Analysts will be plenty busy at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s new St. Louis campus, but they won’t use their powerful workstations around the clock. So General Dynamics Information Technology is helping NGA stitch together the high-end PCs so their unused compute power can be harnessed even when their humans are elsewhere.
“There's a lot of [NGA] analysts that call the St. Louis area home, and as a part of moving into a new facility, they'll be outfitted with all new IT at their desks,” Will Clapperton, a GDIT vice-president for geospatial services and solutions, told Defense One. “That analyst isn't going to be sitting there 24 hours a day. Maybe they're there eight hours or 10 hours, and then that machine is idle and has the ability to do other things. So, what we're looking at, and we're piloting, actually, with them is an ability, when it's not being used by an individual analyst, to lash all those together and throw a more enterprise problem at that unused technical potential.”
Like other intelligence agencies, NGA has increased its use of AI to detect and preempt potential threats. Clapperton said this experiment in distributed computing aims to provide something like the rough equivalent of an extra supercomputer without the cost, power, and space.
“This initiative doesn’t replace or eliminate the need for datacenter centric capability, but is an important augmentation to an enterprise approach to processing AI/ML workloads, particularly inferencing,” Clapperton said via email. “The more that data and results are pervasively shared (within the bounds of security and mission sensitivity) within a customer’s overall enterprise, the faster mission advancement can and will occur.”
The government shutdown is likely to continue into next week after the Senate for a fourth time rejected a bill to keep agencies funded through Nov. 21, keeping hundreds of thousands of employees at home and others at risk of losing their jobs altogether.
All but three Democrats rejected a continuing resolution to reopen agencies, denying the legislation the 60 votes required for its passage. Neither chamber is expected to hold votes over the weekend, meaning Monday is the earliest lawmakers could vote to end the shutdown. The two sides remain divided, however, and no clear path toward resolving the impasse has emerged.
The prospect of a longer shutdown will likely lead to more federal employees being sent home on furlough. Some agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service, have kept all or most of their employees working using alternative funds to annual appropriations, but have said those would run dry after five days. The Trump administration initially furloughed around 550,000 employees, but that number will climb significantly if the shutdown continues into next week and beyond.
Federal workers across government are also anxiously waiting to see if the White House follows through on its threat to institute mass layoffs. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, reiterated on Friday that the Office of Management and Budget is “working with the agencies and our cabinet secretaries to see where cuts unfortunately can and have to be made.”
Leavitt blamed congressional Democrats for creating an “unenviable choice” of determining where permanent layoffs should occur, though she also said it represented an “opportunity.”
As of Friday afternoon, only the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has implemented layoffs since the shutdown began. The agency sent notices to around 1% of its workforce.
Senate Democrats continue to demand that as part of any deal to reopen government Congress address the dramatic premium increase set to hit at the end of the year for those receiving health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have not backed down from their position that they will only negotiate over the issue once the government is reopened.
In the meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said, OMB Director Russ Vought will determine what layoffs are necessary. Vought briefed Johnson and the entire House Republican caucus earlier this week and said the cuts were imminent.
Vought is being “very deliberate” in determining “what decisions can be made in the best interest of the American people,” Johnson said of the pending reductions in force.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he would not be deterred by the administration’s threats. Mass firings of federal workers were already happening outside the context of a government shutdown, he said.
“This is who they are,” Jeffries said. “The cruelty is the point.”
Even as the shutdown drags into its second week, federal workers will not experience any immediate delays to their pay. The next official pay date, in which most feds would be missing parts of their normal paychecks, is not until mid-October, though the exact timing will depend on which federal entity disburses their salaries. Paychecks otherwise set to hit accounts at the end of the month would be delayed in their entirety, if the shutdown continues until that point.
A threat actor named Detour Dog has been outed as powering campaigns distributing an information stealer known as Strela Stealer.
That’s according to findings from Infoblox, which found the threat actor to maintain control of domains hosting the first stage of the stealer, a backdoor called StarFish.
The DNS threat intelligence firm said it has been tracking Detour Dog since August 2023, when
In 2025, businesses face growing challenges in securing their digital assets, networks, and sensitive data. The rise in sophisticated cyberattacks has made end-to-end threat intelligence solutions one of the most critical investments for enterprises, governments, and even mid-size companies. Threat intelligence platforms provide proactive insights, timely alerts, and actionable data to protect against evolving threats […]
The digital world continues to face growing threats around software vulnerabilities, data breaches, and cyber supply chain attacks.
As companies rely more heavily on open-source software, third-party code, and cloud-native applications, the need for supply chain intelligence security solutions has never been greater.
In 2025, organizations must adopt highly reliable platforms that provide visibility, compliance, and security across their software supply chain.
This guide takes you through the Top 10 Best Supply Chain Intelligence Security Companies in 2025, with detailed analysis for each tool.
We’ll cover why they stand out, their specifications, unique features, reasons to buy, and provide insights into their pros and cons for easy decision-making.
Whether you are an enterprise, developer, or security professional, this list will serve as your trusted source to pick the right solution.
The growing complexity of software development environments makes supply chain attacks an unavoidable risk.
From dependency hijacking to vulnerable packages, modern businesses need tools capable of monitoring, preventing, and mitigating risks instantly.
These companies on our 2025 list have been chosen because they provide cutting-edge threat intelligence, continuous monitoring, compliance management, and risk reduction strategies.
Choosing the right supply chain intelligence security software can mean the difference between business continuity and a catastrophic cyberattack.
With features spanning real-time vulnerability detection, malicious software identification, compliance automation, and AI-powered risk analytics, these platforms are shaping the industry standard.
Comparison Table: Top 10 Best Supply Chain Intelligence Security Companies 2025
Sonatype has established itself as a leader in protecting software supply chains with its flagship Nexus platform. In 2025, it continues to dominate by automating open-source governance, compliance, and security.
Its database of vulnerabilities and malicious packages is one of the largest, helping organizations proactively defend against known and unknown threats.
Sonatype has invested heavily in AI-driven automation, which allows teams to secure their software at the speed of DevOps.
The solution integrates seamlessly with developer tools, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud platforms, making it highly adaptable.
Specifications
Sonatype Nexus provides comprehensive software composition analysis and continuous monitoring. It scans open-source components, ensuring software dependencies are risk-free.
It integrates with CI/CD environments, SCM platforms, and cloud-native systems. Its AI-driven insights help teams identify, prioritize, and remediate risks effectively.
Features
Sonatype includes automated vulnerability scanning, customized policy enforcement, and real-time supply chain intelligence. It offers deep visibility into dependencies, malicious code detection, and compliance automation.
It provides detailed dashboards and actionable intelligence for DevSecOps pipelines. With Sonatype Lifecycle, businesses maintain governance across multi-cloud environments.
Reason to Buy
Sonatype provides unmatched AI-powered intelligence and enterprise-grade governance. With real-time monitoring and customizable policies, it prevents risks from escalating into costly breaches.
Its broad ecosystem support ensures smooth integration for enterprises practicing DevOps at scale.
Pros
Advanced AI-driven supply chain monitoring
Deep open-source governance
Extensive vulnerability database
Easy DevSecOps integration
Cons
Higher cost for small businesses
Steep learning curve for beginners
Best For: Enterprises needing scalable, AI-driven supply chain security across development and production.
Snyk has redefined how developers handle security by ensuring vulnerabilities are fixed early in the development lifecycle.
Built with a developer-first mindset, Snyk offers automated detection across open-source dependencies, containers, infrastructure as code, and supply chains in general.
Its real-time scanning capabilities help developers stay ahead of emerging threats.
By seamlessly integrating with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and major CI/CD tools, Snyk ensures vulnerabilities are prevented right from the coding phase.
Specifications
Snyk delivers multi-layered security across open-source packages, containers, and infrastructure. Its CLI and API capabilities allow easy integration with development pipelines.
The platform provides extensive policy management and compliance support for enterprises. Its SaaS-based model ensures scalability with minimal overhead.
Features
Snyk features AI-powered scanning, deep security testing for dependencies, license compliance verification, and automated fixes.
Its dashboards provide real-time visibility into vulnerabilities. Its predictive intelligence prioritizes critical issues, enabling teams to remediate efficiently.
Reason to Buy
Organizations benefit from its strong developer-first design, which allows software development without security slowdowns.
As Snyk covers every stage of the development cycle, it ensures complete protection for modern cloud-native enterprises.
Pros
Easy-to-use developer-centric design
Wide integration ecosystem
Intelligent vulnerability prioritization
Strong cloud-native support
Cons
Limited offline support
Pricing may be challenging for startups
Best For: Developer teams seeking security built into their coding and DevOps workflows.
Synopsys is a global leader in software security and quality, with a strong focus on software composition analysis and application security.
Its Black Duck solution is widely used by enterprises to manage risks from open-source software. In 2025, Synopsys continues to lead in providing trusted intelligence that helps enterprises reduce their exposure to vulnerabilities.
Its comprehensive database and advanced scanning techniques give companies full control over their supply chain.
Synopsys is admired for its ability to integrate seamlessly into enterprise environments while offering compliance automation and threat detection.
Specifications
Synopsys Black Duck offers scalable vulnerability and license compliance scanning across open-source ecosystems. Its SCA solution can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines and cloud environments.
It delivers detailed compliance reporting, governance insights, and real-time vulnerability alerts. The solution works at enterprise scale and ensures resilience against supply chain threats.
Features
The platform provides deep scanning of dependencies, advanced risk management, and real-time intelligence on malicious components.
It integrates with development tools, offering dashboards that simplify governance decisions. Synopsys also supports container security and policy-driven enforcement.
Reason to Buy
Synopsys is a trusted vendor in risk and compliance-heavy industries. Its advanced analytics and governance give companies granular control over supply chain security, making it ideal for large organizations.
Pros
Strong compliance capabilities
Detailed risk insights with enterprise scalability
Extensive vulnerability scanning
Reliable vendor with industry trust
Cons
Complex features may require extensive training
Pricing is more suited to enterprises than startups
Best For: Enterprises with strong compliance requirements and large-scale operations.
JFrog is highly regarded in 2025 for its strong focus on securing the entire DevOps lifecycle with its Artifactory and Xray solutions.
By providing binary management and supply chain intelligence, JFrog ensures organizations maintain complete integrity across their software artifacts.
It stands out because it not only delivers vulnerability detection but also integrates seamlessly into build pipelines, reducing supply chain-related risks at the binary level.
JFrog’s developer-centric approach and rich integration ecosystem make it a strong choice for enterprises adopting DevSecOps.
Specifications
JFrog Xray integrates directly with JFrog Artifactory, providing end-to-end visibility across binaries and open-source components. It helps enforce policy compliance and delivers security scanning across multiple artifact formats.
Enterprise CI/CD connectivity ensures real-time risk monitoring. Its architecture supports cloud-native, hybrid, and on-premises options while scaling for large organizations.
Features
Features include automated binary scanning, integrated policy enforcement, supply chain vulnerability alerts, and real-time dashboards.
JFrog offers deep integration with leading IDEs and CI/CD platforms. Its risk database constantly updates businesses about emerging threats and compliance issues.
Reason to Buy
JFrog excels in protecting organizations at the binary and artifact level — delivering “shift-left” security while keeping development pipelines agile and resilient.
Pros
Best-in-class binary scanning
Highly integrative ecosystem
Real-time monitoring of vulnerabilities
Flexible deployment support
Cons
Complex for non-technical teams
Premium cost for complete package
Best For: DevOps-driven organizations needing deep artifact-level assurance.
GitLab has evolved into much more than just a code repository. In 2025, its integrated DevSecOps platform provides powerful supply chain security, ensuring every commit, dependency, and release meets the highest security standards.
It simplifies workflows by embedding security directly into source code management and CI pipelines. Teams using GitLab benefit from built-in SCA, SAST, and compliance automation.
GitLab’s strength lies in providing a unified workflow where visibility, collaboration, and security are centralized. Its open-core approach and extensibility make it trusted by massive enterprises and small teams alike.
Specifications
GitLab’s Continuous Integration system integrates software composition analysis, vulnerability scanning, and open-source governance.
Its AI-driven suggestions provide early fixes during the coding process. It supports CI/CD pipelines, cloud environments, and hybrid setups.
Features
Notable features include built-in application security testing, compliance automation, developer workflow integration, and real-time threat prioritization.
GitLab also emphasizes vulnerability dashboards and seamless automation across the SDLC.
Reason to Buy
GitLab significantly reduces complexity by combining DevOps workflows and supply chain security in a single platform. For organizations favoring unified solutions, GitLab provides superior efficiency.
Pros
All-in-one DevSecOps platform
Seamless CI/CD and SCM security integration
Enhanced threat visibility
Flexible open-core framework
Cons
Feature-richness may overwhelm beginners
Costly Ultimate tier for small teams
Best For: Teams wanting a unified platform for code management and supply chain security in one interface.
BlueVoyant is a cybersecurity company specializing in managed supply chain risk management and intelligence. What makes it stand out in 2025 is its unique approach to managing third-party risk at scale.
Unlike typical tooling, BlueVoyant provides managed intelligence, working as a partner to mitigate risks across the vendor ecosystem.
Its continuous monitoring and external attack surface management protect enterprises from compromised suppliers and malicious outsiders.
BlueVoyant shines for industries like financial services, healthcare, and government, where third-party risk is highly scrutinized.
Specifications
BlueVoyant offers a managed platform with advanced analytics and 24/7 monitoring of supply chain vulnerabilities.
It integrates real-time intelligence with predictive modeling to spot threats across the extended enterprise. Its services cover vendors, suppliers, and partners.
Features
The solution offers detailed monitoring dashboards, threat hunting campaigns, third-party security performance scoring, and remediation guidance.
Automation ensures streamlined reporting to comply with regulatory standards.
Reason to Buy
Companies with complex vendor ecosystems can gain peace of mind through ongoing monitoring and support from BlueVoyant’s security experts.
Pros
Managed service support reduces workload
Strong focus on vendor risk
Predictive threat scoring
Excellent for compliance-heavy industries
Cons
Less developer-focused
Requires external engagement with service teams
Best For: Enterprises with complex third-party ecosystems needing managed risk protection.
Socket has rapidly made its mark by focusing on protecting open-source ecosystems against supply chain attacks.
In 2025, its ability to detect hidden malware, suspicious network activity, and data exfiltration attempts in code libraries makes it a favorite among developer teams.
Unlike traditional scanners, Socket goes beyond CVEs, focusing on behavioral analysis of packages.
By tackling malicious intent early, it protects both developers and end-users from risks in open-source software dependencies. Socket’s innovation-first approach makes it competitive against larger players in the space.
Specifications
Socket provides open-source package monitoring, behavioral analysis, and proactive detection of malicious activity.
It integrates with package managers like npm, Yarn, and modern development frameworks. Its engine analyzes code behavior in real time, flagging potentially malicious functionalities.
Features
Features include dependency malware detection, unusual permission request analysis, network call blocking, and real-time alerts. Its dashboard helps developers gain actionable visibility while coding.
Reason to Buy
Socket is ideal for development teams heavily reliant on open-source packages, offering unmatched protection against supply chain malware.
Pros
Open-source malware focus
Innovative behavioral analysis
Lightweight developer integration
Proactive detection beyond CVEs
Cons
Still growing its enterprise adoption
Limited compliance automation
Best For: Developer teams using open-source tools and needing granular malware protection in dependencies.
Data Theorem specializes in securing APIs, applications, and cloud systems, delivering visibility into vulnerabilities across the software supply chain.
In 2025, its focus on addressing API and app-level risks makes it uniquely placed in this space.
Organizations adopting microservices and cloud-native solutions trust Data Theorem to protect sensitive data flowing through supply chain applications.
With automated scanning, continuous monitoring, and strong compliance support, it adds a crucial layer of intelligence for software supply chains.
Specifications
The platform combines vulnerability scanning, automated compliance testing, and DevOps integration. It supports web applications, APIs, mobile apps, and cloud environments.
Its SaaS model ensures quick deployment and scalable monitoring for enterprises.
Features
It offers API threat detection, app vulnerability scanning, compliance automation, and DevOps pipeline integration.
Real-time dashboards and automated remediation support speed up vulnerability management.
Reason to Buy
Enterprises relying heavily on APIs or mobile apps gain strong supply chain protection with Data Theorem’s tailored coverage.
Pros
Excellent API and mobile security
Automated vulnerability management
Regulatory compliance support
Robust DevOps integration
Cons
Less focus on traditional open-source risks
Advanced features may require expert use
Best For: Enterprises with API-driven architectures and mobile-first strategies.
ThreatWorx has become increasingly popular for its strong emphasis on supply chain vulnerability intelligence and proactive threat modeling.
In 2025, it brings unique value by merging software composition analysis with global threat intelligence feeds, allowing enterprises to predict threats before they materialize.
Its AI-enhanced analytics and continuous monitoring make it an essential tool for modern enterprises.
Specifications
ThreatWorx provides real-time vulnerability scanning, policy enforcement, and integration with CI/CD pipelines. It supports DevOps teams by embedding security checks into the earliest coding stages.
Its AI modules assist in risk prioritization and predictive threat analytics.
Features
Key features include continuous monitoring, real-time dashboards, AI-based risk prediction, and compliance verification. Its threat feed stays updated with global risks while applying predictive insights.
Reason to Buy
For enterprises looking to go beyond reactive scanning, ThreatWorx delivers sophisticated, intelligence-led supply chain security.
Pros
Predictive AI-driven risk analytics
Continuous DevOps-friendly coverage
Global threat feed integration
Advanced visibility across SDLC
Cons
Smaller market share compared to competitors
Limited direct managed services
Best For: Organizations seeking predictive, intelligence-driven supply chain defenses.
Imperva is a well-established cybersecurity vendor known for data protection and cloud security. In 2025, its expansion into supply chain intelligence consolidates application and data protection with threat monitoring.
Imperva stands out because it bridges security at both infrastructure and application layers, offering holistic management of risks.
Its AI-driven monitoring capabilities ensure organizations can prevent malicious traffic and third-party exploitation within the supply chain.
Trusted across multiple industries, Imperva continues to be a leader in risk resilience.
Specifications
Imperva provides complete application and data security solutions with advanced supply chain monitoring. Its solutions secure APIs, cloud applications, and external connections.
Integration with SIEM and SOAR platforms ensures threat intelligence is actionable. Its systems are scalable for enterprises of various industries.
Features
Imperva features include data risk analysis, API protection, supply chain threat detection, and cloud-native monitoring. Its dashboards give real-time visibility and compliance alignment.
Reason to Buy
Enterprises requiring unified protection for data, applications, and supply chains can benefit significantly from Imperva’s enterprise-grade security suite.
Pros
Strong cloud and data-centric protection
Enterprise-level scalability
Real-time API and app monitoring
Broad integration support
Cons
Heavier cost structure for SMBs
Requires advanced setup for optimal results
Best For: Enterprises requiring strong data and app security integrated with supply chain monitoring.
The Top 10 Best Supply Chain Intelligence Security Companies in 2025 – Sonatype, Snyk, Synopsys, JFrog, GitLab, BlueVoyant, Socket, Data Theorem, ThreatWorx, and Imperva – represent the most effective and reliable tools available for organizations today.
Each platform offers specialized strengths, from open-source governance and binary scanning to API protection and managed supply chain risk.
By evaluating Why We Picked It, Specifications, Features, Reasons to Buy, Pros, and Cons, enterprises can identify which tool aligns best with their needs.
Whether your focus is compliance, predictive threat intelligence, or developer-first security, these companies provide the frontline defenses necessary in today’s cyber landscape.
A cybercrime collective known as Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters has launched a new data leak site on the dark web, claiming it holds nearly one billion records from Salesforce customers.
The group is orchestrating a widespread blackmail campaign, setting a ransom deadline of October 10, 2025. They have threatened to publish sensitive data and technical details if their demands are not met.
The threat actors allege that significant security lapses at Salesforce, including inadequate two-factor authentication (2FA) and OAuth protections, enabled them to compromise over 100 Salesforce instances.
Their new onion site lists numerous high-profile companies as victims of the data theft, including Toyota Motor Corporation, FedEx, UPS, Adidas, Disney/Hulu, and McDonald’s.
Other prominent names listed are Qantas, Aeroméxico, Vietnam Airlines, Stellantis, IKEA, KFC, GAP, and the educational platform Canvas by Instructure.
Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters Listings
Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters is not a new entity but rather a coalition of members from some of the most infamous hacking groups, including ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider, and Lapsus$.
This alliance has been linked to a series of major cyberattacks throughout 2025, with a particular focus on Salesforce environments. The group’s formation represents a “trinity of chaos,” combining different skill sets to execute complex intrusion campaigns.
A blend of sophisticated social engineering and technical exploitation characterizes their methods. Attackers have been observed using voice phishing (vishing) campaigns, where they impersonate IT support staff in phone calls to trick employees.
During these calls, victims are guided to authorize a malicious application, which captures OAuth tokens. These tokens grant the attackers persistent access to the company’s Salesforce environment, effectively bypassing multi-factor authentication controls and allowing for the mass exfiltration of CRM data.
The Salesforce campaign highlights a strategic evolution in cybercrime tactics. Instead of relying on traditional ransomware that encrypts files, groups like Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters are focusing on data theft and extortion.
The leverage is not the disruption of systems but the public exposure of stolen data, which can lead to customer backlash, regulatory fines, and severe reputational damage.
In mid-2025, actors associated with this collective claimed to have stolen 1.5 billion Salesforce records from 760 companies by compromising OAuth tokens linked to third-party integrations like Salesloft and Drift.
The attackers often release fragments of the stolen data as proof, holding back the full dataset to maximize pressure during negotiations.
This incident follows a pattern seen in earlier 2025 attacks on companies like Google, Jaguar Land Rover, and LVMH, where the same collective claimed responsibility.
Despite a recent “farewell letter” announcing their distribution, security experts believe the group has simply rebranded, and the threat of large-scale data leaks remains significant.
Renault UK has notified customers of a data breach after a cyberattack on one of its third-party service providers resulted in the theft of personal information.
The company has assured its clients that its own internal systems were not compromised and that no financial data was exposed.
Renault UK began sending emails to affected drivers to inform them of “a cyber-attack on one of our third-party providers, leading to some Renault UK customers’ personal data being taken from one of their systems.”
The company emphasized that the incident was isolated to the vendor and did not impact Renault’s own infrastructure.
A spokesperson for Renault UK confirmed the situation with Express, stating that a data processing provider had notified them of the attack. The provider has since confirmed that the incident has been contained and the vulnerability removed.
Renault is now working closely with the third party to ensure all necessary actions are taken and has notified all relevant authorities about the security failure.
What Data Was Compromised?
While financial details and passwords were not affected, a significant amount of personal and vehicle-related information was stolen.
According to a statement from a Renault UK spokesperson, the compromised data includes some or all of the following for affected customers: full names, addresses, dates of birth, gender, and phone numbers.
Furthermore, vehicle-specific details such as Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) and vehicle registration numbers were also part of the exfiltrated data set.
The company reiterated in its communication that it does not hold any financial details for customers, so no bank or payment card information was involved in the cyberattack.
In response to the breach, Renault UK is contacting all affected customers directly to inform them of the situation. The company is urging drivers to be vigilant and cautious of any unsolicited communications, particularly those requesting personal information by phone or email.
Renault has clearly stated that it will never ask customers for their passwords. In its apology to those impacted, the company expressed deep regret over the incident and underscored that data privacy is of the utmost importance.
For customers seeking more information or assistance, Renault has directed them to its official data privacy webpage or to contact its Data Protection Officer directly via email.
The threat actor behind Rhadamanthys has also advertised two other tools called Elysium Proxy Bot and Crypt Service on their website, even as the flagship information stealer has been updated to support the ability to collect device and web browser fingerprints, among others.
“Rhadamanthys was initially promoted through posts on cybercrime forums, but soon it became clear that the author had a
Weeks after ordering the U.S. military to kill 17 people in boats off Venezuela, the Trump administration justified the much-criticized strikes by telling Congress this week it believes the United States is in a formal “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which—if not checked by Congress or the courts—would grant him “extraordinary wartime powers,” the New York Timesreported Thursday.
Why it matters:“In an armed conflict, it is lawful to kill combatants for the opposing force on sight,” Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt write for the Times. And that means from the White House’s perspective,“the laws of war permitted it to kill, rather than arrest, the people on the boats because it said the targets were smuggling drugs for cartels it has designated as terrorists” because thousands of Americans die each year from overdoses.
WH to lawmakers: “Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a noninternational armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations.” The notice did not specify which cartels, nor explain how it confirms that its targets are indeed cartel members.
Loose ends: “The surge of overdose deaths in recent years has been driven by fentanyl, which drug trafficking experts say comes from Mexico, not South America,” the Times reminds readers. Further, the White House “has not explained how selling a dangerous substance constitutes a use of force, and Congress has not authorized the use of any type of military force against cartels.”
Lawmaker reax: “Declaring war and ordering lethal military force without Congress or public knowledge—nor legal justification—is unacceptable,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, and ranking member on the Armed Services Committee. “Drug cartels must be stopped,” Reed said, but “Every American should be alarmed that [President Trump] has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he labels an enemy.”
“Trump’s actions are illegal, unconstitutional, and dangerous,”said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “He is leading us willy-nilly into war with Venezuela. I have ‘determined’ that this is a terrible idea,” he added.
Expert reax: The White House’s claim “that the U.S. is somehow in an armed conflict does not do the trick because it's not supported by the facts,” said Brian Finucane, former State Department counsel on counterterrorism and military rules of engagement, speaking to CBS News. “What this boils down to is the President of the United States asserting a prerogative to kill people based solely on his own say so,” he told NPR Friday.
“There is a world of difference between al Qaeda murdering almost 3,000 people on 9/11 by crashing airliners into buildings (an actual armed attack) and people dying from ingesting illegal drugs (not an armed attack),” Finucane wrote on social media Thursday. He adds, the U.S. government's “position on cyberspace provides a useful touchstone for non-traditional uses of force. Drug smuggling does not meet this threshold.”
Some questions Trump’s claim raises include: “Is a coca farmer a military target now? Someone who sells gas for the boats? Someone who happens to live in a crime-controlled town? A lieutenant or sergeant who is on the take?” asked Adam Isaacson of the Washington Office on Latin America. “With so little clarity about who the enemy is, the chance of innocent civilians being killed is enormous.”
Welcome to this Friday edition of The D Brief, a newsletter dedicated to developments affecting the future of U.S. national security, brought to you by Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston. It’s more important than ever to stay informed, so thank you for reading. Share your tips and feedback here. And if you’re not already subscribed, you can do that here. On this day in 2015, the U.S. military killed 42 people and injured more than 30 others when an Air Force AC-130U gunship opened fire on a hospital run by Doctors without Borders in Kunduz, Afghanistan.
In Chicago, at least three federal agencies stormed an apartment complex at 1 a.m. local Tuesday with drones and helicopters overhead, and used flashbang grenades to burst through the building as they pulled sleeping people out of their apartments and zip-tied their children—some without any clothes on—outside for several hours, the Chicago Sun-Timesreported Wednesday. “Agents approached or entered nearly every apartment in the five-story building,” and left residents’ homes trashed upon their eventual return between three and five hours later.
Sizzle reel: Homeland Security officials turned footage of the raid into a sort of highlight video posted online Thursday.
Officials arrested 37 people at the apartment, which they claimed was “a location known to be frequented by Tren de Aragua members and their associates.” However, those Homeland Security officials “gave no evidence to support the assertion, and authorities did not confirm that any of the people arrested were members of the Venezuelan gang,” the Sun-Times reports.
The people brought outside “looked very distraught,” an eyewitness told local ABC7 News. “I was out there crying when I seen the little girl come around the corner, because they was bringing the kids down, too—had them zip tied to each other. That’s all I kept asking. What is the morality? Where’s the human? One of them literally laughed. He was standing right here. He said, ‘f*ck them kids.’”
“Even if you’re not a mother, seeing kids coming out buck naked and taken from their mothers, it was horrible,” a neighbor said.
Said one detained U.S. citizen: “I asked [agents] why they were holding me if I was an American citizen, and they said I had to wait until they looked me up. I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer. They never brought one.”
Historian and author Garrett Graff called it not just “a dark and almost certainly illegal escalation of the out-of-control agency’s war on the American people,” but also “a portrait of an authoritarian secret police that seems set to model itself on history’s worst fascist enforcers.”
He continued: “There is no warrant any judge could give—or at least, in theory, that any reasonable judge would ever sign!—that gives federal authorities the right to break down the doors of every apartment in a building in search of undocumented immigrants. That is almost exactly the definition of the so-called ‘general warrants’ or ‘writs of assistance’ that the British used against US colonists that helped spur the Revolution—warrants then very specifically outlawed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.” (Graff goes into greater detail about precedents of this sort, like the so-called “Palmer Raids” of the country’s first Red Scare, here.)
Legal reax: “There is a gulf in America,” said attorney Ken White, writing Thursday on social media. “The gulf is not just between people who oppose this and people who are indifferent to it or reluctantly accept it in support of immigration policy or see it as collateral damage.”“The gulf is between people who see this as brutal and inhuman, and people who see the victims of this as inhuman,” he said. “The other side of this is not merely saying ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs,’ it‘s people who say ‘lol fuck those eggs.’ It’s between decency and thuggish, swaggering, nihilistic evil. This is not merely about indifference to the brutality against the least of us that is characteristic of our system; that happens under every administration. This is about brutality being the goal, because it makes evil people happy to see others brutalized.”
Around the world
Inside the emergency effort to create a European drone wall: As Russian drone incursions across Europe spike, the European Union committed Wednesday to one of the most ambitious multi-nation defense projects in history: a Europe-wide “drone wall,” envisioned as a network of new sensors, artificial intelligence software, jammers, cheap missiles, and more to thwart small-drone attacks, Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reported Thursday from Estonia.
The concept is still in its infancy. But dozens of Estonian defense tech startups working in autonomy, drone detection and defeat, and other areas related to drone defense gave Defense One a glimpse of how autonomous vehicles, inexpensive short-range missiles, hunter drones and AI concepts are laying the groundwork for the future of defeating drone swarms. And nearly all of them highlighted ongoing partnerships with Ukrainian front-line commanders as part of their development process.
While the drone wall concept belongs to the European Union, it overlaps in geography, technology, and objectives with a separate NATO effort called Eastern Shield, a push to increase eastern-flank area defense under NATO command and control. Continue reading, here.
And in partner-nation developments, we have several new reports from Reuters:
Commentary: “Shadow economies” are growing, and it’s past time for U.S. military planners and operators to take into account these black markets that help rogue states and actors and fray alliances, argues Army Maj. Benjamin Backsmeier, writing Thursday in Defense One.
And lastly this week: An Army battlefield network upgrade led by Anduril and Palantir was described as “deeply flawed” and viewed by Army officials as “very high risk” due to an alleged “likelihood of an adversary gaining persistent undetectable access,” the Army’s chief technology authorizing official said recently, Reuters reported Friday—two days after Breaking Defense initially reported that some“deficiencies” had been “mitigated.”
The network is the Army’s NGC2 platform, which “connects soldiers, sensors, vehicles and commanders with real-time data,” but an Army review last month “paints a bleak picture of the initial product,” Mike Stone of Reuters reports. “We cannot control who sees what, we cannot see what users are doing, and we cannot verify that the software itself is secure,” the Army memo said.
Notable: Breaking Defense reported “that in the three-plus weeks since the document was written and subsequently circulated within industry, the problems have been addressed.” And the Army’s chief information officer Leonel Garciga told Reuters the memo helped in “triaging cybersecurity vulnerabilities” and mitigating them. However, “Other deficiencies highlighted in the memo include the hosting of third-party applications that have not undergone Army security assessments,” and “One application revealed 25 high-severity code vulnerabilities,” while “Three additional applications under review each contain over 200 vulnerabilities requiring assessment, according to the document.” Read more, here.
In today’s globalized world, managing supply chain risks has become a top priority for businesses. From cybersecurity threats and compliance issues to supplier sustainability and geopolitical instability, businesses face more complex risks than ever before. The right Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) solutions in 2025 help organizations identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate risks effectively. This […]
Yes
No.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
