28 Jun 10. Dutch submarine to help NATO combat piracy off Somali coast. On the Alliance’s request, the Netherlands has agreed to deploy a submarine as part of multinational efforts to combat piracy off the east coast of Africa, from the Gulf of Aden – one of the busiest global shipping routes – to the Indian Ocean. The submarine will be used to monitor communication between pirate vessels and their warlords on shore, helping to curtail the hijacking of commercial ships for ransoms worth millions in US dollars. This will be the first submarine to contribute to NATO’s anti-piracy mission “Operation Ocean Shield” off the horn of Africa. As one of four Walrus-class submarines belonging to the Royal Netherlands Navy, it is one of the most modern non-nuclear submarines. Built with stealth technologies, it is very difficult to detect – even by other submarines – and can remain submerged for long periods. The submarine will be deployed from the end of September to the end of November 2010. NATO recently extended Operation Ocean Shield for a further three years. Its current mandate will end in December 2012.

07 Jul 10. The government is launching a program nicknamed “Perfect
Citizen” to detect cyber assaults on private U.S. companies and government agencies running critical infrastructure such as the electricity grid and nuclear power plants, the Wall Street Journal said in its online edition, citing people familiar with the program. The surveillance by the National Security Agency would rely on sensors deployed in computer networks for critical infrastructure that would be triggered by unusual activity suggesting an impending cyber attack, the sources said. Defense contractor Raytheon Co recently won a classified contract for the initial phase of the surveillance effort valued at up to $100m, a person familiar with the project told the Journal. (Source: Reuters)