Open your eyes to... MT 2/2023 · 57 Alongside the other defence and security actors, it will take its full place in the redefinition of the approaches and capabilities to be implemented in the face of the challenges of our time. The problem of everyday insecurity from multiple threats now affects the population in almost all areas, whether urban, rural, or peripheral. A strategy to combat insecurity today implies investing in these new territories but also considering the tools resulting from a digital revolution that is profoundly transforming lifestyles and social relations. The new territorial configuration of crime and the rise of new technologies constitute the dual challenge of the action strategies to be developed today by security forces. The return of special and armoured vehicles The expanding range of mission assigned to law enforcement bodies stimulates the offer of vehicles especially conceived and/or equipped for anti-riot, urban warfare/guerrilla, patrol, and fast intervention duties. German companies’ solid background in the automotive sector and their sound knowledge of armour protection merge to deliver versatile solutions to governmental customers. A key example is Rheinmetall’s range of product. At the exhibition, Rheinmetall presented its Caracal 4X4 family of versatile, powerful, fast and compact 4x4 vehicles for lightweight formations such as airmobile and special forces units, in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz. The superbly protected, multifaceted Survivor-R high-mobility vehicle – specially designed for security forces – is instead the product of the collaboration with MAN, which provides the base chassis, and special vehicle maker Achleitner. Germany’s Federal Police of its relevance: an army can be defeated, but not a people determined to defend itself. This is why several European countries are rediscovering and/or expanding operational reserves. The reserve is the emanation of society, it constitutes the link between homeland security forces and the population that can be mobilised through it. Thanks to the reserve, homeland security forces also disseminate values, train citizens in military skills and know-how and strengthens their capacity to mobilise if needed. The reserve also increases the number of information relays available to security forces especially when including cyber-reservists. The war in Ukraine also highlights the acuteness of the cyber threat, where criminal, political and military purposes can be combined. This is a major concern and a considerable challenge: the global cost of cyber-crime is estimated at €6,000 billion – and probably the real figure is higher. The number of cyber-incidents handled by homeland security forces is steadily increasing. Yet, they probably represent only a tiny fraction of the attacks actually attempted or executed. Homeland security forces are investing massively in this area with the creation of cyber commands dedicated to prevention, investigation, intelligence, research and development, and training. Eventually, some security bodies envisage networks of thousands of cyber-investigators. The food news is that the Internet also makes it possible to reinvent homeland security forces‘ link with their respective populations. Countries that experimented the establishment of „digital brigades“ (Germany, France, Spain, Greece and many others) in Europe marked a great success, with thousands of reports from citizens every day. In a period of turmoil and crisis, the success of initiatives like this have confirmed the added value of homeland security forces in connecting civilian and military aspects of crisis management. The Polaris MRZR 4x4 equipped with a pintle mounted Dillon M-134 7.62mm gatling gun and a quadruple launcher for MBDA Enforcer anti-tank missiles as presented at DES booth. The vehicular installation of AAronia’s AARTOS DDS Generation 6 onboard a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter during the exhibition. Ziesel – Diehl Defence’s UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle). Diehl Defence delivered two of these UGVs for infantry support in the configuration logistic transport to the German Armed Forces at the end of November 2022.
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