Association of Former Intelligence Officers

Weekly Intelligence Notes

28 February - 05 March 2024
(Issue 09)

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: In an Age of Intercepts, the C.I.A. Makes the Case for Spies - New York Times, 28 Feb 24
  • Article: The politics and economics behind Biden's China car espionage probe - The Japan Times, 02 Mar 24
  • Article: North Korea's Spy Satellite Shows Signs of Life - News Week, 01 Mar 24
  • Article: Australian politician 'sold out' country to foreign spy ring, says intelligence chief - Reuters, 28 Feb 24
  • Article: Cybersecurity for satellites is a growing challenge - The Space Review, 26 Feb 24
  • Article: Trump promising to Gut “intelligence” agencies infested with Traitors - Natural News, 29 Feb 24
  • Article: Career US diplomat abruptly admits to spying for communist Cuba for decades - Associated Press, 29 Feb 24
  • Article: Look into China’s world of hackers astounds U.S. spies: ‘Eye-opening’ - Washington Times, 28 Feb 24
  • Article: How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin - Wired, 27 Feb 24
  • Video: Inside In-Q-Tel: How the CIA is tapping private sector ingenuity that’s reshaping the world (13 mins) - Washington Times, 01 Mar 24
  • Article: Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty under a deal that calls for at least 11 years in prison - Associated Press, 04 Mar 24
  • Article: Inside the White House Program to Share America’s Secrets - Time, 29 Feb 24

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

LR, GR, KB, FR, EB, BG, TG


Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

Books: (Forthcoming, New Releases, Overlooked)

True Intelligence Matters in Film: The Spy Behind Home Plate - Aviva Kempner (2019)

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

Infographic: Mapped: 2024 Global Elections by Country - Visual Capitalist, 26 Feb 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

  • Maiselle Shortley, Former CIA Contractor and Public Servant
  • Sussana Isaacson, Former CIA Linguist and Leadership Development Pioneer

    • Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

    • Seeking Interview Subjects: Seeking information on Czech-U.S. relations late 1970s and 1980s, StB’s techniques and effectiveness, exposition and expulsion of U.S. staff in Prague, Czech intel operatives on U.S. soil.
    • Seeking Interview Subjects: Current or former intelligence officers, analysts, and counterintelligence (CI) professionals with firsthand experience in dealing with Russian illegals to participate in confidential interview sessions as part of a PhD dissertation.
    • Call for Information: Swiss photographer Bruno Zehnder and research activity/death in Mirny Antarctica 1997 / info on 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.
    • Call for Information: DIA officers VADM Eric Burkhalter and Colonel Roy Jonkers 1980 - 1985
    • Call for Information: University professor seeks information about POW camp in Ambon, 1942-45
    • National Intelligence Summer Academy (NISA) for High School Students 15-19 July 24 in Cummings, GA. Deadline 15 April 2024
    • Call for Interviews: Author of forthcoming book seeks conversation with intelligence officers who have worked on China during their career
    • Call for Information: CIA’s Office of Soviet Analysis (SOVA) 1981-1992
    • Call for Information: Al "Albert" Purdum, stationed at Arlington Hall 55, Defense Language School - Albanian 55-56, NSA Linguist, Sr. Cryptologist 57-95
    • Call For Articles: AFIO Journal, The Intelligencer

    Employment



    Section VII - Events

    Upcoming AFIO Events

    • 06 Mar 24, 1800 hours (ET) - The East Tennessee AFIO Chapter hosts Jennifer Daniel on her 37-year IC career, including work at NGA and the DNI. - Virtual
    • NOTE NEW DATE: 26 March 2024, noon EDT - 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. It also includes several paid advertisements. Views expressed in articles and advertising are those of the authors and advertisers; 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

    Released exclusively to members today...5 March 2024...

    The Secret History of Women at the CIA


    Recorded 10 November 2023

    Liza Mundy,
    Journalist/Author, on her book
    "The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA"

    Interview of Friday, 10 Nov 2023 between Liza Mundy, award-winning journalist and New York Times-bestselling author of five books; Linda Millis, Former Senior CIA, NSA, and ODNI Executive, Assistant Professor, Marymount University / AFIO Board Member, and AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer and Former NSA Associate Deputy Director of Operations. They discuss Liza's latest book "The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA."
    The interview runs 24 minutes and includes several Q&As.
    The Sisterhood is available here.
    Her earlier book, Code Girls, is available here.

    Access the Liza Mundy video interview here or click above image.

    The AFIO Now video series in 2024 continues to be proudly sponsored by Northwest Financial Advisors.

    Registration quickly filling... Will you be joining us?

    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.

    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. Register here.

    Learn more about becoming a member at www.afio.com.  Questions regarding membership? Contact office at 703-790-0320 or email afio@afio.com

    Questions regarding this event to events@afio.com

    The Podcast

    LATEST PODCAST: In this episode, Strategic Warning Intelligence and "The Paradox of Warning" Dr John A. Gentry, Former Senior CIA Analyst, Professor Georgetown University,and AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer discuss "Strategic Warning Intelligence" based on John's book "Strategic Warning Intelligence: History, Challenges, and Prospects." The interview runs 37 minutes and includes several Q&As.
    Strategic Warning Intelligence: History, Challenges, and Prospects     [Georgetown Univ Press, 2019] is available here. Also see Dr. Gentry's recent book, Neutering the CIA: Why US Intelligence Versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences (Armin Lear Press, 2023).
    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

    VOLUNTEER GRANT WRITER SOUGHT


    AFIO is excited to announce that we have begun planning for an update to the 2016 Guide to the Study of Intelligence, widely used by academics around the world. The new release will bring previous content up to date and include material on wholly new developments in the past decade--OSINT, cyberespionage, AI, and more.

    To cover editorial and publication costs, we are seeking the volunteer assistance of a member—or someone recommended by a member—who can help explore grant opportunities and draft grant applications. If you are interested in helping, please contact winseditor@afio.com for additional information.

    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.


    Special Walking Tours Announcements
    by SpyGuide Tours Inc

    Weekend Tours in Washington DC

    New 2024 Dates

    Spring has sprung and Spyher is here for it. See our lineup of spy-themed tours and events. Visit us at https://spyher.co to book or schedule a private experience.

    Nighttime is the Right Time for a spy tour.
    Whether you're a history buff or simply curious about the shadowy world of spies, these 90-minute walking tours promise an unforgettable experience. Available in Washington D.C. and New York City.

    Secret Agent Birthday Party Tour: (Ages 12 and under)
    Have what it takes to be a secret agent? Is it your birthday? Book a Secret Agent Birthday Tour hosted by a real CIA officer who will ... read description here.

    The January 6th Experience: Saturday 2 March and Saturday 20 April
    See the sights of Pennsylvania Avenue, from the White House to the Capitol with an expert in misinformation and trained intelligence analyst ... read full description of tour here.

    Secret Stories of Arlington National Cemetery: Saturday 16 March, Saturday 30 March, Saturday 13 April, Saturday 27 April. This tour of Arlington National Cemetery, visits the gravesites of select intelligence officers and interprets their extraordinary stories. ... read full description of tour here.

    Vintage Espionage - A Wine-Tasting Event with an Espionage Twist: Thursday 28 March at The Italian Oven in McLean, VA. Immerse yourself in a world of mystery and intrigue. For security reasons your sommelier remains encrypted, known only as DECANTER/1 (C/1). ... read full description of event here.

    Learn more and book at https://spyher.co

    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.

    THE MARKETPLACE


    THE AFIO STORE

    Special Gifts for Colleagues, Self, or Others

    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 tech giants refuse to work with Britain’s top secret military censorship board - Politico, 27 Feb 24

    Britain’s media censorship board is trying to woo Big Tech. But the Silicon Valley giants just aren’t interested. Tech firms including Google, Meta, and X have repeatedly spurned the secretive British committee in its mission to prevent state secrets spreading across social platforms. The Defence and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee is run by retired military officers and counts some of the U.K.’s biggest media brands, including Sky, the BBC, and the Times, among its members. The committee is responsible for issuing DSMA notices, colloquially called “D-notices,” to British media. These are requests for publications to voluntarily withhold details that could ostensibly undermine national security, whether by outing intelligence personnel or sharing details of secret overseas operations. (Read more here.)

    Judge tosses alleged terror operative’s suit against CIA waterboarding contractors - Politico, 27 Feb 24

    A federal judge in Washington state has dismissed a lawsuit an alleged terror operative brought against two psychologists the Central Intelligence Agency hired to manage the spy agency’s use of waterboarding as part of the interrogation of terror suspects. U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice ruled Tuesday that the suit Abu Zubaydah filed last year against psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen was precluded by a 2006 federal law limiting the ability of war-on-terror detainees who are not U.S. citizens to sue in U.S. courts over their detention or treatment. Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah, born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents, argued that the legislation applies only to U.S. government employees and not to contractors like Mitchell and Jessen. But Rice, an appointee of President Barack Obama, disagreed. “The … legislative history demonstrates that Congress understood this provision would apply to government employees and contractors alike. It passed this legislation specifically to protect individuals, like Defendants, who interrogated enemy combatants,” wrote Rice, who sits in Spokane. (Full article here.)

    Foreign spies are learning how to sabotage critical infrastructure, Australian intelligence agency warns - Tech Spot, 01 Mar 24

    Australia is facing significant cyber threats from unknown parties, as foreign spies actively attempt to identify weaknesses in the country's digital infrastructure. According to Mike Burgess, the director-general of ASIO, these spies have conducted multiple scanning attempts to map Australia's networks, aiming to gather information necessary for potential future attacks on the country. Burgess recently delivered his annual threat assessment speech, discussing the current and future security landscape of Australia. He highlighted that ASIO, originally created to counter sabotage attempts by Soviet Russia, is now adapting to emerging threats to digital infrastructures. Australia's critical networks are interconnected and interdependent, making vulnerabilities and potential access points more impactful. Burgess revealed that ASIO is aware of a particularly active cyber warfare initiative by a specific nation-state, an unnamed country that has been actively scanning critical Australian infrastructures in recent months. These spies have targeted water, transport, and energy networks, employing highly sophisticated reconnaissance technology to test for security vulnerabilities and assess the digital locks of the networks. (Full article here.)

    Alaskan fishermen to hand over suspected spy balloon to FBI, recovered debris to be investigated - WION, 02 Mar 24

    Fishermen off the coast of US' Alaska stumbled upon what authorities fear might be a spy balloon, even though the details are yet to be investigated, media reports said citing sources. The fishermen reportedly encountered the mysterious object and opted to bring it ashore. Now, once the fishing vessel arrives at the port sometime during the weekend, FBI agents will launch a probe to see what it really is and if indeed it is a spy balloon. The object, whose nature remains uncertain, will be transported to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. There, the balloon will be analysed. Reports indicated that upon encountering the object, the fishermen promptly shared photographs with law enforcement. (Full article here.)

    China broadens law on state secrets to include ‘work secrets’ - Al Jazeera, 28 Feb 24

    Chinese lawmakers have expanded Beijing’s state secrets law for the first time since 2010, widening the scope of restricted sensitive information to “work secrets”, according to state media. China’s top legislative body passed the revised Law on Guarding State Secrets on Tuesday and it will take effect from May 1, the Xinhua news agency reported. Analysts say the expanded law is further evidence of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s increased focus on national security. This has already led to a wide-ranging update to Beijing’s anti-espionage law last April, which some countries fear could be used to punish regular business activities. Raids last year by Chinese police on several management consultancies, including Mintz Group and Bain & Co, have raised concerns among the foreign business community in China. A Japanese pharmaceutical executive has also been detained in Beijing on espionage allegations since last March. (Full article here.)

    Sweden Cuts Support for Russian Church After Intelligence Warnings - Moscow Times, 29 Feb 24

    A Swedish agency for grants for faith institutions said Thursday it was cutting support to the Russian Orthodox Church, after Sweden's intelligence service warned the church was used for intelligence activities. The Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities said in a statement that it was also cutting financial support for the Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate, for not living up to its "democracy criteria." It said that Sweden's Security Service (Sapo) believed the Church was used by the Russian state "as a platform for gathering intelligence and other security-threatening activities." "In the Swedish Security Service's remarks, it appears that representatives of the religious community have had contact with people who work for Russian security and intelligence services," the agency said in a statement. (Full article here.)

    Fear spy crackdown will create uni research brain drain Australia Associated Press, 29 Feb 24

    A crack down on foreign spies could stifle investment in Australia's money-making universities and accelerate an unintended brain drain. A military technology permit regime to regulate the transfer of data such as blueprints, military technology and related services to foreign nationals in Australia has been proposed by the government. The change aims to streamline transfers between Australia, the US and UK by cutting red tape with the AUKUS partners as they would be exempt from permits. Transfers of data between AUKUS partners would be streamlined under the changes. It also aims to bolster national security and protect Australian secrets. But this could have unintended consequences, John Byron from the Queensland University of Technology said. Universities were concerned people would suddenly have to consider defence permits that weren't factored in at the start of programs, he said. (Full article here.)

    FSB Accuses NSA, Apple of Spying on Russians with Malware-Infected iPhones - BNN Breaking, 29 Feb 24

    The recent allegations by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) against the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and Apple have stirred international attention. According to the FSB, the NSA exploited previously unknown iPhone malware, implicating Apple in a spying operation on Russian citizens and diplomats. This incident underscores the ongoing tension and espionage activities between Russia and the US, heightening concerns over digital security and international relations. The FSB's accusations detailed how over a thousand iPhones were reportedly infected with malware that provided backdoor access to the devices. This cybersecurity breach was allegedly made possible through Apple's cooperation with the US government, facilitating the NSA's espionage efforts. Victims of this operation included Russian citizens, foreign diplomats using Russian SIM cards, and individuals from NATO countries, China, Syria, and Israel. (Full article here.)

    A most wanted man: Fugitive Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek exposed as decade-long GRU spy - The Insider, 01 Mar 24

    In the city of Lipetsk, 300 miles south of Moscow, stands a yellow chapel. Somewhat out of place next to a modern mirrored-window building, situated on the lip of a roundabout, the 200 year-old Church of Holy Transfiguration caters to the faithful of a large mining town that dates back to the era of Peter the Great. Inside, Father Konstantin Baiazov performs the customary rites and rituals for his flock. Dark and bearded, with a short, military-style buzz cut, the church’s archpriest’s routine is standard – services twice a day. Father Konstantin inherited the job — and the calling — from his own father, a revered Orthodox priest who, as local legend goes, had challenged the authority of the formidable KGB during Soviet times. Konstantin, the father of three, used to travel abroad. He liked visiting Europe, and was particularly fond of Rome. However, he has not left Russia since September 2020. Since the fifth of that month, Father Baiazov’s official passport, numbered 763391844, has not belonged to a man of God. Rather, it belongs to someone who wears a different kind of white collar, looks a lot like him, and is the most wanted man in Europe. (Listen here.)

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

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



    Section II - DEEP DIVES

    (Research Papers, OpEds, Analysis, Podcasts)

    Director-General's Annual Threat Assessment 2024 - Australian Security Intelligence Organization, 28 Feb 24

    Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security: "Welcome to the Ben Chifley Building. Welcome to ASIO. And welcome to our 75th year. I’d like to recognise our partners and colleagues represented here tonight – Excellencies, elected representatives, Directors-General, Inspector-General, INSLM, Secretaries, CDF, Military Chiefs, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen. Threat Assessments usually examine the present and chart the future, but tonight, given it’s our anniversary, I’d like to begin by reflecting on our past. Over the 75 years, two things stand out to me. One is the amount of change in the security environment. Terrorists and spies don’t do business as usual; there are constant shifts in threat, intent, tactics, capabilities and technologies. And if terrorists and spies don’t do BAU, a security service cannot either. Australians do not just expect us to respond to new threats, they expect us to anticipate them. That’s the second standout – the enduring agility and ingenuity of ASIO’s people. They have always been our most important capability, and ASIO’s story is best told through their stories..." (Full report here.)

    Narrative Intelligence to Fill "Critical Hole" in National Security - University of Mississippi School of Applied Science, 23 Feb 24

    Narratives shape perspectives of the world, from posts on social media to television, blogs and digital signage. To harness and understand those narratives, the next generation of the workforce must understand narrative intelligence. That's the message national leaders in politics, business and the military shared Tuesday (Feb. 20) at the inaugural National Security Summit hosted by the National Center for Narrative Intelligence at the University of Mississippi. "We want to be the champions of (narrative intelligence), and we think this could be something our state is very proud of," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. "We intend to be at the forefront of it here in Oxford by serving as the home for this vital initiative." Narrative intelligence is an artificial intelligence- and human-driven process that gathers and analyzes enormous amounts of data from across the internet to detect trends. It is particularly useful in identifying misinformation and disinformation, making it an asset for national security, as well as business. (Full report here.)

    Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems in the IC - Federal News Network, 27 Feb 24

    Discover the measured yet forward-thinking artificial intelligence strategies underway in the Intelligence Community. IC agencies are not shying away from AI and machine learning. In fact, they recognize the critical value of AI/ML in addressing a common tradecraft challenge: heaps of data. Learn about efforts at the CIA, DIA and NGA in our new ebook. (Read here.)

    Disclosing Secrets: Deterrence, Diplomacy, and Debate – Reflections on Remarks by DNI Avril Haines - Just Security, 01 Mar 24

    Transparency is not what springs to mind when most people think of the intelligence community’s work. Yet it is a priority for Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines who, alongside National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns, is spearheading efforts within the Biden administration to transform the practice of intelligence. The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) is sharing more secrets than ever before with three aims: deterring rivals from taking certain actions, conducting intelligence diplomacy with allies, and informing and engaging in public debate. To achieve these aims, the Biden administration is relying on “strategic declassification,” the intentional public disclosure of classified information to further national security ends. Strategic declassification was crucial to alerting the world of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to invade Ukraine under a false pretext. Beyond Russia, White House officials have credited this approach with preventing Serbia from reinvading Kosovo, blunting Chinese saber-rattling on Taiwan, pressuring Iran to stop supporting Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and countering Hamas’ claims about Israeli airstrikes, among other issues. From the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the war in Gaza, spycraft as statecraft appears to be the new normal. (Full report here.)

    Director Wray's Remarks at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Leadership Breakfast - FBI, 25 Feb 24

    "Good morning, and thanks for having me. It’s great to be here with this group, because I appreciate the way INSA [the Intelligence and National Security Alliance] has—for years—brought together the public, private, and academic sectors of the intelligence and national security communities to find practical and creative solutions to national security challenges. That work is more important now than ever, because—as this group knows all too well—there’s no shortage of those challenges out there. So, I look forward to the conversation with Sue [Gordon] in a few minutes about some of the specific challenges we’re facing and how we’re tackling those. But, before we get into the discussion, I want to take just a few minutes to talk about what I see as the FBI’s unique and valuable role in our integrated Intelligence Community, the new strategy we’re rolling out for our intelligence program to maximize our contributions to the USIC [U.S. Intelligence Community], and—before I close—I also want to highlight one threat, in particular, that’s front of mind for all of us this year: election security. Because, when it comes to election security, intelligence professionals across the government have to make sure we’re all leveraging our very best intelligence to combat this threat together..." (Full report here.)

    How the Chinese civilian and military intelligence agencies are confronting CIA and the Pentagon - Modern Diplomacy, 03 Mar 24

    There are many ongoing rounds of intelligence conflict between China and the United States of America, due to the multiplicity of Chinese official intelligence agencies and the diversity of their activities, and the adoption of many unusual tactics by the Chinese intelligence services in confronting their American counterpart, which is one of the most efficient and complex intelligence services in the world. According to my analysis of the reasons for the success of this Chinese intelligence penetration into American society itself, this is mainly due to the presence of more than 17 million Americans of Asian origins, including four million of Chinese origins, in addition to a huge network of fictitious companies and front companies for China, numbering nearly three thousand companies. Chinese under various names and often not directly affiliated with the Chinese government. (Full report here.)

    ASIO: We love it when the A-Team’s plan doesn’t come together - Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 29 Feb 24

    TAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director General Mike Burgess’ Annual Threat Assessment highlighted the principal threats to Australia’s security—in ASIO’s 75th anniversary year. One of the positives from these public announcements, and this was Burgess’ fifth as DG ASIO, is the documented evolution of national security priorities year to year. Burgess spoke of the enduring but morphing terrorism threat, as violent extremist ideologies (religiously inspired or racist ‘accelerationists’) switch and merge in the face of current events to create ‘new, hybrid beliefs; a perverse ‘choose your own adventure’ approach to radicalisation’. In ASIO’s assessment ‘there is the realistic possibility of a terrorist attack or attack planning in the next 12 months. POSSIBLE does not mean negligible’. (The national terrorism threat level remains unchanged at POSSIBLE). Contrary to subsequent newspaper headlines, that doesn’t mean terrorism has re-eclipsed espionage as a threat. In fact, Burgess was categorical: ‘if we had a threat level for espionage and foreign interference it would be at CERTAIN—the highest level possible’. Furthermore, ‘the threat is now, and the threat is deeper and broader than you might think.’(Full report here.)

    Last of the ‘True Believers’ or Harbinger? Ana Montes and the Future of Espionage Against the West - Homeland Security Newswire, 27 Feb 24

    Ana Montes was U.S. Intelligence’s ‘Queen of Cuba’. The Defense Intelligence Agency’s leading Central America analyst; go-to voice on Cuban intentions and capabilities; eldest daughter of a family dedicated to U.S. government service. She was also a Cuban spy her entire professional life, until arrested 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, after almost 21 years in prison, Montes resides in Puerto Rico, an unrepentant critic of U.S. policy towards Cuba. Montes represents an apparently extraordinary case of espionage. She is a Hispanic woman, recruited at university, while most spies have been white, middle-aged, middle-career men. As an agent, she not only stole secrets but shaped assessments and influenced policy in an adversary’s interests—and then there’s the sheer audacity of penetrating the heart of U.S. military intelligence. But she was also a ’True Believer’ –motivated not by material rewards but by commitment to Castro’s revolution and opposition to U.S. policy in Latin America. In her words: ‘I felt morally obligated to help [Cuba] defend itself from our efforts to impose our values and our political system on it.’ (Full report here.)

    We need to be more aware of the spies in our midst - Politico, 27 Feb 24

    In exemplary coordination, Norway’s intelligence agencies have released their annual reports — and they make for troubling reading. All three documents chronicle the innovative ways in which Russia and China, as well as Iran and North Korea, go about gathering intelligence now that the usual embassy route has become much harder for them. The Norwegian agencies highlight a range of espionage activities, from civilian mariners scouting offshore installations to undercover agents spying on every aspect of daily life. And the reports make for useful reading far beyond Norway’s borders. Espionage against Western countries never ceased — not even in the most harmonious years after the end of the Cold War — but it has been growing for years now. And until the invasion of Ukraine, many Russian spooks worked under official cover at Russia’s embassies in European capitals. However, after the invasion, Western governments expelled more than 400 of them. (Full report here.)

    Lessons from an Intelligence Officer on Ukraine’s Frontline - U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, vol. 150/2/1,452, February 24

    “We’re here,”my guide Sasha said, jumping out of the passenger seat ahead of me as our car stopped rolling. I could tell he was ecstatic to show me the site. A few steps from the car, his Kevlar-clad torso disappeared through an opening in the half-bombed-out building. I followed. We were on the Ukrainian frontline, in a town just behind Bakhmut. I was paying my first visit to an intelligence watch floor in the country. But in the dark, I found just Sasha and one soldier. They were lighting cigarettes and laughing, catching up in Ukrainian. The room was big but nearly empty. A few crated supplies lined the walls, and a bare plyboard table took up the middle of the room. “This is it?” I asked. I knew the Ukrainians had limited resources for their command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) infrastructure—in fact, I was here to see if the nongovernmental organization (NGO) I was working with could raise funds to help equip them—but I assumed their intelligence watch floor would be just a more rugged version of ours. Maybe fewer monitors and no expensive KVM switches? (Full report here.)

    A Conversation with CIA's Spymaster in Chief (45 mins) - CIA's The Langley Files Podcast, 28 Feb 24

    From glittering capitals to active warzones, CIA operations officers work across the world to uncover the information needed to keep Americans safe -- and ultimately, they’re all overseen by the Agency’s Deputy Director for Operations at CIA Headquarters. It’s a position traditionally shrouded in secrecy, but on this premiere of The Langley Files Season 3, Dee and Walter sit down with the CIA official who recently assumed that mantle, a veteran CIA operations officer who played a central role in CIA’s efforts to help Ukraine defend itself as Russia’s full-scale invasion commenced. In his first-ever public remarks, you’ll learn what CIA operations officers actually do, what the Agency is looking for in its next generation of them, and why human intelligence remains vital in the era of AI—all straight from the spymaster-in-chief of the world’s premiere foreign intelligence organization. (Listen here.)

    Air Force Intelligence CIO finding ways to get to ‘yes’ - Federal News Network, 01 Mar 24

    There may be no one facing the continued workforce and technology challenge more than Air Force’s intelligence community. The move to new and emerging technologies like the cloud are directly clashing with the Air Force’s obligation to keep current systems running. That is why Col. Michael Medgyessy, the chief information officer of Air Force Intelligence Office, said initiatives like the Air Force and Space Force’s Digital University are so important. He said it’s more critical than ever to ensure his digital savvy airmen and women don’t get frustrated and leave. “There are definitely new hires coming into the Air Force already digital savvy. They’re coders. They have a strong data understanding. And it’s this new workforce that we got to make sure it doesn’t get frustrated and leaves by enabling them to be able to do these types of things at the edge, enabling them with different technologies like low code, no code, automated workflows, being able to do scripts and things, and be able to understand that the lexicon is different,” Medgyessy said... (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.

    27 Feb | A CIA Psychologist on the Minds of World Leaders, pt. 2 with Dr. Ursula Wilder Dr. Ursula Wilder joins Andrew to discuss the intersections between psychology and intelligence. Ursula is a clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience working at the Central Intelligence Agency.  


    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.

    01 Mar | Increased nuclear rumblings are both a symptom and cause of a heightened global risk environment. This week, in his annual state of the nation address, Vladimir Putin revived the kind of nuclear saber-rattling that we’d seen over two years ago when he first invaded Ukraine. But this time, the conditions have shifted, and Putin’s comments were ostensibly in response to French President Macron’s suggestion that NATO might send ground troops into Ukraine. With Sweden securing approval to join NATO this week, and new member Finland joining last year, Europe is presenting a more unified front against Russia. In response, Putin feels the need to remind everyone of his nuclear arsenal. (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.

    05 Mar | Declassified Intelligence as a Foreign Policy Tool in Great Power Competition

    Since July, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the notorious spy agency of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has started to push public counter-espionage campaigns. Utilizing a Chinese social media platform, WeChat, the MSS has pushed public information campaigns warning against foreign spies and other topics deemed important to safeguarding national security, ranging from minerals and technology to anti-Chinese narratives. The apparent attempt by the MSS to enlist the public for intelligence and national security matters is illustrative of a new trend in strategic competition, something that the U.S. has also employed. The very nature of intelligence gathering and spycraft warrants secrecy and deception, naturally kept out of public discourse. During his tenure, however, CIA Director William Burns has utilized declassified intelligence as a foreign policy tool, for example, related to the war in Ukraine and the Russia-PRC relationship.

    04 Mar | Elections Call Iranian Regime’s Support into Question

    01 Mar | Leaders in Latin America Speak Loudly on Gaza

    29 Feb | Somalia-Türkiye Defense Deal and the Regional Implications for East Africa

    28 Feb | Major Stakeholders Are Deeply Divided on Post-war Gaza



    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.

    28 Feb | "Live" at Yale Michael and Andy speak to International Security Studies students and community members at Yale, in New Haven, Connecticut, for a special episode. Moderated by the Jackson School of Global Affairs's Ted Wittenstein, they discuss the challenges facing US intelligence agencies today including China, Russia, and the Israel-Gaza war. They also talk about what it takes to be a superior intelligence officer and analyst, and how to make national security decisions in the 21st century.



    Book Review: The Achilles Trap - Saddam Hussein, The CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by former head of the CIA’s Iraq Survey Group Charles Duelfer - Cipher Brief, 27 Feb 24

    This is the book I’ve been hoping for since completing the CIA’s Iraq Survey Group (ISG) mission in Iraq in 2004. Steve Coll has doggedly obtained documents and interviews to illuminate the Iraq perspective of events from the beginning to end of the Saddam Regime. He provides comparative perspectives—Iraq and U.S.—that yield understanding of the miscalculations producing three wars (four if you count ISIS post-Saddam). Moreover, he does all this via an entertaining narrative featuring an array of fascinating characters. Disclaimer: I met with Steve Coll as he began work on this book in 2018 and later in January 2019. I encouraged him to look at the early experience of the UN weapons inspectors and years prior to 1991. My argument was that decisionmaker’s mindsets in 2001-2002 were shaped by earlier experiences in the 80’s and 90’s. This was the approach I had taken in my earlier book, “Hide and Seek”. (Read here.)

    Ukraine's Spies Touting Their Worth by former U.S. Army Case Officer Jeff Stein - SpyTalk, 27 Feb 24

    In the summer of 1967 I spent hours roaming Baltimore looking for dead drop sites, practicing brush passes and learning how to chat up a stranger who might make a good spy. It was all part of the U.S. Army’s attempt to turn me into a case officer, aka spy recruiter and handler. It was all very hush-hush, but it was a course not much different than what’s been taught forever at the CIA’s “farm” in Virginia—as well by any intelligence outfit worth a name. Or as retired former CIA operations officer Douglas London put it to me, “The tradecraft, principles and core training is largely the same, only the equipment evolves with technology.” Thus beginning a few years back, according to a fascinating story this week in the New York Times, the CIA “oversaw a training program, carried out in two European cities, to teach Ukrainian intelligence officers how to convincingly assume fake personas and steal secrets in Russia and other countries that are adept at rooting out spies.” (Read more here.)

    "I told you so": Russian Intelligence is Alive and Well in the U.S. (34 mins) with Former CIA officers Alex Finley and Marc Polymeropoulos - Above Average Intelligence Podcast, 26 Feb 24

    Alexander Smirnov has showed us that Russian ‘active measures’ are even more active than we thought. An FBI informant working with Russian intelligence is no small feat, but the extent of the Kremlin’s efforts is even greater. Former CIA officer Alex Finley joins Marc Polymeropoulos to break down how the Russian security threat at home and abroad. (Listen here.)

    U.S. National Security Depends on American Tech and a Healthy Relationship with Risk with former CIA Deputy Chief Operating Officer John Edwards - Cipher Brief, 28 Feb 24

    In matters of national security, access to emerging technology is the great equalizer. The nature of national security and conflict is so closely intertwined with emerging tech that one is hardly distinct from the other. In fact, we have national security investment to thank for many of the modern amenities we take for granted today: GPS, the internet, lithium-ion batteries, the list goes on. The outsized role of tech in intelligence collection and military action has never been more pronounced than it is today. Dual conflicts in Israel and in Ukraine, great power competition with the People’s Republic of China and Russia, and the unease that comes with an unstable regime in North Korea showcase the problems the US Government (USG) faces. Simply put, we’re looking at a veritable tinderbox of geopolitical conflicts and every country is looking to tech as its fire extinguisher…or its match. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the American tech industry is sitting squarely in the middle as governments and militaries jostle over capabilities which might give them the strategic advantage to persevere or to fight another day. (Read here.)

    What is an Intelligence Investigation Like (35 mins) with former Canadian Intelligence Officers Phil Gurski, Alan Treddenick, Neil Bisson - Spies Like Us Podcast, 01 March Feb 24

    We all have our own image of what spies do and how they do it, ranging from Ian Fleming's iconic James Bond to, um, Johnny English and Bill Murray (star of The Man Who Knew Too Little). But what actually goes into an intelligence investigation? What are the moving parts? The guys delve into this. Oh and a story on how Hindu extremists in India are upset about a Hindu and Muslim lion 'cohabiting. You're gonna love this! (Listen here.)

    Putin proving doubters wrong on Ukraine - with Former CIA Russia Chief Steve Hall - MSNBC, 27 Feb 24

    EX-CIA chief of Russia operations Steve Hall said Sunday he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is proving to his doubters that he was right to expect the United States to lose its "nerve" and eventually stop aiding Ukraine as Russia presses forward in its war. "This has been a very good couple of weeks for Vladimir Putin, and I think we can see that just in his demeanor and what he's done and said," Hall said in an interview on CNN, where he is a national security analyst. "I think Vladimir Putin is now beginning to be able to tell all of those doubters" that they were wrong, Hall said. "And by doubters, I don't mean people in the streets who might be protesting; I mean those around him, you know, his innermost circle who might have said, 'Jeez, is this really going to work?'" (Read here.)

    Russia, Russia, Russia (22 mins) - with Former CIA Senior Operations Officer Daniel Hoffman - SpyTalk Podcast 27 Feb 24

    Former top CIA ops official Dan Hoffman talks with Jeff about options on Putin. (Listen here.)

    An Open Letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Ukraine - by Former CIA Executive Rob Dannenberg - Cipher Brief 03 Mar 24

    Dear Speaker Johnson, We find ourselves as a country and society at an inflection point in history. The forces of darkness are on the march and are sensing victory. These forces are led by Vladimir Putin who just days ago, threatened nuclear war and an end to civilization, this shortly after silencing the most influential voice of opposition in the Russian Federation. Putin’s allies and surrogates in Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang, Damascus, Caracas, Havana and in organizations such Hamas, the Houthi, ISIS and Al Qaeda and elsewhere see the indecision and sense the lack of resolve in the powers of freedom led by the United States. They eagerly now anticipate the possibility of bringing an end to civilization as built by the western democracies and replacing it with political or theological autocracy. Rarely in history has one individual been in a position to influence history at such a critical juncture. You are in that position now. There is a bill on support for the Ukraine which has been passed in the Senate with bipartisan support that is in your power and authority to bring to the floor of the House for a vote. This bill would pass also with bipartisan support and send a clear signal of support to Ukraine, which is now the frontline of freedom and civilization. It would also send a clear message to our allies that the United States of America is still the “shining city on the hill” that it had been when in the first and second world wars the US stood up for freedom and civilization. It is in your power to secure your place in history. (Read here.)

    A Chinese Hacker's Leak Reveals a Growing Threat - by Former NSA General Counsel Glenn S. Gerstell - MSN, 03 Mar 24

    In the cyber equivalent of a Hollywood exposé, nearly 600 documents apparently leaked from a Chinese hacking contractor were posted publicly to the web late last month. The files contain the kind of private details and gossip that normally only spy agencies such as the National Security Agency and the U.K. General Communications Headquarters get to see. Yet there they were on the front pages of the world's newspapers. There is more than a little irony in seeing a hacking group, whose efforts were supposed to be secret, being caught with its pants down. It's also fascinating to have the curtain pulled away, revealing some very practical aspects of the world of freelance hackers. But on a deeper level, the hackers' internal secrets illuminate the threats we face from that world. (Read here.)




    Section IV - MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS

    (All Categories)

    Article: In an Age of Intercepts, the C.I.A. Makes the Case for Spies - New York Times, 28 Feb 24

    Intelligence-gathering today relies on electronic eavesdropping on calls and text messages as well as high-resolution satellite images. But in its new podcast, the C.I.A. argues that even in the age of artificial intelligence and ubiquitous intercepts, human sources are more important than ever. Only with a human source can intelligence officers make proper sense of intercepts and understand the context of an overheard conversation, the C.I.A.’s espionage chief, Tom Sylvester, says in the podcast, which the agency released on Wednesday. The deputy director for operations, the formal title of the person in charge of espionage, often remains — at least partly — in the shadows. So Mr. Sylvester’s appearance on the podcast is unusual. Keeping in character, the hosts refer to him on the show only as Tom. Mr. Sylvester took charge last summer, replacing David Marlowe, who was given the job at the beginning of the Biden administration but recently retired. (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

    Article: The politics and economics behind Biden's China car espionage probe - The Japan Times, 02 Mar 24

    President Joe Biden, vowing to "do right by U.S. auto workers," launched an investigation this week into whether Chinese-made vehicles could be used to spy on Americans, a far-off threat given the few such cars on U.S. roads now. The White House announced the probe Thursday citing national-security risks about "connected" cars creating "new avenues for espionage and sabotage." Biden is campaigning for re-election, and U.S. automakers have voiced fear bordering on panic about having to compete at home with Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). An auto lobbying group recently said this could cause an "extinction event." China's EV industry has surged past all others in recent years and aims to export vehicles globally, often at far lower prices than American EV offerings. (Read full report here.)

    Article: North Korea's Spy Satellite Shows Signs of Life - News Week, 01 Mar 24

    North Korea's spy satellite is "alive," defying skeptics who believed the device was space debris, a Netherlands-based space expert says. The satellite was tracked "jumping" to a higher orbit several times last month, showing North Korea can keep it from re-entering the atmosphere and extend its life, though its other capabilities are currently unknown. North Korea said the Malligyong-1 spacecraft was operating successfully after two previous failed attempts at putting surveillance satellites in orbit. The country heralded the feat as a win that allows it to keep tabs on the "military intention and moves of hostile forces." Pyongyang said its satellite has been snapping photos of the White House and Pentagon, though it has not made any of this imagery public. As recently as Monday, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik cast doubt on the Malligyong-1's capabilities, saying: "It shows no signs of functioning and is merely orbiting without activity." (Read full report here.)

    Article: Australian politician 'sold out' country to foreign spy ring, says intelligence chief - Reuters, 28 Feb 24

    A former politician "sold out" Australia to a foreign intelligence service, the country's spy chief said on Wednesday, adding that his agency had confronted the spy ring to let them know their cover had been blown. Director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said in an annual speech he had declassified details of the operation, which used professional networking platforms, email and social media to target Australians. (Read more here.)

    Article: Cybersecurity for satellites is a growing challenge - The Space Review, 26 Feb 24

    In today’s interconnected world, space technology forms the backbone of our global communication, navigation, and security systems. Satellites orbiting Earth are pivotal for everything from GPS navigation to international banking transactions, making them indispensable assets in our daily lives and in global infrastructure. This emerging battleground highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect our space assets from sophisticated attacks that threaten global stability and security. However, as our dependency on these celestial guardians escalates, so too does their allure to adversaries who may seek to compromise their functionality through cyber means. A satellite’s service could be interrupted or, at worst, the spacecraft could be disabled. The expansion of the digital realm into space has opened new frontiers for cyber threats, posing unprecedented challenges. This emerging battleground highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect our space assets from sophisticated attacks that threaten global stability and security. Recent cyber incidents, such as the 2022 attack on the KA-SAT network, highlight the immediate vulnerability of satellites. The network, owned by global communications giant Viasat, faced a sophisticated cyber assault that disrupted its services across Europe. While the perpetrators have not been officially confirmed, many suspect Russia’s involvement. (Read more here.)

    Article: Trump promising to Gut “intelligence” agencies infested with Traitors - Natural News, 29 Feb 24

    Okay, so it was more of a maybe, but former President Donald Trump did say he is "likely" to launch sweeping reforms of America's intelligence apparatus if reelected as president this November. U.S. intelligence agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) could be on the chopping block if Americans reelect Trump to the White House this fall, which is prompting many of them to express fresh fears about what this might mean for their continuity. According to Politico, which recently interviewed 18 intelligence officials about the matter, Trump's sort-of-promise to gut the intelligence establishment of all traitors could "undermine the credibility of American intelligence." "Trump intends to go after the intelligence community," one former senior intelligence official complained. "He started that process before and he's going to do it again. Part of that process is to root out people and to punish people." (Read full report here.)

    Article: Career US diplomat abruptly admits to spying for communist Cuba for decades - Associated Press, 29 Feb 24

    A former career U.S. diplomat told a federal judge Thursday he will plead guilty to charges of working for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba, an unexpectedly swift resolution to a case prosecutors called one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the U.S. foreign service. Manuel Rocha’s stunning fall from grace could culminate in a lengthy prison term after the 73-year-old said he would admit to federal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government. Prosecutors and Rocha’s attorney indicated the plea deal includes an agreed-upon sentence but they did not disclose details at a hearing Thursday. He is due back in court April 12, when he is scheduled to formalize his guilty plea and be sentenced. (Read full report here.)

    Article: Look into China’s world of hackers astounds U.S. spies: ‘Eye-opening’ - Washington Times, 28 Feb 24

    The revelations of a Chinese contractor’s hacking tools have astonished the world’s top cybersecurity experts, including the U.S. government’s most senior analysts at the National Security Agency. A trove of documents, images and messages from the Chinese government-affiliated security contractor I-Soon suddenly appeared on the GitHub software development platform this month, offering what experts say is an unprecedented peek into the world of China’s hackers for hire. NSA Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce said the I-Soon disclosures have provided a new window into how China hacks. Security professionals continue combing the unprecedented leak of tools by the contractor linked to China’s security services. “It showed you the scope and scale of China’s infrastructure that is enabled by their industry, not only providing infrastructure but actually running operations and stealing data,” Mr. Joyce told the Trellix Cybersecurity Summit on Tuesday. “That’s something we’ve known about, we’ve seen, but I think that large quantity of information out and available for deep analysis was eye-opening to some in the public sector.” Cybersecurity professionals are poring over the disclosures to understand how China’s cyberespionage industry functions and how to thwart it. (Read full report here.)

    Article: How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin - Wired, 27 Feb 24

    IN 2019, A government contractor and technologist named Mike Yeagley began making the rounds in Washington, DC. He had a blunt warning for anyone in the country’s national security establishment who would listen: The US government had a Grindr problem. A popular dating and hookup app, Grindr relied on the GPS capabilities of modern smartphones to connect potential partners in the same city, neighborhood, or even building. The app can show how far away a potential partner is in real time, down to the foot. In its 10 years of operation, Grindr had amassed millions of users and become a central cog in gay culture around the globe. But to Yeagley, Grindr was something else: one of the tens of thousands of carelessly designed mobile phone apps that leaked massive amounts of data into the opaque world of online advertisers. That data, Yeagley knew, was easily accessible by anyone with a little technical know-how. So Yeagley—a technology consultant then in his late forties who had worked in and around government projects nearly his entire career—made a PowerPoint presentation and went out to demonstrate precisely how that data was a serious national security risk. (Read here.)

    Video: Inside In-Q-Tel: How the CIA is tapping private sector ingenuity that’s reshaping the world (13 mins) - Washington Times, 01 Mar 24

    Artificial intelligence, drones, quantum computing, biotechnology and futuristic satellites are among the most innovative things being born from the ingenuity of the American and international private sectors. They’re also among the most sensitive and that’s why In-Q-Tel — essentially a venture capital firm operating under the purview of the CIA — is heavily investing in them. Washington Times National Security Editor Guy Taylor sits down with In-Q-Tel President and CEO Steve Bowsher to discuss the intersection between these cutting-edge technologies, U.S. intelligence and the evolving landscape of global conflict. (Watch here.)

    Article: Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty under a deal that calls for at least 11 years in prison - Associated Press, 04 Mar 24

    Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty on Monday to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine and other national security secrets under a deal with prosecutors that calls for him to serve at least 11 years in prison. Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act nearly a year after he was arrested in the most consequential national security leak in years. The 22-year-old admitted illegally collecting some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets and sharing them with other users on Discord, a social media platform popular with people playing online games. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for September in Boston’s federal court and said she would decide then whether to formally accept the agreement, which calls for a prison sentence between 11 and nearly 17 years. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the high end of that range. (Read here.)

    Article: Inside the White House Program to Share America’s Secrets - Time, 29 Feb 24

    On the afternoon of Sept. 27, a Balkans expert at the White House got a disturbing call from a U.S. intelligence agency. Serbian forces were massing along the length of their country’s border with Kosovo, where NATO has kept an uneasy peace since a bloody war of secession in 1999. Three days earlier, more than two dozen armed Serbs had killed a Kosovar police officer in an attack. Now Serbia was deploying heavy weapons and troops. “We were very worried that Serbia could be preparing to launch a military invasion,” says one National Security Council (NSC) official. The question was what to do about it. Months of mounting tensions in a remote corner of southeastern Europe had not received much attention in the media. Diplomatic efforts by the U.K., Italy, and other countries with troops on the ground in Kosovo had failed to calm the situation. In Washington, attention was focused on chaos in Congress; in much of Europe, the top priority was marshaling continued support for Ukraine. So as part of an effort to pressure Serbia to back down, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan approved a request from his Europe team to declassify elements of the Serbian buildup for public release. (Read here.)



    Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

    Books — Forthcoming, Newly Released, Overlooked


    Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State
    by Byron Tau
    (Crown, 27 Feb 24)

    For the past five years—ever since a chance encounter at a dinner party—journalistByron Tau has been piecing together a secret story: how the whole of the internet and every digital device in the world became a mechanism of intelligence, surveillance, and monitoring. Of course, our modern world is awash in surveillance. Most of us are dimly aware of this: Ever get the sense that an ad is “following” you around the internet? But the true potential of our phones, computers, homes, credit cards, and even the tires underneath our cars to reveal our habits and behavior would astonish most citizens. All of this surveillance has produced an extraordinary amount of valuable data about every one of us. That data is for sale—and the biggest customer is the U.S. government. In the years after 9/11, the U.S. government, working with scores of anonymous companies, many scattered across bland Northern Virginia suburbs, built a foreign and domestic surveillance apparatus of breathtaking scope—one that can peer into the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. This cottage industry of data brokers and government bureaucrats has one directive—“get everything you can”—and the result is a surreal world in which defense contractors have marketing subsidiaries and marketing companies have defense contractor subsidiaries. And the public knows virtually nothing about it. Sobering and revelatory, Means of Control is the defining story of our dangerous grand bargain—ubiquitous cheap technology, but at what price?

    Purchase book here. Also


    A New Vision of Spycraft: Or Necessary Notations On Espionage
    by Daniele-Hadi Irandoost
    (Manticore Press, 04 Aug 23)

    Finely crafted by a current academic researcher and espionage enthusiast, A New Vision of Spycraft provides insight into the techniques, methodologies, and attitudes characteristic of Anglo-American intelligence agencies as well as their continuing aim to be largely free of parliamentary oversight.As a rising academician who has studied spycraft and espionage in several universities and think tanks, Daniele-Hadi Irandoost brings the full power of historical art and science to bear on this mercurial, frequently invisible, and generally misunderstood subject. Certainly, distinctions between desk-bound intelligence analysts and far more romantic field agents are explored, although only as a means to unearth a number of unsettling facts about this particular side of national life. As such, this eye-opening book is a must-read for anyone interested in the gritty realities behind intelligence agencies worldwide.

    Order book here.



    Ethics of Spying: A Reader for the Intelligence Professional (Volume 2) (Security and Professional Intelligence Education Series, Volume 2)
    by Jan Goldman
    (Scarecrow Press, 04 Dec 09)

    Ethics of Spying: A Reader for the Intelligence Professional, Volume 2 picks up where the first book ended, but, with a twist. The book begins with an historical perspective of the expectations of moral and ethical conduct of personnel working in intelligence. In a previously classified memo from 1941 and a report from 1954, the reader gets a sense of both the history and perception of what was expected of professional conduct as viewed from government officials. The first half of this book seeks to define an intelligence professional, while the second half of the book seeks to utilize various theoretical and practical perspectives. The richness of this publication is aided by the international views of its authors, which hail from Israel, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States, among others. These prominent scholars explore ethics through the intelligence cycle and how ethics is evolving and viewed in a post-9/11 world. The book concludes with a survey on ethical conduct by interrogators, a brief history of intelligence reform, and a bibliography on this subject. The history and international perspectives provided in this book lay the foundation for further study in this increasingly prominent field of interdisciplinary study.

    Order book here.


    True Intelligence Matters in Film - The Spy Behind Home Plate - Aviva Kempner (2019)

    Telling the story of Moe Berg, an enigmatic Jewish catcher during baseball's Golden Age who joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to spy for the U.S. on the Nazis' atomic bomb program.

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





    Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

    Infographic: Mapped: 2024 Global Elections by Country - Visual Capitalist, 26 Feb 24

    With almost half of the world’s population residing in countries holding executive or legislative elections in 2024, it’s set to be the busiest election year ever recorded. This visualization uses collated 2024 global elections data from our 2024 Global Forecast Series as well as from Time, while country populations are taken from Worldometer as of January 2024. (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

    Maiselle Shortley — Former CIA Contractor and Public Servant

    Mary Dolan "Maiselle" Shortley, 81, of McLean, VA, passed away on Friday, February 23, 2024 at Fairfax Hospital. Mrs. Shortley was a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Fairfield Connecticut and a competitive ice skater in those years. She then graduated from Dunbarton College in Washington, DC where she majored in French studies. Due to her fluency in French Mrs. Shortley was hired by the Remington Rand Corporation in Paris, France and then by the American Embassy as a contract employee with the Central Intelligence Agency during the height of the Cold War. During a long career of public service Mrs. Shortley served in the Reagan-Bush Transition Office and then in the Reagan Administration's White House of Public Liaison and the US Defense Department as a Director in Public Liaison, at ACTION as Deputy Associate Director and at the Commission on Executive, Legislative and Judicial Salaries as Pubic Liaison Director. In addition, she worked in the George W Bush Administration as Confidential Assistant and Project Manager to the Associate Director of Human Resources at the Office of Management and Budget. Mrs. Shortley's many political activities included the Reagan for President 1976 campaign, director of volunteers for the Forbes for President Campaign, delegate coordinator for the Gingrich for President Committee, and a director at the Republican National Committee's National Policy Forum. She also succeeded her brother "Terry" Dolan as the president of the National Conservative Political Action Committee and the National Conservative Foundation. In addition she served as a consultant to the US Senate Republican Conference.

    Sussana Isaacson — Former CIA Linguist and Leadership Development Pioneer

    Sussana Isaacson, 77, passed on 29 February 2024 after a battle with cancer. Born in Seini, Romania--a small Transylvanian town where many of the Jews (including her parents) were holocaust survivors. When she was 14, her family was “ransomed” from an antisemitic dictatorship by Israel but decided to migrate instead to Colombia to join her uncle. At 17, the family moved to the United States, where they were undocumented aliens for four years. Stern (Yeshiva) college provided a free education. In New York she worked as a translator for Immigration and taught French and Spanish in Junior High School. In 1975, she moved to Washington, where she taught ESL to immigrants. An unlikely career twist occurred when her neighbor spotted an ad--the CIA was looking for East European translators. The CIA proved to be a place that recognized her potential. She started as a technical translator, switched to language teacher, was promoted to department head, provided with free time and tuition for an MA in leadership development, traveled worldwide to teaching station heads to be better bosses, and introduced a coaching program. She was surprised and delighted that she could be an intimidating presence; her secret weapon was saying exactly what she meant. She was also surprised and delighted to find fellow workers who were dedicated, intelligent, with keen ethical sensitivity. When she retired, she partnered with three of them—all former bosses—to form a coaching consulting company called Copia. It was—and still is—quite successful.



    Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

    • Seeking Interview Subjects: Seeking information on Czech-U.S. relationship in the late 1970s and 1980s, including StB’s techniques and effectiveness, exposition and expulsion of U.S. staff in Prague; conversely frequency of U.S. finding Czech intelligence operatives on U.S. soil. Have any former StB personnel spoken publicly about their previous work? Please email viveca.novak@gmail.com.
    • Seeking Interview Subjects:Current or former intelligence officers, analysts, and counterintelligence (CI) professionals with firsthand experience in dealing with Russian illegals to participate in confidential interview sessions as part of a PhD dissertation. Research Topic: The research investigates the impact of technological advancements on the operations and effectiveness of the Russian illegals program. Your insights will be invaluable in understanding the evolving landscape of espionage and informing potential countermeasures. Confidentiality: Your anonymity will be strictly protected. No identifying information will be used in the dissertation or any subsequent publications unless otherwise agreed to. However, written transcripts of the interviews will be retained for academic purposes. Eligibility: If you possess relevant experience and are willing to share your expertise in a confidential setting, please email omid.townsend@kcl.ac.uk.
    • 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: Former intelligence officers to lead spy-themed walking tours in Washington D.C. - Spyher Tours

      • These are 90-120 minute historical tours with an interactive "operational" component. Most tours start at 10am on select Thursdays-Sundays. The immediate opportunity is for dates in March, but additional opportunities are available through June, and new opportunities are likely to become available throughout the year. This is a fun way to get back out on the streets, engage/educate the public on the world of espionage, and make some extra cash. The next opportunities to see a tour in action (and train before the Spring rush) are Sunday 2/18 and Sunday 3/3. Please contact Rosanna at 571-236-9052 or rosanna@spyher.co. Visit https://spyher.co.

    • 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

    06 Mar 24, 1800 hours (ET) - Virtual - The East Tennessee AFIO Chapter hosts Jennifer Daniel to discuss her 37-year IC career, including work at NGA and the DNI. Ms. Daniel is known for her transformational leadership across diverse mission sets including collection, analysis, IT Solutions, human capital, budget management, and international relations. Among her many roles, Ms. Daniel served as the Associate Director for Enterprise at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Mission Priorities, Analysis, and Collection in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of NGA’s Persistent GEOINT Office. Currently, she is President of the NGA Alumni Association East, a board member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, and CEO of JS&N Consulting LLC. Contact admin@ETNAFIO.com for Google Meet invite and/or chapter questions.

    NOTE NEW DATE: 26 March 2024, noon EDT - 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, 26 March 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 are based on timing of your reservation/response.
    Early response, $15 luncheon fee, no later than noon on Tuesday, 27 February.
    Response cut-off, $20 luncheon fee, no later than noon on Thursday, 14 March.
    ZOOM registration cut-off, $0 fee, no later than noon on Thursday, 14 March.
    If you wish to participate by ZOOM please click on the this registration link to complete the registration request before noon on Monday, 14 March 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

    Sunday, March 10 · 2 - 3:30pm EDT - Virtual - "The Cold War: Law, Lawyers, Spies, and Crises" - Art Downey speaks to The Cold War Museum Top Cold War political and military leaders created the strategies. Much of that depended for implementation on the work of smart lawyers. Drawing from his book The Cold War: Law, Lawyers, Spies and Crises (ABA: 2016), Art Downey will tell us about something that is largely hidden in standard accounts of the Cold War: the key role that a large number of talented lawyers had in some of the most important events during the Cold War. The most important actors during the period were the political and military strategists who wielded great power on both sides. Their plans and positions, however, were developed with the help of lawyers and new, uniquely-applied laws, international organizations, treaties, and multinational defense organizations that came from the ideas and work of lawyers. The first section of the book deals with international law, including the Berlin Blockade and the Wall, the creation of key international organizations like NATO and the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OCSE); the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis; the suppression of the East German uprisings (1953), the Hungarian Revolution (1956), and the Prague Spring (1968), followed by the Brezhnev Doctrine; and the Nicaragua crisis. The second covers spies and subversives, real and imagined, from the immediate postwar Soviet subversion attempts; Hiss, McCarthy and the Rosenbergs; the trial of Rudolph Abel; and Francis Gary Powers and the Bay of Pigs exchanges. The third focuses on the creation of, and eventual limitations of, Presidential War Powers, from waging war or a police action without Congress, to the restrictions on Presidential control over domestic resources such as steel mills, and the final nature of the War Powers Resolution. Although the United States never faced a serious economic challenge from the Soviet Union, unlike with the Chinese today, there was also an economic Cold War. There were trade promotion and coordination problems for which lawyers helped find solutions, and there were difficulties on both the import and export sides. Grand Cold War strategies often couldn't go into effect without a lot of negotiation and working out the implementation details, as well as trial and error. Lawyers behind the scenes were often the key element in making the gains we made in all of these areas. Come listen to this hidden history, then ask Art your own questions. Arthur T. Downey (Washington, D.C.) has lectured at the Smithsonian, taught at Georgetown University Law Center, and is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia. He lived through the Cold War as a student, lawyer, diplomat, and government official. Downey is the author of Civil War Lawyers (ABA: 2010), The Creole Affair (Rowman & Littlefield: 2014), and The Cold War: Law, Lawyers, Spies and Crises (ABA: 2016)

    Cost: $20, 100% of which is a contribution to the Cold War Museum. Location: ONLINE ONLY. Eventbrite ticket buyers will receive a link to the virtual room on the Zoom platform where this event will take place. We are recording the whole event, including the Q&A, for the Museum's archives. Register HERE.

    Agenda: • 1:30-2:00. Participants arrive in the Zoom room online. • 2:00-2:05. Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum and Art Downey • 2:05-3:00. Art presents on the important roles of lawyers in implementing some of the key strategies and organizations of the Cold War. • 3:00-3:30. Q&A opportunity for the audience. Questions? Call or email Jason Hall, 703-283-4124 (cell), jason@coldwar.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.



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