On the latest episode of the Wisdom & Wealth Podcast with Josh Klooz from Carson Wealth, CEO Dale Buckner offers insight into current and emerging global security threats and advice for high-net-worth executives and families looking to mitigate their risk professionally and personally with a thorough cyber, physical, and travel security plan.
“If you’re driving around from point A to point B every day, maybe leave at different times, vary your route, stay close to wherever you’re going to be visiting,” said Ballard. “Folks tend to stand out in foreign countries, so you don’t necessarily want to be wearing your Rolex all the time, your diamond earrings, etc, so you know, common sense stuff, don’t make yourself a target.”
Global Guardian Director of Intelligence Michael Ballard sat down with Brian White of San Diego CBS 8 News to discuss travel to Mexico, including the travel advisories from the U.S. government, and share tips on how to stay safe ahead of Spring Break.
“There’s a lot of corruption in Mexico among officials, not just police, although police corruption is a major issue. There have been entire local, and even state-level police departments completely disbanded because of their corruption ties to local criminal organizations,” said Mike Ballard of the Global Guardian, a global security solutions company."
Global Guardian Director of Intelligence Michael Ballard sat down with Robert Sherman of NewsNation to discuss travel to Mexico, including the recent travel advisories from the U.S. government, and share guidance on security considerations ahead of departure.
"Buckner says for anyone traveling to Mexico — or anywhere in the world, for that matter — should have a plan for what to do if they get sick or injured and need to return home in an emergency; how to get out of a natural disaster and what to do if they were hacked or kidnapped."
Global Guardian CEO Dale Buckner sat down with Hannah Sampson of The Washington Post to discuss advice about travel to Mexico amid the violence, protests, and travel warnings from the U.S. government.
"The timing is obviously curious. Following the Wagner template, everyone's drawing conclusions that there might be a tie there—which is probably a very good assumption at this point."
Global Guardian CEO Dale Buckner sat down with Mia Jankowicz of Business Insider to discuss the recent news that Russia granted Gazprom the authority to start its own private security outfit—and what implications this might have on the Russia-Ukraine War.
"The size and scale of the destruction our team has witnessed is difficult to describe. Some infrastructure will never be replaced. The damage is so widespread it will be uninhabitable for years to come."
In USA Today, CEO Dale Buckner describes the situation in Turkey, as reported by Global Guardian’s local response teams, who are on the ground actively assisting clients with evacuations, transportation, and supply delivery in and around the earthquake zone.
In Global Guardian's monthly Risk Barometer, our Intelligence Team highlights current global hotspots with the potential to impact your business operations and travels. Read below for analysis on the threats we are closely monitoring this month and click here to subscribe for regular intelligence updates, including this monthly report.
Israel is currently on high alert after a string of deadly attacks, including the attack on a synagogue in an East Jerusalem neighborhood on 27 January that killed at least seven people. The attack marked the deadliest terror incident in over a decade. It comes as tensions have increased dramatically in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip following an Israeli security raid in Jenin which led to the death of seven suspected Palestinian militants who were reportedly planning an attack.
The root of this is that the Palestinian Authority has lost control over the northern West Bank, including the city of Jenin. Israel is filling the security gap, which in turn is increasing the hostility and sense of desperation on the part of Palestinian youth.
Despite widespread support among Palestinians for armed resistance, they have not yet mobilized on a large scale. However, two key factors have the potential to bring the Palestinian community together and ignite a new uprising: the Temple Mount and the situation of security prisoners. A significant visit by Israeli officials to the Temple Mount or a coordinated hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners could spark widespread mobilization for armed struggle.
Separately, the IDF is on high alert following the alleged Israeli attack in Isfahan, Iran on 28 January. The targeted Isfahan facility is a munitions depot that could be connected to Iran's growing missile production.
Iran and Israel are engaged in a “War Between Wars,” a shadow conflict where Israel seeks to limit the development of Iran’s advanced military capabilities (nuclear program, ballistic missile production, drone program, precision guided munitions) through clandestine and other non-attributable actions. Instead of responding directly, Iran uses its proxies in the Middle East to attack Israel or it attacks Israeli interests abroad, including plots on tourists, diplomats, and maritime attacks on Israeli-owned shipping companies.
Iran is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s primary foreign and security policy concern, and the attack on Isfahan comes on the heels of the largest ever joint U.S.-Israeli military exercise which simulated a joint attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Together, these events foretell increased military actions against Iran to establish the credibility of the military option now that a revised nuclear agreement appears to be off the table. As these operations increase, so does the potential for blowback and escalation.
Iran response options:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
|
Tensions are flaring between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda amid recent rebel and militant group violence in the border regions and could lead to an expansion of the conflict. Such a conflict could disrupt the global supply of cobalt and coltan which are vital for battery production. In addition, there are over six million internally displaced persons in the DRC. Further destabilization could also lead to a worsening humanitarian crisis and severe disease outbreaks, including Ebola.
There have been dozens of clashes, attacks, and battles in eastern and northeastern DRC since the M23 rebel group launched a renewed campaign in October 2022. They made significant gains in the DRC’s North Kivu province that prompted Congolese officials to expel Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karenga on 29 October. In response, Rwandan officials increased troop deployment to the border in anticipation of Congolese retaliatory attacks.
Rwanda is accused of providing material support to the M23 group. At the same time, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) faces allegations of providing similar support to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group fighting the Rwandan government. There are over 100 other groups operating in the region, further complicating the situation.
Recent Escalation
Context
There is not one singular conflict in eastern Congo but rather a web of interconnected conflicts with roots in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and other post-colonial ethnic dynamics. The Rwandan Genocide created a mass refugee crisis in the African Great Lakes Region with over 1.5 million ethnic Tutsis and over one million ethnic Hutus fleeing to eastern Zaire (currently the DRC) and forming opposing armed groups in Congo’s North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces.
Ethnic conflict in the DRC is exacerbated by the area’s vast resource wealth, as well as by regional interstate competition. Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda all maintain spheres of influence in the portion of eastern DRC that they border. The region’s instability, the weakness of the central government, and conflicting external interests helped foment the First and Second Congo Wars.
Current State
After being defeated in 2013, M23 reemerged and began launching attacks against the Congolese government in November 2021. M23’s revival coincides with events contributing to Rwanda’s growing isolation and a deterioration in its zero-sum competition with its neighbors. Uganda and Burundi – who Kigali considers hostile – are being allowed to pursue their security, economic, and political interests in DRC while it cannot. In addition, plans for a new road linking Goma, DRC to Kampala, Uganda, will also bypass Rwanda which will minimize Kigali’s central role in regional commerce.
In March and April 2022, M23 fighters took control over key parts of Rutshuru territory, bordering Uganda and Rwanda in North Kivu, raided a Congolese military camp, and allegedly downed a UN helicopter. The offensive escalated in May with the capture of the Congolese military’s main headquarters in North Kivu and its march towards the regional hub, Goma.
These attacks prompted Congolese President, Felix Tshisekedi to bar M23 from the most recent round of peace talks with the DRC’s various rebel groups and give it a terror designation. In June 2022, a Congolese soldier crossed the Rwandan border and fired at Rwandan soldiers, escalating tensions between the neighboring countries. Earlier in the year, Rwandan President Kagame warned that Rwanda may intervene in DRC without Kinshasa’s consent.
A 25 November 2022 ceasefire brokered between DRC and Rwandan officials was accepted by M23, however the group has continued to take territory and clash with the Congolese military.
KEY TAKEWAYSWhile still improbable, the risk of open conflict between the DRC and Rwanda rises with every rebel group attack and incident involving official military personnel. The DRC has many security issues occupying its resources and Rwanda would risk further regional isolation if it invaded its neighbor. Yet both presidents are using increasingly belligerent language, possibly intended to prepare the populations for military action. Given the tension and current ground setting taking place, an errant Congolese rocket that falls in Rwanda or an intentional attack on a Rwandan arms transfer to M23 could be used to justify a Rwandan military operation within a hostile DRC. |
"Most of the world is fraught with dangers, challenges and uncertainty if not prepared. Understanding culture and language matters. If you cannot visualise the environment, solving only the medical situation could leave your client/patient exposed to other multiple threats.”
In the February edition of the International Travel and Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ), Global Guardian Director of Special Operations Ariel Kern discusses the key qualities a medical or security responder requires to be effective on the ground in high-risk situations. While training is important, real-world exposure and experience are key to determining if a responder can operate under high pressure.
Three powerful earthquakes devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria on 06 February 2023. The death toll is rapidly rising with 1,500 deaths recorded so far in Turkey and over 800 in Syria as rescuers race to pull survivors from beneath the rubble.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake located 14 miles (23 kilometers) east of Nurdağı, Turkey struck at approximately 3:17 AM local time. Another earthquake, reportedly magnitude 7.7, occurred approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the initial quake at 1:43 PM local time. At 4:15 PM local time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck in the northwestern quadrant of Kahramanmaraş Province.
Turkey estimates over 7,000 injuries and the United States Geological Services (USGS) estimates that up to 10,000 casualties are possible. The initial earthquake was followed by up to 78 aftershocks, the largest of which had a magnitude of 6.7 and was located 14 miles (23 km) west-southwest of Osmaniye, Turkey. The quake was reportedly felt in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, northern Cyprus, Greece, and Syria. Flight operations have been suspended at Kahramanmaraş (KCM), Hatay (HTY) and Gaziantep Oğuzeli (GZT) airports. Unrelatedly, hundreds of flights to Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) in Istanbul have been canceled due to inclement weather. The UK, Israel, and Pakistan are sending search and rescue teams to Turkey as recovery operations continue. Fatalities and casualties are expected to rise as more people are identified in the rubble.
Impact
The earthquake has affected Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis provinces in Turkey and Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia governorates in Syria.
Turkey
Due to the possibility of further damage by possible aftershocks, all individuals in the areas are urged to evacuate from buildings that have been affected by the earthquakes. Further disruptions to the affected areas are expected as emergency services respond and more infrastructure fails.
Bodycam footage showing the beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis, TN police officers is expected to be released in the coming days, possibly as early as this afternoon (Thursday 26 Jan). Police departments, private businesses, and civilian leadership are gearing up across the country for possible unrest in reaction to the video.
Context
Outlook
