S2 Underground

//The Wire Weekly Rollup//February 25 – March 2, 2024// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: Following the Houthi cruise missile strike on the M/V RUBYMAR in the Red Sea two weeks ago, this nondescript vessel was discovered to be adrift (and likely dragging her anchor) following her crew abandoning ship after the strike. Far East: Japan has announced the revitalization of h...

//The Wire//1700Z March 2, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS IN ASIA WORSEN FOLLOWING FISHING DISPUTE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: Houthi forces report that the M/V RUBYMAR has finished sinking in the southern Red Sea. Though no independent verification of this can be made at this time, UKMTO has confirmed that her last reported position as of this...

//The Wire//2200Z March 1, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WILDFIRES CONTINUE IN TEXAS. JAPAN BEGINS TO IMPROVE DEFENSES ON REMOTE OUTLYING ISLANDS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Poland: This morning a hit-and-run incident injured 17 people as a vehicle rammed into a crowd in the port city of Szczecin. The driver was later apprehended. As of this report it is not immediately clear...

//The Wire//2100Z February 29, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WILDFIRE GROWS IN TEXAS. M/V RUBYMAR ADRIFT IN THE RED SEA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: The M/V RUBYMAR continues to sink as Houthi forces maintain some level of security or territorial influence around the stricken vessel. Recent open-source satellite imagery indicates that the vessel has been drifting f...

//The Wire//2300Z February 28, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: TENSIONS MOUNT IN TRANSNISTRIA. PROTESTS CONTINUE IN EUROPE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Europe: Yesterday the breakaway-Republic of Transnistria voted to formally request to become a protectorate of Russia. This region, a thin strip of diplomatically ambiguous land situated in the eastern part of Moldova along the Uk...

//The Wire//1830Z February 27, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CANADA CONTINUES ATTACKS ON SPEECH. US ARMY REPORTEDLY REDUCES 24,000 JOBS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Canada: Several bills have been introduced in Parliament with the goal of suppressing and criminalizing speech. Bill C-63, as introduced for the First Reading yesterday, seeks to modify the Criminal Code to create a...

//The Wire//1830Z February 26, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: NORWEGIAN CRUISE SHIP QUARANTINED DUE TO CHOLERA OUTBREAK.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Mauritius: A Norwegian cruise ship has been quarantined in the Port of Mauritius following a cholera outbreak onboard the vessel. The M/V NORWEGIAN DAWN has been quarantined in port until further notice. Though the origin of the out...

//The Wire Weekly Rollup//February 18-24, 2024// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: This week marked significant escalations in the region following the most successful targeting of a commercial vessel by Houthi forces so far during the Red Sea Crisis. Sunday night, the M/V RUBYMAR was struck with multiple projectiles, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Originally the vess...

//The Wire//1500Z February 24, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: NO NEW DETAILS ON BALLOON. CHINESE ILLEGAL ALIEN ENCOUNTERS REACH NEW RECORD IN CA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: Over the past few days, CENTCOM has intensified “self-defense” targeting of Houthi sites in Yemen. As has become standard, almost zero information is released regarding these strikes, which have...

//The Wire//2300Z February 23, 2024// //PRIORITY// //BLUF: UNIDENTIFIED HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON SPOTTED OVER WESTERN USA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -Homefront- USA: This afternoon, CBS News leaked a report indicating that the U.S. military was tracking an unidentified high-altitude balloon over the western United States. According to CBS, Pentagon officials stated that the origin and intentions of...

//The Wire//2130Z February 23, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: NO NEW INFO ON YESTERDAYS CELL OUTAGE. FARMER PROTESTS CONTINUE IN EUROPE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Europe: Farmer protests continue as before, expanding in both the severity of disruptions caused and the number of nations affected. So far, major protests are underway in 14 European nations, with smaller, localized...

//The Wire//1900Z February 22, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MULTIPLE NATIONWIDE CYBER EVENTS IMPACT USA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: The BBC has obtained recent imagery indicating the status of the M/V RUBYMAR . The photos confirm that the vessel is not completely sunk, but severe flooding has caused such substantial trim by the stern that her deck is awash at the...

//The Wire//2030Z February 21, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: GOVERNMENT DISSOLVED IN GUINEA. RED SEA ATTACKS CONTINUE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Guinea: Yesterday the ruling military junta dissolved the entire government, ordering all governmental ministers to surrender their passports. The borders of Guinea have also reportedly been closed as the ruling junta seeks to consol...

//The Wire//1930Z February 20, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: HOUTHI FORCES INTENSIFY ATTACKS, SHOOT DOWN AMERICAN DRONE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: Significant escalations in the region have taken place following the successful attack on the M/V RUBYMAR with many commercial vessels being targeted by a variety of Houthi weapons systems. The following is a summary o...

//The Wire//1800Z February 19, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: HOUTHI FORCES SINK SHIP IN BAB EL MANDEB STRAIT.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Western mainstream media reporting over the past 24 hours has suggested that Egypt may be preparing for the reception of Palestinian refugees. Planet Labs satellite imagery was provided to media groups that indicates a large swat...

//The Wire Weekly Rollup//February 11-17, 2024// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Israel began the military campaign to gain control of the city of Rafah, along the Egyptian border. This operation, while slow to begin, has so far largely comprised of large bombing campaigns. In northern Israel tensions with Lebanon remain elevated following the Israeli targeting of Hezb...

//The Wire//1600Z February 17, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CONFLICT CONTINUES IN THE RED SEA. NAVALNY DEATH INCREASES INTL TENSIONS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Russia: Much consternation abounds concerning the death of Putin critic Alexei Navalny. Pro-Russian sources are quick to point out that Navalny was prosecuted for orchestrating dissent in Russia at the behest of the W...

//The Wire//1600Z February 16, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: RED SEA ATTACKS CONTINUE. NO NEW INFO ON RUSSIAN SPACE THREAT.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: American strikes in Yemen continue, allegedly in self-defense against varying targets in Yemen. Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (ASCMs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), and various Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs) have be...

//The Wire//1800Z February 15, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE CLAIMS SERIOUS SECURITY THREAT.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Growing international opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza has begun to become more public over the past few days. French President Macron urged PM Netanyahu in a phone call to end the war in Gaza, citing the overwhelming...

//The Wire//1700Z February 14, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: IRANIAN PIPELINE EXPLODES. ISRAEL CONTINUES ACTIONS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Attacks on various U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria have increased over the past few weeks, following heightened tensions in the region. Over the past few days, POL facilities in Syria (such as the al-...

//The Wire//1700Z February 13, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: FOREIGN AID SPENDING BILL PASSES U.S. SENATE. PROTESTS CONTINUE IN EUROPE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Israel continues preparations for operations in Rafah as leaflet drops alongside bombing operations increase in the region. However, due to the location of this border city, there are very few locations...

//The Wire//1700Z February 12, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: ISRAEL BEGINS BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN RAFAH. SECDEF AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED AGAIN.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Netherlands: This morning, a Dutch court of appeals ruled against the Dutch government, halting the export of all F-35 parts to Israel. Per the court’s ruling, the court found that “It is undeniable that there is a c...

//The Wire Weekly Rollup//February 4-10, 2024// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: This week conflict escalated in the form of more substantial attacks, increased U.S. airstrikes in Yemen, and allegedly newly fielded weapons systems. Throughout the week, CENTCOM confirmed U.S. forces regularly engaged Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) that were allegedly being staged for a...

//The Wire//1630Z February 10, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: ISRAEL PREPARES FOR INVASION OF RAFAH, EGYPT RESPONDS BY POSTURING.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: Israel continues to prepare for large scale combat operations in Rafah. In response, Egypt has deployed multiple battalions from the 4th Armored Division (of the 3rd Field Army) to the border region. Israeli fo...