Military – Page 160 – Public Intelligence Blog

(1) Why is West Point in the business of studying the domestic activities of Americans?

(2) Why is such an effort spearheaded by an Israeli?

(3) Is it any wonder America's good old boys do not trust their own government?

Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right

Arie Perliger

West Point Combatting Terrorism Centrer, January 15, 2013

In the last few years, and especially since 2007, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of attacks and violent plots originating from individuals and groups who self-identify with the far-right of American politics. These incidents cause many to wonder whether these are isolated attacks, an increasing trend, part of increasing societal violence, or attributable to some other condition. To date, however, there has been limited systematic documentation and analysis of incidents of American domestic violence.

This study provides a conceptual foundation for understanding different far-right groups and then presents the empirical analysis of violent incidents to identify those perpetrating attacks and their associated trends. Through a comprehensive look at the data, this study addresses three core questions:

Continue reading “Penguin: Why is West Point Studying Domestic Movements? Led By an Israeli?”

2013/01/202015/02/05

Richard Wright: LtCol Shaffer (Able Danger, Operation Dark Heart) Accuses George Tenet of Shutting Down Able Danger, Stealing DoD Penetrations of Al Qaeda, and Lying to Congress

Corruption, Government, Military

Another odd tale of 9/11.

Ex-Army Officer Accuses CIA of Obstructing Pre-9/11 Intelligence-Gathering

Sunday, 20 January 2013 07:46 By Paul Church and Ray Nowosielski, Truthout

Offering new revelations about the CIA's role in shutting down military intelligence penetration of al-Qaeda, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer joins a growing list of government officials accusing former CIA director George Tenet of misleading federal investigators and sharing some degree of blame for the 9/11 attacks.

A decorated ex-clandestine operative for the Pentagon offers new revelations about the role the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played in the shut-down of the military's notorious Able Danger program, alleged to have identified five of the 9/11 hijackers inside America more than a year before the attacks.

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer joins a growing list of government officials accusing former CIA director George Tenet of misleading federal bodies and sharing some degree of blame for the attacks. Shaffer also adds to a picture emerging of the CIA's Bin Laden unit as having actively prevented other areas of intelligence, law enforcement and defense from properly carrying out their counterterrorism functions in the run-up to September 2001.

Read full (long) article.

Continue reading “Richard Wright: LtCol Shaffer (Able Danger, Operation Dark Heart) Accuses George Tenet of Shutting Down Able Danger, Stealing DoD Penetrations of Al Qaeda, and Lying to Congress”

2013/01/20

Wayne Madsen: CIA Report on Pollard, Israel-South Africa Nuclear Proliferation, Israel Trading US Nuclear Secrets to Russia

08 Wild Cards, Corruption, Government, Law Enforcement, Military

CIA Report: Israel Guilty of Nuclear Proliferation

Israeli spy was central cog in nuclear weapons proliferation alliance

It is clear that during the middle of December of last year that the Obama White House had settled on former Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to be the Secretary of Defense.

The U.S. Intelligence Community and defense establishment was told to come up with a strategy to combat the expected strong opposition to the nomination of the critical of Israel Hagel by that nation’s lobby in the United States.

The pro-Hagel circles needed a secret weapon to counteract the Israel supporters who would stress that Hagel was not supportive of the «special relationship» between the United States and Israel.

There was no better way to demonstrate that Israel was no special ally of the United States but a longtime hostile intelligence threat to America by declassifying a large part of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Damage Report arising from the intense espionage carried out by one-time U.S. Naval Intelligence spy Jonathan Jay Pollard on behalf of Israel.

The declassification of the long-classified Pollard report was made on December 16, 2012. However, the first substantial media reports on the report began around December 26.

The Jewish media, including Yeshiva World, Tablet Magazine, and Jewish Week, contended the report only showed that Pollard disclosed classified information on Arab and Soviet military capabilities, ignoring the fact that Pollard’s disclosures revealed the nature of U.S. intelligence sources and methods in obtaining such information, thereby putting U.S. civilian and military assets in extreme jeopardy.

The one major explosive revelation in the declassified report is Pollards’ involvement in a highly-classified Israeli-South African program to test a nuclear weapon in the South Atlantic/South Indian Ocean region in September 1979.

The Pollard Damage Assessment was prepared by the Director of Central Intelligence’s Foreign Denial and Deception Analysis Committee and issued on October 30, 1987.

The report reveals for the first time that Pollard began working as a U.S. naval intelligence watch officer the same month that Israel and South Africa, possibly with the financial support of Taiwan, detonated a nuclear device in the South Atlantic/South Indian Ocean near South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands.

Read full article.

Continue reading “Wayne Madsen: CIA Report on Pollard, Israel-South Africa Nuclear Proliferation, Israel Trading US Nuclear Secrets to Russia”

2013/01/202013/01/20

Marcus Aurelius: White House Has Two Strikes With Marine Corps — Could It Be Time for a Professional National Security Advisor in Lieu of a Party / Public Relations Flack?

Corruption, Ethics, Government, Military

This is the antecedent to my previous post on Gen. Mattis.

The administration’s mishandling of Marine Gen. James Mattis

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Friday, January 18, 2013 – 9:50 AM

Word on the national security street is that General James Mattis is being given the bum's rush out of his job as commander of Central Command, and is being told to vacate his office several months earlier than planned.

Why the hurry? Pentagon insiders say that he rubbed civilian officials the wrong way — not because he went all “mad dog,” which is his public image, and the view at the White House, but rather because he pushed the civilians so hard on considering the second- and third-order consequences of military action against Iran. Some of those questions apparently were uncomfortable. Like, what do you do with Iran once the nuclear issue is resolved and it remains a foe? What do you do if Iran then develops conventional capabilities that could make it hazardous for U.S. Navy ships to operate in the Persian Gulf? He kept saying, “And then what?”

Inquiry along these lines apparently was not welcomed — at least in the CENTCOM view. The White House view, apparently, is that Mattis was too hawkish, which is not something I believe, having seen him in the field over the years. I'd call him a tough-minded realist, someone who'd rather have tea with you than shoot you, but is happy to end the conversation either way.

Presidents should feel free to boot generals anytime they want, of course — that's our system, and one I applaud. But ousting Mattis at this time, and in this way, seems wrong for several reasons:

TIMING: If Mattis leaves in March, as now appears likely, that means there will be a new person running CENTCOM just as the confrontation season with Iran begins to heat up again.

Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: White House Has Two Strikes With Marine Corps — Could It Be Time for a Professional National Security Advisor in Lieu of a Party / Public Relations Flack?”

2013/01/202013/01/20

Marcus Aurelius: White House Flushing US Hawks on Iran — Meanwhile, Intelligence with Integrity About Iran is Completely Lacking

Corruption, Government, Military

From all I've heard and read, Gen Mattis is one of finest GO's to come along in a very long time.)

The ouster of Mattis: Some follow-up details and a White House response

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Saturday, January 19, 2013 – 5:17 PM Share

Here are a few things I have heard since I posted my comments on Friday about the Obama administration pushing General Mattis out at Central Command. Thanks to all who wrote in to make this follow-up possible:

A particular point of disagreement was what to do about mischief Iran is exporting to other countries. Mattis is indeed more hawkish on this than the White House was.

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon in particular was irked by Mattis's insistence on being heard. I cringe when I hear about civilians shutting down strategic discussions. That is exactly what the Bush administration did in late 2002 when generals persisted in questioning whether it was wise to invade Iraq. That led to what some might call a fiasco.

I wonder if Donilon understands that the key to making effective, sustainable national security policy is having robust, candid discussions between civilian and military leaders that bring to the surface differences and also explore assumptions. I am told that that is what Mattis was trying to do. He knows, as do all smart generals, that in our system, at the end of the discussion the civilians get to decide what to do. In a talk at Johns Hopkins SAIS in late November, Mattis said that, “We military leaders have a right and duty to be heard, to give our best military advice, but we were not elected to and we have no right to dictate.” (In the same talk, Mattis also likened Cairo today to Paris in 1789 — a very interesting thought, and one that made me wonder if 15 years from now, one Arab leader will dominate the entire region as Napoloen dominated Europe early in the 19^th century.)

Insisting on being heard should be part of the duty of a senior general. That's the lesson of two great books: H.R. McMaster's Dereliction of Duty and Eliot Cohen's Supreme Command. Indeed, General Mattis cited the latter in his talk at Johns Hopkins SAIS. I suspect Donilon needs to brush up on both.
Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: White House Flushing US Hawks on Iran — Meanwhile, Intelligence with Integrity About Iran is Completely Lacking”

2013/01/202013/01/20

Marcus Aurelius: Hagel Military Policy Record

Ethics, Military

Omaha World-Herald, January 20, 2013

Chuck Hagel Military Policy Views On The Record

By Paul Goodsell and Joseph Morton, World-Herald Staff Writers

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel faces a Jan. 31 confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his appointment by the president as secretary of defense.

During his 12 years in the Senate — and the four years since he left office — Hagel has taken positions on a number of issues related to military policy.

Much of the public focus on Hagel recently has been on his initial support of and later opposition to the Iraq War, his caution about military intervention in Iran over its nuclear program, and the depth of his support for Israel. Senators are sure to ask Hagel about those issues.

But here are some additional areas that could come up:

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2013/01/202013/01/20

Marcus Aurelius: Hagel as Theater or Change Agent?

Ethics, Military

Sen Hagel, if confirmed as SECDEF, may start firing Service Secretaries. Keeping Acquisition and Intelligence will be a sure sign that nothing is actually going to change.

Sources: Carter, Others Expected To Stay

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs and Marcus Weisgerber

Washington Post, 21 January 2013

Although the transition between presidential terms is usually marked by large-scale personnel turnover at politically appointed government posts, sources said that this time, many of the most important leaders at the Pentagon are likely to stay, creating continuity in a time of fiscal uncertainty.

Among them, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is expected to stay on for at least one year following confirmation of the top Defense Department job, according to Pentagon sources.

While it appears more and more likely that former Sen. Chuck Hagel will be confirmed to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Hagel will likely inherit much of his predecessor’s team. Besides Carter, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, and Robert Hale, Defense Department comptroller, are likely to remain, sources said.

According to a Pentagon official, the president asked Carter to stay in his current DoD post, a decision, sources added, was made easier because of the good relationship he has with Hagel.

Carter had been rumored as a candidate for Cabinet-level positions, but that possibility appears to have passed for the moment. Michael Vickers, who was considered for the job of CIA director, is thought likely to remain at DoD as well.

None of the decisions has been finalized, as Hagel will be given the option to push for his own people, but sources don’t expect Hagel to rock the boat. Change is more likely to occur at the service head level, said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank. But those decisions are likely to wait until a new secretary is settled, Thompson said. And while the staffs may remain similar, there will be a distinction in mandate and ideology between the current and likely defense chiefs.

Read full article.

Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: Hagel as Theater or Change Agent?”