Showing posts with label CIA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CIA. Show all posts

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Survey Says Pakistan's ISI is The Best Intelligence Agency in the World


Subscribe For More - MilitaryTiger
                    
SHARE this video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+

○○○ Stay Tuned and Enjoy ○○○

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Israel, May Be, Preparing For Back Stabbing Iran's Nuke Sites!

Former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton says Israel has speeding up its decision to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities following Russia’s move to sell S-300 missile system to Tehran. “President [Barack Obama] says all options are on the table. Nobody believes him. The Iranians don’t believe him. The Israelis don’t believe him. He doesn't believe it,” Bolton said in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday.

Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.
“So, the spotlight is on Israel as twice before in their history they've struck nuclear weapons programs in the hands of hostile states,” he added. “Their decision now is enormously speeded up by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin’s decree on Monday to allow the sale of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense system” to the Islamic Republic, he said.

The potential 2016 presidential candidate has repeatedly criticized Obama’s foreign policy regarding Iran. He had earlier said that Iran should be bombed by the United States or Israel. Putin on Monday signed a decree that lifts a ban on the shipment of the S-300 missiles from Russia to Iran. Meanwhile, President Obama said on Friday that he was not surprised about Russia’s decision to sell S-300 missile system to Iran.

“They [Russians] actually stopped the sale, paused or suspended the sale at our request. And I’m frankly surprised that it held this long, given that they were not prohibited by sanctions from selling these defensive weapons,” Obama said. Israel, however, denounced Russia's decision over the missile system sale to Iran.

"This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal that is being prepared, and proof that the Iranian economic growth which follows the lifting of sanctions will be exploited for arming itself and not for the welfare of the Iranian people," Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said.

Iran and the P5+1 group – the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – reached a framework nuclear agreement in Switzerland on April 2 and the two sides are working to reach a final deal by the end of June. Speaking at the New Hampshire Republican Party’s “First in the Nation” leadership summit in Nashua on Friday, Bolton once again slammed the framework nuclear agreement.

“President Obama is engaging in what I believe is the greatest display of appeasement from a president in history,” Bolton said. “The Obama administration has taken a position weaker than the UN Security Council.”

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Is it possible to fly 4 helicopters anywhere in a country without official knowledge?

If a helicopter is flying low, and not "squawking", there is no way that any civilian radar will pick it up. Especially in a mountainous region such as Pakistan. Simple mechanics of radar as illustrated by this picture from Answers.com. Note that mountains between the radar site and aircraft will further block the ability of the radar to detect an aircraft.
 

Keep in mind that if they can't be seen, they can't get shot at either. And these are some of the best helicopter pilots on the planet. Most radars are unable to detect anything flying contours, but I would wager that for part of this they were flying nap of the earth. The below image is taken from the Global Security Website (the exact image is from Figure 28 on this page) where they discuss many modes of flight for helicopter safety from enemy fire.

Even larger aircraft like the FB-111 would use this technique to avoid detection without the need for stealth technology.

So even though the airspace is monitored, if they can't be seen, it doesn't matter. Also, I don't think this was "allowed" or "disallowed" by the Pakistani government. Some covert operations are carried out, and then back-briefed if the target (such as Osama bin Laden) is important enough.

ADDED INFO:

Now, several folks have asked about the helicopters used, and some of their performance characteristics. The most likely aircraft (as reported in a couple of other answers as well) is the MH-60 Pave Hawk (a Blackhawk variant modified for special operations). Again, to quote Global Security, the performance characteristics are:

Primary Function Infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces in day, night or marginal weather conditions.

Power Plant Two General Electric T700-GE-01C engines

Thrust 1,630 shaft horsepower, each engine

Length 64 feet, 8 inches (17.1 meters)

Height 16 feet, 8 inches (4.4 meters)

Rotary Diameter 53 feet, 7 inches (14.1 meters)

Speed 184 mph (294.4 kph)

Maximum Takeoff Weight 22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)

Range 445 nautical miles; 504 statute miles (unlimited with air refueling)

Armament Two 7.62mm mini-guns

Crew Two pilots, one flight engineer and one gunner


In particular, note that these aircraft are mid-air refulable from a KC-130 (NOT KC-135), thus they have a nearly unlimited range. I highly doubt that they took off from anywhere inside Pakistan (i.e. Ghazi) but rather originated in Afghanistan. I cannot say where exactly though, but no matter where they took off from, if they received refueling prior to entering Pakistan, the range is more than adequate to get to Abbottabad and back on one tank of gas (looking at google maps, it appears that the distance is less than 350 KM from Kabul, or about 200 miles). So a little less than 400 mile round trip, at about 200 MPH would be about 2 hours total (add in the actual assault and there you have your timeline). These figures are approximate though because things change with load-out and other configurations. These aircraft would probably have flown in a formation that would probably helped to disguise their true numbers.

Someone mentioned that ATC must have a squawk to paint these aircraft. That is overstated, however as previously mentioned, they were probably well below the radar, and aided by the mountainous terrain. Add in they were most likely using EMCON 4 procedures, and then it would be even more difficult to pick them up by any means. As the cited article also mentioned, the noise reduction and additional radar absorbent paint just added to the stealthiness of these aircraft (as if SPEC OPS flight patterns were not enough).

And thanks to Kit Sunde, we have further info: Here's Pakistan denying having known about the raid http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13268517 which also states: "US helicopters entered Pakistani airspace making use of blind spots in the radar coverage due to hilly terrain."


Source: skeptics.stackexchange.com

Monday, October 13, 2014

Saudi Arabia Making Deterrence Against Iran With That DF-21

The missile has a range of between 1000 to 1700 mile, and is believed to have a top speed around mach 5.
 
In January 2014, Newsweek revealed that Saudi Arabia had secretly bought a number of DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles in 2007. But the question is that "how much they bought from China?" They also said that the American CIA had allowed the deal to go through as long as the missiles were modified to not be able to carry nuclear warheads. 
 
Retired Saudi General Dr.Anwar Eshqi and adviser to the joint military council gives a statement to the media when asked about new acquisitions by the RSBMF and says "Saudi military did indeed receive the DF-21 missile from China and all integration of the missiles including a full maintenance and upgrade facility are complete" he further elaborated that the acquisition of these missiles are not meant as an offensive force by Saudi Arabia, but to further strengthen its mission to protect the holy places and other allied countries under its protective umbrella.
 
Saudi Arabia had previously secretly acquired Chinese DF-3A ballistic missiles in 1988, which was later exposed by the United States. While the DF-3 has a longer range, it was designed to carry a nuclear payload, and so had poor accuracy (300 meters CEP) if used with a conventional warhead. It would only be useful against large area targets like cities and military bases. 
 
Here is Maj. Gen. Jarallah bin Mohammed Al-Alwit, the current commander of the Saudi Strategic Missile Force, giving a commencement address.
 
This made them useless during the Gulf War for retaliating against Iraqi Scud missile attacks, as they would cause mass civilian casualties and would not be as effective as the ongoing coalition air attacks. After the war, the Saudis and the CIA worked together to covertly allow the purchase of Chinese DF-21s. 
 
Targets for Saudi DF-21 Missiles.

The DF-21 is solid-fueled instead of liquid-fueled like the DF-3, so it takes less time to prepare for launch. It is accurate to 30 meters CEP, allowing it to attack specific targets like compounds or palaces. 
 
 
The Saudis are not known to possess mobile launchers, but may use the some 12 launchers originally bought with the DF-3s. The number of DF-21 missiles that were bought is unknown. Newsweek speculates that details of the deal being made public is part of Saudi deterrence against Iran.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

From Russia With Love (Titanium) !!!

To get the titanium needed for the SR-71, the CIA built fake companies to buy it from the biggest supplier, the USSR

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Pakistan deploys first home-made drones

Pakistan launched its first domestically produced drones on Monday, as police cracked down on demonstrators protesting US drone strikes targeting Islamic militants on Pakistani territory.

The new drones are called the Burraq and Shahpar and will be used by the Pakistani army and air force, the military said in a statement on Monday, although they did not specify if the drones will be armed or unarmed.
Shahpar (Image from gids.com.pk)
The statement from the military comes as the police prevented protesters trying to block trucks carrying NATO supplies to and from troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.

The protests began on Saturday when the Pakistani cricket star turned politician Imran Khan led thousands of demonstrators to block a road used to ship goods to and from Afghanistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan.

Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has said it will block NATO trucks until the US ends drone strikes. His group has been a vocal critic of US drone strikes but only began direct action last Saturday. 
Activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) arrive to attend a protest rally in Peshawar on November 23, 2013 (AFP Photo / A Majeed)
And on Sunday members of his party stopped trucks and roughed up drivers at a toll on the outskirts of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police were present at the scene but did not attempt to stop the protesters.

But police officer Behram Khan said as of Monday police would only permit peaceful protests by the side of the road and would not allow people to stop trucks as happened Sunday. He added that they had opened an investigation into the activist’s actions on Sunday that could lead to criminal charges.

The CIA began targeting Islamic militants in drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal North West regions in 2004. They have been a highly controversial because of their violation of Pakistani sovereignty and the number of civilian casualties. Estimates of the number of civilians killed because of US drone strikes vary widely between 290 and almost 900. 
 
But the issue is complicated because the Pakistani government is known to have sanctioned some drone attacks but not others.

Instead of carrying out the attacks themselves, Pakistan has asked the US to provide it with armed drones, saying that they would be more effective in carrying out attacks on militants. However, Washington has refused because of the sensitive nature of the technology used in drones and doubts whether Pakistan can reliably target US enemies.

For its own part Pakistan has been trying to develop its own drones but has struggled with the advanced technology required for their manufacture. Pakistani military officials speaking on condition of anonymity told AP that they have been struggling with the precision munitions required in drones and of developing a done large enough to carry accurate missiles and with a long enough range.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

NSA fails to get iron grip on Crimea, surveillance agencies shamed

The so-called 'surveillance superpower' has overlooked the Crimea. The US government has a hold over major political figures in the world thanks to the NSA surveillance programs, yet still it failed to understand that Vladimir Putin will do everything in his power not to let the peninsula slip out of his hands. What was the ultimate mistake of the American intelligence? - the Western experts and media are trying to guess. Russian political scientists and intelligence experts try to explain the reasons why Washington was so inattentive in an interview to the Voice of Russia.

The Supreme Council of Crimea adopted Tuesday the Declaration of Independence and expressed the intention to join Russia. Now all we have to do is to wait for the referendum on March 16. If the majority of the Crimea citizens will vote for this decision, the necessary documents will go straight from Simferopol to Moscow. The officials promise to do their job without any delay.
The reaction of the new self-proclaimed Kiev authorities is predictable and thus not subject to further discussion, it is the US reaction that may be of concern here. The US President Barack Obama issues statements that can be summarized as ‘won’t let, won’t forgive, sanctions are imminent’ on a daily basis. Even some of their younger European partners disagree with such fierce statements. Especially since many of them have a valid question - where were you before, Mr. President, with your all-powerful NSA? “The United States, the country with the most advanced tracking and surveillance system, is unaware of what is happening in the rest of the world,” Michele Zurleni of the Italian newspaper Panorama says.

Here are the events as presented by the author. February 27, a few hours after the creation of the interim government in Kiev, Vladimir Putin announces a ‘sudden operability test’. Some 150.000 people are engaged in the exercise near the western Russian border. On the same day in Washington, Republican Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, receives a report from the NSA Director’s Office. Its essence in a nutshell is as follows – Putin is bluffing. The next day, a new pro-Russian government is formed in the Crimea, paramilitary forces control airports and surround Ukrainian military bases. Putin makes the first move, while the White House has no choice but to hobble, trying to catch up with the swift actions of the Kremlin leader, the author says.

Five days later, the United States began to wonder why the government was caught by surprise. Officials were talking about sluggish Obama's policy towards Putin, blame the whole US intelligence community, agencies leadership, bureaucrats and experts. Few remember that this is not the first time the all-powerful intelligence services were embarrassed, the Head of the Center for Public Policy Research Vladimir Evseev says.

"Apparently, they considered it a bluff. The fact that Russia is not perceived as an equal partner undermines the efforts of the US intelligence community. Exaggerating their capabilities and reconnaissance assets, the US naturally fell into this trap. There was a clear underestimation of the resources that Moscow had, the whole situation was miscalculated. Russian special forces proved they can work in the information war setting and under global surveillance carried out by the United States."

Recent technological breakthroughs and the up to the minute equipment had a side effect. It appears that the US analysts have forgotten the basics of intelligence work, relying solely on gadgets, Head of the Inforus consortium Andrey Masalovich says.

"For many years the intelligence practice had been facing a major stumbling block, the lack of means to get access to the raw data, such as wiretapping conversations, interception of electronic communications, access to databases, covert surveillance. When finally people invented technical devices that could help them in solving these problems, the intelligence agents were overwhelmed with exultation. A huge reservoir of data emerged out of the blue, and most intelligent services started to forget that there was one more vital part of the work – the analysis of large databases. The agent’s task is not just to tell who said what, but to provide an overview of what is happening, what are the expectations, and how can our actions be affected by the opposing side. Nowadays few draw their attention to this kind of analytical work."

Vladimir Putin does not speak about his strategy on a cell phone, nor he uses Facebook or Twitter, says a former CIA agent and author of books and articles on Langley, Robert Baer. An old CIA would try to gain an informant tried in Kremlin’s military apparatus. But those were different times. It is quite obvious that the digital surveillance programs were useless in this case, Baer says. Having started its Ukraine operation, the West suddenly discovered that Putin has a counter plan. A pity they had no idea what this plan was about. The analytical wing is fully responsible for this: the US intelligence services have unlimited access to information, and yet they have repeatedly failed to become omnipotent.

US trying to punish Putin for what is happening in Crimea - former CIA analyst

The US is now trying to punish Putin for what is happening in Crimea, says Melvin Goodman, former CIA analyst and a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington DC and Adjunct Professor of International Security and Government at Johns Hopkins University. However, the situation is irreversible and Washington needs to change its approach to finding a solution to the crisis in the country to avoid its expansion. In his interview to the Voice of Russia Goodman said that there is a room for maneuver, although each side will need certain guarantees.
 
Photo: RIA Novosti
 
Goodman stressed that the US will have ultimately recognize Russia’s interests near its border.

He noted that the US has to emphasize that the current government is interim and there should be legitimate elections held.

Goodman also spoke about historical side of the Ukranian crisis, ways to solve it and its impact on the US-Russia relations pointing that the American-Russian relations have fallen to the lowest level since the end of the cold War and there will be a harsh set back.

Source: Voice of Russia