British intelligence Chief Gives His Analysis On Russia's Nuclear Forces, The Russia - Ukraine War, And China

 

News 360: British intelligence says the West may not detect a Russian nuclear attack in time 

UK intelligence chief Jeremy Fleming said Tuesday that countries in the West may not be able to see a Russian nuclear attack coming in time. 

"I would like to think that with our allies we would have a good chance of detecting it, but of course there are never any guarantees in this space," Fleming said during a security conference, as reported by the British newspaper 'The Telegraph'. 

According to the director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Russia is "the only nation" that talks about the use of nuclear weapons, a fact that he described as "extremely dangerous".  

Read more .... 

British intelligence Chief Gives His Analysis On Russia's Nuclear Forces, The Russia - Ukraine War, And China  

UK spy agency watching for any signs Russia considering nuclear weapons -- Reuters  

No signs Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapon, says GCHQ boss -- The Guardian  

Russia running out of weapons as it faces 'staggering' numbers of casualties, spy chief says -- SKY News  

Russia in 'desperate' position, UK spy chief says -- AP British spy chief: Russia is ‘desperate’ -- The Hill  

British spy chief says Russian military 'exhausted' in Ukraine -- Yahoo News  

Russian forces are 'exhausted': UK spy chief takes aim at Moscow and China tech threat in speech -- Stuff 

GCHQ head: Putin making strategic errors due to unconstrained power -- The Guardian  

Chinese technology poses major risk - GCHQ Chief -- BBC

British Parliamentary Watchdog Suggests That MI5 And MI6 Recruit Moms As Spies

Mumsnet users answer the call from MI5 http://t.co/yluBJ52KSc pic.twitter.com/bFk0UwS2hc
— Justine Roberts (@Justine_Roberts) March 5, 2015

Daily Mail: This is a job for Mrs Bond: MI5 wants middle-aged mothers as spies because they understand people better

* Parliamentary committee says more women spies needed to keep UK safe
* Claims lack of female agents harming MI5 and MI6's ability to tackle terror
* Women agents should be recruited from websites like Mumsnet, it says
* Findings published by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee

More News On A British Parliamentary Watchdog Suggesting That MI5 And MI6 Recruit Moms As Spies

MPs say agencies should do more to recruit female spies -- BBC
Britain should turn to middle-aged mums to be spies of the future - report -- Reuters
MI5 and MI6 must recruit spies from Mumsnet, says watchdog -- The Telegraph
Special agent Hazel unveils cunning plan to recruit more female spies -- The Guardian
Recruit More Mum Spies, MPs Tell Secret Service -- SKY News
Bond. Jane Bond: UK report suggests recruiting more women as spies -- CNN
Look to Mumsnet for new recruits, British intelligence agencies told -- The Guardian
Spy Mums: Recruit maternal Mata Hari's on Mumsnet, says security committee -- RT
Mum by Day, Spy by Night: British Intel to Recruit More Mothers as Spies -- Sputnik
Why Mumsnet may be the perfect place to recruit the next James Bond -- Rowan Davies, The Guardian

U.K. Spy Chiefs Are Grilled In Open Hearings In Britain

'Al Qaeda Is Lapping It Up': Terrorists Boast That Snowden Leaks Are Helping Them Avoid Detection But Spy Chiefs Insist Britain's Secrets Are Better Protected Than America's -- Daily Mail

* Terror groups in Afghanistan, Middle East and 'closer to home' using leaks
* GCHQ picks up 'chat' from specific groups on how to avoid detection
* MI6 boss Sir John Sawers: 'Adversaries are rubbing their hands with glee'
* Grilled by MPs with MI5's Andrew Parker and GCHQ's Sir Iain Lobban
* Intelligence and Security Committee holds unprecedented public hearing
* Debate rages about dangers of Edward Snowden leaking US secrets

Terrorists have been caught boasting that Edward Snowden's leaks of US secrets have made it harder for British spies to prevent future attacks, it emerged today.

Since tens of thousands of files from the National Security Agency were leaked five months ago, Al Qaeda has been 'lapping it up', the head of MI6 Sir John Sawers revealed.

Radical groups in Afghanistan, South Asia and closer to Britain have also been intercepted planning to change their plotting methods as a result of the leaks.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Public testimony From Britain's Spy Chiefs

Spy agency chiefs defend surveillance – live -- The Guardian
Spy chiefs public hearing: live -- The Telegraph
UK spymasters hit out at Snowden in televised grilling -- AFP
U.K. spy chiefs defend mass surveillance, say terrorists "rubbing their hands with glee" over Snowden leaks -- CBS/AP
Al Qaeda is 'lapping up' Edward Snowden spy leaks: UK spy chief -- Reuters
Spy chief claims Britain’s enemies are “rubbing hands with glee” amid Edward Snowden leaks -- Euronews
Al Qaeda 'Gleeful' Over Snowden Leaks, MI6 Head Says -- ABC News
Spy chiefs public hearing: Security services have 'foiled 34 terror plots' in UK since 7/7 -- The Telegraph
UK spymasters defend surveillance tactics -- Al Jazeera
British spy chiefs to make unprecedented televised appearance -- UPI
UK spy chiefs to be quizzed in public for first time, on Snowden -- Reuters

Debate Intensifies In England On Edward Snowden's NSA Leaks

Snowden Leaks 'Worst Ever Loss To British Intelligence' -- BBC

Leaked surveillance programme details have been the "most catastrophic loss to British intelligence ever", a senior UK security expert has said.

Former No 10 adviser Sir David Omand said he assumed data leaked by ex-US intelligence worker Edward Snowden was being analysed by Russia and China.

He said the breach was worse than that by the Cambridge spy ring in the 1950s.

The Guardian has said it will continue to publish leaks by Mr Snowden, who is now in Russia.

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More News On The Debate In England On The Edward Snowden's NSA Leaks

Clegg and Cable disagree on Guardian Snowden leaks -- BBC
Jack Straw: Guardian has shown 'extraordinary naivety and arrogance' in leaks -- The Telegraph
British spy chief warns Snowden data is a 'gift' for terrorists -- Reuters
Edward Snowden leaks damaging, says Nick Clegg -- BBC
MI5 chief: Material leaked by Snowden 'hands the advantage to the terrorists' -- FOX News
GCHQ leaks has put soldier lives at risk, association warns -- The Telegraph
Guardian's Alan Rusbridger defends Snowden leaks -- BBC
Director of British Domestic Intelligence Agency Defends Spying Policies -- New York Times
PM backs spy chief's attack on Guardian: Security expert warned leaks risk 'widespread loss of life' but BBC buries criticism of Left-wing paper -- Daily Mail
Guardian to publish more Snowden intelligence revelations -- The Guardian

Secrets Of The HMS Conqueror

Revealed For The First Time: How HMS Conqueror Submarine Which Sank The Belgrano Was Sent On Spy Ship Interception Mission Just Weeks Later -- Daily Mail

* HMS Conqueror was tasked with stealing a two-mile string of hydrophones from a Polish-flagged spy trawler
* It didn't emit a signal and was designed to subtly listen to enemy submarines
* The Anglo-Americans wanted to find out how the enemy had managed to develop it
* The crew got perilously close to the trawler to cut through a three-inch-thick steel cable without being seen

The submarine that sank Argentine warship the Belgrano during the Falklands war was involved in a top secret raid to steal a state-of-the-art listening device from the Russians just weeks later, it has emerged.

Details of the daring mission in the Barents Sea, involving the notorious HMS Conqueror, have remained under-wraps for almost 30 years - until now.

The nuclear-powered attack submarine famously sank the General Belgrano on May 2 1982, killing 323 men, the day the Falklands war began.

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Update #1: HMS Conqueror’s biggest secret: a raid on Russia -- The Telegraph
Update #2: Secrets of the Conqueror by Stuart Prebble – review -- The Guardian

My Comment: I wonder if the Russians are only learning about this now?

UK Secret Services Are Too Secret

Secret Services 'Must Be Made More Transparent' -- The Independent

The secret services must become more transparent if they are to halt the spread of damaging conspiracy theories and increase trust in the Government, claims a leading think tank.

A Demos report published today, The Power of Unreason, argues that secrecy surrounding the investigation of events such as the 9/11 New York attacks and the 7/7 bombings in London merely adds weight to unsubstantiated claims that they were "inside jobs".

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My Comment: If these agencies become more transparent .... I guess they will no longer be secret services.

The bottom line is that these agencies are watched and regulated by the politicians that we elect .... after all .... we give them the responsibility to represent us in the oversight committees that regulate the activities of these services, and they become accountable if things go wrong.

As to the assertion that transparency will help in eliminating conspiracy theories .... hmmmm .... this is something that I doubt will happen. Many people still believe that man has never walked on the moon, there was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy, that extraterrestrials visiting earth are real, that .... well .... you get the picture.

Who Did U.K. Intelligence Assassinate During The Cold War?

Mr le Carré, whose real name is David Cornwell, insisted, however, that there was a huge difference between the ways that Western intelligence agencies and their Soviet bloc counterparts operated during the Cold War Photo: REX FEATURES

John le Carré: 'We Carried Out Assassinations During The Cold War' -- The Telegraph

British intelligence services carried out assassinations during the Cold War, John le Carré, the novelist and former secret agent, has said.

The writer, who worked for both MI5 and MI6 during the 1950s and 1960s, said: ''Certainly we did some very bad things. We did a lot of direct action. Assassinations. Although I was never involved.''

Mr le Carré, whose real name is David Cornwell, insisted, however, that there was a huge difference between the ways that Western intelligence agencies and their Soviet bloc counterparts operated during the Cold War.

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My Comment: If so .... who did we assassinate? Naturally .... John le Carre does not say.

U.K.'s Intelligence Agencies Facing Budget Cuts

British Intelligence HQ

Anti-Terrorism Agencies Prepare For Budget Cuts -- The Telegraph

The intelligence agencies are preparing for the first cuts in their budget for more than a decade as part of the Coalition's austerity drive.

MI5, MI6 and GCHQ are drawing up plans to cope with reduced funding from next year, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

The prospect of cuts in the secret services may cause alarm after intelligence suggested there was a continuing threat of Islamic terrorist attacks in Britain.

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My Comment: I presume the threat level is also going down .... hmmmm .... NOT!

Have Islamic Extremists Been Successful In Infiltrating MI5?

Number 30 double-decker bus in Tavistock Square,
which was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. Photo: PA

MI5 Targeted By Islamic Extremists In Rushed Recruitment Drive After July 2005 Attacks On London -- The Telegraph

MI5 is facing questions over whether it recruited up to six al Qaeda sympathisers in the rush to find Islamic recruits in the wake of the worst terrorist attacks on mainland Britain for a generation.

The potential breach occurred as the security services battled to fill an intelligence gap in the wake of the July 7 2005 bombings on London's transport network which resulted in the deaths of 52 people.

The Security Service was desperate to understand why and how four men from Leeds had plotted the attacks to give them a better chance of identifying future threats.

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My Comment: From what has been said publicly by former officials who served in the intelligence services, the impression is that the British have stumbled in their anti-terror strategy and implementation. I like to believe that this is not the case, but Britain has a lousy history of letting in recruits whose interests were different from what were the objectives of Britain's intelligence services.

I lost count on the number of Soviet moles that were found within Britain's intelligence services, and if the British Intelligence culture has deteriorated further .... I could only imagine what has been brought in. What is even more worrisome .... is that in the Al Qaeda "playbook" infiltrating intelligence and military services has always been one of their strategic goals, and if there is one thing that we know about Al Qaeda, is that they are tenacious in meeting their goals.

Nato Blinded By UK Cold War Traitor

10th November 1982: The spy kit used by Geoffrey Prime.
Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images

From Times Online:

The West was left in the dark for years when a spy told Moscow its codes had been cracked.

THE true scale of the damage wreaked on the UK and Nato by a notorious cold war traitor has been disclosed for the first time.

Geoffrey Prime, a former GCHQ spy, sold secrets to the KGB revealing that Britain and America had cracked high-grade Soviet military codes, according to a new book.

At a meeting with his handlers in Vienna, Prime, who is now 71, passed on 15 rolls of film containing 500 pages of classified documents taken by a miniature camera.

The revelation led to Moscow changing its encryption methods, leaving western intelligence in the dark for almost a decade afterwards.

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My Comment: What is shocking about this story is that this low life convicted pedophile .... who should be in prison for life .... was released by Britain's beloved Labor Government in 2001.

One more reason to throw all of these bums out.

U.K. Wasted Millions On Intelligence Network, Lawmakers Say

From The Bloomberg:

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government wasted tens of millions of pounds on a failed project to develop a secure computer network linking the main intelligence agencies, a panel of lawmakers said.

Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell, the top civil servant, told the Intelligence and Security Committee that plans to extend the use of the system, known as SCOPE, were abandoned when it was discovered it didn’t work effectively across government.

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My Comment: The Brits have definitely changed from the days when Britannia ruled the waves.