Most American service personnel stationed in Germany know Grafenwoehr, or ‘Graf’ as it was colloquially known. Those Americans heading toward the training area by helicopter would often see long flatbed cars on trains carrying tanks to that area. It is today the largest training area maintained by the United States in Germany, and the site of armored vehicle training. Like US Air Force bases in southern England, it is targeted for espionage by Russian-recruited future saboteurs.
Espionage Beyond Military Bases
Army posts and Air Force bases are only some of the targets zeroed in on by the Russians. They will seek out any venue used to train their adversaries, the Ukrainians. We now know that three spies, captured and charged by the Germans, were enlisted by the Russians first as spies, then potential future saboteurs and arsonists. These Russian-Germans were also directed to photograph and video the loading platforms and significant companies involved in these Ukrainian training sites.
Preparation for Sabotage and Intelligence Collection
The intelligence gathering is believed to be only preparatory for attacks which would limit the value of such combat intensive training. Of course, knowing what type of vehicles to photograph and report was critical. Indeed, at ‘Graf’ the newer American tanks and armored vehicles were brought for shake-down training and maintenance. Spies can also gain advantage for their masters by knowing where damaged enemy vehicles go for repairs. If your company is the recipient of miles-long flatbeds carrying damaged armored vehicles, then you too will be targeted. They want to know how the vehicles were damaged, and whether the damage was easily repaired.
Security Vigilance Around Facilities
For these reasons your routes to and from your factories or repair centers are critical information. Do your security personnel know to observe all those surrounding and wandering around your plant? One method employed by a particularly sharp guard was to photograph a given bus stop in front of his company area. He did so every 15 minutes, to see who was lingering, who never left, indeed, who was photographing outside the plant.
Insider Threats and Incentives
Ask your staff who among them might have been approached for ‘unusual things’. One sanitation staff member overseas was offered hundreds of dollars just to retrieve documents from the trash in English writing. When he said he’d meet the requestor again, he was accompanied by law enforcement. Spies are not supermen, but will often go for the lowest hanging fruit. Here they suspected a low-level cleaner would never be briefed, and were shocked to discover he was not only briefed, but received a huge bonus for turning in the spy. Does your company offer bonuses to those who report unusual happenings? Do you tell them what some of those unusual happenings might be?
Thinking Like the Adversary
Remember, you have to think like your adversary, the spy, when you plan your defense. First, let’s think about the tanks sent from America to defend the Ukraine. They are sent via ship. With the new ‘ro-ro’ system, the ship which carries them can be easily identified. Ro-ro means ‘Roll on, Roll off.’ This is a method of delivery which saves huge amounts of time at the sea port. No longer are vehicles lifted by chains and deposited one by one in the hold of a ship. Rather, the armored cars or tanks simply roll, one behind the other, into the ship’s hold over a steel bridge connected to the aft portion of a ship. The bridge is raised once all are aboard, and away they sail. A spy would identify when this happened, what ships were involved, and prepare accordingly.
Targeting Rail Infrastructure and Ammunition Depots
The spies in Germany were also tasked with identifying the railroad hubs used to transfer these tanks. How better to slow them down than to damage that relatively large confluence of rails and terminal buildings? This is where arson and dynamite play a significant part. Or electrical damage? Remember the recent incidents of fire inexplicably breaking out in ammunition dumps in Western Europe? The recruited spies were said to have been advised on these methods as well.
Regular Train Schedules and Local Access Risks
The trains work their way to training areas, often on a regular schedule. This schedule is important to know. Those of us who liaise with local police need to be aware of who among the local nationals would have access to the train schedules. Once we are shown this list, we are probably looking at someone on the list who’s been targeted for espionage.
Social Engineering at Local Bars
Of course, the easiest part of this espionage scenario is the final location. Training areas are notorious for having bars in the vicinity. These are preferred information collection points. Any number of clever tricks can be employed against your team members there. If you have soldiers, or company employees who train them on new tanks or air defense weapons, someone will try to steal their information.
Briefings and Elicitation Awareness
Complete briefings on elicitation are in order. The man, or woman, seated near him or her at a bar are likely to ask indirect questions which fulfill the tasking requirements of a spy.
- Where are you from?
- Where are you going after you leave here?
- Do you have anyone who is waiting for you back home?
- Can we meet again?
What lonely soldier wouldn’t like to be asked to meet again, especially by someone who is only looking for a friend too? You, the security manager, need to be the one to advise him or her on what to do next.
Vigilance Is the Best Defense
As confirmation of this, the British government just reminded its government staff last month to remember prudence at the drinking establishments all around its London buildings.
