March 2013 Intelligence News

Ecuador raises Assange case with UK's Labour Iran Press TV 31 Mar 2013 -- The Ecuadorian government has held talks with Britain's Labour party in a bid to resolve the current standoff between Quito and London over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, media reports say.
'US Army veteran fighting Syrian government worked for CIA' Iran Press TV 31 Mar 2013 -- The father of a US Army veteran recently arrested by the FBI for joining foreign-backed militants in Syria says his son was serving the CIA and reporting back to the Agency from the country.
PACAF, Japan Airmen conduct ISR exchange AFNS 31 Mar 2013 -- Pacific Air Forces' Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Airmen visited their Japanese counterparts at Naha and Kadena Air Base, Japan March 11 to 13 to find new ways to enhance ISR bilateral cooperation between the U.S. Air Force and the Koku-jieitai, or Japan Air Self Defense Force.
New UK domestic spy agency chief named Iran Press TV 29 Mar 2013 -- Britain has named the current deputy director of its domestic spy agency MI5 as the new intelligence organization's chief with his mandate beginning next month.
New Director General appointed MI5 28 Mar 2013 -- The current Deputy Director of the Security Service (MI5), Andrew Parker, has been appointed as successor to Sir Jonathan Evans, Home Secretary Theresa May announced today, with the agreement of the Prime Minister.
Australian Mossad agent eliminated? Iran Press TV 28 Mar 2013 -- Nearly six weeks after the Israeli regime confirmed that an Australian-Israeli Mossad agent had committed suicide in one of its maximum security prisons, it is still unclear whether his death was murder or suicide.
Army Signal Corps Takes Control of Cryptography and Cryptanalysis. This Week in History, April 5, 1929 Army News 27 Mar 2013 -- The business of solving codes and ciphers had been an active field in the U.S. government since World War I when Ralph Van Deman realized he needed a cipher bureau as part of his newly organized Military Intelligence Division. Van Deman picked a State Department code clerk and amateur cryptologist named Herbert Yardley to head up his newly created Codes and Ciphers division, or MI-8. Yardley was commissioned a lieutenant in 1917, and tasked with setting up MI-8. The fledgling Cipher Bureau had quite a few remarkable successes.
Iran strongly protests to Saudi government over alleged financing spy network IRNA 27 Mar 2013 -- Saudi charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned to Foreign Ministry on Wednesday to hear Iran's strong protest to Saudi government over alleged Iranian intelligence service financing spy network in Saudi Arabia.
Iran summons Saudi chargé d'affaires over spy cell allegations Iran Press TV 27 Mar 2013 -- Iran has summoned the Saudi Arabia's chargé d'affaires in Tehran over Riyadh's allegations that the Islamic Republic has links to a spy cell in the Arab kingdom.
Woman that ran CIA's torture ops picked as its clandestine service chief Iran Press TV 27 Mar 2013 -- The new head of the US spy agency has appointed a woman involved in running the CIA's detention and torture program and destroying videotapes of the interrogation sessions as the chief of its clandestine service.
U.S. sees flow of classified data to China as 'insider threat' CNA 26 Mar 2013 -- Several cases involving U.S. defense contractors allegedly passing classified military information to Chinese people have given rise to concern among U.S. intelligence agencies.
US Judge Jails Chinese Man Who Exported Military Secrets VOA 26 Mar 2013 -- A U.S. judge has sentenced a Chinese national to more than five years in prison for illegally exporting sensitive defense-related information to China.
Saudi Arabia Says Spy Ring Worked For Iran RFE/RL 26 Mar 2013 -- Saudi Arabia says an investigation shows that members of an alleged spy ring arrested last week were working for Iran.
Microsoft reveals FBI spies on its clients Iran Press TV 25 Mar 2013 -- The world's largest software company has revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) secretly spies on the private information of its customers.
Mossad's Prisoner X leaked secrets to Hezbollah: Der Spiegel Iran Press TV 25 Mar 2013 -- A prominent German magazine says the Australian-Israeli Mossad agent called Prisoner X had leaked confidential information to Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah before his death.
Iran rejects Saudi Arabia's espionage allegations Iran Press TV 24 Mar 2013 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has dismissed Saudi Arabia's claims about the presence of an Iranian national in an alleged spy network in the country.
CIA provides intelligence to militants in Syria: Report Iran Press TV 23 Mar 2013 -- The CIA is providing intelligence support to the foreign-backed militants in Syria in an attempt to beef them up against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, a report says.
US sets up new drone base in Niger Iran Press TV 22 Mar 2013 -- The United States has set up a drone base in Niger apparently to back up French troops in Mali and to fight al-Qaeda in Africa, a report says.
Chinese NASA Worker in US Court Over Computer Cache RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2013 -- A former Chinese contractor with the NASA appeared in US federal court Thursday, his lawyer said, after he was arrested following an attempt to fly back to China carrying laptops, hard drives and SIM cards in his bags.
Britain's rendition role to be examined Iran Press TV 21 Mar 2013 -- Britain's role in the so-called rendition of suspected terrorists to places where they even could not think of is to be partially unveiled, with UNHCR announcing plans to publish parts of a confidential report on the issue.
25th Marine Regiment executes first UAV practice flights for Reserve operators USMC News 19 Mar 2013 -- A group of unmanned aerial vehicle operators and support personnel from Headquarters Company, 25th Marine Regiment and 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment ventured out into a snowy morning March 9 to conduct practice flights at Devens Reserve Forces Training Area. The flights mark the first time UAVs have been employed by the regiment.
Unmanned Air System Takes First Flight at Sea NNS 19 Mar 2013 -- San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) launched a RQ-21A Small Tactical Unmanned Air System (STUAS) recently, for its first flight at sea.
CIA plotting to kill Venezuelan opposition leader, Maduro says Iran Press TV 19 Mar 2013 -- Venezuela's acting president says the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have formulated a plot to murder opposition leader Henrique Capriles in order to destabilize the Latin American country ahead of the April 14 presidential election.
Israel to demand spy's release from Obama during his formal visit Iran Press TV 19 Mar 2013 -- In his upcoming Israeli trip, the US President Barack Obama will face a new, more rigorous demand by current and former top officials of the regime as well as Zionist activists to set free an Israeli spy from a US prison.
British, U.S. spies ignored intelligence before Iraq invasion Iran Press TV 18 Mar 2013 -- Britain and U.S. spying agencies had ignored intelligence before invasion of Iraq that the country had no active weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), it has been revealed.
Former Belarus Intelligence Officer Gets Asylum In Lithuania RFE/RL 18 Mar 2013 -- Former Belarusian military intelligence officer Stsyapan Zakharchanka has been granted political asylum in Lithuania.
Iran to try 18 over nuclear assassinations Iran Press TV 17 Mar 2013 -- Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Ja'fari Dowlatabadi says 18 people will be tried over their involvement in the assassination of the country's nuclear scientists.
Iran tests border patrol drones Iran Press TV 17 Mar 2013 -- A senior Iranian commander says border guards have begun testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for patrolling the country's eastern borders.
US policy Kafkaesque, Orwellian: Former intelligence official Iran Press TV 17 Mar 2013 -- A former American intelligence official has warned against the political maneuvering of successive US administrations for manipulating classified information to tighten their grip on the executive power.
Britain's MI6 Paid $136,000 to Poisoned Ex-Russian Spy RIA Novosti 17 Mar 2013 -- Britain's secret intelligence service MI6 paid at least 90,000 pounds ($136,000) to former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who died after being poisoned in London in 2006, The Sunday Times has reported.
International community must heed Pakistan’s concerns over drones UN News Centre 15 Mar 2013 -- The United States’ ongoing drone campaign in Pakistan is a violation of the South Asian nation’s sovereignty.
UN Blasts US Drone Strikes in Pakistan RIA Novosti 15 Mar 2013 -- United States drone attacks are “a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” and are being conducted without the consent of Islamabad.
UN Says U.S. Drones Violate Pakistan's Sovereignty RFE/RL 15 Mar 2013 -- The head of a United Nations team tasked with investigating casualties from U.S. drone strikes has concluded that the attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty.
US drones violate Pakistan sovereignty: UN PressTV 15 Mar 2013 -- A UN team investigating civilian casualties from US assassination drone attacks in Pakistan has stated that the terror airstrikes violate sovereignty of Pakistan.
U.S. Says Iran Fighter Approached Drone RFE/RL 15 Mar 2013 -- The Pentagon says an Iranian fighter jet approached a U.S. surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf.
Iranian fighter jet chases US spy drone over Persian Gulf PressTV 15 Mar 2013 -- An Iranian fighter jet has pursued a US surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon says.
Coroner Postpones Russian Spy Death Inquest Until October RIA Novosti 15 Mar 2013 -- The inquest into the death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 has been postponed until October.
Iranian Jet Fails to Intercept Unmanned U.S. Aircraft AFPS 14 Mar 2013 -- An Iranian military jet tried to intercept an unarmed American MQ-1 remotely piloted aircraft over international waters March 12 but it was discouraged from accomplishing that mission.
Pentagon: Iranian Warplane Moves Against US Drone in Gulf VOA 14 Mar 2013 -- The Pentagon says an Iranian warplane approached an unarmed U.S. military surveillance drone earlier this week over international waters in the Persian Gulf.
Former official to serve prison term for spying for China CNA 14 Mar 2013 -- Taiwan's Supreme Court upheld a two-year prison sentence against Wang Ren-bing, a former Presidential Office official.
ISR warriors raise bar at Red Flag AFNS 14 Mar 2013 -- Armed with some of the military's latest technologies and defined objectives in mind, Airmen in the intelligence career field begin to process, exploit and disseminate intelligence to an extent and level never achieved before.
Intelligence training gets off to fast start Army News 14 Mar 2013 -- Personnel from the 470th MI Brigade who run the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) Detention Training Facility (IDTF) there immediately "put them to work" in their training scenarios.
Terror Threat Potent, But Dispersed, Intelligence Chief Says AFPS 13 Mar 2013 -- The terror threat is still potent, but it is much more dispersed than it once was.
Ex-Spy Chief: Pakistan Sees Afghanistan As 'Sub-Nation' RFE/RL 13 Mar 2013 -- Afghanistan's ex-spy chief has risked sparking another war of words by making a series of allegations against Pakistan.
Top US spying coordinator says cyber attacks more threatening than terror hits PressTV 13 Mar 2013 -- A top US intelligence official has emphasized that cyberattacks on American networks represent worse of a threat to the country than a ground attack by a ‘terrorist group.’
Pentagon plans 'offensive' cyber force to 'defend' Wall Street PressTV 13 Mar 2013 -- The US military plans to establish 13 offensive cyber teams to ‘defend the nation’ against cyber attacks that could harm the Wall Street financial center or disrupt electric power grids.
INSCOM assumes responsibility of Saturn Arch Program Army News 13 Mar 2013 -- Col. Adam R. Hinsdale, commander, Task Force Observe Detect Identify Neutralize-Enhanced (ODIN-E), assumed the mission on behalf of INSCOM from Frank Cooper, of the NGA.
Eagle Eye USMC News 13 Mar 2013 -- The 2/7th Marines had been taking sporadic enemy fire for most of the morning March 2 while conducting their daily patrol through Boldak.
MI deactivates Afghan element Army News 13 Mar 2013 -- The 205th Military Intelligence Battalion, 500th MI Brigade, held a deactivation ceremony for its strategic debriefing element at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Jan. 24.
US Intelligence Director: al-Qaida Seriously "Degraded" VOA 12 Mar 2013 -- A senior U.S. intelligence official says what he calls "the core al-Qaida" group has been degraded to the point where it can probably no longer carry out massive, complex attacks in the West.
U.S. Intelligence Chief Says Al-Qaeda No Longer Poses Major Threat RFE/RL 12 Mar 2013 -- The United States national intelligence director, James Clapper, has testified to Congress that Al-Qaeda no longer posed a major threat.
Saudi Arabian base, spies aided CIA drone hits in Yemen PressTV 12 Mar 2013 -- Saudi Arabian officials have given the US spy agency CIA permission to build an assassination drone base there on the condition that the kingdom’s role remains concealed.
‘US’ UK base used in drone warfare’ PressTV 12 Mar 2013 -- The US military has been secretly using a Royal Army Force base in the UK in its controversial drone warfare campaign, it is disclosed.
Iran detects, repels US U2 reconnaissance plane: Cmdr. PressTV 12 Mar 2013 -- A senior Iranian commander says the country identified and repelled an American U2 reconnaissance plane.
Oldest U.S. military flying unit celebrates centennial AFNS 12 Mar 2013 -- The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., celebrated its 100th anniversary March 7-9 as the oldest flying unit in U.S. military aviation.
US Warns China on Cyber Security VOA 12 Mar 2013 -- A senior White House official is calling on China to take "serious steps" to stop cybercrimes, saying the issue is a "growing challenge" to U.S.-China relations.
Top US official demands halt to China's 'widespread cyber theft' PressTV 12 Mar 2013 -- Washington has again blamed China for “widespread theft” of data from American computer networks, amid recent Beijing charges.
Clapper Places Cyber at Top of Transnational Threat List AFPS 12 Mar 2013 -- Ten years ago, the idea that cyber posed a leading threat against the United States would be laughed at. But no one is laughing any more.
Ex-FSB Officer Shuns Litvinenko Inquest RIA Novosti 12 Mar 2013 -- A former officer of Russia's Federal Security Service suspected by the British authorities of poisoning Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko said that he will pull out of the inquest into the killing.
Russian Suspect Will Not Cooperate With Litvinenko Inquest RFE/RL 12 Mar 2013 -- A former KGB agent suspected of killing Aleksandr Litvinenko says he will not cooperate with a British inquest into the Kremlin critic's death.
US states try to restrict drone use PressTV 10 Mar 2013 -- Local lawmakers in several US states have pressed for state laws limiting the use of pilotless drones by police and other agencies amid rising concerns over their potential use to invade the privacy of Americans.
China says US hacked nearly 2200 of its computer systems in 2 months PressTV 10 Mar 2013 -- Chinese officials have identified the US as the source of over half of all the cyber attacks targeting the nation’s computer systems in the first two months of 2013.
Missile, Space Intelligence Center Saves Warfighter Lives AFPS 08 Mar 2013 -- Engineers, scientists and analysts of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center provide high-confidence assessments of foreign missile and space systems.
US Senate confirms Brennan as next CIA director PressTV 08 Mar 2013 -- The US Senate has confirmed John Brennan as next director of the CIA.
New US Spy Chief As Senate Approves Brennan RIA Novosti 08 Mar 2013 -- The US Senate confirmed John Brennan as America’s next spy chief following days of contentious debate over drone strikes and the federal government’s ability to kill its own citizens in counterterrorism operations on US soil.
Statement from the President on the Confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The White House 07 Mar 2013
Senate Confirms Brennan to Head CIA VOA 07 Mar 2013 -- The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Barack Obama’s pick to head the CIA, counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan.
Senate Approves Brennan As CIA Chief RFE/RL 07 Mar 2013 -- The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm John Brennan to be the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
We can kill Americans on US soil: Eric Holder PressTV 07 Mar 2013 -- US President Barack Obama has the constitutional authority to order the use of “lethal force” against American citizens within the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder says.
U.S. Republicans Filibuster Over Drones RFE/RL 07 Mar 2013 -- Republican Party senators opposed to the use of drones against American citizens have launched an effort to block a vote on U.S. President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
US senator vows marathon talk to block Brennan’s confirmation vote PressTV 07 Mar 2013 -- An American senator has vowed to deliver a marathon speech before an empty chamber of the US Senate in a bid to block a confirmation vote for President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the CIA spy agency.
US military funded, oversaw detention and torture sites during Iraq invasion PressTV 07 Mar 2013 -- The US military used veterans of its “dirty wars” in Latin America to set up secret detention and torture centers in Iraq and overseeing ‘some of the worst acts of torture’ during the US-led invasion of the country.
US Lawmakers Seek Answers on Legality of Domestic Drone Strikes VOA 06 Mar 2013 -- America’s top law enforcement official has not entirely ruled out a president ordering drone strikes on U.S. soil.
US may use drone raids inside America: Attorney general PressTV 06 Mar 2013 -- The US attorney general has refused to rule out the possibility that drone strikes may be used inside the United States to kill an American citizen.
Independent UN expert urges release of inquiry findings on CIA interrogation practices UN News Centre 06 Mar 2013 -- A United Nations independent expert urged the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom to release the findings of confidential inquiries into the detention and interrogation practices of the Central Intelligence Agency during the administration of President George W. Bush.
Australia confirms ‘Prisoner X’ worked for Israeli regime RIA Novosti 06 Mar 2013 -- Australia has admitted for the first time that Prisoner X worked for the Tel Aviv regime.
Israel Renews Call to Free Jailed US Spy Jonathan Pollard VOA 06 Mar 2013 -- President Obama’s planned visit to Israel later this month has triggered renewed calls for Washington to free jailed American spy Jonathan Pollard.
Intelligence Support to Sustainment Operations: Lessons Learned from the Iraq Drawdown Army News 06 Mar 2013 -- From an intelligence perspective, the Iraq drawdown offers many important lessons learned and critical points to capture.
Senate Committee Approves Brennan as CIA Chief VOA 05 Mar 2013 -- The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has approved President Barack Obama's choice of John Brennan to be the new head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Unmanned aerial vehicle squadron starts training at Pendleton USMC News 05 Mar 2013 -- Marine Unmanned Vehicle Squadron 4 conducted its first field training exercises at Camp Talega since the unit’s official move.
French interior minister confirms intelligence errors in Merah case Iran Press TV 03 Mar 2013 -- French Interior Minister Manuel Valls has acknowledged the failures and mistakes by the country's intelligence apparatus with regard to the case of the suspected killer Mohammed Merah.
Russia to buy no more foreign drones Voice of Russia 02 Mar 2013 -- Russia will buy no more foreign-made drones. According to the Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technological Cooperation, Alexander Fomin, Russia has launched the production of its own drones.
Ex-naval officer in Taiwan given jail term for spying for China CNA 01 Mar 2013 -- A retired Taiwanese naval officer was sentenced to three years in prison Friday for leaking classified national security intelligence to China.
Wikileaks: US Soldier Says He Peddled Secret Docs to Papers First RIA Novosti 01 Mar 2013 -- Two of the most venerable US newspapers may have missed out on the scoop of this young century after the soldier charged with disclosing thousands of classified security documents tried unsuccessfully to tip them off before ultimately handing them to the website Wikileaks.

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