Latest news with #Assured
Observer
7 days ago
- Business
- Observer
The military sector strategic, economic, and social value
Whether a small island nation or a continental superpower, the military sectors directly shape how citizens experience security, work opportunities, and even everyday technology. Governments routinely test the limits of their budgets, weighing fresh investments against schools, roads, or health-care clinics. Behind these debates sits the twin reality that a capable armed force can either deter foreign ambitions or drain resources; yet the spending keeps turning over because it kneads tightly together defense, diplomacy, infrastructure, employment, and global reputation. By meeting vocational engineers, software developers, and robotics experts on a single campus, modern militaries can prompt breakthroughs that later show up in commercial products or disaster relief operations. Because assets such as satellites and secure communication grids must function around the clock, civilian life indirectly steers a constant stream of innovation, while public orders sustain precision factories, shipyards, and high-skill laboratories across multiple markets. This piece digs into those overlapping strands, starting with the unmistakable duty of securing people from invasion and coercion, then tracking how that work spills onto the budget line for research, jobs, and civic trust. It touches on rising global patterns-from space-to-sea competition to asymmetric threats-and weighs the merit of broad spending against criticism that armed forces sometimes crowd out softer development needs, distort markets, or trap governments behind permanent high fences. NATIONAL SECURITY AND SOVEREIGNTY Protecting Territorial Integrity: At its core, a nation's military exists to curtain and safeguard its land, sea, and air boundaries, ensuring that government decisions remain free from external seizure. Strategic Deterrence: Deterrence lies at the heart of modern defence planning. By maintaining credible nuclear arsenals or cutting-edge conventional forces, countries can dissuade rivals from starting wars they might otherwise consider. Cold War's Mutual Assured Destruction and today's NATO posture illustrate how assured retaliation keeps the peace. 16 Military Sector's Strategic Economic and Social Dimensions THE MILITARY AS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE Job Creation: The defence establishment churns out jobs on a huge scale. Careers range from enlisted troops and regular officers to civilian engineers, scientists, and office staff working for private contractors. In the United States alone, more than 1.3 million active personnel and roughly 800,000 reservists are on payroll, backed by millions in factories and labs feeding the military pipeline. Infrastructure Development: Military projects routinely spur the build-out of critical infrastructure-roads, air strips, ports, clinics, and comms grids that civilians later rely on daily. In many nations, combat engineers help lay down dams or wilderness highways, effectively merging defence goals with broader public growth initiatives. Boosting Research and Development: Military research and development has long been a catalyst for big-ticket technology leaps. Groundbreaking ideas-such as the internet, GPS, jet engines, and radar-emerged first inside defense labs. Spending on defense tech feeds aerospace, robotics, AI, and cybersecurity, creating dual-use tools that civilian markets later adopt. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT AND INNOVATION Military-Industrial Complex: When military needs align with industrial know-how, fresh technologies often follow. The United States, China, and Russia have poured resources into their military-industrial complexes, and many breakthroughs born there eventually trickle down to commercial users. Dual-Use Technology: Tools originally designed for war frequently slip into civilian hands. Some clear examples include: • Drones (UAVs): Once built for spying and strikes, they now scan fields, ferry packages, and shoot films. • Satellite Navigation: GPS started on the battlefield, yet it now guides cars and hikers worldwide. DIPLOMACY AND GLOBAL INFLUENCE Military Diplomacy: Joint drills, arms sales, and military training smooth a nations diplomatic path. Stronger militaries trade defense partnerships for sway, shaping alliances and steering geopolitics in ways soft power alone cannot. Power Projection: Long-range aircraft carriers, intercontinental missiles, and a network of foreign bases let states extend their influence far from home. By fielding these assets, governments strengthen their diplomatic stature and gain the speed needed to tackle crises, subtly steering the rules that keep the international system running. EMERGENCY AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE Disaster Response: When earthquakes, floods, or pandemics strike, armed forces frequently arrive first, cutting through red tape. With cargo planes, medical brigades, and mobile engineers, they form the backbone of rapid relief, moving supplies, treating injuries, and clearing debris long before civilian agencies can scale up. Peacekeeping Missions: Military units also uphold global stability through United Nations peacekeeping. Nations such as India, Bangladesh, and Rwanda send soldiers thousands of kilometres away, putting themselves between rival factions and helping resume civilian life in places ravaged by conflict. National Identity and Social Integration National Pride: A credible military fuels a country's pride and sense of purpose. Public ceremonies, colour-rich parades, and solemn memorials recall victories and sacrifices, knitting citizens together around a story everyone can honour and admire. Service members elevated to hero status spark widespread patriotism and temporary, yet striking, solidarity. Social Cohesion: Conscription or voluntary service pulls together people from different tribes, classes, and regions under a single banner. Gruelling drills, late-night watches, and shared triumphs blur social lines, teaching respect, trust, and the pragmatic truth that each recruits effort is indispensable to the unit. POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS Military and Civil-Military Relations: In most countries the armed forces are a key player in how power is organised. Strong democracies keep the military firmly under civilian leadership, linking defence plans directly to broader national priorities. Yet in a number of states the generals sit at the political table, shaping policy and sometimes limiting public freedoms. Strategic Autonomy: Building local weapons and equipment lets a government lean less on outside suppliers. India, France and Turkey, among others, have poured resources into their own factories in hopes of boosting sovereignty and dreaming of true strategic independence. GLOBAL MILITARY SPENDING TRENDS Top Military Spenders: Research published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) still names these five giant budgets: United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia When their totals are added, they make up about 60 percent of all defence dollars worldwide. Some seek to keep a global edge, while others react to real or imagined threats at home. Arms Race and Regional Tensions: Across South Asia, the Middle East and waters near China, spending spikes fuel old rivalries and wide uncertainties. Governments argue that new missiles or fleets are pure deterrence, even when most analysts fear the arms spiral erodes stability. CRITICISM AND CONTROVERSIES Military Expenditure vs. Social Spending: Many observers contend that huge defense budgets drain money that could otherwise improve hospitals, schools, and social safety nets. In several low-income nations this tension fuels heated arguments over how best to keep citizens safe and prosperous. Militarization and Human Rights: Authoritarian governments often deploy the armed forces to quash protests and tighten political control, triggering abuses that shock watchdog groups. When paramilitary units, armed police, and surveillance drones mimic military operations, long-standing civil liberties also come under severe strain. Environmental Impact: From live-fire exercise scorch marks to fighter-jet exhaust, defense work leaves a heavy ecological footprint that rarely makes headline news. Bomb tests, base-clearing deforestation, and routine naval drills contaminate soil, harm wildlife, and push carbon totals higher. FUTURE OF THE MILITARY SECTOR Cyber Warfare and AI: Information technology is rapidly becoming the main theater of conflict. Governments pour money into hacker squads, machine-learning analysis, and drone-like robots, hoping to outpace enemy software and give human commanders real-time, reliable options. Space Militarization: New divisions for space war watched by the United States, China, and India underline that orbit is the next arena where power will be measured. Defensive satellites, ground-deployed anti-satellite missiles, and infrared alerts overhead now shape the very heart of deterrence thinking. Robotics and Autonomous Systems: Robotic vehicles-ranged from surveillance drones to driver-less fighting vehicles-are being built to work faster than people and keep soldiers out of harm's way. In the next few decades, these systems will reshape how battles are fought and how supplies move across front lines. CONCLUSION The military is more than weapons; it guards borders, steers jobs, shapes diplomacy, and pushes technology. A robust force protects lives, yet its goals must mesh with social progress, public checks, and care for nature. Tomorrow's defense hinges less on sheer firepower and more on cyber shields, machine brains, joint drills, and clear rules. As challenges grow, wise, principled spending on arms and training will still mark a nation´s standing at home and abroad.
Agriland
03-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Sheep trade: Eid festival fails to bring expected price rises
This week's sheep trade sees some of the stronger spring lamb, hogget and cull ewe prices reduced from last Monday's price offers as the Muslim festival of Eid al Adha on Friday, June 6, has failed to bring any factory price positivity. Speaking to Agriland, Tullow Mart's Eric Driver said that a change in the interpretation of a rule last year has had an impact on the live trade for Irish lambs going to mainland Europe. The mart manager said that this year, the export demand was only for lambs going direct to slaughter as opposed to previous years where lambs could go for further feeding. This, he said, reduced the window of the alternative-market opportunity to a shorter period of time. Driver said: 'A €10/head premium was available. The 47-53kg ram lambs were making €4.30/kg, that's €197 for 46kg. A 46kg ewe or ram lamb today, €186 would be a very good price. 'The most important point is we took away a little bit of independence from the meat industry for the last 10 days.' Sheep trade: Factory price offers This week, Kepak is quoting €9.00/kg for Quality Assured (QA) spring lambs up to 21kg. This is the same price offer here as last Monday. The Athleague, Co. Roscommon-based factory is quoting €7.40/kg for QA hoggets up to 23kg carcass weight. Kepak is quoting €5.00-5.10/kg for cull ewes. Irish Country Meats (ICM), which is currently running a competition for young sheep farmers, is quoting €8.80/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus for spring lambs, leaving €9.00/kg on offer here up to 21kg carcass weight. This price is back €0.20c/kg from last Monday. The Navan, Co. Meath and Camolin, Co. Wexford-based factories are quoting €7.30/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, leaving €7.50/kg on offer here for hoggets up to 23kg carcase weight. ICM is quoting €5:00/kg for cull ewes. Kildare Chilling has no official quotes for this week however, Agriland understands the outlet is paying farmers up to €9.00/kg for spring lambs, €7.20/kg for hoggets and €5.00/kg for cull ewes. Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow is quoting €8.80/kg for spring lambs and €5.30/kg for cull ewes. Sheep kill Sheep kill numbers continue to trend below last year, with the 2025 cumulative sheep kill down 17% or 161,000 head from the same time of last year. 33,000 sheep were slaughtered in week 20 this year, down 18% from the 41,000 sheep slaughtered in the same week of last year.
Tom's Guide
21-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Securely download Mullvad VPN with its new loader application
You can now securely download the Mullvad VPN app thanks to the newly launched Mullvad VPN loader application. The best VPNs are known for their transparency and security, and Mullvad is championing this in its latest feature. The loader downloads the Mullvad VPN app. It automatically checks it's the real deal, verifying the app's authenticity. This cuts out any chance of you downloading a malicious copycat app. The loader is fast and secure, and is available for Mullvad's Windows and Mac VPN apps. It can also be re-used to update and install the latest versions of Mullvad VPN. Mullvad has always used PGP signatures to authenticate the software it releases, but previously it has been up to the user to verify it themselves. The new loader's automation removes this hurdle. The loader has the same PGP signature as all other Mullvad releases, meaning you can also verify the loader itself. Mullvad has a guide on verifying signatures. Before now, the Mullvad VPN desktop app was only hosted by Mullvad on servers in Sweden, with GitHub as a backup. This has now been expanded and the Mullvad VPN app can be securely downloaded from one of a global network of third-party content delivery networks (CDNs). A CDN is a server that delivers website content to a user. In its blog post, Mullvad says downloading the Mullvad VPN app from a CDN that is closer to a user "enables faster downloads than was previously possible." Mullvad is known for being one of the most private VPNs and we contacted the provider to ask about the privacy ramifications arising from CDN use. Mullvad's tech lead said the loader "cryptographically verifies the integrity of the installer before launching it," meaning no malicious software can be downloaded. According to Mullvad, "the CDN can see what IPs request the installer" and "can infer what OS that IP is running." So, unless users use a different VPN to download the installer, the CDN – a third-party – will know some personal information about users. It can't see your VPN traffic or if you've even used the VPN. But it can see you've downloaded the installer, which is a small privacy drawback. This was acknowledged by Mullvad, who said it was "approved by the company before the project." However, Mullvad CEO Jan Jonsson confirmed that users can still download Mullvad VPN the old way by navigating to the "Alternative installation" section of its website. This means you're still downloading the app direct from Mullvad's Swedish server, bypassing the CDN. Doing this means you lose the automatic verification of the new loader, but won't share your IP address with a third-party. Users can still verify everything they're downloading thanks to Mullvad's PGP signatures. Mullvad described the correctness of this app as "paramount." Due to its sensitive nature and "potential attack vectors," Mullvad had the app's protocol and source code independently audited by Assured. Assured said it was contracted to "perform an audit of a new app functionality that allows downloading of new versions of the Mullvad VPN app installer from CDN sources in a secure manner." The group reviewed "the installer downloader application, the script generating installer releases, and the installer metadata." Following completion of the audit, Assured said "the new downloader installer solution seems to be well thought out and implemented." Mullvad says the loader "will be the primary way for our users to get the Mullvad VPN app going forward," and offers installation instructions for all devices. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Skye salmon farm suspended over alleged abuse videos
A fish farm on the Isle of Skye has been suspended from an animal welfare scheme after campaigners filmed videos allegedly showing "systemic cruelty" to salmon. Animal rights campaigners from the Green Britain Foundation said the footage from the Mowi farm at Loch Harport showed the fish being beaten and suffocated to death. They urged the RSPCA to suspend the company's 54 other salmon farms in Scotland, which are still certified under the charity's Assured labelling scheme. Mowi said it was fully cooperating with the RSPCA on its investigation, adding that its salmon are well cared for and the footage had been misconstrued. The Green Britain Foundation said its videos showed more than 18 incidents of animal cruelty across multiple days in March 2025. The RSPCA is investigating the fish farm rather than SSPCA because the salmon is sold under one of its schemes. It has now instructed supermarkets to remove Mowi salmon products from their shelves. The RSPCA said the videos were "extremely upsetting" and it was "totally unacceptable for any animal to be treated in this way". The footage has also been reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency - a government body which can take legal action if necessary. Animal welfare standards require that the time a fish spends out of water should "never exceed 15 seconds for a live fish" and that dying fish should be given "a non-recoverable percussive blow to the head of the fish to render it immediately insensible". But the Green Britain Foundation claimed the footage showed fish being left out of the water to suffocate for minutes at a time, and some being beaten several times before they finally died. Founder Dale Vince said: "This footage of cruelty on a Mowi fish farm is absolutely horrifying. "These are not isolated incidents - this is systematic cruelty showing a complete disregard for animal welfare, for sentient life. "This isn't just a breach of standards - it's a culture of cruelty that has no place in any industry - let alone one claiming to meet RSPCA welfare standards." He urged the RSPCA should "drop Mowi entirely - not just this one farm". "Anything less would be a betrayal of their own standards and the animals they claim to protect," Mr Vince added. However Mowi Scotland said the Green Britain Foundation was "known for its opposition to farming animals for people to eat". A spokesperson said: "The husbandry staff featured in the footage were removing around 12 poor performing salmon from a large pen holding more than 40,000 healthy salmon. "Our salmon at the farm are in great condition, are looked after and are reared in clean water off the west coast of Scotland. "We are fully cooperating with the RSPCA while its team conducts a full investigation. While we do understand that the footage showing these fish being dispatched may be concerning to some people, percussive stun to dispatch fish is the most effective and humane method in these circumstances." They added: "The staff are working on floating pens in what appears to be a very windy day so would be trying to ensure that the fish are stunned as quickly as possible and so some fish received multiple blows, but that is to ensure they are quickly euthanised." Mowi Scotland said it would refresh animal welfare training for its farming teams to ensure they meet RSPCA standards. Salmon farming improvements making 'slow progress' Salmon producer Mowi could sell Skye feed mill
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Assured Data Protection Launches Innovation Team Initiative to Expand Portfolio of Technologies and Services for Customers
Cyber Resiliency Expert Tony Giannini Joins Assured to LeadVital Strategic Initiative as Global Expansion Gathers Pace HERNDON, Va. & LEEDS, England, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Assured Data Protection (Assured), the prominent IT managed services provider (MSP) for cloud data protection solutions, today announces the launch of its Innovation Team—a strategic initiative aimed at expanding the company's market-leading disaster recovery (DR), backup, and cyber resiliency services with the addition of new technologies that complement current data protection services. Led by Tony Giannini, a seasoned executive from the IT service sector who recently joined Assured, the Innovation Team will focus on identifying and implementing technologies that bring new value to customers beyond Assured's current Rubrik-based offering. Tony will be supported by UK-based cyber resiliency leaders Chris Deacon and Nik Grove, alongside other team members. The team's first innovation initiative, which is already underway, has seen Assured partner with hybrid-cloud computing company Nutanix to deliver a first-of-its-kind backup and DR solution to customers. Nutanix Disaster Recovery as-a-Service, delivered by Assured, requires no investment in facilities or hardware and operationalizes Nutanix disaster recovery solutions, providing protection to customers in over 70 countries worldwide. By combining Nutanix replication with traditional data protection offerings, customers can prioritize their workloads, matching recovery speed to the most critical applications while leveraging lower-cost solutions for those workloads that can support longer recovery time and point capabilities. It can be operational within hours, providing Nutanix customers with the confidence of a robust backup and DR solution, delivered by an award-winning global data backup and disaster recovery managed service provider. The product is already proving to be highly successful for Assured, Nutanix, and their customers. As a result, Assured has been named Nutanix MSP of the Year for 2024 in the UK. The two companies will now explore ways to deepen and expand the partnership, led by Assured's Innovation Team. Stacy Hayes, EVP of Americas, Assured Data Protection, commented: "The formation of our Innovation Team is an important strategic initiative for Assured. We've built a strong business taking Rubrik's market-leading disaster recovery and immutable backup technology to market through our MSP model. As we grow and expand globally, now is the time to build on our success by adding additional technologies that will complement our data protection services, bringing new value to our customers. We're thrilled to have Tony Giannini onboard to lead this initiative, supported by Chris Deacon and Nik Grove. The Innovation Team will greatly contribute to our rapid growth." Tony Giannini, Global Innovations Team Leader, Assured Data Protection, commented: "This is a great time to be joining Assured and a fantastic opportunity to work with the most talented people in the data protection space. I'm looking forward to working with the Innovation Team to develop adjacent technologies that complement Assured's as-a-service offer in a stand-alone product development business unit within the company." Chris Deacon, Co-Lead, Innovation Team, Assured Data Protection, commented: "There's a great need and demand for innovation in the backup and disaster recovery sector, especially around managed services. Nik and I have worked together as a team for over 10 years, having built and run successful technology businesses in this sector. We understand the market and customer pain points, and we're delighted to work with Tony Giannini to provide customers with more technology options to solve their specific challenges, while helping Assured diversify its technology portfolio." Innovation Key to Assured's Global Expansion Fulfilling a long-standing strategic vision of Assured Data Protection's founders—and backed by a 2024 capital investment from Oakley Capital—the company is accelerating its global expansion. While the United States and the United Kingdom remain Assured's largest and most established markets, the company continues to scale its presence across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa. This growth reflects rising global demand for consumption-based IT services and Assured's managed offerings, which deliver added value by allowing organizations to offload the critical, but non-mission supportive, function of data protection and cyber resiliency/disaster recovery as a service. About Assured Data ProtectionAssured Data Protection is a global data backup, disaster recovery, business continuity, and extended detection and response managed service provider. With more than 200 years of combined industry experience, Assured Data Protection delivers scalable solutions and gained the distinction of being selected by Solutions Review Magazine as a Top 20 Vendor for data disaster recovery and CIO Review as a Top 20 Vendor for data backup. For more information, visit To book a meeting with the Assured team, please contact us at info@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Assured Data Protection Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
