Category Archives: Department of Homeland Security

What the Deep State Really is, Shadow Operatives

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Former President Trump has said often, it is not just me they are after, they are really after you and I am in the way. It is quite true, but add intrepid investigative journalists as well and it all began under the Obama administration.

Anyone remember when the Obama Department of Justice went after several Associated Press reporters? Or how about all the way to the Biden administration as noted here:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Saturday that it no longer will secretly obtain reporters’ records during leak investigations, a policy shift that abandons a practice decried by news organizations and press freedom groups.

The reversal follows a pledge last month by President Joe Biden, who said it was “simply, simply wrong” to seize journalists’ records and that he would not permit the Justice Department to continue the practice. Though Biden’s comments in an interview were not immediately accompanied by any change in policy, a pair of statements from the White House and Justice Department on Saturday signaled an official turnabout from an investigative tactic that has persisted for years.

Democratic and Republican administrations alike have used subpoenas and court orders to obtain journalists’ records in an effort to identify sources who have revealed classified information. But the practice had received renewed scrutiny over the past month as Justice Department officials alerted reporters at three news organizations — The Washington Post, CNN and The New York Times — that their phone records had been obtained in the final year of the Trump administration.

The latest revelation came Friday night when the Times reported the existence of a gag order that had barred the newspaper from revealing a secret court fight over efforts to obtain the email records of four reporters. That tussle had begun during the Trump administration but had persisted under the Biden Justice Department, which ultimately moved to withdraw the gag order.

Let’s go back to the days of Fast and Furious or Benghazi shall we? Just in the last week, former CBS investigative correspondent of 21 years Sharyl Attkisson gave an detailed update to her case against the Department of Justice and the FBI as initially explained in her book titled Stonewalled.

In full disclosure, I read that book back and the chill still runs through my veins. After listening to her most recent podcast explanation, the takeaway is how all of government is still being used to stonewall the case not only with her but now too Catherine Herridge, just recently fired from CBS for refusing to reveal her sources for a story. so much for a free press. So, please take the time to hear the Attkisson podcast to fully grasp the government dragnet and then understand how it all flows down to we the people…..including we the people.

Now consider just what these deep state ghost operatives have been plotting and planning going forward. Use your imagination as Miss Sharyl has provided the mission template and tactics.

We are now living in a Stasi environment an additional form of terror…the war on information and truth.

Russian warships Arrive in Cuba, Complete with Hypersonic Missiles

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Meanwhile, our Commander in Chief has left the United States for a G7 Summit in Italy.

Cuban armed forces said in a statement Thursday, confirming the military exercises first disclosed by U.S. officials on Wednesday.

The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces said the Russian missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, the nuclear sub Kazan, the oil tanker Pashin and the salvage tug Nikolai Chiker are included.

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(exact text from USNI)

THE PENTAGON – A nuclear Russian submarine carrying guided missiles with a range of 1,000 nautical miles is operating off the East Coast as part of Russian missile drills in the Atlantic.
Kazan, a Yasen-M-class guided missile submarine, is part of a naval action group the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed to the Atlantic. The group is bound for the Caribbean as part of military drills ordered by the Kremlin against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, according to the MoD.

On Tuesday, Kazan and the advanced guided-missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov tested anti-ship missiles in the Atlantic at targets with a range of more than 350 miles before resuming its transit to a previously scheduled port visit to Havana on Wednesday, the Russian MoD said in a statement.

Ship spotters are tracking the Russian action group off the coast. The group was operating just east of the Florida Keys as of Tuesday afternoon and is under surveillance by at least three U.S. guided-missile destroyers and a P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft, according to public flight and ship tracking data.

A Navy spokesperson referred USNI News to the Office of the Secretary of Defense when asked about the U.S. warships. A Pentagon spokesperson would not confirm the details, but provided a Monday statement about the Russian exercises.

“Russia will conduct heightened naval and air activity near the United States. These actions will likely culminate in a global Russian naval exercise this fall. We are expecting that Russia will temporarily send combat naval vessels to the Caribbean region and these ships will likely conduct port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela,” reads a statement from OSD.
“There may also be some aircraft deployments or flights in the region. Russia’s deployments are part of routine naval activity and we are not concerned by Russia’s deployments, which pose no direct threat to the United States. “

While Russian ships operating in the Caribbean is not new, the submarine and the frigate are among the most advanced Russian warships and their presence is the largest visit of Russian Navy ships to the region in years. For example, last year the training ship Perekop sailed to Havana.

The modern Kazan and Gorshkov both field a variety of anti-ship and land attack weapons. While it’s unclear what weapons the two ships used during the Tuesday test fire, they both can field the 1,000-mile range 3M-54 Kalibir NK land attack cruise missile, the P-800 Oniks anti-ship missile and the 3M-22 Zircon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.

According to a report in RUSI, Kazan could field up to 32 P-800s, 40 Kalibirs and an unknown number of Zircons.

The Kalibir, modeled on the U.S. Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, is a key weapon for the Yasen submarines.

The silent operation and weapon load out of the 13,800-ton submarines are reasons U.S. officials have used to describe the boats as some of the most capable in the world.

For the Yasens, “long-range strike missions appear to … a primary task. This will likely necessitate a change in how NATO manages the anti-submarine warfare challenge in the High North, given that a strategy of barrier defense at the Greenland–Iceland–U.K. gap may actually do little to impact Russian submarines, which may have little need to traverse this barrier in order to achieve their operational ends,” according to RUSI.

Last year, then-commander of U.S. Northern Command Gen. Glen VanHerck said the deployment of cruise-missile submarines off the coast of the U.S. is increasing and is a growing concern for homeland defense.

“[The risk is] absolutely increasing. Within the last year, Russia has also placed their [Yasens] in the Pacific,” he said.
“Now not only the Atlantic, but we also have them in the Pacific and it’s just a matter of time – probably a year or two – before that’s a persistent threat, 24 hours a day. … That impact has reduced decision space for a national senior leader in a time of crisis.”

8 ISIS-K Arrested in 3 Cities After Crossing the Southern Border

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In part from USA Today, hardly tells the whole story about this case.

WASHINGTON ― U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in recent days arrested eight foreign nationals in the U.S. suspected to have ties with the terrorist group ISIS, a U.S. official familiar with the investigation confirmed.

The eight individuals were detained on immigration charges from New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Each is from Tajikistan and entered the U.S. at the southern Mexico border, the official said. They remain in U.S. custody.

The official said no derogatory information was detected about the individuals during their initial screening at the border but the U.S. later learned information that tied them to ISIS. They don’t currently face any terrorism charges. More here. 

A deeper dive:

The FBI had been tracking these operatives for several weeks, long before the most recent fake Biden Executive Order on the southern border. Obviously the White House ignored not only the case and intelligence but continues to ignore the warnings put forward by FBI Director Christopher Wray in several congressional hearings.

Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
BREAKING: Per federal source familiar, ICE, in conjunction w/ the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, arrested 8 Tajikistan nationals w/ suspected ISIS ties in NYC, LA, and Philly in recent days. I’m told all 8 crossed the southern border illegally, received “full vetting”, and had no initial derogatory information that flagged. I’m told derogatory info/potential national security concerns flagged later on – apparently after release into the US. Source was unable to say when and where they crossed illegally into the US. All are now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and an active federal investigation. This was initially scooped by

@JennieSTaer

& New York Post, who report at least one of the individuals was caught on a FBI wiretap talking about bombs. FBI/DHS joint statement to

@FoxNews

“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities. The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security. ”

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In part from CBS:The official noted that it is very difficult for the U.S. to deport migrants to Tajikistan due to both operational and diplomatic reasons. In fiscal year 2023, ICE deported only 4 migrants to that Central Asian country, according to agency data.

The arrests were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, adding that the individuals who were arrested are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

“As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment,” the statement went on to say. “The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”

*** Per UPI:

“Now increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia Concert Hall,” Wray testified in April.

“As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the United States has been in a heightened threat environment,” according to Tuesday’s statement on the arrests.

“The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate and disrupt potential threats to national security.”

According to the National Counterterrorism Center, IS-K is among the deadliest branches of ISIS, conducting attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as in Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan while seeking to conduct similar operations in the United States and Europe.

It was sanctioned by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization in 2016.

Biden Ignoring Hybrid Warfare by China Against the U.S.

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Active Measures and Three Warfares

Irregular warfare is not new. During the Cold War, Russian services like the KGB waged aggressive irregular campaigns against the United States around the globe. Oleg Kalugin, the former head of foreign counterintelligence for the KGB, described aktivnyye meropriyatiya and similar operations as the “heart and soul of Soviet intelligence” that were used to “weaken the United States” and to “drive wedges in the Western community alliance of all sorts.”1

As the Biden administration takes office, U.S. adversaries are utilizing irregular strategies and tactics. Perhaps the quintessential example is Russia. Under President Vladimir Putin, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and other officials, Russia employs a mix of offensive cyber operations, espionage, covert action, and information and disinformation campaigns to weaken the United States and expand Moscow’s influence. Russia has meddled in U.S. elections and waged a disinformation campaign inside the United States, attempting to inflame social, racial, and political tensions through such issues as Black Lives Matter, Covid-19, the Me Too movement, gun control, white supremacy, abortion, and immigration. Russia has placed malware, such as Triton and BlackEnergy, in U.S. critical infrastructure—threatening power plants, electricity grids, communications networks, and financial systems in the U.S. homeland. Russian agencies have also leveraged shadowy organizations to help conduct information operations and cyberattacks, including the Internet Research Agency (IRA); Kaspersky Lab; networks and online personas with creative names like “Cozy Bear,” “Fancy Bear,” and “Guccifer 2.0”; and private military companies like the Wagner Group.

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Additional reading here. 

China’s perspective of national power is broad and includes several elements which the U.S. government considers either irrelevant or in the realm of private industry and non-governmental organizations. China uses soft power and competes in issues the United States often does not even recognize as a part of a wider conflict. Rand’s Andrew Scobell explains, “China’s current perspective on its relationship with the United States is centered on competition that encompasses a wide range of issues embodied in China’s concept of comprehensive national power.”3 Along with the obvious issues of defense and diplomacy, China’s authoritarian government considers technology, cultural, and internal stability issues essential to national power. China sees a future where “war becomes increasingly civilianized,” relying on non-military means to neutralize threats and gain advantages over competitors.4 The U.S. may not recognize some of these issues are part of the competition, but the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses all these means to build advantage.

Chinese manipulation and theft of valuable U.S. science and technology (S&T) is a recognized danger. Chinese intelligence services acquire U.S. and other nations’ scientific research and technology through methods that include: hacking, sending Chinese students and researchers to study and work at western institutions of higher education, and purchasing U.S. companies. William Holsten explains, “There is a massive, coordinated assault taking place on American technology, perhaps the largest, fastest transfer of intellectual property in human history, and much of it is taking place on U.S. soil.”5 In 2017, China passed a legislative framework directing all Chinese to contribute to state security.6 The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) assessed, “It is likely that citizens can be compelled to assist PRC state actors in interference efforts if and when those efforts fall under the broader definition of ‘national intelligence work’ and ‘national intelligence efforts’ as noted in the Law.”7 This assessment in combination with the approximately 350,000 Chinese students attending U.S.’ universities, gives China an incredible capacity to use espionage to procure developing technology.8 A second aspect of the theft of science and technology is the acquisition of U.S. businesses and their subcontracted suppliers by PRC-backed private companies. One example is the acquisition of A123, a U.S. company that develops and supplies lithium-ion batteries.9 A123, after receiving approximately $1 billion from private investors and $100 million in federal government backing, as well as technical advice from General Motors, Motorola, and QualComm, went bankrupt and was subsequently purchased by the Chinese Wanxiang Group Corp for $257 million.10 This acquisition gave China the company’s technological research and manufacturing facilities at an incredibly discounted rate.

Within the U.S. government, multiple agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, Federal Trade Commission, work on different aspects of this problem. They observe, detect, and respond individually to the Chinese intellectual property theft. A coordinated U.S. government effort would be more capable of detecting the Chinese malign behavior, creating comprehensive deterrence, and formulating a powerful response. Source

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As a 2020 Department of Defense publication explained, irregular warfare “favors indirect and asymmetric approaches” by countries “in order to erode an adversary’s power, influence, and will.” It includes numerous tools of statecraft that governments can use to shift the balance of power in their favor: information operations (including psychological operations and propaganda), cyber operations, support to state and nonstate partners, covert action, espionage, and economic coercion.

Many of these tools, such as information and cyber operations, can be used for irregular and conventional campaigns. They are simply a means. In irregular warfare, however, a country designs and uses these tools to undermine its adversaries as part of balance-of-power competition without engaging in set-piece battles. Other government officials and scholars have used different terms—such as political warfare, hybrid warfare, gray zone activity, asymmetric conflict, and the indirect approach—to capture some or all of these activities.

In particular, irregular warfare is distinct from conventional warfare, which has sometimes been referred to as “traditional” or “regular” warfare. Conventional warfare involves the use of direct land, naval, air, and other military capabilities to defeat an adversary’s armed forces on a battlefield; control territory, populations, and forces; or annihilate an enemy’s war-making capacity. Irregular warfare is also different from nuclear warfare, which involves the use—or threat—of nuclear weapons against adversaries. Finally, irregular warfare is distinct from routine foreign policy, which can include diplomatic, humanitarian, intelligence, and other activities that have little or nothing to do with competition against adversaries.

Billions in Private Government Contracts Spent on Illegals Transport and Housing

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Then check out the Inspector General’s report found here. 

So, reaching out to a friend of mine, a former contractor with a very large private military contractor put me on to two companies holding contracts. They are MVM and Triple Canopy….check this out please.

MVM = CONTRACTOR WILL PROVIDE STAFFING AND RESOURCES NECESSARY TO ARRANGE TRAVEL AND ESCORT and MVM just during the year 2021 was under contract for $329 million. And by the way, MVM, Inc., a company previously perhaps best known for acting as a contractor for the CIA and the NSA in Iraq, has in recent years become a major player in the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum-seekers, all the while inviting scrutiny for an apparently lax approach to the safety of those in its care. During the infamous 2018 family separation policy, MVM was found to be holding children, including some separated from their parents, in an abandoned Phoenix office building. Most disturbingly, in the past six months alone, MVM has had to shell out $1.8 million to settle federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that it had discriminated against African immigrant workers and subjected women on its payroll to sexual harassment and retaliation. This rattled good government advocates, even though the company avoided any admission of wrongdoing.

Watchdogs found the allegations that triggered the EEOC claims unsettling as well. In December 2020, MVM coughed up $1.6 million to get rid of a federal lawsuit that accused it of subjecting African immigrant security personnel to verbal abuse—including a manager’s mockery of their accents and comments about how the company had brought on “too many Africans”—forced them to work on days off, threatened them with dismissal, and even fired some without cause. Less than a month later, it paid out $200,000 to resolve separate litigation that charged one of its managers made unwanted physical and verbal advances toward a number of female employees. When one complained, the suit asserted, the company canned her. Thanks to the Daily Beast article on this from 2021. 

Now just remember how much President Trump was tarred and feathered and sued over the same things….anyone?

Now let us travel over to Guantanamo shall we? The Biden administration began in 2021 to hire private military contractors for GITMO…why? Haitians…the newcomer supply chain from Haiti to Florida and beyond. Indications are that Triple Canopy has this contract due in part to previous experience in Haiti.

The Department of Homeland Security dusted off mass migration event plans, as they’ve done before with Haiti, including in 2021 as the number of Haitians interdicted at sea ticked up.

Defense Department and military officials told Congress that the department is doing “a number of things to ensure we’re keeping track of” a potential mass migration from Haiti.

Rebecca Zimmerman, the official performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, said that so far, the administration has “not yet seen large numbers, what we would characterize as a maritime mass migration.”

Maritime migration presents its own unique challenges and involves US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the US Border Patrol and Coast Guard, among others, coordinating to interdict migrants who are often taking the dayslong journey in makeshift vessels.

The agencies work together to identify and interdict migrants so they may be repatriated. If migrants make landfall, they’re brought into Border Patrol custody.

Border authorities in southern Florida are monitoring the situation in Haiti and preparation is underway in the event of an influx of Haitians arriving, according to a US Customs and Border Protection official. In the past, more than 100 people amassed on vessels for the dangerous journey by sea.

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An aerial view of Bulkeley Hall at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bulkeley Hall is the naval station headquarters and administration building. Guantanamo Bay is a logistical hub for U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, and allied vessels and aviation platforms operating in the Caribbean region of the U.S. 4th Fleet.

An aerial view of Bulkeley Hall at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bulkeley Hall is the naval station headquarters and administration building. Guantanamo Bay is a logistical hub for U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, and allied vessels and aviation platforms operating in the Caribbean region of the U.S. 4th Fleet. (Bill Mesta/U.S. Navy)

More than 300,000 Haitians have been displaced since gangs overran the capital on Feb. 29 and unleashed chaos, according to the United Nations.

The U.S. on Wednesday deployed a Marine Fleet-Anti-terrorism Security Team, or FAST, to secure its embassy in Port-au-Prince and flew Marines into the country over the weekend to rescue nonessential diplomatic staff.

Other American civilians, including a Marine Corps veteran, remain trapped in the Caribbean nation. Source