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House to weigh drone privacy
The Hill The House Judiciary Committee's Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee is meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the privacy protections that will need to be put in place to go along with a large increase in nonmilitary drone use. and more » |
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the U.S. must be prepared for a “large, Armageddon-scale” cyber attack during remarks Thursday at an annual conference of U.S. intelligence community members, but he said that was not likely.
“Cyber threats to U.S. national and economic security are increasing in frequency, scale, sophistication and the severity of impact,” Clapper said. “Although we must be prepared for a large, Armageddon-scale strike that would debilitate the entire U.S. infrastructure, it’s not our belief that that’s the most likely scenario. Rather, our primary concern is the low- to moderate-level cyber attacks from a variety of sources which will continue and probably expand. This imposes increasing costs, as you indicate, to our businesses, to U.S. economic competitiveness and to national security.“
“We must be prepared for a large Armageddon-scale attack that would debilitate our infrastructure,” Clapper says off-script, says unlikely
— Spencer Ackerman (@attackerman) September 10, 2015
A report out Thursday showed the Department of Energy was hacked more than 150 times between 2010 and 2014, making it the latest government agency to be victimized by cyber attacks. A data theft from the Office of Personnel Management reported this year affected more than 21 million people.
Clapper also addressed the Syrian refugee crisis in his remarks:
“As they descend on Europe, one of the obvious issues that we worry about, and in turn as we bring refugees into this country, is exactly what’s their background?” Clapper said during remarks at an annual U.S. intelligence community conference in Washington, D.C.“We don’t obviously put it past the likes of ISIL to infiltrate operatives among these refugees.”He deemed the possibility a “huge concern” among officials in the intelligence community as Western countries endure increasing pressure to accept Syrian refugees amid the Syrian civil war.The United States has allowed in under 2,000 Syrian refugees. While Clapper on Wednesday lauded the “pretty aggressive” means by which U.S. authorities screen refugees attempting to enter the country, he added that he does not have as much faith in the systems set up by European nations.
The post Clapper: US Must Prepare for ‘A Large, Armageddon-Scale’ Cyber Attack appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.
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 Business Insider |
The director of the CIA secretly helped produce Hollywood's biggest movie ...
Business Insider "Zero Dark Thirty" has always been controversial. The movie depicted the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden and the eventual Navy SEAL raid that killed him. Even before it was released in December 2012, the movie had kicked off a firestorm among both ... The CIA and the Zero Dark Thirty Filmmakers: Who Used Who?The Atlantic New Records Show CIA's Involvement in 'Zero Dark Thirty'Deadline Zero Dark Thirty Producers Accused of Using Luxury Goods to Woo C.I.A.Vanity Fair GovExec.com-Hollywood Reporter -Washington Post (blog) all 24 Truthdig all 20 news articles » |
The Pentagon's most secure laboratories may have mislabeled, improperly stored and shipped samples of the deadly plague bacteria, according to new reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC flagged the practices during inspections last month at an Army lab in Maryland, prompting an emergency ban on ...
Visa and MasterCard have issued an October 2015 deadline for the switch from the swipe-and-sign cards, the standard in the U.S., to a chip-reading system, which is used nearly everywhere else in the world.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Cyberattacks against American interests are likely to continue and grow more damaging, in part because hackers face a low risk of consequences, the director of national intelligence told Congress Thursday.
James Clapper, the nation's top intelligence official, told the House intelligence committee that a muted response to ...
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Cyberattacks against American interests are likely to continue and grow more damaging, in part because hackers face a low risk of consequences, the director of national intelligence told Congress Thursday.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) is petitioning the Republican leadership to delay an upcoming vote in Congress on the recent Iranian nuclear agreement due to what he says is the Obama administration’s failure to provide lawmakers with all documents pertaining to the deal, according to a copy of a letter sent by Cruz on Thursday.
Cruz, in a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and Rep. John Boehner (R., Ohio), urged the top Republicans to delay the vote and instead work to tighten sanctions on Iran in order to prevent it from receiving billions of dollars promised to it by the Obama administration.
Cruz lays out three legal maneuvers that could be used to delay congressional action on the deal—thereby stalling it—and prevent the Obama administration from unilaterally lifting U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The Republican presidential candidate also threatens to take legal action against the CEOs of leading banks should they comply with the Obama administration’s order to unfreeze Iranian assets, which Cruz argues is illegal.
Iran is set to receive around $150 billion in sanctions relief. International restrictions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its top leaders also would be lifted as part of the deal.
Cruz suggests that, by not submitting documents related to side deals made between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the administration has failed to comply with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. “Therefore,” Cruz argues, “the 60-day clock for congressional review has not yet begun to run. And, critically, as a result, federal law prohibits the Obama administration from lifting sanctions.”
The issue of secret side deals made between Iran and the IAEA has been a key sticking point for critics of the deal. The United States is not permitted to know the details of these side deals, which govern inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites, and Iran has threatened to harm any IAEA official who discloses the nature of the agreements.
Cruz goes on to suggest that McConnell “introduce a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that, if the agreement had been introduced as a treaty, it should not be ratified,” according to the letter.” This will put everyone on record and will make clear that there is insufficient support in the Senate for approving the agreement as a treaty.”
As a last resort, U.S. banks could be held legally liable for unfreezing Iranian assets, which Cruz calls a violation of U.S. law.
“We can assume, based on his past practice, that President Obama will simply ignore the law and declare that he is lifting sanctions under the agreement anyway,” Cruz writes.” On that assumption, we should make clear to the CEOs of banks holding frozen Iranian funds that their misplaced reliance on the president’s lawlessness would not necessarily excuse them from the obligation to comply with existing federal sanctions laws.”
“And if they release billions in funds to Khamenei, they risk billions in civil (and possibly even criminal) liability once President Obama leaves office,” the letter continues. “Having spent years advising major corporations in private practice, I can tell you that their general counsels will likely tell them their legal exposure is real, which could well result in the banks deciding not to release the funds to Iran, the president’s lawless waivers notwithstanding.”
The post Cruz Pressures Congressional Leadership to Delay Iran Deal Vote appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota lawmaker is pushing for a nationwide investigation into the Veterans Administration to determine how many unqualified personnel have performed traumatic brain injury exams.
The request by Democratic Rep. Tim Walz follows an investigation by KARE-TV (http://kare11.tv/1Nk4Xws ) that determined the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis ...
Airbus and the MoD are denying an agreement exists to provide the military solar-powered surveillance UAVs.
The Hill |
FBI to Silicon Valley: Give us access
The Hill FBI Director James Comey wants Silicon Valley to help create a workaround that would give government access to encrypted data, despite public resistance from major tech companies. “There shouldn't be venom,” he said during a House Intelligence ... and more » |
Bernie Sanders has more than three times the support among young likely participants in the Iowa Democratic Caucus than that of challenger Hillary Clinton.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 66 percent of 18-to 34-year-old Iowa Democrats likely to caucus in February plan to vote for 74-year-old Sanders, about 3.5 times the 19 percent who back former secretary of State Clinton.
Among all Democrats likely to caucus, Sanders maintains a slight lead over Clinton, winning 41 percent of the vote to her 40 percent. However, the independent Vermont senator’s support is fiercest among the younger sectors of Democratic voters in the state, while Clinton, 67, holds an edge with those over age 50.
The youngest sector of likely Democratic Caucus participants in the state are also much more likely than their older counterparts to name Clinton as a candidate who they definitely would not support for the nomination, as 20 percent identify the former secretary of state as such.
Moreover, a plurality of these 18-to-34-year-old Democrats–49 percent–view Clinton as not trustworthy as she continues to battle controversy surrounding her use of a private email account while working in the Obama administration. Only 47 percent label Clinton trustworthy.
Unsurprisingly, these young Democratic Iowans are most likely among age groups to have an unfavorable view of Clinton.
The poll results come just a day after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) praisedSanders for his particular appeal among younger liberal voters that she witnessed on the West Coast during the August recess.
“I was going right down that trail and it was just amazing to see,” Pelosi told journalists in her Washington, D.C., office, according to The Hill. “Parents would come to me and say, ‘I’m for Hillary, I’m for this one, I’m for that one, [but] my kids are all for Bernie Sanders.’
“It’s a younger demographic, and I think that it’s really good for the country [and] certainly for the Democratic Party for him to attract people to the polls,” Pelosi said. She has yet to formally endorse a Democratic candidate for president.
Sanders has enjoyed similar surges in other states such as New Hampshire, where he is currently leading Clinton.
The post Young Iowa Dems 3.5 Times More Likely to Support Sanders than Clinton appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.
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Paris – Systems company Thales and Safran’s Sagem defense unit are the companies competing to supply a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle for the French Army, as competitors Airbus and Israel Aerospace Industries are no longer in the tender, website La
September 10, 2015, 8:40 PM (IDT)
Al Qaeda’s Ayman Al-Zawahri, after three years’ silence, has offered to cooperate with ISIS, stepping in as fundamentalist voices in Tehran call for talks with the Islamic State. Who will get there first?
September 10, 2015, 8:40 PM (IDT)
The Russian military presence in Syria on land, sea and air, must severely inhibit S operations against ISIS, especially air strikes and Israeli action against Iranian forces in Syria. Moscow may be extending its protection of Bashar Assad to Hizballah as well.
September 10, 2015, 8:41 PM (IDT)
Israel drones have been upgraded with Japanese technology to see into the cores of nuclear plants and collect samples. The data and radioactive dust found in undeclared Iranian nuclear plants have been handed to the US and the nuclear watchdog.
September 10, 2015, 8:41 PM (IDT)
The Russian force’s missions are to stabilize the Assad regime by bolstering his flagging military on all warfronts in collaboration with Iran, while attacking all rebel forces, especially those with Chechen fighters.
September 10, 2015, 8:41 PM (IDT)
Russia has plunged full tilt into direct combat in the Syrian conflict with the landing of hundreds of Russian marines on the coast of Latakia – all accompanied with heavy weaponry, including missiles and drones. Two of the units are fresh from combat in Ukraine alongside pro-Russian separatists.
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Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Declares War on ISIS 'Caliph' Al-Baghdadi (ABC News)
Just ahead of the fourteenth anniversary of al Qaeda's 9/11 attacks on the U.S., the leader of the terrorist group took aim in an angry speech at a mortal enemy -- but not American “crusaders” this time. Rather, the object of his tirade was the leader of ISIS in a declaration of war that will “irreconcilably” divide the two terror groups in a way the U.S. may be able to exploit, experts say.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor who replaced Osama bin Laden as the head of al Qaeda four years ago, in a new audio message accused ISIS top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of “sedition” and insisted the Iraqi terrorist recluse was not the leader of all Muslims and militant jihad as “caliph” of the Islamic State, as al-Baghdadi had claimed 14 months ago in a Mosul mosque.
Had ISIS and al Qaeda realigned by joining forces, it “would be terrible,” said Olsen, an ABC News contributor.
That division -- now formally declared by the highest ranking official of the group that slaughtered almost 3,000 Americans 14 years ago in multi-pronged aviation attacks -- could provide an opening that American counter-terrorism operatives could find a way to exploit, he added.
Olsen said the U.S. could use misinformation to further pit the two jihadi menaces against each other and encourage the series of gunfights and assassinations each has waged against the other -- like when ISIS reportedly killed a top Zawahiri emissary trying to broker a ceasefire between the fighters in Syria in February 2014.
The fledgling franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as IS Khorasan Province, “has been fighting non-stop” with the Taliban and al Qaeda there, a counter-terrorism official told ABC News. “Fighting each other makes our job easier,” said the official in Afghanistan.
In the new audio tape, which was released online Wednesday and accompanied by a still image or al-Zawahiri and text of his speech, the al Qaeda leader appeared to confirm that he had not directly addressed infighting among the jihadis of ISIS and al Qaeda’s Syrian wing, Jabhat al-Nusra or the al Nusra Front, for fear of legitimizing ISIS.
ISIS, formerly the al Qaeda branch in Iraq, split from the larger group two years ago. In the tape, al-Zawahiri complained that Baghdadi had ignored Muslims suffering in Gaza and in Pakistan.
“We preferred to respond with as little as possible, out of our concern to extinguish the fire of sedition,” Zawahiri explained, “but Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his brothers did not leave us a choice, for they have demanded that all the mujahideen reject their confirmed pledges of allegiance, and to pledge allegiance to them for what they claim of a caliphate.”
“Everyone was surprised” by Baghdadi’s declaration anointing himself the fourth caliph in Islamic history, Zawahiri remarked, saying al-Baghdadi had done this “without consulting the Muslims.”
Al-Zawahiri's sour grapes speech, however, appeared to have been recorded last spring, analysts said, and reiterated past pledges of loyalty to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who recently was confirmed dead by the Taliban. That appeared to mark a rare misstep for al Qaeda and al-Zawahiri, who once was able to leak his videotaped response to news events as quickly as one week later, but who now is in hiding with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head.
Nicholas Palarino, a recently retired senior congressional counter-terrorism adviser who teaches about terrorism at Georgetown University, said al-Zawahiri being forced to call out al-Baghdadi weakens the power of both al Qaeda and ISIS and may offer Arab governments a window of opportunity to drive a wedge between the jihadi groups and those who are flocking to fight in Syria and Iraq.
“Moderate Muslims need to exploit this rift. The leaders of Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt can explain the differences between these two groups to the world’s Muslims,” Palarino said.
Though it didn't foresee the rise of ISIS, former CIA Director Michael Hayden said the intelligence community had predicted a rift in al Qaeda emerging after bin Laden's death -- something like what's happening now between ISIS and al Qaeda, which the U.S. could use to its advantage.
"It would be a good idea to do so. We always thought that the death of bin Laden could create a rift between the Egyptians and the other Arabs inside al Qaeda since Zawahiri was an Egyptian. Seems to have played out," former CIA Director Michael Hayden told ABC News.
When it comes to exploiting the rift between two deadly extremist groups, however, Hayden cautioned, "You need to be careful."
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Good morning and welcome to the Early Bird Brief. Please send news tips and suggestions to Early Bird Editor Oriana Pawlyk: opawlyk@militarytimes.com. And follow her on Twitter: @Oriana0214
Subscribe to the Early Bird Brief e-newsletter and have the defense industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered to your inbox each morning.
Today's Headlines and Commentaryby Elina Saxena, Quinta Jurecic
The Islamic State is now ransoming two foreign hostages kidnapped in Syria, one Norwegian and one Chinese citizen. CNN reports that pictures posted in the latest issue of the group’s online magazine, Dabiq, appeared to show the two hostages wearing yellow prison outfits along with a description of the hostages as “for sale.” On that note, the New York Times examines the difficult tightrope Beijing must walk now that ISIS has captured its first Chinese citizen. Might this lead the Chinese government to rethink its hands-off approach to ISIS and other extremist groups abroad?
Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has criticized the Islamic State for drawing away jihadists from other militant groups. Despite his rebuke, however, Zawahiri did not reject the possibility of collaboration in “killing the crusaders and secularists and Shiites even though I don’t recognize the legitimacy of their state”--because “the matter is bigger than that.” How gracious of him.
Politico discusses the troubles facing the Pentagon's plan to raise a rebel army in Syria. One year following congressional authorization of a $500 million program to train and equip Syrians to fight the Islamic State, the meager 54 fighters yielded by the program are either dead, captured, or missing.In examining the failure, critics point to the requirement that trainees pledge to fight the Islamic State exclusively, which may have significantly limited the recruitment pool.
Shane Harris of the Daily Beast highlights the politicizing of intelligence reports, as intelligence analysts say that their reports on the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria were altered by senior officials, so as to present a rosier picture of U.S. success in the mission against ISIS. These complaints--raised by more than 50 analysts at the U.S. military's Central Command--echo concerns raised over “cherry-picked intelligence about Iraq’s supposed weapons program in 2002 and 2003.”
But news of this alleged cherry-picking doesn’t seem to have affected General Martin Dempsey’s view of anti-ISIS efforts. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated yesterday that ISIS’s future is “increasingly dim”... despite what he referred to as the current “tactical stalemate.”
General Dempsey also described the conflict with ISIS as both long-term and requiring significant international cooperation. Australia seems to agree. In light of the Australian government's recent decision to begin airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, the country's Foreign Minister Julie Bishopsuggested that Australia could be involved in the fight against ISIS for "years” to come.
The Irish Times explores the various efforts that have been made to assess challenges faced by the West and its allies in the online fight against the Islamic State. Data analysts studying the spread of information online are now hoping to use this information to help counter the spread of extremism.
The Guardian reports that more terror related arrests have been made this past year in the United Kingdom than in any other 12 month period---a 31% increase compared to the previous year. This period also held a record number of arrests for women, and the number of arrests of persons between the ages of 18 and 20 more than doubled. Meanwhile, the Somali-American community in Minneapolis also continues to struggle with the problem of radicalization, and the Times examines a controversial new mentoring initiative that aims to dissuade young people from extremism.
More Russian transport planes have been spotted flying to Syria, fueling suspicions that Moscow is preparing to fly combat missions to support its long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad. According toForeign Policy, officials reported that “at least four Russian Condor cargo planes and several naval ships have delivered an array of military equipment and hardware in recent days.” These shipments are said to be carrying air traffic control towers, ground equipment for servicing aircraft, housing units, two tank landing ships, and dozens of armored vehicles. Following the closure of Bulgarian airspace to Russian cargo planes, Iran has announced its decision to open its airspace to Russian transport flights bound for Syria.
Adding to these concerns, the AP reports on the arrival of Russian troops in Syria, with Lebanese sources alleging that Russian forces have begun to cooperate with Assad’s forces in military operations. The Russian soldiers bound for Syria are from the 810th Marine Brigade, better known for their role in Russia’s takeover of Crimea 18 months ago.
According to the Times, Russia continues to claim that the Russian military’s presence is “part of a longstanding agreement to provide military aid to the country.” A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry explained that any “further measures to intensify counterterrorism efforts” would rest “solely on the basis of international law and the Russian legislation.”
Russia isn’t the only foreign actor boosting its presence in Syria. The Guardian reports that the United Kingdom is finalizing a new strategy for Syria that will include military strikes and a stronger diplomatic push to bring the war to an end. British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament, “Assad has to go, ISIL has to go. Some of that will require not just spending money, not just aid, not just diplomacy but it will on occasion require hard military force.” The BBC notes that the opposition Labor party also plans to support airstrikes in Syria.
And of the more Islamist variety, militants affiliated with the al Nusra Front seized the Syrian government’s last army air base in Idlib province, effectively booting the Assad regime from the northwestern part of the country. Idlib is the second of Syria’s 14 provinces to fall completely out of Syrian army control.
Last week, photographs of a Syrian boy drowned on the coast of Turkey sparked an international outcry for supporting refugees. Now, ISIS is using the same photographs to suggest that those abandoning the caliphate deserved their fate. The Guardian has the story.
Washington has announced its decision to take in more refugees, says the Post, while French opinion polls increasingly favor the intake of refugees from war-torn regions. Echoing this wave of support for refugee intake, Australia also pledged to take in 12,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria, focusing on women, children, and families "who are members of persecuted minorities." Yet not everyone is in favor of letting refugees seek shelter within their borders: the Hungarian military has been conducting exercises near the Serbian border with military officials alluding to the role of the army in securing the country’s borders. The Times has more.
Four years after shutting its doors, the Israeli embassy in Egypt has reopened, the Times tells us. The return of Israeli diplomats to Cairo may be a sign of the Israeli government’s willingness to strengthen ties with the government of President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, now that the tumult that forced the embassy to close appears to have receded.
Yet the chaos in Egypt is far from over. The AP reports that U.S. peacekeepers in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula will receive an increased level of protection in the wake of violence caused by the ISIS affiliate Sinai Province.
Violence in Yemen has become so destructive that Yemenis are now fleeing to… Somalia. Defense One notes that the Somaliland government has expressed concern over the fragile country’s ability to take in refugees. Meanwhile, Reuters writes that Saudi air strikes have targeted Houthi political leaders in Sanaa, and the Journal raises concerns that al-Qaeda may be benefiting from the Iran-Saudi proxy war raging within Yemen.
Defense One's Molly O'Toole also discusses Hillary Clinton’s remarks yesterday at the Brookings Institution. The presidential candidate and former Secretary of State not only strongly endorsed the nuclear agreement with Iran, but went further in setting forward a tough “whole-of-region” approach aimed at countering Iranian influence.
Now that the Obama administration has racked up 42 Senators in favor of the nuclear deal, the game has changed, and the Journal reports on the G.O.P.’s struggle to stop the deal from going through. While some House Republicans are now attempting to delay the vote on the deal, on the grounds that the White House has failed to abide by the requirements stipulated in the original legislation mandating a congressional vote on the matter, The Hill tells us that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has rejected this strategy. The AP reports that any Republican efforts to block the vote are unlikely to succeed.
Whatever the outcome of the vote in Congress, no love will be lost between the United States and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Ayatollah maintained yesterday that the United States is “Satan” and suggested that Iran will not negotiate with the United States beyond the Iran deal. In remarks made on his Twitter account and personal website, went on to say that Israel will not exist in 25 years.The Times has more.
The Wall Street Journal discusses the U.S. government's plan to monitor Iran's compliance with the agreement beyond the International Atomic Energy Agency’s enforcement. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper expressed confidence in the devised monitoring program's ability to detect any cheating on Iran's part.
Director Clapper also explained the impact that Edward Snowden’s leak had on a critical intelligence program known as MYSTIC. Run by the NSA, the program was reported to have recorded all cell phone conversations in Afghanistan and was shut down by the Afghan government following Snowden’s revelations.
Voice of America reports that the Islamic State is running private prisons in Afghanistan’s Achin district, which saw heavy fighting between ISIS and the local Taliban earlier this year. The district’s governor claimed that most of the prisoners being held were Afghan officials, while local residents suggest that up to 300 Afghans have been imprisoned by ISIS.
The New York Times explains how Afghans have come to consider American commander Gen. John F. Campbell as a critical part of Afghanistan’s defense. In the absence of an Afghan Minister of Defense, one Western diplomat suggested that General Campbell is effectively “running the war” against the Taliban---even though the U.S. combat role has supposedly ended. Even President Ashraf Ghani has thrown his support behind Campbell, in an apparent acknowledgement that the war with the Taliban is not going well for Afghan forces.
Just one example of the war not going well: Afghan officials report that 65 villages in Afghanistan’s Badakhashan province have fallen to the Taliban over the past two days.
Human Rights Watch released a report yesterday accusing the Sudanese government of sponsoring a campaign of rape and mass killing in the Darfur region. The accusations recall the atrocities committed in Darfur in the early 2000s, for which Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is wanted before the International Criminal Court. The Times has the story.
China will soon hold three days of live-fire drills in the Taiwan strait, just as Taiwan finishes up its own military drills. On that note, Reuters takes a look at China’s “mood of rising nationalism and confidence” with regards to its military--bad news for the country’s jittery neighbors.
The Russian military has reportedly begun construction of a military base near the Ukrainian border, indicating the continuation of a standoff between Moscow and Kiev. The facility is expected to house 3,500 troops, contain hangars for rockets and artillery, and will be equipped with a swimming pool and barber shop. Despite Russian denial of its forces in Ukraine, the United States has accused Russia of sending forces into the country to aid pro-Russian separatist groups.
The Washington Post reports on a group of Russian-speaking hackers that is using commercial satellites to steal data from U.S. agencies. The group, known to some as Turla, targets governments and companies around the world and uses poor security on older satellites to access sensitive information.
Over at Defense One, Alex Grigsby of the Council on Foreign Relations takes a look at the new “rules of cyberspace”--that is, according to the U.N.’s Group of Governmental Experts on Information Security. The group’s report, which was released last month, contains some innovative proposals for emerging norms in cyberspace.
Microsoft continues to fight a search warrant demanding the release of company emails stored in Ireland, Reuters tells us. The company has asked the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to block the warrant, on the grounds that the warrant would create precedent for foreign countries to seize U.S. emails housed within the United States. But in court, the Justice Department’s lawyer indicated his understanding that such an action is currently the “international norm.” The Journal hasmore.
Parting Shot: “We can neither confirm nor deny…” We’ve all heard the phrase--called the “Glomar response”--a thousand times. Now we learn that the Glomar Explorer, the ship for which the response was named, has been sold for scrap. Check out this great Radiolab deep dive on the Glomar Explorer and the origins of the “perfect non-denial denial,” in honor of the Explorer’s ignominious end.
ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare
Ben reviewed Scott Shane’s new book Objective Troy, on “the strange death and stranger life” of Anwar al-Awlaki.
Cody posted Hillary Clinton’s remarks regarding the Iran nuclear deal.
Ashley Deeks explored the legal justifications supporting the French, English, and Australian decisions to commence airstrike operations in Syria, citing principles of self-defense against imminent attack by non-state actors.
Carrie Cordero explains why hackers target major universities. With over 40 colleges and universities affected within the last three years, Carrie describes how factors relating to university budgets, retention of data and research, and the lack of accountability make universities popular targets.
Explaining how bulk surveillance works, Nicholas Weaver sheds light on how the NSA system enables isolation of items of interest, follows threads, and aids retroactive analysis.
Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us onTwitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.
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Intel leaders talk cyber threats at Hill hearing today
Politico TODAY: HOUSE INTELLIGENCE PANEL, TOP SPIES DISCUSS CYBER THREATS — Chiefs of the DNI, NSA, CIA, FBI and DIA are all testifying about cybersecurity in front of the House Intelligence Committee this morning. “It will be a broad discussion of the ... |
At the moment, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and Director of the DIA Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart are testifying on "Worldwide Cyber Threats" before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
You can watch the hearing live here.
Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news.
IRAQ and SYRIA
Russian troops have joined combat operations in Syriain support of government forces, according to three Lebanese sources familiar with the situation. [Reuters’ Gabriela Baczynska et al] Moscow has defended its military presence in Syria, saying it is part of a longstanding agreement to provide military aid to the Assad regime. [New York Times’ Neil Macfarquhar] The troops deployed by Russia are said to include elite units, some of which were involved in the annexation of Crimea 18 months ago. [The Daily Beast’s Michael Weiss and Ben Nimmo]
Dozens have been killed during fighting between the Islamic State and Syrian government forces in eastern Syria around a government-held air base, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [Reuters]
The Nusra Front and other groups captured the last remaining Syrian army base in Idlib province, a development said to effectively expel the Assad regime’s military from the province, reports Bassem Mroue. [AP]
The UK government is putting together a new strategy for Syria, including airstrikes against ISIS and a renewed diplomatic push for a transition of power. [The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt] And the UK Labour Party will support the government in its plans to extend airstrikes against the Islamic State to Syria, according to research conducted by the BBC’s Newsnight program.
The Islamic State claimed to be holding foreign hostages yesterday, demanding ransom payments for the release of a Norwegian man and a Chinese consultant. [AP] Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed the kidnapping at a news conference in Oslo, saying “Norway doesn’t pay ransoms.” [Wall Street Journal’s Kjetil Malkenes Hovland]
More than 50 intelligence analysts have complained about the inappropriate alteration of their assessments of the Islamic State and Nusra Front in Syria by US Central Command, The Daily Beasthas learned, report Nancy A. Youssef and Shane Harris.
American hostage Kayla Mueller was killed by ISIS, not a Jordanian airstrike, according to the testimony of two escaped Yazidi girls held as slaves by the militant group. [BBC]
“Inspired by the daily sacrifices of our countrymen on the front lines in the fight against the terrorists of ISIS … the protesters have convincingly challenged three views commonly held by outsiders.” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi writes about the government response to demonstrations against corruption, promising “far reaching reforms,” at the Wall Street Journal.
“The dead children washing up on Turkey’s shores are a direct result of the Obama administration’s failure to stop Bashar al-Assad’s killing machine,” writes Frederic C. Hof. [Foreign Policy] And ISIS has been using an image of drowned Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi to suggest that refugees from the conflict in the country deserve their fate, reports Spencer Ackerman. [The Guardian]
Secretary of State John Kerry told lawmakers that he is in favor of a steep increase in the number of refugees accepted by the US, during a closed-door session yesterday. [New York Times’ Michael R. Gordon] Presidential candidate Michael Walker rejected such proposals, saying the US does more than any country to help those affected by the Syrian conflict. [The Hill’s Mark Hensch]
“There is no disaster in the Arab and Muslim world … for which the west’s answer is not to drop bombs on it.” Seumas Milne comments on the growing willingness of western states to engage in the air campaign against ISIS in Syria, opining that such plans will fail as “only a wider peace deal can draw [the Islamic State’s] poison.” [The Guardian]
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to planning to travel overseas to join ISIS. [New York Times’ Benjamin Mueller]
IRAN
GOP lawmakers disagreed over how to proceed with voting on the Iran nuclear deal yesterday, with House Republican leaders forced to delay and quickly reorganize their approach following rebuke from some representatives. Issues arose due to concerns raised that the White House hasn’t fully complied with the legislation Congress passed on the review of the deal, lawmakers pointing to the Obama administration’s failure to submit two confidential side deals between the IAEA and Iran. [Wall Street Journal’s Kristina Peterson] The House approach “all but” ensures that no legislation will emerge from Congress this month, reports David M. Herszenhorn. [New York Times]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on a resolution of disapproval of the Iran nuclear agreement yesterday, in addition to the House-approved shell bill which the Senate is using for the agreement. McConnell expressed optimism that agreement would be reached to have the vote this afternoon. [The Hill’s Jordain Carney]
The “squabble” between GOP lawmakers potentially gives President Obama the upper hand as they may squander the opportunity to stop the agreement going ahead, reports the Guardian. Jack Sherman and Anna Palmer add that the lack of unity between GOP lawmakers “may end up diluting their message of opposition to the accord,” at Politico.
Senate Democrats are growing in confidence that they can effectively block a Republican resolution scuttling the nuclear accord; Burgess Everett provides the details at Politico.
How Congress proceeds this week will have a “huge impact” on Iran’s nuclear program, reports Dan Roberts, noting that as executive actions are not binding on future presidents, a vote of disapproval by the last Congress would be useful for a Republican president. [The Guardian]
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed the Iran nuclear deal in a speech at the Brookings Institute yesterday. Clinton expressed support for the Obama administration’s agreement, but took on a more “hawkish tone” than the president, describing her approach as “distrust and verify” and saying she would not hesitate to take military action against the Islamic Republic. [The Daily Beast’s Tim Mak]
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid expressed support for the nuclear accord during a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. [AP]
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted that Israel would not exist in 25 years, inposts on twitter yesterday. [New York Times’ Thomas Erdbrink]
MICROSOFT ‘CLOUD’ CASE
The case was before a three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit yesterday,the court asked to consider whether the 1968 Stored Communications Act permits an American law enforcement agency to obtain emails stored abroad, in the cloud. A Microsoft attorney told the court that an “international firestorm” could result if the government succeeds in its attempt to have the tech giant turn over emails stored in Ireland. [Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima]
The DOJ argued that the US government has the right to demand the emails of anyone in the world provided the email server was headquartered in the United States. Microsoft – along with a number of organizations which have filed amicus briefs – say that the case could set a dangerous international precedent. [The Guardian’s Sam Thielman]
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Hillary Clinton set out a tougher foreign policy stance than President Obama during a speech yesterday in which she repeatedly pointed to situations abroad where she would have taken more assertive action than the president, reports Anne Gearan. [Washington Post] Clinton also promised to strengthen the United States’ relationship with Israel, including inviting the country’s prime minister to Washington during her first month in office. [Politico’s Michael Crowley]
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital, Sana’a today, in what is reported to be the most powerful attack on the city since the conflict began five months ago. [Reuters] The Saudi-led coalition’s intensified campaign against Houthi rebels is potentially causing the country’s descent into a “prolonged, uncontrollable war,” writes The Economist.
US General John F. Campbell wields strong influence within the Afghan government, to the extent that he is known as the “minister of defence of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” by many Afghans, report Rod Nordland and Mujib Mashal. [New York Times]
Sudanese security forces have carried out two campaigns of mass killings and rape in Darfur since early last year, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch. [The Guardian’s Clár Ní Chonghaile]
The United Nations is 70 years old. Chris McGreal explores the international organization’s successes and failures; pointing out that while it has saved millions of lives it is also “bloated, undemocratic – and very expensive.” [The Guardian]
Women should be empowered to help counter the prevalence of terrorism and violent extremism globally, according to the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) at the UN. [UN News Centre]
The makers of the film Zero Dark Thirty consulted CIA officers during the production of the movie which deals with the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The revelations emerged from over 100 pages of internal CIA documents obtained in response to an FOIA lawsuit. [VICE News’ Jason Leopold and Ky Henderson]
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