TEAR LINE
Joint Task Force – National Capital Region 57th Presidential Inaugural Staff have begun preparations in support of the Presidential Inauguration. The task force is charged with coordinating all military ceremonial support for the inaugural period. Military involvement in the Presidential Inauguration dates back to April 30, 1789, when members of the U.S. Army, local militia units and revolutionary war veterans escorted George Washington to his first inauguration ceremony.
Ambassador Rice is claiming her public statements were entirely predicated on talking points furnished to her by the intelligence community — a claim that turns out to be true.
Eli Lake of NewsBeast reports that elements of the United States Government are chafing at the bit to enact retribution for the murder of the late Ambassador Stevens — and the clock is ticking. This all comes on the heels of news Colonel Wood — a decorated veteran of OEF-TS — is set to give testimony to Congress next week, alleging his fused team of special operations forces and elite Department of State personnel were prevented from mitigating threats to the makeshift consulate in Benghazi (and executing their executive protection mandate) against their wishes. George Little, a spokesman for the Building, said the Department of Defense stands ready to support U.S. military members and civilians in the region and “we have the assets in the region to do just that.” Little is referring to general purpose forces under the command of General Ham and Admiral Stavridis, as well as the special operations forces and National Mission Force elements assigned to Rear Admiral Losey, a former director of combating terrorism on the National Security Council, and Colonel Bristol, another interagency staple.
Earlier this week, “several dozen Special Operations forces” escorted FBI agents into Benghazi, providing dynamic and static-site security so they could conduct their investigation.
The 2nd Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Lejuene has begun rehearsing for non-combatant evacuation operations, or NEO.
AROUND THE WORLD
Jess Vargas takes you on a tour of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force – Horn of Africa.
ON THE FIGHT
Somewhere, members of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization just exhaled a big sigh of relief.
The Defense Intelligence Agency continues to grow, and has begun hiring senior leadership to helm the newly-created Defense Technical Intelligence Service, or TIS. TIS is not to be confused with the Defense Clandestine Service, or DCS, the brainchild of intelligence veteran Mike Vickers.
FLASHBACK: “He tends to think like a gangster,” said Jim Thomas, a former senior defense planner who worked with Vickers [in 2007]. “He can understand trends then change the rules of the game so they are advantageous for your side.”
Over 150 members of the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing deployed to Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa last week, and the George Washington has left Japan.
Joint Base Langley-Eustis, arrayed across the suburban sprawl of Hampton, Virginia, is undergoing a series of modernizations. JBLE is home to, amongst other things, the 480th — a vital component of Air Force Special Operations Command.
ON SECRECY – OR LACK THEREOF
The year is 2012, and neither LG nor Research in Motion can seem to keep devices giving them a discernible market advantage under wraps for long.
Behold: the NSAs efforts to deter, disrupt and defeat the former Soviet Union, declassified.
National Geographic is out on November 4th with…something about some guy named bin Ladin.
The Departments of Justice, State and Defense are launching an overall review of the security situation in Libya prior to the terrorist attack last month on the U.S. Consulate that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Stevens. Officials are “assembling a team of experts to participate in the interagency review“, according to George Little, a spokesman for the Building.
TURNOVER
America’s top military officer is opposing the demotion of a four-star general who is accused of spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish travel and other expenses in a case that has been sitting on Secretary Panetta’s desk for weeks. Marty Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is among those who believe that Kip Ward, former CDRUSAFRICOM, should be allowed to retire at his full four-star general rank.
Stephanie Douglas has been named Executive Assistant Director of the FBIs National Security Branch. FBI NSB works hand-in-glove with the Central Intelligence Agency and US Special Operations Command on national-level exercises and operations. FBI NSB has cognizance over the Terrorist Screening Center, as well as many other things too innumerable to list.
CONTRACT WATCH
The Department of Defense has revised its internal guidance governing the use and implementation of Next Generation Common Access Cards, or CACs.
DoD has also revised the internal guidance it uses “in estimating and comparing the full costs of military and DoD civilian manpower and contract support“, as well as its award and recognition program for employees of the Defense Intelligence and Security Enterprise.
