan organized the Third Tashkent International Investment Forum this year. There are also events in Washington, DC, as the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce (AUCC) co-hosted a panel titled “Beyond Geopolitics: Strengthening U.S.-Central Asia Ties through Trade and Investment,” held on December 12 at the George Washington University in the U.S. capital.

Zona Militar: "US Army discusses field artillery and air defense in high-profile conference" / "El Ejército de EE.UU. esta transformando la conformación de sus unidades de artillería de campaña, cohetes y defensa aérea"

 

 

 "US Army discusses field artillery and air defense in high-profile conference"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
11 December, 2024

Originally published: https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2024/12/11/us-army-discusses-field-artillery-and-air-defense-in-high-profile-conference/

 

Senior US Army officers discussed the future of units, equipment, and strategies at the recent “Land-Based Fires in Large Scale Combat Operations” conference. The event, organized by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), focused on how field artillery and air defense units will be organized in the future and what technologies the Army is developing or acquiring.

Major General Winston Brooks, Commanding General of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, based in Oklahoma, provided some updates. “We are transitioning our regular Army rocket battalions to a 3×9 formation,” meaning three batteries with nine launchers, while the “Army National Guard will transition to a 2×9 formation.” The objective is to increase mass and lethality in large-scale operations.

 

"El Ejército de EE.UU. esta transformando la conformación de sus unidades de artillería de campaña, cohetes y defensa aérea"

 

 Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

11 de Diciembre, 2024

Originalmente publicado: https://www.zona-militar.com/2024/12/11/el-ejercito-de-ee-uu-esta-transformando-la-conformacion-de-sus-unidades-de-artilleria-de-campana-cohetes-y-defensa-aerea/

Altos oficiales del Ejército de los Estados Unidos debatieron sobre el futuro de las unidades, equipos y estrategias durante la reciente conferencia “Fuegos Basados en Tierra en Operaciones de Combate a Gran Escala”. El evento, organizado por la Asociación del Ejército de los Estados Unidos (AUSA), se centró en cómo se organizarán las unidades de artillería de campaña y defensa aérea en el futuro y qué tecnologías está desarrollando o adquiriendo el Ejército.

El General de División Winston Brooks, Comandante General del Centro de Excelencia de Fuegos y Fort Sill, con sede en Oklahoma, ofreció algunas actualizaciones: “Estamos transformando los batallones de cohetes del Ejército Regular a una formación 3×9”, es decir, tres baterías con nueve lanzadores, mientras que “la Guardia Nacional del Ejército adoptará una formación 2×9”. El objetivo es incrementar la masa y la letalidad en operaciones a gran escala.

 

 

 

 

CIMSEC: "BRACOLPER at 50: A Model Multinational Riverine Exercise"

 

"BRACOLPER at 50: A Model Multinational Riverine Exercise"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

The Southern Tide

Center for International Maritime Security

10 December, 2024

Originally published: https://cimsec.org/bracolper-at-50-a-model-multinational-riverine-exercise/

Written by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, The Southern Tide addresses maritime security issues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the challenges regional navies face including limited defense budgets, inter-state tensions, and transnational crimes. It also examines how these challenges influence current and future defense strategies, platform acquisitions, and relations with global powers.

Multinational naval exercises occur frequently across the globe. They are effective confidence-building mechanisms that promote integration, cooperation, and trust while improving the participating personnel’s capabilities and expertise. The most prominent naval exercises in the Western Hemisphere are the US-sponsored UNITAS, SOLIDAREX, and TRADEWINDS.

However, naval exercises do not solely occur at sea but also occur in inland bodies of water. Enter the multinational riverine exercise BRACOLPER, which, as the name suggests, brings together the navies from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

New Atlanticist: "The West’s role in solving Central Asia’s water crisis"

 

"The West’s role in solving Central Asia’s water crisis"

By Ariel Cohen, Wesley Alexander Hill, and Wilder Alejandro Sánchez 

New Atlanticist

Atlantic Council

27 November, 2024

Originally published: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/the-wests-role-in-solving-central-asias-water-crisis/

The Caspian Sea, vital to Eurasia’s economy and environment, is shrinking at an alarming rate. The declining water level in the sea is one visible consequence of a larger regional water crisis faced by the C5 nations of Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This water crisis threatens the more than 82 million people who call the largely arid region home.

A forthcoming Atlantic Council report written by the authors, “Water insecurity in Central Asia: The need for collective action,” explores the global resources that can be mobilized and to what ends they can be quickly directed. This report will provide a practical roadmap that regional and international actors can employ to solve problems in the near and medium terms without massively increasing investments.

Shephard: "Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system"

 

"Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system"

 Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Uncrewed Vehicles

Shephard

5 December 2024

Originally published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/uv-online/maris-tech-confirms-customers-signing-up-for-jupiter-drones-codec-and-ai-powered-system/

Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.

International Policy Digest: Does the Planet Have a Chance After COP29?

 "Does the Planet Have a Chance After COP29?"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

International Policy Digest

1 December 2024

Originally published: https://intpolicydigest.org/does-the-planet-have-a-chance-after-cop29/

The COP29 climate conference in Baku concluded on November 22, leaving the world to ponder a critical question: Does the planet stand a chance in the face of persistent geopolitical strife and escalating warfare? Despite the turbulent backdrop, some notable progress was made, though the scale of global cooperation and goodwill required to secure lasting change remains daunting.

The Diplomat: " Can the US Be a Weapons Supplier to Central Asia?"

 

"Can the US Be a Weapons Supplier to Central Asia?"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Crossroads Asia

The Diplomat

29 November 2024

Originally published: https://thediplomat.com/2024/11/can-the-us-be-a-weapons-supplier-to-central-asia/

The United States’ footprint in the Central Asian arms market is minimal, but the State Department believes this situation could change in the future.