military industrial complex

Chinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks

"The Obama administration is considering more assertive action against Beijing to combat a persistent cyber-espionage campaign it believes Chinese hackers are waging against U.S. companies and government agencies. As The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that their computer systems had been infiltrated by China-based hackers, cybersecurity experts said the U.S. government is eyeing more pointed diplomatic and trade measures. The U.S. itself has been named in one of the most prominent cyberattacks — Stuxnet — the computer worm that infiltrated an Iranian nuclear facility, shutting down thousands of centrifuges there in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks

Military judge orders government to stop censoring 9/11 hearings

"A military judge ordered the US government Thursday to stop censoring September 11 pre-trial hearings from outside his courtroom. Judge James Pohl said the government must 'disconnect the outside feed or ability to suspend the broadcast' from outside his court. Proceedings are heard in the press room, and in a room where human rights groups and victims families sit, with a 40 second delay. This is done so that a security officer sitting next to the judge can block anything deemed classified. The ruling means classified information could still be blocked, but only by order of the judge and not from outside the courtroom." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary judge orders government to stop censoring 9/11 hearings

Germany Plans to Deploy Armed Drones

"Bowing to pressure from the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, the federal government in Berlin is preparing to deploy armed, unmanned drones in foreign conflicts. In an answer to an official query made by the far-left Left Party, the German government wrote that its experience in foreign combat operations has made it clear that reconnaissance vehicles must be armed 'in order to provide protection against sudden and serious changes in the situation.' It went on to say that the weapons boost safety and security through 'credible deterrence,' pointing to the 'Predator' drones used by the United States as a possible model." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany Plans to Deploy Armed Drones

Former Obama Intel Chief: Pentagon, Not CIA Should Control Drone Strikes

"Admiral Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence from January 2009 to May 2010, told a Council on Foreign Relations conference call that current U.S. policy has created 'all kinds of legal knots' regarding how and when America uses the controversial counterterrorism tactic. Last week The Washington Post reported that the Obama administration is almost done with its 'playbook' designed to establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations, but the CIA will continue to be exempt from the rules for the next year or more." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Obama Intel Chief: Pentagon, Not CIA Should Control Drone Strikes

Video of Big Brother’s spy drone that can watch you from 17,500 ft

"Curious as to how the Defense Department could be spying on you next? PBS checked in with DARPA about the latest in drone camera technology for the NOVA special 'Rise of the Drones,' including the world's highest-resolution camera. Actually seeing the sensor on ARGUS-IS, or Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, is still classified, but the basics of how it works have been deemed fit for public consumption... It can store a million terabytes of video a day, up to 5,000 hours of footage, so soon drones will not only be able to see everything that happens on the ground, but also keep that record." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVideo of Big Brother’s spy drone that can watch you from 17,500 ft

Glenn Greenwald: Pentagon’s new massive expansion of ‘cyber-security’ unit is about everything except defense

"This Cyber Command Unit operates under the command of Gen. Keith Alexander, who also happens to be the head of the National Security Agency, the highly secretive government network that spies on the communications of foreign nationals - and American citizens. The Pentagon's rhetorical justification for this expansion is deeply misleading. Beyond that, these activities pose a wide array of serious threats to internet freedom, privacy, and international law that, as usual, will be conducted with full-scale secrecy and with little to no oversight and accountability, with a small army of private-sector corporations who will benefit most from this expansion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Pentagon’s new massive expansion of ‘cyber-security’ unit is about everything except defense

Talk of CIA prisons censored at Guantanamo hearing

"US authorities censored part of a preliminary hearing Monday at a Guantanamo military tribunal that touched on CIA secret prisons where suspected 9/11 plotters say they were tortured. Reporters watched the proceedings against the five 9/11 suspects at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba behind a thick, sound-proof glass wall and listened to piped-in audio with a 40-second delay. But when a defense lawyer mentioned the CIA secret sites at Monday’s hearing, a red light flashed on and the sound from the courtroom was cut off. The audio from the proceedings was replaced by white noise, preventing journalists from listening." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTalk of CIA prisons censored at Guantanamo hearing

Militarized Police State Over Miami: “It’s Only a Drill…”

"Diving Blackhawks, blank rounds of machine gun fire, strafing runs, troops rappelling from choppers, and road blockades. Local police + military. All over the skies of Miami at night, just a few days ago. According to this local TV clown in the video, this event was for the purposes of 'meeting requirements,' preparing for overseas military drills, and making sure the equipment is in check." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitarized Police State Over Miami: “It’s Only a Drill…”

U.S. military plans to build drone base in North Africa

"The US military plans to set up a base for drones in northwest Africa to bolster surveillance of Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the region as well as allied Islamist extremists, a US official told AFP on Monday. The base for the robotic, unmanned aircraft would likely be located in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali, where French forces are currently waging a campaign against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. If the plan gets the green light, up to 300 US military service members and contractors could be sent to the base to operate the drone aircraft, according to the New York Times." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military plans to build drone base in North Africa