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08 Jan 25. White House Introduces New Guidance for Missile Technology Exports to Advance Nonproliferation Goals and Bolster Allied Defense Capabilities. On January 3, President Biden issued a National Security Memorandum to update policy guidance for the U.S. Government’s implementation of the Missile Technology Control Regime, or “MTCR.” The NSM directs the interagency to provide increased flexibility for case-by-case review and facilitate support for certain MTCR Category I military missiles, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and Space Launch Vehicle (SLV) systems to certain partners with strong export control systems. Although this support will encompass a wide range of activity, consistent with MTCR Guidelines, it will explicitly exclude transfers of complete production facilities that encompass all capabilities necessary to produce a Category I system independently. The NSM establishes that the MTCR is not designed to impede national space programs or international cooperation in such programs as long as such programs cannot contribute to delivery systems for WMD. In support of the U.S. Space Priorities Framework (USSPF) and the promotion of international cooperation in space, and in accordance with the MTCR Guidelines, transfers of MTCR Category I SLV-related commodities, software, and technology will be considered on a case-by-case basis for select and vetted partner space programs and participation in international space programs, whether such programs are governmental or commercial in nature. The NSM reaffirms the MTCR as an important mechanism, and the United States will continue to oppose missile programs of concern and will maintain a general policy of not supporting the development or acquisition of MTCR Category I military missile systems (i.e., not SLVs by non-MTCR partners consistent with U.S. commitments under the MTCR Guidelines. The United States will also work to stem the flow of advanced dual-use technology or expertise to unauthorized parties, i.e., end-users and end-uses that pose an unacceptable risk of diversion to programs and activities of concern. (Source: glstrade.com)
07 Jan 25. DOD Releases List of Chinese Military Companies in Accordance with Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Today, the Department of Defense released an update to the names of “Chinese military companies” operating directly or indirectly in the United States in accordance with the statutory requirement of Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Updating the Section 1260H list of “Chinese military companies” is an important continuing effort in highlighting and countering the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Military-Civil Fusion strategy. The PRC’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy supports the modernization goals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by ensuring it can acquire advanced technologies and expertise developed by PRC companies, universities, and research programs that appear to be civilian entities. Section 1260H directs the Department to begin identifying, among other things, Military-Civil Fusion contributors operating directly or indirectly in the United States. The Department will update the list with additional entities as appropriate. The United States Government reserves the right to take additional actions on these entities under authorities other than Section 1260H. The list is available here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://media.defense.gov/2025/Jan/07/2003625471/-1/-1/1/ENTITIES-IDENTIFIED-AS-CHINESE-MILITARY-COMPANIES-OPERATING-IN-THE-UNITED-STATES.PDF (Source: U.S. DoD)
03 Jan 25. Pentagon’s 2025 industry investments target space, biochem and more. The Pentagon’s strategic capital office will focus its 2025 investments on 15 industry segments it thinks could most support U.S. national security needs, including spacecraft, microelectronics materials and manufacturing and biochemicals. The office released its fiscal 2025 investment strategy Thursday, offering a snapshot of its priorities for the coming year.
“Investments will be prioritized based on their national security impacts, defined as those that provide the United States and/or its allies and partners with robust competitive advantage relative to strategic competitors,” the document states.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established the Office of Strategic Capital in 2022 to help direct private sector capital to defense technologies. The following year, Congress gave the organization authority to offer loans and loan guarantees to companies.
OSC has since been busy making use of those authorities. It announced last October it would provide $1bn in direct loans to firms that make in-demand defense component technologies. The goal is to help companies that fund the construction of equipment needed to scale production across 31 critical defense technologies.
In late October, the office announced it approved 13 private funds to participate in the first round of its Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative, or SBICCT. The effort aims to draw private capital to companies working in those same defense-relevant technology areas, according to OSC Director Jason Rathje.
“The ‘so-what’ of this program is it allows us to incentivize the capital markets to start investing more into our critical technology areas because it changes the return profile,” he told reporters in October.
In fiscal 2025, OSC will focus its work on those new financial products with an emphasis on more than a dozen industry segments that are of particular interest to DOD. These include areas like biomanufacturing, hydrogen generation and storage, autonomous vehicles and robots and sensor hardware.
Its strategy also lays out a framework for prioritizing near-, mid- and long-term investment.
Over the next three years, the office sees its financial products helping to minimize dependencies and “chokepoints” by investing in diverse technology, supply sources and capital.
Further out, in the two- to seven-year timeframe, OSC envisions playing a role in helping scale U.S. and allied production through targeted investments. Five to 15 years out, it sees its services helping to not only develop technologies but also commercialize them into “sustainable enterprises,” according to the strategy.
“Here, the potential impact of OSC’s financial products includes the acceleration of growth of nascent industries through fund-focused investment programs, such as the SBICCT Initiative, which lower the cost of capital to invest in technology areas that require patient capital,” the document states. (Source: Defense News)
03 Jan 25. Heightened threat environment, high polarisation underscore elevated risk of attacks. On 2 January, law enforcement officials identified the individual responsible for the 1 January attack outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas (Nevada) as an active-duty soldier of the US Army. Officials also stated that the individual died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, the motive remains under investigation. Also on 2 January, the FBI stated that the individual responsible for the 1 January attack in New Orleans (Louisiana) was a sole perpetrator and did not gain material support from any individuals affiliated with the Islamic State (IS). These attacks underscore a heightened threat environment that will almost certainly sustain increased public security measures in the short-to-medium term. Nonetheless, the National Terrorism Advisory System level has not been raised since the incidents. High levels of social and political polarisation will likely sustain violent rhetoric and possibly increase the likelihood of mobilisations by individuals sympathetic to extremist ideology. We assess that the risk of further sole-perpetrator attacks will likely remain elevated in the medium term, particularly as copycat attacks remain a realistic possibility. (Source: Sibylline)
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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
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