//The Wire//2200Z June 5, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: MAJOR CELLULAR SERVICE OUTAGE STRIKES MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT CARRIERS. NEAR-MISS OF CARGO SHIP INVOLVES CHARLESTON BRIDGE.//

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-International Events-

Europe: Various media outlets throughout the region report that Ukraine has reportedly begun to strike targets in Russia with American munitions. AC: No further details are available on the specifics of American munition use, however the gravity of the open admission of such targeting will likely result in Russia enabling similar logistical support for American adversaries in the various other ongoing conflicts around the world.

-HomeFront-

South Carolina: This afternoon the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston was briefly shut down to cross-traffic due to a cargo ship reportedly losing control of propulsion in the vicinity of the bridge. Local authorities revealed in a press conference this afternoon that a container vessel experienced an issue by which the ships throttle became stuck at nearly maximum speed. As a result of the mechanical issue, the vessel declared an emergency, triggering the shutdown of the bridge. After a few minutes, the crew was able to regain control of the vessel, avoiding a potential collision. Two boaters in small craft were injured due the wake of the vessel causing their boats to run aground on breakwaters at the entrance of the harbor. The vessel remains at anchor a few miles outside Charleston harbor as the USCG investigates the cause of the incident.

AC: Due to the obvious apprehension surrounding critical infrastructure around the nation, great scrutiny has been placed on incidents like this, however this situation appears to have concluded without any negative consequences. The vessel officially has not been named as of the draft of this report, but local witnesses strongly indicate the vessel was the M/V MSC MICHIGAN VII.

USA: AT&T, Verizon, and US Cellular experienced varying outages throughout the country yesterday evening. At the peak of the service interruptions, around 24 states were reporting issues with cell service on these networks, to include FirstNet systems. Additionally, Consumer Cellular (who’s service is provided by AT&T) was also affected by the outage.

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Analyst Comments: So far, the cause of the nationwide cellular outage is not clear; no statement has been released indicating the root cause of the service interruptions. Unlike the last major AT&T outage, an outage affecting at least three totally separate and independent companies is highly suspect.

Analyst: S2A1

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