Ahead of Deal, Top Intel Organization Plays Down Iran's Sponsorship of Terrorism

    Sunday night, Stephen Hayes noted (via Twitter) a Times of Israel article that the 2015 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Communities delivered annually by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to a Senate committee had "removed Iran and Hezbollah from its list of terrorism threats" after having been included in prior years.
    For each of at least the past four years, the report from Clapper has featured a section early in the document entitled "Terrorism". In the 2015 report, that section spans pages 4 and 5 of the report and is completely silent about both Iran and Hezbollah. Other sections of the report mention Iran as a cyber threat and talk about Iran's nuclear program as a potential threat, but even when discussing specific threats country by country, the section dedicated to Iran (four paragraphs on page 14) does not mention terrorism as a reason that nation is an "ongoing threat" to the United States. The open sentence reads:

The Islamic Republic of Iran is an ongoing threat to US national interests because of its support to the Asad regime in Syria, promulgation of anti-Israeli policies, development of advanced military capabilities, and pursuit of its nuclear program.

     In stark contrast to the 2015 report, each of the three preceding reports not only singles out Iran for terrorism, but actually gives the country (sometimes paired with Hezbollah) its own subheading. Here are excerpts from the Terrorism section of each of those three reports:

2014:

2013:

2012:

    As Hayes noted on Twitter regarding the removal by US intelligence of Iran and Hezbollah as worldwide terror threats, "If true, jaw-dropping." This closer look at the last four annual reports seems to indicate that it is indeed true.

Note: A version of this post first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

Director of National Intelligence Celebrates LGBT Pride Month: 'What The IC Is About'

    In line with President Obama's official proclamation of June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month", the current banner headlining the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Wednesday proclaims the agency's celebration of the same, noting, "It’s also about what the IC is about: integration":

    The graphic contains a quote from a March speech given by director James Clapper at the Intelligence Community (IC) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Allies (LGBTA) Summit which was held this year at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland:

[T]his isn’t just about what’s altruistically right. It’s also about what the IC is about: integration. It means having and using a widely diverse workforce, and taking advantage of all those great intellects we have, while removing as many frustrations and distractions as possible. So – it’s not just about what’s right. It’s about good business in our profession.

    In his speech, Clapper noted his experiences with gay members of the intelligence community, from initially helping to expel two gay airmen in the 1960s to later, as Clapper's rank and authority grew, accommodating and retaining gays who were outed, at least in part to "atone for what happened to those two airman."

    Clapper closed his remarks to the LGBTA summit with a repurposing of an Arthur C. Clarke quote about "hoping to find intelligent life in Washington":

Let me finish with the words of the brilliant science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was in part about the quest to find intelligent life in the universe. He said some great things over the years, including: “I'm hoping to find intelligent life in Washington.” 

Clarke, who was just way ahead of his time, also said this: “We stand now at the turning point between two eras. Behind us is a past to which we can never return.” 

I’d like to think that we’re now well beyond the turning point that applies to equal opportunity and diversity for the LGBT community. Because I know, there’s no going back.

Update: The ODNI since tweeted several LGBT Pride-related tweets, including this one featuring a former Navy Seal:

Thanks @TheLadyValor for helping DIA celebrate #LGBT #PrideMonth this week! http://t.co/lhmCIgk2dI pic.twitter.com/ApoyEXgg18
— DIA (@DefenseIntel) June 20, 2014

Note: A version of this post, before the update, appeared first at The Weekly Standard.

Top Spy: Intelligence on Ukraine 'Not a Failure By Any Stretch'

    Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is disputing the conventional wisdom on Russian incursion into the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine.  In an interview with WTOP Radio that is also posted on the DNI's website, Clapper insisted that the intelligence communities reading of the situation prior to Russia's military intervention was "not a failure by any stretch":

"I have lived through some genuine intelligence failures in my career and this was not a failure by any stretch," Clapper said. "We tracked (the situation in Ukraine) pretty carefully and portrayed what the possibilities were and certainly portrayed the difficulties we'd have, because of the movements of Russian troops and provided anticipatory warning of their incursion into Crimea," Clapper added.  

During an expansive interview in his office, Clapper pointed out that, "We were following closely the political and economic developments in Ukraine. We spoke to it in our statement for the record at the time and as the situation unfolded with the Russians."

     On February 27, Secretary of State John Kerry was publicly expressing optimism that calm would prevail.  The following day, the day of Russia's invasion of Crimea (as the State Department would later refer to it,) State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked about Russia's military intentions towards Crimea:

QUESTION: So talking about reports – sorry. Do you have any independent confirmation yourselves within the Administration that there is yet any Russian intervention in [Crimea]?... 

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have anything – any more details to share with you. We’re concerned about the same reports that you have seen, and obviously, we’re closely watching this internally as well. 

QUESTION: So nothing – no independent knowledge of any Russian intervention in Crimea? 

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any independent information to share with you.

     The WTOP report notes that "[d]uring a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday, McCain, a Republican, said it was a "massive failure" that the U.S. intelligence agencies did not predict Russia's activities."


Note: A version of this post first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

Director of National Intelligence Counterterrorism Map Misspells 'Israel'

    The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its interactive 2014 Counterterrorism Calendar this week on the website of the National Counterterrorism Center.  The map provided with the calendar contains an embarrassing error, misspelling the name of the US's closest ally in the Middle East, Israel, as "Isreal."  The error can be seen by hovering over the tiny country with a computer's mouse:

    Israel is included in the map because of the activity of Hamas.  Information on that group is available in a pop-up window where the name of the country is spelled correctly:

    Despite Israel's inclusion on the larger map, three other countries are missing [circles added]:

    Libya and Tunisia are not labeled or highlighted on the map despite the State Department's recent designation of Ansar al-Shari’a groups in both countries as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  The designations were announced on January 10, and the map was not released until January 14.  Also unlabeled on the map is Iran, recognized as one of the leading state sponsors of terrorism in the world.  The following appears in the State Department's most recent Country Reports on Terrorism:

In 2012, there was a clear resurgence of Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism, through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), its Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and Tehran’s ally Hizballah, who remained a significant threat to the stability of Lebanon and the broader region. Attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Far East were linked to the IRGC-QF or Hizballah. In fact, Hizballah’s terrorist activity has reached a tempo unseen since the 1990s with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa.

UPDATE: A spokesman for the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) writes: "Thank you (and Mr. Bier) for highlighting the typographical errors associated with our online interactive calendar. We’ve provided these edits to our graphics team who will correct the programming as soon as possible." He also notes that map was released by NCTC, not the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. NCTC reports to the Director of National Intelligence.


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

Presidential Rank Awards in the "Era of Federal Austerity"

    On April 25th, a black-tie dinner was held at the State Department to recognize the 2012 winners of the Presidential Rank Awards.  Each year, according to guidance from the Office of Personnel Management, the president awards the "ranks of Distinguished Executive and Meritorious Executive on a select group of career senior executives who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time."
    In addition to a framed certificate from the president, the two ranks of awards come with a bonus equal to 35% of base pay and 20% of base pay respectively. (The pay freeze currently in place for federal workers did not apply to these awards.) This year, according to Government Executive, the Distinguished Executive awards totaled 54, and Meritorious Executive awards totaled 78.
    While it was noted that together the winners had saved the federal government $94 billion, "SEA [Senior Executives Association] President Carol A. Bonosaro, the banquet’s master of ceremonies, told Government Executive she was disappointed that the number of winners has shrunk in the current era of federal austerity." Bonosaro noted there were no winners from the intelligence agencies because the White House had not responded in time:

Bonosaro said the hold-up on intelligence agency winners comes from the White House. She also worried the administration was behind schedule in setting in motion the process for selecting the 2013 Distinguished Rank winners. That months-long process usually starts in November, Bonosaro said, and involves agency nominations, OPM vetting, and further review by panels and the White House. There’s also the banquet preparations, she added. “We can’t give a party like this overnight.”

    Oddly, given the absence of any winners from the intelligence agencies, the keynote speaker for the evening was General James Clapper, director of national intelligence.  Several other high ranking administration official attended also.  Government Executive inquired of the White House about the delay in declaring intelligence agency winners, but had not received a response by the time the article was published.
    As a footnote:  Although Carol Bonosaro referenced "current era of federal austerity," the austerity did not extend to the framing of the award certificates.  A contract for 135 custom made "mahogany stained poplar wood frames with gold leaf liner" was awarded to Artline Wholesalers.  At $28,464.75, the total contract breaks down to $210.85 per frame.  Although one can carry austerity only so far, a similar frame may be had at Wal-Mart for the everyday low price of $22.97, although it is not clear if glass is included. And no sales tax!  At least for now...