Public Intelligence Blog – Page 3137 – The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.

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When the truth is just around the corner

…what's your posture?

Sometimes, we get close to finding out who we really are, what's the status of our situation, what's holding us back. When one of those conversations is going on, do you lean in, eager for more, or do you back off, afraid of what it will mean?

Do you go out of your way to learn about your habits, relationships and strengths? Or what's driving traffic to your website? Or why you didn't get that job?

When your organization has a chance to see itself as its customers do, do your leaders crowd around, trying to glean every insight they can about the story and your future, or do they prefer the status quo?

There are more mirrors available than ever. Sometimes, though, what's missing is the willingness to take a look.

2011/08/012011/08/01

Richard Wright: Jail Time for Over-Classification?

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Director of National Intelligence et al (IC), DoD, Government

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Is it possible the good guys are going to win the issue of over-classifcation? Can a real Open Source Agency (OSA) become the new face of strateic intelligence?

Complaint Seeks Punishment for Classification of Documents

By SCOTT SHANE

New York Times, August 1, 2011

EXTRACT

Under the executive order governing classification, the punishment could include dismissal, suspension without pay, reprimand or loss of a security clearance.

. . . . . .

“I’ve never seen a more deliberate and willful example of government officials improperly classifying a document,” he said.

Phi Beta Iota: Since the early 1990's the general practice has been to classify everything, and agency heads and the limited number of classifying authorities have been severely derelict in their duty, allowing anyone down to the GS-1 night sweeper to classify documents “in their name.” In this specific instance, the Drake case, it would be quite nice to see someone go to jail. It won't happen, but both the Courts and the public are growing very intolerant of Executive malfeasance that would make Dick Cheney proud. In the purest sense of the world, the US Intelligence Community agency heads are corrupt. They lack integrity.

Reference: 1996 Hill Testimony on Secrecy

Reference: 1996 Testimony to Moynihan Commisson

1993 TESTIMONY on National Security Information

2011/08/01

Koko: Books on Complexity and Resilience

Book Lists

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There is a convergence among literatures, with complexity and resilience now bringing forth Ecological Economics, concepts of agile social response, and our favorite, Engineering Resilience, a multi-disciplinary mind-set most engineers are simply not up to (nor politicians, bureaucrats, etcetera).

Adapting Institutions: Governance, Complexity and Social-Ecological Resilience (Emily Boyd, Carl Folke (eds), 2011)

Viability and Resilience of Complex Systems: Concepts, Methods and Case Studies from Ecology and Society (Guillaume Deffuant, Nigel Gilbert (eds), 2011)

Spatial Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems (Graeme Cumming, 2011)

What Kind of Information Society? Governance, Virtuality, Surveillance, Sustainability, Resilience (Jacques Berleur, Magda David Hercheul, Lorenz M. Hilty (eds), 2010)

Continue reading “Koko: Books on Complexity and Resilience”

2011/08/01

Koko: Books on Early Warning & Prevention

Book Lists

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Early Warning is nice. Honest politicians willing to listen and learn is even nicer. We conclude that early warning must be very public and very understandable to the public at large. The challenge for Early Warning is to achieve coherence–no one cares about single issue early warning. The acme of skill is to achieve M4IS2 Early Warning–all threats, all policies, all true costs, “in your face.”

Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs (Len Fisher, 2011)

Coping with Global Environmental Change, Disasters and Security: Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks (Hans GunterBrauch et al (eds) 2011)

Famine Early Warning Systems and Remote Sensing Data (Molly Brown, 2010)

Earthquake Early Warning Systems (Paolo Gasparini, Gaetano Manfredi, Jochen Zschau (eds), 2010)

Anticipating African Conflicts: A Capability Assessment of the African Union and its Continental Early Warning System (Christian Nitschke Smith, 2009)

Heads Up!: Early Warning Systems for Climate-, Water- and Weather-Related Hazards (United Nations, 2009)

Conflict and Fragility Preventing Violence, War and State Collapse: The Future of Conflict Early Warning and Response (OECD, 2009)

reTHINK: A Twenty-First Century Approach to Preventing Societal Catastrophes (Donald B. Louria, KINDLE ONLY, 2009)

Continue reading “Koko: Books on Early Warning & Prevention”

2011/08/01

Winslow Wheeler: Defense Cuts, Defense Flim-Flam

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Budgets & Funding, Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, DoD, Government, IO Impotency, Military, Misinformation & Propaganda, Officers Call, Open Government, Peace Intelligence, Politics of Science & Science of Politics, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy, Strategy, Technologies

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WinslowWheeler Cropped — Winslow Wheeler

There are numerous misleading and misinformed assertions being made about the defense spending parts of the debt deal.

The White House's “fact sheet” asserts a $350 billion savings in the “base defense budget.” The $350 billion in defense savings that the White House declares apparently uses a different “baseline” (basis of comparison) and pretends that a two year cap the bill establishes on “security” spending will extend to ten years. Most misleading of all, it assumes that all savings in the “security” category (which includes DOD, DOE/nuclear weapons, all State Department related spending, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security) will occur only in DOD spending. In fact, the “security” category was designed to broaden the base for “defense” cuts and to lessen the impact on DOD. The undocumented $350 billion in “security” savings will actually translate into lesser reductions in DOD spending, but the amount is unknown. The actual amount will be decided by Congress in the future.

2011/08/012014/08/11

2014 Peace from Above: Envisioning the Future of UN Air Power

Advanced Cyber/IO, Analysis, Articles & Chapters, Augmented Reality, Autonomous Internet, Briefings & Lectures, Budgets & Funding, Collective Intelligence, Computer/online security, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Ethics, Geospatial, History, info-graphics/data-visualization, InfoOps (IO), International Aid, Journalism/Free-Press/Censorship, Key Players, Maps, Methods & Process, microfinancing, Mobile, Non-Governmental, Peace Intelligence, Policies, Policy, Real Time, Reform, Serious Games, Strategy, Technologies, Threats, Tools

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Steele Peace From Above 2.8 Cover — Click on Image to Enlarge

Short URL: http://tinyurl.com/UNODIN

Steele in Dorn Peace from Above As Published

Finally published in 2014 (Article) originally presented in 2011 (Briefing).

The chapter more fully integrates the DNI spiral between modern mature intelligence (M4IS2) and modern mature Air Power.

Abstract 3.1

Briefing 3.3 (29 Slides With Notes As Presented 40 KB pptx)

Event: 15-17 June Ontario UN Aerospace Power

UN Intelligence @ Phi Beta Iota

Worth a Look: Wings for Peace – First Book on Air Power in UN Operations

2011/08/012011/08/01

John Robb: US DoD Cuts Around $200 Billion a Year

03 Economy, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, IO Deeds of Peace

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Sunday, 31 July 2011

JOURNAL: Rumored US DoD Cuts

Here's what is circulating (assuming this budget impasse can be resolved, it gets more severe if it isn't):

DoD to cut $800 billion over 4 years. $200 billion a year out of a $600 b budget.
3 government employees must retire/leave before any new hire is made.

About 3 years ago when I was a speaker at the Highlands Conference (they run a private conference for the Secretary of Defense), I was asked what the biggest unexpected challenge facing the US defense department was. My answer: The DoD will only have half the budget it has today in five years. The trick is going to be: how to get down to that number in an orderly way.

Phi Beta Iota: These are long overdue cuts and barely scratch the surface. Between out of control research, overseas bases, out of control contractors, and the Navy/Air Force obsession with big complex systems that are of little use 90% of the time, there is much more work to be done. It must be driven by intelligene with integrity. That is not something that is now available within the US Government. It is also time to end the early retirement of military employees that have not seen combat, and to end double-dipping by retirees who sign on with contractors. One paycheck per person should be the standard. Anyone working after retirement gets up to 80% of their retirement check suspended with thanks from a grateful public.

Dr. Russell Ackoff on IC and DoD + Design RECAP

Reference: No More Secrets – Open Source Intelligence/Intelligence Reform Fight Round II