News

 

Intelligence Agencies Still Drowning in Data

The question of who knew what and when about the Boston Marathon bombings will get muddied by “information overload.” Continue reading

How the Navy Sees Cyber War

If you want an idea of what “cyber warfare” means to the US Navy, check out this short video about the Tenth Fleet, home to the Navy’s cyber warriors. Continue reading

Could David Petraeus be Heading for Wall Street? Or Palantir?

ValleyWag has gotten this terribly intriguing tip about the former general/CIA Director’s possible comeback. More intriguing still is speculation that he could be headed for the high-profile data mining company, Palantir. Continue reading… 

 

 

Manhunt: A New Documentary Tells the Inside Story of Finding bin Laden

Osama bin Laden may have met his fate at the hands of military men. But it’s a lesser-known fact that, for more than a decade, many of the CIA officers who were tracking the terrorist leader were women. Indeed, for as long as the CIA has been in the business of finding the founder of al Qaeda, and eventually killing him, women have been leading much of the hunt. Some say it’s work to which they’re particularly well suited. Continue reading…

What Zero Dark Thirty Gets Right About the Hunt for bin Laden

The important and probably irresolvable debate about torture in the new movie has overlooked what it gets right: Namely, that the intelligence business is painstaking, frustrating, and slow. More

 

 

Who Could Replace David Petraeus as the CIA Director?

The retired general resigned today, admitting to an extra-marital affair. Who might be on the short list to replace him at Langley?

7 Tips for Mark Owen, Navy Seal Turned Author, on Staying out of Prison

The government claims Mark Owen violated secrecy agreements in writing about the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. Here’s how the ex-SEAL can avoid jail time.

Book Review: No Easy Day

A former Navy Seal who took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden has written a first-hand account. Despite the author’s public statements to the contrary, the book is political, and that’s too bad. More here.

Giving in to the Surveillance State

My op-ed in today’s New York Times looks at a decade of secret government surveillance and why we’re still powerless against it.

Why Data Mining Wouldn’t Have Stopped Alleged Aurora Shooter James Holmes

Could “total information awareness” have prevented the killings in Colorado? No. Here’s why.