Page 11 - 2018 Defense White Paper

as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) carried out multiple terrorist attacks against civilians
Chapter 1
and public locations in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain and other European countries.
Meanwhile, in December 2017, 25 EU member states, with the exception of Denmark, Malta,
and the United Kingdom, agreed to establish the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)

for joint investment into the development of new weapons and military equipment, and the
enhancement of military operational capabilities. They agreed on 17 projects to be adopted
under PESCO with the intent to strengthen the cooperation in the military f ield.

In the Middle East, violent extremist groups such as the ISIS have waned, but instability
persists, as previously dormant regional tension exploded into conf lict. Syria remains unstable
due to the conf lict between the Assad regime and rebel forces as well as the Turkish forces’ military

operations. The civil war in Yemen, which has lasted for many years, is unlikely to end in the
near future despite various ef forts for peace. Uncertainties in the Middle East region have been
growing even further with the withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA 2) ) with Iran and the restoration of sanctions against Iran as well as

Palestine’s f ierce opposition against the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Political and economic unrest also remain unabated in Afri ca, where countries are rocked

by political struggles between political factions, ethnic conf licts, and acts of terrorism by
violent extremist groups due to persisting problems such as underdevelopment, lack of national
capabilities, and vulnerable governance. In Somalia, a suicide truck bomb attack launched by
Al-Shabaab killed and injured around 500 people in October 2017. Acts of terrorism by violent

extremist groups, such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, are continuing in Nigeria, Somalia,
Mali, and other Afri can nations.

2. Diversification and Widening Scope of Transnational,
Nonmilitary Threats

The ISIS, which has lost its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, is expanding its presence to North

2) The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program signed in July 2015 by
five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).

Section 1 Global Security Environment 9