Other Helpful Links

Explore additional resources and links curated for intelligence professionals.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

March 2022

Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response by Andy Slavitt
Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response by Andy Slavitt

“From former Biden Senior Advisor Andy Slavitt, Preventable is the definitive inside account of the United States’ failed response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Slavitt chronicles what he saw and how much could have been prevented — an unflinching investigation of the cultural, political, and economic drivers that led to unnecessary loss of life.

Written in the tradition of The Big Short, Preventable continues Andy Slavitt’s important work of addressing the uncomfortable realities that brought America to this place. And, he puts forth the solutions that will prevent us from being here again, ensuring a better, stronger country for everyone.

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Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings by Earl Swift
Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings by Earl Swift

8:36 P.M. EST, December 12, 1972: Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt braked to a stop alongside Nansen Crater, keenly aware that they were far, far from home. They had flown nearly a quarter-million miles to the man in the moon’s left eye, landed at its edge, and then driven five miles in to this desolate, boulder-strewn landscape. As they gathered samples, they strode at the outermost edge of mankind’s travels. This place, this moment, marked the extreme of exploration for a species born to wander.

In this fast-moving history of the rover and the adventures it ignited, Earl Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of driving on the moon and designed and built the vehicle, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the moon’s surface. Finally shining a deserved spotlight on these overlooked characters and the missions they created, Across the Airless Wilds is a celebration of human genius, perseverance, and daring.

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How I Saved the World  by Jesse Watters
How I Saved the World by Jesse Watters

Jesse Watters takes readers on a tour of his life from basement-dwelling Fox minion to pampered champion of right-thinking Americans. He has divined great truths about the nature of our country while stumbling across beaches asking oblivious college students basic political questions and while stumbling out of Air Force One with the President.

Interspersed are his thoughtful suggestions for overcoming left-wing radicalism, maintaining American democracy, moving beyond aging hippies (like his long-suffering, loving parents), saving the world from social justice warriors and the deep state—all while smirking his way through life in only the nicest way.

A manifesto and a call-to-arms from a man for all seasons, How I Saved the World is a hilarious, enlightening, entertaining book with a reasonable chance of winning a Nobel Prize in every category, even chemistry.

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The Boys of Milo by Michael Williams
The Boys of Milo by Michael Williams

Kids that grew up in the small southern Iowa town of Milo truly had a walk in the park during their childhood. There was so much to enjoy during those tender years as Little Leaguers, Boy Scouts, high school athletes, or members of the school band. Hunting and fishing with friends occupied nearly every weekend and filled those treasured moments with unforgettable memories.

That all changed when America became involved in the Vietnam War, and the boys of Milo were called to join the military. Soon to be lost would be the innocence of their youth. From 1960 to 1975, nearly two-thirds of the young men from this tightly knit community departed their tranquil town and became soldiers. Many served overseas to include Southeast Asia.

The Boys of Milo is a true account of the events that impacted these young men on their journey to far-flung parts of the United States and the world during an exceedingly difficult time in American history. Some of their stories are humorous, others are so gripping they defy believability. All, however, are true accounts as now told by old men. Their stories allow those who knew them to remember and for all to understand them.

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Russia begins cyber war: could you be impacted?

In recent days, Russia-backed cyber attacks have hit major financial institutions in Ukraine with malware used to wipe data from systems.

Meanwhile, government websites have gone down after distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Australia has promised cyber support to Ukraine to combat these attacks, including training for officials.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton declared that Moscow was responsible for an “ongoing unacceptable and disruptive pattern of malicious cyber activity”.

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Russian cyber-attacks could inadvertently hit Australia, warns government cyber agency

Security experts say it is unlikely new financial sanctions placed on Russia will prompt a direct retaliation, but they warn there is a significant risk Australian firms could be caught up as collateral damage.

And they warn Russian-linked criminal gangs might be encouraged to target all sorts of Western targets, prompting a possible surge in ransomware and other attacks across the globe.

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In Australia, Russians and Ukrainians unite against Putin’s war

“[Ukraine] is our country,” says Anton Bogdanovych, his voice deep, his words measured. “It’s a country we love and we have nowhere to go.”

The senior lecturer from Sydney is among some 38,000 people of Ukrainian descent living in Australia. Ukrainians began coming to the country in significant numbers after World War II, then when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, migration began again.

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Australia announces further financial, material and humanitarian support for Ukraine

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other senior government ministers have been speaking in Canberra.

Military aid: Scott Morrison announced an additional $21 million for a package of defensive military assistance will be provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. That will bring Australia’s total military support to Ukraine to some $91 million.

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Lessons from Ukraine for Deterrence against China

All eyes are trained on Ukraine. And while the United States works to build a coalition to push back against Russia, Beijing, among others, is measuring the Western response to Putin’s aggression.

Over the last several years, and especially during this crisis, Russia and China have learned from each other—both by what they have done, and by what they think they can get away with. Their goal is to try to show the United States and its allies that Western responses will be insufficient, unpalatable, and unsustainable. So what will this war mean globally, as Beijing watches the Western-led response to Putin’s aggression?

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Australia’s intelligence community dismisses concerns about proposed data-gathering powers

Australia’s national intelligence agencies have dismissed concerns surrounding laws currently before Parliament that would provide them with expanded data-gathering powers in circumstances where an Australian person’s safety is in imminent risk.

The Bill in question, if passed, would enable national intelligence agencies to undertake activities to produce intelligence where there is, or is likely to be, an imminent risk to the safety of an Australian person, such as from terrorist attacks or kidnappings.

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Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it

Amid the alarming images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the past few days, millions of people have also seen misleading, manipulated or false information about the conflict on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Telegram.

One example is this video of military jets posted to TikTok, which is historical footage but captioned as live video of the situation in Ukraine

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Whistle blowers could earn up to $5m helping US target Russian oligarchs’ yachts

The US government is willing to pay whistelblowers up to $5m for help spotting ill-gotten yachts and other playthings belonging to Russia oligarchs linked to the Kremlin, part of the Biden administration’s financial onslaught against Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

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2022-02: Australian organisations should urgently adopt an enhanced cyber security posture

There are no specific or credible cyber threats to Australian organisations at this time.

Following the attack of Ukraine, there is heightened cyber risk globally, and the threat of cyber-attacks on Australian networks, either directly or inadvertently, has increased. While the ACSC has no specific intelligence relating to a cyber attack on Australia, this could change quickly.

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Global Impacts of the war in Ukraine

Key disruptions and long-lasting change. Shock waves and long-term global recovery.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent shock waves across the world. From geopolitics and cybersecurity to food chains, energy and world trade, the war has provoked sudden, disruptive shifts on a massive, global scale.

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The battle for Kyiv will be on a scale the world hasn’t witnessed for 75 years | Mick Ryan

It is six days since the Russian conquest of Ukraine began. Six long days where the Ukrainians have courageously defended their homeland against the behemoth that is the Russian military machine. Until this point, the ground combat, with battles large and small, has largely taken place outside of major populated areas. That is about to change.

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Former U.S. intelligence ‘Cold Warriors’ give insights on Russia’s war in Ukraine

America’s overwhelming focus on terrorism following 9/11 gave Vladimir Putin the impression that its leaders weren’t really paying attention, and that he could act with impunity without fear of paying a price.

The “bad, bad miscalculation” by the Russian president likely emboldened him to recently invade Ukraine and has drawn the world closer to World War III than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

“He really interpreted that as weakness on the part of the United States,” Leon Panetta, who served as director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2009 to 2011, said of Putin.

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