Association of Former Intelligence Officers

Weekly Intelligence Notes

31 January - 06 February 2024
(Issue 05)

Readers who encounter problems with the email version of the WIN can
view the latest web edition here.

Please send contributions and comments to: winseditor@afio.com.


CONTENTS


Section I - CURRENTS

(Recent Events, Developments, Highlights)



Section II - DEEP DIVES

(Research Papers, OpEds, Analysis, Podcasts)



Section III - FORMERS' FORUM

(Legacy Intel Practitioners' Informed Perspectives)



Section IV - MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS

(All Categories)

  • Article: A former CIA analyst died hoping to help others with his rare disease - Washington Post, 03 Feb 24
  • Article: Spycraft and Statecraft - Transforming the CIA for an Age of Competition - Foreign Affairs, 30 Feb 24
  • Article: Chinese Hacking Against U.S. Infrastructure Threatens American Lives, Officials Say - Wall Street Journal, 31 Jan 24
  • Article: Canada a 'high-priority' target for Chinese interference, CSIS doc tells Hogue inquiry - Canadian Broadcast Corporation, 01 Feb 24
  • Article: There’s So Much Data Even Spies Are Struggling to Find Secrets - Bloomberg, 29 Jan 24
  • Article: Chinese hackers target infrastructure; cyberattack efforts threaten to spread chaos, confusion - Washington Times, 31 Jan 24
  • Article: Intel leaders warn of potential ‘cyber invasion’ of the U.S. by China - Politico Pro, 31 Jan 24
  • Article: Factions on FISA told to negotiate overhaul; Republican hawks, watchdogs clash - Washington Times, 30 Jan 24
  • Article: Ex-CIA computer engineer gets 40 years in prison for giving spy agency hacking secrets to WikiLeaks - Politico, 01 Feb 24
  • Article: Bruce Schneier predicts a future of AI-powered mass spying: Lock and Code - Malwarebytes Podcast, 29 Jan 24
  • Article: Russia amplifies calls for civil war in the U.S. - Weaponized, 03 Feb 24
  • Article: MK-Ultra - The CIA Infiltrates the Human Psyche - Grey Dynamics, 03 Feb 24

*The editor thanks the following contributors of content for this issue:

EB, CP, GR, TG, LR, PO, JK, FR


Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

Books: (Forthcoming, New Releases, Overlooked)

True Intelligence Matters in Film: Neither Confirm Nor Deny - Philip Carter (2020)

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

Infographic: The State of the World's 7,168 Living Languages - Visual Capitalist, 27 Jan 24

Walking Tours: "The Spies of Embassy Row" and "Spies of Georgetown" - Washington, DC. (Sundays, Dates/Times Vary)



Section VI - Obituaries and Classifieds

(Research Requests, Academic Opportunities, Employment)

Obituaries

Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

Employment



Section VII - Events

Upcoming AFIO Events

  • Saturday, 10 Feb 2024, 1130 (EST) - The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter hosts David Hunt, retired Senior Operations Officer of CIA's Clandestine Service, discussing "Intelligence in Flux." - In Person, Indialantic, Florida
  • 20 February 2024, noon ET - The Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter hosts Michael Pullara on "1993 Murder of CIA Station Chief Freddie Woodruff." - In-Person at MacDill AFB, FL or by Zoom
  • Friday, 19 Apr 2024, 1100 (EST) - AFIO National Spring Luncheon features fireside chat with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence. Morning speaker is Jonna Mendez, CIA's former Master of Disguise, "In True Face." - In Person, Tysons, Virginia
  • NOTE NEW DATE: 30 July 24, 1900 (PST) - Former CIA Director General David Petraeus on challenges in Ukraine and the Middle East - In-Person, Yorba Linda, CA - AFIO Los Angeles Chapter; Dinner after presentation.

Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, Others

See the AFIO Calendar of Events for scheduling further in the future.



DISCLAIMER


The Weekly Intelligence Notes include a wide range of articles and commentary to inform our readers. Views expressed in articles are those of the authors; they do not reflect AFIO's support or endorsement. Notices about non-AFIO events do not reflect AFIO endorsement or recommendation.
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 readers, who should exercise caution and good judgment when responding and independently verify the source before supplying resumes, career data, or personal information.

     

LATEST FROM AFIO


AFIO Special Edition
*AFIO Special Edition episodes offer intelligence expertise and assessments of breaking news*

Released to members and the public today...6 February 2024...

Iran and Its Surrogates


Recorded 31 January 2024

Norman Roule, ODNI National Intelligence Manager, Iran,
on
Attacks on US Forces by Iranian Proxies

In this inaugural AFIO Special Edition episode, former CIA Division Chief and National Intelligence Manager for ODNI, Iran, Norman Roule discusses the aerial system attack at a military base in Jordan near the Syrian border last week that killed 3 service members. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer and Former NSA Associate Deputy Director of Operations.

The interview runs 27 minutes and includes several Q&As.

Access the Norman Roule interview here or click above image.

The AFIO Now video series in 2024 is proudly sponsored by Northwest Financial Advisors.

Registration has opened...

AFIO National In-Person Spring Luncheon features
fireside chat with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence.
Morning speaker is Jonna Mendez, CIA's former Master of Disguise, "In True Face."

AFIO Spring Luncheon, Friday, 19 April 2024

Avril Haines, DNINOON SPEAKER: Fireside Chat with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, begins at noon. Please note the earlier time.

MORNING SPEAKER: Jonna Mendez, former CIA Chief of Disguise, speaks at 11:00 a.m.

She will be discussing her latest book: "In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked" - published 5 March 2024. Copies will be available.

Jonna MendezQ&A follows each talk or presentation.

Lunch served 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Event ends at 2:00 p.m.

Luncheon prices are $60 for Members; $75 for nonmember guests and all Subscribers. Payment by credit card required at time of registration. No mailed checks or "at the door" payments accepted or permitted.

Register here while seats remain. Registration closes 5 p.m., Friday, 12 April.

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Cancellations after 12 April are not donations because your meal has been guaranteed to hotel per event contract. Thank you for your understanding.

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The Archive

AFIO Now Video Interviews and Podcasts in 2023 were sponsored by
Northwest Financial Advisors

Click here to watch interviews in the AFIO Now series released in 2024.
View interviews from 2020 to 2023 here.
Watch public-release interviews on our YouTube channel or listen to them in podcast form at the links below.

Log into the member-only area for member-only features.


The Podcast

LATEST PODCAST: In this episode, AFIO Special Edition - 'Iran and Its Surrogates' with Norman Roule
*AFIO Special Edition episodes offer intelligence expertise and assessments of breaking news*
In this inaugural AFIO Special Edition episode, former CIA Division Chief and National Intelligence Manager for ODNI, Iran, Norman Roule discusses the aerial system attack at a military base in Jordan near the Syrian border last week that killed 3 service members. Recorded 31 Jan 2024. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer
The interview runs 27 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Podcast here.

Are you too busy to watch an entire AFIO Now episode on YouTube? Would you rather listen in your car or while accomplishing other tasks? You can download or stream episodes on any of the 8 podcasting platforms that host AFIO Now. Search for 'AFIO Podcast' for a selection of the interviews above (public released ones) on:

Podbean; iTunes; Google; Spotify; Amazon Music; TuneIn; iHeartRadio; Pandora



Special Walking Tours Announcements
from SpyGuide Tours Inc

Weekend Tours in Washington DC
Georgetown Spy Tour
Embassy Row Spy Tour Daily Tours in New York City
The Spies of Wall Street

New 2024 Dates
Vintage Espionage: A Wine Tasting Event with an Espionage Twist.

Visit Spyher Book | Buy | Contact us to schedule a private event |
Subscribe and “Get the Intel” for not-yet-public information on upcoming events

Vintage Espionage travels throughout the U.S. 
Visit https://spyher.co to learn more and book all tours.

New — from AFIO Partner The OSS Society



Full information and registration here.

THE MARKETPLACE


THE AFIO STORE

Special Gifts for Colleagues, Self, or Others

ONLY SIX COPIES REMAIN. Roy Berkeley's "A Spy's London" - Original U.S. Edition

In 'this remarkable book' (as intelligence historian and AFIO member Nigel West describes in his Foreword), the reader will be struck by the vibrancy of history made real. Author/AFIO member Roy Berkeley goes behind the facades of ordinary buildings, in the city that West calls 'the espionage capital of the World,' to remind us that the history of intelligence has often been made in such mundane places. With his evocative photographs and compelling observations, The 136 sites are organized into 21 manageable walks. But also a joy to armchair travelers. Among the sites: the modest hotel suite where an eager Red Army colonel poured out his secrets to a team of British and American intelligence officers; the royal residence where one of the most slippery Soviet moles was at home for years; the London home where an MP plotting to appease Hitler was arrested on his front steps in 1940. A few copies are available at only $20 a copy (postage to a U.S.-based address included). Telephone the office at 703-790-0320 or email julie@afio.com to obtain one of these last copies.

NEW Gray long-sleeved polo shirts with embroidered AFIO logo. Men's sizes only.
Show your support for AFIO with our new Gray Long-sleeve Polo Shirts. Shirts are shrink and wrinkle resistant of fine cotton with a soft, "well-worn, comfy" 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 $60 each including shipping.
Sizes for men, only: Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and XXXL.  $60 per shirt. Order this and other store items online here.


NEW 20 oz ceramic Mug with color glazed logo. Made in America. Check out our new tapered, sleek AFIO coffee mug!! This handsome 20 oz. ceramic mug is made in the USA, has a white matte exterior, sports a beautiful navy-blue interior, and is dishwasher safe.  Order yours today! $35 per mug includes shipping to a CONUS address. [includes shipping to U.S. based address, only. For foreign shipments, we will contact you with a quote.] SHIPPING: For shipment to a U.S.-based CONUS address, shipping is included in price. For purchases going to AK, HI, other US territories, Canada, or other foreign countries the shipping fees need to be calculated, so please call our office M-F 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET at 703-790-0320 or email afio@afio.com providing following information: 1) your name, 2) mailing address (or addresses where each gift item will be shipped), 3) name of the AFIO store items you wish to purchase, 4) quantity of each, 5) your credit card number and expiration date, 6) amount (except for additional of shipping fees) authorized to charge, and 7) your phone number and email should we have questions. Foreign shipments fees will be calculated and estimates emailed to you, awaiting your approval.  Order this and other store items online here.



CIA's In-house Gift Shop



One special benefit of AFIO membership is access to CIA's EAA Store.

After completing the required, quick pre-approval process for all AFIO members described here, you can purchase directly from the EAA online store their unusual logo'd gift items for self or colleagues. EAA on 20 October 2023 released the photo above, which features some of their newest CIA items and other gift suggestions.

Section I - CURRENTS

(Recent Events, Developments, Highlights)

US to restrict visas for those who misuse commercial spyware - Reuters, 05 Feb 24

The United States on Monday announced a new visa restriction policy for those it said were misusing commercial spyware. The policy announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken will allow the State Department to impose visa restrictions for individuals believed to have been involved in the abuse of commercial spyware, as well as for those who facilitate such actions and benefit from it. U.S. officials say the new policy is part of a wider effort to shape the behavior of foreign governments and individual companies that are involved in malicious digital espionage activities. Historically, these companies have been accused of developing platforms that facilitated hacks against human rights activists, journalists and opposition politicians in the developing world. (Read more here.)

Cyber Command, NSA usher in Haugh as new chief - The Record, 02 Feb 24

After nearly six years, Army Gen. Paul Nakasone on Friday handed over the reins to U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh assumed leadership of both entities during a change-of-command ceremony inside NSA’s Morrison Center. The transition comes as the U.S. wrestles with the growing importance of digital warfare and the country’s top cyber officials prepare for a national election that could be the target of sophisticated hacking by Russia, China and other actors. Nakasone, who took over as Cyber Command was elevated from a subordinate organization and the NSA workforce suffered from low morale following a series of massive security breaches, was lauded during the ceremony for his leadership of the two agencies. “I cannot overstate how important General Nakasone’s work has been,” said Maher Bitar, special assistant to President Joe Biden and senior director for intelligence programs on the White House's National Security Council staff. (Read more here.)

Dozens in Jordan targeted by authorities using NSO spyware, report finds - The Guardian, 01 Feb 24

About three dozen journalists, lawyers and human rights workers in Jordan have been targeted by authorities using powerful spyware made by Israel’s NSO Group amid a broad crackdown on press freedoms and political participation, according to a report by the advocacy group Access Now. The information suggests the Jordanian government has used the Israeli cyberweapon against members of civil society, including at least one American citizen living in Jordan, between 2019 and September 2023. Tensions between Israel and Jordan are high after Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza and accusations by a Jordanian official that the war waged by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, amounts to “retaliatory barbarism”. (Full article here.)

The World’s 10 Most Important Top Secret Buildings - Architectural Digest, 01 Feb 24

Some of the world’s most important buildings have only been seen by a relatively small number of people. In other words, they are top secret buildings. Many of these locations house the headquarters of intelligence agencies, holding miles of classified documents and government secrets within their walls, or remain accessible only to scientists and researchers to protect the valuable contents. Agencies have taken drastically different approaches to the constriction of their secretive sites–some are hidden away from the public eye, while others stand out in the skyline of the city. From the doughnut-shaped headquarters of Britain’s GCHQ to a military command center tucked away in a Colorado mountain, the world’s most top secret buildings have histories as fascinating as what goes on inside of them. (Full article here.)

German ex-spy chief investigated for right-wing extremism - BBC, 01 Feb 24

Hans-Georg Maassen was once in charge of hunting down neo-Nazis in Germany. Now he is being investigated for suspected right-wing extremism by the intelligence agency he headed until 2018. Mr Maassen has published a letter from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) confirming that he is under investigation. The agency says it can't comment on individual cases because of strict personal data protection rules. Mr Maassen said on X, formerly Twitter, that the letter did not contain "substantial proof that the investigation was justified," adding that the government was afraid of him. He accuses the centre-left interior minister Nancy Faeser of using the intelligence services to fight political opponents. In the letter, security officials cite Mr Maassen's apparent belief in far-right and antisemitic conspiracy theories, his anti-migrant rhetoric and an alleged sympathy for the far-right Reichsbürger movement, members of which were arrested in December 2022 after a suspected failed coup. (Full article here.)

Secret US spying program targeted top Venezuelan officials, flouting international law - Associated Press, 31 Jan 24

A secret memo obtained by The Associated Press details a yearslong covert operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that sent undercover operatives into Venezuela to surreptitiously record and build drug-trafficking cases against the country’s leadership – a plan the U.S. acknowledged from the start was arguably a violation of international law. “It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials,” reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding “Operation Money Badger,” an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While there’s no clear mechanism to hold the United States accountable legally, the revelation threatens to roil already fraught relations with Maduro’s socialist government and could deepen resentment of the U.S. across Latin America over perceived meddling. It also offers a rare window into the lengths the DEA was willing to go to fight the drug war in a country that banned U.S. drug agents nearly two decades ago. (Full article here.)

Canada’s spies face yet another rebuke over failure to keep judges informed - Global News, 30 Jan 24

Canada’s two main spy agencies were rebuked by the Federal Court on Tuesday for failing to keep judges informed on how they handle Canadians’ identifying information. The court ruling is another in a line of decisions suggesting the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had again failed its “duty of candour” to be upfront with judges who approve intrusive surveillance warrants. “CSIS’s failure to live up to its obligation in this regard appears to have been an institutional failing, rather than a failing of any particular individual or individuals,” wrote Paul Crampton, chief justice of the Federal Court, in the ruling. “This failing goes to the heart of CSIS’s relationship with the court. It is a matter of institutional trust. It is incumbent upon CSIS to continue its recent efforts to do better.” (Full article here.)

CIA doubles spending to meet China threat - Washington Times, 31 Jan 24

CIA Director William J. Burns has revealed in a major new journal article that his agency has retooled its analysis and operations and doubled its budget to focus on the rising threat from China. Mr. Burns, writing in the journal Foreign Affairs, described China as a bigger long-term threat than Russia, and the CIA under his direction in the past two years has reorganized and redirected funds to China as a top priority. “Accordingly, the CIA has committed substantially more resources toward China-related intelligence collection, operations and analysis around the world — more than doubling the percentage of our overall budget focused on China over just the last two years,” Mr. Burns said. “We’re hiring and training more Mandarin speakers while stepping up efforts across the world to compete with China, from Latin America to Africa to the Indo-Pacific.” (Full article here.)

Iranian Government-Backed Operation: DOJ Indicts Trio in Targeted Assassination Scheme - Clearance Jobs, 30 Jan 24

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on January 29, the indictment of three individuals for conspiring to assassinate dissident Iranians who opposed the Iranian regime. The Iranian-based narco-trafficker Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti is a protected asset by the Iranian government, to include the Iranian Ministry of State Security (MOIS) headed up this effort. Readers of ClearanceJobs will recall that in September 2021, it was revealed that five Iranian nationals were operating on behalf of Iranian intelligence in the United States. Their tasking was to obtain information on dissidents and opponents of the regime, to include kidnapping a targeted individual. Indeed, in the 2021 indictment, it was clear that Iran enjoyed a robust intelligence gathering apparatus within the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The recent DOJ indictment identified the three individuals who conspired to murder two residents of Maryland as: (Full article here.)

India frees pigeon accused of spying for China - Deutsch Welle, 02 Feb 24

Indian police released a pigeon after eight months in custody, as it was finally cleared of charges of being a suspected Chinese spy. The bird was caught at Pir Pau Jetty in the Mumbai suburb of Chemburin. It had two rings tied to its leg with "messages written in a Chinese-like script" on its wings, Indian daily newspaper Times of India reported. Police took in the pigeon, later sending it to Mumbai's Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals. A case of spying was registered against the bird, but later dropped upon completion of the inquiry. Police found out that it was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and made its way to India. A representative from the non-profit organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) got in touch with the police asking for the release of the pigeon. The bird was transferred from the hospital to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose doctors set it free on Tuesday. (Full article here.)

CIA, FBI to lend Trinidad and Tobago a hand - Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 03 Feb 24

Certain criminals are now “liking” T&T and they aren’t “small-timers”. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed this yesterday, stating this was the reason he met with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) earlier this week during his mission to the US. Rowley spoke about the trip at a media briefing at Whitehall, Port-of-Spain, while reporting on his recent four-day mission to the US, where he and a five-member delegation met with officials on security, cybersecurity, energy, trade and other issues. Yesterday, Rowley acknowledged that concern about crime, criminality and violence was issue number one in T&T, from schools to business places, homes to bars. Rowley said among the US officials whom the T&T delegation met were officials of the FBI. He said, “We do have some problems in Trinidad and Tobago which I’ll not burden you with today, but we do have some internal problems and given the nature of our relationship with the United States, the resources of the FBI and the CIA were made available to us to deal with our own internal problems.” (Full article here.)

Counterespionage Corner - Recent Arrests, Convictions, Expulsions, and more...

Cyberespionage Collection - Newly Identified Actors and Operations, Countermeasures, Policy, other...

  • Spy business: Why CSIS and corporate Canada must join forces in the war against cyberattacks - The Star, 03 Feb 24
  • National Cyber Strategy needs better implementation measures, GAO argues - Government Executive, 02 Feb 24
  • Jen Easterly Talks CISA’s Efforts to Counter Critical Infrastructure Cyberthreats Posed by China - Executive Gov, 01 Feb 24
  • Chinese hackers would outnumber FBI cyber agents by 50 to 1 even if the agency threw all its resources at China: FBI chief - Business Insider, 31 Jan 24
  • Notorious ransomware gang claims it pulled ‘classified and top secret documents’ from U.S. intelligence agencies - Daily Dot, 30 Jan 24


Section II - DEEP DIVES

(Research Papers, OpEds, Analysis, Podcasts)

Intelligence for human security: measuring outcomes quantitatively - Intelligence and National Security, 04 Feb 24

This article examines whether increased intelligence capacity improves global security, a key assumption in intelligence theory. Using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method, the research statistically analyzes data from the U.S. International Intelligence Behaviour dataset and Global Terrorism Database. Grounded in intelligence studies and international relations theory, the study integrates a constructivist human security framework. Surprisingly, the results show a significant correlation between increased intelligence capacity and the degree of terrorism, suggesting intelligence may undermine rather than enhance human security. This finding challenges traditional assumptions, though it must be viewed cautiously due to potential endogeneity. (Full report here.)

‘A cuckoo in the diplomatic service nest’: freedom of information and the ‘English Desk’ of the Information Research Department (IRD) - Intelligence and National Security, 04 Feb 24

Access to material that was once classified is self-evidently fundamental to intelligence historians. How that material enters the public domain, and the way it is presented, inevitably shapes our understanding of the past. States obviously – and for good reason – do not want to declassify material that will put them at security risk or give advantage to adversaries; those declassifying material must balance the public interest carefully. This research note offers new insight into the process by shining a light on the internal workings of the UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as officials deliberated whether to declassify files relating to highly sensitive domestic Cold War propaganda operations. More than that, the original files themselves show keen awareness of how to present these activities to prevent sensationalism, exaggeration, and conspiracy theories – within government, and, if leaked, more widely. As such, the research note offers a rare holistic account of once top-secret activity including, how it was presented at the time and how it was released over half a century later. (Full report here.)

The US Could Learn Something From China’s Spy Tactics - Bloomberg, 31 Jan 24

US intelligence officials are starting to figure out how to tap into the vast amount of data that is publicly available for review. There’s a staggering amount of so-called open-source information, or OSINT, but US spies — used to clock-and-dagger espionage — have been slow to tap into it, my colleagues Peter Martin and Katrina Manson reported earlier this week. One expert quoted in the story gave the intelligence community’s efforts a “D.” China has taken the opposite approach. Instead of focusing on chasing secrets, China realized long ago that valuable information is hiding in plain sight. Collecting publicly available data from abroad has been a top priority of its intelligence services for decades, according to William Hannas, a former CIA official who is now lead analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, whose focus is on the use of OSINT to track and predict foreign science and technology developments. The US intelligence community has viewed it as a “poor cousin” of cloak-and-dagger spy craft, according to a 2021 analysis on the topic by Hannas and a colleague, Huey-Meei Chang. He told a Congressional committee last year that US efforts to monitor foreign science and technology — which he described as “inherently an open-source exercise” — are “pathetic.” (Full report here.)

Bridging Gaps Between the Geosciences and National Security - Eos, 31 Jan 24

The U.S. national security community, comprising agencies tasked with the country’s defense and intelligence gathering, needs reliable and current science to guide its decisionmaking with respect to climate change, the clean energy transition, water resources, and other complex issues. For example, climate change is affecting the stability of various nation-states. Decreasing Arctic sea ice volume and extent are driving changes in global navigation patterns. Locating new rare earth mineral deposits is critical for powering the next generation of civilian and military electric vehicles and aircraft. And military operations require access to potable water, necessitating understanding of changing freshwater resources. However, the geoscience communities who study these issues do not routinely communicate with the national security community; instead, they more often use an over-the-transom approach to disseminate their research. That is, they publish their work in trade, scientific, and academic journals and hope it is recognized and used in policymaking. Unfortunately, this is an inefficient approach to knowledge sharing, and it often results in relevant research being overlooked by the national security community. On the other hand, the national security community collects data sets that can be useful to—but aren’t routinely shared with—geoscientists. (Full report here.)

U.S. Data Dumpster Fire Singes NSA + The Evolution of Election Disinformation - Lawfare, 02 Feb 24

The National Security Agency (NSA) has been embroiled in a U.S. senator’s campaign against intelligence agencies’ purchase and use of data obtained illegally by data brokers. Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is pushing to stop U.S. intelligence agencies from buying Americans’ personal data obtained illegally by data brokers. Wyden announced the push in a recent press release in which he announced the release of letters saying the NSA was buying “internet records” that could reveal what websites Americans visited and the apps they used. Wyden’s announcement then segues into a call for the Biden administration to stop agencies from buying personal data obtained illegally by brokers. Recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actions indicate that data brokers are sometimes not obtaining informed consent from people whose data they capture, implying that their products are illegal. Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the NSA, explained the NSA’s data purchase regime in a letter to Wyden, linked to from the senator’s press release. (Full report here.)

Ignorance, indifference, or incompetence: why are Russian covert actions so easily unmasked? - Intelligence and National Security, 30 Jan 24

Although plausible deniability is a definitional characteristic of covert actions, numerous Russian actions have been unveiled and attributed to Russia over the past decade. The reason for these frequent revelations can be explained by three factors: ignorance, indifference, and incompetence. Russian actions often display ignorance about the reactions they might elicit, indifference to global opinion if they are caught, and incompetence that allows foreign governments to unpeel the sometimes thin veneer of clandestinity that is supposed to cover Russian actions. Frequent revelations based on a combination of those factors have given Russia a reputation of aggressiveness in the international arena, while also limiting Russia’s own actions, even in overt areas such as diplomacy and economic relations, because of that reputation. (Full report here.)

The Facts About Electronic Surveillance Reform - Just Security, 31 Jan 24

Early last November, a bipartisan, bicameral group of U.S. senators and representatives introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GSRA). The sponsors of the bill, who came from across the ideological spectrum, stood for three principles: First, the surveillance law known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) should be reauthorized with reforms, rather than allowed to expire. The GSRA was in fact the first bill introduced in this Congress to reauthorize Section 702; Second, these reforms should allow the government to conduct surveillance of foreigners overseas while protecting the privacy of Americans whose communications get swept up with them.; Third, it is long past time for comprehensive surveillance reform that addresses other major intelligence collection authorities that impact Americans’ privacy, as well as law enforcement surveillance authorities that, in many cases, have not been updated in decades. (Read full report here.)

A Double Agent in the Canadian Mounted Police with Justin Ling - Spycraft 101 Podcast, 04 Feb 24

This week's guest is Justin Ling. Justin is an award winning investigative journalist whose work has appeared in Vice, Maclean's Foreign Policy, and The Globe and Mail, among other publications. He's also the author of the book Missing from the Village, which is about Toronto based serial killer Bruce MacArthur and has hosted two seasons of the Uncover Podcast for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Today, Justin dives into a story he wrote in April, 2021 titled "The Rise and Fall of a Double Agent". It's the story of Cameron Ortiz, a senior member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who was arrested after a classified document was found in the possession of a businessman providing encrypted phones to criminal organizations worldwide. (64 mins) (Listen here.)

An Ethical Framework for Economic Intelligence - International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 01 Feb 24

It can be argued that intelligence activity has ethical value through its important role in detecting, preventing, and countering threats that would cause harm to the political community and its members. What has been relatively overlooked, however, is the potentially (un)ethical role of intelligence in the economic sphere—that is, whether secret intelligence acts of economic espionage and economic covert action can be used against another (potentially aggressive) state’s economy or economic actors as a means of protecting one’s own economic, social, and military security. Economic intelligence works to create a competitive economic or political advantage, but this can cause harm that is more likely to be disproportionate and inflicted on those who have done nothing to warrant it. The harms caused by economic intelligence can be widely spread across society and against those who are unjustified targets. To account for this, additional care needs to be given to questions of proportionality and discrimination. (Read here.)

Current Intelligence and Assessments: Information Flows and the Tension between Quality and Speed - International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 01 Feb 24

This article takes a particular interest in the dynamics between information flows, continuous ongoing assessments, intelligence dissemination, and forward-looking operational advice. The point of departure is the tension between balancing quality (in the sense of in-depth processing of large amounts of information) and speed (meeting requirements of timeliness) in current intelligence assessments. The article takes an explorative approach to practices in current intelligence, utilizing qualitative interview data combined with open source material. The radically improved access to information through a wide variety of means over the last decades has given rise to both advantages and challenges for the practice of intelligence. Advantages include the fact that much information that was previously costly, resource-intensive, and often dangerous to obtain is now more or less freely available. However, the flipside of this development is a range of challenges due to the changing signal-to-noise ratio, requiring vast collection and processing in order to identify relevant pieces of information. While this can be considered a challenge common to the Intelligence Community (IC) at large, it arguably becomes especially pronounced in the time-sensitive practice of current intelligence analysis. Problems related to current intelligence are a less explored topic in the field of Intelligence Studies compared to, for example, strategic intelligence. However, it is arguably in the practice of current intelligence that the dilemma and tradeoff between producing intelligence of the highest possible quality, and doing so within short timeframes, becomes particularly acute. (Read here.)

Spying From Space - Foreign Affairs, 02 Feb 24

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense announced an ambitious plan to launch 1,000 satellites over the next decade. Over the same period, the National Reconnaissance Office, which runs the United States’ spy satellites, plans to quadruple the size of its fleet of a couple of dozen satellites. The U.S. government can expand its fleet this quickly because satellites have become much cheaper to manufacture and easier to launch into space. Many of these new satellites are intended for surveillance, and with all these new eyes in the sky, the United States will be able to maintain what is known... (Read here.)

The Latest from International Spy Museum Historian Andrew Hammond, PhD.

Spycast is the official podcast of the International Spy Museum and hosts interviews with intelligence experts on matters of HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, OSINT, and GEOINT. Spycast is hosted by historian Andrew Hammond, PhD.

30 Jan | From the Vault: 70th Anniversary of James Bond with Alexis Albion Curators Alexis (LinkedIn) and Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) use James Bond artifacts in SPY’s collection to discuss all things 007. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale.


Section III - FORMERS' FORUM

(Legacy Intel Practitioners' Informed Perspectives)


The Latest Insights from Former CIA Acting Deputy Director for Operations Jack Devine.

In Other News The proprietary analytic newsletter crafted for The Arkin Group's private clients by former CIA Acting Deputy Director for Operations Jack Devine.

02 Feb | As the threat of disinformation rises, democratic nations are refining strategies to expose, combat, and contain false narratives. Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report now ranks manipulated and falsified information as the greatest short-term risk to the world, demonstrating that the insidious threat has now fully surfaced. According to the assessment, “Misinformation and disinformation may radically disrupt electoral processes in several economies”- and in a year filled with impactful elections, this could translate into social disarray and violence. The risk is powered by social media but also amplified by the increasing sophistication and proliferation of AI generated images and messaging. (Full report here.)


Daily Analysis of Security Issues and Geopolitical Trends

Intel Brief The Soufan Center's flagship, daily analytical product focused on complex security issues and geopolitical trends that may shape regional or international affairs. The Soufan Center was founded by former FBI Special Agent and Soufan Group CEO Ali Soufan.

06 Feb | Houthi Attacks Upend Beijing’s Regional Strategy

Leaders in Beijing might have thought that their ties to Iran immunized China’s global shipping conglomerates and its economy more generally from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi (Ansarallah) movement on global shipping through the Red Sea. The Houthis say they seek to compel global diplomats to halt Israel’s offensive against Hamas, which has had devastating humanitarian consequences for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Iran is the main source of arms for the Houthis, including the missiles and armed drones they have used to target Red Sea commercial ships on more than 30 occasions since mid-November. The Houthis maintain they are only targeting vessels with financial ties to Israel, but ships without evident links to Israeli interests have been struck as well. Apparently, in deference to Tehran’s global alignments, the Houthis have stated they would not target ships linked to Russia or China – both of which have sharply criticized U.S. backing for Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

05 Feb | U.S. Strikes Aimed at Restoring Deterrence without Escalating Conflict with Iran

02 Feb | China Poses Major Hacking Threat to U.S. Critical Infrastructure

01 Feb | Is the European Union Ready to Address the Challenges Confronting its Economic Security?

31 Feb | The U.S. Readies its Response to the Jordan Attack, Leaving the Region on Edge




Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell and former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andy Makridis on critical security challenges.

Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch is a Beacon Global Strategies podcast.

31 Jan | American Dynamism & Tech Innovation: Marc Andreeson Andy talks with Silicon Valley venture capitalist and software engineer Marc Andreessen about how the American tech sector can innovate for the national interest and how new technologies like AI can improve warfare and defense.



E-Commerce Lessons for Espionage with Former CIA Executive Ted Singer - Cipher Brief, 04 Feb 24

I recently enjoyed an overdue reunion with some college friends, wrongly assuming war stories from this retired CIA officer would wow my pals and earn me top bragging rights. Instead, our host, Brian, won the best-story-of-the-weekend contest, regaling us over drinks with his escapades in modern e-commerce. My former roommate’s digital exploits, I concluded, offered some lessons for old business, as the changing global order and technology buffet the world’s second oldest profession, espionage. E-commerce isn’t exactly a life-or-death gig, but Brian’s ecosystem may foretell “what comes next” for the intelligence business. As he explained, Brian funds entrepreneurs he’s never met. In real time, these on-line hustlers identify gaps and trending items in the marketplace. They then piggyback on national box stores’ wholesale purchases; buy empty space on scheduled transport for warehousing at a major e-tailer; sell the goods at digital storefronts on a global platform; and rely on a major company’s distribution network for delivery to the customer. At month’s end, Brian receives a return on his investment. Oh, did I mention that he works from his beachside home, dog by his side, and his only complaint is that his partners aren’t scaling operations fast enough? (Listen here.)

Why the Classic Movie ‘Spy Game’ Gets it Right by Former Senior CIA Operations Officer Mark Davidson - Cipher Brief, 02 Feb 24

Many moons ago, when I started my training as an operations officer, the world and country were in a different place. Everyone I knew accepted the Earth was round. It was understood Russia represented the preeminent national security threat to the United States and that invading sovereign nations was an unequivocally bad thing. People who were patriots just stepped up and served their country and that was that. Ball caps had nothing to do with it. CIA training and development were also different back then: I leapt out of a perfectly good airplane half a dozen times; fast-roped out of a helicopter; zeroed the sights on long-guns; halved trees with detcord; and drove a car 45 mph backwards, jacked a power turn, and smashed through a roadblock. I never did any of these things in real ops situations during my career. It was never even a notion. It was all training that had a purpose. (Read more here.)

The road to war with Iran is paved with good intentions and serious miscalculations by Former Senior CIA Operations Officer Douglas London - Middle East Institute, 02 Feb 24

An airstrike likely carried out by Israel kills five Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers in Damascus on Jan. 20, and Tehran retaliates through Iraqi proxies with missiles against al-Asad Airbase in Iraq. While most of the missiles were intercepted, some evaded air defenses and hit the base, causing traumatic brain injuries to at least three service members, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). After what’s now some 160 attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, it was only a matter of time before one overcame American defenses. And it was that latest attack targeting the housing complex on a US military outpost in northeastern Jordan that killed 3 US service members and wounded some 40 more on Jan. 28. Meanwhile, Biden administration officials’ messaging in advance of what they claim to be a fitting response includes such recent headlines as “US intelligence officials estimate Tehran does not have full control of its proxy groups,” intimating another free pass for Iran. (Watch here.)

How China is winning the intelligence war by former DIA China Specialist Nicholas Eftimiades - iNews, 31 Jan 24

Nicholas Eftimiades is unequivocal about the severity of China’s spying threat to the West. “We’re under siege. Everywhere you look, something different is happening.” In the last 18 months, we’ve seen a spy balloon shot down off the US coast, up to 30 former RAF pilots recruited to train Chinese rivals, and a parliamentary researcher arrested in London over fears he was passing information to Beijing, which he denies. A US Navy sailor was sentenced to two years in jail this month for leaking military information to China, while another case is ongoing. Last year i revealed last year how Chinese hackers accessed the Foreign Office’s internal systems, and that a tracking device linked to the authoritarian regime was secretly fitted in an official UK government car. And the lawyer Christine Lee is suing MI5 over claims that she has been conducting “political interference” in Westminster for the Communist state, which she rejects. (Read more here.)

From Hollywood with Love: What Makes for a Good Spy Movie? with Former CIA Executives John Sipher and Marc Polymeropoulos - Deep State Radio Podcast, 29 Jan 24

Spy movies have been a staple of Hollywood for decades, but how many of them actually get it right? Spycraft Entertainment’s John Sipher joins Marc Polymeropoulos to talk about what makes for a good spy story, and why more accurate depictions of the intelligence community make for great entertainment. John and Marc also discuss the generational divide between the old guard and Gen Z at the CIA and more. (27 mins) (Listen here.)

Can We Get the Statesmanship We Need? by Former Senior CIA Analyst Dr. Michael J. Ard - Discourse, 03 Feb 24

Our next president faces a host of foreign perils: great powers flouting international law, destructive wars, persistent terrorism and random cyberattacks undermining world order. Well-established nations strain to cope with globalization and mass migration. Failed or fragile states proliferate across the map. The transnational guardrails limiting nuclear proliferation may be breaking down, and runaway Al technology may soon supersede human agency. Meanwhile, the U.S. appears to carom from crisis to crisis, with no real strategy. Today, as the late Henry Kissinger described it, we face "a world of increasingly contradictory realities": the universal spread of technology alongside competing political visions that challenge the legitimacy of the international order. Can we still find the leaders capable of coping with such challenges? Before his death late last year, Kissinger, arguably America's most important public intellectual, analyzed America's key foreign policy dilemmas. Writing in his late 80s and 90s on diverse topics such as China, the advance of disruptive technology and the characteristics of transformative leadership, Kissinger's observations have pressing relevance. (Read here.)




Section IV - MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS

(All Categories)

Article: A former CIA analyst died hoping to help others with his rare disease - Washington Post, 03 Feb 24

Up until his death, Randolph Pherson was trying to solve a problem. Those who knew him won’t find it surprising that his life ended that way. The former CIA analyst was known in the international intelligence community for his critical thinking skills and analytic techniques. He wrote books on the subject and gave lectures on the topic. Thought leaders turned to him to get his thoughts on thinking. But in the last several years, Pherson faced his hardest-to-solve problem: How to improve the medical experiences and outcomes of people with a rare disease? She was asked to speak about her two ‘ultrarare’ diseases. She did, while also telling of a rare place. In 2021, after experiencing a constellation of concerning and painful symptoms for seven years that left doctors stumped, Pherson became critically ill while traveling in Iceland with his wife and a group of close friends. Through a series of fortuitous connections — ones that Pherson talked about in a Washington Post article that detailed his medical mystery — he finally received a diagnosis from the National Institutes of Health in 2022. He learned that he had a rare inflammatory disease called VEXAS. (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

Article: Spycraft and Statecraft - Transforming the CIA for an Age of Competition - Foreign Affairs, 30 Feb 24

For as long as countries have kept secrets from one another, they have tried to steal them from one another. Espionage has been and will remain an integral part of statecraft, even as its techniques continually evolve. America’s first spies spent the Revolutionary War using ciphers, clandestine courier networks, and invisible ink to correspond with each other and their foreign allies. In World War II, the emerging field of signals intelligence helped uncover Japanese war plans. During the early Cold War, the United States’ intelligence capabilities literally went into the stratosphere, with the advent of the U-2 and other high-altitude spy planes that could photograph Soviet military installations with impressive clarity. The simple stars etched on the memorial wall at the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, honor the 140 agency officers who gave their lives serving their country. The memorial offers an enduring reminder of countless acts of courage. Yet those instances of heroism and the CIA’s many quiet successes remain far less well known to the American public than the mistakes that have sometimes marred the agency’s history. The defining test for intelligence has always been to anticipate and help policymakers navigate profound shifts in the international landscape—the plastic moments that come along only a few times each century. (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

Article: Chinese Hacking Against U.S. Infrastructure Threatens American Lives, Officials Say - Wall Street Journal, 31 Jan 24

WASHINGTON-The U.S. government said it had disrupted a uniquely dangerous and potentially life-threatening Chinese hacking operation that hijacked hundreds of infected routers and used them to covertly target American and allied critical infrastructure networks. Senior officials described the operation in unusually blunt terms as part of an evolving and increasingly worrisome campaign by Beijing to get a foothold in U.S. computer networks responsible for everything from safe drinking water to... (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

Article: Canada a 'high-priority' target for Chinese interference, CSIS doc tells Hogue inquiry - Canadian Broadcast Corporation, 01 Feb 24

Canada was considered a "high-priority" target for Chinese interference ahead of the 2021 election, according to a top-secret intelligence assessment viewed by the Hogue commission inquiry on Thursday. The inquiry is investigating whether Beijing, Russia, India and other nations interfered in the past two elections, and how information about foreign interference flowed within the federal government. Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue was chosen to lead the inquiry after media reports accused the People's Republic of China of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. "PRC [foreign interference] activity targeting Canada's democratic institutions is primarily motivated by a desire to cultivate relationships with or support political candidates and incumbents who seem receptive or actively promote PRC viewpoints," says the July 2021 threat assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. (Read more here.)

Article: There’s So Much Data Even Spies Are Struggling to Find Secrets - Bloomberg, 29 Jan 24

Spying used to be all about secrets. Increasingly, it's about what's hiding in plain sight. A staggering amount of data, from Facebook posts and YouTube clips to location pings from mobile phones and car apps, sits in the open internet, available to anyone who looks. US intelligence agencies have struggled for years to tap into such data, which they refer to as open-source intelligence, or OSINT. But that's starting to change. In October the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees all the nation's intelligence agencies, brought in longtime analyst and cyber expert Jason Barrett to help with the US intelligence community's approach to OSINT. His immediate task will be to help develop the intelligence community's national OSINT strategy, which will focus on coordination, data acquisition and the development of tools to improve its approach to this type of intelligence work. ODNI expects to implement the plan in the coming months, according to a spokesperson. (Read full report here.)

Article: Chinese hackers target infrastructure; cyberattack efforts threaten to spread chaos, confusion - Washington Times, 31 Jan 24

The heads of the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told lawmakers that their agencies have thwarted Chinese government-linked efforts to hack critical U.S. infrastructure, and they warned that Beijing’s infiltration attempts are escalating and poised to induce chaos if left unchecked. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and CISA chief Jen Easterly gave the testimony Wednesday to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which focused on Beijing’s efforts to hack into critical U.S. infrastructure such as power grids, bridges, water supply systems, and oil and gas pipelines. (Read full report here.)

Article: Intel leaders warn of potential ‘cyber invasion’ of the U.S. by China - Politico Pro, 31 Jan 24

The nation’s top cybersecurity and intelligence officials warned Wednesday that the U.S. networks are vulnerable to a "cyber invasion" by China — and that Chinese hackers are already well on their way to compromising the nation's critical infrastructure. The warnings mark a stepped-up effort by the Biden administration to put the spotlight on China’s malicious cyber activities, part of a move to focus Congress’s attention on strengthening U.S. critical infrastructure against underlying vulnerabilities that China and other adversaries could take advantage of. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly testified to the House Select Committee on China that her agency had “found and eradicated” Chinese cyber intrusions in sectors including transportation, aviation, energy and water. "The truth is, the Chinese cyber actors have taken advantage of very basic flaws in our technology, we’ve made it easy on them," Easterly said. (Read full report here.)

Article: Factions on FISA told to negotiate overhaul; Republican hawks, watchdogs clash - Washington Times, 30 Jan 24

House Speaker Mike Johnson has been pressuring two committees to stop butting heads and quickly meld their competing bills to rewrite the government’s most powerful spy power, The Washington Times has learned. The speaker is forcing the rival Republican factions — the federal weaponization watchdogs on the Judiciary Committee and the national security hawks on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence — to get on the same page before an April deadline. Members of both committees are now at the negotiating table to try to hash out a makeover of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, gave the committees until the start of April to settle on a single bill to overhaul the spy law, strengthening his position to negotiate with President Biden and Senate Democrats. (Read full report here.)

Article: Ex-CIA computer engineer gets 40 years in prison for giving spy agency hacking secrets to WikiLeaks - Politico, 01 Feb 24

A former CIA software engineer was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday after his convictions for what the government described as the biggest theft of classified information in CIA history and for possession of child sexual abuse images and videos. The bulk of the sentence imposed on Joshua Schulte, 35, in Manhattan federal court came for an embarrassing public release of a trove of CIA secrets by WikiLeaks in 2017. He has been jailed since 2018. “We will likely never know the full extent of the damage, but I have no doubt it was massive,” Judge Jesse M. Furman said as he announced the sentence. The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations, and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. Prior to his arrest, Schulte had helped create the hacking tools as a coder at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia. In requesting a life sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney David William Denton Jr. said Schulte was responsible for “the most damaging disclosures of classified information in American history.” (Read full report here.)

Article: Bruce Schneier predicts a future of AI-powered mass spying: Lock and Code - Malwarebytes Podcast, 29 Jan 24

If the internet helped create the era of mass surveillance, then artificial intelligence will bring about an era of mass spying. That’s the latest prediction from noted cryptographer and computer security professional Bruce Schneier, who, in December, shared a vision of the near future where artificial intelligence—AI—will be able to comb through reams of surveillance data to answer the types of questions that, previously, only humans could. “Spying is limited by the need for human labor,” Schneier wrote. “AI is about to change that.” As theorized by Schneier, if fed enough conversations, AI tools could spot who first started a rumor online, identify who is planning to attend a political protest (or unionize a workforce), and even who is plotting a crime. But “there’s so much more,” Schneier said. “To uncover an organizational structure, look for someone who gives similar instructions to a group of people, then all the people they have relayed those instructions to. To find people’s confidants, look at whom they tell secrets to. You can track friendships and alliances as they form and break, in minute detail. In short, you can know everything about what everybody is talking about.” (27 mins) (Listen here.)

Article: Russia amplifies calls for civil war in the U.S. - Weaponized, 03 Feb 24

The ongoing controversy at the border in Texas has dominated the headlines recently — not only in U.S. newspapers, but also in Russian propaganda outlets, which have published dozens of inflammatory articles calling the border dispute a “constitutional crisis” and an “unmitigated disaster,” and warning of, or possibly cheering for, civil war. But that’s not the only evidence of Russia’s involvement in inflaming tensions over border-related issues — there has also been a sudden surge of Russian-language tweets promoting the “Free Texas” secessionist movement, which was heavily promoted by the notorious Internet Research Agency during Russia’s 2016 election interference campaign. Taken together, this points to a possible ongoing and coordinated disinformation campaign being waged by Russia against the American public, raising concerns about potential on-the-ground activities in Texas as well as Russia’s intentions for future information operations targeting the upcoming presidential election. (Read here.)

Article: MK-Ultra - The CIA Infiltrates the Human Psyche - Grey Dynamics, 03 Feb 24

MK-Ultra was the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) program, that focused on research and experimentation with mind-controlling techniques program. It is an agency-led response to similar programs within enemy nations. Intelligence reporting claimed foreign adversaries could conduct mind control techniques on Western prisoners of war. To illustrate, this article will examine the project’s origins, methods, and aftermath. In 1953, CIA Director Allen Dulles approved the MK-Ultra program. (source) The project’s focus includes research and experimentation with mind-controlling techniques on enemy actors. The agency was in its infancy during the time of MK-Ultra. Six years old, to be exact. As the Second Great War ended, a new global threat rose in its wake. As a result, the Cold War began. The Soviet Union replaced the Axis as the central enemy of the West. In response, the U.S. government recruited the CIA into the war campaign. (Read here.)



Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

Books — Forthcoming, Newly Released, Overlooked



Sex, Spies and Scandal: The John Vassall Affair
by Alex Grant
(Biteback Publishing, 23 Jan 24)

In September 1962, John Vassall, a clerk at the Admiralty in London, was unmasked as a Soviet spy. After being photographed in compromising positions while working at the British embassy in Moscow, Vassall was blackmailed into handing British defence secrets over to his Soviet handlers for seven years. While there have been several successful books and film adaptations about the Profumo, Jeremy Thorpe and Duchess of Argyll affairs, the story of John Vassall, who was responsible for a more serious intelligence breach, is ripe for retelling. It has everything: a honey trap, industrial-scale espionage, journalists jailed for not revealing their sources and the first modern tabloid witch-hunt, which resulted in a ministerial resignation and almost brought down Harold Macmillan’s government. With access to newly released MI5 files and interviews with people who knew Vassall from the 1950s until his death in 1996, this book sheds new light on a neglected spy scandal. Despite having been drugged and sexually assaulted by the KGB in Moscow, as a gay man John Vassall was shown no mercy by the British press or the courts. Sentenced to eighteen years in jail, he served ten years, despite telling MI5 everything. Once released, he found that many of his old friends and lovers had been persecuted or dismissed from the civil service in Britain, America and Australia. Unlike the Cambridge Five, who courted attention, after leaving prison Vassall changed his name to avoid the media and lived quietly in London. Including atmospheric detail about Dolphin Square – a hotbed of political intrigue but also a safe haven for members of the LGBT community – in the 1950s and ’60s, this is an explosive tale of sexual violence, betrayal, conspiracy, snobbery, homophobia and hypocrisy that blows apart some of the British establishment’s darkest secrets.

Purchase book here.

Intelligence Cooperation under Multipolarity: Non-American Perspectives
by editors Thomas Juneau, Justin Massie, Marco Munier
(University of Toronto Press, 05 Jan 24)

While counterterrorism has been the primary focus of the defence and security policies of major Western countries in the last two decades, recent years have seen the re-emergence of states as the major threat. Intelligence Cooperation under Multipolarity offers a timely analysis of the challenges and opportunities for intelligence cooperation, characterized by the re-emergence of great power competition, particularly between the United States, China, and Russia. This collection explores foreign policy and national security tools and partnerships that have emerged as the United States, typically an international leader, experiences internal and external shocks that have rendered its role on the international stage more uncertain. The book focuses on non-American perspectives in order to understand how America’s allies and partners have adjusted to global power transitions. Drawing on contributions from leading intelligence and strategic studies scholars and professionals, Intelligence Cooperation under Multipolarity aims to broaden and deepen our understanding of the consequences of the power transition on national security policies.

Order book here.


The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
by Simon Singh
(Anchor, 29 Aug 00)

In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logistical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy. Throughout the text are clear technical and mathematical explanations, and portraits of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world's most difficult codes. Accessible, compelling, and remarkably far-reaching, this book will forever alter your view of history and what drives it. It will also make you wonder how private that e-mail you just sent really is.

Order book here.


True Intelligence Matters in Film - Neither Confirm Nor Deny - Philip Carter (2020)

During the Cold War, the CIA secretly raised a sunken Soviet nuclear submarine from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The six-year operation included an intricate cover story by billionaire Howard Hughes. Drawing on declassified documents and never-before-seen interviews, this film tells one of the highest-stakes, yet least known stories of the Cold War.

More information about this based-on-true-events production here.






Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

Infographic: The State of the World's 7,168 Living Languages - Visual Capitalist, 27 Jan 24

What are the roots of a living language, and how many are at risk of extinction? This graphic, from Stephen Jones, CEO of Derivation.co, shows the state of living languages around the world. Across the 7,168 living languages today, 43% are at risk of being endangered. In fact, a language dies off every 40 days. The vast majority of endangered languages are found in Indigenous communities, which risk the loss of culture and knowledge that they contain. At current rates, 90% of the world’s languages could disappear over the next 100 years. According to data from Ethnologue, languages are classified across 12 states of vitality and three broader categories... (View graphic here.)

Walking Tours - "Spies of Embassy Row" and "Spies of Georgetown" - Washington, DC - Sundays (Dates/Times Vary)

Former intelligence officers guide visitors on two morning and afternoon espionage-themed walking tours: "Spies of Embassy Row" and "Spies of Georgetown." For more information and booking, click here or contact rosanna@spyher.co



Section VI - Obituaries and Classifieds

(Research Requests, Academic Opportunities, Employment)

Obituaries

Eugene Kubasik — Career NSA Officer

Eugene Leonard Kubasik passed away Tuesday, 23 January 2024 in Viera Florida. He was 96 years old. Eugene was born in Hollsopple, PA and grew up in the small coal mining town of Jerome, PA. After high school graduation, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps. After six years of service, Gene attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania where he studied political science. Shortly after graduation, Eugene moved to Washington, DC to work as an analyst for the NSA. In 1964, Gene was assigned to Japan. Gene had a second assignment to the Philippines where he was the NSA Station Chief at Clark Airforce Base during the Vietnam War.

David Kahn — AFIO Member and SIGINT historian

David Kahn, a journalist and historian who unlocked the hidden world of cryptology in his best-selling 1967 book “The Codebreakers” and became a preeminent scholar of signals intelligence, revered even among the keepers of the secrets he revealed, died Jan. 23 at his home in the Bronx. He was 93. The cause was complications from a stroke in 2015, according to his family. Dr. Kahn was 13 and was passing by his local library in Great Neck, N.Y., when he noticed a book called “Secret and Urgent: The Story of Codes and Ciphers” by military historian Fletcher Pratt. The title alone “stopped me in my tracks,” Dr. Kahn told The Washington Post years later. Fascinated by the intrigue contained in the book’s pages, he became an amateur cryptologist — a person concerned with cryptography, or the making of codes, and cryptanalysis, or the breaking of them — and maintained the interest beyond boyhood into his career as a newspaperman. Dr. Kahn was working for Newsday on Long Island in 1960 when two mathematicians employed by the National Security Agency, William H. Martin and Bernon F. Mitchell, defected to the Soviet Union and laid bare the communications-gathering activities of the NSA. Among other charges, they claimed the United States had cracked the codes of 40 other countries, including numerous allies. Located at Fort Meade, Md., the NSA was and remains so secretive that its acronym has long been joked to stand for “No Such Agency.” Amid the clamor surrounding the defection, Dr. Kahn pitched a freelance magazine story to the New York Times explaining the history of cryptology. The article became the germ of his first and best known book. “The Codebreakers,” billed as “the first comprehensive history of secret communication from ancient times to the threshold of outer space,” was an immediate sensation. In more than 1,000 pages of prose that was both authoritative and readable, and with no security clearance to ease his research, Dr. Kahn carried the reader through thousands of years of history — from the age of cuneiform writing to the Napoleonic era, through the deciphered Zimmermann telegram of World War I and code breaking in World War II to the modern-day activities of the NSA. “Nobody wrote about this stuff,” said Nicholas Reynolds, the author of “Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence.” “He opened the door to a whole new field, basically, the history of signals intelligence.”



Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

  • Call for Information: A documentary on the life and death of Swiss photographer Bruno Zehnder needs some help. His family members received information that Bruno may have been approached by the CIA in the 1990s to help inform on Russian research activity in Antarctica. Bruno died whilst on a 1997 expedition there at Mirny under questionable circumstances as he was dubbed ‘ the western spy’ on board. We are looking for anyone who may have any information in Bruno or more generally who may be able to speak to the climate between Russia and the CIA in the 19980s/90s regarding adhering to the scientific treaty and the race to be the first to breach Lake Vostok. Contact Thomas Whitmore at Naomi.harvey@clockworkfilms.tv.
  • Call for Information: Private civilian researcher seeking information about VADM Eric Burkhalter and Colonel Roy Jonkers working in the Defense Intelligence Agency during the period of 1980 to 1985, and VADM Burkhalter’s activities as Director, Intelligence Community Staff during that time. Contact Thomas Whitmore at twhitmore87@gmail.com.
  • Call for Information: Professor Emerita Joan Beaumont, Australian National University, Canberra, is currently revising, for republication in 2025, her 1988 book on Australian prisoners of war on Ambon, Gull Force: Survival and Leadership in Captivity. The POW at Tan Tui (Tan Toey), Ambon, was bombed twice during the war, on 15 February 1943 and 28 August 1944. These raids were two of many on the island. I am trying to ascertain whether the presence of the POW camp was known to the USAAF and RAAF when they set targets for bombing the island. The existence of the POW camp was reported by men who escaped back to Australia in March–April 1942 and reported to Army Headquarters in Melbourne. This information was shared with senior US naval officers (Vice Admiral Leary vetoed a proposed rescue plan in June 1942). My question: would this intelligence have been forwarded to air force bases in the Norther Territory? And how were targets for bombing raids set? The Australian official history of the air war in the Pacific by George Odgers (vol. II 41) suggests that the squadron involved in the 15 February 1943 bombing might have been no 319, 90th Bombardment Group, based at Fenton. Any information that might be germane to my research should be sent to joan.beaumont@anu.edu.au. or +61418376909.
  • National Intelligence Summer Academy (NISA) for High School Students: 15-19 July 2024. University of Northern Georgia - Cumming Campus. $149 fee covers meals, course materials, and the motor coach travel on the last day of the program. Scholarships available. Application deadline 15 April 2024. More information, including eligibility and application, here.
  • Call for Interviews: Alex W. Palmer, a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, is working on a book about the history of American intelligence on China. He's looking to speak with any intelligence officers who worked in or on China during their career, from whatever timeframe and in whatever role. He can be reached at alex.palmer@nytimes.com and +1-262-894-7160 on Signal.
  • Call for Information: Dr. Andrew Hammond and Dr. Mark Stout are seeking interviewees for a journal article on the CIA’s Office of Soviet Analysis (SOVA). The final output will be based on oral history interviews which can be (a) on-the-record (b) off-the-record or (c) utilizing a pseudonym. The data will be used for this project only and thereafter destroyed. Our aim is to understand how people who served in SOVA or who worked alongside SOVA made sense of it: what was it like, what was its culture, what were its strengths and weaknesses, how did it relate to the rest of the CIA and other agencies, is there anything we can learn from SOVA re the new era of Great Power Conflict, etc.? If you served in SOVA during the period 1981 to 1992 and would like to be interviewed, please contact Dr. Andrew Hammond at ahammond@spymuseum.org.
  • Call for Information: Seeking information on Al "Albert" Purdum, stationed at Arlington Hall 55, Defense Language School - Albanian 55-56, NSA Linguist, Sr. Cryptologist 57-95. Looking for colleagues or friends who knew him, of him. Researching Role of National Security Linguists and Foreign Affairs. Contact cristina.purdum@gmail.com.
  • Call For Articles: AFIO's Journal, The Intelligencer. AFIO seeks authors for its section on "When Intelligence Made a Difference" in the semi-annual Intelligencer journal. Topics of interest for which we are seeking authors include:

    - The Richard Sorge espionage ring in Tokyo in World War II and the impact of his intelligence on Stalin and the battle for Moscow.
    - How Rommel’s Afrika Korps used SIGINT against the British in World War II and how allied SIGINT isolated the Afrika Korps from its logistics chain. (Potentially two separate articles.)
    - The breaking of the Nazi U-boat SHARK encryption system.
    - How A.Q. Khan’s nuclear proliferation efforts were uncovered and stopped.
    - How US intelligence found Usama Bin Laden in Abbottobad, Pakistan.
    - How US intelligence discovered the Soviet’s high speed Shkval torpedo.
    - Intelligence and the rescue of Scott O’Grady.
    - The Trust (Bolshevik deception operation -1920-26).
    - The hunt for Pablo Escobar.
    - How National Technical Means (NTM) have been used for environmental purposes (MEDEA Program).
    - Other topics are also welcome.

    Interested authors can contact The Intelligencer's senior editor, Peter Oleson, at peter.oleson@afio.com

Jobs

  • Wanted: Retired Federal Government Employees - NSA - Fort Meade, Maryland

    • The National Security Agency (NSA) may occasionally need skilled civilian retirees to augment the existing work force on high priority projects or programs. In order to fill these temporary positions quickly, we need to know who may be interested and available to return to work with us on a short notice basis as well as their skills. Retired federal government employees at NSA provide expertise and corporate knowledge to temporarily support mission requirements, manpower shortfalls, and/or mentor the next generation of Agency employees. Applications accepted until 30 September 2024.

    Additional information and application here.

  • Assistant/Associate Professor of Intelligence Studies (Global Security and Intelligence Studies) - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott, Arizona

    • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott, Arizona campus is accepting applications for a tenure-track assistant or associate-level professor of intelligence studies to teach intelligence courses to students in the Global Security and Intelligence program. The successful candidate will teach students about the intelligence community, strategic intelligence, the intelligence cycle and intelligence analysis, writing, and briefing. Prior experience working in the intelligence community is strongly preferred. We are interested in candidates with teaching acumen in intelligence analysis and writing using structured analytical techniques.

    Additional information and application here.


Section VII - AFIO Events

Saturday, 10 Feb 2024, 1130 (EST) - The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter hosts David Hunt, retired Senior Operations Officer of CIA's Clandestine Service, discussing "Intelligence in Flux." - In Person, Indialantic, Florida. The Florida Satellite Chapter is hosting David Hunt, retired Senior Operations Officer of CIA's Clandestine Service. He will address "Intelligence in Flux."
Event commences at 11:30 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 1665 North State Route A1A, Indialantic, FL 32903.
Mr. Hunt's' presentation will follow a sit-down lunch. The cost is $35.00 per person.
Questions? Or to attend, email Chapter President Laurence F. Sanford or call him at 978-502-3328.

20 February 2024, noon ET - In-Person at MacDill AFB, FL or by Zoom - The Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter hosts Michael Pullara on "1993 Murder of CIA Station Chief Freddie Woodruff." The Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter is holding its upcoming luncheon at noon on Tuesday, 20 February 2024, at the MacDill AFB Activity Center (formerly the Surf's Edge Club), 7315 Bayshore Boulevard, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Our speaker is Michael A. Pullara, a veteran trial lawyer and masterful storyteller who investigated the 1993 murder of CIA Officer Freddie Woodruff and authored a thrilling true-life espionage tale. Thanks to Pullara's investigation, in 2008 the Russians ultimately freed from prison the original suspect who'd been sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for the crime.
The luncheon includes a box lunch and costs $20. Reservations and arrangements for Base access must be completed no later than noon on Monday, 12 February 2024.
If you wish to participate by ZOOM please click on the  this registration link to complete the registration request before noon on Monday, 12 February 2024. This is NOT the ZOOM meeting link. Subject to approval, you will receive the ZOOM meeting link by separate email. Please check your ZOOM program in advance to ensure it is working properly and that you have the confirmed ZOOM meeting link handy to join the meeting. It is next to impossible to trouble-shoot ZOOM connections on the day of the meeting.
Questions or to attend, contact the Chapter Secretary, Michael Shapiro, for more information, mfshapiro@suncoastafio.org.

Friday, 19 Apr 2024, 1100 (EST) - Tysons Corner, VA - AFIO National In-Person Spring Luncheon features fireside chat with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence. Morning speaker is Jonna Mendez, CIA's former Master of Disguise, "In True Face."
Note different timing: NOON SPEAKER: Fireside Chat with Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, begins at noon. Please note the earlier start time. MORNING SPEAKER: Jonna Mendez, former CIA Chief of Disguise, speaks at 11:00 a.m. She will be discussing her latest book: "In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked" - published 5 March 2024. Copies will be available. Q&A follows each talk or presentation. Lunch served 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Event ends at 2:00 p.m. Luncheon prices are $60 for Members; $75 for nonmember guests and all Subscribers. Payment by credit card required at time of registration. No mailed checks or "at the door" payments accepted or permitted.
Register here. Registration closes 5 p.m., Friday, 12 April.
Check-in and badge pickup for Registered Attendees begins at 10:30 a.m. NO registrations or walk-ins at hotel. No payments by cash or check or onsite registrations at venue.
Though we do not provide special overnight room rates, if you wish to make room reservations at the hotel, do so here.
Cancellation Schedule: AFIO must commit to the hotel facilities and regrets it must charge a cancellation fee. No cancellations with refund after 1 April. Any cancellations 2 to 12 April will be converted to donation to AFIO. A donor statement will be sent showing you made a "gift to AFIO." Gifts to AFIO are tax-deductible as charitable donations. Cancellations after 12 April are not donations because your meal has been guaranteed to hotel per event contract. Thank you for your understanding. All attendees must be members of AFIO or accompanied by a current member. For security reasons, we are unable to accept late or last minute substitutions for non-attendance or changes in your guests.
Questions regarding this event to events@afio.com

NOTE NEW DATE: 30 July 24, 1900 (PST) - Former CIA Director General David Petraeus on challenges in Ukraine and across the Middle East - In-Person - Yorba Linda, CA - AFIO Los Angeles Chapter.
Location: Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA 92886. Following the presentation, we will meet at 2030 hours for dinner at Chilis Grill (18380 Yorba Linda Blvd.). If you plan to attend, please RSVP here. Questions? Contact Vincent Autiero, President, AFIO-Los Angeles Chapter, at afio_la@yahoo.com


Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, Others

Thursday, 8-15 February 2024, All Day – Washington, DC – Member Appreciation Days – In Person International Spy Museum Program. For our 2023 Member Appreciation Days only, our members enjoy an additional one-time-use guest pass (redeemable between February 8 and 15), an exclusive membership gift (while supplies last), 25% off their purchases at the SPY Museum Store, and entrance to our member raffle to win an exclusive SPY swag gift bag! As part of these days, we will host a Members-Only Event on Saturday, February 10th. You can join SPY as a member online or by calling 202.654.2840. If you are a current member and have questions about Member Appreciation Days, please email membership@spymuseum.org. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Thursday, 8 February 2024, 6:30-8:30pm – Washington, DC – Spying Launched a Nation Whiskey Tasting Celebration with George Washington's Distillery – In Person International Spy Museum Program. Whiskey, spies, and rebellion: a winning combination for George Washington and for you this evening. Revel in the tales and tactics of the cunning spies George Washington depended on as we celebrate the Museum's newly updated exhibition Spying Launched a Nation. You'll enjoy afterhours access to the exhibit which features famed American actor Christopher Jackson telling the story of the Culper Ring. The Museum holds the original letter George Washington penned asking Nathaniel Sackett to set up a spy ring; Spying Launched a Nation is centered around this precious artifact. After exploring the exhibit, Steven T. Bashore, Director of Historic Trades and Head Distiller at George Washington's Mount Vernon, will lead you through a whiskey tasting. You'll try three whiskeys that show the progression of aging in barrels over time — in Washington's day it was all unaged rye! Join us as we cheers to Washington's innovative approach to spirits and spying on a wintery night in the month of his birth. Tickets are $150; members tickets are $130.  Your ticket includes tastings of three different whiskeys, hors d'oeuvres, and non-alcoholic beverages. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Saturday, 10 February 2024, 10:00am – Washington, DC – Members Only: The Making of Spying Launched A Nation – In Person Members-Only International Spy Museum Program. This Valentine's Day season, in the spirit of love and gratitude, we are thrilled to invite all Spy Museum members to Member Appreciation Days. During Member Appreciation Days, join us for an exclusive look at the Museum's newly updated exhibition Spying that Launched A Nation. On Saturday, February 10th at 10 AM, Dr. Andrew Hammond, SPY's Historian and Curator, and Lauren vonBechmann, the Museum's Exhibitions Project Manager, will discuss the importance of the Culper Spy Ring, the history of the George Washington Spy Letter, and the making of a museum exhibition. Members are invited to a formal presentation in the Museum's Theater from 10 to 10:30 AM, followed by coffee and pastries and an opportunity to chat with members of the Spy Museum team. This event is free of charge and open exclusively to Spy Museum members. You can join SPY as a member online or by calling 202.654.2840. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Tuesday, 13 February 2024, 7pm – Washington, DC – WWI Series Part I: Flirting with Danger with Janet Wallach – Virtual International Spy Museum Program. Join us for a two-part look at World War I-era intelligence and operatives. As modern American intelligence took shape and intelligence personnel became essential to any senior wartime commander, the traditional spy in the shadows thrived as well. Marguerite Harrison was just such a spy. This evening Janet Wallach, author of Flirting with Danger: The Mysterious Life of Marguerite Harrison, Socialite Spy, will introduce you to this daring and glamorous woman who became a US spy and Russian double agent. Dining with aristocrats and dancing with socialists late into the night, she watched as alarming signs emerged from a broken Germany in the aftermath of World War I. Harrison saw the future in both places – a second war with Germany, a cold war with the Soviets – but was little believed back home. Wallach has written extensively about notable women in history, and she brings to life this courageous woman who was drawn to danger and adventure. After Wallach's presentation and a brief interview by Amanda Ohlke, Director of Adult Education at the International Spy Museum, we'll turn to your questions about this turbulent period and extraordinary individual! Support for this program has been provided by a generous grant from the Pritzker Military Foundation, on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Thursday, 15 February 2024, 12:00-1:00pm – Washington, DC – Spy Chat with Chris Costa ft. Special Guest Uzi Arad – Virtual International Spy Museum Program. Join us for an online discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa, a former intelligence officer of 34 years, will be joined by Uzi Arad, former Head of Israel's National Security Council.  Arad is a well-known strategist and thought leader who is currently a Senior Fellow at the Yuval Ne'eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security at Tel Aviv University. Arad served as National Security Advisor to Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu and Head of the Israeli National Security Council between 2009 and 2011.  He was Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Advisor from 1997 to 1999. Between 1975 and 1999 Arad served with Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service. He held senior positions domestically and abroad and was advisor to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He ultimately became Director of the Intelligence Division. Prior to his career in government, Arad was a Professional Staff Member at the Hudson Institute in New York and a Fellow at Tel Aviv University's Center for Strategic Studies. Program is free of charge but requires advanced registration. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Tuesday, 27 February 2024, 2:00-3:00pm – Washington, DC – SPY with Me: Program for Individuals with Dementia and their Care Partners – Virtual International Spy Museum Program. SPY with Me is an interactive virtual program for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. Join SPY as we use music and artifacts to explore some of our favorite spy stories. Programs last one hour and are held virtually through Zoom. To register, please email Shana Oltmans at soltmans@spymuseum.org. Free but space is limited. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Tuesday, 27 February 2024, 7pm – Washington, DC – WWI Series Part II: World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence – Virtual International Spy Museum Program. In the second part of our WWI series, dive deeper into America's intelligence history with author and global security historian, Dr. Mark Stout as he discusses his new book World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence. The book examines the army, navy, and State Department's increasing reliance on intelligence personnel around the globe during the Great War to create a new professional practitioner that transcended the Armistice to active peacetime service leading up to the founding of the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. Stout examines the breadth of American intelligence in the war, not just in France, not just at home, but around the world, and demonstrates how these far-flung efforts endured after the Armistice in 1918. For the first time, there came to be a group of intelligence practitioners who viewed themselves as different from other soldiers, sailors, and diplomats. Stout will also discuss how this gave the United States a solid foundation from which to expand to meet the needs of the second world war and the Cold War that followed. Support for this program has been provided by a generous grant from the Pritzker Military Foundation, on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Gifts for Friends, Colleagues, Self

NEW Gray long-sleeved polo shirts with embroidered AFIO logo. Men's sizes only.
Show your support for AFIO with our new Gray Long-sleeve Polo Shirts. Shirts are shrink and wrinkle resistant of fine cotton with a soft, "well-worn, comfy" 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 $60 each including shipping.
Sizes for men, only: Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and XXXL.  $60 per shirt. Order this and other store items online here.




NEW 20 oz ceramic Mug with color glazed logo. Made in America. Check out our new tapered, sleek AFIO coffee mug!! This handsome 20 oz. ceramic mug is made in the USA, has a white matte exterior, sports a beautiful navy-blue interior, and is dishwasher safe.  Order yours today! $35 per mug includes shipping to a CONUS address. [includes shipping to U.S. based address, only. For foreign shipments, we will contact you with a quote.] SHIPPING: For shipment to a U.S.-based CONUS address, shipping is included in price. For purchases going to AK, HI, other US territories, Canada, or other foreign countries the shipping fees need to be calculated, so please call our office M-F 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET at 703-790-0320 or email afio@afio.com providing following information: 1) your name, 2) mailing address (or addresses where each gift item will be shipped), 3) name of the AFIO store items you wish to purchase, 4) quantity of each, 5) your credit card number and expiration date, 6) amount (except for additional of shipping fees) authorized to charge, and 7) your phone number and email should we have questions. Foreign shipments fees will be calculated and estimates emailed to you, awaiting your approval.  Order this and other store items online here.

Black short-sleeved polo shirts with Embroidered AFIO logo
Show your support for AFIO with our new Black Short-sleeve Polo Shirts. Shirts are shrink and wrinkle resistant of fine cotton with a soft, "well-worn, comfy" 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 $50 each including shipping.
Sizes for (M) men, only; Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and XXXL. $50 per shirt.
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. Questions? Contact Annette at: annettej@afio.com.





PopSocket for cellphones or tablets
Show your support to AFIO while enjoying the convenience offered by our AFIO Logo PopSocket. The PopSocket is most commonly used as a stand and as a grip for your mobile phone or tablet; handy for taking selfies, watching videos, and for texting. The PopSocket looks like a small button or sticker which, when closed, sticks flat to your mobile device. However, its accordion-like design enables it to pop open for use. The benefits of using a PopSocket make it a must-have accessory for your mobile phone or tablet. It also aids in keeping your phone from slipping off your hand during use, falling, or breaking.
Price: $15. Order this and other store items online here.







Duffel Bags - Royal Blue and Black with Full Color AFIO Logo This duffel has it all when it comes to value, style and organization.
600 denier polyester canvas with polyester double contrast; D-shaped zippered entry for easy access. Front pocket with hook and loop closure. End mesh pocket Easy-access end pockets. Four durable, protective feet and built-in bottom board for added strength. Web handles with padded grip. Detachable, adjustable shoulder strap.
Dimensions: 11"h x 19.75"w x 9.75"d; Approx. 2,118 cubic inches
Price: $50. Order this and other store items online here.




Caps - Dark Navy with Navy AFIO Logo
 An authentic silhouette with the comfort of an unstructured, adjustable fit. Fabric: 100% cotton. Unstructured. Fabric strap closure with adjustable D-clip. Price: $30. Order this and other store items online here.


 

PUBLISHED IN 2023
Be informed on career opportunities in the U.S. Intelligence Community
Intelligence as a Career - with updated listings of colleges teaching intelligence courses, and Q&As on needed foreign languages, as well as the courses, grades, extracurricular activities, and behavioral characteristics and life experiences sought by modern U.S. intelligence agencies.

AFIO's popular 47-page booklet reaches thousands of high school, college students, university guidance offices, and distributed in classes teaching intelligence, to help those considering careers in the U.S. Intelligence Community.
This is the all new fifth edition.
The publication is also popular with University Career Guidance Centers, professors and academic departments specializing in national security, and parents assisting children or grandchildren in choosing meaningful, public service careers.
This booklet is provided online as a public service from the generosity of AFIO board, volunteer editors/writers, donors, and members.
We thank all for their support which makes this educational effort possible.
  Careers Booklet (new 2023 Fifth Edition) can be read or downloaded 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.
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 appear in future editions.



Address Technical Issues Or Unsubscribe

Some features of the email version of the WIN do not work for readers who have chosen the Plaintext Edition, some AOL users, and readers who access their email using web mail. You may request to change from Plaintext to HTML format here afio@afio.com. For the best reading experience, the latest web edition can be found here: https://www.afio.com/pages/currentwin.htm

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Disclaimer and Legal Protection

Weekly Intelligence Notes (WINs) are a carefully selected collection of timely open source reports and announcements and other media focused on intelligence and related national security matters that is produced for non-profit educational use by AFIO members and WIN subscribers. WINs are protected by copyright and intellectual property laws. They may not be reproduced or re-sent without specific permission from the Producer. Opinions expressed in the materials contained in the WINs are solely those of the content creators listed with each item. Notices in the WINs about non-AFIO events do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by AFIO.

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