TOLD YA: The lead item in the February 3, 2017 Dead Drop reported on rumors that the then-two-week-old Trump administration was considering installing “liaison officers” to the front offices of the component parts of the Intelligence Community to ensure “consistency of message.” We hadn’t heard anything about the plan since – until now. Politico reports that the White House quietly installed retired Army Major General Bert Mizusawa in the office of the Agency’s Chief Operating Officer earlier this year. Politico cites unnamed “current and former officials” as saying Mizusawa, who was a Trump campaign advisor in 2016, was placed there “to generally keep and eye on Director Gina Haspel and the inner workings of the agency.” CIA Press Secretary Tim Barrett told Politico that Mizusawa “serves as a senior adviser on national security technology, bringing his deep expertise to CIA’s mission. Any notion that he was ‘installed’ here is ridiculous.” Politico notes that Trump allies have expressed frustration with Haspel in recent weeks and some speculate Mizusawa might replace here in a possible second Trump term.
STRAIGHT POOP ON WORLD LEADERS: With the health of President Trump dominating the news in recent days, there has been a lot of talk about how foreign governments monitor the well-being of various heads of state. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Cipher Brief Expert, Admiral James Stavridis issued a tweet noting that the “only people working harder than the media today to find out how ill the President and senior staff members might be – are foreign intelligence services.” Yahoo News quoted another TCB expert, former CIA officer Marc Polmeropoulos saying that “every intelligence service will have their operational directive.” We would do the same thing if the tables were turned. Yahoo cites an example from the 1980s where a team of CIA officers was tasked with collecting samples of Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos urine and feces. We’re confident however, that the folks at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center had the presidential loo locked down.
COUNTERFEIT CLOTHES: Novel viruses are not the only unwelcome things coming from China. Last week, the U.S. Attorney in Rhode Island indicted two Americans for conspiring and selling more than $20 million of counterfeit goods to the U.S. military and other government purchasers. The men allegedly obtained counterfeit clothing, apparel, and gear in China and Pakistan and passed it off to buyers such as the Rhode Island National Guard as being made in America. Prosecutors say included in some of the material were fake “fireproof” hoods that were not fire resistant and parkas that were supposed to be difficult for enemies to see using night vision goggles – but were not.
HOME ON THE RANGE: Everything is bigger in Texas – including the cost of housing generals, apparently. Stars and Stripes (having almost been cancelled by an administration which couldn’t find $15.5 million to fund the troop’s newspaper) reports that the Army spent $8.5 million in 2018 to buy houses for three officials from the Army Futures Command in Austin, TX. Included is a 5,700 square foot house for the four-star general in charge. That place has a pool, three-car garage, wine grotto and media room. As part of the deal, the Army bought the house next door, (valued at around $1.3 million) tore it down and put up a parking lot.
BAD YEAR FOR BOND: MGM has decided that given the ugliness of the year 2020 – their new James Bond film “No Time to Die” should come out some other time. Previously scheduled to premiere on November 20, the flick has been pushed back to a (hopefully) more auspicious date, Easter weekend April 2, 2021. The problem is that traditional movie theaters are having trouble staying in business because without new movies to show, they can’t attract patrons, so it will be interesting to see if moving the release date for No Time to Die is, in effect, its own special kind of death sentence.
SEAL OF DISAPPROVAL: With all the attention devoted to the president’s health recently – and trips to and from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – you might have missed this one. But on Thursday, President Trump retweeted an item from an outfit called The Columbia Bugle saying that “Navy SEALs change official ethos to be gender neutral, remove ‘brotherhood’ and “man”…. The Commander in Chief disagreed with the move and announced via twitter: “I will be overturning this ridiculous order immediately!” Before the president shot down the revised ethos, American Military News reached Naval Special Warfare spokesman LCDR Matthew Stroup who confirmed the change. Stroup said the changes had been made to comply with changes in the law which allow for the potential of women joining units like the SEALs in the future. He also said the ethos is an inspirational statement of what makes a SEAL. Earlier versions talked about a “…special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation’s call. Common men with uncommon desire to succeed….I am that man,” The new version talks about “Common citizens…” and “I am that warrior.” At last check, the SEALs had not reverted to the more manly version – maybe they are not scanning Twitter for orders.
SECRETARY OF STATE-STAKES: Got some ideas on how to improve American diplomacy? You may have missed your chance to make them known. According to Diplopundit, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was scheduled to attend the Florida Family Policy Council dinner on October 3rd. “The invitation for the event stated that if you donate $10,000 (Diamond Table Sponsor) to the organization you would receive a “personal visit with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.” If you donated $3-5,000 you would receive “2 VIP Tickets to Reception with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.” This appears to be a violation of federal regulations regarding officials using their positions to support fundraising for non-profit organizations except in very limited and specified cases – such as the Combined Federal Campaign.
HOW YOU GONNA KEEP ‘EM DOWN AT THE FARMVILLE? The State Department has a new “Foreign Affairs Security Training Center” on Fort Pickett near Blackstone, Virginia about a three-hour drive southwest of Washington, D.C. At the facility, trainees “learn how to detect surveillance, provide emergency medical care, better recognize improvised explosive devices, increase firearms abilities, and perform defensive driving maneuvers.” Unfortunately, this is 2020 – so those who are sent there must quarantine for two weeks prior to starting training. And since there is not adequate housing on base, they are all housed at the Holiday Inn Express in Farmville, VA. Diplopundit says “…adults who are cooped up in a hotel for weeks on end with nothing to do seem to revert back to their college years of binge drinking and general debauchery. Class advisors at FASTC have openly complained that they have really gotten to know police officials in the rural one-cop town of Farmville.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
GREAT CALL SIGN: On October 7, the White House announced that the President has named retired USAF Major General Randy “Church” Kee of Alaska to be a member of the Arctic Research Commission. The older folks among us took notice….for our younger readers, “church key” is what people used to call a beer bottle or can opener. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could not get into your brewski by twisting off the cap or popping the top.
DID BLACKLIST BUNGLE BAZZEL BAZ? The NBC TV series “The Blacklist” is about to begin its eighth season. It’s about a high-profile criminal and former Navy intelligence officer (played by James Spader) who decides to join up with a young FBI profiler to track down bad guys. Some fans are really into the series. We recently learned that one of the smaller characters in the program was a paramilitary operative ID’d in the show as “Baz” and whose real name is Bazzel Baz. Baz (the real one) is a former U.S. Marine and CIA officer. But in 2017, the TV Baz was apparently killed off – and some fans are upset that he didn’t even get to die on screen. And some of those fans are lobbying for loose ends to be tied up and Baz’s departure to be explained better or better yet, for Baz to be miraculously brought back to life. Just a guess – but we think former CIA officer Baz’s real-life (talent) agent may be behind the groundswell.
SEMPER FI(RE): The website Task and Purpose has a story that is unverified – but we hope is true. According to the site, a Marine at Camp Lejeune may have recently bought a fire truck and brought it to the base. The article includes an Instagram video of a bunch of Marines inspecting the vehicle and playing with the siren. There is no name attached to the purchaser. A base spokesman was quoted as saying: "If it’s a privately owned, registered and insured vehicle, and the Marine holds the appropriate state driver’s license to operate it, there would be no restrictions prohibiting a Marine from driving it on base," he said. "The video does appear to be taken at Camp Lejeune based on the style of barracks buildings in the background." At first, we thought, an on-base POFT (privately owned fire truck) presents some challenges. For example, where do you park it? But on further reflection – you can probably park it anywhere. Who is going to ticket or tow a fire truck?
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