OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE (OSINT) NEWS

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2012-02-09T13:58:00.003-08:00

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Table of Contents

NOTE: A PORTION OF THIS SITE'S AD SALES IS DONATED TO THE ASSOCIATION FOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS (AFIO).

BOOK STUDIES TOP SECRET INFO LEAKS (click HERE)
BECOME AN EXPERT ON THE HAQQANI TERRORIST NETWORK (click HERE)
"PAPERLESS ARCHIVES" GREAT OSING RESOURCE (click HERE)
MURDER OF CIA OFFICERS RIGHTFULLY AVENGED (click HERE)
GLOBAL RESEARCH GOOD SOURCE OF OSINT INFO (click HERE)
CONSIDER A CIA CAREER (click HERE)
7 VALUABLE OSINT COLLECTION SITES (click HERE)
PEACE TALKS WITH TALIBAN PENDING (click HERE)
THE LARGEST CIA BOOKSTORE ANYWHERE, IS HERE! (click HERE)
HOW CIA INFILTRATES AL QAIDA DEMONSTRATED (click HERE)
BECOME AN EXPERT ON THE CIA (click HERE)
BOOKS REVEAL CIA SPY RECRUITMENT IN IRAN (click HERE)
COLLISION COURSE BETWEEN IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE U.S. (click HERE)
FIVE TOP OSINT FOREIGN NEWSPAPER RESOURCES (click HERE)
OSINT NEWS POLL: 55% RESPONDENTS THINK IRAN-U.S. NAVAL WAR "LIKELY" TO "IT WILL HAPPEN" (click HERE)
CIA AND DEFENSE INTEL AGENCY NEED "CYBER COUNTERINTELLIGENCE GROUP (CCG)" (click HERE)

BROWSE THE HUGE CIA BOOKSTORE!

RETIRED CIA SPY REVEALS ESPIONAGE TRADECRAFT (click HERE)
NSA'S SUPER-SECRET ECHELON HUNTS DOWN TERRORISTS (click HERE)
PAKISTANI MILITANTS TO JOIN TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN (click HERE)
PAKISTANI STUDENT VISA PROGRAM A SECURITY THREAT (click HERE)
"REWARDS FOR JUSTICE" PROGRAM OFFERS BOUNTIES ON TERRORISTS (click HERE)
LIKELIHOOD OF NAVAL WAR BETWEEN U.S. AND IRAN (click HERE)
INTELLIGENCE ANALYST POSITION AVAILABLE (click HERE)
WHITE HOUSE CIA LEAK MADE ALL AMERICANS "FAIR GAME" (click HERE)
PLEASE TAKE OUR POLL- WILL RADICAL ISLAM ATTACH THE U.S.? IF "YES", BY WHAT METHOD? (click HERE)
WIDGETS GIVE INSTANT OSINT DATA (click HERE)
WILL IRAN'S NUCLEAR BOMB RENEW STAR WARS? (click HERE)
OSINT NEWS FAVORS SPY THRILLER AUTHOR VINCE FLYNN (click HERE)

HUGE 42-AISLE CIA LIBRARY(click HERE)
RETIRED MI5 SPY CHIEF WRITES SPY THRILLERS (click HERE)
NEW STUXNET TROJAN WORM WORRIES INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY (click HERE)

VIET NAM WAR- AMAZING STATS! (click HERE)
CIA KILLING AMERICAN "CITIZENS" IN YEMEN (click HERE)
#1 NATIONAL SECURITY RISK- GLOBAL WARMING + POPULATION EXPLOSION (click HERE)
CIA DRONE ATTACKS INTENSIFY AGAINST RADICAL ISLAM (click HERE)
UNSCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS SUGGESTS AL-QAEDA WILL DETONATE NUCLEAR DEVICE INSIDE U.S. (click HERE)
IRAN'S REAL STRUGGLE IS INTERNAL (click HERE)
RON PAUL WRONG ABOUT ANWAR AL-AWALKI KILLING (click HERE)
CIA'S NEW RECRUITS IMPRESSIVE! (click HERE)
OSINT SUGGESTS U.S./PAKISTANI RELATIONS IMPROVING (click HERE)
CIA RAMPS UP COVERT OPERATIONS IN YEMEN (click HERE)
OSINT CRITICAL SOFTWARE! WORKSHOP ON OSINT METHODS & TECHNIQUES (click HERE)
OSINT NEWS SAYS "GHOST WARS" BEST DESCRIBES CIA'S COVERT INVOLVEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN (click HERE)
OSINT NEWS, CIA AND SECURITY ANALYSTS PRAISE "IHS JANE'S" (click HERE)
"EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS" PREPARES FAMILIES TO SURVIVE WHEN CATASTROPHES STRIKE (click HERE)
TOP SECRET CIA DOCUMENTS RELEASED ON LOCKERBIE PAN AM BOMBING (click HERE)
A HIGH-QUALITY 4-YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE NOW AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE (click HERE)
OSINT FINDS WWII VICTORY DAY CELEBRATION HOME VIDEO (click HERE)
PC HACKERS THREATEN OSINT RESEARCHERS (click HERE)
"SECRECY NEWS" IS USEFUL OSINT SITE (click HERE)
5 REASONS U.S. WILL EXPAND SPECIAL OPS IN YEMEN (click HERE)
13 SIGNS THAT A HOME GROWN TERRORIST LIVES NEAR YOU (click HERE)

CYBER SECURITY TRAINING: 8 GREAT RESOURCES AND 2 TRAINING SEMINARS (click HERE)
OSINT ANALYSTS NEED LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SOFTWARE: WE OFFER THE BEST (click HERE)
OSINT COLLECTED ON SUPER-SECRET SATELLITE LAUNCH (click HERE)

VISIT THE OSINT LIBRARY!

OSINT ANALYSTS NEED FREE ONLINE TRANSLATOR HERE'S TWO (click HERE)
HOW THIS SITE CAN SERVE WRITERS, INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY PROFESSIONALS, RESEARCHERS & JOURNALISTS (click HERE)
OSINT SITES RECOMMENDED BY READER (click HERE)

5 OSINT SITES ON TERRORISM (click HERE)
OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE: "CRS REPORT TO CONGRESS" (click HERE)
OSINT TRAINING & COLLECTION SITES (click HERE)
6 TOP OSINT RESOURCES LISTS (click HERE)

HOW? WHERE? FROM WHO OR WHAT? HOW OSINT NEWS GATHERS INFO (click HERE)
WHERE WILL AL QAEDA SEEK REVENGE? (click HERE)
GREAT OSINT TOOL IS "SITE INTELLIGENCE GROUP" (click HERE)
"INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP" GREAT OSINT SITE (click HERE)

BOOK STUDIES TOP SECRET INFO LEAKS

2012-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

OSINT News attempted to find this document via Border's Books and Amazon books. We didn't succeed. However, it's such a great resource that we ferreted it out online for you so you may download it at no charge. The book is entitled, "Who Watches the Watchmen?" by Gary Ross. Enjoy!

According to the Secrecy News, this new book-length study of leaks of classified information published by the Defense Intelligence Agency's National Intelligence University contends that "the tension between maintaining national security secrets and the public's right to know cannot be 'solved', but can be better understood and more intelligently managed."

"Who Watches the Watchmen?" by Gary Ross explores the phenomenon of leaks from multiple angles, including their history, their prevalence and their consequences. Most interestingly, he considers the diverse motivations of leakers and of the reporters who solicit, receive and publish their disclosures. Some of these he finds defensible, and others not.

In the end, he advises that government officials should engage members of the media in a constructive dialog in order to avert the worst consequences of leaks.

"Proactively engaging with the media to examine the costs and benefits associated with unauthorized disclosures represents the greatest potential for reducing the perceived harm to national security," Mr. Ross writes.

By contrast, "Maintaining the status quo or attempting to legislate a solution both have proven to be ineffective methods for resolving the dilemma. True change can only occur if the Executive Branch is willing to invest the time and resources necessary to implement an approach focused on engagement with the media."

This is a congenial conclusion, which implies that punitive new legislation can be avoided and that remaining differences between reporters and government officials can be fruitfully discussed.

But it arguably misapprehends the harsh new policy landscape in the wake of the WikiLeaks episode (which is also discussed in the book). The status quo has been transformed in response to WikiLeaks in two ways that are unfavorable to leakers, justified or unjustified.

First, the threat of unauthorized disclosures has been elevated in the view of government officials to one of "the most menacing foreign intelligence threats in the next two to three years." In January 31 testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, DNI James R. Clapper said that unauthorized disclosures of classified information had "caused significant damage to US interests." Further, he said, "We assess that trusted insiders using their access for malicious intent represent one of today's primary threats to US classified networks." "Engagement with the media" will not be the main response to such threats.

And second, WikiLeaks, which targeted legitimate and illegitimate secrets with equal vigor, has inspired and accelerated the development of new forensic tools and methods to identify the sources of unauthorized disclosures. Internal surveillance of classified networks is set to grow, with new mechanisms for tracking and auditing online activity by government employees. Whatever else might be true, the status quo of a few years ago has been left behind.

A good example is this account from his book. It describes "Operation BROADSIDE", where during the 1960s and 1970s, a clandestine listening post inside the U.S. embassy in Moscow intercepted calls made from the limousines of Soviet Politburo members. Intelligence obtained from these intercepts was classified with the code name GAMMA GUPY.346

Unfortunately, on September 16,1971, columnist Jack Anderson published an article in the Washington Post disclosing the capabilities of the program. Beyond making a veiled reference to the operation or implying a capability, Anderson entitled his article “CIA Eavesdrops on Kremlin Chiefs.” 347 After the disclosure, the Soviets began encrypting these communications.

Akin to journalist Novak willingly taking part in the outing of CIA NOC agent Valerie Plame, journalist Anderson's selfish hunger for a good story harmed America.

Further reading:

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

BECOME AN EXPERT ON PAKISTAN'S HAQQANI NETWORK

2012-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director General (retd) David Petraeus said he believes the Pakistan government will go after the Haqqani Network. Petraeus spoke to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on worldwide threats and added that the US needs to be cautious with Pakistan’s ability and willingness to “go after” the Haqqani Network and those Taliban leaders present in Balochistan, known as the Quetta Shura.

He said that even though there are elements in Pakistan that enjoy the sanctuary, which in turn causes problems for the coalition and Afghan forces, Pakistan still has confronted a number of extremist organisations, including the al Qaeda.

At the hearing, Director for National Intelligence James Clapper said that Taliban leaders continue to enjoy safe havens in Pakistan, including the Haqqani Network.

So, what is the Haqqani Network? How powerful are they? What is their mission? They are an insurgent group dedicated to fighting the US-led NATO forces and the Afghan government. Their beginnings were in Afghanistan during the mid-1970s, and they were initially cultivated by the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI. During the 1980s Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the group, which operated then and now on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. U.S. officials believe they are actually based in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal frontier region. Not surprisingly, the Haqqani Network is closely allied with the Taliban.

The Pentagon considers the Haqqani Network "the most resilient enemy network" and one of the biggest threats to the U.S.-led NATO forces and the Afghan government. In October 2011, U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton announced that American officials had made contacts with the group. Is this why we have pending negotiations with the Taliban?

Actually, the Haqqani family has an interesting history. They hail from southeastern Afghanistan and belongs to the Mezi clan of the Zadran Pashtun tribe. Jalalludin Haqqani rose to prominence as a senior military leader during the Soviet invasion of Aghanistan and he was successful at forging relationships with outsiders who were prepared to resist the Soviets, including the CIA, Padkistan’s ISI, and wealthy Arab private donors from the Persian Gulf. In the late 1980s, Haqqani had the CIA's full support.

In 1994, foreign jihadists recognized the network as a distinct entity and, at the time, Haqqani was not affiliated with the Taliban until they captured Kabul and assumed de facto control of the country. After the Taliban came to power in 1996 and began their atrocities, Haqqani accepted a cabinet level appointment as Minister of Tribal Affairs.

The rest is history! After the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the subsequent overthrow of the Taliban government, the Haqqanis fled to the Pakistani bordering tribal regions and regrouped to fight against coalition forces across the border. As Jalaluddin grew older, his son Sirajuddin took over the responsibility of military operations. President Hamid Karzai invited the elder Haqqani to serve as Prime Minister in an attempt to bring "moderate" Taliban into the government. The offer was refused by Jalaluddin.

Click to order!

Become an expert on the Haqqani Network. OSINT News offers the "Haqqani Network", an excellent resource through our affiliation with Barnes & Noble. The content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. However, it's put together in an organized fashion and proves the close connection between the network and the Taliban. Following Wikileaks July 2010 publication of 75,000 classified documents, we learned that Siraj Haqqani was in the tier one of the International Security Assistance Force's Joint Prioritized Effects List; i.e., its "kill or capture" list. As of 2011, Haji Mali Khan was the senior military commander for Haqqani in Afghanistan. How influential was Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani? There are documents which support the claim that he had visited the White House during the presidency of Ronald Reagan!

To learn more, OSINT News offers this excellent CNN report on the Haqqani Network. It was produced in September 2011 and details the political, military and diplomatic efforts to neutralize its influence.

BROWSE THE HUGE CIA BOOKSTORE!

"PAPERLESS ARCHIVES" GREAT OSINT RESOURCE

2012-02-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

OSINT News nominates Paperless Archives as another great data and intelligence-gathering site. However, much of the documents are sold in DVD format and are not for free. The site offers access to once-secret documents, recordings, photos, video and audio on a number of topics, but we use it specifically for in the areas of Historical Figures and Events, Organized Crime, Politics, Military Operations, Famous Crimes, Intelligence Gathering and Espionage. You can also obtain information about Civil Rights, Serial Killers, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and more.

Paperless Archives gather their information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Secret Service, National Security Council, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Justice, National Archive Records Administration, and the Presidential Libraries.

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A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque
New - In this fascinating guide, former CIA agent E. B. Held uses declassified documents from both the CIA and KGB, as well as secondary sources, to trace some of the most notorious spying events in United States history occurring in New Mexico.

MURDER OF CIA OFFICERS RIGHTFULLY AVENGED

2012-02-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

When triple-agent Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi was driven to the CIA’s secret outpost in eastern Afghanistan, no one deduced that he would be carrying 30 pounds of explosives in a suicide vest. But, he was.

He blew himself up along with seven CIA employees and the Jordanian intelligence officer who drove him there. Balawi, age 36, was a doctor from the town of Zarqa, Jordon. Zarqa is a dreary industrial town north-east of Amman, Jordon’s capital. It is a town that spawns slaughterers, like the self-appointed killer who mowed down a British tourist and wounded five other members of a tour group in Amman in 2006. It is the hometown of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, who was killed by a US air strike in 2006. Jordanian intelligence arrested him a year before due to extremist sympathies, but he agreed to support the US in fighting al-Qaida after his arrest. The Jordanians thought Balawi had reformed and handed him over to the CIA so he could infiltrate al-Qaida in Afghanistan. He was driven to the CIA outpost offering urgent information to help locate Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s deputy. Upon arriving, he wasn’t searched for arms or bombs.

OSINT News is pleased with the CIA’s minimal amount of finger-pointing and basic search for causation, coupled with its unremitting and rock-hard mission of revenge for four of their murdered officers, including the base’s female chief and three contract security guards. This was the second biggest CIA loss of life since the 1983 bombing of their Beirut station, which killed 17 CIA case officers.

The CIA may have been partially duped, but they're getting the last laugh. Due to the "Whispering Campaign", few al-Qaida lieutenants sleep in their bedrooms at night, but chose to curl up outside, away from the drone’s watchfulness. The caginess of increasing HUMINT on the ground coupled with drone elusiveness checkmates Balawi-type suicide bombers. When all is said and done, in the aftermath of the CIA murders at their Forward Operating Base Chapman, the agency has conducted its counterterrorism mission well.

True, tactical slip-ups will crop up on this global battleground now and then, but no deep strategic flaw exists in the CIA’s battle against al-Qaida. Just ask Anwar al-Awlaki et al. There has been, and will continue to be, a dramatic increase in the use of Predator and Reaper drones in Yemen, Somalia, and in NW Pakistan. Drone killings of radical Islamists will be on-going at an increasing rate.

OSINT News recommends a good read, The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who infiltrated the CIA by Joby Warrick:

GLOBAL RESEARCH GOOD SOURCE OF OSINT INFORMATION

2012-02-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

Global Research is an independent research and media group of writers, scholars, journalists and activists based in Montreal. It offers a left-skewed voice, but it is, indeed, a good source of OSINT information.

CONSIDER A CIA CAREER

2012-02-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine knew I write about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), so he told me about his son. He said, "My computer-whiz son attends a small college in Ohio and wants to work with the IC, particularly the CIA. How do you know so much about the IC and what will it be like for him to join?"

I told him that I'm a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and am privy to their seminars and get-togethers in the Washington, D.C. area. Through the AFIO, I have met many patriotic men and women who served their country well, including CIA case officers like Valerie Plame and Antonio Mendez. Mendez (left photo) risked his life to smuggle six US diplomats out of Iran during the President Carter years. As a career intelligence officer in the murky field of espionage, Antonio moved the CIA's most sensitive agents clandestinely through international borders in daring top secret exfiltration operations utilizing his skills in the art of deception and illusion, and creative use of disguise.

I learned from Mendez, at one small-group AFIO gathering in Cleveland, how CIA operatives use hi-tech devices and elaborate strategies to cross borders and infiltrate countries to extract and rescue agents, US citizens, or diplomats undected.

Likewise, Valerie Plame (Wilson) (right photo below) testified under oath to congress that she was, indeed, a covert CIA case officer, served overseas within the last 5 years, worked undercover and oversaw WMD issues in Iraq. She also testified under oath that she had nothing to do with sending her husband (Wilson) to Niger.

I further advised my friend that his son will need a college degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA. I recommended that he pursue his computer technology interest in college, for behavioral, physical or computer science grads are in high demand by the Intelligence Community (IC). Unlike Hollywood's "Spy Movie" portrayal, few CIA employees are like James Bond (Britain's MI-6) or Plame and Mendez, who both worked in the CIA's Clandestine Services branch. Most CIA careers are a bit more mundane than seen on TV and in the cinemas. A career in the Clandestine Service branch can offer experiences as exciting as some of Jennifer Garner's action scenes (photo left) in the "Alias" TV series. By the way, in Alias, she was recruited on campus during her senior year. The CIA is visiting college campuses, so I told the father to have his son go for an interview.

Yes, most CIA careers are not as exciting as many think, but all are critical in protecting America from harm! For example, if a NRO spy satellite (photo lower right) picks up a conversation from a terrorist training camp that's spoken in the Dari Pashtu language, the CIA can press a computer key and locate fluent Pashtu speakers on their payroll to immediately decipher it.

America will be at war with global terrorism for quite some time, according to the experts. This new war will be comparable to the long-lasting Cold War era. The CIA and the other 16 agencies comprising the IC want technology-savvy young people who grew up with the Web. All analytic and tech jobs in the IC will be critical in protecting America from harm. Hiring data remains classified, but many of the CIA's young recruits forfeited lucrative private sector jobs to work for the CIA at a lower salary. That's patriotism!

Further reading:
Become an expert on the CIA
Huge 42-aisle CIA Library
CIA's new recruits impressive!

7 VALUABLE OSINT-COLLECTION SITES!

2012-01-31T06:25:00.000-08:00

OSINT News has 97 bookmarked Websites and here's 7 of them, with a brief description of each. We use these 7 sites often to cross-reference information obtained off our Foreign Newspaper Database.

Hope these 7 sites are useful to you, too:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency Watches over weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high explosives) by reducing the present threat and preparing for the future threat.

104th Congressional Report on Intelligence in the 21st century- Detailed document on all facets and all types of intelligence-gathering.

Intelligence Online: First published in 1980 and available online since 1995, Intelligence Online (formerly Intelligence Newsletter) has reported on and analysed the activities of intelligence agencies around the world for more than 30 years. Since the 1990s Intelligence Online has also closely monitored the corporate intelligence business.

Secrecy News- Simply subscribe with your e-mail address and you'll receive Secrecy News for free. This publication is part of the FAS Project on Government Secrecy. It provides informal coverage of new developments in secrecy, security and intelligence policies, as well as links to new acquisitions on our web site. It is published 2 to 3 times a week, or as events warrant.

Virtual World of Intelligence- Sites listed in left column are updated often about Most Wanted, Intelligence Agencies, Internet Crime, Law Enforcement, Military, Terrorist activities and Area 51. They do delve into some conspiracy theories, but there is sound information as well.

United Kingdom Intelligence Agencies- Created by the FAS, it has updates on all intelligence-related happenings in Britain.

CIA Electronic Reading Room- Offers declassified documents from heretofore classified CIA information.

BROWSE THROUGH OUR OSINT BOOKSTORE!

PEACE TALKS WITH TALIBAN PENDING

2012-01-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

According to BBC news, the Afghan government will hold peace talks with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks, before the establishment of a Taliban office in Qatar, unnamed Western and Afghan officials said, BBC reported Jan. 29. The Taliban have agreed to the meeting, Afghan officials said, but the group refused to comment to BBC. The Taliban previously said they would only talk to the United States and other allies of the Afghan government. A senior Afghan government official said that even if the Taliban office is established in Qatar, the Afghan government will pursue other efforts in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Do you favor peace talks with the Taliban? Please take "This Week's Poll" in the upper right-hand margin.

BROWSE THE HUGE CIA BOOKSTORE!

THE LARGEST CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) BOOKSTORE ANYWHERE IS HERE!

2012-01-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

OSINT News boasts the largest CIA BOOKSTORE found anywhere.

If you're a spy buff, journalist, enjoy reading Spy genre, or a professional Intelligence Community (IC) officer, you'll enjoy browsing through, aisle-by-aisle, our selection of non-fiction books about the CIA. In addition to scholarly books, the CIA Bookstore contains professional journal research papers, magazine feature articles, kindle availability, and DVDs of interviews with CIA case officers, analysts and administrative personnel.

HOW CIA INFILTRATES AL QAIDA DEMONSTRATED

2012-01-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Click to view "Infiltrating Al Qaida" 5-Part Series

OSINT News recommends this series for serious spy buffs as well as professional IC case officers and counterintelligence personnel. Take in this addicting 5-part series and learn about Azar Shareef, a successful member of one of America's most elite special ops teams. He loves his country, has dedicated his life to serving it and accepts the most important undercover assignment of his career. It’s also the most dangerous job anyone on his team has ever attempted.

If he succeeds, he will have his choice of assignments or positions within the CIA… If he fails, he knows he will be horribly tortured, killed and used as an example of how dangerous attempting to infiltrate Al Qaida can be.

Learn how Azar tries to convince his Al Qaida connection that he is legitimate and no threat. Learn how he hides his nervousness and fear so the Al Qaida leaders don't suspect him of being an undercover agent. Azar becomes the most convincing performer around, for his life depends upon it. He risks everything to get inside ‘The Base’.

How Spycraft has transformed in this new battle we're in! Secret tradecraft techniques and the field of counter-terrorism is an unrecognizable entity from what it was during the Cold War. The lives of many agents are in continuous danger; that's why OSINT News backs this 5-part series, for it reveals how cruel the game has become. There is no honor between rivals on the streets of Beirut or Baghdad—only the most quick-witted survive. A modern spy must blend in, live among the enemy, speak the language, befriend, and exploit the enemy at every opportunity. They are required to be streetwise, rough, tough, and ruthless.

If you are a serious Spy buff, spy genre writer, or a professional member of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), this series if for you. No longer will we use armored Marine divisions to battle Al Qaida. This strategy is not working. The Pentagon began looking for a new way in 2005 and the new Spycraft techniques have expanded into the field of battle and are disrupting jihadist networks in ever more creative ways. This 5-part series brings that fact out.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

BECOME AN EXPERT ON THE CIA

2012-01-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent posting for writers of the Spy genre, for those who plan to join the agency and desire to prepare for a pending job interview with the CIA, and for all the Spy buffs out there who enjoy reading Spy genre.

Grab a pen and notepad and watch these videos. Take copious amounts of notes and memorize them in detail-you'll become an expert on the inner workings of the CIA. Much of the video lectures below are with Ronald Kessler. He was a Washington insider and knows much about the U.S. Intelligence Community. Author of over 17 non-fiction novels, in one of his books ("The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI"), Kessler proved that Bob Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s Watergate source dubbed Deep Throat was FBI official W. Mark Felt. Kessler found out that Woodward met with Felt clandestinly in California and had his limousine park ten blocks away from Felt’s home so as not to attract attention.

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen non-fiction books about the Secret Service, FBI, and CIA. OSINT News offers them all, below:

What are the divisions of the CIA?
What is the 'Center for the Study of Intelligence'?
What is the 'Office of the General Counsel'?
What is the 'Office of Inspector General'?
What is the CIA's 'Office of Public Affairs'?

BOOKS DETAIL CIA SPY RECRUITMENT IN IRAN

2012-01-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

Browse through the complete CIA Bookstore!

OSINT News offers two non-fiction novels from the CIA Bookstore. Both cover the CIA's spy recruitment efforts in Iran. "A Time to Betray" is more exciting than a fictional spy thriller and details the true-story accounts from a CIA operative's memoirs of the inner workings of Iran's notorious Revolutionary Guards. We recommend "A Time to Betray" because the memoirs were revealed by an Iranian citizen recruited inside the Revolutionary Guard ranks by the CIA.

Two books about CIA spies in Iran

"A Time to Betray" describes the human side of being a spy for the CIA. Family and friendships torn apart by Iran's terror-mongering regime and how the adult choices of three childhood mates during the Islamic Republic yielded divisive and tragic fates. The CIA-recruited spy is real and the book describes his commitment to lead a shocking double life of informing on the beloved country of his birth, a place that once offered the promise of freedom and enlightenment--but instead ruled by murderous violence and spirit-crushing oppression.

OSINT News recommends a second book on the CIA's involvement in Iran, "Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited". It describes Reza Kahlili, who grew up in Tehran surrounded by his close-knit family and two spirited boyhood friends. The Iran of his youth allowed Reza to think and act freely, and even indulge a penchant for rebellious pranks in the face of the local mullahs. His political and personal freedoms flourished while he studied computer science at the University of Southern California in the 1970s. But his carefree time in America was cut short with the sudden death of his father, and Reza returned home to find a country on the cusp of change. The revolution of 1979 plunged Iran into a dark age of religious fundamentalism under the Ayatollah Khomeini, and Reza, clinging to the hope of a Persian Renaissance, joined the Revolutionary Guards, an elite force at the beck and call of the Ayatollah.

But as Khomeini's tyrannies unfolded, as his fellow countrymen turned on each other, and after the horror he witnessed inside Evin Prison, a shattered and disillusioned Reza returned to America to dangerously become "Wally," a spy for the CIA.

"Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited" was lauded by Shahram Chubin, Director of Studies, Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Chubin stated of the book, "This is an important and beautifully balanced study of the overthrow of Iran's Prime Minister Mosaddeq".

COLLISION COURSE BETWEEN IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE U.S.

2012-01-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) and the Mossad intelligence agency have made the world's headlines often for their aggressive actions. Of course, when every country that touches Israel's border desires to wipe out every Israeli man, woman, and child, one tends to grow defensive. The U.S. is warning Israel to "hold back" from bombing Iran, even though Israel has been preparing for possibly the most complex and dramatic challenge it has faced in sixty years—a nuclear-armed Iran.Israel has 3 options:

Launch a military strike, which could lead to an all-out regional war
Accept a nuclear Iran, which would lead to a new balance of power in the Middle East.
Expand their intelligence networks in Iran and continue to degrade Iran's chances of success in creating a nuclear bomb by accelerating a covert campaign of assassinations of Iran's nuclear scientists, bombings, defections and digital attacks against Iran's computer systems. Plus, collecting quality HUMINT with Mossad agents gaining access to the highest echelons of the Iranian regime.

Of course, if Iran obtains nuclear capabilities,the thought of an Iranian nuclear strike against Israel will be in the cards. Imagine if Iran's citizenry revolts in an "Iranian Spring". The elite Ayatollahs, fortified in their bunkers in the holy city of Qom, once they realize all is lost, will no doubt launch their nuclear warheads at Israel. Yes, nuclear capabilities will make an "Iranian Spring" vastly different from the "Arab Springs".

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Israel has only the first option (above) to consider. But, the U.S. is underestimating how the Iranian threat is perceived by Israeli and the variety of strategic options Israeli will use to confront it. This uncertainty has existed for decades and the relationship between Iran, Israel, and the United States has always been uneasy and troubled.

The U.S. desires to negotiate, to talk, to move forward, while Iran despises American foreign policy today and has not forgotten the events and aftermath of the 1979 hostage crisis. Meanwhile, the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel, and the latest U.S. confrontations via the Straight of Hormuz and Iran's threat to cut-off oil are highly dangerous events for the Middle East. Chances are good that a spark will ignite another major war in the region, a war beyond our wildest dreams, involving China and Russia as well.

Iran's support for terrorism, its pursuit of nuclear capability and weapons, and its influence with the Iraqi Kurdish region is a concern for the U.S. These tensions negate the idea of the U.S. being a mediator to reason through, since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran's use of ideology to achieve hardheaded national interest objectives based on extremist ideological goals.

The U.S. has been caught between Israel's justified paranoia and Iran's bellicose and radical verbiage. The Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, commented on how U.S. policy in the Middle East has been manipulated both by Iran and by Israel as relations between the two oscillated between secret collusion and overt collision.

FIVE TOP OSINT NEWSPAPER RESOURCES

2012-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

To cross-reference and elaborate on information, OSINT News searches these 5 foreign newspaper sites. The first two sites offer different perspectives from the same old news stories from the same old news networks. Both sites have links to English-edition online newspapers from other parts of the world, with an emphasis on the Middle East and Asia. OSINT News gains much by reading the reader "comments", which are mostly locals offering their viewpoints. It helps you feel the mood of the people on key issues in their country. The foreign newspaper's editorials and essays provide unique perspectives as well. Finally, the links to other good news sources are valuable info-finders.

World Newspapers

Foreign Newspapers

The next three sites OSINT News uses often. They are on-line Chinese newspapers which are available in English. These reliable Chinese newspaper osint sources are Inside China; South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong and offers information on China and the Asian region in general; and The Straits Times, which is published in Singapore and covers China and the larger region of Asia.

55% OSINT POLL: IRAN-U.S. NAVAL BATTLE LIKELY OR WILL HAPPEN!

2012-01-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

The results of last week's OSINT News POLL question "WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD OF A U.S.-IRAN NAVAL BATTLE IN THE STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ?" results are in. A total of 47 people voted and 44% of them thought a U.S.-Iran naval battle was unlikely, 23% thought it was likely, 14% thought it very likely, and 17% indicated it will happen. So, 55% of respondents believed such a battle in the Straight of Hormuz is likely to happen or will, indeed, happen:

NOT LIKELY 21 (44%)

LIKELY 11 (23%)

VERY LIKELY 7 (14%)

IT WILL HAPPEN! 8 (17%)
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The video (below) records a verbal confrontation between the Iranian frigate Alvand and the USS Kidd (DDG-993). Let's hope these verbal confrontations don't escalate!

Despite the bellicose verbiage from Iranian leaders and their threats to blockade the Straits of Hormuz, the rescue of the Iranian fishing vessel by the U.S. Navy this week represented a vindication of the Navy’s operant guiding doctrine, which conceptualizes seapower as positive sum, rather than zero sum. The rescue shows us that national and international ends are not necessarily in conflict. OSINT News offers this account of that rescue:

Further Reading:
LIKELIHOOD OF U.S.-IRAN NAVAL WAR IN STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

CIA AND DEFENSE INTEL AGENCY NEED CYBER COUNTERINTELLIGENCE GROUP (CCG)

2012-01-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

A Cyber Counterintellince Group (CIG) must be created

Unbeknownst to most, the electronic thingamabobs embedded in your car, personal computer, passport, TV remote, toll-booth transponders that receive your unencrypted EZ Pass or FasTrak, Smartphone, tablet, mp3 player, digital camera, mobile phone, or driver’s license may be providing information about you to a number of sources. These commonly used gadgets broadcast many aspect of your life without your knowledge; your EZ Pass info can be stolen or cloned; your car may monitor and store data about how well, or poorly, you drive; information off your driver‘s license info can be ascertained...the list is endless.

We, as individuals, are becoming increasingly dependent on these modern gadgets which can open up our personal lives to hackers.

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But, what about expanding this individual threat to a broader scale that involves national security threats? These "gadget" devices now outnumber PC’s on the Internet by 5 to 1. Their popularity is expanding exponentially and far outnumber our computer workstations. Each device has little ability to protect itself and hackers can enter your PC, or the Pentagon’s, through these gadgets. Yes, they control the brakes on your car and many applications on your smart phone and tablet, but they also dominate the valves in a chemical plant, make adjustments to electrical substations and make penetration to America‘s military, intelligence and critical infrastructure information systems fair game to hackers. The national electrical power grid, gas and oil pipeline, financial, air traffic-control, and telecommunication systems are practically defenseless against professional hackers. They have penetrated our power plants, stolen our latest submarine technology, robbed money from our banks, and have invaded the Pentagon’s secret communications systems. A new silent submarine drive system and new advanced radar system, each costing billions and requiring years of research to develop, have been pilfered by foreign intelligence service hackers. Our electrical network has already been attacked and an expensive electrical generator, nearly impossible to replace, was destroyed in Idaho as a demonstration by hackers.

I’m not referring to a high school kid with a 190 IQ…I’m referring to foreign spy networks and criminal organizations. The FBI estimates that China’s PLA has over 30,000 cyber spies, in addition to 150,000 in their private sector. Russia has similar numbers. America’s cyberspace is also being attacked by clandestine stations in the Middle East and France as well. Our government, intelligence services, and companies dealing with top-secret defense contracts are iterally “glass houses”, transparent to our enemies.

An exaggeration? No, because the Chinese already downloaded over 20 terabytes of information from the Department of Defense (DOD), which is about one fifth of all data housed in the Library of Congress. What about Wiki-Leaks and its theft of classified diplomatic cables?

The U.S. has classified computer systems that aren’t connected, meaning that users must use thumb drives to transfer classified info from one system to another. Many computer drives have been loaded with malware prior to sale. Some Afghan groups know how to download images in real-time from our satellites and drone UAV’s. Foreign-made microchips sold to defense companies were infected with viruses that allowed them to be disabled upon command from a malicious source. Counterfeit computer chips have already been discovered in our fighter aircraft and our own soldiers unknowlingly used intentionally corrupted thumb drives that downloaded classified intel from laptops in Iraq.

Botnets or linked computers that take directions from unknown sources can shut down targeted systems and make tracking down the overseas perpetrators nearly impossible. They operate in countries with no laws against cyber crimes, such as Africa and Latin America. Any computer can be recruited into a botnet by running a malicious software. Such a “drive-by” download will exploit web browser vulnerabilities or trick you into running a Trojan horse program in an e-mail attachment. The hacker and his/her software ends up controlling your computer and is controlled by the botnet that he/she owns. Many groups of computers known as “zombie” computers are compromised by this software that’s controlled by tech-savvy hackers. These “drive-by” downloads occur by clicking on a seemingly innocuous website. The hackers, known as “botnet herders”, control the compromised computers from remote locations and are experts in computer programming and software creation. They communicate globally over the Internet via their herd of compromised “zombie” computers. Millions of botnets are regularly formed on the Internet. If they want, they can bring down individual computers or entire networks. Not surprisingly, in 2008, hackers pilfered customer files from the Royal Bank of Scotland and used them to withdraw $9 million from ATM’s throughout the United States…in a half hour’s time!

Unfortunately, in addition to robbing banks, they can penetrate our power plants, steal our latest submarine technology, and invade the Pentagon’s secret communications systems. Our national security infrastructure has already been permeated and the IC only has an inkling of what it doesn’t know. So, it’s time to assume the worst case scenario and react accordingly. How?

We need a “gathering” of all those in the Intelligence Community who deal with cyber security to form an organization supervised by the CIA's counter-intelligence. Let's call it the Cyber Counterintelligence Group(CCG).
Botnet owners and other computer-crime perpetrators who compromise national security must be aggressively sought and arrested. Congress should initiate this legislation and make it national law. Of the thousands of Internet crimes in the U.S each year, there were a measly 15 arrests or prosecutions. That must change.
ISP's must notify its customers when a computer has been tied into a botnet.
The newly-formed counterintelligence team noted in item 1 above, the CCG, be given complete computer access to all companies and entities that the Dept. of Defense and IC conducts business with. Appropriate action is taken when computers are found to be tied-in to a botnet.
There are opportunities for the DOD and IC to "make a sow's ear into a silk purse" out of this cyber threat. If malicious botnets are uncovered by the CCG, then damaging disinformation (to our enemies) can be purposefully broadcast far, wide, and at the speed of light around the globe.
Make it written policy that the DOD and IC do not conduct business with companies and organizations hooked-in to botnets.
If you are responsible for protecting national info from cyber theft, you must keep abreast of the evolving and expanding threat-base. OSINT News offer these 9 proven resources:

Cyber security resources

Further reading:
"Stuxnet trojan worm worries intelligence community"
"Computer hackers worry OSINT researchers"

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

RETIRED CIA SPY REVEALS ESPIONAGE TRADECRAFT

2012-01-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

OSINT News recommends A Spy’s Journey for a pleasurable read for active and retired case officers, for journalists and for spy buffs. It's one of the best CIA memoirs published in a long while, akin to the written memoirs of David Atlee Phillips' 1977 classic "The Night Watch". It includes all the accounts, including nibbling on moose lips and sipping vodka in Mongolia.

In A Spy’s Journey, CIA veteran Floyd Paseman reveals his fascinating career in Cold War covert operations in Asia and Europe from the 1960s to the present. Dedicated and determined, Paseman mastered espionage methods and difficult foreign languages in order to defend American policies and values from Soviet, Chinese Communist, and terrorist threats. His courage and tradecraft skills make this book an insightful read.”

Click to order online!

Floyd L. Paseman retired from the Central Intelligence Agency in January 2001 following a thirty-five year career in operations. Now deceased, following his retirement he lived in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he worked as an international security consultant.

Floyd Paseman provides us with a very useful and highly readable account of his 34 years in "The Company", from trainee to senior executive. The book describes his progressing career as a top spy recruiter for the Directorate of Operations and other published works about particular eras and controversies over the years 1967 to the present is depicted.

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It is both a primer on espionage craft and a syllabus for an orderly study of the CIA's history, with each Central Intelligence Director, from Richard Helms to George Tenet, profiled for their strengths and weaknesses. He also describes the relations between each president and the agency in historical sequence. Importantly, Paseman reveals exactly what's right and wrong with the CIA and tells who is to blame (the Clinton Administration, most recently) and who is to be praised, notably George Tenet for his efforts to revive the craft of intelligence gathering.

Was the 9/11 attack an intelligence failure? "Of course", he replies and points to our continuing vulnerabilities. If one reads this in conjunction with Michael Scheuer's "Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror", you get a sense for just how complex our response to the challenge of Islamist terrorism must be. And that war is a challenge that cannot be met merely with CIA/military/homeland security operations. Other allies and agencies have to help infiltrate and "roll up" terrorist cells and networks, while economic and educational initiatives leading towards better career opportunities work to remove "fuel from the fire" that is angry young Islam. As OSINT News stated in previous articles, "Fighting terrorism is like changing the tire on your car...while it's still moving!"

Paseman was recognized by the CIA to be one of the best recruiters of foreign spies during his years in Taiwan, Japan, Burma, Greece, Thailand, Singapore and Germany. He found that one good tool was his ability to form bluegrass bands during his postings.

On the home front, he offers tips on how to know what's going on inside the shop. His version of "the water cooler" is to keep one's ears open in "The Company" restrooms and to patrol aggressively for coffee around other staff groups. Paseman's genius goes far beyond the restroom and coffee pot...OSINT News believes this book will enrich your understanding of how the Intelligence Community works.

Click to order online!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

NSA'S SUPER SECRET ECHELON HUNTS DOWN TERRORISTS

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

By the time you finish reading this paragraph, Echelon will intercept more than 70,000 phone calls, e-mails, and faxes. It does, indeed, exist inside the NSA. OSINT News believes this global surveillance system is necessary to effectively combat terrorism. Enjoy the "fictional" account below, about Stacey and her work inside NSA's echelon system. Our "Echelon Picks" (above) offer additional information about this necessary surveillance system.

Operated by the National Security Agency (NSA), Echelon is the most pervasive global eavesdropping network in history. Today, Echelon will capture three billion electronic communications.

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Imagine what it will do tomorrow. To many, the near future is impossible to predict since it is so unpredictable. But, Echelon's preemptive capabilities offers much insight into the future. Once merely a surveillance net, Echelon has provided the West with covert power shaping abilities into world affairs. It manipulates the data flow at will, snuffs out dissent, and controls information. Enjoy our little story about Stacey:

Stacey walked into security clearance at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Md. She differed from the thousands of other highly-trained and indoctrinated ECHELON signals intelligence analysts. She logged onto her computer terminal and entered a personal code. Her assignment was to hunt down a terrorist, codenamed “radical archer.” He had purchased shoulder-firing missiles that were stolen from a British army unit outside London. He reportedly has many friends in Tunisia, including black market arms dealers. If knowledge is power, Stacey was about to become the most powerful person in the world. She revved up a mighty program codenamed “Dictionary” and tapped in 4-digit codes for the Tunis, Tunisia locale; people’s names and subject headings; and Internet addresses, telex cell phone, and fax numbers used by individuals, businesses, government offices and private organizations associated with “radical archer.”

She pressed ENTER and connected to a synergistic, global interception and relay espionage system that pries into private and commercial communications. Stacey’s confidential Dictionary program stores the Dictionary lists of other ECHELON agencies from around the world. So, if she intercepts a keyword listed on Britain’s Dictionary, her computer would pick out and record the intercept, and send it to Britain’s spy headquarters, and vice versa. Ground stations in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and in other nameless locations place their interception systems at each other’s disposal.

Using a worldwide network of massive ground-based radio antennae, Stacey effortlessly infiltrated the group of Intel satellites encircling the earth used by telephone companies as well, enabling Stacey to pry into maritime communications off the Tunisian coast. Other keywords entered into ECHELON’s Dictionary sifted through millions of simultaneous phone calls, fax, and 90% of the world’s private e-mail addresses, filtering out information that could lead to the whereabouts of “radical archer.” Stacey tapped in other ground station codes, gaining access to Russian, Indonesian, and Latin American satellites. Amazingly, she intercepts thousands of phone calls to and from Tunisia that are transported by cables under the Mediterranean Sea. Navy Seals secretly installed intercept devices on the cables 300 feet down.

Any one and anything that America’s intelligence community is concerned about will become an ECHELON target. There is no medium of transporting information that cannot be listened to by Stacey. She operates in a legislation-free environment, above the law, and can effortlessly invade family businesses and personal civilian privacy. She’s accountable to no one. Her name, position, and salary remain nameless and traceless, for her funding resources are buried deep within the Pentagon’s procurement budget and hide in the stock market under a street name account held by the CIA.

Suddenly, a red light glowed, signaling a “hit” from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia. The CIA secretly installed sophisticated microwave receivers and processors. A phone call was intercepted from a hotel in la Goulette, a seaside town on the Mediterranean Sea outside Tunis. The complete, two-way phone conversation was printed out in English translation. Then, another hit! Stacey’s heartbeat quickened. Dictionary keywords snatched information from an innocent-looking, red brick building at 8 Palmer Street in downtown London, England. Every telex passing in and out of London is intercepted by ECHELON computers operating within the walls of this charming, petite building with Daisy-filled window boxes.

Stacey alerted her station chief, who analyzed the intercepts, matching the voice prints and subject matter with intel collected from the Fusion Center in Trenton, NJ. CIA counter-intelligence agents were studying a warehouse owner in New Jersey they deemed suspicious. Stacey’s new intelligence was passed on to them. A brief meeting at the Trenton Fusion Center was held. It was determined that the time for surveillance and further intelligence gathering by HUMINT agents was over…it was now time to strike. An hour later, surprised passersby watched as a warehouse in New Jersey was raided by 185 local police and FBI agents, along with dozens of other unidentified men wearing hoods to cover their identities. The shoulder-firing missiles were not found. Simultaneously, cargo ships were searched by 180 NYPD officers and FBI in New York Harbor. Dozens of the faceless soldiers wearing hoods accompanied them as well. No missiles were found. The New Jersey warehouse owner and his brother were taken out in handcuffs.

A half hour later, halfway around the world, a dozen armed men from the CIA’s Operations Division accompanied the local CIA station chief into the lobby of an unknown hotel in La Goulette, Tunisia. They could recognize “radical archer” by sight and would receive $10,000 for interrogating him and an additional $20,000 for finding out where the missiles were. Then, they would receive a $10,000 stipend for murdering him…but only in that order. Unfortunately for “radical archer,” he made a poor decision by visiting the hotel. He underestimated the real time, instant communication between ELINT and HUMINT technologies. The period between critical intel info and action was reduced to minutes...worldwide! HUMINT agents escorted him from the hotel, shackled and wearing a hood, into a large van that mysteriously appeared outside. Within a half hour, he told the CIA team where the missiles were. The CIA team, along with Tunis Police officials, raided a home on the city's outskirts. The two dozen British Starstreak missiles, still in their sealed launch tubes were found. All were intact. Each tube was attached to an aiming unit for firing. The terrorists could track the target using the aiming unit's optically stabilized sight. Thus, allowing them to use the aiming unit to compute the right trajectory to bring the missile together with the targets, which would no doubt be commercial airliners full of western tourists.

Stacey stared at her computer screen and breathed a sigh of relief when the ordeal was over. As she watched the TV broadcasts of the New Jersey raids behind her computer station, she felt pleased with how Charlie Allen’s tireless efforts in establishing Fusion Centers in the U.S. healed the fissure between two disparate worlds: law enforcement (LE) and counter-intelligence (CI). The CI surveillance way of life now coexisted alongside LE’s criminal arrest culture; they knew when to observe…and when to strike. Of course, no broadcast of what happened in Tunis, Tunisia was seen...or heard.- End

Did you know? The European Union has had a deal made where their secret services are enabled to use the Echelon system through the United States espionage service of the FBI and NSA.

Note: Interesting Echelon article found in the Center for Defense Information (CDI)- click HERE

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

PAKISTANI MILITANTS TO JOIN TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN

2012-01-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

According to the Voice of America (VOA), they have received reports from Pakistan that say al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban leaders have asked Pakistani militants to stop targeting Pakistani security forces and instead concentrate on battling U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

The reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that following the intervention of Afghan Taliban supreme commander Mullah Omar, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban formed a joint five-member committee with other Pakistani militant groups.

A pamphlet issued in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region Sunday called on Pakistani militant groups to unite and "avoid unwarranted killings and kidnappings for ransom." The pamphlet said those found guilty would be subject to punishment under Islamic law.

According to the reports, the five groups that pledged to unite and work with the Afghan Taliban include the powerful Haqqani network, the Maulvi Nazeer group, the Hakimullah Mehsud group, and the Maulana Waliur Rahman group, all operating from South Waziristan, as well as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group based in North Waziristan.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

PAKISTANI STUDENT VISA PROGRAM A SECURITY THREAT

2012-01-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Note: See right margin under "PAKISTANI'S IN ENGLAND" for free videos and free articles on this topic.

Several days ago, another Pakistani visa-toting student was arrested in the UK. He was carrying a document that would aid terrorists to commit an act of terrorism. The arrest occurred at the Birmingham Airport when he flew in to the UK from Dubai. After questioning by the West Midlands Police‘s Counter Terrorism Unit, he was released on bail. The Pakistani national, age 22, studying at a fully accredited college in the UK.

The UK police and MI5 have remained tight-lipped on this latest episode at the Birmingham Airport and provided little details and it remains unknown whether the 22-year old Pakistani man was caught with the terrorist-aiding documents stemming from a routine customs search or if authorities were acting upon gathered intelligence. A flurry of questions from reporters revealed little details until, finally, a police spokesman stated that “The arrest was not as a result of any ongoing investigation and there was no immediate threat to the public”.

Of course, it may have been part of a larger investigation that has been going on and the police simply do not want to reveal it. This is fine, for the authorities may have “flipped” this man or may not want to reveal the sources that led to the arrest. And, they have all the right in the world to not reveal the full circumstances of the arrest. As Katharine Graham once said:

“We live in a dirty and dangerous world ... There are some things the general public does not need to know and shouldn't. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows“

So, what are the implications for the UK, the US and the West? Damian Green, UK immigration minister believes the number of foreign students with visas is unsustainable. He’s disturbed that non-EU migrants who came to his country in 2004 consisted mostly of students, 185,000 to be exact, and five years later, 21% of them still remained! Green questioned why they were staying on, asked appropriate questions: “Why are they staying on and what were they remaining in the UK to do?

Fair questions to ask. Net migration to the UK increased by 33,000, to a whopping 196,000 in 2009 and the number of visas issued to students rose by 35% to 362,015. In fact, the Internal Home Office stated that over 90,000 people entered the UK every year to take courses that were below degree level at private institutions. True, the practice of accepting so many foreign students does add 12.5 billion pounds to the economy each year, but by not playing by the rules and having them leave when their visas expire results in threats to the UK’s citizenry.

For example, the BBC Newsnight media found systemic fraud in the issuance of student visas method. Their investigators bought two bogus visa documents; one for 200 pounds, the other for only 150 pounds. If they were Pakistani al Qaeda members, they would have been guaranteed entrance into the UK.

The method of UK visa-issuance is straightforward. Foreign students must obtain a formal invitation to study in the UK from any one of 2,000 colleges that are on an approved list run by the Home Office. The “formal invitation” is an official document called a “visa letter”. By the way, there are many rows of shops that spring up and are listed on the Home Office’s approved list. A foreign student needs 40 points to gain entry into the UK, and the visa letter is 30 points. To get the much-needed 10 more points, the student needs to have several thousand pounds in a bank for 28 days, which he/she could easily borrow or be reimbursed with by al Qaeda or Hamas.

You get the picture! And, so did Newsnight media. They approached a small, private college in west London called Gateway2uk Education, which had an “A” rating from the UK Border Agency. For cash, Newsnight investigators bought the bogus visa letters from a secret office in London’s Wembley Park. All the details were filmed. A progression of young foreign men came and left while they were filming their investigators bought two bogus visa documents. In fact, one was sold by a former administrator of Gateway2uk Education!

This tip of the iceberg investigation by Newsnight should raise the fear hackles on MI5, MI6 and the Home Office…not to mention the U.S. Intelligence Community’s as well.

This endemic visa fraud in the UK may be the reason why students from Pakistan prefer pursuing higher education in the UK than in America. Of course, historical ties between the two countries made their educational systems more similar, the entry requirements much easier, and the resulting degrees much easier to use back in Pakistan. Khalil ur Rehman runs a visa consultancy business in Lahore, Pakistan, and stated that Pakistanis apply for schooling in the UK and Australia because the educational systems are similar. The UK’s educational alignment with Pakistan, plus the atmosphere in the U.S. after 9/11, resulted in a Pakistani trend to avoid the U.S.. Interestingly, though, most people emigrating from the UK travel to Australia, followed by the USA.

A decade ago, the UK censes recorded 747,285 Pakistani residence and over 55% of them were born in the UK. In 2009, people born in Pakistan living in the UK was 441,000 and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan estimated that 1.2 million Pakistanis live in the UK, about half the total number living in Europe.

Not surprisingly, Islam is the largest non-Christian religion in England. Over 1.54 million Muslims live in England and Wales…about 3.3% of the population. In 2009, 2.4 million Muslims lived in the UK, although a 2010 Pew Research Center study estimated that number to be just under 3 million.

There needs to be systemic changes in the UK regarding the Pakistani prevalence. Most are, no doubt, typical British citizens. However, Pakistan and Pakistanis have been connected to most of the major terrorist plots in the UK since 2001, Including the July 7, 2005 attacks in London. Finally, we all remember the 2009 terrorist sweep where a dozen UK residents were arrested. They traveled to and from Pakistan where they received training, logistical support, and moral affirmation by fellow radicals. Of the 12 arrested, 11 were Pakistani nationals.

At an AFIO seminar in Tyson Corners, Va., I picked up the book "Londonistan" by Melanie Phillips. It was a great read and I recommend it highly. Phillips shows how Britain's imperial policy of "benign neglect" towards radical Islamist groups in the 1980s and 1990s came close to malign complicity in the activities of some of the most determined terrorist organizations ever to emerge in Europe.

Author Phillips describes the establishment and growth of Muslim extremist groups in London as well as the administrative incompetence and cultural weakness that still permits it to happen.

"Londonistan" is described as a last-minute warning for Britain and for much of the free world...it is a courageous exposé of what is happening in Britain and is a last minute wake up call for the British to act now before it is too late.

The suicide bombings described above that were carried out in London in 2005 by British Muslims revealed an alarming network of Islamist terrorists and their sympathizers. Under the noses of British intelligence, London became the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of Islamist terror and extremism - so much so that it has been mockingly dubbed 'Londonistan'. Melanie Phillips pieces together the story of how Londonistan developed as a result of the collapse of British self-confidence and national identity and its resulting paralysis by multiculturalism and appeasement. The result is an ugly climate in Britain of irrationality and defeatism, which now threatens to undermine the alliance with America and imperil the defence of the free world. OSINT NEWS recommends this book by Melanie Phillips:

So, what are the implications for the UK…and America…of this Pakistani situation. How can we guarantee the safety of the citizenry, including the mostly law-abiding Pakistani public, from the radical Islamic segment?

How about these ideas:

Get rid of sub-degree courses from the visa application process.
Strictly enforce all visa time-duration limits instead of studying why foreign student guests remain in the UK far past the time the visa time limit expires.
Students in the UK must play by the rules and obey the nation’s laws. If they are suspected of terrorist-related affiliation activities… they’re gone!
Visa documents, formal invitation letters, visa letters, and the bank accounts of visa applicants should be scrutinized more. Students should not be allowed to take out loans to earn the last 10 points needed for acceptance, unless the loans are from a British banking institution. This would protect the many decent Pakistani students wishing to further their education in the UK.
All above-mentioned documents should be uniformly coded and impossible to reproduce. The UK government has introduced a new electronic system to combat visa fraud. Complement this system with microchip-embedded visa documents to be carried at all times.
The CIA, NSA and other members of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) out-source analytical and operational duties to private contractors. Similarly, MI5 can contract with private investigators and other companies in the UK to provide surveillance and classified operations to uncover visa fraud.
The undercover operation conducted by Newsnight media should be duplicated on a continual, never-ending basis.

See also:
OSINT SUGGESTS US/PAKISTANI RELATIONS IMPROVING

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Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

"REWARDS FOR JUSTICE" OFFERS BOUNTIES ON TERRORISTS

2011-12-31T13:12:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Justice Department just put a $10 million bounty on the head of al Qaeda financier Yasin al Suri, making him the most wanted terrorists on the Justice Department's "Rewards for Justice" program. A $25 million reward is offered for Al Qeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Any information that helps authorities find Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, better known as Yasin al Suri, is being advertised by U.S. authorities.

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This Iran-based senior financier of Al Qaeda has been operating under an agreement between Al Qaeda and the Iranian government since 2005. Yasin al Suri moves money and recruits through Iran and on to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is a fundraiser for the terrorist network and has collected money from donors throughout the Persian Gulf region, according to the U.S. State Department. He has also arranged for the release of Al Qaeda personnel from Iranian prisons. Upon release, the Iranian government transfers them to the custody of al-Suri, who then coordinates their travel to Pakistan.

The "Rewards for Justice" program is a valuable tool in fighting global terrorism. It was created before 9-11, in 1984, under Public Law 98-533. It is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.The program continues to offer millions of dollars for information leading to the capture of some of America's most wanted terrorists. Currently, the program's top wanted terrorist is Al Qeada leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who's capture comes with the potential for a $25 million reward. Suri is one of three men in the $10 million reward category, the others being Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Abu Dua, leader of Al Qeada in Iraq.

The program authorizes the Secretary of State to distribute "rewards for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of anyone who plans, commits, or attempts international terrorist acts against U.S. persons or property, that prevents such acts from occurring in the first place, that leads to the location of a key terrorist leader, or that disrupts terrorism financing".

The Secretary of State is authorized to pay a reward greater than $25 million if it is determined that a greater amount is necessary to combat terrorism or to defend the United States against terrorist acts.

Thus far, the "Rewards for Justice" program has paid more than $100 million to over 60 people who provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide. The program played a significant role in the arrest of international terrorist Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

While the law governing the "Rewards for Justice" program is aimed at terrorism directed against Americans, the United States shares information with other nations whose citizens are at risk. Every government and every citizen has a stake in bringing terrorists to justice and in preventing acts of terrorism.

The practice of placing bounties on terrorists is practiced by Moscow as well. The Russian authorities placed a $10 million bounty on Chechen warlords and has declared they will hit such terrorists anywhere, anytime.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

LIKELIHOOD OF NAVAL WAR BETWEEN IRAN AND U.S.

2011-12-31T05:23:00.000-08:00

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USS JOHN STENNIS

At this moment, Iranian submarines, warships and C 14 class missile boats are testing their might in the Sea of Oman. The saber-rattling operation is called Velayat-90 and they are laying anti-ship mines, auditioning their aerial drones, and firing missiles and torpedoes to show the world that they have the power to block oil from passing through the Straight of Hormuz. Iranian Navy's C 14 class missile boats will test fire the short range Nasr-1 anti-ship cruise missile to demonstrate their ability to destroy American warships.

But, could a spark ignite? It’s not conspiracy theory that the Yakhont (SSN-26) missile can destroy American warships. The Russian’s delivered these supersonic anti-ship missiles to Syria, despite pleas from the U.S. that they could be obtained by terrorists. The Russian’s ignored the plea. Suppose Syria surreptitiously gave one of these weapons to Hammas or another terrorist group out to destroy the Western world. What if, unbeknownst to Iran, an SSN-26 is launched against an American warship, like the US Aircraft Carrier USS Stennis, which is observing Operation Velyat-90 proceedings at this moment? What an ideal way for the crumbling regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to divert attention away from the Arab League fact-finding mission and his brutal crackdown on protesters.

In addition to the “what if” trepidations, Iran’s bellicose words add further tension to the seemingly innocuous war games. Iran’s navy chief, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, said his forces are monitoring the USS Stennis and recorded its passage form the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman (Iranian TV segment showed the Stennis being followed by an Iranian aircraft).

Sayari’s words were backed up by Brigadier General Hossein Salmi, the deputy commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards. He stated to the Fars news agency, “Our response to threats is threats. We have no doubt about our being able to carry out defensive strategies to protect our vital interests- we will act more decisively than ever. The Americans are not qualified to give us permission to carry out military strategy”.

The wording of Iran’s leaders is the most disturbing, for it shows their belief system at work. Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi warned, “Not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz”, if the West follows through with additional sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Commodore Mahmoud Mousave of the Iranian navy stated the USS Stennis was “inside the maneuver zone” where his ships were conducting their exercises and added, that his navy “was prepared, in accordance with international law, to confront offenders who do not respect our security perimeters during the maneuvers”.

The US Defense Department replied, “Interference with the transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated and the US will act decisively to protect our interests”.

So, here we are, with the US Stennis battle group and the Iranian navy in close proximity to one another. What happens if any number of direct or circuitous happenings spark an exchange between the Iranian navy and the USS John C. Stennis, one of the world’s largest warships, and her carrier strike group in the Strait of Hormuz?

If an Iranian Nasr-1 anti-ship missile went astray, the Stennis strike group would counter with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow anti-missiles, which defend against anti-ship missiles and have been vastly upgraded over the years. They’re larger, faster, more accurate and will zero in on sea-skimming missiles with 90 lbs. of blast fragmentation explosives in each warhead.

Meanwhile, the Stennis’ 90 fighter planes and helicopter gunships would be launched and commence strafing the Iranian warships and destroy the fleet. If the Stennis was hit, the entire Iranian fleet would be sunk immediately. The Iranian C 14 missile boats would attack, prompting the US fleet’s Phalanx CIWS, close-in weapon system, to light up the skyline firing its 20mm Gatling guns and filling up the sky with armor-piercing tungsten penetrator rounds traveling at 3,600 feet per second to the tune of 4,500 rounds per minute. Iran’s missile boats would surely fire away and the incoming Iranian Nasr-1 missiles would, hopefully, be destroyed before reaching their target. No matter. At that point, the US fleet would be ordered to use the full force of their weaponry and all of Iran’s fleet would be destroyed.

Pure chaos would reign after the spark began and America’s RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) would be launched to further protect the Stennis flotilla. Scores of RAM’s screaming at Mach 2+ would maintain the retaliation and quickly find their marks.

The US would leap from defensive to offensive weapons in a heartbeat, for the stakes are too high, the earlier Iranian threats too warlike, the straight’s battle ground too cramped, with the foes a stone’s throw apart while armed with supersonic weapons. It would all be over at the speed of Mach 2+ and the Iranian fleet would descend into the depths of the Straight of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. Unfortunately, the military hotline that Washington proposed between the White House and Tehran to defuse any “miscalculations” was rejected by Iran. So, this short, concentrated, but deadly mêlée would only be the beginning.

Such military havoc in this narrow straight where tanker-filled oil passes would trigger economic mayhem. The world oil market and fragile global economies would sink faster and deeper than Iran’s navy.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

INTELLIGENCE ANALYST POSITION AVAILABLE

2011-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

OSINT News read Spies for Hire, where investigative reporter Tim Shorrock discusses the outsourcing of top secret intelligence activities to private-sector contractors. Ever since 9-11, the CIA searched for analysts and linguists via corporations "outside" the intelligence community to perform sensitive tasks. It is now, according to sources, a $50 billion-a-year business that consumes up to 70 percent of the US intelligence budget.

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Spies for Hire takes an extremely negative position regarding this practice. Shorrock mentions corporations such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, CACI International, and IBM and describes how they have partnered up with the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Pentagon in their most sensitive foreign and domestic operations. Shorrock's negativity shines through when he exaggerates the downfalls of IC outsourcing, including wasteful spending, the erosion of privacy protections and congressional oversight, etc.

Perhaps, the news coverage of Blackwater permeated his thinking. The outside contractors OSINT News investigated are superior companies in terms of staff expertise and training. For example, for more than three decades, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)—the largest employee-owned research and technology company in the United States—has achieved unparalleled success in the areas of science, engineering, and technology, all while flying well below the radar of most casual business observers. The SAIC evolved as an ongoing experiment and it continues to grow exponentially—with $8 billion in annual revenues—by applying counter intuitive operating principles that cut against the grain of contemporary business practice. SAIC is a major outsourcing resource which the CIA depends upon to protect America.

OSINT News disagrees with the draconian predictions of Shorrock's book, Spies for Hire. CACI International was mentioned as well, with a negative overtone. To ignore and shun CACI's expertise would be a national security threat. In fact, Charlie Allen, a man we admire and met in person at an AFIO seminar in Tyson Corners, Va., is a renown and widely respected CIA veteran who now works for the Chertoff Group.

OSINT News supports the Intelligence Community (IC) in their efforts to outsource intelligence-gathering and the conducting of sensitive operations. After all, al Qaeda is expanding operations by befriending heretofore enemies in order to harm America. These new al Qaeda outsourcing cells are popping up around the globe quicker than Chicken Delight and McDonald's!

OSINT News read through the prospectus' of these private contractors, which Shorrock wrote so negatively about and, quite frankly, found the human and technical skill sets they possess to be superior! So, why train someone in the military or IC when the knowledge can be obtained right away? Many of these highly-skilled people are in the private sector for a number of reasons: downsizing during the 90s, not re-upping their time in the military, etc. Let the supply and demand market unfold! The IC needs their brain power and they've got the grey matter skills to supply...so, hire them!

Repositioning and retraining existing staff or hiring completely new people off the street and training them makes little sense. The best solution seems to be to strike a balanced approach, with appropriate regulations of the contractor/government employee ratio. A balanced ration can be reached.

Of course, there has been negative news regarding contractors working for the military, but contractors are also working for the IC to gather and analyze intelligence information, and to carry out sensitive operations. Sadly, two of the victims of the suicide bomber who infiltrated the secret CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, in December 2009 were contractors. I hope their names are posted on the memorial plaque in the CIA's foyer.

OSINT News found out that CACI International is searching for an Intelligence Analyst. Below are the details; we're glad to help them out!

CACI Internaltional desires to hire an Intelligence Analyst. Here's what they're looking for:

Experience in targeting, assessing, and recruiting foreign human intelligence (HUMINT) assets and experience in technical operations highly desirable. Provides guidance, case management, and support to field HUMINT collection operations. Coordinates with field, other offices, and other agencies. Reviews and evaluates the overall reporting from assets to help determine asset validity. Understands all-source collection. Good writing and briefing skills, foreign language Skills, foreign area expertise, and/or overseas experience in HUMINT operations highly desired. Provides intelligence support for contingency operations, battle staff and operational-level planning, joint and multi-lateral training exercises, and strategic engagement policy throughout the Areas of Operational Responsibility (AOR) and Areas of Interest (AOI).

Responsibilities:
• Researches unclassified and classified databases for use in written products.
• Provides research support for analysts who produce Intelligence Community reports and briefings.
• Researches, writes and monitors cable traffic.
• Supports field efforts to target, assess, and recruit foreign intelligence assets.
• Provides guidance, case management, and support to field collection operations.
• Reviews and evaluates the overall reporting from assets to help determine asset validity.
• May serve as a client liaison and coordinates with sub-contractors, government personnel, and technical experts.
• Researches, authors, and coordinates threat assessments to support the Commander and/or leaders in the U.S. civilian intelligence community.
• Present assessments to intelligence community.

Required Qualifications: Typically requires bachelor's degree or equivalent and five to seven years of related experience. Must hold an active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph.

Desired Qualifications: Normal demands associated with an office environment. Ability to work on computer for long periods, and communicate with individuals by telephone, email and face to face. Some travel may be required. May spend a lot of time standing due to laboratory conditions.

To apply or explore further information: John Bentley, Sr. Technical Recruiter, CACI International, Inc., at jbentley@caci.com , 4114 Legato Rd, Fairfax, VA 22033; (703) 679.6839 or visit CACI Careers

WHITE HOUSE CIA LEAK MADE ALL AMERICANS "FAIR GAME"

2011-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Subversive nature of the Valerie Plame (Wilson) leak stems from the backbreaking efforts our intelligence services employ to place Non-Official Cover- NOC- agents abroad, not to mention the dangers they face in shielding America from weapons of mass destruction.

Most overseas agents use State Department official cover -OC- and play the James Bond role, commonly seen wearing tuxedos at gambling tables and mingling with foreigners at cocktail and dinner parties.
NOC's do not enjoy the protection of diplomatic immunity; if caught by foreign intelligence, tey have no protection from prosecution under that country's laws. Valerie Plame didn't pretend to be a "fake" diplomat; she assumed deep cover and distanced herself from the luxurious State Department life that is complete with rich foods and top-flight martinis.

Using her cover, a vast mosaic of lies and props, she penetrated foreign organizations to detect and prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons from harming America. Neither personal friends, family members nor her fiance knew she worked for the CIA's enigmatic Non-Proliferation Center in Langley, Va., a cadre of analysts, technicical experts and former field operatives.

In case a suspicious foreign intelligence service conducted a background check, she masqueraded as an "analyst" for a fake legal services company called Brewster~Jennings & Associates. This CIA front company was listed on her Federal Election Commission forms when she made political contributions. To add credibility to the deception, the business was registered on the Dun & Bradstreet database and her 1999 W-2 tax forms listed B~J & Associates as her employer. The workplace appeared above board, housed in a plush, 21-story office building in downtown Boston, complete with trendy restaurants.

The setting allowed her to blend in with everyday life or, if the need arose, to exit quickly into the swarms of commuters who passed by as they exited the Downtown Crossing subway station. Business cards, a phone number and post office box number complemented the subterfuge.

Roughly 15 years ago, gambling on her NOC deep cover protection, Plame ventured overseas, aiming to infiltrate groups involved in smuggling nuclear weapons and the material used to create them. She attended trade shows and business conferences abroad where she interviewed and attempted to recruit foreign scientists and developed informal networks with engineers, secretaries, salespersons and suppliers.

Plame used her NOC cover to "by coincidence" bump into honest and sleazy characters alike, whom her CIA handlers targeted. She hoodwinked, sweet-talked, bribed and recruited "assets" (spys) in order to gain information about raw materials and hardware even remotely associated with the process of building weapons-grade nuclear material that could someday wreak devastation on America's shores.

Recently, I talked with Harry Mason, who retired from the CIA in 1997. he is an expert in foreign and domestic intelligence, earning both the prestigious CIA Intelligence medal of Merit and National Intelligence Medal Of Achievement awards. Mason believes that, although the leak of Plame's name may not rise to a technical violation of the 1982 Intelligence Identities Act, CIA operatives must know they will be protected frmo traitors or political leakers...even if a key presidential aide has to resign.

It's mind-boggling that the leak to columnist Robert Novak came from senior White House officials who signed form SF-312, an affirmative obligation not to reveal classified information. Thousands of hours of undercover work and Plame's network of connections were shattered. Mason also hinted that foreign intelligence services would pour through passport databases to determine if Plame ever set foot on their soil. They'll find out when she entered and locate those she had contact with, placing the lives of many foreign citizens in jeopardy.

America can't afford Washington leaders donning pin-striped suits and wrapping themselves around the flag...while exposing CIA covert operations.

Mason believes stronger criminal prosecuation laws are needed for the news media and for columnists like Robert Novak when they disclose covert identities that harm America's national security and put the lives of intelligence agents at risk.

I agree wholeheartedly and pray that all CIA NOC's who assumed Plame's Bresster~Jennings & Associates cover and who have no diplomatic immunity...retreat back home quickly, alive and well.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. Contact him on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

POLL: WILL RADICAL ISLAM ATTACK THE U.S.? IF "YES", BY WHAT METHOD?

2011-11-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

WIDGETS GIVE INSTANT OSINT DATA

2011-11-15T05:48:00.001-08:00

OSINT News downloaded over 55 widgets on military, intelligence community (IC), defense company, global threat(pandemics, terrorism), homeland security and scientific happenings. Here's a sample of just a few. You can download these for free by clicking "Get Widget".

Great OSINT Resources!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. Contact him on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

WILL IRAN NUCLEAR BOMB RENEW STAR WARS?

2011-11-09T01:37:00.000-08:00

Our picks- Thaad and ballistic missile defense

Now that the latest intelligence on Iran's nuclear bomb ambitions have indicated they are well on their way to becoming a nuclear threat, OSINT News is publishing this article. The Heritage Foundation created a video that explains the critical need to re-initiate and completely fund a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program... a anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense program. With countries like North Korea (Photo 1: below) and Iran acquiring the capability to launch ICBM's, our negotiation positions in the future will be severely weakened.

Such countries, as they build and develop their ICBM numbers, payloads, and accuracy have the capacity to change life as we know it in the U.S. in less than 33 minutes. The documentary 33 Minutes: Protecting America in the New Missile Age is a one-hour documentary produced by the Heritage Foundation that tells the story of the fastly developing threat foreign enemies pose to America. The truth is brutal - no matter where on Earth a missile is launched from it would take 33 minutes or less to hit the U.S. target it was programmed to destroy.

OSINT News believes we should rethink missile defense. The Heritage Foundation video demonstrates that our technology has advanced so much since President Reagan's "Star Wars" SDI days, that we now can not only hit a bullet with a bullet, but we can hit a spot on a bullet with a bullet. Still, the SDI program is lacking in adequate funding and is incapable of defending the U.S. against ICBM attack. Watch the "33 Minutes" trailer video.

Nuclear proliferation around the world, and the threat of a ballistic missile attack of some kind is mounting as more and more countries obtain rocketry and nuclear technology. The ongoing threat toward America is also accelerating due to the fact that there are many rogue nations and non-state terrorist organizations who either have or are seeking ballistic missiles and nuclear technology.

The challenges of protecting America and its citizens for President Obama's administration are great. Featuring rare footage and in-depth interviews with leading experts in the field, 33 Minutes is the definitive documentary exposing the untold vulnerability we all face and the action plan necessary to revive a strategic missile defense system that America uniquely can develop, maintain, and employ for its own defense and for the peace-loving world's security.

Learn about America's three-layer ant-missile defense network. The video shows THADD technology at work. You'll see how we can, literally, not only hit a bullet with a bullet, but amazingly hit a target on a bullet with a bullet.

(Above photo 2) Pine Gap- a joint U.S./Australia anti-ballistic missile system

OSINT NEWS believes the U.S. should seriously consider creating a global SDI system. After all, didn't we plan on having one in the Czech Republic? (Scroll down to Photos 8 & 9). As North Korea sells ICBM and nuclear technology to rogue nations and threatens to use her ICBM's; as Iran continues to develop ICBM capabilities (photos below); and as the world frets over the Taliban taking over in Afghanistan, we believe a Global Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program should be developed fully. North Korea has threatened use of her missile warheads offensively if the world places sanctions upon her and last year President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan voiced concern on the danger of his country's nuclear weapons falling into Taliban hands. At the same time, he states that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe and in good hands.

Some in India say President Zardari's statement was merely a "ruse to garner as much funds as possible from the US and the West to spirit away to his accounts." True, we gave billions of military aid to Pakistan to better arm the Frontier Corps army so they could drive the Taliban and al Qaeda out of their provinces. As we know now, it was never spent for the purpose it was intended. Instead, U.S. military funding to Pakistan was spent on offensive weapon systems aimed at our friend, India. A Pentagon document disclosed that aid given by the U.S. has been used to build up and strengthen Pakistan's armed forces armory against India. As one man from India stated, "Pakistan is so obsessive with India."

So, why not develop a fail-proof, anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system...soon? The current ABM system that protects America's shores should be intensified qauntitatively and qualitatively, with the new failure-proof technologies. Once accomplished, the U.S. could focus on our overseas friends, offering to install fail-proof 2nd and 1st layer ABM systems in the "weaker," less-developed countries. As Iran, et al, nears completion of nuclear-bomb construction, they will want to acquire nuclear technolgies and rocket propulsion systems to protect themselves from these threat-mongering neighbors.

Although OSINT News believes Israel and/or the U.S. will destroy Iran's nuclear-bomb making facilities, we pose these four futuristic reasons why we should proceed in exporting our anti-ballistic missile defense system overseas:

(1) Diplomatic upside: We could install this fail safe SDI program to our nervous friends around the world...which would include on-station American specialists and advisors. Such a system would be installed as a missile defense program tailored-made for each countries individual needs and threatened status. Scroll down (Photos 4 & 5) and view the map of countries within Iran's Sahab-3 missile range. By offering to install the U.S. failure-proof ABM system in each of them, Iran's hegenomy goals would be negated. And, diplomatically, the U.S. would be looked upon as a protector.

(2) Economic feasibility and Self-sustainment. The system could be free from unstable U.S. federal funding and political whims. We could lease or 'rent out" such a system to our nervous allies. The copious amounts of monies taken in would pay for not only the cost of operation, but for massive and continual R&D to improve the SDI system. It would be an enduring and self-sustaining system, funded from foreign clients. Perhaps, instead of cash payments, we could be reimbursed with oil...just a thought!

(3) Nation-Empowerment. No longer would “weaker” nations acquiesce to the desires of rogue neighbors. As the heavyweight prizefighter Jack Dempsey once said, “The best offense is a good defense.” Such a system, certainly, would be a peaceful, defensive venture. But, it
would carry a deadly message to rogue regimes who see their power, dominance and threat-mongering capabilities dwindle. The "weaker" nations would be more inclined to join the world community's push for peaceful existence rather than stay neutral and cower before a derelict neighbor. (Photo 3 above)- Test launch of Pakistan's Hatf-3 {Ghaznai} SRBM in October, 2003. It's capable of delivering 20 kiloton nuclear warhead.

(4) Create Agenda for Global Peace Agenda. Participating countries would meet regularly to discuss connectivity, since each SDI system could communicate with another. The worldwide SDI system would be installed and managed by the U.S. so administrative and daily managerial difficulties could be worked out. There would also be a treaty binding participating nations together: they must protect each other with this system. For example, if Iran launched a nuclear-armed missile attack against another, and their missile passed over several participating countries, each would attempt to destroy it, even though it wasn’t targeted at them. Even if Iran's nuclear-bomb capabilities were destroyed by Israel, other WMD payloads could be delivered atop their sophisticated missiles. On the same note, participating countries that do not possess long-range missiles or nuclear technology, will have have the ABM installations removed if they pursue these ventures.

Hopefully, a fully-funded, full-proof ABM system will be perfected by the U.S.

(Photo 4 above) Iran displaying Sahab-3 MRBM in September 3, 2003 parade

(Photo 5 below) Visual of 2,000 km range of Iran's Sahab-3 missile fired from within Iran

(Photo 6 below) SDI! Martin Marietta Corp. rocket-propelled missile accelerating toward collision with nuclear-tipped missile ICBM.

President Reagan’s SDI Speech - The Announcement of Strategic Defense Initiative (Photo 7 left)Excerp from speech:

March 23, 1983
"I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete. Tonight, consistent with our obligations of the ABM treaty and recognizing the need for closer consultation with our allies, I'm taking an important first step. I am directing a comprehensive and intensive effort to define a long-term research and development program to begin to achieve our ultimate goal of eliminating the threat posed by strategic nuclear missiles. This could pave the way for arms control measures to eliminate the weapons themselves. We seek neither military superiority nor political advantage. Our only purpose -- one all people share -- is to search for ways to reduce the danger of nuclear war.

My fellow Americans, tonight we're launching an effort which holds the promise of changing the course of human history. There will be risks, and results take time. But I believe we can do it. As we cross this threshold, I ask for your prayers and your support.

Thank you, good night, and God bless you."

(Photo 8 above) 5-step U.S. anti-ballistic missile plans for Czech Republic

(Photo 9 below) What step-4 will look like when Czech-based radar system directs U.S. interceptor missiles

(Photo 10 below) The Iskander-E is among the ballistic missiles Russsia exports

OSINT NEWS FAVORS COUNTER-TERRORISM SPY SERIES AUTHOR VINCE FLYNN

2011-11-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

OSINT News invites you to browse through our Spy Thriller Library- Vince Flynn section. We have read all his novels thus far and are impressed by his fictional character, Mitch Rapp. In 1990, Flynn left his job at Kraft Foods to pursue a career as an aviator with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officer Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program.

We admire Vince Flynn for his fortitude in battling dyslexia throughout his life. He forced himself into a daily writing and reading regimen. Quotes Flynn: "I started reading everything I could get my hands on, Hemingway, Ludlum, Clancy, Tolkien, Vidal. I read fiction, nonfiction, anything, but I especially loved espionage." OSINT News believes this stamina and willingness to battle the odds comes through in Flynn's main character, counter-terrorism case officer Mitch Rapp.

While employed as a bartender in the St. Paul area, he completed his first book, Term Limits, which he then self-published. You can find Term Limits in the Spy Thriller Library- Vince Flynn. "I had just finished reading The Government Racket: Washington Waste from A to Z, by Martin L. Gross. It is without a doubt the most disheartening and enlightening book about politics that I've ever read. I was out jogging one day wondering what it would take to really change Washington, when my thoughts turned to a friend who had been shot and killed in Washington, D.C., several summers earlier. As I continued running, a story started to unfold."

Vince Flynn continued after readers of Spy thriller genre flocked to the book stores to grab his series on Mitch Rapp: Transfer of Power (1999), The Third Option (2000), Separation of Power (2001), Executive Power (2003), Memorial Day (2004), Consent To Kill (2005), Act Of Treason (2006), Protect And Defend (2007) and Extreme Measures (2008).

Browse through OSINT News' Vince Flynn Spy Thriller Library

OSINT News is impressed with Flynn's attention to detail and wondered if he had inside information as to the inner workings of the Intelligence Community (IC). In fact, his sixth novel, Memorial Day, contained information that drove the Department Of Energy to launch a security review, since he wrote about classified material surrounding nuclear security. This security review was also mentioned in internal memos by the FBI and Secret Service.

Ironically, OSINT News, through the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) attended Department Of Energy lectures at Creech Air Force Base outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the lectures were in-depth, mostly about the predator and reaper drones flown from the base, all the content was declassified. It is a wonder how Vince Flynn found the content about nuclear facilities...enought to make the DOE grow uneasy and launch their investigation. Could Flynn be deft at, and applied, OSINT-gathering techniques?

In August 2010, Flynn signed a two-book deal for a new series that he will co-write with Brian Haig, a retired Army Lt. Colonel. Unfortunately, on February 1, 2011, in his fan newsletter, Flynn announced that he was being treated for Stage III prostate cancer. We wish this great Spy thriller author the best of luck.

Tour the Vince Flynn Spy Thriller Library!

HUGE 42-AISLE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) LIBRARY

2011-11-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

OSINT NEWS invites you to browse through our huge CIA Library There's 42 aisles of non-fiction books, CD's, DVD's, professional journals, and magazine articles at your fingertips.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. Contact him on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

RETIRED FEMALE MI5 CHIEF WRITES SPY THRILLERS

2011-10-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

OSINT NEWS recommends reading Stella Rimington's spy noves. Why? Let's begin at the beginning. Stella Rimington became the head of MI5, a manly feat in a man's world at the time. She was educated at Nottingham Girls' High School, and Edinburgh and Liverpool Universities. In 1965 she joined the Security Service (MI5) part-time, while she was in India accompanying her husband on a posting to the British High Commission in New Delhi. On her return to the UK she joined MI5 as a full-time employee.

She worked diligently for the next 27 years at MI5, learning about all the critical fields of MI5's responsibilities. She learned spycraft in counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism - and became successively Director of all three branches until 1992 when she was appointed Director-General of MI5. She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-General whose name was publicly announced on appointment. During her time as DG she pursued a policy of greater openness for MI5. In 1995 she was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the Universities of Nottingham and Exeter.

She retired from MI5 in 1996 and spends much time with her two daughters and granddaughter.

Our Picks! Rimington spy thrillers!

Not surprisingly, Rimington brings credibility to her espionage thrillers. If you're a spy buff or professional working inside the Intelligence Community (IC), you will appreciate her words. Her 27 years inside MI5 shows through. We included her autobiography, which was published in the UK, Open Secret (2001), and three previous spy novels starring fictional MI5 officer Liz Carlyle, although OSINT News believes "Liz Carlyle" may not be so fictional.

You will be stealthily guided through terrorist plots and counter-intelligence communities counterplots and spycraft in a way that makes you think she isn't making this up.

NEW STUXNET TROJAN WORM CONCERNS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

2011-10-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

BECOME A STUXNET EXPERT- OUR 6 PICKS!

Our Intelligence Community (IC) is very concerned about a new Trojan, very similar to the Stuxnet Clone, which was discovered and is aimed at disrupting our power plants, oil refineries and other vital computer infrastructure networks.

The Trojan, dubbed “Duqu” by the security firm Symantec, appears, based on its code, to have been written by the same authors as the Stuxnet worm, which last July was used to cripple an Iranian nuclear-fuel processing plant.

In September 2010, media reports emerged about a new form of cyber attack that appeared to target Iran, although the actual target, if any, is unknown. Through the use of thumb drives in computers that were not connected to the Internet, a malicious software program known as Stuxnet infected computer systems that were used to control the functioning of a nuclear power plant. Once inside the system, Stuxnet had the ability to degrade or destroy the software on which it operated. Although early reports focused on the impact on facilities in Iran, researchers discovered that the program had spread throughout multiple countries worldwide.

The emergence of the Stuxnet worm is the type of risk that threatens to cause harm to many activities deemed critical to the basic functioning of modern society. The Stuxnet worm covertly attempts to identify and exploit equipment that controls a nation’s critical infrastructure.

A successful attack by a software application such as the Stuxnet worm could result in manipulation of control system code to the point of inoperability or long-term damage. Should such an incident occur, recovery from the damage to the computer systems programmed to monitor and manage a facility and the physical equipment producing goods or services could be significantly delayed. Depending on the severity of the attack, the interconnected nature of the affected critical infrastructure facilities, and government preparation and response plans, entities and individuals relying on these facilities could be without life sustaining or comforting services for a long period of time. The resulting damage to the nation’s critical infrastructure could threaten many aspects of life, including the government’s ability to safeguard national security interests.

Iranian officials have claimed that Stuxnet caused only minor damage to its nuclear program, yet the potential impact of this type of malicious software could be far-reaching. The discovery of the Stuxnet worm has raised several issues for Congress, including the effect on national security, what the government’s response should be, whether an international treaty to curb the use of malicious software is necessary, and how such a treaty could be implemented. Congress may also consider the government’s role in protecting critical infrastructure and whether new authorities may be required for oversight.

“Stuxnet source code is not out there,” wrote F-Secure cybersecurity expert Mikko Hyppönen on his firm’s blog. “Only the original authors have it. So, this new backdoor was created by the same party that created Stuxnet.”

Cyber Security- Our Picks!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. We will publish your ideas and comments at no charge...for the good of the order! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

VIET NAM WAR- AMAZING STATS!

2011-10-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

OSINT NEWS received this from a friend, who fought in Viet Nam, even went back to visit not too long ago. Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall - SOMETHING to think about.

Most of the surviving Parents are now Deceased.
There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.
The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.
Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E - May 25, 1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges from the earth (numbered 70W - continuing May 25, 1968) and ending with a date in 1975. Thus the war's beginning and end meet. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angle's open side and contained within the earth itself.

The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, MA. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.
There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.
39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.8,283 were just 19 years old.The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock, was 15 years old.997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam.1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam.
31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.
54 soldiers once attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. I wonder why so many from one school.
8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.
244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.
Beallsville, OH, with a population of 475, lost 6 of her sons. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci: They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci's mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.
The Buddies of Midvale: LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah, on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Avenues. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed.
LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred.

Most Americans who read this will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters...there are no noble wars, just noble warriors.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. We will publish your ideas and comments at no charge...for the good of the order! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

CIA KILLING AMERICAN "CITIZENS" IN YEMEN

2011-10-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Anwar al Awlaki wasn't the only American "citizen" killed by a hellfire missile in Yemen. Surprisingly, one of our cable media outlets made a mistake in saying that he was. An American citizen named Kamal Derwish, alias Ahmed Hijazi, was blown to pieces on November 5, 2002, in Yemen (Please take POLL above).

The CIA was running a covert mission that targeted Derwish and others via RQ-1 Predator drones equipped with Hellfire missiles. The vehicle Kamal Derwish was hit with one, obliterating the vehicle, Derwish, and five others inside. Daniel Webster once said, "I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American". Apparently, Derwish lived up to the first and last of Webster's thoughts on what being an American is. Derwish certainly did not "live an American".

Not too many American citizens I know are linked to a growing radical Islamic fundamentalism and associate with the Lackawanna Six, a group of radicalized Muslim-Americans who attended lectures in Derwish's apartment near Buffalo, New York.

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Yes, Derwish was in the vehicle and he was killed. The CIA was accused of killing an American "citizen" without due process and a trial. American authorities initially celebrated his departure from planet earth, but were immediately assailed by the news media and human rights organizations. The celebration ended abruptly and authorities defended their actions by saying they were unaware Derwish was in the vehicle, since they were targeting the other occupants. Other occupants, like Abu Ali al-Harithi, who played a role in the USS Cole bombing.

OSINT NEWS believes Kamal Derwish's death due to a Hellfire missile shot from a Predator drone meant for other terrorists sitting in the auto next to him should not raise any moral or constitutional worries. Derwish was a radical Islamist, a devote al Qaeda member, and worshipper of Osama bin Laden. Practically all of the terrorist acts inside the U.S. were committed by American citizens who took jaunts to the local terrorist training camps in the Middle East and returned to the U.S. as al Qaeda trainees.

Derwish befriended some of these U.S. "citizens" and recruited them to be trained to murder fellow U.S. citizens in the Al Farooq terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. They were all from Lackawanna, N.Y. and were recruited by Kamal Derwish, becoming the "most dangerous terror cell in the United States."

OSINT NEWS is not concerned about our constitutional rights being stolen from us, for the chances are 1/billion that any of us would entice young men to go to Pakistan with us and attend a six-week training program, where al Queda warriors trained us in combat tactics.

The truth of the matter is that the Central Intelligence Agency had developed a link between Derwish and Al Qaeda. He received advanced weapons training in Afghanistan and fought with Muslim rebels in Bosnia in the mid-nineties. The CIA has in its clandestine files communication between Derwish and both Saad bin Laden, son of the terrorist leader, as well as Tawfiq bin Atash, one of the planners of 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole.

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I guess you don’t want to get on the bad side of the CIA, for in 2002 our fellow American Derwish, was traveling through a barren stretch of Yemen's Ma'rib desert with six Al Qaeda members. Tipped off by Yemeni security agents that a suspected planner of the USS Cole bombing was in the vehicle, the CIA was silently trailing the group with an unmanned aircraft remotely operated from a clandestine airbase believed to be in the nearby country of Djibouti. The Predator drone aircraft launched a Hellfire missile, destroying the vehicle, and killing six of the men including Derwish. A seventh man escaped, according to Yemen's minister of interior.

Yes, the CIA killed this American citizen, Derwish, for they found his body in a still burning van. His U.S. passport was used to identify him. Alongside his charred body were weapons, ammunition, radio equipment and traces of explosives.

This CIA assassination incident could be labeled the “ACLU’s Full Employment Act of 2002.” Why don’t I care that Derwish wasn’t given his due process. Maybe we should outfit Predator drones with loud speakers so that the U.S. can broadcast Miranda Rights before blowing such a despicable American "citizen" to pieces.

#1 NATIONAL SECURITY RISK COMBO- CLIMATE CHANGE + POPULATION EXPLOSION

2011-10-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

OSINT NEWS has an issue with many catholics, protestants, Baptists, Muslims, and the U.S. Congress...the uncontrolled world population growth, which the Joints Chiefs of Staff believe, when combined with climate change, is America's number one national security risk.

Every time the starving families in Somalia, Ethiopia, etc. are exposed on our religious TV channels, I wonder why family planning, birth control and reproductive health services (Not abortions) are not espoused. These well-intentioned enangelists broadcast starving and pregnant mothers holding their starving infants, while they plead for ministerial donations...without mentioning family planning interventions.

The security risks that climate change + uncontrolled population explosion brings in the near future to the U.S., our allies, and to our partners is mind-boggling. Political, social, economic, and military challenges throughout China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Central Asia, the European Union, the Persian Gulf, Egypt, Turkey, the Maghreb, West Africa, Southern Africa, the Northern Andes, and Brazil...are, indeed, almost overwhelming. And, much of these upheavals are projected to rise by 2030.

OSINT NEWS extensively researched the current literature and interviewed two Smithsonian Institute research scientists on the issue of climate change. We believe the population explosion plus climate change will, indeed, threaten the security of the U.S. and all of Europe. We read various books, including the book by Jeffrey Mazo, who analytically reveals the frightening consequences of climate change for international security. Mazo, painstakingly, examined the science, history and likely strategic impact of climate change. For this reason, if you are an intelligence professional or civilian curious about the security threats to the West, we urge you to view Our 12 Picks:

Our 12 Picks: National Security & Climate Change

Beyond the established national security issue of overpopulation + climate change = mass migrations + unstable governments + radicalization, OSINT NEWS feels it's inhumane to NOT help unstable regimes to curb the burgeoning masses of people subsisting in lands that cannot support them.

Funny how our national security meshes with humanitarian necessities! World population officially is projected to cross the 7 billion mark on October 31, 2011 according to the Population Institute. The critical challenges posed by population growth, rising sea levels, spreading drought-stricken regions and flood-ridden countries, desertification of vast areas makes obvious the need to ensure universal access to family planning and reproductive health services.

According to the unbiased, scientific Population Institute report, which looks back at how the world has changed in the 12 years since the 6 billion mark was crossed, "Even though notable progress has been made in making immunizations, safe drinking water, and education more available to children in the developing world, those young people are inheriting a world in which arable land and water are in increasingly short supply, food and fuel prices are steadily increasing, rivers and lakes are shrinking, water levels are falling, temperatures are rising, drought and flooding are intensifying, biodiversity is declining, the number of failing states is expanding, and the very future of ocean habitats is threatened.”

The report challenges the notion that world population will soon peak. Noting that fertility rates are not declining as fast as many expected, the report warns that “ Adolescent pregnancy rates remain high, and with the world’s largest generation of people now entering their prime reproductive years, world population may not stabilize as soon as previously hoped or expected."

OSINT NEWS believes the Intelligence Community (IC), in the name of national security (and humanism...yes humanism) should dramatically increase their efforts in contraceptive usage and family planning efforts in out-of-control nations which will breed insurrections, mass migrations, and unstable governments. The IC can't control global warming and climate change, but they can have an effect on teeming, starving, desperate masses of humans. Glaciers are melting at a faster rate, causing water supplies to diminish in Asia. Rising sea levels will lead to a mass migration and displacement similar to what we saw in Pakistan’s floods last year. Arable lands needed to feed a growing population in Africa are turning into deserts and a scarcity of water, food and space will create failed states, instability and radicalization.

OSINT NEWS- CIA DRONE ATTACKS INTENSIFY AGAINST RADICAL ISLAMISTS

2011-10-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

I guess the CIA knows all about disinformation, and how to use it. They recruited plenty of paid local Pakistani and Afghani agents to spread the word around that U.S. Predator drones can find Talliban leaders anywhere, anytime. It’s called the “Whispering Campaign” and the operation has Taliban leaders sweating. A formal CIA official who now consults on intelligence issues said, "We have them thinking that we can track them anywhere, that we've got devices in their cars, their houses, everywhere. They're so afraid to stay in their houses at night they're digging foxholes to sleep in."

As a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO), I was privy to a seminar at Nellis AFB in Nevada, home of the drone unmanned aerial vehicle. During a declassified briefing, we learned of the potent effects of drone attacks and their advanced surveillance capabilities. They are so accurate that smaller missiles are used to minimize civilian deaths. Many of the drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan are flown 7,000 miles away…at Nellis AFB! There’s a 4-second satellite delay, so the last 4 seconds before landing, the Nellis pilots turn control of the drone back over to the clandestine airfield controllers in the Middle East. The AFIO sent us all great photos of the entire operation, but requested we not show them.

The CIA's “Whispering Campaign” is actually spreading the truth, not rumors. The frequency of drone attacks in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan has increased significantly during Obama’s term. Due to new technologies, the CIA can instantaneously react to intercepted cell-phone calls. They collect such numbers and save them in computerized data bases for instant networking via satellite. Whenever a Taliban leader dials the phone and it’s in the CIA data base, it can be traced and located instantly. Shortly, a Predator drone, or the newer Reaper, will be searching him out, armed with Hellfire missiles.

Citing unnamed current and former officials in the US and Pakistan, The Washington Post newspaper said the new technology had resulted in more accurate strikes that have provoked relatively little public outrage. The Washington Post added that, "One such missile was used by the CIA last month in Miram Shah, a Pakistani town in the tribal province of South Waziristan. The projectile, which was no bigger than a violin case and weighed about 35 pounds (16kg), hit a house there and killed a top al-Qaeda official and about nine other suspected terrorists. The mud-brick house collapsed and the roof of a neighboring house was damaged, but no one else in the town was hurt."

Last year, roughly 70 drone attacks inside Pakistan killed 400 identified terrorists and insurgents. Little wonder al Qaeda’s top inner circle ceases using cell phones in favor of messages delivered by courier. It was because of the drones. Of course, courier-usage didn't help bin Laden.

Under the Obama administration, the CIA has been granted the go ahead to boost drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal regions in a move to step up military operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. Federal lawyers declared this move legal on the grounds of self-defense to counter threats the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters pose to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and Americans as a whole. Although President Obama stated, “The drone strikes are necessary to take out high-level terrorist targets”, the U.S. later stated that they will be used to target low-level combatants as well, even if their identities are unknown.

As we all know, Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen was a high-profile al-Qaeda leader recently killed by drone strikes. President Obama has ordered dramatic increases in the use of Predator and Reaper drones in Yemen, Somalia, and in NW Pakistan. Drone killings of radical Islamists will be on-going at an increasing rate.

Our picks- 12 resources for drone enthusiasts!

OSINT NEWS- UNSCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS SUGGESTS AL QAEDA WILL SET OFF A NUCLEAR WEAPON WITHIN U.S.

2011-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

OSINT NEWS is accumulating indicators of intent and capability of al-Qaeda detonating a nuclear weapon inside the U.S. Each indicator is followed by a (-) or (+) symbol. The (-) means that it's a favorable indicator that, indeed, al Qaeda sets off a nuclear weapon inside the U.S., while a (+) means that they will not.

This is an unscientific method because each indicator is rated as one-point, which are totalled at the end, and some indicators hold more weight than others. However, this is an on-going process and as more OSINT is collected, more indicators will be added to the equation. We would appreciate your input as well. If you have comments or additional indicators to add, please contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

Regardless, it provides a narrative of observations that intelligence professionals may want to peruse, especially as more indicators accumulate.

Indicators of al-Qaeda detonating a nuclear weapon inside the U.S.

There are no trends, indicators, or concrete evidence that a nuclear attack is imminent. (+) Still, al Qaeda is considered a nuclear power threat to the U.S.. How so? Their ambitions are
known. Al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman Abu Gheith has stated al-Qaeda’s objective: “to kill 4 million Americans—2 million of them children—and to exile twice as many and wound and cripple hundreds of thousands.” This mission in life could only be achieved with a nuclear weapon (-)

Al Qaeda has talked with Pakistani scientists to learn about the technology (-) and have tried to acquire nuclear material.(-) The U.S. discovered documents in Afghanistan training camps of their intentions (-). Most intelligence still places capability far behind their ambitions and intentions. (+)

After 9/11, the U.S. military and intelligence services forced al Qaeda’s leadership to go on the run. (+) Training camps were dispersed and key operational planners were killed. (+) Al Qaeda lieutenants were afraid to sleep in their homes at night for fear of drone attack. Their operational ability declined (+). However, their communications program grew more sophisticated. (-) The Jihad media program has grown by leaps and bounds; their volume and sophistication is top notch (-). Al Qaeda has grown from a half dozen Internet sites to a current 4-5,000 (-). Now, at the speed of light, they spread their jihadis message and talk much about WMD (-). Their followers all over the world have grown energized.(-) They have alluded to religious texts that give them the right to kill millions of Americans at one time…that is al Qaeda’s nuclear policy(-). Millions of Muslim (mostly) online followers have become their chorus.

Our current terror worries have raised the ante on betting against a terrorist nuclear strike. The U.S. is now in three (3) active wars: Iraq, Afghanistan, and global terrorism. Because of these involvements, according to Brian Jenkins, we have lost our focus…namely, Pakistan.(-) This country is considered the most dangerous spot on earth. They have a nuclear arsenal(-), an unstable government and divided society as a whole. Their intelligence service, the ISI, has pro-Taliban elements ensconced inside it.(-) And, because of Pakistan, it will take a minimum of 25 years to fundamentally change the governments in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, including building up the Afghan army. (-)

The Nunn-Lugar program and other initiatives have made the chances of theft of highly enriched uranium and plutonium in Russia more remote (+). However, terrorists can buy or steal nuclear material from a rogue state easier because of Iran and North Korea producing weapons-usable material.(+)

Two Armenians sold 18 grams of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to an undercover Georgian security agent. (-) They thought he was a radical Islamist jihadist. (-)

Russia has an estimated 700 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in hundreds of facilities with varying levels of security. (-)

Highly-enriched uranium (HEU) which could be used to make a nuclear bomb is on sale in the black market along the Russian border.(-) Arrests have been made three times in 7 years.

We do not know how much of Russia’s stockpile has been stolen. (-)

We do not know how much, if any, HEU has been sold to extremist groups. (-)

President Obama persuaded 50 world leaders to pledge to secure all vulnerable nuclear material within four years. (+)

U.S. nuclear laboratories analyzed the uranium sold to undercover agents on the black market and it was 89.4% enriched, usable in a nuclear bomb. (-)

Arrested HEU smugglers told undercover agents that there was plenty more that could be easily obtained and sold. (-)

The HEU is easy to obtain (steal) and smuggle past expensive U.S.-funded radiation sensors along the borders of the former Soviet Union. (-)

We don’t know how much HEU is currently flowing freely through the black market. (-)

Common logic suggests that HEU, indeed, has been sold to radical Islamic groups and is probably in al Qaeda’s possession. (-)

Billions of dollars has been spent upgrading security at nuclear sites around the globe. (+)

There has been 21 seizures or attempts to steal HEU or plutonium in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. (-)

There has never been a good inventory of the Soviet stockpiles because the accounting never was devised to account for internal threats. (-) However, most of the HEU thefts have been by insiders. (-)

In the 1990’s, a large amount of HEU disappeared within Russia’s stockpiles. It is hidden and someone is trying to find buyers. (-)

To make a nuclear weapon small enough to transport anywhere, you need HEU that’s 90% enriched. The confiscated HEU on the black market was 89.4% …close enough! (-)

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, hundreds of tons of HEU sat with absurdly little security. A Russian naval officer walked through a hole in the fence at a military base, cut the padlock on a shed, and carried out several kilograms of HEU in his backpack. (-)

Smugglers usually settle for below $10,000 a gram for bomb grade HEU. Al Qaeda has enough funds for many purchases. (-)

The mere existence of a black-market price for HEU is a worrisome sign that there is a supply and a demand for it. (-)

Radiation detectors along the Georgia-Armenia border failed to detect any of the HEU smuggled through. (-)

In the first three months of Operation Enduring Freedom — the Gulf War — our troops found in a cave outside of Khandahar in Afghanistan a canister filled with Uranium 238 [the basic ingredient for a nuclear bomb] and in Turnak Farms [where at one time 1,800 members of al-Qaida lived and worked] they found jars and jars and jars of yellow cake [pure uranium, dried]. (-)

Sheik Kabbani, the president of the Supreme Islamic Council of North America, appeared before the Senate and the House and said that over 48 nukes were in the U.S. (-)

A Waziristan summit meeting in Pakistan in April 2004 was attended by planners of the next 9/11. Included was one Sharif al Masry, and Adnan el-Shukrijumah, the next Mohammad Atta, and a terrorist from Brooklyn. They all confirmed that nuclear weapons had been developed by al-Qaida with the help of scientists and technicians from the A.Q. Khan Research laboratories. (-) They said was that all of the weapons had been forward deployed to Mexico and transported over the border into the U.S. (-) (Reported in a tiny paragraph in Time magazine).

Indicator totals: (+) = 9 (-) = 37 Out of 46 indicators, 19.1% indicate that al Qaeda will not set off a nuclear weapon within the U.S., while 70.9% of the indicators suggest that al Qaeda will.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. We will publish your ideas and comments at no charge...for the good of the order! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

OSINT NEWS- RON PAUL WRONG ABOUT ANWAR AL-AWLAKI KILLING: TAKE THE POLL

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul is questioning why President Obama and the CIA took out Anwar al-Awlaki, simply because he was an American citizen. Apparently, Mr. Paul, GOP Presidential runner, never ask himself how big a threat this U.S. “citizen” was to America and why he was considered so dangerous. I delved into al-Awlaki’s life in attempts to ferret out answers to these questions.

His hatred toward America was intense and radical to the extreme. He sold CD’s for $100 each that encouraged the malleable and marginal Islam youth to become extremists. He influenced them when they could swing either way- to become moderate and peaceful Muslims or radical Jihadists. These marginal Muslims continue to experience conflicting issues between their faith and the American way of life. Their belief systems are naturally challenged and to al-Awlaki…they were fair game. He stepped in and filled their cognitive incongruities with linear, unilateral concepts.

Al-Awlaki’s persona inspired Nidal Malik Hasan to carry out the Fort Hood massacre; the 2007 murder of a soldier at Fort Dix; the 2005 British public transportation system bombings; the Xmas Day plane bomber; the 2006 Toronto radical Islamic terrorism case; the April 26 unsuccessful assassination attempt of the British ambassador to Yemen, Tim Torlot; and the 2010 Times Square attempted bombing by Faisal Shahzad, who was recently sentenced to life in prison.

Even America’s heartland couldn’t escape al-Awlaki’s reach. Michael Finton, alias Talib Islam, attempted to bomb the Federal Building and the offices of Congressman Aaron Schock in Springfield, Illinois in 2009. Finton admired al-Awlaki and was a devotee of his on his Facebook fan page. Yes, al-Awlaki had an official Facebook site and website, which had many American high school-aged fans.

The Intelligence Community (IC) can't measure the intangible effects of his proficient English-speaking rhetoric. He appealed to non-Arabic speaking Americans and, indeed, influenced them. Radicalized Americans preach openly in the streets of NYC about the need for Sharia law to be established in the U.S. and praise the destruction and deaths of 9/11. They laud al-Awlaki and taunt moderate Muslims entering NYC’s Islamic Cultural Center while the Imam Shamsi Ali is preaching tolerance inside. Not surprisingly, when German police raided Ramzi Binalshibh’s apartment (the 20th 9/11 hijacker), they found al-Awlaki’s phone number in his personal contact list. US intelligence believes he served in the support network for the 9/11 hijackers during their stay in America, to keep them spiritually focused; i.e., motivated to murder as many American civilians as possible.

Al-Awlaki’s loathing of America and Britain continued to influence more Muslims in Yemen. Britain’s MI5 grew concerned over the increasing al-Qaeda plots that continue to originate in Yemen, which is where al-Awlaki was hiding. President Obama issued a "Capture or Kill" directive for this English-speaking jihadi preacher, scholar, and lecturer. He reached a huge non-Arabic-speaking audience, making him extremely valuable to al-Qaeda in spreading the Wahhabi fundamentalist sect of Islam.

With Obama’s "Capture or Kill" decree over his head, al-Awlaki went underground in Yemen. But, he continued to reach marginal and moderate Muslim and non-Muslim youth in the U.S. and Britain via online lectures, video and audio tapes of his sermons, and through Islamic websites. Here’s a bit of one of his tapes, which can be found in public libraries throughout Britain:

“To the Muslims in America, I have this to say: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own brother and sisters? I eventually came to the conclusion that jihad against America is binding upon myself just as it is binding upon every other able Muslim.”

I can't comprehend how Ron Paul makes his killing via a predator drone inside Yemen into an issue. Anwar al-Awlaki ignored the fact that al-Qaeda and the Taliban have each murdered more of their innocent “brothers and sisters”…with unrepentant alacrity, than the U.S. military has…by remorseful error.

OSINT NEWS- IRAN'S REAL STRUGGLE IS INTERNAL

2011-09-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

THE REAL STRUGGLE IN IRAN AND IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. DIALOGUE

By George Friedman

Note: OSINT NEWS has permission to republish this excellent in-depth article. We give all acknowledgments to http://www.stratfor.com/. This article is written as if it were 2009 during the morbid treatment of protesters during the Iranian political campaign.

Speaking of the situation in Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama said June 26, "We don't yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what has happened inside of Iran." On the surface that is a strange statement, since we know that with minor exceptions, the demonstrations in Tehran lost steam after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Left photo) called for them to end and security forces asserted themselves. By the conventional wisdom, events in Iran represent an oppressive regime crushing a popular rising.

If so, it is odd that the U.S. president would raise the question of what has happened in Iran. In reality, Obama's point is well taken. This is because the real struggle in Iran has not yet been settled, nor was it ever about the liberalization of the regime. Rather, it has been about the role of the clergy -- particularly the old-guard clergy -- in Iranian life, and the future of particular personalities among this clergy.

Ahmadinejad Against the Clerical Elite Iranian

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Below photo) ran his re-election campaign against the old clerical elite, charging them with corruption, luxurious living and running the state for their own benefit rather than that of the people. He particularly targeted Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an extremely senior leader, and his family. Indeed, during the demonstrations, Rafsanjani's daughter and four other relatives were arrested, held and then released a day later.

Rafsanjani represents the class of clergy that came to power in 1979. He served as president from 1989-1997, but Ahmadinejad defeated him in 2005. Rafsanjani carries enormous clout within the system as head of the regime's two most powerful institutions -- the Expediency Council, which arbitrates between the Guardian Council and parliament, and the Assembly of Experts, whose powers include oversight of the supreme leader. Forbes has called him one of the wealthiest men in the world. Rafsanjani, in other words, remains at the heart of the post-1979 Iranian establishment.

Ahmadinejad expressly ran his recent presidential campaign against Rafsanjani (Below photo- Rafsanjani heading Assembly of Experts), using the latter's family's vast wealth to discredit Rafsanjani along with many of the senior clerics who dominate the Iranian political scene. It was not the regime as such that he opposed, but the individuals who currently dominate it. Ahmadinejad wants to retain the regime, but he wants to repopulate the leadership councils with clerics who share his populist values and want to revive the ascetic foundations of the regime. The Iranian president constantly contrasts his own modest lifestyle with the opulence of the current religious leadership.

Recognizing the threat Ahmadinejad represented to him personally and to the clerical class he belongs to, Rafsanjani fired back at Ahmadinejad, accusing him of having wrecked the economy. At his side were other powerful members of the regime, including Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, who has made no secret of his antipathy toward Ahmadinejad and whose family links to the Shiite holy city of Qom give him substantial leverage. The underlying issue was about the kind of people who ought to be leading the clerical establishment. The battlefield was economic: Ahmadinejad's charges of financial corruption versus charges of economic mismanagement leveled by Rafsanjani and others.

When Ahmadinejad defeated Mir Hossein Mousavi ( Below photo- Mousavi talking to supporters after election fraud) on the night of the election, the clerical elite saw themselves in serious danger. The margin of victory Ahmadinejad claimed might have given him the political clout to challenge their position. Mousavi immediately claimed fraud, and Rafsanjani backed him up. Whatever the motives of those in the streets, the real action was a knife fight between Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani. By the end of the week, Khamenei decided to end the situation. In essence, he tried to hold things together by ordering the demonstrations to halt while throwing a bone to Rafsanjani and Mousavi by extending a probe into the election irregularities and postponing a partial recount by five days.

The Struggle Within the Regime

The key to understanding the situation in Iran is realizing that the past weeks have seen not an uprising against the regime, but a struggle within the regime. Ahmadinejad is not part of the establishment, but rather has been struggling against it, accusing it of having betrayed the principles of the Islamic Revolution. The post-election unrest in Iran therefore was not a matter of a repressive regime suppressing liberals (as in Prague in 1989), but a struggle between two Islamist factions that are each committed to the regime, but opposed to each other.

The demonstrators certainly included Western-style liberalizing elements, but they also included adherents of senior clerics who wanted to block Ahmadinejad's re-election. And while Ahmadinejad undoubtedly committed electoral fraud to bulk up his numbers, his ability to commit unlimited fraud was blocked, because very powerful people looking for a chance to bring him down were arrayed against him (Below photo- Assembly of Experts).

The situation is even more complex because it is not simply a fight between Ahmadinejad and the clerics, but also a fight among the clerical elite regarding perks and privileges -- and Ahmadinejad is himself being used within this infighting. The Iranian president's populism suits the interests of clerics who oppose Rafsanjani; Ahmadinejad is their battering ram. But as Ahmadinejad increases his power, he could turn on his patrons very quickly. In short, the political situation in Iran is extremely volatile, just not for the reason that the media portrayed.

Rafsanjani is an extraordinarily powerful figure in the establishment who clearly sees Ahmadinejad and his faction as a mortal threat. Ahmadinejad's ability to survive the unified opposition of the clergy, election or not, is not at all certain. But the problem is that there is no unified clergy. The supreme leader is clearly trying to find a new political balance while making it clear that public unrest will not be tolerated. Removing "public unrest" (i.e., demonstrations) from the tool kits of both sides may take away one of Rafsanjani's more effective tools. But ultimately, it actually could benefit him. Should the internal politics move against the Iranian president, it would be Ahmadinejad -- who has a substantial public following -- who would not be able to have his supporters take to the streets.

The View From the West
The question for the rest of the world is simple: Does it matter who wins this fight? We would argue that the policy differences between Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani are minimal and probably would not affect Iran's foreign relations. This fight simply isn't about foreign policy.

Rafsanjani has frequently been held up in the West as a pragmatist who opposes Ahmadinejad's radicalism. Rafsanjani certainly opposes Ahmadinejad and is happy to portray the Iranian president as harmful to Iran, but it is hard to imagine significant shifts in foreign policy if Rafsanjani's faction came out on top. Khamenei has approved Iran's foreign policy under Ahmadinejad, and Khamenei works to maintain broad consensus on policies. Ahmadinejad's policies were vetted by Khamenei and the system that Rafsanjani is part of. It is possible that Rafsanjani secretly harbors different views, but if he does, anyone predicting what these might be is guessing.

Rafsanjani is a pragmatist in the sense that he systematically has accumulated power and wealth. He seems concerned about the Iranian economy, which is reasonable because he owns a lot of it. Ahmadinejad's entire charge against him is that Rafsanjani is only interested in his own economic well-being. These political charges notwithstanding, Rafsanjani was part of the 1979 revolution, as were Ahmadinejad and the rest of the political and clerical elite. It would be a massive mistake to think that any leadership elements have abandoned those principles.

When the West looks at Iran, two concerns are expressed. The first relates to the Iranian nuclear program, and the second relates to Iran's support for terrorists, particularly Hezbollah. Neither Iranian faction is liable to abandon either, because both make geopolitical sense for Iran and give it regional leverage.

Iran Sponsors Terrorism

Tehran's primary concern is regime survival, and this has two elements. The first is deterring an attack on Iran, while the second is extending Iran's reach so that such an attack could be countered. There are U.S. troops on both sides of the Islamic Republic, and the United States has expressed hostility to the regime. The Iranians are envisioning a worst-case scenario, assuming the worst possible U.S. intentions, and this will remain true no matter who runs the government.

We do not believe that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, a point we have made frequently. Iran understands that the actual acquisition of a nuclear weapon would lead to immediate U.S. or Israeli attacks. Accordingly, Iran's ideal position is to be seen as developing nuclear weapons, but not close to having them. This gives Tehran a platform for bargaining without triggering Iran's destruction, a task at which it has proved sure-footed.

Video of Iran's nuclear ambitions: a historical perspective

In addition, Iran has maintained capabilities in Iraq and Lebanon. Should the United States or Israel attack, Iran would thus be able to counter by doing everything possible destabilize Iraq -- bogging down U.S. forces there -- while simultaneously using Hezbollah's global reach to carry out terror attacks. After all, Hezbollah is today's al Qaeda on steroids. The radical Shiite group's ability, coupled with that of Iranian intelligence, is substantial.

We see no likelihood that any Iranian government would abandon this two-pronged strategy without substantial guarantees and concessions from the West. Those would have to include guarantees of noninterference in Iranian affairs. Obama, of course, has been aware of this bedrock condition, which is why he went out of his way before the election to assure Khamenei in a letter that the United States had no intention of interfering.

Though Iran did not hesitate to lash out at CNN's coverage of the protests, the Iranians know that the U.S. government doesn't control CNN's coverage. But Tehran takes a slightly different view of the BBC. The Iranians saw the depiction of the demonstrations as a democratic uprising against a repressive regime as a deliberate attempt by British state-run media to inflame the situation. This allowed the Iranians to vigorously blame some foreigner for the unrest without making the United States the primary villain.

But these minor atmospherics aside, we would make three points. First, there was no democratic uprising of any significance in Iran. Second, there is a major political crisis within the Iranian political elite, the outcome of which probably tilts toward Ahmadinejad but remains uncertain. Third, there will be no change in the substance of Iran's foreign policy, regardless of the outcome of this fight. The fantasy of a democratic revolution overthrowing the Islamic Republic -- and thus solving everyone's foreign policy problems a la the 1991 Soviet collapse -- has passed.

That means that Obama, as the primary player in Iranian foreign affairs, must now define an Iran policy -- particularly given Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's meeting in Washington with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell this Monday. Obama has said that nothing that has happened in Iran makes dialogue impossible, but opening dialogue is easier said than done. The Republicans consistently have opposed an opening to Iran; now they are joined by Democrats, who oppose dialogue with nations they regard as human rights violators. Obama still has room for maneuver, but it is not clear where he thinks he is maneuvering. The Iranians have consistently rejected dialogue if it involves any preconditions. But given the events of the past weeks, and the perceptions about them that have now been locked into the public mind, Obama isn't going to be able to make many concessions.

It would appear to us that in this, as in many other things, Obama will be following the Bush strategy -- namely, criticizing Iran without actually doing anything about it. And so he goes to Moscow more aware than ever that Russia could cause the United States a great deal of pain if it proceeded with weapons transfers to Iran, a country locked in a political crisis and unlikely to emerge from it in a pleasant state of mind..

End

OSINT NEWS notes:

The Expediency Discernment Council of the System (Persian: مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام), is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988. It was originally set up to resolve differences or conflicts between the Majlis and the Council of Guardians, but "its true power lies more in its advisory role to the Supreme Leader." According to Hooman Majd, the Leader "delegated some of his own authority to the council — granting it supervisory powers over all branches of the government" — following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election in 2005.

The Assembly of Experts (also Assembly of Experts of the Leadership) of Iran (Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری, Majles-e-Khobregan or Majles-e-Khebregan), is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids (Islamic scholars) that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities. Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by direct public vote to eight-year terms. Current laws require the assembly to meet for at least two days, twice annually. The current chairman of the Assembly is Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was elected in September 2007.

On September 4, 2007, the 86-seat body elected chairman of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as its new chairman. Rafsanjani, 73, replaced the assembly's former chairman, the late Ayatollah Ali Meshkini who passed away on July 30, 2007, at the age of 86 due to pulmonic disease.

Rafsanjani urges calm ahead of presidential election

Chairman of the Experts Assembly Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday urged all political parties and groups to keep the country's political atmosphere calm and quiet ahead of the presidential election.

Addressing the Assembly of Experts, he underlined the need for calm in preparation for the presidential elections to be held next year.

Rafsanjani also called for closer relations between the nation and government and underscored the importance of materialization of people's will.

Lauding great efforts made by the Experts Assembly in the past 30 years, he said the assembly, far from any political tension, fulfilled its commitments following the demise of the late Founder of he Islamic Republic and could successfully chose the best possible personality for the important post of the country's leadership.

He referred to the Experts Assembly as the key for the people's tranquility and the country's stability.

The fourth Assembly of Experts convened at the former premises of the Islamic Consultative Assembly this morning.

Experts Assembly consists of 86 members who are directly elected by national voting. It holds meeting twice a year to study major national issues.

The Assembly of Experts is an influential body in charge of administrative affairs of the leadership of the Islamic Revolution and making recommendations to the Supreme Leader on major political and economic policy making.

Watch these "citizen's videos" from personal cell phones on the ground in Iran- June 2009 election aftermath: http://www.youtube.com/user/citizentube#play/user/5E5924DE04CFEFD9

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. We will publish your ideas and comments at no charge...for the good of the order! Contact him on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

CIA'S NEW RECRUITS IMPRESSIVE!

2011-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

A new breed of warrior is enlisting into the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), one eager to exchange blows with radical Islamists yearning to slay Americans. Most volunteered after 9/11. In fact, half of the current CIA staff is post 9/11 recruits. Excellent video (below) about joining the CIA. Due to dynamic shifts in the Intelligence Community's (IC) policies and day-to-day business, some of the information is slightly outdated. However, as a potential recruit, you will glean useful knowledge from it:

As a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), I gained clearance into the CIA HQ in Langley, Va. for a seminar about the history of the OSS. That’s when I met Susan Gordon, Directorate of Science and Technology. She lauded these new warriors and I wanted to find out more about them. I applied for an interview with Gordon, but a man named George Little in the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs dutifully kept me from interviewing her or from finding anything substantial to write about their new employees: “While we won’t be able to make an interview happen at this time, we’ll certainly keep your interest in mind for the future.” Still haven’t heard from him and I‘m glad, for I find security in knowing that their counterintelligence policies are being carried out.

CIA hiring data is hush-hush, but I did ferret out some innocuous information about these young recruits and why they offer America a broader margin of safety. The Company has actively pursued individuals who have traveled abroad, particularly if they have language skills relevant to the Middle East, Central Asia and East Asia. As a whole, they are a diversified and highly-skilled group. The average age is 29, a third are women, 12 percent are ethnic minorities, 75 percent speak foreign languages fluently, and 70 percent never worked for the government or military. I feel more secure after learning that, in one year, the CIA had 138,000 applicants from which they selected only 2,000 (Guilsher 2004). A reasonable person would conclude that the CIA can afford to be more selective and that they amassed an elite force unsurpassed in technical and human skills needed to combat global terrorism.

In addition, the number of CIA clandestine operatives has doubled in size since 9/11 and their training has been reworked. After teaching and preparation for overseas work is completed at “The Farm,” the graduates branch out throughout the world. They are America’s first line of defense to counter self-autonomous, leaderless terrorist cells that circle the globe and communicate via internet, fax machine, cellular phone, and courier to plan and quickly swarm together to strike inside America.

I’m secure in knowing the CIA recruits are computer savvy, for a secretive intelligence agent must be technologically and computer savvy to uncover terrorist cells that believe martyrdom and certainty of paradise can be reached…by detonating “dirty” radioactive bombs or biological weapons inside America.

Mr. Panetta did much during his tenure as CIA Director by doing away with discredited policies and restoring the CIA's tradition of providing impartial, nonpolitical analysis, regardless of what the president – or vice president – wants to hear. Since 1999, training in the clandestine service has evolved considerably to reflect current realities (Guilsher). The new recruits will learn evasive-driving and paramilitary skills (Above right photo) that CIA case officers use in Iraq and Afghanistan on a daily basis. These new warriors will even attend pretend embassy receptions and learn how to recruit "foreigners" to spy for the CIA (Photo above left).

VALERIE PLAME (WILSON) DISCUSSING HER CIA TRAINING

OSINT SUGGESTS US-PAKISTAN RELATIONS IMPROVING

2011-09-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Farhan Bokhari, a JDW Correspondent in Islamabad believes the recent increase in al-Qaeda arrests points to warming of US-Pakistan relations'. According to Bokhari's sources in Islamabad, Pakistan and the United States have quietly resumed intelligence-sharing co-operation and are actively discussing ways to rebuild the military co-operation that was curtailed in May after US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, high-ranking Pakistani and Western defence and security officials have told Jane's .

Tangible evidence on the resumption of intelligence and possible military co-operation came on 5 May when Pakistan Army and US officials revealed the arrest of Sheikh Younis al-Mauritani, a high-level Al-Qaeda militant, outside the western Pakistani city of Quetta. Significantly, both sides confirmed that the arrest had been carried out in a joint operation by US and Pakistani intelligence services.

Analysis
The arrest of Sheikh Younis al-Mauritani and the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks reinforce the importance to the US of security co-operation with countries like Pakistan that are home to Islamist groups and others intent on launching terrorist attacks against Western nations.

The anniversary of the attacks on the US mainland also serves to highlight the major change in security priorities for Washington over the past 10 years – and the convoluted relationship it has had with Islamabad since the mid-1960s.

Pakistan remains suspicious of US intentions and regularly contrasts the relationship with China's 'all-weather friendship'. The Bin Laden raid and its fallout brought this into sharp relief, although Pakistan's attempts to cosy up to its eastern ally were treated with a certain amount of detachment by Beijing.

The drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan and their eventual combat withdrawal in 2014 will probably alleviate US-Pakistan tensions. However, the reduction in US interests in Afghanistan also risks restarting the cycle of neglect and self-interested intervention that has characterised US policy towards Pakistan since ties were first established.

Note: The content and analysis of this article was conducted by Farhan Bokhari, a JDW Correspondent in Islamabad, not by OSINT NEWS. However, we discovered this article and other information about the warming of U.S./Pakistani relations after reviewing Pakistan News, Pakistan Dawn, and One Pakistan, three of Pakistan's top newspapers. OSINT analysts would enjoy a site that accesses many foreign newspapers, that print editions in English at Foreign Newspapers

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