HIGH-SPEED CRYPTO MACHINE UNVEILED: Rolls-Royce is now taking orders for its super-secret 2021 special-edition luxury ride. Only the first 50 billionaire spies to apply will be able to secure one of the limited editions of this half-million-dollar car. Called the “Wraith Kryptos,” the coupe contains a cryptographic scavenger hunt—a series of ciphers hidden throughout the vehicle's trim and other design features—culminating in a promised "enlightening conclusion." Katrin Lehmann, seen in this video, is a recent college grad with a degree in transportation design, and is the brains behind the game. The company has apparently placed a huge amount of faith in her puzzle-making skills, since the amateur cryptographer's solution has been vetted and shared with only one other individual. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has the secret securely under lock and key in his office—for dramatic effect, of course.
ORGANIZING SPACE: The fledgling U.S. Space Force has figured out how to organize itself. As any bureaucrat can tell you – Job One in a new organization is designing the wiring diagram. The Space place has decided it will have three primary field commands: the Space Operations Command — known by the acronym “SpOC” (see what they did there?), the Space Systems Command (SSC) and the “Space Training and Readiness Command, AKA “STARCOM” which is a pretty cool acronym for what is probably the most boring part of the organization. But wait – there’s more. The next level below the field commands will be known as “Deltas” because, well, it sounds cool, we guess.
SPEAKING OF SPACE: Netflix has reportedly renewed their Space Force series for a second season. According to Comicbook.com (where we get all our space news) the second orbit for the Steve Carrell comedy is something of a surprise – since the series has not generated much social media buzz. On the other hand, the space farce DID launch a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor known as “Boots on the Moooo’n” so they have that going for them.
KNOW YOUR STAFF: Relatively new Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe recently paid a visit to one of his subordinates, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. While there, Ratcliffe got a briefing from NGA Director Vice Admiral Robert Sharp. We know this because ODNI tweeted out a photo of the two men seated across from each other in an apparently otherwise unoccupied conference room. Sharp-eyed observers like Cipher Brief expert noted that there are table-tent name cards in front of each man telling them where to sit. Seems odd with just two people in the room – but best not leave these things to chance, we guess.
DON’T QUOTE ME, BUT WE ARE FOR OPENNESS: Autocrats around the world are cracking down on the free press and the U.S. government will not stand for it! (Up to a point). On the other hand, foreign national journalists working for the Voice of America are hearing that their visas may not be renewed and they may have to return to the oppressive countries from which they came. The New York Times notes that a “State Department spokesman, who spoke (despite his title) on the condition he not be named, said, ‘The department speaks both publicly and privately about the importance of independent media and on specific cases, where appropriate, and will continue to do so.” Also last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China in remarks saying: “…the Chinese Communist Party was simply incapable…of being transparent, of accepting criticism, of allowing reporters to ask them questions that they find uncomfortable that elicit the truth and the facts.” Proving irony is not dead, earlier this year, Pompeo abruptly ended an interview he didn’t like with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, reportedly shouted obscenities at her and challenging her to find Ukraine on a map (which we’re told she did).
WASHINGTON FED-EX SKINS: This week, Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington entry in the National Football League, finally got the message that the name of his team offends important folks. We are not speaking of native Americans, but rather his corporate sponsors and benefactors at Fed-Ex, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods etc. So, on Monday the team announced that they would be retiring the name “Redskins” and trotting out a new nickname as soon as they overcome some hurdles (likely copyright and trademark issues). Meanwhile there has been no shortage of alternative name suggestions, some serious, many not. A lot of folks recommended the team be called the “Washington Generals” because, after all, George Washington was a general. Others were quick to point out that the “Washington Generals” is the name used for decades by a team that loses just about every game to the Harlem Globetrotters. Beyond that trademark issue – who wants to be branded a loser? With that in mind, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander (and Cipher Brief expert) (jokingly, we think) went so far as to build a website touting his suggestion for a team name: “The Fighting Admirals.” Stavridis said this country has “Attorney Generals” and “Surgeon Generals” (who wear admiral suits) – and it is time to give sailors a chance. If he can’t put the Admirals on the NFL map – Stavridis may target a name change for another franchise – creating the Kansas City “Chief Petty Officers.”
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
THESE COLORS DO RUN: There is a guy running for Congress from Florida (sure, where else?) who took to Twitter recently to warn about a threat to America that you may not have considered. Posting photos of the corporate logos of McDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut, KW Miller asked: “Why do these big chains use the colors of Communism in their logo?” It’s bad enough they are trying to peddle us “French fries” but now we learn Pizza Hut is really Putin Hut?
DON’T YOU HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS? Publishing sources say there is a forthcoming book called The Journalist written by David Gardner. It is said to be a tale about a tabloid journalist who makes up a story about the CIA running a prison for ghosts – only to find out that what he imagined – is true. Now THAT would make for some enhanced interrogations. Look for the book early next year. You’ll have to wait until 2022 to read another impending book called Three Miles Down by NYT best-selling author Harry Turtledove. In this one, the CIA investigates an alien starship during the Watergate crisis and “a young science fiction writer suddenly becomes the most consequential person in world history.”
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: Well, actually, you CAN, but we prefer tips about real-world stuff. If you have any, send us a note at TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com.
