Sponsored by Bertin Exensor
www.exensor.com
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
15 Aug 24. Germany: Temporary closure of military barracks underlines heightened risk of sabotage. On 14 August, the Bundeswehr (German military) barracks in Cologne-Wahn next to Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) in North Rhine-Westphalia state was temporarily closed due to suspected sabotage. The closure was due to ‘abnormal values’ in the site’s drinking water during testing overnight on 13-14 August and the discovery of a hole in a fence at the site, pointing to a possible break-in. Der Speigel reported that the authorities prohibited personnel at the site from drinking the water. On 13 August, an individual was prevented from illegally entering the grounds of a NATO airfield in Geilenkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia state), though there is no clear connection to the Köln-Wahn incident. The authorities have not yet confirmed if this was an act of sabotage. However, investigators will consider Russian-backed sabotage as a working hypothesis for their enquiries. Two Russian-German nationals (‘Russlanddeutschen’) were arrested in April on suspicion of planning attacks on military bases in Germany. We assess that Germany is a high-priority target for sabotage directed by Russia’s intelligence agencies. (Source: Sibylline)
13 Aug 24. New UK Integrated Procurement Model nears completion. The Gateway, Corporate and Core Delivery areas are all now stood up, with System Integration due to reach that target in October 2024.
Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the UK’s defence procurement arm, is closer to implementing the full force of its new ‘Integrated Procurement Model’ (IPM).
The agency revealed that most of its processes are now up and running in a statement made on 12 August 2024. This includes the Gateway, Corporate and Core Delivery.
Meanwhile, the System Integration area is anticipated to reach operational capability by October this year, bringing the IPM over the line to minimum viable product.
This meets the timeline laid out by DE&S CEO, Andy Start, to bring the IPM to full operating capability by 2025.
What is the IPM?
The new IPM model was unveiled by the former Defence Procurement Minister, James Cartlidge, in February 2024, when he laid out plans to overhaul the government’s existing acquisition methods, which have been denounced for enduring delays and cost overuns.
Notoriously, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have grappled with unforeseen and enduring technical problems with the Ajax armoured vehicle programme – a platform originally due to enter service in 2017, but is now scheduled to reach initial operating capability in 2025.
Now, DE&S claim that the new procedures will wrestle with critical questions from the very start of new programmes while including views from across the UK Defence establishment – the armed forces, the science-focused agency Dstl, among others.
The processes so far
While the Gateway provides a single entry-point into DE&S for all new capability needs, Corporate provides guidance and support across every part of the organisation, from communications to infrastructure and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement.
Meanwhile, Core Delivery and System Integration areas focus on delivering the MoD Equipment Plan, which currently has a £17.5bn shortfall according to a National Audit Office outlook from November 2023.
Newly implemented, Core Delivery will serve as a new engine for UK defence procurement. The segment will be led by Dr Simon Dakin, previously the director of the DE&S Integrated Battlespace Operating Centre.
The move has seen people from the ships domain become the first Core Delivery group. With this, 100 of around 700 total order book items held in DE&S now sit in Core Delivery, and that number will grow in the weeks and months to come. This includes the in-service maintenance of the UK’s flagship aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. (Source: army-technology.com)
13 Aug 24. ELBIT: Counterterrorism police have charged seven people over a burglary at a building belonging to the Israeli defence firm Elbit in South Gloucestershire. The Crown Prosecution Service said seven people, aged between 20 and 51, had been charged with criminal damage, violent disorder and aggravated burglary over an incident at the Elbit premises on August 6. “On the facts of this case, the CPS will be submitting to the court that these offences have a terrorist connection,” the CPS said in a statement. (Source: The Times)
09 Aug 24. Kosovo: Proposed opening of bridge will possibly trigger domestic unrest in North Kosovo. On 9 August, media outlets reported that the Kosovar authorities announced plans to open the bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica (Mitrovica district). The bridge connects the Serb-dominated north of the city to the Kosovar-dominated south. The Ibar River creates a sense of safety for the Serb population of Mitrovica amid heightened ethno-religious tensions in the city. The decision to open the bridge follows Kosovo’s move on 5 August to close nine Post of Serbia (Pošta Srbije) facilities in North Kosovo. These facilities help Serbs in Kosovo to receive payments from the Serbian government. The EU, NATO and US have called Kosovo’s steps provocative, and the EU has threatened sanctions. Domestic unrest in North Kosovo is a realistic possibility, especially in light of elevated ethnic tensions in the region over the past year. However, we assess that the presence of NATO and EU peacekeeping forces will likely moderately mitigate this risk. (Source: Sibylline)
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need.
A CNIM Group Company
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————