August 2019 Intelligence News

Trump Revealed US Top-Secret Military Spy Tech by Posting Iranian Launch Site Pic, Experts Claim Sputnik 31 Aug 2019 -- An image of a failed Iranian launch tweeted by the US President set experts and netizens on their toes, as the high resolution of the photo cannot be achieved with known satellite technology.
China Warns Australia Not to Interfere in Case of Writer Suspected of Spying VOA 28 Aug 2019 -- Chinese authorities have warned Australia not to interfere in the case of a Chinese-Australian writer who has been formally arrested in China on suspicion of spying. Yang Hengjun, who was born in China but is an Australian citizen, has been held in Beijing since January. Australia has become increasingly critical of China's treatment of him in recent months.
Iran Sentences Three To Long Prison Terms On Spying Charges RFE/RL 27 Aug 2019 -- Iran says it has sentenced three people -- including a woman and a dual Iranian-British citizen -- to lengthy prison terms after convicting them of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
China Formally Arrests Australian Writer on 'Spying' Charge Radio Free Asia 27 Aug 2019 -- Authorities in the Chinese capital have formally arrested an Australian academic and writer for espionage after holding him incommunicado for seven months with no access to a lawyer or family visits, prompting sharp criticism from Canberra.
Australian Writer, Ex-Chinese Diplomat Yang Hengjun Charged With Espionage in Beijing - Reports Sputnik 27 Aug 2019 -- The Australian novelist and former Chinese diplomat Yang Hengjun has reportedly been detained in China since January after being arrested in Guangzhou, The Guardian reported Tuesday.
US Forces' Risks Rise After Seoul Refused Exchanging Intelligence With Tokyo - State Dept Sputnik 26 Aug 2019 -- The decision of the South Korean authorities to stop the exchange of intelligence with Japan complicates the protection of South Korea for the United States and increases the risks for the US forces, US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on Monday.
Justice Department Steps Up Prosecution of Chinese Economic Espionage VOA 26 Aug 2019 -- The U.S. Justice Department is escalating prosecution of Chinese economic espionage cases, part of the Trump administration's crackdown on China's alleged theft of American intellectual property and other predatory practices that are at the heart of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Seoul's Decision to End Intelligence-Sharing Pact Could Backfire VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- Seoul's decision to end a military intelligence pact with Tokyo could have far-reaching consequences that could put its own security at risk, reducing its ability to defend against potential North Korean aggression, experts say.
South Korea to Share Intelligence With Japan via Three-Way Channel Involving US - Official Sputnik 23 Aug 2019 -- Earlier, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan still expects South Korea to keep its promises on the contentious issue of wartime forced labour and to work to rebuild trust after South Korea's decision to scrap a deal to share military intelligence.
South Korea Scrapping Intel Pact Strains US Alliance, Analysts Warn VOA 23 Aug 2019 -- South Korea's decision to end a military intelligence sharing pact with Japan won't necessarily have an immediate impact on regional security, but the move could challenge the U.S.-South Korea alliance at a particularly tense moment, analysts warn.
Abe: Seoul's Ending of Intelligence Deal Damages Mutual Trust VOA 23 Aug 2019 -- Japan's prime minister said Friday that South Korea's decision to end a military intelligence sharing deal with Tokyo damages mutual trust.
S. Korea to quit military intel-sharing pact with Japan ARIRANG 22 Aug 2019 -- South Korean government says it will leave the military intelligence sharing pact with Japan. This announcement likely to have a big impact on the badly strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo over what started out as a trade row.
South Korea set to terminate intelligence-sharing pact with Japan Press TV 22 Aug 2019 -- South Korea has announced that it would scrap a key intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a decision that could escalate a dispute over trade and undercut security cooperation on North Korea.
Pentagon Alarmed as South Korea Scraps Military Intel Deal with Japan Amid Rising Tensions Sputnik 22 Aug 2019 -- Earlier on Thursday, Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned South Korean ambassador to Japan Nam Gwan-pyo to protest Seoul's decision to terminate the military intelligence agreement.
South Korea to Scrap Military Intel Sharing Deal with Japan VOA 22 Aug 2019 -- In an escalation of its bitter dispute with Japan, South Korea decided Thursday to scrap a military intelligence sharing agreement with Tokyo, opening a new divide in trilateral security cooperation between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.
S.Korea to end intelligence pact with Japan NHK 22 Aug 2019 -- The South Korean government says it is not going to renew an agreement on the sharing of military intelligence. Bilateral relations have been souring over various issues including trade and wartime labor.
Tokyo Summons S. Korean Ambassador Over Seoul's Decision to Scrap Intelligence Agreement Sputnik 22 Aug 2019 -- Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been under strain after a South Korean court ruled in June that Japanese companies must provide compensation to victims of forced labour during the Japanese occupation from 1910-1945.
Concerns Growing that China's Influence Operations Getting Bolder VOA 21 Aug 2019 -- Revelations that China has been using social media accounts to influence public opinion on continuing protests in Hong Kong are reinforcing warnings from U.S. intelligence that the battle for information dominance has been joined.
DIA Director Outlines Top 3 Priorities DoD News 19 Aug 2019 -- Within a decade, China and Russia's militaries will be using data visualization, artificial intelligence, machine learning and possibly quantum encryption and communications, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency said.
US Air Force launches surveillance flights in newly-built airfield in Niger Press TV 17 Aug 2019 -- US Air Force has launched flying operations from a recently constructed remote air base in the West African country of Niger in efforts to carry out intelligence gathering missions over the impoverished region.
Mission: Impossible? Ukraine's New President Ventures To Reform Powerful State Spy Agency RFE/RL 17 Aug 2019 -- When Ukraine's domestic security service revealed last year that it had faked the death of a dissident Russian journalist to expose a team of hit men allegedly hired by Moscow to destabilize the country by assassinating high-profile figures in Kyiv, it expected to take victory lap.
DOD Agency Keeps File Swaps Safe DoD News 16 Aug 2019 -- The Defense Information Systems Agency has taken over an online resource that allows Defense Department personnel to swap files too large to be sent via email.
British Police Say A Second Officer Was Exposed To Novichok RFE/RL 15 Aug 2019 -- British detectives said on August 15 that a second police officer was contaminated with a banned Soviet-era nerve agent that was used to target a former Russian spy last year in Salisbury, England.
A New Era Dawns for US Intelligence VOA 15 Aug 2019 -- Washington's top two intelligence officials spent their last day on the job Thursday, leaving the nation's spy agencies in the hands of an acting director as U.S. President Donald Trump moves ahead with an overhaul of the country's intelligence leadership.
US Imposes Travel Ban on Sudan's Former Security Chief VOA 15 Aug 2019 -- The United States has imposed a visa ban on the former director general of Sudan's national intelligence and security services for his alleged involvement in gross human rights violations.
Public Designation of Sudan's Salah Gosh under Section 7031(c) US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2019 -- Today, the United States designated Salah Abdalla Mohamed Mohamed Salih, known as Salah Gosh, the former director general of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2019 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (Div. F, P.L. 116-6), due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights.
China builds intelligence command system for celebration of 70th founding anniversary Global Times 14 Aug 2019 -- China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has requested local-level police organs speed up efforts in building an effective intelligence command system to prepare for the upcoming celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
Russian Scientists Complain New Rules Would Sharply Restrict Foreign Interaction RFE/RL 14 Aug 2019 -- Scientists say the Russian authorities have ordered new restrictions limiting the interaction between Russian scholars and their foreign counterparts.
Russia defends new security decree, saying its scientists targeted by spies '24/7' Press TV 14 Aug 2019 -- The Kremlin has defended a new security decree, saying foreign spies are observing Russian scientists at all times.
National-Security Council Chief: Ukraine's Spy Agency Is Top Reform Priority RFE/RL 14 Aug 2019 -- The reform of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) was high on the agenda at the August 13 meeting between the head of the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) and an international advisory group composed of representatives of the European Union, NATO, and the United States.
Czech Intelligence Says Foreign State Behind Ministry Cyberattack – Reports Sputnik 13 Aug 2019 -- A foreign country is responsible for the June cyberattack on the Czech Foreign Ministry, state television reported, citing the National Cyber and Information Security Agency.
US Army Sees First Use of Miniature 'Black Hornet' Recon Drones in Afghanistan Sputnik 12 Aug 2019 -- US Army infantry equipped with the Black Hornet pocket-sized reconnaissance drone have been deployed to Afghanistan, marking the first time the high-tech device has been tested in a combat theater.
Trump picks new acting intelligence chief Global Times 09 Aug 2019 -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will name Joseph Maguire, the current director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as the country's new acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Trump Names Counterterrorism Chief as Acting Director of National Intelligence VOA 08 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has wiped the slate clean at the nation's lead intelligence agency. Trump accepted the resignation Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon late Thursday, less than two weeks after announcing the agency's director, Dan Coats, would also be leaving.
SSCI Vice Chair Mark R. Warner on Sue Gordon office of Senator Warner 08 Aug 2019 -- U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement on the departure of Sue Gordon, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, effective August 15
Russian Citizen Detained Planning Alleged Sabotage At Ukraine Military Site RFE/RL 08 Aug 2019 -- Ukraine's SBU security service says it has detained a Russian man on suspicion of preparing an act of sabotage at a "strategically important military site."
Saudi crown prince pursuing plan to target Turkey, weaken Erdogan: UAE document Press TV 06 Aug 2019 -- A leaked UAE intelligence document shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pursuing a "strategic plan" aimed at weakening the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has adopted a tough position against Riyadh over the state-sponsored assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
U.S. imposes second round of sanctions on Russia over Salisbury poisoning People's Daily 03 Aug 2019 -- The U.S. State Department late Friday slapped a second round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Southern England in March 2018.
U.S. State Department Details New Skripal-Related Sanctions On Russia RFE/RL 03 Aug 2019 -- The U.S. State Department has detailed new sanctions imposed on Russia for its alleged involvement in the March 2018 near-fatal nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.
Treasury Announces Sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act US Treasury 03 Aug 2019 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today that it is implementing two sanctions on the Russian Federation as part of measures imposed by the U.S. government pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, as amended (“CBW Act”), in response to Russia’s use of the “Novichok” nerve agent in Salisbury, United Kingdom (UK) in March 2018.
Statement from Senate Intel Chairman Burr on ODNI Nomination Office of Senator Burr 02 Aug 2019
Trump says Ratcliffe no longer his pick for national intelligence chief People's Daily 03 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that lawmaker John Ratcliffe will no longer be his pick to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence.
Trump imposes new sanctions on Russia over Skripal poisoning Press TV 02 Aug 2019 -- US President Donald Trump has imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia over accusations that Moscow was involved in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain last year.
Trump Signs New Sanctions Against Russia RFE/RL 02 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed new sanctions on Russia for its alleged involvement in the March 2018 near-fatal nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain, a "regrettable" move that Moscow says will damage bilateral ties.
US Imposes New Round of Anti-Russian Sanctions Over Skripal Case Sputnik 02 Aug 2019 -- According to a senior Trump administration official, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that envisages new sanctions on Russia over the alleged nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018.

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