Josh Bata

Development, peace, & security | 🧑🏽‍💼 Conventional Arms & Ammunition @UNIDIR | 🎓 @unipv @UPOlomouc @UCAuvergne alumnus

[The Philippine Star @PhilippineStar]

‘‘YUNG BATANG NAMARIL PO AY ISA RING BIKTIMA. SO SINO ‘YUNG MANANAGOT?’

Mother of Joyancee Separa, one of the students who died in the school shooting in Tacloban, asked who would be held accountable in the incident.

“May nabanggit po kanina na ‘yung batang namaril po ay isa ring biktima. So sino ‘yung mananagot? Sino po ‘yung dapat managot? Gusto ko pong managot ‘yung mga magulang niya, ‘yung guardian niya, lalo na ‘yung may-ari ng baril,” she said during the Senate hearing on Wednesday. (Screenshots/Senate)

LIVE: https://t.co/x3owD3Ocqa

[IISS News @IISS_org]

The more traditional forms of gold-related conflict, including insurgent activity around gold-production sites, can be found in several countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia (including West Papua), parts of the southern Philippines, and, increasingly Myanmar.

The latest IISS Research Report benchmarks vulnerabilities and preparedness in addressing illicit gold mining and trafficking in ten gold-producing countries across the Amazon basin, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Find out more: https://t.co/t5B4RSEVOd

[SIPRI @SIPRIorg]

The nine nuclear-armed states—🇺🇸🇷🇺🇬🇧🇫🇷🇨🇳🇮🇳🇵🇰🇰🇵🇮🇱— continued programmes to modernize and enhance their nuclear arsenals in 2025, and most deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems during the year.
Learn mor️e ➡️ https://t.co/LTARRAnwmo

[José Ramos-Horta @JoseRamosHorta1]

Global military spending has reached nearly $3 TRILLION annually. Yet, our weapons of war are simply not fit for all the purposes we set out for them.

We cannot buy our way out of existential crises with hardware alone.

#ShangriLaDialogue #Security #Diplomacy #TimorLeste

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

How are drones reshaping today’s conflicts?

UNIDIR's report takes an in-depth look at how non-State armed groups are using drones in Myanmar and what this reveals about the evolving role of these systems for the country's conflict and beyond.
https://t.co/2dbRRHPuRi

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

UNIDIR joined the 8th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting Working Group on Arms Smuggling in Kampot Province, Cambodia 🇰🇭, marking a deepening cooperation between UNIDIR and its partners across Southeast Asia 🇺🇳🤝🌏

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/oV8V8eJNjV

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

🇰🇭 UNIDIR and Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior trained 37 officials from the capital and border provinces on conventional arms reporting, to strengthen their capacity in fulfilling reporting commitments to conventional arms instruments.

🔗 https://t.co/ogLO3qVip7

[Amos Fox @AmosFox6]

As the potential use of land forces in Iran looms, it is useful to understand how ‘weaker’ actors offset the military advantages of ‘stronger’ actors, and force blitzkriegs to turn into protracted attritional affairs.

https://t.co/fgUkhUiwZg

[Basharat Peer @BasharatPeer]

Absolutely necessary and brilliant essay by Pankaj Mishra on Iran, India and America in @nybooks The hubris, the war, the histories. https://t.co/FIOxuGRcEq And it should be read along with an older essay of his on Iran, the Revolution, and Foucault
: https://t.co/xzfD45Fc1n

[Kelly Eckhold @kellyenz]

Here's an overview of the sorts of measures that other countries in the Asia Pacific region are taking in response to the Iran war.

[Crisis Group @CrisisGroup]

The newly autonomous Bangsamoro region in the Philippines is due to elect its first parliament in 2026. But problems are mounting, including the unfinished demobilisation of ex-combatants and flare-ups of violence.
https://t.co/59J5J9zTSt

[Foreign Policy @ForeignPolicy]

The traditional military procurement cycle has been upended by weapons composed from consumer electronics that are cheap, replaceable, and constantly evolving, writes Anne Neuberger. https://t.co/FxsN0xM6U3

[Crisis Group @CrisisGroup]

“Closure of the Strait of Hormuz would disrupt roughly a fifth of globally traded oil overnight. The shock would reverberate far beyond energy markets.”

@AliVaez with @AJEnglish on the fallout of the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran so far.

https://t.co/sy5XXkrbhk

[Rosemary Kelanic @RKelanic]

Fantastic military analysis of U.S.-Israel-Iran war by @ahauslohner @FT with focus on the missile/drone problem.

Core questions: How much is Iran holding in reserve? What will attrit first, U.S./Israel interceptors, or Iranian missile launchers?

Unfortunately, Iran is an expert at producing cheap drones and can throw a lot of them at the Gulf to attrit much more expensive defense systems.

"After last year’s 12-day war with Israel — in which large barrages from Iran were heavily intercepted and launchers destroyed — Tehran has recalibrated its missile doctrine. In firing back at Israel, it has shifted from headline-grabbing salvos to a steadier campaign designed to stretch air defences.

At the same time it is using short-range missiles and drones for intensive attacks on US allies in the Gulf, targeting civilian infrastructure as well as American military bases. On both fronts, it is seeking to expend its least valuable munitions first, while depleting its adversaries’ interceptors and disrupting life across the region."

@defpriorities

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

When nations race to expand their nuclear arsenals, what are the real costs?

UNIDIR’s report shows that beyond budgets, the costs are strategic, humanitarian and institutional – and they’re rising fast.

📘 Read the full report: https://t.co/EbgPSkRWZQ

[Josh Bata @batangjosh]

How did drones become an area of contest between non-State armed groups and the Myanmar government forces since the 2021 military coup? Our report shows non-State armed groups’ effective use of drones from which the military learned.

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

Did you know that Myanmar’s conflict has one of the highest global rates of drone incidents?

UNIDIR’s new report explores how non-State armed groups adopted and adapted drone technology since the 2021 military coup – and what this means for Myanmar.

🔗 https://t.co/2dbRRHPuRi

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

Early warning is key to ​​​​​​anticipatory action that can mitigate and prevent conflict.

UNIDIR's Arms Flows and Early Warning Dashboard connects data on arms and ammunition flows with early-warning analysis to help anticipate and prevent conflict 📊

🔗 https://t.co/ZN1wFJ19Kh

[United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research @UNIDIR]

How are drones reshaping today’s conflicts?

UNIDIR's latest report takes an in-depth look at how non-State armed groups are using drones in Myanmar and what this reveals about the evolving role of these systems for the country's conflict and beyond.

🔗 https://t.co/2dbRRHPuRi

[Cleve V. Arguelles @CleveArguelles]

This is what years of misgovernance do to young Filipinos. The 2023 National Achievement Test shows that less than 1% of Grade 12 students nationwide are either proficient or highly proficient at their level. That means only 4 out of every 1,000 graduating senior high school students can meaningfully solve problems, manage and communicate information, or analyze and evaluate data to generate ideas. The education crisis is not an accident. This is the predictable outcome of bad governance from the poor leaders we keep electing. And if we keep electing poor leaders, our lives will keep getting poorer-- with our consent. This is what is at stake today, and in 2028.
https://t.co/JcLOr7dwhK

[May Wong @MayWongST]

#Thailand & #Cambodia have agreed with their fellow @ASEAN member states to utilize the General Border Committee platform to "discuss the implementation and verification of the ceasefire" between the 2 nations on Dec 24. This after an emergency Foreign Ministers' meeting today