Category: 08 Wild Cards

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Journal: Norwegians Smack Down Quantum Crypto

08 Wild Cards, Government, IO Secrets, Officers Call

Quantum Cryptography Breached With Lasers

Using lasers to blind quantum cryptography photon detectors, Norwegian computer scientists were able to obtain a copy of a secure key without leaving any trace of their presence.

By Mathew J. Schwartz
InformationWeek
September 8, 2010 07:00 AM

Norwegian computer scientists have perfected a laser-based attack against quantum cryptography systems that allows them to eavesdrop on communications without revealing their presence.

Phi Beta Iota: Clever Norwegians.  We have zero sympathy.  The US secret community, at $75 billion a year and climbin, is beyond waste, fraud, and abuse and heavily into betrayal of the public trust as well as high crimes and misdemeanors.  It should be scaled back to $25 billion or less and the savings redirected to education & research.  The reality is that what the US taxpayer–and all other citizens everywhere need–are transparent governments that create trust, enjoy legitimacy, and can deliver value.

See Also:

Graphic: Jim Bamford on the Human Brain
Journal: Brains Beat Algorithms….Again
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Corruption
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Dereliction of Duty (Defense)
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Disinformation, Other Information Pathologies, & Repression
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Institutionalized Ineptitude
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Intelligence (Lack Of)

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Search: afghanistan minerals

08 Wild Cards, Searches

This seemed worthwhile.  Although below appear on this site already, we have done some prospecting and pulled a few other graphics and reports together.

Afghanistan War Wealth + Corruption Cycle (Opium, Hashish, Minerals, Past Pipeline Attempts)

Journal: Pentagon Lies, NYT Sells Out, Obama Fiddles

New today, thank you for the inspiration:

Full Story Online

Propaganda Busters:  Afghanistan minerals, China to USA & NATO: Thank you.

Known Resources 2008

Afghan mining contracts up for grabs

Vast $Trillion Mineral Deposits Discovered in Afghanistan – Mineral Maps – Taliban Maps – Videos

Continue reading “Search: afghanistan minerals”

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Journal: General Mike Flynn from AF to DC

08 Wild Cards, Military, Officers Call

U.S. intel chief in Afghanistan leaves post

By Anne Gearan and Kimberly Dozier – The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 9, 2010 12:11:01 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Army spokesman says the top U.S. and NATO intelligence officer in Afghanistan is on his way to another job.

Spokesman Col. Thomas Collins did not say what job Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn would take, as the move had not yet been approved by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But two defense officials say Flynn will become a top troubleshooter for the Director of National Intelligence. The officials spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

Flynn is expected to be replaced by Brig. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, the current intelligence officer at the U.S. Central Command in Florida.

See Also:

Reference: Fixing Intel–A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan

Continue reading “Journal: General Mike Flynn from AF to DC”

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Journal: Court Excuses CIA & KR Rendition & Torture

07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Justice, Corruption, Government, Intelligence (government), Officers Call, Peace Intelligence

Full Story Online

CIA rendition: US court throws out torture case, citing state secrets

Appeals court judges sound apologetic tone in ruling; plaintiffs say they were tortured overseas in ‘extraordinary rendition' program.

Under the state secrets doctrine, courts have generally granted deference to executive branch claims that certain litigation may involve highly sensitive US government information which, if disclosed, would cause significant damage to national security.

. . . . . .

In a dissent joined by four other judges, Judge Michael Hawkins said the court was wrong to dismiss the entire lawsuit at such an early stage. He said the case should be remanded to a federal judge to determine to what extent actual evidence in the case might raise a threat of disclosing state secrets.

Hawkins acknowledged that the state secrets doctrine is an established precedent. But he said the privilege need not be so broadly enforced.

“The doctrine is so dangerous as a means of hiding governmental misbehavior under the guise of national security, and so violative of common rights of due process, that courts should confine its application to the narrowest circumstances that still protect the government’s essential secrets,” he wrote.

The majority concluded its opinion with a quasi apology to the plaintiffs. “Our holding today is not intended to foreclose – or to prejudge – possible nonjudicial relief, should it be warranted for any of the plaintiffs,” Judge Fisher said.

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Reference: Strategic Survey 2010 includes Afghanistan

04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Terrorism, Analysis, Monographs, Strategy, United Nations & NGOs
Berto Jongman Recommends...
Overview & Ordering Online

This year's survey places strong emphasis on the global nature of economic and financial vulernability, and on Afghanistan.  Below is a quote in two sections  from the official press statement releasing the survey to the public.

Strategic Survey 2010 does not seek to lay out a new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan. It does however argue that for Western states to be pinned down militarily and psychologically in Afghanistan will not be in the service of their wider political and security interests. The challenge of Afghanistan must be viewed and addressed in proportion to the other threats to international security and the other requirements for foreign-policy investment. With economic, financial and diplomatic activity moving at such a pace and with such varied outcomes internationally, military operations in general have to be all the more carefully considered. Precision and adaptability will be essential watchwords. For heavy, large, military deployment, the longue durée will be seen as an attitude for other times, other centuries.

The Afghan campaign has involved not just mission creep but mission multiplication; narrowing the political-military engagement to core goals as described will allow for proper attention to be paid to other areas posing international terrorist risks, and indeed to other matters affecting international security.

See Also:

Search: Strategic Analytic Model

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Journal: General Petraeus–Human Terrain Team NOT

08 Wild Cards, Cultural Intelligence, Methods & Process, Military, Peace Intelligence
"Is that HTT crawling across the rug over there?"

Did Gen. David Petraeus just call the Human Terrain System worthless? With a few choice sentences to the Wall Street Journal, the top commander in Afghanistan highlighted the disconnect between what the Army’s social science program is supposed to be doing — and what’s actually happening in the field.

“We have never had the granular understanding of local circumstances in Afghanistan that we achieved over time in Iraq,” Petraeus told the Journal. “One of the key elements in our ability to be agile in our activities in Iraq during the surge was a pretty good understanding who the power brokers were in local areas, how the systems were supposed to work, how they really worked.”

Phi Beta Iota: The General fails to recollect that under the Cheney-Bremer regime, all were told to ignore the imams and tribal leaders.  It was only much later, after five years of failure, more or less, than some bright general decided to get back to basics.  As Winston Churchill liked to say, “The Americans always do the right thing, they just try everything else first.”  HTT has been a known failure since its inception.  For one view of how it should fit in with the other fourteen slices of Human Intelligence (HUMINT), see the new monograph from the Strategic Studies Institute,  Human Intelligence: All Humans, All Minds, All the Time (June 2010).    See also John Stanton on HTT Failures.

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Journal: Cognitive Dissonance in Afghanistan

07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, Methods & Process, Military
Marcus Aurelius Recommends

The author was “ordered home” within 24 hours (took three days to get him out).  Multiple commentaries suggest that he is actually “understated” in his remarks.  Below the line is balance of article, Small Wars Journal intelligence commentary, and link to illustrated blog with added value.  EDIT of 7 Sep 2010 to add comment from LtCol  Karen Kwiatkowski, USAF (Ret), at end.

Outside View: PowerPoints ‘R' Us

United Press International (UPI)

Aug 24 10:19 AM US/Eastern

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 24 (UPI) — Throughout my career I have been known to walk that fine line between good taste and unemployment. I see no reason to change that now.

Consider the following therapeutic.

I have been assigned as a staff officer to a headquarters in Afghanistan for about two months. During that time, I have not done anything productive. Fortunately little of substance is really done here, but that is a task we do well.

We are part of the operational arm of the International Security Assistance Force commanded by U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus. It is composed of military representatives from all the NATO countries, several of which I cannot pronounce.

Officially, IJC was founded in late 2009 to coordinate operations among all the regional commands in Afghanistan. More likely it was founded to provide some general a three-star command. Starting with a small group of dedicated and intelligent officers, IJC has successfully grown into a stove-piped and bloated organization, top-heavy in rank. Around here you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a colonel.

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