United States
Biden's intelligence transition team heavy on data specialists

United States
Etherton, military and intel contractors' go-to lobby shop for defence dollars

Seven national security giants hired Etherton to help land money in the annual bills that fund the Pentagon, CIA and other key federal agencies. The firm's founder and successor both have ample experience shaping defence policy in government and the private sector.

Spotlight | United States
Corporate intel firms snap up national security talents ahead of election campaign

WestExec, Pallas and Beacon Global have all taken on former CIA and Pentagon officials affiliated with both parties. The 2024 presidential candidates are sure to view industry firms as oases to find political advisers and, for the winner, the staff for the new administration.

United States
The Pentagon's major image processing project Maven makes budget comeback

After seven years in the making, Project Maven - a military artificial intelligence project dedicated to image processing - is in better health after the NGA took over the helm.

China, United States
US tech groups stealthily absorb Chinese skills to win friends in Beijing

To navigate the tensions between China and the US, big American groups working in Beijing are beginning to employ Chinese recruits for key roles, such as those dealing with local authorities. Yet by doing so, they risk losing out on important information themselves.

Taiwan, United States
The business council helping American weapons manufacturers boost arms sales to Taipei

A delegation of US weapons manufacturers led by the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) is expected in Taipei in early May to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss potential new deals.

Spotlight | United States
Storm clouds gather over Biden's national cyber office

Headwinds swirling round the US intelligence and tech communities are battering Joe Biden's Office of the National Cyber Director. Less than two years after it opened its doors in the White House, the service is losing key staff left, right and centre.

United States
Biden administration's call to renew major intelligence law triggers congressional and lobbying battle

Intelligence and law enforcement heavyweights support the bid to extend Section 702, which opened the door to domestic surveillance without a warrant. GOP, Democrats, lobbyists and even intelligence employees appear divided on the matter. If not passed by the year's end, Section 702 will expire.

United States
Former Maven director Aaron Prupas launches artificial intelligence consultancy

Freshly retired Major General Aaron Prupas has swapped his uniform for a business suit and launched a firm focusing on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for military use, just as the US military is ramping up its efforts on that front.

United Kingdom, United States
UK's Labour taps into Sally Donnelly's powerful Washington network

With the UK's Conservative government facing the possibility of a snap general election, Labour's defence teams have got moving in Washington.

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
Jaeger, Cooper, Oatley

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: each week, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community. This week, we go to London and Washington.

LondonGuy Cooper launches new investigation firm.

WashingtonRecently retired CIA officer Jaeger launches private firm.

LondonNew partner for veteran Oatley.

United States
Technological standards: Google and Bill Gates' think-tank wants EU-US alliance

The think tank run by former US State Department staffers is keen to boost US-European cooperation on security, energy and technology.

Middle East, United States
Ex-NSA Keith Alexander firmly behind Amazon as it expands in Middle East

Keith Alexander's cybersecurities firm IronNet continues to pursue markets in the Gulf states with a new, secret public contract, on the heels of its partner Amazon which is poised to open a new office in Kuwait.

United States
Buikema-Miller, the journalist turned CIA press secretary

In a career shift that would be unthinkable in many Western countries, Susan Buikema-Miller has gone from asking the questions to answering them as the CIA's new press secretary. She shares this previous career in journalism with her husband, now a legal expert at Amazon.

United States
Second Front Systems hires Michael Neumann to fast track public-private integration

Dual-use technology specialist Second Front Systems has hired a CIA expert just as the Biden administration aims to ramp up coordination between government agencies and private firms in cyberspace.

United States
Krebs and Stamos draft cyberteam

After launching their company in January, US cybersecurity veterans Chris Krebs and Alex Stamos are putting together a squad to handle a probe into the massive attack on US government software supplier SolarWinds.

United States
ODNI's new centre to combat foreign influence may sideline State Dept's hub

The Foreign Malign Influence Center, to be created under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), may have overlapping functions with the State Department's Global Engagement Center.

Belgium, France
France and Belgium head down different paths over CJEU data bulk collection ruling, paving the way for cooperation issues

French and Belgian administrative courts differ greatly in their interpretation of the CJEU's data bulk collection and storage ruling of 6 October 2020: the French Council of State allows flexibility for the security apparatus while Belgian's constitutional court has taken a "no quarter" approach.

United States
NSCAI calls for red teams to prepare for AI wars

In its latest report, the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) pushed for the creation of red teams, led [...]

United States
Former DIA director Robert Ashley transfers skills to private sector

After handing over the helm of the Defense Intelligence Agency in October, the retired lieutenant general has moved into private business, joining both consulting firm Deep Water Point and AI recognition company Clarifai.

United States
Ex-spies' work for foreign entities under scrutiny

Republican Jim Banks tabled a bill in the House of [...]

United States
Facebook building internal "intelligence service" to combat fake news

Under growing pressure from Congress to tackle the spread of online disinformation, Facebook recently hired researcher Ben Nimmo and is strengthening its ties with the US intelligence community.

United States
Anna Skinner to advise NGA on AI integration in analysis

Black Moon, a defense consulting firm led by Anna Skinner, landed a contract on 26 January to advise the National [...]

United States
Plex's cyber-offensive branch Cryptic Vector becomes fully-fledged subsidiary

While the new US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirmed the importance of cyber offensive tools at his confirmation hearing, Plex has turned its dedicated branch Cryptic Vector, which employs a number of former Xetron staff, into a separate subsidiary.

United States
White House crisis spares intelligence financial officers

Although the situation in the White House ahead of the [...]

Saudi Arabia, United States
AITC to support Saudi military intelligence

Despite political divergence, the Pentagon is stepping up its intelligence support to Riyadh.

United States
Karan Sondhi, Microsoft's new JEdi asset

The victor under Donald Trump on the Pentagon's massive JEDI [...]

United States
Pine Island, Blinken and Flournoy's military-focused fund

Westexec Advisors, the company founded by Antony Blinken and Michele Flournoy, Joe Biden's picks as Secretary of State and Secretary [...]

United States
Blocker ticks boxes for CIA role

Along with Thomas Donilon (see above) and Michael Morell (see [...]

Spotlight | United States
CIA awaits Biden's marching orders on China, Saudi Arabia, and UAE

With Joe Biden's election, the CIA is on the same page as the White House and the House of Representatives for the first time in four years.

United States
Microsoft hires staff for JEDI despite Amazon fight

While Amazon continues to challenge the award of the Pentagon's JEDI project (IOL 844), contractor Microsoft is pressing ahead with [...]

United States
Sue Gordon boards Microsoft's Cloud

Susan M. Gordon, who was the architect of the CIA's [...]

Spotlight | United States
After losing out on JEDI defence cloud, Amazon ploughs ahead thanks to intelligence contracts

While it pursues a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Microsoft, Amazon is also looking to monetise the infrastructure it has built for the intelligence sector.

United States
Ex-NSA interceptions chief Ronald Moultrie joins Donnelly at Pallas

Ronald Moultrie, the former head of the NSA's most strategic clandestine interceptions, has joined Pallas Advisors, the new consulting firm [...]

United States
Westexec and Pine Island snap up Obama's security chiefs

Michele Flournoy, the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USDP) and Tony Blinken, the former US Deputy Secretary of [...]