October 2015 Intelligence News

Eyes in the Sky: Advanced Russian Spy Plane Conducts Test Flight Sputnik 31 Oct 2015 -- A sophisticated Russian special-mission plane has conducted a test flight near the Russian city of Kazan, according to the flight tracking website flightradar24.com.
US Congress Signs Off on Latest $50Bln Spy Agencies' Budget Sputnik 31 Oct 2015 -- The US Congress is maintaining the budget for the country's 16 main intelligence agencies of more than $50 billion, the Office of Director of National Intelligence announced in a media release.
DNI Releases Budget Figure for 2015 National Intelligence Program DNI 30 Oct 2015 -- Consistent with 50 U.S.C. 3306(b), the Director of National Intelligence is disclosing to the public the aggregate amount of funds appropriated by Congress to the National Intelligence Program for Fiscal Year 2015 not later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal year.
Department of Defense Releases Budget Figure for 2015 Military Intelligence Program DoD 30 Oct 2015 -- The Department of Defense released today the MIP appropriated top line budget for FY 2015. The total MIP budget, which included both the base budget and Overseas Contingency Operations appropriations, was $16.5 billion.
ACC intel officer shares new ISR perspective AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Air Combat Command's senior intelligence officer shared her perspective on fusion warfare with the intelligence community, defense industry and media during an Oct. 22 assembly at the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
British, US Marines improve intelligence cooperation during exercise USMC News 28 Oct 2015 -- U.S. Marines with 2nd Intelligence Battalion and British forces began an exercise enhancing intelligence cooperation and gathering tactics between the two nations, Oct. 25, 2015.
Osan U-2s celebrate nearly 40 years of surveillance AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- U-2 aircraft from the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron have spent almost 40 years delivering vital imagery and signals intelligence to command leaders throughout the Korean Peninsula.
China Confirmed the Four Japanese Spies: Embassy People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- Four Japanese spies have been confirmed found in China recently, spokesman He Zhenliang in Chinese Embassy to Japan confirmed during the press conference on October 28, 2015, Jiji Press reported.
US court will not halt NSA phone spy program Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- A US federal appeals court has rejected efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to stop bulk collection of millions of Americans' phone records.
US used Christian NGO to spy on North Korea Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- The United States has used a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) as a front for an espionage program to spy on North Korea, a new report reveals.
Two more Japanese detained in China over 'espionage' Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- China has arrested two Japanese nationals over "spying," an official says, following the detention of two other Japanese individuals on similar charges earlier this year.
U.S. Workers Convicted In Plot To Sell Electronics To Russia RFE/RL 27 Oct 2015 -- A U.S. federal court has convicted three people for their role in a scheme to smuggle sophisticated microelectronics to Moscow for use by Russian military and intelligence agencies.
US sentence for Iranian completely unjust: Foreign Ministry Press TV 25 Oct 2015 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned as completely unjust a sentence issued against an Iranian national in the United States.
Germany launches probe into new NSA spying allegations Press TV 25 Oct 2015 -- Germany has launched an investigation into a new case of alleged spying by the US National Security Agency, a report says .
Federal court drops ACLU case against NSA snooping Press TV 24 Oct 2015 -- A US federal district court has rejected a case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the National Security Agency (NSA) over the latter's mass surveillance program.
'Unprecedented' Challenge in Countering Adversarial Propaganda, Official Says AFPS 23 Oct 2015 -- The United States is facing an unprecedented challenge in countering the propaganda of adversaries who recruit and easily spread misinformation through the Internet, a top defense official told a House panel yesterday.
US Sentences Engineer in Iran Espionage Case VOA 23 Oct 2015 -- An Iranian-American engineer has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for sending sensitive U.S. military documents to his native Iran.
Satellite imagery reveals secret US drone base in Africa Press TV 22 Oct 2015 -- Satellite imagery has revealed the secret expansion of a US drone base in the African country of Djibouti, according to a new report.
US Expands Targeted Killing Program in East Africa Sputnik 22 Oct 2015 -- The US has expanded its drone program with a new base south of Djibouti's capital which allows the program to operate nearly unchecked.
Intelligence Data Exchange Underway at Baghdad Info Center - Iraqi Official Sputnik 22 Oct 2015 -- Shahwan Abdallah, the secretary of the Iraqi parliament's defense committee, said that only the department for collecting intelligence data related to the Islamic State (ISIL) jihadists movement, used for selecting targets for air strikes, is operating at the moment.
WikiLeaks Posts CIA Director's Personal Info VOA 22 Oct 2015 -- Information from the private email account of CIA Director John Brennan is being made public, just days after hackers bragged they had broken in.
New Docs Reveal UK Snoopers' Bill Will Give Agencies the Power to Hack You Sputnik 21 Oct 2015 -- Further details have finally been revealed on what is included in the British government's controversial Investigatory Powers Bill. According to the Times, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ will be given the authority to hack into smartphones and computers belonging to members of the public.
'Actions by States are increasingly transnational,' UN expert warns, stressing prohibition against torture UN News 20 Oct 2015 -- The UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan Méndez today urged governments across the world not to allow a vacuum of human rights protection even when they act beyond their borders, saying "torture is torture here, there and everywhere."
CIA Pressured to Release Drone Strike Data in Fresh Lawsuit Sputnik 20 Oct 2015 -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is pressing ahead with a lawsuit calling on the CIA to release crucial information about the US' drone warfare program, amid calls for greater transparency into the intelligence agency's actions.
CIA 'Queen of Torture' May Face Prosecution in Germany Sputnik 19 Oct 2015 -- On Monday, a human rights group in Germany filed a complaint in federal court against Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, a CIA agent known as the "Queen of Torture," containing proof of her involvement in the kidnapping and torture of German citizen Khaled El Masri.
US Knew Drones Provided Faulty Intelligence, Led to Civilian Massacres Sputnik 15 Oct 2015 -- Secret US government documents acquired by The Intercept showed that the Obama administration's preference for drone strikes took place despite knowledge that the intelligence they provided was faulty, leading to massacres which killed hundreds of innocent civilians.
Security whistleblower leaks classified documents on US drones Press TV 15 Oct 2015 -- An American whistle-blower, who the media refer to as the "New Snowden," has released a series of documents that contain highly sensitive intelligence on US drones.
EU Parliament Lifts Immunity Of Suspected Spy For Russia RFE/RL 15 Oct 2015 -- The European Parliament has lifted the immunity of a Hungarian deputy suspected of spying on European Union institutions for Russia.
'Wilson Doctrine offers no protection for MPs' communications' Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- A tribunal in the UK has said that the MPs have no protection from having their communications read by the security agencies.
British Court Rules UK Politicians Are Fair Game for GCHQ Spies Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) ruled on Wednesday that the long-standing Wilson Doctrine, thought to protect British lawmakers from intelligence interception, had no legal force.
Moscow Court Gives Ex-Head of Ukraine Defense Plant Six Years for Espionage Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- A former head of Ukraine's Znamya defense enterprise who holds Ukrainian citizenship was sentenced to six years in prison for espionag e by the Moscow City Court.
US Suit Seeks Damages for CIA Interrogation Program VOA 13 Oct 2015 -- The American Civil Liberties Union is suing two former U.S. Air Force psychologists who designed the Central Intelligence Agency's harsh interrogation program aimed at forcing suspected terrorists to divulge information about possible attacks against the United States.
CIA torture survivors sue psychologists who designed program Press TV 13 Oct 2015 -- Three survivors of the CIA's brutal torture program have sued the psychologists who designed it and helped the agency to implement it.
Iranian State TV: Washington Post Reporter Convicted VOA 12 Oct 2015 -- Iranian state television reported late Sunday that Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been convicted on charges that included espionage.
Japanese woman allegedly detained in China for spying People's Daily 12 Oct 2015 -- A Japanese woman was detained in China in June on suspicion of spying, the fourth Japanese citizen to be held by Chinese authorities for the same reason, according to Japanese media on Sunday.
Russia dismisses U.S. refusal to share intelligence in campaign in Syria People's Daily 09 Oct 2015 -- The reluctance of the United States to share intelligence on Syria will not hamper Russia's operations in the war-torn country as Moscow has sufficient information from other sources, a Russian official said Thursday.
US to Launch Intelligence Satellites for National Reconnaissance Office Sputnik 08 Oct 2015 -- United Launch Alliance is preparing a National Reconnaissance Office mission.
NATO Plans New Drone Spy Force in 2016 to Monitor Mediterranean Sputnik 07 Oct 2015 -- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that a new NATO drone surveillance force to monitor the alliance's tumultuous southern flank region will be based in the Sigonella Air Base in Italy next year.
US Rules Out Intelligence Sharing With Russia on Fighting ISIL Sputnik 07 Oct 2015 -- State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the United States has ruled out any intelligence sharing with Russia in the fight against ISIL.
Senior Judge Blasts German Gov't Plans to Gag Spy Whistleblowers Sputnik 05 Oct 2015 -- A judge in Germany has said the country's justice minister Heiko Maas is attempting to quietly push through legislation that would criminalize whistleblowing and 'would be an attack on democracy and freedom of the press'.
MP: IRGC intelligence body reports to Parliament on Jason Rezaian IRNA 04 Oct 2015 -- Spokesman for Parliament's National Security and Foreign Relations Commission said on Sunday that Intelligence body of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps gave a report to that commission on Jason Rezaian's file.
NATO to open new center in Poland by year end: Report Press TV 04 Oct 2015 -- NATO is reportedly set to open a new expert and training center for what is said to be intelligence and counter-terrorism activities in Poland by the end of this year, amid heightened tensions between the Western military alliance and Russia.
NATO to Open Counterintelligence Center in Poland by Year-End Sputnik 04 Oct 2015 -- NATO will open expert and training center for intelligence and counter-terrorism activities in Krakow, Poland by the end of 2015, German media reported Sunday.
German Mass Surveillance 'Carried Out Virtually Unchecked' - Report Sputnik 02 Oct 2015 -- The German government's supervision of its intelligence services is facing further scrutiny, following an article published in Tagesspiegal which reveals a damning indictment of mass surveillance practices in Germany by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.
US Has No Plans to Share Intelligence With Russia on Syria Sputnik 01 Oct 2015 -- Washington is not going to share intelligence with Moscow, according to the Pentagon spokesperson.
Israeli rock-shaped spying device discovered in Lebanon Press TV 01 Oct 2015 -- A highly camouflaged Israeli espionage device has been discovered in southern Lebanon, the country's army says.
Iraq Assures US of Protecting Intelligence From Russians, Iranians Sputnik 01 Oct 2015 -- Iraq has agreed to withhold intelligence information the United States shares with it from the Russians, Syrians and the Iranians, US anti-Islamic State coalition spokesperson Col. Steve Warren said during a press conference on Thursday.

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