Weekly Intelligence Notes

06 - 12 March 2024
(Issue 10)

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view the latest web edition here.

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

CONTENTS

Section I - CURRENTS

(Recent Events, Developments, Highlights)

• NGA looking for commercial data to update intel on North Korea - Breaking Defense, 07 March 24
• Fanatics who plotted end of CIA, FBI given life sentences in US - AFP, 06 Mar 24
• Here’s What FBI, DHS Said About Russia in Secret Election Briefing - Daily Signal, 07 Mar 24
• FBI hunting for Iranian spy who allegedly plotted assassination of Mike Pompeo, other US officials - New York Post, 04 Mar 24
• Turkey escalates covert intelligence activities in Europe and North America - Nordic Monitor, 07 Mar 24
• Slovakia's top spy agency run by a "bad guy" now - Slovak Spectator, 07 Mar 24
• NGA’s Maven Office Director Rachael Martin Wins 1st Wash100 Award for AI Leadership - GovCon Wire, 07 Mar 24
• U.S. Intel Chiefs Warn of Threats To “Increasingly Fragile World Order” - Time, 11 Mar 24
• Counterespionage Corner - A collection of recent material on arrests, convictions, expulsions, and more...
• Cyberespionage Collection - Newly identified actors and operations, countermeasures, policy, other...

• Valuing Diversity in the U.S. Intelligence Community - International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 04 Mar 24
• 2024 National Threat Assessment - State Security Department (VSD) of Lithuania, 08 Mar 24
• Special Delivery: Building Better Intelligence Support for Logistics - U.S. Naval Intelligence Magazine Proceedings Vol. 150/3/1,453, 06 Mar 24
• Elephant in the Room: Declining use of Covert Tactics in UK Policing - Royal United Services Institute, 07 Mar 24
• The anatomy of Russian disinformation operations in Germany - Tango Noir, 05 Mar 24
• Breaking barriers: the women leading Australia’s national security community - Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 08 Mar 24
• Operation Kenova Interim Report - Police Service of Northern Ireland, 08 Mar 24
• The Art of Deception: Exploring the Parallels Between Cyber Espionage and Intelligence Social Engineering - Global Intelligence Knowledge Network, 04 Mar 24
• Russian intelligence services intensify efforts to ‘liquidate’ defectors: report - IntelNews, 04 Mar 24
• Putin’s masterful spy op leaves Scholz in the cold - Politico, 05 Mar 24
• Espionage and Counter-Espionage in Bulgaria - Grey Dynamics, 08 Mar 24
• The Ukraine war and the shift in Russian intelligence priorities - Intelligence and National Security, 10 Mar 24
• Intelligence warning in the Ukraine war, Autumn 2021 – Summer 2022 - Intelligence and National Security, 10 Mar 24
• SpyCast: The Latest from International Spy Museum Historian Andrew Hammond, PhD. and his guest experts on HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, OSINT, and GEOINT

• Washington’s next move is key, but the evolving domestic politics of European states will also heavily impact the future of Ukraine. — Former Acting CIA Dep. Dir. for Ops and Arkin Group President Jack Devine, In Other News
• Houthis Continue Destabilizing Region, No End in Sight | UAE Builds Strategic Position in East Africa | Humanitarian Catastrophe Mounts in the Gaza Despite Airdrops | After Three Years, Ukraine Fights to Prevent Russian Advances | Outside Powers Exploit Libya’s Divisions — Former FBI Special Agent and Soufan Group CEO Ali Soufan, Intel Brief
• Tech at the CIA: Nand Mulchandani — Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell and former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andy Makridis, Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch
• US mired in impunity and corruption, SVR veteran says in open letter by former Lt. General of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Leonid Reshetnikov - TASS, 04 Mar 24
• Government repeatedly rejected plans to kill Hamas’s Sinwar by Former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman - Times of Israel, 07 Mar 24
• Canada’s foreign interference threat may be worse than we thought with former senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) strategic analyst Phil Gurski - Ottawa Citizen, 05 Mar 24
• Linwei Ding (AKA Leon Ding), Economic Espionage 2022 - 2023 with former DIA and CIA officer Nick Eftimiades - Shinobi Enterprise Blog, 06 Mar 24
• Spy Disguises in Fact and Fiction (87 mins) - former PDB Briefer and CIA Analyst David Priess interviews former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez, 07 March Feb 24
• Conflict in Gaza: The Law of War and Irregular Warfare in Urban Terrain - with former CIA Office of General Counsel officer Jim Petrila - Foreign Policy Research Institute, 05 Mar 24
• Maritime trade under threat from global instability - with Former CIA Director Robert Gates - Journal of Commerce, 04 Mar 24
• Ukraine Will Get U.S. Aid - with Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo - Cipher Brief, 11 Mar 24
• Who Will Shore Up NATO Amid Global Emergencies - with Former CIA director of East Asia Operations Joseph DeTrani - Cipher Brief, 07 Mar 24
• Are We Headed for More Political Violence This Election Year? - with Former Senior CIA Analyst Michael J. Ard - Discourse Magazine, 06 Mar 24

• Article: U.S. Spy Agencies Know Your Secrets. They Bought Them. - Wall Street Journal, 08 Mar 24
• Article: ʻClearly Overlooked This’: Probe Finds Strange Communication Devices On Chinese Cranes In US Ports - Daily Caller, 07 Mar 24
• Article: Spy Kids: CIA touts developing talent ‘from kindergarten to graduate school’ - Washington Times, 08 Mar 24
• Article: US Army intelligence analyst charged with selling classified military information to China - BBC, 07 Mar 24
• Article: Singapore sting - How spies listened in on German general - BBC, 07 Mar 24
• Article: Espionage Probe Finds Communications Device on Chinese Cranes at U.S. Ports - Wall Street Journal, 07 Mar 24
• Article: Ex-Google engineer charged with stealing AI trade secrets while working with Chinese companies - Associated Press, 06 Mar 24
• Article: Canada Needs Real Foreign Intelligence - Foreign Policy, 06 Mar 24
• Article: Europe kicked out Vladimir Putin’s spies. Now they’re back - Financial Times, 05 Mar 24
• Article: Russia using Serbian agent to infiltrate EU bodies, Western intel says - Politico, 05 Mar 24
• Article: Australian task force thwarts Chinese espionage; India may be next - Sunday Guardian, 10 Mar 24
• Article: Russia poses the biggest espionage threat in Switzerland - Swiss Info, 10 Mar 24

Books: (Forthcoming, New Releases, Overlooked)

• No Cloak, No Dagger: A Professor's Secret Life Inside the CIA by Lester Paldy (19 Mar 24)


• The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century by Benn Steil (09 Jan 24)


• Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950-1989 by Richard H. Cummings (13 May 09)

True Intelligence Matters in Film: I Was a Spy - Victor Saville (1933)

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

Infographic: The World's Least Powerful Passports in 2024 - Visual Capitalist, 16 Feb 24

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

Obituaries

Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

• Call for information: Seeking information on Peruvian communist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path).
• 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

• Wanted: Former intelligence officers to lead spy-themed walking tours in Washington, D.C. - Spyher Tours
• Wanted: Retired Federal Government Employees - National Security Agency - Fort Meade, Maryland
• Assistant Professor - Intelligence Studies - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona

Upcoming AFIO Events

• 21 Mar 24, 1130 hours (PT) - Umadevi Gopaldass discussing “Lessons from the Lion taming the Dragon” - Colorado Springs - Rocky Mountain Chapter
• 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

• 20 Mar 24, 1400 (ET) - Virtual - Spies of the Pacific: The Claire Philips Story - Spy Museum, Washington DC
• 21 Mar 24, 1200-1300 (ET) - Virtual - Spy Chat with Chris Costa ft Dr. Jung H. Pak - Spy Museum, Washington DC
• 26 Mar 24, 1400-1500 (ET) - Virtual - SPY with Me: Program for Individuals with Dementia and their Care Partners - Spy Museum, Washington DC
• 27 Mar 24, 1200-1300 (ET) - Virtual - The Challenge of OSINT: A View From A Senior Practitioner - Johns Hopkins University
• 30 Mar 24, 1400-1600 (ET) - In Person - Book Signing with In True Face author Jonna Mendez - Spy Museum, Washington DC

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.

Released exclusively to members...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

NOON 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.

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 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

LATEST PODCAST: In this episode, Stuart A. Reid, Executive Editor of Foreign Affairs, speaks with AFIO's President Jim Hughes on "The Lumumba Plot - The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination." The Lumumba Plot can be purchased here.
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:

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.

Section I - CURRENTS

(Recent Events, Developments, Highlights)

NGA looking for commercial data to update intel on North Korea - Breaking Defense, 07 March 24

As the Biden administration grows increasingly worried by Pyongyang’s “burgeoning” arms trade relationship with Russia, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is looking to commercial providers to update baseline information about North Korea that it can use to create maps and other intelligence products. “In particular for this solicitation, NGA is looking for updates to a database of political, economic, cultural and other government-related facilities, which will be a follow-on to a contract awarded in 2020,” a spokesperson told Breaking Defense. Industry has until March 29 to respond to the Feb. 27 call for bids, which is seeking “foundational data” on “North Korean economic, industrial, and infrastructure facilities identified using native North Korean nomenclature.” The NGA spokesperson explained that foundational data “describes physical and cultural characteristics, including elevation, coordinates, topography, geographic names, and human geography, as well as our earth sciences data (gravity, magnetics, geodetic surveys, etc.).” (Read more here.)

Fanatics who plotted end of CIA, FBI given life sentences in US - AFP, 06 Mar 24

Four adults who ran a heavily fortified compound and were awaiting the resurrection of a kidnapped toddler they thought could help them rid the world of the CIA, the FBI and the American military were given life sentences by a US judge on Wednesday. A trial last year heard how the group had kidnapped a three-year-old in Georgia in December 2017 and taken him to a purpose-built training facility in rural New Mexico, from where they planned to wage war against what they thought were corrupt institutions. A fifth person, Jany Leveille, a Haitian national who was the group's alleged spiritual leader, was given a 15-year sentence under a plea deal, a Department of Justice statement said. Federal prosecutors who began the case against the five in 2018 said the compound was a facility for training the children to carry out school shootings. While it was heavily fortified, there was no running water, no electricity and very little in the way of food. (Full article here.)

Here’s What FBI, DHS Said About Russia in Secret Election Briefing - Daily Signal, 07 Mar 24

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned state and local election officials about Russia’s activities related to the 2024 election during a briefing in December classified as “SECRET-level.” The secret “Election Infrastructure Classified Briefing,” held Dec. 6 by the Biden administration agencies, focused on Russia’s online tactics such as misinformation or disinformation, according to an agenda. “Election stakeholders are invited to a SECRET-level classified briefing with CISA, DHS [Office of] Intelligence & Analysis, FBI, and other intelligence community partners on the threats Russia poses to elections,” the briefing agenda says. CISA stands for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security and bills itself as “America’s Cyber Defense Agency.” The secret election-related briefing comes to light after revelations that the FBI, Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, and congressional Democrats all pushed narratives about Russia and Donald Trump that were proven to be untrue. (Full article here.)

FBI hunting for Iranian spy who allegedly plotted assassination of Mike Pompeo, other US officials - New York Post, 04 Mar 24

The FBI is hunting for an alleged Iranian spy who is accused of plotting to assassinate former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other American officials. Majid Dastjani Farahani speaks Farasi, French, Spanish and English and frequently travels between Iran and Venezuela, according to an alert Friday by the agency’s Miami field office. The 41-year-old suspected member of Iran’s brutal Ministry of Intelligence and Security had been recruiting “individuals for operations in the U.S., to include lethal targeting of current/former [U.S. government] officials,” the FBI said. The alert came as Iran sought to avenge the 2020 US assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani under Pompeo’s watch. Farahani had been recruiting individuals “as revenge” for Soleimani’s death, according to the feds. (Full article here.)

Turkey escalates covert intelligence activities in Europe and North America - Nordic Monitor, 07 Mar 24

Turkish intelligence services, operating out of embassies and consulates in the West, have expanded their spying operations in foreign territories, targeting critics and opponents of the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The aggressive campaign of covert operations, including surveillance, information gathering and mapping out daily routines of targets in dozens of countries in Western Europe and North America, is believed to be a precursor to further action by Turkish agents that may even include violent and deadly acts. According to a classified Turkish government document, dated January 25, 2024, Turkish spies have been actively gathering information in the West and relaying reports to their headquarters in Ankara. The eight-page document, obtained by Nordic Monitor, reveals just the tip of the iceberg in a vast spying operation conducted by multiple Turkish intelligence services across dozens of foreign countries. The document, which lists 82 unsuspecting individuals as targets, encompasses only those assigned to the Security Directorate General (Emniyet) Ankara branch. This implies that in total, thousands of people were profiled, and their information was subsequently disseminated to an additional 80 provinces for further investigation. (Full article here.)

Slovakia's top spy agency run by a "bad guy" now - Slovak Spectator, 07 Mar 24

Pavol Gašpar, who was removed from the post of deputy justice minister on March 6, has become the deputy chief of the Slovak Information Service (SIS), the country’s top intelligence agency. As the SIS said in a press release on Thursday, Gašpar possesses the competences that belong to the SIS chief. The SIS has been without its chief since August 2023 when Michal Aláč was dismissed after a criminal charge was pressed against him. Under normal circumstances, the president appoints the SIS chief. However, President Zuzana Čaputová said that she would leave this job to her successor. Her term will end in June. Therefore, to bypass the president, the government changed the agency’s statute. “There was no reason for such a deplorable course of action,” said the president, stressing that it is the Fico cabinet that bears responsibility for the SIS’ operation now. (Full article here.)

NGA’s Maven Office Director Rachael Martin Wins 1st Wash100 Award for AI Leadership - GovCon Wire, 07 Mar 24

Rachael Martin, director of the Maven Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, has made her debut on Executive Mosaic’s prestigious 2024 Wash100 list for accelerating artificial intelligence adoption across the federal government and for her strategic guidance of the Pentagon’s flagship AI program. The widely respected and coveted Wash100 Award is given to senior executives in the federal government and government contracting industry for their boundary-pushing, innovative contributions to the GovCon ecosystem and to federal missions. These individuals are GovCon’s most promising and powerful leaders, and they’re positioned to meaningfully shape the landscape in the coming year and beyond. (Full article here.)

U.S. Intel Chiefs Warn of Threats To “Increasingly Fragile World Order” - Time, 11 Mar 24

U.S. intelligence leaders warned Monday that the country faces an "increasingly fragile world order" as it navigates a range of global threats exacerbated by adversaries' use of emerging technologies like AI. "The threat of malign actors exploiting these tools and technology to undercut U.S. interests and democracy is particularly potent as voters go to the polls in more than 60 elections around the globe this year," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on the top threats to the nation. U.S. intelligence agencies are focused on China's efforts to manipulate the 2024 presidential election and the potential for bad actors to use AI tools to create and amplify disinformation campaigns. The U.S. is facing "an ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors [who] are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as U.S. primacy within it," the intelligence community said in its new 40-page unclassified report on worldwide threats. (Full article here.)

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

• ‘You are my secret informant love!’ Air Force Employee Charged Over Dating App Leak - Wall Street Journal, 05 Mar 24
• North Korea hacks South Korean semiconductor firms. Scientist couple accused of leaking virology secrets to China - The Spy Hunter, 04 Mar 24
• Canadian lab that handles world's deadliest viruses tightens security after investigation finds researchers with connections to the Chinese government and military gained access and MAILED live Ebola virus to Wuhan - Daily Mail, 05 Mar 24
• Belgium deported 'dozens of Russian spies' in recent months, De Croo says - Brussels Times, 04 Mar 24

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

• Chinese Cyberspies Target Tibetans via Watering Hole, Supply Chain Attacks - Security Week, 08 Mar 24
• Online Event: Cyber Statecraft - Great Cyber Power Competition - Royal United Services Institute, 26 Mar 24
• Improved, Stuxnet-Like PLC Malware Aims to Disrupt Critical Infrastructure - Dark Reading, 05 Mar 24
• Microsoft Says Russian Gov Hackers Stole Source Code After Spying on Executive Emails - Security Week, 08 Mar 24

Section II - DEEP DIVES

(Research Papers, OpEds, Analysis, Podcasts)

Valuing Diversity in the U.S. Intelligence Community - International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 04 Mar 24

The U.S. Intelligence Community has sought to diversify its workforce for decades. Both proponents and opponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have advanced a functionalist, “business case” approach to the assessment of DEI initiatives that undermines DEI’s moral and ethical dimensions as well as its benefits under the right conditions. This article moves beyond the business case to present resources for intelligence stakeholders in cultivating strategic, systemic, and sustainable approaches to diversity management. Since the early 2000s, the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has sought to diversify its workforce.Footnote1 Today, the U.S. National Intelligence Strategy emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the IC. Since 2014, “diversity” has been listed among the Strategy’s seven “principles” of professional ethics: “We embrace the diversity of our Nation, promote diversity and inclusion in our workforce, and encourage diversity in our thinking.” Additionally, the 2023 Strategy lists diversity as a goal of workforce recruitment, although its authors note that intelligence institutions “must overcome long-standing cultural, structural, bureaucratic, technical, and security challenges to reimagine and deliver the IC workforce of the future.”Footnote3 Seemingly acknowledging the divisiveness that the DEI debate has recently engendered in the political arena, the 2023 Strategy’s authors conclude, “Diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and other human capital initiatives will only succeed if they are subjected to rigorous and continuous analysis, evaluation, transparency, and learning.” Nevertheless, the prominent inclusion of DEI within the 2023 Strategy signals its enduring importance within the intelligence sector. (Full report here.)

2024 National Threat Assessment - State Security Department (VSD) of Lithuania, 08 Mar 24

Lithuania’s national security is affected by negative global security developments, which in recent years have been very significant. Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, hostile countries seeking to change the global security architecture – all these processes are highly dynamic. These dynamics also pose challenges for intelligence. With new crises reported almost daily, societies are in need of simple and quick answers. However, simple and quick answers are not always appropriate for explaining complex situations. Intelligence is more often called upon to report bad news than good news. It must warn of threats and even worst-case scenarios because providing timely warning is one of its main tasks. However, the ability to communicate bad news to decision-makers is an advantage of living in a free and democratic country. In authoritarian regimes, the intelligence and security services often dare to provide their leaders with good news only, which leads to inadequate assessments of the situation, bad decisions, and unjustified risks. The strength of intelligence is its access to non-public information, which allows it to provide a fuller picture of the situation and make assessments that are as close to reality as possible. Lithuanian intelligence agencies provide information to the top state and military leaders, civil and military authorities so that they can use it in decision making. Along with these obligations there comes a great responsibility. In order to inform decision-makers in a timely manner, often there is no time to wait till all the data are collected and we have to provide the intelligence available at the moment, which is always accompanied by assessments of intelligence analysts. The language of probability or definition of terms is therefore unavoidable in intelligence work. Terms such as ‘possible’, ‘highly likely’ or ‘in the medium term’ are common in this publication, their definitions can be found on the first pages of both this and previous editions of National Threat Assessment. These terms, which are also used by intelligence agencies in other Western countries, allow us to explain what is meant by one or another event, to interpret the fragmented intelligence obtained through various collection methods, and to provide an assessment of whether and when the situation will change. (Full report here.)

Special Delivery: Building Better Intelligence Support for Logistics - U.S. Naval Intelligence Magazine Proceedings Vol. 150/3/1,453, 06 Mar 24

Moving troops and resources to a fight, and continuing that flow during the conflict, is vital for the Marine Corps. The arteries connecting Marines to the bullets, food, and fuel they need are crucial for their success, and all the work to move those items across the oceans is for nothing if it falters in the last mile. Once ashore, Marines must maximize the capabilities of the logistical infrastructure—roads, bridges, railways, and ports. Discussing a potential future conflict with China, then-Commandant General David H. Berger stated in 2021, “If they’re able to contest and really choke us off logistically, they’ll take us to our knees. We can’t let that happen.” As the Marine Corps revamps its logistics for a new era of near-peer conflict, it must pay attention to an often overlooked (but critical) support function for its logistics combat elements (LCEs): intelligence. It is time for a bold investment in intelligence support capabilities that incorporates commercial unmanned solutions and applies artificial intelligence (AI) across a spectrum of areas. (Read here.)

Elephant in the Room: Declining use of Covert Tactics in UK Policing - Royal United Services Institute, 07 Mar 24

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA, 2000) outlines an array of covert tactical options available to UK law enforcement agencies; options that provide investigators with the authority to seek out and gather intelligence and evidence. The Act provides a statutory apparatus through which the somewhat grey notion of covert operations may be navigated. However, since its implementation over 20 years ago, there has been a sharp and linear decline in the use of the Act, with investigating authorities seemingly less willing to deploy covert tactics against organised criminals. The Changing Landscape: Investigative action within the UK has begun a paradigm shift toward technical interference and away from human intelligence collection. Previously common methodologies such as the use of Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) and Undercover Operatives (UC’s) are waning. The 21st century has ushered in a rapid period of technical advancement on the back of unrelenting globalisation, and in turn, the public have moved more and more of their lives into the virtual domain. Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) have sought to capitalise on this new landscape by migrating to inhabit the digital space. This explosion of criminal activity within the ‘virtual world’, has been accompanied by a torrent of reporting highlighting the uncontrollable and under-policed mediums of social media, internet and dark web, giving authorities an entirely new area of operations to wrestle with. (Full report here.)

The anatomy of Russian disinformation operations in Germany - Tango Noir, 05 Mar 24

As I have argued elsewhere, the Russian marketing and political consulting firm called Social Design Agency (SDA) founded by Russian political technologist Ilya Gambashidze (sanctioned by the EU) is currently a major Russian organisation conducting malign influence operations in the Western media and public spaces. In particular, the SDA “was involved in one of the most insidious Russian disinformation international campaigns that was dubbed Operation Doppelganger and consisted in spreading false information using fake websites impersonating government organisations and international media”. In response to the Russian leaks of the secret talks in the German Bundeswehr, in this post I detail SDA’s two disinformation operations targeting Germany. While I provide original names of these operations, I refer to them, for brevity’s sake, as (1) “German boots on the ground”, and (2) “German reparations to Poland”. The text below is an English translation of the SDA’s description of the two operations; my additional comments and clarifications are highlighted. This post aims to show the typical mechanics, principles and scenarios of Russian disinformation campaigns. (Full report here.)

Breaking barriers: the women leading Australia’s national security community - Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 08 Mar 24

An historic appointment was made late last year, of Heather Cook as CEO of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and director of the Australian Institute of Criminology. To little fanfare or media coverage, Cook started her new role on 15 January. She was announced by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus in December as the leader of Australia’s national criminal intelligence agency for the next five years. The commission, which is Part of the National Intelligence Community (NIC), has an interesting remit. It has covert collection capabilities and coercive powers, including to conduct telephone intercept, surveillance and controlled operations. Under new laws it can also identify and disrupt criminal networks operating online. Its targets are vast, with the focus tending to be on the most nefarious serious and organised criminals. The appointment of a new CEO may not sound like much, except that Cook is the first ever female CEO of the ACIC. A number of women have acted in the role over the years but none has been appointed permanently since the organisation was created in 2016 with the merger of CrimTrac and the Australian Crime Commission. Cook’s appointment capped off an unprecedented year for women in Australia’s national security and intelligence sector with leadership ceilings smashed in a field historically dominated by men at the top. And 2024 is shaping up to be another historic year. (Full report here.)

Operation Kenova Interim Report - Police Service of Northern Ireland, 08 Mar 24

The Operation Kenova interim report sets out the high-level themes and issues highlighted through the Op Kenova Northern Ireland legacy investigations and provides a brief context and history of connected events. It highlights the continuing failure of governments, public authorities, political parties and those who fought in the Troubles to acknowledge properly the hurt inflicted on the families of those who were murdered, or to provide them with a meaningful examination of the circumstances of their deaths. Even the most uncontroversial information about what happened has been withheld from families. In many cases this remains the position today. This lack of disclosure about offenses as serious as murder would not be tolerated elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The report also highlights related institutional failings. Several high-profile investigations and inquiries have been commissioned into specific Northern Ireland legacy cases in the past. Each came up against non-disclosure and secrecy and each produced reports which were and largely remain classified ‘Secret’ or ‘Top Secret’. The secrecy surrounding these reports has fed conspiracy theories and hampered reconciliation. Families seek information through every reasonable means available to them, including the police, elected representatives, coroners and civil courts, regulators and the media. When these efforts fail, conspiracy theories and conjecture fill the resulting vacuum and create further trauma and confusion for those most affected. Legacy families will not trust in public institutions unless and until the authorities have given them the truth, acknowledged their loss and mistreatment and provided them with an opportunity to tell their stories. (Full report here.)

The Art of Deception: Exploring the Parallels Between Cyber Espionage and Intelligence Social Engineering - Global Intelligence Knowledge Network, 04 Mar 24

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, witnessing an alarming surge in cyber-attacks, social engineering plays a pivotal role in various malicious activities. This includes phishing, smishing, spear phishing attacks, ransomware attacks, and identity theft. Interestingly, the techniques employed in these cyber exploits bear a striking resemblance to the methods used by intelligence agencies to identify and recruit potential assets or to trick targets into revealing information about their location, plans, contacts, and more. Though I no longer work for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, my interest in all things Intelligence-related has remained. Shortly after my retirement, I decided to delve into the world of Cybersecurity. Like many, I realized then—and am even more cognizant now—that the digital world is a burgeoning frontier of potential exploitation for foreign and enemy states. This has been recently highlighted in the data breach of Global Affairs Canada, which I commented on in the CTV interview (add link). During my career as an Intelligence Officer, my primary role was to identify and investigate threats to national security while simultaneously recruiting human sources to provide information related to these threats. As I continued my educational journey into the world of cybersecurity, I recognized major comparisons between cyber-based social engineering techniques and how national security targets are approached. (Full report here.)

Russian intelligence services intensify efforts to ‘liquidate’ defectors: report - IntelNews, 04 Mar 24

The Russian intelligence services have been “bolstering the[ir] architecture” aimed at stopping potential defectors and “liquidating” those who have already defected and are living in exile, according to a new report. In a leading article published on Sunday, The Wall Street Journal said that the list of “unsolved deaths” of the Kremlin’s Russian critics is “lengthening” and may have surpassed 50, according to some accounts. Since the current phase of the invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, Russian defectors and other critics of Russia’s ongoing war have “died in unusual circumstances on three continents”, according to the New York-based newspaper. Most deaths have occurred inside Russia, but several have occurred in countries such as India, France, and Spain. In the most recent case, Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot, who defected to Ukraine in August 2023, was gunned down in Villajoyosa, Spain, last month, in what The Journal described as a “mafia-style assassination”. The paper notes that very few of these killings or suspicious deaths can be directly attributed to the Kremlin. It adds, however, that the Russian government has ordered a redoubling of coordinated anti-defector operations by the country’s three main intelligence agencies —the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU). In their effort to prevent defections and punish defectors, these agencies have blurred their operational boundaries, “making it more difficult to know which is responsible” for anti-defector operations, says The Journal. (Full report here.)

Putin’s masterful spy op leaves Scholz in the cold - Politico, 05 Mar 24

It may only be Tuesday, but Vladimir Putin has had a helluva week. Over the past few days, Moscow has managed to sow division among its enemies, discredit the German chancellor, and thwart Ukraine’s push to secure key weapons — all without poisoning or assassinating a single person. To review: A surreptitious recording of a video conference between several senior German military officials, including the head of the German Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz, was published on Friday by Russian propaganda network RT. During the nearly 40-minute meeting, which took place on Feb. 19, the men discussed in detail the politics and logistics of delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, as well as possible targets. For Putin, who after decades as Russia’s leader remains a spy at heart, there is no greater joy than outfoxing Russia’s adversaries in the dark arts (especially Germany, where he spent part of his KGB career running agents). To be fair, Putin received a major assist — however unwittingly — from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (Full report here.)

Espionage and Counter-Espionage in Bulgaria - Grey Dynamics, 08 Mar 24

On 5 February, Bulgarian Officials arrested a Bulgarian state security officer for spying for Russia following the efforts to remove Russian spy networks within the state. The officer is accused of leaking classified information to a Russian diplomat in the Russian Embassy in Sofia. Bulgaria’s counterintelligence service recently arrested a group of six Bulgarians suspected of spying for Russia on 18 March. This incident created diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The arrested individuals are accused of passing classified information to Russian Embassy personnel. Ivan Iliev, a retired military intelligence employee with ties to Russia’s GRU, facilities the leaks. The espionage network targeted sensitive topics such as US-Bulgarian maritime coordination, NATO activities, and EU/NATO policies on Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. This report examines the prospects for espionage and counter-espionage in Bulgaria in the near term. (Full report here.)

The Ukraine war and the shift in Russian intelligence priorities - Intelligence and National Security, 10 Mar 24

The war in Ukraine has transformed Russian intelligence activities. It has drawn the bulk of Russian intelligence collection resources, both inside Ukraine and further afield, to focus on war-related, often low-level operational/tactical targets. Even strategic collection is related to the war, especially directed toward bolstering Russia’s global reputation. However, the war has also led to the dismantling of a large portion of Russia’s intelligence apparatus, including both human and signals intelligence, especially in Europe, just when it is needed the most. It has prompted greater scrutiny and international counterintelligence cooperation against Russian intelligence activities than has been seen since the 1980s. Russia’s own actions have drawn those reactions. Nevertheless, Russian intelligence services are resilient and persistent. They learn from mistakes and adapt to changing circumstances. (Full report here.)

Intelligence warning in the Ukraine war, Autumn 2021 – Summer 2022 - Intelligence and National Security, 10 Mar 24

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is a unique case study of the use of warning intelligence. The article shows that whilst Russia’s invasion has sparked a wave of interest on aspects of intelligence, including the use of open source and ‘prebuttal’, the fundamentals of warning intelligence – the forewarning of major threats in a timely manner so policymakers and officials can respond – remain the same as they have always have. The article also suggests that whilst both sides of the conflict had intelligence advantages at the start, intelligence only becomes a significant force multiplier if the consumer sees value in it and uses it. For Russia, significant intelligence advantages were not fully exploited with the effect that they lost the initiative. Ukraine, whilst initially taken by surprise at the tactical and operational level, was able to use intelligence to its advantage. This, we argue, had long lasting implications for the course of the first period of the conflict. (Full report 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.

05 Mar | The James Bond Collector with Mike VanBlaricum Mike VanBlaricum joins Andrew to discuss his journey as a James Bond fanatic and collector. Mike is the President of the Ian Fleming Foundation.

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.

07 Mar | Washington’s next move is key, but the evolving domestic politics of European states will also heavily impact the future of Ukraine. During last month’s Munich Security Conference, many European leaders were eager to discuss the implications of the next US election on Ukraine’s future. But there was hardly any discussion regarding the upcoming European Parliament election in June and how this will impact what happens next. Indeed, unlike the US election, where European leaders are watching from the sidelines, in Europe these leaders have a crucial role to play at the Parliamentary elections. There’s also likely to be a reordering of political priorities that could serve to endanger support for Ukraine moving forward. (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.

12 Mar | The Houthis Continue Destabilizing the Region With No End in Sight

Over the past three months, the United States and allied nations have undertaken a range of military actions to try to deter the Houthi movement of Yemen from conducting ballistic and cruise missile and armed drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis began attacking merchant ships transiting the Red Sea in mid-November after launching missile and armed drone attacks on U.S. warships and Israeli territory that were virtually all intercepted. The assaults on commercial shipping have forced realignments and added costs to global shipping routes between Europe and Asia. The Houthi persistence, in the face of U.S.-led military retaliation that began in January, has earned the Houthis respect and admiration among many Yemenis and citizens in the region who support pressuring the United States to halt Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthi approach has enabled the movement to attract new recruits and paint its domestic adversary, the UN-recognized Republic of Yemen government, as a tool of Western interests unwilling to support the suffering Gaza civilian population. The Houthis’ targeting and eventual sinking of the M/V Rubymar in late February, the disabling of the Barbados-flagged True Confidence in early March, which killed three of its crew members and wounded many others, and the 28-drone barrage on March 9 that was thwarted by U.S., French, and U.K. ships, demonstrate that no option has yet succeeded in de-escalating the Red Sea crisis.

11 Mar | The UAE Builds Its Strategic Position in East Africa

08 Mar | As Aid Airdrops Continue, a Humanitarian Catastrophe Mounts in the Gaza Strip

07 Mar | Entering Third Year of the War, Ukraine Fighting to Prevent Russian Advances

06 Mar | Outside Powers Exploit Libya’s Divisions

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 | Tech at the CIA: Nand Mulchandani Andy talks with the CIA's first-ever Chief Technology Officer, Nand Mulchandani, who was named to the job by Director William Burns in April 2022. With Nand's roots in Silicon Valley, Andy discusses what he brings to the job and new opportunities for growth and investment.

US mired in impunity and corruption, SVR veteran says in open letter by former Lt. General of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Leonid Reshetnikov - TASS, 04 Mar 24

Dear Mr. Burns, I have read with interest your article named “Spycraft and Statecraft: Transforming the CIA for an Age of Competition” published by Foreign Affairs Magazine on January 30, 2024. I have worked myself for a long time in the system of Soviet, later Russian foreign intelligence, and I still keep in close touch with my SVR colleagues. I would like to give my assessment to the ideas you have presented. I must admit that American and Russian understanding of the status of intelligence in the modern – transitional – period of international relations is much the same. Thus, I take as quite reasonable the assertion that the weight of intelligence services in the system of foreign policy has generally increased, including through maintaining specific confidential channels of interstate communication in case an official dialogue is difficult or impossible. The “strategic declassification” tool to undercut rivals without jeopardizing sources also plays a significant role in the activities of intelligence services. One cannot leave out the topicality of challenges and possibilities associated with development of the newest digital and artificial intelligence technologies... (Read here.)

Government repeatedly rejected plans to kill Hamas’s Sinwar by Former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman - Times of Israel, 07 Mar 24

Former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman on Thursday said the intelligence organization had pushed for a surprise attack on Hamas’s top echelon for years before the devastating October 7 terror onslaught, but Israel’s political leadership repeatedly shot the idea down. The reason Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is still alive, according to Argaman, is because “Israel does not want to engage in military adventurism.” Argaman, who led the security agency from May 2016 until October 2021, discussed Hamas’s elusive leaders and Israeli attempts to eliminate them at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv. “If we had launched a surprise attack on Hamas, we would be in a completely different situation,” he said of the ongoing war against the terror organization, which began when thousands of terrorists massacred some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and seized 253 hostages. (Read here.)

Canada’s foreign interference threat may be worse than we thought with former senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) strategic analyst Phil Gurski - Ottawa Citizen, 05 Mar 24

Many have said that Canada is more or less open to immigration, and our history over the past century demonstrates that. Sure, there have been times when governments were not as welcoming: the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923; the incarceration of Ukrainians during the First World War; and the internment of Japanese and Italian Canadians during the Second World War. But overall, our record of admitting and embracing those from abroad is a good one. There have also been instances where small numbers of newcomers have brought criminal activity to our shores: think Asian triads in Vancouver and Italian organized crime. But these pale in comparison to all the good these communities have contributed. There is another downside, however. Many of the diasporas in our nation have been targeted by agents and entities tied to their homelands, especially when those governments want to stifle dissent. Good examples are China’s attempts to pressure Hong Kong, Tibetan and Uyghur activists to stop calling attention to Beijing’s actions (concentration camps, suppression of culture, ‘sinicization’ of parts of China with historic differences, etc.). (Read here.)

Linwei Ding (AKA Leon Ding), Economic Espionage 2022 - 2023 with former DIA and CIA officer Nick Eftimiades - Shinobi Enterprise Blog, 06 Mar 24

On May 21, 2022, Linwei Ding allegedly began stealing trade secrets that were stored in Google’s network. The stolen data provided details of Google’s work in Artificial Intelligence. Ding conducted data transfers until May 2, 2023, accumulating more than 500 files. On June 13, 2022, Ding received several emails from the CEO of Rongshu, an early-stage PRC based AI technology company indicating Ding had accepted the position of Chief Technology Officer for the company. On Oct. 29, 2022, Ding traveled to the PRC and remained there until March 25, 2023, during which time he participated as CTO in investor meetings to raise capital for Rongshu. On May 30, 2023, Ding founded Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co. He applied to a Beijing based startup accelerator and venture capital firm Miracle Plus. He traveled to Beijing and pitched his new company to Miracle Plus’s venture capital investor conference on Nov. 24, 2023. Ding noted to the Zhisuan Wechat investor group “we have experience with Google's ten-thousand-card computational power platform; we just need to replicate and upgrade it - and then further develop a computational power platform suited to China's national conditions.” (Read here.)

Spy Disguises in Fact and Fiction (87 mins) - former PDB Briefer and CIA Analyst David Priess interviews former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez, 07 March Feb 24

David Priess spoke with Jonna about career options for women at CIA in the early Cold War, her own start there in the 1960s, how photography classes set her on a path that ultimately led to service as Chief of Disguise, her interactions over the decades with Tony Mendez, the tandem-couple problem for intelligence professionals, semi-animated mask technology and other CIA disguises, her experience briefing President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office, how the story behind the Canadian Caper became declassified and eventually the movie Argo, the International Spy Museum, and more. (Listen here.)

Conflict in Gaza: The Law of War and Irregular Warfare in Urban Terrain - with former CIA Office of General Counsel officer Jim Petrila - Foreign Policy Research Institute, 05 Mar 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.)

Maritime trade under threat from global instability - with Former CIA Director Robert Gates - Journal of Commerce, 04 Mar 24

The freedom of seas that enables global trade faces its greatest threat ever as attacks in the Red Sea have brought commercial shipping there to a standstill and China continues its saber rattling in the South China Sea, the former head of US Central Intelligence Agency said Monday. Robert Gates, during a keynote address at the Journal of Commerce’s TPM24 conference in Long Beach, added that “global dangers are at a level we haven’t seen since the end of World War 2. (Read here.)

Ukraine Will Get U.S. Aid - with Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo - Cipher Brief, 11 Mar 24

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told The Cipher Brief in a weekend interview that he believes U.S. military aid to Ukraine will continue, because “the vast majority of the American people get” the importance of thwarting Russian aggression, and understand the risk that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attack other European nations if his forces are not stopped in Ukraine. As The Cipher Brief spoke with former Secretary Pompeo, former President Donald Trump met at his Florida residence with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end,” the prime minister said after the meeting with Mr. Trump, who himself has said that he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” if re-elected president. As that meeting was happening, Pompeo expressed “confidence” to The Cipher Brief that House Republicans would ultimately agree to the $60.1 billion in funding for Ukraine that House speaker Mike Johnson has thus far refused to bring to the floor for a vote, echoing those Republican holdouts who have linked the Ukraine crisis to the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Pompeo called the situation at the border an “invasion,” which he said was “far more dangerous than what’s taking place anywhere in the world for the American people today” without offering why he believes that. (Read here.)

Who Will Shore Up NATO Amid Global Emergencies? - with Former CIA director of East Asia Operations Joseph DeTrani - Cipher Brief, 07 Mar 24

In the 1990s, over one million North Koreans died of starvation. People in North Korea were eating grass and the bark of trees due to extreme food scarcity. The United Nations recently reported that some people in Gaza are eating grass also due to extreme food scarcity. Although the current war in Gaza is dissimilar to the domestic situation in North Korea in the 1990s, the result is the same: starvation. Over the past three decades, the situation has worsened in these and other countries as the United Nations and other international organizations have been unable to prevent and eventually resolve wars and power grabs and unable to provide the food, water, and fuel for the 700 million people, according to the World Bank, who are living in extreme poverty. Over 40% of the population in North Korea is malnourished amid annual reports of food scarcity, inadequate pharmaceuticals, and a weak health care system. This, even though North Korea has a sizeable arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, to include solid fuel, road mobile Intercontinental Ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons to targets as far as 15,000 kilometers. (Read here.)

Are We Headed for More Political Violence This Election Year? - with Former Senior CIA Analyst Michael J. Ard - Discourse Magazine, 06 Mar 24

Will the 2024 election inspire more political violence? Since the 2020 riots protesting police brutality—which included intrusions at the White House complex—and the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters, concern that we might experience renewed political violence seems apt. Some of the news is not encouraging. Last year, attacks by right-wing extremists left 17 people dead. Random attacks, such as one directed toward former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul, have highlighted the vulnerability of public officials and their families. U.S. Capitol Police report a significant increase in threats to members of Congress—some 8,000 in 2023—and they anticipate even more threats this year. Prominent scholars track some worrying public attitudes. University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape notes that on both sides of the political divide, about 10% of the public supports violence as a means to resolve political disputes. Similarly, writing for the Journal of Democracy, Rachel Kleinfeld notes that “4% of Democrats and 3% of Republicans believed in October 2020 that attacks on their political opponents would be justified if their party leader alleged the election was stolen.” Kleinfeld observes how Americans are “affectively polarized” in that they tend to hate the opposing party, a trend that has been growing for years. (Read here.)

Section IV - MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS

(All Categories)

Article: U.S. Spy Agencies Know Your Secrets. They Bought Them. - Wall Street Journal, 08 Mar 24

Last November, Michael Morell, a former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, hinted at a big change in how the agency now operates. “The information that is available commercially would kind of knock your socks off,” Morell said in an appearance on the NatSecTech podcast. “If we collected it using traditional intelligence methods, it would be top secret-sensitive. And you wouldn’t put it in a database, you’d keep it in a safe.” In recent years, U.S. intelligence agencies, the military and even local police departments have gained access to enormous amounts of data through shadowy arrangements with brokers and aggregators. Everyth from basic biographical... (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

Article: ʻClearly Overlooked This’: Probe Finds Strange Communication Devices On Chinese Cranes In US Ports - Daily Caller, 07 Mar 24

A congressional investigation has discovered strange communication equipment on Chinese-built cargo cranes at U.S seaports, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Rather than building them domestically at potentially higher costs, the U.S. relies heavily on Chinese-built cargo cranes that are relatively cheap to produce and equip at seaports across the country. The congressional probe discovered that several of these cranes, built by Chinese mega-manufacturer ZMPC, contain communications devices that were not requested or don’t appear to support standard operations, heightening existing espionage concerns, according to the WSJ. (Read full report here.)

Article: Spy Kids: CIA touts developing talent ‘from kindergarten to graduate school’ - Washington Times, 08 Mar 24

The CIA is headed back to the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Texas with an emphasis on recruiting employees, building new tech partnerships and outreach to children. The annual SXSW conference and festival is underway on Friday and serves as a major attraction to Austin, Texas, for people working in tech, entertainment, the arts and other creative industries. The CIA said its officers will be at the SXSW Creative Industries Expo starting on Sunday and will be eager to discuss opportunities for people to partner with the CIA in the STEAM areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. “In addition to discussing current career opportunities, we will also highlight how CIA is developing talent in STEAM fields from kindergarten to graduate school to meet future national security workforce needs,” the agency said in a statement. “Hands-on demonstrations of virtual reality glasses and the Looking Glass — a commercially available 3D holographic display — will show visitors examples of how CIA uses technology to accomplish its mission.” (Read full report here.)

Article: US Army intelligence analyst charged with selling classified military information to China - BBC, 07 Mar 24

A US Army analyst has been arrested and charged with selling sensitive military secrets to a contact in China. Sgt Korbein Schultz was arrested on Thursday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky following an inquiry by the FBI and US Army counterintelligence. According to the charges, he was paid $42,000 (£33,000) in exchange for dozens of sensitive security records. Officials say the criminal conspiracy began in June 2022 and continued up until his arrest. Sgt Schultz is charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, exporting technical data related to defence articles without a licence, conspiracy to export defence articles without a licence, and bribery of a public official. It is unclear if he has hired an attorney who can comment on the charges against him. "The conduct alleged in today's indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country," said Larissa Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch. (Read more here.)

Article: Singapore sting - How spies listened in on German general - BBC, 07 Mar 24

It's nearly midnight in Singapore. A senior officer of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, is in his hotel room. He's in the region to rub shoulders with defence industry players at Asia's largest air show. He has had a long day - but he can't go to bed just yet. Brigadier General Frank Gräfe has a work call to dial into with his boss - the commander of the German air force. It's not a big deal for the head of Air Force Operations. He sounds relaxed on the line as he chats with two colleagues about the "mega" view from his room, and how he's just come back from a drink at a nearby hotel where there's an incredible swimming pool. "Not too shabby," one of them remarks. Finally, the boss, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, dials in - and they begin. Over the next 40 minutes, the group appear to touch upon highly sensitive military issues, including the ongoing debate over whether Germany should send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. (Read more here.)

Article: Espionage Probe Finds Communications Device on Chinese Cranes at U.S. Ports - Wall Street Journal, 07 Mar 24

A congressional probe of Chinese-built cargo cranes deployed at ports throughout the U.S. has found communications equipment that doesn’t appear to support normal operations, fueling concerns that the foreign machines may pose a covert national-security risk. The installed components in some cases include cellular modems, according to congressional aides and documents, that could be remotely accessed. The discovery of the modems by lawmakers, which hasn’t been previously reported, has added to concerns in Washington about port security and China. The Pentagon and intelligence officials at other agencies in the Biden administration have grown increasingly alarmed by the potential threat of disruption and espionage presented by the giant cranes built by ZPMC, a China-based manufacturer that accounts for nearly 80% of ship-to-shore cranes in use at U.S. ports. The Chinese government “is looking for every opportunity to collect valuable intelligence and position themselves to exploit vulnerabilities by systematically burrowing into America’s critical infrastructure, including in the maritime sector,” said Rep. Mark Green (R., Tenn.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, which has been investigating Chinese maritime security threats. “The United States has clearly overlooked this threat for far too long.” (Read full report here.) (NOTE: Access to this article may require a one-time, free registration or a paid subscription.)

Article: Ex-Google engineer charged with stealing AI trade secrets while working with Chinese companies - Associated Press, 06 Mar 24

A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Linwei Ding, a Chinese national, was arrested in Newark, California, on four counts of federal trade secret theft, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The case against Ding, 38, was announced at an American Bar Association conference in San Francisco by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who along with other law enforcement leaders has repeatedly warned about the threat of Chinese economic espionage and about the national security concerns posed by advancements in artificial intelligence and other developing technologies. “Today’s charges are the latest illustration of the lengths affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China are willing to go to steal American innovation,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “The theft of innovative technology and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating economic and national security consequences.” (Read full report here.)

Article: Canada Needs Real Foreign Intelligence - Foreign Policy, 06 Mar 24

In the 1984 movie The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi counsels his protégé Daniel LaRusso with a parable: “Walk right side [of the road], safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get the squish, just like grape.” Half measures are the road to defeat. Unfortunately, Canada’s mandarins remain committed to walking in the middle of the road on developing a professional clandestine intelligence capability, even though they keep getting squished. The most recent case is that of the “two Michaels,” in which Canadian Michael Spavor spent nearly three years in a Chinese prison on spying charges after, he has claimed in a recent lawsuit, he “unwittingly” provided intelligence on North Korea to Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian official. Canada’s inchoate approach to clandestine human intelligence is not fit for purpose and is underdeveloped in comparison to the United States or European powers; a radical reevaluation and reorganization is urgently required. The government in Ottawa, the country’s capital, is too slow in waking up to the threats posed by adversarial powers. (Read full report here.)

Article: Europe kicked out Vladimir Putin’s spies. Now they’re back - Financial Times, 05 Mar 24

Russia has aggressively relaunched its spy war with the west, and Moscow’s publication of a phone call in which senior German air force officers discussed sending cruise missiles to Ukraine is only the latest chilling example. “The game of cat and mouse has returned,” said one western intelligence officer. “Russian activities . . . are as high or even higher than during the cold war,” said another. “Russian intelligence is a huge machine and is back doing what it always did,” said a third official. Almost every week, it seems, another covert operation comes to light, showing how far Russia’s intelligence agencies have penetrated Europe since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. On February 27, Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev became the sixth Bulgarian to be charged with being part of a suspected Russian spy ring in the UK. Two weeks before that, Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian military pilot who defected to Ukraine last year, was found dead in Spain, his body riddled with bullets — including a shot through his heart. (Read here.)

Article: Russia using Serbian agent to infiltrate EU bodies, Western intel says - Politico, 05 Mar 24

In October 2023, a Serbian national working with Russia’s security agency met with members of the European Parliament. Russian intelligence is using a Serbian agent to infiltrate EU institutions and to spread pro-Kremlin talking points about its invasion of Ukraine, according to a Western intelligence briefing seen by POLITICO. As recently as October 2023, Serbian national Novica Antić — an active “agent of influence” who knowingly worked closely with Russia’s security agency, according to the documents — held meetings with European officials in Brussels and in particular, Members of the European Parliament. Those MEPs included German Greens lawmaker Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Italian Socialists & Democrats lawmaker Alessandra Moretti, and Vladimír Bilčík, a Slovakian member of the conservative European People’s Party Group, according to a press release and a photo seen by POLITICO. There is nothing in the intelligence briefing to suggest that Moretti, Bilčík and von Cramon-Taubadel were aware of Antic’s FSB links when they met with him. (Read here.)

Article: Australian task force thwarts Chinese espionage; India may be next - Sunday Guardian, 10 Mar 24

In 2020, Australian policymakers decided to constitute a specialised team, “the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce” that would work under its intelligence agency, Australia’s national security agency (ASIO) in order to carry out intelligence-led disruptions to stop attempts to monitor and harass members of Australia’s diaspora communities and identify people who were being possibly recruited or were already recruited by the intelligence agency of specifically one foreign county, China. China’s intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security has a dedicated desk to handle matters related to Australia, as it has a dedicated set of officers who handle India and Indians. Since then, in the last four years, the task force has executed more than 120 such counter intelligence operations alone to fulfil its objectives, which come to 30 attempts that were successfully identified every year or more than two attempts every month. (Read here.)

Article: Russia poses the biggest espionage threat in Switzerland - Swiss Info, 10 Mar 24

“The greatest current threat from espionage comes from Russian intelligence services,” Federal Intelligence Services (FIS) spokeswoman Sonja Margelist told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Following the wiretapping affair in Germany and media reports of increased espionage activities by Russia in Europe, the FIS is reacting and stepping up its warnings. In addition to online espionage, a significant proportion of information gathering in Switzerland is carried out using human sources, the spokeswoman added. “The Russian diplomatic representations in particular are used for these activities,” said Margelist. Although the number of Russian diplomats accredited to Switzerland has remained stable since the start of the war in Ukraine – 218 according to the foreign ministry – the FIS situation report estimates that at least a third of these employees are working for the Russian intelligence services. (Read here.)

Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

Books — Forthcoming, Newly Released, Overlooked

No Cloak, No Dagger: A Professor's Secret Life Inside the CIA
by Lester Paldy
(Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 19 Mar 24)

Lester Paldy, a distinguished professor, was tapped by the CIA in 1988 to join the Agency for a “trial run” as they faced a troubling new situation in Russia. That “temporary” assignment would last for 25 years, during which he would find himself tested by a shifting set of responsibilities, his ability to penetrate secret sites, his expertise in approaching and assessing targets for potential value to the Agency, and his personal commitment to breaking down long-held barriers between the CIA and the FBI. He achieved this by demonstrating to CIA officers and FBI special agents how to approach scientists in ways that fit smoothly into their research and organizational cultures. As long as Les Paldy remained at the CIA, officers and special agents from both intelligence bases would benefit from this unexpected opportunity. Even today, years after his official departure from the Agency, Les Paldy is invited to brief intelligence officers and special agents. And now, the author extends an invitation to every reader to join him on his life-changing journey as the professor with “No Cloak, No Dagger.”

Purchase book here. Also

The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century
by Benn Steil
(Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 09 Jan 23)

Henry Wallace is the most important, and certainly the most fascinating, almost-president in American history. As FDR’s third-term vice president, and a hero to many progressives, he lost his place on the 1944 Democratic ticket in a wild open convention, as a result of which Harry Truman became president on FDR’s death. Books, films, and even plays have since portrayed the circumstances surrounding Wallace’s defeat as corrupt, and the results catastrophic. Filmmaker Oliver Stone, among others, has claimed that Wallace’s loss ushered in four decades of devastating and unnecessary Cold War. Now, based on striking new finds from Russian, FBI, and other archives, Benn Steil’s The World That Wasn’t paints a decidedly less heroic portrait of the man, of the events surrounding his fall, and of the world that might have been under his presidency. Though a brilliant geneticist, Henry Wallace was a self-obsessed political figure, blind to the manipulations of aides—many of whom were Soviet agents and assets. From 1933 to 1949, Wallace undertook a series of remarkable interventions abroad, each aimed at remaking the world order according to his evolving spiritual blueprint. As agriculture secretary, he fell under the spell of Russian mystics, and used the cover of a plant-gathering mission to aid their doomed effort to forge a new theocratic state in Central Asia. As vice president, he toured a Potemkin Siberian continent, guided by undercover Soviet security and intelligence officials who hid labor camps and concealed prisoners. He then wrote a book, together with an American NKGB journalist source, hailing the region’s renaissance under Bolshevik leadership. In China, the Soviets uncovered his private efforts to coax concessions to Moscow from Chiang Kai-shek, fueling their ambitions to dominate Manchuria. Running for president in 1948, he colluded with Stalin to undermine his government’s foreign policy, allowing the dictator to edit his most important election speech. It was not until 1950 that he began to acknowledge his misapprehensions regarding the Kremlin’s aims and conduct. Meticulously researched and deftly written, The World That Wasn’t is a spellbinding work of political biography and narrative history that will upend how we see the making of the early Cold War.

Order book here.

Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950-1989
by Richard H. Cummings
(McFarland and Company, 13 May 09)

During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty broadcast uncensored news and commentary to people living in communist nations. As critical elements of the CIA's early covert activities against communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the Munich-based stations drew a large audience despite efforts to jam the broadcasts and ban citizens from listening to them. This history of the stations in the Cold War era reveals the perils their staff faced from the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Romania and other communist states. It recounts in detail the murder of writer Georgi Markov, the 1981 bombing of the stations by "Carlos the Jackal," infiltration by KGB agent Oleg Tumanov and other events. Appendices include security reports, letters between Carlos the Jackal and German terrorist Johannes Weinrich and other documents, many of which have never been published.

Order book here.

True Intelligence Matters in Film - I Was a Spy - Victor Saville (1933)

In 1915, behind the German lines, in the town of Roeselare, Marthe Cnockaert, a nurse, is hired by the head doctor of the invader's field hospital. Her parents run a cafe where many of the occupants come to chat over a drink and even more than one, which facilitates indiscretions. Aunt Lucille, who was part of a network of informers working for the British, contacted Marthe and convinced her to take a message to agent #63. After this first step, she participated in the active resistance against the occupiers. She helps two Englishmen escape and discovers with amazement that Stépan, who is working at her side, is not someone in charge of watching her but an agent of the English intelligence service. Marthe and Stépan discover that the Germans have collected hundreds of steel cylinders, thousands of cotton balls, have documents on the prevailing winds and are stockpiling ammonia in large quantities. The indiscretion of an alcohol-soaked chemist in Martha's parents' cafe confirms that a chlorine offensive is being prepared. Through an old sewer, they arrived at the place where the asphyxiating bombs were stored and succeeded in dynamiting the site, but this did not prevent the attack, after which they had to treat a large number of intoxicated people. Shortly afterwards, there was a great deal of excitement in the Teutonic garrison: the arrival of William II was being prepared, preceded by a religious parade in the open air at Westroosebeke. Marthe had to attend as a nurse because the sick like the other soldiers had to be purified by the bishop. Having had time to warn the British, they sent two planes to bomb the gathering. Being at first a devoted nurse, she went to the aid of the wounded and received the Iron Cross as a sanction for her devotion. The commander, who had fallen in love with her, took her to Brussels and she reluctantly followed him because she thought she could find out the place, date and time of the Kaiser's visit in private. She learns that the visit has been canceled. Children find a watch in the old sewer tunnel, at the site of the explosion. In order to find out who had left it at the site of the sabotage, the Germans spread the word that it was possible to recover objects stolen by a soldier. Marthe, who came to get it, fell into the trap, was unmasked and then tried for espionage. Stépan, declaring himself to be the main person responsible for the sabotage, saves Marthe's life but not his own.

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

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recent Content

• How American Intelligence Was Born in the Trenches of World War I - Spy Talk, 06 Mar 24
• British Army’s top IRA spy Stakeknife ‘cost more lives than he saved’ - The Telegraph, 08 Mar 24
• Hollywood and the Office of Strategic Services - CIA, 08 Mar 24
• Last stop in London: Allen Dulles and John McCone in the UK National Archives - Tom Griffin on Intelligence History, 03 Mar 24
• John Lobo: Former IB officer and CBI chief (India) - Intelligence Nuggets, 05 Mar 24
• Online Event: MI9 - Escape and Evasion in the Second World War (03 Apr 24) - National Archives, 03 Apr 24

Infographic: The Worldʻs Least Powerful Passports in 2024 - Visual Capitalist, 16 Feb 24

Freedom to travel is correlated to a country’s economic progress. For highly unstable countries, mobility is limited due to diplomatic tensions abroad. In many cases, these countries also have low economic output. Not only that, the consequences of having a weak passport go beyond traveling: the openness of borders encourage economic integration, investment, and talent exchange. (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

Alfred Baye — AFIO Member and last of the Sandia Pioneers

Alfred Henry Baye, 102, passed on 24 Feb 24. He was born in Philip, South Dakota. He lived on his parents homestead in Haakan County and later attended Phillip High School where he fell in love with Ida Eileen McDaniel. He enlisted in the US Army in December 1940 and in 1942. He served on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands during WWII and subsequently at Ft. Lee,VA; Sandia Base, NM; Killeen Base; TX; Seneca Army Depot ; NY; Pirmasens, Germany; Joliet Arsenal, Il; Redstone Arsenal, AL and Naval Magazine, Guam. Alfred was a member of the 38 Engineer Battalion, the first military Nuclear Weapon Company in the World. He was a member of the team that tested, assembled and detonated nuclear devices on Eniwetoke Atoll. This was a test to confirm the competence of the military to assemble, test and maintain nuclear weapons. He was the last of the Sandia Pioneers. He retired as a Warrant Officer W4 and made his home with Eileen in Albuquerque, NM. During his Army career he was awarded the Legion of Merit and Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the American Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. His greatest pride was that he served in the U.S. Army. He completed his professional career as Senior Engineer for GTE Communication Systems in Albuquerque from 1971-1986.

Thomas Decleene — Career NGA Cartographer

Thomas Peter Decleene, 69, passed away on March 2nd, 2024. Born in Green Bay, WI. He traveled throughout Europe as a college student. His love of travel followed him as he worked in several states, including Alaska, Arizona and Florida as a traveling park ranger. His love followed him throughout the US and on international cruises with Robin. He worked for NGA (the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) in St. Louis Missouri as a cartographer for over 30 years, retiring on March 30th, 2018. He loved his history books and had thousands of them. He was an exceptionally soft, gentle soul who loved to talk to everyone he met. He was also a prankster at times and loved a good laugh.

Research Requests and Academic Opportunities

• Call for information: AFIO member, author, and former CIA officer Michael Ard is researching the Peruvian communist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) and how intelligence made a difference in capturing its leaders. Anyone with information that would help with his research is asked to contact Michael at mard@jhu.edu.
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• 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

21 Mar 24, 1130 hours (PT) - Colorado Springs - Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts Umadevi Gopaldass to discuss how Singapore has successfully navigated China's rising power in the ASEAN region with finesse and delicacy over the past few decades. Uma is a board-certified governance counsel with over 32 years of global experience in the Natural Resources and Management Consulting industries. She is an active board director for several corporations and chairs strategic planning and investor councils. Uma founded Leading Lotus, a company that guides executive teams to navigate a myriad of business challenges in today's socio-economic and geopolitical landscape. Prior to this, Uma managed multiple global re-organizations, including mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings for industry-leaders, including Schlumberger, Accenture, Newmont, and Fortune 500 clients, Unilever, Deutsche Bank, and Chevron. Uma is a native of Singapore, and has lived and operated in 5 continents. Today she calls Denver, Colorado home. For further information, contact Anthony Leto at rmcafio@gmail.com.

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

20 Mar 24, 1400 (ET) - Virtual - Spies of the Pacific: The Claire Philips Story - Spy Museum, Washington DC
In partnership with the National Museum of the Pacific War (NMPW), International Spy Museum's Director of Adult Education joins the NMPW as a guest speaker to recount the story of Claire Phillips in their latest webinar. Born in 1907, Phillips was a stage actress and singer from Portland, Oregon. She gained recognition for her bravery as a spy and humanitarian during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Renowned as an author and activist, she was honored with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian wartime decoration in the United States. More information here.

21 Mar 24, 1200-1300 (ET) - Virtual - Spy Chat with Chris Costa ft Dr. Jung H. Pak - Spy Museum, Washington DC
Join us for an online discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa, a former intelligence officer of 34 years, will be joined by Dr. Jung H. Pak, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Department of State. As Deputy Assistant Secretary Pak is responsible for overseeing relations with Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. She also serves as the Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Prior to arriving at State, she was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she focused on Korean Peninsula issues, East Asia regional dynamics, and transnational threats related to proliferation, cybersecurity, and climate change. While at Brookings, she authored Becoming Kim Jong Un, which has been translated into multiple languages and draws from her deep knowledge and experience as an intelligence officer. Pak has held senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency, receiving several awards for contributions to the President's Daily Brief, superior analytic accomplishments, and service to advance workforce development. As the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Korea at the National Intelligence Council, she led the Intelligence Community's production of strategic analysis. Before her career in national security, Pak taught US history in New York City. She received her PhD from Columbia University and studied in South Korea as a Fulbright Scholar. More information here.

26 Mar 24, 1400-1500 (ET) - Virtual - SPY with Me: Program for Individuals with Dementia and their Care Partners - Spy Museum, Washington DC
SPY with Me is an interactive virtual program for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. Join SPY as we use music and artifacts to explore some of our favorite spy stories. Programs last one hour and are held virtually through Zoom. To register, please email Shana Oltmans at oltmans@spymuseum.org. Free but space is limited. More information here.

27 Mar 24, 1200-1300 (ET) - Virtual - The Challenge of OSINT: A View From A Senior Practitioner - Johns Hopkins University
Join host Michael Ard for a curated conversation with Martin Gurri on Open Source Intelligence, the role of the Open Source Center and the materials and products it produced. Martin Gurri is a former CIA analyst and author of The Revolt of the Public. Gurri is a Visiting Fellow at Mercatus Center at George Mason University and frequently writes for Discourse, City Journal, The Free Press, UnHerd, and the New York Post. Gurri served at the Director of National Intelligence Open Source Center in various positions, including director of research. More information and free registration here.

30 Mar 24, 1400-1600 (ET) - In Person - Book Signing with In True Face author Jonna Mendez - Spy Museum, Washington DC
The bestselling co-author of The Moscow Rules and Argo, Jonna Hiestand Mendez, released a new book this month and will be coming to the Spy Museum Store for a signing event. The new book, In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked, tells the riveting, courageous story of being a female spy at the height of the Cold War. Mendez began her CIA career as a "contract wife" performing secretarial duties for the CIA as a convenience to her husband, a young officer stationed in Europe. She needed his permission to open a bank account or shut off the gas to their apartment. Yet Mendez had a talent for espionage, too, and she soon took on bigger and more significant roles at the Agency. She parlayed her interest in photography into an operational role overseas, an unlikely area for a woman in the CIA. Often underestimated, occasionally undermined, she lived under cover and served tours of duty all over the globe, rising first to become an international spy and ultimately to Chief of Disguise at CIA's Office of Technical Service. More information here.

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.

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

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