(Updated 4/13)
WHITE HOUSE VICTORY — Cipher Brief Expert and former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis is expected to be nominated as the White House’s first National Cyber Director. If confirmed by the Senate, Inglis will become the first person to take on the role that was recommended by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Inglis is widely respected in the cyber community so strike this as a victory for the White House if he is confirmed in the role. Inglis was rumored to be a top contender for the role of NSA Director back when there was conversation around spinning off the NSA and US Cyber Command.
FIRST SPACE FORCE VICTORY: The U.S. Space Force may not have aced the decisions about what to call their workforce (Guardians) or what rank structure to use – but they nailed the messaging recently when they beamed aboard their first female Native American intelligence officer. Captain Haida StarEagle. The 17-year veteran of the USAF said: "When I was born, during my naming ceremony, the shaman came back from his vision quest and told my father that I was destined for the stars." This is such a perfect story – that we admit when we first noticed it in Military.com, the fact that it was published on April 1 did give us some pause. But upon further investigation, it was not an April Fool’s joke and Captain StarEagle is on the up and up.
REMIND US NOT TO VISIT RUSSIAN RURAL HOTELS: The Putin-Powered “news” organization RT has on its staff, Maria Butina, who departed the U.S. under less than favorable conditions. But now, she is pretending to be a reporter and was recently shown confronting Kremlin-critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian detention facility. Navalny, who has lost 17 pounds while in prison, has suffered leg and back pain, two herniated disks, loss of feeling in his hands and reportedly is being kept sleep deprived, described the prison as “tortuous.” Maria shouted in response “This is torture? This is better than some rural Russian hotels.”
REMIND US NOT TO TAKE SMART PHONES TO RUSSIA: According to Reuters, Russia now requires all smart devices to have Russian software pre-installed. The order extends to phones, computers, and TVs. The Russians say this is intended to help Russian software companies compete with international companies. If you believe that is the sole reason, we have a rural Russian hotel to sell you.
EX CIA COO ANSWERS THE CALL OF DUTY: No, not that call of duty. Brian Bulatao, who was CIA’s COO before following his battle buddy Mike Pompeo to the State Department, has taken up new duties as chief administrative officer at Activision Blizzard. The company produces interactive gaming and entertainment products like “Call of Duty, ®” “World of Warcraft, ®” and “Candy Crush ™.” Old habits of secrecy may die hard – since the company did not announce Bulatao’s appointment. But Bulatao’s new gig was uncovered by Game World Observer. The publication also got their hands on an internal memo in which the company’s CEO praised Bulatao’s resume and said among his new duties will be overseeing the “Call of Duty Endowment” (a non-profit that helps U.S. and UK vets) and that he will also be in charge of “Corporate Social Responsibility,” physical security and workplace information. Activision Blizzard also recently brought onboard Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George. W. Bush, as head of compliance. We’re guessing “compliance” means ensuring no one cheats at “Candy Crush ™.”
LONG LOST RECORDS: Reporter Catherine Herridge had a story on CBS This Morning recently about retired Colonel Paris Davis, one of the first Black officers to serve in the Army’s Special Forces. Fifty-six years ago, Davis was serving in Vietnam and led a 19-hour-raid northeast of Saigon. Hit by a grenade and gunfire, Davis ignored orders to leave behind two badly-wounded colleagues, including Billy Waugh, who went on to have a storied career in the Special Forces and the CIA. After rescuing the men, Davis’ comrades were confident he would be awarded the Medal of Honor but somehow, mysteriously, the file with recommendation that he receive the nation’s highest honor, vanished. Many believe racism was at play. According to CBS, there are efforts underway to get Davis the award he was denied a half century ago.
THIS BUD’S FOR YOU: Marine veteran John “Chick” Donohue is the kind of buddy you want to have. For example, if he thought you needed a beer, he would bring you one. He did that in the late 1960s, and they are making a movie about it. No, really. “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” will star Zac Efron and Russel Crowe based on the true story of Donahue, who was sitting around New York in 1967, thinking of his childhood buddies serving in Vietnam, when he decided he needed to bring them a brewski. So, he hitched a ride on a Merchant Marine ship and carried beer through the jungle trying to track down three friends. Deadline.com says Donohue “was dressed in shorts and Hawaiian shirts” and thus mistaken for CIA “which made his effort a bit easier.”
CHIEF EDDIE-VISION: Apple has launched a dual podcast-TV series about the highly controversial former Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher. You will recall Gallagher faced charges in 2018 for war crimes allegedly committed in Iraq but was eventually acquitted of all charges except one - for posing with the corpse of a 17-year-old detainee. The Navy wanted to reduce Gallagher to E-6, but then-President Trump stepped in to ensure he kept his rank and SEAL Trident. Now Apple is rolling out a program called “The Line” which will feature a six-episode audio series and a four-part television documentary that will follow in the fall. Apple says the program includes fresh reporting and new interviews with Gallagher and his wife.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
LET THERE BE LIGHTSABER: There is an outfit dubbed “Hacksmith Industries” that likes to build stuff heretofore only seen in science fiction movies. On their YouTube channel, James Hobson demonstrates a 4000-degree, retractable, plasma lightsaber that appears to be the cutting edge of cutting stuff. It still needs work, however. Hobson’s choice currently is to connect the wearable device via cords to power packs, but he hopes to eventually make it considerably more portable. We join forces with MilitaryTimes in urging the Pentagon to get hot on getting these gizmos going.
THE PAUSE THAT AMAZES: R. James Woolsey, Bill Clinton’s former CIA Director, is no stranger to unusual views (for example, he thinks Nikita Khrushchev personally ordered Lee Harvey Oswald to kill JFK.) But he took his out-of-the-box thinking to new heights recently while promoting his new book. Woolsey revealed in interviews that he is now open to believing in alien life. One reason for this stance, he says, is because a friend of his “was able to have his aircraft stop at 40,000 feet or so and not continue operating as a normal aircraft.” We have some questions about this wild and Woolsey tale. For example: Who is this friend? When did this happen? How did those onboard know that the airplane (as he put it) “paused”? and What were they serving on the plane? If there are space aliens out there, Woolsey says he hopes humans will be “friendly” to them should they ever make contact. This seems like a more reasonable option than building a wall.
DON’T PAUSE: If you see items that seem Dead Drop-worthy, immediately beam them up to us at TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com.
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