SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has had an infinite number of effects in the world with the intense use of cyberspace and the governance of activities on a global scale. Given that governance and governability have different connotations and that they are closely related. Both terms will be considered in security and defense, which are redefining the strategies due to the impact of the convergence of accelerated exponential technologies in the planning, management and decision-making of the sector with strong public-private participation.
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The Western Hemisphere has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic though the impact has been felt more acutely by certain countries and within certain communities. While by no means uniform, the English-speaking Caribbean has largely avoided the worst of the initial phase of the public health crisis through a combination of good luck and good work. However, the same cannot be said for the economic and social effects of the crisis in a region that is heavily dependent on trade and tourism. The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the US Southern Command are concerned how preparedness for hurricane season might interact with the challenges of the pandemic combined with other persistent crime and security issues. There is a continued need for strengthening both military to military cooperation as well as broader inter-agency and international efforts to reduce the risk presented by the myriad of threats facing the region today.
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The illicit drug trade in the Americas has been evolving and expanding from plant-based narcotics like cocaine, heroin and marijuana to potent synthetic substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Since the 1980s, the U.S. war on drugs focused on countering cocaine trafficking that made the Colombian and Mexican cartels immensely wealthy and powerful. Over the past decade, US narcotic consumption has shifted significantly from cocaine to opioids and methamphetamine, resulting in an unprecedented opioid epidemic with 72,037 drug overdose deaths recorded in 2017 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, Mexican cartels are increasingly trafficking opioids and synthetics to respond to market changes in the US The atomization of large cartels and increased competition to dominate trafficking routes resulted in record levels of violence in Mexico with 29,111 homicides registered in 2018. The October 17, 2019 failed Mexican government operation to capture one of El Chapo Guzman's sons demonstrated how the Sinaloa cartel outgunned Mexican security forces and terrorized the city of Culiacan for hours. This paper will examine the evolving drug trade across the Americas from plant-based to synthetic drugs, the role of the Darknet as a force multiplier for the narcotics market, and US and Mexican national and international efforts to address the dynamic drug trade and associated violence.
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The national security implications of pandemic influenza have immeasurable social costs, but also important are the quantifiable economic costs. We estimated the possible macroeconomic effects of the next influenza pandemic on the Jamaican economy and analyzed the economic impact of vaccine-based interventions. The estimated economic impact would be approximately JA$2.6B, excluding disruptions to commerce and society. Loss in man hours is estimated over a two (2) week work period at approximately 15M hours using an estimated average attack rate of 17% across the leading economic sectors. With vaccination cost per patient ranging between US$18 to as high as US$59, the overall cost of vaccinating members of the estimated labour force who might be exposed to an attack is as high as JA$917M. We therefore project a net savings to the society if persons within the labour force are vaccinated. Critical among the labour force are public and corporate security. Public safety and public order are paramount during an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
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