//The Wire//1930Z March 7, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: SURVIVING CREW OF MERCHANT VESSEL RESCUED IN GULF OF ADEN. NYC DEPLOYS SOLDIERS, POLICE TO SUBWAY AMID HIGH CRIME.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Red Sea/HOA: The Indian Navy rescued the surviving crew of the M/V TRUE CONFIDENCE following the successful Houthi missile strike yesterday. Three crew members were killed in the attack, with four others wounded. Three crew members are in critical condition due to severe burns. AC: These are the first fatalities reported onboard a civilian vessel as a result of Houthi strikes during the Red Sea Crisis.

-HomeFront-

NY: Substantial efforts are underway in New York City to allegedly reduce rampant crime. Approximately 750 armed National Guard soldiers have been deployed at strategic sites around the city, mostly to patrol and man checkpoints within the subway system. NYPD forces have also deployed security checkpoints to search the personal bags of subway travelers. AC: It is important to note that authorities have stated this deployment is not specifically for counterterrorism efforts or concerns, but rather to address the increase in standard street crime.

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

Analyst Comments: Though it is obvious almost to the point of not being worthy of mention, the efforts undertaken to have soldiers “police” high-crime areas in NYC are likely not intended to reduce crime, though having armed soldiers everywhere will certainly achieve this result. When examining the desires of political leadership, it is important to remember that New York has highly incentivized crime by a plethora of means; refusing to arrest criminals in the first place, refusal to charge suspects once arrested, reducing punishments for convicted criminals, and granting no-cash bail for repeat offenders. None of these laws and/or policies have changed, which suggests the heavy-handed response to crime is reactive, and likely not entirely intended to reduce crime. It is likely that this move is to both save face (and appear to do something without actually changing the laws that are the problem), and normalize the use of armed soldiers for domestic policing tasks, up to and including manning checkpoints and searching private citizens. As the election season ramps up, the normalization of militarization will be absolutely crucial.

Analyst: S2A1

//END REPORT//