Association of Former Intelligence Officers

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Welcome

AFIO BulletThe Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) presents this website to serve our members and visitors as a portal to our activities and to provide word of upcoming educational events by other select intelligence groups.



MEMBERS...

All of us, these days, receive barrages of fund-raising emails and letters. The annoyance factor is one reason AFIO rarely asks members for contributions and runs a lean outfit. Just as we avoid sending more than a single email per week. And only if you opted-in to receive it.
On this occasion of "Giving Tuesday" and as the end-of-year approaches, we make an exception to ask if you will consider making a contribution (U.S. tax-deductible) in the next two weeks, to help us continue our important outreach and educational missions in 2024.

AFIO provides members with special events, meeting opportunities, one-on-one career guidance, publications, and notices few find elsewhere — an effort that requires support far beyond dues. For those reasons we invite you to donate today, Giving Tuesday — a holiday that celebrates generosity and kindness by giving to nonprofit organizations — or before the close of 2023.
You are the ones making the real difference! And our work is made possible through the support of our members, subscribers, and donors — you. Clicking on either image above will take you to our donation page. AFIO appreciates your interest and any support you're able to provide!


Released exclusively to members 5 December 2023...

Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer


Recorded 14 November 2023

Jimmy Burns,
author A Faithful Spy: The Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer. Biography of Walter Bell

Interview of Tuesday, 14 November 2023. Jimmy Burns, Prize-Winning Author and Journalist, and AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer and Former NSA Associate Deputy Director of Operations, discuss Jimmy Burns's latest book "A Faithful Spy: The Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer" on the exceptional intelligence career of Walter Bell.
The interview runs 45 minutes and includes several Q&As.
A Faithful Spy: The Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer is available here.
More about Jimmy Burns here.

Access the Jimmy Burns interview here or click above image.


This and other AFIO Now videos (see below) in 2023 are sponsored by Northwest Financial Advisors.


Upcoming AFIO and Intelligence Community Events
Many informative, fascinating programs are occurring in the Washington Metro Area and across the country. Find out which ones to add to your calendar to stay connected and to stay current.

Corporate
Learn how your company can make a difference with AFIO corporate memberships and marketing opportunities. Reach more than 4,800 intelligence professionals.

National Members
Join or renew your existing membership and enjoy member benefits, such as special publications, invitations to events, unique banking & investment services, scholarships, and career assistance.

Publications
As a member or subscriber you receive the popular Weekly Intelligence Notes [WINs] and the print-only academic journal: Intelligencer - Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies for the intelligence community by intelligence professionals. AFIO also produces Intelligence As A Career - a printed and online guide to organizing your life and education to qualify for work in the intelligence community, and a Guide to the Study of Intelligence to assist college instructors, secondary school teachers of history, civics, and current events, and students, on the best readings on a wide variety of current intelligence topics.

About Us
Learn about us - our many events, publications, programs, and legislative alerts. Support AFIO with purchases and donations or meet our members at events throughout the US. Make your views known.

Chapters
Local chapters have appeal to many members, so after you have joined AFIO National, consider adding a local chapter membership to your mix.

Upcoming AFIO Events ... Full listings found here
Icon Calendar

Online version of the Guide
AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence
Are You Using It?

Full no-cost, online version of Guide here.

Perfect for professors, students, those considering careers in intelligence, and current/former officers seeking to see what changes are taking place across a wide spectrum of intelligence disciplines.

AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence helps instructors teach about the large variety of subjects that make up the field of intelligence. This includes secondary school teachers of American History, Civics, or current events and undergraduate and graduate professors of History, Political Science, International Relations, Security Studies, and related topics, especially those with no or limited professional experience in the field. Even those who are former practitioners are likely to have only a limited knowledge of the very broad field of intelligence, as most spend their careers in one or two agencies at most and may have focused only on collection or analysis of intelligence or support to those activities.

We regret that the printed, bound edition has sold out. No copies remain for sale.

AVAILABLE ONLINE-ONLY: As an educational service to professors and students, AFIO provides the full 788-page Guide online here for free. This was made possible through the generosity of our foundation, corporate, and institutional members, coupled with the donations we received from our many individual members. We thank all of them.


ARTICLES SOUGHT

AFIO is seeking authors for its section on "When Intelligence Made a Difference" in the semi-annual Intelligencer journal. Topics of interest for which we are seeking authors include:
• The Richard Sorge espionage ring in Tokyo in World War II and the impact of his intelligence on Stalin and the battle for Moscow.
• How Rommel’s Afrika Korps used SIGINT against the British in World War II.
• How A.Q. Khan’s nuclear proliferation efforts were uncovered and stopped.
• The breaking of the Nazi U-boat SHARK encryption system.
• How US intelligence found Usama Bin Laden in Abbottobad, Pakistan.
• How allied SIGINT isolated the Afrika Korps from its logistics chain.
• How US intelligence discovered the Soviet’s high speed Shkval torpedo.
• Intelligence and the rescue of Scott O’Grady.
• Other topics are also welcome.

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




Special Walking Tours Announcements
from SpyGuide Tours Inc.

Weekend Tours in Washington DC
Georgetown Spy Tour
Embassy Row Spy Tour

Daily Tours in New York City
The Spies of Wall Street

New 2024 Dates
18 January 2024: Vintage Espionage, a wine tasting event with an espionage twist at neighborhood favorite, The Italian Oven in McLean, VA

2 March 2024: The January 6th Experience.  See and hear what people saw on January 6th on this one-of-a-kind contemporary history tour

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

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

Brochure here.



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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 and efforts of AFIO board, volunteer editors/writers, donors, and members. We thank all for their support which makes this publication available.

Careers Booklet (new 2023 Fifth Edition) can be read or downloaded here

AFIO STORE GIFT ITEMS

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.

Still available - Black short-sleeved polo shirts with embroidered AFIO logo. Men's only.

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. Order this and other store items online here.

Also available are our popular Intelligence Community Mousepad AFIO Mousepad

Full color seals of all 18 members of the U.S. Intelligence Community on this 8" round, slick surface, nonskid, rubber-backed mouse pad. Price still only $20.00 for 2 pads [includes shipping to U.S. based address, only. For foreign shipments, we will contact you with a quote.] Great gift for colleagues and self. Click image above for larger image. Now with dark navy background, brighter, updated seals of member agencies. And now MADE IN USA. Order MOUSEPADS here.

Other Upcoming Educational Events....includes selection of events from advertisers, corporate sponsors, and others—

Wednesday, 6 December 2023, 6:30pm – Washington, DC – Queen of Cuba with Peter J. Lapp – In-Person International Spy Museum Program

International Spy Museum eventsAs a spy prepared to give away America's biggest secrets after the 9/11 attacks, FBI agents raced to catch the mole. US government officials knew they had an intrusion. But it never occurred to them it was a woman—and certainly not the Defense Intelligence Agency employee known as "the Queen of Cuba." Ana Montes had spent 17 years spying for the Cubans. Montes impressed her bosses, but in secret, spent her breaks memorizing top secret documents before sending them to the Cuban government. Join International Spy Museum Historian and Curator Dr. Andrew Hammond live in conversation with retired FBI agent Peter J. Lapp, the author of Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years for a discussion of this incredible case. They'll discuss her motivation, the harm she did, and the clues—including never-released information—that led the FBI team to catch one of the United States' most dangerous spies. A very special artifact related to this case will be on display before the program. Queen of Cuba will be available for sale and signing after the program. Visit www.spymuseum.org.


Additional Events:

Sunday, 10 December 2023, 8-10am – Washington, DC – Access to SPY: A Morning for the Neurodiverse Community – In Person International Spy Museum Program

International Spy Museum eventsThe International Spy Museum is pleased to offer a sensory friendly community program geared for families who have a neurodivergent child or an individual with sensory processing differences. What might be a mission impossible visit during normal operating hours is now mission possible. On this special Access morning, the Museum has set private hours (8:00-10:00 am) for families to enjoy an exclusive visit with less noise, fewer people, and a designated quiet room. In addition, guests can participate in a scavenger hunt and create their own cipher wheel! While this program is geared for families, we welcome all ages and individuals with sensory processing differences to attend this event. This program is free of charge but requires advance registration. Visit www.spymuseum.org.



MORE about the "AFIO Now" Video Series....

To view publicly-released videos released in 2023 and earlier visit our YouTube page here
To see all videos released in 2023, log into the Member-Only area of our website here.
To see videos released in 2020 to 2022, log into the Member-Only area here.
To explore podcasts, see links in table below or visit main podcast page.

"AFIO Now" Interviews and Podcasts in 2023 are sponsored by

Northwest Financial Advisors
Press Release on this new Joint Arrangement



Below are the Videos and Podcasts released in 2023 in our popular "AFIO Now" Series.
View publicly-released videos from 2023 and earlier at our YouTube page here
View released and member-only pre-2023 videos here.


For Members-Only at this time...
Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer Jimmy Burns, Prize-Winning Author and Journalist of A Faithful Spy: The Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer. Biography of Walter Bell, discusses his latest book with AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer and Former NSA Associate Deputy Director of Operations. The interview covers the exceptional intelligence career of Walter Bell. The interview runs 45 minutes and includes several Q&As.
A Faithful Spy: The Life and Times of an MI6 and MI5 Officer is available here.
More about Jimmy Burns here.


[Video not yet released to the public.]
For Members-Only at this time...
Strategic Warning Intelligence and "The Paradox of Warning" Dr John A. Gentry, Former Senior CIA Analyst, Professor Georgetown University,and AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer discuss "Strategic Warning Intelligence" based on John's book "Strategic Warning Intelligence: History, Challenges, and Prospects."
The interview runs 37 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Strategic Warning Intelligence: History, Challenges, and Prospects [Georgetown Univ Press, 2019] is available here.
Also see Dr. Gentry's recent book, Neutering the CIA: Why US Intelligence Versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences (Armin Lear Press, 2023).
[Video not yet released to the public.]
For Members-Only at this time...
Protecting & Preserving the U.S. Intelligence Community Gen Michael Hayden, former DIRNSA & D/CIA, and first Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI) on "Protecting & Preserving the US Intelligence Community", with AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer. They discuss some of Mike Hayden's biggest challenges in the senior positions he held in the U.S. Intelligence Community. He also offers advice to those considering careers in intelligence.
The interview runs 14.38 minutes and includes several Q&As.
[Video not yet released to the public.]
What Would You Risk for Half a Billion Dollars? David Bickford, Former UK Under Secretary of State & MI5 & MI6 Legal Director discusses his novel "Katya" with AFIO President James Hughes a former senior CIA Operations Officer.
The plot, the use of Katya - an urchin living on the streets of Russia - and Bickford's professional insights are on full display as his protagonist faces difficulties all spies are familiar with...and some they aren't. Katya finds herself in a race against time, navigating a treacherous landscape of deception, money laundering, prostitution, and terrorism. Katya relies on training and experience to survive and succeed in her mission to retrieve Gadaifi’s stolen fortune. Bickford also closes interview with advice to those considering a career in the intelligence services.
The interview runs 11 minutes and includes several Q&As. David Bickford's books can be found here and can be purchased in the U.S. here
AFIO Chairman Stewart Baker's review in Intelligencer of Katya is here
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast here.
PART TWO - James Bamford, journalist/author, discusses his latest book, "Spyfail."
Jim Bamford and John Quattrocki discuss SPYFAIL which, in this second part of the interview series, covers Chinese and some Russian HUMINT, SIGINT, espionage, arrests, convictions, and other covert operations against the U.S. and our allies. Includes review of the expansion of Chinese listening posts in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and now in Cuba.
This second interview runs 78 minutes and includes many Q&As.
His book, Spyfail, is available here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast here.
PART TWO - Michael Vickers, Former CIA Operations Officer and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
and host and interviewer, James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer, discuss Mike's remarkable covert operations, strategy, and policy roles up to his senior leadership in DOD as covered in his new memoir: By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy.
The interview runs 52 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy here
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast is here.

I.S. Berry, former CIA Operations Officer, lawyer, novelist discusses her historical novel, "The Peacock and the Sparrow with Host and Interviewer James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer.
During the Arab Spring, an American spy’s final mission goes dangerously awry. He’s caught in the crosshairs of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he must navigate a bloody uprising, win Almaisa’s love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain’s secrets end and America’s begin.
The interview runs 12 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Her website is here. Purchase a copy of The Peacock and the Sparrow here.
View the Berry interview here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.] Podcast here.

Robert Z. Byer, CIA Museum Director and Curator, and James Hughes, AFIO President, discuss the Newly Renovated and Expanded Museum Collections. They also review some artifacts of their unusual collections.
The interview runs 34 minutes and includes several Q&As.
For more information about the CIA Museum visit:
CIA Website
CIA Museum
CIA YouTube Videos
CIA on Flickr
CIA on X (Twitter)
CIA on Facebook
CIA on Instagram
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.
PART ONE - Michael Vickers, Former CIA Operations Officer and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
and host and interviewer, James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer, discuss Mike's remarkable covert operations, strategy, and policy roles up to his senior leadership in DOD as covered in his new memoir: By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy.
The interview runs 42 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy here
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast here.
Matthew Black, Author; Crime and Labor Historian and Journalist, on "Operation Underworld -- How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win WW II"
Matthew Black and AFIO's President James Hughes discuss "Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II" - the full story of how Charles “Lucky” Luciano, the U.S. Mafia boss, was recruited by U.S. Naval Intelligence in 1942 to aid the Allied war effort in the U.S. invasion of Sicily, a turning point in WWII.
The interview runs 37.5 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of "Operation Underworld" here
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast is here.

Shane Harris, Washington Post Intelligence and National Security Reporter, discusses Late-Breaking Events in Russia and Ukraine with Jim Hughes, AFIO President. Includes details on the confusing and dangerously fluctuating situation in Ukraine. From Yevgheny Prigozhin's Wagner Group's role and possible coup attempt, to a missing Russian general, and the uncertain new role of Belarus and its leader, Lukashenko. And Putin's renewed threats to use tactical nuclear weapons if its positions in Ukraine deteriorate.
The interview runs 25 minutes and includes many Q&As.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast is here.

Richard Phillip Lawless former CIA Operations Officer, author of "Hunting Nukes: A Fifty-Year Pursuit of Atomic Bomb Builders and Mischief Makers." speaks with James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer about Lawless's half-century quest to seek out and expose undeclared nuclear weapons activities by countries of the highest concern to the US government. In particular. Lawless reveals the successful takedown of the South Korean strategic weapons program in the mid-1970s. He describes in detail the CIA's operation that detected, penetrated, defined, and eventually blocked that country's covert effort. Lawless also recounts his duties during the 2002-2008 talks with the rogue North Korean regime—the so-called "Six Party Talks." In those cases and others, Lawless details his role in the political and bureaucratic struggles necessary to keep the world's most terrifying weapons out of the hands of the world's least responsible and most dangerous regimes.
The interview runs 30 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of Hunting Nukes here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

LTG Michael Groen (USMC, Ret), former Commander of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, discusses AI with Jim Hughes. Includes details on the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, the meaning, uses, adoption problems, and ethics of AI in the military and beyond.
The interview runs 17 minutes and includes several Q&As.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

Brittany Butler, author and former CIA Targeter, discusses her latest book, "The Syndicate."
Brittany Butler and Jim Hughes discuss THE SYNDICATE SPY, her novel, which is based on her experiences as a CIA targeting officer. It tells the tale of two female spies as they race to uncover terrorists' conspiracies and ultimately change the course of war.
Though this is her first spy thriller, she has been writing the book in her head for years. She adores thrillers and spy novels. But none of the books she read come close to telling what it was really like for a woman working at the CIA. So, when she set out to write a spy thriller, she created a fresh female protagonist who felt human, who navigates the morally grey areas in espionage, and grapples with her ability to do good in a world where she is the outsider.
Her heroine, Juliet, embodies all those things but she's not Brittany. She partners Juliet with Mariam—a Saudi feminist who is eager to see the Kingdom flourish under more progressive rulers—these two women take off in an electrifying, page-turning thriller.
The interview runs 17 minutes and includes several Q&As.
The Syndicate Spy book is available here.
Podcast is here.

James Bamford, journalist/author, discusses his latest book, "Spyfail."
Jim Bamford and John Quattrocki discuss SPYFAIL which describes the highly dangerous and growing capability of foreign countries to conduct large-scale espionage within the U.S. and how the FBI and other agencies have failed to prevent it. These covert operations involve a variety of foreign countries—North Korea, Russia, Israel, China, and others—and include cyberattacks, espionage, psychological warfare, the infiltration of presidential campaigns, the smuggling of nuclear weapons components, and other incredibly nefarious actions.
The interview runs 60 minutes and includes several Q&As.
His book, Spyfail, is available here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

Alma Katsu, former NSA and CIA Officer, discusses her latest novel, "Red London."
Alma Katsu, former NSA and CIA Officer, and AFIO President Jim Hughes discuss why she chose to write novels, the steps leading to Katsu's second novel in her semi-fiction series - Red London - which followed her highly-praised first in the series: Red Widow. The real life impacts of Russian Oligarchs being welcomed into London and then becoming problems as Putin struck out at perceived betrayers (his poisoning of defector Alexander Litvinenko and others with fatal doses of polonium-210). And then Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Also discussed is the demands upon authors as their books are prepared for films, television series, podcasts, and other formats. Katsu also describes her career experiences at NSA and CIA, and gives pointers to women considering careers in the Intelligence Community.
The interview runs 24 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Red London is available here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast is here.

Nigel West, Historian and Former MP, on "Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of The Abwehr"
Nigel West and Jim Hughes discuss Nigel's recent book, "Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of The Abwehr."
Topics include: Impact of Abwehr defections; Richard Wurmann; Erich Vermehren; SIS Officer Nicholas Elliott; Paul (Willi) Hamburger; SIGINT; Adm. Wilhelm Canaris; Operation Valkyrie; 20 July Plot; Sicherheitsdienst; Otto John - code name WHISKY; Claus von Stauffenburg; Prince Frederick III, Solms-Baruth, tortured for his attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, SIS officer and professor H.L.A. Hart.
Purchase a copy of "Hitler's Trojan Horse" here.
The interview runs 18:30 minutes and includes several Q&As.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast is here.

For Members-Only...
Paul Rimmer CBE, Former MOD Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence [UK] - On the US-UK Special Relationship.
Interview of Paul Rimmer CBE, former MOD Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence [UK] - On the US-UK Special Relationship . Interviewer: Bill Richardson, former senior CIA Analyst and Officer. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer.
Paul Rimmer and Bill Richardson discuss the US-UK Special Relationship.
The interview runs 31 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Access the Paul Rimmer interview here or click above image

[Video not to be released to the public.]

Erik J. Dahl, Naval Professor/Author on
The COVID-19 Intelligence Failure: Why Warning Was Not Enough.
Professor Erik Dahl and AFIO President Jim Hughes discuss Dahl's latest book, "The COVID-19 Intelligence Failure: Why Warning Was Not Enough" which explores the roles that both traditional intelligence services and medical intelligence and surveillance systems play in providing advance warning against public health threats ― and how these systems must be improved for the future. Epidemiologists and national security agencies warned for years about the potential for a deadly pandemic, but in the end global surveillance and warning systems were not enough to avert the COVID-19 disaster. The interview runs 34 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of "The Covid-19 Intelligence Failure" here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

Nigel West, Historian and Former MP, on
"Hitler's Nest of Vipers: The Rise of The Abwehr."
Interviewer - Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer.
Nigel West and Jim Hughes discuss Nigel's recent book, "Hitler's Nest of Vipers: The Rise of The Abwehr." Topics include: German Intelligence Service and military districts; wehrmacht; Sicherheitsdienst; Abwehr defectors; Maj Richard Wurmann; MI5 post-war analysis of interrogated prisoners; Penetration of French Resistance; compromise of Allied Networks; Soviet System compromises; Rote Kapelle (Red Orchestra) started by Abwehrstelle Belgium, a field office of Abwehr; Portugal and Spanish links to Abwehr; KOs - hybrids with three branches; Impact on GRU and Communist networks; Death of British agents in Holland; the truth about the effectiveness of the Double-Cross System; the double agent who escaped capture.
The interview runs 22 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of "Hitler's Nest of Vipers" here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

Todd Bennett, Federal Historian, Professor - on "Neither Confirm nor Deny: How the Glomar Explorer's Covert Espionage Mission Shielded the CIA from Transparency" Interviewer - Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer. Todd Bennett and Jim Hughes discuss Bennett's latest book, "Neither Confirm nor Deny: How the Glomar Mission Shielded the CIA from Transparency" which covers billionaire Howard Hughes's 1974 Glomar Explorer, a risky deep-sea mining vessel used to retrieve a sunken Soviet sub.
The interview runs 25 minutes and includes several Q&As.
Purchase a copy of "Neither Confirm nor Deny" here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.
Vince Houghton PhD, Director, National Cryptologic Museum, NSA, on the All New and Original Exhibits at the Reopened Museum
Vince Houghton PhD, Director/Curator, National Cryptologic Museum, NSA, former Historian/Curator International Spy Museum. Interviewer - Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former Senior CIA Operations Officer.
Dr Houghton and Jim Hughes discuss all the changes made while the National Cryptologic Museum was closed during the pandemic. So many changes that it is fair to call it the "All New" National Cryptologic Museum. New one-of-a-kind items pulled out or declassified from NSA archives and now on display. The interview runs 20 minutes and includes several Q&As.
More about the National Cryptologic Museum can be found here.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.
Nigel West, Historian and Former MP, on "Spies Who Changed History: Greatest Spies and Agents of the 20th Century"
Interviewer - Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer.
Nigel West and Jim Hughes discuss several intelligence figures from Nigel's recent book, "Spies Who Changed History: The Greatest Spies and Agents of the 20th Century." Those include: "The White Lady", "The Angel", "Garbo", Arnold Deutsch, Kim Philby, and the mysterious death of Ashraf Marwan.
Purchase a copy of Spies Who Changed History here.
The interview runs 22 minutes and includes several Q&As.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.
Geoff O'Connell, former CIA Operations Officer, COS Tel Aviv, on the Church of the Nativity Crisis which involved the siege by the Israel Defense Forces at the Church of the Nativity in a bid to halt terrorism by Hamas, Fatah, and Palestinians.
Interviewer - Host: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer.
The interview runs 24 minutes and includes several Q&As.
[Video released to the public. Click title to view.]
Podcast version here.

Above are the Videos and Podcasts released in 2023 in our popular "AFIO Now" Series.
View publicly-released videos from 2023 and earlier at our YouTube page here
View released and member-only pre-2023 videos here.


NOTE: ABOUT THE SPEAKERS — Full bios appear below each video either using the "SHOW MORE" or the caron (down caret symbol) under image or at far right on mobile devices. Closed Captioning is available with each video. Click CC button at bottom right of video viewing window. If viewing on a mobile browser or device, click video while running and three dots will appear at top right edge to turn CC on or off.
PODCASTS: Too busy to sit and watch an entire "AFIO Now" episode above on YouTube? Would you rather listen in your car or while accomplishing other tasks? Now you can quickly download or stream episodes on your favorite podcasting platform. AFIO Now interviews are available on 8 podcasting platforms. Search for 'AFIO Podcast' for a selection of the interviews above (public released ones) or click on any of these podcast links: Podbean; iTunes; Google; Spotify; Amazon Music; Amazon TuneIn + Alexa; iHeartRadio; and Pandora.


NOW AVAILABLE

Getting a Security Clearance: Questions and Answers about what they are, how they are conducted,
how you can qualify, how long they take, and what can put them in jeopardy.

Two valuable booklets are available

The Security Clearance Process: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions - by the Congressional Research Service, Sept 2013
[PDF]

Security Clearances - FAQs - ClearanceJobs.com / DICE
[PDF]


RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2022 — a Monograph on The Cuban Missile Crisis — Sixty Years Later — by CIA Historian/Analyst Regis Heitchue

"The Cuban Missile Crisis: When Intelligence Made a Difference.
"

In October 1962 the US and the world faced the most serious crisis and threat of nuclear war. A new 208-page monograph published for free on-line by the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) on the Cuban Missile Crisis is an insightful examination of US intelligence during the crisis.  Unlike most accounts of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which focus on the decision-making of President Kennedy and personal accounts of those involved, "The Cuban Missile Crisis — 60 Years Later — When Intelligence Made a Difference" provides an examination of how US intelligence functioned before, during, and after the crisis.  This is a unique treatment of the topic.

Former DCI Richard Helms once said "… the Cuban Missile Crisis was really an intelligence crisis. The threat appeared only through intelligence sources. Only those sources confirmed that the threat had gone away." The monograph is the story of what American intelligence knew, when it knew it, and how it knew what the Soviets were doing in Cuba prior to and during the crisis—and what we now know, 60 years later, quite accurately, of what the Soviets were actually doing in Cuba.

The monograph examines the critical questions that the president posed to the intelligence community and how the community responded.  It also includes interesting vignettes on principal intelligence officers involved in the crisis, including Juanita Moody, head of NSA's Cuba effort, and Arthur Lundahl, the chief of the new National Photographic Intelligence Center (NPIC), who briefed President Kennedy on a daily basis.

This is a well-researched and riveting monograph, with extensive notes, bibliography, charts and photos.   It is a valuable reference for any class on intelligence. — Peter Oleson, Senior Editor

The author is Reg Heitchue, a retired senior CIA scientific and technical officer. The book project was managed and edited by former DIA Assistant Deputy Director for Plans and Policy, Peter C. Oleson, who also serves as AFIO's Senior Editor, Intelligencer journal.

The free PDF version of publication here: "The Cuban Missile Crisis: When Intelligence Made a Difference."

For those interested in purchasing a paperback edition — a longer, more comprehensive version by Mr Heitchue — it is available here.

Intelligence Community - Fourteenth Year in a Row
One of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government
and now ranked at #3 in 2022

For the 14th consecutive year, the Intelligence Community (IC) has been named as one of the "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government." The IC ranked fourth overall among large federal agencies with more than 15,000 full-time permanent employees. The Partnership for Public Service (PPS) compiled the 2022 rankings and presented the awards during a ceremony today in Washington, D.C. Dustin Gard-Weiss, Deputy DNI for Policy and Capabilities, and Sherry Van Sloun, Assistant DNI for Human Capital, accepted the award on behalf of the IC.

"What makes the IC the Best Place to Work from my perspective, is the extraordinary people who show up every day, ready to solve some of the most vexing and important challenges we face in the world," said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. "I also realize, however, that we need to support those extraordinary people and we will continue to work to make their lives and the environment that they work in one that allows them to realize their enormous potential." The "Best Places to Work" rankings provide insight into employee satisfaction across several key workplace categories including innovation, recognition, and work-life balance. The results are based on data from the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, as well as responses collected by several federal agencies that surveyed their employees during the same time period last year. PPS is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that aims to revitalize the federal government by transforming the way government works and inspiring a new generation to serve. For more details, visit: bestplacestowork.org.


Gifts appropriate for intelligence officers, colleagues, recruitments, agents, advisors, and family.
The AFIO Store has following new items ready for quick shipment.

Visit our store page to see these new items — Polo Shirts, Duffle, Cap, and PopSocket:

   

The above items and other gifts may be viewed here.

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 or contact Annette at annettej@afio.com.



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