AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #08-17 dated 21 February 2017

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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Obituaries

Obituaries

Section V - Events

Upcoming AFIO Events

Other Upcoming Events

For Additional AFIO and other Events two+ months or more... Calendar of Events 

WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE: The WIN editors thank the following special contributors:  pjk, mh, gh, mk, rd, fm, kc, jm, mr, jg, th and fwr. They have contributed one or more stories used in this issue.

The WIN editors attempt to include a wide range of articles and commentary in the Weekly Notes to inform and educate our readers. However, the views expressed in the articles are purely those of the authors, and in no way reflect support or endorsement from the WIN editors or the AFIO officers and staff. We welcome comments from the WIN readers on any and all articles and commentary.
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Complex Russian Ciphers, Snowden, Turf Battles, Lies, Coverups, and Secrecy

NCMF_March_ProgramWednesday, 29 March 2017, 10am - 1pm
- Annapolis Junction, MD -

Please join National Cryptologic Museum Foundation friends and colleagues welcoming Stephen Budiansky acclaimed author, journalist, and historian of cryptology, speaking on
"A New Perspective on NSA's Covert Activities."
[To immediately register, click on image above]
A book signing of Mr. Budiansky's book Code Warriors: NSA's Codebreakers and the Secret Intelligence War Against the Soviet Union follows his presentation and lunch follows that at noon.
Mr. Budiansky will speak about his latest book (noted above) that draws on an array of recently declassified documents to explore the NSA's long SIGINT struggle against the Soviets, and traces the historical forces behind the intelligence controversies making headlines today. Mr. Budiansky is the author of numerous books of military and intelligence history, science and biography including Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II and Blackett's War. He is the former foreign editor and deputy editor of US News & World Report, and former Washington editor of the scientific journal Nature, and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal's book review pages. You will not want to miss this program that draws on an array of recently declassified documents to explore the NSA's long SIGINT struggle against the Soviets and to trace the historical forces behind the intelligence controversies making headlines today.
Where: CACI, Inc. located at 2720 Technology Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701, Tel 301-575-3200. Directions and Map here. Click "directions" to get driving guidance.
RSVP NOW: register online here or mail registration fee of $20 (members) or $50 (guests, includes one-year membership) to NCMF, PO Box 1682, Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-9998. Please register prior to 23 March to ensure space available.

MousepadUpdated Seals and Made in USA
AFIO's Updated 2017 Intelligence Community Mousepads just arrived. Click image for larger view.

These new mousepads' updated IC seals, crisp printing, dark navy background, Made in USA'have full color seals of all 18 members of the US Intelligence Community. 8" round, slick surface, nonskid, rubber-backed pad. Used by some as a large waterproof coaster or placemat. Still only $20.00 for 2 pads [includes shipping to US address. Foreign shipments - we will contact you with quote.]

Great gift for colleagues and self. Stock up for upcoming birthdays, retirements, anniversaries.
Order here.

      

Friday, 24 February 2017 - Tysons Corner, VA
AFIO's Luncheon has few spaces left.
A few seats remain. Register Now.

Unusual tradecraft and devices used in covert operations
will be part of the presentation by agency experts
who just published
Spy Sites of Washington, DC

and

Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives
of Islamic TerroristsTrying to Destroy America
The controversial topic that needed to be parsed by realistic counterterrorism experts as they faced an enemy ready to die before revealing terrorist schemes to harm innocent lives.

REGISTER.

Afternoon presentation include display and discussion of tradecraft devices used at the various spy sites featured in the Wallace/Melton/Schlesinger book.

Afternoon Speakers...

Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton, authors of what will be the just-released Spy Sites of Washington, DC: A Guide to the Capital Region's Secret History. A mesmerizing tour of traitors and tradecraft revealing the wheres and whys of Washington's second-oldest profession. Robert Wallace is the former director of CIA's Office of Technical Service. He and Melton have co-authored four books. Keith Melton is an intelligence historian and owns one of the largest collections of spy paraphernalia in the world.

Morning Speaker...

A controversial topic as America'and the intelligence community 'rushed to respond to Islamic Jihadist attacks that killed thousands of Americans. A threat that continues to this day.

Dr. James E. Mitchell was a civilian contractor who spent years training US military members to resist interrogation should they be captured. Aware of the urgent need to prevent impending catastrophic terrorist attacks, he worked with the CIA to implement "enhanced interrogation techniques"'which included waterboarding. Despite the media hysteria that followed, he tells us why EIT remains valuable. Mitchell's co-author, Bill Harlow, will be present but not a presenter.

"Emotions are high and accusations are being thrown about, but facts matter. Before anyone rushes to judgment, they should read this book and take in what happened through the eyes of a key player in the CIA's interrogation program." - General Michael Hayden, USAF, Ret., Former CIA Director

"The authentic account of head-to-head hardball with fanatical Islamic killers by a professional who not only won big for America, but did it while fending off powerful critics. The lessons learned needed to be told - and well-told they are. The war on us by radical Islamists is far from over - read and learn!"
- Hon. Porter J. Goss, Former Chairman of House Intelligence Committee and CIA Director

Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel Mezzanine, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, Tysons Corner, VA 22102. Hotel: 703 893-2100. Driving directions here or use this link: http://tinyurl.com/boey9vf  For security reason, reservations on day of event are not allowed.

The hotel is located within easy walking distance from two Silver Line Metro Stops - Greensboro or Tysons Corner - for attendees who prefer to use public transportation.
http://silverlinemetro.com/tysons-corner/
http://silverlinemetro.com/greensboro/

REGISTER NOW.

Special university student-only (under 28) registrations here.

Book of the Week:

National Security Intelligence
by Loch Johnson
(Polity Press, May 2017)

Preorder here.

"...a wonderful asset for those professors aiming to introduce students to the complexities, the dangers, and the importance of the U.S. intelligence establishment. The painful truth is that most Americans know very little about our government's intelligence agencies beyond what they have learned from movies, television shows, and lurid headlines. This book can work wonders in educating students (and indeed, ordinary citizens) seeking to understand intelligence. It is well-written, and manages to combine brevity with depth and nuance.–David Barrett, Villanova University

In this second edition of his definitive introduction to the field, leading intelligence expert Loch K. Johnson guides readers skilfully through this shadowy side of government. Drawing on over forty years of experience studying intelligence agencies and their activities, he explains the three primary missions of intelligence: information collection and analysis, counterintelligence, and covert action, before moving on to explore the wider dilemmas posed by the existence of secret government organizations in open, democratic societies. Recent developments including the controversial leaks by the American intelligence official Edward J. Snowden, the U.S. Senate's Torture Report, and the ongoing debate over the use of drones are explored alongside difficult questions such as why intelligence agencies inevitably make mistakes in assessing world events; why some intelligence officers choose to engage in treason against their own country on behalf of foreign regimes; and how spy agencies can succumb to scandals -including highly intrusive surveillance against the very citizens they are meant to protect. Comprehensively revised and updated throughout, National Security Intelligence is tailor-made to meet the interests of students and general readers who care about how nations shield themselves against threats through the establishment of intelligence organizations, and how they strive for safeguards to prevent the misuse of this secret power.

The book may be preordered here.

- - -

Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster
by Peter Brimelow
(Random House, 1995; Kindle 2016)

Alien Nation"A highly cogent presentation of what is going to be the benchmark case against immigration....Too persuasively made to be ignored."–New York Times

"Important...Many of the facts in this book will be surprising even to well-informed readers."–
Nathan Glazer, Harvard University

Forbes senior editor Brimelow's alarmist, slashing anti-immigration manifesto is likely to stir debate. He maintains that the 1965 Immigration Act and its recent amplifications choked off immigration from northern and western Europe while selectively reopening US borders to a huge influx of minorities from Third World countries. Many of these latter entrants are unskilled and require welfare, and those who do work adversely affect opportunities for poorer Americans, especially blacks. Because of multicultural programs, he charges, the new immigrants are not expected to assimilate, and thus they retain their separateness. Illegal immigration–two to three million entries a year in 1995 [much more now]– plus one million legal immigrants annually are causing, by his reckoning, an "ethnic revolution," because Hispanics, Middle Easterners and others shift America's balance away from the white majority, creating a strife-torn, multiracial society. Brimelow calls for an end to all illegal immigration, a drastic cutback in legal immigration, policies favoring (as Canada firmly does) skilled immigrants and elimination of all payments and free public education for illegals and their children.

The Kindle version of his book may be ordered here

Have you purchased your copy of AFIO's 800-page Guide to the Study of Intelligence? If not, here's where you can learn more and make that happen: Use this online form or order from Amazon at this link.

 

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

White House Plans to Have Trump Ally Review Intelligence Agencies.  President Trump plans to assign a New York billionaire to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies, according to administration officials, an effort that members of the intelligence community fear could curtail their independence and reduce the flow of information that contradicts the president's worldview.

The possible role for Stephen A. Feinberg, a co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, has met fierce resistance among intelligence officials already on edge because of the criticism the intelligence community has received from Mr. Trump during the campaign and since he became president. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump blamed leaks from the intelligence community for the departure of Michael T. Flynn, his national security adviser, whose resignation he requested.

There has been no announcement of Mr. Feinberg's job, which would be based in the White House, but he recently told his company's shareholders that he is in discussions to join the Trump administration. He is a member of Mr. Trump's economic advisory council.

Mr. Feinberg, who has close ties to Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump's chief strategist, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, declined to comment on his possible position. The White House, which is still working out the details of the intelligence review, also would not comment.  [Read More:  Risen/Rosenberg/nytimes/15February2017]

National Ground Intelligence Center Welcomes New Commander.   The National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) on Rivanna Station welcomed its incoming commander and paid tribute to the departing commander at a change of command ceremony at 10 a.m. Feb. 16, 2017 in the Nicholson Auditorium, at the Center.

Col. Dana Rucinski assumed the title of commander from the outgoing commander, Col. Ketti C. Davison, who served the center since 2015.

The host of the program was Maj. Gen. Christopher S. Ballard, Commanding General, US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), Fort Belvoir, Va. During his remarks Ballard said that commanders are expected to leverage every ounce of individual talent, encourage every spark of collective initiative, and to create a unity of purpose within the unit that accomplishes every given mission.

"The art of leadership demands a commander use many tools and methods to accomplish that mission - to motivate, cajole, discipline, encourage, and inspire," Ballard said. "They are taught to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to them; to hoard all blame to themselves and share all accolades with the entire formation."  [Read More:  nbc29/16February2017]

Pentagon Cyber Spies Seek Better Tools to Sort Intelligence Data.  Pentagon spies trying to get ahead of mounting cyberthreats from North Korea to Russia are seeking new technologies to help winnow down the flood of data they receive, according to a senior Defense Department intelligence official.

With an exponential increase in data flows, there's been a significant shift in the type of intelligence top Pentagon officials demand, said Ron Carback, defense intelligence officer for cyber at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Three years ago, officials would have asked for "every indicator or compromise and every report that comes out" about cyberthreats, said Carback.

But now "they don't want to see a hundred pages of reports in the morning," Carback, who has spent more than two decades at intelligence agencies including the National Security Agency, said in an interview in San Francisco. "They want to see one or two that say, 'Oh, this is why they're coming after me, these are things we have to consider the risk on."'

The requirement for DIA analysts to quickly synthesize intelligence becomes even more challenging with a dearth of people who have cyber expertise. Carback said that's where his "matchmaking" comes in. At the RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco this week, Carback was scoping out emerging technology and telling companies about his agency's needs. Big data analysis and automation tools "would help our analysts move up into more of the critical thinking," he said.  [Read More:  Bloomberg/readingeagle/17February2017]

Police to Investigate North Korean Restaurant on Spy Activity.  The National Police will investigate a North Korean restaurant in Central Jakarta that is allegedly being used by the country to run its spy activity, a police spokesperson has said.

Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Sunday that he would coordinate with the Foreign Ministry on the report that was previously published by Singaporean news agency AsiaOne. Argo said the police would look into the restaurant's license before making any moves.

"We need to know first what their business is and who the owner is. There are different regulations for businesses owned by Indonesians and those owned by foreigner," he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Asiaone reported previously that the North Korean Intelligence Agency (RGB) had been operating in Indonesia for the last two decades. Quoting an anonymous source, the news portal said RGB was known to be operating textile factories in major Indonesian cities, including Jakarta.  [Read More:  thejakartapost/20February2017]

Retired Brigadier General to Discuss US Relations With China.  The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan's "Great Discussion" series  continues at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, with  a discussion on "South China Sea: Clash of Strategies."

The speaker will be John Adams, a retired US Army brigadier general, who will lay out a road map on how to deal with China as a growing world power.

Adams retired from the US Army in 2007, after more than 30 years of active duty. He was deployed outside the United States for more than 18 years, including in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Operation Guardian Assistance in Rwanda in 1996, throughout the Balkans from 1998 to 2003; and on temporary duty in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004.

He was stationed at the Pentagon, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on Sept. 11, 2001, and participated in disaster recovery operations at the terrorist crash site and coordinated international support for the diplomatic and military response.  [Read More:  Holst/mlive/17February2017]

Turkey's Intel Agency Held Meeting With CIA Chief Over FET': President Erdoğan.  Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MİT) has held a meeting with the CIA's new director, Mike Pompeo, about the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FET'), widely believed to be the orchestrators of the July 2016 failed coup attempt, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

When asked about the details of his phone call with US President Donald Trump, Erdoğan said that he specifically asked for their support regarding FET'.

"In our conversation, I asked for their support on the FET' issue. He told me that he would follow the issue closely and give the related units the necessary orders. He told me that he would send CIA Director Mike Pompeo to Turkey on his behalf regarding the issues that we conveyed to them," Erdoğan told journalists in a plane upon his return from official visits to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Turkey demands the extradition of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah G'len, the leader of FET', who is currently residing in Pennsylvania. Ankara has said they sent files regarding G'len to the US for his extradition on more than one occasion.  [Read More:  Munyar/hurriyetdailynews/18February2017]


Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Could Data Be a Challenge Reward?  Intelligence Agency Official Says It's Worth Exploring.  Using challenges or competitions to bring non-traditional companies into government's orbit is now a somewhat familiar tool for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, but its deputy director said Monday the agency is thinking about ways to keep things interesting.

"I could imagine a future where instead of running a competition where the prize is money, that we run a competition where the prize is data," said Sue Gordon at a breakfast Monday in Washington. "And think about what some of the people can do with an annotated data set, in terms of the machine learning and such. So I think it's a brilliant future."

The future is in public-private partnerships, and one of the NGA's greatest assets is its data, Gordon said. It could be "made available differently, in partnership," she said, noting that "we think very interesting things could happen."

To be sure, agencies have to reconcile the idea of using data as a prize with the reality that the data's existence is underwritten by taxpayer dollars. For that reason, many data sets are made freely available to all. When asked in an interview with FedScoop following the breakfast, Gordon acknowledged the issue. The goal is to do it in a "reasonable way," she said, possibly with the help of a public-private partnership.  [Read More:  Ehlinger/fedscoop/14February]

SPIES, SPIES EVERYWHERE, a Journey Through DC Espionage.  The two speakers at this Friday's AFIO National Luncheon were featured in this large Washington Post review (celebration) of their new book on Spy Sites of Washington, DC. Mystery and intrigue are running wild in the capital these days. Secret conversations with dangerous diplomats, explosive foreign dossiers on American leaders, handwringing over national security and leaky intelligence. If you dip into our new book Spy Sites of Washington, DC, you will find that sneaking, lying and skullduggery are as old as the republic itself. And our region is full of the traces: hotels and parks and saloons and embassies and government offices where the deceitful and disloyal got up to their antics. Here is a sampling of sites where our nation's espionage history has played out.  [Read More:  Wallace/Melton/washingtonpost/17February2017]

I-Team Investigates Maine's Secret Intelligence Agency.  The mission of an obscure intelligence agency in Maine is clear - to track terror and fight crime, but what's not so easy to grasp is how exactly Maine's Fusion Center works to keep you and your family safe.

The Fusion Center is an elaborate intelligence hub - gathering and sharing information. It's one of 78 spread out across the United States.

They were set-up after 9/11 to help fuse intelligence from multiple agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. There are nine agencies all working together in Maine in one place.

But the country's Fusion Centers also feel the tension between protecting personal privacy and pursuing public safety.  [Read More:  Chrisos/wgme/16February2017]

Potomac Officers Club Rounds Out Speakers List for the 4th Annual Intel Summit.  The Potomac Officers Club - a division of Executive Mosaic - rounds out the list of speakers for their 4th Annual Intel Summit.

The landscape of the Intelligence Community (IC) is changing in response to the emergence of innovative technologies. Both current and future Intelligence programs will have to adapt to the ever-advancing technological world in order to remain at peak performance. The speakers will discuss the impact innovative technologies have had on the IC, the steps the IC has taken to remain up to speed with the rapid advancement of technology and will provide insight into the IC's future programs and priorities. Features NGA Director Cardillo, former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell.

Join the NGA, CIA, IARPA, DIA, NSA, AT&T Global Business - Public Sector Solutions, and the Intelligence Community as they discuss current programs and priorities for intelligence agencies as well as initiatives on the horizon.

The Summit will be held on Wednesday, March 1st from 7:00 AM - 12:30 PM at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA 22102.  [Read More:  Hoffman/govconwire/16February2017]

On Her Majesty's Cybersecurity Service:  UK's National Cyber Security Centre.  In the 1969 film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond battles the evil group SPECTRE from unleashing a deadly virus. Fast forward few decades, and many of Bond villains have become hackers, and their weapons of choice are digital, not biological, nuclear or solar.

In real life, hackers are becoming serious threats. In 2016, UK's major telecommunications company TalkTalk Telecom Group Plc was hacked by a group of teenagers. In January, Lloyds Banking Group Plc was hit by a cyberattack that disrupted online services. Cybersecurity professionals previously told Bloomberg BNA that Brexit may significantly increase UK companies' exposure to cybercrime and companies must keep their focus on maintaining their cybersecurity defense strategies. The UK government has noticed the problem, and is addressing them.

On Feb. 14, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which was set up to protect "critical services" from cyberattacks, manage cybersecurity incidents and improve the underlying security of UK's internet. It seeks to "help make the UK the safest place to live and do business online," according to the NCSC's website.

The NCSC may have been officially launched by the Queen in 2017, but it has been operational since October 2016. The NCSC isn't the only way that the UK government is improving its cybersecurity capabilities. The UK's intelligence agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said it will build tool to act as a national firewall to block malicious websites and e-mails. The tools is being developed by the NCSC, which will bring cybersecurity professionals from MI5, UK's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency.  [Read More:  Koo/bna/14February2017]

Russian Spies Off the Coast Are Nothing New for an Old Sub Hand.  One old US submarine hand said Wednesday that the appearance of a Russian spy ship off New England is pretty thin stuff compared to white-knuckle encounters between the countries' navies over intelligence gathering during the Cold War.

For the two years he commanded submarine squadron 15 in Guam during the mid-1970s, retired Vice Adm. N. Ronald Thunman said a Soviet spy ship designed like a trawler and known to the Americans as an AGI parked itself just outside the US territorial limit, poised to train its bristle of antennae at anything entering or leaving the American base.

"They wanted to watch our missile tests," said Thunman, 85, a former deputy chief of naval operations for submarine warfare. "That didn't bother me too much because I figured they'd find out that we had a system that worked, unlike theirs."

"On one occasion, one of our fleet ballistic missile submarines was out there training and one of its torpedoes got away, outside the limit and into international waters," he said. "The AGI grabbed it and took off in the direction of Moscow."  [Read More:  Mahony/courant/15February2017]

Star of Postwar German Cinema Was Soviet Spy, Declassified Files Show.  One of Germany's best-loved postwar actors has been exposed as a Soviet agent following the declassification of top secret intelligence documents.

Marika R'kk, who was banned from acting for two years for her apparent closeness to the Nazi regime, had in fact been working from the 1940s onwards for a reconnaissance network passing Third Reich secrets to Moscow.

R'kk was born in Cairo in 1913 to Hungarian parents and spent her childhood in Budapest. Her career began during the Nazi era as an operetta star, and she went on to perform in almost 40 films before her death at age 90 in 2004.

It is believed she was recruited as a KGB agent by her manager, Heinz Hoffmeister, who was already working for Soviet intelligence. What R'kk's role was, and specifically what information she might have passed on to Moscow, remains unclear.  [Read More:  Connolly/theguardian/20February2017]

Who Called the Shots in Hanoi?  As any account of combat in the Vietnam War will tell you, America fought an "elusive enemy": guerrillas who would strike and then disappear; battalion commanders who refused to engage in open battles. But there's more to the clich' than most people realize. Even by 1967, America's military, intelligence and civilian leaders had no real idea who was actually calling the shots in Hanoi.

To some extent, this is what the North wanted - the impression that decisions were made collectively, albeit under the gentle guiding hand of President Ho Chi Minh. But the American confusion also, inadvertently, reflected the messy, factionalized reality of North Vietnamese politics, one that historians are only now coming to grasp. Thanks to the slow if capricious process of historical declassification, the publications of renegade memoirs and histories, the dissemination of "open letters" by disgruntled former leaders, and the careful and painstaking research and analysis by Vietnam specialists, we now have a better understanding of who was on top in Hanoi and what battles he waged to get there.

During the war, American intelligence experts cycled through a long list of suspects. At one point or another, intelligence reports and analyses at the time named all 11 members of the top Communist leadership, the Political Bureau or Politburo (Bo Chinh Tri), as the true leader of the Vietnamese Workers' Party.

The obvious choice, and the one portrayed as the North's leader in the press, was Ho Chi Minh, a grandfatherly figure whose global travels and illustrious anticolonial career made him a world-renowned figure. Another popular candidate was Vo Nguyen Giap, the general credited with foiling superior French forces in spectacular fashion at Dien Bien Phu. Even Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, who represented the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Geneva talks in 1954, was put forward as the real mastermind behind Hanoi's war.  [Read More:  Nguyen/nytimes/14February]


Section III - COMMENTARY

Congress: Act on Russian Hostility.  HOW will we know if there is a threat of attack? Who will we trust to tell us the truth?

Today, I believe our nation's leaders are unwilling to examine intelligence analysis that describes threats to our security. Through their inaction, our leaders are failing to perform their duty to protect the nation against foreign and domestic threats.

The work of an intelligence analyst is a lot like being Sherlock Holmes. Analysts are voracious readers and researchers. They collect pieces of information but cannot know whether, how or when the data will begin to tell a story. Every day, the analyst reads reports from many different sources. Some analysts are country experts. Some analyze military-force structures. Some track terrorist groups or regime change.
 
Intelligence analysts live with the inherent uncertainty of not knowing how they will solve the mystery. No one is telling them the answer. Their managers must trust them to follow the clues and figure out if those clues are reliable and accurate.  [Read More:  Tarleton/seattletimes/16February2017]

The Flynn Affair.  Michael Flynn's resignation as President Donald Trump's first national security adviser won't end the controversy surrounding the new administration's purported ties to Russia. Depending on which sources you consult, Flynn was either one of Vladimir Putin's stooges or a martyr to the "swamp" - the permanent bureaucracy in Washington. The truth is undoubtedly more complicated. And it's crucial that we get closer to it.

Flynn had a target painted on his back long before he ever joined Trump's White House. As head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon's main intelligence shop, he often clashed with colleagues and the rest of the sprawling intelligence bureaucracy. He was forced to resign from this post in 2014. But Flynn wasn't an incompetent intelligence officer, as some detractors have claimed. He often got the big issues right.

In 2010, when he was deputy chief of intelligence for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Flynn coauthored a scathing report that concluded "the US intelligence community is only marginally relevant to the overall strategy" in that war-torn country. That was correct - it is obvious from many independent sources that the quality of intelligence on Afghanistan has been abysmal.

In 2012, by then heading the DIA, Flynn argued against the intelligence community's consensus that al Qaeda was all but dead. He helped block a draft National Intelligence Estimate that claimed al Qaeda no longer posed a threat to the US homeland. He was correct on that count as well. Al Qaeda wasn't nearly the spent force the Obama administration claimed. Al Qaeda's network has, in fact, substantially grown. The US military bombed al Qaeda terrorists, citing their threat to the West, right up until President Obama's last hours in office and has continued to do so in the weeks since.  [Read More:  Hayes/Joscelyn/weeklystandard/20February2017]

The Cold War Returns To the High Seas.  The Russian Navy surveillance vessel SSV-175 Viktor Leonov is reportedly cruising international waters off the East Coast of the United States.

Ho, hum.

Viktor Leonov first appeared off Delaware and, at this writing, is loitering south of the US submarine base at Groton, Connecticut. The ship is undoubtedly vacuuming up electronic signals emanating from the base, monitoring the US Navy's comings and goings and gleaning anything it can about the construction of new US submarines.

Beyond the immediate benefits of gathering intelligence, President Vladimir Putin's government is sending a specific message by dispatching Viktor Leonov to the western Atlantic Ocean. Just as the US Navy commonly deploys warships to seas that wash against Russian shores, in particular the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, the Russian Navy can reciprocate by mounting a presence of its own in US home waters.  [Read More:  Holmes/cnn/15February2017]


Section IV - Obituaries, Research Request

Obituaries

Alfred Francis Robinson.  Alfred F. (Al) Robinson passed away of congestive heart failure on October 9, 2016. He was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, where he spent a significant portion of his early boyhood living with his grandparents when not with the rest of his family at various US naval bases around the country. He met his wife-to-be, Janet Lanier, while attending Osborn High School in Manassas, Virginia, where they both graduated in 1961. He also earned a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Al spent a distinguished 39-year career at CIA, during which he traveled to over 80 countries and served longer tours in Vietnam, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Thailand, India and Singapore. He retired in 1999. Less than a year after "retiring", Al decided he had spent enough time on projects at home, so he joined the Compass Rose Benefits Group, an insurance company serving the US Government, where he spent a second career for 16 years until his death.  [Read More:  dignitymemorial/9October2016]


Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

24 February 2017 - Tysons Corner, VA - AFIO National Kick-off Luncheon for 2017 - Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying To Destroy America, and Spy Sites of Washington

AFIO National's first luncheon of 2017 features Dr. James E. Mitchell discussing Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying To Destroy America. Mitchell was a civilian contractor who spent years training US military members to resist interrogation should they be captured. Aware of the urgent need to prevent impending catastrophic terrorist attacks, he worked with the CIA to implement "enhanced interrogation techniques"'which included waterboarding. Despite the media hysteria that followed, he tells us why EIT remains valuable. Mitchell's co-author, Bill Harlow, will be present but not a presenter.

"Emotions are high and accusations are being thrown about, but facts matter. Before anyone rushes to judgment, they should read this book and take in what happened through the eyes of a key player in the CIA's interrogation program." - General Michael Hayden, USAF, Ret., Former CIA Director

"The authentic account of head-to-head hardball with fanatical Islamic killers by a professional who not only won big for America, but did it while fending off powerful critics. The lessons learned needed to be told - and well-told they are. The war on us by radical Islamists is far from over - read and learn!"
- Hon. Porter J. Goss, Former Chairman of House Intelligence Committee and CIA Director

In the afternoon, we hear from Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton, authors of what will be the just-released Spy Sites of Washington, DC: A Guide to the Capital Region's Secret History. A mesmerizing tour of traitors and tradecraft revealing the wheres and whys of Washington's second-oldest profession. Robert Wallace is the former director of CIA's Office of Technical Service. He and Melton have co-authored four books. Keith Melton is an intelligence historian and owns one of the largest collections of spy paraphernalia in the world.

Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel Mezzanine, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, Tysons Corner, VA 22102. Hotel: 703 893-2100. Driving directions here or use this link: http://tinyurl.com/boey9vf  For security reason, reservations on day of event are not allowed. A few seats remain. REGISTER NOW.

Thursday, 9 March 2017, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm - Scottsdale, AZ - The AFIO Arizona Chapter hosts SAC Thomas G. Atteberry, ATF, on "Reestablishing stability in the Phoenix Field Division, following the 'Fast and Furious' Investigation."

Thomas G. Atteberry, Special Agent in Charge, Phoenix Field Division, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), will discuss "Reestablishing stability in the Phoenix Field Division, following "Fast and Furious Investigation."
Location: Best Western Thunderbird Suites, 7515 E Butherus Avenue, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. Fee: $18 pp.
RSVP to simone@afioaz.org or simone@4smartphone.net or call and leave a message on 602.570.6016. If you are bringing a guest please also send the full name of that person.
Reminder: The chapter needs your RSVP no later than 72 hours ahead of time. WE ARE charged for the no-show. BADGES: if you do not have a badge supplied by the chapter from prior events, email simone@afioaz.org with the information you would like on your badge (Full Name and Past Career Title/Affiliated Organization ~ should you wish). The cost for a badge with a magnetic strip is $5.

Thursday, 16 March 2017, 11:30 am - Colorado Springs, CO - AFIO's Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts Capt Steve Maffeo USNR(Ret) on "U.S. Navy Codebreakers, Linguists, and Intelligence Officers against Japan."

Captain Steve Maffeo USNR(Ret) speaks on "U.S. Navy Codebreakers, Linguists, and Intelligence Officers against Japan: 1910-1941" which is based on 59 short biographies of people who were key to the sea services' preparation for fighting the Japanese Empire when World War II broke out, and whose advance work proved crucial. These intelligence pioneers invented techniques, procedures, and equipment from scratch, not only allowing the U.S. to hold its own in the Pacific despite the loss of much of its fleet at Pearl Harbor, but also laying the foundation for today's intelligence methods and agencies.
Our speaker, Captain Steve Maffeo USNR Ret., recently retired as the associate director from the USAFA Library. He served in the Colorado Army National Guard (Signal Corps), and in U.S. naval intelligence, from 1978 until 2008. He commanded three naval reserve/joint service intelligence units. His last navy assignment was teaching the history of intelligence at the NDIC. He has published four books dealing with naval history and the history of intelligence. RSVP or for more information, contact Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net.

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - Los Angeles, CA - AFIO LA Chapter hosts Phil Pressel on "The Hexagon KH-9 Spy Satellite Program."

AFIO LA hosts guest speaker Phil Pressel will be speaking on the subject of the Hexagon KH-9 spy satellite program. Phil worked for 30 years for the Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Connecticut and was responsible for the design of the Hexagon's stereo cameras. It was the last film based spy satellite. The Hexagon satellite was acknowledged to have been an invaluable asset providing intelligence information for security agencies and the military. It was responsible for President Nixon signing the SALT treaty and allowed President Reagan to say, "trust but verify" what the Russians were doing. The program was declassified by the NRO in 2011.
To RSVP and for exact time and location, email Vince at AFIO_LA@yahoo.com.

5 April 2017 (Wednesday), 11:30 am - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO San Francisco Chapter hosts Brigadier General Roderick Macdonald on "The Falklands Conflict 35 Years On."

Brig Gen Roderick "Rod" Macdonald discusses the "The Falklands Conflict 35 years On." at this April meeting of the AFIO "Andre LeGallo" San Francisco Chapter. The Falklands War from 2April to 14 June 1982 was the largest air sea battle since World War II. British forces launched the longest amphibious operation in history, sailing 8,000 miles to retake the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, invaded and occupied illegally by over 10,000 Argentine soldiers and Marines. Retired British Army Brigadier General Roderick Macdonald will give a personal overview of the campaign.
WHERE: Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080. 11:30AM no host cocktail; meeting and luncheon at noon.
RSVP: Eventbrite registration link will be posted shortly. Reservation and pre-payment is required before 26 March 2017. The venue cannot accommodate walk-ins. Contact Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary at afiosf@aol.com or Mariko Kawaguchi, c/o AFIO, PO Box 117578, Burlingame, CA 94011 with your questions.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday 22 February 2017, 7:30 - 8:45 PM - McLean, VA - "How the Internet Developed the Global Jihadi Movement" - Yigal Carmon at the Westminster Institute

"How the Internet Developed the Global Jihadi Movement" is the topic of Yigal Carmon's presentation at this Westminster Institute's free evening presentation.
Yigal Carmon is President and founder of MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute. He combines four different areas of expertise - intelligence, counter-terrorism, diplomacy, and research. Carmon is a colonel (ret) in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) intelligence corps. He was counter-terrorism advisor to two Israeli prime ministers heading governments from both Likud and Labor, overseeing the national deployment against terrorism. He participated in the 1991-1992 peace talks in Madrid and Washington as deputy head of the Israeli delegation negotiating with Syria. Founded in 1998, MEMRI bridges the language gap between the West and the Middle East and South Asia, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashtu, Dari, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends. "As an institute of research," said Carmon, "we want MEMRI to present translations to people who wish to be informed on the ideas circulating in the Middle East. We aim to reflect reality." MEMRI research is particularly sought out by intelligence agencies in Europe and North America. Carmon is frequently relied upon by leading media sources and government officials as an authority on current developments in the Arab and Muslim world. He has briefed governments worldwide on issues ranging from jihad and terrorism to reform in the Arab world. In the United States, Carmon has given testimony on Capitol Hill and conducted briefings before Congress as well as at the State Department, Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, Library of Congress, FBI, National Security Council, and NYPD counterterrorism division, and is frequently interviewed on a variety of Western channels, as well as on Arab TV.
WHERE: Westminster Institute, 6729 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101
REGISTER here.

22-25 February 2017 - Baltimore, MD - The International Studies Association (ISA) 58th Annual Convention: "Understanding Change in World Politics."

The International Studies Association (ISA) 58th Annual Convention: "Understanding Change in World Politics"is a major annual academic conference which has a section of special interest to professors and students studying intelligence: the Intelligence Studies Section (ISS) which hosts many panels and presentations at the conference. Headquarters Hotel: Hilton Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
A tentative list of the ISS panels at this ISA may be viewed here.

ISA has a new online program (requires login) that lets ISA members or event registrants to search by person, title, sponsor, and keywords. You can use this to build a personalized schedule that you can download as a PDF to have handy when you're at the convention.

For much more information visit this link.

24 February 2017, 5:30 to 7 p.m. - Washington, DC - The Changing Role of Intelligence in a Changing World - Gene Poteat presentation at The Institute of World Politics

American intelligence services, constrained by law and with oversight from the executive and both branches of Congress, are thus liable for their actions, but are not immune from politics. Rather than going along with our changing culture and politics, the problems facing our intelligence are avoided by strict vigilance and adherence to the highest professional judgements and ethics - without political considerations. This event is the fourth Brian Kelley Memorial Lecture and is sponsored by the IWP Alumni Association. About the speaker S. Eugene (Gene) Poteat is a retired senior CIA Scientific Intelligence Officer, and has served as President of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). He was educated as an electrical engineer and physicist. He holds a Masters in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from IWP. His career in intelligence included work with U-2 and SR-71 class of aircraft and various space and naval reconnaissance systems. He also managed the CIA's worldwide network of monitoring sites. He holds patents on covert communications techniques. His CIA assignments included the Directorate of Science and Technology, the National Reconnaissance Office, Technical Director of the Navy's Special Programs Office and Executive Director of the Intelligence Research and Development Council. He served abroad in London, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Asia. He received the CIA's Medal of Merit and the National Reconnaissance Office's Meritorious Civilian Award for his technological innovations.
Location: The Institute of World Politics 1521 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
REGISTER HERE.

Monday, 6 March 2017, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - Brian Regan: The Spy Who Couldn't Spell at the International Spy Museum

Before Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, the largest theft of government secrets was committed by an awkward, unassuming American Intelligence agent: Brian Patrick Regan. Join award-winning writer Yudhijit Bhattacharjee as he takes a probing look at how a learning disability, a lifetime of ridicule, and a serious cash shortage shaped Brian Regan's decision to betray his country. Bhattacharjee's research for his new book The Spy Who Couldn't Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI's Hunt for America's Stolen Secrets reveals how Regan engineered a meticulous strategy to download, copy, and bury thousands of pages of classified documents from the National Reconnaissance Office that he planned to sell; how he deployed a brilliant multi-layered encryption system to mask his communication with foreign governments; and the old-fashioned detective work that finally led to Regan's capture.

Tickets: $10. Register at www.spymuseum.org

Wednesday, 8 March 2017, noon - Washington, DC - The Spies of Palestine: Love, Betrayal, and the Heroic Life of Sarah Aaronsohn

Sarah Aaronsohn was born as part of the first wave of Jewish immigrants who fled the pogroms of Russia and Eastern Europe in the 1880s, settling in the province of Syria-Palestine. By the outbreak of WWI, her family was one of the area's most prominent. Join author James Srodes as he discusses his newest book which describes how the Aaronsohns came to side with the Allied forces and form the NILI espionage organization to spy against the Turkish Army. Late in the war, Sarah assumed command of the spy network as their penetration of the Turkish Army reached a critical juncture. The intelligence gathered by NILI was crucial for the British in liberating Palestine, the first dramatic Allied victory; and Sarah's tragic end would prove important in holding the Allied victors to their promises of a new Jewish state.
Free. No registration required.

Thursday, March 16, 1-4pm - Washington, DC - Meet A Spy: Sandy Grimes - at the International Spy Museum

The Spy Museum Store hosts "Meet A Spy" - uncover the world of espionage and intelligence from people who practiced professionally. Sandy Grimes is a highly-regarded, longtime veteran of the CIA's clandestine service who - along with her colleague Jeanne Vertefeuille - helped capture Aldrich Ames, the infamous CIA officer turned traitor. Event is free. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017, 10am - 1pm - Annapolis Junction, MD - Stephen Budiansky discusses A New Perspective on NSA's Covert Activities at this NCMF spring program

Please join National Cryptologic Museum Foundation friends and colleagues welcoming Stephen Budiansky acclaimed author, journalist, and historian of cryptology, speaking on "A New Perspective on NSA's Covert Activities."
A book signing of Mr. Budiansky's book Code Warriors: NSA's Codebreakers and the Secret Intelligence War Against the Soviet Union follows his presentation and lunch follows that at noon.
Mr. Budiansky will speak about his latest book (noted above) that draws on an array of recently declassified documents to explore the NSA's long SIGINT struggle against the Soviets, and traces the historical forces behind the intelligence controversies making headlines today. Mr. Budiansky is the author of numerous books of military and intelligence history, science and biography including Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II and Blackett's War. He is the former foreign editor and deputy editor of US News & World Report, and former Washington editor of the scientific journal Nature, and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal's book review pages. You will not want to miss this program that draws on an array of recently declassified documents to explore the NSA's long SIGINT struggle against the Soviets and to trace the historical forces behind the intelligence controversies making headlines today.
Where: CACI, Inc. located at 2720 Technology Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701, Tel 301-575-3200. Directions and Map here. Click "directions" to get driving guidance.
RSVP NOW: register online here or mail registration fee of $20 (members) or $50 (guests, includes one-year membership) to NCMF, PO Box 1682, Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-9998. Please register prior to 23 March to ensure space available.

Wednesday, March 29, 6:45pm-8:15pm - Washington, DC - Deep Undercover with Jack Barsky - at S. Dillon Ripley Center.

What happens when a Soviet spy decides his American life is the best fit? Join former KGB spy, Jack Barsky, and International Spy Museum Curator and Historian Dr. Vince Houghton, for a discussion of Barsky's double life as an American businessman who was really an East German spy for the Soviets in the 1980s. Barksy's new book Deep Undercover: My Secret Life & Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America will be available for sale and signing after the talk. This event is co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates and will be held at the Smithsonian Institution (S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW). Tickets for the general public: $30, tickets for Spy Museum Inner Circle Members: $20. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Thursday, March 30, 1-4pm - Washington, DC - Beware of the Predator: In-Store Book Signing with Warren D. Holston - at the International Spy Museum.

Meet at the Spy Museum bookstore and meet author/career CIA Technical Operations officer, Warren D. Holston, and Intel analyst/contributing author, Dave White. Holston worked throughout the IC, DOD, and defense industry for more than 30 years and was awarded the CIA's Intelligence Commendation Medal and the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. White worked for the USG in a broad range of roles and missions within the Intelligence and Defense Communities for almost 30 years, including serving as a Deputy Senior Operations Officer and Identity Intelligence Analyst at the NCTC and as a biometrics technology consultant in the IC. Their latest book, Beware The Predator, is an easy-to-read guide for anyone who wants to raise their security awareness and defensive posture. This book will help you understand how to protect yourself, your family and business from criminal predators, corporate intrusion, and State sponsored spying. Whether you are a corporate or government executive, a high-net-worth individual, or someone simply concerned about identity theft and personal safety, you should be aware of the vulnerabilities to your personal data and predatory attacks against your assets and relationships. Event is free. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Thursday, 30 March 2017, 6:30 p.m. - Washington, DC - The Mysterious Disappearance of Jim Thompson, "The Silk King of Thailand" - at the Textile Museum

When Jim Thompson vanished 50 years ago, he was the best-known American in Thailand. Rumors still swirl around his disappearance. Thompson had set up the Bangkok OSS office and later served as a CIA asset in Thailand, but it was his beautiful Thai silk that made him famous. He revitalized the industry, amassed a huge art collection, and built a magnificent house from traditional Thai homes to showcase his precious objects. So what could have happened in March of 1967, when he went for a short walk in the high jungles of Malaysia? Why were the CIA, DOS, US Army, and FBI involved in the massive search? Join Dr. Llewellyn Toulmin, the co-founder of Missing Aircraft Search Team, as he analyzes the case from a scientific search and rescue point of view, discusses Thompson's CIA connections, and suggests a solution to this 50-year-old famous mystery.

Tickets: $10. Contact Shana Oltmans at soltmans@spymuseum.org for tickets.

30 March - 1 April 2017 - Washington, DC - Joint Conference on "Creating and Challenging the Transatlantic Intelligence Community"

The Woodrow Wilson Center, the German Historical Institute, and the Intenational Intelligence History Association are delighted to invite you to the jointly organized conference on "Creating and Challenging the Transatlantic Intelligence Community".

Please register for the conference by email to the IIHA Executive Director at exec_director@intelligence-history.org before 23 March 2017.
The conference fee is 150 EUR / 165 US-Dollar, 110 EUR / 120 US-Dollar for IIHA members and 75 EUR / 80 US-Dollar for students.
This includes dinners on Thursday and Friday as well as coffee breaks during the conference and a snack lunch on Saturday.
Full list of Speakers and Tentative Schedule here.

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