Keeping Security in Shape

Intelligence Management

Understanding Intelligence Management

“ Jet Liner Goes Down”
“ Labor Strike in France”
“Underground Explosion in San Francisco”

These headlines are examples of what we read, watch, or hear through open media sources. For some
people and organizations, these incidents may directly impact their business process or livelihoods
requiring them to act (intelligence), and for others these headlines are considered simple news items.
A common problem facing many senior security managers is the feeling of being overwhelmed with
the constant influx of information via the Internet, broadcast media, the corporate intranet, and coworkers.

There is also the unspoken added pressure the chief security officer puts on him or herself to be the guy or gal who is expected to know everything that is happening anywhere in the world at any given
time. Unfortunately, some managers, fall into a trap of subscribing to every conceivable security oriented e-mail list possible, with the hope of finding something “actionable”. Casting a wide net in the hope of catching a single nugget of actionable intelligence will tax corporate or organizational
resources, demand many hours of analysis, and clog up the security department’s communication
infrastructure.

How does one actually assess what it is
considered intelligence and what is non-essential
news to that organization’s business continuity or
security? How does one navigate through a
plethora of information sources? The answers to
these questions and other’s can be found by
understanding how to manage the intelligence
process. Valuable time, money and even
reputations can be saved by knowing what the
intelligence needs of an organization are first and
then designing a plan to capture the intelligence.

For the rest of the article click on: http://www.sfasis.org/PDF/Newsletter/nl-q2-2009.pdf

SHOOTING AT US HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

Shooting at Musuem

Hopefully everyone understands the importance of having security at the perimeter.

An Oldie but a goodie, Ramadi P.I

I found this really funny

Israeli Independence Day - Happy 61

Need I say anymore:

http://www.golani.co.il

Khaled Mashaal Video Link Busted OOPS DID I DO THAT?

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/04/23/1004561/hamas-leader-to-address-british-lawmakers

LONDON (JTA) --  A technical problem prevented Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal from taking part in a question-and-answer session with British lawmakers.

The 25 lawmakers who gathered to hear Mashaal left when the video link failed.

Claire Short, a former British minister of international development who organized Wednesday's meeting during a visit to Damascus, said she would reschedule the event, according to reports. She drew criticism from the British government, the opposition and the Israeli government over the program.

Short, who resigned from the Blair government over the war in Iraq, has been a longtime critic of Israel.

The Damascus-based Mashaal is the head of Hamas’ political bureau and is considered to be the main decision-maker in the Islamic fundamentalist organization.

A spokeswoman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that the members of parliament who plan to talk to Mashaal are doing so in a “private capacity,” adding that “there are no plans for any government contacts.”

“We do not believe it is productive to talk to Hamas directly,” said the spokeswoman, adding that “Hamas is a terrorist organization."

The Lord works in mysterious ways!

Special Forces - Up Close and Personal

Check out this compelling account of special warriors tasked with undertaking extraordinary missions. 

US Special Forces

The Global Temperature is Rising

I am not talking about global warming, I am talking about how more and more hot blooded human beings are becoming on a daily basis. Shooting rampages in Germany and Alabama, suicide bombings in Iraq, gang violence in the US, drug cartel violence in Mexico, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Thailand - are having major issues in curbing militant organizations sprung from their own populations. Motorists are getting shot on California freeways, civil disobedience demonstrations are becoming more violent, cheerleaders are robbing liquor stores and beating ip each other, the list goes on.

It seems that people these days are a lot more angry with each other than in years past.
When people get angry they don't flip off the offending person and leave they now a days tend to shoot the poor SOB.

What's your status?

I don't remember the sociologist, it may have been Emile Durkheim who promoted the master status theory. This theory contended that in any given social setting an individual possesses a superior status that may identify him from others within the same environment. Let's say we take 10 real estate salesmen and put them in a room, it is now unremarkable that they are real estate salesman, but if one of them was formerly a fighter pilot, this fact changes his status in the group and chiefly identifies him from the others. If we put 10 fighter pilots in the room, but one of them sold real estate on the side, his real estate job would be his master status amongst his fighter pilot friends. 

Our parents always told us we were special, but they said this out of unconditional love. It is the company that you keep who determines how special you are. I may have a diverse professional background, a deep and solid education, but the fact that I served in the Israeli army generally dominates all other traits about me in the US. In Israel, the fact that I served is unremarkable, what identifies me in Israel is that I came from the US to serve in the IDF not my service. 

Don't think of how you identify yourself think of how others identify you.

ISRAEL- HAMAS

At the start of the Israeli military response to Hamas rocket attacks fired into southern Israel, Israel had the initial respect and admiration of many nations for its actions. As I stated in my previous post, the Shock and Awe phase usually opens the eyes of the world's media with many democratic nations collectively thinking, "about time" when Israel seeks to route out a terrorist entity. 

The Israel haters will always condemn Israel no matter how small or great the scope of any Israeli military action will be; though morally Israel has the upper hand in fighting Hamas, the collateral damage to the civilian Gaza population has been incredibly high to the point where those Western democracies are starting to blame Israel and potentially seek harsh UN resolutions or war crime tribunals. Any military expert will tell you that when an enemy that hides amongst the civilian population and uses humanitarian institutions for cover, the surrounding population will suffer the reprisals of the responding force.

As ridiculous as it sounds,many European countries in fear of facing the wrath of their growing Islamic populations, are sounding the bell for the UN to step in, penalize Israel, and ignore the fact that Hamas' true purpose is the destruction of Israel.

 Israel is targeting Hamas, not the Palestinian people in general. The tactics Israel is employing are no different than what Allied Forces did in WWII against the Nazis in an effort to route out Evil. True, Hamas doesn't have a huge military force with planes, tanks, and submarines, but if nothing is done to stop Hamas now they will build and build a large military arsenal that could endanger Israel and potentially parts of Egypt.

Where Hamas has outfoxed Israel is in the media and in turning the global media's perception of the conflict from Israel versus Hamas to Israel versus Gaza.

 

 

Hamas on the run?

Once again the Israel Defense Forces are launching attacks targeting Hamas. This time former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister, Ehud Barak has essentially declared, "All in" as the Israeli Air Force and artillery units are taking the fight to Hamas.

Every few years Israel  launches impressive looking military campaigns in either Lebanon, the West Bank, or Gaza usually in response to repeated unanswered terrorist attacks. Such military initiatives undertaken by Israel have developed a pattern of their own:

1. "Shock and Awe"  air bombing campaign followed by

2. Lots of international condemnation, followed by

3. Limited ground engagement, followed by

4. Limited Israeli casualties, followed by

5. A cease fire, followed by

6. A commission of inquiry by the IDF as to what went wrong, followed by

7. Big Aid package to defeated enemies, followed by 

8. More attacks 

This latest military operation is quite different than in past years in that an end goal has been defined, the elimination of Hamas from control of the Gaza strip.

To the casual observer, one might think these are revenge attacks for the nearly 4,000 missiles that have rained down in Israel over the last few years, but no, the IDF is "in it to win it"; to borrow a cheesy phrase.

Israel may have to withstand another wave of terrorist attacks or suicide bombings from inside or outside Israel, even though the IDF is doing the Abbas led Fatah movement in the West Bank a favor by diminishing Hamas' power in Gaza.

Stay Safe and Stay Informed