AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #05-21 dated 2 February 2021

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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Research Requests, Jobs, Obituaries

Research Requests

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: rsy, ec, po, pj, 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.

Recommended Reads:

CDC Report on the 'Havana Syndrome': Medical Mystery Remains Unresolved "For Official Use Only" Report Surfaces a Year after Completion Washington D.C., February 2, 2021
The National Security Archive Calls for End of Secrecy Surrounding the 'Havana Syndrome' U.S. Senators Press State Department to Provide Relevant Information CDC Identified 15 "Presumptive" Cases; 31 Others Considered "Possible" Cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a two-year "epidemiologic investigation" of the mysterious medical incidents suffered by U.S. personnel in Cuba but could not determine the nature of the injuries nor the cause, according to an 18-page CDC report posted by the National Security Archive today. "The evaluations conducted thus far have not identified a mechanism of injury, process of exposure, effective treatment, or mitigating factor for the unexplained cluster of symptoms experienced by those stationed in Havana, Cuba," concluded the CDC study.See the Archive's report as well as three medical assessments of the mysterious syndrome.

Navalny Poison Squad Implicated in Suspicious Deaths of Three Russian Activists, 27 January 2021 in Bellingcat's Bi-Weekly Newsletter
After releasing our investigation into the poisoning of Alexey Navalny late last year, we invited readers, researchers and citizen journalists to look through the data we had gathered. The aim was to see if it was possible to match the movements of the specialist FSB squad, who we revealed had been tailing the opposition activist for years, with other potential poisonings.
This crowdsourced effort has since provided lots of interesting new leads, including around the deaths of three Russian activists between 2014 and 2019.
In our previous investigation, we disclosed the existence of a clandestine unit within the FSB's Criminalistics Institute, members of which had shadowed opposition leader Alexey Navalny for nearly five years. Members of the unit with medical and chemical-weapons background, travelling in groups of two or three, had followed Navalny on more than 30 flights during his 2017 presidential election campaign. Three members of this squad had been near him during a suspected poisoning of his wife in July 2020, and during his near-fatal poisoning in August 2020. Article continues here.

The Arkin Group's January 29 "In Other News" letter to private clients by former Operations Officer Jack Devine features...
• Tens of thousands of Russians (possibly as many as 100,000) took to the streets last weekend in cities across the country to protest the arrest of opposition leader Alexey Navalny upon his return from Germany, where he was treated and convalesced after being poisoned by Russian state security services in August.
• Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday but continues to carry out his duties as president.
• A documentary detailing the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China is expected to paint a damning picture of alleged attempts to suppress information about the outbreak and will almost certainly elicit a fierce backlash from Beijing.

The Latest... from the Jeff Stein's "SpyTalk" Series

Feb 03: "Slain FBI Agents Worked in 'A Dark Place'" by Jeff Stein
Child sex cases took them to 'places most people could never imagine even exist'
Article here

Feb 01: "Rummy and the Spooks: New 'Snowflakes' Reveal a Grotesque Intel Failure" by Jeff Stein
Who's the enemy? the defense secretary begged to know in 2003. He couldn't get answers.
Article here

Readers can subscribe for free at the moment here.

My Dinners With Le Carré by Jeff Leen, Washington Post Magazine, Dec 2020.
What I learned about writing, fame and grace when I spent two weeks showing the master spy novelist around Miami in 1991.

These days, when a famous person you know dies, you hear about it the same way everybody else does. Through an alert on your phone. That is how I heard about David. Then the calls and emails came. A former high-ranking U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. A former high-ranking U.S. Customs Service agent. The former federal prosecutor who indicted Manuel Noriega. My former city desk editor at the Miami Herald. They all wanted to recall the time we spent with David, two weeks in the summer of 1991 in Miami. What bound us together with the 89-year-old from Cornwall-with-an-A, England, named David Cornwell-with-an-E? Article continues here.

Reviews and Opinion Pieces on Craig Unger's American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery (Dutton, Jan 2021)

In the Washington Post:
Piling up incriminating information about Trump's Russian connections
By John Sipher, Washington Post. Sipher is former CIA DO.
Unger outlines Trump's decades-long relationships with Russian criminals and his willingness to abet the laundering of dirty money flowing from Moscow, and explains why Russian intelligence would find him an easy mark. The web of Trump's damning connections and his actions as president suggest some sort of affinity for Putin.
According to Craig Unger, there are indications that Trump was used as a conduit for Soviet covert messaging campaigns in the late 1980s. Article continues here

And in The Guardian:
'The perfect target': Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years – ex-KGB spy
The KGB 'played the game as if they were immensely impressed by his personality', Yuri Shvets, a key source for a new book, tells the Guardian.
Donald Trump was cultivated as a Russian asset over 40 years and proved so willing to parrot anti-western propaganda that there were celebrations in Moscow, a former KGB spy has told the Guardian.
Yuri Shvets, posted to Washington by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, compares the former US president to "the Cambridge five", the British spy ring that passed secrets to Moscow during the second world war and early cold war.
Now 67, Shvets is a key source for American Kompromat, a new book by journalist Craig Unger, whose previous works include House of Trump, House of Putin. The book also explores the former president's relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
"This is an example where people were recruited when they were just students and then they rose to important positions; something like that was happening with Trump," Shvets said by phone on Monday from his home in Virginia.
Article continues here.

Recently Seen Online:

Inside the SCIF by JJ Green, WTOP - Issue #98, 28 January has details on breaking news on "RUSSIA: The difference between President Biden and former President Trump"; CIA CI warns officers of public comments on TV, social media, podcasts; North Korean diplomat defects to South Korea; Cyber Czar's Low Bar; and more.
The latest Target USA Podcast 261 features: DHS warns more political violence may be coming.
The Hunt: DHS warns more political violence may be coming. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a bulletin warning of possible attacks in the coming months by domestic extremists still angry about the presidential election. On this week's edition of "The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green," Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler said this is a significant threat.

Other worthwhile documentary: "The Codebreaker: Wife. Mother. Secret American Hero."
PBS "American Experience" Documentary about Elizebeth Friedman - debuted 11 January 2021

Based on the book The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies, The Codebreaker reveals the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst whose painstaking work to decode thousands of messages for the U.S. government would send infamous gangsters to prison in the 1920s and bring down a massive, near-invisible Nazi spy ring in WWII. Her remarkable contributions would come to light decades after her death, when secret government files were unsealed. But together with her husband, the legendary cryptologist William Friedman, Elizebeth helped develop the methods that led to the creation of the powerful new science of cryptology and laid the foundation for modern codebreaking today. Includes interview with AFIO Life Member Rose Mary Sheldon PhD of VMI. More info at the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation website here.


Also by NCMF:

The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation's #CyberChats, held virtually via their Nepris online classroom, will resume this month. The first session will be 9 February 2021, 11am EST - 'Safer Internet Day,' as we discuss how to use the internet safely. Charissa Kim from K-12 CyberTalk (https://k12cybertalk.org/) along with Kirsten Gibson, Cara Groff, and Kaitlyn Knabe from Purdue's CERIAS (https://www.cerias.purdue.edu/) will join Mark S Loepker, NCMF for a panel discussion on the challenges of living and operating on the Internet. There will be ample time for questions and answers so come prepared to join in the conversation.
Click here and then on the Date/Title to visit the Nepris online classroom page. Please note you will need a free Nepris account to attend the live session or view the recording.

One of the special benefits of membership in AFIO: access to CIA's inhouse gift shop — the EAA Store.

It requires a quick preapproval process described here to all newly joined and current AFIO members. And then allows you to purchase online their unusual logo'd gift items for self or colleagues. Here is the latest photo EAA released on January 22 featuring some of their newest items:

      

Just released to members-only...

The Variety of Careers Available to Women in the Intelligence Community


Released 2 February 2021

Linda Millis
former Senior Intelligence Officer at NSA, CIA, ODNI;
Professor, Marymount University

on "Women in Intelligence"

Interview of Thursday, 21 January 2021 of Linda Millis, former Senior Intelligence Officer at NSA, CIA, ODNI. Currently a Professor at Marymount University. Interviewer-Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer.

TOPIC:Linda Millis discusses "Women in Intelligence" - a report conducted by the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB - now with "F" removed as PIAB). Includes discussion of various incarnations of the Advisory Board, the variety of careers available to women in the IC, her courses on intelligence at Marymount University, and ways that women can learn more and create support networks before and during their careers. The interview runs 23 minutes which includes numerous Q&As.

Access Millis video here or click above image.

Prior Videos in the "AFIO Now" Series

To view them, visit our YouTube page here

or log into the Member-Only area of our website here.

Vince Houghton PhD, Director, National Cryptologic Museum on "The Nuclear Spies: America's Atomic Intelligence Operation Against Hitler and Stalin"
Joe Augustyn, former CIA Clandestine Services Officer on "CIA's Defector Resettlement Program"
Victor Cha PhD, Former Director for Asian Affairs, NSC on "North and South Koreas – Issues Facing the Incoming Biden Administration" - members-only. Members are also directed to read Dr Cha's Op-Ed "North Korea could become one of Biden's biggest challenges — and not just because of its nukes" in The Washington Post on 15 January 2021 on this topic.
Joseph W. Augustyn, former CIA Clandestine Services Officer on "CIA's Role in the Creation of the Department of Homeland Security"
Seth Jones PhD, Director, Transnational Threats Project, CSIS on "A Covert Action"
David Priess PhD, Author, former Senior CIA Analyst and PDB Briefer on "The President's Book of Secrets"
Everette Jordan, Dep Asst Sec for IC Integration, Office of Intel and Analysis, Treasury on "Enjoying a Rich, Challenging Intelligence Career Spanning Multiple Agencies."
Bruce Riedel, former CIA Senior Analyst, Served on National Security Council during Iraq War on "Early Gulf War Policy Decisions"
Shelby Pierson, Election Threats Executive, Office of the Director of National Intelligence on "Nationwide Election Security"
Bruce Klingner, Former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea; Heritage Foundation Fellow on "U.S. Strategy Towards North Korea"
Series Introduction: Stewart Baker, Chairman, and James Hughes, President
Nicholas Dujmović, Professor, Author, former CIA Historian, PDB Editor on "Guidelines and Experiences Teaching Intelligence at the University Level"
David Robarge, CIA Chief Historian, PDB Editor on "The Complexities of Counterintelligence"
Vince Houghton PhD, Director, National Cryptologic Museum on "Nuking the Moon...and Other Intelligence Themes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board"
Martin C. Faga, former Director, National Reconnaissance Office on "NRO Support to the Gulf War"

Many more interviews have been conducted, and will be released throughout 2021. Stay tuned.

Visit, Follow, Subscribe to AFIO's LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube pages to receive updates.

Members who use social media or wish to explore, will find new announcements and other material on AFIO's Twitter and LinkedIn pages. New videos on our YouTube page appears below as well.
Access them here: LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. By following or subscribing on those sites, one can be notified as new material appears.
  

Other items brought to our attention:

"A Spy in the FBI" premieres on REELZ channel on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00 pm ET / 9:00 pm CT. REELZ is channel 692 HD on Verizon FIOS, channel 238 on DIRECTV, channel 299 on Dish Network, and channel 799 on AT&T U-verse. It's also available in HD on other cable systems nationwide.

New Dominion Pictures LLC. Click to view trailer.

The documentary features experts, including retired FBI SSA, former AFIO Board member David Major, discussing the infamous Robert HANSSEN spy case, considered among the worst breaches at the FBI. Between 1979 and 2001, HANSSEN spied for the Soviet Union (and later Russia), providing substantial classified information, including the names of sources that were later executed. He was arrested following an investigation that lasted more than a decade.
Hanssen was a contradiction. On the surface, a family man, devoutly Catholic, and career FBI agent. Secretly, a spy, betraying the trust of everyone he knows. Undercutting all his colleagues. Hanssen positioned himself within the FBI to spy for the Soviets, compromising sources and programs through the entire US counterintelligence community. While the FBI and CIA search for the mole in their midst, his fellow agents, friends, and family have no clue of his second life. That he is the mole. His betrayal runs deeper than selling out his country, as he is carrying on secret sexual liaisons, uploading porn about his wife, and keeping secret from her that he allowed a friend to film them in bed. Agents describe how Hanssen stayed hidden in plain sight for over 20 years, and the events that brought down this damaging spy.

More info here.

Also worthwhile, Crisply produced, and running now...

Netflx Series: SPYCRAFT premiered 20 January 2021. It is a new eight episode Netflix program by retired CIA DS&T officer Robert Wallace and intelligence historian Keith Melton (co-authors of Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda). Robert Wallace and Keith Melton are co-executive producers of the series. The episodes include portions of interviews by several CIA and IC officers.

Spycraft — The spy game is a serious business, and throughout history, the tools and technologies developed for it have mattered as much as the spies themselves. Series looks at the techniques methods and technologies used in espionage. Examines the amazing gadgetry behind some of history's greatest stories of espionage, the ingenious minds that invented them, and the officers or agents that put them to use with accounts from ancient history to modern day intrigue.

See producer's website and longer introductory video for series on YouTube here

Newly Released, Overlooked, or Forthcoming Books

First Platoon: A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance
by Annie Jacobsen
(Dutton, Jan 2021)

Urgent investigation into warfare, good, and evil in the age of biometrics, the technology that would allow the government to identify anyone, anywhere, at any time.

This story describes a platoon of mostly nineteen-year-old boys sent to Afghanistan. An experience that ends abruptly in catastrophe. Their story links these soldiers to a DOD quest to build the world's most powerful biometrics database, with the power to identify, monitor, catalogue, and police people all over the world.

Jacobsen shows how this new technology is transforming society. Part war story, part legal drama, it is about identity in the age of identification. About humanity—-physical bravery, trauma, PTSD, a yearning to do right and good—in the age of biometrics, which reduce people to iris scans, fingerprint scans, voice patterning, detection by odor, gait, and more. And about the power of point-of-view in a burgeoning surveillance state.

Her account is based on hundreds of formerly classified documents, FOIA requests, and interviews. It reveals a post-9/11 Pentagon whose ID machines are more capable than the humans who must make sense of them. A Pentagon so powerful it can cover up its own internal mistakes in pursuit of endless wars. And a people at its mercy, in its last few moments before a fundamental change so complete it might be impossible to take back.

Book may be ordered here. See article based on excerpts from this book in Wired, 28 Jan 2021: "Palantir's God's-Eye View of Afghanistan" The company's software can sift through enormous amounts of data, and those metrics can be used to make life-or-death decisions.

Spycraft for Thriller Writers: How to Write Spy Novels, TV Shows and Movies Accurately and Not Be Laughed at by Real-Life Spies
by Edward Mickolus
(Wandering Woods Publishers, Jan 2021)

Much of what the public believes it understands about espionage in general, and the CIA in particular, and anything in between, comes from spy fiction (spy-fi): novels, television series, and movies. Sometimes the writers get it right. More often, they do not, to the detriment of the public's understanding of what intelligence officers do for our country, the development of misimpressions at home and overseas of the missions and operations of these organizations, and a winnowing of the number of talented people who would otherwise consider a career in intelligence. Intelligence is one of the world's oldest professions, and possibly the most misunderstood.

Mickolus's book provides tips on how intelligence officers go about their work, what some of our arcane language means, and what they are like. It will point out common myths, and suggest how you can avoid perpetuating their more deleterious effects on your credibility and their public images. This book covers the types of material that the author and his colleagues frequently see in fictional writing about espionage, and will lead you away from some of the more common glaring errors. It will give you just what you need to provide an accurate flavor of where intel officers work, what they do, how they sound, how they think, and what motivates them.

You can improve the accuracy of your writing and eliminate unintentionally irritating slurs against American patriots by paying careful attention to these observations.

Book may be ordered here.

The Institute of World Politics Announces New Book by Professor: A second edition of IWP professor Dr. Christopher C. Harmon's book A Citizen's Guide to Terrorism and Counterterrorism has been released by Routledge. This Citizen's Guide addresses the public policy issues of terrorism and counterterrorism in and for the United States. Written for the thinking citizen and advanced student, this succinct and up-to-date book takes a "grand strategy" approach toward countering terrorism. It employs examples and issues drawn from present-day perpetrators and actors, following the physical eradication of the ISIS proto-state. Christopher C. Harmon is a veteran academic in areas of military theory, strategy, and terrorism studies, with a career in instructing U.S. and foreign military officers and American graduate students. At IWP, he teaches courses on Terrorist Advocacy and Propaganda and Military Strategy: Theory and Practice. His second edition is organized into three sections. Harmon introduces the problem of America's continued vulnerability to terrorist attack by reviewing the long line of recent attacks and attempts against the U.S., especially in New York City. Foreign-based and home-grown terror are both addressed. Part II examines the components of our grand strategy—the varied ways in which the U.S. is already fighting terrorism, highlighting the labors of diverse experts, government offices, intelligence and military personnel, and foreign allies. The book outlines problems and achievements in intelligence, diplomacy, public diplomacy, economic counterterrorism, law and law-making, and the use of force. Part III concerns the future and sketches the prospects for further action. The text steers clear of partisanship and instead lists recommendations with pros and cons. It includes factual stories of how individual citizens have made a difference in the national effort against terrorism. The Citizen's Guide ends in discussing ways that many terrorist groups have been defeated, a summary of scholarly work Dr. Harmon began in 2003 at IWP, and in lectures at Sandhurst, Quantico (Marine Corps University), Capitol Hill in Washington, etc.

Writers, Officers: Please Provide A Brief Article for This Ongoing AFIO History Project

AFIO's educational project "When Intelligence Made a Difference" seeks writers to identify events throughout history involving any nation or organization when the outcome was affected significantly by intelligence.
AFIO has been publishing edited submissions serially in Intelligencer released two to three times a year. 
To see what has been published, it is available here. Also look at the Fall edition of the journal arriving in the mail of all members and subscribers over the next three weeks.
Those readers interested in contributing an article, should email peter.oleson@afio.com.
For instructors, this project makes a great class assignment. Accepted articles give students a publication credit in a recognized journal.

Guide to the Study of Intelligence and When Intelligence Made a Difference

"AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence" has sold out in hard-copy.
However, it is available in digital form in its entirety on the AFIO website here.

Also available on the website here are the individual articles of AFIO's history project "When Intelligence Made a Difference" that have been published to date in The Intelligencer journal. More articles will be forthcoming in future editions.

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Veteran C.I.A. Officer, Who Previously Briefed George W. Bush, to Lead Biden Intelligence Sessions. The new director of national intelligence has begun reshaping the office, installing a new official to lead President Biden's daily briefings by tapping a veteran of the last Bush administration, according to current and former government officials.

With the arrival of Mr. Biden in the White House, Morgan Muir, a longtime C.I.A. analyst, has taken over the briefing job, replacing Beth Sanner, President Donald J. Trump's briefer, officials said.

Mr. Muir is an experienced briefer. He served as one of President George W. Bush's briefers for a period of three years that started well after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the intelligence failures that occurred in the run-up to the Iraq war, according to former officials. [Read more: Barnes&Goldman/NYTimes/29January2021]

UNCW Part of $5 Million Contract with National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. UNCW is among 11 universities selected as members of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation's Academic Consortium that will deliver training courses for current and future government employees. The courses are a part of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's GEOINT Learning through Academic Programs, a $5 million initiative slated to run through 2025.

The consortium comprises UNCW, Pennsylvania State University, George Mason University, University of Maryland, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Dallas, Delta State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Central University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

The NGA is a combat support agency under the U.S. Department of Defense and a member of the U.S. intelligence community whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing and distributing geospatial intelligence in support of national security. In addition to using GEOINT for U.S. military and intelligence efforts, NGA provides assistance during natural and man-made disasters, and security planning for major events, such as the Olympic Games. [Read more: UNCW/1February2021]

Bangladesh Bought Mass Spying Equipment from Israeli Company. Bangladesh has bought Israeli-made surveillance equipment that can be used to monitor the mobile phones of hundreds of people simultaneously, an Al Jazeera investigation has found.

Documents and statements obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit show that the Bangladesh army purchased the Israeli equipment in 2018 using a Bangkok-based middleman and Bangladeshi military intelligence officers were trained in Hungary by Israeli intelligence experts.

The contract Al Jazeera acquired lists the condition that both parties to the sale sign a non-disclosure agreement. It also lists the country of origin for the equipment as Hungary, although secret recordings by Al Jazeera show the middleman explicitly saying the equipment was from Israel. [Read more: AlJazeera/2February2021]

Netherlands: Intelligence Service Launched Six-Part Podcast on Investigating Terrorist Threats. On Monday, the Netherlands' general intelligence service AIVD kicked off a new series called De Dienst - a six-part podcast describing how the agency tracks down terrorists and investigates terrorist threats. This is the first time that the agency details how it operates, NU.nl reports.

In the podcast, AIVD-employees discuss the steps they take during a terrorist investigation, although all scenarios described are fictitious.

The podcast was created and moderated by journalist Liesbeth Rasker. "We all are mesmerized by tales of spies and secret agents, but how much of it is true?" Rasker asked in an introduction to her show. [Read more: NLTimes/30January2021]

India: Intelligence Bureau's Budgetary Allocation Raised by 16%. The government has increased budgetary allocation of the Intelligence Bureau, its domestic intelligence, internal security and counter-intelligence agency, by 16 per cent this year.

The government has allocated Rs 2,839.24 crore as against Rs 2433.89 crore allocated in the revised budget last year. The increase in budget allocation will help the country's elite intelligence gathering unit to enhance their capabilities.

Recently, the government has reportedly given Intelligence Bureau a bigger role to play in the two neighbouring countries. The government has designated Intelligence Bureau's Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) as the nodal point for sharing of intelligence with Bangladesh and Myanmar. [Read more: IANS/2February2021]

Egypt's Sisi Inaugurates Arab Intelligence Forum, Stresses Importance of Cooperation to Confront Terrorism. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated, Monday the Arab Intelligence Forum via video conference with the participation of Arab delegations, intelligence chiefs and Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Abul Gheit.

In His opening speech, Sisi welcomed all participating delegations and emphasized the importance of activating the Arab Intelligence Forum as a strong and supportive mechanism for cooperation between countries.

According to Presidency spokesperson Bassam Rady, Sisi said that terrorism depends on exchanging experiences, information between countries along with continuous development of different confronting mechanisms. [Read more: EgyptToday/1February2021]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Is Russia Targeting CIA Spies with Secret Weapons? Marc Polymeropoulos woke up in his hotel room with his head spinning and ears ringing. "I felt like I was going to vomit. I couldn't stand up. I was falling over," he recalls. "I have been shot at numerous times and this was the most terrifying experience in my life."

Polymeropoulos had spent years in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as a senior officer of the CIA fighting America's war on terrorism. But that night in Moscow he believes he was targeted by a secret, microwave weapon.

After Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election, CIA leadership issued a "call to arms" and redeployed battle-hardened officers like Polymeropoulos to push back.

He would eventually become acting chief of clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia, working with allies to expose Moscow's activity, including the 2018 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. [Read more: Corera/BBC/1February2021]

The Political Debate in Israel Triggers a Secret War Between Intelligence Agencies. Since the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, the young democracy - imported by force of arms into what Lord Balfour had defined in 1917 as the "Jewish national home" in Palestine - has distinguished itself for being permanently characterized by a lively, heated and polemical political debate.

Since its foundation the old Socialist Mapam Party of David Ben Gurion, the first Israeli Head of State, has clashed with the political-religious soul of fundamentalist Hebraism, that of the "Chassidim" who even denied that a State of Israel should be established, without waiting for the "coming of the Messiah".

Over the decades, the Socialist spirit of the founders of the State of Israel has gradually faded and today two groups are in power, a right-wing one and a centrist one, the Likud and the Blue and White Party respectively. They are headed by two leading figures: the Likudis led by the historical and longstanding leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the "Blue and White Party" by the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Benny Gantz. [Read more: Valori/ModernDiplomacy/2February2021]

Iraq: How Kadhimi Seized Power by Accusing Iraq's Spymaster of Foreign Loyalties. Two weeks ago, the Falcons Cell was one of the Iranian-backed factions' most-prized assets in Iraq.

The elite intelligence unit, hailed as Iraq's "most dangerous" spy network, is CIA and MI6 trained. It boasts hundreds of successful operations against militant operatives, and rivals all other Iraqi intelligence services in its scope and prowess.

Yet in one swoop, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has changed its leadership and snatched this prize from his Shia rivals, securing for himself an organisation that gives him knowledge and power that his political enemies will find deeply troubling.

By any measure, it is a coup for Iraq's embattled prime minister. [Read more: alSalhy/MiddleEastEye/1February2021]

History Lesson: 5 Guns Actually Used by Spies. Despite what the James Bond movies may have you believe, spies don't often wear tuxedos nor do they likely spend their time in casinos. And few spies today would use a Walther PPK - a gun that was developed when current Bond Daniel Craig's grandfather might have been a young man.

There were plenty of "secret" guns that spies have employed over the years, but usually it wasn't a weapon concealed in a camera such as the kind 007 was once issued. [Read more: Suciu/NationalInterest/1February2021]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Perspective: U.S. Intelligence Officers Face a Complicated Future Without a Better Approach. Intelligence warnings about the threat and impact of a global pandemic - check.

Community concern about the politicization of intelligence assessments - check.

Intelligence warnings about the threat of Russian influence and cyber operations - check.

Inefficient reorganizations leaving the community in a weakened posture - check.

Intelligence warnings about the threat of domestic violent extremists - check.

Each example describes intelligence products or events that have already materialized; the lack of customer response therein portends a troubled future for U.S. intelligence officers without a better approach by those elected or assigned positions of intelligence oversight and authority.

Intelligence officers understand that they will face a harrowing set of challenges each day, predicated on the topics they're assigned, and the bureaucracy they're in. Some challenges are structural in nature, whereas others are cognitive. For most, it's just part of the job. [Read more: Holmes/HSToday/29January2021]

Cyber Espionage is not Cyber Attack. There is something about the cyber domain that makes people lose perspective. The latest cyberspace incident is a perfect example.

According to the news, a foreign actor, most likely Russia, infected a much-used software program with malware that allowed it to access the accounts of those U.S. agencies that used the program. The goal seems to have been to collect (i.e., spy) on these organizations.

This cyberspace incident is a classic case of espionage through a system breach executed via a software supply-chain compromise by Russian actors. Many U.S. agencies were penetrated, without their knowledge, and the access to these systems reportedly was maintained for many months and may be ongoing today. If the Russians have this sort of cyber espionage tradecraft, you can be sure the Chinese have, or soon will have, it too. [Read more: VandeVelde/1February2021]

Section IV - Research Requests, Jobs, Obituaries

Research Requests

Author Seeks Your Assistance Answering a Few Questions Regarding al Qaeda and US Operations

AFIO Colleagues,
I have benefited in the past with AFIO's assistance and need a few additional answers as I write a four-volume history of anti-American terrorism in the US and overseas from the Eisenhower through Trump administrations. Volumes I and II are published and were featured in prior Weekly Notes. I am now working on Volume III which addresses the Clinton and Bush II administrations. This volume has many pages on the evolution of al Qaeda, the 9/11 attacks and subsequent investigations, and the responses by both administrations to the prevailing threat. First, much of the relevant material has not been declassified. In addition, the memoirs by relevant actors are written from the perspective of highlighting the successes and minimizing or ignoring the failures. Given the developments that took place during these two administrations, many of the key actors have not written their memoirs. There have been many books written on al Qaeda, the 9/11 attacks, and the intelligence "malfunction" which contain many examples of "dueling facts" on events and developments. I am seeking to present the facts in my study, but when I cannot determine a "fact," what can I do? I can present both presentations of the fact, which will take up a lot of space in the volume, or simply pick the fact presentation that I think makes most sense. In that case, it is not a fact but an interpretation. I want facts.
Towards that goal, I ask of you AFIO members and colleagues, to help me with a few of these facts. Below is a brief list of questions. If you can answer any of them, please email me at dpluchinsky@rocketmail.com. These questions deal with the 1990s, the pre-9/11 decade...developments over two decades ago.
1. In what year did the NSA or CIA detect bin Laden's first satellite phone? I do not want sources and methods, just the year.
2. In what year did the NSA or CIA first detect al Qaeda's London communication hub at which Khaled al Fawwaz acted as the caretaker?
3. In mid-1996, bin Laden asked for an updated Inmarsat Compact M satellite phone. This was tasked to Dr. Saad al Fagih, who tasked it to Ziyad Khaleel, a student in Virginia. He reportedly bought the phone from a store in Dix Hills, Long Island in November 1996. This would mean that the FBI was involved in monitoring this purchase. This would also mean that the FBI might have known that the NSA and or CIA were monitoring bin Laden's cell phone. Is it true that the FBI knew about bin Laden's cell phone in 1996?
4. In what year did the NSA and CIA first detect al Qaeda's communications hub in Sana'a, Yemen – BEFORE the August 1998 attacks on the U.S. Embassies or AFTER, when the FBI obtained the phone number from of the Embassy bombers – Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-'Owhali?
5. In what year did the CIA establish its ground based dish to intercept one side of the calls coming into the Sana's hub?
6. If the NSA knew that some phone calls from the U.S. were coming into the Sana'a hub in 2000 / 2001, why were they not able to determine locations in the U.S.? The prevailing open source explanation is that it did not have the technological capability.
7. Lastly, could someone explain to me in layman's terms how the USG would have intercepted in the 1990s a phone call from a landline and a satellite phone?
These questions are historical. It is unlikely sources and methods used in some of these events are still active. I have read James Bamford and Matthew Aid's books on NSA. While the CIA and DOJ declassified their Inspector General reports on pre-9/11 activities of the CIA and FBI, the NSA has not.
Whatever help you can provide me would be greatly appreciated. I do not have to source you. If you wish, I can camo source you – "A former U.S. government employee who wishes to remain anonymous."
I leave you with a thought you should ponder – the sharpest and largest thorn in history is silence.
Thank you. REPLIES TO: Author/Research Dennis Pluchinsky at dpluchinsky@rocketmail.com

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Obituaries

John Cronin, Commander, Naval Reserve Intelligence Program
John William Cronin Jr, Rear Admiral, USN(Ret), 94, Commander, Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, died of dementia and complications from Covid-19, on 25 January 2021 in Newtown Square, PA. Cronin, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spent 40 years in active and reserve service.
Born in East Orange, NJ, his family moved to Miami, FL in 1933. A hiker and outdoorsman throughout his life, he became an Eagle Scout and joined the Navy after high school. Known by colleagues, friends, and family as a natural leader, Cronin joined the Navy when he was 17, served in active duty during WWII and the Korean War, and spent 35 years in the Naval Reserve, retiring in 1983 as commander of the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program.
Recognized for his long service by President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Cronin called himself simply a "citizen-sailor."
In 2009, Mr. Cronin took part in a video interview: Life at Sea: Stories from US Navy Veteran John Cronin, produced by students at La Salle University. The production features Mr. Cronin talking about, among other things, his time as a gunnery and torpedo officer on a destroyer in the North Atlantic during WWII.
After the war, Mr. Cronin met his future wife while attending Georgia Institute of Technology. They married in 1948.
Mr. Cronin returned to active duty from 1951-53 during the Korean War. Afterward, with a degree in management from Georgia Tech, he joined the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co. as an agent in Miami, FL. In 1962, he became the general agent for the company in Philadelphia, and the couple relocated to Radnor, PA.
When he retired from his insurance post, he spent the next 10 years as the George Joseph Chair in Agency Management at the American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr.
He was so outgoing and liked math and science. Insurance was the right combination for him."
Mr. Cronin and his wife loved to travel, and they visited, Europe, Mexico, and South America. He played tennis and golf. A speed reader, he often zipped through three books at once, mostly history and biographies. He was president of the Philadelphia Kiwanis Club, a longtime trustee of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, and chairman of the board of the Philadelphia Armed Services YMCA.
In addition to his wife, Anne Allen Cronin, he is survived by a son, daughter, and other family.

Richard Crothers, Cryptologic Officer
Richard George Crothers, 80, a Cryptologic Officer, died in Herndon, VA of cancer on 16 December 2020.
Richard was born in Paterson, NJ. He enlisted in the US Air Force in 1959 and served for over 21 years in both the Air Force and Navy, retiring at the rank of Cryptologic Senior Chief Petty Officer. He served another three decades as a defense contractor providing intelligence support to the Department of Defense. Richard had an incredible capacity to learn and was sought after by many for his ability to gather and analyze information. He served numerous tours of duty around the world both at sea and in the Republic of Vietnam.
Richard was stationed abroad in Alaska and the Philippines. He had a passion for history, transportation, and connections between people. He traced his lineage back to the Netherlands and Ireland and lit up when talking about his family's journey across the sea in 1911. As a young man he worked alongside his father and brother on the railroad. He loved cars, planes, ships, and trains. He spent many years traveling the world in the first half of his life. In the second half he focused on his wife, home, and a network of friends, including three generations of close family friends who affectionately referred to him as "Unc." He was known for signing emails with the unattributed quote, "One day you'll be someone's memory. Make sure it is a good one."
He is survived by his wife of 51-years, Barbara Louise Crothers, and other family.

Todd Faucette, CIA Officer
Todd Joseph Faucette, 67, a CIA Officer, died 20 January 2021 in Paeonian Springs, VA.
Born in Yonkers, NY, he moved to Salisbury, MD where he attended Wicomico High School and developed a love of outdoor life on Maryland's eastern shore. After high school he attended Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, VA. Todd devoted his life in service to his country, joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1980 where he served proudly in the US and overseas with distinction until his retirement in 2014. His career, which spanned the beginning of the end of the Cold War through America's involvement in the Middle East, took him to the far flung and most dangerous corners of the globe. The Agency recognized his many achievements and significant contributions to the intelligence community with a Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.
Upon retirement Todd enjoyed woodworking and skeet shooting with friends.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Nancy, a brother, and other family.

Edward Goldman, AFIO Member
Edward Howard Goldman, 83, died 25 January 2021 in Portland, ME.
He was born in Portland, ME. After his father died when he was 3, Ed found caring male role models in the community, notably those he encountered at the Boys Club of Portland and the late Carroll Huntress, his football coach at Portland High School, for whose guidance and friendship he was forever grateful.
Following his graduation from high school, he served abroad in the US Air Force, which sparked his lifelong love of airplanes and aviation history. After settling back in Portland, he worked as an engineer for Neill and Gunter, Southworth, Inc. and Fairchild Semiconductor, and later, was thrilled at the opportunity to spend time around airplanes and pilots while working in sales at Northeast Air at the Portland International Jetport. He was a longtime active member of AFIO, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.
Ed enjoyed a 45-year marriage to Carlene Ray who died in 2010. After a long period of grief, he turned to doting on grandchildren, tooling around town in his vintage BMW convertible and partying like it was 1999.
Ed was a bon vivant, an avid enthusiast for many things, mostly edible. Ed was true son of Portland who deeply loved the city but was also scandalized knowing that it was now possible to buy a one million dollar condominium on Munjoy Hill.
He is survived by daughter, and other family.

Lee Hanna, NSA Deputy Director, HR
Lee Ellen Hanna, 78, NSA Deputy Director, HR, died 13 January 2021 in Columbia, MD.
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Lee grew up in Napoleon, OH. After graduating from Napoleon High School, she went on to earn a BA in mathematics at The Ohio State University.
Upon graduation, Lee joined the National Security Agency, where she rose through the ranks for the duration of her career. An alumna of the National War College, Lee became the first woman senior operations officer in the National SIGINT Operations Center before being promoted to the NSA's senior executive level, including serving as deputy director of human resources and leading some of the agency's most mission-critical organizations.
As part of her responsibilities, Lee briefed Presidents and addressed Congress, led several intelligence production organizations, chaired an NSA oversight panel on processes and management of the agency's personnel office, and worked closely with U.S. intelligence partners. As one of few women in leadership roles in the agency, she was a supportive mentor to women at varying points in their careers.
Lee earned honors including the Presidential Rank Award - Meritorious Executive, Defense Department's Distinguished Civilian Service Award and National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.
After retiring from the NSA in 1997, Lee served on the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation's board of directors and as president of the Phoenix Society, a group comprising mostly NSA retirees. An avid croquet player, Lee was the US Croquet Association's Mid-Atlantic regional vice president for more than 13 years and chaired the collegiate division for more than seven. As an advocate for the arts, Lee served for years as the general ticketing chair for the Columbia Arts Festival.
In her career and personal life, Lee traveled extensively. She was as quick to share an obscure nuggets as she was to share her good fortune, ideally over a good meal and fine bottle of wine (or a glass of her coveted secret-recipe eggnog). Her distinct signature was her signoff: "Lots of love."
She is survived by two siblings and other family.

Jack London, Legendary Leader of CACI
J. Phillip London PhD, 83, Legendary Leader of CACI, died 18 January 2021.
Jack was Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI), a $5.7 billion information technology (IT) and professional services company. Founded in 1962, CACI employs nearly 23,000 employees in more than 155 offices worldwide. London served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1984 to 2007. He joined CACI in 1972 as its 35th employee. He is considered the founder of the modern-era CACI.
Jack was born in Oklahoma City, OK to parents who owned small businesses. He saw firsthand the stress of making payroll and collections, and where he learned the value of customer attention when you are in the business of sales. His childhood was bookended by WWII and Korea. In junior high school, the Korean War broke out and the fear of communism fractured the peace of his midwestern town. His family had a legacy of military service but it was a friend's brother who influenced his determination to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. Graduating from the Naval Academy class of 1959, London became an antisubmarine warfare helicopter pilot. He served on active duty for 12 years, participating in the naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the recovery team aboard the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CVS-15) for John Glenn's space flight on Freedom 7.
After earning a master's degree at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, London served as aide to Adm. Jack Arnold at the Navy Materiel Command, where he was first exposed to the federal government's labyrinthine acquisition process. He joined the Navy Reserve in 1971, and retired with the rank of captain. He earned a doctorate in business administration from George Washington University, and was hired in 1972 by a small company in northern Virginia to be one of its IT program managers. That small company was called CACI.
London was a prolific author of industry and historical articles and books, including two manuscripts that will be published this year: a memoir, Ever Vigilant, and Profiles in Character: Sixteen Americans and The Traits That Defined Them. He is best known for his work, Character: The Ultimate Success Factor, which he referenced in speeches to more than 10,000 people around the country. He made the case that character is the one trait you can control and the most important contributing attribute to success: "There's only one way to be the master of your fate or the captain of your soul. It's owning who you are—it's owning your character." A student of history and genealogy, London was an honorary trustee of the New England Genealogy Society. He traced his family lineage back to Charlemagne (742-814), King Edward III, and Capt. Samuel Nicholson, one of the first captains in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and the first commanding officer of the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"). He documented this research in his book The Royal and Noble Ancestry of Edward III: A London Family Lineage.
London held leadership roles in numerous associations and served on the boards of many organizations. He established a number of programs and awards for students and Navy aspirants. At the Naval Academy he hosted a CACI Midshipmen internship program in cyber, national security, and information technology; the Capt. J. Phillip London USN (Ret.) '59 Cyber Security Studies Award; and the Capt. Samuel Nicholson Naval and Marine Corps History and Leadership Award.
He contributed to a number of churches and religious organizations, and was a member of Washington National Cathedral.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Burkhart London PhD, a psychologist, as well as several children, and other family.
An in-person Masonic funeral will be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA, on Saturday, 13 February 2021 at 1 pm. The service will also be livestreamed. For details about in-person attendance and viewing the livestream, please visit jphilliplondon.com. Future services will be held at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, MD, and the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Werner Michel, Asst Sec Def for Intel Oversight
Werner Emil Michel, 96, Asst Sec Def for Intel Oversight, died 7 November 2020.
Born in Landau, Germany in 1924, he journeyed alone to the U.S. as a child refugee in 1936, unable to speak English, his name and destination pinned to his jacket. Enlisting in the U.S. Army at age 18, he rose to the rank of Colonel, distinguishing himself over a 31-year career during which he served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Werner was a lifelong, humble patriot grateful to his adopted country for the opportunities it provided. As a newly trained 'Ritchie Boy' counter-intelligence and interrogation officer, he returned to Germany, charged with apprehending senior Nazi officers. During the Cold War, serving in the Army Counter Intelligence Corps, he successfully defected a KGB Colonel in Japan, for which he was awarded his 2nd Legion of Merit. He was a charismatic leader, as well as an enthusiastic student of human nature.
Later, as a civilian in the Department of Defense, he helped establish the Office of the Inspector General for Intelligence Oversight, becoming the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight from 1980 until 1993, with responsibility for oversight of all DOD intelligence and counterintelligence activities worldwide.
He enjoyed tennis, cooking but mainly eating, and travel. Werner never met a child, baseball game, opera, dog, joke, party, prank, martini, or tennis game he didn't like. He was a fierce friend who will be profoundly missed.
He is survivied by two daughters and other family. His wife, Annie (Joan Sheldon) predeceased him.

Teresa Nelson, Served in IC
Teresa Maria Couto Nelson, 75, served in IC, died 25 January 2021 in Winchester, VA of a prolonged illness worsened by Covid-19.
Teresa was born in Oporto, North Portugal, and early in life worked for British Overseas Airways. She became a "poster girl" for the airline, her picture prominently displayed on many of the airline's early advertising posters.
Teresa became a U.S. citizen and served it for 25 years with distinction, as a member of the U.S. Intelligence community, serving in a number of foreign countries with her husband, Tom Nelson. Teresa was the recipient of many awards and kudos throughout her career in service to the US.
Her love and care of wildlife, making her home a bird and wildlife sanctuary, was well known. Her friends and relatives especially remember all the times she provided loving care for their pets. She displayed courage and fortitude after battling cancer twice in the past. Her zest for life and her adventurous spirit included backpacking in India, game parks in Africa and life in several exciting South American countries.
Teresa is survived by a son, and other family. He husband tom preceded her in death.

Bill "Pinch" Pinchback, NSA Officer
William Percy Pinchback Jr, 90, an NSA Officer, died 30 December 2021.
He was born in Danville, VA and attended school in Robeson County, NC. After graduating from high school, he attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. In 1947, he transferred to Storer College in Harpers Ferry, WV where he earned a BA degree in 1950 at the age of 19.
He obtained temporary employment at the Census Bureau as a statistical clerk and worked on the 1950 census. When that assignment ended, he joined the Veterans Administration. In 1952 he was drafted into the US Army. He took technical training to be a Cryptographic Operator at Camp Gordon located near Augusta, GA. He was assigned to the 97th Signal Battalion which operated the Communications Center for the Seventh US Army headquarters in Vaihingen, Germany. After completing two years of service, he returned to the US and honorably discharged.
Following military service, Bill was hired by the National Security Agency. In 1971, he received the Civilian Meritorious Service Award from the Director of the National Security Agency. Bill remained with the Agency until he retired from S321 on September 1, 1989 with 38 years of service. He was also a Life Member of the Phoenix Society.
In 1996, Bill joined the Kiwanis Club of Mitchellville and selected as the Kiwanian of the Year in 1997. He served as president in 2001-02.
Bill converted to Catholicism in 1957. He was also a lifetime member of the 97th Signal Battalion Association, and a member of the St. Matthias the Apostle Leisure Club, the Storer College Alumni Association and the Dresden Green Civic Association. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, math problems, bowling, and watching football and basketball games. In retirement he became a wonderful cook.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Romaine Coleman, two boys and a girl, and other family.

Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Thursday, 4 February 2021, 6:30pm CST - Virtual - San Antonio AFIO hear "The Dragon Lady and the Dreamland Resort."

We will begin the meeting with a 30 minute social "half-hour" to talk with other members and then begin the presentation "The Dragon Lady and the Dreamland Resort." It is a story your mother never knew to tell you! Prior to the meeting members will be sent a unique pass code for admission to the virtual meeting. Guests from other chapters may attend by requesting to be added to the email prior to Groundhog Day (2 Feb). The chapter will be joined by students from the University of Texas at San Antonio's Global Intelligence Association.
In preparation for the meeting, here is a link to an online article from the Wall Street Journal. This excellent article includes a link to an approximately 20 minute video that will prepare you to meet the Dragon Lady. The video is excellent quality.
Questions to John Franklin, President, AFIO San Antonio Chapter at 210 863-0430 or email him at satxafio@gmail.com.

Thursday, 11 February 2021, 1 - 2 pm (EST) - Virtual on Zoom - AFIO Atlanta presents its Chinese New Year Event featuring Nicholas Eftimiades, author of Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics (2020), whom SpyTalk calls "one of the most well informed former U.S. government officials on Beijing's espionage apparatus."

The AFIO Atlanta Chapter hosts Nicholas Eftimiades, a professor of homeland security at Penn State University. In 2017 he retired as a senior intelligence officer from a 34-year career in the U.S. Intelligence Community, serving in CIA, State, and DIA. Mr. Eftimiades currently holds senior appointments on the DoD Defense Science Board, DHS Security Advisory Council, DHS Economic Security Subcommittee, and an Intelligence Community Associate for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Intelligence Council. He was also a Senior Research Fellow at King's College War Studies Department in London. His Chinese Intelligence Operations examines the structure, operations, and methodology of the intelligence services of the People's Republic of China. His recent monograph Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics expands on that work and details Chinese economic espionage. He has testified numerous times before Congress, and he consults to USG agencies and private industry. SpyTalk calls him "one of the most well informed former U.S. government officials on Beijing's espionage apparatus."
RSVP or questions to afioatlanta@gmail.com or 404.403.8004, Brian Hooper, President, AFIO Atlanta, 1266 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia, 30327.
All AFIO members and friends are invited!

Thursday, 18 February 2021, 12:30 - 1:30 pm (PST) - Virtual GoToMeeting - Annual 2021 AFIO-LA Chapter Business Meeting

The AFIO Los Angeles Chapter will hold its annual General Business Meeting which includes annual elections, yearly objectives and other chapter business. All members are encouraged to attend and bring forth any chapter points of interest for the 2021 agenda. This meeting will be held virtually through GoToMeeting. Please RSVP via email reply to attend, we look forward to your participation.
RSVP or Questions to: afio_la@yahoo.com, Vincent Autiero, President, AFIO-Los Angeles Chapter, 5651 W Manchester Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90045. www.afio.org

Wednesday, 17 March 2021 - Virtual on Zoom - AFIO Atlanta presents its St. Patrick's Day Event featuring Ruth Dudley Edwards on "How the Appeasement of Terrorism in Northern Ireland by Western Liberalism has led to the Spectre of a Fascist Takeover."

The AFIO Atlanta Chapter hosts Ruth Dudley Edwards, an Irish historian, political commentator, and crime writer who has written extensively on the Troubles. Her most recent book is The Seven: The Lives and Legacies of the Founding Fathers of the Irish Republic (2016), and some of her other works include Aftermath: The Omagh Bombings and the Families' Pursuit of Justice and The Faithful Tribe: An Intimate Portrait of the Loyal Institutions (shortlisted for Channel 4/The House Politico's Book of the Year).
Her bio can be found here.
RSVP or questions to afioatlanta@gmail.com or 404.403.8004, Brian Hooper, President, AFIO Atlanta, 1266 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia, 30327.
All AFIO members and friends are invited!

Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

Thursday, 25 Feb 2021, 1800/6pm EST; 1500/3pm PST; 1300/1pm HST - Virtual GoToMeeting - NIP Speaker Series Features RDML Michael Vernazza

The Naval Intelligence Professionals Virtual Speaker Series this month features RDML Michael Vernazza – Commander, Naval Information Warfighting Development Center, on "Mission, Role, and Status of the Naval Information Warfighting Development Center."
Biography: RDML Vernazza bio available here.
FORMAT: Video Conference – GoToMeeting. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone, beginning at 1750/5:50 EDT at this link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/153406485
You can also dial in using your phone. US: +1 (571) 317-3122 Access Code: 153-406-485.
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now at https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/153406485 and be ready when your first meeting starts.
As always, please mute your device/phone. Thanks.
AGENDA: (3 min) RDML (Ret.) Cothron, NIP Chairman, welcoming remarks; (~30 min) RDML Vernazza remarks; Q & A moderated by CAPT (Ret.) Bob Allen.
Please ask your questions in the GoToMeeting chat window or email your questions in advance/during the video conference to: bob_allen36@hotmail.com.

Store Items:

In addition to the new Royal Blue long sleeve shirts, and the gray long sleeve hooded sweatshirts, the AFIO Store also has the following items ready for quick shipment:

NEW: LONG and Short-Sleeved Shirts with embroidered AFIO Logo and New Mugs with color-glazed permanent logo

Show your support for AFIO with our new Polo Shirts. Be the first to buy these new, high quality, subtle heathered grey short sleeve shirts, and dark blue long sleeved 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.

Available as a thank you for donations are the new AFIO logo face masks:

These soft, form-fitting, washable, non-medical grade fabric face masks have wide behind-the-ear elastics to make long periods of wear comfortable. Also easier to quickly put on or take off. Blue on outside, white inside. The masks do not have a nose wire but are sculpted, shaped, and sewn to fit most users. The all-cloth composition allows the masks to be washed or steam-disinfected without concerns over metal wires. The color logo is washable and a permanent part of the mask.

The masks, however, are not for sale. They are being offered strictly as a thank you gift to our donors.
For tax-deductible donations of $50 you will receive a receipt and our thank you gift of two of these newly-arrived face masks.
Donations of $100 receive four masks to be sent to the same address. Other amounts and split-shipments are available.
To donate now to support AFIO's programs and publications, please do so here.

We wish all members and donors continued good health, safe social distancing, and warmly appreciate any support you are able to provide the association.

AFIO Mug with color glazed logo. Made in America. 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.

Guide to the Study of Intelligence and When Intelligence Made a Difference

"AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence" has sold out in hard-copy.
However, it is available in digital form in its entirety on the AFIO website here.

Also available on the website here are the individual articles of AFIO's history project "When Intelligence Made a Difference" that have been published to date in The Intelligencer journal. More articles will be forthcoming in future editions.

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