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☆ Russia's military has been preparing for a drone-filled battlefield, and even its cooks are being trained to shoot them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Counter-drone training has also become common throughout the Russian military. Having used drones and seen drones used with increasing frequency, the Russian military has also expanded its counter-drone training. The threat is now considered so widespread that most Russian troops, regardless of military specialty, are getting instruction in spotting and dealing with drones. Ukraine's military has been bolstering its drone defenses throughout the war, as shown in the Western military aid being sent to Kyiv. Despite having kinetic and electronic-warfare countermeasures to take out Russian drones, Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge.

☆ Limit access to most secret US documents, Senate intel panel head says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Too many people have access to the U.S. government's closest secrets and a central entity should oversee the classification process, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Sunday, addressing leaks of documents in an online chat group. The United States has numerous intelligence gathering entities and Warner said the situation needed to be dealt with. "We need somebody fully in charge of the whole classification process and I think for those classified documents there ought to be a smaller universe," he said. As an example, Warner said the National Security Agency has suffered leaks in the past and internal controls limit the copying of documents. Warner also said that not everyone handling a document needs to see the whole document and that just seeing the header could be enough.

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

☆ Accused Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira posted sensitive US intelligence less than 48 hours after the Ukraine war began, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The New York Times found posts sharing secret intelligence less than 48 hours after Russia invaded Ukraine. The New York Times has discovered a Discord user profile matching Jack Teixeira's shared secret intelligence about the war in Ukraine less than 48 hours after Russia began its invasion. The affidavit said he had started posting classified information on social media around December 2022, according to Reuters. The user claimed to be posting information from the NSA, CIA, and other intelligence agencies. On some occasions, the user shared information about the Russian invasion that preempted events on the battlefield.

☆ Pentagon leak spotlights surprising interplay between gaming and military secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The recent leak of classified US documents on social media platform Discord seemingly caught many at the Pentagon by surprise. The recent leaks on Discord exposed a shortcoming in how the US government alerts platforms that they are hosting sensitive or classified information, according to Discord’s top lawyer. The episodes point to vexing challenges for social media platforms like Discord – where 21-year Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira allegedly began posting classified information in December – and the US military, which has used Discord for recruiting. The Pentagon is trying to tap into online youth culture without it backfiring spectacularly, as it allegedly did with Teixeira. Classified or sensitive documents are also a unique problem for content moderators on social media sites.

☆ 'More than 50% chance' China will invade Taiwan in the next 10 years, says former US national security adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's likelihood of invading Taiwan in the next decade is "more than 50%," Matthew Pottinger said. Pottinger, a US Marine veteran and a former China reporter for Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, worked as deputy national security adviser from September 2019 to January 2021. He was the Trump administration's top adviser on China and North Korea at the time and one of its longest-serving aides. "I suspect that he is going to make this his legacy achievement," Pottinger told The Post. "The CCP should be thought of as a hungry shark that will keep eating until its nose bumps into a metal barrier," Pottinger told congressional leaders.

☆ Russian mercenary group Wagner tried and failed to get weapons from China earlier this year, according to a leaked US intel report: FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leaked US intelligence documents say the Wagner Group approached China for weapons, per the FT.China reportedly rebuffed the group's request earlier this year for lethal aid in Ukraine. The infamous Wagner Group "sought munitions and equipment" from China in "early 2023," the leaked documents reportedly say. But as of January, China had not sent weapons, "not even for testing, and had no contact with [Wagner] regarding weapons deliveries," the FT reported the documents as saying. China has long professed neutrality in the conflict in Ukraine, and has publicly rebuffed the idea that it would send lethal aid to Russia. The US has increasingly signaled concern over the potential for China to aid Russia with weapons.

☆ The Pentagon leaks: What documents leaked in the US military's worst intelligence breach in a decade reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The leaked documents revealed US spying on adversaries and allies alike. The leak also offered compromising details on the extent to which the US has infiltrated Russia's military and intelligence apparatus. Insider obtained and reviewed copies of photographs of dozens of the leaked documents. The documents revealed the US is spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and showed that he wanted to launch drone strikes against Russian forces in Russia. The US is keeping a watchful eye on ChinaA number of the leaked documents pertained to China, amid historic tensions between the US and Beijing.

☆ Judge delays hearing for accused US intel leaker Jack Teixeira because his defense says it needs 'more time'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A 21-year-old charged with leaking secret US military documents had his detention hearing delayed. Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, appeared briefly in federal court Wednesday. A judge had granted a motion to delay the detention hearing because the defense needs more time. But earlier on Wednesday, Hennessy granted a request by attorneys to delay Teixeira's detention hearing by around two weeks. Jack Teixeira, 21, has been charged in connection with the leak of secret Pentagon documents.

CNN —The Air National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of classified documents to social media will be back in court Wednesday for a hearing on whether he will be kept in jail. Prosecutors are expected to argue to a judge that Teixeira should stay behind bars during the course of his legal case. According to charging documents, Teixeira began posting classified information to the Discord chatroom in December 2022, and he began uploading photos of the classified documents in January 2023. The fact that the documents sat online for months before being discovered has revived questions about how classified information is handled across the government. The Pentagon has limited access to classified materials in the wake of the leak, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a 45-day review of classified intelligence handling across the Defense Department.

☆ A 1960s-era cannon is 'kicking ass' against Russia's drones, but the country that makes ammo for it won't send more to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But Switzerland, where Gepard ammo is made, is not allowing more of that ammo to be sent to Ukraine. The Gepard SPAAGA German Gepard anti-aircraft tank during an exercise near Munster in June 2007. German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann built 570 Gepards between 1963 and 1980 — 420 for the German Bundeswehr, 95 for the Dutch army, and 55 for the Belgian army. Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty ImagesAfter being criticized for its reluctance to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine, the German government promised some 50 Gepards to Ukraine in April 2022. In February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that German firm Rheinmetall would restart ammo production for the Gepard.

☆ United Nations issues rare rebuke of United States over leaked documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Richard Roth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Weeks after a trove of classified US intelligence documents were posted on social media, the United Nations issued a rare rebuke of the United States after reports that those documents allegedly revealed the US was spying on the Secretary-General and other high ranking UN officials. The UN also sent a note to the US Mission at the United Nations in New York regarding the leak, according to Dujarric. The stern reaction comes after a BBC report last week on a US intelligence leak which accused Guterres of being too soft on Russia. According to the broadcaster, the documents in the leak also includes detail of a private conversation between Guterres and his deputy Amina Mohammed. The leak appears to shed light on how Washington perceived Guterres’ handling of the Black Sea grain deal, according to the BBC.

☆ One of the most prolific pro-Russia propaganda channels is run by a former US Navy officer living in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A popular English language Pro-Russia social media account is run by a former Navy officer, according to online reports. The account helped to spread the leaked Pentagon documents that originated on Discord. Bils told WSJ that 15 other people help her run the account. Bils, who had secret security clearances as a Navy officer, told WSJ she did not help to leak the documents, WSJ reported. Insider reached out to emails associated with Donbass Devushka and Bils but did not immediately receive a response.

☆ Almost half of Taiwan's aircraft isn't ready for war, and its air force doesn't have a coordinated radio network to stave off a Chinese invasion: Pentagon leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China is likely to swiftly gain air superiority in Taiwan if it goes to war, per Pentagon leaks. Pentagon assessments seen by The Washington Post present a bleak outlook for Taiwan's air force. The leaked documents seen by The Washington Post say barely more than half of Taiwan's aircraft is fully ready for combat missions, and that Taiwan's own officials doubt their air defenses can "accurately detect missile launches." Additionally, the island's air force is trained to shoot at single, stationary targets, per the intelligence seen by The Post. The leaked intelligence comes as US-China relations sour and as lawmakers in Washington signal closer ties to Taipei.

☆ Discord users say Jack Teixeira only leaked documents to show off. That's a problem for the US military, which uses the app as a conduit for recruitment: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old airman, was accused of leaking US intelligence documents on Discord. The US military uses Discord to recruit young people who are enthusiastic about video games. Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old junior-ranking US National Guard airman, was arrested on Thursday in connection to the leak of classified Pentagon documents. Some Republicans — most prominently Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — have hailed Teixeira as a national hero, but members of Thug Shaker Central said otherwise. A spokesperson for Discord and the Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Leaked Pentagon docs show the shot-down Chinese spy balloon may have had a feature known as 'synthetic aperture radar' that can see through certain materials, WaPo reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The shot-down Chinese spy balloon may have had synthetic aperture radar, the Washington Post reports. SAR is used around the world by organizations like NASA and the European Space Agency. "The amount of solar power generated by the panels on the Chinese stratospheric balloon that NSA named Killeen-23 is excessive for a weather balloon," the document reads. Synthetic aperture radar is the solution to the problem with real aperture radar, which cannot create high-resolution images without an impractically large antenna. These sensor readings then allow the radar to create a reconstruction of whatever objects are below the energy beam.

☆ Jack Teixeira's alleged Discord leaks show why the US should not give Top Secret clearances to 21-year-olds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Nevertheless, that looks to be the US intelligence community's approach to handling classified information. The tangled views of Jack Teixeira, who was indicted Friday in connection with leaking hundreds of classified documents to a private Discord server, are still coming into focus. There are classified phone systems, email systems, fiber optic cables, and a Wikipedia clone. Aside from the question of how many people have access to secrets, it's also worth considering how many of those supposed secrets belong on classified systems at all. Who was tracking the whereabouts of the volume of secret files he appears to have sent to the printer?

☆ Analysis: 21-year-old's arrest exposes larger classified documents problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

If the many earlier and ongoing scandals regarding classified information aren’t a wakeup call that the US government has a problem, maybe the arrest of Jack Teixeira will do the trick. Classified material scandals aplentyOne thing that should be abundantly clear from the string of leaks and improperly handled pieces of classified information beyond this story is that the system has problems. The New York Times reported Wednesday that witnesses questioned as part of the Trump investigation have been asked if he was showing off a map with sensitive intelligence information. There are additional people who have security clearance but don’t currently have access to information. Gen. Pat Ryder, compared the method by which classified information is stored to a locked house where people with clearance can get a key.

☆ A Steam profile, Instagram, and a kitchen table helped identify the 21-year-old accused of posting classified US intel online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The New York Times identified Jack Teixeira, the man accused of leaking US intel online. They used details like photos of a kitchen countertop and his gaming username to identify him. His arrest came after dozens of Pentagon documents were posted online, a striking breach in US information security which exposed secret details of the Ukrainian and Russian militaries. Per The Times, "the same interior décor is visible in photographs of the family home posted online by one of Airman Teixeira's immediate relatives." The Times reported that a photo posted by his sister showed "a kitchen countertop that appeared identical to the surface on which the classified documents were photographed."

☆ Tucker Carlson shared made-up casualty figures from 'leaked intelligence' to argue Ukraine is losing the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He cited numbers from "leaked intelligence" to argue that Ukraine is losing the war with Russia. Actual leaked US intelligence documents paint a very different picture. During his "Tucker Carlson Tonight" broadcast, the Fox News star said that the leaked documents show "Ukraine is in fact losing the war." However, Carlson did say "Ukrainian air defenses have been utterly degraded," which matches more closely what the leaked intelligence claims. "Ukraine is losing," Carlson — a longtime opponent of US assistance to Ukraine — concluded.

☆ A Chinese company is reportedly planning to replace some human copywriters and graphic designers with AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A marketing company in China reportedly has plans to replace some of its human contractors with AI. A memo seen by Bloomberg says BlueFocus plans to replace external copywriters and graphic designers. Experts previously told Insider some jobs in media can be at risk of being replaced by AI models. A marketing and brand management company in China has plans to replace some of its copywriters and graphic designers with generative AI models like ChatGPT, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. Generative AI can potentially affect 300 million-full time jobs around the world, research from Goldman Sachs found.

☆ MAGA-world is rushing to defend Jack Teixeira, the accused Pentagon leaker who allegedly dumped secret documents online to impress his teenage gamer buddies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The leak represents the worst military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. To them, Teixeira is a martyr for revealing the truth about the stalemated war in Ukraine to the American people. "Tonight, the news media are celebrating the capture of the kid who told Americans what's actually happening in Ukraine," Carlson said. The leaks could hurt Ukraine on the battlefieldThe leak of the documents allegedly perpetrated by Teixeira represents the worst US military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. The secret documents offered details on US spying on friends and foes alike, many of which pertained to the war in Ukraine.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The FBI on Thursday arrested an employee of the U.S. Air Force National Guard over the leaks online of classified U.S. documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the FBI arrested the man, Jack Teixeira, "in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information." The FBI said its agents had made an arrest and were conducting "authorized law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts." The leaks were a "deliberate, criminal act," the Pentagon said. President Joe Biden earlier on Thursday said investigators were closing in on the source of the online leaks in what is believed to be the most serious security breach in years.

CNN —A fresh leak of classified US intelligence documents suggests broad infighting between Russian officials, including some within the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Defense Ministry, the New York Times reported Thursday. The NYT report says the documents detail US monitoring of Russian intelligence and apparatus and military command. The Kremlin said it doubts the “reliability” of reports of broad infighting between Russian officials, in response to a CNN question about the NYT article. A litany of highly classified documents leaked online related to the Pentagon, pictured in Arlington, Virginia on April 6, 2023, has rattled US officials. The Pentagon has also stood up an “interagency effort” to assess the impact of the leak, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Sunday, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the leaks last week.

☆ Russian jet almost shot down a British surveillance plane flying near Ukraine, and only failed because the missile malfunctioned: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian jet tried to fire on a British spy plane last year, but the missile malfunctioned, NYT reports. In their telling, the Russian fighter jet pilot misheard the radar operator on the ground as conveying permission to fire, locked on to the British aircraft, and only failed because the missile didn't launch properly. One of the Russian jets "released a missile" in the "vicinity" of the UK plane, which he described as "potentially dangerous." Following the incident, the UK temporarily ceased surveillance patrols, later sending them out with an armed escort. A Russian Su-27 fighter jet seen approaching a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023, in video released by the US military.

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