Iran is Leading Foreign Threat to U.S. Power Grid

May 18, 2012

Cyber threats against the United States from many nations are growing, but Iran may be emerging as the nation most likely to engage in cyber warfare against critical U.S. infrastructure systems, including the U.S. power grid. Iran’s cyber warfare capabilities lag behind those of China and Russia, but one expert says, “what it lacks in capability, it makes up for in intent.” Iran also reportedly is heavily investing in a “cyber army.”

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Iran is Leading Foreign Threat to U.S. Power Grid

Photo of power lines in Springerville, Arizona. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Australia: Defense Cuts Will Hurt Long-Term Security

May 18, 2012

Australia announced earlier this month that it will cut defense spending by 10 percent, a move that won’t hurt any current operations, but will likely, in the long term, weaken Australia’s security and threaten its military alliance with the United States. That alliance is in danger of becoming strained if Australia cannot meet its obligations as a partner of the United States.

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Can the NATO Alliance Survive Europe’s Debt Crisis?

May 17, 2012

Next week’s NATO summit in Chicago will focus on the alliance’s most pressing issues: ending the war in Afghanistan and maintaining NATO’s defense capabilities in an era of shrinking budgets. But it’s unlikely that a major decision will be reached on either issue.

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Wurmser: Religious Struggle Could Rip Apart Iranian Regime

May 17, 2012

In a new LIGNET interview, senior analyst David Wurmser says the drubbing that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies took in the May 4 parliamentary election from allies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reflected irreconcilable religious differences. These differences, he says, pose a threat to the mullahs' rule and could ultimately "rip apart the regime."

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Peru: Leftist Rebels Re-emerge as a Significant Threat

May 17, 2012

Despite significant military and public relations success in its fight against the Sendero Luminoso (SL) rebels, the SL still has the ability to undermine Peru’s government. The resurrected group is much smaller than it was in the 80s and 90s, but is surprisingly resilient and impervious to government eradication efforts. Although the SL lacks the strength to overthrow the government, it is still able to launch operations and hurt the administration of President Ollanta Humala.

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North Korean GPS Attack Shows New Offensive Capability

May 16, 2012

Two weeks ago, South Korean officials reported that Global Positioning Systems on commercial aircraft had experienced significant technical difficulties that they suspected were caused by an electronic attack by North Korea using GPS jammers. If North Korea is in fact responsible, it suggests that North Korea under new leader Kim Jong-Un may be as belligerent as it was under his father and that its electronic warfare capabilities have grown.

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Egypt: Presidential Win by Moderate Won’t Slow Islamists

May 16, 2012

A win in the upcoming Egyptian presidential election by former Mubarak foreign minister Amr Moussa would be a stunning result that would likely anger radical Islamists. But Moussa, known for his pragmatism, would probably work closely with Islamists who dominate the parliament to implement an agenda dictated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

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