-International Events-
Turkey: A terror attack was conducted this morning at the Turkish Aerospace Industries complex in Ankara. Multiple gunmen assaulted the industrial facility this morning with small arms and hand grenades. Early this morning, it was reported that hostages had been taken by the assailants, who were holding employees of the facility for unknown purposes. So far 5x fatalities have been reported, along with around a dozen wounded. AC: This attack was likely planned to coincide with President Erdoğan’s arrival in Russia for the BRICS summit, which occurred just a few hours before the attack began. Most Turkish media is blaming the attack on PKK militants, which is likely considering the long-standing historical conflict between Turkey and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Of note, immediately after the attack, most social media was cut throughout Turkey. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, and YouTube were all immediately restricted, probably to prevent footage of the attacks from circulating. This is yet another reminder that in some nations, censorship is the knee-jerk reaction to any major event. This further complicates the situation, and prevents citizens from knowing if the threats are isolated, or part of a more coordinated attack. This is a very important consideration to remember, as a citizenry might only get notification of a single event occurring…because follow-on attacks will likely take place under a blanket of censorship. For now, this attack appears to be an isolated event in Turkey, though time will tell if other attacks take place in the near future.
HomeFront
United States: Boeing continues to experience setbacks in the form of equipment failure in space. Boeing’s IS-33e communications satellite catastrophically exploded a few days ago. The US Space Force is tracking the debris field, which largely consists of approximately twenty pieces of debris. No word has been provided yet regarding what caused the satellite to explode in orbit. AC: Satellite failures are more common than one might think, however one exploding in orbit is quite rare. As with most critical infrastructure failures within the United States, discerning whether an incident was the result of incompetence or malice remains challenging. While most will be quick to assign blame to Boeing with regards to Boeing’s long history of shoddy workmanship, one would do well to remember that a new form of ‘space race’ has been underway for years, with most major power-players around the world attempting to develop weapons for use in targeting adversarial satellites. So far, no indications are present that this explosion might have been the result of a hostile act, however an investigation into this incident will surely examine this possibility.
