Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Russia's Director of Military Intelligence Dies Unexpectedly. The director of Russia's military intelligence agency has died unexpectedly, according to a short statement released Monday on the Kremlin website, which didn't specify the cause of his death.

Col. Gen. Igor Sergun had run the Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia's General Staff, known as the GRU, since late 2011. He was only 58 years old.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in a statement released to the Interfax news agency, said Col. Gen. Sergun died suddenly on Sunday. Mr. Shoigu's statement offered no additional details.

The military intelligence chief joined the Soviet military in 1973 and became director of the secretive GRU and deputy chief of Russia's general staff in 2011, according to his official biography on the Russian Defense Ministry website. He served in military intelligence since 1984, according to the biography. [Read more: Sonne/WallStreetJournal/4January2016]

Syrian, Iraqi Militants Said to Have Planned New Year Attack in Munich. Germany received a tip hours before midnight that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning New Year attacks in Munich but police could not find the suspects and are not even sure if they exist or are in the country, the city's police chief said on Friday.

Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that German officials had received a "very concrete" tip that suicide attacks were planned on New Year's Eve at two train stations.

Police closed the central and Pasing stations about an hour before midnight, and reopened them hours later.

"We received names. We can't say if they are in Munich or in fact in Germany," Andrae said. [Read more: Poltz/Reuters/1January2016]

Spy Agencies Resist Push for Expanded Scrutiny of Top Employees. US intelligence agencies recently fought off a move by Congress to require the CIA and other spy services to disclose more details about high-ranking employees who have been promoted or fired, despite pledges to be more open and accountable.

The disputed measure was designed to increase scrutiny of cases in which senior officers ascend to high-level positions despite problems ranging from abusive treatment of subordinates to involvement in botched operations overseas.

The CIA in particular has come under sharp criticism in recent years for promoting operatives who faced investigations by the agency's internal watchdog or the Justice Department for their roles in the brutal interrogations of prisoners or badly mishandled operations to capture terrorism suspects.

Under a provision drafted by the Senate Intelligence Committee this year, intelligence agencies would have been required to regularly provide names of those being promoted to top positions and disclose any "significant and credible information to suggest that the individual is unfit or unqualified." [Read more: Miller/WashingtonPost/29December2015]

Intelligence Agencies Still Struggling to Deconstruct Pathankot Attack, NIA Takes Over Case. Intelligence agencies are struggling to put together the sequence of events which led to the first ever coordinated attack on an Air Force base in the history of the country. While it was being speculated that the attackers belonged to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad group, a letter purportedly written by spokesperson of United Jehad Council claiming responsibility of the attack, has further added to the confusion.

Intelligence officials based in the National Capital as well as Jammu and Kashmir seemed to be divided when asked to share prima facie findings on the Pathankot air base attack.

One intelligence official while stating that it was too early to confirm which outfit led the assault, added that that there was high possibility that the group behind air base attack comprised of Jaish militants, even though a letter sent by UJC spokesman Syed Sadaqat Hussain claimed that the attackers were "Kashmiri Mujahideen" from unknown "Highway Squad" outfit.

On Sunday dna had reported that about 15-18 specially trained fighters crossing over from Pakistan had been sent across by local intelligence based in Kashmir. The input mentioned that the fighters belonged to Laskar-e-Toiba. [Read more: Javaid/dna/5January2016]

Military Investigating Alleged Security Breach at Intelligence Centre. Military police in Halifax are investigating an alleged security breach at one of the Royal Canadian Navy's most sensitive security operations.

According to court documents, military investigators allege that between 2004 and 2009 a web designer working at HMCS Trinity - the military's principal East Coast intelligence centre - used Defence Department networks to improperly store secret files.

A search warrant filed in provincial court alleges the actions of a man identified only as "Mr. Zawidski" violated a section of the federal Security Information Act that deals with wrongful communication of information.

None of the allegations has been proven in court and a military spokesman couldn't confirm whether charges have been laid. [Read more: CanadianPress/5January2016]

Amid Russia Military Buildup, US Intelligence Report Warns of New Russian Cruise Missiles. Russia is overhauling its navy by expanding deployment of non-nuclear cruise missiles that can hit targets at land and sea by employing supersonic speed and evasive maneuvers, a US Office of Naval Intelligence analysis concluded. The military buildup could "present continuing challenges to US and allied naval forces," the intelligence report noted.

The KALIBR-class missiles that will be installed on vessels such as corvettes, or small warships, are "profoundly changing its ability to deter, threaten or destroy adversary targets," the US agency, known as ONI, said in a report posted on its website. "With the use of the land attack missile, all platforms have a significant ability to hold distant fixed ground targets at risk using conventional warheads."

Russia's navy is already known for having the world's quietest submarines. The missiles have ranges of as much as 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles), Bloomberg reported Thursday. "Placing a priority on strategic deterrence and defense, Russia's recapitalization of its submarine forces began with its strategic ballistic missile submarines," ONI said. "Construction of general-purpose nuclear and non-nuclear submarines was second in importance."

The US has taken steps to keep up with Russia's military makeover. Congress' 2015 spending plan includes funding for the Navy to upgrade its ability to detect Russian submarines. The Navy is also exploring the use of an "undersea sensor system" that "addresses emergent real-world threats," a Defense Department budget document showed. [Read more: Silva/InternationalBusinessTimes/31December2015]

US Spy Net on Israel Snares Congress. President Barack Obama announced two years ago he would curtail eavesdropping on friendly heads of state after the world learned the reach of long-secret US surveillance programs.

But behind the scenes, the White House decided to keep certain allies under close watch, current and former US officials said. Topping the list was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US, pursuing a nuclear arms agreement with Iran at the time, captured communications between Mr. Netanyahu and his aides that inflamed mistrust between the two countries and planted a political minefield at home when Mr. Netanyahu later took his campaign against the deal to Capitol Hill.

The National Security Agency's targeting of Israeli leaders and officials also swept up the contents of some of their private conversations with US lawmakers and American-Jewish groups. That raised fears - an "Oh-s-- moment," one senior US official said - that the executive branch would be accused of spying on Congress. [Read more: Entous&Yardon/WallStreetJournal/29December2015]

Army Opens Fort Bragg Geospatial Readiness Center. After a 2011 tornado wiped out its Geospatial Readiness Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Army Forces Command now is launching a rebuilt and improved facility with an expanded mission.

The new Forces Command Intelligence Readiness and Operations Center (FIROC), a 27,000-sq. ft. facility, is more modernized than its predecessor, which coordinated map and data transfers between the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and Army units, according to a report from the Fayetteville Observer.

Emerging from FIROC will be a more comprehensive, real-time operational picture designed to prepare soldiers for unknown conditions on the ground, as well as coordinate combatant commanders worldwide. The center, which functions as both an operational and training facility, will forge further partnerships between NGA, Army Intelligence and Security Command and Army Special Operations Command.

"This is kind of like the phoenix that comes out of the ashes," MG Jimmie Jaye Wells, FORSCOM chief of staff, told the Observer. "What you see here is the lifeblood of what readiness really is." [Read more: Corrin/C4ISR/4January2016]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Lack of Russia Experts Could Prove to Be National Security Risk, US Officials Say. While the international war against the Islamic State and a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran underscore Russia's growing influence in major foreign policy challenges around the world, there are growing concerns that Washington's lack of understanding of its one-time chief adversary is proving to be a critical national security risk.

Top intelligence and national security officials - including the top general of NATO - have warned that the United States' depth of knowledge and capacity for collecting information on Russia is not up to snuff, given the stakes of the conflicts at hand and the threat an unpredictable Kremlin poses to US interests.

Experts, lawmakers and former administration officials describe a national security apparatus that, once teeming with experienced Russia specialists, including at the highest levels of decision-making, now relies on looser regime of more junior experts who lack the reach to directly influence policy. The result, they say, is a series of missed opportunities to anticipate Moscow's recent moves in areas such as Ukraine and Syria, even when clues were readily available.

"We've been surprised at every turn," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.). "We were surprised when they went into Crimea, we were surprised when they went into Syria." [Read more: Demirjian/WashingtonPost/30December2015]

Joshua Skule Named Assistant Director of the Directorate of Intelligence. Director James B. Comey has named Joshua Skule assistant director of the Directorate of Intelligence at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) in Washington, DC. He most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Intelligence Division at the Washington Field Office.

Mr. Skule began his career as a special agent with the FBI in 1998. He was first assigned to the Chicago Division, where he investigated violent crimes and public corruption.

In 2008, he was promoted to a unit chief in the Counterterrorism Division (CTD), where he was responsible for counterterrorism investigations within the United States. A year later, he was selected as assistant section chief in CTD, where he managed counterterrorism investigations involving crimes committed against American citizens or interests overseas.

In 2011, Mr. Skule was selected to serve as assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Division at the Washington Field Office. In this role, he managed several programs, including organized crime, gangs, violent crime, and cyber investigations. [Read more: FBI/30December2015]

Will America's 100-Year-Old Female Spy Finally Be Recognized for the Hero She Is? She worked behind enemy lines - and was captured by the Soviets. But the US never properly gave her full credit for her heroism. After seven decades, that may be about to change.

Capt. Stephanie Czech arrived at the US embassy in Berlin wearing civilian clothes, as always, and delivered the report she'd been carrying to the intelligence section. The war may have ended, but Czech was still working, undercover.

Berlin was not her home base. Czech had arrived in Poland in October 1945, and spent the next four months driving around the countryside. She claimed to be a clerk at the US embassy in Warsaw, searching for distant relatives in her spare time. In fact, Czech was an officer in the Women's Army Corps and one of only two members of the Office of Strategic Services stationed in the country.

The OSS, the precursor to the contemporary CIA, was America's first central intelligence service, and only three years old. Its recruits weren't working from an espionage playbook, they were writing it as they went. The OSS founder, Gen. William Donovan, called the carefully selected members of his new tribe his "glorious amateurs," men and women who were educated, who spoke languages fluently, and might never have imagined a wartime career, much less a clandestine one. Donovan would later credit the OSS amateurs with "some of the bravest acts of the war," though most of their exploits were never told. [Read more: Harris/TheDailyBeast/27December2015]

The Biggest Security Threats We'll Face in 2016. Hackers are nothing if not persistent. Where others see obstacles and quit, hackers brute-force their way through barriers or find ways to game or bypass them. And they'll patiently invest weeks and months devising new methods to do so.

There's no Moore's Law for hacking innovation, but anyone who follows cybersecurity knows that techniques get bolder and more sophisticated each year. The last twelve months saw several new trends and next year no doubt will bring more.

Here's our take on what to expect in 2016. [Read more: Zetter/Wired/1January2016]

Section III - COMMENTARY

Why Intelligence Sharing Still Has a Long Way to Go. The Paris attacks in November appeared to show that jihadists could seemingly move freely across borders while the information required to stop them did not. But improving intelligence sharing is proving a struggle.

At the 18 December EU summit, leaders promised to improve the fight against terrorism and to deal with a logjam of proposals to improve co-ordination, but it may well prove an uphill struggle.

Security and intelligence services are intrinsically secret organisations closely allied to national power and priorities. They will share their secrets - but only with those they trust.

That has worked in places like the "five eyes" alliance of English-speaking countries, but sharing data with all the other countries in the EU is a far more ambitious goal. Many security services will fear that their secrets will not always be kept when so many are involved. [Read more: Corera/BBC/1January2016]

China's Military Intelligence System Is Changing. As American families dined on turkey and stuffing, China's Central Military Commission (CMC) was hard at work in Beijing hammering out military reforms. These reforms were then announced to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by President Xi Jinping, who also serves as the CMC chairman. The proposed organizational changes may make this round of reform the most significant since those of the 1950s, when the PLA transitioned from a revolutionary army to the arm of a party-state. First impressions of the proposals provide mostly descriptive analyses at what Xi Jinping proposed for the PLA, but what the PLA publicized does not tell the whole story. The proposed creation of a separate headquarters for PLA ground forces and reorganization of the military regions will reverberate throughout military intelligence ― a subject omitted entirely in Beijing's propaganda blitz. Once the PLA moves beyond the inevitable organizational growing pains, the Chinese military intelligence system will be better positioned to manage its responsibilities for informing policymakers and supporting military operations.

The PLA's basic organization of intelligence includes the General Staff Department (GSD), the military regions, and intelligence departments within the PLA's two services and one autonomous branch - respectively, the PLA Navy (PLAN), PLA Air Force (PLAAF), and the PLA Second Artillery Force (PLASAF).

The focal point of the PLA's intelligence effort lies within the GSD, giving any substantial change to the general staff potential to shake up the military intelligence system. The GSD's Second Department (2PLA) manages clandestine and overt human intelligence operations (HUMINT), the latter of which includes defense attach's and at least one think tank, the China Institute for International and Strategic Studies. This department also has some responsibility for China's satellite imagery and possibly other overhead intelligence assets, but the organizational structure of Chinese space operations is difficult to understand. The GSD Third Department (3PLA) is the national signals intelligence (SIGINT) authority, roughly comparable to the US National Security Agency or the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters. Like its Anglo-American counterparts, the Third Department also has responsibilities for defending Chinese computer networks and securing government communications. The GSD Fourth Department (4PLA) is responsible for electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW), and remains the youngest GSD element, dating to sometime between 1977 and 1990, depending on the source. [Read more: Mattis/WarOnTheRocks/29December2015]

US Intelligence Ought to Target Israel. An article in the Wall Street Journal about what the journalists describe as US interception of communications of Israeli leaders has caused a stir, especially among those habitually quickest to leap to the defense of Israeli policies. We in the public do now know how much of the article's content is true; it represents one stream of reporting by one newspaper's correspondents. The administration and the intelligence agencies, quite understandably and appropriately, are not confirming or denying any of this. But worthy of comment are some of the reactions to the report, as well as what US intelligence should be doing in this direction regardless of what it is or is not doing right now.

US intelligence agencies have responsibility to collect, within the limits of applicable laws and regulations, information on whatever is going on overseas, including whatever is going on inside foreign governments, that will help provide US policymakers with the most complete and accurate picture of situations that they will have to deal with and that bear on important US national interests. The policymakers in turn have responsibility for availing themselves of such information, for not impeding the proper collection and analysis of it, and for being as well-informed as they can be as they make decisions and conduct foreign relations.

Unquestionably the activities of the Israeli government fall within the bucket of things going on overseas that bear on important US interests and thus are important for US policymakers to be fully informed about. Israel is a major player in the Middle East and has been at the center of wars, debilitating occupations, and much else that makes for instability and controversy and that unavoidably have been major policy preoccupations for Washington. The impact of Israeli actions on US interests has been made all the greater because of the close association in the eyes of the world between the United States and Israel and thus the opprobrium that the former suffers because of actions of the latter. [Read more: Pillar/NationalInterest/4January2016]

When Back Doors Backfire. Without encryption, internet traffic might as well be written on postcards. So governments, bankers and retailers encipher their messages, as do terrorists and criminals.

For spy agencies, cracking methods of encryption is therefore a priority. Using computational brute force is costly and slow, because making codes is far easier than breaking them. One alternative is to force companies to help the authorities crack their customers' encryption, the thrust of a new law just passed in China and a power that Western spy agencies also covet. Another option is to open "back doors": flaws in software or hardware which make it possible to guess or steal the encryption keys. Such back doors can be the result of programming mistakes, built by design (with the co-operation of the encryption provider) or created through unauthorised tinkering with software - or some combination of the three.

The problem with back doors is that, though they make life easier for spooks, they also make the internet less secure for everyone else. Recent revelations involving Juniper, an American maker of networking hardware and software, vividly demonstrate how. Juniper disclosed in December that a back door, dating to 2012, let anyone with knowledge of it read traffic encrypted by its "virtual private network" software, which is used by companies and government agencies worldwide to connect different offices via the public internet. It is unclear who is responsible, but the flaw may have arisen when one intelligence agency installed a back door which was then secretly modified by another. The back door involved a faulty random-number generator in an encryption standard championed by America's National Security Agency (NSA); other clues point to Chinese or British intelligence agencies.

Decrypting messages that involve one or more intelligence targets is clearly within a spy agency's remit. And there are good reasons why governments should be able to snoop, in the interests of national security and within legal limits. The danger is that back doors introduced for snooping may also end up being used for nefarious ends by rogue spooks, enemy governments, or malefactors who wish to spy on the law-abiding. It is unclear who installed Juniper's back door or used it and to what end. [Read more: TheEconomist/2January2016]

Section IV - Research Requests

Looking for Angleton - Author Working on Book on Angleton's Three Decade Impact on Intelligence Operations.

For a biography of James Angleton, I am interested in speaking to people who knew him or his wife Cicely. Unlike previous books about Angleton, my book will not focus solely on Angleton's quest to identify possible Soviet "moles" in the CIA. Rather I will locate that important episode in the totality of his personal and professional life and his influence on U.S. intelligence operations from 1944 to 1974 and beyond.

I am Jefferson Morley, an editor and reporter at the Washington Post for 15 years, and the author of two non-fiction books: Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA, and Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key and the Forgotten Race RIot of 1835. Our Man in Mexico is a biography of Win Scott, the Agency's Mexico City Station Chief from 1956 to 1969, written with the cooperation of his son Michael. (University of Kansas Press, 2008). Snow-Storm in August tells the story of what happened when the anti-slavery movement confronted the author of "The Star Spangled Banner" in the 1830s. Doubleday, 2012) Morley's biography of Angleton will be published by St. Martin's Press in the spring of 2017.

Replies to Jefferson Morley at morleycia@gmail.com

Did the CIA Reproduce ‘Soviet Satellite’ Imagery of the US During DCI McCone’s Era?

FROM David Barrett - one of the academic members of AFIO who reads the WINs regularly. He writes...Did the US have the ability to “see” what Soviet satellites were photographing of the US land surface in the 1960s? Until recently, my answer would have been, “Not to my knowledge.” However, a document I found summarizing a telephone conversation between DCI John McCone and Secretary of State Dean Rusk in 1963 suggest otherwise. Recently, I and my former graduate research assistant (Eric Swanson) published a research note in the journal “Intelligence and National Security” which describes this document (and actually shows my photograph of the document) and also describes our search of literature on intelligence to see if others have written about US capabilities to “reproduce” what Soviet satellites were capturing. As far as we can tell, no one has written about such a capability. Thus, the question remains: was McCone correct in saying that the US had good “reproductions” of what Soviet satellites were photographing? If so, how? And for how long did we retain this capability? Our article is now “published” online; the print version of that issue of the journal will be out some months down the road. Fifty views are available at not cost from this link. After 50, the free version is no longer available.

Here’s a link which will allow people to access the article, which is published in the journal, Intelligence and National Security:
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/IPmh5B7kAGrFmxBgsetA/full

The title of the article is:  "Did the CIA Reproduce ‘Soviet Satellite’ Imagery of the US During DCI McCone’s Era? Evidence from a Document at the National Archives" by David M. Barrett & Eric P. Swanson

Will the real Richard Garrison Please Stand Up?

I am contacting you in hopes that one of your members can clarify a question raised by my East German Stasi file. I was stationed in East Berlin from 1982 to 1984 with the Department of State at the US Embassy to the German Democratic Republic. After the Berlin Wall came down and German reunification anyone could use the German Freedom of Information Act to see what had been recorded on them by the East Germans. A note from the Soviets to the East Germans stating that I had been previously stationed in Tehran, Iran, at the U.S. Embassy resulted in closer attention than normal. The note also stated that I was not employed by the Department of State, even though I was at the US Embassy. A separate entry stated that I was a CIA employee. There is a possibility that I was confused with another Richard Garrison, also from Nebraska and also born in the 1940s. I say this because when I entered military service in June 1968 in Lincoln, Nebraska, I was given the papers for another Richard Garrison. My question: Is there any way for me to query your membership in hopes of identifying this possible other Richard Garrison? I will appreciate any assistance or guidance any member can provide in helping me resolve this lingering Cold War question. Replies to Richard A. Garrison Foreign Service Officer (Retired) to Ragarrison@aol.com.

Section V - Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

12 - 14 January 2016, 8 am - 4:30 pm - Atlanta, GA - Insider Threat Program Development Training Course (NCMS Atlanta, GA) Available at special rate for AFIO Chapter Members

The Atlanta AFIO Chapter 'would like to share an exciting Counter-Intelligence training opportunity with our members. Insider Threat pose a huge risk in several of our sectors of business, government, and intelligence community. To avoid the cumulative burden of registration costs, travel, lodging and rental expenses, I have negotiated the Insider Threat Development Planning Course (3 days) presented here in Atlanta at a steeply discounted rate. This course certifies individuals as Insider Threat Security Specialists. Jim Henderson- Insider Threat Program Training Course Instructor.
Normally $1400 per ' being offered for $800 per; without the travel expense and other incidentals.
We have attached a flyer and provide the link below. We believe this valued added training may be of huge interest and benefit to many of our members.
If you would and can, please socialize the event to our fellow members, it would be appreciated.
Registration and Agenda Information.

Wednesday, 13 January 2016, 11 am - Albuquerque, NM - The AFIO NM Chapter hosts Robert Hull on "Training Inspectors for CBW Surveys in Iraq"

Mr. Robert Hull from the Los Alamos Lab will discuss "Training the Inspectors for Chem-Bio Weapons Surveys in Iraq."
Event location: The Egg & I Restaurant, 6909 Menaul Blvd (East of Louisiana), Albuquerque, NM.
Registrations or Questions to: Pete Bostwick at foreigndevil@yahoo.com.

21 January 2016, noon - 2 pm - Los Angeles, CA - The 2016 LA AFIO Chapter Annual Meeting

The Los Angeles AFIO Chapter will hold its annual membership meeting on Jan 21, 2016. The meeting will cover the election of new officers and the business program agenda for 2016. The meeting is open to all current members in good standing. Please RSVP: afio_la@yahoo.com
Location: LAPD-ARTC: 5651 W. Manchester Ave, L.A. CA 90045

February 2016 (date TBD), 5:30 PM - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta GA AFIO Chapter features Mark Riebling on "Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler."

Many in the intelligence community consider Mark Riebling the leading historian on matters of espionage and secret policy. Riebling's 1994 book Wedge: The Secret War Between the FBI and CIA all but predicted 9/11. Indeed, Riebling's analysis of security failures influenced post-9/11 intelligence reforms to a significant degree. Deputy US Attorney Andrew C. McCarthy―who prosecuted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing―wrote in The Wall Street Journal in 2006 that "Riebling's analysis has now become conventional wisdom, accepted on all sides. Such, indeed, is the reasoning behind virtually all of the proposals now under consideration by no fewer than seven assorted congressional committees, internal evaluators, and blue-ribbon panels charged with remedying the intelligence situation." His books have been translated into German, French, Italian, Dutch, Czech, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish, and Japanese.

About the Book: The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him 'Hitler's Pope.' But a key part of the story has remained untold.

Pius ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler―while secretly plotting to kill him.

Church of Spies documents this cloak-and-dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler's homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler's bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.

The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a US-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius's secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the 'fiery words' he wanted

Event timing: 5:30 PM (cocktail reception). Introduction, presentation, and moderated Q&A is at 6:30 PM, followed again by a cocktail reception.
For updated information visit the chapter website.
Location: email our Speakers Committee Chair for an invitation with location details.

Wednesday, 3 February 2016 - Las Vegas, NV - The "Roger McCarthy" AFIO Las Vegas Chapter hosts Dennis Fulkerson of NNSA/DOE on "Insider Threats."

Dennis Fulkerson, Senior Counterintelligence Officer, National Security Technologies, LLC (Management and Operating Contractor to the National Nuclear Security Administration, US Department of Energy) will be the featured speaker at this first 2016 event of the Las Vegas chapter. His topic deals with the insider threat.

Event location: Texas Station Hotel, 2101 Texas Star Ln, North Las Vegas, NV. Corner of Rancho Blvd. and West Lake Mead Blvd.
To register: email Christy Zalesny (christyzalesny@yahoo.com) Corresponding Secretary or call her at 702- 271-5667, if you have any questions.

Tuesday, 9 February 2016 - MacDill AFB, FL - AFIO Suncoast Chapter's first 2016 meeting speaker is Col Paul Keddy, CENTCOM, on "Coalition Perspective of the War on Terror."

Colonel Paul Keddy, Senior National Representative - Canada, CENTCOM, Vice Chairman of the International Coalition, will be speaking on 'Conflicts and Commitments ' a Coalition perspective of the War on Terror.'

LOCATION: MacDill AFB Surf's Edge Club, 7315 Bayshore Blvd, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Please RSVP to the Chapter Secretary for yourself and include the names and email addresses of any guests. Email Michael Shapiro at sectysuncoastafio@att.net. You will receive a confirmation via email. If you do not, contact the Chapter Secretary to confirm your registration. Check-in at noon; opening ceremonies, lunch and business meeting at 1230 hours, followed by our speaker.
FEE: You must present your $20 check payable to 'Suncoast Chapter, AFIO' (or cash) at check-in to cover the luncheon. If you make a reservation, don't cancel and get a cancellation confirmation by the response deadline and then don't show up, you will be responsible for the cost of the luncheon.

Saturday, 13 February 2016, 11:30am - 2:30pm - Melbourne, FL - AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter Luncheon features Gene Poteat, discussing “Women in Espionage"

The Florida Satellite Chapter is pleased again to welcome former CIA official, AFIO President-emeritus and our good friend, Gene Poteat. Gene’s topic for the occasion, “Women in Espionage” will examine the roles women have played in the second oldest profession from Joshua’s Rahab of Jericho, to Putin’s Anna Chapman of New York and Moscow, and a great many in between. Meeting will be at the At Ease Club of the Indian River Colony Club, 1936 Freedom Drive, Melbourne, FL 32940.
For information and reservations, please contact FSC Chapter President at afiofsc@afio.com.

Saturday, 13 February 2016, 11 am to 3 pm - Orange Park, FL - AFIO North Florida Chapter hosts Arden Brey, a Navy Photoanalyst

The guest speaker is tentatively Mr. Arden Brey, a former Navy photoanalyst, who had experience during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and further adventures after that. A current bio of Brey will be supplied in a few weeks.

Location: Country Club of Orange Park. Questions and reservations: Quiel Begonia at qbegonia@comcast.net call (904) 545-9549. Cost will be $24 each, pay the Country Club at the luncheon. Remember that family and guests and potential members are cordially invited.

Friday, 18 March 2016, 10:30am - 2pm - Tysons, VA - AFIO National Spring Luncheon features Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director, CIA and NSA, discussing "Playing to the Edge."

An unprecedented high-level master narrative of America's intelligence wars, from the only person ever to helm both CIA and NSA, at a time of heinous new threats and wrenching change. For General Michael Hayden, playing to the edge means playing so close to the line that you get chalk dust on your cleats. Otherwise, by playing back, you may protect yourself, but you will be less successful in protecting America. "Play to the edge" was Hayden's guiding principle when he ran the National Security Agency, and it remained so when he ran CIA.  In his view, many shortsighted and uninformed people are quick to criticize, and this book will give them much to chew on but little easy comfort; it is an unapologetic insider's look told from the perspective of the people who faced awesome responsibilities head on, in the moment.

HOLD THE DATE. Event is being held at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel, Tysons, VA. Further information to be released in early 2016. Morning speaker TBA.

Monday, 21 March 2016, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - The AFIO NY Metro Chapter Meeting features a presentation by Paddy Hayes, author of newly released "Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain's Cold War Spy Master."

Hayes shows the fortitude of a woman intelligence officer who ascended the ranks of the British SIS. Daphne Margaret Sybil D'sir'e Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth (1921'2010), spent her girlhood on the African plains, and eventually became Chief of Western Hemisphere Operations for the Secret Intelligence Service. Hayes provides personal interviews, documents, and other secondary sources, and vividly describes Park's character, revealing a woman who succeeded with wit, charm, and intellect.

Venue: The Society of Illustrators Club 128 E 63 St, midtown Manhattan. More details to follow. Inquiries or registration to Jerry Goodwin, President AFIO New York Metropolitan Chapter, afiometro@gmail.com.

Other Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 06 January 2016, 12:00pm - Washington, DC - JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and the Sino-Indian War at the International Spy Museum

During the most dangerous days of the Cold War, President Kennedy was dealing with a war that has largely escaped history's attention: the Sino-Indian conflict. Join Bruce Riedel, director of The Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institute and a CIA and National Security Council veteran, as he shares how he used newly declassified letters between Kennedy and Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru along with the diaries and memoirs of key players and other sources to provide the first full narrative of Kennedy's covert actions before, during and after the war between India and China. From strategic diplomacy to an ongoing clandestine operation in which the United States trained and parachuted Tibetan guerillas into Tibet to fight Chinese military forces, Riedel will reveal Kennedy's work with the CIA to be one of his greatest, and yet most overlooked, successes.

Tickets: FREE! No reservation required. Visit www.spymuseum.org

8 January 2016, 4 - 5:30 pm - Washington, DC - Spy Cocktail Hour with True World Ops principals - David Major and Oleg Kalugin

True World Ops hosts this free 'Spy Cocktail Hour' at Martin's Tavern in Georgetown, Washington, DC, from 4 - 5:30 pm. Former KGB Maj Gen. Oleg Kalugin and Former FBI Senior Agent David Major will be in attendance to mingle with event attendees. If you are interested in attending, RSVP to evenafro@trueworldops.com.

Wednesday, 13 January 2016, 7:30 PM-8:45 PM - McLean, VA - “Lasting and Expanding: The Next Generation of Jihad and Global Warfare." Hassan Mneimneh at the Westminster Institute

Hassan Mneimneh is a Scholar at the Middle East Institute and one of the most penetrating analysts of radicalism and factionalism in the Middle East, North Africa and the wider Islamic world. He is a regular contributor to al-Hayat. He is also affiliated with Middle East Alternatives and Fikra Forum, with which he published his recent article on "A New Wave of Global Terrorism? The Islamic State in its Third Age." He served for many years as the director of the Iraq Memory Foundation.
Where: Westminster Institute, 6729 Curran St. McLean, VA
The event is free but requires registration by 12 January 2016. Register here.

Thursday, 14 January 2016, 11:30 am - Washington, DC - Playing Chess with Putin - Dr. Leon Aron of AEI at the Daniel Morgan Academy

Playing Chess with Putin will be the presentation by Dr. Leon Aron, one of America's foremost scholars of Russian affairs
Dr. Aron will examine Vladimir Putin's strategic objectives. He will discuss how Putin's assertive foreign and military policies underpin his personal power and domestic political standing. Dr. Aron will recommend policy options that could weaken Putin's internal political power by slowing and/or rolling back Russia's strategic and tactical advances.

LOCATION: Daniel Morgan Academy, 1620 L St NW, 7th Flr, Washington, DC 20036
Near Farragut North and West Metro Stations

Space is limited. To RSVP do so here.

NEW DATE - Thursday, 14 January 2016, 6:30pm - Washington, DC. 100 Deadly Skills: An Evening with Navy SEAL Clint Emerson at the International Spy Museum

The world can be a very dangerous place and former Navy SEAL and JSOC Operator Clinton Emerson wants you to be prepared. He can give you the tools to thwart the people who want to exploit you-threats to your personal safety are everywhere. From acts of terror to mass shootings to the unseen (and sometimes virtual) matrix of everyday crime, danger is no longer confined to dark alleys or unstable regions.

In his new book, 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation, Emerson draws on over 20 years' experience with actual special forces operations to teach you how to protect yourself. This evening, he'll share practical hands-on advice for civilians who want to learn self-defense skills, evasion tactics immobilizing maneuvers, and get started on the path to surviving any dangerous situation.

Tickets: $10. Visit www.spymuseum.org

Wednesday, 20 January 2016, 7:30 to 8:45PM - McLean, VA - Dr. Walid Phares speaks on Jihadi Threats at the Westminster Institute

Dr. Walid Phares will be offering his remarks about the multiple Jihadi threats coming from the Middle East, including the expansion of ISIS and the widening of Iranian operations in the region. Dr Phares is an advisor to members of the US Congress and the European Parliament. He is the author of many books, including Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against the West and The Lost Spring: US Policy in the Middle East and Catastrophes to Avoid. He has taught at National Defense University, Florida Atlantic University and BAUI University in Washington, DC, where he currently serves as Provost and Director for international studies.
Where: Westminster Institute, 6729 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101
Event is free but requires registration by January 19, 2016. Register here.

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