The Wire - September 25, 2025

//The Wire//2300Z September 25, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: UK ANNOUNCES NATIONAL MANDATORY DIGITAL ID. RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT INTERCEPTED OFF ALASKAN COAST. CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER INDICTED FOR SMUGGLING GUNS TO CARTEL.//

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-International Events-

United Kingdom: Scandal has erupted following the announcement of a national identification paper scheme. The British government is set to implement a mandatory digital ID system that will be required for all British citizens to be allowed to function in society.

Europe: Drone incursions have continued over the past few days, with limited reports of drone incursions popping up in Norway and Denmark. Overnight, more drones were spotted over the port city of Korsor, along with a handful of airports scattered around the country.

Analyst Comment: Right now it's hard to tell if these drone reports are any different than the standard incursions that have become common in civilian aviation over the past few years. When an airport sends out a hazard report to pilots, a description of "UAS activity" doesn't really indicate much. What is quite clear is that the initial drone reports in Denmark were vastly different than most of the typical quadcopter reports that are more common. However, now that media attention is on the skies once again, it's possible that more drone sightings will be reported. It's also very likely that, now that people are paying attention, more people will confuse legitimate drone threats with commercial aircraft, as has been a trend lately.

-HomeFront-

Mississippi: This morning 911 call center services went offline for the entire state, which local authorities state were caused by a "series of fiber optic cuts".

Analyst Comment: Right now it's not clear as to if this was the result of malign action, or by accident. Generally speaking it would be a bad idea for an entire state's critical infrastructure to be vulnerable to one swipe of a backhoe, but it's certainly possible.

Illinois: A Chicago police officer has been indicted for smuggling weapons for cartels in Mexico. The indictment states that Officer Kevin Rodriguez used his law enforcement credentials to purchase firearms that were illegal for normal citizens to buy in the states of Illinois and Indiana. He was then paid by a cartel member by the name of Diego Valdez, who took possession of the firearms and smuggled them into Mexico. 

Analyst Comment: This scheme allegedly ran from September to December of 2024, and so far all of the court documents indicate that only two rifles were smuggled into Mexico. However, this may be a larger network, as these types of arrangements usually go on for some time before they are detected.

Alaska: This morning US Air Force aircraft were scrambled to intercept Russian bombers off the west coast. A flight of Russian Tu-95 BEAR H aircraft were observed approaching the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which prompted American aircraft to intercept them and escort them during their flight near American airspace.

Analyst Comment: This is a fairly standard event that usually goes unnoticed most of the time. However, this case is probably related to President Trump's recent comments on Russia's incursions in Europe, namely stating that European powers should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace.

New York: As the UN General Assembly continues, President Trump met with the new leader of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharq, where he is expected to be a focal point of this year's summit.

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Analyst Comments: As a reminder, Ahmed Al-Sharq changed his name upon seizing power a few months ago. His previous name was Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a high-ranking al-Qaeda commander from the Global War on Terror. Upon his AQ-linked militia group seizing power during the fall of the Assad regime, he changed