DN-WHY? A lot of people were surprised by President Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he was naming Richard Grenell to be the latest acting Director of National Intelligence. Although Grenell has spent some time reading intelligence, both in his current post as U.S. ambassador to Germany and previous gig as U.S. U.N. mission spokesman, he doesn’t seem to have any experience collecting or analyzing intelligence – unlike most of his predecessors who spent decades doing so. While the DNI assignment is a surprise, The Dead Drop reported in December that we were hearing Grenell’s name as a possible Secretary of State nominee if Mike Pompeo elected to go back to Kansas to run for the Senate, so we knew his name was on POTUS’ radar.
RED DAWN: Dead Drop readers from a certain generation may remember a 1980s movie called “Red Dawn” about a Soviet takeover of the United States. Fast forward, and radio listeners in Kansas City could be forgiven if they turn on their radios and think they have woken up in the middle of a sequel to that movie. (Actually, there was a sequel made in 2012 but no one saw it.) According to The New York Times this past January, “Radio Sputnik, a propaganda arm of the Russian government” began broadcasting on three local stations during drive time. The Sputnik talk radio chatter is not unlike that which you might hear on U.S.-operated stations – except that is almost always finds a way to put a negative spin on things. For example, according to the Times, a recent show was introduced as coming “live from Washington, D.C., capital of the divided states of America.” The owner of the Midwest radio stations electing to air the Putin propaganda says he liked what he heard during a trial run last year – and besides, he is getting paid.
CABLE NEWS: To add to your paranoia – we offer this item first reported in the UK Sunday Times. It seems Russian operatives have been snooping around Ireland inspecting undersea cables that could be tapped or cut in the future. Since that story is behind a paywall if you are not a subscriber, you might want to check out the version in Business Insider. Irish security services reportedly believe that the Russians are underwater GRU operatives looking for weak points in the cable. Transatlantic cables are said to carry about 97% of intercontinental data including “internet, texts, calls, and global financial transactions.” Ireland’s large concentration of transatlantic cables and small counter-intelligence capabilities make it an ideal spot for the GRU to explore. Cipher Brief expert John Sipher is quoted in the Times as saying the Russians may be planning to spy or cut communications but “They also may wish to show their capability in order to threaten the West.”
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING: Well, maybe they’re already here. There is a new book coming out by BBC correspondent Gordon Corera called Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories and the Hunt for Putin’s Spies. Look for a review of it in The Cipher Brief in a couple weeks. While not yet out – we understand the book has been optioned by a British-based TV production company.
HE’S BAAAACK: Remember Damian Lewis who played Brody on the first couple seasons of Homeland? Well, he’s back as a narrator for a new documentary called “Spy Wars with Damian Lewis.” The advance publicity calls it “the incredible true stories of spy wars fought in the shadows, from the turbulent years of the Cold War to the Iran Hostage Crisis and the discovery of a complex web of sleeper agents living in the U.S.” The eight-part series premieres on Sunday March 22 at 8 PM ET on the Smithsonian Channel.
NO F-U FOR YOU: Last week, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals set aside a lower court ruling which found a Marine corporal guilty of showing disrespect towards a noncommissioned officer. The accused admitted telling his platoon sergeant “F(***) you, Gunny!” Seems like an open and shut your mouth case – but the Court learned that the corporal was “repeatedly badgered and taunted” by his gunnery sergeant who was annoyed with him. Addison told the judge: “We were arguing about something with the checkout process, and he said, "I can tell that you just want to say 'F[***]k me.' " And so he said, "Say 'F[***]k you, Gunny.' " And we went back and forth for a few times, but I eventually gave in and said, "F['***]k you, Gunny." You asked for it, Gunny.
NEWFANGLED CONE OF SILENCE: Some people love their Alexa, Siri, and Google home assistant devices. And others are freaked out that someone (or something) is listening to them. If you or your significant other are in the latter category – we’ve got just the thing for you. A Chicago computer science professor designed a piece of digital armor – a bracelet of silence – which will jam the Amazon Echo or any other listening device in the vicinity. Unfortunately, the current design makes it look like a spiked dog collar on steroids – but if you are really bugged about being bugged – it might be a good fit for you. Alternatively, you could just unplug Alexa. But then how would you find out sports scores and the temperature?
UNGODLY BUDGET CUTS - It’s budget time in Washington and the various elements within the Pentagon are scrambling to try to figure out how they are going to manage with only $705 billion next fiscal year. Among those sharpening their pencils are the folks in the Navy Department. Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly has announced a crash program to find $40 billion in savings spread out over the next five years. Word of the plan leaked out on February 14th resulting in the moniker “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Among the areas being looked at for savings will be “duplication of information technology systems and infrastructure and consolidating and eliminating headquarters, commands and organizations. But wait, that’s not all. They are also looking at taking aim at some “sacred cows” including slashing the number of chaplains in the sea service. Recent figures show there are over 1000 active duty and reserve chaplains. There were about three times as many during World War II, but the number of potential parishioners was nine times higher. What are the chances of hitting the target savings with cuts like these? We suspect they don’t have a prayer.
HERE’S A TREND THAT MAY CATCH ON: Reuters reported this week that senior Russian lawmakers have proposed “sweeping reforms” to their political system. Among them is a proposal to make ex-presidents of the country immune from prosecution. Also, when Russian presidents’ step down – they would be made “senators for life.”
TALENT SHOW: At one time, organizations had “manpower” departments. Then in the spirit of gender inclusiveness they were changed to “personnel” departments. But personnel sounded – well, impersonal – so they were changed to “human resources.” Now we hear the State Department has rebranded their “Bureau of Human Resources” and is now calling it the “Bureau of Global Talent Management.” Not only that, the Office of Recruitment, Examination and Organization Analysis is becoming “Talent Acquisition”. The Office of Resource Management and Organization Analysis is changing to “Organization and Talent Analytics.” Well, that makes it all a little more accessible.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
CALENDAR OF CAPTIVITY: One of our favorite newsletters, JJ Green's "Inside the SCIF" delivers an update on those often forgot about in the day to day headline rush. In this week's edition, JJ reminds us that Paul Whelan has been sitting in a Russian prison for 420 days. With an upcoming trial, JJ says there is an actual place where we can send messages of support. And Robert Levinson has been in detention in Iran for 4,731 days. Get the latest from Inside the SCIF here.
THIS WEEK IN UN-UNIFORM NEWS: The USAF has updated their dress code which will now allow Sikhs and Muslims to wear turbans, beards, and hijabs, according to CNN. The accommodations will be allowed as long as the airmen present a “neat and conservative” appearance. In most cases – once an Air Force servicemember is granted authority to wear their article of faith – they will be allowed to continue doing so throughout their careers. No word on how turbans and beards will work with flight helmets and oxygen masks.
OFF-BRAND ADVICE: The CIA’s heavily trafficked social media sites have started posting wellness advice. As Business Insider noted, the Agency is not generally known for tranquility. But the CIA has been posting items with the hashtag #ThrivingatCIA. Last week, the lads and lasses at Langley advised everyone to “Take a breath.” Unsurprisingly, this launched a bunch of waterboarding jokes.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE: Got a family member, friend or close acquaintance serving overseas in the military who you really want to thank for their service? Sending cards, gift baskets, and snacks not enough? Now there is an outfit that will send “Camo Cards” – video greetings to your favorite servicemember taped by well-known (to some) porn stars. A company called CamSoda offers personalized messages and you get to select the model’s clothing (or lack thereof) and can opt for the “desired level of naughtiness” that your hometown hero will receive. Not sure this will go over so well with those back home.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: Got any news we can use? Shoot a note to The Cipher Brief Tip Talent Department at TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com.
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