Coverage in the Netherlands of a recent request by the Dutch police to remove issues of Inspire magazine from this website has often misrepresented our position, referring to this site as an “al-Qaeda website”, while failing to explain the nature of what this website does. Articles about the request have even been accompanied by gratuitous photos of Osama Bin-Laden. The fact that our publication of Inspire magazine is not supportive or promotional, but done for “educational and informational purposes” seems to have been missed by many Dutch readers. This is despite the fact that we have included uncharacteristic disclaimers stating this fact on every page where we have made Inspire magazine available. To any regular reader of this site it should be painfully obvious that we are not supporting, condoning or encouraging the activities contained in the magazine, or any other material we publish.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Sandia National Laboratories Nuclear Reactor Containment Integrity Research Overview
Research into the integrity of containment structures or vessels for nuclear power plants has been conducted around the world in those countries where nuclear energy is produced and provides, or is expected to provide, a significant portion of the domestic energy supply. While the contributions of each of these efforts to the understanding of the role of containment in ensuring the safe operation on nuclear power plants is important, the most comprehensive experimental effort has been conducted at Sandia National Laboratories, primarily under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This report describes the background and context for the more than 25 years of NRC-sponsored Containment Integrity Research at Sandia National Laboratories and summarizes the major results of the experimental efforts and the observations and insights gained from the analytical efforts.
Department of Agriculture
USDA National Fluoride Database of Selected Beverages and Foods
Assessment of fluoride intake is paramount in understanding the mechanisms of fluoride metabolism specifically the prevention of dental caries, dental fluorosis, and skeletal fluorosis. The Institute of Medicine (IOM, 1997) specified Adequate Intakes (AI) of 0.01 mg/day for infants through 6 months, 0.05 mg/kg/day beyond 6 months of age, and 3 mg/day and 4 mg/day for adult women and men (respectively), to prevent dental caries. Upper limits (UL) of 0.10 mg/kg/day in children less than 8 years and 10 mg/day for those older than 8 years are recommended for prevention of dental fluorosis. Similar levels have been endorsed by the American Dental Association (ADA, 1994) and the American Dietetic Association (ADA, 2000). Fluoride works primarily via topical mechanisms to inhibit demineralization, to enhance remineralization, and to inhibit bacteria associated with tooth decay (Featherstone, 2000). Fluoride has an affinity for calcified tissues. Studies of exposure and bone mineral density, fractures and osteoporosis would benefit from a national fluoride database coupled with an intake assessment tool (Phipps, 1995; Phipps et al., 2000). Therefore, a database for fluoride is needed for epidemiologists and health researchers to estimate the intakes and to investigate the relationships between intakes and human health.
Department of Defense
(U//FOUO) U.S. Government Shutdown DoD Contingency Plan April 2011
This document provides guidance for identifying those missions and functions of the Department of Defense that may continue to be carried out in the absence of available appropriations. The information provided in this document is not exhaustive, but rather illustrative, and is intended primarily to assist in the identification of those activities that may be continued notwithstanding the absence of available funding authority in the applicable appropriations ( excepted activities). Activities that are determined not to be excepted, and which cannot be performed by utilizing military personnel in place of furloughed civilian personnel, will be suspended when appropriated funds expire. The Secretary of Defense may, at any time, determine that additional activities shall be treated as excepted.
U.S. Army
(U//FOUO) U.S. Army Interagency Teaming to Counter Irregular Threats Handbook
If you have picked up this handbook, or had it handed to you, you are likely an interagency team leader or team member or a military commander or civilian leader with the responsibility for setting up an interagency team. If this is your first exposure to working with the interagency, it can be a daunting prospect. This handbook is intended to provide you with a basic understanding of the interagency environment as well as insights and best practices that your team can put to use to counter irregular threats in the field or at operational level.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The Evolution of NATO’s Command Structure, 1951-2009
One very important first step in the establishment of a military command structure for NATO was the North Atlantic Council’s selection of General Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe in December 1950. After General Eisenhower arrived in Paris in January 1951, he and the other members of the multinational SHAPE Planning Group immediately began to devise a structure for the new Allied Command Europe. They quickly established a basic command philosophy that divided Allied Command Europe into three regions: the North, containing Scandinavia, the North Sea and the Baltic; the Center, with Western Europe, and the South, covering Italy and the Mediterranean (Greece and Turkey were not yet members of NATO). As for the organizational structure, General Eisenhower’s initial concept was to give each region an overall Commander-in-Chief (CINC). Underneath the CINCs there would be separate Land, Air and Naval Commanders for each region. This concept made great sense militarily, but its implementation soon encountered major political problems in two of the three regions.
Headline
Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan Qur’an Burning Protest Photos April 2011
The following photos were taken by Gul Rahman at the protest in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan on April 1, 2011 against the burning of the Qur’an by Florida Pastor Terry Jones.
FEMA
National Level Exercise 2011 Draft Planning Overview
Focus: Domestic, non-terrorism; Major Earthquake (specific focus on a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ)) the exercise concept was created in 2006 as a follow-on task to the Federal Emergency Manage Agency (FEMA) NMSZ Catastrophic Planning Initiative. NLE 11 will be a Functional Exercise (FE) that will last approximately four days with a specific focus on the first 72 hours. This exercise is designed to provide FEMA with a crucible to test Administrator Fugate’s mission for the Federal government to make decisions and take action within the first 72 hours of a major disaster that will have positive effect on life saving and life sustaining activities.
United Nations
UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey Winter Assessment 2011
The result of this assessment indicates that the current high price of opium did not produce an increase in opium cultivation in the highest cultivating provinces of Hilmand and Kandahar. In these two provinces the cultivation is expected to decrease in 2011. The reasons for this development were multiple and differed from area to area. In parts of Hilmand and Kandahar, farmers reported the persistence of cold and dry climate conditions which led to crop failure as the poppy would not germinate. There also been a changing political environment in Hilmand with the Governor taking initiatives to convince elders and farmers to reduce the amount of poppy planted. This was not systematically captured by the survey, but it may have played a role as well. In both provinces, military operations were conducted by Afghan and international forces around the time of poppy planting in main poppy cultivating areas. Although these operations were not directed against poppy farmers, the coincidence of troupes being present at planting time may also have discouraged farmers from planting poppy.
News
Dutch Police Threaten to Shut Down Public Intelligence
The National Crime Squad (DNR, Dienst Nationale Recherche) of the Dutch National Police (KLPD; Korps landelijke politiediensten) has threatened to shut down Public Intelligence if we do not remove the issues of Inspire magazine which are made available on this site. In a request made to our hosting provider in late February, the Dutch National Crime Squad demanded that we remove all issues of Inspire magazine from our website and refrain from distributing any further issues of the publication. The notice describes the magazine’s content as “illegal” under Dutch law: “Due to the content of this magazine which is considered illegal according to the Dutch law due to the inciting content related to Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, we would like you to remove this magazine from your website.” The notice goes on to state that if the content is not removed from this site, the Dutch police “will under the force of circumstances take down your website on the dedicated server in the Netherlands according to Dutch Law.”
Threats and Takedown Notices
Netherlands National Police Agency (KLPD) Inspire Magazine Takedown Notice
Takedown notice from the Netherlands National Police Agency (KLPD) demanding the removal of issues of Inspire Magazine from this site, February 25, 2011.
Corporate
HBGary SRA International “Memory Grabber” Forensics Tool White Paper
The purpose of this paper is to describe the SRA Memory Grabber system, which provides memory access to a running and password protected laptop through the use of a small PC Card inserted into the PCMCIA slot of the laptop. The Memory Grabber device shown in the figure below is operating system agnostic; working on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and MacOS and is available today as a production unit for use with Express Card and Card Bus laptop systems.
Corporate, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
HBGary DARPA Cyber Insider Threat (CINDER) Proposal
Like a lie detector detects physical changes in the body based on sensitivities to specific questions, we believe there are physical changes in the body that are represented in observable behavioral changes when committing actions someone knows is wrong. Our solution is to develop a paranoia-meter to measure these observables. Using shoplifing as an example, there are peaks and valleys of adrenaline during the entire theft process. There is the moment the thief puts an item in their pocket (high), then as they walk around the store the adrenaline begins to valley a bit, then they attempt to walk out of the store (very high). It is at these points that we want to be able to take as many behavioral measurements as possible because it is at these points the insiders activity will be as far from normal behavior. In this hypothesis we will have a rootkit on the host that monitors keystrokes, mouse movements, and visual cues through the system camera.
Corporate
TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Spent Fuel Storage Briefing
Tokyo Electric Power Company Integrity Inspection of Dry Storage Casks and Spent Fuels at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station from November 16, 2010.
Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve Financial Crisis Discount Window Loan Data
A zip file made available by Bloomberg contains the complete contents of their recently granted FOIA request for Federal Reserve Discount Window data on loans made, often to foreign banks, during the height of the financial crisis in 2008.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) Federal Protective Service Active Shooter Training Brief
Federal Protective Service Active Shooter Awareness Training For Tenant Agencies Briefing from March 23, 2011.
Headline
London Anti-Austerity Protest Photos March 2011
Vasco Alves – http://www.flickr.com/photos/vascoalvo/ Garry Knight – http://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/ .alter – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pietrogarrone/ churchofpunk – http://www.flickr.com/photos/17251154@N00/ MadAdminSkillz – http://www.flickr.com/photos/silince/ ang-st – http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyangst/ E. Mellino – http://www.flickr.com/photos/37051152@N03/
Scholarly
(U//FOUO) Penn State Applied Research Laboratory Social Network/Information Analysis Brief
FOUO Penn State Applied Research Laboratory Social Network/Information Analysis Brief from October 2010.
News
Rolling Stone Publishes More U.S. “Kill Team” Photos and Videos
Rolling Stone has released seventeen of the U.S. “Kill Team” Photos, including three uncensored versions of the photos released by Der Spiegel. They have also released two videos produced by members of the “Kill Team” and circulated among U.S. troops.
Corporate
AT&T Mobility Cellular Subpoena Compliance Contact Information 2011
As part of the One AT&T corporate initiative, the AT&T Mobility subpoena function has been in a state of transition from North Palm Beach, FL to Dallas, TX for the past year. Effective March 1, 2011, the final phase of this process will be implemented.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS Dams Sector Security Awareness Handbook
The Nation has more than 100,000 dams. Of this number, approximately 82,000 are listed in the National Inventory of Dams (NID), which generally includes dams greater than 25 feet in height or reservoirs having more than 50 acre-feet in storage capacity. In the NID, the downstream hazard potential (e.g., the amount of risk or damage a dam can pose because of failure or negligent operation) is classified as high, significant, or low. In the current NID database, approximately 12,000 dams are classified as high hazard potential from a dam safety perspective. However, only a very small percentage of high-hazard dams represent a potential for causing mass casualties.
United Nations
UN Satellite Conflict Analysis: Zawiyah, Libya
A review of the city of Zawiyah was conducted using a satellite image acquired 8 March 2011 to document impacts of fighting between Libyan Government and armed opposition forces. This fighting took place between 24 February and 10 March, when Libyan Government forces declared control of the city. Satellite imagery analysis sought to identify evidence of fighting and damage in the area. Armoured vehicles, road blocks consisting of sand and other materials, excavated areas, and possible scorch marks are visible in the satellite image. In addition, significant numbers of light trucks are apparent in groups and convoys throughout much of the city.
Afghanistan, U.S. Army
(U//FOUO) U.S. Army Small-Unit Operations in Afghanistan Handbook
The purpose of this handbook is to assist small-unit leaders and Soldiers as they prepare to deploy to and conduct actual operations in Afghanistan. These operations are different from operations in Iraq in several ways. Soldiers and small-unit leaders will face unique difficulties and challenges when operating in the very distinct and disparate provinces of Afghanistan.
Headline
Photos of U.S. “Kill Team” Posing with Murdered Afghan Civilians
The following photos depict soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, posing next to the corpse of Gul Mudin, an unarmed Afghan civilian killed by their unit on January 15, 2010, as well as the corpses of two…
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission BWR Reactor Shutdown and Spent Fuel Storage Safety Report
An evaluation of the nuclear power plant regulatory basis is performed, as it pertains to those plants that are permanently shutdown (PSD) and waiting or undergoing decommissioning. Four spent fuel storage configurations are examined. Recommendations are provided for those operationally based regulations that could be partially or totally removed for PSD plants without impacting public health and safety.