AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #20-18 dated 29 May 2018

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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Jobs, Obituaries

Jobs

Obituaries

Section V - Events

Upcoming AFIO Events

Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

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

WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE: The WIN editors thank the following special contributors:  ec, mh, km, gh, mk, rd, fm, kc, jm, mr, jg, th and fwr. They have contributed one or more stories used in this issue.

The WIN editors attempt to include a wide range of articles and commentary in the Weekly Notes to inform and educate our readers. However, the views expressed in the articles are purely those of the authors, and in no way reflect support or endorsement from the WIN editors or the AFIO officers and staff. We welcome comments from the WIN readers on any and all articles and commentary.
CAVEATS: IMPORTANT: AFIO does not "vet" or endorse research inquiries, career announcements, or job offers. Reasonable-sounding inquiries and career offerings are published as a service to our members, and for researchers, educators, and subscribers. You are urged to exercise your usual caution and good judgment when responding, and should verify the source independently before supplying any resume, career data, or personal information.]
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SPECIAL BOOK SALE
by the International Spy Museum Store

NOTE FROM ALLISON BISHOP, Spy Museum Book Buyer:
Please let your members see the attached listing of books which the Museum is making available at deep discounts. AFIO members should feel free to contact me regarding Qs about condition and price. We will haggle! Limited numbers are available; most on the sheet are three copies or less in quantity. We have a lot of first edition signed copies but most are more in the thriller/mystery genre.
The museum store will be updating the spreadsheet every month so if anyone wants to be on a regular feed contact me [Allison Bishop, Book Buyer, abishop@spymuseum.org] and I will make certain that is the only regular email they receive.

     

NOTICES

FBI SECURITY NOTICE: Turn off your home and office routers, and then turn them back on.

Hoping to thwart a sophisticated malware system linked to Russia that has infected hundreds of thousands of internet routers, the FBI has made an urgent request to anybody with one of the devices: Turn it off, and then turn it back on. The malware is capable of blocking web traffic, collecting information that passes through home and office routers and disabling the devices entirely, the bureau announced last Friday.

The FBI recommends any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware and aid the potential identification of infected devices. Owners are advised to consider disabling remote management settings on devices and secure with strong passwords and encryption when enabled. Network devices should be upgraded to the latest available versions of firmware. More info here and also covered in a story item in this WIN.


 

Only two days, and a few seats, remain.

Will you miss...
AFIO's big Spring Luncheon

Friday, 1 June 2018
features three keynote speakers

    Event is closed to media and non-U.S. citizens.
  Richard W. Hoch, Deputy Director of CIA for Analysis,
on "The Directorate of Analysis and the Future of Analysis"
[Remarks are off the record. No recording, quoting, or media permitted. Event is closed to all journalists.]
 

R. Scott Decker, FBI, on Recounting the Anthrax Attacks:
Terror, the Amerithrax Task Force,
and the Evolution of Forensics in the FBI
.

Decker Recounting the Anthrax Attacks

 

Bruce Riedel, CIA and Brookings, on
"The Future of US-Saudi Relations,"
based on his book,
Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia
and the United States Since FDR
.

Riedel Kings and Presidents

  Badge pick-up at 9:15 to 10 a.m.
First speaker, Scott Decker, at 10 a.m.;
Bruce Riedel
at 11 a.m. and CIA DD/A Hoch at 1 p.m.
     
  Register here to ensure a seat.
     
 
Location: DoubleTree-Hilton, Tysons Corner, VA [formerly the Crowne Plaza], at 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22102.


Books of the Week

Nine LivesNine Lives: My time as the West's top spy inside al-Qaeda
by Aimen Dean, Paul Cruickshank, Tim Lister
(Oneworld Publications, June 2018)

"A compelling and invaluable account of life inside al-Qaeda through the eyes of a first-rate spy. This unique narrative throws open the shutters of the secret worlds of terror." — Lawrence Wright, author

As one of al-Qaeda's most respected scholars and bomb makers, Aimen Dean rubbed shoulders with the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden. His job was already one of the most dangerous in the world. But what the others didn't know was that he was working undercover for MI6.

This is the story of a young Muslim determined to defend his faith, even if it meant dying for the cause, the terrible disillusionment that followed when he realized he was fighting on the wrong side, and the fateful decision to work undercover with his sworn enemy. In a career spanning decades in some of the most lethal conflicts of the past fifty years, we discover what it's like to be at the heart of the global jihad, and what it will take to stop it once and for all.

Book may be ordered here.


A Brotherhood of SpiesA Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War
by Monte Reel
(Doubleday, May 2018)

The story of the U-2—the ultralightweight high altitude spy plane that was the CIA's "first technological development project"—and the 1960 U-2 crash in the Soviet Union that made public the U.S.'s first peacetime espionage program. The plot revolves around four characters: Edwin "Din" Land, the "brilliant scientist," inventor, and corporate leader of Polaroid who threw himself into clandestine work; Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, the "fiery engineer" behind the U-2's unconventional design; Richard Bissell, the "bookish CIA bureaucrat" tasked with overseeing the covert project; and Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot shot down and captured in the Soviet Union, showing the world that an American president had been lying. Draws on interviews, declassified documents, and secondary sources. Captures the secrecy involved in developing the plane (including hiding an emergency prototype from the occupants of a military base), the wrangling between CIA's old guard in covert ops, and the innovators from outside of espionage, and the international scandal engendered by the revelation that the U.S. had given up its former aversion to peacetime spying. Along the way, Reel seamlessly integrates other related narrative threads: the birth of the military-industrial complex, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other technological innovations spurred by the U-2 project. This exemplary work provides a wholly satisfying take on a central chapter of the Cold War—a dramatic story of zeal and adventure. —Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

Book may be ordered here.


Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

US Employee in China Reported Strange Sounds, Pressure.  A U.S. government employee in southern China reported abnormal sensations of sound and pressure, the State Department said Wednesday, recalling similar experiences among American diplomats in Cuba who later fell ill.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described it as a "serious medical incident." In an emailed notice to American citizens in China, the department said it wasn't currently known what caused the symptoms in the city of Guangzhou, where an American consulate is located.

"A U.S. government employee in China recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure," the notice said. "The U.S. government is taking these reports seriously and has informed its official staff in China of this event."

The department said it wasn't aware of any similar situations in China, either within the diplomatic community or among others. It didn't further identify the person with the symptoms or say when they had been detected.  [Read More:  Bodeen/apnews/23May2018]

Russia is No Threat for the Intelligence Service.  The Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency highlighted its annual report the mismanagement of EU funds and the scandals of state officials, but did mention the corruption at top political positions.

Moreover, it failed to write about the connections between politics and the mafia or the murder of investigative reporter J'n Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusn'rov', as it happened this year, the Denn'k N daily reported.

In its report, which was discussed in parliament, SIS generally enumerated the corruption cases it pointed out last year, such as the underpriced value of the medical facility owned by the state sold to a private company.

It also informed about the case when a former state employee asked for a bribe from a subject active in agriculture to secure the prolongation of the lease of land, or that the organised crime figure from eastern Slovakia tried to acquire the plot rental through fraud and threats. While it is not very specific, the revelations are reminiscent of the recent complaints of farmers from eastern Slovakia: the state is taking the plots they rent and giving it to dubious businesses, Denn'k N wrote.  [Read More:  spectator/22May2018]

The UK Wants More Women, Minorities In Its Foreign Intelligence Agency.  The U.K.'s foreign intelligence agency is trying to make something clear: You don't have to look like Daniel Craig or have a name like "Bond, James Bond" to be a British secret agent.

The Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, is launching a TV ad campaign to recruit more women and minorities into its ranks. The agency's chief says he wants to break away from the 007 stereotype.

MI6 is also reviewing its nationality policy. Until now, to work for the agency, you had to have at least one British parent or a parent with strong ties to Britain. Now, officials say they're loosening that requirement with the hope of recruiting children of immigrants.

Currently, women make up less than 40 percent of the agency's non-senior staff. Minorities account for less than 7 percent of those positions.  [Read More:  Jones, Mutchler/turnto23/24May2018]

French Spy Facing Treason Charges 'Was Snared by Chinese Honeytrap'.   A former French intelligence agent facing treason charges was reportedly ensnared by a Chinese "honeytrap" when he began an affair with an interpreter in Beijing, it emerged on Sunday.

The retired spy, named as Henri M., 71, and another former operative, Pierre-Marie H., 66,  are being held in prisons near Paris, accused of passing "information detrimental to fundamental national interests" to a foreign power.

According to a report in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Henri M. fell for a woman who worked as an interpreter for the French ambassador in Beijing after he was posted there in 1997 as station chief for France's DGSE foreign intelligence service, the equivalent of Britain's MI6. Security sources confirmed the report.

Henri M.'s wife stayed in France when he moved to Beijing, leaving him vulnerable to the charms of the interpreter, who has not been named. She was reportedly suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent or informant.  [Read More:  Chazan/telegraph/27May2018]
 
Former Pakistani Spy Chief Barred From Traveling Over Tell-All Book.  A former head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency has been barred from leaving the country in connection with a recent memoir he co-authored with a former Indian intelligence-agency head.

The Pakistani Army on May 28 summoned retired Lieutenant General Asad Durrani for questioning at its headquarters in Islamabad, after which it announced Durrani had been placed on the Exit Control List of people banned from leaving Pakistan.

Durrani headed the ISI from 1990 until 1992.

Durrani's memoir, The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI, And The Illusion Of Peace, was co-written with A.S. Dulat, a former head of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency. Published last week, it documents the intense rivalry between India and Pakistan and their use of proxy fighters in Afghanistan and the disputed region of Kashmir.  [Read More:  rferl/28May2018]

Defense Intelligence Agency Seeks New CTO.  The Defense Intelligence Agency has kicked off its search for a new chief technology officer.

The selected candidate will explore technological capabilities in support of DIA's mission requirements and create implementation roadmaps to facilitate the integration of new capabilities, the agency said in a USAJobs notice posted May 4.

The incumbent will be based in Washington, D.C., and will oversee the development of strategies for the agency's information management and technology such as networks, applications, standards, technical architectures and systems.

The CTO role will provide technical guidance across the agency to support processes for technical investments and offer advice on technical issues and policies that may have an impact on the agency's IT projects.  [executivegov/23May2018]

TerraGo Launches Reconnaissance App in NGA GEOINT Store.  TerraGo, a provider of dissemination and collaboration software for defense and intelligence agencies, has announced the availability of R3 for immediate download in the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) GEOINT App Store.

R3 is a mobile data collection and collaboration app customized for the missions of reconnaissance, response and recovery. Designed for the most challenging missions and environments, R3 lets users keep working offline and off the grid with customizable workflows for security, humanitarian and disaster relief programs, the company said.

"R3 enhances situational awareness, search and rescue, damage assessments and recovery efforts," said Scott Lee, director of federal programs at TerraGo. "It really gives users the best of both worlds with mobile technology that can go anywhere, and will also work even when the network doesn't."

Designed with a simplified user interface, R3 provides a robust standalone capability for a variety of field-based collection activities. Users can access custom basemaps from numerous GIS, map and imagery sources including GeoPDF, ArcGIS, USGS and GXP, while collecting and exchanging location-tagged notes using smart forms, photos, videos and audio files.  [Read More:  Cozzens/gpsworld/24May2018]

Ex-Spy Accused Of Selling Secrets To China Claims He Was Freelance Triple Agent.  Kevin Mallory, a former CIA officer, admits he met with Chinese spies. He admits he planned a covert meeting with one of the operatives, that he handed over U.S. intelligence documents and that he accepted thousands of dollars.

Federal prosecutors call it espionage. But the Virginia man, who for years held a top-secret clearance, says it was no crime. He contends it was a ruse intended to out the spies to U.S. authorities.

On Tuesday, Mallory goes on trial in federal court in Alexandria, where a jury will decide which story they believe.

Mallory, 61, of Leesburg, is a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker who spent two decades working in U.S. intelligence. Public defenders Geremy Kamens and Todd Richman say he used that experience to ensnare two Chinese intelligence operatives who approached him as staffers for a Shanghai think tank.  [Read More:  Weiner/ndtv/29May2018]

Amid Russia Threat, NATO Calls on Members to Share More Intelligence.  Canada and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are being urged to share more information faster in a bid to get ahead - and stay ahead - of Russia and other threats to the military alliance.

The request came Thursday from NATO assistant secretary general Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven as senior military intelligence officers from across the 29-country alliance wrapped up two days of closed-door meetings in Ottawa.

"I think we need to work on the rapidity of intelligence," von Loringhoven told a group of journalists. "So we are encouraging to send us, to share intelligence with us at the speed of relevance, as quickly as possible."

The comments coincide with a renewed focus on military intelligence by the Trudeau government, whose defence policy has promised to assign hundreds more service members and civilians to such tasks in the coming years.  [Read More:  thestarphoenix/24May2018]



Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Think Tank and Intelligence Agency Partner for Public Reports on North Korea.  Not since the Maginot Line has there been a static, fortified border as prominent as the DMZ. And unlike its gallic predecessor, the DMZ endures as intended, a mutually impenetrable void between two permanently mobilized armies, bounded on each side by the oceans that shape the Korean peninsula. There are ways around the border for diplomats and tourists, guided visits and formal state functions, but for the observer looking to peer into North Korea from beyond the reach of its security services, the best way to study the country is by watching it from above. Far, far above. Space, to be exact, which is one reason the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is partnering with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to create unclassified reports on North Korea.

A press release notes that the partnership will "use available geospatial imagery and data to produce new, timely, and accurate reporting on the North Korean economy, society, infrastructure, and border activities," and goes on to say that this is in accordance with a drive to increase the transparency of U.S. intelligence community. Given the fundamental opacity of intelligence agencies, both by design and tradition, it's perhaps best to think of this less as transparency in the traditional sense of making obscure work available for public inspection, and more as a way to let others tell intelligence stories using information that can be found in the open source, or released into the open source.

CSIS and NGA will hardly be the first to look at satellite imagery to decipher developments in North Korea. Researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey have worked in the open-source space for years, using everything from Google Earth to seismographic data to topographic images from NASA to map nuclear testing complexes. Researchers at 38 North, a North Korea analysis project of the Stimson Center, have used satellite images to analyze markets in North Korea's economy and rocket fuel production.

Already, the CSIS/NGA partnership has produced reports on railway manufacturing and urban development, using images from commercial satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe. So far, the reports appear authored solely by members of CSIS. As for NGA? They are the provider of data, offering (in a sample example of the legalese of the agreement) to "extend access to commercial and unclassified geospatial data" to organizations, like CSIS that agree to the framework as outlined.  [Read More:  Atherton/c4isrnet/23May2018]

FBI Says You Should Reboot Your Routers And NAS Devices.  The FBI and security experts have asked operators of common home and business internet routers and network attached storage (NAS) devices to reboot them in order to thwart a malware program known as VPNFilter. The Cisco Talos Intelligence group estimated that the malware infected more than 500,000 devices in 50 countries made by Linksys, Mikrotik, Netgear, QNAP, and TP-Link last Wendesday.

According to the FBI warning, "the malware targets routers produced by several manufacturers and network-attached storage devices by at least one manufacturer." They also warn that VPNFilter is able to render small office and home office routers inoperable. The malware can potentially also collect information passing through the router. Detection and analysis of the malware's network activity is complicated by its use of encryption and mis-attributable networks.

The FBI note goes on to request that "...any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware and aid the potential identification of infected devices. Owners are advised to consider disabling remote management settings on devices and secure with strong passwords and encryption when enabled. Network devices should be upgraded to the latest available versions of firmware."

The source of the VPNFilter malware has been traced back to the Sofacy Group, also known as A.P.T. 28, Fancy Bear and Pawn Storm. It is believed to be directed by Russia's military intelligence agency. Reports say that this is the same group that hacked the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 presidential election.  [Read More:  Coughlin/forbes/28May2018]

Upper Post Revival Moves Closer to Reality.  The Upper Post at Fort Snelling is a national historic landmark, one that people can't visit because the buildings aren't considered safe. That may be changing soon.

The plan to restore abandoned barracks and officers' quarters in the Upper Post area at Fort Snelling for use as affordable housing, with a preference for veterans, is much closer to becoming reality. Or it will be, if Gov. Mark Dayton signs the bonding bill lawmakers passed in the closing hours of the 2018 session.

That legislation authorized the state's housing authority to issue revenue bonds to complete the financing puzzle for the $107 million project. The remainder of the money would come from a private developer known as Dominium and federal tax credits targeted to historic preservation and affordable housing.

"This is not only a historic place, but it's centrally located. It has so much resonance for Minnesota," US Senator Tina Smith told KARE.  [Read More:  Croman/kare11/28May2018]

Senate Defense Bill has $66M Less for Wright-Patt Project Than House.  The Senate Armed Services Committee has set aside $116 million for a National Air and Space Intelligence Center complex expansion at Wright-Patterson, millions less than a House version in a defense bill, but a spokeswoman says U.S. Sen. Rob Portman will advocate for the full amount.

The $182 million project would vastly expand NASIC, add new computer labs and equipment and relieve overcrowding as the agency has grown to more than 3,000 workers over the past 15 years, authorities have said. The secretive intelligence agency provides assessments of air, space and cyber threats to national political and military leaders.

"This is important for the political and national security work done at NASIC and good for the base," Portman said.

In a House version of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, the authorization bill combined what had been two years of funding for the project - $116 million one year, and $66 million for the next - into one year.  [Read More:  Barber/whio/25May2018]

Russia Has its Own TV Show Like 'The Americans' - But it's a Comedy Set During Trump's Presidency.  On a balmy afternoon, American actor Peter Jacobson is at the set of a Russian TV display, sitting at a desk unfold with pink caviar, herring, pickles and shot glasses of vodka. Russian TV director Alexander Nazarov walks onto the set to offer him a be aware about his persona, a CIA officer. "The Russians have tricked you," Nazarov directs Jacobson. "Why don't you swear and scream a little bit extra?"

That is relayed into Jacobson's ear by way of his Russian translator. "I perceive," Jacobson says to the forged and team in shaky, newly realized Russian, sending them into suits of giggles. Then Jacobson, in persona, abruptly releases a flow of English expletives, to the pleasure of his Russian colleagues.

For 10 days this spring, Jacobson, acquainted to American audiences from "Space" and USA Community's "Colony," used to be filming in Moscow within the hit Russian TV display "Adaptation," a secret agent display that's been in comparison to "The American citizens."

The latter, an FX drama a couple of circle of relatives of Russian spies residing in Virginia within the 1980s, will conclude Wednesday after six significantly acclaimed seasons. The finale comes as The united states grows more and more fixated on Russia within the face of alleged election meddling and an investigation into what the Trump marketing campaign knew about it. "Adaptation," its massively a success counterpart, about an American secret agent in modern day Russia, is way lighter in tone however simply as resonant in its remedy of the nations' turbulent courting.  [Read More:  thebreakingnewsheadlines/28May2018]

WWII Vet Who Jumped from Planes: Know Meaning of Memorial Day.  It was 1944 when Joseph Fredericks, a combat engineer, was called for an interview with some of the top leaders of the U.S. Army.

He had already been in his position with the Army for about a year and wasn't sure what the purpose of the meeting was, but the men seemed to know everything about him.

The officers handed him a piece of paper to sign and ordered him not to read it. Fredericks and another engineer from Jersey City soon realized they had signed on for new positions within the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II-era intelligence agency and predecessor to the modern Central Intelligence Agency.

Now at almost 95 years old, Joseph Fredericks doesn't shy away from telling his wartime stories about missions he accomplished for the OSS, stories he could never speak of while in the service. One of his main tasks was to deliver supplies to resistance groups in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, France and Norway -- by jumping from planes in the middle of the night.  [Read More:  Mota/nj/28May2018]

Veteran: Army Security Agency Work was Secret, but Service Should be Memorialized.  The work of the intelligence services is by nature secret, but veterans of the Army Security Agency - which served in World War II through the Cold War - are hoping to find some recognition for their service to their country in the form of a monument.

Cecil Carver, a Vietnam War-era ASA veteran, said the idea started when he visited Arlington National Cemetery a few years ago and saw the 101st Airborne Division Memorial.

"I went over and looked at it," he said of the monument. "I read about the accolades."

The sacrifice of those soldiers is widely known, but the work of ASA veterans, Carver said, is nearly invisible.  [Read More:  King/stripes/26May2018]

A Former Spy Inside Al Qaeda Speaks.  The secret agent who was arguably the West's most important spy inside al Qaeda has never told his full story - until now.

His name is Aimen Dean.

We have spent hundreds of hours with him over the last three years.

The result is a book we co-authored with him titled "Nine Lives: My Time as the West's Top Spy Inside al-Qaeda" and a CNN documentary presented by Christiane Amanpour that premieres this week.  [Read More:  Cruickshank, Lister/cbslocal/24May2018]



Section III - COMMENTARY

Failing to Keep Pace: The Cyber Threat and Its Implications for Our Privacy Laws.  Imagine walking through the front doors of your office on a Thursday morning and immediately receiving a note instructing you not to turn on your work computer for an indefinite period of time. On March 22, this very scenario played out in Atlanta's City Hall, as employees were handed printed instructions that stated, in bold, "Until further notice, please do not log on to your computer." At 5:40 that morning, city officials had been made aware that a particular strain of SamSam ransomware had brought municipal services in Atlanta to a halt. This type of ransomware is known for locking up its victims' files with encryption, temporarily changing those file names to "I'm sorry," and giving victims a week to pay a ransom.

Residents couldn't pay for things like water or parking fines. The municipal courts couldn't validate warrants. Police resorted to writing reports by hand. The city stopped taking employment applications. One city council member lost 16 years of data.

Officials announced that the ransom demand amounted to about $51,000, but have not indicated whether the city paid the ransom. Reports suggest, however, that the city has already spent over $2 million on cybersecurity firms who are helping to restore municipal systems. Atlanta also called in local law enforcement, the FBI, DHS, the Secret Service, and independent forensic experts to help assess what occurred and to protect the city's networks in the future.

Taking a somewhat relaxed approach to cybersecurity, as the situation in Atlanta seems to have demonstrated, is clearly risky, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon. As our reliance on digital technology has increased, both private companies and public sector entities have experienced crippling cyberattacks that brought down essential services. Atlanta is but one example of the pervasiveness of connected technologies and the widespread impact on our lives when those technologies no longer function correctly.  [Read More:  Gerstell/nsa/23May2018]

Rise Of Computer Vision Brings Obscure Israeli Intelligence Unit Into Spotlight.  It's well known that Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Unit 8200 -- Israel's cyber and code-breaking version of the NSA -- produces the cream of the crop of the country's tech startups. The elite unit has spawned generations of hardware and software engineers, data scientists and coders that fill the ranks of Israel's technology industry. While never officially confirmed, 8200 is widely believed to be behind Stuxnet, a computer virus that temporarily disabled centrifuges at an Iranian nuclear facility. It has allegedly switched off enemy air defenses during Israeli air strikes in Syria. Most of its operations remain cloaked in secrecy. The largest outfit in the Israeli army, 8200 is so prevalent in the startup ecosystem that it's even been called Israel's Startup Machine.

But the accelerating shift toward technologies like autonomous driving, natural language processing, satellite navigation, image recognition, and augmented and virtual reality --where machines are taught to make sense of visual information and act appropriately on it--is bringing to the fore another Israeli intelligence unit whose grads are starting to make a name for themselves in Israel's tech ecosystem.

An alumni association created by veterans of Unit 9900, a military intelligence unit specializing in gleaning intelligence from geospatial information, satellite and high-altitude surveillance images, and visual information from other sources, has recently started holding tech meetups for its veterans.  Smaller than 8200 but bigger than most other military intelligence units [the IDF censor does not allow the publication of unit personnel size], 9900 is also very tech-heavy, with graduates gaining knowledge in location-based technologies like GPS, experience in machine vision, photo analysis, and even in Cyber, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality.  It's official name is Unit 9900: Terrain Analysis, Accurate Mapping, Visual Collection and Interpretation Agency.

"It's an excellent unit. Lots of startup founders have come from 9900 in the past but they've never acknowledged themselves as unit vets. With machine vision and navigation now a part of our everyday lives, 9900 is becoming a lot more relevant," says Avi Vaidman, a former 9900 officer and founder and CEO of Nucleai, a startup that develops machine vision algorithms for computerized analysis of biopsies. In late March Nucleai announced a $5M Seed round, almost 5 times the size of an average seed round for Israeli digital health startups.  [Read More:  Mizroch/forbes/28May2018]

Intelligence: China And The Shadow Wars.   In April 2018 two Chinese born men (Shan Shi and Gang Liu) were indicted for conspiring to commit economic espionage in the United States. It was also revealed that the two men (one of them an American citizen and the other a permanent resident) and four others were also indicted in July 2017 for conspiring to steal trade secrets. The theft involved obtaining, from 2014 onward, information necessary to create and mass produce syntactic foam, a substance used to keep objects afloat in deep water. Syntactic foam is used in offshore oil exploration and production as well as for several military systems. The two accused spies were provided with technical and financial support by CBMF, a state-owned Chinese firm that had been established to develop new maritime technologies and put the technology into production. The Chinese spies were provided with several million dollars to establish a CBMF subsidiary in Texas where key technical people were hired away from an unnamed multinational firm that had developed syntactic foam production technology. Using bribes and other financial inducements the Chinese spies provided the necessary information for CBMF to build a factory in 2016 for the production of syntactic foam. The main customer for this syntactic foam was a Chinese shipyard building warships and other naval equipment. CBMF also began offering their syntactic foam to foreign customers.

If convicted Shan Shi (an American citizen) faced 45 years in prison while Gang Liu faces 25 years. Economic espionage like this is a common activity for China and has been used mainly against the United States but other Western nations as well. Even Chinese neighbor and ally Russia has suffered heavy losses due to this Chinese economic espionage. There are going to be a lot more court cases like this because Chinese firms are becoming bolder in how they exploit stolen software, trade secrets and other technology. In the past, the Chinese were careful in the use of stolen tech when exporting their own military equipment copied from Russian designs. The Chinese had started doing this during the Cold War, which sometimes got fairly hot (there were some deadly border skirmishes in the 1970a) because China and Russia developed some territorial and ideological disputes that did not settle down until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

The Russians are still angry about the continued Chinese theft of their tech and growing Russian threats over this caused the Chinese to sign agreements in the last decade that declared Chinese firms would stop stealing and reselling Russian tech. In practice, this only slowed the Chinese down, but it placated the Russians for a while. Currently, the Americans are starting to sound like the Russians in the 1990s, but the Americans have more legal and economic clout to deploy and this situation is liable to get ugly before (if ever) it gets better.  [Read More:  strategypage/26May2018]

How Redefining Army Intel Can Help Fight High-End Adversaries.  Many senior leaders admit the Army divested a lot of its electronic warfare capability over the last decade-plus, so the service is currently undergoing efforts aimed at injecting capability back into formations.

One way is the Army is beginning to fuse intelligence and electronic warfare at a broad strategic level, as well as in integrated capabilities to be used by new tactical formations.

At the broad level, the Army recently authored what's known as an initial capabilities document regarding the Terrestrial Layer Intelligence Support to Multi-domain and Joint Combined Arms Maneuver concepts. This document outlines problems across intelligence disciplines.

On the platform side, the Army has decided to scrap its primary program that sought to deliver ground and vehicle forces organic electronic warfare capability - known as Multifunctional Electronic Warfare ground - and replace it with the Terrestrial Layer System (TLS).  [Read More:  Pomerleau/c4isrnet/24May2018]

New CIA Chief Followed Law, Served Country.  Kentucky was center stage recently in the political drama of the Senate's consideration of a CIA director nominee. Ashland native Gina Haspel was confirmed in the end, but only after being raked over the coals by a line of posturing senators, including another Kentuckian, Rand Paul.

Paul ignored reason by standing in line with Democrats of The Resistance and other grand-standers repeatedly asserting Haspel had served "immorally." The central issue asserted was that she violated moral codes by participating in what was alleged to have been torture in the interrogations of 9/11 terrorists.

For the uninformed, torture means pulling out fingernails with pliers, cutting off fingers and toes, burning, freezing and hooking up electrodes to various body parts. Torture is prohibited by laws and our national policies and rightly so.

But allowing U.S. constitutional rights to organized terrorists only signals that they need not cooperate in any way. Enter the in-between, called "enhanced interrogation," under which torture was still not allowed, but limited physical coercion was allowed.  [Read More:  Engle/kentucky/25May2018]


Section IV - Jobs, Obituaries

Jobs

Raytheon has immediate needs for CIA retirees interested in very flexible, part-time, declassification review work that includes reviews of historical intelligence information and special interest collections, prepublications review of books, manuscripts and resumes. Tasks also include review and release of FOIA, Privacy Act, and litigation reviews, and case management work. The program has mission critical needs and immediate independent contractor openings for seasoned intelligence analysts, those with technical and human operations experience, as well as experience in all of the support functions. This 1099 work is at the customer site located in the Herndon area. You'll have the opportunity to set your own schedules in a stress free environment with maximum flexibility and weekly pay. TS/SCI w/poly and crossover eligible.
For details, please contact Raytheon at: MS_Recruiting@raytheon.com

Two Upcoming Hiring Events: One for Polygraph-Tested Professionals and one for Cyber Warriors.

TECHEXPO Polygraph-Only Hiring Event will be held Wednesday, 20 June 2018, at the BWI Marriott, Linthicum Heights, MD
A CI or Full Scope Polygraph is Required to Attend
Register: https://www.TechExpoUSA.com/jobfair.cfm?jobfairid=768

TECHEXPO Cyber Security Hiring Event will be held Thursday, 28 June 2018, at the RItz-Carlton Tysons Corner, McLean, VA.
Cyber Security Experience and a Security Clearance is Required to Attend
Register: https://www.TechExpoUSA.com/jobfair.cfm?jobfairid=769

Obituaries

Barbara Ann Brey, 83, former Deputy Branch Chief at NSA, died 19 May 2018 in Laurel, MD. She graduated Marquette University with a BA in English and after raising her family she graduated with a second degree from the University of Maryland. In 1998 she retired from the National Security Agency as a Deputy Branch Chief. In her 18 years of outstanding service, she received numerous commendations, citations, and awards. Barbara was an active member of many groups, and enjoyed reading, writing, quilting, weaving, hiking, and her beloved dogs (Wayupa and Wanaci). Barbara is survived by her husband, Leon Brey; by three sons and one daughter, and other family.

Carlotta "Lolly" Johnston Fendig, 95, a former OSS and CIA employee and spouse, died 21 May 2018 in Washington, DC. Lolly worked at the National Resources Planning Board and later at the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) from 1943-1945 serving in Washington, DC, Caserta, Italy and Salzburg, Austria. After the war, she was appointed to the Strategic Services Unit of the War Department and eventually to CIA where she met her husband, Philip Fendig. She accompanied her husband to postings in Tokyo, Japan; London, UK; Munich, Germany; and The Hague, The Netherlands. She took up the responsibilities of a diplomat's wife, became an experienced hostess and de facto emissary, and worked in a volunteer capacity at embassies and consulates, supporting fellow Foreign Service wives in adjusting to life overseas. Mrs. Fendig was patriotic, devout, a loyal friend to many, and an interested participant in life. A proud 3rd generation Washingtonian, a graduate of the Georgetown Visitation Convent, she volunteered at the Historical Society of Washington, DC, and was active in the Christ Child Society. She enjoyed all forms of art, especially the writings of the Bronte sisters and of Thomas Merton, musicals, opera, the music of Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey, and was a longtime subscriber to The Arena Stage. Mrs. Fendig is survived by two daughters, three sons, and other family.

Virginia "Ginny" Bradford Olds Goshdigian, NSA Linguist and Manager of Language Training, 76, died 20 May 2018 of pancreatic cancer in Ashton, MD. Known as Ginny Gosh, she graduated from Holton-Arms School in 1959 and as Phi Beta Kappa from Connecticut College for Women in 1963. Immediately after graduation she joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Turkey teaching English as a foreign language. She later worked for the National Security Agency for many years as a linguist and as a manager in charge of all language training except Russian. She traveled extensively, mostly in Europe and Turkey. In addition, Ginny and her husband, Haig, had two houses, one in Ashton, MD, with a retreat at their house in Foster, RI. Both houses were in terrible condition and they devoted much time and effort fixing up the houses and the grounds, with large vegetable and herb gardens, their pride and joy. She is survived by two nieces, a nephew, and other family.

Luis Posada Carriles, 90, Battle scarred, Cuban-born former CIA operative, spent decades trying to overthrow Fidel Castro's socialist dictatorship and was accused of orchestrating a string of deadly attacks on civilians, died of throat cancer on 23 May 2018 in Hollywood, FL.

Mr. Posada came from an upper-middle-class Cuban family, attended college in Havana a few years behind Castro (who he recalled "dressed like a gangster"), missed participating in the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, once escaped from a Venezuelan military prison disguised as a priest, was said to have masterminded the explosion of a Cuban jetliner and the bombing of hotels in Havana, played a supporting role in the Iran-contra scandal, and was pierced by a dozen bullets during an attempt on his life in Guatemala. Posada, a freedom fighter, is one of the last of a group of hardened Cuban exiles who believed all means were justified overthrowing Castro's government. He published a memoir Los Caminos del Guerrero, [The Paths of the Warrior].
Posada, who was never convicted of violent crimes, maintained fervent support among many in the Cuban exile community. "The CIA taught us everything — everything," Mr. Posada told the New York Times in 1998. "They taught us explosives, how to kill, bomb, trained us in acts of sabotage. When the Cubans were working for the CIA, they were called patriots. 'Acciones de sabotaje' was the term they used to classify this type of operation. Now they call it terrorism. The times have changed. We were betrayed because Americans think like Americans."
In his late teens, Carriles entered the University of Havana where he encountered Castro, a law student who was making a name for himself on campus for his fiery, radical politics. Like many others, Posada was opposed to Batista's corrupt military junta, but was more offended by Castro's bullying tactics and gun-wielding coterie. Posada studied chemistry before working for Firestone Tire and Rubber in Havana and Akron, OH. After the 1959 revolution that overthrew Batista, Posada spent a short stint in a Cuban military prison for his open criticism of the new government's confiscations of property. He escaped and fled to the Argentine Embassy where he gained safe passage to Buenos Aires and then Miami, a beehive of anti-Castro radicalism. There, he volunteered for the White House-authorized training by CIA of a force of Cuban expatriates planning the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. He was in a second wave force which never were activated with the mission failed.
Posada joined the U.S. Army and trained in intelligence and demolition work and continued his affiliation with the CIA before moving to Venezuela in 1967 to eventually become a leader in the country's security police. His mandate was to eradicate Castro-aligned left-wing guerrilla groups in the oil-rich nation. He oversaw a network of informants. Posada's reputation for violent excess — and rumors of involvement with drug trafficking and gangsters — led to his firing in the mid-1970s. The U.S. government distanced itself from any association with Posada who had told the agency of his plots to blow up a Cubana Airlines jetliner. In October 1976, a Cubana DC-8 bound for Havana blew up soon after taking off after a stopover in Barbados, killing all 73 people on board, including teenagers from Cuba's national fencing team. The explosives had been packed into a toothpaste tube. Venezuelan investigators said they were able to trace the luggage carrying the explosives to men associated with Posada. He and several accomplices spent nine years in a Venezuelan prison. He bribed the warden and escaped in 1985, wearing clerical garb. Via shrimp boat and then private plane, Posada made his way to El Salvador, where he became part of the covert weapons supply line to U.S.-backed contra rebels in Nicaragua battling the Marxist-Leninist Sandinista government. When the operation unraveled in 1986, after a contra supply plane was shot down, Mr. Posada turned to private security work in Guatemala. He became a consultant to the democratically-elected president, Vinicio Cerezo, who took power after a decades-long civil war and military dictatorship. Mr. Posada was tasked with watching out for a potential coup by disgruntled officers or assassination attempts by left-wing guerrillas.
In 1990, gunmen shot him 12 times while his car was trapped in Guatemala City traffic. He survived but required many surgeries. His nerves were damaged, his mouth disfigured, and he spoke with a gravelly whisper. He claimed the would-be assassins worked for Cuban intelligence, but his shadowy activities made him the target for many groups throughout the hemisphere. Into his senior years, Mr. Posada drew attention yet again for more possible violent acts against Cuba. A series of bombs were detonated at upscale Havana tourist spots in 1997, and in news interviews, Mr. Posada appeared to admit his role in plotting the operation as an effort to disrupt tourism; he later backed away from the claim. An Italian vacationer was killed and several others were injured in the explosions. In 2000, Posada was taken into custody in Panama for his involvement in a plan to assassinate Castro, visiting for a summit. Posada received a pardon after serving four years. He then entered the US illegally and sought political asylum, which led to his trial in 2011 on immigration-related charges. A federal jury in El Paso acquitted him. Survivors include his second wife, Elina Nieves, and their two children.  [Read More:  cbslocal/23May2018]


Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Friday, 1 June 2018 - Tysons, VA - AFIO Spring Luncheon featuring Deputy Director of CIA for Analysis and two other keynote speakers

This special luncheon features three keynote speakers. They are: Richard W. Hoch, Deputy Director of CIA for Analysis, on "The Directorate of Analysis and the Future of Analysis" [Remarks are off the record. No recording, quoting, or media permitted] Bruce Riedel, CIA and Brookings, on "The Future of US-Saudi Relations," based on his book, Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States Since FDR. and R. Scott Decker, FBI, on Recounting the Anthrax Attacks: Terror, the Amerithrax Task Force, and the Evolution of Forensics in the FBI.

NOTE EARLIER START TIME: Badge pick-up at 9:15 to 10 a.m. First speaker, Scott Decker, at 10 a.m.; Bruce Riedel at 11 a.m. and DD/A Hoch at 1 p.m.

Registration opens Friday, 6 April. Link will appear at www.afio.com and in next Weekly Notes
Location: DoubleTree-Hilton, Tysons Corner, VA [formerly the Crowne Plaza], at 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22102.

Monday, 24 September 2018, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO NY Metro Chapter hosts Elizabeth Peek on "The Inextricable Links between Economics, Intelligence, and National Security."

Elizabeth Peek is a writer and columnist for The Fiscal Times, an online bipartisan policy journal, covering politics, finance, and economics. In prior years she was the lead business columnist for the New York Sun, and contributing editor to the New York Post, the Huffington Post, The Motley Fool, the Wall Street Journal, and Women on the Web, as well as to numerous magazines. She is a frequent guest on Bloomberg TV shows, CBS, Fox, and CNBC.
One of the first women partners of a major bracket Wall Street firm, she moved on to Wertheim & Company where she was one of the top three oilfield analysts ranked by Institutional Investor Magazine. She became Associate Director of Research, Head of International Research, and director of the firm's equity business in Tokyo, and then a General Partner and then a Managing Director of Wertheim Schroder after the two companies merged.
She graduated with honors in economics from Wellesley College and is a certified CFA.

Location: Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd St (between Park and Lexington), New York, NY 10065.
Timing: Registration starts at 5:30 pm, Speaker presentation starts at 6 pm. Fee: $50/person. Payment at the door only. Cash or check. Full dinner, cash bar.
RSVP: Strongly recommended that you RSVP to ensure space at event. Call or Email Chapter President Jerry Goodwin at afiometro@gmail.com or 646-717-3776.

Monday, 3 December 2018, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO NY Metro Chapter hosts Jen Easterly on "Cyber Attacks, Terrorism, and other Threats to National Security."

Jen Easterly is currently a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley, having joined the firm after 26 years of U.S. government service in national security, military intelligence, and cyber operations. Previously, Jen served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism where she led the development of U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy.
Prior to that, she was the Deputy for Counterterrorism at the NSA, a position she assumed following retirement from the US Army, where her service included command and staff assignments in the intelligence and cyber fields, as well as tours of duty in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
A graduate of West Point, she holds a Master's degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Oxford where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a French-American Foundation Young Leader, Jen is the recipient of the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, the George S. Franklin Fellowship, and the Director, National Security Agency Fellowship. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

Location: Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd St (between Park and Lexington), New York, NY 10065.
Timing: Registration starts at 5:30 pm, Speaker presentation starts at 6 pm.
Fee: $50/person. Payment at the door only. Cash or check. Full dinner, cash bar.
RSVP: Strongly recommended that you RSVP to ensure space at event. Call or Email Chapter President Jerry Goodwin at afiometro@gmail.com or 646-717-3776.


Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others'

Wednesday, 30 May 2018, 7-10pm - Washington, DC - Dinner with a Spy: An Evening with Mubin Shaikh - at 701 Restaurant with the International Spy Museum

Enjoy a martini "Shaikh'n Not Stirred" and a delicious three-course dinner* with Mubin Shaikh as he shares his personal journey from former extremist to undercover operative and global expert on terrorism. Shaikh is one of the very few people in the world to have actually been undercover in a homegrown terror cell. After coming out of extremism himself, he decided to use his connections as a former jihadist sympathizer and supporter to fight terrorism by working undercover for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team to infiltrate extremist persons and groups. All his prior investigations remain CLASSIFIED except for the "Toronto 18," his final one, a group that was infiltrated and eventually prosecuted in open court, where Shaikh testified in the Superior Court in 5 legal hearings over 4 years. Leaders of the group planned for catastrophic terror attacks including placing three truck bombs in Toronto that were the size of Oklahoma City's bomb, storming the Parliament, and beheading the Canadian Prime Minister.
To be one of only 12 guests at dinner at 701 Restaurant: email Amanda Ohlke at aohlke@spymuseum.org. Tickets for the general public: $265 per person; Members: $235 *includes hors d'oeuvres, and three-course dinner with signature cocktails and wine. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

3 - 15 June 2018 - Charlottesville, VA - 26th National Security Law Institute Call for Applications

The 26th National Security Law Institute will take place June 3 through June 15, 2018. The National Security Law Institute provides advanced training for government officials and professors of law and political science who teach or are preparing to teach graduate-level courses in national security law or related subjects requiring a detailed understanding of National Security Law. Applications are also invited from government attorneys in the national security community who are actively engaged in the practice of national security law or otherwise have a professional need for such training. This annual intensive two-week course is held at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia. Prominent scholars and current and former government experts will take part in lectures, panels, and debates to address both theoretical background and important contemporary issues of national security law.

Topics addressed include: Contemporary Theory Concerning the Origins of War and the "Democratic Peace"; Aggression & Self-Defense; The ISIL Threat; Cyber Threats; War and Treaty Powers under the Constitution; Intelligence and the Law; Domestic and Transnational Terrorism; Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Warfare Threats; Law of Armed Conflict; War Crimes and Their Prosecution; and Maritime Concerns/South China Sea.

Accommodations: Hyatt Place Charlottesville, 2100 Bond St (GPS use 1954 Swanson Dr), Charlottesville, VA. Approximately 25-30 participants are selected to attend each Institute. Participants are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from Charlottesville and paying a tuition fee of $1,950.00, which includes lodging, lunches, course materials, and any group dinners during the Institute. The deadline for applications for the 2018 Institute is May 11, 2018. For additional information please contact Bill Lacy regarding applications (blacy@law.virginia.edu) or Mer McLernon (mer@law.virginia.edu) for logistics (lodging, meals, etc.). The Center has a small fund from which to provide scholarship assistance to a few applicants who might otherwise not be able to attend the program. More information here.

Monday, 4 June 2018, 5:30 - 9:30 pm - Washington, DC - An Evening with General Hayden at the International Spy Museum

Join other guests at the Spy Museum for this private reception with General Michael V. Hayden to celebrate the launch of his newest book: The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies. It is a "blistering critique of the forces threatening the American intelligence community, in a time when that community's work has never been harder or more important." A evening of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a fascinating conversation with former Director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, General Michael Hayden.
Timing: 5:30pm VIP reception, Cocktails & hors d'oeuvres; 6 - 9:30pm - Program.
Location: International Spy Museum, 800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004.
Fee: $225
Register here, or for more information, contact Rebecca Diamond at rdiamond@spymuseum.org or 202.654.0954

Thursday, 7 June 2018, noon - Washington, DC - Facts and Fears with James R. Clapper at the International Spy Museum

When he stepped down in January 2017 as the fourth United States director of national intelligence, James Clapper had been President Obama's senior intelligence adviser for six and a half years, longer than his three predecessors combined. He led the US intelligence community through a period that included the raid on Osama bin Laden, the Benghazi attack, the leaks of Edward Snowden, and Russia's influence operation during the 2016 US election campaign. Join Clapper as he discusses his new book Facts and Fears, which offers a look inside the US Intelligence Community, gives his assessment of some of the most difficult challenges in our nation's history, and raises the big moral and ethical questions facing the intelligence community today. Facts and Fears will be available for sale and signing at the event.
Fee: $15 per ticket. Register here.

Tuesday, 19 June 2018, 11:30 am - 1 pm - McLean, VA - The DIForum hosts Dr. Robert H. Latiff, (Maj Gen USAF-Ret) on "Preparing for the New Global Battlefield."

The Defense Intel Alumni Association luncheon features Dr. Robert H Latiff, Major General USAF (retired) discussing The Future of War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield.
Dr. Robert H. Latiff retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2006. He is a consultant, providing advice on advanced technology matters to corporate and government clients and to universities. Dr. Latiff is an Adjunct Faculty Member with the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a Research Professor at George Mason University, with interests primarily in technologies to support the U.S. Intelligence Community. He received his Ph.D. and his M.S. in materials science and his B.S. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame and is a graduate of the National Security Fellows Program at Harvard's JFK School of Government. He is a member of the Intelligence Community Studies Board and the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
MG Latiff's remarks will be off the record and not for attribution
Location: Pulcinella Restaurant, 6852 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, Virginia 22101
Fee: $30pp
RSVP here.

20 June 2018 - Annapolis Junction, MD - NCMF Summer Cryptologic Program features Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith on "American Diplomatic and Military Strategy and its Clash with Saudi Culture."

The 2018 NCMF Summer Cryptologic Program will feature Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith with a presentation on American diplomatic and military strategy, and its clash with Saudi culture. Janet Breslin-Smith is president of Crosswinds International Consulting. She draws on a 30-year career in public service, including leadership roles in the US Senate, the National War College, and in Saudi Arabia, where she focused on higher education and outreach to women. She has written and lectured on strategy and culture, macroeconomics and Islam, women, Islam, and Saudi Arabia. Her article, "The Struggle to Erase Saudi Extremism," appeared in November 2015 in the New York Times. She is the co-author of The National War College: A History of Strategic Thinking in Peace and War. Breslin-Smith, a professor of national security strategy for 14 years at the National War College in Washington, D.C., was the first woman to chair that department. She was named Outstanding Professor at the College in 2006. Prior to her academic career, she was legislative director for Sen. Patrick J. Leahy and deputy staff director of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Breslin-Smith resided in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2009 through 2013, with her husband, Ambassador James Smith. She developed extensive contacts with Saudi women leaders in higher education, medicine, business, banking, and philanthropy. She lectured at Alfaisal University, the Diplomatic Studies Institute and CellA+ women's business networks. She consulted with Saudi women members newly appointed to the Shura Council. Breslin-Smith earned her PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles and her undergraduate degree in international relations from the University of Southern California.

Where: CACI, Inc., 2720 Technology Dr, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. For further information and registration, visit this link. Registration at that link to be available shortly.

Tuesday, 10 July 2018, 6:45 pm - Washington, DC - "The Cambridge Five: Soviet Intelligence Spies" discussed by author Calder Walton at the Smithsonian

Kim Philby's name is almost synonymous with Soviet espionage. But Philby was not alone: Along with Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross, he was one of five "Cambridge spies" who penetrated the heart of British intelligence at the height of the Cold War. Using recently declassified British, American, and Soviet intelligence records, Calder Walton, Ernest May Fellow in history and policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, explores the lives and treachery of these British elites from Cambridge University recruited into Soviet intelligence in the 1930s. He examines why they betrayed their homeland for Russia, how close British intelligence came to catching them, reveals another hitherto-undisclosed Soviet spy recruited from Cambridge, and evidence for a similar Soviet espionage ring at Oxford. Walton assesses the damage the Cambridge spies did to the British secret state, and to Britain's closest intelligence ally, the United States. He also sees the story as more than ancient history, and discusses how the legacy of the Cambridge spies is still reflected in contemporary Russian intelligence operations.

Walton is the author Empire of Secrets: British intelligence, the Cold War and the Twilight of Empire [Overlook Pr, 2013].

To Register: use code: 1H0354. $30 Smithsonian Members; $45 nonmembers.
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW, Metro: Smithsonian (Mall exit) More information or to register.

Wednesday, 28 November 2018, 6 - 10:30 pm - Washington, DC - International Spy Museum's Annual "William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner" honoring Adm McRaven

For your calendar. A special evening to illuminate the critical role of individuals and organizations serving the Intelligence Community, and to raise funds in support of the International Spy Museum.

The William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner will take place at The Ritz Carlton Hotel. More than 600 attendees are anticipated and will recognize the men and women who have served in the field of National Security with integrity and distinction. This annual tribute dinner is given by the International Spy Museum to an individual who has embodied the values of Judge William H. Webster. This year's honoree is a patriot for whom love of country has been his guiding principle: Admiral William H. McRaven, former US Special Operations Commander, former Joint Special Operations Commander, and Chancellor of The University of Texas System.
Schedule: 6 pm - VIP Reception; 6:30 pm - Cocktail Reception; 7:30 - 9 pm - Dinner & Awards; 9 - 10:30 pm - Dessert Reception.
Location: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 1150 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037. **Please note: this event is closed to Media**
Tickets Available Now: Prices range from $100,000 to a single seat for $495. Funds raised at this tribute dinner will support artifact preservation, educational programming, research, exhibits, and accessibility programs for underserved communities at the International Spy Museum. To purchase tickets now, do so here. To learn more about this annual dinner, it is available here.


Gift Suggestions:

AFIO's Guide to the Study of IntelligenceAFIO's 788-page Guide to the Study of Intelligence. Peter C. Oleson, Editor, also makes a good gift. View authors and table of contents here.

Perfect for professors, students, those considering careers in intelligence, and current/former officers seeking to see what changes are taking place across a wide spectrum of intelligence disciplines.

AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence helps instructors teach about the large variety of subjects that make up the field of intelligence. This includes secondary school teachers of American History, Civics, or current events and undergraduate and graduate professors of History, Political Science, International Relations, Security Studies, and related topics, especially those with no or limited professional experience in the field. Even those who are former practitioners are likely to have only a limited knowledge of the very broad field of intelligence, as most spend their careers in one or two agencies at most and may have focused only on collection or analysis of intelligence or support to those activities.

For a printed, bound copy, it is $95 which includes Fedex shipping to a CONUS (US-based) address.
To order for shipment to a US-based CONUS address, use this online form,

To order multiple copies or for purchases going to AK, HI, other US territories, or other countries call our office at 703-790-0320 or send email to afio@afio.com to hear of shipment fees.

Order the Guide from the AFIO's store at this link.

...ORDER HERE from AFIO.

The Guide is also available directly from Amazon at this link.

MousepadAFIO's 2017 Intelligence Community Mousepads are a great looking addition to your desk...or as a gift for others..
Made in USA. Click image for larger view.

These 2017 mousepads have full color seals of all 18 members of the US Intelligence Community on this 8" round, slick surface, nonskid, rubber-backed mouse pad with a darker navy background, brighter, updated seals. Also used, by some, as swanky coasters. Price still only $20.00 for 2 pads [includes shipping to US address. Foreign shipments - we will contact you with quote.] Order NEW MOUSEPADS here.

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