Must Read: When Selfies Are a Tool of Intelligence. In late August and early September, Russian troops being deployed to Syria posted selfies on social media sites saying they were headed to Russia’s naval port in Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea. On Sept. 2, photos of alleged Russian jets and drones in the skies over Syria appeared on Twitter. Domestic NBC: Government To Announce Mandatory Registry of Drones. The federal government will announce a new plan requiring anyone buying a drone to register the device with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Atlantic: If You’re Not Paranoid, You’re Crazy. As government agencies and tech companies develop more and more intrusive means of watching and influencing people, how can we live free lives? Security / Defense RAND: Stopping Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Would Take Two-Thirds of U.S. Air Power. In 2017, immediately defeating a surge of Chinese warplanes attacking Taiwan will require around 2,200 combat-ready U.S. fighter jets — a full two-thirds of all fighters in the American inventory. That’s the main conclusion of a new briefing paper from RAND, a California think tank. Aid: CIA Drone Program Dependent on SIGINT. The Obama administration has portrayed drones as an effective and efficient weapon in the ongoing war with al Qaeda and other radical groups. Yet classified Pentagon documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that the U.S. military has faced “critical shortfalls” in the technology and intelligence it uses to find and kill suspected terrorists in Yemen and Somalia. Eurasia TNI: Japan’s F-2 Multi-Purpose Fighter Would Outmatch China’s J-10. The rivalry between Japan and China over islands in the East China Sea has triggered close encounters between the two sides in the air. Chinese fighters have intercepted Japanese aircraft patrolling the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands to China), resulting in Japanese fighters being scrambled to intercept. TelegraphUK: Russia Runs Exercise to Shut Down the World Wide Web. Russia has run large scale experiments to test the feasibility of cutting the country off the World Wide Web, a senior industry executive has claimed. Middle East FP: How Lawrence of Arabia Would Take On the Islamic State. As the war began, he was recognized as what we would think of today as a highly qualified foreign area officer, with deep expertise in the Levant and both the Ottoman and Arab worlds. As was depicted in the rather sensationalized film, he played an important role in helping lead the Arabs’ revolt against their Ottoman overlords. Continue reading...
