In Geopolitics Today - Friday, April 15th
Israel Expected to be the First Country to Field Laser Defence Systems, Flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Sinks, UK and Rwanda Sign Migration Agreement
Israel Expected to be the First Country to Field Laser Defence Systems
According to some reports, Israel has successfully completed the main trial stage of an innovative, first-of-its-kind laser interception system. Once it is declared operational, the “Iron Beam” system is purported to be able to intercept cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones and mortar shells, at the speed of light. If the statements have substance to them and Israel is indeed within a year or two away from fielding a laser system able to intercept a wide range of modern weapons and arms at lost cost, it would mark a technological revolution with implications for security calculations in the region.
Israeli officials often argue that its armed forces are in the midst of an intense, prolonged military campaign against Hezbollah. To overcome this real or perceived security threat, Israel’s military technology efforts have focused on efficient ways to counter the many low-cost drones which are able to strike targets with bombs. The system is being developed in cooperation with two major Israeli defence contractors — Elbit and Rafael — both of which were part of the Iron Dome project. The series of tests conducted this week used a ground-based system firing laser beams said to be produced by a 100-kilowatt electricity source. Its battlefield advantages, if the system lives up to these statements by Israeli officials, in speed, operational flexibility, availability of interception and provide a unique ability to deal with multiple launches simultaneously at a low cost.
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Flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Sinks
The Russian Navy has lost the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet: the guided missile cruiser Moskva. Roughly a hundred kilometres off the southwest Ukrainian coast, the Russian Navy suffered a significant naval loss when the 12,000-ton Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, was reportedly hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. The Russian Defence Ministry later admitted that the Moskva sank while being towed back to a port on the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia has largely lost the ability to build large warships since losing access to most of its ports as the Soviet Union dissolved. Interestingly, when Ukraine became independent in 1991, the country inherited Soviet naval facilities along the coast of the Black Sea, as well as a large part of the naval forces of the Soviet Union in this region. Since then, Russia has concentrated on producing smaller vessels such as frigates, corvettes and coastal patrol boats, and has neglected producing larger ships, instead choosing to upgrade Soviet-built vessels already in service. The Moskva is one of the largest such Soviet-build cruisers, the vessel served as one of the more capable naval assets Russia currently has deployed in the Black Sea region, and the cruiser should be capable of detecting and intercepting the missiles reports are suggesting were used in the attack. One potential explanation could be that Ukrainian forces may have relied on electronic warfare as a way to disable the ship’s reconnaissance and radar systems, thereby effectively blinding the crew of the Moskva long enough to successfully strike the target with the Neptune missiles.
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UK and Rwanda Sign Migration Agreement
The United Kingdom and Rwanda have signed a migration and economic partnership which will see migration flows from the English channel diverted to Rwanda. The signed “migration and economic development partnership” stipulates that the UK will send asylum seekers illegally crossing the English Channel — particularly single males — to Rwanda during the asylum application process. While intended to lessen the strain on the UK’s asylum system, the deal does not address the factors which drive migration from Africa to Europe.
Beyond a focus on offshoring the costs of processing migrants to Rwanda, the deal includes a UK investment of $157 million which will go toward supporting the migration diversion process toward Rwanda. Under the agreement, once in Rwanda, asylum seekers will begin the asylum certification process for the UK, and if successful in their applications, will be supported via long-term accommodation in Rwanda. The UK’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said that the agreement is a part of the UK’s new approach to immigration which is intended to “control our borders, protect our communities, stop dangerous illegal migration,” while at the same time to “help the world’s most desperate people” and to “welcome international talents to the UK.”
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