Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

China Security Chief Calls for Better Intelligence on Terrorism. China needs to improve its intelligence gathering abilities and intelligence sharing between different departments it if wants to better deal with the threat of terrorism, its domestic security chief said, in a rare admission of the problems faced.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the past few years in China's western region of Xinjiang, home to the mainly Muslim Uighur people, in violence blamed by the government on Islamist militants who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

Speaking in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi, domestic security chief Meng Jianzhu said while some success had been achieved in the fight against terrorism, the situation remained serious.

Meng said intelligence gathering had to improve, in both what he called "hard and soft intelligence", according to a government statement issued late on Friday. [Read more: Reuters/11December2015]

Informers Needed, Says German Intelligence Agency Head Maassen. The head of the German domestic intelligence agency has urged refugees to help identify terrorist suspects and risks. Hans-Georg Maassen said he could not exclude a Californian San Bernardino-style attack in Germany. 

Maassen told the eastern German public broadcaster MDR-Info on Thursday that tip-offs about potential jihadists was "not denunciation."

He said his agency based in Cologne, known as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or Bundesverfassungsschutz (BfV) in German, was dependent on informers to prevent attacks - whether they gave tips on potential jihadists or far-right extremists.

Maassen said security risks had long been high before the German parliament's decision last Friday to actively deploy German Bundeswehr hardware and up to 1,200 personnel as part of the international campaign against the "Islamic State" (IS) militia. [Read more: [Read more: DeuscheWelle/10December2015]

Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Filling Out Its Quantum Systems Development Program. IBM today got a multi-year grant from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) to build key components of what it calls a universal quantum computer. 

You may recall that IARPA operates as part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Big Blue award was granted under the auspices of the group's Logical Qubits (LogiQ) program which is looking to develop technologies that overcome the limitations of current quantum systems by building a logical qubit from a number of imperfect physical qubits.

A quantum bit or qubit or quantum bit in the quantum computing realm uses qubits instead of the usual bits representing 1s or 0s. Ultimately quantum-computing efforts should result in super-fast, super secure computers the experts say. 

In this case, IBM's research team will continue to develop technologies for building a universal quantum computer by using superconducting qubits. By encoding the superconducting qubits into a logical qubit, one should then be able to perform true quantum computation. These logical qubit designs will be foundational to future, more complex quantum computing systems, IBM said. [Read more: Cooney/NetworkWorld/8December2015]

Germany's 'Mr. Hizbollah' to Head up EU's Joint Intelligence Operation. Germany's best-known serving spy, known as "Mr. Hizbollah" for his work in the Middle East, is to take charge of the European Union's intelligence agency in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Gerhard Conrad has been announced as the new head of the EU's Intelligence Analysis Centre (IntCen), as it looks to prevent a repeat of the intelligence failures that allowed the Paris attackers to move freely around Europe.

Dr. Conrad has been described as "the nearest thing Germany has to James Bond", but his biography is more reminiscent of a character from a John le Carr� thriller.

Like the legendary East German spy chief Markus Wolf, there is no known photogaph of him. Reports of his age vary from mid-forties to early-sixties, and it is not even clear if Gerhad Conrad is his real name or an alias. [Read more: Huggler/TheTelegraph/11December2015]

Israel Names New Head of Mossad Intelligence Agency. Yossi Cohen will be the next head of Israel's secretive Mossad intelligence agency.

Fifty-four-year-old Cohen, a former Mossad operative, has been Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top security adviser for the past two years. He will replace Tamir Pardo, a Mossad veteran whose five-year term expires soon.

"Yossi has headed the National Security Council in the past years. He has great experience and achievements and has proven abilities in various aspects in the workings of the Mossad," Netanyahu said in a live television announcement.

Mossad means institute in Hebrew and its full name is The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations. [EuroNews/8December2015]

Afghanistan Intelligence Chief Resigns Amid Row. The head of Afghanistan intelligence service, Rahmatullah Nabil, has resigned citing "pressures from President Ashraf Ghani".

There has been "repeated verbal demands about my removal from the post," he said in a letter to the president.

It comes a day after the Taliban killed at least 50 people including soldiers in a siege at Kandahar airport.

Mr. Nabil and the president differ on Pakistan's role in fighting the militants, says the BBC's Dawood Azami. [Read more: BBC/10December2015]

Government Says Convicted Spy's Information Still Top Secret. Most of the information convicted spy Jonathan Pollard had and passed along to Israel 30 years ago remains top secret and could gravely harm national security, a federal lawyer said Monday.

Assistant US Attorney Rebecca Tinio spoke after US District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan cast doubt on the reasonableness of strict parole conditions for Pollard if no one believes the former naval intelligence officer still possesses classified information.

The judge said she will require the US Parole Commission to better state its reasons for parole conditions before ruling on a defense request to relax them. Pollard was released from prison last month.

"The majority of the information that Mr. Pollard had and passed along 30 years ago, your honor, remains classified," Tinio said. [Read more: Neumeister/AP/14December2015]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

US Spies May Be Back in Action Against ISIS. If the muscular testimony of Defense Secretary Ash Carter is any guide, American spies are going to be back in action in a big way against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

Carter told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that a new contingent of US special operations forces being deployed to Iraq "will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture ISIL leaders." (ISIL is the administration's preferred acronym for the militant group). Carter and other defense officials did not say when the new unit would be deployed, or whether it would be comprised of troops already in the region.

Until now, many intelligence experts and former CIA and Pentagon operatives have consistently lamented that the Defense Department had largely abandoned the use of human spies against ISIS and Al-Qaeda in favor of "technical means" - electronic intercepts, Internet tracking and video surveillance by drones. The recruitment and management of human spies, they said, had been pretty much relegated to cooperative arrangements with friendly intelligence services in Israel, Jordan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and elsewhere - a shaky proposition considering their many factions and suspect loyalties. In 2009, one spy served up to the CIA by Jordanian intelligence to infiltrate Al-Qaeda's inner circle turned out to be a double agent who blew himself up at a CIA base in Afghanistan, killing seven Americans, a Jordanian and an Afghan.

Over the course of the war in Afghanistan, intelligence veterans say, US military commanders came to prefer "technical means" to keep track of the enemy rather than human intelligence operations, which can take huge amounts of time and expertise to be run successfully. The trend continued in Iraq and Syria. [Read more: Stein/Newsweek/1December2015]

Remembering CIA's Heroes: Greg Wright. Greg Wright and his team were returning from an asset meeting in a Middle Eastern country when they came under intense fire from a large force of individuals. Greg, responsible for protecting the team of Central Intelligence Agency officers, moved swiftly into action as he drove the lead vehicle. The resulting fire fight took Greg's life, but he was able to ensure his colleagues, his friends, survived.

Greg was assigned to protect the lives of CIA officers in often dangerous locations. He was reliable, resourceful and enjoyable to work with. More than 1,200 family members and friends came from around the world to attend his funeral. This is his story. [Read more: CIA/10December2015]

GCHQ's 2015 Christmas Card Comes With a Puzzling Twist. GCHQ Director Robert Hannigan's annual Christmas greeting this year doesn't have the usual reindeer or jingle bells bedecking the front. Instead, the card features a code-breaking challenge that is sure to get the grey matter working.

The head of Britain's Intelligence and Security Agency decided the cards being sent out by the GCHQ are too traditional and so 2014, so this year, the annual holiday greeting is featuring a cryptographic twist.

News,Com.au is reporting the GCHQ website reads: "To exercise the grey matter over the holiday period, Director GCHQ Robert Hannigan's official Christmas card includes an elaborate cryptic challenge."

Participants are challenged to fill out a grid-shading puzzle to reveal a hidden picture. The agency gives everyone a little head-start with some squares already shaded in, but don't think they will help you all that much. Filling in the squares to get the picture is just the first in a series of increasingly complex challenges. [Read more: Graham/DigitalJournal/10December2015]

Why Did the CIA Meet With Michael Bay? When the Central Intelligence Agency met with party-boy, explosion-obsessed Hollywood filmmaker Michael Bay this year, the agency said it was on a matter of national security.

In January, Paramount Pictures is releasing Bay�s new film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, an action flick dramatizing the story of six security-team members who defended the US compound and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, at the time of the 2012 attack.

Bay is, of course, famous for helming rowdy, big-budget fare such as Bad Boys II and The Rock, and movies starring beautiful women and loud killer-robots. (For his Transformers franchise, Bay worked closely with the Pentagon to secure access to warships, helicopters, F-22 stealth fighters, and many more military assets.)

The Benghazi attack, which claimed the lives of four Americans, has become one of the more bitterly divisive and partisan issues of the Obama era, spawning multiple congressional investigations and various un-killable talking points for conservative media.

Bay has promised that there is no political agenda whatsoever driving 13 Hours. "I show both sides of the story," he said at a French film festival. "I met with the CIA on this movie and I show the whole situation." [Read more: Suebsaeng/TheDailyBeast/14December2015]

The Moon in the Crosshairs: CIA Monitoring of the Soviet Manned Lunar Program. C.S. Lewis once wrote that the devil's greatest trick was convincing the world that he did not exist. Soviet officials and propagandists pulled off a similar feat in the 1970s when they convinced many in the Western press and public that the country had never intended to land a man on the Moon or to beat the Americans there. That myth lasted nearly 20 years, repeated countless times in the popular press, even by such luminaries as anchorman Walter Cronkite. 

Active Soviet disinformation, coupled with a lack of direct information on the existence of the Soviet lunar program, has distorted our understanding of the Moon race. Many histories of this period have barely acknowledged the existence of a vigorous Soviet lunar program. Even those that have acknowledged it have been unable to compare it to Apollo except in a superficial sense. Until recently, nobody has been able to compare the overall timelines of both superpower projects.

The Central Intelligence Agency's analysts were not fooled by the Soviet disinformation campaign. They tracked the development of the Soviet lunar program virtually from its start. And although they occasionally made inaccurate estimates as to the technical details of the Soviet manned lunar program, they were surprisingly accurate about its schedule and whether it could beat the Americans to the Moon. They provided this information to American decision makers, both in the White House and NASA.

Now that large amounts of intelligence documentation have been declassified, it is possible for historians to reexamine their long-standing interpretations of the race to the Moon. For decades, historians have been telling the story of Apollo in only a limited context. They knew what decisions the White House and NASA leadership had made, but they did not have a detailed record of why they made them when they made them. To what effect did knowledge of Soviet activities - accurate or otherwise - affect the Apollo program? Were schedules or budgets altered because of Soviet actions? Was safety ever compromised because of concern that the Soviet Union might achieve a propaganda victory? The subject of intelligence on the Soviet space program itself has never been studied in detail. Now we can begin to shed new light on the space race. [Read more: Day/TheSpaceReview/14December2015]

C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Government Agent. As I browsed eBay not long ago, I came across a 78 rpm recording of a lecture by C.S. Lewis. I assumed that it was a mistake or that the seller was trying to defraud an unwitting public. I knew Lewis well enough to know that he had never made a 78 rpm recording for general distribution, much less one produced by something called the Joint Broadcasting Committee. I also knew that Lewis never delivered a lecture on the subject "The Norse Spirit in English Literature." At least, I knew we had no evidence of such a lecture. Fortunately, curiosity got the better of me, and I bought the record from the dealer in Iceland.

Over the years, I have assembled a significant collection of items related to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their literary friends. I regularly mount exhibitions for universities and major municipal libraries to spur interest in the Inklings, especially when the secular market is all abuzz when a new Lewis or Tolkien movie is released. At one time, collecting letters, manuscripts, first editions, and other artifacts and ephemera was a slow process that depended upon visiting faraway places with strange sounding names. But all of that changed with e-commerce, which led to this unusual recording being in my possession.

And what an unusual find it turned out to be. I discovered some things about a secret episode in Lewis's life that few, if any, people knew about. [Read more: Poe/ChristianityToday/10December2015]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Analysis: The Challenges Facing Israel's Next Mossad Chief. The appointment of Yossi Cohen to serve as the 12th head of the Mossad should not come as a surprise since he was the leading choice among the three candidates.

However, because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggles to make decisions and postpones them until the last minute, Netanyahu on Monday evening delivered his statement on Cohen almost an hour after it was scheduled, causing unnecessary drama and wild speculation over the appointment.

The televised event looked like a reality show or Oscar evening. The Mossad deserved more respect.

During Netanyahu's address, in which he described his considerations in choosing the candidate, he spoke of the clandestine diplomatic experience required of a Mossad chief, who sometimes must act as a kind of "second Foreign Ministry."

The moment he said this, it was clear the choice would be Cohen. [Read more: Melman/JerusalemPost/8December2015]

Good Intelligence Prevents War. Modeled after the United States National Security Council, Japan created a new NSA of Japan last year to replace the previous Security Council. The country currently maintains the following intelligence organizations: Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center (CSICE) which practically controls the following organizations; Defense Intelligence Division (DID), Military Intelligence Command (JGSDF) under the Ministry of Defense, Security Bureau in the National Police Agency, Intelligence and Analysis Service (IAS) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Now Japan wants to establish a spying organization comparable to the American CIA or the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) of Britain known as MI6. After the Pacific War, the United States Force completely dismantled the Imperial Japanese foreign intelligence services and prohibited creation of a new secret organization. Under Japan's pacifist constitution which outlaws the use of arms and reference to the country's military services as "self-defense" forces instead of the national military force, Japan was without good reason to create a foreign intelligence service. However, after 70 years of hard indulgence, the right wing politicians now practically want to delete the words "self-defense."

The recent abduction and killing of Japanese newsmen by the ISIS in Syria prompted the Abe government to add momentum in creating an intelligence gathering agency. According to Reuters, the Japanese government is considering copying the UK's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Its motto is "The British SIS works overseas to make the UK safer and more prosperous" for which James Bond embodies the agency's motto well. Israel, with which Japan is seeking intelligence cooperation, has the famous Mossad, "Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations" in Arabic, comparable with the MI6. The agency is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism, and protecting Jewish communities. Mossad's former motto was a quote from Proverbs in the Bible: "For by wise guidance you can wage your war." This was later changed to another proverb: "Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Both mottos reverberate well for the Israeli spy agency. [Read more: Nam/KoreaTimes/11December2015]

Balance Intelligence Gathering and Privacy. The recent terrorist attacks around the globe have sparked an important debate about whether US intelligence agencies have the tools they need to combat terrorism. After the San Bernardino attack, when some members of Congress asked whether recent restrictions on intelligence authorities had gone too far, critics cried foul, arguing that a terrorist attack shouldn't be used as an excuse to roll back civil liberties. 

But we need a renewed discussion about whether the laws governing our intelligence agencies enable them to pursue terrorist threats nimbly and aggressively while also respecting Americans' privacy and civil liberties. The attack in San Bernardino was a reminder of what is at stake. 

The policy debate on national security issues in the two years following the Snowden leaks had been heavily one-sided, painting the intelligence agencies as bad actors who cared little for Americans' privacy or liberty. Many falsehoods became accepted fact in the public discourse. For example, the weight of the news and public commentary led many Americans to believe the complete fiction that the NSA was conducting mass surveillance of their telephone conversations or emails. 

And many important facts were either absent from the discussion or ignored. For example, there has been almost no public discussion of why we need good foreign intelligence. Foreign intelligence is the vital information on which policymakers rely to make good decisions on all defense, national security, and foreign affairs matters. Defeating ISIS will require success on many fronts, including military strikes; cutting off funding and supply lines; identifying and preventing ISIS sympathizers in the US from traveling overseas; and uncovering terrorist plots and preventing attacks inside the United States. None of these efforts can succeed without timely, reliable, actionable intelligence - and agencies that are equipped to act on it quickly. [Read more: Brand/TheHill/15December2015]

Section IV - Research Request, Job Announcements, and Upcoming Events

Research Request

Writer is seeking information about American intelligence activities in postwar Paris, up to 1948. In particular, Jane Wallis Burrell, former OSS, SSU, CIG, and CIA who died in Paris on January 6, 1948 - the story’s subject.

Names of interest: Philip Horton, Arne Ekstrom, Charles Grey, Bernard Steele, Gerald E. Miller, Thomas G. Cassady, and Charles “Charley” Michaelis. (Of greatest interest about Michaelis is his September 1939 return to France from the U.S. as a photographer for the International News Service.) Also, did anyone know journalist Lorna Lindsley in Paris? Anything and everything is of interest - from simple physical descriptions and general demeanor to details about their lives and work. General atmospherics will also be greatly appreciated. Replies to Dennis Whitehead, dennis@mmimedia.com, 703-524-4040 office / 703-524-6814 home

Job Announcements

Program Chair for University of Maryland University College. University of Maryland University College (UMUC) seeks a Program Chair for a specialization within the MS in Management Program, the Intelligence Management Program.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: 

 - Managing the development, promotion, and direction of the Intelligence Management specialization within the MS in Management program.
 - Preparing, developing, and administering new degrees and courses within the specialization
 - Leading the programs' transitions to competency-based programs, to include creating, developing course content, and administering new courses.
 - Recruiting, mentoring, and supervising faculty.
 - Teaching courses within the specializations.
 - Participation in the Graduate School's Enhanced Learning Model program re-design initiative, including redesigning courses, learning resources, and assignments.
 - Performing other job-related assignments.
 - Program Chair will be expected to work onsite at the University's Academic Center in Largo

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

 - Terminal degree in a field related to Intelligence management from an accredited institution of higher learning.
 - 10 years of professional and/or managerial work experience in an intelligence-related field.
 - Three years of teaching experience with excellent student evaluations, preferably online with adult, established part-time students. 
 - Excellent administrative, verbal and written communication skills. 
 - Experience in managing diverse teams and projects. 

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

 - Educational and professional experience in intelligence from an accredited institution of higher learning is preferable, although otherwise strong candidates with experience in one area will be considered. 
 - Experience with competency-based education, teaching and mentoring and developing curriculum in new programs.

POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY & WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL FILLED. SALARY COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE

To apply, do so here.

Upcoming Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

12 - 14 January 2016, 8 am - 4:30 pm - Atlanta, GA - Insider Threat Program Development Training Course (NCMS Atlanta, GA) Available at special rate for AFIO Chapter Members

The Atlanta AFIO Chapter �would like to share an exciting Counter-Intelligence training opportunity with our members. Insider Threat pose a huge risk in several of our sectors of business, government, and intelligence community. To avoid the cumulative burden of registration costs, travel, lodging and rental expenses, I have negotiated the Insider Threat Development Planning Course (3 days) presented here in Atlanta at a steeply discounted rate. This course certifies individuals as Insider Threat Security Specialists. Jim Henderson- Insider Threat Program Training Course Instructor.
Normally $1400 per � being offered for $800 per; without the travel expense and other incidentals.
We have attached a flyer and provide the link below. We believe this valued added training may be of huge interest and benefit to many of our members.
If you would and can, please socialize the event to our fellow members, it would be appreciated.
Registration and Agenda Information.

21 January 2016, noon - 2 pm - Los Angeles, CA - The 2016 LA AFIO Chapter Annual Meeting

The Los Angeles AFIO Chapter will hold its annual membership meeting on Jan 21, 2016. The meeting will cover the election of new officers and the business program agenda for 2016. The meeting is open to all current members in good standing. Please RSVP: LA_AFIO@YAHOO.COM
Location: LAPD-ARTC: 5651 W. Manchester Ave, L.A. CA 90045

February 2016 (date TBD), 5:30 PM - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta GA AFIO Chapter features Mark Riebling on "Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler."

Many in the intelligence community consider Mark Riebling the leading historian on matters of espionage and secret policy. Riebling's 1994 book Wedge: The Secret War Between the FBI and CIA all but predicted 9/11. Indeed, Riebling's analysis of security failures influenced post-9/11 intelligence reforms to a significant degree. Deputy U.S. Attorney Andrew C. McCarthy—who prosecuted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing—wrote in The Wall Street Journal in 2006 that "Riebling’s analysis has now become conventional wisdom, accepted on all sides. Such, indeed, is the reasoning behind virtually all of the proposals now under consideration by no fewer than seven assorted congressional committees, internal evaluators, and blue-ribbon panels charged with remedying the intelligence situation." His books have been translated into German, French, Italian, Dutch, Czech, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish, and Japanese.

About the Book: The Vatican’s silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him “Hitler’s Pope.” But a key part of the story has remained untold.

Pius ran the world’s largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler—while secretly plotting to kill him.

Church of Spies documents this cloak-and-dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler’s homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler’s bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.

The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a U.S.-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius’s secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the “fiery words” he wanted

Event timing: 5:30 PM (cocktail reception). Introduction, presentation, and moderated Q&A is at 6:30 PM, followed again by a cocktail reception.
For updated information visit the chapter website.
Location: email our Speakers Committee Chair for an invitation with location details.

Wednesday, 3 February 2016 - Las Vegas, NV - The "Roger McCarthy" AFIO Las Vegas Chapter hosts Dennis Fulkerson of NNSA/DOE on "Insider Threats."

Dennis Fulkerson, Senior Counterintelligence Officer, National Security Technologies, LLC (Management and Operating Contractor to the National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy) will be the featured speaker at this first 2016 event of the Las Vegas chapter. His topic deals with the insider threat.

Event location: Texas Station Hotel, 2101 Texas Star Ln, North Las Vegas, NV. Corner of Rancho Blvd. and West Lake Mead Blvd.
To register: email Christy Zalesny (christyzalesny@yahoo.com) Corresponding Secretary or call her at 702- 271-5667, if you have any questions.

Tuesday, 9 February 2016 - MacDill AFB, FL - AFIO Suncoast Chapter's first 2016 meeting speaker is Col Paul Keddy, CENTCOM, on "Coalition Perspective of the War on Terror."

Colonel Paul Keddy, Senior National Representative - Canada, CENTCOM, Vice Chairman of the International Coalition, will be speaking on “Conflicts and Commitments – a Coalition perspective of the War on Terror.”

LOCATION: MacDill AFB Surf’s Edge Club, 7315 Bayshore Blvd, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Please RSVP to the Chapter Secretary for yourself and include the names and email addresses of any guests. Email Michael Shapiro at sectysuncoastafio@att.net. You will receive a confirmation via email. If you do not, contact the Chapter Secretary to confirm your registration. Check-in at noon; opening ceremonies, lunch and business meeting at 1230 hours, followed by our speaker.
FEE: You must present your $20 check payable to “Suncoast Chapter, AFIO” (or cash) at check-in to cover the luncheon. If you make a reservation, don’t cancel and get a cancellation confirmation by the response deadline and then don’t show up, you will be responsible for the cost of the luncheon.

Friday, 18 March 2016, 10:30am - 2pm - Tysons, VA - AFIO National Spring Luncheon features Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director, CIA and NSA, discussing "Playing to the Edge."

An unprecedented high-level master narrative of America's intelligence wars, from the only person ever to helm both CIA and NSA, at a time of heinous new threats and wrenching change. For General Michael Hayden, playing to the edge means playing so close to the line that you get chalk dust on your cleats. Otherwise, by playing back, you may protect yourself, but you will be less successful in protecting America. "Play to the edge" was Hayden's guiding principle when he ran the National Security Agency, and it remained so when he ran CIA.  In his view, many shortsighted and uninformed people are quick to criticize, and this book will give them much to chew on but little easy comfort; it is an unapologetic insider's look told from the perspective of the people who faced awesome responsibilities head on, in the moment.

HOLD THE DATE. Event is being held at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel, Tysons, VA. Further information to be released in early 2016. Morning speaker TBA.

Monday, 21 March 2016, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - The AFIO NY Metro Chapter Meeting features a presentation by Paddy Hayes, author of newly released "Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain's Cold War Spy Master."

Hayes shows the fortitude of a woman intelligence officer who ascended the ranks of the British SIS. Daphne Margaret Sybil Désirée Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth (1921–2010), spent her girlhood on the African plains, and eventually became Chief of Western Hemisphere Operations for the Secret Intelligence Service. Hayes provides personal interviews, documents, and other secondary sources, and vividly describes Park's character, revealing a woman who succeeded with wit, charm, and intellect.

Venue: The Society of Illustrators Club 128 E 63 St, midtown Manhattan. More details to follow. Inquiries or registration to Jerry Goodwin, President AFIO New York Metropolitan Chapter, afiometro@gmail.com.

Other Upcoming Events

Friday, 18 December 2015, 1100 - Washington, DC - The USS Midway Veterans Association (MVA) has purchased a commemorative plaque for the USS Midway that will be displayed at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, DC.
The USS Midway Veterans Association (MVA) has purchased a commemorative plaque for the USS Midway that will be displayed at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. The U. S. Navy Memorial sponsors a program that honors ships, squadrons, or individuals by displaying their personalized plaque on a commemorative wall at the Memorial. To date, there are over 500 plaques on display. When MVA found out about this program we decided it was high time that the USS Midway CVB/CVA/CV 41 joined this select group to honor her 47 years of service to our country. Funds were allocated, our plaque was designed and produced, and now it is time for a formal Dedication Ceremony as our plaque joins the others in this United States Navy place of honor.
Consider this announcement your invitation to join us at the upcoming ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial. We would like as many USS Midway veterans as possible to attend the ceremony as we celebrate our great ship and this recognition of her. The program will start in the Auditorium and last about thirty minutes. We will then move to the Commemorative Plaque Wall and watch our plaque join the others already enshrined. You do not have to be a member of the USS Midway Veterans Association to attend this Dedication Ceremony, it is open to all USS Midway veterans. If you know someone who served aboard Midway as ship’s company, air group or Marine detachment pass this invitation along. You do not need an invitation to attend the ceremony, but it would help if we knew how many people to expect. We will have a photographer to record our event, so look your best.
WHERE: United States Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC
RSVP: Jim Hayter 703-264-0542 and/or mva41vpr@comcast.net.
See you at the Navy Memorial on 12/18/15

Wednesday, 06 January 2016, 12:00pm - Washington, DC - JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and the Sino-Indian War at the International Spy Museum

During the most dangerous days of the Cold War, President Kennedy was dealing with a war that has largely escaped history�s attention: the Sino-Indian conflict. Join Bruce Riedel, director of The Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institute and a CIA and National Security Council veteran, as he shares how he used newly declassified letters between Kennedy and Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru along with the diaries and memoirs of key players and other sources to provide the first full narrative of Kennedy�s covert actions before, during and after the war between India and China. From strategic diplomacy to an ongoing clandestine operation in which the United States trained and parachuted Tibetan guerillas into Tibet to fight Chinese military forces, Riedel will reveal Kennedy�s work with the CIA to be one of his greatest, and yet most overlooked, successes.

Tickets: FREE! No reservation required. Visit www.spymuseum.org

8 January 2016, 4 - 5:30 pm - Washington, DC - Spy Cocktail Hour with True World Ops principals - David Major and Oleg Kalugin

True World Ops hosts this free “Spy Cocktail Hour” at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, Washington, DC, from 4 - 5:30 pm. Former KGB Maj Gen. Oleg Kalugin and Former FBI Senior Agent David Major will be in attendance to mingle with event attendees. If you are interested in attending, RSVP to evenafro@trueworldops.com.

Wednesday, 13 January 2016, 6:30pm - Washington, DC. 100 Deadly Skills: An Evening with Navy SEAL Clint Emerson at the International Spy Museum

The world can be a very dangerous place and former Navy SEAL and JSOC Operator Clinton Emerson wants you to be prepared. He can give you the tools to thwart the people who want to exploit you-threats to your personal safety are everywhere. From acts of terror to mass shootings to the unseen (and sometimes virtual) matrix of everyday crime, danger is no longer confined to dark alleys or unstable regions.

In his new book, 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation, Emerson draws on over 20 years' experience with actual special forces operations to teach you how to protect yourself. This evening, he'll share practical hands-on advice for civilians who want to learn self-defense skills, evasion tactics immobilizing maneuvers, and get started on the path to surviving any dangerous situation.

Tickets: $10. Visit www.spymuseum.org

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(c) 2000, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. Please note AFIO's new address: AFIO, 7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 470 East, Falls Church, VA 22043-2004. Voice: (703) 790-0320; Fax: (703) 991-1278; Email: afio@afio.com

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