Estonian Combat Robots in Ukraine Enhanced with Starlink Connectivity

 

Estonian-made THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in Ukraine are now equipped with Starlink satellite connectivity, allowing for remote operation from thousands of kilometers away. This development was announced by Milrem Robotics, the manufacturer of these vehicles, which is based in Estonia and owned by a United Arab Emirates company.

A specially equipped THeMIS vehicle will be showcased at the upcoming Eurosatory 2024 trade show, according to the company’s statement. The THeMIS variant designed for cargo transportation will utilize Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. To date, Milrem has supplied more than a dozen THeMIS vehicles to Ukrainian forces.

For the integration of this new feature, Milrem collaborated with Dutch data link firm AEC Skyline. The company emphasized that with satellite connectivity, the THeMIS robotic vehicle can efficiently transmit data, receive commands, and relay critical information in real-time, regardless of its battlefield location.

Starlink's ground terminals, essential for using the satellite system, were first shipped to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion in February 2022. By June 2023, there were tens of thousands of these terminals in Ukraine, including 500 provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Starlink satellites operate in low-Earth orbit, less than 600 kilometers (370 miles) above Earth, which enhances the performance of the system.

Recently, Russian Telegram channels posted images purportedly showing a damaged, captured THeMIS combat robot. Milrem declined to comment on the images but acknowledged awareness of the situation.

Ukraine Gets Green Light to Use F-16s for Strikes on Russian Territory

 Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced that Ukraine is authorized to use Danish-supplied F-16 fighter jets to strike military targets within Russian territory, provided these actions comply with the rules of war. Speaking on May 30 in Brussels, Rasmussen stressed that as long as the strikes focus on military installations, they remain within international law.

In July 2023, Denmark and the Netherlands formed a "fighter coalition" to support Ukraine, pledging to supply F-16s and offer essential training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians. This decision is part of a broader Western debate about removing restrictions on the use of Western weapons on Russian soil. Despite concerns from Washington and Berlin, Rasmussen emphasized that this initiative is not a "blank check" for indiscriminate attacks but aims to reduce Russia's offensive capabilities.

Russian Ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, warned that using Danish weapons on Russian territory could escalate the conflict uncontrollably. Nonetheless, Denmark and several other nations advocate for lifting these restrictions, asserting that Ukraine must defend itself against assaults.

Currently, eleven Western countries, including France, the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada, have agreed to permit Ukraine to target military installations within Russian territory using their arms. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also endorsed this approach after discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons "within international law" against Russian military bases.

The Danish F-16s, acquired in the 1980s, are advanced multirole fighter jets known for their versatility and sophisticated avionics. They can carry various weapons, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. The F-16s, powered by either Pratt & Whitney F100 or General Electric F110 turbofan engines, achieve speeds over Mach 2 and have a combat radius of about 340 miles with internal fuel, extendable with external tanks and aerial refueling.

Earlier this week, Belgium announced it would supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets, with the first deliveries expected this year. This brings the total number of F-16s committed to Ukraine to 85, including contributions from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. Ukrainian pilots are currently training in the USA, Denmark, and Romania to operate these jets.

NATO warns Russia on Military build up

VILNIUS — NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia on Jan. 19 to refrain from building up its military near the alliance’s borders, saying it was a concern.

Rasmussen questioned Russian moves to bolster its forces in its Kaliningrad territory, which borders NATO members Lithuania and Poland, part of Moscow’s Cold War-era stamping ground.

“These Russian statements are, of course, a matter of concern for NATO allies,” Rasmussen said. “It is a complete waste of Russian financial resources because it is a buildup of offensive military capacities directed against an artificial enemy, an enemy that doesn’t exist.

“NATO has no intention whatsoever to attack Russia,” he added, speaking alongside Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.

Moscow has warned that it plans to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, and earlier this month, Russian media reported that an S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system would go into service there in April.

Russia repeatedly has said it will be forced to take additional measures if it fails to agree with NATO on a missile defense shield.

The U.S. insists a shield is needed against potential threats from Iran, but Russia counters that anti-missile facilities planned in Poland would undermine its own security.

Rasmussen said it was time for a reality check.

“It doesn’t make sense to build up offensive military capacities in the Kaliningrad region,” he said. “I would encourage the Russians to face a new reality. We are not enemies. We are not adversaries. We should be partners, and it would be of mutual benefit if we develop peaceful cooperation.”

Lithuania and fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia are nervous about Russian military moves. They won independence in 1991 after five decades of Soviet rule, joined NATO and the EU in 2004, and have strained relations with Moscow.

“Russian actions do not increase trust between NATO and Russia,” Grybauskaite said. “We invite Russia to be open for dialogue, to see new threats and realities, and to seek smart defense.”

With a population of 6.3 million and professional forces of 20,500, the Baltic states lack enough fighter planes to police their skies. Other NATO members therefore take turns doing so, from a base in Lithuania.

Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia want to extend the air patrol accord, which expires in 2014. Rasmussen said he was hopeful NATO’s upcoming summit in Chicago would approve a “long-term arrangement.”

Australia Ranked 1st, N. Korea Last on Nuke Safety

WASHINGTON - Australia has the tightest security controls among nations with nuclear material while North Korea poses the world's greatest risks, a new index by experts said Jan. 11.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative, in a project led by former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and the Economist Intelligence Unit, aims to draw attention to steps that nations can take to ensure the safety of the world's most destructive weapons.

Among 32 nations that possess at least one kilogram of weapons-usable nuclear materials, Australia was ranked as the most secure. It was followed by European nations led by Hungary, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

On the bottom of the list, North Korea was ranked as the least secure of its nuclear material, edging out Pakistan.

The index, which gave rankings on a scale of 100, also listed Iran, Vietnam and India below the 50-point threshold.

"This is not about congratulating some countries and chastising others. We are highlighting the universal responsibility of states to secure the world's most dangerous materials," said Nunn, who has long been active on nuclear safety.

Nunn, a Democrat who represented Georgia in the Senate from 1972 until early 1997, voiced concern that the world had a "perfect storm" - an ample supply of weapons-usable nuclear materials and terrorists who want them.

"We know that to get the materials they need, terrorists will go where the material is most vulnerable. Global nuclear security is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain," he said.

The index, timed ahead of the March summit on nuclear security in South Korea, called for the world to set benchmarks and to hold nations accountable for nuclear safety. It also urged nations to stop increasing stocks of weapons-usable material and to make public their security regulations.

North Korea has tested two nuclear bombs and in 2009 renounced a U.S.-backed agreement on denuclearization. The world has watched warily since last month as young Kim Jong-Un takes over as leader from his late father Kim Jong-Il.

Pakistan has vigorously defended its right to nuclear weapons. The father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, admitted in 2004 that he ran a nuclear black market selling secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea but later retracted his remarks.

Australia does not have nuclear weapons and supports their abolition. But it has a security alliance with the United States and holds the world's largest reserves of uranium.

Of acknowledged nuclear weapons states, Britain scored best at 10th among the 32 countries. The United States ranked 13th.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative also released a separate index of security conditions in countries without significant nuclear materials, saying they could be used as safe havens or transit points. Somalia, which is partially under the control of the al-Qaida-linked Shebab movement and has effectively lacked a central government for two decades, was ranked last among the 144 countries surveyed.

Other countries that ranked near the bottom included Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Eritrea and Chad.

On the top of the list, Finland was ranked as the most secure nation among those without nuclear material. It was followed by Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Slovenia and Romania.

Coordinated Approach to Cyber Defense Urged

BRUSSELS - Countries need to have a good understanding of the cyber capabilities being developed by opponents, said a leading Israeli government official, because "you can't block an attack by waiting for the attack to come, including in cyber defense."
Isaac Ben-Israel, a senior cybersecurity adviser to the Israeli prime minister, was speaking at a Security and Defence Agenda event on cybersecurity.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Fermier, director of NATO C3 Staff, dodged a question about whether there was a need to improve cyber offensive capacity to improve cyber defense.
"NATO is trying to develop the protection of its infrastructure network," Fermier said. This is the first step, he added, after which "we'll see, at 28, what steps to take in the future. Protecting information and information sharing is a key parameter of success in any military operation."
Robert Bell, senior civilian representative of the secretary of defense in Europe and defense adviser to the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said that NATO needs to get all its agencies and commands under a single cyber defense roof by the end of 2012 and was on track to do that. He also said NATO needs to identify standards.
"We have no alternative except to work in close partnership with industry, which has much to teach us about the use of open standards to get us to the point where we need to be," he said.
Ben-Israel said Israel had realized in 2002 that the most vulnerable points are power production, water distribution, food supply etc. The country then set down a list of 19 key areas but faced a legal problem because most are owned or operated by the private sector. As a result, Israel had to change its laws and define how much government "intrusion" into the private sector was allowed in order to guarantee security.
The EU is faced with a similar issue in that a lot of its critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector. On this point, the German Ministry of the Interior has taken a stance in its national cybersecurity strategy, unveiled earlier this year.
"We are in favor of the alliance's commitment to establishing uniform security standards, which member states may also use for civilian critical infrastructures on a voluntary basis, as foreseen in NATO's new Strategic Concept," says the document.
Ben-Israel also said "there was a real threat from states and major criminal organizations." In that context, a report released Nov. 3 by U.S. intelligence agencies said, "the governments of China and Russia will remain aggressive and capable collectors of sensitive U.S. economic information and technologies, particularly in cyberspace."
Cecilia Malmström, the EU's commissioner for Home Affairs, pointed out that the EU has developed relations with NATO in this area and has a formal relationship with the U.S. But asked if there was an EU-NATO plan to respond to an Estonia-type cyber attack by another state or terrorist organization, she said that "there was no strategy."

Russian Planes Spark NATO Scramble in Baltics

VILNIUS - NATO jets were scrambled Nov. 7 as four Russian air force planes flew near the territory of the Baltic states, Lithuania's defense ministry said, adding that the unusual number was a cause for concern.
Defense ministry spokeswoman Ugne Naujokaityte said that four Danish F-16fighters, which currently police the skies of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, took to the air twice to escort the Russian planes.

Two AN26 transport aircraft and a TU134 bomber flew in succession from Russia's Baltic territory of Kaliningrad to Russia itself, and an IL20 intelligence-gathering plane flew in the opposite direction.
While their path over neutral waters did not ultimately encroach on the Baltic states' airspace, the flurry of flights was unusual in an area that normally sees only a few Russian aircraft transit every few weeks.
"The intensity of these Russian planes' flights raises concern. It proves once again the importance and necessity of the NATO air police mission in Baltic states," Naujokaityte said.
The Baltic states broke away from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991 after five decades of communist rule and joined NATO in 2004. They have had rocky ties with Moscow since independence and are jittery about Russian military moves in the region.
With a total population of 6.5 million and a professional military of 20,500, they lack sufficient aircraft to police their own skies.
As a result, other members of 28-nation NATO take turns patrolling the trio's airspace on rotations lasting several months, out of a base in Lithuania. Denmark took over from France in September. Russian aircraft bound for Kaliningrad - sandwiched between the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and fellow ex-communist NATO member Poland - have at times strayed into the Baltic states' skies without permission.
The line between navigational error and Russian "buzzing" of the Baltics can be hazy, experts say. While the planes involved in Monday's incident did not actually cross into the Baltic states' airspace, it comes amid growing disquiet about a Russian build-up in the region.
The Baltic states have stressed repeatedly that improving ties with their resurgent former master is by far their preferred option. But their concerns increased after Russia's 2008 war with ex-Soviet Georgia, as well as Moscow's affirmation in its military doctrine that NATO's expansion is a threat, and by military exercises with scenarios including cutting off the Baltic states from the rest of NATO.
Worries have been stoked by the bolstering of a brigade of marines in Kaliningrad, and reported Russian deployment there of a new anti-aircraft missile system sweeping the Baltic states and Poland.

NATO Addresses Cyber Security at Tallinn Meeting

TALLINN, Estonia - Three hundred global cyber experts gathered in Tallinn on June 7 for a NATO Cyber Conflict conference focused on the legal and political aspects of national and global Internet security amid a rise in attacks.
"The special focus at the conference this year is on generating cyber forces (...) the technologies, people and organizations that nations require to mitigate cyber threats that have been increasing with rapid speed," Col. Ilmar Tamm, head of NATO's Tallinn-based Cyber Defence Centre told AFP as the forum got underway .

According to Tamm, the Symantec cyber security firm recently reported that "web-based attacks in 2010 were up 93 percent from 2009."
"This calls for frameworks in both legal and strategic aspects which would guide the decision makers on how to act on these cases," Tamm said.
The Tallinn conference will coincide with a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels where a new cyber defense policy for NATO will be adopted.
Meanwhile, at the third annual Tallinn meeting, experts from 37 countries are to share cutting-edge cyber security research, Tamm explained.
Among others, Ralph Langner, the German computer scientist who conducted much of the ground-breaking research on the Stuxnet worm, will present an analysis of what has been called the world's first cyber weapon.
Keir Giles from the U.K. Conflict Studies Research Centre is to analyze global cyber attacks from Russia and whether they can be seen as acting under a so-called Russian Cyber Command.
Talks will also focus on the recent U.S. government decision to treat cyber attacks as military attacks and make relevant legislative changes.
"The support the U.S. initiative has got in many other states, including Estonia and the U.K., indicates nations' increasing willingness to discuss military responses to cyber attacks," Tamm told AFP.
"With cyber incidents becoming more and more intrusive, it is a logical step for militaries to develop capabilities to counter cyber attacks and be prepared to engage in proportional response to cyber attacks," he added.
Though in practice, "it will be challenging to tailor a cyber response that would respect the rules of combat related to civilian objects and collateral damage," he added.

Estonian MoD Proposes Cyber Defense Unit

HELSINKI - Estonia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has proposed presented a new proposal to establishing a national cyber defense unit (NCDU) of computer experts drawn mostly from the ranks of the Baltic country's electronics and computer communities.
The NCDU will operate as part of the Total Defense League, the all-volunteer paramilitary force that operates as part of Estonia's national defense infrastructure and which is partly financed by the MoD.

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"The Total Defense League is tasked with bringing together specialists in cyber defense who work in the private sector, as well as in different government agencies. The new unit will conduct regular exercises and engage in activities and projects to better prepare this country for possible cyber contingencies," said Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo.
The initiative is one of a number of improvements to the government's national cyber defense strategy, Phase 1 of which was implemented after a wave of cyber attacks - orchestrated by unknown groups in Russia - disabled key segments of the country's government administration, defense, banking and media infrastructure in 2007.
The Estonian economy, in contrast to other European Union nations, is seen as particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks because most standard services offered to the public by government agencies, banks and others are primarily accessed online.
NATO, responding to an Estonian government request for help, agreed to fund and organize the establishment of the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCD-COE), Europe's first dedicated cyber defense center. The CCD-COE opened in Tallinn in May 2008. NATO uses the center to enhance its own cyber defense capability while providing support to Estonia's cyber defense agencies and systems.
Primary funding for the CCD-COE is provided by Estonia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovakia and Italy. These countries also supply the center with most of its specialist cyber defense staff. The new NCDU initiative will see the Total Defense League form a special liaison group to correlate its activities and intelligence with the CCD-COE.