Intel Update 20171027 – Interview of NCIX Director, 525th MIB returns from Afghanistan, broken intelligence cycle, Vickers receives OSS award, CIA receives wrongful termination letter from dog in training, NCSC awareness materials, film on death of former OSS agent, Hitler’s man in Hollywood, U.S. Intel officer returns to Vietnam, Intelligence Matters, and more.
Director of NCIX Interviewed. The National Counterintelligence Executive is headed by Bill Evanina and he has a busy job. His position in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence sees him working in both the security and counterintelligence worlds. In addition, he has to pay attention to the current efforts of Russia in their use of propaganda. Mackenzie Weinger, a national security reporter, recently interviewed Evanina. See “We Are Decades Behind in Countering Russian Propaganda”, The Cipher Brief, August 2, 2017.
Broken Intelligence Cycle. Dr. Nicolas Krohley, a Non-Resident Fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point, and the founder of FrontLine Advisory, has penned a paper about how technology and data has distorted ‘ground truth’ and “. . . corrupted our ability to root strategic thinking in the realities of the battlefield.” He lists several contributing factors to this problem:
- The ascendance of technology and primacy of targeting
- The fetishization of data
- The cult of the operator
Krohley calls for a restructuring of the intelligence cycle so as to integrate technology and data into Intel updates without losing sight of what is happening on the ground. Read The Intelligence Cycle is Broken. Here’s How o Fix It, Modern War Institute, October 24, 2017.
German Diplomat Passed Intel to Army MI in WWII. Ross Gyssling, a German diplomat, was hated by Hollywood because he tried to influence film-makers to soften the image of Nazi Germany. Gyssling was serving as Hitler’s official representative to the Jewish -dominated motion picture industry. What people didn’t know is he was passing information to Army Intelligence. Read “The Hollywood Nazi who spied for America”, The Washington Post, October 25, 2017.
Dog Dropped From Training by CIA Protests. Lulu, a dog that was dropped from a dog bomb-sniffing selection and training course, has filed a letter of protest with the Central Intelligence Agency. Read “Wrongful Termination Letter Filed by Lulu, The CIA Dog Who Was Fired”, FunnyOrDie.com, October 23, 2017.
NGA Tech Showcase. The US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Tech Showcase East takes place on the NGA Campus East in Springfield, Virginia on November 15th.
http://usgif.org/events/NGAEast
US Intel Officer Returns to Vietnam. A military intelligence officer who served in Vietnam paid a visit to a key intelligence operative for North Vietnam to exchange stories. (Newsweek, October 27, 2017).
Intelligence Matters – New Podcast. Michael Morell, a former deputy and acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) serves as the host of a weekly podcast presented by The Cipher Brief“Why Intelligence Matters”. Learn more in , Atlantic Council, October 25, 2017.
Film on Mysterious Death of Former OSS Agent. Jim Thompson was an agent for the Office of Strategic Services in the Pacific area of operations in World War II. He later settled and became a successful businessman in Thailand. In March of 1967 he went for a walk in the Malaysian jungle and never returned. Some say he died on a final mission for U.S. intelligence. Read “New film claims to have solved Jim Thompson mystery”, The Washington Post, October 21, 2017.
OSS Society Award to Michael Vickers. A former Green Beret and CIA operative was awarded the OSS Society 2017 William J. Donovan Award. The event took place during a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the the World War II’s Office of Strategic Services. Vickers played a key role in the equipping of the Mujahideen during their fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan while with the CIA. He later served in several high-level positions within the Department of Defense. Other awards presented by the OSS Society include one to CW4 Shane Gandy, a Special Forces Warrant Officer from 1st Special Forces Group. Read more in “Spy Prom: OSS Society Gives Michael G. Vickers 2017 William J. Donovan Award”, Big League Politics, October 23, 2017.
525th MIB Members Returns to FBNC. Soldiers from the 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade returned from a nine-month long deployment to Afghanistan. For the past nine months the Soldiers led intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in Afghanistan supporting Coalition and Afghan forces. The 525th, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina supports the FBNC based 18th Airborne Corps and other units. It became an expeditionary brigade in 2014. Read “Soldiers return to Fort Bragg after 9-month deployment in Afghanistan”, Stars and Stripes, October 24, 2017.
NCSC Awareness Materials. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) provides to the public videos and print materials on how foreign intelligence entities are actively targeting information, assets, and technologies. The products will enable personnel to understand the threats and learn how to protect sensitive information.
Read past intelligence updates from SOF News.
