Dead Drop: April 12

AN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE FOR THE BOOKS: Israel’s Unit 8200 has been described as akin to the U.S. National Security Agency and Britain’s GCHQ. The name of the head of the Unit is kept secret from the public – at least it was kept secret until Yossi Sariel apparently accidentally unmasked himself. The Guardian says that a book published in 2021, about how artificial intelligence was going to revolutionize military affairs was published under the title, The Human Machine Team.  The author was listed as “Brigadier General YS.” But it turns out the digital version of the book was somehow connected to an email address that links back to Yossi Sariel. According to The Guardian, an IDF spokesperson said the email address was not Sariel’s personal account but that the exposure of his personal information was “a mistake.” Israel has been battered over the past six months over a variety of intelligence failures leading up to the October 7th attacks, and rumors of egregious targeting errors, some of which may have been caused by malfunctions in their ‘Human Machine Team.’  The Amazon.com write up about the book says, “Brigadier General Y.S, an expert analyst, technology director, commander of an elite intelligence unit, and winner of the prestigious Israel Defense Prize for his artificial intelligence based anti-terrorism project, wrote his book, The Human-Machine Team, to address how the combination between human and artificial intelligence can solve national security challenges and threats, lead to victory in war, and be a growth engine for humankind.”

A PHD IN DISINFORMATION?  The latest edition of “Dumb Stuff Said by Russian Talking Heads” is a clip from state TV (captured by Russian Media Monitor Julia Davis) in which Vladimir Solovyov says that “Satanists have captured” Kyiv. He adds that “Russian holy sites have to be liberated.” He also says the “pathetic government” in Kyiv should “be designated as terrorists” and that countries that support them are “sponsors of terrorism.” Where do they find these people?  We’re guessing they may be graduates of the Russian University for Disinformation.