AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #32-18 dated 21 August 2018

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CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section III - COMMENTARY

Section IV - Jobs

Jobs

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: ec, mh, km, gh, mk, rd, fm, kc, jm, mr, jg, th, ed, 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.]
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One more new book...


Ghost_My Thirty Years as FBIGhost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent

by Michael R. McGowan and Ralph Pezzullo
(St. Martin's Press, Oct 2018)

Within FBI field operative circles, groups of people known as "Special" by their titles alone, Michael McGowan is an outlier. 10% of FBI Special Agents are trained and certified to work undercover. A quarter of those agents have worked more than one undercover assignment in their careers. And of those, less than 10% of them have been involved in more than five undercover cases. Over the course of his career, McGowan has worked more than 50 undercover cases, more undercover cases than anyone in history.

Reviews some of his biggest cases, from international drug busts, to the Russian and Italian mobs, to corrupt unions and SWAT work. Provides a view into how the FBI, through the courage of undercover Special Agents, nails the bad guys. McGowan infiltrates groups at home and abroad, assembles teams to create the myths he lives, concocts fake businesses, makes the busts, and carries out the arrests. Along the way, we meet his partners and colleagues at the Bureau who pull together for everything from bank jobs to the Boston Marathon bombing case, mafia dons, and, perhaps most significantly, El Chapo himself and his Sinaloa Cartel.

An insider's account and testament to the incredible work of the FBI.

Book may be ordered here.


     

There will be no WINs next Tuesday, 28 August.  We will resume the following Tuesday, 4 September 2018.



NOTICES

Fact-Checking Research Database

The Poynter journalism organization collects and briefly explains major studies on fact-checking, fake news, and misinformation.

Examples of recent studies: "Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning" People with low critical thinking skills are more likely to believe fake news. In this study, the authors wanted to know whether or not people share fake news because it confirms their own partisan ideology or because of low critical thinking.

"Can Fact-checking Prevent Politicians from Lying?" Fact-checking might help politicians drop claims In this study, the author analyzed how fact-checking affected the rhetoric of presidential candidates in the 2012 and 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

Explore their findings.


AFIO's Fall Luncheon

Friday, 2 November 2018

Dangers, Challenges, and Joys of the Diplomatic and Intelligence Field of Operations

Amb. Prudence Bushnell

Terrorism Betrayal & Resilience

Ambassador Prudence Bushnell
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs,
U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and Guatemala
Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute on

― Terrorism, Betrayal, and Resilience ―
My Story of the 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings

 
 
  and  

Best of Enemies

Gus Russo

Eric Dezenhall

Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall
on Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War

"... crucial for anyone who wants to understand espionage or the Cold War."― James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor

"If John le Carré wrote nonfiction and was a great reporter, BEST OF ENEMIES would be the result."―Laurence Leamer, author

"... how an American CIA agent and a Russian KGB agent wound up on the same side. You have to read it to believe it."―Tom Brokaw

 

Former KGB Officer Gennady Vasilenko, and Michelle "Mox" Platt, daughter of the late CIA Operations Officer Jack Platt, will be in attendance.

Badge pick-up starts at 10 a.m.
First speaker, Ambassador Bushnell, at 11 a.m.
and Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall at 1 p.m.
 
Register here to ensure a seat.
 
Location: DoubleTree-Hilton, Tysons Corner, VA [formerly the Crowne Plaza], at 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22102.

New and Forthcoming Books of the Week

This is the Way the World EndsThis Is the Way the World Ends: How Droughts and Die-offs, Heat Waves and Hurricanes Are Converging on America
by Jeff Nesbit
(Thomas Dunne Books, Sep 2018)

A unique view of climate change glimpsed through the world's disappearing resources. The physical world itself won't end, one that we can survive in will: our livelihoods, our homes, our cultures. We're past the tipping point.

Longer droughts in the Middle East. Growing desertification in China and Africa. The monsoon season shrinking in India. Amped-up heat waves in Australia. More intense hurricanes reaching America. Water wars in the Horn of Africa. Rebellions, refugees and starving children across the globe. These are not disconnected events but pieces of a larger puzzle.

Unless we start addressing the causes of climate change, we will be facing a series of unstoppable catastrophes by the time current preschoolers graduate from college. Our world is in trouble — right now. The bad news? Within two decades our carbon budget will reach a point of no return.

Nesbit suggests we can get out of this canyon by changing the worn-out climate conversation to one that's relevant to every person. Nesbit provides a blueprint for workable solutions which must be tackled together. Lives and lifestyles will have to greatly change if future generations are to survive.

"Few people understand the depth of the planet's vulnerabilities as well as Jeff Nesbit - he's uniquely placed to write a touchstone book for understanding the world we're daily creating."
—Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature

"If you only read one book on why Earth's changing climate system matters - right now - this is it. Read this book."
—David Kessler M.D., author

Book may be ordered here.


LikeWarLikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media
by Peter Singer and Emerson T. Brooking
(Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oct 2018)

Two defense experts explore the collision of war, politics, and social media, where battles are now only a click away.

Through the weaponization of social media, the Internet has begun to transform war and politics, and vice versa. Terrorists livestream their attacks, "Twitter wars" produce real-world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the fate of nations. The result is that war, tech, and politics have blurred into a new battle space that plays out on laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
Singer and Brooking explore how ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift, a former World of Warcraft addict foils war crimes thousands of miles away, Internet trolls shape elections, and China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of one billion citizens. What can be kept secret in a world of networks? Does social media expose the truth or bury it? And what role do ordinary people now play in international conflicts?
We are introduced to unexpected warriors of social media, such as the rapper turned jihadist PR czar and the Russian hipsters who wage unceasing infowars against the West. The authors outline ways to defend against these threats of a networked world.

Book may be ordered here.


 

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Gunmen Attack Intelligence Service Center in Afghan Capital Kabul.  Gunmen attacked an area around a security base and training center for Afghanistan's intelligence service in the capital Kabul on Thursday, holding off security forces for hours before being killed.

The incident comes at a time of high tension after a series of attacks across Afghanistan, including a full-scale assault on the city of Ghazni by the Taliban last week that killed as many as 150 civilians and destroyed houses and a local market.

There was no immediate word on any casualties from Thursday's attack, the latest in a long series to target military and intelligence facilities in Kabul.

Islamic State issued a statement claiming responsibility in a statement on its Amaq news agency.  [Read more:  Ismail/reuters/16August2018]

A New Generation of Intelligence Collaborative Tools is Coming.  The intelligence community is entering a second era for its massive IT modernization project designed for better collaboration and integration across its 17 disparate agencies.

The IC IT Enterprise, or IC ITE, was first conceived of several years ago with the lessons of Sept. 11, 2001, in mind: The IC must better coordinate and share data.

With the change in leadership at the top of the IC, which came with a new administration, IC CIO John Sherman described various initiatives aimed at building on the initial phases and successes of IC ITE in what he is calling IC ITE's "second epoch."

Sherman, speaking Aug. 14 at the DoDIIS conference in Omaha, Nebraska, outlined six main thrusts of this second epoch "to ensure that we are able to keep up the progress as we get ready to move into the next decade."  [Read more:  Pomerleau/c4isrnet/14August201]

Colombia: Ex-Intelligence Officer Convicted for Journalist's Murder.  Jose Miguel Narvaez, sub-director of the disbanded Colombian intelligence agency the Administrative Department of Security (DAS for its Spanish acronym), was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Colombian journalist, comedian, lawyer, and peace activist Jaime Garzon Tuesday.

Jaime Garzon was murdered in Bogota by two hitmen on August 13, 1999. According to the investigations, Narvaez used his close relationship to former paramilitary chief Carlos Casta'o Gil to request the murder of Garzon, who Narvaez considered an ally of now demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

After a two-year trial, the court contended that there was sufficient testimony to prove Narvaez's participation in Garzon's execution.

According to local media, before his murder, Garzon revealed he had received death threats and visited paramilitary boss Angel Custodio Gaitan in a Bogota prison to beg for his life. Gaitan reportedly responded saying it would be complicated to stop Casta'o's order.  [Read more:  telesurtv.net/14August2018]

Data as a Team Sport: An Intelligence Community-Wide Panel Discussion.  Data officers from across the intelligence community participated in a panel discussion, Aug. 14, at the Defense Intelligence Agency Department of Defense Intelligence Information System Worldwide Conference.

Moderated by Steve Prosser, chief data officer for the intelligence community, the panelists discussed the data centric shift of the intelligence community and the changes in infrastructure to make data more available across all agencies.

Office of Naval Intelligence Chief Data officer Ben Apple explained that in the past, data was compartmentalized in applications with restricted access, but the intelligence community is currently breaking down the silos, providing analysts with new data and moving from forensic analysis to predictive. He added, by going to a multifaceted environment, it cuts down on redundancy and adapts to an enterprise-wide look at data.

Panel members also emphasized that while making data accessible is important, changing culture and standardizing language within the intelligence community is as equally essential. [Read more:  Thoennes/dia/14August2018]

Angelo State University Signs Agreement with National Security Agency.  ASU and NCS administrators signed an articulation agreement Thursday that will allow NSA employees to transfer their NCS credits into seven different undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs offered through ASU's Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies (CSS).

"NSA has qualified people who don't have the associated degrees to advance at the agency," said Dr. Tony R. "Randy" Mullis, CSS director in a press release. "This agreement is a means to a larger end - to help provide the education that will ensure those employees can get the credentials needed to remain at NSA and keep serving and protecting our nation."

NCS students who complete the CYBR 3422 cybersecurity course can transfer 12 credit hours into one of these ASU graduate degree programs:  [Read more:  Green/sanangelolive/16August2018]

Trump Gives the Military More Latitude to Use Offensive Cyber Tools Against Adversaries.  The Trump administration has moved to give the military more latitude to conduct offensive cyber operations against American adversaries, continuing an effort begun last year to grant commanders more leeway to make battlefield decisions.

President Trump on Wednesday signed an order delegating authority to the defense secretary to use cyber tools and techniques to disrupt or degrade an adversary's network or choke off attacks underway, loosening rules established under the Obama administration.

The move comes as the administration is focused on deterring Russian efforts to disrupt the November election and, more broadly, to undermine U.S. democracy. Although Trump has sent mixed signals on the issue, his administration, from Vice President Pence on down, has warned Russia that it will not tolerate foreign interference in American politics.

The new directive, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes as Gen. Paul Nakasone, who heads both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, has recommended to Pentagon leaders that the two organizations remain under one head for at least two years. The call to end this "dual-hat" arrangement dates to the Obama administration, but the effort was delayed, and when Nakasone took over he gave the matter a fresh look.  [Read more:  Nakashima/washingtonpost/16August2018]

Forgotten Section of Berlin Wall Discovered Near Germany's Foreign Intelligence HQ.  A local official has discovered a forgotten remnant of the Berlin Wall close to the new headquarters of Germany's foreign intelligence service.

It is the second long-lost piece of the barrier to be identified and given protected status this year.

District councillor Ephraim Gothe said he stumbled across the stretch of concrete wall, partly hidden by bushes, on a walk with locals in June.

He said they puzzled over it then "assumed that this could be part of the former wall".  [Read more:  ap/15August2018]



Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents. It was considered one of the CIA's worst failures in decades: Over a two-year period starting in late 2010, Chinese authorities systematically dismantled the agency's network of agents across the country, executing dozens of suspected U.S. spies. But since then, a question has loomed over the entire debacle.

How were the Chinese able to roll up the network?

Now, nearly eight years later, it appears that the agency botched the communication system it used to interact with its sources, according to five current and former intelligence officials. The CIA had imported the system from its Middle East operations, where the online environment was considerably less hazardous, and apparently underestimated China's ability to penetrate it.

"The attitude was that we've got this, we're untouchable," said one of the officials who, like the others, declined to be named discussing sensitive information. The former official described the attitude of those in the agency who worked on China at the time as "invincible."  [Read more:  Dorfman/foreignpolicy/15August2018]

Meet the Indiana Dad Who Hunts Russian Trolls.  When it comes to hobbies, Josh Russell concedes he gets a little obsessive. No matter his interest, be it videogames or miniature figurine board games, he always wants to be the best. Perhaps that explains the dedication he's shown to his latest pastime: Hunting Russian trolls.

By day, the 39-year-old father of two works as a systems analyst and programmer at Indiana University. Once the kids are tucked in, he spends hours scouring social media to unmask the operatives behind the disinformation campaigns roiling Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.

Russell is part of a growing network of online sleuths using public information to conduct open source investigations into Russian accounts posing as Americans. Officially, their work is called open-source intelligence, or OSINT, and it often identifies trolls before the platforms do. Russell's work in particular has helped journalists at CNN, NBC News, The Daily Beast, and other outlets cut through the lies and disinformation.

"My main motivation is to kind of help people understand what happened," Russell says. "Just documenting what happened and that what different bots may have been up to on Twitter, so people can see and look at the data for themselves and maybe think, 'I've been consuming this disinformation and maybe I should stop."  [Read more:  O'Sullivan/cnn/15August2018]

Japan Releases Files on 1942 Tokyo Spy Ring That Helped USSR Win World War II.  Japan has released secret documents from 1942 relating to the Tokyo spy ring led by Richard Sorge, a German who spied for the USSR and is often credited with helping Moscow win World War II. The documents detail efforts by the wartime Japanese government to trivialize the discovery of the Sorge spy ring, which was at the heart of modern Japan's biggest spy scandal. Thirty-five people, many of them highly placed Japanese officials, were arrested in Tokyo in October of 1941 for spying for the Soviet Union. Sorge, the German head of the spy ring, had fought for the Central Powers in World War I, but had subsequently become a communist and trained in espionage by Soviet military intelligence. He was then sent to Tokyo where he struck a close friendship with the German Ambassador and joined the German embassy. He eventually informed Moscow that German ally Japan was not planning to invade Russia from the east. That tip allowed Stalin to move hundreds of thousands of troops from the Far East to the German front, which in turn helped the USSR beat back the Nazi advance and win the war.

Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, which has seen the declassified documents, said they were among the personal files of Taizo Ota, a Japanese counterintelligence official who led Division VI of Japan's Ministry of Justice.   [Read more:  Fitsanakis/intelnews/20August2018]

The Women Code Breakers Who Unmasked Soviet Spies. Numbers came easily to Angeline Nanni. As a girl of 12 in rural Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, she kept the books in her father's grocery store. In high school, she took all the accounting classes on offer. Enrolled in beauty school after graduation - cosmetology being one of the few fields open to women in the 1940s - Angie focused on the business side while her sisters, Mimi and Virginia, learned to style hair. Before the war, the three Nanni sisters had opened a beauty parlor in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, and Angie ran it. So yes, numbers were her calling.

But the numbers on this test were like nothing she had ever seen.

Angie - intent, graceful, unflappable - was seated in a small classroom in a large, ill-built temporary structure. The year was 1945, and World War II was over. The Nanni sisters had moved to Washington, D.C. to take jobs in the war effort, but now the beauty shop in Blairsville beckoned. Angie, though, wanted to stay. This test would determine whether she could.

It was being administered at a secret government facility in Arlington, Virginia.  [Read more:  Mundy/smithsonianmag/September2018]

Austria's Far-Right Ordered a Raid on its Own Intelligence Service. Now Allies are Freezing the Country Out.  The raids came without warning, surprising even the intelligence operatives whose job is to never be caught off guard.

On the morning of Feb. 28, police stormed offices of Austria's main domestic intelligence agency and carted off some of the nation's most sensitive secrets in open crates and plastic bags. Top spy service officials working from home that day were greeted by officers threatening to break down their doors.

The extraordinary decision to target the agency responsible for defending the country from a multitude of threats, including right-wing extremism, had been made by the service's new bosses: members of the far-right Freedom Party.

The reason? Defending the totalitarian North Korean regime from an Austrian espionage operation, among others cited in the search warrant. Critics saw absurd pretext for a politically motivated stab at an independent institution that could threaten the party's agenda.  [Read more:  Mekhennet/washingtonpost/17August2018]



Section III - COMMENTARY

The Russia Investigations: Trump On Collision Course With National Security World. 
President Trump made good on his threat to revoke the security clearance held by former CIA Director John Brennan this week, escalating the politics of the Russia imbroglio in an important way.

Trump, whether or not this was his intention, has demoted Brennan from what lawyers might call a "fact witness" to a simple critic.

The president also has singled out his next target in the new campaign of clearance-pulling: Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr, a lesser-known player in the Russia saga whom Republicans accuse of trying to conceal his ties to the author of the infamous Russia dossier.

First, Brennan.  [Read more:  Ewing/npr/18August2018]

U.S. Intelligence Should Embrace Sasse's Cyber Solarium Commission.  Busy officials in the Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence could be forgiven for reacting to provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that create a panel to review cybersecurity policies as yet another congressionally directed imposition on the energies of experts already straining daily to deal with the threat. That would be a mistake. We sorely need new thinking, broader consensus, and greater urgency on cyber policy. Here is why U.S. intelligence, in particular, should proactively support the new Cyberspace "Solarium" Commission even in the face of likely White House indifference.

The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act signed by the president earlier this week establishes a bipartisan commission to evaluate alternative strategies for protecting America's vital interests in cyberspace. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), the sponsor of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, described its purpose as developing a doctrine that informs "how, when, and  where we play offense and defense... how best to organize our government, increase coordination between agencies, [and] recruit and retain top talent."

Policy consensus has proven dangerously elusive in the decade-plus since the U.S. intelligence community began energetically warning of risks to U.S. infrastructure and competitiveness from foreign cyber attacks. Notwithstanding sincere efforts in the public and private sectors to address this challenge, cyber attacks by foreign actors have only grown more frequent, complex, and costly.  [Read more:  Slick/warontherocks/16August2018

Growing Divide Between Bureaucrats And Front Lines.  We are experiencing a crisis in this nation. We are seeing a growing divide between a class of self-important imperial mandarins running our intelligence agencies and the men and women who are on the front lines, keeping America safe and fighting this seemingly endless "war on terror". It is tearing at the fabric of the intelligence community, and it is adding fuel to the partisan divide.

You saw it in the reaction to the Khost attack in 2009 when an Al Qaida double agent, allowed into a CIA base without being searched or in any other manner screened for explosives or weapons detonated a suicide vest and killed or wounded effectively the entire complement of a key CIA installation. Despite the fact the operation was micro managed from the highest levels of the agency, a year-long internal inquiry ultimately found no one at fault and took no action against anyone. The careers, pensions and reputations of senior officers at home were far more important than the broken bodies and shattered lives resulting from the attack. Better that grieving loved ones spend the rest of their lives searching for answers as to how such a tragedy occurred than a senior officer behind a desk in Washington be disciplined for being grossly incompetent.  [Read more:  Faddis/andmagazine/19August2018]

Intelligence Agencies and the Value of Silence.  "Selflessness," said President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Ike was replying to a question from Vice President Richard Nixon, who had asked him what he considered most important in selecting people to work with him, whether in war or peace, or the twilight ambiguous struggle known as the Cold War.

Nixon in his memoirs writes that the president was silent for an extraordinarily long time before answering. The quiet continued for so long that the vice president wondered if the boss had forgotten the question.

Not a chance.  [Read more:  Cyr/providencejournal/21August2018]



Section IV - Jobs

Jobs

Job Title:

Designated Support Engineer

Company:

FireEye, Inc.

Experience:

10 to 20 years

Salary:

Full Time

Job Location:

Washington, DC; Reston, VA

 

Serve as first contact for technical support issues and work through the resolution. Lead escalation response. Drive elimination of any customer or internal bottlenecks impeding problem resolution. Develop ongoing relationship with customer and become their advocate. Provide proactive guidance and encourage adoption and assume...Full details here

 

Job Title:

Information Security Engineer

Company:

FireEye, Inc.

Experience:

10 to 20 years

Salary:

Full Time

Job Location:

Reston, VA

 

Build, shape, design and implement a world class security architecture leveraging as much FireEye commercial and next generation (non commercially) available tools and technology as needed Solve challenging security problems informed from the Security Operations team charged with fighting evil daily for the company fighting...Full details here



Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

29 August 2018 (Wednesday), 11:30 am - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO San Francisco Chapter hosts FBI ASAC Lisa Gentilcore on "The Chinese Use of Social Media" 

FBI ASAC Lisa Gentilcore addresses the AFIO San Francisco Chapter on "The Chinese Use of Social Media" at this luncheon meeting.  

Location: Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

RSVP: Eventbrite Registration may be completed here. 
Reservation and pre-payment is required before 25 August 2018. The venue cannot accommodate walk-ins. Questions? Contact Mariko Kawaguchi, Board Secretary at afiosf@aol.com with any questions.

Saturday 15 September 2018, Noon - Melbourne, FL - The AFIO Florida Space Coast Chapter hosts Greg Donovan and Renee Purden on "TSA, FAA, Intelligence and Other Security and Preparedness Matters."

The AFIO Florida Space Coast Chapter hosts Greg Donovan, AAE, Executive Director of Orlando Melbourne International Airport, and Renee Purden, Director of Public Safety and Chief of Orlando Melbourne International Airport Police Force.
Director Donovan and Chief Purden will address such topics as: the local management and police/security relationships and coordination with the federal Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration; the usefulness on our local scene of national and international intelligence reports and the Domestic Outreach Plan for the federal information sharing program; security in the General Aviation sector, and the airport's emergency preparedness plans for catastrophic events.
Event location: Suntree Country Club, One Country Club Drive, Melbourne, FL 32940
To register, or for more information, please contact FSC Chapter President at afiofsc@afio.com.

Monday, 24 September 2018, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO NY Metro Chapter hosts Elizabeth Peek on "Tariffs and the threat of tariffs and a strong US economy are America's best weapons in confronting our adversaries."

SPEAKER:  Elizabeth ('Liz") Peek -  Well-known writer and columnist for the bipartisan The Fiscal Times and the The Hill among other publications covering economics, finance, and politics.
TOPIC:  Tariffs and the threat of tariffs and a strong US economy are America's best weapons in confronting our adversaries. The talk will focus on Iran and China in particular.
TIME: Meeting starts 6:00 PM. Registration starts 5:30 PM
LOCATION: Society of Illustrators building: 128 East 63rd Street Between Lexington Ave and Park Ave in Manhattan.
COST: $50/person. Cash or check payable at the door only. Full dinner and cash bar.
REGISTRATION: Strongly recommended. not required. Phone Jerry Goodwin  1-646-717-3776 or Email: afiometro@gmail.com.

Friday, 2 November 2018, 10 am - 2 pm - Tysons, VA - AFIO National Winter Luncheon features Ambassador Prudence Bushnell and authors Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall

First notice AFIO's Fall Luncheon Friday, 2 November 2018. Ambassador Prudence Bushnell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and Guatemala, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute, will discuss Terrorism, Betrayal, and Resilience ― My Story of the 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings

Authors Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall will discuss Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War Of this book, being released at the event, early reviewers have said: "... crucial for anyone who wants to understand espionage or the Cold War."― James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor
"If John le Carré wrote nonfiction and was a great reporter, BEST OF ENEMIES would be the result."―Laurence Leamer, author
"... how an American CIA agent and a Russian KGB agent wound up on the same side. You have to read it to believe it."―Tom Brokaw
Former KGB Officer Gennady Vasilenko, and Michelle "Mox" Platt, daughter of the late CIA Operations Officer Jack Platt, will be in attendance.

Badge pick-up starts at 10 a.m. First speaker is Ambassador Bushnell, at 11 a.m. Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall speak at 1 p.m.

Register here to ensure a seat. Event Location: DoubleTree-Hilton, Tysons Corner, VA [formerly the Crowne Plaza], at 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22102. Directions are here.


Monday, 3 December 2018, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO NY Metro Chapter hosts Jen Easterly on "Cyber Attacks, Terrorism, and other Threats to National Security."

Jen Easterly is currently a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley, having joined the firm after 26 years of U.S. government service in national security, military intelligence, and cyber operations. Previously, Jen served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism where she led the development of U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy.
Prior to that, she was the Deputy for Counterterrorism at the NSA, a position she assumed following retirement from the US Army, where her service included command and staff assignments in the intelligence and cyber fields, as well as tours of duty in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
A graduate of West Point, she holds a Master's degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Oxford where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a French-American Foundation Young Leader, Jen is the recipient of the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, the George S. Franklin Fellowship, and the Director, National Security Agency Fellowship. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

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 ensure space at event. Call or Email Chapter President Jerry Goodwin at afiometro@gmail.com or 646-717-3776.


Other Upcoming Events from Advertisers, Corporate Sponsors, and Others

Thursday, 23 August 2018, 6:30pm - Washington, DC - Spies on Screen: Mata Hari, Agent H21 - Film at the International Spy Museum

World War I Paris offered the legendary Mata Hari some unique opportunities. This 1964 film featuring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Louis Trintignant imagines how the famous dancer used her charm and seductive powers to spy for Germany and bankroll a glamorous life. But when she falls in love, her life as a spy loses its luster. This spy romance includes invisible ink, quick escapes, and a doomed love - perfect film fare for a summer evening. Along with the evening's screening of Mata Hari, H21, enjoy popcorn and sparkling French soda almost as tasty as Jeanne Moreau's Mata Hari. In French with English subtitles; screening at the Spy Museum. Co-sponsored by the Alliance Fran'aise de Washington.
Tickets for the general public: $10 per person; tickets for Spy Museum members: $8 per person. Visit www.spymuseum.org.

Wednesday, 5 September 2018, 7 to 8:45 pm - McLean, VA - Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch, discusses "The History of Jihad" at the Westminster Institute
Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch, discusses "The History of Jihad" at the Westminster Institute.
Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is the author of eighteen books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad ( both by Regnery Publishing). His latest book is The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS (Bombardier Books). It will be available for purchase and signing.

Where: Westminster Institute, 6729 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101
No fee to attend.
More information and to register, do so here.

Wednesday, 12 September 2018, 11 am - 12:15 pm - Washington, DC - "The Iranian Protests, Nuclear Deal, and Change from Obama to Trump" - a presentation by Dr Raymond Tanter at the DMGS

Dr. Raymond Tanter, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan and former NSC staff, discusses "The Iranian Protests, Nuclear Deal, and Change from Obama to Trump" at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security.
Tanter will discuss the opposition to the Iranian regime and how the West and the US might facilitate political change in Iran. The context for his discussion will be the nuclear agreement and the foreign policy of the Obama and Trump Administrations with respect to Iran.
More details on speaker, location, and maps for parking or metro available here.

Location: 1620 L St NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
RSVP Required here. N.B.: Daniel Morgan Graduate School Reserves the Right To Refuse Entry and may ask for identification.
Attire: Business or Business Casual

Direct questions to Frank Fletcher, Director of lectures & Seminars by email to events@dmgs.org. Please note that you must RSVP to attend this event. Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security reserves the right to refuse entry.

10 October 2018, 6 - 9 p.m. - Washington, DC - "Mother, Daughter, Sister, Spy" Program at the International Spy Museum

The museum event -- "Mother, Daughter, Sister, Spy" -- features Dayna Baer, Carol Rollie Flynn, Carmen Middleton, Jonna Mendez, and Jill Singer.
Dayna Baer is a former Protective Officer in CIA's Directorate of Operations. Carol Rollie Flynn is a former Chief of Station and Senior CIA Executive, and Managing Principal at Singa Consulting, as well as Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She is Advisory Board Member for the museum. Jonna Hiestand Mendez is the former Chief of Disguise in the CIA's Office of Technical Service and a founding member of the museum. Carmen Middleton is the current Deputy Executive Director of the CIA, and Founder & President of Common Table Consulting. Jill Singer, who will be moderator for this event, is the Vice President, National Security for AT&T Global Public Sector and SPY's Board Member.

Tickets range from $69 per seat to $15,000.
RSVP by 28 September 2018. Space is limited. RSVP or explore your seating options here.

17 October 2018 - Laurel, MD - NCMF General Membership Meeting & Annual Symposium - Hold the date.

The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation hosts their General Membership Meeting and Annual Symposium. More details to follow later in the year.

Registration is $25 for NCMF members and $50 for guests (includes complimentary one-year NCMF membership).
Deadline to register has not been announced. Additional details at www.cryptologicfoundation.org.
Event location likely to be: The Kossiakoff Center, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory.

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.

Wednesday, 5 December 2018 - Annapolis Junction, MD - 18th Annual NCMF Pearl Harbor Program

Join the National Cryptologic Foundation on 5 December for their 18th Annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Program. Speaker and topic TBA.
When: 10-11:30 am, followed by lunch.
Cost: $25 for NCMF members, $50 for guests (complimentary one-year NCMF membership included with guest purchase).
Where: CACI Inc., Maryland Conference Center, 2720 Technology Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20755
RSVP or More Info: Registration links will be provided later in year. A check may be mailed to NCMF, PO Box 1682, Ft. Meade, MD 20755. For further details, call NCMF office at 301-688-5436


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.

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