Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

NSA21 - National Security Agency plans major reorganization. The NSA, the largest electronic spy agency in the world, is undertaking a major reorganization, merging its offensive and defensive organizations in the hope of making them more adept at facing the digital threats of the 21st century, according to current and former officials.

In place of the Signals Intelligence and Information Assurance directorates, the organizations that historically have spied on foreign targets and defended classified networks against spying, the NSA is creating a Directorate of Operations that combines the operational elements of each.

“This traditional approach we have where we created these two cylinders of excellence and then built walls of granite between them really is not the way for us to do business,” said agency Director Michael S. Rogers, hinting at the reorganization — dubbed NSA21 — that is expected to be publicly rolled out this week. “We’ve gotta be flat,” he told an audience at the Atlantic Council last month. “We’ve gotta be agile.”

Some lawmakers who have been briefed on the broad parameters consider restructuring a smart thing to do because an increasing amount of intelligence and threat activity is coursing through global computer networks. “When it comes to cyber in particular, the line between collection capabilities and our own vulnerabilities — between the acquisition of signals intelligence and the assurance of our own information — is virtually nonexistent,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. “What is a vulnerability to be patched at home is often a potential collection opportunity abroad and vice versa.” But there have been rumblings of discontent within the NSA, which is based at Fort Meade, Md., as some fear a loss of influence or stature. [Read more: Nakashima/WashPost/2Feb2016]

US Dept. of Homeland Security Loses 1,300 Badges and Credentials in 31 Months.  According to a spreadsheet of lost, damaged and destroyed items, various agencies inside the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported over 1,300 badges and credentials lost or stolen, and no fewer than 165 firearms lost or stolen over the course of 31 months.

Officials with DHS responded to an email seeking comment, but the response did not provide meaningful answers to questions about the losses, or the potential for security problems as a result. Additionally, DHS did not provide any numbers that would have put such losses into context, such as the number of badges and guns issued across each agency.

Complete Colorado exclusively obtained the inventory under the Freedom of Information Act, and shared the document with Fox News.

Almost 900 of the 1,300 lost or stolen badges or credentials were from the sub-agency Customs and Border Protection (CBP); about 300 were under the responsibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and approximately 200 were responsible to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). [Read more: Shepherd/CompleteColorado/27January2016]

Canada Spy Agency Stops Sharing Intelligence With International Partners. Canada's ultra-secret eavesdropping agency has stopped sharing intelligence with international partners after revealing it had illegally collected Canadians' metadata in sweeps of foreign communications.

In a report to parliament, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said on Thursday the breach was unintentional and had been discovered internally in 2013.

A CSE official blamed a software flaw that resulted in sharing of metadata, used to identify, manage or route communications over networks that could identify Canadians.

The agency said the likelihood of this leading to any abuses was "low". [Read more: AFP/28January2016]

Turkey Increases Funding for Intelligence Service. The budget of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) of Turkey for 2016 has been increased by 47 percent, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Lutfi Elvan said, the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported Jan. 27.

The deputy prime minister said that the budget of the MIT in 2016 will make 1.6 billion Turkish liras (TRY).

The official rate of the Central Bank of Turkey as of Jan. 27 is 3.2738 TRY/USD.

Elvan also said that currently, a new building is being built for the MIT. [Read more: Guluzade/Trend/27January2016]

German Intelligence Agencies Using Asylum-Seekers as Informers. Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies have both recruited refugees as informers on security issues, a news report says. The practice is a controversial one. 

Between 2000 and 2013, 850 asylum-seekers were asked by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to provide security-related information, according to the report from German newsmagazine "Spiegel."

Staff from a subsidiary of the BND that was specifically in charge of "foreigners' affairs" in Germany - the HBW - were among those to interrogate asylum-seekers, Spiegel said.

Although the HBW was closed in June 2014, security sources say people seeking refuge in Germany are still being pushed to provide information on a "voluntary" basis, security insiders have told German media. [Read more: Jones/DeuscheWelle/30January2016]

George H.W. Bush Pays a Call on the CIA. The CIA had a noteworthy and celebrated visitor on Friday. Former President George H.W. Bush returned to the agency's headquarters just outside the nation's capital to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his swearing-in as Director of Central Intelligence, and almost to the day. Mr. Bush became "DCI" on January 30, 1976 - marking the end of several uneasy years for the agency which included leadership turnover and some serious challenges from the press.

"He is credited with restoring focus and boosting morale in the institution, and he remains one of the most beloved Directors in the agency's history," the CIA stated in a historic overview. "Although Bush's tenure was short, it was a meaningful and helpful 'calm between the storms' for the Agency in the 1970s. He saw the integrity of a badly-bruised CIA when many in the public and even the government could not."

Mr. Bush arrived at the CIA back in the day with an impressive resume. He had previously served as a Texas congressman, Republican National Committee chairman, Ambassador to the UN, and Special Envoy to China. He already had some empathy, however, for the CIA.

"One of my continuing concerns has been that with the prevailing sensationalism in stories about the Central Intelligence Agency, much of the essential work of that agency - work that is vital to our national defense and or national interests - has been largely ignored," Mr. Bush once said in a 1977 speech. [Read more: Harper/WashingtonTimes/29January2016]

House Panel Pressured on Closed-Door Intelligence Hearing. The House Judiciary Committee is coming under pressure to open up a closed-door hearing looking into the law that authorizes controversial intelligence programs.

The panel next week is scheduled to meet in a classified session to examine the 2008 update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is at the core of many programs that critics say violate Americans' civil liberties. 

On Wednesday, a group of 25 civil liberties organizations - including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch and the Center for Democracy and Technology - asked the committee's leaders to change course.

Keeping the hearing closed "continues the excessive secrecy that has contributed to the surveillance abuses we have seen in recent years and to their adverse effects upon both our civil liberties and economic growth," the organizations wrote. [Read more: Hattem/TheHill/27January2016]

National Intelligence Advisor Enters Race for 5th House of Representative Seat. Another hat is expected to land in the 5th House of Representatives District campaign ring Tuesday.

Joseph Whited, a national intelligence advisor, plans to officially announce his campaign Tuesday, adding his name to an increasingly crowded field of Republicans looking to replace Rep. Robert Hurt who announced suddenly in December he would step down at the end of this term.

Whited is a staffer for the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services and splits his time between work in Washington, DC and his Rappahannock County home in Washington, Virginia. He served in the US Navy for 10 years before joining the Defense Intelligence Agency.

"I really honestly believe this president's failed foreign policy is making America less safe," Whited said Monday, when asked why he was running. "Given my background and that sort of thing, I just couldn't stand idly by anymore and watch what was going on." [Read more: Rohr/News&Advance/25January2016]

ODNI Names Cyber Threat Intel Center Leadership Team Members; James Clapper Comments. Tonya Ugoretz, a senior intelligence analyst at FBI, has been named director of the cyber threat intelligence integration center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

ODNI said Jan. 7 Maurice Bland, formerly assistant deputy director for cyber at the National Security Agency, will serve as deputy director of CTIIC; and Thomas Donahue, a 25-year senior intelligence service member at CIA, will be research director.

"CTIIC will lead integrated community analysis of our cyber adversaries and support interagency efforts to develop whole-of-government opportunities against cyber threats," said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

"It will build understanding of cyber threats to inform government-wide decision-making." [Read more: Edwards/ExecutiveGov/1February2016]

Japan's SDF to Get High-Tech Rescue Capabilities. The government plans to develop a new geographical intelligence system based on images sent from satellites that could be used by the Self-Defense Forces to rescue Japanese nationals trapped abroad.

With its own system for gathering geospatial intelligence across the globe, the government could more quickly and easily obtain information and data about such things as zones controlled by armed groups, according to government sources.

Geospatial intelligence refers to various kinds of information obtained by analyzing visible objects from geographical perspectives. The materials used include satellite photos, aerial photos, geographical landscapes and information about the locations of airports, public offices and other important facilities. This concept is also abbreviated as GEOINT. The United States has a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under the Department of Defense.

Under the plan, the government aims to composite graphical data from satellites with data owned by the government. It aims to start operating the system in fiscal 2016. [Read more: Yomiuri/JapanNews/31January2016]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

The Admiral in Charge of Navy Intelligence Has Not Been Allowed to See Military Secrets for Years. For more than two years, the Navy's intelligence chief has been stuck with a major handicap: He's not allowed to know any secrets.

Vice Adm. Ted "Twig" Branch has been barred from reading, seeing or hearing classified information since November 2013, when the Navy learned from the Justice Department that his name had surfaced in a giant corruption investigation involving a foreign defense contractor and scores of Navy personnel.

Worried that Branch was on the verge of being indicted, Navy leaders suspended his access to classified materials. They did the same to one of his deputies, Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless, the Navy's director of intelligence operations.

More than 800 days later, neither Branch nor Loveless has been charged. But neither has been cleared, either. Their access to classified information remains blocked. [Read more: Whitlock/WashingtonPost/28January2016]

Chinese Military Revamps Cyber Warfare, Intelligence Forces. A recent Chinese military reorganization is increasing the danger posed by People's Liberation Army cyber warfare and intelligence units that recently were consolidated into a new Strategic Support Force.

The announcement of the military reorganization made on Dec. 31 by the Chinese government provided few details of what has changed for three military intelligence units formerly under the now-defunct General Staff Department.

However, US officials and China analysts say the major cyber warfare and intelligence-gathering groups were elevated into the new Strategic Support Force, a military service-level force equal in standing to China's army, navy, air force and missile services.

They include the 3rd Department, or 3PLA, that is believed to have as many as 100,000 cyber warfare hackers and signals intelligence troops under its control. The group includes highly-trained personnel who specialize in network attacks, information technology, code-breaking, and foreign languages. [Read more: Gertz/WashingtonFreeBeacon/27January2016]

Spy Agency's Puzzle Still Unsolved. A brain-teasing puzzle sent out in a Christmas card has hundreds of thousands of people stumped.

No one has been able to complete the puzzle put out as part of the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) traditional Christmas card.

GCHQ is a security and intelligence organisation tasked to protect the UK from threats and works closely with MI5 and MI6.

According to news.com.au the first stage of the challenge is a grid-shading puzzle and has been online since December. [Read more: NewZealandHerald/2February2016]

Terror Threats Thaw Budgets Across Europe. A phalanx of soldiers wearing bulletproof vests and wielding machine guns fanned out beneath the Eiffel Tower on a recent afternoon, scanning the crowd for potential terrorist threats. Across the country, nearly 10,000 more armed troops patrolled streets around landmarks, stores and government buildings.

France is spending nearly 1 million euros a day on the heightened security, part of a renewed surge in European military spending as governments declare terrorism a permanent risk.

Europe's current approach to fighting terrorism, after two deadly assaults carried out by Islamic militants in Paris last year, represents a shift from the austerity mantra that has dominated the region since the debt crisis in 2010. While countries are not abandoning their fiscal discipline, leaders are encouraging a more flexible approach, to give them financial firepower to counter the growing threat.

"We need to track the terrorists, dismantle their networks, cut off their financing and stop propaganda and radicalization," President Fran'ois Hollande said recently, after declaring France "at war" with terrorism. "The security pact takes precedence over the stability pact," he added, referring to the European Union's rules limiting member nations' deficits. [Read more: Alderman/NYTimes/31January2016]

Training Together: New FBI Academy Program Integrates Agents and Intelligence Analysts. Today's special agents and intelligence analysts graduating from the FBI Academy are beginning their first assignments fully prepared for collaborative work in the field thanks to an innovative training program launched in 2015.

Dubbed the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC), the new program offers an integrated curriculum that places new agent and intelligence analyst trainees together in a squad-like environment - the way agents and analysts work in actual FBI field offices. During the course, trainees learn skills like conducting investigations, interviewing, and providing briefings. Their academic training culminates with criminal and counterterrorism exercises modeled after real-world scenarios.

"The BFTC serves as an important element of our continued efforts to improve collaboration throughout the organization," said Mark Morgan, assistant director of the Bureau's Training Division. "From their first days in the FBI, special agents and intelligence analysts sit side-by-side, wear the same uniforms, and learn the necessity of working as a single, integrated, cohesive team. This is an exciting shift in the way we do things."

Prior to launching the BFTC, agents and intelligence analysts historically trained under separate programs. While the new program integrates trainees where appropriate, specialized courses are still provided to students based on what their roles will be in the field. For example, special agents are instructed on the fundamentals of operating firearms and tactical driving, while intelligence analysts are taught how to analyze emerging threats and provide intelligence reports. [Read more: FBI/28January2016]

Help Wanted: 1,000 Cybersecurity Jobs at OPM, Post-Hack Hiring Approved by DHS. There are one million cybersecurity job openings in 2016. Where are all of those jobs? This week we take a look at the cybersecurity job boom in the US government sector.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suffered the largest cyber attack over the past year, resulting in the theft of contact records on more than twenty million people including those who applied for government security clearances and went through background checks, and nearly two million spouses and domestic partners of those applicants. As the OPM hack news unraveled, it got worse - revealing that hackers stole the digital fingerprints of more than five million people employed by the US federal government - the same fingerprints that are sometimes used for access to so-called locked down buildings and computers.

OPM recently announced it is hiring 1,000 new cybersecurity professionals, which have been approved by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Federal News Radio recently listed the duties the new cyber hires will carry out - which includes cyber risk and strategic analysis, incident handling and malware/vulnerability analysis, program management, distributed control systems security, cyber incident response, cyber exercise facilitation and management, cyber vulnerability detection and assessment, network and systems engineering, enterprise architecture, intelligence analysis, investigation, investigative analysis and cyber-related infrastructure interdependency analysis.

For a bird's-eye view of cybersecurity jobs throughout the US federal government, you visit the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) website. [Read more: Morgan/Forbes/31January2016]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Poland Defies Putin. Vladimir Putin killed Aleksandr Litvinenko. The November 2006 assassination was no rogue hit. Putin had the motive, means, opportunity, and power to see that this human irritant received his comeuppance. I've said what everyone knows but officially hesitates to declare - until now. It took gutsy British judge Robert Owen, after a long inquiry, to say publicly that former KGB operative Litvinenko was killed with a dose of Polonium-210 as part of a KGB/FSB assassination - and, based on the rarity of the radioactive poison used to kill him, "probably" under orders from Vladimir Putin.

Litvinenko's assassination is only one of several. The earlier deaths included journalist/Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya in October 2006 and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February 2015. Both were on the wrong side of Putin, and both suffered standard KGB eliminations - apparently "random" street shootings. This was especially easy, since their deaths took place in Russia, where Putin's cronies pulled all the investigative strings to round up the usual suspects. This means these were in no way as thoroughly investigated as the Litvinenko case, which took place in London.

A Putinesque assassination on a grander scale was also examined recently by an exhaustive Polish parliamentary inquiry. It examined the orchestrated 2010 plane crash in Smolensk, Russia, which (conveniently) killed Poland's president and 96 members of the top echelon of his pro-Western government. The accident, ignored in the West as another airplane mishap, was reported later by the brave British judge as "probably" carried out under authority of Putin yet of little significance.

It was linked, by its commemorative mission, to a far worse Russian secret service murder: the WWII Katyn Forest massacre of 22,000 Polish officer prisoners and senior officials, originally blamed by Russia for 75 years on the Germans. Russia was to finally admit responsibility for the Katyn Massacre in a public ceremony in Smolensk. [Read more: Poteat/AmericanThinker/30January2016]

The Intelligence Community Must Remove Barriers to Minority Recruitment. To properly understand a wide world of actors and adversaries, the US intelligence community needs a diverse workforce. The good news is that the IC understands this; the bad news is it's still largely white and male. It's time to pay more attention to the various barriers that keep members of some key demographics from joining up.

According to the current human capital strategic plan from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the employees of the 17 agencies that make up the US intelligence community are predominantly white (76.6 percent) and male (61.6 percent). For reference, the US population is currently 65.1 percent white and 49.3 percent male. 

Most minorities are underrepresented in the intelligence workforce, if only slightly. For most demographics, the differences are under 1 percent between their share of the US population and the IC's workforce. Hispanics, however, are significantly underrepresented. In 2011, they accounted for 5.2 percent of the intelligence workforce, yet they made up 16.4 percent of the US population.

That means the IC has some catching up to do lest it fall even further behind. The Census Bureau projects that the US population will become majority-minority by 2044, with the Hispanic share expected to reach 29 percent by 2060. [Read more: VanPuyvelde&Coulthart/DefenseOne/25January2016]

Refocusing the TSA: The Transportation Security Administration Must Favor Security Over Convenience. The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator is saying and doing a lot of smart things. Among them, he stopped the practice of randomly placing unknown air travelers into abridged screening, calling it an "untenable risk." Smart. He has refocused his agency on security after years of lax management and public pressure shifted its priority to traveler convenience. He also flirts with acknowledging the clouded logic of his agency's risk-based tag line. All smart. Unfortunately, he is still doubling down on the promise and pretense of reduced screening for PreCheck passengers.

Late last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general sent undercover auditors into airports to test the ability of TSA personnel and equipment to detect prohibited security items. The auditors were not trained to evade security. While the details are classified, the inspector general characterized the TSA's performance as "disappointing and troubling." One lawmaker suggested the auditors uncovered a 75 percent failure rate. The Government Accountability Office and the DHS inspector general both concluded that TSA airport screening is flawed in practice, design, administration, and most importantly effectiveness. Alarming given the current DHS advisory bulletin noting that "we are in a new phase in the global threat environment" that warrants "increased security."

As Administrator Peter Neffenger sets out to right the ship, he will be called upon to think through the fundamental challenge inherent in his mission; how to thwart a statistically small percentage of would-be suicide terrorists without breaking the bank or the air travel industry. Over 1.7 million passengers fly every day.

So, what are his intentions? [Read more: Bossert/WashingtonTimes/31January2016]

Memo to FBI: Build It Right. When the time comes to actually design a new FBI headquarters, they'll have some good models to reference.

Now, federal building designs range from splendid to just plain awful. Sometimes the awful ones become run down, like the FBI headquarters. Sometimes old buildings become repurposed and regain some dignity. Several agencies share the former Woodward & Lothrop warehouse, a historic Washington landmark. Inside it's not so bad. It's in a bustling neighborhood with lots of amenities nearby.

Some EPA staff members will remember working in the old Southwest DC federal center before it was torn down. I visited it a couple of times. It was the type of place that would make you say, thank goodness I don't have to arrive here every day. The place was a dump, dark and dreary inside, and in need of maintenance. Plus it was in a stretch of neighborhood without much going on.

Think about the FBI's needs. Security, of course, scaled to accommodate a lot of people. A variety of internal working spaces for the range of job types housed under one roof. If he hasn't already, FBI Director Jim Comey should drive out to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency campus on the outskirts of Fort Belvoir. Producer Lauren Larson and I went out there for interviews. The building floored me, no pun intended. [Read more: Temin/FederalNewsRadio/1February2016]

Weak Intelligence Capabilities Hinder Afghan Mission. At the height of combat missions in Afghanistan, the US military occupied nearly 825 military outposts throughout the war-ravaged region. That number now stands at roughly 20. The outposts served an extensive intelligence-gathering network, using surveillance balloons and wide-range signals intelligence collection operations. The rapid drawdown of these facilities following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from the region created a black hole of information, with Afghan forces struggling to fill the gap. 

Afghan forces require a robust intelligence collection and targeting capability if they want to turn back the tide of a reinvigorated Taliban insurgency, which has occupied more territory since its collapse following the US-led invasion in 2001. Currently, Afghanistan relies on a fledgling air force struggling to keep aircraft in the skies and lacking any precision strike capability to target Taliban and ISIS commanders. 

Aging Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, provided by Russia and India, and the MD-530, a two-man light attack helicopter similar to the US Kiowa Warrior, comprise Afghanistan's air force. The nation lacks a dedicated fixed-wing, light attack aircraft capable of providing close air support to ground forces and delivering precision strike GPS-guided munitions - until the recent delivery of the A-29 Super Tucano. 

Resolute Support Mission commander Gen. John F. Campbell, USA, described the A-29 as a potential "game changer" for Afghan forces. It is slated to serve as a dedicated close air support platform for the Afghan forces struggling to hold back the Taliban. [Read more: Snow/AFCEA/28January2016]

Section IV - ADMIN:  Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

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, US 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, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. - 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 starting at 11:30; opening ceremonies, lunch and business meeting at noon, 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.

Meeting will include special joint discussion on "Conflicts and Commitments - a Coalition perspective of the War on Terror" when Col. Keddy is joined by Col. Derek Harvey, co-Director of the Global Initiative at the University of South Florida, to co-host the post-presentation discussion. Col. Harvey served in military intelligence, as a Middle East/North Africa Foreign Area Officer and as a DIA Senior Leader, working for the CENTCOM Commander in 2009. Email by Tuesday, February 2, to sectysuncoastafio@att.net your questions and any topics you'd like included in the discussion. Open Q&A at event will be limited.
Please note that this meeting will run a little longer -- ending at 2 p.m. -- to accomodate this discussion.

Wednesday, 10 February 2016, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Albuquerque, NM - AFIO New Mexico Chapter hosts special election meeting.

The AFIO NM Chapter is holding the important Election Meeting to nominate and election new officers. It is imperative that all members attend to help shape and direct the chapter for the coming years.
Location: 'The Egg & I' Restaurant, 6909 Menaul Blvd (East of Louisiana), Albuquerque, NM. Questions or to explore accepting an elected position in the chapter, contact Pete Bostwick (505) 898-2649 foreigndevil@yahoo.com or Mike Ford (505) 294-6133 Secpro39@yahoo.com

Saturday, 13 February 2016, 11:30am - 2:30pm - Melbourne, FL - AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter Luncheon features Gene Poteat, discussing 'Women in Espionage"

The Florida Satellite Chapter is pleased again to welcome former CIA official, AFIO President-emeritus and our good friend, Gene Poteat. Gene's topic for the occasion, 'Women in Espionage' will examine the roles women have played in the second oldest profession from Joshua's Rahab of Jericho, to Putin's Anna Chapman of New York and Moscow, and a great many in between. Meeting will be at the At Ease Club of the Indian River Colony Club, 1936 Freedom Drive, Melbourne, FL 32940.
For information and reservations, please contact FSC Chapter President at afiofsc@afio.com no later than 9 Feb.

Saturday, 13 February 2016, 11 am to 3 pm - Orange Park, FL - AFIO North Florida Chapter hosts Arden Brey, a Navy Photoanalyst

The guest speaker is tentatively Mr. Arden Brey, a former Navy photoanalyst, who had experience during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and further adventures after that. A current bio of Brey was supplied to all member today.
Location: Country Club of Orange Park. Questions and reservations: Quiel Begonia at qbegonia@comcast.net call (904) 545-9549. Cost will be $24 each, pay the Country Club at the luncheon. Remember that family and guests and potential members are cordially invited.

Thursday, 25 February 2016, 5:30 PM - Atlanta, GA - AFIO Atlanta Chapter event features Mark Riebling on Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler.

The AFIO Atlanta Chapter, the Harvard Club of Georgia, the UC Berkeley Alumni Club of Georgia, and the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Atlanta invite you and a guest to an evening with AFIO member Mark Riebling. Mr. Riebling is a path-breaking writer on secret intelligence. His 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.” Mr. Riebling will discuss his recent bestseller Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler. The event will be moderated by Prof. Nathan A. Sales, a leading light among legal scholars focused on emerging national security issues. He teaches at Syracuse University College of Law.

Please see event details below, and use link to register. AFIO members and guests pay no fee to attend this special event. Questions? Contact Brian J. Hooper, President, AFIO Atlanta Chapter at brian@afioatlanta.com or call him at 404.879.2440

5:30 - 6:30 pm:  Cocktail Reception; 6:30 - 7:30 pm:  Presentation by Mark Riebling, followed by Q&A; 7:30 - 8:30 pm: Cocktail Reception.

WHERE: Womble Carlyle; Skyline Room (25th Floor); Atlantic Station, BB&T Building; 271 17th Street, NW, Suite 2500; Atlanta, GA 30363-1017.

RSVP by Feb. 18 by clicking on the registration button above.
*Event is limited to first 100 registrants. NOTE:  Attendees receive two (2) hours complimentary parking in the Atlantic Station parking deck. Nominal cost for additional hours. For updated information visit the chapter website.

25 February 2016, 12:30-2 PM - Los Angeles, CA - The Los Angeles AFIO Chapter holds special election meeting.

The Los Angeles AFIO Chapter will hold a special meeting on February 25, 2016 for the election of chapter officers.
Location: L.A.P.D.-ARTC, 5651 W Manchester Ave RM.1F, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
RSVP: afio_la@yahoo.com

Monday, 29 February 2016 - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO San Francisco Andre LeGallo Chapter hosts Barry Eisler, a former CIA DO Case Officer, and Gen. Michael Hayden, former Director of NSA and CIA, and PDDNI.

Barry Eisler, attorney, former CIA Case Officer in the Directorate of Operations and author and Gen. Michael Hayden, Former Director of NSA/CIA and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. Mr. Eisler will discuss his novel, The God's Eye View and privacy and surveillance in the 21st century. Gen. Michael Hayden will discuss "American Intelligence in the Age of Terror."

Join us for this unique behind-the-scenes look at America's anti-terror efforts. Venue: Peninsula location - address will be sent to registrants in two weeks: 11:30am buffet lunch; meeting at noon.

Member Registration until 2/1/16: open registration starting 2/1/16: Register here. Questions?: contact Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary at afiosf@aol.com or Mariko Kawaguchi, c/o AFIO, PO Box 117578, Burlingame, CA 94011.

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" and David Priess, author and former CIA analyst and briefer, on The President's Book of Secrets

Michael Hayden at this luncheon will provide a high-level master narrative of America's intelligence wars. He is the only person to helm both CIA and NSA, at a time of heinous new threats and major 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.

David Priess, author and former CIA analyst, manager, and intelligence briefer, is the author of The President's Book of Secrets which will be released at this event.
Every day, the President receives a report revealing the most sensitive intelligence reporting and analysis of world events: the President's Daily Brief, or PDB. CIA spies, the NSA's listening posts, and the nation's reconnaissance satellites steal secrets for it, while America's enemies send undercover agents to try to unearth its classified content. No major foreign policy decisions are made without it. Yet the PDB's stories have gone untold―until now. The Priess book contains original input from more than 100 interviews with former intelligence leaders and policymakers--including all of the living former Presidents and Vice Presidents ​and the vast majority of living former CIA Directors, DDIs, National Security Advisors, and Secretaries of State and Defense. This new work also incorporates previously unpublished material from various Presidential libraries.

Register here while space remains.

Sheraton Tysons Hotel, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Tysons, VA 22182. Phone: (703) 448-1234. Driving directions at this link.

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

Irish Author Paddy Hayes discusses Queen of Spies, his new book about Daphne Park (1921 - 2010) top British spy during the Cold War. Baroness Park of Monmouth (OBE) (CMG) spent her youth on the African plains and eventually became Chief of Western Hemisphere operations for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). A fascinating successful career and book, very well reviewed!
LOCATION: Society of Illustrators building 128 East 63rd Street Between Park and Lexington Avenues in Manhattan
TIME: Registration Starts 5:30 PM. Meeting Starts 6 PM.
COST: $50/person Cash or check only.
REGISTER: Strongly suggested, not required. Phone Jerry Goodwin 646-717-3776 or Email: afiometro@gmail.com.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 3 February 2016, 11:30 am - Washington, DC - Dr. Tawfik Hamid on "Inside Jihad: How Radical Islam Works" - speaking at the Daniel Morgan Academy

Inside Jihad: How Radical Islam Works, Why It Should Terrify Us, How To Defeat It is the presentation by Dr. Tawfik Hamid, an Islamic Reformer.
Why has radical Islam become such a deadly threat, and why does it dominate the Muslim world? Dr. Tawfik Hamid will answer these questions and provide deep insights about, and opposition to, the Islamic terror movement drawn from his direct personal experiences. As a medical doctor and an expert on the psychology of the jihadist mindset, he will explain the roles that sex, fear, petrodollars and the hijab for women have played in its proliferation. He will detail his bold plan for Islamic reformation that could eventually change the jihadists' minds and end their reign of terror.

AFIO Members and their guests are invited to attend. RSVP here to register or call Frank Fletcher at 202.759.4988. For more info, email them at info@DanielMorgan.academy
Event location: Daniel Morgan Academy, 1620 L St NW, 7th Flr, Washington, DC 20036 - Near Farragut North and West Metro Stations

Wednesdays, 3 February -24 February 2016, 10:15am - Washington, DC - Spy Seminar Series: Deep Cover Spies: The Dangers of a Double Life at the International Spy Museum

What's it like to be the man on the inside? The trusted colleague who is actually working against his comrades?  Spy novels and films often hinge on the information supplied by mysterious agents who risk their lives to spy from within, but does this really happen?  What does it take to live a double life?  In this series, former undercover agents and an intelligence expert will reveal the danger, complexity, and hardship of living a life that's not really yours.  They'll share how courage and conviction can enable ordinary people to hide their true thoughts and feelings in pursuit of a greater good.
Tickets: $125  www.SmithsonianAssociates.org. Internet Quick Tix code for the program: 1M2-830.

Wednesday, 3 February 3 2016, 7-8:15 pm - McLean, VA - Dr John Poindexter discusses 'National Security and the Islamic State: Foreign and Domestic'

Dr. John M. Poindexter discusses "National Security and the Islamic State: Foreign and Domestic." Dr. Poindexter recently served as Director of the Information Awareness Office (IAO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). From 1983-86 he was National Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor for President Ronald Reagan, and Military Assistant in the White House prior to that. Poindexter served 29 years in the US Navy, rising to the rank of Vice Admiral. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy.
PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY START TIME.
Where: Westminster Institute, 6729 Curran St. McLean, VA
The event is free but requires registration by February 2, 2016.
TO REGISTER: click here. Or contact them at The Westminster Institute, br@westminster-institute.org 703-288-2885

Wednesday, 3 February 2016, 5:30 p.m.- South Royalton, VT - Author and skeptical intelligence expert Thomas Powers presents “American Secret Intelligence—Do We Know What We’re Doing?”at Vermont Law School.

Thomas Powers has written about secret intelligence for nearly 40 years. At VLS he plans to talk about what has -- and hasn’t -- changed since he first interviewed “old hands in the intelligence business” for a Rolling Stone article, “The Rise and Fall of Richard Helms,” and subsequent book, The Man Who Kept the Secrets (Knopf, 1979).
Powers will cover American secret intelligence from the height of the Cold War to present day, including how intelligence gathering has evolved with the advent of computers and other technology.
“The CIA, like other intelligence services, is very good at keeping secrets, but a writer willing to do the homework can still get a firm sense of what they are like—what they do well, what they consistently get wrong, their operational style, the way they deal with each other and the world,” Powers said.
Further, Powers will explore what he calls “the most important” of intelligence issues, that which emerged when Edward Snowden revealed thousands of secret documents from the National Security Agency: the collection of communications intelligence on a vast scale—“virtually everything people write or say to each other”—and the function of oversight.
Powers has also published three other books on intelligence subjects: Heisenberg’s War: The Secret History of the German Bomb (Knopf, 1993); Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to Al Qaeda (New York Review Books, 2002); and The Military Error (New York Review Books, 2008). He has written numerous articles on intelligence and other national security subjects.

Location: Chase Community Center at Vermont Law Sschool. The lecture is free and open to the public and press.
Questions? Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law School, office: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, mapelquist@vermontlaw.edu

Friday, 5 February 2016, 5:30 pm - Washington, DC - Amb. R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence, discusses Energy Security in the 21st Century

Event is by Invitation Only. This is the Institute of World Politics' Third Annual Brian Kelley Memorial Lecture. The topic this year is on "Energy Security in the 21st Century" with the keynote address by IWP's Chancellor, Amb. R. James Woolsey, Former Director of Central Intelligence
The Institute of World Politics 1521 16th Street NW Washington, DC. If you are not IWP Alumni, and wish to attend, contact info@iwp.edu

Saturday, 6 February 2016, 2-3pm - Washington, DC - The Magic of Spying: Tradecraft Trickery at the International Spy Museum

In the real-life world of espionage, spies often call upon the art of magic and illusion to distract the enemy, make evidence disappear, and escape unnoticed.  Join professional magician, Peter Wood, as he demonstrates the art of misdirection, sleight of hand, and other illusions used by skilled spies. This one of a kind performance, custom-designed for the Spy Museum, is guaranteed to fascinate children and adults alike.
Tickets: $10. Ages 5+ visit www.spymuseum.org

Wednesday, 10 February 2016, 6:30pm - Washington, DC - Anonymous Heroes: African American Spies of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War at the International Spy Museum

As historians look more closely at espionage history, the significance of African American intelligence contributions to the American cause in the Revolution and the Union victory in the Civil War is finally coming into focus.

Retired CIA Intelligence Officer Ken Daigler, author of Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: America in the Revolutionary War, numerous articles on Civil War espionage, and the CIA publication on African American spying for the Union "Black Dispatches," will discuss the intelligence roles played by African Americans in both conflicts. He will identify the individuals involved in various intelligence operations, describe how they operated, explain what they accomplished, and place their brave efforts within the larger context of significant victories for the American patriots and the Union Army.

Tickets: $12. Visit www.spymuseum.org

Thursday, 25 February 2016, 6:30pm - Washington, DC - "United States of Jihad" with Peter Bergen at the International Spy Museum

The tragic, ISIS-inspired attack in San Bernardino was a harsh reminder that 'homegrown' terrorism is a real and present danger. CNN national security analyst and New York Times bestselling author Peter Bergen has been chronicling Islamist terrorism through groundbreaking reporting on the Middle East, al-Qaeda, and homeland security for more than twenty years. His new book United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists, gives an unprecedented look at the factors that lead to the radicalization of American citizens and offers expert insights into the shape of the threat confronting us. Join Bergen as he shares the forces that have led Americans like Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Kahn, the Tsarnaev brothers, and so many others down the path to terrorism and investigates the effectiveness of counterterrorism strategies from the FBI's efforts to those of Imam Magid, who is spearheading an effort to reach fundamentalist youths before it is too late.
United States of Jihad will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Tickets: $10. Visit www.spymuseum.org Please RSVP to lzaris@spymuseum.org.

Friday, 26 February 2016, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Washington, DC - True World Ops hosts book signing with investigative reporter Bryan Denson, author of The Spy's Son.

True World Ops hosts a book-signing with journalist Bryan Denson, author of The Spy’s Son, the true story of the highest ranking CIA officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to spy for Russia.

Event location: Martin's Tavern, Washington, DC. No fee. RSVP here.

Wednesday, 11 May 2016 - Washington, DC - Night of Heroes Gala - The PenFed Foundation 2016 Gala

PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR and then Join the PenFed Foundation, our partners and friends, Wednesday, 11 May 2016, as we honor those who lead the way in supporting our military and veterans. All proceeds benefit the PenFed Foundation, helping members of the military secure the financial future they deserve.
DINNER ★ HERO AWARDS PRESENTATION ★ LIVE AUCTION
Consider having your corporation or foundation be a sponsor for this worthwhile event. SPONSORSHIP LEVELS are as follows:
$100,000 Circle of Honor; $50,000 Legendary Hero; $25,000 Distinguished Hero; $10,000 Inspirational Hero; $5,000 Patriotic Hero; $1,000 Individual Sponsor
More details coming soon. More info here.
Location: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, Washington, DC.

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