Voting
?What about new design for our website
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
Voting Number 1647
- Saab delivers fourth GlobalEye to the UAE
- Birds of Goodness executes 37th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- Birds of Goodness executes 36th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- Birds of Goodness executes 35th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- Led by the Commander of Joint Operations .. A delegation from the Ministry of Defense, has initiated several-day visit to the People's Republic of China
- Birds of Goodness executes 34th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- Birds of Goodness' executes 33rd humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- Birds of Goodness delivers over 2,000 tonnes of aid via 32 airdrops since humanitarian operation began
- On the 2nd day of Eid al-Fitr... Birds of Goodness Executes 31st Humanitarian Airdrop and Eid Clothing in North Gaza
- On the first day of Eid Al-Fitr,UAE and Jordan conduct 14th joint food aid airdrop in northern Gaza
- UAE and Jordan conduct 13th joint food aid airdrop in northern Gaza
- 'Birds of Goodness' Executes 29th Humanitarian Aid Airdrop and Eid Clothing in North Gaza.
- UAE and Jordan conduct 12th joint food aid airdrop in northern Gaza
- 'Birds of Goodness' Executes 28th Humanitarian Aid Airdrop and Eid Clothing in North Gaza
- UAE and Jordan conduct 11th joint food aid airdrop in northern Gaza
- ‘Birds of Goodness’ delivers over 1,500 tonnes of aid via 27 airdrops since humanitarian operation began
- 'Birds of Goodness' executes 26th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- 'Birds of Goodness' executes 25th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
- UAE and Jordan conduct 10th joint food aid airdrop in northern Gaza
- 'Birds of Goodness' executes 24th humanitarian aid airdrop in north Gaza
2019-10-10
National Security:Cooperative and Tech Savvy Efforts Across the Middle East
In approaching the end of this decade, there has been renewed optimism for a safer and more harmonious future across the Middle East and the GCC in particular. Nations are seeking to collaborate on cross-border transport links, large-scale renewable energy projects, smart city initiatives and heightened joint-security strategies.
Indeed, existing and emerging threats have both shown themselves ready to cause disruption and chaos at a moment’s notice. From increasingly sophisticated cybercrime to older practices of smuggling drugs and weapons, ME nations are now conscious that their national security faces unceasing attacks both from terrorists and organised crime.
The capacity to act decisively and pre-emptively is now essential and pursued by every major ME nation, with individual countries aiming to improve the security of their vital infrastructure and build new technologically-advanced capabilities. In making these changes while expanding and improving existing military, police and other security-related equipment or assets, the GCC is forging ahead with new regional and individual national security programmes, so boosting its combined defence budget to a record US$100 billion by the next decade.
Spending across the homeland and commercial security market is also set to rise in the Middle East. Estimated to be over US$12.2 billion in early 2018, it is now predicted to double over four years to hit US$25.3 billion in 2022, representing a massive 33 per cent CAGR.
Key Regional Threats
The metastasis of terrorism has put the world on alarm, trying to map out future targets and breeding sites for insurgency cells. From New Zealand to Sri Lanka, recent attacks on public spaces are establishing a changed operational environment, but national security forces are adapting to cope with this threat through deterrence and social media monitoring on one hand, and lawful interception and surveillance on the other; not only for crime prevention but crisis management and negotiations.
No less alarming are the rising tensions in the Arabian Gulf and the hostilities against commercial assets, which are driving up defence procurements and increasing personnel numbers for regional and allied forces stationed close to the field of operations. With more than 70 per cent of GCC trade carried out by seaborne conveyance, it is vital that sea route security is reinforced.
Lastly, traditional issues such as drug trafficking, illegal smuggling, human trafficking and IEDs call for innovation. There have been notable improvements in security controls for national entry-and-exit points at airports, seaports and border crossings.
Terrorism: Despite a trend of declining terrorism attacks and fatalities worldwide, many of the world’s deadliest groups still operate throughout the Middle East with continued activity from Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
Cybercrime: Cybercrime is one of the most serious and penetrating threats facing the Middle East today. From low-level but high-volume fraud incidents to cyber-attacks that could cripple critical infrastructure, hackers remain a leading threat to national security.
One of the largest oil companies, Saudi Aramco, suffered the worst hack the world had ever seen three years ago. Meanwhile, cyber-attacks against other ME countries are increasing, with 12 per cent more attacks reported in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year.
Cross Border Smuggling: Moving narcotics, illegal arms and other contraband from one country to another by land, air or sea presents challenges to regional and international security in combatting the financing and equipping of the world’s most dangerous criminal and terrorist organisations. Recent estimates suggest that drugs alone may account for up to 40% of funding for extremist groups.
UAV (Drone) Based Attacks: From military-grade assault drones to commercially-available UAVs adapted for combat, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are becoming a more visible threat across widening contexts.
As UAV technology floods the Middle Eastern market, more and more unidentified drones are causing shutdowns and security concerns at airports and other critical infrastructure. While the technology develops and the capabilities of even basic UAV models improve, better countermeasures need to be implemented to stop deadly attacks.
3D-Printed Firearms: While expensive and limited in their ammunition capacity, 3D-printed guns present a serious security threat in being created without a serial number, rendering them untraceable. They are also plastic, making them easier to transport past traditional security designed to detect metal.
Technologies Transforming Security Solutions
With the rising security risks of terrorism and cybercrime, the global emergency response market is predicted to rise almost threefold from US$50.4 billion in 2012 to US$131.6 billion in 2019. Many GCC member states continue to invest heavily in homeland security, surveillance and defence technologies and solutions, giving us the opportunity here to outline the key security solutions and technologies that are turning the technological tide.
Advanced Infrastructure Security
The fundamental elements of national infrastructure are likely targets for criminal and terrorist actors, particularly points of ingress/egress such as ports and airports. This constant and pervasive threat is representative of the rapid growth of the global Critical Infrastructure Protection market, expected to reach US$135.48 billion by 2025.
In turn, US$100 billion is currently being invested across the Middle East on airport-related upgrade projects, with the industry seeing a raft of new and emerging security technologies being installed in the most prominent ME airports. Biometrics, drones, AI-enabled security and surveillance measures are making airports and similarly important infrastructure more resistant to attack and therefore more capable of stopping the flow of unauthorised persons and illegal shipments.
With over 89 million passengers served annually, Dubai International is one of the world’s busiest airports. It has been steadily upgrading and enhancing its security systems by implementing the latest technological advances in biometrics, automation and the IoT (Internet of Things).
Last year, Dubai opened the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC), which provides staff with real-time data feeds from every part of the airport while tapping into over 90 applications and collating data managed by 120 staff across 12 video screen walls and 96 workstations. The AOCC has been built to be a fully resilient and integrated nerve centre for the airport, dramatically improving its response capabilities in any emergency and allowing for greater vigilance across every daily operation.
The security processing of passengers and cargo has also been completely overhauled at Dubai International. With smart gates and other biometric-empowered security features, the airport can now capture passengers’ biometric footprint which they can utilise throughout their journey in a swift, seamless and unobtrusive manner.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
The UAE has been a prominent target for cybercrime for many years, routinely placing it in the top 5 spots of the annual global rankings. Hackers and cybercriminals can attack from anywhere in the world, requiring private and public sectors to partner in providing comprehensive cybersecurity setups for all critical infrastructure related to national security.
In 2015, Kaspersky reported that 2 million Emirati citizens had been targeted by hackers, with 20 per cent believing that their data had been compromised. Prompted into action, in 2016 the UAE Government pledged a doubling of its cybersecurity spending to US$10 billion, while drawing up a national cybersecurity strategy for the development of a raft of new and developing security measures.
The UAE is fast becoming a global leader in digital innovation, safety and security, seeking out global partners to share and shape international best practice. There is great need for such development as, in July and August 2019, Bahrain’s National Security Agency and the Ministry of Interior came under sustained cyber-based assault, alongside parallel attacks launched at several of the country’s critical infrastructure services providers.
While the exact nature and origin of the Bahraini attacks have not been revealed, their sophistication suggests a state-level or state-sponsored attacker. Conventional wisdom points to a demonstration of capability, designed to send a message not only to Bahrain but also to its regional allies and the U.S., who maintain a strong presence in the country.
Advanced Training Techniques
While technology gives security professionals an edge in preparing viable long-term strategies, access to tech needs to be paired with the necessary training of personnel who are to use it effectively. The advanced training of border patrollers, customs officials, police officers and other security professionals can also improve their observational skills and tactical capabilities, maximising their effectiveness in the long-term fight against malicious actors.
With an already impressive track record of providing effective security without hampering trade flows, the UAE is investing even more heavily in the training and equipping of security forces as part of its unified national customs strategy. Between January and September last year, Dubai Customs reported 922 successfully prevented smuggling attempts, of which 38.5 per cent were related to narcotics, while customs officers routinely undergo training programmes set to international best practices in understanding body language, drug and contraband identification and the ever-evolving tactics of criminal elements.
Artificial Intelligence-based Security
Even the most well-trained and diligent security officer cannot hope to spot and respond to every threat within their remit; hence, keeping up with their adversaries requires security institutions to join the raw data-processing power and analytical abilities of AI with the instincts and intuition of their human officers. This powerful combination of tools is revolutionising the manner in which Middle East institutions design, plan and execute security strategies.
Abu Dhabi has developed an AI empowered ‘Safe City’ Centre to enhance and maintain its reputation as one of the world’s safest cities. Here 14 interconnected technical systems gather, collate and analyse data gathered from across the city to provide Abu Dhabi Police with a constantly updating picture of traffic flows, incidents, security issues and other vital situational data in the event of emergencies.
AI is also at the heart of the Oyoon Project, another key UAE security initiative whose large-scale technology implementation plan involves fitting thousands of cameras with facial recognition software and microphones to enable police to track and analyse movements of individuals of interest instantly, utilising real-time data on developing criminal situations. Oyoon is a prime example of the UAE’s determination to leverage technology to its fullest potential in the fight against crime and national security threats, aligning with further plans to integrate AI surveillance systems and even robotic police officers.
International Combined Security
As no single nation has the reach or resources to combat modern cyber threats fully and continually, ME governments are having increasing success in pooling their resources with regional partners and international allies. By forging strategic partnerships based on shared responsibility and intelligence, the surveillance and security levels of any targeted area can be dramatically boosted.
Based in Bahrain, Combined Task Force 150 is a coalition naval task force made up of 25 participating nations, which has proven instrumental in combatting piracy off the coast of Somalia and smuggling interdiction operations. From December 2018 to February 2019, CTF-150 was responsible for seizing more than 22,000 kilos of narcotics within just three months across its 3.2 million square kilometre area of operations across the Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
Countering Tomorrow’s Threats Today
Although budgets were cut over 2014-2015, the Middle East continues to increase its spending and procurement for increasingly modern security and defence-based solutions. Given the variety of severe threats arrayed against the region, this trend is unlikely to slow any time soon. The Middle East has already shown its willingness to invest heavily and collaborate openly to protect itself comprehensively from both new and existing threat types, presenting excellent opportunities to develop greater security capabilities across the region.
Reference Text/Photos:www.dewa.gov.ae,www.defenceiq.com,www.nato.int
Visitors Comments
Related Topics
.
No Comments