Digital Commons Network^™

China’S Three Warfares Strategy Mitigates Fallout From Cyber Espionage Activities, Emilio Iasiello

Journal of Strategic Security

China is engaged in longstanding cyber espionage against the U.S., as well as other nations, to collect sensitive public and private information in support of national objectives laid out in its 12^th Five Year Plan. Foreign governments citing China’s malfeasance have rebuked these activities, a claim vehemently denied by Beijing. In response, China is leveraging the “Three Warfares” an integrated three-prong information warfare strategy to combat these accusations by leveraging Media, Legal, and Psychological components designed to influence the international community. While the United States has threatened the imposition of economic sanctions, Beijing has successfully parried consequential actions by …

Defeating Isis: Who They Are, How They Fight, What They Believe. By Malcolm Nance, Foreword By Richard Engel. New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing Company, 2016., Millard E. Moon, Ed.D

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Dark Territory: The Secret History Of Cyber War. By Fred Kaplan. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016., Edward M. Roche, Ph.D, J.D.,

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

“Designing Danger”: Complex Engineering By Violent Non-State Actors: Introduction To The Special Issue, Gary A. Ackerman

Journal of Strategic Security

This Special Issue of the Journal of Strategic Security (JSS) presents the results of a series of case studies of prior efforts by VNSAs to engage in complex engineering tasks, in the hope of informing strategic assessments of the threat of VNSA exploitation of emerging technologies.

One particular concern in international security lies at the nexus of violent non-state actors (VNSAs) and sophisticated technologies. When it comes to the assessment of such threats, much of the analysis hinges upon being able to accurately judge the desire and capability of adversaries to successfully carry out complex engineering operations. Yet, the actual …

Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented “Terrorism”. By Lisa Stampnitzky. Cambridge, Uk: Cambridge University Press, 2014., Mark Roberts

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Digging Into Israel: The Sophisticated Tunneling Network Of Hamas, Nicole J. Watkins, Alena M. James

Journal of Strategic Security

By the end of Operation Protective Edge in August 2014, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) claimed to have discovered and destroyed more than 30 tunnels spanning from beneath Gaza into Israeli territory. Hamas officials have praised these tunnels as an innovative approach to fighting an asymmetric war with a far more conventionally powerful Israel. The purpose of this case study is to examine the complexity of Hamas’ vast tunneling network by assessing the motivations behind the group’s decision to construct the network, to identify the factors that enabled Hamas to engage in such a complex engineering task, and to assess …

The Great War Of Our Time: The Cia’S Fight Against Terrorism From Al Qa’Ida To Isis. By Michael Morell With Bill Harolow, New York, Ny: Hachette Book Group, 2015, Steven O’Hern

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces Of Colombia (Farc) And The Development Of Narco-Submarines, Michelle Jacome Jaramillo

Journal of Strategic Security

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been one of the world's most consistently formidable violent non-state actors over the last forty years. Unsurprisingly, the group has provided one of the most compelling and concerning examples of the level of technical sophistication attainable by sub-state organizations. Over the last two decades the group has carried out an iterative and innovative process that, in reaction to improved detection capabilities, has brought them from depending on disposable go-fast boats to transport drugs to possessing fully submersible and reusable covert vessels for transportation. The following case study will discuss the development of …

Relentless Strike: The Secret History Of Joint Special Operations Command. By Sean Naylor. New York: St. Martin’S Press, 2015, Martin S. Catino Ph.D.,

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Defeating Isis On The Battle Ground As Well As In The Online Battle Space: Considerations Of The “New Normal” And Available Online Weapons In The Struggle Ahead, Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., Ardian Shajkovci, Ph.D., Ahmet S. Yayla, Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

The United States and its allies continue to achieve significant military victories against ISIS (otherwise known as ISIL or the “Islamic State”). The loss of territories resulting from military victories is especially important given that ISIS relies in part on recruits from the territories it controls. Efforts have also been directed at killing the group’s core leadership; stemming the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria through tightening up border security and surveillance; and targeting militant jihadi narratives and propaganda that is pushed out by ISIS on a twenty-four/seven basis via the Internet and social media platforms. In such …

Latent Memories Of Terror: Media Perceptions Of The Woolwich Attack, Logan Stickel

Journal of Strategic Security

The Woolwich Attack of 2013 remains a distinctive case of lone wolf terrorism in terms of its hyper violent theatricalization and symbolic presentation of user-generated content. Although being described as having a paradigmic effect on the way terrorism is viewed and presented, its relationship to traditional media is under examined. To understand the perceptive impact, an exploratory qualitative research project was designed to gauge public views in terms of event presentation by media modality. Primary data was collected through interviews upon a theoretical sampling of fifteen Londoners and interpreted using a framework analysis technique. Results indicated that the main mode …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Nexus Between Intelligence Education And Intelligence Training: A South African Perspective, M. A. Van Den Berg

Journal of Strategic Security

This paper examines the nexus of intelligence education and training from a South African perspective with the focus on current practices in light of the country’s transition towards democracy. A brief overview is provided on the history and development of the South African intelligence community with specific focus on the civilian intelligence services from the period prior 1994 to date (2015). The main focus, however, is on intelligence education that is currently available from training institutions and universities in South Africa as registered with the Department of Higher Education as well as private training institutions on the one hand, and …

Intelligence Sesquicentennial: Testament Of Bleeding War, David M. Keithly

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

From Wmd To Wme: An Ever-Expanding Threat Spectrum, Bowman H. Miller Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

One of the challenges the United States and its intelligence community confronts today, if not the foremost challenge, is the girth of its national security problem set. The array of threat types, as well as the potential sources of those threats, is unprecedented and growing. The burdensome task for intelligence at all times, but especially given the present rate of change and the increasing porosity of borders, is to try to cope with an escalating mix of challenges and rising expectations of what intelligence can provide. Existing tasks persist; they are not replaced. The number and types of potentially threatening …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

America’S Evolution Of Women And Their Roles In The Intelligence Community, Amy J. Martin

Journal of Strategic Security

The role of women in the Intelligence Community has evolved over time and captures the use of their skills to further assist, perpetuate, and lead intelligence operations globally. This paper serves as a historical overview of some of the techniques of the early female spies and highlights the successes of the modern woman’s contributions to the intelligence mission. Emerging female operations officers often face obstacles: dealing with bias within the bureaucracy, issues of female equality within certain cultures, and experiencing slower rates of promotion. This has meant a lack of females in competitive leadership positions. Female mentors and former intelligence …

All Propaganda Is Dangerous, But Some Are More Dangerous Than Others: George Orwell And The Use Of Literature As Propaganda, Samantha Senn

Journal of Strategic Security

The true battles of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union were fought on the ideological front: pitting democracy and capitalism against totalitarianism and communism. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was formed in the late 1940s to help combat the spread of Communism across Europe and in the United States. Part of the “psychological warfare” included the use of propaganda. Around the same time, British author George Orwell had recently published Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both novels, due to the anti-Communist overtones, were adopted by the OPC …

The Fight For The High Ground: The U.S. Army And Interrogation During Operation Iraqi Freedom, May 2003 – April 2004. By Douglas A. Pryer, Fort Leavenworth: Cgsc Foundation Press, 2009., Kevin S. Gould

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Revolutionary Intelligence: The Expanding Intelligence Role Of The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Udit Banerjea

Journal of Strategic Security

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a military and paramilitary organization that is meant to defend the ideals of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. Since its formation, the IRGC has grown in influence and its intelligence role has expanded. This paper examines the role of the IRGC in Iran’s intelligence system through a comprehensive analysis of the organization of the IRGC’s intelligence arm, along with its operations and capabilities. In doing so, the scope, objectives, resources, customers, and sponsors of the IRGC’s intelligence activities are also analyzed. Additionally, this paper explores how the IRGC interacts with the government …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Terra Incognita: Mapping American Intelligence Education Curriculum, Stephen Coulthart, Matthew Crosston

Journal of Strategic Security

For more than two decades, degree-granting intelligence programs have popped up around the U.S., representing the largest and perhaps most enduring investment in American intelligence education. Scholars have addressed issues in American intelligence education, but to date, there has been no focused study that has mapped and analyzed these programs. This article addresses this gap by answering the questions: What are the American intelligence programs and what content is being taught? We answered this question by systematically identifying all 17 American intelligence education programs (1992-2012). The picture that emerges is one of delayed, but rapid growth: most programs were founded …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

The Bremer Detail: Protecting The Most Threatened Man In The World. By Frank Gallagher With John M. Del Vecchio, Danbury, Ct, Charlie Foxtrot Books, Llc, 2014.

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Lethal Brands: How Veos Build Reputations, Gina Scott Ligon, Mackenzie Harms, Douglas C. Derrick

Journal of Strategic Security

ISIS has run the most effective social media marketing campaign in history. In fact, violent extremist organizations (VEOs) market their ideology and organizations to a global audience in ways that rival even the savviest of conventional organizations. However, applying marketing theory and methodology to study VEOs has not been done to date for the security community. Thus, the goal of the present effort is to use a novel lens used to apply the marketing strategies of conventional, for-profit organizations to examine the impact of VEO reputation and legitimacy on VEO performance. We coded tactics used by VEOs such as ISIS …

Countering Insurgency And The Myth Of “The Cause”, Daniel G. Cox, Alex Ryan

Journal of Strategic Security

It is possible for an insurgency to develop from a single cause, for the insurgents to identify and communicate this unifying cause to the population, and for the insurgents to remain steadfastly focused even as counterinsurgents undermine their organization and redress the cause. But often the case that there is no single cause, that popular support is mobilized by appealing to multiple motivations, and that by the time counterinsurgents resolve the initial grievance, the insurgency has found alternative justifications to mobilize popular support. Since insurgent leadership is often competent and adaptive, it would be wise to consider the latter scenario …

How Power-Laws Re-Write The Rules Of Cyber Warfare, David L. Bibighaus

Journal of Strategic Security

All warfare contains and element of randomness. This article will argue that, the kind uncertainty encountered in cyber warfare (Power-Law randomness) is fundamentally different from the uncertainty the military has evolved to deal with in the physical world (Gaussian-Randomness). The article will explain the difference between these two kinds of randomness, and how cyber weapons appear to operate under Power-Law randomness. It then will show how in cyberspace, key aspects of strategic thought are based on a flaws assumption of randomness. Finally, this article shall argue that if the American military is going to be effective in cyberspace, it must …

Understanding The Intelligence Cycle. Edited By Mark Phythian. New York: Routledge, 2013, Cynthia Nolan

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.