AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #02-15 dated 13 January 2015

[Editors' Note: The WIN editors attempt to include a wide range of articles and commentary in the Weekly Notes to inform and educate our readers. However, the views expressed in the articles are purely those of the authors, and in no way reflect support or endorsement from the WIN editors or the AFIO officers and staff. We welcome comments from the WIN readers on any and all articles and commentary. IMPORTANT: AFIO does not "vet" or endorse research inquiries, career announcements, or job offers. Reasonable-sounding inquiries and career offerings are published as a service to our members, and for researchers, educators, and subscribers. You are urged to exercise your usual caution and good judgment when responding, and should verify the source independently before supplying any resume, career data, or personal information.]
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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV -  Obituaries and Upcoming Events

Obituaries

Upcoming AFIO Events

Other Upcoming Events

For Additional AFIO and other Events two+ months or more... Calendar of Events 

WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE: The WIN editors thank the following special contributor:  pjk and fwr.  They have contributed one or more stories used in this issue.

  

Have you registered for AFIO's Luncheon?

Friday, 30 January 2015

"Kandahar, Taliban, Ambivalence IDing enemies, Cyber Attacks, Sony, NKorea, what's next?"

AFIO luncheon guests will hear
Joseph M. Demarest, Jr.
the FBI's Cyber Division Director, and
Robert L. Grenier
former CIA Station Chief Islamabad and head of CIA's Counterterrorism Center.
Tysons Corner, VA

   
Robert Grenier, former CIA 11 a.m. speaker: Former Station Chief Islamabad, and CIA Counterterrorism Center Director Robert L. Grenier discusses dealing with warlords, Taliban dissidents, and Pakistani Intelligence in front of him while facing equally lethal challenges behind his own lines. Hear more about his 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary being released the week of this event.
   
Joseph Demarest, FBI Director of Cyber Division 1 p.m. speaker: Joseph M. Demarest, Jr., the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI's Cyber Division. He is responsible for leading the FBI�s mission to protect the United States from cyber-based attacks and high technology crimes. He will discuss current issues including NK, Sony, and looming cyber concerns. His remarks will be OFF THE RECORD.
Grenier Book - 88 Days to Kandahar
Timing:Check-in for badge pickup at 10:30 a.m.; Robert Grenier begins his presentation at 11 a.m.; Lunch served at noon;Joseph Demarest begins presentation at 1 p.m. Event closes at 2 p.m.
Morning presentation is on the record; AD Demarest remarks are Off The Record.
The latest intelligence books, and many others, on display and for sale throughout event.
EVENT LOCATION: The Crowne Plaza, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, Tysons Corner, VA, across from Tysons II Mall.
Driving directions here or use this link: http://tinyurl.com/boey9vf

ABOUT GRENIER'S forthcoming book: The First American-Afghan War, a CIA war, was approved by President George W. Bush and directed by Grenier, the CIA station chief in Islamabad. Forging separate alliances with warlords, Taliban dissidents, and Pakistani Intelligence, Grenier launched the �southern campaign,� orchestrating the final defeat of the Taliban and Hamid Karzai�s rise to power in eighty-eight chaotic days.
In his gripping narrative, we meet: General Tommy Franks, who bridled at CIA control of �his� war; General �Jafar Amin,� a gruff Pakistani intelligence officer who saved Grenier from committing career suicide; Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan�s brilliant ambassador to the US, who tried to warn her government of the al-Qa�ida threat; �Mark,� the CIA operator who guided Gul Agha Shirzai to bloody victory over the Taliban; General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, a cautious man who became the most powerful man in Pakistan, struggling with Grenier�s demands while trying to protect his country; and Hamid Karzai, the puzzling anti-Taliban insurgent, a man of courage, petulance, and vacillating moods.
Grenier�s enemies out in front prove only slightly more lethal than the ones behind his own lines. This first war is won despite Washington bureaucrats who divert resources, deny military support, and try to undermine the only Afghan allies capable of winning. Later, as he directed the CIA�s role in the Iraq War, Grenier watched the initial victory squandered. His last command was of CIA�s Counterterrorism Center (CTC), as Bush-era terrorism policies were being repudiated, as the Taliban re-emerged in Afghanistan, and as Pakistan descended into fratricidal violence.

Today�s CIA critics once urged the Agency to do anything to counter al-Qaeda.

Heard enough of the political spin by those who demanded post-9/11 we "do anything"
-- and were fully briefed on what that entailed -- yet now seek scapegoats?
Who claim nudity and loud sounds are 'torture,' while terrorists continue public beheadings, murderous rampages, and genocide. Who want every terrorist lawyered-up to protect his civil rights, and have scant memory of the thousands he murdered. Do not be distracted by varying opinions over efficacy of the interrogations -- a smokescreen -- but remember that well-intentioned intelligence professionals were charged by the WH and Congress to carry out urgent first responses post-9/11 to avoid future attacks. "Try everything." With fear lessened, and feeling safe, they now say they cannot recall supporting anything.
Imagine that. And they want you to believe it.

And get the facts here.....

CIA Actions Saved Lives

An updated PDF of the latest breaking news links - press and TV coverage - is available here.

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Apparent Islamic State Backers Hack US Military Twitter Feed. The Twitter and YouTube accounts for the US military command that oversees operations in the Middle East were hacked on Monday by people claiming to be sympathetic toward the Islamic State militant group being targeted in American bombing raids.

"American soldiers, we are coming, watch your back, ISIS," the hackers posted on the US Central Command Twitter feed, using an acronym for the hardline Islamist group, which has taken control of parts of Syria and Iraq.

US officials acknowledged that the incident in which the accounts were "compromised" for about 30 minutes was embarrassing but played down the impact. The FBI said it was investigating.

Pentagon spokesman Army Colonel Steve Warren said the Defense Department "views this as little more than a prank, or as vandalism." [Read more: Reuters/12January2015]

Chinese Spy Chief Jailed. A senior Chinese intelligence official has been detained as part of President Xi Jinping's widening campaign against corruption, the South China Morning Post reports.

Ma Jian, executive deputy minister of the powerful Ministry of State Security in China, and his family have been linked to financial improprieties at the Founder Group, a technology conglomerate. Ma's detention follows the arrest of Zhou Yongkang, the former state security chief who became the highest-ranking official ever to be dismissed by the Communist Party.

Although details about Chinese spies like Ma are sparse, they have previously been accused of financial and political corruption: [Read more: Wiser/FreeBeacon/12January2015]

Intel Concerns About Russia-Cuba Ties Preceded Obama's Deal to Dismantle Sanctions. Months before President Obama announced on Wednesday that he is seeking to do away with decades of US economic sanctions against the communist regime in Cuba, Russia concluded a security deal with Havana aimed at bolstering intelligence and military ties to the island dictatorship.

The Russia-Cuba agreement was announced May 16 when a memorandum was signed in Moscow establishing a joint working group between Russia's Security Council and the Cuban Commission for National Security and Defense.

The security agreement comes amid fresh US intelligence agency concerns that Russia is taking steps to follow through on plans to conduct strategic nuclear bomber flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, possibly with the help of Cuba and Venezuela.

Russian official recently held discussions with both governments about the use of airfields for Russia's Tu-95 nuclear capable bombers, known as the Bear H. The bombers have been conducting large numbers of threatening flights near US coasts in recent months. [Read more: Gertz/WashingtonTimes/17December2014]

Reaching Outside CIA, Obama Picks Treasury Official to Become Agency's No. 2. President Obama has chosen the Treasury Department official who has directed the effort to cut off funding of the Islamic State and impose economic sanctions on Syria, Russia and Iran to become the CIA's deputy director, the agency announced on Friday.

The official, David S. Cohen, who as under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence has spent more than three years in charge of the Obama administration's attempts to punish foreign governments and cripple terrorist groups, will help lead an agency that remains at the center of armed drone campaigns and covert efforts to arm and train Syrian rebels.

John O. Brennan, the CIA director, said in a statement that Mr. Cohen brings a "wealth of experience on many of the issues that we focus on as an agency" - such as money laundering, financial support for terrorism and narcotics trafficking.

In the past, the CIA's No. 2 job, which does not require Senate confirmation, has often been filled by agency veterans or senior military officers. Mr. Cohen, a lawyer who has no previous CIA experience, will replace Avril D. Haines, who left the CIA to become Mr. Obama's deputy national security adviser. [Read more: Mazzetti/NYTimes/9January2015]

Schiff Named Top Democrat on Intelligence Panel. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that California Democrat Adam B. Schiff will be the next ranking member on the Intelligence Committee.

"As a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, Congressman Schiff has been a vital voice on the most pressing national security challenges of our time, including counter terrorism efforts and challenges in the Middle East," Pelosi said in a statement. "He has proven himself to be a capable leader and a proponent of surveillance reforms."

Pelosi said Schiff who has previously served on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Committee and the Intelligence panel - had "impeccable national security credentials."

Schiff, who has been on the Intelligence panel since 2008, is widely seen as a more critical watchdog of the National Security Agency. The former ranking Democrat, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, was a staunch supporter of the NSA, which has its headquarters in his Maryland district. [Read more: RollCall/8January2015]

Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., former USASOC Commander, moves to CIA. A former commander of Army Special Operations and the officer who led the first Green Berets on the ground in Afghanistan has joined the CIA.

Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr. is the new associate director for military affairs at the nation's top intelligence agency, the CIA announced in a statement from Director John Brennan.

Mulholland, 59, was previously deputy commander of US Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and, before that, commanded US Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg from November 2008 until July 2012.

He also served as a special assistant to the commanding general at US Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg from October 2014 until earlier this month. [Read more: Brooks/FayObserver/8January2015]

Unprecedented Joint Terrorism Briefing for British and German Leaders. German president Angela Merkel, who was visiting London for talks on the European Union during the Charlie Hebdo shootings yesterday, joined British Prime Minister David Cameron for a intelligence briefing by MI5 and MI6.

Although Germany is a close ally of the United Kingdom, welcoming Merkel into the top-secret security meeting was an extraordinary move as the European powerhouse remains excluded from the high-level �Five Eyes' intelligence community. Founded during the Second world war, the club of Anglophone nations - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States - shares all intelligence freely and without restriction at the very highest levels.

Germany has repeatedly requested to join the 'club' of trusted nations but the requests have been denied, and the nation remains locked out of the most secret intelligence collected by the club.

David Cameron is attending a second, more detailed meeting today with the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA), to receive the highest-level terror assessments from the joint chiefs of the British intelligence services. While France has increased its terrorism threat to the highest level after yesterday's attack, Britain's remains at 'Severe', the second to highest level. [Read more: Lane/Breitbart/8January2015]

Corruption Charges for Former Romanian Intelligence Officer. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has detained for 24 hours Daniel Dragomir, a former Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) officer from the Terrorism Prevention Department, accused of traffic of influence and money laundering.

The former SRI officer allegedly received a EUR 462,000 bribe, reports local Hotnews.ro.

While he was working as chief of the Terrorism Prevention and Combat Direction, Dragomir, with the help of his wife, claimed and received some EUR 462,000 from a company�s administrator, between October 2012 and October 2013, according to DNA.

He asked for this amount in order to use his influence on some government officials and policy makers within the Ministry of Finance, the Romanian Tax Agency (ANAF) and the Financial Guard, to stop tax checks. [Read more: RomaniaInsider/13January2015]

Gambia: FBI, CIA, Senegalese Intelligence Sign Pact to Share Info on Gambia. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Senegalese military intelligence including the civil intelligence have signed an intelligence pact on sharing and safeguarding sensitive information on the Gambia through its National Intelligence Agency (NIA), state TV reported.

Under the new bilateral pact, finalised on Friday 2nd January 2015, Senegal will share intelligence via the US Intelligence Agencies on the Gambia where the US cannot or may not have access to the Gambian Intelligence Agency or other security installations. Intelligence secrets signed are divided into; first, second and third level classified information, but Senegalese will have to provide the information level whether its classified material or not to the US on the Gambia.

The pact also included logistic support and training to be provided by the US intelligence to the Senegalese intelligence concerned or recommended by the Senegalese Security authorities. Information sharing among them on the Gambia will also allow for a more effective response to future provocations and during contingencies where necessary. It is also understood that Senegalese intelligence will have to provide the US with some of the operations and arrest made during the recent coup attempt in the Gambia, as the US may find it difficult to have such access. [Read more: AllAfrica/12January2015]

Missing Bulgaria Intelligence Service ex-Head Surprisingly Returns. Petko Sertov, the former head of Bulgaria's security service DANS, has crossed into Bulgaria from the Greek border after having disappeared mysteriously last year, Interior Minister Veselin Vuchkov has confirmed.

Sertov arrived in Bulgaria at about 01:30 EET on Monday (23:30 GMT Sunday).

The information was first spread by BGNES wire service, citing its reporter who was at the border at that time. Sertov's wife and his brother, who was driving, were also with him.

He had been missing since early in December of last year, when he crossed the Bulgaria-Greece border using his own car, leaving his mobile phones at home without giving his family any account as to where he was going. [Read more: Novinite/12January2015]

No Plan for EU Spy Agency After Paris Attacks. The European Commission on Monday (12 January) said it has no plans to launch an EU-wide intelligence agency despite previous efforts to get a proposal on the table.

Former EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding had floated the idea in 2013 when she announced long-term plans to get a spy agency up and running by 2020.

Asked if the commission intends to put forward a proposal on turning a little known intelligence unit inside the EU's foreign affairs branch into an intelligence agency, commission spokesperson Natasha Bertuad said "No".

The commission instead wants to enhance data-sharing at the EU level by making sure its EU intelligence analysis centre (IntCen) works better with other EU agencies like Europol, the EU's joint police body. [Read more: Nielsen/EUObserver/12January2015]

GCSB Spy Chief Ian Fletcher's Departure Raises Questions. The surprise departure of New Zealand spy agency boss Ian Fletcher has prompted questions about whether he was unsettled by potential changes which could be in the pipeline for the country's intelligence agencies.

The Government yesterday cited "family reasons" for Mr. Fletcher's resignation after three years as Government Communications and Security Bureau (GCSB) director.

GCSB Minister Chris Finlayson also said Mr. Fletcher wanted a successor to be in place for the full duration of a review of New Zealand's security agencies and laws due to begin in July.

That prompted Labour leader Andrew Little to ask whether Mr. Fletcher had been told about "something disagreeable" in the review. [Read more: Davison/NewZealandHerald/14January2015]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Top Secret Russian Sub Snapped. Browsing through military internet forums many were surprised to see in the Russian edition of Top Gear automobile magazine a snapshot of a super-secret Russian deep-diving sub.

The photo, covering a test run of a Mercedes-Benz GL 450 to Arkhangelsk, shows a deep-water nuclear-powered AS-12 Project 10830 submarine, better known as Losharik. The photo was taken from the White Sea shore where the car was undergoing an off-road test.

Experts say this is the first good quality image of Losharik, one of this country's top secret subs. 

So nicknamed for the peculiar shape of its hull, which consists of several connected titanium spheres, Losharik, according to unconfirmed reports, can dive to 6,000 m. She carries various gear to collect geological data and samples from the seabed. Her first known mission with the Russian Northern Fleet was done at a depth of 3,000 meters at the Mendeleyev ridge in the Arctic. [Read more: SputnikNews/12/January2015]

Text of FBI Director's Remarks: New Details on Why "Entire Intelligence Community" Has "Very High Confidence" North Korea Hacked Sony. At the International Conference on Cyber Security held at Fordham University on Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey revealed new details about why the FBI and "the entire intelligence community" has a "very high confidence" that North Korea was responsible for the so-called Sony Hack. The full text of these parts of his remarks are appended at the end of this post.

Most importantly, Mr. Comey stated: "[T]here are a couple things I have urged the intelligence community to declassify that I will tell you right now." [Read more: Goodman/JustSecurity/7January2015]

Teams Better Than Individuals at Intelligence Analysis, Research Finds. When it comes to predicting important world events, teams do a better job than individuals, and laypeople can be trained to be effective forecasters even without access to classified records, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

According to the authors, the study findings challenge some common practices of the US intelligence community, where professional analysts usually specialize in one topic or region and send reports up the chain of command. In what the authors call the first scientific study of its kind, researchers identified common characteristics that improved predictions by amateur participants in a geopolitical forecasting tournament. The contest was sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), an agency within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that funds research to improve intelligence practices. 

"Teams could share information and discuss their rationales but still submit anonymous forecasts," said Barbara Mellers, PhD, one of the lead researchers and a psychology and marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "This type of teamwork that protects dissent is really important, and I don't think it's being used to the full extent that it should be in the intelligence community."

The most accurate forecasters in the tournament were better at pattern detection, cognitive flexibility, knowledge of geopolitics and open-mindedness, including a willingness to consider unorthodox outcomes, the study found. "They would consider ideas and possibilities that were different from their pet theories or beliefs," Mellers said. [Read more: APA/13January2015]

Cohen Appointment Shows Rise of Financial Intel in US Policy. The appointment by President Barack Obama of David Cohen to be deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency underscored the importance the administration places on financial intelligence matters, experts said.

Mr. Cohen, as US Department of Treasury undersecretary of terrorism and financial intelligence, oversaw the department's efforts to block illicit actors from accessing the global financial system. He traveled extensively, meeting with officials, banks and regulators across the globe to get them on board with US counter-terrorist finance, anti-money laundering and sanctions policy. And he worked closely with people in the US intelligence community, experts said, in which he gained a legal and technical appreciation of their work.

"His move to CIA, after three-plus years in his role at [Treasury], makes a lot of sense," said Douglas Jacobson, a lawyer with Jacobson Burton PLLC, which specializes in international trade and sanctions-related issues. "This move also conveys the important role that financial intelligence has in the current US intelligence community, and he will be able to use his considerable knowledge at Treasury in his new role," he said.

Adam Szubin, director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, is taking over for Mr. Cohen on an acting basis. Experts called Mr. Szubin an "intellectual heavyweight" who will ably handle the expanded role. [Read more: Rubenfeld/WallStreetJournal/9January2015]

Canadian Military Deploys Intelligence Team During Arctic Exercise. The Canadian military has been routinely deploying a counter-intelligence team to guard against possible spying, terrorism and sabotage during its annual Arctic exercise, according to internal documents.

In the view of intelligence experts, the move is unusual because Operation Nanook is conducted on Canadian soil in remote locations of the Far North. Foreign involvement is limited to friendly, close allies.

It is also curious because guarding against such threats at home is usually the purview of either the Canadian Security Intelligence Service or the RCMP, said Wesley Wark, a University of Ottawa professor and one the country's leading experts on intelligence.

A spokesman for the military's intelligence branch says the team has been deployed every year since 2008, which is two years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper began attending the military exercise with members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery in tow. [Read more: Brewster/CanadianPress/12January2015]

Profile: Jack Gumtow, Chief of Cyber and Enterprise Operations at Defense Intelligence Agency. Jack Gumtow serves as the Defense Intelligence Agency's chief cyber and enterprise operations, directorate of the chief information officer. His responsibilities include the agency's global IT infrastructure, communications, enterprise management and cybersecurity operations.

Gumtow started at the Office of Naval Intelligence in 1991 as a computer security officer and later served as director of security and corporate operations.

He became the CIO and chief knowledge officer at ONI in 2005.

Gumtow helped the US Navy position information technology as a business and mission enabler at the service's echelon I and II levels. [Read more: Clemens/ExecutiveGov/7January2015]

Meet the Congressman Who Will Watch Our Spies. Representative Devin Nunes may not be well known outside of his California congressional district or the Washington beltway, but he is about to become one of the most important figures in the US national security state. 

As the new chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Nunes is one of "gang of eight" members of Congress who will be briefed on the US government's most classified military and intelligence programs. When the president orders a hostage rescue, or when the FBI unmasks an important foreign spy, Nunes will be one of the few people without a formal security clearance to know about it.

In response to our written questions, Nunes sketched out his agenda for the committee in the new Congress. On some issues, such as nuclear negotiations with Iran and closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, don't expect big changes from the approach of outgoing chairman Mike Rogers. But unlike Rogers, Nunes said he was not satisfied with the committee's report on the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on US facilities at Benghazi, Libya, and still believed key witnesses need to be interviewed. He also rejected the idea of potentially reforming the legal structure behind America's vast surveillance state.

Specifically, Nunes told us he was going to be looking to persuade his colleagues to reauthorize the provisions of the Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that allow the federal government to collect and store troves of telephone records. He also said he didn't intend to support reforms to the secret court that approves FBI and NSA wiretapping of suspected spies and terrorists. [Read more: Lake&Rogin/Bloomberg/13January2015]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Charlie Hebdo Attack: A French Intelligence Failure? Nearly every modern terrorist attack is followed by accusations of so-called intelligence failure.

In the case of this week's attacks in France, the charge has added force: the suspects were known not just to French but also to other European and American authorities; one had travelled to Yemen over a three-year period and another had been convicted of earlier seeking to travel to Iraq; and they were plugged into long-established European jihadist networks.

So did the French drop the ball?

The answer isn't clear-cut. [Read more: Joshi/BBC/10January2015]

The American Who Inspires Terror From Paris to the US. The deadliest jihadist terrorist attack in Europe in a decade was inspired and perhaps even was instigated by an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who died in a CIA drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

One of the Kouachi brothers, who mounted the attack last week on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, cited al-Awlaki as his operational commander. Before he died on Friday, one of the brothers told a French news network, "I was sent, me, Cherif Kouachi, by al Qaeda in Yemen. I went there and Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki financed my trip."

US officials say that the other Kouachi brother, Said, spent several months in Yemen in 2011, receiving training from al Qaeda.

Al-Awlaki was the instigator of the plots by al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen to attack the West and also one of the most influential clerics in the world of militant Islam. Indeed, al-Awlaki is the key influence behind many of the major terrorist attacks and plots of the past half decade in the West, and he has continued to retain that influence even after President Barack Obama made the decision five years ago to kill him with a drone strike. [Read more: Bergen/CNN/13January2015]

Section IV - Obituaries and Upcoming Events

Obituaries

Secret Code-Breaker Who Helped Shorten Second World War Has Died Aged 91. Harriet Jackson worked at Bletchley Park, helping to crack intercepted German messages.

But it was not until relatives watched a 1990s television documentary series about the top secret site in Buckinghamshire that they discovered her past.

Her daughter Sandra Graham, 66, of Middlesbrough, said: "It was a lifelong secret. She was a very private person, very quiet. We don't even think my dad Noel knew about it until the 1990s."

Officially the great-grandmother's wartime role was as a Wren in the Royal Navy. Later she worked at Middlesbrough tax office.

Bletchley Park features in the current film The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the maths genius who helped to break the German military's Enigma code. [Read more: Reynolds/Express/5January2015.

John Kennett Starnes: Spymaster, Diplomat was at Centre of Cold War Intrigue. Much of John Kennett Starnes's professional life played out in the shadows of war and international intrigue, first as a junior Second World War military intelligence officer, then as a foreign service officer on the trail of KGB agents and suspected Soviet moles. He occasionally switched cover to that of Canadian ambassador and high-ranking envoy. He accepted a final assignment as Canada's spymaster.

The longtime Ottawa resident died Dec. 23 at age 96. "He was one of a small band of men who helped create and sustain a Canadian intelligence effort in the coldest years of the Cold War," says Wesley Wark, a leading Canadian security and intelligence historian. "Intelligence as a peacetime activity was new to the Canadian government after 1945 and John was a pioneering figure in understanding its value and importance and in keeping it operating."

Starnes's last posting, at the request of then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, was as the first civilian head of the RCMP's Security Service Directorate in 1970-73. It landed Starnes smack in the middle of the RCMP's "dirty tricks" era, targeting suspected Front de liberation du Quebec extremists and possible radicals infiltrating the Parti Quebecois.

He had a rough time in terms of being accepted by career RCMP officers, then being raked over the coals at two intense public inquiries. [Read more: MacLeod/PostMediaNews/13January2015]

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Wednesday, 14 January 2015, 11:30am - Scottsdale, AZ - The AFIO Arizona Chapter features Dr. Philip E. Jones, Dean of Embry-Riddle University

Dr. Philip E. Jones, Dean and Professor, College, Security and Intelligence, Security & Intelligence Department, Embry-Riddle's Prescott College of Security and Intelligence, will be sharing some of his past experience in the field, speak off the cuff and cover his background, his intel community background and explain Embry Riddle's expanded Security and Intelligence program.
Dr. Jones is a former CIA intelligence analyst and an international security expert with extensive field experience in political and security risk studies and management for corporate clients. He obtained his Ph.D. on Philosophy in International Relations at Tufts University.

Event Location: McCormick Ranch Golf Course, 7505 McCormick Parkway, Scottsdale AZ 85258
Fee: $20 for AFIO members; $22 guests
For reservations or questions, email Simone simone@4smartphone.net or simone@afioaz.org or call and leave a message on 602.570.6016

Thursday, 15 January 2015, 11:30 am - Colorado Springs, CO � The Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting features Maj. Kevin Bond, PAO for 4th Infantry Div, speaking on "Religion, Ethnicity, Politics, Ideology, Tribalism in the Middle East."

Major Kevin Boyd, Public Affairs Officer, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division will be the speaker at this Rocky Mountain Chapter event. The presentation is about how complicated the problems in the Middle East are and why there is no easy solution. Religion, Ethnicity, Politics, Ideology, Tribalism and a host of issues complicate matters and make for a very difficult environment. To be held at The Inn at Palmer Divide, 443 S. Highway 105 Palmer Lake, CO, Exit 161 westbound off I-25, West on Highway 105. Please RSVP to Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net

Thursday, 15 January, 2015, 3 - 5 pm - Washington, DC - "The Marshall Plan for the Mind; The CIA Covert Book Program During the Cold War" at the Woodrow Wilson Center

The CIA Historical Programs Coordinator in cooperation with the Cold War International History Project of the Woodrow Wilson Center invites AFIO members to hear a panel of experts to discuss the origins, operation, and impact of the CIA�s Cold War �book program.� RSVP here
The information monopoly of Communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was weakened by a covert CIA program to send books and other printed material behind the Iron Curtain.  The �book program� arranged for publication in the West of the first Russian-language edition of Boris Pasternak�s novel Doctor Zhivago. It distributed a wide range of Western literature, much non-political, to Soviet and East European elites --  both those identified with the regimes and dissidents -- who were cut off from the intellectual and cultural life of the West. The book program aimed to keep a critical mass of intellectuals in Soviet bloc countries informed about the values and culture of the free world.   Books and periodicals were mailed to Eastern Europe under the cover of various sponsoring organizations, including publishing houses and universities. They were smuggled in by travelers.  Between 1958 and 1991, some 10 million books and periodicals were distributed to East European and Soviet citizens.

Event Location: 5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center, Directions to the Wilson Center

Download this event to your calendar: iCal, Google, Outlook, or Email Event.
This event is free. RSVP HERE. The meeting takes place at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC. See map and directions. Allow time for routine security procedures. A photo ID is required for entry. To confirm time and place, contact Maria-Stella Gatzoulis on the day of the event: tel. (202) 691-4188. Check this page for the latest updates and notices.

Friday, 16 January 2015, 4:30 pm - Washington, DC - "How to Prepare for a Foreign Intelligence Post: Preventing Mirror-Imaging" - a talk by James R. Hughes, President of AFIO National, at the Institute of World Politics

You are cordially invited to a lecture on the topic of "How to Prepare for a Foreign Intelligence Post: Preventing Mirror-Imaging" with James R. Hughes, incoming AFIO President, (his term begins January 2015)
James R. HUGHES is beginning his service as AFIO�s 17th President in January 2015. He had a career of US Government service, spanning 37 years in numerous foreign countries with a particular focus in the Middle East. He started in US Military Intelligence in the late 1960s and then joined the CIA�s Clandestine Service. He served overseas as a Chief of Station several times, and at CIA Headquarters in a number of senior management positions, including as Chief of the Near East and South Asia Division, in the Directorate of Operations [today�s National Clandestine Service]. He was also named the Associate Deputy Director of Operations (ADDO) at the National Security Agency, 1998-99.
Following his retirement from the government in 2005, he joined EDS in Herndon, Virginia, as the Client Industry Executive for the US Intelligence Community. After the HP acquisition of EDS, he continued to serve in a similar capacity until his retirement in 2012.
His parents were missionaries in Turkey in the 1950s, where Jim spent his formative years. He attended the prep schools of two of the most famous missionary-founded universities in the Middle East: Robert College in Istanbul and the American University-Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon. He is fluent in Arabic, and has extensive knowledge of, and appreciation for, the arts, geography, culture, and religions of that region.
He has been an AFIO member since 2005 and joined the board in 2009.
RSVP mandatory � Business attire � VIP reception to follow
This event is sponsored by IWP�s Office of Professional Affiliations and the Student Government Association.
Event location: The Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036.
For Parking, consult this map.
RSVP: Contact sdwyer@iwp.edu with any questions.

Friday, 30 January 2015 - Tysons Corner, VA - AFIO's first 2015 luncheon features the FBI's Cyber Division Director, Joseph Demarest, and Former Station Chief Islamabad/CIA CT Center Director Robert L. Grenier

Joseph M. Demarest, Jr., the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI's Cyber Division, responsible for leading the FBI�s mission to protect the US from cyber-based attacks and high technology crimes, will discuss -- OFF THE RECORD -- current issues including NK, Sony, and other looming cyber concerns. Morning speaker: Former Station Chief Islamabad, and CIA Counterterrorism Center Director Robert L. Grenier discusses dealing with warlords, Taliban dissidents, and Pakistani Intelligence in front of him... while facing equally lethal challenges behind his own lines. Hear more about his 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary being released the week of this event.
Timing: Check-in for badge pickup at 10:30 a.m.; Grenier begins presentation at 11 a.m.; Lunch served at noon; FBI ADirector Demarest begins presentation at 1:05 pm. Event closes at 2 p.m.
Morning presentation is on the record; AD Demarest remarks are Off The Record.
The latest intelligence books, and many others, on display and for sale throughout event.

EVENT LOCATION: The Crowne Plaza, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, Tysons Corner, VA Driving directions here or use this link: http://tinyurl.com/boey9vf

Saturday, 7 February 2015, 11:30 am - Melbourne, FL - The Florida Satellite Chapter AFIO hears Gene Poteat, AFIO President-Emeritus, on �The Unusual and Amusing Experiences I�ve Encountered in My CIA Career.�

Immediate AFIO National Past President (and now President emeritus) S. Eugene Poteat will discuss �The Unusual and Amusing Experiences I�ve Encountered in My CIA Career.� All who know him know that Gene has a keen sense of both the unusual and the amusing, and his presentation promises to be both entertaining and informative. In addition, this meeting will mark both the retirement of Chapter president Bobbie (aka Barbara) Keith and the inauguration of new president. For information and reservations, contact Barbara Keith at bobbie6769@juno.com or call 321.777.5561. Event location: Indian River Colony Club At Ease Club.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 14 January 2015, noon - Washington DC - Global Terrorism, Espionage and Cybersecurity Monthly Update

Join David Major, retired FBI agent and former Director of Counterintelligence, Intelligence and Security Programs, for a briefing on the hottest intelligence and security issues, breaches, and penetrations. Presented in partnership with The Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies (CI Centre), these updates will cover worldwide events such as breaking espionage cases and arrest reports, cyber espionage incidents, and terrorist activity. Find out Snowden�s current status and what could happen next with this case. Major uses his expertise to analyze trends and highlight emerging issues of interest to both intelligence and national security professionals and the public. Cases are drawn from the CI Centre�s SPYPEDIA�, the most comprehensive source of espionage information in the world, containing events and information that may not be reported by mainstream media outlets. Major will also highlight and review the latest books and reports to keep you current on what is hitting think tank desks.
Tickets: Free! No registration required. Visit www.spymuseum.org

20 January 2015, 11:30am - 2pm - McLean, VA - Defense Intelligence Forum [DIF] hears Daniel Gallington on "Enhanced Interrogation."

Speaker: Daniel J. Gallington will speak on �Enhanced Interrogation� or Torture.
Gallington writes a popular column on national security, foreign policy and intelligence matters for the US NEWS & World Report, and is the Senior Policy & Program Advisor at The George C. Marshall Institute in Arlington, VA, where he consults on projects relating to cyber security, intelligence policy and privacy.
From 2003 to 2011, Gallington was a Senior Fellow and Member of the Board of Regents at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. While at Potomac he led PROJECT GUARDIAN- �Maintaining Civil Liberties in the Information Age,� a DARPA-funded study that established the basic policy choices for the post-9/11 realignment of threat-related information categories for more effective situational awareness. Also, he has served at the Assistant Secretary of Defense level for several organizations at the Pentagon. In other government assignments, he served as: Chief Counsel to the National Commission for the Review of the National Reconnaissance Office and Bi-partisan General Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
A former career Air Force Officer, Gallington served tours in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and with the Strategic Air Command. He is a resident graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. He received the B.S. and J.D. degrees from the University of Illinois and the LL.M degree (International Law) from the University of Michigan Law School.
This forum will follow a modified Chatham House rule. You may use the information, but with the exception of speaker's name and subject, you may make no attribution.
Time: Registration starts at 11:30 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM
Location: Pulcinella Restaurant, 6852 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA
Fee: Pay at the door with a check for $29.00 payable to DIAA, Inc
RSVP: by 20 January 2015 by email to diforum@diaalumni.org. Include names, tele numbers, email addresses. For each attendee, choose among chicken cacciatore, tilapia puttanesca, lasagna, sausage with peppers or fettuccini with portabella for your luncheon selection.

Wednesday, 11 February 2014, 8:30 A.M. � 4:30 P.M - Washington, DC - The Journal of National Security Law & Policy Annual Symposium

Hold the date! Conference theme: Trials and Terrorism: The Implications of Trying National Security Cases in Article III Courts.
The symposium will feature the following three panels:
Panel 1, �Terror Suspects: Pretrial Considerations in Civilian Terrorism Investigations,� will provide an overview of international terrorism cases from investigation to indictment.
Panel 2, �Courtroom Challenges: The Evidentiary and Trial Management Issues that Arise During Terrorism Trials� will focus on the evidentiary and procedural challenges that arise during the trial of defendants charged with terrorism offenses and the implications these potential precedents could set.
Panel 3, �Convicted Terrorists: Sentencing Considerations and Their Implications on Foreign and Domestic Policy,� will focus on the factors that impact the sentencing phase of terrorism trials.
Location: Georgetown University Law School, Washington, DC
REGISTRATION: Will be available at http://jnslp.com/symposium/ in early 2015.

To attend click here and then submit the form on the page that opens, or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 11, 2014.

Tues-Wed, 24-25 March 2015 - Washington, DC - International Conference on Exercises, Gaming, and Simulations for Intelligence and National Security, Communication, Culture & Technology Program (CCTP)

Dates and times: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 8:30 AM - Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 7:00 PM (EDT)
This international conference, between the Center for Intelligence Services and Democratic Systems at Rey Juan Carlos University and the School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University will enhance the role of experiential learning methods and techniques showcasing original simulations, exercises, and games applied to national security intelligence, competitive intelligence, and foreign affairs. The conference will bring together ideas, concepts and demonstrations that can further train and educate military, law enforcement, and national security professionals.
A sample of conference topics include:  Scenario-based approach for developing the links between analysis and reporting;  Computational Simulation In Intelligence Analysis;  The Induction Game and Intelligence Education;  Gaming and Modeling Before a Crisis;  Use of Gaming and Exercise as Part of an Engagement Strategy;  Gaming the Nexus between Intelligence and Policy;  Concrete Tabletop Exercises for Cognitive Skill Development in Analysts;  Serious gaming & how to create visionary practitioners and policy makers;  Balancing Realism and Playability in the Intelligence Classroom;  Structured Analytic Techniques for Cyber Security through Role Playing; Cyber-Attack and Ethics Simulations;  Virtual Training Systems and Survival Humanistic Factors;
Discounted hotel accommodations, questions or comments should be directed to Dr. Jan Goldman jg28@georgetown.edu or Dr. Ruben Arcos Martin, ruben.arcos@urjc.es (outside North America)
Registration and Information is available here.

26 April to 3 May 2015 - Berlin and Vienna - ESPIONAGE IN EUROPE: Now and Then - a New York Times Journey with AFIO Member/former CIA Officer, Jon Wiant.

Reserve now to travel on this exciting eight day intelligence excursion. "Espionage in Europe: Now and Then" is a journey focused on history & context. From the Cold War to present day government phone-hacking. Berlin and Vienna are two of Europe's capital cities that have seen more than their fair share of activity. Explore how, why and who was involved, the back stories and realization that it will never go away.
Join us on a unique tour to Berlin and Vienna, to learn about both underground goings on and those taking place in plain site, how World War II shaped Cold War intelligence operations and why our espionage bases in Berlin and Vienna became the dangerous front lines of our conflict with the Soviet Union. The Times-selected expert accompanying this trip is Prof. Jon A Wiant, retired Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, former White House director of intelligence policy and former member of the CIA. To hear more about this tour, listen to Jon Wiant speak, during a recent webinar.
Cost: $7,450 pp, +$1,000 single supplement. Deposit $500. Itinerary: 8 days, 7 nights. Activity Level: More active trips involving hiking over moderately strenuous and varied terrain, usually — but not always — with vehicle support and at elevations most often below 10,000 feet, or trips with significant hiking days, wilderness camping, or other mandatory activity. On some trips, you can elect to skip a day’s hike, depending on logistics. Questions? Call 855-698-7979.

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