Posts By: Jacob Charles

Spring budget 2024

Elaine Whyte examines the UK security implications of the recent Spring Budget The geopolitical environment created a challenging backdrop for the Spring Budget, as the UK’s role in promoting peace and security around the world, most pressingly in Ukraine, competed with fiscal challenges. The Government is holding the Defence budget at 2 percent of GDP… Read more »

Maintaining the status quo

Simon Alderson examines the role of security firms in managing activist protests The ‘friendly threat’ that activists pose to event disruption is often incredibly difficult for security firms to spot. Although security measures can be in place such as body searches and checkpoints, activists often can get around these by concealing banners and often small… Read more »

Evolving threat

Paul Mason considers how the security community can work together to deliver Protect Duty legislation. As identified in the Manchester Arena Inquiry (the recommendations from which inform Martyn’s Law), a lack of preparedness and inadequate response to suspicious behaviour, enabling the terrorist to carry out his attack with tragic consequences, were amongst the key shortcomings… Read more »

Travel safely

Rodger Cook, Kate Fitzpatrick and Frank Harrison at World Travel Protection examine the current security challenges facing the global traveller International travel in 2024 is at a pivotal crossroads, eagerly anticipated by travel enthusiasts, businesses and governments alike, yet facing greater risk and uncertainty than in living memory. Travelling teams face numerous risks in today’s… Read more »

Be prepared

Matt Medley explains the four areas of the defence industry that will be impacted the most over the next 12 months Military supply chains have been impacted heavily due to the increase in conflicts in 2023, as a result inventories and resources of some military forces are becoming inadequate to combat enemy forces. Due to… Read more »

Identity confirmed

Nick Larter reveals how digital passports are making travel experiences smoother From passports to ID cards to driver’s licenses, many government documents already have a digital counterpart. But we are only using a small fraction of what digital identity technology can actually do. Its widespread use will not only open up countless new applications and… Read more »

SIGINT versus TSCM

Paul D Turner advances the art and science of the SIGINT/TSCM role During the past decade, technology advancements have shaped the software-defined radio environment within a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) role. SIGINT/TSCM have seen industry disruptive advancements at the hardware and software level with algorithmic coding to address technical challenges. A… Read more »

Red alert

Matthew Borie examines the Yemeni Houthi Iranian-backed militant group attacks amid the Israel-Hamas conflict In wake of the Hamas attacks from Gaza on Israel, which began on 7 October, the Yemeni Houthi Iranian-backed militant group (IBMG) has initiated a campaign of attacks targeting Israeli territory as well as against commercial and military vessels in the… Read more »

Under the influence

Jorge Marinho and Júlio Ventura consider lawfare and foreign influence on politicians as he examines NATO and Portuguese internal intelligence service insights Politicians can be the targets of influence operations directly or indirectly conducted by adversary states, by turning to various instruments such as the media and lobbying firms, for instance. In this case, influence… Read more »

Stay on target

Laura Libeer highlights eight ways to bolster your cyber security resources without blowing your budget IT security breaches are becoming more frequent and costly. According to IBM Security’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023 UK organisations shell out an average of £3.4-million for data breach incidents. There isn’t a CISO around that doesn’t wish… Read more »