Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Monday, 21 March 2022. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- White House pivots to nuclear energy
- Qatar makes gas deal with Germany
- DoD releases ‘JADC2’ strategy for near-peer war
- Justice Department community policing plan
- Hazards Warning
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
WHITE HOUSE PIVOTS TO NUCLEAR ENERGY: The Biden Administration has released a statement calling for the initiatives for nuclear fusion energy as part of the clean energy agenda. The Deputy Director of White House Science and Technology Policy, Alondra Nelson, stated that nuclear energy investment is critical to decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050. The Department of Energy (DOE) is directed “to develop a decadal strategy to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector.” Almost 19% of U.S. energy comes from nuclear sources compared to the over 60% from fossil fuels. (Analyst Comment: The effort comes after the U.S. feels the impact of energy dependency from global oil supplies. The Russia-Ukraine war is reinforcing the domestic energy independence debate since President Biden began his agenda toward green energy. The shift of focus to nuclear fusion comes as wind and solar energy alternatives have not demonstrated the capacity to replace traditional oil energy sources. — D.F.)
QATAR MAKES ENERGY DEAL WITH GERMANY: Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and massive spikes in energy prices, the German government announced it would build its first two liquified natural gas terminals. Qatar said it “would re-engage and progress discussions on long term LNG supplies.” (AC: When the U.S. asked, the Qatari government refused to boost production capacity before Russia’s invasion. Since the military advance failed to meet initial expectations, global energy suppliers are working with European consumers for energy alternatives. No matter the outcome, the energy relationship between Europe and Russia will change dramatically. — D.M.)
DOD RELEASES JADC2 STRATEGY FOR NEAR-PEER WAR: Last week, the Department of Defense (DOD) released an unclassified summary of its Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy. The key areas for investment are described as “sense, make sense, and act.” The platform will be driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms that will analyze aggregated data of adversary action and intentions. The strategy will integrate all forms of command and control (C2), including nuclear C2 and communications. (AC: Increased speed in decision-making is seen as the key factor to win a high-end fight with a near-peer adversary, such as China and Russia. The ability to quickly fuse numerous sensor nodes globally into an AI-aided C2 decision-making system is touted by the DOD as putting us ahead of our enemies. Major investment toward modernization is expected to equip current legacy systems with sensors. — D.F.)
JUSTICE DEPT COMMUNITY POLICING PLAN: The Justice Department announced expanded technical assistance to local law enforcement. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) will conduct voluntary “organizational assessments” to address “systemic issues” within police departments. According to Attorney General Garland, this program is intensive and is “designed to transform a law enforcement agency’s operations and its relationship with the community.” (AC: While program participation may be voluntary now, future federal funding could prefer departments who participate. Increased federal involvement in local policing raises the risk of politically motivated Justice Department officials influencing communities beyond their mandates. — D.M.)
HAZARDS WARNING
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