AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes

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, po, mh, km, gh, mk, rd, fm, kc, jm, mr, jg, th, ed, 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.]
If you are having difficulties with the links or viewing this newsletter when it arrives by email, members may view the latest edition each week at this link. You will need your LOGIN NAME and your PASSWORD.

Everyone got what they wanted. Except you. Now get something for yourself. These are also appropriate for intelligence officers, colleagues, recruitments, agents, advisors, and family.

The AFIO Store has following new items ready for quick shipment:

NEW: Long and Short-Sleeved Shirts with embroidered AFIO Logo

Show your support for AFIO with our new Polo Shirts. Be the first to buy these new, high quality, subtle heathered grey shirts of shrink and wrinkle resistant fine cotton with a soft yet substantial feel. They feature a detailed embroidered AFIO seal. Get a shirt for yourself and consider as gifts for colleagues, family, and friends. Only $45 each including shipping.
Sizes of (M) men or (W) women shirts; Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and XXXL. At this time all orders will arrive as Short Sleeve shirts.
You may pay by check or credit card. Complete your order online here or mail an order along with payment to: AFIO, 7600 Leesburg Pike, Ste 470 East, Falls Church, VA 22043-2004. Phone orders at 703-790-0320.
If interested in other shirt colors or sleeve lengths, contact Annette at: annettej@afio.com.

NEW: Mug with color glazed logo. Made in America. (We left out all that lead-based glaze and hidden toxins in those mugs made in China being sold by other organizations). Also sturdy enough to sit on desk to hold pens, cards, paperclips, and candy.

This handsome large, heavy USA-made ceramic mug is dishwasher-safe with a glazed seal. $35 per mug includes shipping. Order this and other store items online here.

The International Spy Museum is launching an inaugural volunteer program before moving to the new L'Enfant Plaza location in 2019. Our volunteers will be the first to experience this new and expanded vision of SPY and will provide a vital role in establishing a robust team dedicated to serving and engaging guests. Click image below to view full page. To find out more, please visit HERE.

NCMF 2019 Spring Cryptologic Program Featuring Mr. C. Eric Estberg on Berlin Daze

Wednesday, 27 March 2019, 10 am - 1 pm - Annapolis Junction, MD

The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation's 2019 Spring Cryptologic Program features C. Eric "Rick" Estberg, author of the book Berlin Daze. Following his presentation, a book signing and lunch will take place from 1145 to 1300. Books will be available for purchase for $20. Learn more about Mr. Estberg, his presentation, and his book below.

Berlin Daze recounts dozens of Estberg's adventures and unique experiences over a seven-year period in walled West Berlin, as an Army NCO and an NSA civilian. As a "Cold Warrior" he served literally on the front lines, separated by only a few miles from hundreds of thousands of Soviet and East German soldiers. Unlike others who spent much of a career in those days simply training for some possible future crisis, Rick actually lived his real-world mission, day-in and day-out, along with hundreds of others of talented, dedicated military and civilian intelligence specialists.

Registration: The registration fee includes lunch. It is $25 for members and guests. To register now online follow this link.

Or you may mail-in your registration fee by check to NCMF, PO Box 1682, Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-9998. Include names of self and your guests. For more details, please call the NCMF office at 301-688-5436. ***Deadline for registration is 25 March 2019.*****

Event Location: CACI Inc., Maryland Conference Center, 2720 Technology Dr, Annapolis Junction, MD 20755. Google map link here.

More about this event, about the author or book, is here.

Additional information or questions can be handled at NCMF Office at cryptmf@aol.com or call 301-688-5436

New and Forthcoming Books of the Week

Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board
by Vince Houghton
(Penguin Books, May 2019)

Houghton, the International Spy Museum's Historian, surveys 24 outlandish, abandoned plans of US military and intelligence agencies, such as building ships out of ice and sawdust, using cats implanted with recording devices as spies in Russia, and nuking the moon -- all schemes were ultimately deemed too dangerous, expensive, ahead of their time, or even certifiably ludicrous.

Houghton uses these schemes to show that WWII and the Cold War were periods of desperation and innovation; a combination that led to brilliant missions and technological advances. For every Argo or Operation Mincemeat, there were countless abandoned plans deemed laughable, irrational, or impossible. Plans included the US Navy's plan to turn bats into flying firebombs; the Kennedy administration's plan to build a command center 4,000 feet underground; and the cornucopia of US plans to attack Cuba. Through archival research and interviews, Houghton reviews twenty-four of these abandoned plans, and recounts the story behind each one.

"A lot of the most successful covert actions begin life as crazy ideas, struggling to survive against entrenched opposition. Then again, some of them really are crazy ideas and deservedly die a painful bureaucratic death." ―Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and CIA

"America's rejected national security plans and programs have never been described so fully, nor been made so fun to read, as here in the talented hands of Vince Houghton. You'll never look the same way at the US military, the CIA, or Cold War history―not to mention your neighborhood's stray cats."―David Priess, former CIA officer and author of The President's Book of Secrets

"Dr. Vince Houghton ... skewers some of the military and intelligence community's weirdest, wackiest, and most outlandish plots, plans, and covert operations! From the story of the CIA's bugged kitty cat to tales of arming Chinese call girls with poisons, and blowing up the moon, it's a great read and highly recommended!"―H. Keith Melton, intelligence historian and co-author of Spycraft

"The litany of bizarre schemes and harebrained ideas had me continually asking, 'what were they thinking?' From ideas like the acoustic cat to synthetic goat poop, and so many ideas related to the use atomic weapons, I would laugh out loud if it weren't so scary. As a CIA veteran, I'm just glad that my name can't be found in its pages." ―John Sipher, former CIA Chief of Station and lead instructor at CIA's clandestine training school

"...reminds us that when national survival is believed threatened, desperation and innovation become kindred spirits that can make the otherwise unimaginable become real." ―Robert Wallace, former director of the Office of Technical Services and co-author of Spycraft

Book may be ordered here.

Guardian: Life in the Crosshairs of the CIA's War on Terror
by Thomas Pecora
(Post Hill Press, May 2019)

A CIA security officer recounts a twenty-four-year career protecting America's intelligence personnel and senior USG Officials against a backdrop of the War on Terror.

Pecora pulls back the curtain on the little-known activities of CIA's Protective Operations Cadre (POC)―security teams who work on the front lines in some of the most dangerous places in the world. Somalia was Pecora's first deployment as a POC officer. He later headed up a series of the Agency's undisclosed protective operations teams. The existence of these teams was first exposed during the famous 2012 battle in Benghazi when the Annex Security Team saved the lives of the State Department employees, the subject of the movie, 13 Hours.
From 1989 until his retirement in 2013, he was assigned to multiple war zones across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, doing the kind of work known to few. It includes the encounter known as Black Hawk Down, the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, and the hotbeds across the Middle East where fires continue to burn. Over the course of a career that saw him receive the Career Intelligence Medal, Intelligence Star, Meritorious Unit Citation, and numerous Exceptional Performance Awards, Pecora distinguished himself as a Protective Operations Cadre (POC) member and as a CIA Security Officer.
Pecora shows the he's prepared to shed light on the world of clandestine protective operations and the selfless, heroic warriors dedicated to keeping the US safe at all costs.

Book may be ordered here.

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
by Sonia Purnell
(Viking, Apr 2019)

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

The target: Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and—despite her prosthetic leg—helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it.

Virginia established spy networks throughout France, summoned weapons and explosives from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. As her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was on her head, Virginia refused orders to evacuate. She finally escaped through a hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerrilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day.

Book may be ordered here.

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

ODNI Releases Annual Overview of Islamic State and al Qaeda Networks. The Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment" today. The written statement accompanied oral testimony given by Director Daniel Coats to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

The ODNI warns that both the Islamic State and al Qaeda maintain global networks that are far from defeated. The Islamic State still has "thousands" of fighters in Iraq and Syria alone, contradicting claims by President Trump and other administration officials that the so-called caliphate has been defeated.

The map above is the ODNI's assessment of the areas where the Islamic State, al Qaeda and affiliated groups operate. The Islamic State and al Qaeda remain bitter rivals, often clashing in some of the areas shown. However, both have a significant global footprint. [Read more: Joscelyn/LongWarJournal/29January2019]

Department of Justice Reveals Effort Targeting North Korean Hackers. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed an ongoing effort to disrupt a North Korean botnet, or "global network of numerous infected computers under the control of North Korean hackers." DOJ's action serves as a reminder that North Korea poses a threat to the U.S. and its allies not only with its nuclear and conventional weapons, but also with a wide range of asymmetric capabilities including cyber operations.

DOJ's target is the Joanap botnet, which it described as a second-stage malware spread by a virus called Brambul. Joanap and Brambul have persisted since 2009 despite the availability of antivirus software capable of defending against or remediating infections. Last May, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US- CERT) issued a technical alert on both Joanap and Brambul, which reportedly has compromised 87 network nodes across 17 different countries. This latest action follows DOJ's charges against Pak Jin Hyok, a North Korean computer programmer involved in several North Korean cyberattacks.

To confront and disable North Korea's cyber intruders, the FBI and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) obtained search warrants permitting them to operate servers that imitated parts of the botnet. This allowed the FBI and AFOSI to collect technical evidence - primarily IP addresses, port numbers, and connection time stamps - to build a clearer map of the entire Joanap botnet and the infected computers. [Read more: Ha/FDD/1February2019]

Intelligence Strategy Outlines Measures for a Complex Threat Environment. A new strategy for U.S. intelligence looks to improve integration of counterintelligence and security efforts, increasingly address cyber threats, and have clear guidance of civil liberties, privacy and transparency. As outlined in the U.S. National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats, the intelligence community is facing a turbulent and complex strategic environment, and as such, the community "must do things differently."

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released the strategy, which will guide the efforts of the 17 organizations of the U.S. intelligence community (IC) - the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Security Agency (NSA) and other agencies - for the next four years.

Some leaders of the IC, including Coats; FBI Director Christopher Wray; CIA Director Gina Haspel; DIA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, USA; NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, USA; and NGA Director Robert Cardillo; all testified on Capitol Hill on January 29 as to the threats America faces from adversaries. The leaders presented to the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence their annual Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. [Read more: Underwood/Signal/31January2019]

How Will the Army Use Electronic Warfare? The Pentagon's Weapon Tester Wants to Know. The Pentagon's top weapons tester said the Army needs to more clearly establish how it will use electronic warfare systems as it conducts a significant, years-long initiative to rebuild its jamming capabilities for the first time since the Cold War.

According to the annual report from the director of operational test and evaluation, the Army's current publications don't clearly help units refine their "tactics, techniques, and procedures" or for organizing and using electronic warfare on the battlefield.

Moreover, the report noted that "procedures for coordination between intelligence and EW are evolving." The report, released Jan. 31, added that "as the Army refines doctrine, it will need to place emphasis on coordination between EW and intelligence to provide EW crews with the essential information required to discern between friendly and enemy signals."

Weapons testers looked at a suite of tools delivered to U.S. Army Europe as the gap between Russian EW capabilities and the United States grows. [Read more: Pomerleau/C4ISRNet/4February2019]

Can the Government Make Cyber Cool for College Grads? One by one, six intelligence officers made a pitch for tech-savvy college graduates to join their ranks.

"There is nothing more rewarding than protecting the American people," FBI Director Chris Wray said when asked by Senator Richard Burr, R-N.C., how the government can draw in engineers and ingenuity to help secure the nation in the face of big data-driven adversaries.

"If it's cutting edge, we will be doing it in the National Security Agency," added NSA chief Paul Nakasone.

The responses, which came during a Jan. 29 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, acknowledged the challenges and opportunities for staffing the intelligence community. [Read more: Lynch/FifthDomain/1February2019]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

It's No Secret That Espionage Is This Collector's Passion. "There are probably more spies in America now than at any other point in our history," said H. Keith Melton, a longtime historical adviser to the C.I.A. who has spent the past few decades obsessively researching international espionage while amassing a sprawling collection of spyware from all sides, predating and spanning the Cold War. "I preserve and protect; I don't look at things politically."

To that end, he's donating the bulk of his collection - more than 7,000 items - to the International Spy Museum in Washington, where he's on the board. Devices heading to its new 140,000-square-foot headquarters include a Nazi Enigma code machine abandoned in France by a German unit fleeing advancing American soldiers, one of whom took it home after the war; a 13-foot-long British "Sleeping Beauty" submarine that allowed a single sailor to slip undetected into an enemy harbor; and a British-built World War II-era cigarette that fires a .22-caliber bullet.

Even as thousands of pieces are being donated, however, undercover gear and espionage ephemera fill the guesthouse adjoining the Boca Raton home where Mr. Melton and his wife, Karen, live, making it a de facto private spy museum. "I'm not sure I'd want to sleep under the same roof as some of this stuff," Mrs. Melton said, eyeing a particularly ominous bust of Stalin. [Read more: Sokol/NYTimes/29January2019]

'The Registry' Shows Vets Fighting to Preserve Legacy of Military Intelligence Service. "The Registry," a film highlighting Japanese American soldiers whose exploits with the Military Intelligence Service in World War II helped the Allied Forces defeat Japan, will screen Feb. 23 at 4:45 p.m., during the Nichi Bei Foundation's eighth annual Films of Remembrance program at the New People Cinema, 1746 Post St., in San Francisco's Japantown.

The documentary by Bill Kubota and Steve Ozone focuses on a number of Nisei veterans in their twilight years as they reflect on what they did in the MIS. "With many Americans of that generation, the war remained central to their minds more than 70 years later," Kubota explained in an e-mail. "We wanted to gather their thoughts before they were gone."

Co-producers Ozone of Minneapolis and Kubota of Detroit had gathered some oral histories of Nisei in Minnesota, which led them to the MIS story in 2011. That's when they learned about the registry compiled by Minneapolis-area resident Seiki Oshiro, who left a sugar plantation in Hawai�i to join the MIS. [Read more: Nakayama/NichiBei/31January2019]

Inside the UAE's Secret Hacking Team of American Mercenaries. Two weeks after leaving her position as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. National Security Agency in 2014, Lori Stroud was in the Middle East working as a hacker for an Arab monarchy.

She had joined Project Raven, a clandestine team that included more than a dozen former U.S. intelligence operatives recruited to help the United Arab Emirates engage in surveillance of other governments, militants and human rights activists critical of the monarchy.

Stroud and her team, working from a converted mansion in Abu Dhabi known internally as "the Villa," would use methods learned from a decade in the U.S intelligence community to help the UAE hack into the phones and computers of its enemies.

Stroud had been recruited by a Maryland cybersecurity contractor to help the Emiratis launch hacking operations, and for three years, she thrived in the job. [Read more: Bing&Schectman/Reuters/30January2019]

How a Slave-Turned-Spy Helped Secure Victory at the Battle of Yorktown. In the autumn of 1781, the American colonial army fought in the Battle of Yorktown, the final and arguably most consequential battle for American independence from British rule. By all accounts, this monumental victory, which forced the surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis and his squadron of nearly 9,000 troops, would not have been possible without crucial insider intelligence from James Armistead, a patriot who worked briefly yet effectively as a double agent for the Continental Army throughout the Revolutionary War.

He was also a slave.

At the time, slaves could fight on either side of the war, with freedom as an incentive for their service. Armistead didn't take up arms in the war, however. Instead, in 1781, he was stationed under the Marquis de Lafayette, commander of the allied French forces and a key ally of General George Washington, to infiltrate the British army through espionage. [Read more: Morgan/History/4February2019]

A Grandson Recalls William Donovan, Legendary Creator of the Office of Strategic Services. As David Donovan walked to the podium at the Palma Ceia Country Club to shake hands with the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, I wondered what it was like to grow up with a grandfather as famous as William Donovan.

Known colloquially as "Wild Bill", a moniker he apparently abhorred, William Donovan was a World War I hero and Medal of Honor recipient. But he is best known as the founder and director of the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of both the CIA and the military's Special Operations Forces.

To say that he is a legend in the world of spies and commandos is an understatement. [Read more: Altman/TampaBayTimes/4February2019]

'Willful Ignorance.' Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings. In the wake of President Donald Trump's renewed attacks on the U.S. intelligence community this week, senior intelligence briefers are breaking two years of silence to warn that the President is endangering American security with what they say is a stubborn disregard for their assessments.

Citing multiple in-person episodes, these intelligence officials say Trump displays what one called "willful ignorance" when presented with analyses generated by America's $81 billion-a-year intelligence services. The officials, who include analysts who prepare Trump's briefs and the briefers themselves, describe futile attempts to keep his attention by using visual aids, confining some briefing points to two or three sentences, and repeating his name and title as frequently as possible.

What is most troubling, say these officials and others in government and on Capitol Hill who have been briefed on the episodes, are Trump's angry reactions when he is given information that contradicts positions he has taken or beliefs he holds. Two intelligence officers even reported that they have been warned to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict stances he has taken in public. [Read more: Walcott/TIME/5February2019]

Section III - COMMENTARY

The Offbeat Genius of a Great American Spy. In 1976, the CIA's Moscow station heard some excellent news. One of its most prized sources, a well-placed Soviet diplomat who'd turned on the regime, had been transferred back to Moscow.

The asset, code-named TRIGON, had already been supplied with the T-100, an experimental CIA camera concealed inside a pen, and was in a perfect position to copy scores of classified documents.

The only challenge was getting in touch with him. [Read more: Walker/WallStreetJournal/25January2019]

China-Cambodia Military Fears in the Headlines with New US Intelligence Report. Last week, the suggestion that Cambodia could move towards changing its constitution to facilitate growing Chinese military presence in the country led to another series of headlines about Beijing's rising influence in the Southeast Asian state. While such worries are far from new, their continued articulation by U.S. officials reinforces the extent of the concern around such developments as well as the wider trends that they represent within the Indo-Pacific.

As I have noted previously in these pages, while the idea of a deepening Chinese military presence in Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Sen is far from new, there has been increased attention to this as both sides have been stepping up their defense ties and amid wider concerns including rising Chinese economic and security presence in Southeast Asia and setbacks to democracy in the region.

A case in point was late last year where we saw the latest round of public scrutiny on the notion of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia tied to a controversial, ongoing port project, with U.S. officials directly raising the issue with Cambodia. As I noted in an evaluation of these concerns, even though specifics may remain unclear for now in the public domain, these fears are not entirely unfounded given some of the developments we have already seen in recent years. [Read more: Parameswaran/TheDiplomat/5February2019]

Intelligence Transparency - But For What? The new National Intelligence Strategy released last week by DNI Dan Coats affirms transparency as a value and as a strategic priority for U.S. intelligence.

The declared purpose of intelligence transparency is to raise public esteem for intelligence and to engender public trust. But because the policy is framed primarily as a public relations effort, the resulting transparency is limited unnecessarily.

"Through transparency we will strengthen America's faith that the Intelligence Community seeks the truth, and speaks the truth," DNI Coats said.

"This will be our hallmark, and I cannot stress this enough - this is not a limitation on us. This will make us stronger. It earns trust. It builds faith, and boosts our credibility around the world for our mission. It is the right thing to do," he said on January 22. [Read more: Aftergood/FAS/31January2019]

In Moscow, There's No Longer Any Line Between Spies, Lies & Terrorists. These days there's no term more likely to attract the nut fringe than "false flag." Citing it is a surefire way to rally online monomaniacs who believe that nothing in the world is as it seems to be. The belief that nefarious secret forces pull the strings behind events is for some as addictive as opioids.

This is unfortunate, since false flag is a perfectly legitimate term in the espionage world, and it's far from new. Spies have masqueraded as someone else during their secret operations for as long as there have been spies. In extreme cases, intelligence services have undertaken terrorist attacks under a false flag to smear opponents and fool the public. Such cases, while rare, do occur.

They still happen today. A fair amount of the time, these incidents involve Russians, since the Kremlin perfected this dark art over a century ago, when professional provocateurs ran the tsar's terrorism problem bloodily into the ground. A recent case of false flag terrorism illustrates that not much has changed in the last 120 years. [Read more: Schindler/TheObserver/4February2019]

I was in the CIA. Trump's Petty Fights and Insults Will Make Us All Less Safe. The nation's top intelligence officials told Congress last week that President Trump is wrong about the success of his diplomacy with North Korea, that Iran is not attempting to manufacture a nuclear bomb and that the Islamic State is unlikely to be destroyed as quickly as the president claims. And they barely mentioned, in an annual report to Congress on the threats facing the United States, the "crisis" on the U.S.-Mexico border that Trump insists is a national emergency.

But it was Trump's response to the Worldwide Threat Assessment that shocked me, a veteran of more than 30 years in the CIA's Clandestine Service.

"Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!" Trump declared in a Wednesday morning tweet. "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong!"

Trump's public criticism of his senior intelligence leadership will damage morale in the U.S. intelligence community, as well as the relationships our security services have with their foreign counterparts. [Read more: Hall/WashingtonPost/4February2019]

Section IV - Call for Papers, Obituaries

Call for Papers

NASIH Conference, Fall 2019: Call for Papers - Deadline 1 March 2019

The North American Society for Intelligence History (NASIH) invites proposals for papers for its inaugural conference, which will be held at the International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C. on October 19-21, 2019.
Themes:
The society is seeking papers relating to:
� Analysis,
� Covert action,
� Counterintelligence and counterterrorism,
� Signals intelligence,
� Imagery intelligence, and
� Popular culture.

Submission Guidelines: Faculty, graduate students, and independent scholars are welcome. See paper details here.
Scholars interested in presenting at the conference are asked to send an abstract of no more than 500 words and a brief (1-2 page) CV to Mark Stout by March 1, 2019.

Obituaries

Bob Korn, CIA Analyst in OSR/DDI

Robert George Korn, 76, CIA Analyst in OSR, DDI, and avid kayaker, died 9 December 2017 in a fishing kayak accident near his home in New Smyrna Beach, FL. One of Bob's landmark analytical achievements was his Intelligence Report describing in detail Soviet Planning for Conducting an Air Operation against NATO in Europe: How the Soviets planned to suppress NATO air defenses to create corridors through which Soviet medium-range bombers would fly to attack NATO airfields. Using that early report, another outstanding update report on the Soviet Air Operation concept appeared a few years later. Bob, as an analyst, was well known for catching errors in DIA analytical reporting, e.g, mis-identifications of Soviet & non-Soviet Warsaw Pact military equipment. He had a keen eye for readily spotting phony, or "doctored," photos in Soviet military publications...years before "photoshopping" came into vogue. This ability was a reflection of Bob's attention to detail as a talented artist. Bob was whip-smart, full of life and energy, and never willing to accept conventional wisdom. Telling truth to power has become so cliche-ridden these days, but Bob knew what it meant and he never backed away from it. Bob and his kayak enthusiast friends floated (fell/crashed) down the roaring falls of Great Falls in Virginia. In retirement, Bob and Patty built a beautiful home overlooking the New River Gorge - spending summers in Fayetteville, WV and winters in New Smyrna Beach, FL. They were animal lovers and routinely called upon local WV police to help stop the caging of dogs for dogfights - where locals would bet on the outcomes. Near their Fayetteville home, Bob and Patty established the New River Humane Society (NRHS) for abused dogs, naming the facility "Canine Cottage." Several years ago, Fayette County named the NRHS after Bob and Patty. The family would be touched if those who wish to offer a remembrance do so to Bob's dog shelter: Bob and Patty Korn Canine Cottage, c/o New River Humane Society, 513 Shelter Rd, Fayetteville, WV 25840. Bob's wife, Patty, died in 2017. He is survived by a sister, other family, and friends. Some of those friends celebrated his life recently with a "paddle-out" into the ocean, where his ashes were scattered as he had requested.

Gloria Lara, CIA Operations Officer

Gloria Dawn McNeill Lara, 73, died of breast cancer on 27 January 2019 in Baton Rouge, LA. She was born in Carbondale, IL and was always proud to be from the Land of Lincoln. After reading the biography of Dr. Tom Dooley in high school, she decided to battle communism and joined CIA for whom she worked in Laos and El Salvador. In El Salvador, she met her husband and it was there they settled and had two sons. The family then moved to Antigua, Guatemala when the civil war in El Salvador started. After two magical years in Antigua, the family moved to the US and settled in Baton Rouge.

Gloria came to love her adopted home state. She worked as the personal assistant to Louisiana Governor David Treen while devoting her energies to raising her sons and getting them off to college. She and Francisco traveled the world, but she always said that her heart belonged in Washington DC and Antigua, Guatemala. Her hobbies included politics, traveling, and entertaining, but her true passion was people. She is survived by her husband Francisco Lara Harrison; her sons Dr. Diego Lara and Rodrigo Lara, and other family.

Edward O'Connell, CIA Operations Officer

Edward Joseph O'Connell, 92, a CIA Operations Officer, died 26 January 2019 in Vienna, VA Edward was born in Worcester, MA. He received his degree in journalism from Northeastern University in 1952. He was a proud Navy veteran who served in WW II on the USS Trousdale AKA-79. He participated in the Invasion of Okinawa in support of the 10th Army. He was awarded many medals for his service including the World War II Victory medal, Navy Occupation Service medal, China Service medal, American Campaign Asiatic medal. In 1953 Edward joined CIA and retired in1984. He earned the Intelligence Medal of Merit and also the Career Achievement Award. He is survived by his wife, Alice Yaeger O'Connell, a son, and other family.

Ellen Parke, CIA Officer

Margaret Ellen Parke, 68, of Fairfax, VA, died 22 January 2019 in Miami, FL of an illness acquired during a Caribbean Cruise which had just ended. Ellen was born to a Navy family which lived in many different places in the US and around the world. They eventually settled in Washington, DC. Ellen attended Hollins College, Roanoke, VA, from which she graduated in 1971 with a BA in French, having studied a year in Paris. Following in her father's footsteps, Ellen joined Central Intelligence Agency, where she spent 34 years as an Intelligence Officer, including more than 15 years at multiple positions in Europe. Highly respected for her operational and analytical acumen, she spoke French and several other languages. She mentored many young CIA officers and left a lasting impact on subsequent generations of officers. After retirement, Ellen became an active volunteer with numerous organizations: her church, her college, with the Circumnavigators Club, an international organization of men and women who have circled the globe, and the Army-Navy Club of Washington. She was a Washington Nationals (baseball) fan. She is survived by a sister, and other family. A memorial service for Ellen will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, on Tuesday, April 2, at 1:30 pm.

Bob Schrott, NPIC Photo Interpreter, CIA

Robert Charles Schrott III, 78, died 11 January 2018 in Bowie, MD. Bob grew up in Pittsburgh, PA graduating from the Univ. of Pittsburgh with a BS in Geography in 1962. Bob spent a 34-year career as a photo interpreter with CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC). Following his retirement, he served as a consultant for Verizon and General Dynamics. He served as a Deacon at his church and served on the board. Bob loved to travel, having explored much of the US and Europe and traveling across Russia and China by train. He is survived by three children.

Carl Schwab, CIA Patent and Scientific Officer

Carl Joseph Schwab Jr, 75, a CIA Patent and Scientific Officer, died 18 January 2019 in Reston, VA of a heart attack. He was born in Byrn Mawr, PA and graduated from La Salle High School, Philadelphia. He held a BS in physics and a JD from Villanova University. A dedicated career public servant, working for the US Patent Office, NASA, and CIA, he was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal in 2002. He spent a lifetime doing what he loved, both professionally and personally. An avid gardener, he spent many hours working on his lawn and vegetable garden. He is survived by two sons and three siblings.

John Vandegriff, NSA Official

John Henry Vandegriff, 89, an NSA Official, died of cancer 29 January 2019 in Bethesda, MD. John was born in Edgerton, OH and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1951. He attended New York University graduate program in TV and radio production until the Army grabbed him. He served in the Army until October 1953. He pivoted forces to the US Navy's Office of Intelligence as a civilian investigator and served as Resident Agent-in-Charge of the Cincinnati field office, and assignments with Commander US Naval Forces, Philippines and Naval District, Washington DC, June 1962. He transferred National Security Agency, retiring in 1985, after 35 years of service. He went on to become Security Manager, GTE, and then investigator for Computer Science Corporation until 2000. Avocationally, he was active in the Sons of the American Revolution, Friendship Heights Rotary, Head of set design for the Chevy Chase Players, with his church, a food pantry driver with Bethesda Helps. He was a member of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Association, Kenwood Country Club Board of Governors, Ohio Wesleyan Alumni Board, Sumner Village Activities Committee, and Life member Sigma Chi. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Judith Rice Vandegriff, three children, and other family.

Morton Sobell, Last Defendant in Rosenberg Spy Case, Is Dead at 101. Morton Sobell, who was convicted in the Cold War spy trial that delivered Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to their deaths and divided the nation for decades, died on Dec. 26 in Manhattan, his son, Mark, confirmed on Wednesday. He was 101.

Mr. Sobell, whose death was not reported at the time, had lived in the Bronx and then on the Upper West Side and had recently been in a nursing home.

Serving 18 years in prison until 1969, Mr. Sobell asserted his innocence until 2008, when, in an interview with The New York Times, he startled his defenders by reversing himself and admitting that he had indeed been a Soviet spy.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, call it that," he said. "I never thought of it as that in those terms." [Read more: Kaufman&Roberts/NYTimes/30January2019]

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Tuesday, 12 February 2019 - MacDill AFB, FL - The Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter hears FSO Nancy Charles-Parker on "War Stories" from Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Central Asia, South and Central America, Europe, the Arabian Gulf and East Asia.

Ms. Nancy Charles-Parker, former Operations Officer/Economic Reporter and Foreign Service Officer, had a distinguished 33-year career in government service. Her most interesting "war stories" stem from Saudi Arabia, where businessmen and government officials generally treated her like an "honorary man". The experiences she will share originate in her U.S. embassy assignments in South Africa, Central Asia, South and Central America, Europe, the Arabian Gulf and East Asia.

The program starts at noon. Fee: $20 by check or cash at door. RSVP: Luncheon reservations and arrangements for base access for those without military ID must be made by Tuesday, 5 February, by contacting the Chapter Secretary, michaels@suncoastafio.org.

Event location: MacDill AFB Surf's Edge Club, 7315 Bayshore Boulevard, MacDill AFB, FL 33621.

Saturday, 16 February 2019, 11:30am - 2 pm - Melbourne, FL - AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter hosts Dr. Rande Matteson, former DEA, speaking on "Compare and Contrast, Pakistan v. Mexico: The observations of a DEA Special Agent immersed in the shadowy cultures of Mexico and Pakistan."

At this Florida Satellite Chapter event, Dr. Rande Matteson will address us on: "Compare and Contrast, Pakistan v. Mexico: The observations of a DEA Special Agent immersed in the shadowy cultures of Mexico and Pakistan." Dr. Matteson's knowledge and experience are first-hand and unique. Matteson is retired from Federal Law Enforcement with 25 years' service, primarily with the Drug Enforcement Agency in Pakistan, Mexico, Afghanistan, and the US. He worked closely with the CIA as a DEA pilot and also as a DEA Regional Agent in Charge. Event timing: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM: Social Hour, greet old, new members and guests (cash bar); 12:15 PM: Lunch

LOCATION: Suntree Country Club, One Country Club Drive, Melbourne, FL 32940

COST: Member and spouse: $27; Non-Members/Guest: $29; Student or active duty military: $25.

TO ATTEND: Advance, paid reservations are required and must be received by 7 February 2019.

Make your meal choice from the following two options for self and any guests you are bringing: 1. Strawberry Salmon, pan seared salmon with a strawberry & balsamic glaze (F), or 2. Vegetarian Lasagna, layers of pasta, three cheeses, spinach and carrots, baked in a zesty marinara sauce (V) Both with Chef's Choice of Potato or Rice, Seasonal Vegetables, Freshly Brewed Coffee, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks, Salad and Rolls. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free on advance request. Dessert is Chocolate Mousse.

Send check covering fees per person plus meal choice for self and guests to:Chapter Treasurer Rhonda Rhoads, PO Box 410158, Melbourne, FL 32941. Or email her at afiofsctreas@gmail.com. Questions? Email Rhonda or call her at 321-626-4465.

Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

Friday, 8 February 2019, 5:30 - 7:30 pm - Washington, DC - "Insider Spies: New Ideas to Counter the Threat" - presentation by David Charney, MD at the Institute of World Politics

You are invited to attend a lecture by Dr. David Charney about his new NOIR White Paper, "Prevention: The Missing Link for Managing Insider Threat in the Intelligence Community." The event is being held at the Institute of World Politics graduate school in Washington, DC. There is no charge to attend.

This event is part of IWP's Sixth Annual Brian Kelley Memorial Lecture. Dr. Charney's presentation will cover the following points:

� Counterintelligence is the Stepchild of the Intelligence Community
� Prevention is the Stepchild of Counterintelligence
� Detection Gets All the Love

The event is co-sponsored by the IWP Alumni Board.

Though there is no fee to attend, preregistration is required. Register or explore more about the program here. To read the White Paper, it is available here.

Location: The Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036. View Map

Friday, 15 February 2019, 10 - 11 am - Washington, DC - How Japan Thinks of its Trade Policy and Relationship with the US - Presentation by Takeshi Komoto, Minister of Trade, Industry, Business and Energy, Embassy of Japan in Washington DC

Takeshi Komoto, Minister of Trade, Industry, Business and Energy, Embassy of Japan in Washington DC, will talk about the evolution of Japan's trade relationships with the US and the way forward on trade policy in the digital age.

RSVP Required HERE. Daniel Morgan Graduate School Reserves the Right to Refuse Entry and May Ask for Government Issued ID. Dress Code is Business or Business Casual.

Location: Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security, 1620 L St NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
View Map.

Monday, 25 February 2019, 9 a.m. - 3:20 p.m. - Washington, DC - Journal of National Security Law & Policy Annual Symposium ― The Continuing Threat of Nuclear Weapons

This year's Journal of National Security Law & Policy symposium is "The Continuing Threat of Nuclear Weapons," and is brought to you by the JNSLP, the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law, and the Georgetown Center for Asian Law. The symposium will be held on the 12th floor of the Gewirz Student Center. Directions and map here.

In addition to the following three panels, the symposium will also feature a lunchtime keynote speech by Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS by Stephen Dycus, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School.
PANEL 1: Banning Nuclear Weapons?
Panelists: Adam Mount, Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense Posture Project, Federation of American Scientists; John Burroughs, Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy; Alexandra Bell, Senior Policy Director, Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation; Moderator: David A. Koplow, Professor of Law at Georgetown Law.

PANEL 2: U.S./Russia Nuclear Relations.
Panelists: Michael Krepon, Co-founder/Senior Associate, Stimson Center; Bonnie Jenkins, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute; Adam Scheinman, Former Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, Dept. of State; Moderator: Dakota Rudesill, Assistant Professor of Law, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

LUNCHEON AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund.
PANEL 3: Nuclear Weapons Issues on the Korean Peninsula.
Panelists: Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations; Joel S. Wit, Senior Fellow and Director of 38 North, Stimson Center; Sue Mi Terry, Senior Fellow, Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Moderator: James V. Feinerman, Co-Director, Georgetown Center for Asian Law.

CLOSING REMARKS: Stephen Dycus, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
RECEPTION will follow the event.

To RSVP, please click here.

Qs?: Email Journal of National Security Law and Policy here.

18 March 2019, noon - 2 pm - Washington, DC - "Talking to a Former Terrorist: American Al-Qaeda Bryant Neal Viñas" at the International Spy Museum

Bryant Neal Viñas, 'American Al-Qaeda' tells his story at the new, expanded International Spy Museum at their new location in L'Enfant Plaza.

In 2009, Bryant Neal Vi�as, an American born in New York to a family of Catholic Hispanic immigrants, pleaded guilty on charges of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, and for providing material support to Al-Qaeda. The media referred to him as 'American Al-Qaeda' and reported his intriguing journey from the New York suburbs to Pakistan to attack U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. Vi�as proceeded to cooperate with law enforcement and intelligence officials, in what has been described as a "treasure trove" of valuable information about the inner-workings of the Al-Qaeda network. What was the nature of Vi�as's radicalization? How does a Western-born jihadist get through terrorist training in Pakistan?

Participants: Bryant Neal Vi�as, Former American Al-Qaeda member; Mitchell Silber, Former Director of Intelligence Analysis, NYPD; Christopher Costa, COL, USA (Ret.), Executive Director, International Spy Museum, Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counter-terrorism – National Moderator: Peter Bergen, Vice President, Global Studies & Fellows, New America

Event Location: The "Expanded" International Spy Museum, 700 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20024. Directions or Map Location here.

Wednesday, 27 March 2019, 10 am - 1 pm - Annapolis Junction, MD - NCMF 2019 Spring Cryptologic Program Featuring Mr. C. Eric Estberg on Berlin Daze

Event Location: CACI Inc., Maryland Conference Center, 2720 Technology Dr, Annapolis Junction, MD 20755. Google map link here.

More about this event, about the author or book, is here.

Additional information or questions can be handled at NCMF Office at cryptmf@aol.com or call 301-688-5436.

16 May 2019, 6 pm - Washington, DC - "Night of Heroes Gala 2019" by the PENFED Foundation

The PENFED Foundation hosts their impressive annual "Night of Heroes Gala 2019" at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental, 330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024. This year marks the 15th annual gala honoring our unsung heroes ― military children. Each year, the PenFed Foundation raises more than $1.5 million for military heroes through this hallmark event. Last year's event sold out and raised $2.5 million! Do not miss your opportunity to support Military Heroes.

6 pm General Reception and Silent Auction; 7 pm Dinner Program; After Dinner - Dessert Reception. To learn more...or to register.

Gift Suggestions:

AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence

AFIO'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.

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

AFIO's 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 MOUSEPADS here.

Disclaimers and Removal Instructions

Weekly Intelligence Notes (WINs) are commentaries on Intelligence and related national security matters, based on open media sources, selected, interpreted, edited and produced for non-profit educational uses by members and WIN subscribers.

REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS: We do not wish to add clutter to inboxes. To discontinue receiving the WINs:

a) IF YOU ARE A MEMBER - click here: UNSUBSCRIBE and supply your full name and email address where you receive the WINs. Click SEND, you will be removed from list. If this link doesn't open a blank email, create one on your own and send to afio@afio.com with the words: REMOVE FROM WINs as the subject, and provide your full name and email address where you are currently receiving them.

b) IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, and you received this message, someone forwarded this newsletter to you [contrary to AFIO policies]. Forward to afio@afio.com the entire WIN or message you received and we will remove the sender from our membership and distribution lists. The problem will be solved for both of us.

CONTENTS of this WIN [HTML version recipients - Click title to jump to story or section, Click Article Title to return to Contents. This feature does not work for Plaintext Edition or for some AOL recipients]. If you wish to change to HTML format, let us know at afio@afio.com. The HTML feature also does not work for those who access their e-mail using web mail...however NON-HTML recipients may view the latest edition each week in HTML at this link: https://www.afio.com/pages/currentwin.htm

WINs are protected by copyright laws and intellectual property laws, and may not be reproduced or re-sent without specific permission from the Producer. Opinions expressed in the WINs are solely those of the editor's or author's listed with each article. AFIO Members Support the AFIO Mission - sponsor new members! CHECK THE AFIO WEBSITE at www.afio.com for back issues of the WINs, information about AFIO, conference agenda and registrations materials, and membership applications and much more!

Click here to return to top.