Category Archives: NSA

MUNSTER -- More than 10,000 visitors are expected to be in Northest Indiana this week.

The National Softball Association Northern World Series comes to the Region for the third time in the past decade. More than 190 teams will compete in multiple age groups hoping to be crowned champions Friday.

Munster, Crown Point, Highland, Hobart, Michigan City and LaPorte will host games, with tonight's opening ceremony being held in downtown Crown Point.

Munster parks director Greg Vitale has known about this honor to host for several months. But he got some icing on the softball cake when he learned his daughter's team, the Munster Mayhem 10-and-under All-Stars, were invited to see what they could do against the best in the midwest.

"It takes a lot of coordination," Vitale said on Saturday at Community Park. "With 10,000 people coming to the area that's going to be an economic boom for the businesses around here. Finding out our all-star team was invited was awesome. I knew we would be hosting it and we've done a lot of work to get our fields ready.

"But I didn't know my daughter and her team would get to play, too. The kids are very excited for this opportunity."

The Mayhem is coached by Brandon Siurek. Two weeks ago, his team competed in a travel tournament in Michigan City and finished second against teams that had been playing at a higher level for much of the summer. And last week in Highland, in a traditional all-star tournament, his team won it all.

They will be competing in Munster in the C division again local teams from St. John, C.P. and Hobart, along with some teams from Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan.

"This is going to give our girls some great memories," Siurek said. "When they heard this was a 'World Series' to them it doesn't get much bigger than that.

"We have a talented team. We work to have the girls lift and back each other up. We want them all to have a positive mentality about the game."

The Mayhem team was competing in a tournament in Munster on Saturday and a smile came to the faces of all the girls when the subject of the NSA World Series came up.

Emily Siurek is a pitcher for the Mayhem. While the parades and gift exchanges are going to be fun, she is looking forward to one thing.

"The competition," she said. "There's going to be a lot of good teams. I can't wait to compete against them."

Kara Vitale has spent a lot of time at softball fields watching her dad work. And, of course, play the game. Vitale is a catcher and pumped to be a part of this.

"Its going to be exciting to see teams from other states," Kara Vitale said. "And also to see players from other states. When I heard we got to play in this I was very excited. Everyone on the team was, too."

Cece Mason is one of five pitchers on the Mayhem. She expressed emotions surely shared by all of these youngsters competing in the NSA World Series.

"I was nervous and excited when I heard," Mason said. "We all can't wait to see how we do against all these teams."

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NSA World Series expected to bring 10000 visitors to the Region - nwitimes.com

As the ongoing India-China standoff in the Doka La region in Northeastern part of the country continues for the second month,National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is all set to travel to Beijing to attend a BRICS NSA summit on 27 and 28 July. "As far as visit of the National Security Advisor to China for the meeting of BRICS NSAs is concerned, I can confirm that he will be visiting. The visit will take place on 27 and 28 July," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

Asked whether Doval will have any bilateral meeting with any Chinese leader or the Special Representative for boundary talks on the sidelines of the meeting of NSAs from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Baglay did not give a direct reply. "We will keep you informed as and when there are developments," Baglay said.

The visit comes days after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the Monsoon Session of the Parliament over the ongoing border stand-offin the Doka La area of the Sikkim sector, which began over two months ago after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

A file image of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Reuters

Expounding upon the issue, Swaraj added that the status quo on Sikkim border was not altered by India, but China."China has unilaterally tried to change the status quo at the tri-junction and that is a threat to our security. We are willing to talk, but both sides should take back their armies tothe original position. We are involved in a tri-junction this time and it's directly related to us, if China will change that...that is threat to our security," Swaraj said.

"Saare desh humare saath hain aur sabhi desh samjh rahe hain ki bharat ne jo apna mat rakha hai woh galat nahi hai(All countries are supporting us and they understand that Indias viewpoint on the issue is not incorrect)," Swaraj said.

Chinese welcome visit

Chinese analysts have welcomed the Doval's meeting with his counterpart Yang Jiechi, claiming that the meeting may help ease prevailing tensions on the border. Ma Jiali, a research fellow at the China Reform Forum thinktank, said Doval's visit may be key and would serve as an opportunity to ease India-China tensions.

"China would lodge solemn representation with the Indian side during Doval's visit, hoping it could take measures to ease the tension. India may make some requests as a bargaining chip for its pulling out troops," Ma, who specialises in India-China studies, told Global Times on Sunday.

Doval-Yang already into resolving issue

Both Doval and Yang are also the Special Representatives for India-China boundary talks. The two sides have held 19 rounds of boundary talks to resolve their differences.

Chinese officials say Doval and Yang may have informal talks to resolve the standoff in Dokalam in the Sikkim sector.Analysts, however, cautioned that if the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the issue, the China-India ties would be severely damaged.

Doval doctrine and China

While Doval's visit to China is being welcomed in China, the NSA's hardline stance on China may come to haunt him during the talks.

His rare public interactions, since he assumed office of NSA, have revealed that Doval prefers depending on military solutions over ceding ground in compromises. When India's traditional policy in handling border disputes with its neighbours has propagated a defensive approach, it was Doval who pitched the concept of defensive-offensive and offensive foreign policy.

Doval's stance over border disputes with neighbouring nations can be gauged through his Nani Palkiwala Memorial Lecture, 2014 and the Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture, 2015.

Answering a question about tackling China's growing might, Doval conceded that China's military is much more stronger than India, even as the former Intelligence Bureau director hailed India's missile technology. He said that it was tough for India to match China's might in the next fifty years, but he advocated ramping up missile technology to target China's economic installations, which he said were the Dragon's only vulnerable spot.

Doval's past comments on China's 'bottomless territorial hunger' assumes importance in these times, as the NSA's visit to Beijing could be a make-or-break situation on India-China border stalemate.

India-China relations right now

While the border stand-off continues, bilateral relations between India and China have not deteriorated as much as it is being described in the national media of both the nations. As this Firstpostarticle argued, after the Doka La crisis, none of the bilateral visit have been cancelled. In fact, while the border standoff ensued, media reported five senior BJP leaders visited China during that time.

However, the article also noted that there is always the possibility that things could turn uglygiven China, as a neighbour, is more powerful and assertive than it was ten or twenty years ago. Pressure by the US government for both nations to resolve the dispute quickly through talks will not make much of a difference as both consider this a strategic issue, the article added.

With inputs from agencies

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NSA Ajit Doval in Beijing this week: Amid Sikkim stand off, all eyes on BRICS NSA summit which begins on 27 July - Firstpost

In unusually passionate and stark terms, the head of the nations top spy agency made clear on Saturday in Colorado that he will stand up to anyone -- even the president of the United States -- who asks him to use the U.S. intelligence community as a political prop.

We are not about particular viewpoints. We are not about particular parties. We just cant work that way, National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers said at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado.

Rogers added that the U.S. intelligence community owes U.S. citizens honesty and integrity.

Saturdays remarks come only months after Rogers and at least two other senior U.S. officials were personally asked by President Trump to publicly rebut news reports laying out details of the federal governments probe into Russias alleged efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Although Rogers has refused to publicly discuss his private conversations with Trump, he has previously vowed to keep politics out of his agencys work. But his remarks today at the annual gathering of senior officials, reporters and others tied to the U.S. intelligence community were noteworthy in their intensity and passion.

Punctuating each word -- one by one -- the U.S. Navy admiral said, I will not violate the oath that I have taken in the 36 years as a commission officer.

Rogers face hardened and his voice cracked as he added: I wont do that.

He went on to say that he often relays this message to his workforce: We are intelligence professionals. We raise our right hand and we take an oath to defend the citizens of this nation and the values that are embodied in the Constitution he said. Your integrity isnt worth the price of me or anybody else. You stand up and you remember that oath that we take.

Rogers comments drew a round of applause inside the room.

Nevertheless, Rogers added he has never been directed to do anything that I felt was illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate. Nor have I felt pressured to do so. Nor would I do so.

Rogers also said hes more than willing to offer Trump his assessment even when he knows the president disagrees.

He has never shut me down, Rogers said. He gives me good, direct feedback, sometimes, Mike I dont agree with that. Mike Im in a different place than you are.

Thats exactly the way this is supposed to work, Rogers insisted.

Rogers joined other senior officials at the Aspen Security Forum in affirming the U.S. governments conclusion that Russia is to blame for a cyber assault on the 2016 election.

No doubt at all, Rogers said.

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In midst of Russia probe, NSA chief vows: 'I will not violate' my oath to Americans - ABC News

The Hindu

China media set much store by NSA visit The Hindu The NSA's visit will be key to solving the current dispute and if the two sides failed to reach some agreement on the issue, the China-India ties would be severely damaged, Mr. Ma observed. The daily prefaced the anticipation of Mr. Doval's visit by ... Doklam standoff: India-China row may continue till November, says former NSAHindustan Times NSA Ajit Doval's Visit to Beijing Key to Ease Sikkim Standoff: Chinese AnalystNews18 Ajit Doval to visit Beijing for BRICS NSA's meet on July 27-28Yahoo India News India Samvad all 200 news articles »

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China media set much store by NSA visit - The Hindu

An hour before the 9 a.m. first pitch for his team's 16-and-under game Friday at Kiwanis Park, Line Drive Express Softball Club coach Doug Hill glanced across the field at his team's opponent, the Illiana Dream Seams, on day five of the National Softball Association Class A Eastern World Series.

Hill's Gold squad hails from Midland in Central Michigan and the Dream Seams from Martinsville in Eastern Illinois. All Hill knew about the Dream Seams is what he could see through the fence: a team beginning its warmups wearing an ensemble with splashes of black, red and yellow similar to the University of Maryland's often bold getups. The night before, he was not even sure which state they were from. Hill said it is his superstition to not get wrapped up in scouting reports during massive tournaments like these, with 20 teams in their age group and more than 85 overall from 10 different states.

That is part of the fun. That is part of the reason why many of the teams including Hill's group, donning Central Michigan University's burgundy and gold colors, visited the tournament that held games Monday-Friday at Kiwanis, and Quarterpath parks as well as Stoney Run Athletic Complex in Newport News.

After running into the same teams in regular weekend tournaments, a change of scenery and exposure to different philosophies and coaching styles makes events like these attractive for some teams, even to the ones that drove more than 12 hours like Hill's.

"It's really immaterial what they're doing," Hill said. "I always tell them to do our work and don't worry about theirs."

If that sounds at all ruthless, it is because Line Drive Express is used to winning. Hill, who owns the club, is a NSA hall of famer having coached the sport the last 27 years. Prior to that, he played football at Northwood University in Midland and semi-professional softball.

Line Drive Express had 13 state championships and three NSA world series titles to its name entering Friday's competition, when it needed to win five games to take another title back to Michigan. The club had only needed to finish first or second in at least one qualifier to secure a spot in the world series field; but it won four separate qualifying tournaments for good measure.

All but two of Hill's players are committed to play in college including his daughter, Bailey, who said staying pumped up is vital in tourneys like these that are made even more grueling by the extreme heat that accompanied this one.

The dugouts of the Line Drive Express and Dream Seams were blaring music Friday morning before most folks in Williamsburg had ventured out to work.

"When I go out there, I always know I have to give it my all even if I'm dead," said Line Drive Express pitcher Faith Barden, a Western Michigan University recruit. "And I always have the defense behind me to be able to back me up."

Line Drive Express was fortunate to make it to Friday after a tough win Thursday night over Chesapeake's Elite Fastpitch, which had to survive four games on Thursday, one more than Line Drive Express.

The Chesapeake team's exit left the Blue Ridge Sudden Impact the only team from Virginia still standing in the bracket.

Lynch Station, south of Lynchburg, is home for Sudden Impact, which took on the Central Illinois Cyclones in game one on Friday.

New York teams from Long Island and West Seneca rounded out the 16-and-under teams that made it to Friday.

Sudden Impact has traveled as far away as Las Vegas for NSA world series tournaments but set its sights on the Williamsburg tournament because they wanted to play in their home state.

Sudden Impact might have been the defacto home team by Friday but Virginia license plates were outnumbered by ones from Michigan and Illinois in the Kiwanis parking lot.

The Cyclones came from Peoria, having qualified in two previous tournaments including the Illinois NSA event.

"The NSA folks here at Williamsburg have been excellent," said Cyclones manager Aaron Barrington. "They treated us well. We got to go to Busch Gardens and do some things we don't get to do in Illinois."

As Barrington and tournament site director Scott Hinders each noted, the Eastern World Series is the big and final tournament of the season for most of the teams. A few of the Cyclones will go on to play for colleges, Barrington said, while others will choose their post-secondary schools of choice solely for educational reasons, meaning competitive softball at this level ended for them in Williamsburg.

Line Drive Express started its season in November before moving indoors for the winter. While not quite a vacation, the Eastern World Series provided the club a chance to enjoy the conclusion of long travel campaign.

"These guys are here because they earned it," Hill said. "That's what I enjoy about this sport. This is their payback for all the hard work."

Holtzman can be reached by phone at 757-298-5830.

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Elite softball teams welcome challenge at NSA world series - The ... - Virginia Gazette

By Seth Stapleton Tribune Sports Writer

USA Pride vs. Millington

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USA Pride: Local 14U team to compete in NSA North World Series

SEBEWAING It was a simple doubleheader between two area softball teams, but it served a much bigger purpose.

Tuesday's games between 14U squads USA Pride and Millington were both a tuneup and a fundraiser for a USA team that is on its way to the National Softball Association North World Series.

"It should never surprise me, in the communities of Unionville and Sebewaing, that we would have a good turnout," said USA Pride coach Tom Williamson of the event. "And it was a better turnout than I expected."

Williamson said the initial goal of the friendly matchup Tuesday was to just find a good team to play a doubleheader against. With the help of the community though, it turned into a fundraiser and an opportunity to promote the entire travel program.

Williamson, who has been part of USA's summer travel softball program for many years, said it's the first time a USA team will compete in the NSA World Series.

"Our goal as a program is not to go win tournaments, we want to go compete," Williamson said. "If we win, great, but we just want to play the best competition we can to get better as a program."

In the past, USA travel teams have always played in three or four tournaments throughout the summer. This year, the 14U team decided to try to qualify for the NSA tournament. They played in a qualifier in Midland over Memorial Day weekend and placed second, qualifying them for the big event.

It will take place in Crown Point, Indiana, beginning Tuesday. USA Pride will open the tournament at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, then play again at 4:45 p.m. that day. From there, the team will be seeded into a double elimination bracket. At minimum, they will play a total of four games.

"They are so excited they can't stand it," Williamson said of the team. "I'm really happy in the fact that we are representing USA travel softball as a whole. We're representing USA and really proud of it."

At the NSA tournament, USA Pride will be competing against around 40 teams from the likes of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Kentucky. While the task may seem daunting, Williamson feels his team is playing its best ball of the summer at this point in time, fresh off a title at the Grand Blanc tournament a weekend ago.

"They're hitting the ball really well and we've got three pitchers, which is important to get through a long tournament," Williamson said. "I'm really pleased with the way that we're playing right now. We've gotten better all year long, so we'll see what happens when we go into next week."

Added Williamson: "This team, it is truly like family. Every single one of these kids get along so well. And more importantly, the parents are unbelievable. The amount of help we've received is amazing. As a coach, you can't ask for anything more than that."

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USA Pride: Local 14U team to compete in NSA North World Series - Huron Daily Tribune

Last week, word began to spread that the Trump administration was considering granting new powers to U.S. Cyber Command. Lolita Baldor of the Associated Press had the scoop, discussing two related but separate steps under consideration: first, to elevate U.S. Cyber Command to the status of a unified command and second, to break the current dual-hat arrangement with the National Security Agency (NSA), whereby the commander of U.S. Cyber Command is the same individual as the director of the NSA.

It is worth noting, however, four things: First, these two steps (elevation and separation) have been under consideration for years. Second, there were good reasons at the time why the Obama administration didnt act on them. Third, elevation and separation should, in theory, operationally empower U.S. Cyber Command, but in practice Cyber Command may ironically find itself with less capability to offer. And finally, Cyber Command has already quietly amassed non-operational power and authority within the Department of Defense, making it one of the most independent commands, second only to the U.S. Special Operations Command. As such, while this weekends news is a good sign of the continued maturation of Cyber Command (and the acknowledgment of that maturation by the White House), theres less here than meets the eye.

Lets review Cyber Commands origins and its assigned missions before tackling the news. (Please accept my apologies in advance for some acronym salad.) For the short-story long, see chapter 8 of Playing to the Edge by Michael Hayden and the early parts of Jay Healeys Fierce Domain. Long-story short, the NSA had been the nations leading signals intelligence agency for decades. But after 9/11, as new opportunities emerged to create effects against adversaries during declared hostilities, Pentagon leadership became uncomfortable with the notion that the intelligence missions of collection and analysis would be conducted by the same organization that would disrupt or degrade, even destroy, targets through cyber-attacks during an armed conflict. In 2002, U.S. Strategic Command was given responsibility for cyberspace, and two little-known subordinate organizations emerged to manage it: Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO) would handle guarding the Defense Departments networks while Joint Functional Component Command-Network Warfare (JFCC-NW) would be responsible for missions wed think of as offense. Because there was so much overlap between the NSA and the emerging JFCC-NW, the Department of Defense created the dual-hat by making the NSA director (then Hayden) the commander of JFCC-NW. As the threats to the Department of Defense in cyberspace increased throughout the 2000s, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates consolidated JTF-GNO and JFCC-NW under a new U.S. Cyber Command in 2010, but it was still subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command and still dual-hatted with the NSA director. Thats more or less where we find ourselves today.

Since then, U.S. Cyber Command has been charged with three missions: defend the Defense Departments networks and systems, provide offensive support to other commands in the event of a contingency, and defend the nation from a cyber-attack of significant consequence (less than two percent of incidents would qualify as significant).

Advocates of more autonomy and authority for U.S. Cyber Command have often bemoaned its subordinate status to U.S. Strategic Command. The theory is that having to work through Strategic Command slows down operational approval, coordination, or whatever else needs to happen. Based on my experience in the Cyber Policy office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, I am of the view that a stove-piped Joint Staff had more to do with delays and miscommunication than anything else; nor could I ever find a function Cyber Command might be asked to execute that could only be performed by a full, unified command (like Strategic Command) but not by a sub-unified command (like Cyber Command). We looked at this several times during the last administration: If the secretary of defense wanted the sub-unified command to execute, they could and would. It wasnt a problem, so elevating the command wasnt necessary. So, while I dont think there are any big wins to be had by the recent news about the Trump administration wanting to elevate Cyber Command, I dont think it hurts to do it either. And it might not ultimately be up to the White House: The 2017 NDAA requires the administration to elevate Cyber Command.

Breaking the dual-hatted relationship with the NSA is more complicated. There are very good reasons why JFCC-NW was born with the NSA as its commander, as there is a lot of overlap between the organizations. This overlap is intuitive to those whove worked in the business, but hard to explain in brief here. Ill just quote Hayden on this point: [I]n the cyber domain the technical and operational aspects of defense, espionage, and cyberattack are frankly indistinguishable they are all the same thing. Its obviously more complicated than this, but at a high level, I think this was the rationale.

There were studies undertaken about the implications of breaking the dual-hat before the Snowden affair, but his disclosures forced policymakers to confront the issue head-on. At that time, it was thought that breaking the dual-hat could improve perceptions about privacy and civil liberties at the NSA, but in December 2013 the Obama administration decided to maintain the arrangement. Senior leaders felt it was too soon to separate Cyber Command. Its readiness and resources were growing but insufficient, and it was still too reliant on NSA talent and services for its missions.

Working with the two organizations, I found that the relationship between the two was akin to a mix between hostage-taking and Stockholm syndrome except each organization kept mixing up which was the hostage and which was the hostage-taker. One day, U.S. Cyber Command would demand NSA support due to the latters responsibility as a combat support agency. The next day, the command would cave and say that NSA had other, more important priorities. And NSA too would resist a request from Cyber Command, then embrace it, and then fight it. The overlap and dependence was that tight.

For that reason, among others, I understand the argument about needing to separate Cyber Command from NSA so that the former can pursue its missions (especially to defend the nation and to support other commands) with greater independence from signals intelligence. But theres a risk here that would be dangerous to miss: When Cyber Command needs NSA support, the fact that its the same person in charge of both organization can break what might otherwise be a log-jam. Splitting the dual-hat could result in the NSA isolating itself and refocusing on its own core missions (the collection of signals intelligence and providing information assurance) while minimizing its support to Cyber Command.

Just because there are risks does not mean the Trump administration should leave the current arrangement in place. The question is not whether, but when and how, to break the dual-hat. One priority for the White House and Secretary Mattis will be to have a clear understanding with the new NSA director (who may well be a civilian for the first time) about how he or she sees the relationship with Cyber Command, and then how the administration monitors the relationship to ensure the NSA doesnt abandon Cyber Command outright.

The selection of who will next lead Cyber Command will also be a priority. Someone like the current commander of Army Cyber Command, Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, is an ideal candidate: He has years of experience in the cyber effects business, time in the Pentagon and the field, and he understands the roles of civilians, fellow military officers, and senior political types. Another name thats been floated is Lt. Gen. William Mayville, currently the Director of the Joint Staff. His time as the Joint Staffs chief information officer and with Joint Special Operations Command would make him a strong leader for Cyber Command as well.

The good news for the future of the U.S. militarys cyber operations is that, regardless of whether or not Cyber Command is elevated as a unified command or separated from the NSA, Congress has quietly been empowering Cyber Command with greater authorities and independence through legislation. My colleague Charley Snyder and I assessed all the additional powers conferred in the 2017 NDAA over at Lawfare, but Id like to single out the authority related to requirements: Being able to set its own requirements for the conduct of cyber operations, as well as validating the requirements of other defense components, matters more than this bland bureaucratic language might suggest. With the independent acquisition authority Congress gave it in a previous NDAA, Cyber Command can now accelerate acquisition and procurement to keep up with new requirements without the usual deliberations chaired by the Joint Staff. Special Operations Command is the only other military outfit with that kind of freedom, and it makes a big difference.

But the big question will be this: Regardless of these crucial authorities and any new command arrangements, what will Cyber Commands role be in protecting the country from threats like Russian information operations? Maybe its time we get away from using cyber as the description of what needs to be done, and instead think about what an Information Warfare Command would look like. How should the United States wage such a fight, and how should it protect itself? I am pleased the Trump administration is considering organizational changes to support a higher profile for cyber operations, but we really need answers to these bigger policy questions.

Michael Sulmeyer is the Director of the Cyber Security Project at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Cyber Policy, from 2012-2015. Follow him on Twitter @SultanOfCyber.

Image:Airman 1st Class Christopher Maldonado/Shaw Air Force Base

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Much Ado About Nothing? Cyber Command and the NSA - War on the Rocks

The attorneys for the Fort Gordon contractor accused of leaking national defense information have filed their own proposed order regarding how classified documents are handled in her espionage case.

Reality Leigh Winner, 25, has pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to a single count of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.

While the federal prosecutors have proposed an order of protection that prohibits the defense from revealing any classified information, even if it had been included in published reports, Winners attorneys propose not treating any document as classified if it has been the subject of media reports. Violation of the final order of protection can result in sanctions and even criminal prosecution.

The case against Winner, which is tentatively set for trial the week of Oct. 23, is to proceed under the Classified Information Security Act, a law enacted to protect a defendants right to a fair trial while allowing the government to protect classified information on matters of national security.

The federal prosecutors contend it is the executive branch of government that determines what is a classified document.

In Winners case, the document suspected as being the one sent anonymously to the online news publication The Intercept was the subject of an June 5 article. It was an analysis of the Russian governments meddling in the presidential election. Since Winners arrest, the subject has been reported on extensively, especially in light of the investigations by the independent special counsel, and the Senate and House intelligence committees.

Winners defense attorneys also seek a provision in the order of protection that allows her to review the discovery material, confer with attorneys about it and to assist in her defense.

The defense team also wants the proposed order to allow defense experts with the prosecutors security clearance to review the discovery material without any pre-clearance by the prosecution.

U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Brian K. Epps will determine what the final order of protection will contain. The government, however, has the right to appeal, under the Classified Information Security Act.

Winner has had a top security clearance since serving for six years in the Air Force. In February, she began working for the National Security Agency contractor, Pluribus International Corp. at Fort Gordon.

She is accused of taking a classified document in May and mailing it to The Intercept.

Federal agents allegedly followed clues to Augusta and to Winner after an Intercept reporter showed an intelligence source the document to determine its authenticity.

Reach Sandy Hodson at (706) 823-3226 or sandy.hodson@augustachronicle.com.

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Defense in accused NSA leaker case opposes prosecutors proposed order of protection - The Augusta Chronicle

After a long debate, the United States is reportedly moving forward with plans to separate its military-focused Cyber Command branch from the National Security Agency. The changes could be announced in the coming weeks, according to the Associated Press.

The two roles have caused tension

Since Cyber Commands 2009 inception, it has been under the same command as the NSA, but the two operate in different ways: Cyber Command has focused on digital warfare, while the NSA has focused on electronic intelligence gathering. According to the AP, those two roles have caused tension, especially in the battle against ISIS.

Under a new division of authority, Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville would reportedly be nominated to lead Cyber Command, replacing Admiral Michael Rogers, who also leads the NSA. Leadership of the NSA could be turned over to a civilian, according to the AP.

Last year, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter reportedly sent a plan to President Obama proposing the split, and it seems the Trump administration is prepared to move ahead with those plans. The mechanics of the split including what the AP describes as Cyber Commands reliance on the NSA are still reportedly being worked out.

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The US is reportedly close to separating military-focused Cyber ... - The Verge

Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice

In the waning days of the Obama administration, bureaucrats ensconced in their posh Washington offices were resting in the prospect ofa Hillary Clinton victory that would protectObamas legacy and their positions.

But then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice may have had some doubts. Or maybe she was just curious. Or maybe there was another motive. Regardless,she unmasked a number of Trump campaign individuals who were caught up in various federal surveillance tactics.

That means they were recorded talking on the phone or meeting with someone who was under surveillance by the Obama administration.

Normally, the identity of American citizens in such situations is withheld.

But not so in this case. In fact, Rice gave the identifications to the National Security Council, the Defense Department, the Director of National intelligence Office and the CIA, according to media reports citing illegal leaks.

Its been part of the flood of leaks of secret or protected information bythe Obama-leaning Washington bureaucracy, dubbed by some as the deep state, apparently in an effort to undermine the agenda of the president chosenby American voters.

Now theres an organization that thinks the people should know what went on who did the surveillance, who unmasked the names of American citizensand who spread the names around Washington.

What to todays top authors have to say about Washington? Find out at the WND Superstore in Socialism: A Clear and Present Danger, Throw Them All Out, Inside the Beltway, Capitol Punishment and many more.

The American Center for Law and Justice has sued the National Security Agency for refusing to respond to itsquestions submitted under the Freedom of Information Act.

ACLJsaid the lawsuit seeks to enforce its demandsfor government records that will shed light on the Susan Rice unmasking scandal that rocked the intelligence community.

The questions were submitted under FOIA, but the NSA has refused to follow the law.

Fox News explained the big picture: Susan Rice, former national security adviser under then-President Barack Obama, requested to unmask the names of Trump transition officials caught up in surveillance. The unmasked names, of people associated with Donald Trump, were then sent to all those at the National Security Council, some at the Defense Department, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-CIA Director John Brennan essentially, the officials at the top, including former Rice deputy Ben Rhodes.

TheACLJ said the only way we even know about the Obama administrations apparent politically motivated unmasking is because this raw intelligence information classified national security secrets was illegally leaked to the media.

Its formal request asked for records pertaining to any and all requests former National Security Adviser Susan Rice made to National Security Agency officials or personnel regarding the unmasking of the names and/or any other personal identifying information of then candidate and/or President-elect Donald J. Trump, his family, staff, transition team members, and/or advisers who were incidentally caught up in U.S. electronic surveillance.

The request was acknowledged by the NSA and even granted expedited processing status.

But the answers never came.

So we filed a critical lawsuit and we will force the NSA to answer to a federal court for its blatant disregard for the law, ACLJ announced.

It is seeking an order to release any and all non-exempt records.

This is not our first time weve taken the NSA to federal court, ACLJ explained. We filed a lawsuit earlier this year to force the NSA to produce government records that could expose the people and purposes behind the Obama administrations eleventh hour rule change that dramatically expanded access to raw signal intelligence signed by the Obama administration officials on their way out the door.

It was these changes that have [led] to an unprecedented avalanche of dangerous national security leaks, the group explained.

The deep state shadow government bureaucracy must not be allowed to endanger the national security of the American people as it carries out a vicious vendetta against the current administration.

The lawsuit states, Plaintiff is being irreparably harmed by reason of defendants unlawful withholding of requested records, and plaintiff will continue to be irreparably harmed unless defendant is compelled to conform their conduct to the requirements of the law.

WND reported only weeks ago that some of the key documentation may be under lock and key now and kept their for five years at the former presidents library.

It was another watchdog on government, Judicial Watch, that said its National Security Council denied Freedom of Information Act requests for documents related to Rices alleged unmasking of the identities of any U.S. citizens associated with the Trump presidential campaign or transition team.

The NSC said the documents have been transferred to the Barack Obama Presidential Library, while pointedly adding you should be aware that under the Presidential Records Act, presidential records remain closed to the public for five years after an administration has left office.

It was unclear what was in the statement and what that would mean for the members of Congress who are investigating, the FBI, or even special counsel Robert Mueller.

The Wall Street Journal reportedthe House Intelligence Committee issued seven subpoenas recently, a sign that its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election is ramping up in scope and intensity.

Three of the subpoenas specifically addressed how and why the names of associates of President Donald Trump were unredacted and distributed within classified reports by Obama administration officials during the transition between administrations.

Back in April, WND reported Rice, speaking to MSNBC, did not deny unmasking the names of Trump associates.

She implicitly acknowledged and explicitly defended unmasking: It was not uncommon. It was necessary at times to make those requests.

But weeks earlier, speaking to PBS, Rice denied any knowledge of such unmasking after it was revealed by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

She told PBS, I know nothing about this and, I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that count today.

What to todays top authors have to say about Washington? Find out at the WND Superstore in Socialism: A Clear and Present Danger, Throw Them All Out, Inside the Beltway, Capitol Punishment and many more.

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NSA sued for details of 'unmasking' skullduggery - WND.com