Five Eyes

• MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Mission Technologies division was awarded a three-year task order under the Analytical and Technical Services contract to provide information-sharing capabilities to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprised of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
• The objective of the Pegasus task order, administered by the Secretary of the Air Force’s Concept, Development and Management Mission Partner Capability Office, is to provide email, phone, video and chat capabilities to enable seamless collaboration between Five Eyes warfighters at both a national and international level.
• “Pegasus is an important capability that will help U.S. military forces and Five Eyes members with critical war planning and execution,” said Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies’ Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space business group.
• The work will be performed by HII, together with major subcontractor General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.
  Pegasus is a component of the overall Mission Partner Capabilities Office portfolio of capabilities that support the Mission Partner Environment, which allows the U.S. military and its mission partners to communicate, collaborate and share information securely.

• SYDNEY, Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quasar Satellite Technologies ('Quasar') today launched Quasar Sense, a world first in space domain awareness capabilities (SDA), to the American defense, intelligence, and national security sectors.
• Defense and intelligence agencies can now 'hear the whole sky' with Quasar Sense.
• To be unveiled at the SFA's Inaugural Spacepower Conference , Quasar Sense closes several intelligence gaps currently challenging American intelligence, space, and defense departments.
• Quasar Sense enables the accurate distinction of space objects in close proximity, irrespective of light quality and weather conditions.

• Any Canadian diplomats in India past Oct. 10 are expected to lose their immunity.
• The high-profile diplomatic crisis has confirmed rumours of longstanding tensions between the two countries over the issue of Sikh separatism in the Indian state of Punjab.

The facts so far

• Nijjar, a Canadian citizen wanted in India for alleged terrorist acts, was part of the Khalistan movement calling for a Sikh homeland separate from India’s Punjab state.
• The movement is controversial because of its organized violence against Indian officials and terrorism-motivated tactics.
• India and Canada have each expelled diplomats from their respective countries, and India has suspended visas for Canadians as the diplomatic crisis deepens.

Still to be revealed

• Trudeau has yet to reveal the “credible evidence” provided by Five Eyes linking India to the crime.
• The FBI has warned American-Sikh activists that their lives are in danger, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on India to co-operate with Canada and ensure “accountability” over the killing.
• But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Indian government had a hand in Nijjar’s murder.

Fraught history

• India has a painful history with separatism after it gained independence from British colonialism in 1947.
• Shortly after that, diplomatic and later militaristic crisis over Jammu and Kashmir unfolded, which culminated in two wars between India and Pakistan and several armed engagements.
• The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighbouring Nagaland is also a thorny issue for Indian authorities.

Existential crisis

• On the other hand, India’s secessionist movements represent an existential crisis threatening everything India has worked towards for the past 76 years.
• Nijjar’s murder, however, is also a matter of grave importance for Canada.
• But both Canada and India will need to calculate the risks and repercussions of such a high-profile diplomatic rift in a highly globalized world.

• It resulted in Germany’s first ever official national security strategy.
• While some countries, such as the United States and Britain, have had serious national security strategies in place for a long time, for others it takes a shock.
• The suite of documents released today – including a first ever national security strategy – provides the answer.

A new security strategy

• The national security strategy, Secure Together-Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki, along with a new defence policy and strategy statement, rounds out this revised New Zealand worldview.
• A soon-to-be-released threat assessment from the security intelligence agencies will complete the picture.
• While the new assessments and strategic statements come from different state agencies, they nonetheless speak clearly and coherently about the risks to New Zealand’s security.

1. Geopolitical uniqueness

• The first consistent theme concerns New Zealand’s uniqueness.
• It is a liberal, multicultural democracy based on a bicultural relationship and te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.

2. Times are changing

• While no one challenge is expressly prioritised, there is a clear emphasis on geostrategic competition and the threats to a rules-based international system.
• There are also unpredictable but significant risks – especially economic ones – from those tensions, even without a descent into military conflict.
• Read more:
  The most significant defence review in 40 years positions Australia for complex threats in a changing region

3. Partnerships matter

• The most important relationship is with Australia, which is also rapidly upgrading its defence capabilities.
• The newer multinational security partnerships – namely AUKUS and the “Quad” (US, India, Japan and Australia) – are mentioned.
• Read more:
  ANZUS at 70: Together for decades, US, Australia, New Zealand now face different challenges from China

4. Realism over China

• But the new strategies and assessments repeatedly highlight the challenge of China.
• While peaceful cooperation in areas of shared interest is deemed desirable, China is also recognised as being major driver of geopolitical change, especially in its willingness to be more assertive and willing to challenge existing international rules and norms.