There is something unseemly about breaking the risk of terrorism down into a numbers game, but when you have to make decisions about finite funds and resources there is no avoiding it. Having said that I think the author (pdf) has done a fine job pointing out both the cold mathematical facts as well as…

A very readable piece on reform, arguing for more centralization wrt CT issues, in Foreign Policy: Policymakers’ perceptions of intelligence also posed a problem. “There still is widespread misunderstanding of what intelligence is, how it is produced, and in what way it relates to and serves the action and policymaking people,” Smith wrote in his…

The intrepid Siobhan Gorman strikes again: The National Security Agency is running out of juice. The demand for electricity to operate its expanding intelligence systems has left the high-tech eavesdropping agency on the verge of exceeding its power supply, the lifeblood of its sprawling 350-acre Fort Meade headquarters, according to current and former intelligence officials.…

The process is so shrouded in secrecy that one member of Congress … said he did not even know lawmakers were allowed to read the classified sections of the bills. “How in the world do you expect me to maintain my world-class level of ignorance if I have to waste time fulfilling my responsibilities?“

Robb: where does he find these things? Open source cooperative efforts are constantly emerging in response to real human need (Katrina and the SE Asian Tsunami are recent extreme examples). Unfortunately, the knowledge and capabilities (the killer combo) aggregated during these efforts disbands after the event recedes into history. There hasn’t been any effort to…

Ah, the joy of the annual call from the left coast by the fresh faces and open minds looking for insight and wisdom from the cantankerous little swamp-dweller who takes liberties with the language (no, not Yoda). Predictable and somewhat turgid (not their fault, our Uncle makes you write that way) but a sure-fire ticket…

CT blog post about language deficiencies at State is a variation on the theme we’ve been hearing for years in the IC and military. Frankly there is no excuse for this at this stage of the game. Even if we’re not serious about understanding others, we ought to be able to more readily communicate with…

Then: Iran admitted for the first time on Friday that it did indeed supply long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbullah. and now: Iran will supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missile systems in the coming months, boosting the guerrillas’ defences against Israeli aircraft, according to a report by specialist magazine Jane’s Defence Weekly . . . So lucky…

A great series of articles (only minor quibbles about accuracy) about the growing importance of forensics in law enforcement and intelligence work. We are rapidly approaching the point where using “cyber” as an adjective when describing malicious or offensive activity is becoming superfluous. When street thugs are giving up slinging rock for cloning ATM cards…

Neo-Con-INT, apparently: A report by columnist Sidney Blumenthal in Salon claims that Israel is receiving intelligence from the US’s National Security Agency. Blumenthal claims to be in touch with “a national security official with direct knowledge of the operation” to supply Israel with signals intelligence from American assets to help it monitor armament transfers from…