The KSM Trial Will Be an Intelligence Bonanza for al Qaeda
Trying KSM in civilian court will be an intelligence bonanza for al Qaeda and the hostile nations that will view the U.S. intelligence methods and sources that such a trial will reveal. The proceedings will tie up judges for years on issues best left to the president and Congress.
A Lack of Imagination Led to a Lack of Preparation – A Report From Mumbai
“We were not prepared; we were not trained; we must do a better job of responding when the next event occurs – and we all know that it will occur, just not when or where and it may not be the same type of attack that we have experienced,” he said.
IAEA BoG Reports
Download the latest reports on Iran and Syria.
Saudi King, CIA chief meet amid Yemen fighting
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdallah receives the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as both countries become more involved in the deadly war in Yemen. The meeting between King Abdallah Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud and CIA Director Leon E. Panetta took place in Riyadh on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Apparently, King Abdallah also held another meeting on the same day with the Head of Russian Federal Commission of Military and Technical Cooperation Michael Dimitriv.
CIA paid millions of dollars to ISI since 9/11: Report
The CIA has paid millions of dollars to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since 9/11, accounting for as much as one-third of the foreign spy agency’s annual budget, says a media report.
Giuliani: New York trials show Obama is soft on terrorism
Rudy Giuliani said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed does not deserve the legal rights that a New York trial in a civilian court offers. Obama ‘is getting away from the fact that we’re at war,’ he said.
CIA wins turf battle over DNI: But is it over?
“In terms of operational art, history, even the way the community is wired – and I mean that literally, where the fiber optic cable goes – CIA’s at the center of the American intelligence community. By legislation, the DNI is at the center,” says Hayden.
Battling the Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan
The locals want us to chase and kill every last Taliban, even when there is the potential for collateral damage. To be sure, efforts should be made to protect noncombatants, but dictating tactical decisions in the field by inflexible rule-making is not the stuff of victory in military campaigns, even in counterinsurgencies. Neither is ceding authority to incompetent and corruption-ridden troops who represent a corrupt administration.
Obama likely to name ‘cyber czar’ soon
Two people are reportedly in the running. One is Frank Kramer, a former assistant secretary of Defense during the Clinton administration. The other is Howard Schmidt, the president of the International Security Forum and an Air Force veteran. A final announcement is expected later this month.
Towards a Cyber Deterrent: Are We Getting Any Closer?
A year and a half ago I pulled together several thoughts on Cyber Deterrence which had come out of years of dialog on the cyber threat. I wanted to capture some key challenges since in my view many were making foolish assumptions regarding what our nation should do in the domain of cyber. There is also a great deal of wise thought but this is not a topic we should treat lightly. In my view the wrong policy of cyber deterrence could be escalatory and have the unintended consequence of being bad for national security.
Cult of Cyberattack
Argument from authority on the nature of cyberattack and its threat to the United States has always relied on the creation of fear, obfuscation, exaggeration and frank lies to get the point across. Naturally, not everyone who shows up in the news is guilty of all these things. But after well over fifteen years of this type of abuse of the system, it’s not worth the time figuring out who is and who isn’t an honest broker.
This is not to say cyberspace is not fraught with trouble. Quite the opposite, only just not in the sweeping and end-of-everything scenarios and descriptions delivered by the Cult of Cyberattack.
CDW-G Issues Federal Cybersecurity Report
Agencies may see budget relief during the next few years, according to an October forecast on information security spending by market research firm INPUT, which projects Federal spending on information security products and services will increase from $7.9 billion in 2009 to $11.7 billion in 2014 in direct response to heightened attacks, evolving threats and presidential and congressional focus on cybersecurity improvements.
UAV miniature weapon technology contract won by Boeing
As the prime contractor during the initial nine-month program, Boeing will use its experience on the Joint Direct Attack Munition and Small Diameter Bomb programs to develop the system integration, seeker, avionics, guidance and control, and mission planning systems. Key suppliers KaZaK Composites Inc. will build the airframe, Ensign Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company will design and build the warhead, and Systima Technologies Inc. will provide integration and testing services for the launcher. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) will provide systems engineering for the seeker and seeker algorithms, and the Mustang Technology Group will provide height-of-burst and radar options. The two-year second phase of the program, if awarded, is valued at $6.5 million.
In China, Obama presses for rights
Meeting with a carefully screened group of students at the marquee event of his Asia trip, President Obama on Monday sought to advance what he called America’s “core principles” during his first public appearance in China. But the event itself — billed as an opportunity for Obama to reach beyond Chinese officialdom — illustrated the Chinese government’s tight grip.
Real ID program in deep trouble
A decision by lawmakers to slash funding for the unpopular Real ID national driver’s license program has put an already struggling initiative on life support.
Winnipeg honours spymaster Intrepid
A downtown street has a new name to honour Winnipeg’s spymaster supreme. Water Street has been renamed William Stephenson Way in honour of Winnipeg’s celebrated Second World War intelligence operative.
Pak spy arrest: Police team sent to Lucknow
Confirming the arrest, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told the mediapersons: “One Pakistani spy was arrested at IGI airport.” “The accused has revealed some information in his interrogation and we are hopeful that a result will come out soon,” the police sources said.
World’s first universal quantum computer ‘unveiled’
A team, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado, has developed the experimental device which uses beryllium ions to store qubits in the way they spin while the laser-pulse quantum gates perform the simple logic operations on the qubits.
Worth Watching: GotGeoint
