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Press release: The United Kingdom needs the EU, not NATO, to ensure its security

As Boris Johnson and the Vote Leave campaign turn their attention to the alleged security dangers of EU membership, Open Briefing has released an assessment of the security and defence advantages the United Kingdom gains from being part of the European Union. Intelligence analysts from the non-partisan think tank and consultancy also examined whether Britain’s security would be better met by its membership of NATO rather than the European Union as some Eurosceptics have claimed.

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Press release: Civilian drones at risk of being used by terrorist and other hostile groups. Stricter regulation and countermeasures needed, new report finds

A new report from Open Briefing has found that as ever-more advanced drones are available to the civilian market there is an increased risk of drones being used by non-state actors against British targets. As approximately 200,000 civilian-use drones are being sold worldwide every month, the legislation currently governing the civilian use of drones is struggling to keep up with the speed at which new drones are being developed and put to novel uses.

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New report urges British government to make fundamental changes to security and defence policies

Open Briefing has today published a new report outlining 31 recommendations for the British government regarding remote-control warfare. What is ultimately needed is a comprehensive rethink of defence and security strategy and a move away from remote-control warfare towards more enduring, accountable and effective responses to today’s multiple security threats. The recommendations contained in this report would enable the government to to mitigate some of the pitfalls of the current strategy.

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Press release: Civil society intelligence agency lifts the lid on Russia’s ‘little green men’

When uniformed irregular forces wearing no insignia moved to control key locations in Crimea in March 2014, few believed the Kremlin’s claim that they were local volunteer self-defence forces. It soon became clear that the men preparing the way for Russia’s annexation of Crimea were from elite Russian military units, including paratroopers and special forces from Russian Airborne Troops. With its origins in the 1930s, Russia’s airborne force is currently the largest and most highly-mechanised in the world. Their presence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine only confirms their status as an elite force within the Russian military.

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Press release: Civil society intelligence agency releases new forecasts for insecurity and conflict in Southern Africa in 2014

For the past six months, Open Briefing's Africa desk has been developing forecasts for insecurity and conflict in Africa over 2014. They have today published the synthesis report for Southern Africa, covering: Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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Press release: Forecasts for the Central African Republic and three other countries released by civil society intelligence agency

The violence in the Central African Republic is currently dominating news headlines, as have events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the past. A timely new study from Open Briefing attempts to avoid generalisations by analysing specific factors and identifying forecasts for individual countries in Central Africa.

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Press release: Civil society intelligence agency releases forecasts for insecurity and conflict in West Africa in 2014

Open Briefing has today published the first of three synthesis reports from a major study forecasting insecurity and conflict in Africa in 2014. The report focusses on those countries of West Africa whose drivers and internal volatility are likely to create substantial levels of insecurity and conflict over 2014: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

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