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Project 2025 and Schedule F have been in our research queue relative to our prognostication in the OODA Almanac 2024: “Viewed through the lens of history, 2024 will be a landmark year punctuated by the complexities of a political process that will exacerbate the binary fractures of the American republic.” As we head into the…
With this post I reflect on some of the key lessons I have learned in the world of geopolitical intelligence analysis and reporting. My goal in sharing these lessons is to help you optimize your use of the reporting you see in the OODA daily pulse and the long form research and reporting done for…
There is nothing new about vulnerabilities when it comes to software, hardware, and firmware, so it is essential that companies demonstrate responsibility and accountability for their prompt disclosure and providing fixes.
In the run-up to this week’s 2024 NATO Summit in Washington D.C., NATO DIANA announced the innovation accelerator’s 2024 Innovation Challenges. Details here.
At OODA we have helped startups with disruptive capabilities succeed in several markets including defense tech, bio tech, quantum tech, space systems, bio tech and cybersecurity. We love doing what we can to accelerate great capabilities into market. This AI enabled clone can do much of that for you for free.
The mining of critical minerals like perovskite-related materials and oxides of calcium and titanium is increasingly becoming a geopolitical issue. The strategic importance, limited availability, and geographical concentration of these resources are driving competition and have the potential to lead to conflicts. Addressing these challenges requires a combination of international cooperation, sustainable practices, and technological…
Consistent with our OODAcon 2024 theme – Convergence – the recent transfer of $214M worth of bitcoin from the total $13.3B worth of bitcoin held by the USG – predominantly made up of the bitcoin acquired by the USG from the Silk Road seizure – converges with our general bullish coverage vis a vis our long…
Here is to a safe, festive, and restful Fourth of July. Thank you for your continued support. – Matt Devost, Bob Gourley, and the OODA Loop team
Deep Tech Week was one of the most optimistic gathering I have been to. Every session was characterized by a positive and hopeful atmosphere and a sense of community. It is hard to capture the real essence of an event like this for those who could not be there, so I wont even try. I…
OODA Loop was on the road this Spring, doing Field Research at Several Notable Spring 2024 Conferences – including Automate 2024: North America’s largest robotics and automation event held in Chicago, IL, in early May. HIgh-level takeaways from the OODA Loop research team can be found here.
The Republic of Malta’s e-ID is an electronic identification system that enables Maltese citizens, residents, and businesses to access a wide range of online government services. By providing a secure digital identity and facilitating digital transactions, the e-ID system plays a crucial role in Malta’s digital transformation and integration with the broader EU digital economy.…
The e-Estonia Digital Residency Program, also known as e-Residency, allows individuals from anywhere in the world to apply for a digital identity issued by the Estonian government, enabling them to access a variety of online services provided by Estonia. The program allows non-residents to access a variety of Estonian public services and conduct business within…
In this post: the world of digital nomadism – rich with personal stories, thriving communities, and supportive organizations.
Recently, the Biden Administration announced the ban of the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software in the United States, citing the company’s “ties” to the Russian government as a potential risk to U.S. national security. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) conducted a review of the company’s cybersecurity and anti-virus transactions, making its determination based on five security risks…
In the latest installment in our Exponential, Convergent Material Science Innovation Series, we continue to pull the string provided to us by OODA Loop contributor Scott Nuzum (SVP at Chicago-based Innovyz USA) – in his 2023 OODA Loop post Five Exciting Breakthroughs in Materials Science. This time, we hone in on one of the five…
A natural stone quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province collapsed on several people who were working in it on Friday, killing at least 10 people and leaving six workers missing, officials said. More than two dozen people were trapped in the rubble when the mine in Cirebon district collapsed, local police chief Sumarni said, and…
Between September 2023 and December 2024 North Korea gave Russia over 100 ballistic missiles and as much as nine million rounds of ammunition to support various weapons systems, including artillery shells and rockets, for use in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, an 11-member international watchdog monitoring sanctions against Pyongyang said Thursday. The missiles and military support,…
ISIL (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Syrian army, representing the armed group’s first strike at government forces since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, according to analysts. In a statement released late on Thursday, ISIL said its fighters had planted an explosive device that struck a “vehicle of the apostate regime” in…
At least six people have been killed in a suspected drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a hospital in southern Sudan, the latest civilian facility targeted in the brutal civil war, officials and rights advocates have said. The Emergency Lawyers, a rights group, blamed the RSF for the attack on Friday…
At least 110 people have died in floods caused by torrential rain in central Nigeria, officials have told the BBC. The downpours lasted for several hours, said the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema), Abullahi Baba-Arah. He added that “surging flood water submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their…
Caught in the middle of Washington’s renewed visa crackdown on Chinese international students, Beijing postgraduate Lainey is anxiously waiting to resume the visa process to study a PhD at her dream school, the University of California. “We feel helpless and unable to do anything,” said the 24-year-old sociology student, who declined to give her surname…
Breaking into a market long dominated by Chinese giants, a bold new American player is shaking up the high-performance drone industry with cutting-edge innovations that it claims are about to change the game. Santa Clara-based drone company SiFly has emerged from stealth mode with ambitions to dethrone Shenzen-based DJI as the global standard in commercial…
A Canadian quantum computing start-up claims its new qubit will enable much smaller and cheaper error-free quantum computers. But getting there will be a steep challenge. To correct its own errors, a traditional computer saves duplicates of information in multiple places, a practice called redundancy. For quantum computers to achieve their own version of redundancy,…
AI dev platform Hugging Face continued its push into robotics on Thursday with the release of two new humanoid robots. The company announced a pair of open source robots, HopeJR and Reachy Mini. HopeJR is a full-size humanoid robot that has 66 actuated degrees of freedom, or 66 independent movements, including the ability to walk…
China’s biggest technology companies have begun the long and difficult process of switching their development of artificial intelligence to homegrown chips, as they contend with a dwindling stockpile of Nvidia processors and tightening US export controls. Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu are among those starting to test alternative semiconductors to meet surging AI-related internal demand and…
Meta is teaming with defense industry startup Anduril Industries to develop military products that use artificial intelligence and augmented reality, the companies announced on Thursday. Anduril said in a statement that the new products will provide “real-time battlefield intelligence” to soldiers in the field, allowing them to make decisions based on data. “This integration will…
I can’t think of any other deal that more encapsulates how Silicon Valley has changed in the past couple of years than this one, announced Thursday in a press release: Anduril and Meta are partnering to design, build, and field a range of integrated XR products that provide warfighters with enhanced perception and enable intuitive…
For Michael Frank, efficiency has always been a major preoccupation. As a student in the 1990s, he was originally interested in artificial intelligence. But once he realized how much energy the technology would use, he took his research in another direction. “I started getting interested in the physical limits of computation,” he said. “What’s the…
Serbia has annouced that it will investigate claims its companies are arming Ukraine. Serbia has annouced that a joint Russia-Serbian investigation will be launched to see if Serbian companies are arming Ukraine. This comes after Russia accussed Serbia of back-stabbing them after finding Serbian made equipment in Ukraine. Serbia’s governmnet has denied these accusations. Read…
Tanzania’s main opposition has asked the UN to declare his detention arbitrary. Lawyers for Tanzania’s main opposition leader have asked the UN to declare his detention arbitrary. The move is part of a strategy to increase international political pressue on the nation’s government. Tanzania’s government has not responded to the accusation. Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tanzanian-politicians-lawyers-ask-un-declare-his-detention-arbitrary-2025-05-30/
Argentina has held its first bond auction in seven years. Argentina has held its first bond auction in seven years. While investors did buy the peso denominated bonds, yields were higher than expected on the bonds. Argentina’s government has aimed to restore international confidence in its economy by cutting spending and reducing inflation. Read more:…
Saudi Arabia is reconsidering its economic plans due to oil revenue dropping. Saudi Arabia has said that it is reconsidering its economic plans after oil revenues dropped. The government has said that it does not plan to revise its budget. There are also no plans to reduce the kingdom’s debt. Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-take-stock-spending-priorities-after-oil-revenue-drop-ft-reports-2025-05-29/
ConnectWise has warned users that it was the victim of a cyber attack. ConnectWise has notifed its users that it was the vicitm of a cyber attack. The company has claimed that the attack was state-sponsored. The company has deployed patches for software that was compromised in the attack. Read more: https://www.securityweek.com/connectwise-discloses-suspected-state-sponsored-hack/
APT41 has been targeting local governments using Google Calendar. Researchers have found that APT41, which is a China linked group, has been targeting local governments using Google Calendar exploits. The group used a combination of phishing emails and calendar exploits to insert command and control malware. Google has said that is taking action to disrupt…
Researchers have found that new phishing campaigns have begun that target Firebase and Google Apps. Researchers have found that a new phishing campaign has begun which targets Firebase and Google Apps. The campaign invovles hackers impersonating Rothschild & Co employees. The targets have so far been executives at major finicial institutions and investment companies. Read…
The US has imposed sanctions on a Philippine based company for support scams. The US has sanctioned Funnull Technology for its role in supporting crypto scams. The US accussed the company of carrying out big butchering scams that targeted Americans. The company used several systems including domain generating algorthirms in order to give cybercriminals templates…
The United States has stopped the export of some critical products and technologies made in the U.S. to China, impacting airplane and semiconductor technology. The critical technologies include those related to jet engines, semiconductors, and certain chemicals and machinery. The move by U.S. President Trump comes in response to China’s decision to restrict exports of…
Officials have declared a state of emergency in Canada where several out-of-control fires are raging, prompting thousands of people to evacuate the province of Manitoba. This is the largest evacuation of the region in recent time, and residents are being evacuated towards urban areas like Winnipeg for temporary housing and emergency assistance. The military has…
Russia and Ukraine are continuing to launch drone offensives against each other despite claims from Russia that it was close to finalizing peace negotiations to end the war. This week, Russia has deployed hundreds of drones across multiple regions in Ukraine, coming just after Ukraine endured one of the heaviest aerial offensives of the war.…
Earlier this week, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal made by the United States. However, American officials have rejected the claim that the U.S. proposed the ceasefire terms, and Israeli officials have denied that the proposal was from the U.S. as well. The conflicting reports come while Israeli forces continue to bomb Gaza and restrict…
LexisNexis Risk Solutions (LNRS), a data broker giant, has notified around 364,000 customers about the breach of their personal information in a data breach last year. In the cyberattack, an unauthorized third party was able to gain access to LNRS data through a third-party platform which the company used for software development. The compromised information…
Artificial intelligence tools are being used by cybercriminals to target users and propagate threats. The CyberLock and Lucky_Gh0$t ransomware families are some of the threats involved in the operations. The cybercriminals are using fake installers for popular AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and InVideoAI to lure in their victims. The ransomwares are able to quickly…
Dutch intelligence agencies have released a report stating that a Russian hacker group, suspected to be associated with the Kremlin, was responsible for last year’s cyberattack on the Dutch police. The group, called Laundry Bear, has also targeted other Western nations which support Ukraine’s military efforts and has attempted to steal sensitive data from EU…
TAG-110, a Russia-aligned threat actor, has been observed in the wild using a spear-phishing campaign against Tajikistan. The campaign uses macro-enabled Word templates as an initial payload, a change from the malicious actor’s previously documented attack style. Researchers believe that the actor is likely targeting Tajikistan government, educational, and research institutions for cyber espionage purposes,…
Imagine: China deploys hundreds of thousands of autonomous drones in the air, on the sea, and under the water—all armed with explosive warheads or small missiles. These machines descend in a swarm toward military installations on Taiwan and nearby US bases, and over the course of a few hours, a single robotic blitzkrieg overwhelms the…
Dangerous levels of arsenic in a northern Thai river contaminated by chemicals used in mines across the border in Myanmar risk unleashing an unprecedented ecological disaster on the kingdom’s waterways, environmentalists have warned, as images of the orange-yellow waters go viral. Bangkok is seeking renewed talks with Myanmar’s junta to stop the toxic sediment flowing…
At least two of the four crew members aboard a South Korean Navy airplane died after it crashed into a hillside and exploded near country’s the east coast on Thursday afternoon. The turboprop aircraft, which was used for marine patrols, crashed around 1:50 p.m. in Pohang, a city about 250 miles southeast of Seoul, officials…
The Royal Thai Air Force flew two F-16 MCU fighter jets to warn a Myanmar bombing plane not to intrude into Thai territory near Tak’s Prop Phra district on Wednesday afternoon. After detecting a Myanmar Yak-130 aircraft flying near the border opposite Ban Moker Thai in Tambon Valley of Prop Phra, the two F-16 jets…
The United States’ newly-appointed Syria envoy said he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable as he made his first trip to Damascus on Thursday, praising the Islamist-led government and saying it was ready for dialogue. Thomas Barrack raised the American flag over the ambassador’s residence for the first time since the U.S. embassy…
While China might not launch an all-out invasion of Taiwan this year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could scale up attacks on Taiwan’s outlying islands, the Independent said on Tuesday. The UK-based newspaper cited the US Defense Intelligence Agency’s latest Worldwide Threat Assessment report, which was released earlier this month. China possesses a variety…
A cholera outbreak in Sudan’s Khartoum has killed at least 70 people in two days, local health authorities said. The health ministry in Khartoum state reported on Thursday 942 new infections and 25 deaths the previous day, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before. The outbreak is centred around the capital city, Khartoum,…
The global average temperature is expected to rise to almost 2C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years, the World Meteorological Organization has forecast. Scientists expect a range of knock-on effects from such a climb to near the 2C mark, including a fall in crop yields and more than a third of the world’s…
Last week, I asked Google to help me plan my daughter’s birthday party by finding a park in Oakland, Calif., with picnic tables. The site generated a list of parks nearby, so I went to scout two of them out — only to find there were, in fact, no tables. “I was just there,” I…
China is now setting the pace in life sciences R&D, conducting more clinical trials than the U.S. and licensing new discoveries to American companies. China has become a linchpin in global drug development, the result of a decade-long national strategy to develop a biopharmaceutical industry. China has surpassed the U.S. in drug clinical trials, per…
As a teenager, I was offered sage guidance by a family friend who I’d asked for advice on what to study at college. He told me that the most interesting and rewarding opportunities lie at the intersection of scientific disciplines—a thoughtful insight that has stuck with me over the decades since. In the world of…
The Trump administration has suspended some sales to China of critical U.S. technologies, including those related to jet engines, semiconductors and certain chemicals and machinery. The move is a response to China’s recent restrictions on exports of critical minerals to the United States, a decision by Beijing that has threatened to cripple U.S. company supply…
The whale has returned. After rocking the global AI and business community early this year with the January 20 initial release of its hit open source reasoning AI model R1, the Chinese startup DeepSeek — a spinoff of formerly only locally well-known Hong Kong quantitative analysis firm High-Flyer Capital Management — has released DeepSeek-R1-0528, a…
Humanoid robots could “continue to transform humanity’s perception of the future of warfare”, according to an article in the official newspaper of China’s military, which examined the advantages of cutting-edge technology on the battlefield. The commentary, titled “What are the combat advantages of humanoid robots?”, published on Thursday in People’s Liberation Army Daily, said that…
The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The agreement “will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,” the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement also…
A German court has thrown out a lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmers. A German court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmers against RWE. The farmers alleged that RWE’s business pratices had contributed to climate changed and harmed their livelyhoods. The Court found that the plaintiff could not prove suffient damage to justify judicial…
Ghana has asked for talks with Afreximbank to discuss debt negotiations. Ghana has asked for talks with Afreximbank to discuss debt negotiations. The country asked for the talks in order to ensure that it could comply with the terms of IMF loans. Afreximbank has not yet responded to the offer from Ghana. Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ghana-asks-afreximbank-discuss-debt-treatment-2025-05-29/
Georgian opposition leaders have said that another leading figure has been arrested. Georgian opposition leaders have said that another leading figure has been arrested by the government. The government has said he is being changed with abuse towards a law enforcement officer. Opposition groups have said that the country is moving towards an authoritarian regime.…
Syria has signed a multi-billion deal to rebuilt its power grid. Syria has signed a $7 billion deal with a Qatar led consortium to rebuild its power grid. The deal approves the construction of 4 gas plants and solar farm that together would provide half of Syria’s energy. The construction would take between 2 and…
Adidas has disclosed that it was the victim of a data breach. Adidas has disclosed that it was the victim of a data breach after hackers accessed a third party vendor. Adidas has said that the stolen data did not include any personal information. This breach is the latest in a series of attacks against…
Victoria’s Secret is the latest retail business to be the vicitm of a cyberattack. Victoria’s Secret website has been taken down following a cyber attack. The company has not publically disclosed any information yet. This comes as Adidas and other prominent retailors have had their operations disrupted by cyber attacks in recent weeks. Read more:…
The Chinese linked grouped Earth Lamia has been targeting web apps to infiltrate organizations. Researchers have found that the Chinese linked group Earth Lamia has become increasingly active in targeting industries through web apps. The group has targeted companies accross mutitple industries and coutries. The group has also been observed to be working with other…
MathWorks has disclosed that it was the victim of a ransomware attack. MathWorks has diclosed that a ransomware attack has disabled many of its apps. MathWorks is known for producing data analysis programs such as MATLAB which has millions of users. The company has said that it is working to restore service to all its…
Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, and SES, a global content and connectivity provider, today announced a multi-launch agreement to use Impulse’s Helios kick stage to shorten the time required for the selected SES’s satellites to reach their final orbital position, whether on geostationary (GEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), by transporting the satellites from…
India’s financial capital and one of its largest cities has experienced its wettest May in more than a century, with the unusually early arrival of the monsoon season causing a ferocious weekend downpour that turned roads into rivers and flooded a newly inaugurated underground train station. Mumbai, a city of more than 12 million, has…
A second person died from their injuries in hospital following a fire at a Chevron-operated oil platform offshore Angola, bringing the number of fatalities to three, government and company officials said late on Tuesday. Two workers were initially transferred to specialist units at hospitals in South Africa, while the body of a third worker is…
A Cambodian soldier was killed when Thai and Cambodian troops briefly fired at each other in their disputed border area Wednesday, officials said. Cambodian army spokesperson Mao Phalla said the Cambodian troops were conducting a routine patrol along the border when the Thai side opened fire. The Thai army’s statement said the Cambodian soldiers entered…
Investigators found 17 bodies in an abandoned house in a central Mexican region plagued by cartel violence, the state prosecutor’s office said, just days after seven people, including chldren, were gunned down in the same region. Ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs were used to locate the bodies last week in Irapuato in Guanajuato state, according…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he has appointed a team of legal experts to start working on a new constitution — which critics say could allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his current term ends. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as president since 2014 and was prime minister for more…
China has deployed two of its advanced H-6 long-range bombers to Woody Island in the South China Sea. This marks the first time these aircraft have landed on the island since 2020. Satellite imagery taken earlier this month confirms their presence in the Paracel Islands, a territory claimed by multiple countries. Analysts view the move…
Saudi Arabia’s new state-owned artificial intelligence company will seek investment from top US tech companies and will launch a $10bn venture capital fund as it leads the kingdom’s effort to become a global AI hub. Tareq Amin, chief executive of Humain, told the Financial Times he was in talks with American groups including OpenAI, Elon…
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