By: Xander Causwell, Columnist Photo by: theselousscouts.com During the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979) the white minority-controlled Rhodesian government carried out a remarkably successful counterinsurgency campaign against insurgent groups representing the disenfranchised black majority by relying heavily on the use of pseudo-operations. Pseudo-operations constitute a set of tactics government-controlled paramilitary units use to infiltrate insurgent-controlled territory … Continue reading The Logic of Pseudo-Operations: Lessons from the Rhodesian Bush War
Category: Intelligence
The Bear’s Necessities: Russia’s Control, Exploitation, and Manipulation of Information
A screenshot of what appeared to be Russian ransomware affecting systems worldwide in June 2017. The Ukrainian government posted the shot to its official Facebook page. Via The New York Times By: Shawn Stefanick, Columnist On April 16, 2018, the U.S. and U.K. publicly blamed Moscow for a series of cyber intrusions into the backbone … Continue reading The Bear’s Necessities: Russia’s Control, Exploitation, and Manipulation of Information
China’s Influence Operations in the United States
By: Ryan Neuhard, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images The exposure of Russia’s political influence campaign in the United States has raised deeply uncomfortable questions about the US political system’s vulnerability to foreign manipulation. [[i]] However, Russia is not the only foreign power attempting to manipulate US politics. China’s government has a subtle, but robust approach … Continue reading China’s Influence Operations in the United States
The Case Against Hacking Back
By: Sonny Santistevan, Columnist Photo Credit: Slate (via TASS) Cybersecurity breaches are an all too common theme in headlines across the United States. 2017 alone has seen an inordinate amount of cybersecurity breakdowns, including state-sponsored ransomware, leaks of spy tools from intelligence agencies, electoral campaign hacking, and a myriad of public and private sector breaches, … Continue reading The Case Against Hacking Back
Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Paula Doyle, SSP Adjunct Professor
By: Rebecca Robison, Reporter Photo Credit: George T. Kalaris Intelligence Studies Fund Paula Doyle retired in December 2016 as one of three CIA Associate Deputy Directors of Operations, where she oversaw worldwide HUMINT operations and activities that required the use of air, land, maritime, space-based and cyber technologies. She was the Deputy National Counterintelligence Executive from 2012-2014. She … Continue reading Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Paula Doyle, SSP Adjunct Professor
Standing Up to the Russian Bear: Time for A Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Threat of the Russian Federation
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty The United States National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18), which the US Congress resolved and sent to the White House in mid-November 2017, includes in it a requirement for the interagency to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to counter … Continue reading Standing Up to the Russian Bear: Time for A Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Threat of the Russian Federation
The Implications of France’s New Anti-Terror Law
By: Alicia Chavy, Columnist Photo Credit: CNBC On October 31, France ended its two-year-long state of emergency, and passed a controversial anti-terror law allowing some of the emergency measures to remain in place. For instance, the new law permanently allows French authorities to conduct home searches and place suspected terrorists under house arrest with limited … Continue reading The Implications of France’s New Anti-Terror Law
Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Gary Shiffman, SSP Adjunct Professor
By: Donnie Hill, Reporter Photo Credit: Giant Oak Dr. Gary Shiffman is the founder and CEO of Giant Oak, a technology firm that specializes in blending social science with big data environments to identify illicit actions, actors, and networks. His past positions include managing director at the Chertoff Group, senior vice president and general manager … Continue reading Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Gary Shiffman, SSP Adjunct Professor
Stay in Your Lane: The US Military and the Interagency Community
By: Brian Hayes, Columnist Photo Credit: Department of Defense Admiral Kurt Tidd wants to be South America’s top cop. Tidd, the commander of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), is not content to focus on military activities. Instead, Tidd wants SOUTHCOM to target criminal networks throughout the theater in order to “detect, illuminate, [and] disrupt” criminal activities. … Continue reading Stay in Your Lane: The US Military and the Interagency Community
A Soft(ware) Approach to Threats from Within: Mitigating the Insider Threat with Threat-Detection Software
By: Sonny James Santistevan Photo Credit: New York Times Growing concerns about the prevalence and increasing regularity of insider threat breaches within the United States Government and private businesses are mounting as many security professionals now consider the insider threat as one of the greatest dangers to US national security. An unfortunate reality concerning insider … Continue reading A Soft(ware) Approach to Threats from Within: Mitigating the Insider Threat with Threat-Detection Software