Get the latest security and defense stories from across the Americas.
World Space Week is an annual United Nations-sponsored event held October 4-10 in more than 95 countries to commemorate the contributions of space science and technology to humanity. On October 4, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) and various civilian and military institutions joined this celebration with an event that brought together more than 1,000 participants from the Colombian academic and…
The Colombian Air Force (FAC) is preparing to launch its second satellite, FACSAT-2 Chiribiquete, in February 2023, with a greater payload capacity. It will be used to detect environmental risks and threats; combat illegal mining; and monitor energy, port, and road infrastructure, and for airspace surveillance operations. The satellite will reach space on the FALCON 9 rocket of the Transporter…
In a late August report, U.S. cybersecurity company Venafi indicated that 66 percent of organizations worldwide modified their cybersecurity strategy, as a “direct response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.” “Everyone is a target, and unlike a kinetic warfare attack, only you can defend your business against nation-state cyberattacks,” Kevin Bocek, vice president of Security Strategy and Threat Intelligence…
General Rodolfo Pereyra took over as head of the Uruguayan Defense General Staff (ESMADE) in April 2022. Since then, his focus has been on consolidating strategic and organizational guidelines to chart a new course for ESMADE. A graduate of the Aeronautic Military School in December 1987 as a Second Lieutenant and with 35 years of military career, Gen. Pereyra has…
The Brazilian Ministry of Defense-sponsored Cyber Guardian exercise is the Southern Hemisphere’s main annual cyber warfare training exercise. Its objective is to simulate cyber threats to critical structures — hydroelectric power plants, banks, and airports, for example — in order to stimulate collaborative actions to protect the information technology systems of these structures. The fourth edition, carried out August 16-19…
Colombian authorities are determined to make inroads into space development, and have begun to reap the benefits of data collected on intelligence, cartography, climate, agriculture, and airspace and terrestrial security, among others. In the future Colombia will seek to create its own space agency. For the time being, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) put into operation the Space Operations Center…
On August 26, the Brazilian Navy (MB) celebrated 106 years of Naval Aviation, and the big star of the event was the recently established 1st Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron (EsqdQE-1). The new squadron is composed of six ScanEagle drones, as well as two catapult launchers and two recovery systems. According to the MB, the drones will be used for intelligence,…
The Argentine Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff (EMCFFAA) is celebrating its anniversary. On September 9, 2022, the organization celebrated 74 years of institutional life and its chairman, Army Lieutenant General Juan Martín Paleo, further committed to strengthening its institutional mission of assisting and advising the Ministry of Defense on military strategy and consolidating a coordinated military strategic synergy with…
The Brazilian War College (ESG) hosted the 23rd Ibero-American Defense College Directors Conference, held August 29-September 2. Diálogo spoke with the ESG commandant, Brazilian Army Lieutenant General Adilson Carlos Katibe, about the conference and other topics. Diálogo: How important is that conference? And how important is it that it was held in Brazil on the bicentennial of the country’s Independence?…
Russia is keeping up its attempts to turn cyberspace into a battlefield by attacking its adversaries with a type of malware known as wiper, which destroys the hard drive of infected computers, erasing all data and programs, and causing enormous damage to companies and organizations, Spanish cybersecurity firm S21sec says in a study. “Let’s recall that the targets of these…
Russia announced its plans to install a GLONASS satellite navigation ground station in Venezuela. The GLONASS system is similar to the GPS of the United States and the Galileo system of Europe. According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the deployment of the station is part of the agreement between Moscow and Caracas on cooperation in the exploitation and use…
When the Brazilian Cyber Defense Command (CDCiber) showcased itself to representatives of 15 nations August 18 as part of its Cyber Guardian Exercise, two New York Army National Guard Soldiers represented the United States. Captain Andrew Carter, the information systems officer for the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters battalion, and Chief Warrant Officer Two Nefertiti Stokes, a 173rd Cyber Protection Team…
