Latest news with #nationalsecurity
Daily Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Ayatollah warns US in furious speech
Welcome to our live coverage of the febrile situation in the Middle East. Iran's Supreme Leader has declared the 'battle has begun' in his first public statement since US President Donald Trump said the US would spare him from assassination 'for now.' In a chilling threat, Iranian state TV has also warned of a 'major surprise tonight', one it claims the world will 'remember for centuries'. President Trump left the G7 meeting of wold leaders in Canada on Monday, local time, to return to Washington DC to deal with the unfolding crisis. On Tuesday, he chaired a meeting of his national security council. In a series of social media posts, he called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender'. He also wrote that the US knows where Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei apparently threatening to kill him. 'We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' he said, ominously. This all comes as US bombers and refuelling planes have been positioning closer towards the Middle East. Read on for live updates. Originally published as Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Ayatollah warns Iran is 'not one to surrender' in furious speech
Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Israel has done most of the job — now Trump can finish it
For any US president, the decision whether to intervene in a foreign war is a momentous one. This is the week when President Trump has to make that decision. Should he, or should he not, use American air power to finish the job Israel has very nearly completed, ensuring that Iran never possesses nuclear weapons? We understand why Trump is weighing the decision with the utmost care — why he gave negotiations with Iran a 60-day chance, and why he has spent many hours with his national security team, hearing their different views. Opponents of US military action tell a simplified story of past interventions — in Vietnam, most obviously, but some also cite Iraq and Afghanistan — that led to 'forever wars'. But isolationists have trouble arguing that the US should never intervene abroad. Would the Cold War have gone better if Harry Truman had abandoned South Korea to Stalin's proxies in 1950? Would the Middle East have benefited if Kuwait had been left in Saddam Hussein's hands in 1991? Would the Balkans be stabler today if Bill Clinton had not belatedly acted to save Bosnia and then Kosovo from Slobodan Milošević's aggression? None of these analogies is really applicable anyway, because the US today is not being asked to send soldiers to invade or occupy Iran. The action President Trump must decide upon is clearly defined and limited in its duration and scale, since much of the work of defeating Iran has already been done by Israel. The past six days have marked a strategic inflection point. After decades of preparation, Israel has acted: striking critical nuclear sites, dismantling missile production lines, and eliminating senior figures in Iran's military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These operations have already set Iran's programme back by years. The current campaign did not begin spontaneously. It is the result of a long-planned strategy built on four prerequisites: neutralising Hezbollah, crippling Iran's ballistic missile production, establishing an air corridor to Tehran — and later, air superiority over Iran — and securing American support. The first three were achieved by October. Once the fourth was in place, earlier this month, the campaign could begin. We both salute the extraordinary skill with which the Israel Defence Forces and Mossad have executed Israel's war plan. For generations, cadets at military academies around the world will study Operation Rising Lion as a classic of modern asymmetric warfare, brilliantly combining mastery in the air with covert operations. Much of Iran's nuclear weapons programme now lies in ruins, and many of the scientists who ran it are dead. But one key site remains, at Fordow. Deep underground and heavily fortified, it holds the core of Iran's remaining enrichment capability: eight cascades with over 3,000 centrifuges. The facility's scale allows Iran to rapidly enrich weapons-grade uranium. It could do so in just three weeks, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Leaving it intact risks allowing the Islamic Republic to rebuild and resume its quest for the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Fordow is built into the mountains near Qom, encased under at least 90 metres of limestone, and protected by additional layers of reinforced concrete shielding and other structural defence measures that increase the facility's ability to survive a heavy air attack. There is no credible way that Israel alone can destroy it. Only one air force has the power to finish off Fordow. The US designed and built the GBU 57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) precisely for such a task. The MOP is a 30,000-pound, 20-foot-long weapon. Its warhead contains 5,300 pounds of explosives. Cased in a hard steel alloy, the weapon is dropped from high altitude, accelerates to Mach 2 or 3, punches into the target, and rips through layers of protection before detonating. Three to eight MOPs would suffice to render Fordow defunct. The MOP is designed for American B-2 Spirits, all of which are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Each B-2 can carry two MOPs, meaning a strike wave of two to six B-2s delivering four to 12 MOPs would get the job done. Fordow is 6,800 miles away from Missouri, so the B-2s would need to refuel at least twice and potentially five times. The US has moved exactly the requisite number of tankers from North American bases to Europe. One of us devoted considerable time and effort to considering ways that Israel could achieve the same result with the F-15Es it possesses and the 2,000 and 5,000-pound bombs they can carry, or with a Second World War–style commando raid behind enemy lines. Neither option is realistic. Only America can do this. Only President Trump can order it. Primo Levi's novel If Not Now, When? is about a group of Jewish resistance fighters who desperately defy the might of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in the Second World War. The Holocaust has been much on the minds of Israelis since October 7, 2023, an Iran-sponsored atrocity that was consciously intended as a trailer for a second Shoah. But the question 'If not now, when?' is also an ancient Jewish one, posed by Hillel the Elder more than two millennia ago. It is the question we would now ask President Trump. And we would add another question: If B-2s and MOPs were not designed for precisely this purpose, then what use are they? A nuclear-armed Iran would pose more than a threat to the Israeli people and their state. Its missiles could reach Gulf capitals and Europe. Those missiles could allow Iran to sponsor terror and wage conventional war with impunity. The result would be a nuclear arms race in the Gulf. By destroying Fordow, President Trump would create a new equilibrium in the Middle East and re-establish American leadership. The strike would focus solely on eliminating Iran's nuclear arms programme, but it should be accompanied by a clear message: If Iran attempts to target the US or its Gulf allies, it will risk the elimination of its regime. There is an economic consideration too. The longer the current conflict continues, the greater the risk to energy markets and global economic stability. Running out of missiles and launchers, its military command structure disabled by assassinations, Iran must now be contemplating desperate measures such as attacks on its Arab neighbours or mining the Strait of Hormuz, in the hope that these might deter US intervention. Decisive action now can prevent an oil-price shock. Israel has moved and continues to move with determination and dispatch. The support of allies, first and foremost the US, has been crucial. Now, with a single exertion of its unmatched military strength, the US can shorten the war, prevent wider escalation and end the principal threat to Middle Eastern stability. It can also send a signal to those other authoritarian powers who have been Iran's enablers that American deterrence is back. This is a rare moment when strategic alignment and operational momentum converge. It must not be missed. Niall Ferguson is the Milbank Family senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford. Yoav Gallant is the former Israeli minister of defence. He writes The Defense Memo substackThis article first appeared at
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DCS Named to Washington Technology Top 100 for Seventh Straight Year
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DCS Corporation has been named to Washington Technology's Top 100 for the seventh consecutive year, ranking at #77. A 100% employee-owned company, DCS achieved record revenue and earnings in 2024, marking the strongest performance in the company's 47-year history. 'We are proud to be recognized among the 2025 Washington Technology Top 100,' commented Jim Benbow, DCS Chairman and CEO. 'Our sustained success and organic growth reflect the commitment, initiative and innovative approach of our 2,100+ employee-owners. As we continue to support our customers' evolving priorities, we are committed to developing and delivering cutting-edge solutions that support our national security.' DCS specializes in Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E), acquisition, and post-fielding operations, focusing on high-impact technologies such as autonomy and robotics, manned-unmanned teaming, AI and machine learning, human systems engineering, digital engineering, modeling and simulation, platform electronics, knowledge management, sensor technology, and C5ISR. The Washington Technology Top 100 ranks the largest Government services contractors based on analysis of Federal spending on IT, systems integration, telecommunications, professional services, and other high-tech needs. The full list is available on the Washington Technology website. About DCS An employee-owned company, DCS offers advanced technology, engineering, and management solutions to Government agencies in the national security sector. The transformative ideas, commitment to quality, and entrepreneurial spirit that characterize our employee-owners allow us to ensure the success of each customer's mission and actively contribute to the well-being of the Nation. For more information, please visit: DCS Media dcsmedia@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration considers adding 36 countries to travel ban
President Donald Trump's administration is considering an expansion of its imposed travel ban — potentially prohibiting citizens from 36 more countries from entering the United States, according to a State Department memo reviewed by the Washington Post. The 36 countries in question are: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Ivory Coast; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzania; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Washington Post reports. Trump had previously signed an order on June 4 that bars citizens from 12 countries — Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen — from entering the country. The White House claims that the purpose of the ban is to protect the country from 'foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats'. The order also partially restricts entry for citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, the BBC reported. The State Department memo, which listed the 36 new countries whose citizens could face restrictions, was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to The Washington Post. The memo outlines several concerns the department has about the countries and seeks 'corrective action,' Reuters reports. 'The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,' the memo reads, according to Reuters. The memo claims that some countries have 'no competent or cooperative central government authority' that can produce identity documents or other civil documents, according to The Washington Post. The memo also states that some countries had citizens who overstayed their visas in the United States, according to the Washington Post. An additional concern, according to the memo, is related to citizens of the country who were involved in acts of terrorism in the United States, or 'antisemitic and anti-American activity,' according to Reuters. The State Department memo set a deadline of 8 a.m. on Wednesday when the 36 countries are expected to provide an initial action plan to meet the requirements, according to The Washington Post. It was unclear when the proposed travel ban would take effect if the demands weren't met, the Washington Post reports. During his first term, Trump tried to impose a travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. It faced several court challenges until a third version of the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Under the Biden administration, the travel ban was rescinded. During the 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to bring back the travel ban — and to expand it to bar refugees from Gaza from entering the United States, according to Time Magazine. 'Remember the famous travel ban? We didn't take people from certain areas of the world,' Trump said in the September 2024 Time article. 'We're not taking them from infested countries.' 'Awful, awful, awful': Polls show Trump's net approval is at its 'worst' Federal judge delays decision over Trump admin barring Harvard foreign students New poll shows Trump's approval is high on this major policy issue Undeterred by protests, Trump tells ICE to step up deportations in Democratic-run cities Harvard's Monday court date will be important for international students. Here's why Read the original article on MassLive.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, tribunal rules
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, a tribunal has ruled. It is not discriminatory to stop people from nations that pose a threat to Britain taking up certain jobs in the defence sector due to the possibility of espionage, the judgement suggests. The precautionary measure applies to potential job candidates from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran - four nations currently viewed as threats by Western allies. The new ruling comes after a Chinese scientist sued a British AI company with ties to the UK and US defence departments when she was not given a job due to security concerns. Tianlin Xu applied for a £220,000 lead AI role at Binary AI Ltd but the software company's young tech boss Dr James Patrick-Evans had to reject her. Dr Patrick-Evans' start-up uses AI to identify flaws in software used by Western governments to prevent state-backed hackers from the likes of China and Russia targeting them. Dr Patrick-Evans, 32, was 'strongly advised against hiring a Chinese national' by top defence officials that he worked with, it was heard. Chinese people - such as Miss Xu - would not get security clearance from governments in order to carry out the work, it was said. Miss Xu tried to sue Binary AI Ltd on grounds of race discrimination, claiming it was 'racial stigma' and 'stereotyping'. But the tribunal dismissed her claims after hearing evidence of the security concerns. Employment Judge Richard Baty said in his judgement: 'It is obvious that software drives the modern world. It underpins our everyday lives and runs every sector of our state. 'It is in every mobile phone, television, in consumer goods, schools, hospitals, and critical national infrastructure and forms the backbone and the operations of UK government and UK defence. 'Therefore, it is paramount that the security and operational capability of the software that drives our everyday lives should remain intact and free from malicious hackers and state actors wanting to persuade political outcomes or obtain sensitive information. 'The UK government and its Western allies that form the five eyes alliance have been under constant attack by many of these malicious groups, mainly from state-backed hacking groups from countries such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'These hacking groups have tried to obtain a 'backdoor' or malicious remote access into software that forms the backbone of UK infrastructure such as 5G telecoms, NHS health networks, power plant controllers, and water infrastructure systems. 'It is therefore imperative that the security of the software that drives these systems is verified, controlled and secured. 'Backdoors' have a devastating impact on the security of UK sovereignty and economic well-being. 'They allow foreign states to spy on the most sensitive UK data and steal sensitive information and economic trade secrets. Detecting backdoors hidden in software is exceptionally difficult.' Dr Patrick-Evans' company counts its primary customers as organisations within the UK and US defence community where 'strictest security concerns are essential'. They operate at a 'top security clearance level and require extensive background checks and verifications' on people working within them, it was heard. Judge Baty added: 'The threats come primarily from groups backed by states such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'That creates enormous challenges to anyone who is a national of any of these countries working in the industry.' Binary AI had a contract with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - the top secret Porton Down lab - and the Ministry of Defence to develop AI that could identify hidden backdoors inside software. The hearing in central London was told 'highly intelligent' Miss Xu applied for the lead AI role in September 2023. Around the time, Dr Patrick-Evans asked contacts in the UK defence community about hiring a Chinese person for the role 'He was informed by top defence officials that a Chinese national could not work in this area due to national security constraints', the judgement said. They told it would 'create all kinds of difficulties'. One defence official told him: 'Unfortunately our position has been hardening on this in recent months and we are now unable to fund Chinese nationals for any NS-related work (no matter how long they've been resident). 'The work you're doing is of great interest to our community and is likely to get into quite sensitive territory, so I would strongly advise against hiring a Chinese national.' Dr Patrick-Evans was impressed by Miss Xu but considered that she would not get necessary clearance. She was also not favoured because she 'had no experience at all in this field and was not the best equipped candidate'. The winning candidate was British, had already worked in the field, and had previously been given security clearance. Dr Patrick-Evans told Miss Xu: 'Disappointingly I've come to the decision not to proceed with your application on the sole basis of your nationality. 'As a company, we work closely in sensitive areas with western governments and wish to continue to do so. 'We're simply not big enough of a company to ensure the separation and security controls needed to hire someone of your nationality at this stage.' Judge Baty concluded that despite the 'clumsy' language of his message to Miss Xu, it was not discriminatory to reject her because the security issues had to be considered. Judge Baty said: '[Binary AI] operates in a highly sensitive niche industry, whose end users are Western governments. 'Those end users set the rules on what they consider to be security requirements within the industry. 'A product is not viable if a company falls short of those requirements.' Judge Baty added: 'I find that the fact that an individual is a Chinese national (or, indeed, a Russian national, North Korean national or Iranian national) did preclude that individual working in a role, such as the Lead AI role, which involved working closely on matters concerning national security. 'Finally, I find that that prohibition was a decision of customers, rather than [Binary AI] or Dr Patrick-Evans themselves. 'From this point on, therefore, I find that Dr Patrick-Evans believed that he would not be able to offer [her] the Lead AI role because he believed that, because she was a Chinese national, she would not be able to obtain the security clearance necessary to do that role.'
