AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #11-16 dated 15 March 2016

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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Obituary

Section V - Events

Upcoming AFIO Events

Other Upcoming Events

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

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EVENTS

Registration closes tomorrow.

AFIO's March 18 Luncheon is nearly full with more than 250 attendees
A few seats remain.
Register here

Great opportunity to meet many colleagues.

Friday, 18 March 2016, 10:30 am - 2 pm

Secrets from spies, listening posts, and reconnaissance satellites.
and From the Front Lines: Protecting America when every second counts.

'...the surprise we experienced on 9/11 may be a prelude to a catastrophe of far greater dimensions.'
-- WSJ's Gabriel Schoenfeld takeaway from Gen. Michael V. Hayden's book

Sheraton Tysons Hotel, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Tysons, VA 22182. Phone: (703) 448-1234

Speakers: 1 p.m. - ​Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former Director, CIA and NSA
Discussing Playing to the Edge

A narrative of America's intelligence wars, from the only person to helm both CIA and NSA, at a time of heinous new threats and 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. A review of Playing to the Edge appeared in the Wall Street Journal at this link, in the Washington Post here, and in New York Times here..

11 a.m. - ​David Priess, author and former CIA analyst,
manager, and intelligence briefer

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.

Tysons Ballroom in the Sheraton Tysons Hotel,
8661 Leesburg Pike, Tysons, VA 22182.
Phone: (703) 448-1234

Driving directions at this link.

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Intelligence Chief: China Will Have 'Substantial Military Power' in South China Sea by 2017.  Director of National Intelligence James Clapper warned in a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) this week that he expects China to boast "substantial offensive military power" in the illegally-occupied territories of the South China Sea by the end of this year or the beginning of 2017.

The news comes as China announces a plan to soon begin offering civilian flights to Woody Island in the Spratly Island archipelago of the South China Sea, a contested territory also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam.

"Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in his letter.

Clapper's letter is a response to an inquiry on behalf of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, published this week by the US Naval Institute. "Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," he added.  [Read more:  Martel/Breitbart/11March]

Russian Spy Pleads Guilty, Walked Into FBI 'Trap'.   A Russian spy, who posed as a banker in New York City, today pleaded guilty to espionage-related charges after court documents revealed Russia's top intelligence service waltzed into an FBI "trap".

In a case that US Attorney Preet Bharara said sounds "like a plotline from a Cold War-era movie," Evgeny Buryakov was arrested last year and accused of working as a "non-official cover" officer for Russia's foreign intelligence service, known as SVR, at a Russian bank in midtown Manhattan.

 A "non-official cover" agent generally refers to an espionage agent working in a foreign nation as a private citizen - without the protection of diplomatic immunity they would enjoy if they were hiding behind another government job. As described by the Department of Justice, "SVR agents operating under such non-official cover - sometimes referred to as 'NOCs' - typically are subject to less scrutiny by the host government, and, in many cases, are never identified as intelligence agents by the host government. As a result, a NOC is an extremely valuable intelligence asset for the SVR."

The FBI was able to uncover Buryakov, along with two alleged accomplices, by employing an undercover agent of its own and allowing the Russians to "recruit" their spy, according to a release by the Department of Justice. The "dangle," as the agent is known in espionage parlance, had posed as an analyst for a "New York-based energy company."  [Read more:  Katersky,Date&Ferran/ABC/11March2016]

US Spy Chief Arrives for Talks in New Zealand.  The United States director of national intelligence has arrived in New Zealand for talks with Prime Minister John Key on Monday.

James Clapper was passing through the country ahead of a meeting in Australia of the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing network involving the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Key said in a broadcast press conference.

The visit follows the release last week of a government-commissioned report that proposed extending the ability of New Zealand's security agencies to spy on New Zealanders.

Key said he expected the report covering the New Zealand's Government Communications and Security Bureau external spy agency and the Security Intelligence Service would be discussed with Clapper.  [Read more:  Xinhua/14March2016]

Canada to Boost its Advise-and-Train Mission, Intelligence Capabilities in Iraq.   Despite withdrawing its strike aircraft from participation in the anti-Islamic State coalition in Iraq and Syria, Canada's new government has moved to reassure the United States that it will boost its overall contribution to the US-led campaign.

"We're going to be responsible partners, and we're going to make a meaningful contribution," Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said. After conducting an internal review and consulting with allies and ground commanders, he said, Canada has decided to significantly increase its advise-and-train mission to Kurdish military forces in northern Iraq and to boost its intelligence assets there.

Sajjan and Foreign Minister St'phane Dion were part of a large cabinet delegation that this week accompanied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his first formal visit to Washington.

Both made clear that Trudeau intends to reverse what was widely seen as Canada's withdrawal from international affairs - apart from military deployments - under the previous Conservative government. "We think we need to engage more," said Dion, a former leader of Trudeau's Liberal Party.  [Read more: DeYoung/WashingtonPost/11March2016]

Somali Intelligence Co-Operated With US for al-Shabab Airstrikes.  Somalia's intelligence service co-operated with the US in airstrikes that killed more than 150 al-Shabab members on Saturday, an intelligence official said Tuesday.

The airstrikes targeted a forested military training camp run by the Islamic extremists 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, the official said, adding that the camp was al-Shabab's main planning base. He said Somali officials helped the US to pinpoint the location of the militants' training base but did not give details.

Another intelligence official said al-Shabab members training there were planning to attack a drone base in the region.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press on this matter.  [Read more:  Guled/AP/8March2016]

Spotlight Shines on Army Intel Community, I Corps at the Helm.  In what was described as a total force effort, the I Corps intelligence staff, or G2, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord developed a brigade intelligence officer course for the Army that is designed to prepare officers for the rigors associated with managing an intelligence program for a brigade combat team.

The course is a one-week, 40-hour block of instruction that was developed in partnership with Army Forces Command G2, The Intelligence Center of Excellence and the Army Intelligence and Security Command.

"This is not a theoretical course; this is how to get the job done," said Col. Timothy Parker, I Corps intelligence officer.

The pilot course was held Feb. 29 - March. 4, with a follow-on class being held just one week later, March 7 - March 11.  [Read more:  Dominique/DVIDS/8March2016]

Former Cyber Czar Says NSA Could Crack the San Bernadino Shooter's Phone.  Another former national security official has spoken out forcefully against the FBI's quest to get Apple to write code to unlock the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Farook. Richard Clarke served as the National Security Council's chief counter-terrorism advisor to three presidents (George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush) before becoming George W. Bush's special advisor on cybersecurity. He told National Public Radio's David Greene today that "encryption and privacy are larger issues than fighting terrorism," taking issue with the FBI's attempts to compel Apple's assistance.

Clarke added that if he was still at the White House, he would have told FBI Director James Comey to "call Ft. Meade, and the NSA would have solved this problem...Every expert I know believes that NSA can crack this phone." But the FBI wasn't seeking that help, he said, because "they just want the precedent."

Clarke explained that the FBI was trying to get the courts to essentially compel speech from Apple with the All Writs Act. "This is a case where the federal government using a 1789 law trying to compel speech. What the FBI is trying to do is make code-writers at Apple, to make them write code that they do not want to write that will make their systems less secure," he said. "Compelling them to write code. And the courts have ruled in the past that computer code is speech."  [Read more:  Gallagher/ARSTechnica/14March2016]

'Secret Agents of Change' Say US Intelligence Embracing LGBT Spies.  A US intelligence community that once forced out gays and lesbians for security reasons now sees inclusivity as the best way to protect the country, and seeks to recruit spies from a wider talent pool that includes the LGBT community.

At a session titled America's LGBT Spies (Secret Agents of Change) held at the South by Southwest tech summit in Austin, Texas, the panelists said for the US intelligence community - with a $60 billion-plus budget and more than 100,000 employees - to attract the best talent, it must embrace diversity.

"We are not the organization of your grandfathers. We have gone from a very dark and closed environment to a very welcoming and open environment," said Tracey Ballard, technical intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, who came out as a lesbian in 1988.

Ballard said at that time, agents risked losing their security clearances and their jobs by coming out. She was initially ostracized by the agency she has served and seen evolve over 30 years or so of service.  [Read more:  Herskovitz/Reuters/14March2016]

DNB Hires in Former Intelligence Chief.  Norway's biggest bank, DNB, has hired in the former head of the country's military intelligence unit, to help it deal with a more dangerous and risky world. Kjell Grandhagen, who retired as a three-star general at the end of last year, will serve as a consultant within risk management.

"This amounts to recognition by the management of the bank that risk management is an area in need of being strengthened," Grandhagen told newspaper Dagens N'ringsliv (DN) on Tuesday. Grandhagen, age 61, has already started working for DNB at the bank's Bj'rvika headquarters in Oslo, initially under the terms of a two-year contract.

DN reported that the bank "snapped up" Grandhagen just a month after he retired as head of the Norwegian military's intelligence agency Etterretningstjenesten, better known as E-tjenesten.  [Read more:  Berglund/NewsInEnglish/9March2016]

US Officials Unhappy With Russian Plans to Upgrade Spy Planes.  US officials want Washington to deny Russia the right to observe strategic infrastructure facilities in the US from the air.

Some Congress and Pentagon representatives have voiced concerns over Russia's plans to upgrade surveillance equipment Moscow relies on in its observation flights over the US.

"I cannot see why the United States would allow Russia to fly a surveillance plane with an advanced sensor over the United States to collect intelligence," The New York Times cited Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mac Thornberry as saying.

The US, Canada, and the majority of European and former Soviet countries, including Russia, have been conducting surveillance flights over each other's territories for years.  [Read more:  Shevchenko/RBTH/14March2016]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

The Spy Behind the Plane That Saved Britain.  In the early spring of 1936, people taking a stroll in the quiet, bucolic lanes of Hampshire, in southern England, would occasionally hear the roar of a powerful airplane overhead and - if lucky - would catch a glimpse of a startling new shape in the sky, a fighter with wings shaped like a broad and sharp knife blade.

The fighter was one of Britain's most closely guarded secrets at the time. Its role would be more consequential to the future of Britain than any war machine before it - in fact, it was to be decisive in 1940, in the Battle of Britain, a victory that not only saved the country from invasion from Nazi Germany but, in its lasting effects, kept freedom alive in western Europe.

At that time, 80 years ago this month, when the lone prototype of the fighter was making its first test flights, it had no name, just a number, K5054. But a month or so later the Air Ministry agreed to the suggestion that it should be called the Spitfire. Hearing this, the chief designer of the airplane, R. J. Mitchell, said, "It's the sort of bloody silly name they would give it."

In fact, the name became famous way beyond the machine itself. It seemed to embody a national spirit of resistance and survival, as potent as the morale-raising speeches of Winston Churchill. In this process Mitchell was also swept into the propaganda, at the center of an enduring creation myth. Indeed, there was a tragic as well as triumphant narrative to tell: little more than a year after the Spitfire's first flight Mitchell died of cancer.  [Read more:  Irving/TheDailyBeast/12March2016]

Spy Vs. Spies: Why Deciphering Putin Is so Hard for US Intelligence.  American intelligence officers are trained to tackle tough targets.

But there are tough targets, and then there's Russian President Vladimir Putin, who plays his cards so closely that it's hard for his own advisers to divine what he's thinking, says Gregory Treverton, chairman of the National Intelligence Council.

"Putin is so isolated that the chances that he might miscalculate and do something rash are top of my list for things I worry about," says Treverton. "I am fond of distinguishing between puzzles - those things that have an answer, though we may not know it - and mysteries, those things that are iffy and contingent. And so how Putin is going to behave is presumably a mystery, and probably even a mystery to Putin."

Treverton is not alone in this view.  [Read more:  Kelly/NPR/10March]

One Year Later, China Still Holding American on Spying Charges.  She had been in and out of China dozens of times over the years. She had led powerful business delegations from her hometown of Houston to Shenzhen, China's Silicon Valley. So nothing seemed out of the ordinary on March 19, 2015, when Sandy Phan-Gillis wrapped up another successful business trip to China with a large group that included Houston's mayor pro tem, Ed Gonzalez.

Over dinner that night, the 55-year-old businesswoman excused herself to meet a friend. The next day, as she stood in line with her group waiting to cross the border into Macau, they suddenly noticed she was gone. They moved on without her. Hours later, she telephoned one of them in Macau. She also called her husband, Jeff Gillis, an oil and gas services manager in Houston. She said she would be staying in China a few more days. Two more days passed before Gillis got another call from his wife. Once again, she said she would be staying in China to wrap up some business. But this time, he later told reporters, her voice sounded strained.

And then another week passed with no word. Frantic, Gillis called the US Consulate in Guangzhou and filled out a missing person's report. Twenty minutes later, an official there called back. Only then, on April 1, did Gillis learn that his wife, a naturalized American originally from Vietnam, was in the custody of Chinese state security. But another six months would pass before Beijing finally explained why: Phan-Gillis was "suspected of engaging in activities that have harmed China's national security," the Foreign Ministry announced. She was "assured of all her rights...is in a good state of health and is cooperating with the investigation," it added in a statement.

But an investigation of what? The ministry gave no further details. "They told us that she is accused of stealing state secrets," Phan-Gillis's daughter, Katherine, said after the Foreign Ministry's September 22 statement, breaking the family's six-month silence on the affair. But in the year since she was detained at the border, Chinese officials have not produced evidence of any illegal activity by her. And a year after her arrest, she remains a prisoner in the ancient city of Nanning, 365 miles west of Hong Kong, undergoing constant interrogation. There are no charges, much less a public arraignment and trial, in sight.  [Read more:  Stein/Newsweek/8March]

Intelligence: Free Range Data Reveals All.   National intelligence services (like the CIA and MI6) continue to find themselves relying more and more on civilian sources for the best data and analysis. A recent example was revealed because of all the anxiety over the huge numbers of illegal migrants trying to get into Europe and other Western countries, many of them by boat. Turns out that the best tool for reducing the use of ships for smuggling was an Israeli firm that built a business on creating a database of normal, and abnormal (and usually illegal) behavior by ships at sea for shipping and maritime insurance companies.

This data was easier to collect since the 1990s when all larger ships were required to use the AIS (Automated Identification System) which is essentially an automatic radio beacon (transponder) that, when it receives a signal from a nearby AIS equipped ship, responds with the ship's identity, course, and speed. This is meant to enable AIS ships to avoid collisions with each other. An AIS activity database makes it possible to identify patterns of normal and abnormal behavior. The abnormal behavior, like arriving outside a port and waiting for several days to enter, is what smugglers are often forced to do to avoid arrest. Same thing with travelling outside the most efficient (in terms of fuel used and weather encountered) routes. With enough of this data and a thorough analysis it is very difficult for seagoing criminals to escape detection. Now that navies and coast guards are increasing using this "maritime BI (Business Intelligence)" tool to more quickly shut down the criminal gangs making over a billion dollars a year from all this people smuggling.

AIS is also used to send ships important traffic and weather information. AIS is one of two ship tracking systems required, by law, for most ocean going ships. INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite) is a more elaborate and longer range system. It enables shipping companies to keep track of their vessels no matter where they are on the planet. INMARSAT uses a system of satellites, which transmit AIS-like signals to anywhere on the oceans. It only costs a few cents to send an INMARSAT signal to one of your ships and a few cents more to receive a reply. Shipping companies have found the INMARSAT a useful business tool as well as a safety feature.

These two systems are now required by law (international agreements) for all sea going vessels greater than 300-tons.  [Read more:  StrategyPage/10March2016]

Wilmington Police Chief Pitches High-Tech Intelligence Center.  Imagine you're a Wilmington Police Department officer riding alone in your squad car.

A 911 dispatcher on the radio tells you a man armed with a gun is nearby. You activate your lights and siren and head to the reported location.

What happens next depends on a lot of factors, but this much is clear - the officer headed to the scene typically only has second or third-hand information that may be incomplete or inaccurate.

Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous is proposing a new real-time information center to assist law enforcement, augmenting New Hanover County's 911 Center.  [Read more:  March/StarNews/14March2016]
Section III - COMMENTARY

Intelligence Advice for Next President: Rocky Road Ahead. 

To: The next president of the United States.

From: US intelligence officials.

Welcome to the White House. Now read our take on global political landscape and trends for the next five years and beyond. Bottom line: Get ready for a rocky road.  [Read more:  Riechmann/AP/13March2016]

Why This Recent Piece of ISIS Intelligence Stands Out.  Two bonanzas surfaced in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) last week, although placing them in proper perspective proved daunting. You wouldn't have gleaned any insight at Friday's Pentagon press briefing, where Baghdad-based Army Colonel Steve Warren handled multiple questions via video conference about ISIS's chemical weapons. But he didn't get a single one on the list of 22,000 ISIS members that fell into the hands of the anti-ISIS coalition led by the US.

The revelation that US commandos snared ISIS's chemical-weapons chief was important, but it pales alongside the flash drive containing a roster of ISIS agents a disgruntled militant handed over to Britain's Sky News. Other news organizations in Europe received similar data, and US officials say it's already being shared with Western intelligence agencies. Each episode, in its own way, suggests progress in the 20-month US-lead war on the the group.

The capture of Iraqi Sleiman Daoud al-Afari transformed him into the 21st century's version of "Chemical Ali." The original was a Saddam Hussein general who earned the moniker for killing thousands of Kurds with mustard gas, sarin, tabun and VX in the 1980s and 1990s (the original "Chemical Ali," Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, was hanged in 2010). Afari's seizure by US Army Delta Force commandos has led to air strikes on a pair of alleged mustard-gas stockpiles he purportedly identified near Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, and one that ISIS has held for nearly two years. Both Iraq and Syria have had mustard gas in their arsenals in the past.

US forces feared such chemical weapons during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and trained in heavy and cumbersome suits to limit their exposure. But the only US casualties resulting from Iraq's chemical weapons happened when US troops stumbled upon abandoned stockpiles. Mustard gas, while potent, killed only 5% of the troops exposed to it during World War I.  [Read more:  Thompson/Time/13March2016]

Will Dramatic Intelligence Breach Really Help the Fight Against ISIS?  Has the Islamic State intelligence network been breached? Or did the organization, also called ISIS, decide itself to make public the names of its fighters? That is the question preoccupying global intelligence services after Sky News revealed last week that a dissatisfied ISIS recruit, Abu Hamed, had given it a memory stick with lists of names of 22,000 ISIS jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

In parallel, the Syrian opposition website Zaman Alwasl published information including various identifying details of 1,700 ISIS candidates, collected from application forms the would-be volunteers were required to fill out.

Although they date back to 2013, these lists - which German intel sources believe are authentic, and whose publication is being called a coup - constitute what may be the most important intelligence discovery the West has achieved to date in this realm.

Among other things, the information includes the names of the candidates' families, the individual's home address, skills and educational background. The registration forms show that ISIS has a regulated, orderly recruitment process. The applicants have to declare whether their primary purpose in enlisting would be to fight, commit suicide or engage in religious activity. They are required to disclose their blood type, years of schooling, country of origin and assets at home, as well as to provide references.  [Read more:  Bar'el/Haaretz/14March2016]

Section IV - Obituary

Obituary

Frank Terpil, former CIA operative who went rogue to court the world’s worst dictators, and defected to Cuba, has died.

Frank Terpil, a former CIA officer who defected to Cuba in 1981 to avoid charges of criminal conspiracy, has died. He was 76. Terpil resigned from the CIA in 1970, after he was caught running a pyramid scheme in India, where he had been posted by the CIA. Soon after his forced resignation from the Agency, US federal prosecutors leveled criminal charges on Terpil and his business partner. The former officer was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, after it was found that he had helped facilitate the illegal transfer of over 20 tons of plastic explosives to the government of Libya.

Terpil managed to leave the US and reappeared in Lebanon in 1980, shortly before a court in New York sentenced him in absentia to five decades in prison for conspiring to smuggle 10,000 submachine guns to African warlords, including Uganda’s dictator Idi Amin. As agents of various countries started to zero in on Terpil’s Lebanon hideout, he disappeared again and resurfaced in 1981 in Havana, Cuba. Shortly afterwards, Cuba’s General Intelligence Directorate hired him as an operative under the operational alias CURIEL. Since that time, Terpil has been repeatedly mentioned as having played a part in Cuban intelligence operations around the world, but rarely gave interviews. He appeared again in 2014, however, in a documentary entitled “Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi”. The film was made by British company Fresh One Productions on behalf of Showtime, an American premium cable and satellite television network. In the documentary, Terpil admitted that he helped the Libyan dictator “eliminate” his opponents —most of them Libyan exiles living abroad. [Read more: the Guardian/6 March 2016]

Section V - Admin: Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Thursday, 17 March 2016, 11:30 am - Colorado Springs, CO - "I have lived within 60 miles of a dangerous, cunning terrorist for the past 25 years." - Presentation at the Rocky Mountain Chapter

Warren Gerig, the RMC Vice President, will discuss "I have lived within 60 miles of a dangerous, cunning terrorist for the past 25 years."
Mr. Gerig will discuss his dealing with a terrorist who is currently confined in the Florence SuperMax prison. This story and information at the time was not available to US Government Intelligence Services because it all happened in the confines of privately owned airlines in the Far East some 25 years ago.
Please RSVP to Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net for location details.
The cost of the meal is $15.
We will also discuss the passing of the Rocky Mountain Chapter refounder, Board Secretary Richard Durham. The Chapter Board is looking for a replacement secretary for Mr. Durham.
All presentations to the RMC, AFIO are non-attribution so the speakers can feel free to provide information with the assurance it will not be published.

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. A review of Playing to the Edge just appeared in the Wall Street Journal at this link.

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.
Do you wish to stay in hotel overnight?
A special room rate of $189 for Thursday evening, only, is available at this link.
Wake up, enjoy breakfast, and come down elevator to the meeting.

19 March 2016, 2 pm - Kennebunk, ME - The AFIO Maine Chapter hosts Dr. Andrew S. Erickson on "China's Cabbage Strategy"

Dr. Andrew S. Erickson, professor of strategy at the US Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, will be the featured speaker at the March 19 meeting of the AFIO Maine Chapter.
Dr. Erickson's talk, titled 'China's Cabbage Strategy: New-Type Great Power Relations, the South China Sea, and Irregular Forces Therein,' will include an overview of recent strategic military moves by China, and the potential impact on Japan, South Korea and US interests. Beijing has deployed the world's largest blue water coast guard and maritime militia and has been employing them in a 'cabbage,' or layered envelopment, configuration.
A world-renowned expert on Chinese military and naval affairs, Dr. Erickson is also a research associate at Harvard University's John King Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. He has lectured extensively at government, academic, and private sector institutions throughout the United States and Asia, and provided expert testimony and support to Congress and various executive branch offices.
The meeting, open to the public, begins at 2 p.m. in the Program Center of the Brick Store Museum, 4 Dane St., Kennebunk. A question period will follow the presentation.
No pre-registration is required.

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.

Tuesday, 12 April 2016, 11:30 a.m. - MacDill AFB, FL - The Florida Suncoast Chapter hosts Col Derek Harvey, USA(R) on "The Middle East, the Battle Within Islam and US Policy" - and chapter holds elections.

The Florida Suncoast Chapter's luncheon meeting features Col Derek Harvey (USA, ret), Co-Director of the Global Initiative at the University of South Florida, speaking on “The Middle East, the Battle Within Islam and US policy”.
The Chapter is also holding its elections.
Check-in starting at 1130 hours
Cash wine and soda bar open at 1130 hours for those who wish to come early to socialize
Opening ceremonies, lunch and business meeting at noon, followed by our speaker

Please RSVP to the Chapter Secretary at michaels@suncoastafio.org no later than noon on Tuesday, April 5, for yourself and any guests. You will receive a confirmation via email. If you do not get a confirmation, please contact the Chapter Secretary.
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, and fail to 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.
Anyone with special AFIO Base Access should proceed to the Bayshore Gate. If you need directions, let us know.
Location: the Surf’s Edge Club, MacDill AFB, 7315 Bayshore Boulevard, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Badge pick-up at 11:30 a.m.; program starts at noon.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 16 March 2016, 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. - McLean, VA - The Westminister Institute hears from terrorism expert/intel officer Michael Pregent on "How Iran Fuels ISIS."

The event will include a light reception with drinks and snacks. The event is being held at the Westminster Institute's headquarters at 6729 Curran St. in McLean, VA. Park on Curran St or in the parking lot behind the Westminster Institute.
Terrorism expert Michael Pregent is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer for 28 years serving in the Middle East, north Africa, and southwest Asia. With expertise in security, terrorism, counter-insurgency, and policy issues, he was an advisor on the malign influence of Iran in Iraq's Security and Intelligence apparatus, which included working with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office of the Commander-in-Chief. He also served as an embedded advisor with the Peshmerga in Mosul in 2005-06.
A dynamic and knowledgeable speaker, Mr. Pregent worked for DIA and as military advisor to USF-1 focusing on reconciliation, the insurgency, and Iranian influence in Iraq from 2007-2011. From 2011 to 2013, he was an analyst on violent extremist for CENTCOM.
Mr. Pregent has a Masters in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University and is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Defense Language Institute in Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Dialect. He is an adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute.

To register or for more information, call Robert Reilly at (703)-477-4655 or use this link.

23 - 24 March 2016 - McLean, VA - NMIA Classified Access Symposium 2016 - A Deep Look within the Intelligence Community (IC)

Send in your security clearances to NMIA (National Military Intelligence Association) so that you are ready to attend NMIA's SECRET/NOFORN Intelligence Symposium being held, as always, at the SECRET level. Event will feature senior military and defense intelligence agencies. Hear leaders discuss "A Deep Look within the Intelligence Community (IC)." Explores how these organizations plan to optimize intelligence effectiveness in one of the most challenging periods in US history. Particular emphasis on the "Big 5" and Service "2s" with focus on meeting dynamic and changing demands on intelligence in face of our country's fiscal challenges. This is an opportunity to hear more about budget, organizational changes, new programs and programs that are ending, future IC contractor workforce projections, current government workforce issues and initiatives, and anticipated improvements to acquisition activities as well as acquisition priorities.
Event location: MITRE Auditorium, 7525 Colshire Dr, McLean, Virginia. Symposium conducted at the SECRET/NOFORN security level.
Register here.

Friday, 29 April 2016 - Austin, TX - Gala Dinner Honoring Admiral Bobby R. Inman

A Gala Dinner Honoring Admiral Bobby R. Inman has been announced by University of Texas/Austin President Gregory L. Fenves to take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.
Presented by the Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, a gala dinner for Admiral Bobby R. Inman will feature former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as the keynote speaker. Mr. Red McCombs will serve as the Honorary Gala Chair. Admiral Inman is on AFIO's Honorary Board.

To attend or for more information, contact the Clements Center at 512-471-2601 or explore this link.

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.

15 - 18 May 2016 - Orlando, FL - 2016 USGIF GEOINT Symposium - "The GEOINT Revolution"

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation's (USGIF) GEOINT 2016 Symposium takes place May 15-18 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The GEOINT 2016 theme is "The GEOINT Revolution" ― in recognition of the advent and confluence of multiple technologies advancing geospatial intelligence and promoting its ubiquity.

Options include GEOINT Foreword, the pre-symposium science and technology-focused day, and some 60 hours of training and education sessions! To explore the main program and the options, visit here.

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