Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Australian PM Announces Intelligence Services Review.  Australia's intelligence agencies are to be reviewed to ensure structures and mechanisms are able to meet current and future challenges.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says, like earlier reviews in 2004 and 2011, it will assess how the intelligence community serves national interests and consider the ongoing suitability of legislative and oversight provisions.

"This is an opportunity to assess whether our current intelligence arrangements, structures and mechanisms are best placed to meet the security challenges we are likely to face in the years ahead," he said in a statement.

Mr. Turnbull said the review would be conducted by former top government officials Professor Michael L'Estrange and Stephen Merchant, who will report in the first half of 2017.  [Read more:  AAP/7November2016]

UK Military Intelligence Issues Warning Over Russian Supertank Threat.  British military intelligence has issued a warning over a ground-breaking tank being developed by Russia, according to a leaked document seen by The Telegraph.

The Ministry of Defence internal briefing paper raises doubts over the UK's ability to combat the threat posed by the Kremlin's new Armata tank.

It also questions why the Government has no plans for a rival tank for at least 20 years.

The internal document, written by a senior Army intelligence officer, states: "Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century."  [Read more:  Mendick/TheTelegraph/6November2016]

FBI, NYPD Assessing Possible Terror Threat on Day Before Election.  Federal and local counterterrorism officials are on high alert after a new threat from al-Qaeda about a pre-election terrorist attack.

US intelligence alerted Joint Terrorism Task Forces that al-Qeada could be planning attacks in three states on Monday, sources told CBS News.

An FBI source said al-Qaeda is pressuring followers to regain relevance on the world stage, CBS2's Jessica Moore reported.

The FBI and the NYPD said Friday that they are assessing the credibility of the threat. As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, officials said the intelligence points to possible attacks in New York, Texas or Virginia.  [Read more:  CBSNewYork/4November2016]

UNM Hosts Central Intelligence Agency Director John O. Brennan.  The University of New Mexico Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, in collaboration with the UNM Global and National Security Policy Institute, hosts John O. Brennan, director, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in an exclusive campus community event.

Brennan will lead a discussion titled "Intelligence and Security Challenges in the Next Decade." A moderated Q&A with Brennan is part of the program. In addition, Brennan will talk about the new CIA Signature School Program, an effort to develop long-lasting, sustainable relationships with key campus constituents.

The event, which is open only to the UNM campus community including students, faculty and staff, is Thursday, Nov. 10 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in UNM Student Union Ballroom (SUB) C.

Interested attendees are required to pre-register for the event. To register, visit "Intelligence and Security Challenges in the Next Decade." Attendees will be required to check in by presenting a valid UNM ID at the RSVP table upon entry on the day of the event. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for security processing and a bag search.  [Read more:  UNM/4November2016]

Former Spy Chiefs Call for EU-US Intelligence Hub.   Europe and the US need an "intelligence hub" to fight terrorism, with French and German ideas on EU military integration unlikely to bear fruit, Germany's former spy chief has said.

The counter-terrorism project would start out like the Schengen zone, the EU's passport-free travel area.

It would involve a core group of trusted states such as Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

Their intelligence services would form "operational task forces" and, as with Schengen's IT security system, would have access to each other's data.  [Read more:  Rettman/EUObserver/3November2016]

China Unveils Its Most Powerful Drone Bomber, the CH-5.  China has unveiled its most powerful drone bomber, the CH-5 unmanned aerial vehicle, which can fly for two days without refuelling within a range of 15,000 miles (24140 km).

The drone, which made its first flight last year, was displayed to public for the first time at a military air show in the southern city of Zhuhai.

According to The Daily Star, the CH-5 drone is capable of carrying smart bombs, missiles and high-tech radar jammers.

The drone, according to observers, is similar to the US MQ-9 reaper.  [Read more:  DomainB/7November2016]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Post-Coup Shake-Up at Turkey's Intelligence Agency.   As emergency law becomes the new order in Turkey, several institutions are being reformed, shut down or promptly restructured. With each new executive decree that passes as law, Ankara bureaucrats have been wondering whether the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) would be affected as well.

Al-Monitor was one of the first to be informed Nov. 4 that the long-awaited changes had been finalized within the MIT; the information received came directly from senior bureaucrats of the agency. The MIT used to have four main departments, each led by a deputy undersecretary. In the new setup it will have six. To put this in perspective, when Hakan Fidan became the director of the MIT in May 2010, there was only one position of deputy undersecretary. The Nov. 4 decision is more than just about the addition of new offices; responsibilities are rearranged in addition to the scope of each office.

There are three main changes that could give us clues about what we can expect from the role of the MIT in Turkish bureaucracy. First, two new departments have been created. One is the position of a new deputy undersecretary for coordination among state institutions. This unit is quite important as communication between different institutions of the state has become a serious hurdle in the aftermath of the coup attempt. As the state system is reorganized, keeping communication channels open has become a priority for the MIT as well. This unit is important in order to understand that the MIT is no longer an isolated entity, operating in a vacuum, but indeed does carry out day-to-day interactions with the Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry as well as other ministries and agencies. Its reports and activities are now coordinated with several different offices on a daily basis, breaking the mysterious, unreachable aura of the intelligence agency within the state system.

The next long-awaited position created is that of deputy undersecretary for special operations.  [Read more:  Tremblay/AlMonitor/6November2016]

Congress Should Move Forward on Intelligence Center in the UK.  Last month the largest naval task force Russia has deployed since the end of the Cold War passed through the English Channel, enroute to the Mediterranean, where it will likely participate in the Syrian government's final push into Aleppo. Russia continues to conduct large-scale military exercises and deploy advanced nuclear capable missiles near its boarders with our NATO allies. Add to this Russia's apparent meddling in our presidential election and one has to strain to remember a time when relations with Russia or the Soviet Union were worse and when it was more essential for our policy makers and military commanders to have good intelligence on the military activities and the intentions of Russia.

The US intelligence community has taken steps in recent years to shift resources to our analysis of Russia. An area which had been allowed to atrophy in the post-Cold War era. An atrophy that accelerated due to the demands places on the Intelligence Community after 9/11. Our NATO allies have also begun to shift intelligence resources toward Russia, recently following through on plans to create a new chief of intelligence position which would assist in managing the flow of intelligence across the alliance.

The appointment of Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven to the post of Assistant Secretary-General for Intelligence and Security is an important first step. He is the former Vice President of the German Federal Intelligence Service. Having worked with the German intelligence service, in the past I can tell you it is a highly professional service and Mr. Freytag von Loringhovern's experience there will be invaluable as he tackles the task of reforming NATO intelligence.

In light of these events, it is disturbing that investments intended to ensure that NATO and the United States have up to date facilities in Europe for the processing and distribution of intelligence to our military leaders and our allies is being tied up in Congress for largely parochial reasons.  [Read more:  Whited/TheHill/7November2016]

How Many More Snowdens Are There?  In late August, the FBI arrested Harold T. Martin, a former Booz-Allen-Hamilton contractor, on charges of mishandling classified information and theft of government property. Since 1996, investigators claim, Mr. Martin has amassed a vast collection of more than 50 terabytes of classified material from the National Security Agency.

The scope of his alleged criminal acts appears to dwarf Edward Snowden's earlier theft and offer fresh evidence that there is still a serious problem in the security culture within the intelligence community.

Security professionals and senior leaders within the NSA and the intelligence community implemented institutional changes after Mr. Snowden stole roughly 1.5 million classified documents, including: more periodic background checks, reviews of public social media postings by those holding security clearances and stricter security controls on the information systems that Mr. Snowden exploited.

When I first began my career in the 1980s, and up to 9/11, the intelligence community operated on a "need-to-know" basis. Under that construct, when you put on your color-coded ID badge and entered a secure facility, you were limited to only the classified information you needed to accomplish your mission. Gaining access to anything outside of that mission area, or beyond what you were currently cleared for, was something that was always heavily scrutinized and justified before your access was expanded. There was an implied wall between offices within the larger intelligence agencies.  [Read more:  Wither/BaltimoreSun/3November2016]
 
Is the CIA Ready for the Age of Cyberwar?  When America goes to the polls on November 8, according to current and former US intelligence officials, it will likely experience the culmination of a new form of information war. A months-long campaign backed by the Russian government to undermine the credibility of the US presidential election - through hacking, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns - is likely to peak on voting day, the officials said.

Russian officials deny any such effort. But current and former US officials warn that hackers could post fictional evidence online of widespread voter fraud, release a final tranche of embarrassing hacked emails, and slow the internet to a crawl through cyberattacks.

"Don't underestimate what they can do or will do. We have to be prepared," Leon Panetta, who served as Central Intelligence Agency director and defense secretary in President Barack Obama's first term, told me. "In some ways, they are succeeding at disrupting our process. Until they pay a price, they will keep doing it."

John Brennan, the current CIA director, declined to comment on the Russian efforts. But he said Russian intelligence operatives have a long history of marrying traditional espionage with advances in technology. More broadly, Brennan told me, the digital age creates enormous opportunities for espionage. But it also creates vulnerabilities.  [Read more:  Rohde/Reuters/3November2016]

Section IV - Jobs

Las Vegas Spy Show Seeks Former Intelligence Officers - Will Train Escape & Evasion Skills

Spy Escape & Evasion, Hosted by Former CIA Officer, Jason Hanson, has been Picked Up as a Permanent Addition to the Thrills and Excitement of Night Life on the Las Vegas Strip.  Based on the positive response from only three nights of this show at the Stratosphere Hotel, it has been made a permanent fixture on The Las Vegas Strip. You can now become part of that.

"We've never seen anything like this. Usually, to mount a new show on the strip takes months of testing. But with Spy Escape & Evasion, everything seemed to click. After only three nights of audience feedback, we've decided to make the show permanent," said Carlos Reynoso, chief operating officer and partner at Red Mercury.

However, in order to keep this show going, we need Former Intelligence Officers who would like to be trained to perform this show. (After all, Jason Hanson is only one person and even Former Intelligence Officers do have their limits.)

You must have the ability to get up on stage and perform in front of a live audience. You will be trained, flown to Las Vegas and interviewed. Each Former Intelligence Officer will work a two-week period and repeat this every few months.

If you are interested in, "Coming in out of the Cold" and warming up to an audience then email us at Brendan@spyescape.com. (Please include a photo.)

Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Thursday, 10 November 2016, 11:30am - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO Andre LeGallo Chapter hosts author and journalist, Peter Robinson on The Cambridge Spies

Journalist/author Peter Robinson discusses the Cambridge Spies at this AFIO San Francisco Chapter event. Robinson explores the impact of Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and others on American-British relations.
Where: United Irish Cultural Center, 2700 45th Ave between Sloat and Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116.
Fee: Members $25; Non-Member guests $35. Non-host cocktails at 11:30AM; meeting starts promptly at noon.
Reservation and pre-payment is required before October 31, 2016. RSVP to Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary, AFIO SF Chapter at afiosf@aol.com

12 November 2016 - Melbourne, FL - The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter hosts Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey on keynote speaker

The keynote speaker at this luncheon will be Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

The meeting takes place at the At Ease Club, Indian River Colony Club, 1936 Freedom Dr., Melbourne, FL.
Attendance is by registration only. To register, go to www.afiofsc.com or contact FSC Chapter President at afiofsc@afio.com.

Saturday, 12 November 2016, 11 am - 3 pm - Orange Park, FL - AFIO Northern Florida Chapter Meeting - hold the date

Chapter president Dane Baird is currently arranging for a guest speaker, perhaps a current or former military flag officer, and information on the speaker will be announced in the chapter newsletter coming out later this month. As always, family and interested guests (especially potential members) are welcome to attend. Hope to see you there.
Event location: Country Club of Orange Park.
RSVP: Quiel Begonia at qbegonia@comcast.net or call him at (904) 545-9549.

Thursday, 17 November 2016, 6:30pm ' Michigan - AFIO Johnny Micheal Spann Memorial Chapter, Michigan hosts Allan A. Myer Chairman of the Board The Israel Project and Member Board of Directors Crown Center for Middle East Studies.

Speaker: Allan A. Myer, Chairman of the Board The Israel Project and Member of the Board Crown Center for Middle East Studies
Allan served 25 years in the Army, rising from Private to retire in the grade of Colonel. His service included command of artillery units in Vietnam, in the 82nd Airborne Division, and with the 1st French Armored Division in NATO. He also served in strategic planning assignments in the Pentagon and on the faculty of the National War College and the Command and General Staff College.
As Director of Defense Programs The National Security Council, The White House, 1981-1983. Allan's responsibilities included US national security strategy and policy, military manpower issues, political-military affairs in Europe, strategic weapons procurement, and select European arms control issues. He managed the Reagan Administration Review of US National Security Strategy and wrote the implementation document (NSDD-32).
As a Presidential Speechwriter, 1983 to 1985, Allan wrote on a wide range of international, domestic, political and economic issues. He played a key role in strategic communications planning and policy formulation and was active in campaign speech writing during the 1984 Presidential campaign. As speechwriter to President Reagan, he developed, wrote and coordinated nearly a dozen major addresses on international and defense issues and scores of others on a multitude of topics.
Allen served as Director of Communication for the Northrop Corporation until 1991 where he was responsible for key elements of corporate communications, financial reporting, investor relations and public affairs, and Senior Vice President for Hill & Knowlton, Inc. until 1997 handling corporate PR, government affairs, media skills training and speechwriting for major office clients.
From 1997 to 2008 as President, Mediaworks Corporate Communications. Allan's company specialized in film making, strategic communications counsel, media skills training, crisis communications and multimedia presentations. His client list included The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Rolls Royce Engines, NASA, the Department of Defense, the Missile Defense Agency, the US Navy, Safeway, Shell Oil, Albertson's, Pfizer, Merck, Albertsons, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and PACCAR, among many others.

To attend and to learn of the precise location of event, contact Charles Kirkpatrick, Secretary, Michigan Chapter, at afio.secretary@afiomichigan.org or visit their website atwww.afiomichigan.org.

Thursday, 17 November 2016, 11:30am - Monument, CO - The AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts Steve Pease on PsyWar in the Korean War.

Psychological warfare is one of the pervasive clich''s of the Korean War. Almost every movie involving the war has scenes where the Chinese Communists taunt UN soldiers over loudspeakers; blaring bugle calls interrupt the night and leaflets have sad messages from "Mom." This briefing, built on the speaker's Air War College paper and 1992 book, talks to how the US Army had to reinvent PsyWar after the post-WW2 disarmament and how the PsyWar plan was built on sound intelligence. Examples of Korean War leaflets, loudspeakers and radio are illustrated by rarely seen photos from veterans and the National Archives.
Stephen (Steve) Pease served in intelligence related positions for 42 years as an Air Force officer, technical contractor and senior civilian, mostly with Air Force Space Command. He worked MASINT on satellites and ICBMs, was the Orbital Test Director for the FleetSatcom satellite series, and served as the Command Intelligence Briefer on space.
The cost of the meal is $15. All presentations to the RMC, AFIO are on the basis of non-attribution so the speakers can feel free to provide information with the assurance it will not be published.
For details, please contact Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net

Monday, 5 December 2016, 5:30 pm - New York, NY - AFIO New York Chapter hosts David Hunt, former CIA Operations Officer, discussing "Intelligence in Flux."

David P. Hunt, former CIA Operations Officer wil discuss "Intelligence in Flux: From the Cold War to Today Under New Presidential Leadership."

Hunt holds CIA's Donovan Award for Excellence, and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, CIA's highest award. He is also a member of the NY Chapter's Board.
Location: Society of Illustrators building, 128 E 63rd St, (Between Park Ave and Lexington Ave).
Time: Registration starts 5:30 pm; Meeting at 6 pm.
Cost: $50/person. Payment at the door only by cash or check. Includes full dinner, cash bar.
To Register: Registration is strongly suggested, not required. Please call chapter president, Jerry Goodwin, at 646-717-3776 or Email: afiometro@gmail.com

Other Upcoming Events

Friday, 11 November 2016, noon - 2pm - Ashburn, VA - Loudoun Crime Commission Luncheon features Stephen Murphy, SAC, Drug Enforcement Administration

Mr. Steve Murphy, Special Agent in Charge, DEA (Retired), speaks on "The True Story of Pablo Escobar."
You may have seen TV shows and documentaries, or read books about the world's wealthiest, and most violent drug trafficker, but now you have the opportunity to hear the real story of what happened in the investigation of Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel. Retired DEA Special Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena were assigned as the lead investigators targeting Escobar and his organization. Steve will provide a lesson in history as he discusses their efforts bringing down the world's FIRST narco-terrorist, the challenges they faced in oftentimes hostile and life-threatening environments, and the innovative strategies they employed to successfully end the reign of terror of the world's most wanted criminal. The presentation is followed by a Q&A opportunity during which Steve will entertain questions related to their investigation, the making of the Netflix series, NARCOS, and more.
Please don't miss what will be a very interesting presentation.
Location: Belmont Country Club.
RSVP by 8 November at RSVP@loudouncrimecommission.org. Doors open at noon.
$25.00 for non-members, $20.00 for members, payable by cash or check or CC (add $1 for cc).
This will be our last luncheon of 2016.

Monday, 14 November 2016, 6:30-9pm - Washington, DC - Spy School Workshop: Using Iraqi WMD to Understand the Analytic Process - at the International Spy Museum

What was it like to be an intelligence analyst in the lead up to the Iraq War?  This simulation gives you the chance to find out.  How would you fare with limited information and colleagues you may not know from agencies that may have different agendas than your own?  This multi-stage simulation mimics the analytic process of the US Intelligence Community to produce the National Intelligence Estimates (NIE).  Your team of analysts will be assigned the role of an agency such as the CIA or DIA, and then must work with other groups to prepare an NIE that assesses the status of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.  Hindsight is not allowed. You'll be using actual intelligence available to analysts in 2002.  Dr. William J. Lahneman, a former US Navy Surface Warfare Officer, professor of homeland security at Embry-Riddle University, and co-editor of The Art of Intelligence: Simulations, Exercises, and Games, will lead the simulation.  Tickets for the general public: $40. Visit www.spymuseum.org

1 December 2016 - Bolling AFB, DC - NMIA 2016 Fall Classified Symposium "Winning Tomorrow's Battles: New Techniques, Tools, and Technologies" has been shifted to this new date. Same superb program. (New Date. This was rescheduled from earlier date)

Our great colleagues at the National Military Intelligence Association (NMIA) are hosting their 2016 Classified Fall Symposium, "Winning Tomorrow's Battles: New Techniques, Tools, and Technologies: New Techniques, Tools, and Technologies" at Leadership Hall, DIA Headquarters, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. A perfect way to close the year updated on the latest issues and proposed solutions to thorny intelligence issues to solve tomorrow's battles.
The event will be held at the SECRET/5 EYES Security Level.
Event location: Leadership Hall, DIA Headquarters, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
Online Registration here.

Monday, 5 December 2016, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Annapolis Junction, MD - The 2016 NCMF 16th Annual Pearl Harbor Program & Lunch

Dr. Linton Wells, II, the founder of the TIDES project and former director of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy will be the guest speaker at the final quarterly program of the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation.
Dr. Wells has a wealth of Defense Department experience, including 26 years of naval service.
A book sale table will be available. Registration is $20 for members and $50 for guests (includes one-year basic NCMF membership). Registration closes 30 November 2016.
For more info on Dr. Wells, visit the registration and program page here.

Monday, 5 December 2016, 1-4pm - Ft Meade, MD - The IAFIE Washington Chapter hosts Joseph Caddell, Geospatial Intelligence Chair, National Intelligence University

Joseph Caddell, Geospatial Intelligence Chair, National Intelligence University, will discuss Historical Case Studies in Intelligence Education: Best Practices, Avoidable Pitfalls, and will review the uses/abuses of historical case studies for intelligence education
Where: National Cryptologic Museum Magic Room, 9900 Colony Seven Rd Ft. George G. Meade, MD.
Fee: No cost to attend.
RSVP is required NLT Friday, December 2 to Lisa Krizan at LisaKrizanIAFIE@gmail.com. A flyer and map for this event is available on request.

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