MORE NEWS FROM THE UKRAINIAN UN-WELCOME WAGON: We have previously told you about reports of two young Ukrainian women who (according to some sources) on a couple of occasions, have posed as friendly locals who brought tainted food and drink to invading Russian forces. In one instance, 24 Russian soldiers were said to have died and in another, 18 died and 14 were hospitalized. Now the legend of the “two nice girls” continues – according to Business Insider, media in the region say that police in Yalta attempted to apprehend the women in a private house and were surprised to find that they were “well armed” and “well prepared.” The police were expecting to be greeted with snacks perhaps? A Telegram channel that goes by the colorful name of “Kremlin Snuffbox” said that three officers were killed and two wounded before the Ukrainian Thelma and Louise sped off.
SEE YOU IN THE FUNNY PAGES: As we have previously noted – the Chinese government appears to be really worried about reports that the United States and western allies are re-doubling their efforts to re-assemble spy networks in China. Alas, Beijing is not standing idly by but instead, are bolstering their own defenses in a funny way. The Economist notes that the Chinese intelligence service, MSS, has launched an online comic strip called the “Shenyin Special Investigation Squad” about a team of spy fighters. The troop of counterespionage agents is made up of all the usual tropes: tech geeks, martial arts whiz women and such. The concept apparently is to reinforce the notion among the Chinese populace to be on the lookout for nefarious western spies.
I FEEL THE NEED – THE NEED FOR THREE: Word is out that that a third version of the highly-successful “Top Gun” movie franchise is in the works. Given the success of the original, and the “Top Gun: Maverick” sequel – that’s no surprise. At this point – the next one – the “three-quel,” we will call it, is just a rumor. Paramount has reportedly refused to confirm or deny the project. Top Gun III – if it gets made, likely wouldn’t come out until late 2025 or sometime in 2026. We figure by that time, fighter pilot/star Tom Cruise will be just about ready to apply for social security benefits. Something tells us movie producers could find a way to make even that, appealing.
AIR SHE IS, MISS AMERICA: To be honest, we’re not sure we knew that Miss America was still a thing. But we were delighted to learn recently that it is – and that this year’s winner is Air Force Second Lieutenant Madison Marsh. She previously earned the ‘Miss Colorado’ title while a student at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Now commissioned, she is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and will have to squeeze in Miss America duties on the side. Not doing themselves proud were some of the media covering Marsh’s coronation. For example, the Daily Mail proclaimed in its headline that she is the first serving U.S. “soldier” ever to be crowned Miss America. In the same headline, they claimed she is training to be a “Top Gun fighter pilot” after graduating from Harvard. Marsh earned her private pilot license before starting her studies at USAFA – but as we understand it, whether she ends up in a cockpit after Harvard remains up in the air. Media outlets like Daily Mail were quick to publish photos of her in the seat of a jet for a recent orientation flight, however.
IT'LL BE A COLD DAY BEFORE U.S. MILITARY GETS ARCTIC PAY: Apparently, Senator Lisa Murkowski thought some military personnel should be paid extra to live in her home state of Alaska. So, she saw to it that an arctic pay incentive was included in the FY 23 National Defense Authorization Act. But the Pentagon said there were already sufficient bonuses built into compensation such as “Hardship Duty Pay” and “Remote and Austere Conditions Assignment Incentive Pay”. So, DoD is currently not paying the extra bucks authorized in Murkowski’s bill. Only a handful of servicemen and women qualify for the special pay already in place, for example, if they are assigned somewhere above the Artic Circle. We didn’t know that DoD could ignore legislation authorizing additional pay – but apparently the Pentagon can tell Congress – to just chill.
TWO FILMS WITH A FAMILIAR RING: Two films were recently screened aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California. One, titled “The Last Ring Home” came out in 2016, telling the story of a Navy lieutenant named Nathaniel Minter Dial who was killed while being held as a POW by the Japanese during World War II. Dial had passed his ring and a letter to a friend to give to his wife before he died – but the ring went missing before reaching the widow, until it was found in Korea in 1958, by the “driver of an American rear admiral who had been one of Dial’s classmates at Annapolis many years earlier.” The second film, the newly released “The Ring and the Mountain,” is the story of naval aviator Henry Ilger, who was killed in a helicopter crash during a NATO training mission in 1972, while operating 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. More than twenty years later, a Norwegian doctor found the ring wedged in a crevice on Grytoya Island. It eventually was returned to his widow – and then given to his daughter who was just 15 months old when her father died.
BOOK REPORT: Last month, Cipher Brief expert Karen Schaefer penned a very of Anna Pitoniak’s novel, The Helsinki Affair, about a female CIA officer. Now, we hear Pitoniak has landed a deal to follow up with a new spy thriller dubbed “The Swiss Front” in which two CIA officers work to unravel a scheme involving “corrupt NATO officials, wealthy oligarchs, and high-level Swiss bankers.” Simon & Schuster will publish the new book – although no date has been announced yet.
BOOK & MOVIE REPORT: Coming this November is a comedic novel titled, Errands & Espionage by author Sam Tschida which, according to Deadline is about “an unassuming, recently divorced housewife who is recruited by the CIA to complete a secret mission her doppelganger died while attempting, forcing her to balance her roles as a housewife and novice spy.” Ms. Tschida is having a good 2024. Wayfarer Studios, Meralta Films and Inked Entertainment won a bidding war to turn her yet-to-be-published book into a feature film.
SHAMELESS (Self-Promotion): A look at what’s happening behind-the-scenes of The Cipher Brief
TALK ABOUT PERSONAL: Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly has launched another of her popular ‘behind-the-scenes’ photo essays on LinkedIn. Her latest pictures tell the behind-the-scenes story of how last fall’s Cipher Brief Threat Conference, which launched on the fateful date of October 7 – came together, including the phone call she received from CIA Director Bill Burns and the depth of expertise in that room as the world struggled to process the horror of the Hamas attack and what it would be setting into motion for the next 100 days and counting.
THE CIPHER BRIEF GOES GLOBAL: TCB is welcoming ABC News alum Tom Nagorski as its new Managing Editor. Nagorski brings some serious chops to the table, having served as ABC News’ Managing Editor for International Coverage and as Foreign Editor and Senior Broadcast Producer for ABC News’ World News Tonight. He most recently served as Global Editor for The Messenger but also managed to sneak in a stint as Executive Vice President at The Asia Society. Given how complicated and interconnected the world has become, he should feel right at home leading TCB’s expanding coverage of global events.
NO RUBBER CHICKEN HERE: We hear The Cipher Brief is about to announce a big dinner gala in Washington D.C. this May. Spies tell us that the dinner will include several honorees who have made a significant contribution to the national security dialogue. Organizers are promising no ‘rubber chicken’ but we’re hoping that - given the sheer number of experts in The Cipher Brief network hailing from the operations side of the CIA - the bar is well-stocked.
ON THE MOVE: People shuffling around inside (and outside) the Beltway:
Michele Bredenkamp is taking on a new role at ODNI as the Director’s Advisor for Military Affairs. She recently led the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) and has served as the Director of Intelligence (fondly referred to as J2) for U.S. Forces Korea and as Vice Director for Intelligence for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Lt. Gen Anthony ‘Tony’ R. Hale is also on the move, as the new U. S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (fondly referred to as G-2, not to be confused with J-2). His previous position was Commanding General and Commandant of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence at Fort Huachuca. (Hope he wasn’t hoping for arctic pay. It’s cold in D.C.)
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
STRETCHING THE IMAGINATION: The website DailyMail.co.uk recently reported on a “secret talk with ‘Wall St. bigwigs’” allegedly held by UFO whistleblower David Grusch. It must have been quite a presentation because they say the event in New York City was attended by CIA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security officials. Grusch allegedly claimed that the U.S. government is (or was) in possession of a 40-foot UFO that, once you step inside it, expands space and time so that it was about the size of a football field. According to the story, 60 people attended the secret event held in a Manhattan penthouse. That sounds like quite a crowd – but perhaps once you stepped inside the apartment — time and space expanded.
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