Military intelligence officer interview

[Andrew Brunelle]

I'm sure it will be fascinating, as well as revealing. Go for it. I would love to read it.

[Brutha]

3) A follow up on the previous question - how many intelligence organizations are actually involved in gathering intelligence about terrorist activity in Western nations, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? I've heard practically nothing about the involvement of intelligence organizations from outside of the USA and UK. Yet that doesn't sound right - so many countries are involved in these wars that one would think they all have a vested interest in gathering intelligence.

The great thing about intelligence organisations is that you don't really know.

At some point a few years ago the German BND had trojans in the computer network of some Afghan ministry.
For the most part you only know that an intelligence agency is involved when they screw up.
If you also count private intelligence companies I wouldn't be surprised if more than hundred different organisations are involved in gathering that kind of intelligence and that no single person exists who knows all of those organisations.

[MattMacola]

I'd like to know more about the military disciplines. And the self discipline that people in the milatary always seem to have.

[rozoweskarpetki]

Originally Posted by Brutha

The great thing about intelligence organisations is that you don't really know.

At some point a few years ago the German BND had trojans in the computer network of some Afghan ministry.
For the most part you only know that an intelligence agency is involved when they screw up.
If you also count private intelligence companies I wouldn't be surprised if more than hundred different organisations are involved in gathering that kind of intelligence and that no single person exists who knows all of those organisations.

Oh, that's interesting - hadn't heard about that! Yeah, I suppose it's unrealistic to expect his answer to contain an actual number. But if he could shed some light on what other intelligence organizations he's come across in his work or had to cooperate with then I'd be very interested in that
And I suppose it should be possible to establish how many intelligence organizations have had access to Guantanamo prisoners? That would be an interesting number. No idea if he's the person to ask about such things though.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Brutha

I would be expecially interested in the questions that you choose to ask him

This

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Originally Posted by Brutha

Open houses are about allowing visitors.
I quoted two different posts by different people with a total of three claims.

Yes I know what an open house is. They have those at military sub bases too, doesn't mean there aren't any weapons being used or developed.

Sorry for misquoting you.

We're both arguing this in a rather foolish perspective. Let's try this. We find scientific evidence for and against the possibility of HAARP being used as a weapons system. Wouldn't that be the most logical way to prove either point? From what little I know about HAARP, it works by broadcasting ELFs directly up into the ionosphere. Here's a link, with cited sources sprinkled throughout the article, that presents evidence that HAARP is a benign research facility,

Analysis: HAARP

This article, What's going on in Alaska's wilderness : HAARP Suggests that the facility we're both talking about is a red herring (complete with unassuming open houses ) designed to make the ionospheric heating research look totally benign. The article suggests that the real facility is north of Fairbanks in Poker Flats, Alaska. This is basically so the government can truthfully say the facility in question is entirely benign (provided no one asks about the other one in Poker Flats). The article also introduces you to Bernard Eastlund, a physicist with some fascinating research, some of his weather modification research: New Weather Modification Research Papers By Dr. Bernard J. Eastlund. Mr. Eastlund was an integral scientist in the development and construction of HAARP. His website's article on HAARP, HAARP

And his patents for HAARP, with some suggestive (to put it lightly) titles

"Method for Producing a Shell of Relativistic Particles at an Altitude Above the Earths Surface"
Bernard J. Eastlund inventor, US Patent Number: 5,038,664 Issue Date: 8/13/91,Assignee: APTI, Inc.

"Method and Apparatus For Altering a Region in the Earth's Atmosphere, Ionosphere, and/or
Magnetosphere" Bernard J. Eastlund inventor, US Patent Number: 4,686,605 Issue Date: 8/11/87
Assignee: APTI, Inc.

The patents do exist (though they were classified for 5 years)

Method for producing a shell of relativistic particles at an altitude above the earths surface - Patent 5038664


Again I apologize for my insulting and unstructured reply completely devoid of sources of information.


Edit: Forgot the link giving an analysis of the facility in Poker Flats, HAARP likely not Primary Ionospheric Array in Alaska
The guy cited references at the bottom of the page.

This project is quite serious.

[Elrond]

I'm skeptical of how much a captain knows about all of these grand political questions. But I do have one question:

- If you told me, would you have to kill me?

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Originally Posted by Elrond

I'm skeptical of how much a captain knows about all of these grand political questions. But I do have one question:

- If you told me, would you have to kill me?

That depends entirely on what organization he was a part of. If he was an officer in MI6 he might have considerable amounts of information.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Elrond

I'm skeptical of how much a captain knows about all of these grand political questions. But I do have one question:

- If you told me, would you have to kill me?

As a Captain I would be most interested in his opinions over a wide range of subjects. I would not have an expectation for him to have access to or have a willingness to share really high level sensitive information.

It is still useful to know the opinions and thoughts of someone at the level of this man. I speak to people similar to him frequently and almost always find the time spent in conversation useful.

Is your friend the Captain still willing to expound on his experience?

[mityno]

Originally Posted by Elrond

I'm skeptical of how much a captain knows about all of these grand political questions. But I do have one question:

- If you told me, would you have to kill me?

The level of the rank of "Captain" varies widely from one country to another and even from one branch of military to another.

For instance, in the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a Captain is the third lowest officer rank, or "O-3". That's just above an "O-2" First Lieutenant.

But in the US Navy a Captain is the rank of O-6, equivalent to a full bird Colonel in the other branches. This is a very big difference.

Do we know how the rank of Captain is approximately ranked against the US system of officer rank? This would make a big difference in his relative importance.

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by mityno

The level of the rank of "Captain" varies widely from one country to another and even from one branch of military to another.

For instance, in the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a Captain is the third lowest officer rank, or "O-3". That's just above an "O-2" First Lieutenant.

But in the US Navy a Captain is the rank of O-6, equivalent to a full bird Colonel in the other branches. This is a very big difference.

Do we know how the rank of Captain is approximately ranked against the US system of officer rank? This would make a big difference in his relative importance.

The different NATO forces have a pretty similar ranking system. Captain is usually OF-2 or OF-3.

There is no rank of major (the rank which he might get promoted to) in the Royal Navy nor the Royal Air Force that I've found, so I was assuming that he was part of the Army, hence why I called him captain (which is below major). In that case, he's OF-2. Still, the rank doesn't really disclose how much information he has access to. It depends what his work is. A private/other lower rank can work in a battallion operation cell and have full overview of all of the activities of the battalion. He might have a better overview of the whole battalion during operations than for example the squadron leaders (though due to his inferior experience, it will be harder to understand).

An intelligence officer in a battalion staff might most likely be a captain/major. But a captain/major who is working at a higher level, maybe more administrative (stationed in Vegas, of all places?) might be privy to information at a higher level. Still, I'm not so sure how much he he can know about what most people seem interested in, which seems to be big political questions, "why are we REALLY in Iraq?", "Is the [some branch] aiding the Taliban?", "[insert conspiracy slanted question]". But maybe he knows about this stuff, or at least can make educated guessess. But then it is the question of if he can answer them at all.


Maybe getting a more personal interview would be more informative, his experiences, what he does on a regular basis, what his ambitions are. How working in the British Forces has been like. But maybe that has less of an appeal to most people.

[Vibration]

Yes:

Question for the British military intelligence officer:

What actions have you personally seen that were designed specifically for gaining the trust of the Afghan people, that speaks to their interests and culture, things that really register with them? Is it working - is it enough?

[rozoweskarpetki]

Originally Posted by Elrond

Maybe getting a more personal interview would be more informative, his experiences, what he does on a regular basis, what his ambitions are. How working in the British Forces has been like. But maybe that has less of an appeal to most people.

Actually, I'd be perfectly happy with that... Stuff like how he ended up working in intelligence could be very interesting.

[Brutha]

The patents do exist (though they were classified for 5 years)

Method for producing a shell of relativistic particles at an altitude above the earths surface - Patent 5038664

There patents for teleportation, that doesn't mean that teleportation works.
Additionally as the article I linked to above suggests researching how the ionosphere effects GPS signals justifies that kind of research.

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Originally Posted by Brutha

There patents for teleportation, that doesn't mean that teleportation works.
Additionally as the article I linked to above suggests researching how the ionosphere effects GPS signals justifies that kind of research.

The reason I linked Dr. Eastlund's research and website is because he suggests that this is not merely a reserve patent for a not yet existing technology. His research and website suggest the patents are protecting a working reality.

I also understand that HAARP's research has multiple applications such as understanding the dynamics of GPS signals with the ionosphere. The project has numerous potential sources of new knowledge with both military and nonmilitary applications. GPSes included.

There's really not too much of a stretch required to see that there is something secretive going on, especially if you consider the array in Poker Flats that has been camouflaged and the array south of Poker Flats being the one getting all this negative conspiracy attention. There's reasonable suspicion of intentional misdirection. That implies secrecy which implies something is going on there that isn't likely to be friendly. Sure it's steeped in implication and we can't be certain of what's going on, but that's the nature of military secrets.

[KomodoDave]

Thought I'd post to save a military intelligence interview thread from being derailed by a discussion on teleportation..

I'd be very interested in seeing this interview, Steve. My question to the soon-to-be-Major would be: What do you think of Obama's decision to support the building of a mosque near the site of 9/11? News article is here.

I'm British, and personally think this is a travesty, but will save thorough discussion for another thread.

Thanks.

[rozoweskarpetki]

Originally Posted by KomodoDave

My question to the soon-to-be-Major would be: What do you think of Obama's decision to support the building of a mosque near the site of 9/11? News article is here.

I'm British, and personally think this is a travesty, but will save thorough discussion for another thread.

Will be looking forward to that thread I wasn't aware of the issue, but now that you've brought it up, I am of the opposite opinion. I think the West seriously misunderstands Islam and associates it with something it's not. Personally, I feel it would be a much greater travesty if Obama had gone against those plans.
I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail in another thread though.

[KomodoDave]

Originally Posted by rozoweskarpetki

Will be looking forward to that thread I wasn't aware of the issue, but now that you've brought it up, I am of the opposite opinion. I think the West seriously misunderstands Islam and associates it with something it's not. Personally, I feel it would be a much greater travesty if Obama had gone against those plans.
I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail in another thread though.

Ok, discussion thread is here.

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Yes I'd be interested. The things I'd like to hear about he might not want to discuss on the record, like what really happened on 9/11. To anyone who dismisses what really happened please, please, please watch the destruction of Building 7 for yourself. It's on YouTube. I'm not getting into any arguments today.

If he had such information, he wouldn't be a Major in Las-Vegas. He would either be long dead or working for Black Ops

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by xfactor

If he had such information, he wouldn't be a Major in Las-Vegas. He would either be long dead or working for Black Ops

Nah. There's enough information out in the open for anyone who is ready to reject the official conspiracy theory. I prefer to believe that those of us who have done so have friends on the inside, and I hope Steve's contact is one of them. BTW, I don't think I communicated my point well before. What I meant to say is I hope that Steve and the intelligence officer have a discussion on this subject between themselves off the record.

[rozoweskarpetki]

I've got another question

I'd like him to talk about the relationship between Al Qaeda and the Taleban. How they differ, where their goals are common and where they are not. Is Al Qaeda still training recruits in Afghanistan at this point or have they relocated? Are American and NATO troops actually still fighting against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or is it just the Taleban now?

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Nah. There's enough information out in the open for anyone who is ready to reject the official conspiracy theory. I prefer to believe that those of us who have done so have friends on the inside, and I hope Steve's contact is one of them. BTW, I don't think I communicated my point well before. What I meant to say is I hope that Steve and the intelligence officer have a discussion on this subject between themselves off the record.

I seriously doubt that guy will tell Steve anything interesting. After all, military intelligence is a serious organization that doesn't promote pluralism and openness. I'm surprised the Major didn't run away the moment he knew Steve was a popular blogger.

[tankparksalute]

Hi Steve, and all

This is my first entry into your forums. I have been a subscriber for a couple of years. I would be very interested in this interview, as I am starting a blog soon with the intention of helping people understand Afghanistan from an outsider's point of view.

I was inspired to post here, however, because of this response that you gave to a message in the forum.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Good luck keeping the external world separate from your inner world.

Personally I find that task to be impossible. Everything "out there" is within us.

Your ability to say things like that without sounding arrogant is inspiring. I am working hard to avoid arrogance, while trying to help people improve themselves. It's difficult, but your blog is a cool place to find new things.

Thanks again.

Love &c.

[Jaxi]

Yes interested!
1. Does he think America is going about this war correctly?
2. Do Brits agree with all American plans? Would they done this differently?
3. Did he honestly belive in this fight - and did he until his last day. Would he fight this exact war again, or was he really 'just serving his country' on this one
4. Does he think the Wikileaks was anything big - or does he think that it really had no impact in the scheme of this 7+ year war?
5. Does he truly believe the iraqi's can hold their own and Brits/Americans Nato troops won't have to return again in strong numbers to hold the fort
6. Does he think the strategy for AfPak should be the same as Iraq strategy considering these are two separate situations and the Taliban is stronger in AfPak Region
7. Does he think Bin Laden and the other top leader will ever be found and killed?
8. What was his worst experience there? What was his best? (not sure how many years he was there -you didn't stay
9. Why did he join the military?
10. Does he think the deaths that have occurred (troops death - not civilians) has been worth this fight?
11. Were the Brits more prepared/armoured than the Americans in the beginning of this war? American's lacked basic body armour a lot in the beginning, rifles that stuck (one of my friends was US Army, over there)
12. Does he think this war can be 'won'. I don't - you won't ever stop the Taliban and Al Qaeda - so not sure what the sense of fighting and all the deaths are for. Not to mention it doesn't guarantee no attacks on other countries by terrorists. So what does he feel we are really in this 'fight' for - at this point?
13. Was he really prepared to die every day? Did he ever second guess it and want to get out?
14. what will he do now for his country or the military in general? Or will he remove himself from this and move into more 'business world'.
15. After this war, would he still highly recommend to maybe his son to join the British forces? Or does he think government is not aligned with reality and it's not worth your life for their agenda?

I run a political blog, so I have an interest in this a lot Plus, have friends in military, some in AfPak now (suppose to return 2011/12) And, I use to live in DC/VA - 1 mile from Pentagon, so this stuff hits home more when you know those working in there, and see military around ya all day, soldiers with leg blown off, etc.