Snowden: NSA Spy Mission “Collapsing”
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Edward Snowden claims that the National Security Agency’s mission of extensive global espionage “is collapsing,” reports The Washington Post. In a letter to “the people of Brazil” NSA leaker Snowden offered to help that nation investigate alleged American spying but needed Brazil to provide political asylum because the US “government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak.” Previously released documents indicate Brazil is the top NSA target in Latin America and espionage included eavesdropping on Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s cellphone and hacking the network of the state-run oil company.
State Department officials warned Russia that its placement of nuclear-capable missiles adjacent to the Baltic Sea would have negative impacts on the stability of the area, reports The Wall Street Journal. Short range Iskander missles were deployed in Kaliningrad as a possible response to US and NATO European missile-defense plans which include the placement of missile interceptors in Poland by 2018 to defend against Iranian aggression.
Defense News released its annual “100 Most Influential People in US Defense” this week. This year’s list places less emphasis on personnel and veterans topics and focuses more on budget, policy and strategic issues. SecDef Chuck Hagel gained almost 40 positions to take the number 3 slot while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dropped 40 spots and former Deputy SecDef Ashton Carter fell approximately 60.
Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon’s largest contractor, may upgrade its financial forecast for 2014 if Congress passes the proposed budget bill currently awaiting Senate approval, reports MSN Money. Mandatory budget cuts delineated by sequestration would be reduced allowing Lockheed to revisit its current prediction of reduced revenues next year.
Lockheed also reported this week that its cyber security services are still in demand in the wake of the National Security Agency spying scandal, according to Reuters. Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed chief executive who will become chairman of the board Jan. 1, 2014 said, “We continue to have strong demand for our cyber capabilities from the U.S. government and other governments around the world, and we also have a business where we support commercial companies.”
Yemen’s Parliament voted to ban American-led drone strikes against al Qaeda inside the country after a recent strike inadvertently killed more than a dozen civilians, reports The Hill. The vote will probably not be approved by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi but the effort further erodes popular support for Hadi’s pro-American stance on counter terrorism efforts.
The mastermind of a national veterans charity scam was sentenced to 28 years in prison and fined $6.3 million this week, reports Cleveland.com. The “U.S. Navy Veterans Association” swindled nationwide donors out of an estimated $100 million from 2002-2010. The judge also decreed that Mr. Thompson spend each Veterans Day during his prison term in solitary confinement.
Army Maj. Gen. Gary Patton, director of the Pentagon’s sexual-assault prevention program and implicated in a sexual abuse cover up effort in Afghanistan, is retiring, according to USA Today. Maj. Gen. Patton’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office released an analysis in spring estimating 26,000 episodes in 2012 of unwanted sexual contact, more than a 30 percent increase from 2010.
The Navy is temporarily expanding the availability of tuition assistance for Sailors beginning Dec. 17, 2013, according to the Navy News Service. The Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) is authorizing approved assistance requests for classes that start in the second quarter of FY14. CPPD’s commander, Capt. John Newcomer, stated, “We strongly believe that Sailors who take the initiative to develop personally and professionally through Navy voluntary education programs are better equipped with strong analytical skills and the ability to make informed decisions that benefit their command and the Navy.”
