Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Today the FBI is Launching a Webpage on Combating Foreign Influence. Today the FBI is launching a webpage on combating foreign influence. This information is provided to educate the public about the threats faced from disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks, and the overall impact of foreign influence on society. The FBI is the lead federal agency responsible for investigating foreign influence operations.

Foreign influence operations which include covert actions by foreign governments to influence U.S. political sentiment or public discourse are not a new problem. But the interconnectedness of the modern world, combined with the anonymity of the Internet, have changed the nature of the threat and how the FBI and its partners must address it. The goal of these foreign influence operations directed against the United States is to spread disinformation, sow discord, and, ultimately, undermine confidence in our democratic institutions and values.

Foreign influence operations have taken many forms and used many tactics over the years. Most widely reported these days are attempts by adversaries hoping to reach a wide swath of Americans covertly from outside the United States to use false personas and fabricated stories on social media platforms to discredit U.S. individuals and institutions.  [Read More:  fbi/cnet/30Aug2018]

US and Intelligence Allies Take Aim at Tech Companies over Encryption.  When the FBI broke into the iPhone of a terrorist linked to the San Bernardino shooting in 2016, it kicked off a global debate over encryption and privacy.

Now, that debate is set to rage once more with the US and its intelligence allies issuing an ultimatum to tech companies worldwide: give us access to encrypted data and devices, and if you don't, we'll force you.

Government representatives from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand -- the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence community -- met in Australia last week to discuss to the future of cybersecurity, national security and the growing threat of terrorism in digital spaces.

The Five Country Ministerial meeting (FCM) issued a number of joint statements, including a Statement of Principles on Access to Evidence and Encryption which came with a strong message: "privacy is not absolute."  [Read More:  Rielly/cnet/3Sept2018]

Exclusive: U.S. Accuses China of 'Super Aggressive' Spy Campaign on LinkedIn.  The United States' top spy catcher said Chinese espionage agencies are using fake LinkedIn accounts to try to recruit Americans with access to government and commercial secrets, and the company should shut them down.

William Evanina, the U.S. counter-intelligence chief, told Reuters in an interview that intelligence and law enforcement officials have told LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft Corp., about China's "super aggressive" efforts on the site.

He said the Chinese campaign includes contacting thousands of LinkedIn members at a time, but he declined to say how many fake accounts U.S. intelligence had discovered, how many Americans may have been contacted and how much success China has had in the recruitment drive.

German and British authorities have previously warned their citizens that Beijing is using LinkedIn to try to recruit them as spies. But this is the first time a U.S. official has publicly discussed the challenge in the United States and indicated it is a bigger problem than previously known.  [Read More:  Strobel, Landay/reuters/31Aug2018]

Eight Malaysian Former Spies Under Probe for Graft.  A group of former agents from Malaysia's foreign intelligence agency, including its chief, are being investigated for alleged misappropriation of government funds, a senior Malaysian anti-graft official said on Thursday.

The probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is the latest in a widening crackdown by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government on corruption allegedly linked to the administration of his predecessor, Najib Razak.

Earlier this week, the anti-graft agency arrested eight former officers of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO), including its former head Hasanah Abdul Hamid, on suspicion of misappropriating about $12 million in government funds.

"We are looking into possible abuse of power by the officers involved, and the misuse of funds, which we believe were government funds," MACC's deputy commissioner of operations Azam Baki said at a press conference. [Read More:  reuters/30Aug2018]

Telegram will not Consider Russian Intelligence Agencies' Requests to Provide Users' Data.  The Telegram messaging service will not consider Russian intelligence agencies' requests to provide users' IP-addresses and phone numbers, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said.

"We do not consider any requests from Russian intelligence agencies and our privacy policy has nothing to do with the situation in Russia," he wrote on Telegram.

According to Durov, Russian intelligence services seek access to all users' messages and not the data that Telegram is ready to provide in accordance with court rulings.

Telegram earlier introduced changes in its privacy policy, saying that the service was ready to disclose a user's IP-address and phone number in case there was a court ruling proving that the user was suspected of terrorism. The move is aimed at ensuring compliance with the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to the messaging service, Telegram's privacy policy was updated on August 14, 2018. "Regardless of whether we exercise this right or not, the step should make Telegram less attractive for those who use it as a platform for terrorist propaganda," Durov said.  [Read More:  Durov/tass/28Aug2018]

Palestinian Delegation Meets with CIA in DC: Report.  A Palestinian delegation of security and intelligence officials is in Washington, D.C., to meet with the CIA, according to Axios.

The outlet reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday told Israeli members of the Knesset of the meeting during a sit-down in Ramallah.

Abbas reportedly said he hopes to continue a relationship with the U.S. in coordinating security and sharing intelligence, despite cutting ties with the White House following President Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Gen. Majed Faraj is heading the Palestinian delegation, Axios reported.  [Read More:  Burke/thehill/2Sept2018]

Iran Intelligence Chief Acknowledges Having Israeli Spy.  Iran's intelligence minister has boasted on state television about his country's successful recruitment of a former Cabinet-level official from a "hostile" country, signaling Tehran's first acknowledgment of compromising an arrested Israeli official.

Speaking on state TV late Tuesday, Mahmoud Alavi claimed his agency had a "member of the Cabinet of a hostile country" in hand.

He did not name the country or individual, but said it showed "the counter-espionage sector of the Intelligence Ministry is one the most powerful among world's intelligence services."

Alavi's language and recent events signal he's referring to Israel, one of Iran's Mideast archrivals.  [Read More:  AP/bloomberg/29Aug2018]

An Egyptian Intelligence Delegation to meet with Abbas.  A delegation of Egypt's general intelligence service will arrive Saturday in Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA officials.

Senior Fatah member, Hussein al-Sheikh,  said that Egyptian intelligence personnel would update the Palestinian leadership on recent developments and that the two would discuss a possible internal Palestinian reconciliation.  [Read More:  Osmo/ynetnews/1Sept2018]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

What a Novichok Attack on Heathrow Airport Would Look Like.  Nearly 2,500 people could come into contact with the deadly nerve agent novichok if it were used to attack someone at Heathrow Airport, industry experts have warned.

Bruhn NewTech, a technology company that develops software aimed at increasing protection against airborne threats or attacks, looked at what would happen if the assassination attempt on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter was scaled up to an attack on a target on their way to catch a flight from Heathrow terminal five.
 
Heathrow is considered to be particularly vulnerable because it is the second busiest airport in the world, by international passenger traffic, and could facilitate the rapid spread of contamination from a chemical weapons attack if the incident was not identified and contained quickly enough.

An attack at the airport "would be catastrophic", Dr Simon Bennett, director of the Civil Safety and Security Unit at the University of Leicester, told The Independent. Dr Bennett, who specialises in aviation security, said Heathrow was a "prime site" for such an attack due to its status as a totem, similar to Westminster, the London underground or the UK's railway stations.  [Read More:  Osborne/independent/2Sept2018]

Military Believes Trump's Afghan War Plan Is Working, but Spy Agencies Are Pessimistic.  U.S. military and intelligence officials are at odds over the direction of the war in Afghanistan, creating a new source of friction as President Trump and his national security team seek a way to end the 17-year-old conflict, American officials said.

Intelligence officials have a pessimistic view of the conflict, according to people familiar with a continuing classified assessment, while military commanders are challenging that conclusion by arguing that Mr. Trump's South Asia strategy is working.

The divisions come as the Trump administration is sending a new U.S. general to Kabul - the ninth in 11 years - to oversee international forces carrying out a year-old strategy that has yet to produce much measurable progress in Afghanistan.

Some officials overseeing the war are concerned that a negative intelligence assessment could prompt Mr. Trump to shift course and abandon a strategy he reluctantly embraced last year that sent thousands of additional American troops to Afghanistan.  [Read More:  Nissenbaum, Lubold/wsj/31Aug2018]

Devin Nunes's Curious Trip to London.  The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee flew to London to gather intel on Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer who compiled the dossier alleging Trump-campaign ties with Russia. But MI5, MI6, and GCHQ didn't seem interested.

Earlier this month, as all eyes were on the courtroom dramas unfolding in Virginia - where President Donald Trump's campaign chairman was just convicted on bank- and tax-fraud charges and in New York - where the president's longtime personal lawyer pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and implicated Trump in a crime - the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee was in London, seeking out new information about the former British intelligence officer and Trump-Russia dossier author Christopher Steele.

According to two people familiar with his trip across the pond who requested anonymity to discuss the chairman's travels, Devin Nunes, a California Republican, was investigating, among other things, Steele's own service record and whether British authorities had known about his repeated contact with a U.S. Justice Department official named Bruce Ohr. To that end, Nunes requested meetings with the heads of three different British agencies - MI5, MI6, and the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ. (Steele was an MI6 agent until a decade ago, and GCHQ, the United Kingdom's equivalent of the National Security Agency, was the first foreign-intelligence agency to pick up contacts between Trump associates and Russian agents in 2015, according to The Guardian.)

A U.K. security official, speaking on background, said "it is normal for U.K. intelligence agencies to have meetings with the chairman and members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence."  But those meetings did not pan out - Nunes came away meeting only with the U.K.'s deputy national-security adviser, Madeleine Alessandri. The people familiar with his trip told me that officials at MI6, MI5, and GCHQ were wary of entertaining Nunes out of fear that he was "trying to stir up a controversy." Spokespeople for Alessandri and Nunes did not return requests for comment, and neither did the press offices for MI5 and MI6. GCHQ declined to comment.  [Read More:  Bertrand/theatlantic/28Aug2018]

Inside DHS' Intelligence Mission.  The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) was borne from the idea that there were real gaps in seeing threat patterns inside the United States, and that the focused law enforcement work of the FBI and others was coming up short on traditional strategic trend analysis at home.  The FBI took obvious umbrage at this assertion, but the decision was made to stand up a new, formal member of the National Intelligence Program.

DHS I&A was charged with looking inside the United States, including at U.S. Persons information, the activities of groups and movements in the U.S. potentially at risk for radicalization and violence, and to paint an intelligence threat and analysis picture of the homeland.

DHS I&A is a large directorate led by a Senate-confirmed Under Secretary.  Its mandate includes overseeing the federal homeland security intelligence enterprise, managing information sharing policy for the Department, serving as the homeland security intelligence requirements representative to the larger IC, and building partnerships with nation-wide State Fusion Centers.

Fourteen years in, and six Senate-confirmed Under Secretaries later, I&A is still finding its way, both internally in the Department and as a truly unique member of the national intelligence community.  I was fortunate enough to serve as an I&A Deputy Under Secretary from 2009 - 2011, overseeing strategic planning, budgeting and programming, information sharing and intelligence policy for the Office.  [Read More:  Rosenblum/thecipherbrief/4Sept2018]

Countering the Terrorist Threat Through Partnerships, Intelligence, and Innovation.  I thought I'd talk a little this morning about how the FBI has transformed as an agency since 9/11. I'd also like to discuss the terrorism threat, as the FBI sees it, and my view going forward.

My view of how the Bureau has transformed since 9/11 is shaped in a very personal way by my previous experience in government, when I was at the Department of Justice.

On September 11, 2001, I was actually in the operations center at FBI Headquarters, with then-Director Mueller and then-Attorney General Ashcroft. The place was packed like sardines, with people spilling out of every corner, and more joining by the minute.

And although it was a chaotic, horrifying time, it was also a time of incredible solidarity.  [Read More:  fbi/29Aug2018]

Section IV - Obituaries

Obituaries

Patricia Ann (Healy) Weber, 75, former CIA Chief of Policy/National Clandestine Service, died 20 August 2018 in Minneapolis, MN. 

Patti grew up in Golden Valley and graduated from St. Margaret's Academy in Minneapolis in 1961. At the University of Minnesota she attended a job fair where she submitted an application to the US Foreign Service. After an interview in Washington, the State Department asked her to work as a code clerk in Paris. She dropped out of college and took the overseas job translating encrypted messages for US embassies and the State Department before being transferred to a job in Thailand. There she fell in love with a CIA officer, Ken Weber, whom she married. Ken died three years later from a heart attack on a plane while on a covert operation. Afterward, CIA reached out to Patti with a job offer to work in the Clandestine Service where she went on to spend a 30 year career traveling the world to develop foreign spies, working days as a secretary and nights on covert assignments.
Patti retired as Chief of Policy for CIA's National Clandestine Service (NCS) in 2005. For most of that 30-year career she engaged in the clandestine collection of human intelligence (HUMINT) and Covert Action, recruiting human spies to provide intelligence to national policymakers. She specialized in Soviet and East Asian operations.
She received the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal — the highest award given a CIA officer — and the US Secret Service Director's Recognition Award, rarely given to a non-Secret Service employee.
She moved back to Minneapolis in 2005. In retirement, Patti continued as a contractor and educator in the field of intelligence operations, providing training and mentorship to CIA trainees and serving on the Director of National Intelligence's Diversity Advisory Panel. She also joined the board of a Woman's Club, serving as its president from 2012 to 2015.
Weber is survived by two brothers. [Read More:  washburn-mcreavy/29Aug2018]

Katherine Colvin Hart, 94, a 34-year CIA Reports Officer, died 19 August 2018 in Washington, DC. After seven years in New Orleans, LA, Katharine's family, moved to Washington, DC where she attended first public schools and then the Holton-Arms School for Girls.
After graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Psychology, she worked for two years in Philadelphia, PA as a psychometrist at a Veterans Guidance Center. She then was hired by the newly-created CIA for the Directorate of Operations. Most of her 34-year career was spent as chief of the staff responsible for providing guidance to CIA field stations for collecting intelligence on the Soviet Union, the Agency's highest priority target, and processing all reporting for distribution to, and utilization by, the US Intelligence Community. At the end of her career, Katherine was posted to London to liaise with the British internal and external intelligence service, MI-5 and MI-6 on 'special relationship' matters.
Along the way she married John L. Hart, a senior CIA executive who retired 10 years before her. He died of Alzheimer's disease.
In retirement, Katharine did volunteer work with the Textile Museum and Friend Club.
She is survived by two step-daughters, and other family. [Read More:  The Washington Post/legacy/26Aug2018]

Richards "Dick" John Heuer Jr, 91, highly-regarded career CIA Analyst/Author, died 21 August 2018 in Carmel Valley, CA. 

After a brief stint as a draftee in the army, Dick attended Williams College, graduating with a BA in Philosophy. He went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley, later completing his graduate studies with a Masters in International Relations from the University of Southern California.
Dick was recruited into CIA during its early years. Throughout his career he worked in numerous areas of the intelligence field. He was best known for his work on analysis of competing hypotheses and a groundbreaking book, Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, which continues to be a staple in intelligence programs 20 years after its publication by CIA. It is one of the most frequently cited examples of applied psychology in intelligence literature though Dick used to say bemusedly that he never took a psychology course. Dick also coauthored with a CIA analyst colleague, Randy Pherson, two editions of Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis which also was highly regarded worldwide. Dick was seen as a thought leader in the world of security analysis as well, authoring the Adjudicative Desk Reference and pioneering the concept of population demographic studies that explored the incidence of the 13 adjudicative criteria in the general US population.
He was the recipient of multiple CIA honors and from several private associations.
After retiring and moving to Carmel Valley in 1979, Dick became involved in the local community where he served on the Board of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District seeking to bring a new source of water to the Peninsula running out of all water supplies from a burgeoning population facing limited resources.
A former editor of his college newspaper, he realized a dream when he purchased the Carmel Valley Sun Newspaper, taking it from a monthly to a weekly publication before eventually selling. While running the paper his editorials calling for a local historical society led to the founding of the Carmel Valley Historical Society.
As Dick approached 90, he turned his attention to writing his memoir and was assisted by his Agency colleague and prior co-author, Randy Pherson. Despite frustrations with the publications review process, Randy produced two versions—one specifically for his family and the second for colleagues and students interested in Dick's account of his role in his published memoir. That second version is available here: Rethinking Intelligence: Richard J. Heuer Jr.'s Life of Public Service. His work contains his unmistakable voice, which means we will always have Dick with us. [Personal insights by Kathy Pherson of Pherson Associates, Tysons, VA]
Dick's wife of 61 years, Feesie Farnsworth, predeceased him. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, and other family. [Read More: ctovision/24Aug2018]

Section V - Events

AFIO EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

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.

Thursday, 20 September 2018, 11:30 am - Colorado Springs, CO - The AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts Dwight Haverkorn, presenting "The Frank Lewis/Dale Jones Gang - 1918"

Gangs and killings of police officers seem very 21st Century, but just look back a hundred years ago. The Frank Lewis/Dale Jones gang were teenagers when they started terrorizing the West. In a five-year period, the gang was responsible for the deaths of 9 police officers. With the beginning of WWI in Europe, the gang began stealing copper wire, tires, cars, robbing banks, robbing individuals, robbing jewelry stores, hauling moonshine, and were involved in numerous gun battles. Friday the 13th, 1918, three members of the gang arrived in Colorado Springs driving a stolen Marmon car. Dale Jones, his wife Margie and Roscoe Lancaster (Kansas City Blackie) pulled into a gas station on the N/E corner of Colorado and Nevada avenues. The station operator recognized the car and the members from a flyer sent out by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and called the police. Officers soon arrived and a gun battle ensued. The Chief of Detectives John Rowan was killed and a detective critically wounded. The gang members were able to escape to Denver and then scatter around the West, ending their reign of terror in November of 1918.

Dwight Haverkorn is a Colorado Springs native, who joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1968, after 3 years as a computer operator at NORAD. After his 20 years at CSPD he moved to the City Attorney's office as an investigator until his retirement in 2003.
During his years at CSPD and the Attorney's office he became interested in local history. Since 1998 he compiled a set of notebooks of homicides of the Pikes Peak Region. This work in progress is on file in the Special Collections area of Penrose Library (1872 to present). He is also compiling a history of the Colorado Springs Police Department from 1872 to the present.
He is a volunteer at the Special Collections at Penrose Public Library, a volunteer historian for the Colorado Springs Police Department, a faculty member of PILLAR and President & Historian of the El Paso County Pioneers Association. Over the last 3 years he has provided research for the Discovery ID channel.
He graduated from Palmer High School and Regis College and is married with three grown children and three grandchildren.

For more details, please contact Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net.

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

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.

Tuesday, 11 September 2018, 6:30 - 7:30 pm - Washington, DC - Remembering the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks ― A Conversation with Former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell at Catholic University

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 convulsed our country, and the effects reverberate to this day. Americans learned that day that in their own country they were not safe from external attack. The U.S. response to the attacks raised enduring questions about ends and means. How can a people flourish under the continual threat of attack by extremists bent on violence? How far do we go with security measures to ensure public safety?

These continuing questions manifest how the 9/11 attacks brought into vivid relief the relationship between security and liberty. Americans have had to grapple with the idea that, while too little security leaves us vulnerable to attack, too much security can undermine the liberty by which we define ourselves as Americans. As a people, we've been debating the proper balance ever since

Even so, this traumatic event is marching into the past and, for all its importance, out of our memories: our University's seniors graduating this year barely remember 9/11— most of them were five years old.

To help us remember and put in context the 9/11 attacks and what followed, former acting director of CIA Michael Morell has agreed to offer his memories and insights to the Catholic University community. Mr. Morell served at that time as President George W. Bush's CIA briefer and was with the President in Florida on that morning. He later served in several crucial leadership roles in CIA as the Agency sought and eventually found Osama Bin Ladin. He was CIA's deputy director during the raid on Bin Ladin's compound by US special forces.

In an interview setting with Nicholas Dujmovic, director of the University's Intelligence Studies Program, Michael Morell will relate the challenges, frustrations, and accomplishments of the men and women of US intelligence as they worked to make sure another 9/11 would not occur.
This event is cosponsored by The Catholic University of America and The Institute for Human Ecology.

Attendance is Free. Click "Register For This Event" to schedule your attendance. More information here.

Organizer: phone: 202-319-5892; Email: ihe@cua.edu; Website: https://ihe.catholic.edu

Location: Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center, Great Room A, 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064 + Google Map

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.

Wednesday 26 September 2018 5:15 - 6:15 pm - Washington, DC - "Debating the Military-Industrial Complex: A Cost-Benefit Analysis" by Drs. James Carafano and Christopher Preble at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School

The Daniel Morgan Graduate School Chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society is hosting a panel on "Debating the Military-Industrial Complex: A Cost-Benefit Analysis."

Much time is spent in the defense and national security community debating the efficacy of certain policies, what amount of military spending is adequate, and which global conflicts directly impinge on US national security. But how often do those in government, the military, and defense contractors ask: is it all worth it? Does the United States military-industrial complex and our huge expenditure on the armed forces make us a safer, freer, more prosperous society on balance? Please join us for this discussion, hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society, featuring two of the nation's preeminent scholars on national security. Refreshments will be provided.

Speakers: Dr James Carafano - DMGS Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor; Dr. Christopher Preble - Hamilton Scholar, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. Moderator – Mr. Cameron Keyani, President of the DMGS Chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society
Where: 1620 L St NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036
RSVP Required, Daniel Morgan Graduate School Reserves the Right to Refuse Entry and may ask for government issued identification. Attire: Business or Business Casual. No cost to attend.
For more information or to RSVP do so here.
Qs? Direct questions to Frank Fletcher, Director of Lectures & Seminars at events@dmgs.org. Please note that you must RSVP to attend this event...see link above.

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 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.

AFIO'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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