Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Tuesday, 22 November 2022.
GEOPOLITICS BRIEF
IRAN CUTS INTERNET IN CRACKDOWN ON UNREST: Independent internet monitor NetBlocks announced a major disruption to Iranian internet networks as violent unrest sweeps the nation. NetBlocks said the disruption had severed the mobile internet for many users across the country in an apparent crackdown on the communications networks utilized by protestors and activist groups. The announcement comes as unconfirmed early reports indicate Iranian security forces launched major operations in the country’s western Kurdish-populated regions where open source videos indicate Iranian forces may have fired on protestors with live munitions resulting in casualties.
ONE-THIRD OF LEBANON BEING FED BY UN FOOD PROGRAM: The United Nations World Food Program announced earlier today that it has boosted its food assistance to Lebanon and is now feeding approximately one-third of the country’s population. Lebanon has a population of about 6 million people, 1 million of which are Syrian refugees. Food prices in Lebanon are 16 times higher than they were in October 2019, at the start of the current financial crisis.
RUSSIA BECOMES LARGEST FERTILIZER SUPPLIER TO INDIA: During the first half of fiscal year 2022/23, Russia became the largest supplier of fertilizer to India’s massive agricultural sector. India’s fertilizer imports from Russia grew by 371% to a record 2.15 million tons. Russia has cornered over one-fifth of the global fertilizer market by offering steep discounts.
U.S. DEVELOPING HYPERSONIC COUNTERMEASURES: At a press conference with U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sam Paparo on Friday, Paparo stated that the U.S. was accelerating the timeline for fielding U.S. hypersonic weapons as well as the developing hypersonic missile countermeasures. Both Northrop Grumman and Raytheon defense industries are developing a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) capable of striking Chinese hypersonic glide vehicles. Raytheon’s prototype is based on the Standard Missile (SM) ballistic missile defense model and could be integrated aboard U.S. Navy AEGIS destroyers with minimal redesign effort. No timeline for the initial operational capability of the GPI was discussed.
In today’s Early Warning, the team looks at the latest domestic and geopolitical developments, including the continued threat of a rail strike in the U.S. and international weapons movement. You can get the full report by subscribing at https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe