Author: NatSec.ca

Germany to empower it’s foreign-intelligence service, capable of holding its own in a dangerous world

Long handcuffed by court rulings, complex oversight arrangements, and stringent data-protection rules, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) has tended to operate as a simple, if reasonably effective, intelligence-gathering and analysis outfit. In a country where the Gestapo and Stasi cast long shadows, strict limits have been placed on the operations of the secret services. The original BND Act, written in 1990, was in essence a data-protection rule book. “It’s very slow, and very bureaucratic,” says a European former security official of the BND.

The BND must cease monitoring once a target once enters Germany. Foreigners abroad enjoy the same privacy protections as someone in Germany, curtailing the BND’s ability to tap phones or monitor data flows. Personal data must be redacted if the BND is to pass information to other German agencies. These “totally absurd” restrictions do not apply in other countries, says Wolfgang Krieger, a historian who has written extensively on the BND. They limit the trust placed in the BND by partner agencies—and create vulnerabilities foes can exploit. “Putin has no rules, and we respond with our Rechtsstaat [constitutional state],” sighs Marc Henrichmann, an mp on the Bundestag’s intelligence-oversight panel.

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UK should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in which Europe can no longer rely on US support in a crisis, and build stronger relations with “middle powers” such as Canada

In a report published on Friday, 2026.03.27, the British parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) said the UK government should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in which Europe could no longer rely on US support in a crisis.

The report warned, “The UK must be prepared to take on more of the cost for its and Europe’s security through investing in partnerships and multilateral dialogues with other ‘middle powers’, for example Canada, Australia and India, to avoid being squeezed by great power competition between the United States and China.”

The UK currently relies on the US in several key national security areas, including maintenance of its Trident nuclear missiles, intelligence sharing, and major projects such as the F-35 fighter jet and Aukus submarine deal with Australia.

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PM Mark Carney announces Canada has achieved the NATO 2% defence spending target

The 2 percent of GDP defence spending target is a foundation for an even  stronger, more independent, more secure Canada.

Prime Minister Carney announced Thursday, 2026,03.26, more than $3 billion in infrastructure and defence-related investments across Atlantic Canada:

  • In Nova Scotia, targeted investments to modernize critical infrastructure, build new facilities to support the next generation of naval and air fleets, and expand training and operational capacity. Canada is investing:

The world’s most credible democracy watchdog reports the US is no longer a liberal democracy

Martin Gelin, writing in The Guardian:

The US is no longer a democracy. One of the most credible global sources on the health of democratic nations now says this outright. The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Gothenburg University reaches the alarming conclusion in its annual report, that the US is hurtling towards autocracy at a faster rate than Hungary and Turkey.

“Our data on the USA goes back to 1789. What we’re seeing now is the most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever in the country,” says Staffan Lindberg, founder of the institute.
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‘Iran is likely to emerge weaker but more violent, aggressive, and vengeful’

Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, writing in Foreign Policy Magazine:

The Iranian regime is suffering heavy blows as a result of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign, but it is not on the verge of collapse. A prolonged war lasting months would increase the probability that it could fall, but it now appears that the war will end before that, with Iran’s current government in place. This means the Islamic Republic is likely to emerge weaker but more violent, aggressive, and vengeful.

…

Beyond its borders, Iran will be forced to adapt some aspects of its foreign policy while striving to maintain others. It will likely be emboldened by having shown that it can almost completely close the Strait of Hormuz and dramatically impact global energy prices. Having lost several of its power projection assets, it will therefore rapidly invest in rebuilding the capabilities it needs to threaten shipping in the strait again, specifically its missile and drone programs. It will also enthusiastically remind whoever listens that it could renew its campaign in response to future pressure or threats.
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Federal government announced an investment of $1.4 billion into Domestic Ammunition Production

On Wednesday, 2026.03.18, David McGuinty, the Minister of National Defence, announced an investment of $1.4 billion to expand Canada’s domestic ammunition production capacity.

Under the Canadian Defence Industry Resilience (CDIR) Program, Minister McGuinty announced that the Government of Canada will provide up to $305.4 million in financial assistance to IMT Precision in Ingersoll, Ontario. This will establish a new manufacturing facility capable of producing empty metal shells for more modern and effective 155mm artillery projectiles, which will increase Canada’s sovereign ammunition production capacity reducing dependency on foreign suppliers. The facility will also act as a vital backup to North American supply capabilities, strengthening Canada’s position within NATO.

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US government cyber security experts thought Microsoft’s Cloud was “a pile of shit,” They still approved it.

The tech giant’s “lack of proper detailed security documentation” left reviewers with a “lack of confidence in assessing the system’s overall security posture,” according to an internal government report reviewed by ProPublica.

Or, as one member of the team put it: “The package is a pile of shit.”

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Foreign intelligence services are increasingly recruiting ordinary citizens to carry out espionage and sabotage

“It’s not as if there’s a note saying, ‘Greetings from Russia’ or ‘Greetings from Iran,’” according to Youssef , director of intelligence and national threats at the Netherlands’ National Investigations and Special Operations unit. “Sometimes it’s simply: ‘Do you want to set fire to something for €5,000?’”

“Until recently, you mainly saw intelligence services themselves carrying out actions,” he added. “What we see now is that citizens, for payment, for adventure, or for some other reason, are lending themselves for such tasks.”

Ait Daoud warns the growing use of civilian recruits reflects a broader shift in how foreign intelligence services conduct operations — one that complicates efforts to counter their activities.

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Trump’s threats to NATO reveal glaring absence of any strategy on Iran

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, writes:

If there was a moment when the absence of a US strategy on Iran was exposed, then this was it. Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the UK, China, France, Japan and others participate in a naval escort for oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz.

Despite launching the attack on Iran, with Israel, the White House does not seem to have fully anticipated what was likely to follow. Iran had few good military options for fighting back, but attacking US bases, US allies and merchant shipping in the Gulf was the most obvious response – to try to impose costs on the west.

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Trump, fixated on military power, had no particular desire to work with any country other than Israel – and none wanted to join in starting a war against Iran. As a result, naval preparation by US allies before the start of the war was nonexistent. None of Britain, France, China and Japan had warships ready to take up convoy duties.

For any escort operation to be viable, it might require eight to 10 destroyers, according to Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, though that would be enough to protect only “five to 10 vessels, making a transit every day and a half”. That would amount to about 10% of prewar shipping volumes.