//The Wire//2300Z January 2, 2025//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: QUESTIONABLE DETAILS REMAIN FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S TERROR ATTACKS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-                                                       

Europe: Russia’s GAZPROM has halted the flow of natural gas to Europe following the cessation of the long-standing trade deal involving the transportation of LNG through Ukraine to European customers. This development has been expected since at least 2014, when Europe was extremely reliant on Russian gas, yet in the predicament of the war developing in Crimea at the time. Since that time, most European customers of Russian LNG have either attempted to reduce or shift their demand for natural gas, or have shifted to other providers. AC: At the moment, this development doesn’t appear to really change much with regards to Europe’s energy crisis; this is more of the end of an era that has been a long time coming.

-HomeFront-

Louisiana: Many details abound surrounding the New Year’s attack on Bourbon Street. Most pressingly, the FBI has taken the position that the attacker, Shamsud-din Jabbar, acted alone. Despite initial reports suggesting three men and one woman were observed planting explosives throughout the area, the FBI has corrected these reports and suggested that the persons observed were not involved with the placement of IEDs. AC: The knee-jerk reaction by the FBI to lie has reduced the trust and confidence the average citizen has in this assessment. For instance, during the FBI’s press conference yesterday (in which a spokesperson stated that the event wasn’t terrorism), the FBI had already recovered an ISIS flag at the scene. At the time of the press conference, the FBI knew this detail, confirming that the details conveyed to the American people at that moment were a lie. Trust is a concept that is easily lost, and very hard to regain. As such, if additional threats emerge following the now multiple terror attacks that have already occurred around the nation, it’s unlikely that anyone will trust what the FBI has to say for some time.

Nevada: Overnight, investigators have stated that the incident at Trump Tower in Las Vegas was a deliberate act of terrorism. The suspect, who authorities claim has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, allegedly constructed a Vehicle-Borne IED, detonating the device at the hotel for (as of now) unknown reasons.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: The details that have come to light regarding the Vegas bomber have largely been host to much suspicion. Allegedly, Livelsberger was killed in the attack. However, considering that Livelsberger was a Special Forces soldier, and an expert in sUAS systems and remotely-operated electronics, skepticism abounds as to whether or not the body recovered from the vehicle was actually him. DNA testing will be required to fully verify the driver’s remains. Initially, authorities appear to have relied on tattoos and documents found in the vehicle to identify the driver of the Cybertruck. However, it’s not clear as to how the driver’s remains can be burned beyond recognition, yet his identity documents (to include his passport) survived the fire. It’s also not clear as to why the driver would have sustained a gunshot wound to the head (as was stated by the Las Vegas Sheriff this afternoon), if the intent was for him to detonate a VBIED. This latter detail is completely at odds with the characteristics of most terror attacks; it is virtually unheard of for an attacker to take his own life before ensuring that their explosives are functional and/or the attack is complete. An attacker choosing to take their own life rather than carry out the attack is somewhat common, however the details of this case cause much doubt as to wh

//The Wire//2100Z January 1, 2025//

//PRIORITY//

//BLUF: VEHICLE RAMMING ATTACK OCCURS AT BOURBON STREET CELEBRATIONS IN NEW ORLEANS, MULTIPLE IEDS FOUND. VEHICLE EXPLOSION REPORTED AT TRUMP TOWER IN LAS VEGAS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-                                                       

Global: A G4 geomagnetic storm is currently underway following two Earth-facing Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) observed a few days ago. Aurora (Northern Lights) will be observed at more southern latitudes than normal, and various radio communications may be degraded over the next few days.

-HomeFront-

New York: Yesterday evening, another shoving attack was carried out on the New York City subway system. A man approached a subway passenger from behind, and intentionally shoved him onto the tracks mere seconds before a train arrived. Surveillance footage of the attack strongly indicates the attack was deliberately timed to coincide with the arrival of the train. The victim, who was crushed by the train, reportedly remains in critical condition. The assailant has been identified as Kamel Hawkins, an individual known to police with an extensive criminal history. AC: Initially, the attacker was only charged with 2nd degree assault for this attack. However, due to public outrage, additional charges of attempted murder have been brought, due to the horrific and deliberate nature of the attack.

Louisiana: During New Year’s celebrations last night, an assailant conducted a vehicle ramming attack on a crowd of people on Bourbon Street. After ramming his vehicle into the crowd, the assailant exited the vehicle and began the second phase of his attack, engaging two police officers with a small arms. 2x police officers were wounded in this engagement, both of which are reportedly hospitalized and in stable condition. At some point during this skirmish, the assailant was neutralized. Multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were found in the vehicle after the incident. The FBI also stated that multiple IEDs were also located emplaced throughout the French Quarter, though none of these explosive devices successfully detonated during the attack. So far, 15x fatalities have been reported due to the attack, and over 30x wounded. This morning, the attacker was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen (and Army veteran) who lived in Texas. After the attack, a residential fire was reported on Mandeville Street, in an Airbnb residence that was allegedly linked in some way to the attacker. 

AC: Also of note, it is not entirely certain that this individual acted alone; rumors have begun to mount suggesting that several other suspects are currently being investigated for their alleged involvement. As a result, it is possible that this incident has not yet reached a conclusion. After all, if a terrorist is going to take the time to plant multiple IEDs throughout an area, there could be more explosive devices that have not been discovered yet. This is most sharply demonstrated by the Governor of Louisiana declaring a state of emergency after the attack. This declaration (and the subsequent deployment of Military Police, per statements from Gov. Landry’s office) is unusual following allegedly-isolated attacks and likely would not happen if the threat of follow-on attacks wasn’t present. This afternoon, multiple media outlets claimed that local authorities have information regarding three males and one female planting the explosives around the city. Though this information remains unconfirmed at this time, citizens nationwide are strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and observant during this time of heightened risk.

Nevada: An incident was reported in the vicinity of Trump Tower in Las Vegas this morning when

//The Wire//2300Z December 31, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: TEPID RELATIONS CONTINUE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AZERBAIJAN FOLLOWING SHOOTDOWN INCIDENT.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Global: Solar weather is expected to peak overnight as a Geomagnetic storm watch remains in effect for Dec 31 into Jan 1. AC: Over the next day, GPS and radio signals may be degraded if a substantial geomagnetic storm materializes.

Russia: President Vladimir Putin allegedly expressed condolences for Russia’s involvement in the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 in a private call with Azerbaijan’s President.

-HomeFront-

USA: Facebook/META and Instagram have announced plans to introduce AI-generated “users” to their platforms, drawing the ire of the users still using these social media platforms. AC: While seemingly a minor development in the world of social media, it’s already hard enough to discern the truth on the internet, much less when the developers of platforms themselves push AI-generated content on their platforms.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: As the transcript of the phone call between Russia and Azerbaijan has not yet been released, only secondary sources of unknown veracity have commented on the contents of the call. Allegedly Putin apologized for the incident, but did not directly take responsibility for the shootdown. In any case, the leadership of both nations are treating this incident as a tragic accident for the moment, although tensions among Azeris are high following the incident. For instance, Azeri President Aliyev accused Putin of attempting to downplay the incident. Regarding the exact cause of the crisis, Russia has not directly and clearly admitted to shooting down the aircraft, however Putin has mentioned that Russian Air Defense Artillery (ADA) units were engaging Ukrainian drones at the time of the incident. This highly coincidental statement might be the best Azerbaijan can get at the moment in terms of an admission of guilt from Russia. Putin’s indirect apology is also very likely due to what are likely to be perceived as Azerbaijan’s unreasonable demands. President Aliyev has demanded three things: An apology from Russia (which they already have), An admission of guilt by Russia, and criminal trial of the Russian soldiers responsible. This latter point is absolutely not going to happen, and probably isn’t expected to either because Azerbaijan’s further demand is that of money…compensation for the accident in the form of a check made out to the Azeri government. Putin is not the man to engage in a shakedown operation with, so relations between Azerbaijan and Russia might be rather lukewarm for some time.

Analyst: S2A1

//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z December 30, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: MISHAPS CONTINUE IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION. WHITE HOUSE SENDS ANOTHER $2.5 BILLION AID PACKAGE TO UKRAINE. EGG SHORTAGES LIKELY IN SEVERAL STATES AS NEW LAWS COME INTO EFFECT.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Norway: KLM Flight 1204 from Oslo to Amsterdam suffered an undisclosed catastrophic failure during their flight, diverting to Sandfjord. Upon arrival the aircraft skidded off the runway, reportedly due to a hydraulic failure.

South Korea: Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed at Muan Airport following a bird strike that forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing. During the landing, the aircraft experienced a runway excursion, skidding off the end of the runway at high speed before colliding with a large concrete barrier housing the localizer for the airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS). It is this collision that is assessed to have resulted in only 2x survivors, with 179x fatalities reported so far from this accident.

AC: As this bird strike incident would have been completely survivable had the concrete barrier at the end of the runway not been a factor, the families of victims have expressed outrage at such poor airport design. Normally, there are no hard barriers this close to the end of airport runways for obvious reasons. Consequently, investigators will likely focus on whether or not the Runway Safety Area (RSA) was in compliance with Korean standards.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. – The White House has announced plans to send Ukraine another $2,500,000,000 in military aid.

Southeast: The region is bracing for a significant polar vortex scheduled to descend on the area over the next few days. Significantly colder than normal temperatures are expected to impact areas that normally do not experience such cold weather, resulting in locals preparing for freezing conditions before the weather arrives. AC: Anytime significant weather strikes a region that is not used to it, complications occur. Several warm-weather states that don’t prioritize de-icing efforts for roads may experience significant travel and logistical problems. Similarly, residents in locations which normally do not have to be concerned with freezing water pipes may wish to re-assess their risks to freezing temperatures as this weather system develops.

USA: Shortages of eggs have been reported at many grocery store chains as a series of new state laws come into effect in several states banning all eggs that are not cage-free from being sold. Due to the new mandate, prices of eggs have already approached $7 a dozen in many areas, and outright shortages have been reported in other areas.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: The decision to implement these new cage-free egg laws goes back several years and spans many states. As is common among state-level leadership that share the same political leanings, the Governors of several states made this a joint priority a few years ago. In short, what happens in California will spread to half-a-dozen other states in rapid succession, as has happened in this case. All of these new egg laws are modeled on California’s Proposition 12 which was passed in 2018.

In Michigan, the state where this decision is likely to affect the market the most, this law was passed in 2019, coming into effect on January 1, 2025. Utah had a similar arrangement a few years ago, with their law likewise coming into effect on January 1st. Some other states had similar timeframes, though the requirements of the laws in particular vary from state to state. Massachusetts, for instance, has a similar law already in effect but contains less-stringent verbiage regarding the specific housing conditions of poultry. Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington are the other states also have placed restrictions on non-cage-free egg production.

Analyst: S2A1

//END R

//The Wire//2300Z December 27, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: COMMERCIAL AIRLINER CRASHES IN KAZAKHSTAN AS A RESULT OF PROBABLE MISSILE STRIKE. MORE DETAILS EMERGE REGARDING USS GETTYSBURG FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENTS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Red Sea/HOA: Over the holiday, additional information has come to light regarding the recent shootdown of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 by the USS Gettysburg (CG-64). Follow on information from crewmembers indicates that the shootdown was not the only friendly fire incident that day. Another aircraft narrowly avoided being engaged and was forced to take actions to evade an incoming missile from the USS Gettysburg. The pilot in the second aircraft was able to successfully evade the missile shot at them, unlike the first. AC: So far, virtually nothing is confirmable via independent sources; all of the information pertaining to these two friendly-fire incidents is coming from word-of-mouth sources within the Strike Group itself.

Continuing the trend of escalating tensions in the region, Houthi targeting has increased once again over the past week following Israeli strikes in Yemen. Houthi forces have retaliated in kind, carrying out ballistic missile strikes on targets in Israel.

Northern Europe: Another undersea cable cutting incident allegedly occurred on Christmas Day. This time, an electrical power cable spanning the Baltic Sea between Estonia and Finland was disrupted under unclear circumstances. NATO has pledged to increase their military naval presence in the Baltic as a result of the suspected Russian and/or Chinese merchant vessels which are being investigated by NATO for being involved in anchor-dragging incidents. 

Kazakhstan: Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashed in Aktau on Wednesday. The circumstances leading up to the disaster are as follows:

The aircraft took off from Baku, and transited north along the western bank of the Caspian Sea to complete a routine flight to Grozny. Once in Russian airspace, the crew reported navigational issues likely due to Russian military jamming of GPS systems, as has been extremely common throughout the region for several years. While attempting to land in Grozny under extremely thick fog, and with the added complexities of navigational issues, the aircraft experienced a catastrophic event that involved some loss of control over the aircraft. Initial reports suggested that the aircraft experienced a bird strike, as this is what the pilots reported over the radio. However, it is possible that what was perceived as a bird strike, really was the result of a missile striking the aircraft over Grozny. AC: Russian missile defense forces in Grozny had reportedly engaged Ukrainian drones earlier that day, lending weight to this theory.

Following the catastrophic incident (either the bird strike or a surface-to-air missile strike) the pilots made the decision to abort landing in Grozny due to the emergency situation and thick fog, making the judgement call that landing a compromised aircraft in Grozny was not a viable option as they had already unsuccessfully tried to do so with an undamaged aircraft.

The details of what happened next remain more uncertain with regards to timing and the sequence of events. The pilots attempted to gain clearance to land in Dagestan, but was also unable to do so due to conflicting reports. Some claim the same weather problems experienced in Grozny were to blame, other claims have been made that Russia forbade the aircraft to land for some unexplained reason. Reports also differ as to when this request was made; some claim prior to the catastrophic incident, others claim afterward.

At some point the pilots conducted a radical change of course, heading from west to east over the Caspian Sea toward an unidentified airport that possibly had better weather conditions. During the transit over the Caspian Sea, an emergency was declared a

//The Wire//Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024//

//SPECIAL REPORT//

//BLUF: SANTA DEPARTS NORTH POLE FOR HIS ANNUAL TRIP AROUND THE WORLD.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Greenland: This afternoon US military forces stationed at Pituffik Space Base detected Santa’s sleigh as he departed the North Pole this evening. Due to Santa’s extreme speed, Canada picked Santa up on radar a few moments later, as he flew south over the Arctic Circle.

New Jersey: Santa has been given special clearance to fly through the no-fly-zones, to carry out his mission of delivering toys to all the good children around the world.

As a reminder, Santa cannot deliver presents to children who are still awake, so it would be a good idea to go to sleep a little early tonight, just in case. But before bedtime, those who wish to track Santa as he continues on his journey can do so at the website: www.noradsanta.org

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Regular reporting will resume after the holiday, on December 27th. May everyone around the world have a Merry Christmas, celebrating Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Analyst: S2A1

//END REPORT/

//The Wire//2200Z December 23, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: U.S. NAVY SHOOTS DOWN OWN AIRCRAFT IN FRIENDLY-FIRE INCIDENT. SUBWAY ATTACKS IN NYC CONTINUE.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Red Sea/HOA: Over the weekend a friendly-fire incident resulted in one F/A-18 Super Hornet being shot down over the Red Sea. Both crew members ejected successfully, with one suffering injuries. The aircraft was downed by the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), which engaged the aircraft with an as yet unidentified weapon system.

-HomeFront-

New York: A woman was murdered on the subway as a result of an arson attack. The murder was carried out by a Guatemalan immigrant, who was arrested following the extremely graphic attack. As of this morning, the victim has not yet been identified.

In Queens, this morning two thieves were stabbed by an elderly man who they were attempting to rob. One of the thieves was stabbed in the chest, and died later at a local hospital. The other thief remains hospitalized with lacerations to his face. The elderly man was unhurt during the incident, and has not been prosecuted as the DA has stated he was acting in self-defense.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: As the shootdown incident in the Red Sea constitutes a cascading series of exceptionally grave mistakes, the investigation into the downing of this aircraft is very serious. Prior to this incident, the last time a U.S. Navy vessel shot down one of their own aircraft was June 17, 1968, involving an F-4 Phantom and the USS Long Beach. This is the only other known incident where a U.S. Navy ship shot down a military aircraft from their own strike group (though this other Vietnam-era incident took place during the era where Identification, Friend-or-Foe (IFF) systems were in their infancy). This incident has further caused concerns regarding the risks to commercial aviation due to the observation that if the U.S. Navy cannot identify one of their own aircraft despite having a plethora of identification means, the risks to commercial aviation in the region are very likely elevated.

Analyst: S2A1

//END REPORT/

//The Wire//2000Z December 20, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: FAA ENACTS MORE NO-FLY-ZONES AROUND ELECTRICAL SUBSTATIONS IN TRI-STATE AREA.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Germany: This evening a vehicle-ramming attack took place at a Christmas Markt in Magdeburg. A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people partaking in celebrations, killing 11x and wounding upwards of 60x people. AC: As this incident is currently developing at the time of this report casualty figures will likely be revised as the situation develops.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. – An agreement has not yet been reached in Congress regarding the budgetary continuing resolution, indicating that a government shutdown may begin at midnight.

Northeast: Throughout the region more flight restrictions have been emplaced, with 8x new airspace closures being announced throughout the tri-state area. Continuing the trend from New Jersey, the airspace closures are largely centered around electrical substations located on Long Island.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: In the closed-door meetings amongst high-ranking counterterrorism officials, it would seem that no one has pondered the reasoning as to why our critical infrastructure sites do not already have no-fly-zones around them. This is largely due to the historical analysis that the implementation of such can actually cause more harm than good, mostly because it highlights exactly which sites are most vulnerable to drone attacks.

Additionally, most of the no-fly-zones have been emplaced with parameters that are largely ineffective. For instance, most of the TFRs have been enacted covering the airspace from surface level to 400 feet Above Ground Level (AGL). This is not just a random number, this is the parameter set by the FAA for the use of recreational drones. Without special approval, recreational drones can’t be flown at an altitude of over 400 feet AGL in the United States. From a counterterrorism perspective, this is utter nonsense. No would-be terrorist seeking to use a drone to target critical infrastructure is going to play by the rules.

Once again, this small detail dismissed by most is a massive ‘tell’ that indicates how incapable federal agencies are. Remember, the FBI is coming at the issue from the angle they always do…that they can’t stop any terror attack that they don’t have a hand in planning and carrying out themselves. In short, if a would-be attacker doesn’t get groomed and assisted by the FBI at some point during their attack preparations, the FBI is powerless to stop (or even know about) the attack in the first place. For instance, the FBI is coming off of their recent bust, the November arrest of Skyler Philippi, who was allegedly planning to use a drone to attack an electrical substation in Nashville. This case involved the FBI choosing to provide materiel support to a well-known mentally unstable individual, to include providing attack plans, explosives, and assistance at the attack site on the day of the planned attack.

This is the mindset federal agents are operating from; that terrorism as the American people instinctively know it doesn’t really exist, and that any serious threat to the homeland simply can’t materialize without the FBI’s help. This is a very dangerous perspective to operate from, as it very obviously injects ego into counterterrorism doctrine. Putting up a no-fly zone around electrical substations strongly indicates this hubris; anyone with any minuscule counterterrorism experience can assert that these no-fly zones are going to do more harm than good because the lawful users of drones are not causing the problems. From the perspective of warfare doctrine, wargaming this decision for five minutes continues to demonstrate how bad of an idea this is. Much like how any obstacle on the battlefield must be observed at all times, the implementation of a no-fly-zone must

//The Wire//2300Z December 19, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: TEAMSTERS LAUNCH LABOR STRIKE AGAINST AMAZON. FAA IMPLEMENTS 22 NEW NO-FLY ZONES FOR DRONES IN NEW JERSEY.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Europe: Preparations for shifting to wartime societies continue as before. A few days ago Poland mandated firearms training courses as part of the curriculum for schoolchildren, continuing the trend of militarization that intensified in early November. Election-related conflict continues in Georgia and Romania as before. Germany continues “Plan Deutschland”, a wartime-preparations scenario by which they are considering the logistical needs for a widespread military deployment throughout their nation. Statements urging individual citizens to prepare for war continue in the United Kingdom, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and in most other EU member states.

AC: Whether or not all of these actions are just posturing efforts remains debatable, and should also be considered in the context of Europe’s continual push toward energy solutions that are nowhere near capable of sustaining a wartime scenario. Nevertheless, preparations continue to progress in any case.

-HomeFront-

New Jersey: Overnight, the FAA established 22x new airspace closures around critical infrastructure sites due to the concerns presented by the recent drone situation. All 22 of these Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) are mostly centered around electrical substations, highlighting what the main concerns are with regards malign drone activity. AC: Of note, most of these TFRs are quite small, only prohibiting drone flights immediately adjacent to critical sites. One TFR has a larger radius of 2nm as it is centered over Picatinny Arsenal, a major research and development center for military UAS technology and one of the prime suspects for at least some of the drone sightings throughout the area.

Washington D.C. – Following the widespread outrage regarding the recent continuing resolution spending bill proposed in Congress, enough opposition has materialized to stall the bill for the time being, increasing the potential for another government shutdown. This afternoon, Donald Trump took to social media to announce that a deal had been reached to get the resolution across the finish line to avoid a shutdown.

USA: This morning the Teamsters began a labor strike which has targeted several Amazon warehouse facilities and fulfillment centers around the United States. New York, Illinois, and Georgia seem to be host to the primarily affected facilities, and picket lines have been organized at hundreds of other Amazon facilities around the US.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: The Teamster labor strike appears to largely be centered around Amazon resisting the efforts by the Teamsters to subvert their employees at these facilities. Following the power shifts in various labor union organizations around the United States, organizations like the Teamsters have increasingly dedicated time and funding to targeting large corporations such as Amazon. A few incidents have occurred over the past few months whereby Teamster intelligence networks have attempted to subvert Amazon facilities. Considering that Jeff Bezos and the entire Amazon corporation at large is fairly well hated by the average person for many reasons, most people haven’t really cared about what the labor unions are doing, or the power-plays that have been occurring for months. This was most clearly illustrated by the ILA scandal from a few months ago, which highlighted the national security risks that labor unions can present at critical times. In this case, staging a labor strike during the Christmas holiday is likely intended to serve as a force-multiplier to increase the pressure on logistical networks during a time of congestion. While most of Amazon’s products are low-grade consumer goods that present no

//The Wire//2300Z December 18, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: RUSSIA APPREHENDS ALLEGED KIRILLOV ASSASSIN. CONGRESS PROPOSES 1,500+ PAGE SPENDING BILL. MORE DRONE INCURSIONS REPORTED AT OHIO MILITARY BASE. CALIFORNIA DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY REGARDING BIRD FLU.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Russia: As the investigation into the assassination of General Kirillov continues, one alleged assailant has been detained for his role in the attack. Allegedly, the unidentified attacker planted the IED, and managed the video camera which livestreamed the attack to a command center in Ukraine, which remotely detonated the IED. AC: Though none of this information is independently verifiable, perhaps more concerningly is the lack of Russia’s response to this attack. Russia will certainly respond in some manner, though at the moment the means by which this will occur is anyone’s guess.

-HomeFront-

New Jersey: The “drone” saga continues as before, largely spurred on by recent contradictory governmental statements. Very few new sightings have occurred (possibly due to poor weather conditions reducing visibility throughout the region), however many people are still concerned that the drones (as in, the legitimate ones that can be discerned from commercial aircraft) are being operated by a foreign adversary. A few days ago the DoJ, DoD, and DHS issued a joint statement that none of this activity is abnormal and that all drone activity is either lawful civilian operation or a case of observers mistaking commercial aircraft for unmanned platforms.

Ohio: Following Friday’s airspace closure at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, more drone reports emerged this morning. Additional unmanned aerial platforms were observed flying over the base overnight, as well as early this morning.

Washington D.C. – The latest omnibus spending bill has caused concern in Congress due to its roughly 1,500 page length and the last-minute introduction of the bill which statistically suggests that no one has had time to read through it all. However, readers of the bill have already identified that Congress is allegedly trying to give itself a 40% pay raise, prompting a general state of outrage from taxpayers.

California: Governor Newsom has declared a state of emergency regarding the H5N1 bird flu outbreak. No human-to-human cases of transmission have been reported.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: The recent statements by government agencies to address the New Jersey situation haven’t really alleviated concerns due to most people simply not believing anything federal agencies have to say. One surefire way to ensure that the American people think the drones are part of a secret government test, is to say that the drones are not part of a secret government test.

Perhaps most damningly is the contradiction of what government says, and what agencies do. For instance, the DHS says the drones aren’t a threat. However, the drones spotted all around the country are so little of a threat that it has become essential to deploy large scale defenses to protect against them, and to close airspace over critical military bases due to drone activity. For instance, in October, Langley Air Force Base issued a solicitation (Notice ID FA480025R0001) for counter-UAS netting to protect the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft parked on the ramps at their airfield. The use of anti-drone netting is a wise force-protection move, however this does raise the larger concern as to why anti-drone netting would be required at an American military base within the United States.

Recently, a Chinese national was arrested for flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Yinpiao Zhou was arrested before boarding a flight back to China on December 9th.

Ever since the Ukrainian war proved their utility, small quadcopters (and now, fiber-optically controlled FPV drones) are a cle