February 2007 Intelligence News

Terror, Iran, North Korea Top List of Threats AFPS 28 Feb 2007 -- Terror remains the No. 1 threat to the United States and its interests, the new U.S. director of national intelligence said in congressional testimony yesterday.
Man Accused of Spying for Israel Returns to Egyptian Court VOA 28 Feb 2007 -- An Egyptian Canadian man accused of spying for Israel appeared in an Egyptian court where he denied many of the allegations that have swirled around the unusual case
U.S. Intelligence Chief Says Russia Backsliding RFE/RL 28 Feb 2007 -- The new U.S. intelligence chief has not wasted any time letting the world know what he thinks about the state of affairs in Russia.
US Will Not Extradite CIA Agents to Italy VOA 28 Feb 2007 -- A senior U.S. legal official says the United States will refuse any Italian extradition request for CIA agents indicted on charges of a role in the abduction of an Egyptian cleric and terrorist suspect.
Backgrounder: Intelligence on Iran Still Lacking cfr.org 27 Feb 2007
Intelligence Officials Target Terrorist Safe Havens Washington File 27 Feb 2007 -- Nations must do more to prevent terrorists from establishing safe havens in lawless corners of the world, say top U.S. intelligence officials.
US Intelligence Chief: Al-Qaida Grows Stronger in Pakistani Safe Havens VOA 27 Feb 2007 -- The top U.S. intelligence officer says Pakistan could make more energetic anti-terrorist efforts along the Afghan border
Intelligence Officials: Iraq Violence in Self-Sustaining Cycle VOA 27 Feb 2007 -- Top U.S. intelligence officials Tuesday offered a sober assessment of the prospects for ending sectarian violence in Iraq and establishing a unity government there.
Estonia military intelligence head sacked on spying allegations RIA Novosti 27 Feb 2007 -- Commander of Estonian Defense Forces, General-Major Ants Laaneots relieved on Tuesday the head of the military intelligence branch from his duties following allegations of spying on government officials.
LOCKHEED MARTIN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES PHASE 2 TESTS OF CENTRALIZED CONTROLLER FOR UNMANNED AIR, GROUND SYSTEMS Lockheed Martin 26 Feb 2007 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has successfully conducted the second phase in a series of tests of a new centralized controller device for unmanned air and ground vehicles
Litvinenko Suspect Rejects British Trial RFE/RL 23 Feb 2007 -- A key figure in the poisoning death of former Russian security services officer Aleksandr Litvinenko says he doubts be would be treated fairly by the British legal system.
Backgrounder: Fusion Centers: Intelligence Goes Local cfr.org 22 Feb 2007
Jury Begins Second Day of Deliberations in CIA Leak Trial VOA 22 Feb 2007 -- U.S. jurors in Washington have begun a second day of deliberations Thursday in the case of a former White House aide accused of lying about his role in the disclosure of a CIA agent's identity.
Libby's Fate Now With Jury in CIA Leak Case VOA 21 Feb 2007 -- The fate of former White House aide Lewis Libby now rests with a jury in Washington, D.C.
New U.S. Intelligence Chief Sworn In RFE/RL 21 Feb 2007 -- U.S. President George W. Bush has attended the swearing-in of retired Admiral Mike McConnell as the country's second director of national intelligence.
No confirmation that Russian experts in U.K. in Litvinenko probe RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2007 -- Russia's top prosecutor's office would not confirm Wednesday media reports that Russian experts had arrived in London as part of a probe into the poisoning of ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko.
President Bush Attends Swearing-In of Mike McConnell as Director of National Intelligence The White House 21 Feb 2007
McConnell Becomes Second Director of National Intelligence AFPS 20 Feb 2007 -- As President Bush looked on, retired Navy Vice Adm. John M. “Mike” McConnell took the oath of office as the second director of national intelligence from White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten here today.
Bush Calls for Flexibility in Human Intelligence Gathering Washington File 20 Feb 2007 -- President Bush, presiding over the swearing-in of retired Vice Admiral Mike McConnell as the new director of national intelligence, called for more flexibility in the use of personnel with foreign backgrounds to gather critical intelligence in the war on terrorism.
Bush Calls for More Intelligence Reforms VOA 20 Feb 2007 -- President Bush says the American intelligence community must implement more reforms in order to meet the challenges of the war on terrorism
Poland Recalls Diplomats With Alleged Links to Spy Agency VOA 20 Feb 2007 -- The Polish government has recalled several ambassadors identified in a recent report as having worked for a national intelligence agency accused of having close ties with Russia.
Russian investigator in Litvinenko case to arrive in London Mon. RIA Novosti 19 Feb 2007 -- A Russian investigator is due to arrive in London on Monday to carry out the preliminary work prior to the arrival of the main investigative group in the ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko death case.
Iran accuses Western special services of subversive activities RIA Novosti 19 Feb 2007 -- American, British and Israeli special services are involved in subversive activities on Iranian territory, the Iranian interior minister said Monday.
Italian Judge Indicts 26 Americans, Five Italians in Kidnapping Case VOA 16 Feb 2007 -- An Italian judge Friday indicted 26 Americans and five Italians for their role in the abduction of an Egyptian terror suspect from Milan in 2003
Russia spying case goes to Austrian court RIA Novosti 15 Feb 2007 -- The case of a former employee of an Austrian industrial group charged with spying for Russia has gone to court, an Austrian prosecutor said Thursday.
Precision Important to Intelligence Analysis, Pace Says AFPS 14 Feb 2007 -- The difference between facts that can be proven and ideas that can be deduced through logic must be clear to users of military intelligence, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said today.
European Parliament Says Some EU Countries Backed Secret CIA Flights VOA 14 Feb 2007 -- The European Parliament has approved a report accusing some member countries of permitting and concealing CIA flights carrying terrorism suspects to secret prisons for interrogation.
CIA Official, Defense Contractor to Face Conspiracy Charges VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted a former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official and a defense contractor in a corruption probe that led to the jailing of a prominent U.S. lawmaker.
Former CIA Contractor Sentenced to 8 Years for Afghan Detainee Abuse VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- A U.S. court has sentenced a former CIA contractor to more than eight years in prison for assaulting an Afghan prisoner who later died.
RADM Broadway Outlines Navy Reserve Intelligence Command Goals Navy NewsStand 12 Feb 2007 -- Rear Adm. Michael Broadway held a “2007 Management Conference” for the senior leadership of Navy Reserve Intelligence Command (NRIC) following his change of command ceremony Feb. 2 at the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas.
Man at Center of Italian Rendition Case Freed in Egypt VOA 12 Feb 2007 -- An imam who was kidnapped in Italy in 2003 in what is believed to have been an extraordinary rendition operation by the CIA and Italian secret services has been released from prison in Cairo
IG Report: DoD Policy Office Acted Within Law, Authority AFPS 09 Feb 2007 -- Findings of a Defense Department Inspector General report sent to Congress today offer the third determination that activities within DoD’s policy office regarding pre-war intelligence were both legal and authorized.
US Senate Examines Critical Pentagon Report on Iraq Pre-War Intelligence VOA 09 Feb 2007 -- A U.S. Senate panel Friday opened hearings on an internal Defense Department report criticizing the intelligence work on Iraq by senior civilian officials before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003
Alternative Intelligence on Iraq Called Dubious VOA 09 Feb 2007 -- The controversy over the Bush Administration's pre-war intelligence on Iraq was further fuelled Friday by an internal Pentagon critique of the work of a little-known Defense Department office
LOCKHEED MARTIN PROVIDES AIR FORCE WITH INSTANT INTELLIGENCE SHARING CAPABILITY Lockheed Martin 08 Feb 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that Air Force commanders at different locations now have immediate access to each other’s intelligence imagery and services, attributable to the early fielding of the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Integration Backbone (DIB).
Prosecution Wrapping Up in CIA Leak Trial VOA 08 Feb 2007 -- The prosecution in the perjury trial of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby could finish Thursday, with a second day of testimony from a television journalist who contradicted Libby's statements.
Reserve to form Distributed Ground System associate unit AFPN 07 Feb 2007 -- As part of the Air Force total force integration initiatives, Air Force Reserve Command is teaming up with Air Combat Command to form an associate unit with the 548th Intelligence Group in fiscal 2008 at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
Boeing ScanEagle Team Achieves Compliance with NATO UAV Interoperability Standard Boeing 07 Feb 2007 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Insitu, Inc., ScanEagle team has gained compliance with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) interoperability standard.
Russia: Berezovsky Breaks Silence On Litvinenko RFE/RL 07 Feb 2007 -- Exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky has broken his silence on the case of his friend Aleksandr Litvinenko, the former Russian security officers who died in a London hospital in November after receiving a fatal dose of the radioactive isotope polonium-210
Intelligence Chief Nominee Warns of Internal Terrorist Threat Washington File 06 Feb 2007 -- Retired Navy Vice Admiral J. Michael McConnell, the man President Bush has tapped to be the next director of national intelligence, told senators at his confirmation hearing he will focus on reforming the intelligence community to counter a growing terrorist threat from inside the United States.
U.S. Navy Buys Two Additional Northrop Grumman Fire Scouts to Help Refine Concept of Operations Northrop Grumman 06 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) $16 million for two more MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical takeoff and landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles (VTUAV) and to assist the Navy in refining the Fire Scout concept of operations
Analysis: Surveillance Concessions cfr.org 05 Feb 2007 -- In a sign of the changing winds in Washington, the White House has agreed to hand over classified material to Congress on its secret eavesdropping program.
New U.S. Intelligence Report Focuses on Iraq Instability Washington File 02 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate of the Iraq situation, released to key policymakers February 2, indicates instability is still the main security challenge facing the fledgling Iraqi government and the U.S.-led coalition forces.
Intelligence Estimate Warns Iraq Could Get Worse VOA 02 Feb 2007 -- A new U.S. intelligence estimate says that the chaotic situation in Iraq could deteriorate further unless the warring sectarian parties compromise
New US Intelligence Report Says Iraq Situation Could Worsen VOA 02 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. intelligence community warns the situation in Iraq will get even worse if measurable action is not taken to stop the violence.
Go-ahead for the development of the Euro Hawk EADS 01 Feb 2007 -- The German Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a €430 million contract to EuroHawk GmbH, a joint venture company formed by EADS and Northrop Grumman Corporation, for the development, test and support of the Euro Hawk® unmanned signals intelligence (SIGINT) surveillance and reconnaissance system.
Nominee for Top US Intelligence Job Pledges Not to Misuse Agency's Data VOA 01 Feb 2007 -- President Bush's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, retired Vice Admiral Mike McConnell, says if confirmed he would focus on preventing another terrorist attack on U.S. soil
Northrop Grumman, EADS Joint Venture Awarded $559 Million to Develop German Euro Hawk Northrop Grumman 01 Feb 2007 -- The German Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a $559 million (Euro 430 million) contract to EuroHawk GmbH, a joint-venture company formed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and EADS, for the development, test and support of the Euro Hawk(r) unmanned signals intelligence (SIGINT) surveillance and reconnaissance system.
More Than 180 Cases of U.S. and S. Korean Aerial Espionage Committed in January KCNA 01 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. imperialist aggressor forces committed more than 110 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK in January by mobilizing strategic and tactical reconnaissance planes with different missions and the south Korean forces perpetrated at least 70 cases of similar aerial espionage during the month, bringing their total number to over 180, said military sources.
Ex-FSB officer Litvinenko knew no secrets - Putin RIA Novosti 01 Feb 2007 -- Russia's president told a Kremlin news conference that Alexander Litvinenko, a former security service officer who died of radioactive poisoning in London late last year, did not have access to any secrets.