AFIO
Weekly Intelligence Notes #13-16 dated 29 March 2016
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CONTENTS
Section
I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Section II - CONTEXT &
PRECEDENCE
Section
III - COMMENTARY
Section IV - Deaths
Section V -
Events
Upcoming
AFIO Events
- 31 March 2016, 6:30 - 8 pm - Tempe, AZ - Arizona Chapter hears from David Kilcullen on "What the rise of ISIS tells us about the unraveling of the War on Terrorism."
- 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 the chapter also conducts elections.
- 14
May 2016 - Melbourne, FL - The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter
Hosts Dr. Joseph Finley, Jr. on Technical
Surveillance and Countermeasures.
- Thursday,
2 June 2016 - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO Andre LeGallo
Chapter hosts Dr. Matthew Brazil, Research
Fellow, Jamestown Foundation
Other
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, 30
March 2016, 9am - 4pm - Austin, TX - Conference on
"Intelligence in American Society" hosted by the Intelligence
Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin
- Friday, 8 April 2016, 11:30 am - Washington, DC - WTOP Radio's JJ Green discusses "National Security and the Media" at the Daniel Morgan Academy
- Monday, 11 April 2016, 11 - noon - Ft. Meade, MD - 75th Anniversary of the UK-US COMINT Agreement - The British Perspective by GCHQ Historian Tony Comer.
- 19 April
2016 , noon - 2 pm - McLean, VA - The Defense Intelligence
Forum hosts David Shedd on "Intelligence and
Maintaining Relevancy-Adjusting to an Ever-Changing World in
the 21st Century."
Friday,
29 April 2016 - Austin, TX - UTX Gala Dinner Honoring Admiral
Bobby R. Inman
- Wednesday,
11 May 2016 - Washington, DC - Night of Heroes Gala - The PenFed Foundation 2016 Gala
- 15 -
18 May 2016 - Orlando, FL - 2016 USGIF GEOINT Symposium - "The
GEOINT Revolution"
For Additional AFIO and other Events two+ months or more... Calendar of Events
WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE: The WIN editors
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jg, th, and fwr. They have contributed one or more stories
used in this issue.
The WIN editors attempt to include a wide
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"Intelligence in
American Society"
Wednesday, 30 March 2016,
9am - 4pm
Austin, TX
Conference hosted by the Intelligence Studies Project at the
University of Texas at Austin
The Intelligence Studies Project invites you to attend the
"Intelligence in American Society" conference. The luncheon
keynote speaker is The Honorable Lisa O. Monaco,
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism. Morning and afternoon panel and roundtable
discussions will involve other current and former officials
involved in intelligence oversight by all three branches of
government, the media, and non-governmental organizations.
Agenda: 8:30 - 9am - Arrival and Registration
(Coffee/Tea Served); 9-9:05am - Welcome Remarks by Stephen
Slick, Intelligence Studies Project Director
9:05-10:15am -Executive Branch Supervision and Oversight of US
Intelligence, Moderator: Philip Bobbitt (Professor of
Law, Columbia University), Joan Dempsey
(former Executive Director of the President's Foreign
Intelligence Advisory Board); Brett Holmgren
(National Security Council Senior Director for Intelligence
Programs); Kenneth Wainstein (former Homeland
Security Advisor and FBI General Counsel)
10:30-11:30am - Safeguarding Civil Liberties and Countering
Terrorism; Moderator: Kenneth Wainstein; David
Medine (Chairman, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight
Board); Rachel Brand (Member, Privacy and Civil
Liberties Oversight Board); Elisebeth Collins (Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board)
Salon C, AT&T Conference Center
12-1:15pm - Luncheon Remarks by the Honorable Lisa Monaco,
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism and Deputy National Security Advisor; Classroom
203, AT&T Conference Center
1:30-2:30pm - The Role of Congress in Overseeing National Security
Institutions; Moderator: Admiral Bobby Inman (former
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence); Honorable Michael
Conaway (Member, House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence);
2:45 - 3pm Report on Policy Research Project for the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence; LBJ School of Public Affairs
Students
3-4pm - The Media's Responsibilities in National Security
Reporting; Moderator: Suzanne Kelly (Publisher and CEO of
The Cipher Brief); William Harlow (former
Director of Public Affairs at CIA); Eric
Schmitt (Senior Writer, Terrorism and National Security, The New
York Times); John Walcott (Professor,
Georgetown University)
4pm - Conference Adjourns
Location: AT&T Executive Education and
Conference Center Classroom 203
This event is co-sponsored by the Robert S. Strauss Center for
International Security and Law, the Clements Center for National
Security, UT Student Veterans Association, and the LBJ School of
Public Affairs. Please contact us at intelligencestudies@austin.utexas.edu for more information on the Intelligence Studies Project and its
public programs.
Registrations for the Conference and Keynote Lunch are now open here.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016, noon to 1:15 p.m.
at the International Spy Museum
Join the CI Centre for their
April Global Terrorism, Espionage, and Cyber Security
FREE monthly update!
Up to 5 guests per person (All must RSVP) * New updated material every month! * Can't make it? No problem, sign onto SPYPEDIA.net to get the full, downloadable PowerPoint of the presentation.
Location: The International Spy Museum, 800 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004
RSVP: Meaghan.Smith@CICentre.com
Cybersecurity, Privacy & National Security
Hear the Most Current Legal Thinking
Recent Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcasts from
Steptoe and Johnson
The views expressed in these podcasts are those of the speakers and do not reflect the opinions of the firm. Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Interview with Nuala O’Connor - President/CEO - Ctr for Democracy & Technology March 29, 2016 - Stewart Baker, Michael Vatis, and Meredith Rathbone are joined by Nuala O’Connor to discuss: EU ministers actions on intelligence in the wake of the Brussels bombings; US to place trade restrictions on ZTE; US indicts seven Iranians in cyberattacks on banks and a dam; French CNIL says Google must censor US internet to meet right to be forgotten; lawmakers say NSA data sharing plan is unconstitutional; and FTC's Ohlhausen blasts FCC's restrictive privacy plans.
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Interview with Adam Segal - Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations March 22, 2016 - Stewart Baker, Alan Cohn, and Maury Shenk discuss: Spain sends Google right to forgotten requests to US; Apple fight continues: Obama weighs in and Apple’s latest filing includes a very lawyerly set of statements about other countries from Federighi; WhatsApp and Microsoft struggle with Apple fallout; Home Depot settles with consumers in data breach class action; and $3.9M HIPAA deal for lost laptop. In our second half we have an interview with Adam Segal, author of numerous books including The Hacked World Order.
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Interview with Phil Reitinger - former DHS Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity March 17, 2016
- Stewart Baker and Alan Cohn interview Phil Reitinger, Sony Corporation CISO and current Director of the new Global Cyber Alliance. They discuss the impact on DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate from President Obama’s recent creation of a Federal Chief Information Security Officer in the Executive Office of the President and the launch of the Global Cyber Alliance.
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Interview with Robin Weisman and Peter Van Valkenburgh March 16, 2016 - Stewart Baker, Michael Vatis, Jason Weinstein, Alan Cohn, and Maury Shenk discuss: the recently released details of the new US-EU Privacy Shield; FTC developments: the Commissioner weighs in on encryption regulation; the FTC discredits its own “common sense” security requirements are discredited; CFPB issues its first data security enforcement order; FCC proposes privacy rules for Internet providers; Apple vs. FBI: Amicus briefs; US government’s brief; Hearing set for March 22; China looms; and Facebook and Germany: Facebook ruling cuts power of Hamburg data regulators; Facebook “like” button may require consent. In our second half we have an interview with Robin Weisman and Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center.
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Interview with Jim Lewis March 7, 2016 - Stewart Baker and Alan Cohn are joined by Jim Lewis, senior fellow and director of the Strategic Technologies Program for CSIS, at 25th annual RSA Conference. They discuss: Apple’s legal arguments for not providing assistance to the FBI; the bidding on encryption on Capitol Hill; China’s backdoors into the iPhone; Baidu’s role in compromising users; Privacy Shield; Brazil’s jailing of a senior Facebook executive; and North Korea’s hacking team has been pantsed in a recent Novetta report.
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast – Hostfull II March 1, 2016 - Stewart Baker, Michael Vatis, and Jason Weinstein discuss: Apple’s brief against providing additional assistance to the FBI in its investigation of the San Bernardino killings; California AG’s breach report; and DHS guidelines for information sharing.
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Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Former President
George H. W. Bush Awarded Honorary Degree. On March 8, the
National Intelligence University presented the Honorable George H.W. Bush
with an honorary Doctor of Strategic Intelligence degree, recognizing the
41st President of the United States as "an exemplar of the highest ideals of
service to the security and well-being of the nation." The honorary degree
was presented by NIU President Dr. David Ellison during a small ceremony at
President Bush's Houston office. Also in attendance were former First Lady
Barbara Bush and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Dean of The George Bush School of
Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University.
President Bush has a long record of distinguished service to his country. As
the 41st President of the United States, he was the ultimate consumer of
US intelligence. Prior to his service as the Commander in Chief, he was a
naval aviator in World War II, Congressman from Texas, Ambassador to the
United Nations, Chief of the US Liaison Office in Beijing, Director of
Central Intelligence at the CIA, and Vice President of the United States
under President Ronald Reagan. Throughout this distinguished career,
President Bush was the consummate intelligence consumer and practitioner,
balancing the needs of national security and the values of democracy.
Throughout his presidency, he used intelligence as an instrument of national
power and in support of foreign policy to our collective best advantage and
to great result. [Read more: NIU/22March2016]
Former CIA,
NSA Chief Hayden Blasts Euro Intelligence Failures Tracking Terrorist
Links. A former top US intelligence official and retired air
force general is taking European governments to task for intelligence
failures that help explain why terrorists could get away with this week's
suicide blasts that killed more than 30 people in Brussels on top of the
bombings in Paris last November in which 130 died.
Michael V. Hayden, who's served as director of the two top US
intelligence-gathering organizations, the National Security Agency and the
Central Intelligence Agency, criticizes European governments for two
distinct reasons. First, they don't get along with each other and, second,
they're hung up on issues of privacy that keep them from going after
suspects.
Rather than talk as might be expected within the EU and NATO, Hayden, at a
forum that I attended at the University of Maryland, said European
governments are far more likely to count on US intelligence-gathering
operations than to exchange information with one another.
"We are the glue for European intelligence-sharing," said Hayden, who also
served as principal deputy director of national intelligence. "Europeans
much more readily share with us than they do with one another" though they
should be "a community" sharing with one another. [Read more:
Kirk/Forbes/25March2016]
Credit
Suisse, CIA-Funded Palantir to Target Rogue Bankers. Credit
Suisse Group AG founded a venture with Silicon Valley's Palantir
Technologies Inc. that aims to catch rogue employees before they can harm
the bank, employing the expertise of a firm seed-funded by the US Central
Intelligence Agency that's better known for identifying terrorists.
The 50-50 joint venture, called Signac, was signed in recent weeks and will
initially focus on detecting unauthorized trading, Credit Suisse said in a
presentation seen by Bloomberg News. The Zurich-based lender plans to expand
Signac to monitor all employee behavior, catch breaches of conduct rules,
and eventually offer the service to other banks.
Lara Warner, Credit Suisse's head of compliance, said in an interview Monday
that the bank began working with Palantir after its biggest Swiss rival, UBS
Group AG, lost $2.3 billion on unauthorized trading by Kweku Adoboli in
2011.
"We study external and internal events to try and learn from them," said
Warner, a former operating and finance chief at Credit Suisse's investment
bank. "There is a toxic combination of facts that present itself in any
unauthorized trading event. We focus on individual behavior which might be
indicative of the risk, instead of focusing on the symptoms." [Read
more: Voegeli/Bloomberg/22March2016]
Georgia to Have
Own Intelligence Center to Enhance State Security. Two days
after deadly terrorists attacks in Brussels, Georgia created a centralized
intelligence center.
Thursday's vote to pass Senate Bill 416 by Senate Majority Leader Bill
Cowsert, R-Athens, set in motion the administration's plan to enhance state
security. The new "fusion center" within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
will gather intelligence reports from local and state agencies about
suspected threats, both criminal and terroristic. It will analyze the
information and provide assessments to the director of emergency management
and homeland security and federal officials if warranted.
"I would urge your consideration so we can move forward in our protection
against terrorism in this country," Cowsert told his colleagues.
The bill also alters the name of state outfit that coordinates multi-agency
response to disasters and terrorist attacks to become the Georgia Emergency
Management and Homeland Security Agency.
Gov. Nathan Deal must sign the bill into law. [FloridaTimesUnion/24March2016]
US
National Security Agency Head Paid Secret Visit to Israel. The
head of the United States National Security Agency, Admiral Michael Rogers,
was secretly in Israel last week for a working visit that dealt with forging
closer cooperation in the cyber field with the Israel Defense Forces'
Intelligence Corps Unit 8200, especially against attacks by Iran and
Hezbollah,a senior Israeli official has told Haaretz.
The NSA is the largest agency of the American intelligence community and
deals with signal intelligence through monitoring, interception and analysis
of communications such as telephone conversations, emails, communications
between computers and other sources. The NSA is also responsible for
protecting the computer and communications networks of the US government
from cyber attacks by hostile forces. It also carries out its own cyber
attacks on countries or individuals that are considered intelligence or
operational targets.
A senior Israeli official noted that Rogers came to Israel as a guest of the
commander of Unit 8200, but also met with senior officials from other
Israeli intelligence agencies. Rogers did not meet with IDF Chief of Staff
Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot or the director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen.
Herzl Halevi in the course of his visit.
Rogers is also head of the US Army's Cyber Command. One of the subjects
that apparently came up in his discussions in Israel was the IDF cyber arm,
the creation of which Eisenkot announced last June, and that will bring
together all the various IDF cyber entities under its aegis. [Read
more: Ravid/Haaretz/27March2016]
Spy Agency to
Reveal Location for New Headquarters This Week. By the end of
the week we will know the future site of a federal spy agency's regional
headquarters.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo is
expected to announce his decision on Friday. Two sites have emerged as the
front runners for the project - one in north St. Louis and the other in a
field next to Scott Air Force Base. This is a big prize with the project
carrying a price tag of more than $1.5 billion.
The NGA brings with it 3,100 employees and, according to the Post-Dispatch,
the agency has an annual budget closing in on $5 billion.
Among other concessions, governments in Missouri and Illinois are offering
the needed land to the NGA for free. [KTRS/28March2016]
House Intel
Panel Pushes for Staff Access to Classified Information. Eight
members of the House oversight panel for intelligence are asking for the
funds to get top-secret clearances for personal staffers.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., a member of the House Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence, gathered up seven of her colleagues to ask that
$125,000 be allotted to the Sergeant at Arms to facilitate the process, to
be included in the fiscal 2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, which
funds Congress.
"This request will support members as they review complicated and urgent
obstacles our intelligence community must grapple with," they wrote, in a
letter addressed to Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., and Rep. Debbie Wasserman
Schultz, D-Fla.
The House and Senate intelligence oversight panels both serve as watchdogs
for the government's intelligence community. Senate members get to have a
staffer of their choice apply and obtain a high-level security clearance to
help with research and hearings, but that's not the case for the House.
Currently, members of the House intelligence committee rely on staffers
hired by the chair and ranking member of the committee - not someone in
their own office. [Read more: McLaughlin/TheIntercept/23March2016]
Office of Naval
Intelligence Celebrates 134th Anniversary. The men and women of
the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) celebrated the 134th anniversary of
the establishment of America's longest-serving intelligence agency in a
March 23 ceremony at the National Maritime Intelligence Center, the
command's headquarters.
Past leaders and members of the Naval Intelligence community joined other
guests in honoring some of ONI's most accomplished military and civilian
professionals.
Eighteen members of the command were presented prestigious awards in
recognition of their outstanding service.
"As we have in the past, the men and women of Naval Intelligence have worked
together to overcome obstacles, adapt to change and build relationships to
better support our Navy and our nation," said Rear Adm. Elizabeth Train,
ONI's commander. [Read more: ImperialValleyNews/25March2016]
Section II - CONTEXT
& PRECEDENCE
New Book Reveals
How Presidents Get Their Intel. Given the parlous condition of
the print media, perhaps it is no surprise that what has been called "the
nation's most exclusive publication" is no longer available in a
paper-and-ink format.
Credit - or blame, if you prefer - President Barack Obama for the demise of
the print version of the CIA's "President's Daily Brief," or PDB, a taut
summary of vital intelligence which CIA officers have used to brief the
chief executive six days a week since the John Kennedy years. Mr. Obama
opted to have the intelligence presented to him via his iPad. The final
hard-copy edition was published Feb. 15, 2014, just 10 months shy of its
50th anniversary.
The explanation given by Michael J. Morell, formerly CIA's deputy director,
was that Mr. Obama "absorbs information best by reading, and he did so on
his own, not with others in the room, not at the daily intelligence
briefing." Perhaps the chosen mode was of no import, given that a report
issued in September 2012 found that Mr. Obama attended his intelligence
briefings on only 43.8 percent of his days in office.
David Priess, a CIA officer who served as a daily intelligence briefer
during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, has written a
thoroughly engaging account of how "The Book," as it is known in Agency
parlance, came into existence, and how presidents used (or ignored)
it. [Read more: Goulden/WashingtonTimes/27March2016]
Nat'l Security
Students Engage With Intelligence Agencies in DC. Flying a
cohort of students up to Washington, DC to meet with various US
intelligence agencies every year, The Gordon Institute's National Security
Certificate program offers students an immersive governmental career
development experience.
This year,17 students toured a record seven agencies, including the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence (ODNI), the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the
National Security Council (NSC), and the Department of Treasury. Students
were also invited to the Inter-American Defense College - an international
educational institution operating under the aegis and funding of the
Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Defense Board.
"I feel extremely benefitted because many people don't have the opportunity
to meet and greet these people. My greatest take away is the confidence and
clarity I now have because of the people we were able to speak to," said
Kiara Rosado, senior criminal justice major at FIU.
"Of note, while at DIA students were greeted by the second person in command
of DIA, Deputy Director Douglas H. Wise, which highlights the unique and
incredible access students had during the program," said Hector D. Cadavid,
assistant director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at
FIU. [Read more: FIU/28March2016]
4 Ways to
Start an Intelligence Career. "How do I get started in an
intelligence career?" At some point during his or her career, those who have
worked in intelligence have been asked this question. I remember asking it
myself when I was still in high school. We had an older family friend who
was in the US Secret Service and I was intrigued to know more about his
job. As he explained the sorts of things he did on the job, I knew I wanted
to be involved in that world in some capacity. Unfortunately, I didn't
understand the difference between intelligence, national security, or
federal law enforcement as careers, and I certainly didn't have a complete
grasp on the things I needed to do to become an intel operative or analyst.
What makes an intelligence career a daunting choice is that the paths are
ill-defined and often downright confusing. Unlike careers in law enforcement
where you attend a training academy, there is no ROTC-like program to bring
intelligence professionals into the workforce.
After spending almost 30 years in various intelligence positions, I've
learned that most people working in intelligence did not start their career
in the field. While this may be evolving, it's best to think of intelligence
as an accession career; most people have to start from somewhere else.
So where do you start? Where does the intelligence profession get its
people? Simple: We steal them. And we steal them from the following four
major sources: [Read more: Kleinsmith/AMU/28March2016]
Think You're
Not Qualified to Work for the FBI? Think Again. The biggest
misconception about the FBI is that it's like what we all see in the movies.
"Everyone only sees the special agent - the gun toter who does the arrest.
But what they're missing is behind the scenes," said Kansas City's Special
Agent in Charge Eric Jackson.
Some of these jobs include intelligence analysts, mechanics and jobs
handling financial resources.
Jackson told 41 Action News the reputation of the FBI is that it's some
closed group sitting on a hill.
It's not like that at all, Jackson said. [Read more: Dubill/KSHB/28March2016]
Intelligence
Marines Mold Future of Marine Corps. Intelligence Marines from
throughout the Marine Corps presented software they created to leaders of
the Marine Corps Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Enterprise
accelerator program in Stafford, Virginia, March 4, 2016.
The accelerator program is a 12-week course that brings Marines back into
the development process of the gear they will use in the future. One of the
things that spawned from this course was the C-ME program which allows
Marines from anywhere to quickly and easily communicate with each other
through a virtual map.
This accelerator program is helping Marines get exactly what they need to do
their jobs.
"When a product gets kicked out, it's not exactly what the Marines wanted,"
said Buddy Steshka, a technical support specialist at ManTech International
Corporation. "A way to correct that is by having the users drive the design.
They tell you what they want and how they want it, and you let the engineers
figure out how to put it together and make it work." [Read more: MilitarySpot/23March2016]
Erik Prince in
the Hot Seat: Blackwater's Founder Is Under Investigation for Money
Laundering, Ties to Chinese Intel, and Brokering Mercenary Services. Erik Prince, founder of the now-defunct mercenary firm Blackwater and
current chairman of Frontier Services Group, is under investigation by the
US Department of Justice and other federal agencies for attempting to
broker military services to foreign governments and possible money
laundering, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the case.
What began as an investigation into Prince's attempts to sell defense
services in Libya and other countries in Africa has widened to a probe of
allegations that Prince received assistance from Chinese intelligence to set
up an account for his Libya operations through the Bank of China. The
Justice Department, which declined to comment for this article, is also
seeking to uncover the precise nature of Prince's relationship with Chinese
intelligence.
Prince, through his lawyer, Victoria Toensing, said he has not been informed
of a federal investigation and had not offered any defense services in
Libya. Toensing called the money-laundering allegations "total bullshit."
The Intercept interviewed more than a half dozen of Prince's associates,
including current and former business partners; four former US
intelligence officers; and other sources familiar with the Justice
Department investigation. All of them requested anonymity to discuss these
matters because there is an ongoing investigation. The Intercept also
reviewed several secret proposals drafted by Prince and his closest advisers
and partners offering paramilitary services to foreign entities. [Read
more: Cole&Scahill/TheIntercept/24March2016]
Section
III - COMMENTARY
The
World's Spies Agree Belgian Intelligence Is Broken. The
attack on Europe's political capital on Tuesday has been widely blamed on
bad intelligence; not just the dysfunctional separation of powers in
Belgium, but on the lack of sharing of information among the many
intelligence services of the 28 states of the European Union. The services
in the former Communist states to the east were reconfigured after the
collapse of the Soviet-backed regimes in 1990, but some still contain habits
- and in a few cases personnel - from the days when they saw the West
European states' agencies as the enemy. Sharing, even at a low level, is
tentative.
I interviewed several former officials of the secret services of the United
States, France and the UK for Journalism in an Age of Terror, a book to be
published later this year. In comments that were inevitably off the record,
they spoke about how they rated their allied services - and also how they
saw their main opponents, the Chinese and Russian services.
The Belgian security services are everywhere regarded as weak. That
suspicion seems to have been confirmed, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of
Turkey claimed on Wednesday that the Turkish authorities warned their
Belgian counterparts that one of the suspected bombers, Ibrahim el Bakraoui,
was a dangerous terrorist.
The lack of centralization, which is a feature of all of the European
agencies apart from the British, fulfills essentially a democratic
criterion: that agencies unified present a greater danger to a democratic
government than those kept apart, and competitive. The instinct to so
construct the intelligence services harks back to the experience of World
War Two and the centralization of the services under authoritarian
governments: but it hinders rapid decision-making and reform. [Read
more: Lloyd/Reuters/24March2016]
Are
CIA-backed Syrian Rebels Really Fighting Pentagon-backed Syrian
Rebels? The Los Angeles Times' contention Sunday that
"in Syria, militias armed by the Pentagon fight those armed by the CIA" is
basically incorrect.
This is complicated, but bear with me. The Kurdish-dominated Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) are not a monolithic force. Like nearly every other
faction in Syria, they're spread across an archipelago of enclaves
nationwide. The SDF units clashing with Syrian rebels reportedly supported
by the CIA are not supported by the Pentagon - they're from a different
enclave. The US military is exclusively supporting the SDF in northeastern
Syria on the other side of the Euphrates River. The Pentagon-backed SDF east
of the Euphrates is fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State, not rebels
with or without US backing.
Allow me to explain.
The confusion around this news story is a result of wartime Syria's
jigsaw-like map of control. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and
the SDF umbrella under which they operate are primarily active in
northeastern Syria east of the Euphrates River, where they've linked what
had been two isolated Kurdish enclaves to form a zone of control along much
of Turkey's southern border. But they also control a still-isolated enclave
west of the Euphrates River in northwestern Aleppo province called Afrin, as
well as a single neighborhood in Aleppo city. Afrin remains separated from
YPG/SDF territory east of the Euphrates by a long stretch of Islamic State
territory that the US government calls the 'Manbij Pocket.' [Read
more: Heller/WarOnTheRocks/28March2016]
Section IV - Deaths
Professor Keith Jeffery, 64, wrote first official history of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.
Professor Keith Jeffery, 64, historian who revealed how spying nuns and exploding filing cabinets helped the fledgling MI6, died 12 February 2016 of cancer. His death was just reported. He was a historian of Ireland and the British Empire and was chosen in 2004 to write the first official history of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.
The existence of the service had itself been an official secret (often with absurd results) until 1994 and it was a surprise when its then chief, Sir John Scarlett, announced that its centenary in 2009 would be marked by an official history, albeit one which covered only its first 40 years, starting in 1909 when MI6 was a one-man band run by Mansfield Cumming (the prototype for Ian Fleming’s “M”) who, as Jeffery related, recorded his first day in his diary: “Went to the office and remained all day, but saw no one, nor was there anything to do there.” This was unsurprising as his telephone number was considered too secret to be listed in the Whitehall directory.
Jeffery’s 832-page study, The Secret History of MI6, published in 2010, traced the history of the shoestring operation of 1909 to the global intelligence service it had become by the onset of the Cold War in 1949, by which time it was employing 2,000 people at home and abroad. It was not a story of smooth progress, however, and some critics found the scholarly length in which Jeffery charted the bureaucratic turf wars between the first three “M”s – Cumming, Hugh Sinclair and Stewart Menzies – with Whitehall bean-counters and empire builders, to be excessive. [Read more: TheTelegraph/29March2016]
Asa Briggs, 94, a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during WWII, has died.
The social historian and educationist Asa Briggs, one of the last survivors of a wartime generation who not only wrote groundbreaking works but helped to make history themselves, died 15 March 2016. As he detailed in two late volumes of autobiography, Secret Days: Code-breaking at Bletchley Park (2011) and Special Relationships (2012), written in his ninth decade, Briggs was one of the Oxbridge brains recruited in secrecy to work at Bletchley Park, the Buckinghamshire country house devoted to cracking German wartime codes. Working in Bletchley’s Hut 6, Briggs, the youngest warrant officer in the British army – “It entitled me to wear a peaked cap and draw a captain’s pay” – worked alongside Alan Turing, mathematician of genius and computer pioneer...... [Read more: TheGuardian/15March2016]
Section V - Events
AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN
COMING TWO MONTHS....
31 March 2016, 6:30 - 8 pm - Tempe, AZ - Arizona Chapter hears from David Kilcullen on "What the rise of ISIS tells us about the unraveling of the War on Terrorism."
David Kilcullen is a Senior ASU Future of War Fellow at New America and Founder and Chairman of Caerus Global Solutions. He served for 25 years as an army officer, diplomat and policy advisor in command and operational missions across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe. He was Chief Strategist in the State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau, Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq and Special Advisor forCounterinsurgency to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales where he focused on the political anthropology of guerrilla warfare. He was named one of the Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers and is the author of several bestselling books including The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One, Counterinsurgency, Out of the Mountains and Blood Year: The Unraveling of Western Counterterrorism
Event is sponsored by the Center on the Future of War, as part of their Spring Speaker Series. Event being held at the Memorial Union, Pima Room #230, ASU, Tempe Campus.
Registration is not required. For directions or precise location on campus, or more information, visit this link.
his is an invite Phil asked me to share with all of our chapter members! I cannot take your RSVPs, nor have any other information. We certainly appreciate Phil sharing this information, I know I most certainly will be attending! I wish you all a safe week. Best regards, Simone on behalf of the AFIO AZ Board Members!
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.
14
May 2016 - Melbourne, FL - The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter Hosts
Dr. Joseph Finley, Jr. on Technical Surveillance and Countermeasures.
Dr. Joseph Finley, a member of the chapter, has an extensive background in
federal law enforcement, academic administration, with 8 years in higher
education executive management and educational leadership. He spent 28
years as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and
in 1987, was assigned to the Special Operations Group of the FBI (17
years) and while assigned to the New York Division, actively conducted
Technical Surveillance Countermeasure Sweeps (TSCM) and surreptitious
entries. Upon being transferred to the Miami Division in 1996, he
continued his assignment in the Special Operations Group.
He is an Expert Witness in the field of Forensic Geology and was assigned
to the FBI Laboratory as an examiner. He has testified as an expert in
federal, state, and local courts.
Dr. Finley holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Leadership with a
Global Perspective, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
with concentration in Forensic Science, and a Bachelor of Science in
Geology.
To register for this event, please contact FSC Chapter President at afiofsc@afio.com.
Thursday,
2 June 2016 - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO Andre LeGallo Chapter hosts
Dr. Matthew Brazil, Research Fellow, Jamestown Foundation
Mr. Matt Brazil will discuss China's Harder Line Against Foreign Influence -
Implications for US Business.
Venue: United Irish Cultural Center, 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco.
11:30am no host cocktail; meeting and luncheon at noon.
Register here.
Reservation and pre-payment is required before May 26, 2016. The venue
cannot accommodate walk-ins.
Please contact Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary at afiosf@aol.com or Mariko Kawaguchi, c/o AFIO, P.O. Box 117578, Burlingame, CA 94011 for
questions.
Other Upcoming Events
Wednesday, 30
March 2016, 9am - 4pm - Austin, TX - Conference on "Intelligence in
American Society" hosted by the Intelligence Studies Project at the
University of Texas at Austin
The Intelligence Studies Project invites you to attend the "Intelligence
in American Society" conference. The luncheon keynote speaker is The
Honorable Lisa O. Monaco, Assistant to the President for
Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Morning and afternoon panel and
roundtable discussions will involve other current and former officials
involved in intelligence oversight by all three branches of government,
the media, and non-governmental organizations.
Agenda: 8:30 - 9am - Arrival and Registration
(Coffee/Tea Served); 9-9:05am - Welcome Remarks by Stephen Slick,
Intelligence Studies Project Director
9:05-10:15am -Executive Branch Supervision and Oversight of US
Intelligence, Moderator: Philip Bobbitt (Professor of Law,
Columbia University), Joan Dempsey (former Executive
Director of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board); Brett Holmgren (National Security Council Senior Director for
Intelligence Programs); Kenneth Wainstein (former
Homeland Security Advisor and FBI General Counsel)
10:30-11:30am - Safeguarding Civil Liberties and Countering Terrorism;
Moderator: Kenneth Wainstein; David Medine (Chairman, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board); Rachel
Brand (Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board); Elisebeth
Collins (Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board)
Salon C, AT&T Conference Center
12-1:15pm - Luncheon Remarks by the Honorable Lisa Monaco,
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and
Deputy National Security Advisor; Classroom 203, AT&T Conference
Center
1:30-2:30pm - The Role of Congress in Overseeing National Security
Institutions; Moderator: Admiral Bobby Inman (former Deputy
Director of Central Intelligence); Honorable Michael
Conaway (Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence);
2:45 - 3pm Report on Policy Research Project for the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence; LBJ School of Public Affairs Students
3-4pm - The Media's Responsibilities in National Security Reporting;
Moderator: Suzanne Kelly (Publisher and CEO of The Cipher Brief); William Harlow (former Director of Public Affairs at CIA); Eric Schmitt (Senior Writer, Terrorism and National Security, The
New York Times); John Walcott (Professor, Georgetown
University)
4pm - Conference Adjourns
Location: AT&T Executive Education and Conference
Center Classroom 203
This event is co-sponsored by the Robert S. Strauss Center for
International Security and Law, the Clements Center for National Security,
UT Student Veterans Association, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Please contact us at intelligencestudies@austin.utexas.edu for more information on the Intelligence Studies Project and its public
programs.
Registrations for the Conference and Keynote Lunch are now open here.
Friday, 8 April 2016, 11:30 am - Washington, DC - WTOP Radio's JJ Green discusses "National Security and the Media" at the Daniel Morgan Academy.
AFIO members and guests are invited to hear a presentation by JJ Green, WTOP Radio National Security Correspondent, discuss "National Security and the Media."
Green will discuss the relationship between the media and the intelligence/national security communities, the important role journalists play in informing the public about their activities, and the challenges of developing relationships with these communities.
JJ Green reports daily on international security, intelligence, foreign policy, terrorism and cyber developments. He also provides regular on-air analysis and guidance on global security matters. He hosts the weekly program "The Hunt," which goes in-depth with experts on al-Qaida, the Taliban and emerging terror threats. He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe and Africa covering national security matters.
While embedded with the U.S. Air Force in 2006, during the height of the Iraq War, he traveled with the military 18,000 miles, to 10 countries in 31 days, covering the wars in Iraq, Africa and Afghanistan.
Event location: Daniel Morgan Academy, 1620 L St NW, 7th Flr, Washington, DC 20036. Near Farragut North and West Metro Stations
RSVP here. Or contact Frank Fletcher, Director of Lectures and Seminars, at Fletcher@DanielMorgan.academy or call
202-759-4988
Monday, 11 April 2016, 11 - noon - Ft. Meade, MD - 75th Anniversary of the UK-US COMINT Agreement - The British Perspective by GCHQ Historian Tony Comer.
GCHQ Historian Tony Comer will provide the British Perspective on the UK-US COMINT Agreement which celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Event location: National Cryptologic Museum's Magic Room- Ft. Meade, MD
To register, send an email to one of the following: History@nsa.gov OR gjnedve@nsa.gov, state your desire to attend, and include the number of attendees in your party. You will then receive an acknowledgement.
For further questions, please contact Greg Nedved, event POC at gjnedve@nsa.gov; 301-688-2336.
19 April 2016
, noon - 2 pm - McLean, VA - The Defense Intelligence Forum hosts
David Shedd on "Intelligence and Maintaining Relevancy-Adjusting to an
Ever-Changing World in the 21st Century."
Mr. David R. Shedd will speak on 'Intelligence and Maintaining
Relevancy-Adjusting to an Ever-Changing World in the 21st Century.' Mr.
Shedd served in the US government for nearly 33 years. Since leaving
government in February 2015, he has been serving as a Heritage Foundation
Distinguished Fellow, an Adjunct Professor at Patrick Henry College on
intelligence and national security, an independent consultant, on several
Corporate Boards, and supporter of several NGO initiatives.
In August 2014, he was named Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence
Agency following four years' service as its Deputy Director. From May 2007
to August 2010, he served as the Deputy Director for Policy, Plans, and
Requirements for the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). From May
2005 to April 2007, Mr. Shedd served as Chief of Staff and later as Acting
Director of the Intelligence Staff to the Director of National
Intelligence. He held intelligence policy positions at the National
Security Council (NSC) from February 2001 to May 2005. These positions
involved serving as the NSC's Special Assistant to the President and
Senior Director for Intelligence Program and Reform and implementing
intelligence reforms based on 9/11 Commission findings, the Intelligence
Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and the weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMD) Commission's report to the President in March 2005.
Earlier, he served in US Embassies in Costa Rica and Mexico and a
variety of senior management assignments at the Central Intelligence
Agency.
Mr. Shedd holds a B.A. degree from Geneva College in Beaver Falls,
Pennsylvania and a M.A. degree from Georgetown University's School of
Foreign Service in Latin American Studies. He was born in Bolivia and grew
up in Latin America.
This forum will follow a modified Chatham House rule. You may use the
information, but with the exception of speaker's name and subject, you may
make no attribution. Everything will be off the record.
Location: Pulcinella Restaurant, 6852 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA.
Registration starts at 11:30 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM.
Fees: Make reservations by April 19, 2016 by email to diforum@diaalumni.org.
Include names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. For each attendee,
choose among chicken cacciatore, tilapia puttanesca, lasagna, sausage with
peppers, or fettuccini with portabella for your luncheon selection. Please
send your luncheon selection with your reservation to reduce the wait time
for your food.
Pay at the door with a check for $ 29.00 per person, payable to DIAA, Inc.
Checks are preferred, but will accept cash; however, credit card payments
are discouraged.
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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