BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS: China’s Ministry of State Security is worried that foreign intelligence agencies may be trying to spy on their country’s submarine fleet. According to the South China Morning Post they have called on the public to keep an eye out for repurposed marine and weather observation buoys that might actually belong to western intelligence agencies deploying “silent sentinels” as spies “trying to steal sensitive marine data from us.” Beijing reportedly is unhappy with the deployment of sonobuoys in the South China Sea by the Australians and other navies – devices that have been used for many decades in international waters. China thinks of much of the vast South China Sea as their territorial waters – so that may explain the angst. And we know how seriously they believe in respecting international boundaries. But perhaps their complaints were only a trial balloon.
OR MAYBE THEY ARE NOT BUOYS AFTER ALL: Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert recently grilled four witnesses at a hearing about UAPs/UFOs. Rather than focusing on unidentified flying objects, she drilled down on underwater aliens and civilizations. "Are there any accounts of UAPs emerging from or submerging into our waters which could indicate a base or presence beneath the ocean's surface?" Boebert asked the witnesses. "Are there any technological capabilities that have been observed in these oceanic UAPs to defy our current understanding of physics or human engineering capabilities?" Apparently, she did not get a response that was satisfying – and she promised to stay on top of the matter. She also said: "There are rumors that have come up to the Hill of a secretive project within the Department of Defense involving the manipulation of human genetics with what is described as non-human genetic material for the enhancement of human capabilities, hybrids," Boebert said. "Are any of you familiar with that? Yes, or no?" No one owned up to knowing about that either. Perhaps they were withholding the truth to avoid being hit by a Jewish space laser that fellow Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made famous.
THANKS FOR THE PEP TALK, COACH: Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) was on Fox News recently and gave his expert opinion on the quality of the U.S. military. To bolster his argument against giving more military aid to Ukraine, Tuberville told host Laura Ingraham that “Our military right now, Laura, is a disaster. Absolute disaster. We couldn’t beat anybody right now. We’ve got some good people in the military. But the structure of it, the things that we’ve done, the Democrats have destroyed it.”
NO NEED FOR ADVICE AND CONSENT, THOUGH: That same Senator Tuberville (who you may recall held up hundreds of senior military officer promotions last year – in some cases for about ten months. But now he has adopted a new attitude regarding Senators weighing in on the suitability of people being nominated for senior positions in the next administration. Asked on Fox Business about rumblings about objections to some potential nominees, the Senator said “You’re finding all the swamp creatures coming out right now. Everybody’s got an opinion up here. But at the end of the day, President Trump was elected by an enormous vote, and he deserves a team around him that he wants.” Doubling down he explained: “I’ve already seen where a couple (Senators) says, ‘I’m not voting for him,'” Tuberville continued. “Wait a minute. You are not the United States of America. You have one vote in the U.S. Senate. You did not get elected the president. Vote with President Trump. This is the last chance we’re gonna have of saving this country. And if you wanna get in the way, fine. But we’re gonna try to get you out of the Senate, too if you try to do that.”
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (AND WOMEN): Normally, candidates for top positions in an incoming administration are vetted by the FBI but we are not living in normal times. According to the Washington Post, candidates for the Trump ’47 administration are reportedly being vetted by some guy named: Woodward. No, not Bob. But, Stanley Woodward, a Palm Beach, Florida lawyer. Mr. Woodward is said to have represented several January 6 rioters and some Trump aides who were caught up in the classified document mishandling allegations.
SLIGHTLY DELAYED INTELLIGENCE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST: University researchers have weaponized some declassified U.S. satellite imagery to pinpoint the location of the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in Iraq. If you are having trouble remembering the details of that one – that’s understandable because, according to Newsweek, the fight took place in roughly A.D. 636/7. “The battle saw the Arab Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate decisively defeat the Sasanian Empire of ancient Persia.” While the general location of the battle has been long known –the satellite imagery pinned it down to within one kilometer. Interesting to note that nearly 1500 years later – the region is still a geopolitical hot spot.
HVLADIMIR WE HARDLY KNEW YA: The runaway Russia orca – dubbed Hvladimir – who gained fame after escaping the clutches of his Russian masters around 2019 – is in the news again. As you recall, the big fella had been described as a possible escaped Russian spy when he first showed up off the coast of Norway. But the Beluga’s lifeless body turned up in late August of this year. Initial reports that indicated that he died from gunfire turned out to be bogus though. Now, there is a BBC documentary “Secret of the Spy Whale” which offers an alternative view of what his initial mission might have been. Dr. Olga Shpak who worked in Russia on marine mammal research in the 1990s before returning to her Ukraine homeland in 2022, said she believes the beast was not an aquatic intelligence operative but rather was being trained to guard a Russian naval base. She believes he fled because he was a “hooligan.” The cause of death turned out not to be bullets, but a stick lodged in his mouth. Somehow – we liked the spy story better.
THE CONTINUED BAD LUCK OF PUTIN CRITICS: It is probably just a coincidence that Russians who speak harshly about Vladimir Putin’s policy tend to have very bad balance. Just recently, yet another Kremlin critic, 39-year-old ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov fell approximately 60 feet to his death. Local officials initially blamed a bad reaction to pain killers. Two years ago, Shklyarov posted on social media “Friends! I am against the war in Ukraine! I am for the people, for a peaceful sky above our heads.” Now he seems to have gone out a window and landed not so peacefully. It is entirely possible that some Putin critics actually DO die of natural causes. But also about a week ago, Alexei Zimin, a 52-year-old Russian who found fame as a TV chef before emigrating to London and becoming an outspoken opponent of the Russian leadership – was found dead in Serbia. But officials there said there were “no suspicious circumstances” tied to his death. No word on whether he was found with a stick in his mouth.
BOOK DEPARTMENT: Coming up on Tuesday is a review of Cipher Brief expert Marty Petersen’s new novel: City of Lost Souls. The book is set in 1930’s Shanghai. Reviewer Ken Dekleva calls it “a delightful read and most welcome addition to the genre of historical mysteries set in pre-revolutionary China.” Read his full review on Tuesday. And after your Thanksgiving feast – if you need to work off some excess stuffing on the treadmill – you might use that time to listen to our discussion with Petersen about his book on The Cipher Brief’s Cover Stories podcast.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
POLE DANCING: In some circles, things are moving Russia’s way these days. For example, in the Arctic Circle. According to DailyMail.com, the magnetic North Pole is mysteriously moving toward Russia. Unlike the geographic North Pole (you know, where Santa lives) …the magnetic version – the place that compasses point to, has no permanent fixed address. The reason has something to do with the molten iron beneath the Earth’s crust. For most of the past 500 years or so…the magnetic pole has been moving slowly around northern Canada. But in the past 20 years, it has sped up and is now reportedly moving toward Siberia. Exactly why the pole is dancing around is unclear – but we blame Putin.
WE ARE MAGNETICALLY DRAWN TO PEOPLE WHO SEND US NEWS TIPS. YOUR COURSE FOR DOING SO IS TO EMAIL NEWS TO US AT: TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com
Are you Subscribed to The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel on YouTube? Watch The Cipher Brief’s interview with CIA Director Bill Burns as he talks about The Middle East, Russia, China and the thing that keeps him up at night.
Read more expert-driven national security insights, perspective and analysis in The Cipher Brief because National Security is Everyone’s Business.
