AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #10-18 dated 13 March 2018

To view this edition of the Weekly Notes online, use the following link.

[Editors' Note are now below the CONTENTS] REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS: We do not wish to add clutter to inboxes. To discontinue receiving the WINs, click here.

CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Jobs and Obituaries

Jobs

Obituaries

Section V - Events

Upcoming AFIO Events

Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

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

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

The WIN editors attempt to include a wide range of articles and commentary in the Weekly Notes to inform and educate our readers. However, the views expressed in the articles are purely those of the authors, and in no way reflect support or endorsement from the WIN editors or the AFIO officers and staff. We welcome comments from the WIN readers on any and all articles and commentary.
CAVEATS: IMPORTANT: AFIO does not "vet" or endorse research inquiries, career announcements, or job offers. Reasonable-sounding inquiries and career offerings are published as a service to our members, and for researchers, educators, and subscribers. You are urged to exercise your usual caution and good judgment when responding, and should verify the source independently before supplying any resume, career data, or personal information.]
If you are having difficulties with the links or viewing this newsletter when it arrives by email, members may view the latest edition each week at this link. You will need your LOGIN NAME and your PASSWORD.

     

There will be no Weekly Notes next week, 20 March 2018
to allow for a special event by WINs editors.

We will resume Tuesday, 27 March 2018.

Thank you for your understanding.

____________________________________

Did you miss Dr Jack Dziak's 10 March 2018 presentation on

Old Lesson for New Wars: Counterintelligence at the Roots of Provocation and Terror?

Dr. Dziak is co-founder and President of Dziak Group, a consulting firm in the fields of intelligence, counterintelligence, and technology transfer. He is a Distinguished Fellow in Intelligence Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council and also is a Senior Fellow at the International Assessment Strategy Center.

View his 1:42 hr presentation online,
compliments of the Westminster Institute, McLean, VA.

____________________________________

Books of the Week

Three Days in MoscowThree Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire
by Bret Baier and Catherine Whitney
(William Morrow, May 2018)

"Bret Baier gives us a clear and lively picture of Ronald Reagan, the man and the president. ...enjoy and learn why the Gipper was such a great leader." -- George P Shultz, US Secretary of State, 1982-1989
Baier, chief political anchor for Fox News, tenders a nostalgic account of the Reagan era and the end of the Cold War. Lauding the former president's "iron-fisted, velvet-gloved approach" to US-Soviet relations while de-emphasizing the more complex forces at play in the late 1980s, he portrays Reagan as a hero for whom turning "the evil empire" onto a path of democracy was a life mission. He recounts the Reagans' first visit to Moscow in 1988 and the couple's unscripted and nearly disastrous meet-the-people stroll, revels in Reagan's anti-Communist one-liners, and asserts the president was "a far more complex human being than his critics gave him credit for." -- Publishers Weekly

Book may be preordered here.


The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life
The Tragedy of Benedict Arnoldby Joyce Lee Malcom
(Pegasus Books, May 2018)

Re-examination of one of young America's most complicated figures: the war hero turned infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold. Malcolm starts with Arnold's difficult upbringing in a household disgraced by his father's business failures and alcoholism, before moving on to Arnold's early business ventures, including starting a combination drugstore and bookstore in New Haven, and then tracing his evolution as a soldier. As Malcolm notes, Arnold's growth into someone considered "the most brilliant officer on either side of the Revolutionary War" is all the more impressive given that he entered that conflict with no actual military experience. According to Malcolm, Arnold's betrayal was the culmination of his "lifelong struggle for honor and respect," and repeated professional slights, such as being passed over for promotions and the unwarranted micromanagement of his expenses, ultimately led from discontent to treason. -- Publisher Weekly

Book may be ordered here.


Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Ideas Alone Won't Improve the Federal Security Clearance Backlog.  Though agencies and industry have good ideas for reducing the security clearance backlog and improving processing times, there aren't many concrete plans or timelines in place to implement these solutions, according to testimony at a March 7, 2018, Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

"We've had a doubling of the costs. We have everybody using the term, 'continuous evaluation,' yet we seem to have no commonality on that or how we're going to get there. We have the notion of increased technology, but, again, I don't see a timeline presented," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

Charlie Phalen, director of the National Background Investigation Bureau, said that of the 710,000 investigations in inventory, 164,000 are record checks or credentialing support, 337,000 are initial investigations and 209,000 are reinvestigations.

And though NBIB has made efforts to bring their processing power back up to snuff since the loss of a major contractor that contributed to investigations, agencies are still working through longer processing times for both employees and contractors.  [Read More:  Bur/federaltimes/9Mar2018]

From Rathgar with Love: Dublin Embassy's Spy Links.  Ireland has become a base for Russia's intelligence services in the past decade, security sources say. The SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service, is believed to have set up at the country's embassy in Dublin and to be running covert operations.

In 2010, SVR officers based at the Russian embassy in Rathgar were implicated in directing the activities of a network of spies that Moscow had sent to America to gather information about analysts, policymakers and business people while posing as ordinary Americans. The affair was the inspiration behind The Americans, an FX drama series about two undercover Russian spies living in the US.  [Read More:  Mooney/thetimes/11Mar2018]

Bahrain Delays Trial Over Qatar-Linked Foreign Intelligence Espionage Case.  Bahrain's High Criminal Court on Thursday postponed to March 22 the trial of al-Wefaq party Secretary General Ali Salman, Hassan Ali Juma Sultan and Ali Mahdi Ali Al Aswad, who are accused of spying for Qatar.

The trial was adjourned to allow defense to gather evidence.

Salman is being tried in person, while the other two defendants in absentia.

The court heard the testimony of the public prosecutor in which he said that the accused violated the noblest values and most sacred principles by targeting the nation.  [Read More:  aawsat/9Mar2018]

Russian Intelligence Unable to Crack Phone of Russian Ambassador Karlov's Assassin.  A Russian intelligence team was unable to crack the phone of Mevl't Mert Altıntaş, the assassin who in late 2016 shot dead former Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, daily H'rriyet reported on March 9.

The team of Russian specialists, who travelled to Ankara, became the latest group to fail to crack Altıntaş's phone.

Following the failure, Turkish authorities have contacted a private company which will reportedly be arriving in Turkey for the mission in April.

In December 2017, however, files on a hard disk belonging to Altıntaş were cracked by the Russian intelligence service.  [Read More:  hurriyetdailynews/9Mar2018]

Palestinian Intelligence Chief Undergoes Successful Heart Operation.  Majid Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service, recently underwent a successful heart operation at a hospital in the United States, according to a Palestinian official.

Two stents were inserted into Faraj's coronary arteries, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said in a phone call.

Stents, small wire mesh tubes, "keep coronary arteries open and reduce the chance of a heart attack," the American Heart Association website says.

Faraj also underwent a cardiac catheterization at an Israeli hospital some six months ago, according to the official.  [Read More:  Rasgon/jpost/10Mar2018]

Egypt's Chief Spy and Qatar's Top Diplomat in Khartoum for Separate Talks with Sudanese Officials.  The Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID) Abas Mustafa Kamel met with the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir for talks on the outstanding issues between the two countries.

His visit coincided with the arrival of the Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to Khartoum to deliver a message to from the Emir of Qatar to President al-Bashir.

According to the official news agency SUNA, Kamel is visiting Sudan at the invitation of his Sudanese counterpart Salah Gosh. Both, have been appointed recently at this position, Kamel who was the director of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's office has been appointed in January and Gosh in February.

The two men have to enhance bilateral cooperation dissipate fears and suspicions as Cairo and Khartoum suspect each other of supporting opposition groups since the removal of the former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.  [Read More:  sudantribune/11Mar2018]

The Army Turns to a Former Legal Opponent to Fix its Intel Analysis System.  The U.S. Army has made good on a new push to buy commercially available products by issuing a contract to both Raytheon and Palantir Technologies to provide solutions for its struggling intelligence analysis system, the Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A), according to a March 8 contract announcement posted to the Pentagon's website.

The Army has been criticized in recent years for not buying enough commercial off-the-shelf technology and instead spending billions and many years to build the capabilities itself.

DCGS-A is a poster child for how the Army has struggled to develop and field a highly technical capability while ignoring the pace of technological development outside of the defense world. It's also an example where existing technology could have already provided a functional capability without further development.

But the service is showing, through its contract award, that its epic legal dispute with Palantir is water under the bridge.  [Read More:  Judson/defensenews/10Mar2018]

Phishing Is Culprit Behind Vast Majority of Data Exfiltration, Intelligence Official Says.  Over the last eight or nine years, of all the successful data exfiltrations and breaches that have hit the federal government and private industry, about 90 percent of them were the result of spear-phishing campaigns that targeted unsuspecting employees.

That's according to William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

"Until we clean that up, our adversaries need not get sophisticated with their intrusion apparatus," Evanina said during a keynote address on March 8 at a MeriTalk-hosted event, "Cyber Convergence: Security, the Cloud and Your Data."

"As American citizens, we have an unbelievable inability not to click on a link," he said, joking that any company that can absolutely prevent users from clicking on authorized links or opening unauthorized attachments would make a fortune.  [Read More:  Goldstein/fedtechmagazine/9Mar2018]

More Spies Visiting Switzerland as Diplomats.  The Swiss Federal Council has reported an increase in foreign espionage, particularly aided by technology and by spies posing as diplomats.

"Of course it worries us," Defence Minister Guy Parmelin told Swiss public radio, SRF, in an interview aired on Saturday's Heute Morgenexternal link show.

According to the Federal Council's annual reportexternal link, the number of foreign intelligence officers under diplomatic cover is significant. For example, the Swiss government seriously suspects that among diplomatic staff from one country, at least a quarter have links to their national intelligence service.

The report, published on Wednesday, does not state which country it is, and Parmelin declined to specify when asked by SRF radio.  [Read More:  swissinfo/10Mar2018]



Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

No Facebook or Twitter? You're Probably a Spy.  Bottom Line: A spy's tradecraft must constantly evolve because of the rapid changes of the digital age - especially the tools and skills required to maintain a legend, or cover identity. Virtual recordkeeping, modern surveillance technology and the vast amounts of a person's background accessible on open-source platforms such as social media are affecting intelligence operatives' ability to operate covertly overseas.

Background: One of the most fundamental needs for a spy is their legend, or a well-prepared but made-up or assumed identity, also known as cover. Legends allow intelligence officers unique access into companies, ministries and groups of interest where they can recruit agents, manipulate unwitting insiders, or observe, report and take direct action themselves.

Broadly speaking, intelligence officers operate under three forms of cover - diplomatic, official and nonofficial. Diplomatic cover - under which an intelligence officer takes on the face of a diplomat - is likely the most common, as it grants diplomatic immunity as an insurance policy if discovered. Official covers are disclosed to the host governments and those operating under them openly cooperate and liaise directly with intelligence services in allied countries, creating a backchannel for sensitive interactions. Nonofficial cover, also known as deep cover, includes assuming a made-up identity such as a business person or student. Those under nonofficial cover operate without the knowledge of the host government. If caught, they could face severe repercussions.  [Read More:  Maxey/thecipherbrief/27Feb2018]

Sergei Skripal: Salisbury's Other Spy Lived in Fear of KGB Revenge  Even when feeding the swans on the banks of the River Avon or enjoying the peace of Salisbury Cathedral, Vladimir Pasechnik was always afraid.

Long before Sergei Skripal was poisoned, another Russian enemy of the state lived and died, invisibly, in Wiltshire. His name has almost faded into obscurity - his Wikipedia profile has the wrong photograph - but the germ warfare expert who was once one of the Soviet Union's most valued scientists spent the last 12 years of his life lying low in Salisbury, convinced the KGB would kill him.  [Read More:  Bannerman/thetimes/12Mar2018]

Cornell Alumnus Expelled From the Office of the Inspector General as Another Seeks to Enter It.  The West Wing's revolving door sometimes facilitates coincidences. A Cornell alumnus working in the intelligence community was terminated by the acting inspector general of the intelligence community last year, a position which another alumnus, Michael Atkinson J.D. '91, may soon occupy.

The acting inspector general, Wayne Stone, fired Dan Meyer '87 from his post as executive director for intelligence community whistleblowing and source protection in November, following undisclosed allegations of issues related to workplace conduct and handling of classified information, according to the Government Executive.

Atkinson now stands to take over Stone's temporary position in the Office of the Inspector General, after a Senate confirmation.

The inspector general holds the entire intelligence community accountable for waste, fraud, abuse and violations of law, rule, and regulation.The ICWSP reports to the inspector general to offer the highest intelligence officials a place to independently share concerns with the promise of unbiased review.  [Read More:  Curley/cornellsun/11Mar2018]

Has the Cold War Idea of 'Spy Etiquette' Disappeared?  US and Russian intelligence officers who operated during the cold war largely acknowledge that Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies is a fair portrayal of how a spy swap used to be. The movie reflects a world in which there seemed to be an unwritten "spy etiquette". Those captured would be exchanged rather than executed, and would not be hunted down later in revenge assassinations.

Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, said this etiquette had broken down under Vladimir Putin, the Russian president and former KGB officer.

Speaking after the nerve agent attack against the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, Galeotti said: "During the cold war, there was an understanding about what was and what was not acceptable."

He said Putin and the FSB, the successor security agency to the KGB, are different from their predecessors. "The FSB works with impunity. They do not know the rules, and if they did, they do not care about them," Galeotti said.  [Read More:  MacAskill/theguardian/9Mar2018]

TOP SECRET What's the Difference Between MI5 and MI6, What Do They Stand For and What Do the Spy Agencies Do?  The agencies widely associated with fictional super spy James Bond both serve the same purpose - gathering intelligence.

But the secretive and highly-skilled organisations have very different remits, as SunOnline explains.

What does MI5 do and what are its limitations?  MI5 is widely understood to focus its intelligence efforts inside the UK but that isn't always the case.

With threats to Britain's security often coming from abroad, the agency says it does "work outside the UK where it's necessary to protect the UK's national security or to counter security threats".  [Read More:  Akbar/thesun/6Mar2018]

Ex-Spy Chief Charged with Revealing Official Secrets.  Back in 2016 the ex-head of the Danish security and intelligence service PET decided to come in from the cold and publish his memoirs.

However, although the book ‘Syv år for PET - Jakob Scharfs tid' (seven years working for PET - the Jakob Scharf years) had been printed and was in some shops, PET took out an injunction to stop it because it felt it was too revealing.

In response and citing a public interest defence, the Danish newspaper Politiken then published the entire contents of the book as a supplement to the paper.

You would have thought that the matter would end there, but Scharf was nonetheless reported to Copenhagen's police for breaking his contractual oath regarding handling official secrets on 11 October 2016, and he has now been officially charged, reports DR Nyheder.  [Read More:  Gadd/cphpost/8Mar2018]



Section III - COMMENTARY

Why are We Still in Afghanistan?  With metronomic regularity, every thousand days or so, Americans should give some thought to the longest war in their nation's history.

The war in Afghanistan, which is becoming one of the longest in world history, reaches its 6,000th day on Monday, when it will have ground on for substantially more than four times longer than US involvement in World War II from Pearl Harbor to V-J Day (1,346 days).

America went to war in Afghanistan because that not-really-governed nation was the safe haven from which al Qaeda planned the 9/11 attacks. It was not mission creep but mission gallop that turned the intervention into a war against the Taliban who had provided, or at least not prevented, the safe haven. So, the United States was on a mission opposed by a supposed ally next door - Pakistan, which through Directorate S of its intelligence service has supported the Taliban.

This fascinating, if dispiriting, story is told in Steve Coll's new book "Directorate S: The CIA and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan." There cannot be many secrets about this subject that are not in Coll's almost 700 pages.  [Read More:  Will/nypost/11Mar2018]

The Rules of the Spy Game are No Longer Clear.  It's to be hoped that British investigators are getting closer to knowing what poisoned the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain. That doesn't mean they'll have any idea who did it. So it's far too early to talk of a Russian "declaration of war," as some have done.

Understandably, though, the theory most popular in the British media at the moment is that it was Russian spies who poisoned the former military intelligence colonel and his daughter, Yulia. This would surprise no one. That Russian intelligence is back in the business of executing traitors has been known since the case of Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned with polonium in 2006. If the Skripal situation is part of this practice, two things are striking about it because they would suggest that Russia has blown up unwritten spy game rules from which it has repeatedly benefited: first, that Skripal had been "off the board" after being tried, convicted and traded to the U.K. and, second, that his daughter had apparently been targeted along with him.

In 2010, the ex-colonel was one of four people who came to the West as part of a widely covered spy swap, in which the U.S. released 10 Russian "sleeper agents." There had been at least a dozen spy exchanges between Western countries and the Soviet Union and its satellites during the Cold War, but this was the first publicly announced one in the Vladimir Putin era.

None of the people traded to the West in these swaps has ever been assassinated. The possibility of a swap is a perk that makes it marginally worthwhile to spy for a foreign power. The money paid to spies or the moral satisfaction of working against a hated regime is never enough to compensate for the dreadful risk of this work; not even the implicit promise that the side you work for will take care of you will tip the scale if you have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. A swap, however, has been a guarantee of peaceful retirement. If that's no longer the case, this raises the stakes for spies - and makes swaps pointless.  [Read More:  Bershidsky/postandcourier/8Mar2018]

For Mueller, This is Only the Beginning.  Special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment against 13 Russian individuals and three Russian entities marks a major turning point in his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Critics of Mueller's investigation have been quick to suggest the indictment proves that no collusion took place between the Trump campaign and Russia. President Donald Trump reiterated as much in a string of tweets on Saturday and Sunday, in which he argued yet again "that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems" and that the Russians "are laughing their asses off in Moscow!"

And although this indictment does not make the allegation of Trump campaign collusion explicitly, it may be too early to jump to any definitive conclusions. As a lawyer and former FBI agent who conducted counterintelligence investigations, I believe Mueller achieved five things with this indictment, all of which suggest this is not the end of the story.  [Read More:  Rangappa/cnn/18Feb2018]

A New NSA?: Former Obama officials form anti-Trump national security think tank. A group of about 50 former Obama administration officials recently formed a think tank called "National Security Action" to attack the Trump administration's national security policies. The mission statement of the group is anything but subtle: "National Security Action is dedicated to advancing American global leadership and opposing the reckless policies of the Trump administration that endanger our national security and undermine U.S. strength in the world." National Security Action plans to pursue typical liberal foreign policy themes such as climate change, challenging President Trump's leadership, immigration and allegations of corruption between the president and foreign powers. This organization uses the acronym NSA, which is ironic. Three of its founding members – Ben Rhodes, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power – likely were involved in abusing intelligence from the federal NSA (National Security Agency) to unmask the names of Trump campaign staff from intelligence reports and to leak NSA intercepts to the media to hurt Donald Trump politically. This included a leak to the media of an NSA transcript in February 2017 of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's discussion with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak. No one has been prosecuted for this leak. [Read More: Fleitz/Center for Security Policy/11Mar2018]


Section IV - Jobs and Obituaries

Jobs

Three Reston, VA Jobs with FireEye.

Engineering Program Manager; FireEye; Experience: 4 to 6 years; Location: Reston, VA
Work closely with engineering managers, technical leads and product managers to drive project planning and execution of multiple complex software development projects. Collaborate with cross functional groups across FireEye thru the Product life cycle, from definition to successful delivery of releases. Manage cross team de... [full information here]

QA Engineering Manager; FireEye; Experience: 12 to 15 years; Location: Reston, VA
Minimum 12 15 years of experience in software testing, atleast 4 years in a technical lead role. Strength in technical leadership, setting strategy and direction at an operational level, works autonomously and collaborates with other engineering disciplines such as development, devops, product management, program management...[full information here]

Senior Program Manager- TORE; FireEye; Experience: 3 to 20 years; Location: Reston, VA
Overall project set up to include the building of project plan(s) in coordination with the project owner, as well as the successful execution and operation of the project following the defined plan Work effectively with network of stakeholders/assigned personnel to provide intelligence and insight about the project to organ... [full information here]

Obituaries

Jerome H. Quigley, 92, died 3 March 2018. Jerome H. (Jerry) Quigley, 92, passed away on March 3, 2018. Jerry served in the Navy's V-5 Aviation Cadet Program while a senior in high school, receiving his wings and commission and was selected for fighters (F4U -Corsair) and assigned to VF-5B/VF-17, Jolly Rogers. He logged 214 carrier landings, survived a crash on the flight deck, and a bad, no-power catapult shot.
After his military service he conducted and directed investigations of counterintelligence and criminal cases for USG and industry. The rest of his professional life he worked in management for companies like General Motors Research, Raytheon, GRC, Sperry-Univac, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and United Nuclear Corporation.
He is survived by many children and other family. [Read More:  messingermortuary]



Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Thursday, 15 March 2018, 11:30 AM - Colorado Springs - The AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts General Gene Renuart, discussing "Intelligence: Art Form or Science ' How little We Know."

The events of 9/11 and the subsequent operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom will be used to demonstrate that we are failing our national decision makers if we do not find the balance between human and operational intelligence as we assist the National Command Authority.

General Renuart's Air Force career culminated as Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command after nearly 39 years of distinguished service. In this last role, he was responsible for providing for the Homeland Defense and Defense Support to Civilian Authorities for the United States and for partnering with Canada and Mexico in broader security issues for North America. General Renuart served as the Director of Strategy, Policy and Planning (J-5) for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Senior Military Assistant to both SECDEFs Rumsfeld and Gates. He was the Director of Operations for General Tom Franks at US Central Command, planning and executing all combat and humanitarian operations in Afghanistan and Iraq immediately following 9/11. He also served for over 12 years in NATO related assignments in the UK, Germany, and Italy. He has flown over 60 combat missions in four different US and Coalition combat operations.

Since retiring and making Colorado his home, General Renuart has served as a senior consultant for a number of global, defense-related corporations and agencies. In 2012, he founded The Renuart Group (TRG), LLC, a defense, homeland security, energy, project management, and leadership consulting firm, based in Colorado Springs. He also serves on many Boards around the nation and locally. Finally, the General serves on the Colorado Springs Mayor's Air Service Task Force.

To sign up or for more information, please contact Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net

10 April 2018, 11:30 am - 2 pm - MacDill AFB, FL - AFIO Suncoast FL Chapter hosts Lt Col Jen Snow USAF on "Special Operations: Innovative and Emerging Disruptive Technologies."

Lt Col Jen Snow USAF, speaks on innovation and emerging disruptive technologies relative to Special Operations concerns. JJ Snow is an Air Force Lt Colonel assigned as the U.S. Special Operations Command Innovation Officer and J5 Donovan Group Future Plans and Strategy Team Air Force Representative. In her current role, JJ serves as the government representative for technology outreach and engagement on behalf of the command and 545 interagency action officers spanning 40 different government agencies. She is responsible for maintaining a network of nontraditional experts to provide government with critical access, expertise and capacity across a broad spectrum of technologies to rapidly identify best of breed while also proactively responding to potential threat aspects of concern to Special Operations and national security. She supports senior government leadership in process innovation, innovation planning in big government, and the development of smart technology policy and advises on emerging disruptive technologies.

Timing: Check-in starting at 1130 hours; Cash wine and soda bar open at 1130 hours for those who wish to come early to socialize; Opening ceremonies, lunch and business meeting at noon, followed by our speaker.
Location: MacDill AFB's Surf's Edge Club, 7315 Bayshore Blvd, MacDill AFB, FL 33621. Anyone with special AFIO Base Access should proceed to the Bayshore Gate. If you need directions, please let us know.
Fee: $20/pp. 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.
RSVP Deadline: Tuesday, 3 April you should have sent your RSVP to Chapter Secretary Michael Shapiro at michaels@suncoastafio.org. You will receive a confirmation via email. If you do not get a confirmation, please contact the Chapter Secretary. Note: Meal Alternatives Available. When you RSVP, indicate a meal preference.

19 April 2018, Time: 12.30-2pm - Los Angeles, CA - The AFIO Los Angeles Chapter hosts LAPD Commissioner Soboroff.

The next scheduled meeting will feature speaker Steve Soboroff, President of the L.A.P.D. Police Commission.
Please make sure to mark your calendar. More details to follow.
Qs to Vincent Autiero, President, AFIO-Los Angeles Chapter at afio_la@yahoo.com.

Monday, 23 April 2018, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO NY Metro Chapter hosts CIA's Dr. Ursula Wilder on "The Psychology of Espionage and Leaking."

Ursula M. Wilder PhD, a clinical psychologist with the CIA's Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis, discusses the psychology of espionage and leaking. In her presentation this evening, she will provide crisp sketches of the three kinds of distorted personalities -- psychopathology, narcissism, and immaturity -- found in those who have abused their access to top-secret information and betrayed their country.
Dr. Wilder was a 2011-2012 Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she studied the psychological rewards and challenges of professionals who work in counterterrorism. She also served as a member of the Editorial Board of CIA's inhouse journal, Studies in Intelligence.

Location: Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd St (between Park and Lexington), New York, NY 10065.
Timing: Registration starts at 5:30 pm, Speaker presentation starts at 6 pm. Fee: $50/person. Payment at the door only. Cash or check. Full dinner, cash bar.
RSVP: Strongly recommended that you RSVP to insure space at event. Call or Email Chapter President Jerry Goodwin at afiometro@gmail.com or 646-717-3776.

Saturday, 28 April 2018, 6 - 8pm - Beaverton OR - The AFIO Columbia River Chapter hosts Terry Valois on "Insider Threat: Authorized Users, Privileged Access, Abused Trust."

The AFIO Columbia River Chapter hosts Terry Valois on "Insider Threat: Authorized Users, Privileged Access, Abused Trust." Valois is a Navy Cryptologic veteran and retired senior CIA officer with over 37 years of experience in the intelligence community and private sector.
He holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from National Intelligence University. Terry (CPP, PCI) is also the founder and owner of GreyFox Security Services, LLC, a small Portland, Oregon-based, veteran-owned private security and intelligence consulting firm specializing in security program management, insider threat program development, training and education, and open source/web intelligence and investigation research.
LOCATION: This unclassified program will be held in the Fab-15 Auditorium, Intel Aloha Campus, 3585 SW 198th Ave, Beaverton, OR 97078.
REGISTRATION: AFIO members and others are invited to attend. Current AFIO membership is not required. The event is free of charge with ample parking.
The content of this presentation is provided by the author and nothing therein should be construed to represent the positions of the United States Government or AFIO
For additional information contact Carl Wege at twege@ccga.edu or 912-222-8640.

Wednesday 23 May 2018 - San Francisco, CA - Historian Ralph Simpson discusses "History of the Enigma Machine" at this AFIO San Francisco Chapter meeting.

Ralph Simpson, Historian, discusses "The History of the Enigma Machine." Ralph Simpson worked in the computer industry for 32 years at IBM and Cisco Systems. He is now retired and volunteers at a local history museum. Mr. Simpson is the author of a cipher history book called Crypto Wars: 2000 Years of Cipher Evolution and is an avid collector of cipher machines, which can be seen on CipherHistory.com. Mr. Simpson lives in San Jose in a restored Victorian house, which is also home to his Cipher History Museum.
Time: 11:30 AM no-host cocktail; noon - meeting and luncheon begins.
Location: Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080
To Register: Do so here (forthcoming). The venue cannot accommodate walk-ins.
Questions?: Contact Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary at afiosf@aol.com.


Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

14 March 2018 - 10 am - 1 pm (lunch follows) - Annapolis Junction, MD - Liza Mundy discusses CODE GIRLS - American Women Who Cracked the German and Japanese Codes to Help Win WWII at the Spring Cryptologic Program by the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation (NCMF).

The NCMF kickoff event for 2018 features award-winning Liza Mundy discussing "Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II."
As the US headed to war in 1941, two things became clear: victory depended on successful code-breaking and they didn't have enough people working on it. The solution: recruit women for cryptanalysis. Tens of thousands of women  mostly college students and teachers with an affinity for math, science, and foreign languages  answered the call for top-secret work as codebreakers. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to real careers; however, strict secrecy nearly erased them from history...until now. Mundy provides a riveting account of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.
Liza Mundy, a former staff writer for the Washington Post, is author of four books and has won many awards. She holds an AB from Princeton and an MA in English literature from UVA. She lives a mile from Arlington Hall, where the Army code-breaking women worked.

LOCATION: CACI Inc., Maryland Conference Center, 2720 Technology Dr, Annapolis Junction, MD 20755 [Google map link here]

ONSITE Fee, includes lunch, is $25 for members and guests. Bring check to "NCMF." Further details are here. Too late to register online.

15 March 2018, 6:30 - 8 pm - Alexandria, VA - The Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP) Third Thursday Social on "The Future of Defense Intelligence Analysis."

This event features Neil R. Wiley, DISES - Director for Analysis (DI), DIA on "The Future of Defense Intelligence Analysis." Mr. Wiley has 30+ years experience in national security arena as a U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer, Surface Warfare Officer, and civilian intelligence professional. As Director for Analysis, he leads DIA's all-source analytic effort across the regional, functional, and S&TI portfolios, producing Defense Intelligence in support of policymakers, military planners and warfighter, and defense acquisition.

No RSVP Required. Dress: Smart Casual. Cash bar with wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and an excellent food menu at Sonoma Cellar, 207 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314.

20 March 2018, noon - McLean, VA - The Defense Intelligence Forum hosts Rosanne M. LeVitre RADM Ret, USN on "The Importance of the IC to National Security."

Rosanne M. LeVitre (RADM Retired, USN) will be the speaker at this DIF Intelligence Forum. She is Senior Advisor ODNI Transformation & Military Issues; Deputy Directorate for Intelligence Integration Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) "Rose" LeVitre joined ODNI as a senior national intelligence executive (SNIS) in July 2010. Prior to assuming her current duties she served as the National Intelligence Manager (NIM) for Military Issues (2015 to 2017). As such, she was the DNI's principal officer charged with ensuring Intelligence Community (IC) readiness, responsiveness, and capacity to support the warfighting needs of the Department of Defense, combatant commands, and military services. Ms. LeVitre is a former naval officer, retiring at the rank of Rear Admiral after a 31-year career. Ms Levitre will speak about the importance of the IC to national security and DNI Coats' priorities for the IC in the current threat and budgetary environments Her remarks will be off the record and not for attribution
Registration: Make by Tuesday, 13 March, by email to diforum@diaalumni.org. Include names, telephone numbers, and email addresses for all attendees. For each attendee, choose chicken parmesan, trout lemone, lasagna, grilled sausage with sweet peppers, fettuccini with portobella, manicotti with spinach and ricotta, or cannelloni alla bolognese.
Fee: $30 online here or at the door with exact cash or a check payable to DIAA, Inc. DIAA cannot take credit or debit cards at the door. Check-in starts at 1130; lunch at 1200. Late comers will be served last.
Event Location: Pulcinella Restaurant, 6852 Old Dominion Dr, McLean, VA.

4-7 April 2018 - San Francisco, CA - ISA2018: The International Studies Association (ISA) 59th Annual Convention includes an Intelligence Studies Section with a exceptional program.

The Intelligence Studies Section content (4 straight days, 30 panels and roundtables) is one small part of ISA's much larger conference. The full conference program is almost 300 pages; find details at the full conference website here. The Intelligence Studies Section (ISS) is one of thirty thematic sections that make up the ISA, has approximately 350 members, and has been sponsoring research about intelligence as a function of government since the mid-1980s. Additional information on the ISS can be found here.
If you have questions about the ISS program, contact the Section Chair: Stephen Marrin at marrinsp@jmu.edu or spm8p@yahoo.com
The updated program of Intelligence Studies Section panels at ISA2018 is here. Scan down that page to be dazzled by the number of presenters and breadth of intelligence and national security topics. This is a must attend conference.

Wednesday, 11 April 2018, noon - Washington, DC - Global Terrorism, Espionage and Cybersecurity Update - at the International Spy Museum

Join David Major, retired supervisory special agent of the FBI and former director of Counterintelligence and Security Programs at the NSC staff at the White House, for a briefing on the hottest intelligence and security issues, breaches, and penetrations. Presented in partnership with The Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies (CI Centre), these updates will cover worldwide events such as breaking espionage cases and arrest reports, cyber espionage incidents, and terrorist activity. Major uses his expertise to analyze trends and highlight emerging issues of interest to both intelligence and national security professionals and the public. Cases are drawn from the CI Centre's SPYPEDIA.
Event is free. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Thursday, 12 April 2018, 6:30pm - Washington, DC - Introducing Chris Costa: The New Spy Museum Director - at the International Spy Museum

COL Christopher P. Costa (US Army, ret.) is the new Executive Director of the Spy Museum. He has done some things he can't even tell you about, but this evening he'll share what he can from an intense career in the intelligence community. Costa has most recently been the Special Assistant for the President & Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council where he applied what he learned as a practitioner to policy making. Previously his career included 25 years of active duty deployed in hot spots such as Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He's the recipient of two Bronze Stars for intelligence work in Afghanistan and has been inducted into the Commando Hall of Honor for the US Special Operations Command. His career has included human intelligence, special operations, counterintelligence, unconventional warfare, and now...museums! Join Spy Museum historian Dr. Vince Houghton when he sits down with Costa for an informal get-to-know-you.
Tickets for the general public: $10 per person; Museum members: free. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

13 April 2018, 11 am - Arlington, VA - NIP (Naval Intelligence Professionals) 2018 Spring Red Tie Luncheon features VAdm Kernan on "National Security Challenges."

Registration is currently underway for 2018 NIP Spring Luncheon (aka...Red Tie) being held at the stately Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, VA. A special guest goes along with what will be a special day: Vice Admiral Joe Kernan, USN (Ret), Under Seretary of Defense for Intelligence. He will share his thoughts and impressions of the current "National Security Challenges" facing the nation.
VADM Kernan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate at the USD(I) in November 2017. During his naval career, he commanded Seal Team Two, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Naval Special Warfare Command, and US Naval Forces Southern Command/Fourth Fleet. He also seved as Senior Military Assistant to former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and as Deputy Commander of the U.S. Southern Command.
Location: Army Navy Country Club (ANCC), Arlington, VA. Abundant free valet parking. A no-host social hour will commence at 1100 with lunch following at noon.
Registration: NO AT THE DOOR REGISTRATIONS, Reservation deadline is COB 6 April 2018
To register online do so here. To register by US Mail with check, send to: NIP, PO Box 11579 Burke, VA 22009. Include your menu selection - Salmon or Chicken or Vegetarian. Nonmembers of NIP are welcome to attend.

Thursday, 19 April 2018, 6:30-9:30pm - Washington, DC - Surveillance 101 with Eric O'Neill: Spy School Workshop - at the International Spy Museum

What if you were assigned to watch the most damaging spy in US history? As a young operative in the FBI, Eric O'Neill was put into position as Robert Hanssen's assistant with the secret task of spying on his boss, who was under suspicion of working for Russia. O'Neill's background with the FBI was in surveillance, so he was up to the challenge. But how would you measure up? It's your chance to find out.
O'Neill is prepared to share his hard-earned expertise with you. This intense small group introduction to surveillance will include learning the basics and conducting surveillance in the streets of DC. Will you be able to track the "Rabbit" without being "made?" You'll learn how to snap clandestine shots and keep your target in view so you won't miss operational acts or clandestine meetings. O'Neill will lead the exercise and help you learn how to blend into the shadows for the best spy results! Space is limited to only 16 participants - advance registration required.
To register, email Shana Oltmans at soltmans@spymuseum.org.
Tickets for the general public: $94 per person; Spy Museum members: $75. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

22 - 25 April 2018 - Tampa, FL - USGIF GEOINT 2018 Symposium on "Driving Data to Decisions and Actions."

Always a phenomenal event in number of panels, quality (fame) of speakers, and hundreds of latest tech exhibits. This is the GEOINT version of the dazzling Consumer Electronics Show...

Hear from senior defense and intelligence leaders such as NGA Director Robert Cardillo and USDI Joseph Kernan in keynotes, panels, and presentations.
Learn from 52 hours of professional development, training, and education sessions with PDUs and CEUs.
See the latest in technology, services, and solutions from 200+ exhibitors in more than 100,000 sq ft of exhibit space.
Networking with more than 4,000 GEOINT Community professionals from 40 countries spanning defense, intelligence, homeland security, industry, and academia.

Learn more about the GEOINT Symposium here
Or register now and start planning on your trip to GEOINT 2018 in Tampa.

Wednesday, 25 April 2018, 1-4pm - Washington, DC - Beware of the Predator - at the International Spy Museum

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

Thursday, 26 April 2018, 6:30pm - Washington, DC - Spy Chiefs: An Overview - at the International Spy Museum

In pop culture, the spy chief is an all-knowing, all-powerful figure who masterfully moves spies like pieces on a chessboard. How close to reality is that depiction, and what does it really take to be an effective leader in the world of intelligence? As editors of Spy Chiefs: Volume 1, Dr. Mark Stout, a program director at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Christopher Moran, an associate professor at the University of Warwick, will reveal what they have gleaned about the role of intelligence leaders in foreign affairs and national security in the US and the UK from the early 1940s to the present. They will discuss some of the most intriguing of these shadowy figures such as William Donovan and John Grombach, who ran an intelligence organization so secret that not even President Truman knew of it. They'll also explore questions about spy chief accountability and just how powerful they were...or weren't. Spy Chiefs will be available for sale and signing at the event.
Tickets for the general public: $10 per person; Spy Museum Members: $8. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Friday, 18 May 2018, 1 - 2:30 pm - Annapolis Junction, MD - 2018 Henry F. Schorreck Lecture Speaker Series by NSA's Center for Cryptologic History on "The Pueblo Incident: A Fifty-Year Retrospective."

The National Cryptologic Museum hosts NSA's Center for Cryptologic History's 2018 Henry F. Schorreck Lecture Speaker Series which will explore "The Pueblo Incident: A Fifty-Year Retrospective."

The special guest speaker is Mitchell Lerner, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Korean Studies at Ohio State University. He is the author of The Pueblo Incident: A Spy Ship and the Failure of American Foreign Policy, which won the 2002 John Lyman Book Award.
"Remember," Rear Admiral Frank Johnson told the officers of the USS Pueblo just before they departed for their first mission, "you are not going out there to start a war." And yet, war appeared to be not far off when the spy ship was captured by North Korean forces on 23 January 1968, leaving one dead crewman and 82 other Americans held captive for a year in North Korean prison camps. This presentation will examine this controversial incident from start to finish, and will open a window into not only American decision making but also into the perspectives of North Korea, South Korea, and the Soviet Union.

REGISTRATION: Event is free. However, a full house is anticipated and thus, advanced registration is required at this link. The NSA-CCH will confirm registrations and answer any questions.
DIRECTIONS: The NCM is located at 8290 Colony Seven Rd, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. Here is are directions to the Museum.
Qs or prefer to register by email?: contact Greg Nedved at gjnedve@nsa.gov to reserve the desired number of seats by email.

Wednesday, 28 November 2018, 6 - 10:30 pm - Washington, DC - International Spy Museum's Annual "William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner" honoring Adm McRaven

For your calendar. A special evening to illuminate the critical role of individuals and organizations serving the Intelligence Community, and to raise funds in support of the International Spy Museum.

The William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner will take place at The Ritz Carlton Hotel. More than 600 attendees are anticipated and will recognize the men and women who have served in the field of National Security with integrity and distinction. This annual tribute dinner is given by the International Spy Museum to an individual who has embodied the values of Judge William H. Webster. This year's honoree is a patriot for whom love of country has been his guiding principle: Admiral William H. McRaven, former US Special Operations Commander, former Joint Special Operations Commander, and Chancellor of The University of Texas System.
Schedule: 6 pm - VIP Reception; 6:30 pm - Cocktail Reception; 7:30 - 9 pm - Dinner & Awards; 9 - 10:30 pm - Dessert Reception.
Location: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 1150 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037. **Please note: this event is closed to Media**
Tickets Available Now: Prices range from $100,000 to a single seat for $495. Funds raised at this tribute dinner will support artifact preservation, educational programming, research, exhibits, and accessibility programs for underserved communities at the International Spy Museum. To purchase tickets now, do so here. To learn more about this annual dinner, it is available here.


Gift Suggestions:

AFIO's Guide to the Study of IntelligenceAFIO's 788-page Guide to the Study of Intelligence. Peter C. Oleson, Editor, also makes a good gift. View authors and table of contents 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.

For a printed, bound copy, it is $95 which includes Fedex shipping to a CONUS (US-based) address.
To order for shipment to a US-based CONUS address, use this online form,

To order multiple copies or for purchases going to AK, HI, other US territories, or other countries call our office at 703-790-0320 or send email to afio@afio.com to hear of shipment fees.

Order the Guide from the AFIO's store at this link.

...ORDER HERE from AFIO.

The Guide is also available directly from Amazon at this link.

MousepadAFIO's 2017 Intelligence Community Mousepads are a great looking addition to your desk...or as a gift for others..
Made in USA. Click image for larger view.

These 2017 mousepads have full color seals of all 18 members of the US Intelligence Community on this 8" round, slick surface, nonskid, rubber-backed mouse pad with a darker navy background, brighter, updated seals. Also used, by some, as swanky coasters. Price still only $20.00 for 2 pads [includes shipping to US address. Foreign shipments - we will contact you with quote.] Order NEW MOUSEPADS here.

Disclaimers and Removal Instructions

Weekly Intelligence Notes (WINs) are commentaries on Intelligence and related national security matters, based on open media sources, selected, interpreted, edited and produced for non-profit educational uses by members and WIN subscribers.

REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS: We do not wish to add clutter to inboxes. To discontinue receiving the WINs: 

a)  IF YOU ARE A MEMBER - click here: UNSUBSCRIBE and supply your full name and email address where you receive the WINs. Click SEND, you will be removed from list.  If this link doesn't open a blank email, create one on your own and send to afio@afio.com with the words:  REMOVE FROM WINs as the subject, and provide your full name and email address where you are currently receiving them.

 b) IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, and you received this message, someone forwarded this newsletter to you [contrary to AFIO policies]. Forward to afio@afio.com the entire WIN or message you received and we will remove the sender from our membership and distribution lists. The problem will be solved for both of us.

CONTENTS of this WIN [HTML version recipients - Click title to jump to story or section, Click Article Title to return to Contents. This feature does not work for Plaintext Edition or for some AOL recipients]. If you wish to change to HTML format, let us know at afio@afio.com. The HTML feature also does not work for those who access their e-mail using web mail...however NON-HTML recipients may view the latest edition each week in HTML at this link: https://www.afio.com/pages/currentwin.htm


WINs are protected by copyright laws and intellectual property laws, and may not be reproduced or re-sent without specific permission from the Producer. Opinions expressed in the WINs are solely those of the editor's) or author's) listed with each article. AFIO Members Support the AFIO Mission - sponsor new members! CHECK THE AFIO WEBSITE at www.afio.com for back issues of the WINs, information about AFIO, conference agenda and registrations materials, and membership applications and much more!

(c) 2000, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. AFIO, 7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 470 East, Falls Church, VA 22043-2004. Voice: (703) 790-0320; Fax: (703) 991-1278; Email: afio@afio.com

 


About AFIO | Membership Renewal | Change of Address | Upcoming Events | Chapter Locations | Corporate/Institutional Memberships | Careers in Intelligence Booklet | Guide to the Study of Intelligence | Intelligencer Journal | Weekly Intelligence Notes | To Make A Donation | AFIO Store | Member-Only Section | Code of Ethics | Home Page


Click here to return to top.