September 20, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Security
By CINDY CHANG
Drones became a permanent part of the Los Angeles Police Department's crime-fighting arsenal Tuesday, despite opposition from privacy advocates who fear the remote-controlled aircraft will be used to spy on people.
In a yearlong trial, the LAPD's SWAT team deployed drones four times, mostly when suspects were barricaded and the device provided a bird's eye view of the property's nooks and crannies.
On Tuesday, the five-member civilian Police Commission unanimously approved new regulations that enshrine the drones' use in specific situations, including active shooters, barricaded suspects and search warrants.
The drones will not be equipped with weapons or facial recognition software, according to the regulations, which are similar to those governing the trial program.
In July, at Chief Michel Moore's recommendation, the use of drones was expanded beyond SWAT to include the bomb squad in neutralizing explosives and sweeping large public events for radioactive devices.
Drones “provide invaluable information to decision makers while decreasing the risk to human life,” Moore wrote in a July 3 report, noting that everyone is safer when the devices check out a dangerous situation instead of officers going in blind.
The LAPD joins about 600 other law enforcement agencies around the country that use drones, according to a 2018 report by Bard College's Center For the Study of the Drone.
The new regulations will ensure that the drones are not “being used in a flippant manner,” Asst. Chief Horace Frank, who runs the department's counter-terrorism and special operations bureau, told the Police Commission on Tuesday.
The LAPD's drone regulations are more restrictive than those of many other agencies, Frank said. Each drone deployment must be approved by a commander and a deputy chief, and the Police Commission will receive an annual report.
Asked by Commissioner Eileen Decker whether drones can help de-escalate volatile situations, Frank cited a June 15 incident when a drone flew near a man who had barricaded himself in a trucking yard.
“The minute we deployed the device at the entrance to the trailer and he saw it, he gave up,” Frank said.
Activists said the LAPD and Police Commission have disregarded citizens who expressed reservations about the drones in community meetings and online surveys.
One activist, Michael Novick, predicted that the LAPD would expand drone usage and infringe on civil liberties.
“We're witnessing the exact definition of mission creep,” Novick said. “Now you're upgrading. You approved a temporary pilot project. You're going to normalize it with this step. ... The next step will be they'll come back and say, ‘We actually need the ability to have facial recognition.'”
The LAPD's drone fleet will remain at four strong, Frank said. But the DJI Spark devices used in the pilot program will be replaced by DJI Mavics, which have better indoor flying capabilities, extended flight time and lights for navigating in the dark. The models are similar to those used by hobbyists.
The Police Commission accepted a $6,645 donation from the Los Angeles Police Foundation to purchase the Mavics, as well as a donation of drone flight tracking software from Measure Aerial Intelligence.
As the commission approved the drone regulations and donations, the audience broke into chants of “Shame! Shame!”
Moore said he is mindful of “concerns of Big Brother and invasion of privacy and civil liberties.”
“We're committed to striking the right balance that ... protects all of our community — their rights of privacy but also their public safety and their right to exist without threats of dangers that this tool can be used in some instances to mitigate,” he told reporters after the meeting.
May 2, 2022 | International, C4ISR
The replacement of outdated GPS satellites in the constellation has not kept pace with our international competition and emerging global threats.
February 11, 2021 | International, Land
by Ashley Roque US Army soldiers are in the midst of a five-month assessment of two different ‘light tank' prototypes – one version by BAE Systems and the other by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) – but the former company has yet to deliver any of its vehicles, according to industry and the service. The army kicked off its Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) soldier vehicle assessment (SVA) on 4 January and it is anticipated to continue through to June, Ashley John, director for public and congressional affairs for the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, told Janes on 27 January. Under the larger programme, both BAE Systems and GDLS are under contract to deliver 12 MPF prototypes to the army and soldiers are slated to test out four vehicles of each variant. However, this testing phase began with vehicles from only one company – GDLS. We have received 12 prototypes in total, and four ballistic hull and turrets,” John said. “We will continue to receive the remaining prototypes throughout fiscal year 2021.” Although John did not disclose which company produced the delivered prototypes, a GDLS spokesperson confirmed that the company delivered its 12th and final prototype to the army at the end of December 2020. GDLS's delivery completion means BAE Systems has delivered only two ballistic hulls to the service. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-begins-light-tank-soldier-assessment-without-bae-systems-prototype
December 28, 2023 | International, Security
From 1 January 2024, the United Kingdom’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade will lead NATO’s rapid reaction force, placing thousands of soldiers on standby and ready to deploy within days. NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was deployed for the first time for collective defence of the Alliance after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The leadership position is rotated annually among Allies. The UK takes over from Germany, which led the force in 2023.