WIN 46-01 dtd 26 November 2001
Weekly Intelligence Notes (WINs) contain reports and commentaries on
selected intelligence-related events and issues, produced by Roy
Jonkers for AFIO members and for WIN subscribers, for non-profit
public educational uses. Opinions expressed are those of the editors
and/or sources cited at the end of each article.
This WIN contains several articles produced by associate editor Don
Harvey.
IN MEMORIAM -- AFIO Member and
'Intelligencer' co-editor John Macartney has passed away. See Section
VI below.
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SECTION I -�
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
TERRORIST ATTEMPTS TO ACQUIRE NUCLEAR MATERIALS --
Reports attributed to US intelligence officials leave little doubt of
the Al Qaeda campaign to obtain nuclear materials. Nevertheless, there
appears to be a consensus of the intelligence community that bin Laden
and his al Qaeda organizations do not have a true nuclear-fission
device yet, although there are many dangerous straws in the wind. As
recently as early November the chief of the directorate of the Russian
Defense Ministry responsible for nuclear weapons reported two
incidents in which terrorist groups attempted to break into Russian
nuclear-storage sites, but were repulsed. In the past decade scores of
individuals and groups have successfully stolen weapons material from
sites in Russia and attempted to export it -- but have been caught.
Former Senate majority leader, Howard Baker, and former counsel to the
president, Lloyd Cutler, chaired a bipartisan task force earlier this
year that concluded "the most urgent unmet national security
threat to the United States today is the danger that weapons of mass
destruction or weapons-useable material in Russia could be stolen by
criminal syndicates, sold to terrorists or hostile nation states, and
used against American troops abroad or citizens at home."
Subsequent to September 11th, the previously ignored Baker/Cutler
conclusion has gained considerable media attention. However, within
government the intelligence findings have failed to have any visible
impact, since the ten-year-old Nunn-Lugar program to remove and
"defuse" high-energy uranium and plutonium from Russian
warehouses (enough for 5,000 nuclear weapons) is being considered by
the administration and Congress as a place to economize. Bin Laden's
declaration that acquiring nuclear weapons is a "religious
duty" and the known efforts to obtain nuclear materials,
dutifully reported by US intelligence, still seem inadequate to catch
the attention of the US leadership. (Harvey) (Wash Post 13 Nov '01,
pages A22 and A29; Economist 7 Nov '01 p. 19 // G. Allison; Time 12
Nov '01 p. 39 // J. Kluger)
CIA & NSA SECURITY & PUBLICITY CONTRASTS --
The manner in which NSA has reacted to the events of September 11th
gives the appearance of sharp contrast to the reaction of the CIA to
the same events.
(1) NSA BUTTONS UP -- NSA's carefully crafted
image to the public of a more open agency that showcased the heroic
efforts of some of the military assigned to the agency, and NSA's
attendance at hundreds of job fairs to promote itself, have been set
aside. All but one entrance to the agency has been blocked by concrete
barricades, and unmarked police cars pull up behind cars that linger
on the side of the road. The letters on the sign directing drivers to
Fort Meade from Interstate 95 have been removed, and the agency has
canceled more than a dozen public events. The symbol of agency
openness and goodwill -- the National Cryptologic Museum -- has been
locked down. Citing a lack of security for the museum which sits
outside the agency's perimeter fence, an agency spokeswoman said the
museum will not open any time soon.
(2) CIA REVEALS CLANOPS -- CIA's reaction to
the fighting in Afghanistan has been to disclose, via a well-known
journalist citing "well-placed sources," the existence of
secret paramilitary units on the ground supported by Predator UAV's
equipped with missiles that have, according to the favored journalist,
provided key intelligence for air strikes on Al Qaeda leaders. The CIA
unit, which used to be covert, consists of teams of about a half dozen
men [no mention made of women] who do not wear military uniforms.
Called the Special Activities Division [obviously not named by a
former military person who surely would have avoided the SAD acronym],
the covert action unit is made up of about 150 fighters, pilots and
specialists, mostly "hardened veterans who have retired from the
US military." [The word "retired" may be a bit
imprecise here since "retired" folk could be a little long
in tooth for the heroics described in the story. It may be that the
status being described is "resigned" since that can be done
by younger, but still battle-hardened, men -- it could be that these
men might even return to their military services at some future
point.]
The story disclosed the CIA has been working with tribes and
warlords in southern Afghanistan for the last 18 months as well as
with the Northern Alliance. Not only was SAD first to enter
Afghanistan but it was a SAD Predator UAV that provided the
intelligence that resulted in three days of strikes that killed key Al
Qaeda leaders; SAD's units also designated locations where
humanitarian assistance is most needed as well as identifying the
opposition groups that have the will and capacity to oppose the
Taliban and Al Qaeda that deserve support in the form of ammunition,
food and money.
In addition to raising the question of why the US needs the
Defense Department's Special Operations Forces, the CIA-sponsored
story, with its depth of detail and specificity regarding on-going
operations of covert action units and US military in Afghanistan at
present, totally undercuts the position of the government officials
who are urging secrecy and discretion in discussion of intelligence
and military activities. (Harvey) (Balt Sun 3 Nov01, p. A7 //L.
Sullivan; WashPost 18Nov 01, p. A1 /B. Woodward)
SECTION II -
CONTEXT AND PRECEDENCE
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES SEE TENFOLD INCREASE IN APPLICANTS
-- Since Sept. 11, national security agencies can barely keep up with
a flood of job applications, a phenomenon recruiters attribute to both
an increase in patriotism and a scarcity of high-tech jobs. CIA alone
has fielded 27,000 resumes since the attacks, a 10-fold increase in
the amount it received during the same period last year. After a peak
of 5,000 resumes in one week, the volume finally is beginning to slow
down nine weeks after the attacks. NSA reports similar percentage
increases over the same period a year ago. The FBI advertised for 200
language specialists in Arabic, Farsi and Pashto. Within days,
officials received 1,400 applications. In other corners of the
intelligence community, the statistics are similar, fueled by a
resurgent patriotic spirit, observers said. "It's the same
reaction Americans had after Pearl Harbor," said Gene Poteat, a
veteran CIA officer who is currently director of the Association of
Former Intelligence Officers. "Everybody wanted to join up and do
something. What's different today is that the American public realizes
that this new war will focus as much on intelligence gathering as
military action." Openings at the CIA bear this out. The
agency is most interested in people with 'hard language' capabilities,
such as Chinese, Russian, Farsi, Arabic, and Korean. They are also
looking for people with technical and computer backgrounds, including
software engineers and computer programmers. Resumes from people with
engineering backgrounds and knowledge of "hard science,"
such as biologists and chemists who can help the agency track the
proliferation of anthrax and biological weapons, are especially
welcome. The slowing economy also has played a part in the
renewed interest in government service. "But clearly, I think a
lot of the individuals are applying out of a sense of patriotism
following the September 11 attacks. They've been called to service and
would like to help their government in any way that they can,"
Agency spokesman Crispell said. Starting pay for the CIA positions
range from between $35,000 to $55,000 a year, considerably less than
corresponding jobs in the private sector last year. But since
September 11th, people's motivation has changed . Said the AFIO
President: "Now there's a realization that there's more to life
than how much money you can make . .. ..We're beginning to appreciate
our democracy more. We're on a war footing. It's a patriotic reaction,
and people say that in their letters. They put it in black and white,
'I want to do something. I might not be the fittest guy for the
Special Forces, but I've got this talent and how can I help' '"
(Jonkers) The Nation, CNSNews 12 Nov01// L. Marohan) (CNSNews.com)
LOCAL TALIBAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF ON THE RUN --
Saidullah Haneeffee, former regional head of the Taliban's internal
security intelligence agency in Mazar-e Sharif, now a refugee, was
interviewed in Pakistan. Despite the Taliban's reduced circumstances,
Haneefee is still proud of what they achieved. "The Taliban had
two important missions: to bring peace, and to bring fresh and 100
percent Islamic laws," he says. "We succeeded with the first
one, but the people weren't ready for the second, such hard Islamic
laws. No other Afghan government has done this before. When anyone is
a thief, his hand is cut off. When anyone kills someone, he is killed.
If you follow Islam 100 percent, you have to work hard, and the people
weren't ready." Like many Taliban, Haneefee had mixed feelings
about the power of Arab nationals in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
"The biggest investor in Afghanistan was Osama bin Laden. He was
bringing ammunition and weapons and everything, and that's why they
were in power, because they were financially supporting the
Taliban," Haneefee says, stroking his long black beard. "You
can compare Mullah Omar and Osama. They were fighting shoulder to
shoulder. They were equals." While corruption is certainly not an
Afghan peculiarity, Haneefee says he was scrupulously honest during
his career in the Taliban. As head of the electrical power station
near the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, he helped bring electricity
to rural villages for the first time. Later as internal security
intelligence director, he said he avoided killing those he arrested,
even for serious crimes. And he says the people largely supported the
Taliban because of the near-total peace in the 90 percent part of
Afghanistan they controlled. He is worried about his family, and will
probably return to Jalalabad to try to retrieve them � at a high risk
to his personal survival. But for ethnic Pashtun men like Haneefee,
family and tribe and tradition are the most important part of life.
Haneefee admits he might not live to see a peaceful Afghanistan, but
he offers one bit of advice to the Afghan rulers and the Afghan
people: "Forget the past. Make a good government and not with
hard Islamic laws. And take all people and Afghan groups into the
government." (Jonkers) (Chr.Sc. Monitor, 16 Nov 2001, <http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1116/p6s1-wosc.html>
)
UNREPORTED MENACE OF THE SEAS -� PIRACY -- In the
year 2000 a record 469 piracies were reported worldwide - up 56
percent from 1999, and more than four times the number reported a
decade ago. More than 70 ship crew members were killed in the year
2000 -- three more than the year before, and a further 99 crewmembers
were injured -- 24 more than in 1999. Many of the attacks in 2000
occurred in or around the seas around Indonesia, Singapore and
Malaysia.
The Indonesian Navy has had some success with an intensified
anti-piracy campaign this year. Some 71 attacks and attempted attacks
were reported in the first nine months of 2001, down from 90 in the
same period last year. A spokesman for the Indonesian Navy, Maj.
Muhammad Zainal, said the navy was stepping up its anti-piracy
training, and is setting up a new anti-piracy center in Bangka, on
Sumatra, to join with the two current bases, one near the Sumatran
city of Medan, and the other on Batam (a small Indonesian island
within sight of Singapore). To do the job right the navy says it needs
239 ships to safeguard the nation's waters effectively, but Adm.
Franky Kaihatu puts the current inventory at just 115 vessels.
(Jonkers) (Assoc. Press 10 Nov 01 // PJK 11/11/01)
SECTION III - CYBER
INTELLIGENCE
BADTRANS WORM SPREADS -- As the new BadTrans worm
continued to spread today, authorities struggled to contain the
malicious code's ability to steal passwords and other sensitive
information from victims. Besides code for infecting other systems,
the BadTrans.B worm installs Trojan.PSW.Hooker, a program that records
user keystrokes and attempts to capture passwords and other sensitive
information.(Levine's Newsbits 28 /11/01)http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172495.html
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17550-1.html
HOUSE PASSES FEDERAL COMPUTER SECURITY BILL -- The
U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation designed
to increase the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
role in enhancing U.S. network infrastructure security. By a vote of
391-4, the House passed H.R. 1259, a bill introduced by Rep. Connie
Morella, R-Md., to establish the Maryland-based institute as the lead
federal agency in computer security matters. (LEVINE 28/11/01) http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172464.html
NEW - ID MOUSE ADDRESSES SECURITY CONCERNS -- The new
ID Mouse's sensor allows users to identify themselves not only to
their PCs but also to Web-based environments and applications. With
concerns about computer security running high, German electronics and
technology giant Siemens believes it has a simple, mouse-based
alternative to the PC passwords and log-in codes that are so easy for
users to forget -- and in some cases, too easy for the wrong people to
get their hands on (Levine 28/11/01). http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/14993.html
NATION'S SECURITY CONCERNS COULD REVIVE HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY
-- The nation's preoccupation with security after this fall's
terrorist attacks could help revive the hard-hit high technology
industry, experts from top tech firms said Wednesday. From
communications to data sharing to airport security, they expect to see
a surge in sales as governments, businesses and individuals try to
screen out or respond to terrorists without invading the rights of
law-abiding citizens.(Levine 28/11/01) http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/075784.htm
SECTION IV --
BOOKS AND SOURCES
THE SPY WHO STAYED OUT IN THE COLD: The secret life of FBI
double agent Robert Hanssen, By Adrian Havill, St. Martin's
Press, $25.95, 262 pgs., illustrated. It seems almost ancient history
now, and almost strangely lacking in relevance, but not too long ago
the traitor Hanssen was prime-time news. In this book the author
pieces together more than 100 interviews of the veteran FBI agent's
friends, colleagues, co-workers and family members, along with
information from several 'confidential' sources, to address the
important questions of why and how he did it. The 27-year FBI veteran,
who spent more than half his federal law-enforcement career as a
counterintelligence agent, pleaded guilty on 6 July 2001 to 13
separate acts of espionage against the United States. The author had
the task to explain why this devout Catholic, a member of the
conservative Opus Dei organization, who worked as a trusted
counterintelligence agent, ended up being arrested by FBI agents on
Feb. 18 as he tried to leave a package of classified documents at a
drop location in a park near his Vienna home. He concludes that
Hanssen did it not only for the money, but for the thrills. One might
note that he almost succeeded in fooling his FBI colleagues �- he was
arrested within months of his scheduled retirement.
Overall, states the reviewer, the book, even though it shows
some signs of having been rushed into print, is well worth the effort,
at least for those interested in this type of analysis of deviant
behavior and betrayal. The book provides a significant overview of
Hanssen and his deeds, a fine-tuned tale of what motivated the veteran
FBI agent to sell out his country. (Jonkers) (Not read � from review
by Jerry Seper, WashTimes)
SECTION V - LETTERS
Chuck C writes on FBI-POLICE information sharing --
Just curious; has anyone else voiced a reply to Larry (letters, WIN
45)? I share his concern but let's not talk perception -- let's
talk reality. With intelligence experience at the federal level as
well as serving as the Commander of the Criminal Intelligence Section
of a large state police department, I speak from firsthand experience
at both levels.
Although there have been those who played by the strict edict of
"one-way" communication, there are many other good agents in
the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies who abide by the
rules of their respective organizations yet effectively participate in
a two-way flow of information. It has been slow in coming, but there
is a vast improvement over the closed circle mentality that was so
prevalent in the Bureau during the Hoover years.
However, it's not simply a federal versus local issue! Over the
years, turf wars have reigned supreme between all agencies at all
levels. The remedy - one-on-one relationships are invaluable to the
timely, efficient flow of critical intelligence, and those relations
are built upon trust that evolve over time. It's time for everyone to
cast off the old stereotypes and build on the future."
Mike W. writes on STAR GATE --
"AFIO may not WANT to write any more about Star Gate (in the
Intelligencer), but it may have little choice, if the FBI is doing
what is described below. Quote (from the UK Sunday Times 11 Nov01):
US intelligence agencies are recruiting psychics to help predict
future attacks and to find Osama Bin Laden. The recruits, known as
"remote viewers", claim to be able to visualize happenings
in distant places by using paranormal powers. The US government
established a remote viewing program, known as Stargate, in the 1970s
in an attempt to utilize the skills claimed by psychics to combat
communism. The program, at the Stanford Research Institute in
California, was shut down in 1995 after the end of the cold war. Now,
however, US intelligence agencies are reactivating some of their old
paranormal spies. Prudence Calabrese, whose Trans-dimensional
Systems employs 14 remote viewers, confirmed that the FBI had asked
the company to predict likely targets of future terrorist attacks.
"Our reports suggest a sports stadium could be a likely
target," she said. The FBI and CIA refused to comment but
confirmed investigators have been told to "think out of the
box". Angela Thompson-Smith and Lyn Buchanan, former members of
Stargate, said that they, too, had been approached.
Mike W. adds a quote from Prudence Calabrese mentioned in the
article: �"As a remote viewer, I have traveled the universe. I
saw the bombing of Nagasaki. I met Buddha and Hitler. I spied on
aliens and angels. No longer were the boundaries of time and space
important." (TransDimensional Systems http://www.largeruniverse.com/TDS/pru.html
)http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/11/11/stiusausa01012.html?
)
SECTION VII -
� IN MEMORIAM
It is my sad duty to report the passing of one of our close
friends and colleagues, Colonel JOHN D. MACARTNEY, USAF (ret),
respected teacher, writer, co-editor of Intelligencer, and recipient
of the David Atlee Phillips Award for exceptional service to the
association. John was an active AFIO member and volunteer, a
"doer," a vital part of that essential core of volunteers
and staff that form AFIO "engine" that keeps the association
moving and the mission accomplished. He will be sorely missed, by us,
by his students, and by many across the land. He was a 1960 graduate
of the Air Force Academy, flew missions in Vietnam, was allowed a
couple of years to get his Ph.D. prior to a teaching assignment at the
Academy and served tours as the Commandant of the DIA Defense
Intelligence College and as professor at the National War College.
After his military career John continued to make contributions to the
study and teaching of intelligence. He helped to build a network of
university professors teaching the intelligence-related courses, and
greatly enhanced curriculum development and teaching materials . His
greatest contribution to AFIO was as the co-editor of AFIO's flagship,
the "Intelligencer." But this listing just barely hints at
the essence of the man -- he was bright, forthright, creative,
positive, cooperative, helpful, liked and respected, and the list
could go on. We will miss him.
John died on November 24th after a long and courageous struggle
with cancer. Funeral and memorial services will be held at 1 pm at a
Fort Myer Chapel 11 January 2002. More detailed information will be
provided when available.
John's widow, Lorna Albright, asked that, in lieu of flowers,
donations be made to AFIO to help fund an AFIO Academic Scholarship
which we will establish in John's name. Rest in peace, old friend.
(Jonkers)
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