Pentagon

China
Solomon Islands' secret security deal with Beijing survives change of government

The new prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Matthew Wale, had long promised transparency regarding the secret security deal signed with Beijing in 2022. But in a sharp turnaround, the leader recently said he will not release the agreement.

France, United States
Palantir vs. French PM: behind the scenes of a tit for tat PR war

The US giant claims that its agreement with the DGSI is set to continue, even after French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's 16 June announcement that the contract in question has been awarded to Chapsvision. This PR war pitting Palantir against Paris ignores the complex practical realities.

UAE
Abu Dhabi seeks PR support on Sudan file

Having long kept its own counsel regarding events in Khartoum, the UAE has decided to take a more front-footed approach to explaining its geo-strategic positioning, and its fight against political Islam, sources told Intelligence Online.

Spotlight | China, Mexico, United States
Palantir, DEA, US Coast Guard: Washington cranks up war on Chinese suppliers of fentanyl precursors

US authorities are actively tracking Chinese brokers who supply Mexican cartels with the precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl, Intelligence Online can reveal. This covert war involves cryptocurrencies, maritime shipping routes and front companies.

Spotlight | United States
Pentagon moves to further restrict access to intelligence on Iran

The Pentagon is increasingly classifying information relating to Iran and certain other countries of particular concern to the US administration at a much higher level, sharply limiting its circulation within the executive branch and Congress.

Deep Dive | United States
Pokémon Go to the rescue… of spies

The creators of Smurfs' Village are no longer the only ones working for US intelligence. Following on from the innovations of developers at Blackshark.ai, the makers of Pokémon Go are now also making a splash in one of the most coveted sectors: the revolution in GPS-free geolocation.

Deep Dive | United States
From Smurfs' Village to Flight Simulator: the European game developers helping US intelligence up its game

Strategic US technology is increasingly being developed by video game experts, and the conflict in Iran has shown their value. The European devs behind Microsoft Flight Simulator and Smurfs' Village are now at the vanguard making AI tools for intelligence.

Georgia
US exasperation with Georgia's security apparatus grows

Washington is upping the pressure on Tbilisi while also starting to decrease its presence there, at a time when Georgia appears more important than ever in the face of Russia.

The Agencies' Gazette
SGDSN anniversary watch, ODNI military adviser, Kyiv's Africa plan

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

FranceBespoke watches for SGDSN's 120th anniversary

USTulsi Gabbard's new military adviser is a Marine

UkraineA plan for Kyiv's return to Africa

Spotlight | Iran, Israel, United States
How Tehran cobbles together targeting intelligence

As war rages in the Middle East, the Pentagon fears Tehran may be acquiring US imagery from third parties. For Iran, gathering high-quality intelligence to plan its targeting operations is a key military challenge of the conflict.

Spotlight | United States
Congress to question Trump's intelligence chiefs next week

Iran, Venezuela and the major changes that have shaken the US intelligence community over the past year will be on the agenda for this eagerly awaited public hearing of Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel.

Deep Dive | United States
Marco Rubio, the frustrated rise of Trump's top diplomat

"America First" diplomacy (1/4). From Marco Rubio to Charles Kushner, a deep dive into the State Department's radical transformation under Donald Trump. This first episode focuses on the US top diplomat, who's dealing with a department in crisis as Washington plunges back into war in the Middle East.

Iraq, United States
Washington pressures Kurdistan security forces to take part in Iranian war effort

President Donald Trump has warned Kurdish leaders in Iraq that US funding for security forces could be cut if they do not help US and Israeli war efforts against the Iranian regime.

Armenia, Iran
Yerevan struggles to juggle French-US support and its ally Iran

Armenia is sending out repeated calls of strategic reassurance, both to Paris and Tehran. But the current crisis in the Middle East may not help Yerevan's pro-Western shift.