AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes

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

CIA's Blueprint to the Future Released

New Restructuring at CIA - Returns the Directorate of Operations.

A message was released to all CIA employees by Director John Brennan,
outlining a restructuring of agency directorates and activities.

Read about it here

News accounts of the proposal can be located here

Bridging the Divide The Way Forward in US Civil-Military Relations

Join Yale for the two-day inaugural Yale Veterans Summit to be held on campus April 10th & 11th.

This event will bring together a formidable cross section of military, government, civic, and academic leaders to discuss the most pressing needs and challenges facing service members and veterans today, and the way forward for civil-military relations in the US. Click on picture below for specific details and to register.

You are hearing this first... AFIO's Spring Luncheon Friday, 8 May 2015 "Hackers, Financial Safety, Bulk Data Collection, ISIS Recruitments, Snowden and more" John "Chris" Inglis NSA's former Deputy Director and highest ranking civilian officer TBD Tysons Corner, VA Register HERE to assure seating

	1 p.m. speaker: Chris Inglis, the former Deputy Director, NSA (2014). His remarks will be OFF THE RECORD.

	11 a.m. speaker: TBD

Timing: Check-in for badge pickup at 10:30 a.m.; TBD begins his presentation at 11 a.m.; Lunch served at noon;Chris Inglis presents at 1 p.m. Event closes at 2 p.m. Morning presentation is on the record; Inglis 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 Register HERE

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

CIA Director Announces Sweeping Reorganization of Spy Agency. Director John Brennan has ordered a sweeping reorganization of the CIA, an overhaul designed to make its leaders more accountable and close espionage gaps amid widespread concerns about the spy agency's limited insights into a series of major global developments.

Brennan announced the restructuring to the CIA workforce on Friday, including a new directorate devoted to boosting the CIA's computer hacking skills. He said the move comes after nine agency officers spent three months analyzing its management structure, including what deputy CIA director David Cohen called "pain points," organizational areas where the CIA's bureaucracy does not work efficiently.

Briefing reporters with Cohen at CIA headquarters this week, Brennan said the changes are necessary to address intelligence gaps that the CIA is not covering. He lamented that there is often no single person he can hold accountable for the spying mission in any given part of the world.

"There are a lot of areas that I would like to have better insight to, better information about, better access to," Brennan said. "Safe havens, denied areas. Whether because we don't even have a diplomatic presence in a country, or because there are parts of countries that have been overrun and taken over by terrorist groups and others." [Read more: Dilanian/AP/6March2015]

Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Visit to US Said to Signal Strength of Relationship. Israel's Head of Military Intelligence, Hertzi HaLevi, will be visiting the United Sates this week, NRG news reported.

The visit comes in the wake of the recent row over Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to Congress, and as politicians in both countries attempt to reassure the public that the US - Israel relationship is sound.

According to the report, the visit is a clear indication that the security cooperation between the two countries is still strong and continuing, despite the differences that have arisen between the Obama Administration and the Prime Minister's Office over handling the Iranian nuclear program.

General HaLevi is expected to meet with defense and security officials while visiting the US, and to participate in a fundraising event for Israel. [Read more: Algemeiner/9March2015]

Bulgaria's Defence Minister Fires Head of Military Intelligence. Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev has fired the director of Military Intelligence, Vesselin Ivanov, the Defence Ministry said on March 9 2015.

Nenchev said that he had been unable to reach consensus on important issues regarding Military Intelligence's work, especially regarding human resources development, "where 39 per cent of senior staff were appointed before 1991".

Earlier, Nenchev made reference to this percentage when answering questions in Parliament, with the figure being taken as an indication of how many senior Military Intelligence officers in Bulgaria date from the communist era.

The reasons for Ivanov's dismissal included a need for greater interoperability with NATO services. [Read more: TheSofiaGlobe/9March2015]

Military Counterintelligence Head Warns of Radical Islamists in German Army. On Sunday, Germany's military counterintelligence agency, MAD, warned that extremists had potentially used the Bundeswehr to gain skills that they could then take to groups such as the "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq.

MAD President Christof Gramm told the online edition of the newspaper Die Welt that it was clear, for example, that the killers who launched an attack on the Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo two months ago had military skills.

"We're seeing the risk that the Bundeswehr can be misused as a training camp for violence-ready Islamists," Gramm told the newspaper on Sunday. [Read more: DeutscheWelle/9March2015]

Chinese Military Intelligence Chief Xing Yunming Held in Graft Inquiry. The chief of a Chinese military intelligence agency is under investigation for alleged corruption, detained by graft-busters in the run-up to Lunar New Year, according to two independent sources.

Major General Xing Yunming, the former liaison office head of the People's Liberation Army's General Political Department, was taken away by the army's anti-graft watchdog on February 17.

He was in charge of overseas espionage and is better known to the West as the vice-chairman of the government-backed China Association for International Friendly Contact, which used to be the Department of Enemy Work.

"Xing was born in the Year of Goat, and some are saying sarcastically that it was his year to be taken away," one of the sources said. [Read more: Chan/SouthChinaMorningPost/5March2015]

Clapper Touts Progress at Integrating Intelligence Community. James Clapper on Tuesday responded to his predecessors' questions of whether his job as director of the Office of National Intelligence should be that of a manager, a coordinator or "an empowered quarterback."

His answer? "All of the above, with distinct roles in different situations."

Clapper said he views his office, which oversees 17 intelligence agencies around government, as "setting the example for a culture of integration" envisioned in the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act "so that integration becomes an instinct as opposed to dictating it as an afterthought." Clapper spoke at a symposium themed "A Decade of Intelligence Community Integration," put on by the nonprofit Intelligence and National Security Alliance in Arlington, Va.

He expressed doubts that Congress will relieve the intelligence community of automatic cuts under sequestration for fiscal 2016. "That doesn't mean taxing everyone equally at the office but making judgments and making investments so we're prepared," the one-time Air Force general said. [Read more: Clark/GovernmentExecutive/4March2014]

Hospitalization of High-Ranking Intelligence Officer Reveals Rifts in Syrian Government. A high-ranking Syrian intelligence official has left a Damascus hospital after receiving treatment for injuries suffered in a beating ordered by a colleague over a dispute involving Iranian influence in Syria, political sources told The Daily Star.

Sources familiar with the issue said that Lt. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, who heads the powerful political intelligence branch, was discharged from the Shami Hospital in the Syrian capital Thursday.

His hospitalization, they said, took place after he received a severe beating by a security detail acting at the orders of Lt. Gen. Rafik Shehadeh, the head of military intelligence.

Ghazaleh received a telephone call from Shehadeh, ordering him to report to his office. When Ghazaleh arrived for the meeting he was beaten severely by Shehadeh's bodyguards, who later dumped him at the entrance of the hospital, they said. [Read more: TheDailyStar/7March2015]

Former Turkish Spy Chief Re-Appointed to Post After Abandoning Election Bid. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu re-appointed the former head of Turkey's intelligence service to his post on Monday, hours after the top spy abandoned plans to run for parliament in an apparent victory for President Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan had opposed Hakan Fidan's plans, announced a month ago, to be a candidate for their ruling AK Party in Turkey's parliamentary election in June.

Erdogan, required by the constitution to remain above party politics as head of state, said he did "not view Fidan's candidacy positively," but acknowledged it was a matter for Davutoglu to decide.

Fidan, seen by some as a possible future foreign minister, gave no reason for the withdrawal of his candidacy. [Read more: Solaker/Reuters/9March2015]

Defense Firm Called Isis Wins $7 Million Pentagon Cyber Contract. The Defense Department has hired a little-known Virginia startup company - with an unfortunate name - to pull together the military's most cutting-edge computer and information assets.

The "Threat Intelligence Platform" project will help Pentagon analysts sift through big data research to track threats - including presumably Islamic State extremists. So, the winning contractor, Isis Defense, might want to think about rebranding itself - or go with the free advertising.

Right now, the company doesn't have a major Web presence. There is no corporate website. Google searches for "Isis Defense" pull up a bunch of news stories about international efforts to stanch the Islamic State's spread.

Scroll down the list of results and you'll find at least one relevant hit - an outdated bio for the firm's chief executive officer, Jamie Dos Santos. She is the former CEO of Web services provider Terremark Federal Group. [Read more: Sternstein/NextGov/9March2015]

FBI Ups Reward for Agent Robert Levinson to $5M. The FBI has increased from $1 million to $5 million its reward offered for information leading to agent Robert Levinson, who went missing from the Iranian resort of Kish Island in 2007, CBS News reports.

"It is long past time for Bob to come home," FBI Director James Comey said in a statement announcing the reward increase.

The Associated Press reported in 2013 that Levinson had been working on a "unapproved intelligence mission" for the CIA when he disappeared.

Levinson turns 67 on Tuesday. He retired from the FBI in 1998. His wife confirmed that he had been abroad working for the CIA covertly at the time he went missing. [Read more: Billups/NewsMax/9March2015]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

The Russian Spy Who Came in Through the Email. One of the lowliest jobs in the CIA is an assignment to the digital version of the mail room, where interns and office drones sift through the river of emails flowing into the spy agency from its public website. Only once in a blue moon does something interesting turn up in all the messages from wannabe spies, students looking for help with their term papers, critics howling about torture and untold thousands of certifiable nuts who insist they're getting radio messages through their teeth.

Every once in a while there's a speck of gold panned from the silt. In 2009, according to Russian news reports, Roman Ushakov, a 33-year-old Interior Ministry policeman in Siberia, sent an email to the CIA via its public website, offering to rat out his co-workers and superiors. Over the next four years, according to Thursday's announcement from the Moscow prosecutor, he gave the agency reams of coded messages from inside the Ministry of Interior, known as the MVD, which is responsible for a wide variety of domestic investigations, ranging from drug trafficking to organized crime and corruption.

Ushakov may have been a lowly policeman, and "readers might wonder why that would be of interest to the CIA," says Mark Stout, a former CIA and State Department specialist on Russia. But "the ministry of internal affairs at least potentially has a great deal of information that might be useful to the United States."

Such information "includes both Russia's national-level police force and also the [MVD troops] who are very roughly analogous to the US National Guard," says Stout, who directs a graduate program in national security and intelligence studies at Johns Hopkins University. "On both grounds the MVD might be interesting [to the CIA]. As the police force, the ministry would possess information about Russian politics, corruption, and organized crime - information that could help the United States frame its foreign policy vis-a-vis Russia. Meanwhile, the [interior ministry] troops play an important role in Chechnya and other hot-spots, so it might be interesting in that regard." [Read more: Stein/Newsweek/7March2015]

Unclassified Version of March 6, 2015 Message to the Workforce From CIA Director John Brennan: Our Agency's Blueprint for the Future. Colleagues: Last September I asked an outstanding group of officers from across the Agency to examine our organization - particularly its people, processes, and structure - and to provide a report on how to ensure that CIA is optimally prepared to carry out its mission into the future. In conducting their research, Study Group members received input from thousands of Agency employees, reviewed best practices across the public and private sectors, and interviewed dozens of customers and current and former senior officers. With these recommendations as our guide, the Agency's leadership team has made a number of decisions building upon the Agency's Strategic Direction that are designed to strengthen our Agency in the years ahead. The decisions are designed to help us fulfill our institutional responsibility and integrated strategic vision, which is to consistently provide tactical and strategic advantage for the United States through our information, insights, and actions.

The initiatives described below are driven by two fundamental shifts in the national security landscape. The first is the marked increase in the range, diversity, complexity, and immediacy of issues confronting policymakers; and the second is the unprecedented pace and impact of technological advancements.

When previously faced with such shifts, this Agency proved it can adapt and transform in significant ways, such as our response to the emergence of global terrorism. The time has come for us to do so again, which will require bold action in four interrelated areas. First, we must ensure that we continue to attract the best from the broadest pool of American talent, and develop our officers with the skills, knowledge, and Agency-wide perspective they will need to lead us into the future. Second, we must be positioned to embrace and leverage the digital revolution to the benefit of all mission areas. Third, we need an organizational construct and business practices that support our decisionmaking process. And fourth, we must allow all of our Agency's capabilities to be brought to bear as quickly and coherently as possible to meet the Nation's challenges. [Read more: Brennan/CIA.gov/6March2015]

The Oldest Living CIA 'Spy Girl' Reveals Her Greatest Schemes. In a quiet ceremony at CIA headquarters in Virginia on Sunday, the agency celebrated the 100th birthday of one of its most accomplished spies.

"Her many achievements and storied life are an inspiration to all women," CIA Director John Brennan said to honor Elizabeth "Betty" McIntosh, a reporter-turned-operative who engaged in some of the most cloak-and-dagger schemes over four decades as one of the few female spies at the agency. Born in Washington, DC, McIntosh got a degree in journalism and worked as a reporter for several papers. Based in Hawaii, she covered the attack on Pearl Harbor firsthand, providing dramatic accounts of that tragic day.

Two years later, she was working in Washington covering Eleanor Roosevelt, then the first lady, at the White House when she got an assignment to profile an industrialist, who happened to be working undercover for General William "Wild Bill" Donovan, the legendary chief of the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor agency to the CIA. He recruited her to work for the OSS, which was using the art of spycraft to outwit the Nazis and the Japanese army.

Fluent in Japanese, McIntosh was tasked with creating black propaganda - rumors meant to deceive the enemy. Many of her fellow spies in the OSS' office of Morale Operations were artists and writers who created fake stories. [Read more: Baram/BusinessInsider/5March2015]

Double Agent Who Made a Mockery of the Nazis. The hall of fame of double agents who worked for British intelligence in the Second World War is filled with illustrious codenames such as Garbo, Snow, Zigzag and Tricycle.

Now another spy, codenamed Cheese, is set to join the ranks of the superstar "double-cross" agents after research unearthed the full story of what he achieved for Britain and the Allies during the war. [Evans/TheTimes/13January2015]

GCHQ Splashes Out �200,000 to Find the Next Alan Turing. GCHQ is taking the cyber security threat seriously and has earmarked around �200,000 to identify the next batch of technology geniuses to thwart computer attacks.

The UK Intelligence and Security Agency will run a course this summer for computer science students with the objective of finding the best minds to protect the nation against cyber threats.

We like to imagine that the candidates will be put through a test similar to that posed by original code-breaker Alan Turing when he was recruiting his team during WWII, as demonstrated in The Imitation Game.

But in reality GCHQ has set its sights slightly lower and just wants people in their first or second year at university who are skilled in at least one computer language.

GCHQ also said that candidates must have advanced coding skills - Frozen coding champions need not apply - the tenacity to solve complex problems, and the ability to work well in a team and independently. [Read more: Bennett/TheInquirer/3March2015]

Retired Military Intelligence Officers in GV Talk Cold War Secrets. Doug Cook can't say for sure, but he may have stopped an invasion of South Korea.

It was the 1980s, and with the Cold War in full swing, Cook was stationed in Japan with the Naval Security Group. A piece of intelligence crossed his desk, a small detail that could easily have been passed over. But it concerned an area where Cook was an expert and something didn't feel right.

After some digging, he believed he'd uncovered something big: The Soviets were planning to smuggle MiG-21 fighters into North Korea. The MiGs, much more capable than the F-4 Phantoms the US had in South Korea, broke an agreement between the two nuclear powers not to upgrade air defense forces.

At the same time, Kim Jong Il made a public statement that he would celebrate the birthday of his father, North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, in Seoul, South Korea. The country also announced the beginning of military exercises. [Read more: Rookhuyzen/GreenValleyNews/4March2015]

Why the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Has Eyes on the Arctic. Almost by definition, the North Pole is not thought of as a global hot spot. It's an area typically only recognized come holiday time. But as the polar ice melts, the Arctic is becoming a nexus of geopolitical tensions, over subjects as diverse as penguins and Ukraine.

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, a Pentagon division that provides maps to the spy community, is closely monitoring the situation. New transportation routes and energy reserves are rising to the surface.

And because all the commotion has economic and not just military ramifications, NGA Director Robert Cardillo sees the Arctic as a place that could bring his agency out into the open. Again.

Since taking office last fall, the lifelong intelligence analyst has garnered attention for pulling the curtain off certain geospatial data, such as maps of the Ebola spread. [Read more: Sternstein/NextGov/9March2015]

Section III - COMMENTARY

The Intelligence Studies Essay: CTIIC - Learning From the Choices and Challenges That Shaped the National Counterterrorism Center. A Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) established by the Director of National Intelligence in response to a presidential directive can play a valuable role integrating and assessing cyber threat data available to the government in support of policymaking and operational responses. The CTIIC director, preferably an intelligence professional, should be appointed by the DNI and report exclusively through him to the White House where CTIIC's assessments and expertise would inform, but not supplant, interagency policy deliberations. The president's order should direct relevant cabinet officers to support CTIIC by sharing relevant information, detailing expert staff, and helping the center overcome foreseeable technological challenges.

CTIIC's assessments will be structurally flawed until its analysts can routinely access threat information now available only in the private sector. The DNI should integrate the functions of the National Intelligence Officer for Cyber into CTIIC to enhance its long-range analysis and designate the CTIIC director as the IC's Mission Manager to ensure the adequacy of collection and other resources devoted to cyber targets.

The choices made while designing and standing up CTIIC should be informed by the many hard lessons learned during the National Counterterrorism Center's (NCTC) short, but eventful, history. [Read more: Slick/Lawfare/4March2015]

Big Data and Virtualization: A Formidable Defense. Our national security is becoming increasingly reliant on the ability to rapidly manage and quickly use the growing amount of military and intelligence data available at any given moment. As part of President Obama's 2012 Big Data Research and Development Initiative, the Defense Department was among six major agencies that committed funding to develop tools and techniques needed to access, organize and glean discoveries from huge volumes of data. The end goal: to improve situational awareness to help warfighters and analysts, as well as provide increased support to military operations.

Nearly three years later, military forces continue to face complex and intriguing challenges related to the dramatic increase in data - they are simply overloaded with information. US military intelligence analysts continuously sift through vast and varied data sets, from cellphone records, email and text files to more advanced satellite imagery and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data from drones. Consider just the massive data growth from drones and other surveillance technology: [Read more: Girard/DefenseSystems/5March2015]

Best Sources of Actionable Threat Intelligence. In today's world of ongoing data breach cycles, federal agencies struggle to keep up with the threats that loom over systems that hold sensitive data - everything from personally identifiable information and protected health information to design plans for the latest stealth aircraft.

The problem is now receiving attention at the highest levels of government. For some time now, the White House has considered the idea of a federal government-led fusion center for coordinating threat intelligence, but it only recently became official when the White House announced the formation of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center.

So how can organizations provide actionable threat intelligence in an effective and efficient manner?

First, it's important to accurately understanding the term "threat intelligence: [Read more: Waddell/GCN/6March2015]

Section IV - Books and Upcoming Events

Books

Book Report: @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex. I've read a fair amount of cybersecurity books across a wide spectrum of topics - early hackers, cybercrime, hacktivists, nation state activity, etc. A few years ago, new books on this topic were few and far between, but that is no longer the case. I recently posted a blog/book report on Kim Zetter's fantastic book, Countdown to Zero Day. Allow me to recommend another good one, @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex, by Shane Harris.

Harris's book is especially relevant given President Obama's recent cybersecurity initiatives described during his State of the Union address and the cybersecurity summit at Stanford last month. After all, the President is trumpeting a new federal law enforcement nexus - the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) - private/public security intelligence sharing, a national breach notification law, and an overhaul of law enforcement authorities to combat cybercrime.

Given this flurry of federal activity, it's only natural that US citizens would ask questions about the history of federal cybersecurity initiatives in the past. What types of programs came out of Washington? Were they military/intelligence-focused or civilian agency-focused? Were they successful or wasteful?

If you are at all interested in the answers to these questions, @War should be high on your reading list. The book looks across federal cybersecurity in detail as it covers: [Read more: Oltsik/NetworkWorld/9March2015]

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Obituaries

William Wade. William Wade (Age 78) "Bill," of Ashburn, passed away early Sunday morning, March 8, 2015 peacefully in his sleep. He had been in failing health for the last several years.

Bill was a native of Northern Virginia. He was born in Washington, DC but spent most of his youth in Alexandria, Virginia, where he graduated from George Washington High School. He served two years active duty in the US Army and four years in the US Air Force Reserve before commencing a 32-year career in 1962 with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an Operations Officer. During his career he traveled extensively with stints in Africa, Near East, Far East, Europe, South America, and South East Asia. For his distinguished service with the CIA, he received numerous awards including the "Exceptional Performance Award."

Bill will be lovingly remembered by his wife and best friend, Doris, his son Kevin Wade (Marnie), daughter, Kelly Bradley (Bill), stepson, Michael Moffett (Sheryl), and sister, Barbara Evans (Kurt). He will also be affectionately remembered by six grandsons, Charlie, Jake, Daniel, Patrick, Justin, and Shane. His parents, Ermine and Thelma Wade, preceded Bill in death. [Read more: WashingtonPost/10March2015]

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 11 am - Albuquerque, NM - The AFIO NM Chapter features LCDR Damon Runyan, USN (Ret.) on The Christening and Commissioning of the USS New Mexico (SSN-779)

Damon Runyan is a retired Lieutenant Commander with 20 years of service in the United States Navy. He also recently retired from work with the Missile Defense Agency at Kirtland AFB working on the Airborne Laser Program. Damon is a former Kiwanis member from the early 2000’s. Since 2001, Damon has been a member of the Navy League committee that petitioned the Navy to name one of its new class of submarines after our great State. He has been instrumental with 12 other people in the Christening and Commissioning of the USS NEW MEXICO (SSN-779).

He has been married to his wife Michelle for 40 years, and has two children and two grandchildren, all here in Albuquerque. He is a graduate of New Mexico State University and holds a Master’s degree from the Naval Post-graduate School in Monterey, California.

Damon and Michelle were given the rare opportunity to ride the USS NEW MEXICO for 14 hours while off the coast of Florida in 2010.
Event location: The Egg & I, 6909 Menaul Blvd (just East of Louisiana)
Sign In and Order Lunch: 11:00 / Pledge of Allegiance, Call to Order 11:30
Inquiries or registrations to foreigndevil@yahoo.com

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 11:30am - Scottsdale, AZ - AFIO Arizona Chapter hears Rick Dale, Emergency Management Expert on "Ensuring our Homeland Security."

What keeps you awake at night? Would you sleep better knowing that Arizona State University�s Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security is creating solutions to threats to our safety and well-being?
Learn of emerging solutions to issues such as the early detection of Ebola, human and sex trafficking, and the ability to immediately detect impairment due to marijuana and drug usage. Discover how the center brings together the knowledge and capacity of the entire ASU enterprise to create innovative solutions for the preparation, response, recovery, and management of natural or man-made incidents.
Rick E. Dale is Executive Director of the ASU Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security and Professor of Practice in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions. He will be discussing "Ensuring our Homeland Security." Prior to joining ASU in 2013 to launch the center, Dale served as executive chairman and chief executive officer of IXP Corporation. Dale founded IXP in 2000, building it into an industry leader serving the emergency-solution needs of government, university, healthcare, and energy clients. Dale has more than three decades of experience in executive and technical management, professional services, and system integration in the broad emergency solution sector.

LOCATION: McCormick Ranch Golf Course, 7505 McCormick Pkwy, Scottsdale ~ Phone 480.948.0260.
RSVP to Simone at simone@afioaz.org or call her at 602.570.6016 no later than 72 hrs ahead of time. Meeting fees are now $25.00

Thursday, 19 March 2015, 11:30 am - Colorado Springs, CO � The Rocky Mountain Chapter presents Col. T. Small, Special Operations Command North.

The presentation is about Turkey, the Region and Current Conflicts. To be held at The Monument Hill Country Club, 18945 Pebble Beach Way, Monument, CO 80132. Please RSVP to Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net Directions are here.

19 March 2015, 12:30-2pm - Los Angeles, CA - AFIO-LA Chapter Meets to discuss spy "Christopher Marlowe" with Francis Hamit

Francis Hamit will be discussing "Christopher Marlowe" an upcoming film about the poet, playwright and spy who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada. The spy thriller is based on the 1988 stage play about Christopher Marlowe's service as a secret agent for the Crowne. The film will be shot in the UK later this year and Francis Hamit will serve as the Executive Producer. More about that movie can be seen here.
Location: LAPD-ARTC, Room 344 (third floor towards front of building), 5651 W Manchester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Francis Hamit served in the US Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War. Francis Hamit discovered this story when he worked for the Encylopaedia Britannica and wrote a number articles about intelligence organizations and personalities, he has written several historical fiction spy thrillers and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and a member of AFIO since 1987.
RSVP via email AFIO_LA@yahoo.com

Saturday, 21 March 2015, 2 pm - Kennebunk, ME - "Terrorism in Vacationland: it's closer than you think" will be the subject of Chet Lunner’s talk at AFIO Maine Chapter's meeting.

Tucked into the extreme northeast corner of the U.S. with a friendly neighbor across much of its border to the north, a sparse population, and miles of uninhabited forest Maine, at first glance, seems a safe haven from major criminal activity, terrorists, and threats to national security. Nothing could be further from the truth. World War II found Maine’s long coastline and lonely beaches attractive to Nazi saboteurs arriving quietly in the night by submarine headed to heavily populated area to the south. In the 1960s the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar carried on a flourishing drug business using airfields hidden in the Maine wilderness. One of the World Trade Center towers fell to 9/11 hijackers who set out from Portland, Maine.

Chet Lunner retired in 2010 as Deputy Under Secretary of Homeland Security in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A). Until 2012 he served as senior instructor for a series of seminars on the importance of National Information Sharing for law enforcement executives sponsored by the International Association of Police and funded by the Department of Justice. Lunner will discuss Maine’s unique geographic location in relation to terrorism and national security and links to the Boston Marathon bombers. He will also tell about several high profile terrorism cases in Canada and the potential danger from active terrorists in Quebec and Ontario. Our speaker will describe Canada’s tough anti-terrorism laws and why they have recently been tightened. He continues to support DHS policies and emphasizes that Homeland Security encompasses local, state and federal duties and is a national mission for all of us.

Event location: the Brick Store Museum Program Center, 4 Dane Street, Kennebunk. The meeting is open to the public. For information call 207-967-4298 or email speers@gwi.net.

Wednesday, 29 April 2015, 5:30-9pm - New York, NY - AFIO New York Metro Meeting Features Joseph Wippl, former CIA Clandestine Services Officer, on Aldrich "Rick" Ames, worst CIA traitor ever: his personality, his motivation for espionage and the impact on all Soviet agents of the CIA.

Joseph Wippl is a former CIA officer who spent 30 years as an operations officer in the National Clandestine Service (NCS). Wippl served overseas in Bonn, West Germany; Guatemala City; Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; Mexico City; Vienna, Austria; and Berlin, Germany. On assignments in CIA headquarters, he served as the Deputy Chief of Human Resources, as the Senior NCS representative to the Aldrich Ames Damage Assessment Team, as Chief of Europe Division and as the CIA’s Director of Congressional Affairs. Wippl has coordinated extensively with other members of the US IC. He currently teaches at Boston University. Prior to that he occupied the Richard Helms Chair for Intelligence Collection in the NCS training program. Wippl has taught at BU since 2006 where he serves as Director of Graduate Studies, Professor of the Practice of International Relations; BU Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.

Location: Society of Illustrators building, 128 East 63rd St, between Park Ave and Lexington Ave.
COST: $50/person Cash or check, payable at the door only. Dinner to follow talk & Q&A. Cash bar. RESERVATIONS: Strongly suggested, not required, Email Jerry Goodwin afiometro@gmail.com or phone 646-717-3776.

Friday, 08 May 2015 - Tysons Corner, VA - AFIO's Spring 2015 luncheon features the NSA's former Deputy Director, Chris Inglis

Chris Inglis, former National Security Agency Deputy Director will discuss "Hackers, Financial Safety, Bulk Data Collection, ISIS Recruitments, Snowden and more."
Timing: Check-in for badge pickup at 10:30 a.m.; TBD begins presentation at 11 a.m.; Lunch served at noon; Inglis begins presentation at 1:05 pm. Event closes at 2 p.m.
Morning presentation is on the record; Chris Inglis' 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
Registrations accepted HERE while space remains.

Thursday, May 28, 2015, 5:30 - 8:30pm - Atlanta, GA - The AFIO Atlanta Chapter-in-Formation and Harvard Club of Georgia host reception for Prof Kristie Macrakis on Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies. There is no charge.

Professor Kristie Macrakis, an AFIO member and Harvard alum who teaches history at Georgia Tech, specializes in the history of espionage. She’ll discuss her 2014 book Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qaeda. In it, she presents a fascinating cat-and-mouse game between spies who conceal their reports in plain sight and counterintelligence agents trying to intercept and detect them—and all the clever methods employed. As a friend of AFIO, this event is free for you and your guests.
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.: Presentation by Prof. Kristie Macrakis, followed by Q&A
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception
Location: Womble Carlyle, Skyline Room (25th Floor), Atlantic Station, BB&T Building, 271 17th St NW Ste 2500, Atlanta, GA 30363-1017
RSVP or questions to Brian Hooper, bhooper@wcsr.com or 404.879.2440. If you can’t attend but are interested in participating in the new chapter, please let him know.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, noon - Washington DC - Global Terrorism, Esponiage and Cybersecurity Monthly Update with David Major at the International Spy Museum

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

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 4:30 - 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - "Surviving the End: A Practical Guide for Everyday Americans in the Age of Terror" - presentation by James Jay Carafano at the Institute of World Politics

Bioterrorism. Dirty bombs. Electromagnetic pulse attacks. Threats with the power to annihilate our way of life constantly hang over Americans' heads. But you don't have to dig yourself a bunker to make it through the worst.
Terrorism expert and former Army Lt. Colonel James Jay Carafano has created the guide for everyday Americans to weather the harshest storms. Surviving the End is a disaster preparation book for average Americans, outlining practical, achievable, common-sense skills and precautions that anyone can take to prepare for the next big disaster. You don't have to have a cellar full of canned goods or battlefield combat training to follow Carafano's recommendations. Surviving the End covers situations from natural disasters to global warfare with a down-to-earth style that average families can relate to and learn from. With advice that could be applied to personal emergencies as well as national emergencies, the tips and tricks Carafano shares aren't just for doomsday, they're for every day.
James Jay Carafano, Heritage Foundation's leading expert on national security and foreign policy challenges, is an accomplished historian, author and teacher. Carafano is adjunct professor at Georgetown University and The Institute of World Politics and has served as a visiting professor at National Defense University, assistant professor at the US Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., director of military studies at the Army's Center of Military History, and fleet professor at the US Naval War College.
Event location: The Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Parking map
Questions: contact sdwyer@iwp.edu otherwise Register here.

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 6:30pm-7:00pm - Washington DC - "Spies & Wine: Frauds, Fakes, and Fun" at the International Spy Museum

Are drinking and counterfeiting an unlikely combination? Not for the experts in this lighthearted exploration of spies and wine. For intelligence officers like Tony Mendez, whose most famous mission during his time in the CIA was portrayed in the film ARGO, the ability to create documents that would pass as valid behind enemy lines could mean the difference between life and death. For Jason Tesauro, author, chief sommelier and national brand director for Barboursville Vineyards, the ability to understand the subtle differences between European wines and their �counterfeit� counterparts is vital to keeping his palate polished and his clientele happy. Former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez will brief us on some of her favorite (declassified) CIA drinking tips and tales. Following this lively discussion, guests will have the opportunity to taste and compare three different European wines with their Virginia twins, including Champagne, Vermentino and Bourdeaux blends.
Guests must be 21 to participate. Ticket price includes three wine comparison tastings, six wines total.
Tickets: $75. Register at www.spymuseum.org

Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 5 - 7:30 pm - Arlington, VA - BG (R) Peter Zwack discusses Experiences in Russia as US Senior Defense Official to the Turbulent Present

FAOA [Foreign Area Officer Association] Distinguished Speaker & Reception Event features BG (Ret) Peter Zwack, former Defense Attach� (DATT) to Russia. BG Zwack, a US Army FAO, will address his experiences in Russia as the US Senior Defense Official (SDO)/DATT, going from a period of peaceful security cooperation and the successful Sochi Winter Olympics to the rapid deterioration of relations between the United States and Russia to their lowest point since the Cold War as a result of the Crimean and eastern Ukraine crises. Reception: 5:00 to 6:30; Remarks and Q&A: 6:30 to 7:30
Location: Army-Navy Country Club, 1700 Army-Navy Dr, Arlington VA 22202 Price: $25.
Event includes appetizers and cash bar. Dress: Coat and Tie/Uniform of the Day
Register here.

13-15 March 2015 - Groton, CT - The New England Chapter of the Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association (NCVA-NE) holds Spring Mini-Reunion.

THE NCVA-NE holds its spring mini-reunion at the Groton Inn and Suites, Groton, CT. The hotel registration cut-off date for the guaranteed rate is 13 February 2015. For additional information call Mr. Ed Carey at (603) 424-4192 or Mr. Vic Knorowski, publicity chairman, at (518) 664-8032.
NCVA-NE consists of those vets who served with the US Naval Security Group or one of its successor commands (NETWARCOM, CYBERCOM), and were honorably discharged from US Armed Forces, and now reside in New England or the surrounding states. Members that need a registration form or hotel information can get either by visiting the NCVA-NE Yahoo group website.

Wednesday, 18 March 2015, 12:00pm - Washington DC - Global Terrorism, Espionage and Cybersecurity Monthly Update featuring David Major at the International Spy Museum

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.

Thursday, 09 April 2015, 7 - 10pm - Washington DC - An Evening with a Futurist: Dinner with Marc Goodman at the International Spy Museum

Futurist Marc Goodman was voted by the TED Talks community as the speaker �most likely to freak you out.� A global thinker, writer, and consultant focused on the profound change technology is having on terrorism, crime, and security, he was the FBI�s Futurist in Residence and has worked for INTERPOL, the United Nations, NATO, and the LAPD―and tonight he�ll be your companion at dinner. As the founder of the Future Crimes Institute, Marc Goodman shares his thoughts on how disruptive technologies―such as artificial intelligence, the social data revolution, synthetic biology, virtual worlds, robotics, ubiquitous computing, and location-based services―form the basis for his new book Future Crimes. At this gathering, International Spy Museum historian Dr. Vince Houghton will lead a conversation with Goodman about the future of cyber intrigue. They will cover everything from cyberterrorism to the Dark Web to how individuals, businesses, and governments can protect themselves from cyber crimes too terrifying to imagine. You will be one of only seven guests at Poste Moderne Brasserie for this three-course dinner. You will receive a copy of Future Crimes when you reserve your space.
To Register: contact Laura Hicken lhicken@spymuseum.org or 202.654.0932. Tickets: $300. Visit www.spymuseum.org

Friday, 10 April 2015, 4:30-6:30 PM - Washington, DC - "British Patriot or Soviet Spy? Clarifying a Major Cold War Mystery" - A Conference at the Institute of World Politics

AFIO members are cordially invited to a presentation analyzing whether former MI5 Director General, Roger Hollis, was or was not a Soviet agent.
Will include argument maps by Paul Monk, Ph.D. Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Australian Defence Intelligence Organization; Argument mapping/Bayesian expert; Co-founder of Austhink, a critical-thinking skills consulting firm.
Reception to follow
Panelists are:
Raymond J. Batvinis, Ph.D., Retired FBI Supervisory Agent; IWP Professor of counterintelligence history; author of The Origins of FBI Counterintelligence.
David L. Charney, M.D., Consulting psychiatrist to the U. S. intelligence community; expert on the psychology of the �insider spy�; Medical Director, Roundhouse Square Counseling Center.
Harvey Klehr, Ph.D., Intelligence historian, Emory University; Co-author of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America.
Moderator
John L. Wilhelm, Former US Navy Intelligence Officer; TIME magazine correspondent; Independent PBS Writer/Producer/Director; author of a forthcoming history of Russian Military Intelligence (the GRU).
More information about this conference can be found here.
To register online, do so here.
Event location: The Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Parking map.
Please contact sdwyer@iwp.edu with any questions

Monday, 13 April 2015, 6:30pm - Washington DC - Sensors Everywhere: Satellites and Mobile Technology for Documenting Human Rights Abuses - at the International Spy Museum

Human rights investigators increasingly use advanced technologies such as imagery satellites in their work documenting abuses around the globe. Traditionally these tools have been reserved for national intelligence services, but now they are standard tools for research by private organizations as well.
These readily available �eyes in the sky� give safe access to dangerous conflict zones such as Syria, or closed-off areas such as political prison camps in North Korea. Next generation micro-satellites even have the potential to provide full-motion video documentation. While satellite imagery has been likened to looking through a soda straw, the spread of cell phones and digital social networks provides visual documentation in real-time on a massive scale. However, this comes with its own challenges, as videos or pictures shared via YouTube or Facebook can be faked or shared within the wrong context.
Join us for a thought-provoking evening with Christoph Koettl of Amnesty International on the opportunities and pitfalls of advanced technologies in the hands of private researchers and investigators.
Dr. Mark Stout, the program director of the MA in Global Security Studies and the Certificate in National Security Studies at Johns Hopkins University, will host.
Tickets: $10. Visit www.spymuseum.org

Tuesday, 21 April 2015, 6:30pm - Washington DC - The Rosenbergs: The 'Definitive' Debate at the International Spy Museum

More than sixty years after their execution in June 1953 for conspiring to steal atomic secrets for the Soviet Union, in a few hardbitten, blind-to-facts circles, the debate still rages about the Rosenbergs' guilt or innocence. Especially among their family members and friends. Mike Meeropol, the son of Julius and Ethel, has spent his life whitewashing, fine-tuning, and nit-picking the perfidy of his parents� secret lives, their trials, their well-deserved convictions for espionage, and ultimately their executions. Sam Roberts, journalist for The New York Times, is the author of The Brother, a book written with exclusive access to David Greenglass, Ethel�s brother, whose testimony almost single-handedly convicted the couple in the era before classified VENONA decrypts were released to show they were guilty as charged. In this debate, these Rosenberg scholars―with different perspectives on a case long-settled by intelligence scholars―will take on the divisive issues and key questions that remain to the few holdouts despite the declassification of intelligence files from the United States and the Soviet Union that prove they were guilty and deserving of the punishment they received.
As a voice of reason, Dr. Vince Houghton, historian and curator of the International Spy Museum and an expert on nuclear intelligence, will moderate this debate on the Rosenbergs treason and punishment.
Tickets: $15, Members of the Inner Circle: $12. Visit www.spymuseum.org

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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