Intelligence


January 2005 Intelligence News

  • U-S Military Intelligence VOA 31 Jan 2005 -- Controversy surrounds a new intelligence unit at the U-S Department of Defense. Reports indicate it has been active in various countries, among them Iran, with the mission of anticipating and thus thwarting terrorist attacks. Supporters say this enhanced military intelligence is needed in the war on terrorism, while skeptics question the creation of another secret unit that may escape proper oversight.
  • INTELLIGENCE / MILITARY VOA 25 Jan 2005 -- A newspaper's disclosure that the Defense Department has set up a new clandestine spy unit came as a surprise to many in and out of the secret intelligence world. Such espionage has traditionally been the province of the Central Intelligence Agency. But old rivalries die hard.
  • New Teams to Provide Expanded Human Intelligence Capabilities AFPS 25 Jan 2005 -- The Defense Intelligence Agency's new Strategic Support Branch is providing enhanced human intelligence capabilities to better support combatant commanders in the war on terror, senior defense officials told Pentagon reporters here Jan. 24.
  • Transcript: DoD Background Briefing on Strategic Support Teams 25 Jan 2005 -- Senior Defense Official
  • MILITARY / INTELLIGENCE VOA 24 Jan 2005 -- The U.S. Defense Department says efforts to enhance its intelligence operations helped lead to the capture of Saddam Hussein just over a year ago, but that press reports of a new, secret intelligence-gathering unit are wrong. Department officials say both the Congress and the CIA knew about plans for a new intelligence unit that is just now starting its operations, and has not been working around the world for two years, as news reports have said.
  • Hunter Statement on Intelligence Activities of the Defense Department House Committee on Armed Services - Duncan Hunterm, CA 24 Jan 2005 -- House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) issued the following statement regarding intelligence activities of the Department of Defense
  • MILITARY / INTELLIGENCE VOA 24 Jan 2005 -- The U.S. Defense Department has denied a report in the Washington Post newspaper that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has created a secret intelligence-gathering unit reporting directly to him that can work more freely than operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency. But a senior official acknowledges the U.S. military is increasing its intelligence-gathering capability.
  • Statement From Pentagon Spokesman Lawrence DiRita on Intelligence Activities of the Defense Department 23 Jan 2005 -- There is no unit that is directly reportable to the Secretary of Defense for clandestine operations as is described in the Washington Post article of January 23, 2005, entitled "Secret Unit Expands Rumsfeld's Domain". Further, the Department is not attempting to "bend" statutes to fit desired activities, as is suggested in this article.
  • Dragon Eye provides quick, reliable intel USMC News 20 Jan 2005 -- In 2003, the Marine Corps adopted the smallest functioning unmanned aerial vehicle called the Dragon Eye in 2003, in an effort to minimize friendly casualties and maximize pre-movement surveillance.
  • Report Predicts Terrorists Will Thrive, but in New Ways Washington File 14 Jan 2005 -- Terrorist groups will continue to use conventional weapons and explosives in future attacks -- adding new creative destructive twists while adapting constantly to elude counterterrorist efforts, according to a newly released intelligence forecast.
  • INTELLIGENCE / FUTURE VOA 14 Jan 2005 -- A new forecast compiled by U.S. intelligence experts foresees China and India spearheading an expansion of Asian political and economic influence throughout the world. It also sees many Arab countries at a crossroads as globalization spreads.
  • SUPREME COURT / SPIES VOA 11 Jan 2005 -- The Supreme Court is considering whether spies recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency can sue the U.S. government for promises of payment that were allegedly broken. The case raises the question of whether it's possible for covert intelligence agents, by the very nature of their work, to make claims against the government if doing so could compromise U.S national security. The nation's highest court is now considering the issue.
  • ScanEagle Proves Worth in Fallujah Fight AFPS 11 Jan 2005 -- It's called ScanEagle, and it has already saved the lives of many Marines. ScanEagle is an unmanned aerial vehicle that the Marines used during Operation Al Fajr, the coalition operation to remove insurgents from this city.
  • Over 180 Cases of Aerial Espionage Committed by U.S. KCNA 01 Jan 2005 -- The U.S. imperialists committed at least 180 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK in December, according to a military source.