🔥 Defense and TTAG

Good Morning. Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with thousands of infantry weapons and over 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized from Iran.

These armaments, part of a legal action by the Justice Department, were seized from vessels en route from Yemen to Iran and include over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, and significant ammunition, intercepted between May 2021 and February 2023 by U.S. naval forces and partners.

Go green folks…

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

THE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

In an effort to enhance the efficiency of technology deployments within the military, Heidi Shyu, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, announced the formation of the Transition Tracking Action Group (TTAG) on March 13.

Tracking Technology Transitions

TTAG's primary mission is to establish a unified approach across the DoD for monitoring the progression of technology from development to deployment. This initiative will identify the primary hurdles in technology transition and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies aimed at overcoming these challenges.

Leveraging Data Analytics

The introduction of data analytics, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), into the DoD's operational strategy represents a significant leap forward.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY & DIPLOMACY

Counterterrorism

• Germany arrested two Iraqi nationals for suspected involvement in the legally recognized genocide against the Yazidi community in Iraq, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and affiliation with the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).

• An Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip killed three sons of Hamas' top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, escalating tensions amid cease-fire talks. Haniyeh, accusing Israel of revenge, vowed Hamas wouldn't succumb to pressure.

• An attempted bombing targeted the Satanic Temple in Salem,
  Massachusetts, leading the city's mayor to condemn the act as a "terrorist attack."

• A shooting incident in Philadelphia occurred near the end of a large Ramadan event, wounding three people, including a teenager shot by police, and leading to five arrests.

Military & Defense

• Switzerland announced plans to host a significant international conference on June 15-16 at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne to seek an end to Russia's two-year conflict with Ukraine, despite expectations that Moscow will not participate.

• Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has effectively employed a novel suicide drone, capable of autonomous target tracking, to dismantle Russian air defense units.

Cybersecurity

• In Zambia, authorities have dismantled a "sophisticated internet fraud syndicate" with the arrest of 77 individuals, 22 of whom are Chinese nationals, marking a critical success in combating cybercrime. The operation targeted Golden Top Support Services, a Chinese-run firm in Roma, Lusaka, accused of orchestrating the scheme.

• TA547, a cyber threat actor, has been detected targeting German organizations with the Rhadamanthys malware, marking its first association with such actions, according to Proofpoint.

• The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has expanded its Malware Next-Gen service to include submissions from the private sector, previously accessible only to government and military personnel since November.

• Cybersecurity experts have warned that Rubycarp, a suspected Romanian cybercrime group which remains active after more than a decade, is currently engaging in cryptomining, phishing, and DDoS attacks.

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• The European Parliament imposed sanctions on Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka, following accusations of espionage for Russia reported by The Insider. Ždanoka refuted the claims, asserting her role as an "agent for peace." Subsequently, Latvia's secret service initiated a criminal investigation.

• A cybersecurity campaign named eXotic Visit, targeting Android users in South Asia, especially India and Pakistan, has been distributing malware through dedicated websites and the Google Play Store since November 2021.

Transnational Organized Crime

• Slobodan Tešić, a Serbian arms dealer known for engaging in illicit activities such as selling weapons to warlords and paying bribes for contracts, continues to broker deals despite being on numerous international blacklists.

• Denmark's government is seeking a court order to dissolve the Danish branch of the Bandidos motorcycle club due to its history of violent activities.

• New research from King's College London reveals that xylazine, an animal tranquilizer known as the "zombie drug" for its severe skin ulceration side effects, has infiltrated the UK's illegal drug market.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Meta is aggressively expanding its generative AI capabilities, dedicating a significant portion of its multibillion-dollar budget to both attracting top AI talent and developing advanced hardware.

Advanced Hardware Development

The newly revealed next-gen MTIA chip represents a leap forward in Meta's hardware efforts to support its AI models. Moving from a 7nm to a 5nm process, the chip features a larger design, more processing cores, increased power consumption, doubled internal memory, and a higher clock speed compared to its predecessor.

Enhanced Performance and Impact

According to Meta, the next-gen MTIA is already operational in 16 data center regions, offering up to three times the overall performance of the previous version. While specific details about the performance improvement are sparse, Meta attributes the enhanced capabilities to the results from testing four key models on both the MTIA v1 and its successor.

In other news…

🤖 The Georgia Institute of Technology unveiled its new AI Makerspace, a supercomputer hub aimed exclusively at student education in artificial intelligence, developed in partnership with Nvidia and powered by its AI Enterprise software.

💪 Engineers are turning to nature for inspiration and materials in the development of soft robotics, incorporating flexible and compliant components that mimic animal biology.

☢️ A push for next-generation nuclear power was on the discussion table during a state visit on Wednesday, April 10, between the United States and Japan. Hosting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden underscored the shared values of democracy, freedom, and dignity, highlighting the reinforced commitment to the Indo-Pacific region amidst challenges posed by China's resurgence.

🚀 The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is set to initiate the deployment of its future network of intelligence satellites with the launch of the first operational group, labeled NROL-146, in early May.

DEALS & FUNDING

Collaborative Robotics Inc., a burgeoning player in the robotics sector, announced a substantial $100 million in Series B funding today, led by General Catalyst with contributions from both new and existing investors. This latest financial injection comes on the heels of a $30 million Series A round nine months prior, elevating the company's total funding to over $140 million in under two years.

Innovative Robotics Development

Under Brad Porter’s leadership, Collaborative Robotics is pioneering the development of next-generation cobots designed to operate in close proximity to human workers, primarily to automate repetitive tasks in warehouse environments.

Secrecy and Strategy

Despite the significant funding and the hype surrounding its technology, Collaborative Robotics has remained tight-lipped about the specifics of its cobot capabilities, choosing not to release any visual representations of its products so far.

In other news…

🧲 Onum, a big data observability startup, has announced a $28 million Series A funding round to fuel its growth ambitions. Led by Dawn Capital, a leading European business-to-business software investor, with contributions from Kibo Ventures and Insight Partners, this funding milestone arrives less than a year after Onum's 2023 debut.

🔐 PVML Ltd., an Israeli AI startup, has raised $8 million in seed funding to advance its platform that securely processes sensitive data using Differential Privacy. This method, which adds controlled statistical noise to data, allows for real-time insights without privacy risks, a solution supported by NFX, FJ Labs, and Gefen Capital.

💥 The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $138 million support package for the HAWK missile system in Ukraine, as announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Tuesday.