Heroes Both

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Military divers have found the body of a U.S. paratrooper who went missing last week in a river in western Afghanistan.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the soldier was found close to where he disappeared on November 4. Officials are continuing their search for a second paratrooper lost at the same time.

Both men -- from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division -- disappeared in the Morghab River near Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan. The men were on a routine resupply mission, ISAF said.
Family members identified the recovered body as that of Benjamin Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

They said he jumped into the river when he saw a fellow soldier struggling in the water.
"I know that day he jumped into the river to try to save his comrade was because he didn't just see another soldier in the water, he saw his brother," said Sherman's sister, Meredith, in a statement to CNN affiliate WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts.

"He didn't jump in because he was trained to, but because that's what his heart told him to do."
Sherman's mother, Denise, said the family called him "the unstoppable one."
"I raised him with the understanding that when you choose to do something, you do it to the best of your ability," she said in a statement to WCVB. "He was powerful, ingenuous and determined."

Los Alamos Physicist's Property Seized By FBI

Federal agents have seized six computers, two cameras, two cell phones and hundreds of files from a Los Alamos, N.M., physicist who for two decades has criticized the government's nuclear agenda as misguided.

An FBI spokesman in Albuquerque, Darrin E. Jones, said that the action Monday was part of "an ongoing federal investigation" and that he could provide no details.

The physicist, P. Leonardo Mascheroni, said he was told that the seizures were part of a criminal investigation into possible nuclear espionage. Mascheroni also declared his innocence.

If I were a real spy," he said Tuesday in a telephone interview, "I would have left the country a long time ago."

Mascheroni was laid off from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1988 and has ever since championed an innovative type of laser fusion, which seeks to harness the energy that powers the sun, the stars and hydrogen bombs.

In recent years, he has repeatedly gone to Congress to question the management of the nation's nuclear laboratories and arsenal, saying his laser was needed to ensure weapon reliability. In theory, its tiny blasts could test arms dependability, eliminating the need for underground explosions.

The secrets of hydrogen bombs and laser fusion can be similar, and the federal investigation appears to center on whether Mascheroni broke federal rules in discussing his proposed laser with a man who called himself a representative of the Venezuelan government.

Venezuela has begun exploring for uranium, but President Hugo Chavez has denied any interest in developing nuclear arms.

Federal and laboratory authorities have previously investigated him twice for security violations, Mascheroni said, adding that each time he was exonerated. He said he saw the disruptive episodes as harassment for his outspoken views.

A jihadist code of ethics?

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- From within Libya's most secure jail a new challenge to al Qaeda is emerging.

Leaders of one of the world's most effective jihadist organizations, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), have written a new "code" for jihad. The LIFG says it now views the armed struggle it waged against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime for two decades as illegal under Islamic law.

The new code, a 417-page religious document entitled "Corrective Studies" is the result of more than two years of intense and secret talks between the leaders of the LIFG and Libyan security officials.

The code's most direct challenge to al Qaeda is this: "Jihad has ethics and morals because it is for God. That means it is forbidden to kill women, children, elderly people, priests, messengers, traders and the like. Betrayal is prohibited and it is vital to keep promises and treat prisoners of war in a good way. Standing by those ethics is what distinguishes Muslims' jihad from the wars of other nations."

The code has been circulated among some of the most respected religious scholars in the Middle East and has been given widespread backing. It is being debated by politicians in the U.S. and studied by western intelligence agencies.

In essence the new code for jihad is exactly what the West has been waiting for: a credible challenge from within jihadist ranks to al Qaeda's ideology.
While the code states that jihad is permissible if Muslim lands are invaded -- citing the cases of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine -- the guidelines it sets down for when and how jihad should be fought, and its insistence that civilians should not be targeted are a clear rebuke to the goals and tactics of bin Laden's terrorist network.

CNN was given exclusive access to the Abu Salim jail where the code was written to talk to the LIFG prisoners. The jail has a bloody reputation; in 1996 prison guards put down a revolt by allegedly killing more than 1,200 prisoners in less than 24 hours.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE AT CNN

2008 FBI review: Hasan did not pose threat

2008 FBI review: Hasan did not pose threat: "WASHINGTON — Nearly a year before Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly went on a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood army post in Texas, terrorism investigators conducted an 'assessment' of him before deciding he did not pose a threat.After the shooting, the FBI is doing a new assessment — of its own conduct.The Army psychiatrist is thought to have acted alone despite repeated communications — intercepted by authorities — with a radical imam overseas, U.S. officials said Monday.

The FBI will conduct an internal review to see whether it mishandled early information about the man accused in the bloody rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 29.President Barack Obama was joining grieving families and comrades of the victims Tuesday at a memorial service at the sprawling Texas base. Hasan, awake and talking to doctors, met his lawyer Monday in the San Antonio hospital where he is recovering, under guard, from gunshot wounds in the assault.In Washington, an investigative official and a Republican lawmaker said Hasan had communicated 10 to 20 times with Anwar al-Awlaki, an imam released from a Yemeni jail last year who has used his personal Web site to encourage Muslims across the world to kill U.S. troops in Iraq.

Despite that, no formal investigation was opened into Hasan, they said.Investigative officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said it was his understanding Hasan and the imam exchanged e-mails that counterterrorism officials picked up.Officials said Hasan will be tried in a military court, not a civilian one, a choice that suggests his alleged actions are not thought to have emanated from a terrorist organization.Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported Tuesday that Hasan warned his medical colleagues a year and a half ago that to 'decrease adverse events' the U.S. military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims.

Hasan made the recommendation in a culminating presentation to senior Army doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center, where he spent six years as an intern, resident and fellow before being transferred to Fort Hood.FBI Director Robert Mueller ordered the inquiry into the bureaus handling of the case, including its response to potentially worrisome information gathered about Hasan beginning in December 2008 and continuing into early this year.Based on all the investigations since the attack, the investigators said they have no evidence that Hasan had help or outside orders in the shootings.Hasan had been watchedEven so, they revealed the major had once been under scrutiny from a joint terrorism task force because of the series of communications going back months.

Al-Awlaki is a former imam at a Falls Church, Va., mosque where Hasan and his family occasionally worshipped.In 2001, al-Awlaki, a native-born U.S. citizen, had contact with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and on Monday his Web site praised Hasan as a hero.Military officials were made aware of communications between the Hasan and al-Awlaki, but because the messages did not advocate or threaten violence, civilian law enforcement authorities could not take the matter further, the officials said.

The terrorism task force concluded Hasan was not involved in terrorist planning.Officials said the content of those messages was 'consistent with the subject matter of his research,' part of which involved post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from U.S. combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.A law enforcement official said the communications consisted primarily of Hasan posing questions to the imam as a spiritual leader or adviser, and the imam did respond to at least some of those messages.No formal investigation was ever opened based on the contacts, the officials said.They said the decision to bring military charges instead of civilian criminal charges against Hasan did not mean it wasnt a terrorism case.

But it is likely authorities would have had more reason to take the case to federal court if they had found evidence Hasan acted with the support or training of a terrorist group.Investigators tried to interview Hasan on Sunday at the military hospital where he is being held, but he refused to answer and requested a lawyer, the officials said.On Monday afternoon, Hasans new civilian and military attorneys met him for about half an hour at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, said retired Col. John P. Galligan, who was hired by Hasans family.Galligan said Hasan asked for an attorney even though he is on sedatives and his condition is guarded.

'Given his medical condition, thats the smart move,' Galligan told the Associated Press on Monday night. 'Nobody from law enforcement will be questioning him.'Galligan said both he and Maj. Christopher E. Martin, Fort Hoods senior defense attorney, met Hasan. Galligan questioned whether Hasan can get a fair trial at Fort Hood, given Obamas visit to the base and public comments by the post commander, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone. Galligan also said he plans to raise the issue of Hasans mental condition.

The most serious charge in military court is premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty.The Army has not yet appointed a lead prosecutor in the case, said Fort Hood spokesman Tyler Broadway.___Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown at Fort Hood and Pamela Hess in Washington contributed to this report.Related stories* Hospital: Hood shooting suspect awake, talking* Chaplain asks for prayers for accused shooter* Casey cautions on backlash against Muslims* Suspect off ventilator, breathing on own* Obama praises those who stopped shooter* Cleric: ‘Something wrong’ with Hasan* Work deeply affect Hood suspect, uncle says* George, Laura Bush visit wounded Hood soldiers* Hood community gathers to mourn victims* Suspect in Hood shootings remains in coma* Soldiers say carnage could have been worse* Shooting suspect said goodbyes before attack* Suspect was to deploy to Afghanistan* Online support follows Hood shootings* Tragedy assistance group was at Hood during shootings* Muslim group condemns Hood shootings* Shooting suspect was set to deploy* Hasan among May 2009 officer promotions"

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

KZFW Aeronautical Frequencies

120.7750	Lubbock	High
124.8750	Blue Ridge	Low
126.1500	San Angelo	Low Discrete
126.3000	ClintonMsherman	Low
126.4500	Lubbock	Low
126.5750	Cumby	High
126.7250	Scurry	Low Discrete
126.7750	Gainesville	Low
127.0000	Mineral Wells	Low Discrete
127.1500	Dublin	Low Discrete
127.4500	Abilene	Low Discrete
127.6000	Blue Ridge	Low Discrete
127.7000	Lubbock	Low Discrete
127.9500	Wichita Falls Nr 2	High
128.1000	Ardmore	Low Discrete
128.1250	Marshall	Ultra High
128.2000	El Dorado	Low Discrete
128.3250	Dublin	High
128.4000	Clinton Sherman	Low Discrete
132.0200	Cumby	Low
132.0750	San Angelo	High
132.2000	Mc Alester	Low Discrete
132.2750	Shreveport	High
132.4500	Oklahoma City	High
132.8500	Cumby	Low Discrete
132.9750	Ardmore	High
133.1000	Hobbs	Low Discrete
133.2500	Keller	Low Discrete
133.3000	Waco	Low Discrete
133.5000	Wichita Falls Nr 2	Low Discrete
133.7000	Big Spring	Low Discrete
133.8750	Shreveport	High
133.9000	Oklahoma City	Low
133.9500	Texarkana	Low Discrete
134.0250	Tyler	High
134.1500	Gainesville	Low Discrete
134.1500	Gainesville	Low Discrete
134.2500	Abilene	High
134.4000	Fort Worth	Low
134.4750	Texarkana	High
134.5500	Paducah	High
135.1000	Marshall	Low Discrete
135.2500	Tyler	Low
135.2750	Keller	Low
135.3750	Dublin	Low
135.4500	Mc Alester	High
135.6000	Mineral Wells	Low
135.7500	Scurry	High
227.4000	Frankston	High
236.5000	Shreveport	Low
243.0000	Shreveport	Low/High
251.1500	Tyler	High
254.3000	Blue Ridge	Low Discrete
263.0500	Texarkana	Low Discrete
265.1000	Frankston	Low Discrete
269.2000	Marshall	Low Discrete
269.5000	Waco	Low Discrete
269.6500	Mc Alester	High
270.0000	Ardmore	High
272.7500	El Dorado	High
276.0000	Lubbock	High
278.5000	Wichita Falls Nr 1	High
279.6500	Tyler	Low
281.5500	Marshall	Ultra High
282.2000	Abilene	Low
284.6000	Texarkana	High
285.5500	Keller	Low Discrete
285.6500	Shreveport	High
286.6000	Lubbock	High
290.2000	ClintonMsherman	Low Discrete
290.5500	Abilene	High
291.6500	MidlandOb	High
292.1000	Lubbock	High
295.9000	Lubbock	High
296.0000	Wichita Falls Nr 2	High
298.8500	Scurry	Low Discrete
298.9000	Oklahoma City	Low
307.2000	Blue Ridge	Low
307.3500	Mineral Wells	Low
316.1000	Plainview	Low Discrete
317.7000	Abilene	Low
317.7500	Cumby	Low
322.4500	Cumby	High
322.5500	San Angelo	Low Discrete
327.1000	Paducah	High
327.1500	Ardmore	Low Discrete
327.8000	Marshall	High
338.3500	Mc Alester	Low Discrete
339.1000	Paducah	Low
339.8000	Clinton Sherman	Low
343.8500	Gainesville	Low
346.2500	Monroe	Low Discrete
346.3000	Brownwood	Low
348.6500	Paducah	High
350.2000	Big Spring	Low Discrete
350.3500	Wichita Falls Nr 2	Low Discrete
351.9000	Dublin	High
360.6000	Mineral Wells	Low Discrete
360.7000	Wichita Falls Nr 2	High
360.7500	Cumby	Low Discrete
362.3000	Lubbock	Low Discrete
363.1000	Oklahoma City	High
364.8000	Shreveport	High
377.1000	Gainesville	Low Discrete
379.2500	Scurry	High
380.0500	Brownwood	Low Discrete
380.2000	Keller	Low
380.3000	Fort Worth	Low
381.6500	Dublin	Low Discrete
384.9000	Wichita Falls Nr 2	High
385.6000	Hobbs	Low Discrete
387.0000	Dublin	Low
391.2000	Wichita Falls Nr 1	High

Presidential Military Support On Flight Aware

FlightAware radar tracker showing AWACS and fighter tracks flying in support of the Presidential mission to Fort Hood. When AIr Force One transitions toward Alaska (Pres flying to Anchorage) these tracks will shift up into our area. It might jet noisy in our area for awhile. Maybe something will drop into Amarillo to refuel.

-Steve Douglass

North Korean/South Korean Ships Come To Blows

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- North and South Korea said their naval forces clashed Tuesday in disputed waters, and each blamed the other for what is the first such violent incident in seven years.

South Korean Rear Adm. Lee Ki Sik said the nation's forces issued three verbal warnings to a ship from the Communist north once it had crossed a demarcation line late Tuesday morning.

The South Koreans then fired a warning shot, but when the North Korean vessel continued southward, the South Koreans opened fire. Lee said the North Koreans returned fire before heading back, their ship damaged in the exchange.

North Korea, however, defended its actions. The patrol boat was on "routine guard," according to a North Korean army report cited by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), and the incident occurred because of "provocation perpetrated by the South Korean forces in the waters of the north side."

"The South Korean military authorities should make an apology to the North side for the armed provocation and take a responsible measure against the recurrence of the similar provocation," said the report.

Lee said there were no South Korean casualties, and the North Koreans report didn't mention any casualties in the clash, which occurred off the Korean peninsula's western coast.

A senior Obama administration official told CNN that South Korea was downplaying the incident, which didn't appear to be deliberately provocative. Another South Korean official told the nation's semi-official Yonhap News Agency that South Korea was not ruling out "the possibility that the clash may have been accidental."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE AT CNN

Fort Hood shooter was under scrutiny of U.S. Intelligence

Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Investigators believe the suspected gunman in last week's massacre at Fort Hood acted alone, but his communications had been flagged by U.S. intelligence agencies in late 2008, the FBI said Monday.
The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, remained in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In a statement issued Monday night, the FBI said its investigation so far "indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot."

Thursday's shooting left 13 dead, 12 of them U.S. soldiers, and 42 wounded.
Hasan, a U.S.-born citizen of Palestinian descent, was a licensed psychiatrist who joined the Army in 1997. He was promoted to major in May and was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan sometime soon, but had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military.

A Muslim, he had told his family he had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In August, he reported to police that his car was keyed and a bumper sticker that read "Allah is Love" was torn off. A neighbor was charged with criminal mischief after that complaint.

Editors note: Boy he sure showed us Allah is love.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Air Force One heading to Fort Hood, Texas

NOTAMS for Presidential visit to Killeen, Tx (Fort Hood), Dallas, Houston and Anchorage Alaska.

FDC 9/9503 - PART 1 OF 4 FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS KILEEN, TEXAS,
NOVEMBER 10, 2009 LOCAL.
PURSUANT TO 49 USC 40103(B), THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
(FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS 'NATIONAL
DEFENSE AIRSPACE'.
PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES MAY BE
INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY
PERSONNEL. ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ACTIONS MAY ALSO BE
TAKEN AGAINST A PILOT WHO DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OR
ANY SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR PROCEDURES ANNOUNCED IN THIS NOTAM:
A) THE FAA MAY TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION, INCLUDING IMPOSING CIVIL
PENALTIES AND THE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF AIRMEN CERTIFICATES;
OR
B) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY PURSUE CRIMINAL CHARGES,
INCLUDING CHARGES UNDER TITLE 49 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE,
SECTION 46307; OR
C) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE
AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN
IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT.
PURSUANT TO TITLE 14, SECTION 91.141 OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL
REGULATIONS, AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED:
END PART 1 OF 4. WIE UNTIL UFN. CREATED: 08 NOV 23:28 2009

LIVE FT HOOD COMMUNICATIONS LINK


LISTEN LIVE KDFW.

KZFW Frequencies


Preparations are underway for a memorial service at Fort Hood to honor the 12 soldiers and one civilian killed in the shooting.

Attendance Instructions

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to attend.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said some of the wounded, as well as the families of those killed and wounded also plan to attend.

Soldiers said the service is a way to help them move on.

"I think we all want to trust each other, especially soldiers," 2nd Lt. Tristan Archambault said. "You want to trust the man to your left and right so I think this will raise morale and give some kind of closure to the families."

The service is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Tuesday, and according Lt. Gen. Cone, it will be a traditional service.

Fort Hood officials said that members of the general public wanting to attend the memorial should arrive early.

Attendees should enter through the Clear Creek gate, and follow the signs to a parking area. Shuttle buses will begin taking people to the memorial service area at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

No reservations or tickets are required. However, everyone attending will be expected to pass through airport-like security screening, and visitors will not be allowed to carry bags, back packs, umbrellas, liquids or sharp objects. No strollers will be allowed in the memorial area. Cameras will be permitted.

Chicago man caught with al Qaeda video

CHICAGO — Two videos produced by Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network have been found in the home of a Chicago man accused of plotting an armed attack on a Danish newspaper, federal prosecutors said.

Bin Laden appears on one of the DVDs, describing the lives of four so-called martyrs "on behalf of Islam," and other footage focused on the cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad published in the Copenhagen newspaper, prosecutors said in papers filed late Friday. Those cartoons sparked outrage in much of the Muslim world.

The filings are part of prosecutors' efforts to bolster their case that Chicago grocery store owner and immigration counselor Tahawwur Rana, 48, should not be freed on bond pending resolution of terrorism charges against him and David C. Headley.

Rana's bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. His attorney, Patrick Blegen, has said Rana may be merely the innocent dupe of Headley. Blegen said Monday he had started to review the government's filing and the evidence.

An attorney for Headley has declined to comment.

According to federal prosecutors, Headley, also of Chicago, was in contact with terrorist leaders based in the tribal areas of western Pakistan about an attack on the Copenhagen newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, and twice scouted out the newspapers offices in that city and Arhus in preparation for an attack.

Rana allegedly made Headley's travel arrangements for the trips to Denmark.

Prosecutors said the video was found in Rana's living room on Oct. 18 and that it was produced by As-Sahab Media, which is al-Qaida's media production wing. Among those who appear in the video is Mustafa abu al-Yazid, described by prosecutors as the third-ranking member of the terrorist network.

Prosecutors said a 54-minute video focuses on the 12 cartoons that appeared in Jyllands-Posten five years ago.

Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard is shown on the video and quoted as saying the cartoons were a way of fighting Islamic extremism and he doesn't regret their publication. The Danish flag is shown against a background of flames.

Prosecutors said one video hails a man who carried out a suicide car bombing of the Danish Embassy in Pakistan.

The video also includes verbal attacks on the United States and Jewish people for "a litany of perceived outrages," according to court papers.

Amarillo Built V-22s Arrive in Afghanistan

V-22s Arrive in Afghanistan: "The U.S. Marine Corps today released video of its V-22 Ospreys arriving in Afghanistan. Ten MV-22s flew from the USS Bataan and are now operating in southern Afghanistan.

The video is of MV-22Bs with the Marine Medium tiltrotor Squadron 263, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit taking off in three waves from the flight deck of the Bataan.

And here is video of the arrival and flight of the first Osprey to be use in Afghanistan."

Is this the face of a spy? Iran thinks so.

An undated family photo shows Sarah Shourd, one of three U.S. hikers detained in Iran since July




Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran is charging three American hikers with espionage, a Tehran prosecutor said Monday.

The three Americans have been detained since July 31 on charges of illegally crossing the border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran. Their family and friends say it was an innocent mistake.

The announcement of the charges comes only days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met privately with the families of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, who were detained along the Iran-Iraq border at the end of July.
Tehran's prosecutor general, Abbas Ja'afari Dolatabadi, announced the charges in an interview with the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

"The charge against the three U.S. citizens who were arrested on the Iran-Iraq border is espionage. Investigation of their cases is in progress," he told IRNA, adding: "There will be more to say [about them] soon."
Dolatabadi also said a Danish journalism student who was arrested last week in Iran was still under investigation.
"A journalist must have an official permit from authorized officials," he told IRNA. "Therefore, the investigation will continue. We have also requested information from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance [which accredits foreign journalists] and after they respond to our inquiry we will make our decision."

READ FULL STORY HERE

60 Minutes: CENTCOM Computers Compromised using thumb drives.

CBS) A series of power outages affecting millions of people in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 were the result of cyber attacks, "60 Minutes" has learned. The two-day event in Espirito Santo State affecting more than three million people in 2007 and another, smaller event in three cities north of Rio de Janeiro in January 2005 were perpetrated by hackers manipulating control systems.

The revelation is part of a Steve Kroft investigation into how computers and the Internet can be used as weapons to be broadcast this Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Former Chief of U.S. National Intelligence Retired Adm. Mike McConnell believes it could happen in America. "If I were an attacker and wanted to do strategic damage to the United States, I would either take the cold of winter or the heat of summer," he tells Kroft. "I would probably sack electric power on the U.S. East Coast, maybe the West Coast and attempt to cause a cascading effect."

If hackers did attack the U.S. power grid, "The United States is not prepared for such an attack." says McConnell.

Congressman Jim Langevin (D.- R.I.), who chaired a subcommittee on cyber security, agrees. He says that U.S. power companies need to be forced to deal with the issue after they told Congress they would take steps to defend their operations but did not follow up. "They admit that they misled Congress," says Langevin, and they still haven't made much progress. "The private sector has different priorities than we do in providing security. Their…bottom line is about profits," he tells Kroft. "We need to change their motivation so that when see vulnerability like this, we can require them to fix it."

Computer hackers have struck in the U.S. already. "People talk about cyber Pearl Harbors, …we probably had our electronic Pearl Harbor," says Jim Lewis, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies which oversaw a study on cyber security for the Obama Administration. He is referring to a breach of computer security resulting in the downloading of huge amounts of critical information from several governmental departments, including Defense, State and Commerce. "So we probably lost the equivalent of a Library of Congress worth of information in 2007," he says.

A bigger event than even that, says Lewis, was a breach of the CENTCOM Network, the U.S. command fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. "We know it was a foreign country. We don’t know which one…this was a very sophisticated set of skills," Lewis tells Kroft.

Banks are also targets; more money has been stolen by cyber thieves than by those walking into banks so far this year in the U.S. - over $100 million says FBI Agent Sean Henry. But you don't hear much about it. "When there's a network breach, the owners of the network are not keen to have it known…it might impact their business," says Henry.

Money being stolen isn't even the biggest threat says McConnell, because a worse scenario would be if the hackers were to destroy the system that accounts for all the money and its movement. That would create a bank rush and financial pandemonium. McConnell worries it will take some horrific event to get the country focused on shoring up cyber security. "If the power grid was taken off line in the middle of winter and it caused people to suffer and die, that would galvanize the nation. I hope we don't get there," he tells Kroft.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Military’s stance on burn pits assailed

Military’s stance on burn pits assailed: "The Air Force bioenvironmental officer who was among the first to warn about the potential effects of open-air burn pits on U.S. troops deployed in the war zones said Friday that he does not believe the findings of a 2008 Army report that discounted the possibility of long-range health risks from exposure to the smoke, fumes and ash.Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Darrin Curtis, a biomedical sciences officer who was deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in 2006 and 2007, told a Senate panel looking into military contracting issues that he believes the Army lacked the necessary data to conclude, as it did in a report from its Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, that long-term health effects from breaking smoke from burn pits is unlikely.A new joint study by the

Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department is underway that focuses on comparing the health of 30,000 combat veterans who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and 30,000 veterans who never deployed to see whether there are signs of ill effects from exposure to burn pits. This is similar to post-Vietnam and post-Gulf War studies that took years to complete.‘Although I have no hard data, I believe that the burn pits may be responsible for long-term health problems in many individuals,’ Curtis said. ‘I think we are going to look at a lot of sick people.’Curtis was asked to testify before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, which is looking into military contracting issues in the war zones, because he was the author of a December 2006 memo calling for an end to the practice of open-air burn pits, which have been used to burn everything from plastic and petroleum products to medical waste — including amputated limbs.

According to military regulations, open-air burn pits are supposed to be a short-term waste management solution in forward-deployed areas until other systems, such as incinerators, can be brought on line.In his memo, Curtis wrote: ‘Burn pits may have been an acceptable practice in the past. However, today’s solid waste contains materials that were not present in the past that can create hazardous compounds. This interim fix should not be years but more in the order of months.’Curtis said he wrote the memo with the intent of making the case for immediate funding to pay for more incinerators to dispose of the waste rather than continuing to use open pits. Incinerators have been installed on many bases, including Balad, but many open burn pits remain in use in Iraq and Afghanistan.At the time he wrote his memo,

Curtis said he believed the burn pits were an acute health hazard and might cause long-term problems, but the only time that military officials in Iraq seemed to do anything about the almost constant smoke was when it interfered with air operations.‘They would have the fires dowsed with water from the fire department to reduce the smoke so air operations would not be affected,’ he said.Uptick in breathing problemsCurtis’ views on potential long-term health problems was supported by Dr. Anthony Szema, chief of the allergy section at the VA Medical Center in Northport, N.Y., who said he is seeing more young patients suffering from breathing problems.‘Until 2004, I mostly saw 80-year-old veterans,’ Szema said.

‘However, from 2004 to present, I have begun seeing young men and men who were previously healthy athletes capable of passing basic training and performing combat operations, Now, these individuals suffer from a variety of respiratory illnesses, including asthma and difficulty breathing during exertion, and are not fit for continued military duty,’ he said. ‘This is an alarming trend since we reported double the rate of new-onset adult asthma diagnoses among Iraq-deployed versus stateside troops.’He said there are several reasons why the military’s air sampling around burn pits may not have discovered the full range of problems: Officials did not measure extremely fine particles, which create the biggest risk; their tests measured only items being burned at the time, which may not have been the most dangerous items routinely tossed into the pits; and air quality tests were conducted at least partly during Iraq’s rainy season, not in the summer.‘This would be like testing for snow in Albany, N.Y., during the summer,’ he said.

‘Testing will not detect any snow, but this does not mean that it does not snow in Albany.’Another witness before the committee, a former contract representative for contractor KBR, estimated that there were at least 100 burn pits in Iraq and 30 in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2006, with the biggest being a 60-foot-deep, 25-feet-around pit at Camp Speicher, Iraq, that was built upwind of living quarters ‘so all smoke traveled downwind to where soldiers were living, which in some cases was as close as one-quarter mile.’Questionable materialsThe former KBR employee, Rick Lamberth, said efforts were supposed to be made to minimize smoke exposure, and the burning of some hazardous material was prohibited. But he said he saw some questionable materials get tossed into the pit. ‘From as close as 10 feet, I saw nuclear, biological and medical waste, including bloody cotton gauze, plastics, tires, petroleum cans, oil and lubricants thrown into the pits,’ he said.‘The burn pits emitted plumes of smoke and gave off a foul smell,’ Lamberth said.

‘The ash that came from the pits looked like burned notebook paper and fell like a black, sooty snowfall. The ash covered buildings and the ground like pollen dust.’L. Russell Keith, a former medic for contract personnel who served two tours in Iraq, said smoke from burn pits was the cause of 30 percent to 40 percent of the patients he saw at clinics. ‘Sometimes, the smoke was a yellowish color, but the worst was when the smoke would be a dark greenish color,’ he said, adding that on those days, he ‘could expect an increased number of patients, all complaining of burning throats and eyes as well as painful breathing.’‘The thick smoke was especially difficult for those working at the military mail office, directly across the road from the pits,’ said Keith, who was in Balad from March 2006 to July 2007.‘Every spot on the base was touched by smoke from the pit. Everyone who served at the base was exposed to the smoke,’ Keith said.RELATED STORIES* House wants burn-pit curbs in defense budget* Army report warned of burn-pit effects* Congress turns up heat on burn pits* 5 more burn-pit lawsuits filed against KBR* Lawmakers to hold news briefing on burn pits* Lawmakers ask GAO to review burn pit data* VA to gather data on alleged burn-pit victims* Burn pit at Balad raises health concerns* Possible contaminants and their potential effects* Burn pit fallout* Senator wants answers on dangers of burn pits* Troops air complaints about burn pitsLETTERSWhat the troops sayEDITORIALPentagon must recognize burn-pit health hazardsVIDEOAn interview with a patient at Walter Reed who believes burn-pit fumes caused her leukemiaDISCUSSSEND YOUR PHOTO OR STORYwww.armytimes.com/burnpit"

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

Top AF CIA officer tapped to command USAFE

Top AF CIA officer tapped to command USAFE: "Gen. Roger Brady, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, will retire early next year and be replaced by Lt. Gen. Mark Welsh III, the Air Force has announced.Welsh is the Air Force’s top officer at the CIA, where he serves as associate director for military support. He has been confirmed by the Senate for promotion to general.Brady will retire after 40 years in the Air Force. He has commanded USAFE since January 2008 and is the commander of NATO’s Air Component Command and its Joint Air Power Competency Center.Welsh spent most of his operational career flying A-10 Thunderbolts and F-16 Fighting Falcons, including as commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. He also served as vice commander of Air Education and Training Command and commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy.He joined the CIA in August 2008, earning promotion to lieutenant general four months later.The date of Brady’s retirement and USAFE change of command has not been announced."

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

Breaking News: Ft.Hood Gunman Alive

The gunman, who officials initially said was killed, is wounded but alive.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said that man is believed to be the only shooter. Two other soldiers briefly taken into custody after the incident were later released, a spokesman said.

The gunman, who officials said was wounded by emergency personnel, was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a law enforcement source told CNN.

A graduate of Virginia Tech, Hasan was a psychiatrist who was licensed in Virginia and was practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to professional records. Previously, he worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A federal official said Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent. Military documents show that Hasan was born in Virginia, and was never deployed outside the United States.

Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq "and appeared to be upset about that," Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said.

"I think that there is a lot of investigation going on now into his background and what he was doing that was not known before," Hutchison said.

At least 10 of the dead also were soldiers, Cone said.

Nidal Hasan writes about suicide bombers on Scribd

Google stealth droid commercial is too cool.

Listen live to Ft Hood Shooting emergency Communications

LINK:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=219

Breaking News: Army Says 12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Fort Hood Shootings

Army Says 12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Fort Hood Shooting (Update1)
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By Anthony Capaccio

Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Twelve people were killed and 31 wounded in shootings on the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas, the Army said.

One shooter, a soldier, was killed, Lieutenant General Robert Cone, commander of III Corps at the base, said at a press conference. Two other soldiers were apprehended as suspects, he said.

“We do not know” what the motive was, Cone said. He said there were “eyewitness accounts” that there may have been more than one shooter. The prime shooter used two handguns, said Cone, who also said the base is in lockdown.

The shootings began about 1:30 p.m. local time at a personnel processing center and near the Howzee Theater where friends and family were gathering for a graduation ceremony for troops taking college extension courses on the base, said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver, a Pentagon spokesman.

Fort Hood, about 60 miles north of Austin, the Texas capital, houses about 45,000 U.S. troops and is home to the Army’s 1st Calvary and 4th Infantry divisions. It is one of the three largest Army bases in the U.S. by population and acreage.

President Barack Obama, speaking at the Interior Department in Washington, called the shootings “horrific” and “tragic.”

The FBI is on the scene and is working with the Army to determine what took place, Special Agent Erik Vasys, a spokesman for the San Antonio Field Office, whose territory includes Fort Hood, said in an interview.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anthony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

VIDEO: Raytheon Demo-Flies Powered JSOW

VIDEO: Raytheon Demo-Flies Powered JSOW: "Raytheon announced today it conducted the first free-flight test of its powered Joint Stand-Off Weapon - Extended Range (JSOW-ER) on Oct. 1. The weapon used was a JSOW modified to show an engine could be installed within the outer mould line of the basic 'truck'.

Video: Raytheon

The missile flew more than 260 miles after release from a US Navy F/A-18 over the Pacific Missile Test Range at Pt Mugu. Raytheons threshold range target was 150 miles, and its objective was 250 miles. A production JSOW-ER would have a range of 300 miles.

The demonstrator vehicle was powered by the Hamilton Sundstrand TJ150 turbojet planned for the JSOW-ER - the same engine used in Raytheons Miniature Air-Launched Decoy for the US Air Force - but with its BLU-111 warhead hollowed out to form the fuel tank. A production JSOW-ER would have a tank installed behind a smaller warhead.

JSOW-ER is not a program of record, and would be a follow-on to  the unpowered, datalink-equipped JSOW C-1 now in development for the Navy - but it will be a candidate in the upcoming analysis of alternatives for an anti-surface warfare weapon to replace Harpoon. This is to begin in January and is expected to run for 18-24 months"

(Via Ares.)

Marine Helicopter & Coast Guard C-130 colllide

SAN DIEGO - The Coast Guard and Navy are responding to a mid-air collision between a Department of Defense helicopter and a Coast Guard airplane 15 miles east of San Clemente Island, Calif., Thursday evening. As many as nine people are believed to missing from the crash.

At 7:10 p.m. the Navy reported to the Coast Guard that they observed what appeared to be a mid-air collision in the vicinity of San Clemente Island.

The Coast Guard responded by sending three Coast Guard cutters, and diverting an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to the area to search for survivors. The Navy sent four vessels and multiple helicopters to aid in the search.

The Coast Guard and Navy are actively searching for survivors at this time.

The Coast Guard plane was a C-130, a long-range surveillance and transport, fixed-wing aircraft that is used to perform a wide variety of missions. There were seven people aboard the plane.

The helicopter was an AH-1 Cobra, similar to the AH-1W Super Cobra, the helicopter that crashed near Alpine in May taking the lives of two Marine Corps pilots.


The AH-1 Cobra helicopter was part of the 3rd Marine Air Wing Light Attack Squadron. There were two pilots aboard the helicopter.

San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the eight Channel Islands, is 68 miles west of San Diego.

Northwest Pilots Were On Their Personal Laptops

NY TIMES:

The pilots of the Northwest Airlines flight that flew far past the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport last week told investigators that they had been distracted from their duties by a discussion of a new computerized crew-scheduling system that the airline was introducing.

“Both said they lost track of time,” said an interim report released Monday afternoon by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Pilots put in “bids” for routes or work shifts by computer, and both men took out their personal computers in the cockpit, a violation of company policy, the safety board said. The first officer was more familiar with the new system and was explaining it to the captain, the report said.

Both were highly experienced pilots. Capt. Timothy B. Cheney, 53, of Gig Harbor, Wash., was hired in 1985 and had 20,000 hours of experience, about half of it in A-320s, the kind of plane the crew was flying last Wednesday, between San Diego and Minneapolis. First Officer Richard I. Cole, 54, of Salem, Ore., was hired in 1997 and had about 11,000 hours of experience.

“Neither pilot was aware of the airplane’s position until a flight attendant called about five minutes before they were scheduled to land and asked what was their estimated time of arrival,” the interim report said. By that time, they were still at 37,000 feet and more than 100 miles beyond their destination.

There is no procedure for flight attendants to check on pilots during flight. Before the airplane hijackings on Sept. 11, 2001, flight attendants casually entered the cockpit as a plane was cruising, but since the terrorist attacks, cockpit doors have been reinforced and are locked during flights.

In separate interviews totaling more than five hours, Mr. Cheney and Mr. Cole told investigators they had not been napping or arguing during the flight. The cockpit voice recorder captured only the last 30 minutes of conversation, some of it on the ground after landing, but investigators said they would try to use the flight data recorder, which captured the entire flight, including use of radios, to determine the type of crew activity.

Three DEA agents among dead in Afghanistan chopper crashes

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Fourteen Americans died in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan on Monday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said: 10 in one incident and four in the other.

Three Drug Enforcement Administration special agents were among the dead, according to the DEA, which did not identify them.
The agents were first DEA agents to be killed in Afghanistan.

"Like all those who give their lives in service to America, they were doing their duty, and they were doing this nation proud," President Obama said at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida.

"Now, it is our duty, as a nation, to keep their memory alive in our hearts and to carry on their work, to take care of their families, to keep our country safe," Obama said.

It was the largest number of Americans killed in Afghanistan in a single day in more than four years, according to CNN records.
The NATO force ruled out enemy fire in the crash that killed four Americans and said enemy action was not thought to be the cause of the other.

A helicopter went down in the west of the country after a raid on suspected drug traffickers. Seven U.S. service members and three U.S. civilians were killed, according to an ISAF statement. Fourteen Afghan service members, 11 U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian were injured in the crash.

Monday's crash marked the second-deadliest incident in the agency's 36-year history, according to entries on the DEA's Web site.

The deadliest incident for the DEA occurred August 27, 1994, when a plane carrying five special agents crashed in the Peruvian Andes during a reconnaissance mission, according to the DEA's Web site.

One of Monday's helicopter crashes occurred after the helicopter was returning from a raid on a compound, ISAF said.

The joint international security force killed more than a dozen enemy fighters while searching the compound, ISAF said. The site was thought to harbor insurgents tied to narcotics trafficking in western Afghanistan.

The militants were killed in a firefight when insurgents confronted the joint force.
As the force was leaving, a helicopter "went down due to unconfirmed reasons," ISAF said. A recovery operation was launched.

DEA Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart said the crash occurred as the agents and seven U.S. service members were returning "from a completed, joint counternarcotics mission."

"DEA is an extremely tight family, and the death of these three brave agents is a devastating loss for us," she said in a written statement.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the circumstances of the crash were under investigation.

"I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of these heroic agents," Holder said in a written statement.

"During this difficult time, the families of these agents are foremost in our thoughts and prayers."

In Monday's other deadly crash, four U.S. service members were killed when two helicopters apparently collided in the air in southern Afghanistan. Two other NATO service members were injured.


"The incident is currently being investigated, but it is confirmed that hostile fire was not involved," ISAF said.

"Each and every death is a tremendous loss for the family and friends of each service member and civilian. Our grief is compounded when we have such a significant loss on one day," Col. Wayne Shanks, an ISAF spokesman, said in a written statement.

ISAF is not announcing the names of the dead or which branch of the service they were in, pending the notification of their relatives.

The DEA has had a presence in Afghanistan for four years. The agency said Monday that it is increasing its presence in Kabul to up to about 50 agents.

Death Toll Rises in Baghdad Bombings

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The death toll from twin car bombings in Baghdad climbed to 160, with hundreds more wounded in the deadliest attack in the capital in more than two years, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

At least 540 people were wounded in Sunday's attacks.
One of the bombs exploded outside Baghdad's governorate building, the other outside the justice ministry. The bombs detonated in quick succession about 10:30 a.m., officials said.

Among the wounded were three American security contractors, the U.S. Embassy said, declining to provide further details. The area struck is close to the heavily guarded "green zone," which houses the embassy.

The blasts sparked questions about Iraq's security and national elections planned for January.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who visited the scene shortly after the explosions, said holding the elections as scheduled would send a strong message to the attackers.

"The cowardly attack ... should not affect the determination of the Iraqi people from continuing their battle against the deposed regime and the gangs of criminal Baath party, and the terrorist al Qaeda organization,'" al-Maliki said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama called the attacks an attempt to derail progress in Iraq, and pledged to work closely with the country as it prepares for elections. Obama spoke with the prime minister and President Jalal Talabani to express his condolences and reiterate U.S. support.

In August, more than 100 people were killed in a series of bombings that led to tightened security in Baghdad. Blast walls were installed across the city and checkpoints added.

Two years earlier, three truck bombings had killed hundreds in Qahtaniya, in northern Iraq. Sunday's attacks were the deadliest on Iraqi civilians since the blasts in August 2007.
A

Mig 27 crashes in India

NEW DELHI, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - An Indian Air Force (IAF) MIG-27 Flogger ground support aircraft crashed Friday in northeast India, the country's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The aircraft was on a routine training flight when it went down near the Hashimara Air Force Station in the state of West Bengal.

The pilot ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the causes of the accident, the ministry said.

The incident is the second MiG-27 crash and the ninth IAF aircraft accident this year. Another MiG-27 crashed in northwest India in May, injuring seven people on the ground.

The MiG-27 aircraft was originally built in the former Soviet Union in the mid-1970s before it was licensed to be produced in India.

Known as the Bahadhur (Brave) in the IAF, the MiG-27s form eight operational squadrons.

According to the military, the current upgrade program will keep the MiG-27 operational for another 10 years.

Black Hawk Helicopter Crashes on Navy ship

1 dead, 8 injured in helicopter crash on Navy ship

NORFOLK, Va. — An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a Navy ship during training, killing one service member and injuring eight, the Navy said.

Service members were rappelling down a rope from the helicopter to the USNS Arctic around 8 p.m. Thursday off the Virginia coast near Fort Story when the crash happened, Navy spokeswoman Lt. J. G. Megan Issac said.

The helicopter crashed into the ship's stern and ended up on its side, Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, commander of the Military Sealift Command, said at a news conference Friday morning at Naval Station Norfolk. A small fire on the ship's deck was quickly extinguished.

The cause of the crash was being investigated.

A second helicopter took the injured people to a hospital for treatment. None had life threatening injuries, Issac said.

Names of the dead and injured and their service affiliations were not immediately released.

"We deeply regret that it occurred, but unfortunately, it is part of the business we do at sea," Buzby said.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Phil Rosi said the training exercise involved the two Army helicopters and members of a Naval Special Warfare unit.

"It was a routine visit, board, search and seizure exercise that takes place between Army and Navy units on a fairly regular basis," Buzby said, adding that ships like the Arctic are used because they are similar to merchant ships.

The exercise trains the service members on how to quickly board a ship that might be threatened by pirates or terrorists, for instance, Buzby said.

The Arctic has returned to Naval Station Norfolk, and the damaged helicopter remained aboard the ship.

The Arctic was damaged and will be repaired quickly. Its deck had superficial damage where the helicopter landed, but the ship's propulsion was not affected.

Officials said the Arctic has no official home port but frequents naval stations in Norfolk and Earle, N.J.


The Associated Press

F-16s were "prepared" to shoot down Northwest Airlines Flight

Armed F-16s from the Wisconsin Air National Guard were on the runway and "prepared" to shoot down the errant Northwest flight if the order had come, a NORAD spokesperson, Mike Kucharek told ABCNews.com.

Air traffic controllers feared Northwest Flight 188, from San Diego to Minneapolis, might have been hijacked after its pilots failed to respond to radio transmissions for more than an hour. NORAD ordered at least two planes scrambled at the guard facility in Madison, Wisconsin.

The NORAD spokesman said the F-16s, normally armed with 500 rounds of air cannon bullets and six air-to-air missiles, were on the runway when the alert was canceled once the pilots finally made contact with FAA controllers.

Air traffic controllers reported the pilots initially failed to respond to commands as it passed from the air space controlled by the FAA Denver Center into the area controlled by the Minneapolis Center.

The concern grew as the pilots ignored a command from the Minneapolis approach controllers to begin a descent for landing.

The National Counterterrorism Center in Washington was notified, and authorities began to scrutinize the passenger list, according to Pierre Thomas and Jason Ryan of ABC News.

Once contact was re-established, after an hour and 18 minutes of silence, the controllers ordered the pilots to carry out a series of zigzag maneuvers in order to prove "the pilots had command and control of the craft," according to people briefed on the incident.
Related

Northwest Flight Overshoots Airport/Pilots possibly asleep!

Editors note: Gird your loins Northwest - wait until Leno & Letterman get hold of this!

A Northwest Airlines flight approaching Minneapolis Wednesday night lost contact with controllers for more than an hour and overshot its destination by about 150 miles before circling back to land. Federal safety regulators are investigating the incident as a possible case of pilots nodding off, according to government and airline-industry officials familiar with the matter.

Controllers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were able to re-establish contact with the Airbus A320, after a one hour and 18 minute lapse, before the plane, flight 188 en route from San Diego, landed safely and without injuries to the 147 passengers, according to a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board.

A Northwest flight overshoots its destination by more than 100 miles, prompting questions about whether the pilots were nodding off. WSJ's Andy Pasztor and Gabriel Kahn discuss the latest developments in the inquiry in the News Hub.
The NTSB said controllers lost contact with the aircraft while it was cruising at 37,000 feet, but didn't say how far from the airport the plane was at the time.

The NTSB said the pilots were interviewed after landing by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and airport police. The pilots told law- enforcement officials they had been engaged in a "heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," according to the NTSB. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.

Northwest is a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc.

"The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority," Delta said in a statement. "We are cooperating with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation as well as conducting our own internal investigation. The pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations."

The incident comes as the FAA is seeking to update and rewrite decades-old rules governing how long commercial pilots can fly and remain on duty during a given period.

Wednesday night's incident is the second time in less than a week that a Delta cockpit crew was involved in a high-profile safety lapse. On Monday, a long-range Delta Boeing 767 en route from Brazil to Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport landed on a taxiway, rather than the parallel runway. There were no injuries to any of the 182 passengers or 11 crew members.

The safety board is investigating whether pilot fatigue was an important factor. The crew had flown all night and was landing in darkness. The approach lights for the runway weren't turned on, however the lights on the runway surface were illuminated, according to the safety board.

Concerning the Minneapolis flight, it's not clear what the pilots' schedule was in the hours before it overshot the airport Wednesday night. But their work hours and sleep schedules in the preceding few days will be among the main issues examined by investigators.

In the case of the Delta crew that landed on the taxiway in Atlanta, the safety board said Wednesday that a third pilot aboard the twin-engine Boeing 767 had fallen ill during the flight and "was relocated to the cabin" before landing. The board said there was 10-miles visibility when the big jet touched down on the taxiway.

Earlier media reports indicated that the crew of the Boeing 767 had been temporarily removed from flying duties.

UPDATE: CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A passenger flight from San Diego, California, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, overshot its destination airport by about 150 miles Wednesday, and federal investigators are looking into whether the pilots had become distracted, as they claimed, or perhaps fallen asleep.


An aerial view shows downtown Minneapolis.

Air traffic controllers lost radio communication with the Northwest Airlines Airbus A320, carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew, when it was flying at 37,000 feet, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. There was no communication with Flight 188 for more than an hour as it approached the airport, the board said.

When air traffic controllers finally made contact with the pilot, his answers were so vague that controllers feared the plane might have been hijacked, according to a source familiar with the incident.

The controllers in Minneapolis ordered the pilot to make a series of unnecessary maneuvers to convince them the pilots were in control of the flight, the source said, adding that fighter jets were poised in Madison, Wisconsin, but were never deployed. Watch how Flight 188 drama unfolded »

Controllers tracked the aircraft on radar as it flew over its intended destination -- Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport -- and continued northeast for about 150 miles over the next 16 minutes. The airport's controllers then re-established communication with crew members, who said they had become distracted, the safety board said.

"The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the board said in a news release.


SEE FLIGHT TRACK ON FLIGHT AWARE (NW FLIGHT 188)

Map: The Nuclear World

Click to enlarge.

Source: New Scientist.

Clinic shooting report depicts troubled suspect

Clinic shooting report depicts troubled suspect: "BAGHDAD — An American soldier who is accused of killing five fellow troops at a counseling center in Iraq had been unraveling for nearly two weeks, but the U.S. military lacked clear procedures to monitor him or deal with the deadly shooting spree once it began to unfold, a military report found.

The shootings at a U.S. base in Baghdad in May were the deadliest case of U.S. soldier-on-soldier violence of the six-year Iraq war. Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, was arrested and is the only person charged in the incident.The shooting deaths drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale as troops have to increasingly serve multiple combat tours because the nation’s volunteer army is stretched thin by two long-running wars.

The extensive 325-page report, released Friday and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, included detailed witness statements and paints a picture of a soldier less than two months from the end of his third deployment who began to show obvious signs of unraveling weeks before the clinic shootings.While all the names, including Russell’s, have been removed from the report, it refers to the person taken into custody as well as his unit, the 54th Engineer Battalion.The internal investigation was ordered by Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, who appointed an investigating officer to determine if policies regarding ‘service members who are believed to be at risk of harming themselves or others, were followed and adequate,’ said military spokesman Lt. Col. David Patterson.A criminal investigation by the military is ongoing.Elizabeth Ann Russell, the mother of the accused, told AP she had no comment, and the military did not answer requests for information as to Russell’s whereabouts and whether he was represented by legal counsel.In previous interviews,

Russell’s family described him as a kindhearted man who so loved his country that he joined the military. However, Russell’s father also wondered whether his son snapped under questioning by counselors, or feared that his career was over.Dozens of pages were redacted from the report, including key materials such as the criminal investigation report. The report was originally posted on the Web site of the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq.The U.S. military in Iraq said the ‘candid review’ is one of the tools used to prevent such incidents in the future, and Patterson said the military in Iraq had already implemented some of the investigation’s recommendations.The report describes a man whose problems were known and who received some counseling, yet at critical times did not appear to get the help he needed.Russell, who faces charges of murder and aggravated assault, was on his fourth visit to a mental health clinic in Iraq when the appointment was cut short because he became ‘verbally noncompliant,’ the report stated.

Clinic personnel then called the military police, who declined to arrest him and just ordered him returned to his unit.Less than an hour later, the report said he managed to grab a loaded M16 rifle from a fellow soldier and steal a white Ford Explorer SUV, before going back to the counseling facility.In the days leading up to the incident, many of Russell’s fellow soldiers had noticed that his behavior appeared to be ‘deteriorating,’ the report stated.According to one statement, Russell, who spent one of his tours in the western city of Ramadi during the height of the conflict there, said he was ‘sick and tired of life and believed everyone hated him.’On the morning of May 11, the day of the shooting,

Russell was taken by a member of his worried unit to the Camp Liberty Combat Stress Control Clinic, according to the report.The report said that although the unit knew of Russell’s suicidal thoughts at least three to four days prior to the incident, little appeared to have been done to effectively monitor him.‘There is no clear procedure or established training guidelines in any of the references for managing soldiers identified as ‘at risk’ for suicide or the proper way to conduct suicide watch,’ the report stated.According to the statement of one of the military police officers involved in the incident, he asked Russell’s company commander whether the sergeant had been on ‘unit watch’ and what that meant.The company commander said his roommate would try to keep an eye on him, but that they didn’t have a 24-hour watch on him until the morning of the shootings.‘I asked him why he had not been on 24 hour a day watch since he first communicated his suicidal thoughts and he replied: ‘I know this sounds bad but we don’t have the personnel available,’ ’ the statement read.A breakdown in communication also contributed to the deadly series of events.

One section of the report describes how units responding, instead of reacting immediately, had to meet up in person to coordinate their actions because radio communication was poor.Additionally, nobody alerted the counseling clinic that Russell had stolen a weapon and a vehicle, the report said.Although Russell told several people — including a chaplain and a worker at the counseling clinic — that he was contemplating suicide, others appeared to have doubts about the seriousness of the situation.The report was also critical of the military police who responded to the incident, saying they did not have enough policies to ‘warn and protect possible victims when informed of a credible threat.’The military has already implemented some of the report’s recommendations, such as a ‘command-wide review of behavioral health care services, updates to all suicide-prevention programs, training and appointing two behavioral health advocates per battalion, and executing new procedures for dealing with service members attempting and/or threatening suicide,’ Patterson said.

The U.S. military has become increasingly concerned about mental health in the ranks after a steady rise in suicides — which the Army says have increased worldwide from at least 102 in 2006 to 140 last year. As of April, the Army had reported at least 48 suicides.Thousands of other veterans are believed to suffer flashbacks, nightmares or fits of anger as they attempt to readjust to civilian life.———Associated Press Writers Kimberly Hefling in Washington and Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this report."

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

Maryland Scientist Arrested For Trying To Sell Nuclear/Satellite Secrets.

A Maryland scientist who worked for the Defense Department and other agencies has been arrested on espionage charges.

The Justice Department said Monday that 52-year-old Stewart David Nozette of Chevy Chase was charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to communicate, deliver and transmit classified information to an individual he believed to be an Israeli intelligence officer.

The complaint does not allege that the government of Israel or anyone acting on its behalf violated U.S. law.

Nozette was arrested Monday by FBI agents. He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.

UPDATE:

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Monday, October 19, 2009
Maryland Scientist Charged with Attempted Espionage

A Maryland scientist who once worked in varying capacities for the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been arrested for attempted espionage, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced today.

A criminal complaint unsealed today in the District of Columbia charges Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, with attempted espionage for knowingly and willfully attempting to communicate, deliver, and transmit classified information relating to the national defense of the United States to an individual that Nozette believed to be an Israeli intelligence officer. The complaint does not allege that the government of Israel or anyone acting on its behalf committed any offense under U.S. laws in this case.

Nozette was arrested earlier today by FBI agents and is expected to make his initial appearance tomorrow in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"The conduct alleged in this complaint is serious and should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider compromising our nation’s secrets for profit," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

"Those who would put our nation’s defense secrets up for sale can expect to be vigorously prosecuted," said Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. "This case reflects our firm resolve to hold accountable any individual who betrays the public trust by compromising our national security for his or her own personal gain."

"The FBI is committed to protecting the nation’s classified information and pursuing those who attempt to profit from its release or sale," said Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

According to an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Nozette received a Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1983, and worked at the White House on the National Space Council, Executive Office of the President, in 1989 and 1990. He developed the Clementine bi-static radar experiment that purportedly discovered water on the south pole of the moon. Nozette also worked at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from approximately 1990 to 1999 where he designed highly advanced technology. At the Department of Energy, Nozette held a special security clearance equivalent to the Defense Department Top Secret and Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information clearances. Department of Energy clearances apply to access to information specifically relating to atomic or nuclear-related materials.

Nozette was also the President, Treasurer and Director of the Alliance for Competitive Technology (ACT), a non-profit corporation that he organized in March 1990. Between January 2000 and February 2006, Nozette, through his company ACT, entered into several agreements to develop advanced technology for the U.S. government. Nozette performed some of this research and development at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Virginia, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. From 1989 through 2006, Nozette held security clearances as high as Top Secret and had regular, frequent access to classified information and documents related to the U.S. national defense.

According to the affidavit, on Sept. 3, 2009, Nozette was contacted via telephone by an individual purporting to be an Israeli intelligence officer, but who was in fact an undercover employee of the FBI (UCE). During that call, Nozette agreed to meet with the UCE later that day at a hotel in Washington D.C. According to the affidavit, Nozette met with the UCE that day and discussed his willingness to work for Israeli intelligence.

Nozette allegedly informed the UCE that he had, in the past, held top security clearances and had access to U.S. satellite information. Nozette also allegedly said that he would be willing to answer questions about this information in exchange for money. The UCE explained to Nozette that the Israeli intelligence agency, or "Mossad," would arrange for a communication system so that Nozette could pass information to the Mossad in a post office box. Nozette agreed to provide regular, continuing information to the UCE and asked for an Israeli passport

According to the affidavit, Nozette and the UCE met again on Sept. 4, 2009, in the same hotel. During the meeting, Nozette allegedly informed the UCE that, although he no longer had legal access to any classified information at a U.S. government facility, he could, nonetheless, recall the classified information to which he had been granted access, indicating that it was all still in his head. In the meeting, Nozette allegedly asked when he could expect to receive his first payment, specifying that he preferred to receive cash amounts "under ten thousand" so he didn’t have to report it. At the conclusion of this meeting, Nozette allegedly informed the UCE, "Well I should tell you my first need is that they should figure out how to pay me . . . they don't expect me to do this for free."

On or about Sept. 10, 2009, undercover FBI agents left a letter in the designated post office box for Nozette. In the letter, the FBI asked Nozette to answer a list of questions concerning U.S. satellite information. The undercover agents also provided a $2,000 cash payment for Nozette. The serial numbers of the bills were recorded. Nozette retrieved the questions and the money from the post office the same day.

On or about Sept. 16, 2009, Nozette was captured on videotape leaving a manila envelope in the designated post office box in the District of Columbia. The next day, FBI agents retrieved the sealed manila envelope that Nozette had dropped off and found, among other things, a one-page document containing answers to the questions posed by the undercover agents and an encrypted computer thumb drive. One of answers provided by Nozette contained information classified as Secret, which concerned capabilities of a prototype overhead collection system. In addition, Nozette allegedly offered to reveal additional classified information that directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, and other major weapons systems.

Also on or about Sept. 17, 2009, undercover FBI agents left a second letter in the post office box for Nozette. In the letter, the FBI asked Nozette to answer another list of questions concerning U.S. satellite information. The FBI also left a cash payment of $9,000 in the post office box. Nozette allegedly retrieved the questions and the money from the post office box later that same day.

On or about October 1, 2009, Nozette was filmed on videotape leaving a manila envelope in the post office box. Later that day, FBI agents retrieved the manila envelope left by Nozette and found a second set of answers from him. The answers contained information classified as both Top Secret and Secret that concerned U.S. satellites, early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack, communications intelligence information, and major elements of defense strategy.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

The prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis and Heather M. Schmidt, from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.



LINKS:

CNN Report

Stewart Nozette's profile on NSS.ORG

SDI Book authored by Stewart Nozette.

List of Nozette's political contributions.

Article: Stewart Nozette searches for water on the moon.

YouTube Video: Stewart Nozette LRO Live.

Clementine Bi-Static Radar

Wikipedia article on Nozette.

Nozette case profile/ CI Centre