January 2014 Intelligence News

France, Britain share intelligence on Syria jihadists Voice of Russia 31 Jan 2014 -- France and Britain said Friday they would work together tracking down jihadists who travel to Syria to fight with Islamic extremists then pose a security threat when they return home.
Statement by DNI Clapper on the Nomination of Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers to be the Next Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and NSA Director Director of National Intelligence 31 Jan 201
US surveillance: 'It's going to take some time' to win back confidence - Obama Voice of Russia 31 Jan 2014 -- In an interview with CNN US President Barack Obama acknowledged that the country's surveillance programs damaged the confidence of Americans as well as other nations. 'It's going to take some time' to win back that confidence, he said.
Official Discusses Chinese Air Force, Missile Trends AFPS 30 Jan 2014 -- U.S. intelligence officials visiting Capitol Hill today reported to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on the steady progress made by the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the implications of that development to the United States.
Rogers Tabbed as Next Cyber Command Chief AFPS 30 Jan 2014 -- Navy Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers is President Barack Obama's nominee to become the next commander of U.S. Cyber Command, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a DOD news release issued today.
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on NSA/CYBERCOM Announcement Thursday, January 30, 2014 DoD 30 Jan 2014
DOD Announces Nomination of Cyber Command Commander/ NSA Director DoD 30 Jan 2014 -- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced today Navy Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers as President Obama's nominee to become commander of U.S. Cyber Command. In addition, the Secretary announced that he has designated Vice Adm. Rogers to serve as director of the National Security Agency, and chief of the Central Security Service.
More leaks follow US spy chief's call for halt Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2014 -- Documents obtained by American whistleblower Edward Snowden have revealed more about US spying activities after US spy chief James Clapper called on him to return all of the remaining unpublished documents.
Terror suspect claims evidence against him obtained through bulk surveillance Voice of Russia 30 Jan 2014 -- Jamshid Muhtorov, a citizen of Uzbekistan who came to the US after being granted political asylum, is accused of supporting a designated terrorist organization based in his native country. In October, he became the first defendant ever to be notified by the government that it had built the case based on bulk surveillance.
NSA eavesdroped on Copenhagen UN Climate Talks - Snowden leak Voice of Russia 30 Jan 2014 -- The National Security Agency spied on international delegations during the 2009 United Nations climate negotiations conference in Copenhagen, shows the new leak by Edward Snowden obtained by the Huffington Post.
Clapper: Snowden Caused 'Massive, Historic' Security Damage AFPS 29 Jan 2014 -- The ongoing leaks of classified documents by former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden amount to the most "massive and damaging theft of intelligence in our history," the director of national intelligence told Congress today.
Snowden Leaks Making US Security Efforts More Difficult VOA 29 Jan 2014 -- National Intelligence Director James Clapper says terrorists have 'gone to school' on U.S. surveillance efforts following Edward Snowden's information leaks.
US spy chief calls on Snowden to give back NSA documents Voice of Russia 29 Jan 2014 -- Leaks from ex-intelligence contractor Edward Snowden have damaged America's national security and he should return the secret documents he has 'stolen,' the US spy chief said Wednesday.
Israeli Gets 4 1/2 Years For Offering To Spy For Iran RFE/RL 28 Jan 2014 -- An Ultraorthodox Israeli man has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison on charges of trying to spy for Israeli rival Iran.
US exit from Afghanistan concerns CIA Iran Press TV 27 Jan 2014 -- American intelligence agencies are concerned about Afghan President Hamid Karzai's decision to not sign a controversial security deal with the United States, a report says.
Snowden Says US Spied on Companies RIA Novosti 27 Jan 2014 -- National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has claimed in an interview with a German television channel that US intelligence agencies are involved in industrial espionage.
NSA accused of lying to Germany over espionage Iran Press TV 26 Jan 2014 -- The United States' National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of lying to Berlin concerning its spying on top German officials.
Snowden won't return to US without amnesty - legal adviser Voice of Russia 26 Jan 2014 -- Edward Snowden would be willing to enter talks with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to negotiate his return to the United States but not without a guarantee of amnesty, his legal adviser said on Sunday.
White House 'disagrees' with review board's finding on US spying Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- The administration of US President Barack Obama has said it disagrees with the findings of an independent review group that showed Washington's phone data collection program is illegal.
Snowden Wants to Return to US, But Only After Reforms RIA Novosti 24 Jan 2014 -- US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said Thursday that he would like to return to his native country but that current whistleblower laws there make this option impossible.
US oversight board says NSA spying program illegal Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- The US National Security Agency's telephone metadata program is illegal and should be shut down, a government privacy board recommended in a report released Thursday.
'Whistleblower protection laws in US do not protect me, no chance to have fair trial' - Snowden Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- 'One of the things that has not been widely reported by journalists is that whistleblower protection laws in the US do not protect contractors in the national security arena," former NSA contractor Edward Snowden said at his second Q&A session on Thursday.
CIA paid $15 million to Poland to host secret prison, Warsaw refuses to comment Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- The Polish authorities refuse to comment on reports saying that Warsaw received 15 million dollars to host CIA secret prisons used to interrogate al-Qaeda suspects, allegedly operating in the country from 2002-2003, the Washington Post reports.
Holder Says He's Open to Plea Deal with NSA Leaker Snowden VOA 23 Jan 2014 -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says he would be open to a plea deal with Edward Snowden -- the former government contractor who exposed spying by a U.S. intelligence agency.
Independent review board: NSA phone data collection 'illegal' Iran Press TV 23 Jan 2014 -- An independent review board working to protect Americans' civil liberties and privacy has concluded that the US National Security Agency's phone data collection program is illegal and should be stopped.
US Privacy Panel: NSA Phone Data Tracking Illegal VOA 23 Jan 2014 -- News reports in Washington Thursday say an independent government panel is issuing a report that calls for an end to the National Security Agency's program of collecting telephone records of millions of Americans.
Snowden Dismisses Claims He Was Spying for Russia RIA Novosti 22 Jan 2014 -- National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has denied allegations he was collaborating with Russian intelligence services when he exposed details of US surveillance programs by disclosing thousands of classified documents, the New Yorker reported Wednesday.
Deserting female military officer brought back to Taiwan CNA 19 Jan 2014 -- A Taiwanese military intelligence officer who deserted her post in Taiwan more than 18 months ago and went into hiding in the United Kingdom, returned to Taiwan Sunday afternoon after being repatriated by British authorities.
Obama Spying Changes Draw Cautious Praise VOA 17 Jan 2014 -- President Barack Obama's proposals to reform U.S. surveillance have earned partial backing from intelligence experts and some critics. Many are waiting to see, however, whether Friday's speech results in action.
Former general deserves life sentence for espionage: MND CNA 18 Jan 2014 -- A former army general deserved the life sentence he received for betraying his country and spying for China, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Luo Shou-he said Saturday.
Obama Announces Reforms for NSA Data-Collection Program AFPS 17 Jan 2014 -- President Barack Obama today announced a series of reforms for a controversial National Security Agency data-collection program that he said would give Americans confidence their privacy is being protected and allow U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to continue safeguarding the nation.
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on President Obama's Speech Friday, January 17, 2014 DoD 17 Jan 2014
Answers demanded from UK's GCHQ over snooping Iran Press TV 17 Jan 2014 -- A campaign group has urged the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), to answer questions regarding the involvement of British spies in snooping on citizen text messages.
Obama: US won't apologize for NSA spying Iran Press TV 17 Jan 2014 -- President Barack Obama says the United States will not apologize for the National Security Agency's controversial spying programs at home and abroad, but promises modest changes.
Obama Orders Revamp of US Surveillance Standards RIA Novosti 17 Jan 2014 -- US President Barack Obama on Friday ordered a halt to government control of troves of phone data collected by US intelligence services, a move that comes amid the uproar over disclosures by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden about secret US surveillance programs.
Obama Proposes Limits on NSA Data Collection VOA 17 Jan 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled reforms Friday in the vast surveillance being conducted by the country's clandestine National Security Agency.
Obama announces 'concrete and substantial reforms' to NSA program Voice of Russia 17 Jan 2014 -- President Barack Obama is calling for major changes to the way the US intelligence community collects and stores information about people in the US and abroad, in the wake of disclosures that have sparked fury over sweeping government surveillance and stoked concerns about privacy.
Remarks by the President on Review of Signals Intelligence The White House 17 Jan 2014
FACT SHEET: Review of U.S. Signals Intelligence The White House 17 Jan 2014
Senate report: Benghazi attack could have been averted Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- The September 11, 2012 attacks on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya could have been prevented, according to a new US Senate intelligence report.
NSA Spies on People With Internet and Fake Rocks VOA 15 Jan 2014 -- As President Barack Obama prepares to unveil reforms to the U.S. National Security Agency's intelligence gathering programs, there is renewed attention on how the NSA actually hacks into computers.
US Intelligence Reforms Debated Ahead of Obama Speech VOA 15 Jan 2014 -- U.S. intelligence reforms to be unveiled by President Barack Obama will be informed, at least in part, by a panel of legal scholars and spy experts that submitted recommendations to the White House for overhauling the National Security Agency.
Latest Revelations on NSA Likely to Change Little in US Cyber Spying VOA 15 Jan 2014 -- U.S. officials are reacting cautiously to revelations published in The New York Times that the National Security Agency has found a way to spy on computers even when they are not connected to the Internet. Report says software was implanted into 100,000 computers worldwide.
Reports: NSA Can Access Computers Not Connected to Internet VOA 15 Jan 2014 -- According to news reports, the U.S. government's electronic spy agency has developed technology to penetrate targeted computers, even if they are not connected to the Internet.
US Phone Companies Fight Possible Changes In Data Collection VOA 15 Jan 2014 -- President Barack Obama is expected to announce Friday that he will modify the way U.S. intelligence agencies collect information. The president is said to be backing away from a proposal to have the National Security Agency transfer its vast records of phone calls to telecommunications companies.
Senate Intelligence Committee Releases Declassified Bipartisan Report on Benghazi Terrorist Attacks United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 15 Jan 2014 -- The Senate Intelligence Committee today issued a declassified report on the September 11-12, 2012, terrorist attacks against U.S. personnel at the Temporary Mission Facility and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya. The committee found the attacks were preventable, based on extensive intelligence reporting on the terrorist activity in Libya—to include prior threats and attacks against Western targets—and given the known security shortfalls at the U.S. Mission.
US Spy Program Penetrated Russian Military Networks – Report RIA Novosti 15 Jan 2014 -- The United States has infiltrated Russian military networks under a program that uses radio frequencies to spy on computers not connected to the Internet, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
NSA implanted software on thousands of computers to spy on Russia, Mexico, other US allies Voice of Russia 15 Jan 2014 -- The US intelligence agency has covertly installed software on nearly 100,000 computers worldwide, allowing it to spy on them, and recruit them for possible cyber attacks, a news report said late Tuesday.
NSA uses radio waves to spy on offline computers - report Voice of Russia 15 Jan 2014 -- The National Security Agency is using secret wireless technology that allows it to access and alter data on computers, even when they are not connected to the Internet, according to a New York Times report.
Legislature approves controversial amendments to restrict wiretaps CNA 14 Jan 2014 -- Lawmakers made wiretap warrants more difficult to obtain Tuesday by approving sweeping amendments to the country's wiretapping law, in a move criticized by the Ministry of Justice as having 'a negative impact on crime-fighting.'
US does not want to give up surveillance of Germany - media Voice of Russia 14 Jan 2014 -- Despite initial assurances, the US is not willing to sign an intelligence cooperation agreement with Germany, meant to guarantee a mutual cessation of wiretapping, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper says on Tuesday, citing sources in German government circles.
NSA role minimal in fighting terrorism: Study Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2014 -- The National Security Agency's massive data collection has barely helped the United States thwart terrorist attacks, according to a new study by the New American Foundation.
Report: US Phone Data Collection Didn't Prevent Terrorism VOA 13 Jan 2014 -- A new study has concluded that the massive collection of phone data by the clandestine U.S. National Security Agency 'has had no discernible impact' on preventing terrorism.
Intelligence Center Provides Support to Desert Shield/Desert Storm Army News 13 Jan 2014 -- Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, at 0300 hours (1900 hours of January 16, Eastern Standard Time). It was a direct result of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on August 2, 1990.
New ULTRA facility opens on C4ISR campus Army News 13 Jan 2014 -- Three Army organizations have united to form the new Unified Lab for Tactical Radios - Army (ULTRA), combining research, development, sustainment and acquisition efforts for the Army's radio portfolio in a single location.
Intelligence support teams' support to logistics organizations Army News 13 Jan 2014 -- When intelligence Soldiers arrive at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., as part of a brigade support battalion (BSB) or combat sustainment support battalion (CSSB), they often do not have a thorough understanding of the intelligence support that logistics organizations require.
President Obama to restructure NSA Voice of Russia 13 Jan 2014 -- US President Barack Obama is expected to announce changes to limit US spying on foreign leaders, but is unlikely to alter the controversial National Security Agency program collecting masses of raw data on the telephone calls of Americans.
NSA mass surveillance pretty useless in battle against terrorism - research Voice of Russia 13 Jan 2014 -- Mass surveillance of the National Security Agency (NSA) on people and world leaders have been making headlines for half a year throughout the globe, yet these security programs did little in battle against terrorism, concludes the study by the New America Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit group.
Taiwan still sees Justin Yifu Lin as defector: defense ministry CNA 13 Jan 2014 -- Taiwan considers Justin Yifu Lin, former vice president of the World Bank, to be in a continuous state of defection, after he defected to China as an Army officer nearly 35 years ago.
Visual Media Reasoning Program Gleans Intel from Cyberspace AFPS 10 Jan 2014 -- Software that can extract information from digital photos and videos that adversaries might post has made "finding a needle in a haystack" much easier, an analyst said during the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Congressional Tech Showcase here yesterday.
Obama Nearing Decisions on Curbing US Surveillance VOA 09 Jan 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama is nearing decisions on whether to curb the vast clandestine spy programs being conducted by the country's National Security Agency.
Snowden's leaks may endanger US troops - lawmakers Voice of Russia 09 Jan 2014 -- Two congressmen say a classified Pentagon report on former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden says most of the documents he took concerned current military operations.
US bug detected in UAE's France-built spy satellite Iran Press TV 08 Jan 2014 -- French experts have announced that the US may be behind the recent discovery of "security compromising components" in two spy satellites sold by France to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), threatening the deal's cancellation.
Sweden fell victim of foreign hackers - intelligence Voice of Russia 08 Jan 2014 -- Hacking attacks last yer targeting a number of Swedish state institutions, companies and colleges were masterminded by foreign intelligence services, the country's Local news agency has cited a source in Swedish intelligence.
DOD Speeds Delivery of Surveillance Assets to Iraq AFPS 07 Jan 2014 -- The United States is speeding delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles Iraq purchased under the foreign military sales program to help in tracking and thwarting al-Qaida-affiliated groups, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
Rep. slams Sen. over anti-NSA lawsuit Iran Press TV 06 Jan 2014 -- Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) has strongly criticized Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for his opposition to the National Security Agency's controversial spying programs.
Every Russian Region to Get Drones Department - Minister RIA Novosti 06 Jan 2014 -- Every Russian region is to have its own drones department, the Emergencies Minister said Monday.
Belarus jails two for spying for Lithuania Iran Press TV 03 Jan 2014 -- Belarus says its main military court has sentenced two Belarusian citizens to lengthy jail terms for committing spying activities for the neighboring country Lithuania.
NSA Building a Quantum Supercomputer VOA 03 Jan 2014 -- Quantum computers that can perform vast numbers of calculations simultaneously may be closer to science fiction than reality, but previously unpublished documents indicate the secretive U.S. National Security Agency is working hard to build a real quantum supercomputer, powerful enough to decode virtually every form of encryption now known.
German Chancellor Merkel agrees to public inquiry into NSA revelations Voice of Russia 03 Jan 2014 -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed Friday to a public inquiry into surveillance by the US National Security Agency (NSA), but it was unclear if the panel would invite testimony from Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who exposed the snooping.
Alleged gangster indicted for spying for China CNA 02 Jan 2014 -- Prosecutors in the southern city of Tainan have brought up charges against an alleged gang leader who they say gathered confidential information for China and tried to recruit Taiwanese servicemen as spies.
Rwanda former spy chief found strangled: Opposition Iran Press TV 02 Jan 2014 -- Former Rwandan spy chief Patrick Karegeya has been found strangled to death in South Africa, the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) opposition party says.
New York Times, Guardian urge Obama to help Snowden Iran Press TV 02 Jan 2014 -- The editorial boards of The New York Times and The Guardian have called on the administration of US President Barack Obama to allow American whistleblower Edward Snowden safe passage back to the US.
Former CIA director to Obama: Keep spying, ignore review panel Iran Press TV 02 Jan 2014 -- Former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency has called on President Obama to show "some political courage" and reject many of the recommendations by the panel he appointed to review the NSA's spying activities.
US, British Newspapers Call for Snowden Clemency VOA 02 Jan 2014 -- The New York Times and Britain's Guardian newspaper are calling for clemency for Edward Snowden, the former U.S. national security contractor who leaked a massive trove of details about clandestine American spying.
New York Times, Guardian call for Snowden clemency Voice of Russia 02 Jan 2014 -- The New York Times and Guardian newspapers called Thursday for US leaker Edward Snowden to be granted clemency for his revelations on US government spying.
Croatia arrests ex-spy chief wanted in Germany Iran Press TV 01 Jan 2014 -- Croatian police has arrested a former top spy sought by Germany in a case that sparked a row between the European Union and Zagreb.

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