Archive for the 'Covert Operations' Category
U.S. Needs Hit Squads, ‘Manhunting Agency’
November 4th, 2009Ah, so now we can pretend that the U.S. hasn’t had this capability for decades? Via: Wired: CIA director Leon Panetta got into hot water with Congress, after he revealed an agency program to hunt down and kill terrorists. A recent report from the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations University argues that the CIA didn’t […]
NSA To Build 1.5 Million Square Foot “Cybersecurity” Data Center
November 2nd, 2009Don’t forget NSA’s other 470,000-square-footer in Texas. Via: Information Week: The massive complex, comprising up to 1.5 million square feet of building space, will provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats across government. The NSA is building the facility to provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats, cybersecurity support to defense and civilian […]
NSA Has Conspicuous Role in New Federal Cybersecurity Center
November 2nd, 2009Don’t miss the last sentence. Via: Newsweek: If anything, the Obama administration, citing the threats of computer hacking and cyberterrorism, is now moving to involve the NSA more deeply in domestic security issues. The growing role of the NSA—a Defense Department agency with thousands of military personnel—in domestic matters was on semi-public display on Friday. […]
Obama Administration: Toss Wiretap Lawsuit
November 1st, 2009Via: AP: Attorney General Eric Holder says a lawsuit in San Francisco over warrantless wiretapping threatens to expose ongoing intelligence work and must be thrown out. In making the argument, the Obama administration agreed with the Bush administration’s position on the case but insists it came to the decision differently. A civil liberties group criticized […]
U.N. Can’t Account for Millions Sent to Afghan Election Board
October 30th, 2009Via: ProPublica: The United Nations cannot account for tens of millions of dollars provided to the troubled Afghan election commission, according to two confidential U.N. audits and interviews with current and former senior diplomats… As Afghanistan prepares for a second round of national voting, the documents and interviews paint the fullest picture to date of […]
Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on CIA Payroll
October 28th, 2009Via: New York Times: Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials. The agency pays Mr. Karzai for a […]
The Big Picture: 2009 UN World Drug Report
October 23rd, 2009Oblivion. Via: Boston Globe – Big Picture: (WARNING: Graphic content.) The 2009 United Nations World Drug report, released earlier this year, notes that 2009 marks “the end of the first century of drug control (it all started in Shanghai in 1909)”, and that the illicit drug market worldwide has now become a $320 billion-per-year industry. […]
So Many Threats to Federal Officials that Secret Service May Curtail Investigations Into Financial Crimes
October 20th, 2009Wow, the Internet Tuff Guys are out in force on this one, leaving stupid comments all over the place—perfect for COINTEL purposes. Via: Boston Globe: The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according […]
U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets
October 20th, 2009Via: Wired: America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon. In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community, is putting cash into Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in monitoring social media. It’s part […]
India: Chartered U.S. Aircraft Forced to Land at Mumbai Airport; “Confusion About Its Call Sign”; 205 Marines Aboard
October 18th, 2009Via: Times of India: A US aircraft with 205 American marine commandos on board was on Sunday made to land at Mumbai airport for allegedly violating the Indian airspace. The chartered plane was on its way from Fujiriah in UAE to Bangkok, an airport official said. The aircraft was using a civilian call sign, officials […]
