What's going on in the World Today 110212

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USA

February 2, Washington Post – (National) Mental health specialist recommended WikiLeaks suspect not be deployed to Iraq. A mental health specialist recommended the U.S. Army private accused of leaking classified material to WikiLeaks not be deployed to Iraq, but his immediate commanders sent him anyway, according to a military official familiar with a new Army investigation. The investigation concluded the commanders’ decision not to heed the specialist’s advice and their failure to properly discipline the Army private may have contributed to one of the most high-profile classified military network breaches in decades, the military official said. The investigation, which is separate from an ongoing criminal inquiry, found the private’s immediate supervisors did not follow procedures for overseeing the secure area where the classified information was kept, greatly increasing the risk of a security breach. A source familiar with the private’s mental health records indicated the stress that led the soldier to seek help was caused primarily by a faltering personal relationship. At Fort Drum, he balled up his fists and screamed at higher-ranking soldiers in his unit. In Iraq, a master sergeant who supervised the private was so concerned about his mental health he disabled his weapon in December 2009. Also in Iraq, in May 2010, the private was demoted a rank for assaulting a fellow soldier, the Army said. The master sergeant charged with overseeing the private’s day-to-day activities kept extensive records of his alleged outbursts and shortcomings as a soldier, but did not discipline him properly or compel him to get help, said the military official familiar with the non-criminal Army investigation. Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/01/AR2011020106858.html

February 7, DefenseNews – (International) U.S. TRANSCOM operates despite enemy attacks. U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) suffers more cyber attacks than any other combatant command, according to its Air Force General commander. This is partly because, unlike other commands, TRANSCOM relies on unclassified and commercial networks to deliver supplies and passengers all over the world, the commander said February 7 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. In 2010, there were 33,326 “computer network events against TRANSCOM,” according to the four-star’s briefing. In addition to cyber attacks, TRANSCOM is the target of piracy and other supply-route attacks, a particular vulnerability for operations in Afghanistan, a landlocked country. TRANSCOM conducts 90 percent of its operations by surface transportation, leaving 10 percent carried out by airlift. However, in Afghanistan, 30 percent is delivered by air, the commander said. Air transport is 10 times more expensive than surface delivery, he said. Sensitive, high-value products travel by air, according to the commander, who said he is confident about the transit options available. In case something unforeseen happens, such as the floods in Pakistan, the coup in Kyrgyzstan or the volcano in Iceland, TRANSCOM has enough options to fall back on, he said. Source: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5644269&c=AME&s=AIR

EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

ASIA
Pakistan: 4th Nuclear Reactor Under Construction February 10, 2011

A fourth nuclear reactor appears to be under construction at Pakistan’s Khushab nuclear site, Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) reported Feb. 9, citing commercial satellite imagery. Located several hundred meters south of the second and third Khushab reactor compound, the suspected site of the new reactor is relatively early in its construction, but is similarly sized to the second and third reactors. The arrangement of the other buildings to the reactor’s blueprint is consistent with the building arrangement of the third reactor when it was under construction. U.S. intelligence agencies have been monitoring Khushab for years and are “aware of this facility,” The Washington Post reported Feb. 9.

RUSSIA
Russia: Caucasus Emirate Leader Tied To Airport Bombing February 11, 2011

Doku Umarov, the head of the Caucasus Emirate militant group, has been linked to the Jan. 24 bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, RIA Novosti reported Feb. 11, citing North Caucasus Federal District presidential envoy Alexander Khloponin. Umarov is less influential in assigning positions or tasks than in previous years, but his participation is under investigation, Khloponin said.

U.S.: Regional Concerns Rising About Kaliningrad Arsenal February 11, 2011

Poland and other Eastern European countries near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad are concerned by rumors that Russia may build up its stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons to use as a political tool, chief U.S. negotiator for the New START treaty Rose Gottemoeller said, AP reported Feb. 11. Gottemoeller spoke after meetings in Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

IRAN
Iran: Nuclear Fusion Technology Achieved - Report February 10, 2011

Iran has achieved nuclear fusion capability, IRNA reported Feb. 10. Using the inertial electrostatic confinement method, Iran joins the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and France as countries to have achieved this technology.

IRAQ
Iraq: Protesters Kept Out Of Green Zone
February 11, 2011
Iraqi security forces on Feb. 11 kept hundreds of protesters from entering the Green Zone, Aswat al-Iraq reported, citing an unnamed security source. The source said lawmakers were getting ready to negotiate with the protesters. Helicopters were over the area. Similar protests were held in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniya, Kut, Ramadi, Samawa and Amara. In Baghdad, Karbala and Samawa, members of the Iraqi union of lawyers joined the protests.

Iraq: Mass Grave Uncovered In Diyala Province February 12, 2011

Iraqi authorities uncovered a mass grave in al-Tarf, Diyala province, containing the bodies of 153 victims of al Qaeda operations, local police said Feb. 12, AFP reported. The discovery comes as a result of a confession from an al Qaeda terrorist captured in Baquba two weeks ago, Diyala provincial police chief Gen. Abdul Hussein al-Sahamari said. Al-Tarf is located 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of Buqaba.

Iraq: Bus Carrying Shiite Pilgrims Hit, 28 Dead February 12, 2011

At least 28 people were dead and 24 injured on Feb. 12 in Iraq after a suicide car bomb struck a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims, police said, CNN reported. The bus was hit between Baghdad and Samurra. Most of the casualties were Shiite pilgrims traveling to Nasiriya after visiting Samarra.

ISRAEL
Israel: Security Forces Prepared For Protests February 10, 2011

Israeli security forces are preparing for repercussions from the protests in Tunis and Egypt with training drills and preparations to close main roads if necessary, Ma’an reported Feb. 10. An Israeli official said some fear the protests could spread to the Palestinian territories. Police, border guards, the army, intelligence officers and the Mossad are on alert, and forces will be focused around the Palestinian population centers of Haifa, Acre, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Jerusalem and Beersheba, the official added.

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Permanent U.S. Military Bases Welcomed February 11, 2011

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said he would welcome permanent U.S. military bases in the country and that he believes such a move would bring stability in the long term, Noor TV reported Feb. 11. First Deputy Senate Speaker Mohammad Alam Ezedyar said that the establishment of bases will only be effective if the duration of the stay and the responsibilities of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan are specified.

Afghanistan: Suicide Bombers Attack Kandahar Police Headquarters February 12, 2011

Suicide bombers killed an Afghan soldier and wounded 28 people Feb. 12 during an attack on the provincial police headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Reuters reported. Insurgents detonated a car bomb outside the building just before two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the street, a spokesman for the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force said. A third militant wearing a suicide vest was shot and wounded in a nearby wedding hall before he could detonate his device, the spokesman said, adding that he was taken into custody. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, which lasted several hours.

MIDDLE EAST
Egypt: Military Council Chief Meets With Ministers February 12, 2011

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council now ruling Egypt, met Feb. 12 with the country’s state ministers, including Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy, Reuters reported, citing State TV. The ministers discussed the need for an immediate return to normalcy, as well as the need for the police to return to duty. Tantawi also met with the head of the Egyptian constitutional court and the justice minister, during which they addressed legal aspects of the transition of power.

Egypt: Curfew To Begin At Midnight, Go For 6 Hours February 12, 2011

Egypt’s military council announced on Feb. 12 that the curfew has been lowered to midnight until 6 a.m. local time, beginning Feb. 12, Petra reported.

Egypt: Bans To Travel Include Company Heads
February 12, 2011
Some Egyptian officials, including former ministers, top officials and company heads, have been banned from leaving the country without permission from the state prosecutor or the military, Reuters reported Feb. 12, citing an unnamed security source at the Cairo airport. The source said the move was designed to keep people from avoiding questioning.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Venezuela: Fuel Shipments To Nicaragua Suspended
February 11, 2011
Venezuela has reportedly suspended shipments of 28,000 barrels per day of gasoline and diesel to Nicaragua due to alleged financial irregularities discovered during auditing of Nicaraguan firm Alba Petroleos de Nicaragua by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., El Nuevo Diario reported Feb. 11. Shipments were reportedly suspended three weeks ago as a means to pressure a full review of Alba Petroleos de Nicaragua financial records. Nicaragua has been relying on its fuel reserves since the suspension of shipments.

MISC
China: Hackers Use Chinese Company's Servers February 11, 2011

Song Zhiyue, a salesman for a Chinese company in Heze, Shandong province, told U.S. security firm McAfee his company rents server space to hundreds of hackers, estimating the hackers used 10,000 “meat computers” with his company’s servers, AP reported Feb. 11. Song said he has heard of Chinese hackers targeting U.S. oil companies, but the Chinese government never contacted him about the hackers’ activities.

China: PetroChina Buys $5.4 Billion Of Canadian Gas Assets February 10, 2011

Chinese state-owned energy giant PetroChina purchased one half of a shale gas project from Canada’s Encana Corp for $5.4 billion, the largest Chinese investment in a foreign natural gas asset, Reuters reported Feb. 10. As one of North America’s largest natural gas producers, Encana will form a 50-50 joint venture with PetroChina to develop the Cutbank Ridge lands in the western Canadian province of British Columbia over the next few years

China: Hackers Attack Energy Firms' Websites February 10, 2011

At least five multinational oil and natural gas companies’ computer networks were attacked by hackers based in China, The New York Times reported Feb. 10. The hackers stole intellectual property for up to four years, using intrusion methods in an operation called “Night Dragon,” McAfee announced, IDG News reported. Targeting companies’ public websites, hackers also used social-engineering techniques to obtain information from executives in Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Greece and the United States, IDG reported. Chinese hacking tools were used, and the attacks originated from Beijing Internet protocol addresses between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time.


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