Weekly Intelligence Notes

20 - 26 March 2024
(Issue 12)

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

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

CONTENTS

Section I - CURRENTS

(Recent Events, Developments, Highlights)

• The threat of Russian intelligence and malign influence remains elevated in Finland - Finish Security and Intelligence Service News Release, 26 March 24
• FBI resumes outreach to social media companies over foreign propaganda - NBC News, 20 March 24
• New Zealand spy agency slammed for hosting foreign spying without telling minister or Cabinet - New Zealand Herald, 20 Mar 24
• NRO moves closer to formal program to buy commercial radar-sat data - Breaking Defense, 20 Mar 24
• ASIO agents met with Sikh activists as tension peaked over killing of Canadian separatist - ABC Australia, 20 Mar 24
• DIA Comic Book Series Returns to Battle Killer Robots - DIA Public Affairs Office, 22 Mar 24
• Spain denies Morocco had spied on its leaders - North Africa Post, 22 Mar 24
• Space Force, IC’s battle over commercial ISR reignites as appropriators add fuel - Breaking Defense, 22 Mar 24
• Internal Docs Show Entire Intelligence Community Warned To Avoid ‘Problematic Phrases’ On Islamic Terrorism - Daily Wire, 21 Mar 24
• Government funding bill punts extension of controversial spying power - Next Gov, 21 Mar 24
• The NSA Raises Concerns Over US Adversaries Exploiting Private Data with AI - Crypto Rank, 22 Mar 24
• Australian intelligence chiefs want law to stop former spies taking skills overseas - The Guardian, 23 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...

• Intelligence & the Russo-Ukrainian war: introduction to the special issue - Intelligence and National Security, 21 Mar 2024
• Special Forum on intelligence and theory - Intelligence and National Security, 19 Mar 24
• The Belgian Intelligence Service: A Veil of Secrecy and Strategy - The Diplomatic Affairs, 23 Mar 24
• FSB Alpha Group: Russia’s Elite A Team - Grey Dynamics, 17 Mar 24
• Expanding Surveillance Powers? Israel’s Draft Bill to Revise Shin Bet Law - Lawfare, 21 Mar 24
• The end of neutrality: How Austria is getting rid of Russian spies - The Insider, 17 Mar 24
• The Intelligence Community: Back to the Future - Part 1 (120 mins) - Institute of World Politics, 21 Mar 24
• Sikhs, Spies and Murder: Investigating India’s alleged hit on foreign soil | Foreign Correspondent (30 mins) - Australian ABC, 21 Mar 24
• “The Skinny on American Intelligence & the Law” – with D.C. “Super Lawyer” Mark Zaid - International Spy Museum's Spycast Podcast, 19 Mar 24

• A look at the seas reveals global power dynamics in flux – with economic and security implications for all. — Former Acting CIA Dep. Dir. for Ops and Arkin Group President Jack Devine, In Other News
• New Iran-Houthi Threats to Commercial Shipping | Islamic State Claims Moscow Attack | Niger: The Inevitable Revocation | Islamic State Resurging in Mozambique | Implications of China-Russia Cooperation on Censorship and Disinformation — Former FBI Special Agent and Soufan Group CEO Ali Soufan, Intel Brief
• Iran: John Sotos — Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell and former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andy Makridis, Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch
• The Future of Human Intelligence (62 mins) with former CIA Executive Marc Polymeropoulos - The Team House, 17 Mar 24
• Views of the Former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (33 mins) with Vincent Rigby - Canadian Foreign Intelligence Service | Policy Insights Forum Podcast, 20 Mar 24
• Culture Change, Working with Five Eyes, and Career Advice (48 mins) with former CIA Senior Operations Officer John Atwell - Grey Dynamics Podcast, 22 Mar 24
• When Conspiracy Theories Get Dangerous with former CIA Executives John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea - The Cipher Brief, 22 Mar 24
• Pass Ukraine support now - by former CIA Executives Paul Pope and Steve Slick - Dallas Morning News, 21 March Feb 24
• From Special Operations to the CIA: Assessing the Complexity of the Global Environment (33 mins) - with former CIA Executive Dave Pitts - Cipher Brief's State Secrets Podcast, 25 March Feb 24
• Navigating the Frontier of Venture Capital and National Security - by former CIA Senior Operations Officer Stephanie Bellistri - Cipher Brief, 25 March Feb 24

• Article: Approximately 100 Russian Spies Supposedly Operating Under Diplomatic Cover in Austria - Kyiv Post, 24 Mar 24
• Article: Former CIA agent: Putin putting blame on Ukraine for Moscow attack is ‘nonsense’ - The Hill, 23 Mar 24
• Article: New Zealand spy agency vows increased oversight after hosting foreign intelligence system - Reuters, 21 Mar 24
• Article: Israel seizes trove of intelligence on Hamas in Gaza offensive, officials say - NBC News, 24 Mar 24
• Article: DIA awards $305 million South Korean intelligence contract to HII - Shepherd Media, 20 Mar 24
• Article: Inside the shadowy world of the ‘private Mossad’ - The Telegraph, 21 Mar 24
• Article: Partnerships with tech companies aim to help U.S. secure elections - Washington Times, 20 Mar 24
• Article: Japan needs to step up industrial counterespionage - Asia Times, 20 Mar 24
• Article: What are spies for? Walter Bell and MI6 - The Article, 19 Mar 24
• Article: US, UK accuse China of cyberespionage that hit millions of people - Reuters, 25 Mar 24

Books: (Forthcoming, New Releases, Overlooked)

• The Academic-Practitioner Divide in Intelligence Studies (Security and Professional Intelligence Education Series) by Ruben Arcos (15 Mar 24 paperback release)


• Humble Yet Fierce: My Life Behind the Curtain of the CIA by Katy McQuaid (27 May 23)


• Before Intelligence Failed: British Secret Intelligence on Chemical and Biological Weapons in the Soviet Union, South Africa and Libya (Intelligence Studies) by Mark Wilkinson (15 May 18)

True Intelligence Matters on Film: The Nevernight Connection - FBI and National Counterintelligence and Security Center (2021)

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recently Released Content

Infographic: Visualized - The Top 15 Global Tank Fleets - Visual Capitalist, 30 Jan 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

• 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
• 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

• 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
• 03 Apr 24, 1800-1930 (ET) - Virtual - OSS Society's "Oh So Social" Conversation: LTG Charles Cleveland and Dr. Michael Vickers - OSS Society, 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 to members 19 March 2024...

The Secret Pigeon Service of WWII

Recorded 1 December 2023

Gordon Corera, BBC National Security Correspondent and author
on Operation Columba - The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe

Interview of Friday, 1 December 2023. Gordon Corera, BBC National Security Correspondent, Author and Journalist, on his book "Operation Columba - The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe."
The fascinating, untold story of how British intelligence secretly used homing pigeons as part of a clandestine espionage operation to gather information, communicate, and coordinate with members of the Resistance to defeat the Nazis in occupied Europe during World War II.
Interviewer/host is AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer and Former NSA Associate Deputy Director of Operations.
The interview runs 21 minutes and includes several Q&As.
"Operation Columba - The Secret Pigeon Service" is available here

Access the Gordon Corera video interview here or click above image.

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

With the growth in intelligence-related books, AFIO seeks volunteers who are willing to review new releases. We are looking for short reviews (500 words) for inclusion in the WIN. The make-up of AFIO's membership puts us in a position to offer unique reviews in the intelligence studies world, matching backgrounds with subject matter. If interested, please contact the WIN editor at winseditor@afio.com

LATEST PODCAST: In this episode, Brian J. Morra, Former USAF Intelligence Officer and senior aerospace executive speaks with AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer, about Brian's semi-fiction book "The Able Archers" on the 1983 Soviet nuclear war crisis. The interview runs 26 minutes and includes several Q&As.
His book "The Able Archers" may be purchased here.
The podcast is 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)

The threat of Russian intelligence and malign influence remains elevated in Finland - Finish Security and Intelligence Service News Release, 26 March 24

The threat of Russian intelligence and malign influence activities has remained elevated despite deteriorating conditions for human intelligence operations. No significant changes have occurred in the threat of terrorism faced by Finland. Russia’s actions remain the greatest threat to Finland's national security, with Russia treating Finland as unfriendly state, and as a target for espionage and malign influence activities. NATO membership nevertheless protects Finland from the most forceful measures. The main goals of Russian influence operations targeting Finland are to create a deterrent and to affect the nature of Finnish NATO membership. While counterintelligence work, expulsions of intelligence officers and a strict visa policy enabled Finland to undermine conditions for Russian human intelligence last year, intelligence operations remain a threat. In particular, these operations may target Finnish people who still travel or reside in Russia, or Finnish citizens in third countries. (Read more here.)

FBI resumes outreach to social media companies over foreign propaganda - NBC News, 20 March 24

The FBI has resumed some of its efforts to share information with some American tech companies about foreign propagandists using their platforms after it ceased contact for more than half a year, multiple people familiar with the matter told NBC News. The program, established during the Trump administration, briefed tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Meta when the U.S. intelligence community found evidence of covert influence operations using their products to mislead Americans. It was put on hold this summer in the wake of a lawsuit that accused the U.S. government of improperly pressuring tech companies about how to moderate their sites and an aggressive inquisition from the House Judiciary Committee and its chair, Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. (Read more here.)

New Zealand spy agency slammed for hosting foreign spying without telling minister or Cabinet - New Zealand Herald, 20 Mar 24

New Zealand’s international spy agency has been rebuked for hosting a foreign agency’s spy operation for several years without telling its minister, and without knowing whether doing so was contributing to military strikes overseas. Once operational, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) failed on multiple levels including a lack of due diligence, record-keeping and staff training. Nor did it have visibility of what the hosting was helping to enable, including military targets. The scathing criticism is outlined in a report, released today, by independent watchdog and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Brendan Horsley, who said the lack of proper monitoring meant the use of the system may have even breached New Zealand laws. “It was improper for the GCSB to decide to host the system without bringing it to the Minister’s attention. This undermined the ability for the Minister to exercise control of the agency,” Horsley said. (Full article here.)

NRO moves closer to formal program to buy commercial radar-sat data - Breaking Defense, 20 Mar 24

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is hoping it can begin a new formal program to routinely buy commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery sometime within the next year or so, according to a senior official. However, doing so will depend on the outcome of ongoing discussions with officials from other Intelligence Community agencies and Department of Defense officials to figure out the budget and scope of any new NRO program, Pete Muend, the director of NRO’s Commercial Systems Program Office, said on Monday. “Right now, across the executive branch, we’re actually in the middle of a conversation about whether or not, with commercial radar in particular, we want to formalize that into, I’ll say, a longer term program or record,” he said during a panel discussion at the Satellite 2024 Conference in Washington, D.C. (Full article here.)

ASIO agents met with Sikh activists as tension peaked over killing of Canadian separatist - ABC Australia, 20 Mar 24

It was early one morning, when Samar Kohli was at work in Sydney, that he got a call on his phone from an unknown number. The man on the other end of the line said he was an officer from Australia's intelligence agency ASIO and that he wanted to meet up. The meeting took place at an inconspicuous café. Two ASIO officers attended, both dressed in plain clothes. Samar Kohli asked to see their badges. "They had basic questions," said Mr Kohli, a Sikh community leader in western Sydney who has been involved in the global movement to create a breakaway nation in northern India. They wanted to know whether he had seen evidence of any "foreign interference" in Australia, which he understood to mean agents working for the Indian government. (Full article here.)

DIA Comic Book Series Returns to Battle Killer Robots - DIA Public Affairs Office, 22 Mar 24

The latest issue of Defense Intelligence Agency’s comic book series illustrates how DIA’s experts work to stay ahead of rapidly changing global technology, maintaining the nation’s defense intelligence advantage. The comic books provide DIA with a fun, accessible method to help tell the agency’s story to audiences young and old, said Myles Scrinopskie, graphic design and web operations team chief for DIA’s Office of Corporate Communications. “This is just a terrific initiative for reaching young Americans in particular,” Scrinopskie said. “What an appealing way to let the public know about the importance of good intelligence for national defense and the many impressive capabilities DIA brings to the fight.” (Full article here.)

Spain denies Morocco had spied on its leaders - North Africa Post, 22 Mar 24

The Spanish presidency has dismissed the allegations that Morocco had spied on its Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez or carried hostile acts against Spain. This came in a Spanish annual security report 2023 by its counter-espionage service which dedicated a large section to Morocco given the cooperation ties between the two countries in critical areas such as curbing illegal migration, fighting organized crime and drug trafficking and countering terrorism and extremism. “Morocco has not interfered in the domestic affairs of its northern neighbor,” reads the report. In 2021, Amnesty International accused Morocco- without offering whatsoever evidence- of using Pegasus malware for spying purposes. Morocco had sued ten media outlets for parroting the Amnesty report accusing Morocco of using Israel’s NSO-made Pegasus to spy on different activists. (Full article here.)

Space Force, IC’s battle over commercial ISR reignites as appropriators add fuel - Breaking Defense, 22 Mar 24

Over the past year, the three key agency players with control over US space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) — the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Space Force — have been working toward an agreement on how to split the power to buy products and services from commercial satellite operators. But according to a dozen government, former government, industry and congressional sources, there has been a notable shift in recent months as NGA has become increasingly concerned that Space Force’s moves could threaten its raison d’etre. Spurred in part by the increasingly public debate, as well as the count down to the annual budget release earlier this month, Biden administration officials have weighed in to try to sort things out. Now, Congressional appropriators have thrown a bundle of wood onto the simmering flames of this turf battle, with the proposed defense funding bill for fiscal 2024setting aside $40 million for a pilot program to enable US combatant commands to work through the Space Force to order intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) products from commercial satellite operators. (Full article here.)

Internal Docs Show Entire Intelligence Community Warned To Avoid ‘Problematic Phrases’ On Islamic Terrorism - Daily Wire, 21 Mar 24

An internal newsletter sent by diversity, equity, and inclusion officials in the Biden administration’s top intelligence agency warns personnel not to use “problematic phrases” when discussing Islamic terrorism and foreign adversaries such as China, an internal document obtained by The Daily Wire reveals. The unclassified newsletter from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, called “The Dive” and exclusively obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by The Daily Wire, argues in its cover story that the intelligence community needs to focus on “changing terminology related to counterterrorism,” because “words matter.” (Full article here.)

Government funding bill punts extension of controversial spying power - Next Gov, 21 Mar 24

A government funding package released early Thursday doesn't extend or make changes to a controversial spying authority that gives spy agencies wide latitude to collect communications on foreign targets for use in national security and terrorism investigations, setting up a race for lawmakers who want to extend or reform the tool before it expires on April 19. Intelligence agencies deem the authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act vital for keeping Americans safe. But the measure also allows for collection of communications by individuals covered by Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Many critics of the current use of the authority want to introduce a warrant requirement governing access to 702 data. (Full article here.)

The NSA Raises Concerns Over US Adversaries Exploiting Private Data with AI - Crypto Rank, 22 Mar 24

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape where data is the new currency, the NSA (National Security Agency) has issued a stark warning regarding the potential ramifications of adversaries gaining unfettered access to private data. The agency cautions that such adversaries, armed with vast troves of personal information, could wield a formidable advantage in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). This revelation has sparked renewed concerns about the intersection of data privacy, national security, and technological advancements. The proliferation of AI technologies has ushered in a new era of innovation and efficiency across various sectors. From healthcare and finance to defense and cybersecurity, AI applications are reshaping industries and revolutionizing how tasks are accomplished. At the heart of this AI revolution lies data—massive datasets used to train algorithms and develop intelligent systems capable of making autonomous decisions. However, the NSA’s warning sheds light on the potential misuse of this data-driven power. Adversaries, including hostile nation-states and cybercriminal organizations, may exploit access to private data for strategic purposes, leveraging AI to gain a competitive edge in intelligence gathering, cyber warfare, and geopolitical maneuvering. (Full article here.)

Australian intelligence chiefs want law to stop former spies taking skills overseas - The Guardian, 23 Mar 24

Australia’s intelligence chiefs have asked the government for new laws to stop former spies marketing their skills abroad, fearing current provisions are allowing foreign adversaries to gain invaluable knowledge of Australian tradecraft. Asio is seeking specific consolidated legislation requiring that former spies gain explicit permission before they offer themselves as trainers, in light of what it says is the serious and growing threat of espionage and foreign interference. Asio director general Mike Burgess Australian politician ‘sold out’ to foreign regime after being recruited by spies, Asio boss says. “In the face of this threat and the need to protect Australia’s secret sensitive information and capabilities, the need for this cannot be overstated,” the intelligence agency’s deputy director general, Ewan Macmillan, told the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security during a recent hearing on military secrets. “In response, we must harden and we must adapt.” (Full article here.)

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

• Seven PRC hackers indicted for economic espionage in the US. - The Spy Hunter, 26 Mar 24
• Germany charges military officer with spying for Russia - Reuters, 19 Mar 24
• Air Force intel analyst shared classified information on Discord, investigators say - Stars and Stripes, 21 Mar 24
• Owners of China-Based Company Charged with Conspiracy to Send Trade Secrets Belonging to Leading U.S.-Based Electric Vehicle Company - US Department of Justice, 19 Mar 24

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

• China targets group of MPs and peers with string of cyber-attacks - The Guardian, 23 Mar 24
• Five Eyes implores critical infrastructure execs to take China-linked threats seriously - Cybersecurity Dive, 20 Mar 24
• German political party targeted by SVR-linked group in spearphishing campaign, Mandiant says - Cyberscoop, 22 Mar 24
• NSA seeks Chinese hackers who have burrowed into American critical infrastructure - NPR, 20 Mar 24
• Russian Intelligence Targets Victims Worldwide in Rapid-Fire Cyberattacks - Dark Reading, 20 Mar 24
• China-linked hackers target governments and more in Southeast Asia with new backdoors - The Record, 19 Mar 24
• CISA hit by hackers, key systems taken offline - Security Intelligence, 18 Mar 24
• Perils in cyberspace expand as dictators unite against U.S. - Washington Times, 21 Mar 24

Section II - DEEP DIVES

(Research Papers, OpEds, Analysis, Podcasts)

Intelligence & the Russo-Ukrainian war: introduction to the special issue - Intelligence and National Security, 21 Mar 2024

On 24 February 2024 Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, having amassed some 150,000 troops along its border, launching a war of territorial conquest that seemed a throwback to the European experience of war in the 1940s while at the same time ushering in a new era in European security. From an intelligence perspective, the war has involved a coalescence of traditional intelligence aims alongside innovative means of realising them, and of traditional participants in the shadow war alongside ‘citizen spies’, making use of social media and other forms of open source intelligence (OSINT) to monitor, record, and report on developments, as well as to counter misinformation in the digital sphere, in what was soon termed ‘the world’s first TikTok war’.Footnote1 It is in this context that this special issue has been prepared, to coincide with the second anniversary of the February 2022 Russian military invasion. It brings together a range of contributors and perspectives to provide analyses of the roles, performance, and lessons of intelligence in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian war. It is divided into three sections, developing the main intelligence themes to have emerged from the war. (Full report here.)

Special Forum on intelligence and theory - Intelligence and National Security, 19 Mar 24

The literature on intelligence and theory has developed considerably in recent years. This Special Forum takes as its point of departure four recent publications that have made a particular contribution to the developing literature and build on earlier contributions, such as the 2009 volume Intelligence Theory: Key Questions and Debates and, the 2018 special issue of Intelligence and National Security on ‘Developing Intelligence Theory: New Challenges and Competing Perspectives’.1 Since then, Intelligence Studies has seen a further growth of theoretical contributions that explore new approaches and directions. Various research agendas have been proposed, emphasizing the need for pluralistic evidence-based intelligence research, or introducing labels such as a new Philosophy of Intelligence (PHILINT), Critical Intelligence Studies (CIS) or New Intelligence Studies (NIS). At the same time, (meta)theoretical skepticism remains among some intelligence scholars and practitioners, with questions about the innovativeness or need to articulate subfields or schools of thought. This Forum arises from debates at panels of the Intelligence Studies Section of the International Studies Association (ISA) at the 2023 ISA annual conference.3 A range of scholars studying intelligence were invited by the editor, Peter de Werd, to share their views in autonomous statements. They were asked what they see as the most important issue(s), trend, challenge or controversy in intelligence research. Although the format does not allow for in depth elaborations, it is particularly valuable in providing an overview of contemporary academic perspectives and their interpretations. Bringing these together, comparing and contrasting them, contributes to mapping the field and hence can further a constructive academic debate. As a means to channel the discussion – recognizing the shortcoming of any selection – this Forum is organized around four different collective initiatives that have appeared since 2018. (Full report here.)

The Belgian Intelligence Service: A Veil of Secrecy and Strategy - The Diplomatic Affairs, 23 Mar 24

In the realm of international espionage and intelligence, Belgium’s foreign intelligence service operates with a level of discretion and efficiency that belies the country’s modest size. As a central hub of the European Union and home to NATO headquarters, Belgium’s strategic importance on the global stage necessitates a capable and adaptive intelligence apparatus. This article delves into the history, structure, and modern-day operations of the Belgian foreign intelligence service, known as the General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS), shedding light on its role in safeguarding national security and contributing to global intelligence efforts. The roots of Belgium’s foreign intelligence service stretch back to the early 20th century, with the establishment of military intelligence units during World War I. However, it was not until after World War II that Belgium reorganized its intelligence community to address the emerging threats of the Cold War era. The General Information and Security Service, under the Ministry of Defense, evolved to include foreign intelligence as a core component of its mission. Over the years, the service has had to adapt to a rapidly changing security landscape, including the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of international terrorism, and the proliferation of cyber threats. Each new challenge has prompted Belgium to reassess and refine its intelligence capabilities, often working closely with its European neighbors and allies around the world. (Read here.)

FSB Alpha Group: Russia’s Elite A Team - Grey Dynamics, 17 Mar 24

Alpha Group is a Russian special forces unit which is part of the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) Special Purpose Center. It is one of Russia’s most well-equipped, combat-capable and secretive units. Naturally, this has led to the unit’s use in operations deemed of utmost importance to the Russian state. The FSB’s Alpha Group utilises unique mottos, emblems and patches to stand out from other Russian units. They include the following: The motto of the FSB Alpha Group is probably ‘To win and return!’ written as ‘Победить и вернуться!’ in Russian. However, some Russian sources also indicate its motto to be ‘Победить и выжить, чтобы победить вновь’. This translates to ‘To win and return, to win again’ in English. FSB Alpha Group’s emblem unit patch is unique but shares some similarities to other Russian internal security units. Like the FSO’s organisational emblem, the FSB Alpha Group emblem is a shield in front of a sword. These symbols were chosen to emphasise that FSB Alpha is a combat-capable internal security ground unit. Additionally, the shield on Alpha Group’s emblem includes numerous striking details. At the centre of the shield, a golden A inside a golden wreath is visible. The A stands for ‘Alpha’ (Альфа in Russia). Both the ‘A’ and the wreath are on a red background. Moreover, the A has a double-headed crowned eagle just above it, symbolising the unit belonging to the Russian state. (Full report here.)

Expanding Surveillance Powers? Israel’s Draft Bill to Revise Shin Bet Law - Lawfare, 21 Mar 24

On Dec. 11, 2023 the Israeli Ministry of Justice published a draft bill to amend the Israel Security Agency (ISA) Law, which governs the authorities conferred to the ISA—also known as Shin Bet, Shabak, or the General Security Service (GSS). The draft bill, which focuses primarily on the agency’s surveillance powers, extends the scope of the ISA’s statutory duty to perform security vetting—adding to its ambit third parties, which are not directly employed by government bodies but nonetheless are exposed to classified materials—and authorizes the ISA to employ malware measures, among other changes. (Read here.)

The end of neutrality: How Austria is getting rid of Russian spies - The Insider, 17 Mar 24

On March 13, Austria announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats for “actions that are incompatible with their diplomatic status.” Moscow frequently uses official diplomatic cover in order to mask its foreign espionage operatives, and in the past two years alone, Austria has shown the door to six Russian Foreign Ministry officials. Vienna’s attitude to the abundance of Russian spies on its territory finally appears to be evolving. For decades, Austria was a hotbed of Soviet and Russian espionage, with the Kremlin’s diplomatic mission always full of career officers from various intelligence services: first the Soviet-era KGB, and then the present-day SVR, GRU, and the FSB's Fifth Service. While other countries have expelled a total of approximately 700 Russian spies working under diplomatic cover since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Austria’s contribution stood at a mere four — at least until recently. The tide turned when the Austrian authorities created a new anti-espionage agency, which began taking Russian intelligence operations more seriously. (Read here.)

The Intelligence Community: Back to the Future - Part 1 (120 mins) - Institute of World Politics, 21 Mar 24

This event is the fourth Spring Conference and Career Fair of the DC Intelligence Studies Consortium on the topic of "The Intelligence Community: Back to the Future." This event is hosted by The Institute of World Politics. (Watch here.)

Sikhs, Spies and Murder: Investigating India’s alleged hit on foreign soil | Foreign Correspondent (30 mins) - Australian ABC, 21 Mar 24

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood up and accused India of being behind the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil last year the world took notice. To have a head of state call out another country for effectively a state sponsored assassination was eye popping. Then, months later, US authorities said an Indian agent was involved in a murder attempt on an American Sikh in New York. Now Foreign Correspondent can reveal Australian authorities are also speaking to the Sikh community here. This week South Asia Correspondent Avani Dias travels to Punjab where tensions are high and the authorities are watching. This is the Sikh homeland where a banned separatist movement is fighting to create its own independent nation of Khalistan. Avani visits the family home of the man murdered in Canada Hardeep Singh Nijjar. and learns of unusual activity in the lead up to his killing. She also gains rare access to the movement's leaders, viewed as extremists by Indian officials, who are in no doubt the Modi government is targeting Sikh separatists around the world including Australia. (Listen 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.

19 Mar | “The Skinny on American Intelligence & the Law” – with D.C. “Super Lawyer” Mark Zaid Mark Zaid joins Andrew to discuss American intelligence and the law. You’ve heard of a “lawyer to the stars,” Mark is the “lawyer to the spies.”

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.

21 Mar | A look at the seas reveals global power dynamics in flux – with economic and security implications for all. Last week, China, Russia and Iran conducted joint military exercises in the Gulf of Oman – stating the goal of protecting “maritime economic activity” but underscoring a new geopolitical reality that’s made shipping in the region much more dangerous. This year’s joint drills, the 5th conducted in recent years, included representatives from nations like India and South Africa as observers. Notably, just over a week after the exercises concluded, the Yemeni Houthis reportedly declared that any Chinese and Russian vessels passing through the Red Sea would be protected. (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.

26 Mar | Iran and the Houthis Issue New Threats to Commercial Shipping

The crisis in the Red Sea that has resulted from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on commercial shipping has thus far proved impervious to U.S. diplomatic or military initiatives. Houthi attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, which began in mid-November as an effort to pressure global powers to halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza, demonstrate the ability of a non-state actor to exert an outsized impact on globally developed economies that depend on the freedom of navigation. Despite near-daily U.S. and allied interceptions of Houthi anti-ship missile and armed drone attacks and several rounds of significant strikes on the Houthis’ arsenals, in mid-March, the Houthis expanded, rather than narrowed, their threats to global shipping. On March 14, two Houthi spokesmen, Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e and Mohammed Abdulsalam, posted on social media that the Houthis would henceforth target ships linked to Israel traveling in the Indian Ocean on the way to the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa. To reduce their potential to be targeted, many commercial vessels traveling between Asia and Europe have been sailing around the Cape of Good Hope instead of going through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. Experts assess that the Houthis are capable of attacking the Indian Ocean from territory they control: at least some of the missiles Iran has supplied the Houthis have a range of more than 650 kilometers (400 miles), and their Iran-supplied armed drones can travel up to 2,000 kilometers (1250 miles). Coincident with the expanded warning, the Houthis claimed to have tested hypersonic missiles, although the U.S. Department of Defense assessed the claim as “inaccurate.”

25 Mar | Islamic State Claims Deadly Terrorist Attack at Moscow Concert Hall

22 Mar | Niger: The Inevitable Revocation

21 Mar | Islamic State Resurging in Mozambique

20 Mar | Implications of China-Russia Cooperation on Censorship and Disinformation

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.

20 Mar | Iran: John Sotos Michael speaks with former CIA analyst John Sotos, who's an expert on Iran. He's now Chief of Analysis at PersuMedia. They discuss Iran's goals in the Mideast, its relations with the US, domestic support for the Iranian regime and the modern-day challenges Iran faces since the Iranian Revolution.

The Future of Human Intelligence (62 mins) with former CIA Executive Marc Polymeropoulos - The Team House, 17 Mar 24

Marc Polymeropoulos retired from the Senior Intelligence Service ranks in 2019 after serving for 26 years in the Intelligence Community in operational field and leadership assignments. He is an expert in counterterrorism, covert action, and human intelligence collection. (Watch here.)

Views of the Former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (33 mins) with Vincent Rigby - Canadian Foreign Intelligence Service | Policy Insights Forum Podcast, 20 Mar 24

In the latest installment of the Canadian Foreign Intelligence Service podcast series, host Geoffrey St. John is joined by former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Vincent Rigby, who will argue that Canada should consider carefully the creation of a foreign intelligence service. Geoffrey St. John, who leads the National Security Studies Program (NSSP) at the Policy Insights Forum, brings a wealth of experience from his extensive career with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND). Before retiring, he held significant positions within the Canadian Armed Forces Intelligence Branch, including overseeing the CAF's imagery intelligence directorate, managing transnational intelligence issues, and leading the Middle East / North Africa sections at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ). (Listen here.)

Culture Change, Working with Five Eyes, and Career Advice (48 mins) with former CIA Senior Operations Officer John Atwell - Grey Dynamics Podcast, 22 Mar 24

Welcome back to the Grey Dynamics Podcast! Today, we are talking to John Atwell. John spent over twenty-three years of experience in operational and analysis roles at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Since leaving the agency, John has spent time as a consultant, become a columnist for the Haiwaii-Tribune Herald, became editor of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers and a college lecturer at Hawaii Community College. We discussed the culture shift in CIA after 9/11, views on allied and adversarial agencies around the world, advice for a career in intelligence and much more. (Read here.)

When Conspiracy Theories Get Dangerous with former CIA Executives John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea - The Cipher Brief, 22 Mar 24

Conspiracy theories may have been around since humans began telling stories but today, the volume and spread of such theories is amplified by technology including social media and artificial intelligence. The dangers of conspiracy theories may also be spreading as large segments of populations embrace ideas and stories that have no basis in fact and in the worst cases, can lead some people to consider violence against phantom enemies. Last week, The Cipher Brief brought together CIA veterans and a journalist who has studied the impact of conspiracy theories for a wide-ranging conversation about the phenomenon, its history, and the risks it may pose to the nation. All three agreed that as colorful as these theories can be, they can constitute a notable national security threat. “There’s a huge narrative in the country that there’s a deep state and there are people who truly believe it and are actually sometimes willing to commit violence because they believe it so strongly – when it was never true,” said John Sipher, a three-decade veteran of the CIA. (Full content here.)

Pass Ukraine support now - by former CIA Executives Paul Pope and Steve Slick - Dallas Morning News, 21 March Feb 24

We are scholars and practitioners of national security at the University of Texas at Austin. We are alarmed that the United States may abandon the people of Ukraine, who are fighting bravely to repel an unprovoked invasion. The United States should act in its own interest by continuing to support Ukraine diplomatically, financially and militarily. Vladimir Putin is a dictator and likely a war criminal. He started his attacks on Ukraine in 2014, using covert means and, eight years later, ordered a full-scale invasion. Based on our experience and reading of history, we judge that abandoning Ukraine would have profound consequences for the national security of the United States. (Full content here.)

From Special Operations to the CIA: Assessing the Complexity of the Global Environment (33 mins) - with former CIA Executive Dave Pitts - Cipher Brief's State Secrets Podcast, 25 March Feb 24

Dave Pitts was the CIA’s last man on the ground in Afghanistan as U.S. troops pulled out of the country in 2021. Even though he began his career as a humble private in the U.S. military, he quickly moved into special operations and eventually, to the CIA where he retired last October as the Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia. In his first podcast interview, Dave talks with State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly about how much the world has changed since his early days of fighting terrorism in the military and why it’s more important than ever for the U.S. to be leading in today’s world. (Full content here.)

Navigating the Frontier of Venture Capital and National Security - by former CIA Senior Operations Officer Stephanie Bellistri - Cipher Brief, 25 March Feb 24

Our country is witnessing a dramatic seachange at the intersection of technology, national security and venture capital, with USG leadership, innovators and investors recognizing the imperative for a robust mix of disruptive technology and partnership in the face of significant global security challenges. Discussions at our recent Boston Innovation Summit emphasized how powerful a catalyst venture capital is in strengthening and supporting the defense of our country and reflects a pivotal shift in venture capital’s approach toward national security-related start-ups. Speakers consistently referenced the national imperative to accelerate technology adoption in the USG in order to stay ahead of adversaries in both economic and security domains, noting the pivotal role that private capital can play in advancing these goals. (Full content here.)

Section IV - MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS

(All Categories)

Article: Approximately 100 Russian Spies Supposedly Operating Under Diplomatic Cover in Austria - Kyiv Post, 24 Mar 24

VSquare, a Hungarian news outlet, said approximately 100 out of 252 Russian spies in Austria are spying under diplomatic cover who also operate in neighboring nations, with potentially many more under civilian covers, citing an unnamed “intelligence chief of a Central European country” who reportedly shared the intelligence in a closed-door meeting with other officials. The reporter said the information was confirmed to him “by multiple government officials and security experts,” where one of them said the agents were “obviously not operating only in Austria,” adding that agents also work under other covers. “An Austrian government official told me that, according to their tally, there are currently at least 252 Russian diplomatic workers – diplomats plus technical and administrative staff – at the Russian Embassy in Vienna and in the Russian permanent missions to the OSCE and the UN and its disarmament office. (Read full report here.)

Article: Former CIA agent: Putin putting blame on Ukraine for Moscow attack is ‘nonsense’ - The Hill, 23 Mar 24

Former CIA agent Marc Polymeropoulos said that Russian President Vladimir Putin casting blame for the Moscow concert hall shooting on Ukraine is “nonsense.” Polymeropoulos dismissed Putin’s attempt to link the gunmen that killed at least 133 people Friday at the Crocus City complex near Moscow to Ukraine, the country his military is currently invading. “So we heard today, Vladimir Putin in about a five-minute address, he mentioned Ukraine, he’s claiming that the terrorists were actually trying to get across the border into Ukraine,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Witt on Saturday. “There’s absolutely no evidence for this. And then you also see on Russian TV networks over the last hour or two, even some deep fakes that have been generated, which seem to implicate Ukrainian security officials. And of course, this is all nonsense.” (Read full report here.)

Article: New Zealand spy agency vows increased oversight after hosting foreign intelligence system - Reuters, 21 Mar 24

A New Zealand spy agency has accepted recommendations for increased oversight after an inquiry found it had hosted a foreign intelligence-collection system for years without telling the government. The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), which oversees the country’s spy agencies, reported Thursday that the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) had hosted a signals intelligence system deployed by a foreign agency and took part in a programme related to that system. The IGIS report said the bureau had agreed to host the system without gaining governmental approval or informing it, and that senior leadership lost track of the programme. After the IGIS inquiry, the GCSB accepted the agency's recommendations to compile a register of collection or analysis capabilities in New Zealand that are operated by foreign partners; audit its systems, including any foreign partner capabilities; review and monitor international agreements; and establish a process that allows IGIS to review any international agreements and arrangements entered into. (Read full report here.)

Article: Israel seizes trove of intelligence on Hamas in Gaza offensive, officials say - NBC News, 24 Mar 24

Israel has secured a trove of intelligence on Hamas during its military offensive in Gaza, giving it a detailed picture of the internal workings of the militant organization, according to an administration official, an intelligence official, a congressional source, an Israeli official and a former U.S. official. The intelligence has been gleaned from hard drives, cellphones, laptops, maps and other material seized during Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as electronic eavesdropping conducted by the U.S., the sources said. The information obtained by the Israel Defense Forces includes extremely detailed information about Hamas’ leadership, command and control, and communications, an intelligence official said. “They have more understanding and intelligence on Hamas than they ever had before,” said Matthew Levitt, a former senior official in the Treasury and State departments and now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Read more here.)

Article: DIA awards $305 million South Korean intelligence contract to HII - Shepherd Media, 20 Mar 24

The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has been awarded a US$305 million contract to provide intelligence analysis and operational support services for the Joint Intelligence Operations Center-Korea (JIOC-K) to the Mission Technologies division at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). The US military shipbuilder said it would provide analysis of actionable intelligence to enable US Forces Korea (USFK) to better understand enemy capabilities, detect threats and “determine enemy courses of action”. The Virginia-based company will carry out the recompeted task order for a five-year term marking an extension of work performed under a previous contract awarded in 2019 by the DIA. HII has viewed the contract as an opportunity to expand its relationship with the USFK as it will work closely with the joint staff, service components and intelligence agencies. It will also assist the USFK in organizing the Korean Theater of Operations. (Read more here.)

Article: Inside the shadowy world of the ‘private Mossad’ - The Telegraph, 21 Mar 24

I am standing on the 26th floor of a skyscraper in Tel Aviv with views over the city and out to the Mediterranean, clutching a bottle of red wine from a Portuguese vineyard that doesn’t exist. The wine certainly looks convincing. The bottle has an artful label with an etching of vines stretching across a hillside, a farmhouse in the distance. The vineyard also apparently bottles a sauvignon blanc and an aged ruby port, and reviews of its wine have featured on an established website, Vivino. ‘Another great wine from Alcantara,’ says one. ‘A soft fresh and fruity blend that pairs nicely with dessert. I was happily surprised with the tartness of the cranberries that was nicely balanced with the sweetness of the plum.’ And yet all of it – the wine, the reviews, the vineyard – is a work of fiction. Alcantara Vineyard, supposedly in the heart of the Douro Valley, is a fabrication created by Black Cube, an ominously named private intelligence company whose methods, while never illegal the company insists, are to say the least cunning. (Read full report here.)

Article: Partnerships with tech companies aim to help U.S. secure elections - Washington Times, 20 Mar 24

The U.S. intelligence community is ramping up work with technology companies ahead of the November elections as cybersecurity professionals search for new ways to combat foreign threats to the American electoral system that appeared unthinkable four years ago. A raft of new artificial intelligence tools are fueling the changing threats to U.S. elections, and the intelligence community is finding partners to thwart foreign interference, The Washington Times has learned. U.S. intelligence agencies are turning to cybersecurity companies like never before for help protecting various forms of infrastructure. (Read full report here.)

Article: Japan needs to step up industrial counterespionage - Asia Times, 20 Mar 24

Industrial espionage that targets dual-use technology presents a severe challenge to governments – as the G7 recognized at its latest leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima last May. Protecting technology that, by definition, is used in both private and military applications requires a complex regulatory framework. Sensitive information in need of protection is often originally the creation and property of private enterprises, which may not share the same level of awareness and protection against espionage as the government. This problem of dual-use technology regulation is especially acute in Japan, which not only lacks a centralized agency dedicated to counter industrial espionage but also has a public sentiment environment that is hostile to such institutions. (Read full report here.)

Article: What are spies for? Walter Bell and MI6 - The Article, 19 Mar 24

Hooray for Jimmy Burns. For the past six or seven decades the history of modern British spying has been a relentless, repetitious chronicle of Kim Philbies, Donald Macleans and minor clerks like John Vassal. Or they are “exposés” of elderly ladies who had a fling with communism in their 20s and maybe dropped a copy of an A-Z map book of London with underlining of key government departments which were left at KGB dead letter boxes. There they were picked up by Soviet agents who could be seen at any TUC conferences getting the comrades as drunk as possible in the hope of learning Britain’s innermost secrets. These double agents were denounced as traitors and some scarpered to a miserable existence in Moscow exile. Novelists like Ian Fleming and John Le Carré made millions with yarns that had no relation to intelligence gathering reality. (Read full report here.)

Article: US, UK accuse China of cyberespionage that hit millions of people - Reuters, 25 Mar 24

U.S. and British officials on Monday filed charges, imposed sanctions, and accused Beijing of a sweeping cyberespionage campaign that allegedly hit millions of people including lawmakers, academics and journalists, and companies including defense contractors. Authorities on both sides of the Atlantic nicknamed the hacking group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 or "APT31", calling it an arm of China's Ministry of State Security. Officials reeled off a laundry list of targets: White House staffers, U.S. senators, British parliamentarians, and government officials across the world who criticized of Beijing. (Read full report here.)

Section V - BOOKS, FILM, HISTORY, POP CULTURE

Books — Forthcoming, Newly Released, Overlooked

The Academic-Practitioner Divide in Intelligence Studies (Security and Professional Intelligence Education Series)
by Ruben Arcos
(Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 15 Mar 24 paperback release)

Internationally, the profession of intelligence continues to develop and expand. So too does the academic field of intelligence, both in terms of intelligence as a focus for academic research and in terms of the delivery of university courses in intelligence and related areas. To a significant extent both the profession of intelligence and those delivering intelligence education share a common aim of developing intelligence as a discipline. However, this shared interest must also navigate the existence of an academic-practitioner divide. Such a divide is far from unique to intelligence – it exists in various forms across most professions – but it is distinctive in the field of intelligence because of the centrality of secrecy to the profession of intelligence and the way in which this constitutes a barrier to understanding and openly teaching about aspects of intelligence. How can co-operation in developing the profession and academic study be maximized when faced with this divide? How can and should this divide be navigated? The Academic-Practitioner Divide in Intelligence provides a range of international approaches to, and perspectives on, these crucial questions.

Purchase book here.

Humble Yet Fierce: My Life Behind the Curtain of the CIA
by Katy McQuaid
(27 May 23)

Often, we want to speak up, but we don’t, gripped by fear and the need to get along. The reality is, it’s hard to find our voice; and then one day we do. Katy McQuaid, former deputy director of logistics in the CIA, brings her true-life stories of courage, faith, and adventure related to that journey. From the life-changing events in her first year of college to her remarkable career in the CIA, McQuaid shares that you don’t have to be loud to be strong. She shares her challenges as a woman working in a male-dominated industry. She was inspired by good leaders who helped her succeed and go further than she thought possible. After thirty-two years, McQuaid retired from the secretive and often dangerous world of intelligence gathering at the CIA, and found her voice through writing the Everybody Loves Grace series, winning two Nautilus Book Silver awards for Children’s Illustrated Fiction books. Along with stories of strength through adversity, this book includes stories of leadership with humility. Humble Yet Fierce will remind you that leadership is a way of life, that you don’t have to be overbearing to make yourself heard, and that you can laugh at yourself even in difficult times.

Order book here.

Before Intelligence Failed: British Secret Intelligence on Chemical and Biological Weapons in the Soviet Union, South Africa and Libya (Intelligence Studies)
by Mark Wilkinson
(Hurst, 15 May 18)

In the wake of the 2003 Iraq War, the term 'intelligence failure' became synonymous with the Blair Government and how it had used intelligence to construct a case for war. This book examines British secret intelligence over the thirty years preceding its very public failings. From the Soviet Union to South Africa and Libya, Mark Wilkinson provides a detailed analysis and vivid account of the development and functioning of Britain's intelligence agencies in the struggle against the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. Based on archival research and interviews with key players in the intelligence establishment, he shows how a handful of chemical and biological weapons experts battled to make their voices heard. They had evidence that illegal weapons development was taking place but were continually rebuffed by adversaries in Whitehall. Fascinating, surprising and sometimes shocking, Before Intelligence Failed is a compelling account of what was known about chemical and biological weapons proliferation before the Iraq War.

Order book here.

True Intelligence Matters on Film - The Nevernight Connection - FBI and National Counterintelligence and Security Center (2021)

This FBI and National Counterintelligence and Security Center film—inspired by the case of former CIA officer Kevin Mallory—details the fictional account of a former U.S. Intelligence Community official who was targeted by China via a fake profile on a professional networking site and recruited to turn over classified information before being arrested. The FBI and NCSC seek to raise awareness of this issue and help individuals in the private sector, academic and research communities, and other U.S. government agencies guard against this threat posed by foreign intelligence services.

Watch this based-on-true-events production here.

Intelligence in History - A Collection of Recently Released Content

• Agent Sniper - CIA - True Spies Podcast, 18 Mar 24
• From the archive – Operation Condor: the cold war conspiracy that terrorised South America – podcast - The Guardian, 20 Mar 24
• The Debrief: Behind the Artifact – Lovell Forgery Book - CIA Museum, 18 Mar 24
• New Zealand Christchurch City Council Bugging Device (2016) - Spy Collection, 22 Mar 24
• Cambridge college unmasks alumnae who were Bletchley Park codebreakers - The Guardia, 17 Mar 24
• On This Day — Gerald Bull Is Assassinated in Brussels (March 22, 1990) - Intel Today, 22 Mar 24

Infographic: Visualized - The Top 15 Global Tank Fleets - Visual Capitalist, 15 Mar 24

Heavily armed and armored, the modern tank is a versatile and mobile weapons platform, and a critical piece of contemporary warfare. This visualization shows the top 15 global tank fleets, using data from the 2024 Military Balance report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). (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

Francis Clifford — Former NSA Officer and AFIO Member

Francis J. Clifford, 81, of Tamaqua, PA, Morton, PA, and Melbourne, FL died peacefully on March 21, 2024. Mr. Clifford was raised in Tamaqua, Schuylkill County. He attended Saint Jerome Regional School and was a member of the Marian Catholic High School class of 1960. He attended Catholic seminary and earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Francis College in 1966. Thereafter Mr. Clifford entered active duty in the Air Force, where he was sent to study the Bulgarian language at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, from which he graduated with honors. He served at Karamursel Air Station, about 50 miles south of Istanbul, Turkey, where he monitored the Bulgarian Air Force and reported to the National Security Agency. Upon completion, he returned to Kelly Air Force Base and separated from active duty in 1971. In 1972, Mr. Clifford matriculated at Widener University Delaware Law School and (while attending the evening division) was employed by Builders Investment Group, a real estate investment trust, and in the mortgage department of Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. Following graduation, he assumed a position with Lanard & Axilbund, industrial commercial real estate brokers, after which he was recruited by the Conrail law department to be their real estate attorney. He was then employed by a Pottsville law firm and later took a position with The General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force at The Pentagon where for worked for twenty years. Mr. Clifford retired to Melbourne, FL, where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Tiger Bay Club, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, and the League of Women Voters, where he sat on its board governance committee. He also consulted in real estate and manuscript editing.

Don McDowell — Former Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence and AFIO Board Member

Rear Admiral Don H. DcDowell, 94, passed away on March 7, 2024 in Bethesda, Maryland. He was born in Evansville, Indiana and graduated from Indian University with an AB degree in 1953, when he entered the Naval Officer Candidate Program at Newport, Rhode Island; he was commissioned Ensign in June 1954. As a Rear Admiral, he commanded the Naval Security Group, the Navy's worldwide cryptologic organization for over three years. With over 10,000 personnel and a staff of 350 persons, he was deeply involved in virtually every phase of acquisition, operations and support from both a Navy and National Agency perspective. He was responsible for the readiness of personnel and equipment, field site operation of national systems and other related support to ship and aircraft cryptologic systems. As the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, he was responsible for developing, obtaining approval and executing the Navy's Tactical Cryptologic Program involving both ships and aircraft. This included numerous programs, which are now operational in the fleet. He served previously as Chief, Support to Military Operations at the National Security Agency. During that assignment, he worked closely with virtually every organization in that agency and in a wide variety of functions involving acquisition through operations. Earlier, he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Cryptology, Staff Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet and responsible for all cryptologic functions, personnel and resources both afloat and airborne. He was the Commanding Officer of a key cryptologic site in Japan. He also served as the Assistant for Planning, Programming and Budgeting and Resource Management/Comptroller of the Naval Security Group, which included both national and tactical functions. Earlier assignments included the National Security Agency on the Staff of the Deputy Director for Operations and the Staff, Commander Seventh Fleet. Since retiring from the Navy, he has been a consultant to various organizations on cryptologic related matters. With over forty years of experience, he has had a depth and breadth of experience with policy, requirements, development, acquisition and the operation of cryptologic systems. He was active in AFCEA, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government DC Alumni Council, Indiana University Alumni Association, National Military Intelligence Association, Naval Intelligence Professionals Association, Naval Cryptologic Veterans Associations, Navy League of the United States, Association of Old Crows, Association of Former Intelligence Officers, and the National Defense Industrial Association.

Bill DeGenaro — Private Intelligence Company Entrepreneur and AFIO Member

William E. DeGenaro, age 86, of Republic, passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Trillium Hospice House in Marquette. Bill was born in Chicago, IL. He grew up in Evanston where he graduated from high school and furthered his education at the University of Illinois. Bill went through basic training and then served in the United States Naval reserve. Bill’s working career started at 3M, where he served as Director of Strategic Planning and Marketing prior to being called by the Reagan administration to serve in the executive exchange program in 1988. Bill, being a staunch patriotic American gladly accepted this position, where he proudly held an office in the Pentagon. Following his time in Washington D.C., Bill started his own intelligence company, aptly named DeGenaro and Associates in Sarasota, Fl, which he continued with in Republic, MI until his ultimate retirement in 2017 at age 80.

Ginny Sorley — Career CIA Librarian

Virginia "Ginny" Sorley, longtime resident of Potomac, MD, died Friday, February 2, 2024, at Chapel Point, Carlisle, PA. Born in Brooklyn, NY. She grew up in Manhasset, NY, then attended DePauw University for two years, joining Alpha Phi sorority, and subsequently graduated from the University of Maryland. Later, she earned a Master of Library Science degree from Long Island University. In 1976, Ginny relocated with her family to the Washington area, where she resided for 42 years. Ginny went to work as a CIA librarian, a job she loved and in which she excelled, devoting over two decades to public service.

Bobby Rennick — Former USAF Security Service Officer

Bobby Dean Rennick, 90, of Gastonia, NC passed away on December 27, 2023 at Morningside Assisted Living in Gastonia, NC. He was born in Attica, IN. Bobby's growing up years were in St Joseph, MI on the shore of "the lake." He most recently lived in Gastonia, NC. Previously, he spent 20 "out in the woods," near Kings Mountain, NC where he enjoyed the trees, birds, and wildlife in a quiet country setting. Bobby's life's work began with his enlistment in the US Air Force at the height of the Korean War. He was proud of his Korean service and other medals received during his 4-year enlistment. Immediately upon discharge from the USAF Security Service, Bobby began a 28-year career with the National Security Agency in Washington, DC. Federal service included many years working outside the United States in Germany, Japan, Italy, the Philippine Islands, England, Greece, the Panama Canal zone, and Ethiopia. He was proud of having visited all fifty states. Later in life, Bobby spent many years seeking out buddies with whom he had spent time in a radio intercept unit, a part of the USAF Security Service. Bobby took great pleasure in finding, keeping track of, and administering reunions for his old Air Force mates. He also had interests in volunteering and holding office in several organizations. These included the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, where he was the assistant NC state director and a charter member of their Hall of Fame, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9335, Gastonia, NC, as the webmaster and trustee, Sampson Air Force Base Veterans Association, where he was a museum volunteer and The Freedom Through Vigilance Association. He joined the Phoenix Society in 1980. In each of these organizations, Bobby was a life member.

Jean Maria Arrigo — Psychologist, Whistleblower, AFIO Member

Jean Maria Arrigo, a psychologist who exposed efforts by the American Psychological Association (APA) to obscure the role of psychologists in coercive interrogations of terror suspects in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, died on Feb. 24 at her home in Alpine, Calif. She was 79. The cause was complications of pancreatic cancer. A headline about her as a whistleblower in The Guardian in 2015 put it succinctly: “‘A National Hero’: Psychologist Who Warned of Torture Collusion Gets Her Due.” For years, Dr. Arrigo was part of a small group, the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, which criticized the APA’s close ties to military intelligence, which dated back to World War I, when psychologists were hired to test and assess recruits. She was the child of an undercover intelligence officer. Her doctoral research explored the ethics of military and political intelligence.

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:
  
  - 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 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

Wednesday, 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

Tuesday, 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

26 Mar 2024, 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 2024, 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 2024, 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.

03 Apr 2024, 1800-1930 (ET) - Virtual - "Oh So Social" Conversation: LTG Charles Cleveland and Dr. Michael Vickers - OSS Society, Washington DC
Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland consults for several businesses; lectures on leadership, strategy, and irregular warfare; and works as a senior mentor at the Army War College and as an adjunct at the Rand Corporation. He coauthored Military Strategy in the 21st Century and The American Way of Irregular War. He was appointed in 2019 by the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee to the National Defense Authorization Act-directed Syria Study Group that provided Congress with an assessment of the U.S. strategy. He was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army's Senior Mentor to his Strategic Studies Group from 2015 until 2017, prior to serving as a Highly Qualified Expert-Senior Mentor at the Army War College. At the time of his retirement in 2015, he had completed three years as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The command's ARSOF 2022 initiatives provided a foundation for a renewed look at American unconventional warfare. He also served as Commander, Special Operations Command-Central from 2008 until 2011; and as Commander, Special Operations Command-South from 2005 until 2008. He commanded the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 2001 until 2003. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he also commanded Combined Joint Task Force Viking. He was the Special Forces Officer Branch Chief; Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 10th SF Group; the Special Operations Action Officer on the Joint Staff; Battalion S3, Special Forces Company and Detachment Commander assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group in Panama; and Counterintelligence Company Commander in Germany. His first assignment in 1979 was with the 10th Special Forces Group at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts. His operational experiences include commanding special operations campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Lebanon, and Pakistan from 2008 until 2011; and foreign internal defense campaigns throughout Latin America from 2005 until 2008, culminating with support to a Colombian deception operation that safely returned three American hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for over five years. Previously, he had multiple tours in Bosnia, including Commander of the Joint Commission Observer Mission. He participated in Operation Just Cause; in counternarcotics operations with DEA and the Bolivian National Police; and in counterinsurgency training missions to El Salvador and Venezuela. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College, and Army War College. His military awards include the CIB (2nd Award), the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Bronze Star. A 1978 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married for 43 years. They have three grown children.

More information and free registration 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

To unsubscribe from the WIN email list, please click the "UNSUBSCRIBE" link at the bottom of the email. If you did not subscribe to the WIN and are not a member, you received this product from a third party in violation of AFIO policy. Please forward to afio@afio.com the entire message that you received and we will remove the sender from our membership and distribution lists.