NEW: "Efforts to reduce extremism in the #Philippines do not appear to have made a substantial difference" per acting @DoD_IG Sean O'Donnell in new report on Operation Pacific Eagle–Philippines
#ISIS-#EastAsia, "other violent extremist groups in the #Philippines that either coordinate with or share members w/ISIS, have remained about the same size & strength for the last few years" per @DoD_IG
"...little change in the capabilities, size, financing, & operations"
#Philippine armed forces "continues to conduct counterterrorism operations that keep #ISIS-EA from spreading, & continues to rely on US-provided intelligence, air assets, & other support to conduct counterterrorism operations" per new @DoD_IG report
"We have seen little progress in improving the economic, social, & political conditions" in southern #Philippines "where separatist groups and extremist groups have existed for decades" per new @DoD_IG report
Indications #ISIS-#Philippines taking advantage of #COVID19 - @DoD_IG notes April 17 ambush vs Philippine military on island of #Jolo, killing 12 soldier, wounding 13
Also, discovery of #ISIS cell in #Manila in June - "This incident appears to be significant" per the report
.@INDOPACOM "had previously reported to the DoD OIG that #ISIS-EA operated almost exclusively in the country’s southern provinces and activity near the capital was extremely rare"
"COVID-19 restrictions, coupled w/force rotations, negatively impacted the amount of US intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR) support" per @DoD_IG, citing US Special Operations Command–Pacific
Interesting: @INDOPACOM "assessed that #ISIS-Core may never publicly acknowledge a new ISIS-EA leader due to the length of time since the death of ISIS-EA’s first and only recognized leader, Isnilon Hapilon, in 2017" per @DoD_IG
"International ISIS affiliates regard Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, an #ASG [Abu Sayyaf Group] faction leader, as the de facto leader of #ISIS-EA in the #Philippines" per @DoD_IG, citing @DefenseIntel
#ISIS-East Asia big picture? "While ISIS affiliates are now active in the #Philippines, #Malaysia & #Indonesia, ISIS has not been successful in expanding ISIS-EA’s presence into a functional trans-Southeast Asian movement" @DefenseIntel tells @DoD_IG
#ISIS-#Philippines getting help from few #foreignfighters - "The DIA estimated that there are probably fewer than 40 active foreign fighters supporting ISIS-EA in the Philippines, and that most of these are from #Indonesia and, to a lesser extent, #Malaysia" per @DoD_IG
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NEW: Pentagon says newly declassified intelligence - from the US intelligence community - that #Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are using hospitals in #Gaza, including Al #Shifa, per @DepPentPressSec Sabrina Singh
"We feel very confident in our sourcing"
Comments on the newly declassified US intel on #Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad use of hospital aligns with comments by White House National Security Council spox John Kirby to reporters on AF1
Per NSC's Kirby, US has information that #Hamas, PIJ use some hospitals in #Gaza, including Al Shifa & have tunnels underneath the hospitals to conceal / support their military operations & to hold hostages
NEW: US helping #Israel w/intelligence on external threats from surrounding countries/adversaries as Israeli intel focuses on #Hamas, @DefenseIntel Director LTG Scott Berrier tells @CSIS
"They are really out to destroy Hamas right now
"We are helping them [#Israel] right now try to understand what the regional reactions are to all of this - whats the #Iran|ians are thing, what the Shia militias are thinking in #Iraq & #Syria, what the #Houthis are thinking of doing" per @DefenseIntel's LTG Berrier
#FISA Section 702-"It's absolutely critical to what we do every day" per @DefenseIntel's LTG Berrier, joining the long line of US administration officials pushing for its renewal
"Let's be clear, #Iran is responsible" per the sr defense official, referring to the attacks on US forces in #Iraq #Syria
US F-16s struck a weapons storage facility & a ammunition storage facility in #AbuKamal #Syria used by the #IRGC & #Iran-linked groups, per a senior military official
NEW: #Russia’s efforts to discredit, undermine democratic elections appear to be expanding, according to newly declassified intelligence, spurred on by what the Kremlin sees as its success in disrupting the past two U.S. presidential elections…
The finding, shared in a diplomatic cable sent to + 100 countries, based on a review of Russian information operations between Jan 2020-Dec 2022, found Moscow “engaged in a concerted effort … to undermine public confidence in at least 11 elections across nine democracies”
The US intel review also found what the cable describes as “a less pronounced level of #Russia|n messaging and social media activity” that targeted another 17 democracies
-Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, the leader of the malign influence group who organized a plot to destabilize the #Moldova|N gvt earlier this year
-Yury Yuryevich Makolov, who helped w/logistical support for the plot
NEW: #China's leads world in high-impact research in 19 of 23 technologies, per new analysis by @ASPI_org
Analysis indicates #Biejing has a "commanding lead in #hypersonics, electronic warfare and in key undersea capabilities"
"In #hypersonics, undersea capabilities and electronic warfare, #China’s leads are so emphatic they create a significant risk that China might dominate future technological breakthroughs in these areas" per @ASPI_org
Also, "for some technologies, such as autonomous underwater vehicles, almost all of the leading research institutions are based in #China, where they generate nine times more high-impact research papers than their closest competitors in the #UnitedStates" per @ASPI_org