Espionage

The bullet-ridden body of a former French intelligence officer was found in his car beside the road in the Alps. Daniel Forestier, who stood accused of plotting to assassinate an opposition politician from Congo-Brazzaville, was found covered in blood in Haute-Savoie, near Lake Léman. Officials from the police stated to the Guardian that the victim […]

This week, the National Reconnaissance Office declassified a trove of documents pertaining to the long defunct “Tagboard” drone program, a reconnaissance effort so ahead of its time that it seemed like science fiction until only recently. In the 1960s, the United States found itself in a unique position: Nuclear programs in both China and the […]

This week, the National Reconnaissance Office declassified a trove of documents pertaining to the long defunct “Tagboard” drone program, a reconnaissance effort so ahead of its time that it seemed like science fiction until only recently. In the 1960s, the United States found itself in a unique position: Nuclear programs in both China and the […]

Chinese telecom giant Huawei filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming the National Defense Authorization Act banning the installation of their hardware in federal defense systems is unconstitutional. The lawsuit complaint states: Plaintiffs Huawei Technologies USA, Inc., and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (collectively, “Plaintiffs” or “Huawei”), by and through their attorneys, bring this action […]

According to a Washington Post report, U.S. Army recruiters sent out an email containing sensitive personal information about hundreds of immigrants from countries like China and Russia, putting their lives in danger if the information gets into the wrong hands. The spreadsheet contained names, language skills, Social Security numbers and dates of enlistment. Between July […]

Clement Vandenborre, chief of the counterintelligence directorate of Belgium’s General Information and Security Services (ADIV), was placed under house arrest on suspicions of destroying classified material. He has been temporarily relieved from his post until the conclusion of an internal investigation. This was first published by Belgium newspaper De Morgen, which cites multiple sources. Vandenborre, a […]

A former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence officer who defected to Iran was indicted on espionage charges. According to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, Monica Witt, 39, defected to Iran in 2013. The indictment accuses her of assisting “Iranian intelligence services in targeting her former fellow agents in the U.S. […]

In the national security decision-making process and military operations, more often than not, intelligence drives action. Actionable intelligence, that is, timely and accurate information about a target of interest, is the most precious commodity. There are numerous ways to gather actionable intelligence: Human Intelligence (HUMINT) is highly valued but very difficult to acquire as it […]

In 2016, U.S. law enforcement arrested Harold T. Martin III, a National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, for stealing a massive amount of classified data that would put Edward Snowden to shame. Now, it’s being revealed the intelligence that led to the bust came from the unlikeliest of sources: a Russian cybersecurity company. Kaspersky Lab, based […]

The Israeli Justice Ministry has announced that Gonen Segev, a former energy minister, who was caught spying for Iran, will serve 11 years behind bars in exchange for a guilty plea. Last June, Segev, who served as Israel’s Energy Minister from 1995 to 1996, was arrested by the Shin Bet internal security service after suspicions […]

Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran, continues to be under arrest by the Russian government, charged with espionage. The Russians have refused to entertain the prospect of a prisoner swap. Emerging details surrounding this case have muddled the picture. Whelan has a remarkable four citizenships: British, Canadian, Irish, and U.S. This wasn’t his first visit to […]

On Monday, December 31st, Russian security services arrested an American man in Moscow on charges of espionage. Paul Whelan, who, according to his family, was visiting the Russian capital in order to attend a wedding, was arrested by the FSB—Russia’s domestic security service—for “carrying out an act of espionage.” A U.S. Marine veteran, Whelan had […]