China a 'central' spying threat
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 29, 2005

China's intelligence services are mounting wide-ranging efforts to acquire U.S. technology and are among the most active of nearly 100 nations whose spying has undermined U.S. military advantages, according to a senior U.S. counterintelligence official.

China's "national-level intelligence services employ a full range of collection methodologies, from the targeting of well-placed foreign government officials, senior scientists and businessmen to the exploitation of academic activities, student populations and private businesses," Michelle Van Cleave, the national counterintelligence executive, said at a recent congressional hearing on foreign spying.

Miss Van Cleave said spies from nearly 100 nations are working to obtain sensitive U.S. technology, and "two countries that always rank near the top of the list are, of course, Russia and China."

Although private-sector spies are a problem, "state-directed espionage remains the central threat to our most sensitive national security technology secrets," she said.
Chinese intelligence agents are "very aggressive" in business and at obtaining information through elicitation. Additionally, "they're adept at exploiting front companies, [and] they also have very capable intelligence services that target U.S. national security secrets," she said.

Chinese intelligence efforts "take advantage of our open economic system to advance China's technical modernization, reduce the U.S. military advantage and undermine our economic competitiveness," Miss Van Cleave told the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, border security and claims.

Chinese and other state-run and private spies use a variety of simple methods to acquire U.S. technology, including e-mail, facsimile and telephone solicitation or in-person requests, she said. Other methods include visits by spies to U.S. businesses, military bases, national laboratories and private defense contractors.

The public identification of China and Russia as spying threats by a senior official is a departure from past policy, when the identities of foreign spies were kept secret to avoid upsetting diplomatic ties.

Miss Van Cleave declined to identify other nations involved in technology spying but said they include some of America's closest allies.

China's government also has obtained sensitive technology through the access that Chinese students, scientists and other specialists have in the United States, she said. "Beijing has established a number of outreach organizations in China, and it maintains close relations with a number of U.S.-based advocacy groups that facilitate its interaction with experts here and probably aid in efforts to acquire U.S. technology," Miss Van Cleave said. She said U.S. efforts to identify and stop the activities of foreign intelligence services have "to be more effective."
Larry Wortzel, a former defense intelligence official, told the subcommittee that China is methodical in its intelligence-gathering efforts in the United States.
"The U.S. faces an organized program out of China that is designed to gather high technology information of military use," Mr. Wortzel said.

"New Trackers Help Truckers Foil Hijackings"
Wall Street Journal (09/29/05) P. B1 ; DeWeese, Chelsea

Shippers and trucking companies are combating a steep rise in cargo theft by planting high-tech tracking devices inside crates and vehicles. This new breed of tracking devices allows companies and law enforcement agents to remotely monitor the whereabouts of valuable cargo while the cargo is being transported on trucks and even after it is unloaded. Cargo theft is often an inside job, and opportunistic insiders can easily thwart the more traditional satellite-based tracking systems that have been used to track trucks. The retail industry loses up to $15 billion per year due to the theft of semitrailer trucks and their cargo in the United States, and hundreds of semitrailers are stolen each day. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) says that officials are concerned that the profits from some cargo thefts are being used to finance Middle East terrorist groups. Stearns introduced a bill that would strengthen the penalties for cargo theft and create a law enforcement reporting system for cargo theft incidents. In February of this year, FBI agents used tracking devices to break up an inside-job retail theft ring that targeted the route between Memphis and Chicago. During that bust, FBI agents viewing computer monitors were able to track the progress of a semitrailer carrying DVDs, and as the truck stopped to allow the thieves to unload cargo, plainclothes officers moved in to arrest the culprits, including the truck driver, a warehouse employee, and two deputy jailers from a local police department.

"Companies Assess Katrina Response"
USA Today (10/04/05) ; Jones, Del

While businesses were prepared to respond to Hurricane Katrina, they may not be as prepared for disasters that come without warning, including earthquakes and terrorist attacks. Experts have asked businesses to pinpoint disaster recovery planning flaws and most cite communications failures and the need for a second location in case the first one is damaged beyond repair. Most workers that are engaged in these disaster drills move like robots with the next steps engrained in their subconscious. However, when businesses are asked how they trained workers to deal with nuclear or other terrorist events, executives hang their heads because they have not prepared as much for those scenarios. On the other hand, these businesses have a right to be proud given

that their responses to Hurricane Katrina were much better than that of the government. Businesses are still improving their disaster plans by purchasing satellite phones for many workers, though not all workers because of the costs associated with the equipment, and the establishment of command centers to allow workers to contact a single location. Companies and the government are working toward better communications and responses to disasters, and many are hopeful that efforts will be more coordinated.

Bali terrorists make bomb that leaves no trace
By Catharine Munro
October 16, 2005

The Sun-Herald
Indonesian forensic experts fear terrorists have developed a bomb that does not leave a trace.
Police working with Australian, Japanese and British experts to piece together the methods used for the October 1 bombings in Bali believe that Malaysian terrorist Azahari bin Husin may have used ingredients that are impossible to detect after detonation, the Indonesian investigative magazine Tempo reports.
Few details are known about the analysis being conducted at police headquarters in Jakarta to establish what was used in the attack that killed 23 people, including four Australians.
But there is speculation hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen chloride and triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was mixed with citric acid, a catalyst, for the explosion. TATP has been used by suicide bombers in Israel.

Investigators of the London bombings reportedly told Indonesian police such a combination would leave only traces that were already in the atmosphere: carbon monoxide and water.

contributed by SK Sharma

The views and facts stated above are entirely the responsibility of the author and do not reflect the views of this Association in any manner.