PROTECTING U.S. TECHNOLOGY

PROTECTING U.S. TECHNOLOGY

The swift illegal commercial and military imitation of technology does not astonish anyone, but what really surprises is the persistent technological gap between the U.S. and the West. How has the United States preserved its critical military technological advances' gap, estimated to be ten years and over compared with its next rivals, and prevented other countries from acquiring it during these years? 

Methods of Acquiring Technology

In its 2013 report, the U.S. Defense Security Services (DSS) stated that "adversaries surround us with a pervasive miasmatic atmosphere". Once it seeps from any direction, it will poison the U.S. Industry, military, economy and ultimately national security. European, Asian and other countries pursue critical technology persistently through many means including;

1.      Cyberspace: trying to access contractors' websites to get protected information

2.      Acquisition of Technology:  through acquisition of U.S. companies, locally or abroad. In order to obtain schematic diagrams, there are attempts to acquire methods of manufacturing or specification of military equipment.

3.      Academic Solicitation: requesting presentation and lectures, peer reviewing papers, providing consultations or actually joining a university as a student or as an employee.

4.      Requests for information: requesting protected information through telephone, emails or websites under the cover of quotations or market research.

5.      Solicitations or Marketing Services: through sales, representations or demonstrations. The target is to interact with contractors and get the required information.

6.      Foreign Visits: to get access to the site and get information that otherwise cannot be shared.

7.      Direct Employment: wittingly or unwittingly seeking employment to get access to protected information.

8.      Exploitation of Relationship: through joint ventures, official agreements, foreign military sales or business management.

9.      Surveillance: via visual, aural, electronic, photographic or other means to tap information from personnel, equipment and facilities.

10.  Criminal Activities: like theft.

11.  Search and Seizure: searching personnel or properties.

Top Targeted Technologies:

1.      Information Technology

2.      Electronics

3.      Lasers, Optics and Sensors

4.      Aeronautics

5.      Material Process

6.      Space Systems

7.      Global Positioning Systems

8.      Marine Systems

9.      Information Security

10.  Processing and Manufacturing

There is an extensive list that can be googled under the name "Military Critical Technologies List". Here is a case study on how missile technology is pursued.

Acquiring Missiles Technology:

Missiles are manufactured by civilian companies specialized in military industry. The Department of Defense deals with these companies, so called contractors. For such sensitive technologies, contractors must be reliable and certified. To be more accurate and lethal, missile manufacturers are in continuous search for the best technologies, see Figure 1.

Figure 1. Technologies Used in Missile Systems

In the past years, countries that are developing missiles have been interested in such U.S. missile technologies and sought to acquire them legally or illegally. Here is a case study of one of their methods.

In 2012, someone in Asia sent an email to a missile contractor in Alabama in the United States asking for temperature resistant ceramic standards C1211. After investigation, the contractor found that this person is an employee of a defense company specialized in military systems, electronics and guided weapon systems. The contractor also found that this standard is the same as the military standard MIL STD 1942 ceramic that is used in missile structure.

The above was a piece example on how other pieces are integrated to build the complete system.

U.S. Critical Technology Protection Programs

To protect its critical technology, the U.S. Government (represented by Defense, Defense Security Services, Department of Justice, the intelligence and Homeland security) authorize reliable contractors and thwart foreign ambition to collect secrets information. They enacted many protection programs to protect this technology involving the regulation of export and investigating U.S. companies' acquisitions.  These programs are;

1.       Military Critical Technology Program: Headed by Defense and aims to specify technology that is vital to American military dominance.

2.      Dual-Use Export Control System: Headed by Commerce with members from the Defense, CIA, Energy, Homeland Security and Justice to balance interests and control Exports.

3.      Arms Export Control System: lead by the State with members from Defense, Homeland Security and Justice to regulate exports of arms by U.S. Companies and to give priority to national security and foreign policy. The program maintains munitions list.

4.      Foreign Military Sales Program: Headed by the State and Defense with members from Homeland Security to provide foreign governments with U.S. weapons and services. One of its main objectives is interoperability and lowering the unit cost of weapon systems.

5.      National Disclosure Policy Process: a program where the State, Defense and intelligence community determine when to release classified information, weapons or military technology to foreign governments

6.       Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States: Headed by the Treasury with members from Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and offices from the President Executive Office to investigate the effects of foreign investments on national security and to prevent acquisitions that threatens its security.

7.       National Industrial Security Program: Supervised by Defense as a lead with members from other departments and agencies to ensure that contractors, licensees and grantees have the appropriate procedures to protect information under their custody.

8.       Anti-Tamper Policy: Supervised by Defense to prevent or postpone the acquisition or exploitation of weapon system critical technology.

The attack on American technology is relentless and will not stop. The defense to safeguard the technology will also continue. These technologies are the sure way to companies' profit and growth and it is also the way to build any country's military capabilities, confront threats and protect national security.

References:

Defense Security Services.2013. Targeting US Technologies. A trend Analysis of Cleared Industry Reporting. 

United States Government Accountability Office. Protecting Defense Technologies. GAO-13-157. Report to Congressional Committees. January 2013

الارهاب بين الظالم والمظلوم

عدة تغريدات سابقة جمعتها لكم

 https://twitter.com/raalsaadi/status/499807729591279616

لا يوجد معنى واضح للإرهاب. الفقرات التالية تضع شرح بسيط للإرهاب وتؤكد أن العنف ليس وسيلة حل. 

اذا اردنا ان نمنع ما يطلق عليه الارهاب يجب ان نفهم شخصياته الثلاثة:

الشخصيات الثلاثة:

١. الظالم أو المستبد

٢. المظلوم او المضطهد

٣. المظلوم الظالم

لا يستطيع الظالم ان يعامل المظلوم بعدالة لأنه لا يفهمها ولكن يستطيع المظلوم أن يُعلِّم الظالم كيف يتعامل مع المظلوم

إذا فالظالم والمظلوم يحتاجان بعضيهما بشدة ليخرجا من الأزمة. ونشتق منه ان الحرب على الارهاب مفهوم مفاقم ليس حل

المظلوم الظالم هو المظلوم الذي تمكن من ان يتغلب جزئياً على الظالم وأصبح ظالماً يتصرف بنفس الوحشية

يحتاج المظلوم الظالم إلى اعادة تشكيل الفكر لديه والتعليم وليس بالعنف والقوة

إذاً لدى المظلوم مهمتان: 

الاولى ان يحرر نفسة

والثانية أن يحرر الظالم بمساعدته كيف يعامل المظلوم بعدالة

EVEN SNAILS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE

EVEN SNAILS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE

A commentary against the West’s misguided anti-terrorism strategy

Dr Rashid Ali Al-Saadi

“… A few really dedicated people can offset the ill effects of masses of out-of-harmony people, so we who work for peace must not falter” – The Peace Pilgrim

Once, when my family and I were visiting a friend in Switzerland, my kids started collecting snails in the back garden. My host knew us very well. After seeing the children subject the snails to torture-play, she gathered them together and told them, “Look, even a snail has the right to live – we don’t decide whether snails live or die!” From this brief, but effective lesson my children learned a fundamental tenet of justice: don’t oppress the weak. It is a lesson they still remember and practice.

The Muslim Brotherhood, like any other oppressed group, has a right to live and to determine its own destiny.  We cannot isolate or annihilate them. Not only would it be an impossible task, it would also be a desperate and unsustainable one that defies the lessons we’ve learned from history.

Western countries agree that, for many reasons, terrorist organizations and/or Islamist parties should not be allowed to govern countries in the Arab world. On the face of it, the West appears to be afraid that those nations would, in due course, become enemies (particularly against Israel) and would build up nuclear arsenals that would destabilize the world. However, the more likely reason that the West opposes them is fear of economic loss. Whatever the reason, the West’s strategy is unsustainable, exorbitantly expensive in the long run, and simply misguided. There are more practical and economically effective means to build a better world.

* * *

Since FY 2001, the United States has spent $1.5 trillion fighting “wars against terror”.  The true cost is around $5 trillion due to interest on the debt it accrued and the cost of homeland security and veteran care. Most of the US defense planners or leaders who underestimated the durations of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan did so in large part because they failed to comprehend what is entailed in dealing with other, complex cultures. Just imagine how the strategies of other American government departments, dependent on the US Department of Defense, were affected socio-economically by such a misjudgment. Because of their commitment to stand by the U.S. in this effort, NATO and the UK were also affected.

While these misjudgments were significant and costly, one of the greatest failures was in understanding why terrorist organizations do what they do in the first place. This understanding may have not only prevented drawn-out wars, but also prevented the attacks that prompted them. But why do these terrorist organizations do what they do? Simply put, they feel oppressed. Members of terrorist groups been gradually dehumanized over the years, and they are, quite naturally, fighting back to restore their lives, values, and dignity. The fight against terrorism has to be ideological and educational, not military. The philosopher Paolo Freire once theorized that if the oppressed succeed in overthrowing the oppressor, they themselves become the oppressor and act with the same cruelty. Freire also posited that oppressors cannot recover from this behavior on their own; only the oppressed can help them learn how to treat others fairly. Therefore, the oppressed have two tasks: one, to liberate themselves, and two, to help liberate their former oppressor. Applied to anti-terrorism, this leads to the realization that the West’s anti-terrorism strategy does not embrace this philosophy – a philosophy that is essential if we are to solve the ongoing struggle with terrorism and end the ‘war’ against it.

Part of the trouble is that the oppressed are not always capable of undertaking this intricate task. To enact it, a facilitator is needed to teach the oppressed how to do it. This facilitator can be anything – a country, an NGO, the United Nations or even a phenomenon, such as globalization. In the case of the Muslim Brotherhood., they, as the oppressed, took power democratically and then began acting in the same way that their predecessor had, becoming the new oppressor. What happened afterwards – the military coup – was categorically wrong, but the Muslim Brotherhood had antagonized the military by trying to prosecute their intelligence heads. Instead, upon taking power, a facilitator should have assisted the Muslim Brotherhood in developing a way to govern the Egyptian people fairly and to deal with the previous regime in a way that was based on the “oppressed philosophy" .

If, for instance, the forces of globalization had, collectively, been “appointed” the facilitator, then the Muslim Brotherhood would have been allowed to continue as a political party, but they would have ultimately failed unless they faced up to the tough issues that are a direct consequence of globalization. This, in turn, would have forced them to make major concessions or change their ideology to some extent to better align it with global norms. Globalization might prompted acceptance of certain Western values like banking principles, women’s liberation, and true democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood would eventually have had to concede the validity of these new ideas. These global norms can be accommodated within Islamic Sharia law, provided that the law is interpreted or changed accordingly. Sharia scholars can use concessions based on contemporary circumstances to rewrite laws to suit these circumstances. The Renaissance Party in Tunisia has faced the same issues, but unlike the Muslim Brotherhood, they accepted certain Western values and still embrace them.

The change in the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology must be genuine; otherwise, they will come under intense pressure locally from moderates and those affected by the ‘culture of silence’ will revolt against them. If they continue to ignore this necessity, they will be isolated, the economy will suffer and they will ultimately be replaced. 

The West has tried to encourage the development of new democratic societies. However, actively isolating the Muslim Brotherhood, as is currently happening, will create an oppressed people; this isolation will force them to struggle underground in what will later be called terrorist organizations. Ironically, then, the West will have helped to create these organizations through its anti-terrorism strategies. This is definitely unsustainable.

Researchers over the past decades found pertinent facts about terrorism that support the philosophy of the oppressed. RAND, for example, found that terrorist groups dwindle if they are allowed to participate politically.  Conversely, terrorist groups of 10,000 or more members are victorious more than 25% of the time. Given that the Muslim Brotherhood has a membership in the tens of millions, they are highly likely to succeed. Along the same lines, enraging millions of Muslims has only led to an enormous growth in the number of wanted terrorists since the 1990s. It is vital, then, to recognize that political and economic factors sustain conflicts. Reducing poverty and unemployment, increasing social justice, and stopping corruption will lead to a decent standard of living and reduce resentment. However, the best, most long-term, and evidence-based solution is the creation of democratically elected governments. 

Together, these strategies will substantially reduce terrorism and build harmonious societies. Only a very small number of extreme and uncritical enthusiasts or zealots will remain who will need to be controlled by government police and intelligence agencies. That's it!

* * *

The Dalai Lama put it this way: “All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.” We need to be able to instill values in younger generations through liberatory education, which will also rescue them from the ignorance and illiteracy that would make them targets for extremism. We also need to allow nations to aspire to freedom and dignity by allowing them to publicize their experiences and interact with the rest of the world. Eventually, as Paolo Freire explains, they will help us to understand how to treat them better – just as my kids learned about how to treat the oppressed from the snails.   

الغاز الطبيعي والزلازل

الغاز الطبيعي والزلازل

تكهنات

يتناقل البعض تكهنات تفيد بأن قطر ستتعرض لزلزال ضخم بسبب استخراجها للغاز الطبيعي. فهل هناك احتمال أن تتعرض قطر إلى زلزال يكون مركزه داخل الدولة أو ضمن الحدود الاقتصادية للدولة؟ هذا ما سنحاول توضيحه في الفقرات القادمة وهي فرصة لتقديم الثقافة للقارئ في هذا الجانب.

فرضيات

هناك فعلا فرضيات تزعم ان إعادة الشوائب الناتجة من استخراج الغاز وحقنها بضغط عالى على شكل سائل الى باطن الارض يسبب انزلاق الطبقات عن بعضها الذي ينتج عنه تصدع في طبقات الارض وهذا هو سبب بعض انواع الزلازل. في أوهايو ، منذ العام ٢٠٠١ وحتى يومنا ، حدث ١٤ زلزال بسبب استخراج الغاز الطبيعي وضخ الشوائب الى باطن الأرض ، وهنا فيديو يصرح بذلك. وهنا أيضاً فيديو يشرح باللغة الإنجليزية ما ذكرته عن إنزلاق الطبقات. وأيضا فيديو باللغة العربية يوضح كيف تحدث الزلازل.

درجة التعرض لدولة قطر

ويحدد نطاق الزلازل جغرافيا حسب تعرض المنطقة خلال التاريخ. أما حدة وقوة الضرر التي تسببه هذه النطاقات فتعتمد على تسارع تحرك سطح الأرض ذهاباً وإياباً. وهي كالتالي:

التصنيف	تسارع تحرك الأرض جيئة وذهابا  (متر/الثانية2)	اللون
تعرض قليل جداً	0 - 0.2
تعرض قليل	0.2 - 0.8
تعرض متوسط	0.8 - 2.4
مرتفع	2.4 - 4.0
مرتفع بشدة	> 4.0

وصنفت منظمة الصحة العالمية المخاطر الزلزالية في قطر حسب الخارطة التالية:

هذا التصنيف أتى بناءً على حسابات تاريخية نوضحها بخارطة المنطقة التالية:

المصدر: Science for Changing World.

وهناك معايير محددة من منظور الزلازل للمباني والعمارات السكنية تستخدمها شركات التأمين والتي تشترط بناؤها حسب هذه المعايير. ولا توجد معلومات إن كانت المباني في قطر تلتزم بهذه المعايير. أما في الإمارات العربية المتحدة فقد أعلنت بلدية دبي أن المباني التي تبلغ أربعة طوابق وأعلى تخضع للمعيار 2a والذي يقاوم الزلازل حتى 5.5 بمقياس رختر. ولمعرفة هذه التصنيفات ، أنظر الجدول التالي :

المعامل	تسارع تحرك الأرض بالعجلة الارضية	تسارع تحرك الأرض (متر/الثانية2)
0	0g	0
1	0.075g	0.735
2a	0.20g	1.96
2b	0.30g	2.94
4	0.40g	3.92

المصدر: Science for Changing World.  مع ملاحظة أن g=9.8 m/s²

اما المباني السكنية العادية والفلل فلا تصمم من منظور معامل الزلزال. وبناءً عليه ، فإن أي هزة أرضية تزيد عن 6 درجات بمقياس رختر ربما تتسبب بحدوث أضرار في المنشآت حسب قوة الزلزال. واذا كان المبنى قريبا من مركز الزلزال فإن الضرر سيكون الأقوى اما اذا كانت المسافة 50 كم عن المركز فإن القوة تضعف بمقدار الثُمن أي ¹/₈  . كذلك المدة الزمنية التي يحدث فيها الزلزال مؤثرة أكبر ان طالت. ومن العوامل المؤثرة نوع الأرض فكلما كانت لينة فإنها تتحرك وتنزلق وتهتز أكثر من الأرض الصخرية المتماسكة. وهناك اهتزازات بموجات عالية تؤثر أكثر على المباني الصغيرة اما المباني العالية فإنها تتأثر من موجات الزلزال المنخفضة (سرعة الاهتزازات أبطأ).

واذا افترضنا صحة الفرضيات التي تتبنى انزلاق طبقات الأرض بسبب ضخ شوائب استخراج الغاز الطبيعي ، فإن مركز حقل الشمال يبعد 90 كم عن رأس لفان بمدينة الخور و 160 كم عن مدينة الدوحة. ولأن الأبحاث تشير إلى أن قوة الزلازل الناتجة عن هذا الضخ قد تصل الى 4 او 5 درجات بمقياس رختر ، يمكن أن نسحب من ذلك أن أي حادث زلزالي ستضعف موجاته تدريجيا حتى تصل الى ¹/₁₆ من قوته الأصلية في الخور و ¹/₂₄ من قوته ستصيب مدينة الدوحة. بمعنى لو كانت شدة الزلزال 5 درجات بمقياس رختر في مركز حقل الشمال ، فإن مدينة الخور ستتعرض الى 3.6 درجات بمقياس رختر وستتعرض مدينة الدوحة الى 3.4 درجات. طبعاً هذه حسابات تقديرية حسب المعطيات. الأمر الذي لا يقود الى الذعر والهلع كثيراً.

ولأننا لا يمكن أن نتنبأ بإحتمال وزمن وقوع الزلازل او عدم حدوثها ، فإن علينا مسؤولية توقع حدوثها والاستعداد لها وحماية عوائلنا. ونطالب المسؤولين في الدولة أن يهتموا بهذا الجانب من باب الإستعداد واعادة دراسة المواصفات المطلوبة للمباني السكنية والفلل على وجه الخصوص. ويمكننا القول بما أن التربة في قطر معظمها رسوبية صخرية كلما ابتعدنا عن السواحل وان المباني السكنية مثل الفلل يدخل فيها أعمدة خرسانية مسلحة وتتكون من طابقين فقط فإن الضرر الناتج عن زلزال بقوة 4 - 5 رختر ربما لا يتسبب بأضرار كبيرة ما عدا بعض الحوائط التي ربما تصدعت او انهارت بسبب قوة السحب الأفقية للمبنى. 

إذاً ، نخلص أن قطر ربما تعرضت لزلازل صناعية عن طريق ضخ الشوائب في باطن الأرض ولكنها لن تكون كارثية ويمكن الحد من تأثيراتها بالاستعداد لطوارئها ووضع معايير بناء ملزمة للعمارات والفلل والشقق السكنية.

إحتياطات من باب السلامة
كيف تستعد للزلزال قبل وقوعه وتتصرف عند وبعد وقوعه:

الاستعداد والاستجابة للزلزال

أمّن مكانك: بالتعرف على المخاطر وتأمينها

خطط للسلامة : ضع خطة السلامة وطريقة الاتصال

نظم وخزن المواد التي ستحتاجها عند الطوارئ: لا تنسى الادوية

قلل أزماتك المالية: احتفظ بالوثائق المهمة وعزز دعائم البيت واشترك بالتأمين

عند وقوع الزلزال: اسقط على الارض واحمي رأسك طالما الارض تتحرك

عزز السلامة بعد الزلزال: إخلي المكان ، ساعد المصابين وامنع وقوع اي  اصابات أخرى

كتاب إدارة الأزمات:

يمكنك تنزيل كتاب "ادارة الأزمات" مجاناً للكاتب وتجد عن هذا الموضوع في صفحة 233

اللهم احفظنا من كل مكروه