Dubai – Masaader News
There are new wars with new weapons in the world. Energy, cash as bribes, corrupt business practices, cyber-attacks, assassination, fake news, propaganda, soldiers in unmarked uniforms and deniable private military and security companies, the usurping of supply chains, the theft of intellectual property, and old-fashioned military intimidation are all examples of a new age of alternative “weapons” used to gain advantage, sow discord, undermine our political cohesion and insidiously destroy our way of life, according to The Telegraph.
We have seen many examples of this in recent times. The use of proxies in the Middle East; the nefarious activities of the Russian-owned Wagner private military contractor in parts of Africa, revealed by the Commander of US Africa Command, General Waldhauser; the New York Times’ assertion that Russia has been testing new disinformation tactics in an enormous Facebook campaign in parts of Africa; and the revelation by the South African Daily Maverick publication that Russkiy Mir (Russian World) is active in nine African countries.
Our Armed Forces recognise that they must modernise, they know that modernisation will be led by information-centric technologies, and they know that this will only happen in partnership with the private sector because that is where the best technology and innovation is found, and importantly where the best skills are developed.
This requires us to build a new relationship beyond the Armed Forces Covenant on which we all pull together with a shared purpose and a common set of values. Remembrance provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice of previous generations who understood the importance of this only too well.