DRONESInternational Approval Shapes Public Perceptions of Drone Warfare By Jim Hanchett Published 19 April 2022 Drones that carry weapons are increasingly employed as counterterrorism tools, but nations use and constrain strikes differently. France, for example, submits its strikes to the U.N. for approval; the U.S. typically does not. This difference matters when it comes to

WAR IN UKRAINEMore and More Russian Soldiers Reportedly Refusing to Fight in Ukraine By Robert Coalson Published 19 April 2022 A growing number of Russian soldiers are refusing to fight in Ukraine. “The phenomenon of refusal is becoming systemic,” says one expert. “Such soldiers are found in practically every unit that has returned from Ukraine.

DRONESDHS S&T Awards $259M to Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Threats Published 19 April 2022 Germantown, Maryland-based Amentum has been awarded a five-year contract with a maximum value of $260 million by DHS S&T to develop and deploy emerging capabilities and prototypes for countering unmanned systems threats (C-UST). Germantown, Maryland-based Amentum has been awarded a five-year contract with

EPIDEMICSMachine-Learning Techniques for Predicting the Evolution of Epidemics Published 19 April 2022 Machine learning techniques can provide an assumption-free analysis of epidemic case data with surprisingly good prediction accuracy and the ability to dynamically incorporate the latest data. The techniques used to analyze case data show promise for predicting the evolution of an epidemic. Machine learning

FOOD SECURITYThe Information Age Is Starting to Transform Fishing Worldwide By Nicholas P. Sullivan Published 19 April 2022 The post-industrial area – with its robots, sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning — has transformed manufacturing and farming. Commercial fishing, one of the oldest industries in the world, is a stark exception, with industrial fishing, factory

WATER SECURITYWith Dwindling Water Supplies, the Timing of Rainfall Matters Published 19 April 2022 A new study shows it’s not how much extra water you give your plants, but when you give it that counts. This is especially true near Palm Springs, where the research team created artificial rainfall to examine the effects on plants

CHINA WATCHRussia’s War in Ukraine: China’s Lessons By Ralph Jennings Published 15 April 2022 China is learning from Russia’s troubled war in Ukraine to improve its battle strategies and prepare for economic sanctions if Beijing ever attacks self-ruled Taiwan. Experts say that China may also be looking harder at peaceful solutions for Taiwan, they say. China

FLOODSU.S. Flood Damage Risk Is Underestimated Published 19 April 2022 Researchers used artificial intelligence to predict where flood damage is likely to happen in the continental United States, suggesting that recent flood maps from FEMA do not capture the full extent of flood risk. In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers used artificial intelligence to

ENERGY SECURITYGlobal Natural Gas Demand Set to Decline in 2022 as Russia’s War Disrupts Markets, Economies Published 15 April 2022 The world’s demand for natural gas is set to decline slightly in 2022 as a result of higher prices and market disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The downward revision to the IEA’s earlier

ENERGY SECURITYGermany: €3 Billion for Floating LNG Terminals By Jon Shelton Published 15 April 2022 Berlin plans to lease four liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to wean itself off Russian gas. The decision comes as the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline now sits unused at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The German government plans to