U.S. Special Operations Command Planning For Future Missions, Admiral McRaven Says

Karen Parrish at the American Forces Press Service offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2013 - U.S. special operations forces are postured to take on the global counterterrorism challenges the nation faces in the years ahead, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said Nov. 16.

Navy Adm. William H. McRaven took part in a panel discussion at the first Reagan National Security Forum at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., examining what will be required to effectively fight terrorism in 2025.

Numerous senior Defense Department officials, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the forum. McRaven's panel included Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, along with U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry. Washington Post national security reporter Craig Whitlock moderated the panel.

McRaven said the role of U.S. special operations forces in the coming decade-plus is "a very timely topic." Through the 1990s, he said, "the international special operations community had a lot of great [special operations] forces. And frankly, there were many that were as good, if not better, than we were."

Since 9/11 and continuing today, however, "I can tell you, there is nobody in the world who can compare to U.S. special operations forces and U.S. counterterrorism forces," the admiral said.

Thanks to the support of Congress, he reported, Socom has since 2001 doubled its people, tripled its budgets and quadrupled its capability -- not just in the areas of hardware and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, but also in noncommissioned officer training, officer education, and language and cultural studies.

The question now, McRaven said, is whether the special operations force that has evolved to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is also adaptable to today's threats. He said it absolutely is.

The admiral noted that the U.S. special operations forces now postured in Afghanistan will, as the drawdown of troops in 2014 proceeds, be available for new missions.

"A lot of what we will do as we go forward in this force is build partner capacity. ... We will always be the best in the world at rescuing Americans and taking care of threats to the nation, but a large part of what we will do [in future] is build partner capacity," he said.

U.S. forces have worked over the past decade with partners in Colombia, the Philippines, Chad and a dozen other countries around the world to strengthen their special operations programs, he said. U.S. allies and partners including NATO, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and Asian and Latin American nations "are absolutely essential to how we're doing business," he added.

Interagency collaboration across the U.S. government is also crucial, McRaven said. "I have special operations support teams, liaison officers, in 38 agencies and departments within Washington, D.C.," he noted.

Socom's relationships with other agencies such as the CIA and FBI are "phenomenal," he reported.

"Lives are important, and the security of the nation is important, and it has brought us together," the admiral said. "My concern is that as we draw down in Afghanistan, and we don't have the opportunity that, unfortunately, war brings you to continue to work together, we've got to be careful about moving apart."

The whole-of-government approach is "absolutely crucial to getting after these threats," he said.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't make any difference to me whether it's a Department of Defense guy, or a law enforcement individual or an intelligence individual that takes care of the threat," McRaven said. "We've got to work together to make sure that those threats don't end up on our shores."

McRaven said his special operators also rely on regular U.S. forces.

"I am the biggest supporter of the conventional forces, because frankly, we can't do our special operations job without support from the big Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps," the admiral said. He added, "If we are going to have a viable force in 2025, it's all about the people."

He pointed out that 12 years of war have exacted a high price from his troops. "We have had more suicides this year than [at] any point ... in the history of special operations forces," McRaven said. While that "single data point" can't capture the overall health of his force, the admiral said, it is important.

"The stress on the force is pretty significant," he said. "We are going out of our way to work with the services to make sure that the individual soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines are healthy physically, mentally and spiritually."

Resilience within families is equally important, he said, and Socom's "preservation of the force and families" initiative is one approach the command is taking to help families learn adapting and coping skills.

"If you want a strong [special operations] force for 2025, or frankly for 2014 and 2015, we have got to take care of our force," he emphasized.

But McRaven said that overall, he is confident the nation's special operators are ready to take on current and future missions. "I think we're going to be ready to go now and in the future," he said. He noted that Socom is channeling more troops into language and cultural training that will make them effective in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

"Up to 2025, this building partner capacity is going to be important," he explained. "You can't build that partner capacity well unless you speak their language, unless you understand their culture, and unless you have gained their trust."

Such engagement is not effective if it's episodic, the admiral said. Special operations forces bring sustained engagement, backed by language and cultural knowledge, to the task of improving partner forces, he noted. "Episodic engagement with our partners will not get us to the point where they have a competent and capable force that can deal with the threat," he said. "We've got to have persistent engagement."

Vickers addressed a question from Whitlock on how the Pentagon determines who the enemy is as terrorist groups shift membership and affiliation.

"It is a governmentwide issue," he replied. While al-Qaida has many branches and all of them are considered enemies, he said, other groups claim ideological similarities with terrorist organizations while not, themselves, posing a threat to America or its allies.

Vickers said fusion of intelligence and operations, and sustained pressure on terrorist groups, are both vital to addressing counterterrorism missions effectively. During the years when America was fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, al-Qaida wasn't pressured and was able to reconstitute, resulting in significantly increased threats to the United States.

"Our government then responded quite effectively, and we've beaten those threats back," Vickers said. "But even when there have been smaller pauses in the pressure on these groups, whether it's in Yemen or Pakistan or elsewhere for, say, just months, you see them reconstituting. It emphasizes the real importance of sustained pressure, but also precision application of power."

McRaven said the best solution the United States can work toward with partners and allies in many parts of the world is to "train them to deal with their own problems." The admiral said U.S. special operations forces are currently in 81 countries. In some cases, that may mean one or two people working in an embassy, he said, while other times it may mean a couple hundred trainers on the ground.

In each case, he said, "we do a very, very thorough review, and we understand those risks ahead of time."

The State Department plays a big role in deciding what forces the U.S. military will train with, he noted. Special operations forces don't train with other nations unless the regional combatant commander, the ambassador and the country team all give the go-ahead, McRaven said.

"We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that there are forces out there that ... have questionable reputations," the admiral pointed out. "I think we need to assume some risk in helping them. Libya would be a prime example. So right now, as we go forward to try and find a good way to build up the Libyan security forces so they are not run by militias, we are going to have to assume some risks."

McRaven said the Libyan training mission, which Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today will take place in Bulgaria, will involve both conventional and special Libyan forces.

Between 5,000 and 7,000 Libyan conventional forces will take part, he said, while a U.S. special operations component will train "a certain number of their forces to do counterterrorism."

Marine Corps Commandant Marks 30th Anniversary Of Marine Barracks Attack In Lebanon

The American Forces Press Service offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2013 - The attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 23, 1983 became a harbinger of what is known today as the war on terror, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos (seen in the below photo), during a ceremony yesterday in Jacksonville, N.C., to mark the 30th anniversary of the attacks.

The terrorist truck bomb took the lives of 241 service members.

"The world we lived in and the future we knew of a secure environment changed forever that morning of Oct. 23," Amos said. "The nation was not expecting this. It was a new kind of warfare. The threat of radical extremists being able to target military and civilian personnel with weapons of mass destruction for political, religious and personal gains was a new way to attack the West. It was a cowardly act on freedom."

The early 1980s was a tumultuous time of conflicting powers, Amos told the audience of Marines, as well as families and friends of those killed in the attack. "[That era] indeed became the harbinger of more challenging times yet to come," the general said. "Tensions were high across the world, the Cold War raged on, and radicalism surfaced as a new threat to stability in the Middle East."

And, "when conflict ripped at the peaceful coexistence of Lebanon, the United States, France, Italy and Great Britain answered the call to assist," Amos said of the multinational peace-keeping force that went into Beirut.

Amos described how Marines attempted to serve as peace keepers at a time when the country was deeply immersed in a civil war.

"They stood watch and patrolled chaotic streets to provide a blanket of safety and security and comfort for the citizens of Lebanon. They stood for freedom," he said, adding that the Marines knew their protection of the citizens came with a risk.

"On Oct. 23, 1983, terror struck. At 6:22 a.m., extremists drove an explosives-laden truck into the Marine barracks the likes of which had never been witnessed before. The massive explosion shook the ground of the entire Beirut International Airport along with the souls of all the Marines throughout the world," Amos said.

"Two-hundred and forty-one Marines and American soldiers and sailors [who] volunteered to make a difference" died in the attack, he added.

"They volunteered to serve their country ... to put the lives and freedoms of others before their own ... 241 of our finest, Amos said. "We honor each of them today."

Beginning with the attacks in Beirut, extremists have attempted to destroy what makes the United States great by attacking America at home and abroad, Amos pointed out.

He recounted the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in which a truck detonated alongside a building that housed U.S. Air Force personnel, killing 19 and wounding 498. He also recalled the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 220 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded. Amos also spoke of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, berthed in Yemen, which resulted in the deaths of 17 American sailors and injured 39others.

"On 9/11," Amos said, "terrorists attacked America, in New York, the fields of Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000. We remember each of these well. We will never forgive, nor will we ever forget."

In September 2012, he added, gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four people, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

"Not only are these world-changing events, but they are very personal to all of us here today," Amos said.

U.S. troops responded in countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Mali, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

"Today, our Marines remain forward-deployed," Amos said. "Marine expeditionary units are stationed around the globe -- the 26th, the 13th and the 31st Marines continue to train security forces and deny terrorists safe havens throughout all of Afghanistan."

When Marines respond to crises, they remain strong, and ready to respond and answer the nation's call, Amos said. Since the fateful day of the Beirut attacks, the Marines have stayed consistent in character and courage, and those traits have "not wavered and never will," he said.

"Across the globe, extremists have attempted to plot against our freedom and our democracy. They have tested our resolve as a nation. Those men who died 30 years ago would be proud to know that we have never relented," Amos told the audience members, who responded with cries of "Oorah!"

"We have never backed down, and we never will," he said.

Note: The U.S. Marine Corps released the above two photos.

Senator Lindsey Graham Defends NSA

Andrew Johnson at National Review Online offers a piece on Senator Lindsey Graham's defense of NSA.

Senator Lindsey Graham cautioned that sequestration could prevent precautionary measures such as this weekend’s embassy closings throughout the Middle East from taking place in the future.

“Sequestration has to be fixed,” the South Carolina Republican said on CNN’s State of the Union this morning. “If this happens a year from now, our intelligence community and military will be less capable.”

Graham hailed the measures as evidence that “the NSA program is proving its worth yet again.”

You can read the rest of the piece and watch the CNN interview via the below link:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/355088/graham-warns-sequester-makes-intel-less-capable-protect-embassies-andrew-johnson

Charges Filed In Federal Court Against Mokhtar Belmokhtar For His Role In Terror Attack In Algeria And Other Crimes

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information on July 19th:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; John Carlin, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; George Venizelos, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Raymond W. Kelly, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (NYPD), today announced the filing of charges against Mokhtar Belmokhtar for, among other things, his alleged participation in the January 2013 terrorist attack on a Western-owned gas processing facility near In Amenas, Algeria, that killed three Americans and scores of Algerian and foreign nationals. Belmokhtar is charged in an eight-count criminal amended complaint with various offenses, including conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), hostage-taking conspiracy, kidnapping of internationally protected persons, and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. Belmokhtar remains at large.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “As alleged, Mokhtar Belmokhtar unleashed a reign of terror years ago, in furtherance of his self-proclaimed goal of waging bloody jihad against the West. His efforts culminated in a five-day siege that left dozens dead, including three Americans, and hundreds of others fearing for their lives, as the amended complaint describes. For the victims, their families, and their friends, who hail from all over the world, five days must have seemed like an eternity. Belmokhtar brought terror and blood to these innocent people, and now we intend to bring Belmokhtar to justice, as charged.”

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said, “The charges announced today underscore the department’s commitment to bring to justice those responsible for attacks on Americans and American interests, no matter where they occur. I want to thank all of the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who helped bring about today’s result.”

FBI Assistant Director inCharge George Venizelos said, “The charges against Mokhtar Belmokhtar describe a fanatical jihadist leading an extremist vanguard of an extremist ideology. As alleged, he kidnapped diplomats, formed his own terrorist organization that pledged fealty to al Qaeda, and masterminded the murderous siege of a civilian plant in Algeria that resulted in the deaths of dozens of hostages, including three Americans. Belmokhtar, in furtherance of his ‘cause,’ has shown a commitment to kidnapping and murdering Western diplomats and other civilians. The cause of justice will be served by his apprehension and prosecution.”

NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said, “The attack in Algeria underscores the fact that American lives remain at risk from al Qaeda and its affiliates. The NYPD remains committed to the interdiction of terrorists here and abroad and to the prevention of another terrorist attack in New York City.”

A complaint against Belmokhtar initially was filed under seal in Manhattan federal court, on February 26, 2013. As alleged in the amended complaint:

Belmokhtar was designated as a foreign terrorist by the U.S. Department of Treasury in 2003. As a key leader of al Qaeda’s efforts in North Africa, from 2008 through early 2013, Belmokhtar has orchestrated terror attacks involving the kidnapping and murder of numerous individuals. In support of al Qaeda, Belmokhtar has operated under the auspices of two groups: AQIM and the Al-Mulathamin Brigade and its recently formed battalion, “The Signers in Blood” (the “Battalion”).

In December 2008, Belmokhtar, and others acting at his direction, kidnapped two Western diplomats working in Niger as part of a United Nations mission. The victims were held for approximately four months and then released in Mali.

In early December 2012, Belmokhtar issued a video-taped statement in which he announced the formation of “The Signers in Blood” Battalion, identified the “emir” of the group as Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda, and called for fighting in Algeria and elsewhere to oppose Western influence. Several weeks later, Belmokhtar issued another video-taped statement in which he confirmed that the Battalion was “in [the] al Qaeda organization.”

On January 16, 2013, terrorists who were part of Belmokhtar’s Battalion attacked a Western-owned gas processing facility in Algeria, armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The terrorists took numerous workers inside the facility hostage by force, including Algerian nationals and citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, the Philippines, Colombia, Romania, and other nations, while other workers fled or hid inside the facility. The terrorists attached explosives to some of the hostages, wound detonation cord around their necks, and threatened to kill them. During the siege of the facility, numerous hostages, including three U.S. citizens, were killed.
On January 21, 2013, approximately one day after the siege ended, Belmokhtar appeared in an online video in which he claimed responsibility for the Battalion’s attack on the facility, on behalf of al Qaeda.

Three of the hostage-takers involved in the siege were arrested and detained by foreign authorities and later separately interviewed by U.S. law enforcement officers. The hostage-takers each acknowledged their membership in an al Qaeda group, of which Belmokhtar was the “emir,” and further stated that they had received military training in another country prior to traveling to Algeria to conduct the attack in the name of al Qaeda.

* * *

The amended complaint charges Belmokhtar in eight counts:

• Count one charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda and AQIM and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
• Count two charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to take hostages and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or death;
• Count three charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to discharge a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
• Count four charges Belmokhtar with discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or death;
• Count five charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to use and carry an explosive during the commission of a felony and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison;
• Count six charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to kidnap internationally protected persons and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
• Count seven charges Belmokhtar with kidnapping of internationally protected persons and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; and
• Count eight charges Belmokhtar with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The investigation of Belmokhtar was the result of the close cooperative efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the New York-based Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which is composed of FBI agents and members of the NYPD. Mr. Bharara thanked the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s International Operations Division, and the U.S. Department of State for their assistance, as well as the international law enforcement partners involved in this investigation.

The United States Department of State, through the Rewards for Justice Program, is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the location of Belmokhtar. The Rewards for Justice website has further details: http://www.rewardsforjustice.net.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glen Kopp, Anna Skotko and Shane Stansbury are in charge of the prosecutions, with assistance from Trial Attorney Stephen Ponticiello of the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

The charges contained in the amended complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Note: The above photo of Belmokhtar was released by the FBI.

Review Of Henry A. Crumpton's 'The Art Of Intelligence'

Joseph C. Goulden, a veteran journalist, author and expert on intelligence and espionage matters, wrote an excellent review of former CIA officer Henry A. Crumpton's The Art of Intelligence: Lessons From a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service.

The review appeared in today's Washington Times.

You can read the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/20/ethics-and-methodology-of-spying/?page=all#pagebreak

You can also watch a video of Henry Crumpton being interviewed on 60 Minutes via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2012/05/life-of-spy-legendary-cia-officer.html

And you can read my interview with Joseph C. Goulden via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/JosephGouldenQandA.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/JGouldenQandA2.jpg

Two Men Charged In Plot To Attack Seattle Military Processing Center

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information regarding the arrest of two men charged with plotting to attack the Seattle Military Processing Center:

SEATTLE – Two men were arrested late last night and are charged by criminal complaint with terrorism and firearms related charges. The complaint alleges that Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, aka Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, aka Frederick Domingue, Jr., 32, of Los Angeles, took possession of machine guns that they purchased and planned to use in an attack on the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) located on East Marginal Way, Seattle.

Law enforcement has been monitoring Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh, including the weapons transaction, to prevent the attack and protect the public. Unbeknownst to the defendants, the weapons were rendered inoperable and posed no risk to the public. The defendants initially planned an attack on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, but later changed targets. The defendants intended to carry out their attack with both grenades and machine guns.

“The complaint alleges these men intended to carry out a deadly attack against our military where they should be most safe, here at home,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “This is a sobering reminder of our need to be vigilant and that our first line of defense is the people who live in our community. We were able to disrupt the plot because someone stepped forward and reported it to authorities. I commend the joint efforts of the FBI, the Seattle Police Department, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force who quickly recognized the seriousness of the threat and ensured the safety of the community.”

Law enforcement first became aware of the potential threat when a citizen alerted them that he/she had been approached about participating in the attack and supplying firearms to the conspirators. The person then agreed to work with law enforcement, which began monitoring Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh. Since early June the conspirators were captured on audio and videotape discussing a violent assault on the Military Entrance Processing Station. The MEPS is where each branch of the military screens and processes enlistees. In addition to housing many civilian and military employees, the building houses a federal daycare center.

“Driven by a violent, extreme ideology, these two young Americans are charged with plotting to murder men and women who were enlisting in the Armed Forces to serve and protect our country. This is one of a number of recent plots targeting our military here at home, ” said Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The threat was averted by the combined efforts of the federal, state and local law enforcement officers that make up the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

“The FBI remains committed to utilizing intelligence-based investigations to thwart would-be terrorists,” said Laura Laughlin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Division. “This case epitomizes the value and capabilities of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force concept as a means of preventing acts of terrorism. But for the courage of the cooperating witness, and the efforts of multiple agencies working long and intense hours, the subjects might have been able to carry out their brutal plan.”

“This attack was foiled because of the trust and relationships the men and women of the Seattle Police Department enjoy with our community,” said Seattle Police Chief John Diaz. “The complainant felt safe approaching a Seattle Police Detective and, in doing so, ended the plot intended to take innocent lives. This cooperative investigation involving local, state, and federal partners worked exactly as intended.”

Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh are charged by complaint with conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (grenades), and possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Abdul-Latif is also charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms. The defendants will make their initial appearance on the complaint at 2:30 p.m. in front of Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler, on the 12th floor of the federal courthouse at 700 Stewart Street, Seattle.

Both Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh face potential sentences of life in prison if convicted of the charges.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which has investigators from federal, state and local law enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives contributed significant expertise to this investigation.