Global Risks & Future Threats

In the last 30 years, the internet has become the main interface for publishing, accessing, and sharing information.  Access to the internet can provide an instant connection between any two conscious human minds almost anywhere on the planet. Smartphones and social media are enhancing and accelerating the internet’s ability to …

U.S. Congress has directed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (“DARPA”), the research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, to secure its funded research from undue influence through the establishment of an initiative and relevant policies.   According to Research and Development National Security Policy, “Unfortunately, some foreign governments, …

Pakistan has managed to avoid being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist for now following support from all-weather ally China, traditional ally Turkey and Malaysia. The FATF charter mandates support of at least three member states to avoid the blacklisting. The development has come as a relief …

The threats of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) hazards continue to advance. CBRN weapons are some of the most indiscriminate and deadly weapons in existence today, with capability to affect large population in wide geographical area and in short time. The release of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear …

Cities have become the new battleground and Hybrid or Urban Warfare the greatest threat being waged by ISIS to Boko Haram to Hamas to Ukraine rebels.  Boko Haram is carrying out its urban terror campaign against the Nigerian Army and its allies. In the Paris attacks, two teams of lightly armed …

A robot, is any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner. A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be …

Throughout 2017, North Korea tested several missiles demonstrating the rapid advances in its military technology. The Hwasong-12 was thought to be able to reach as far as 4,500km (2,800 miles), putting US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam well within striking distance.   Later, the Hwasong-14 demonstrated even …

Naturally occurring threats such as influenza, Ebola, and Chikungunya are bypassing borders to emerge in nations oceans away, and exact a continued toll. The Pandemic and highly pathogenic influenzas challenge the globe every year and result in the loss of thousands of human and frequently millions of animal lives, respectively. …

Pandemics  may threaten both internal and external national security – the physical threat to U.S. citizens in terms of morbidity and mortality, and the decreased effectiveness of U.S. armed forces in protecting those citizens from external threats.  The economic, political or social turmoil in adversary country is also potential threat. …

The electromagnetic pulse commonly abbreviated as EMP, is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles, can be produced by intense solar storms or by a nuclear weapon detonated high in the atmosphere. For example, solar geomagnetic storms (geomagnetic disturbances or GMD) create immediate …