Read more about the article Rafael to Build an Interconnected AI Platform to Map Indoor Battlefields
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Rafael to Build an Interconnected AI Platform to Map Indoor Battlefields

Recent trends in warfare show that combat environments are increasingly moving to densely inhabited urban areas, as military forces are called upon to counter non-state actors (Del Monte, 2019). This has initiated a fierce academic debate on the neutrality of urban environments (Spencer, 2020). Three main actions are deemed necessary to prepare for the challenges presented by modern urban warfare, notably: highly trained military personnel (able to achieve situational awareness in contested scenarios), a clear and efficient chain of command, and the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies to facilitate the identification of threats (Betz, Stanford-Tuck, 2019).

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12 January 2021
Read more about the article The Bundestag’s Denial of Armed Drones
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The Bundestag’s Denial of Armed Drones

The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) has been using unarmed reconnaissance drones for decades and has recently called for approval for armed combat drones. However, this request has been blocked by the Center-left Social Democrats (SPD) – part of Germany's coalition government – in the German Parliament (The Bundestag). The Bundeswehr was expecting rapid approval from the Bundestag to arm the five Heron TP drones recently acquired from the Israeli manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). However, these drones will operate unarmed, as the vote for “armed drones” has been postponed indefinitely. SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans has argued that "the line between defending the lives and limbs of our soldiers and killing with a joystick is very thin" and that such a debate should deserve more time and serious discussion. Two questions arise from this situation: firstly, have other states banned armed drones? And secondly, would the decision to arm drones lead to an increase in conflicts or civilian deaths?

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7 January 2021
Read more about the article The Importance of The Armed Forces During the Covid-19 Pandemic
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The Importance of The Armed Forces During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic impact in 2020 put the world's healthcare systems, governments, and societies under enormous pressure. The pandemic crisis caught several countries unprepared on the world stage, highlighting several issues in the existing emergency response systems. With the first wave of the pandemic, frontline European countries hit by the emergency had to react to different critical points and issues, such as lack of health care personnel, intensive care equipment and other emergency supplies. At the beginning of the pandemic, the images of military flights in assistance to States facing the emergency first, especially Italy, became famous.

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5 January 2021