Open Briefing | 1

Remote-control warfare briefing | #04

23 July 2014


Remote-control warfare is an emerging strategy that allows for conflict to e
actione! at a !istance" #t incorporates technologies an! light-footprint !eployments
that enale policyma$ers an! military planners to appro%e actions that woul!
unli$ely e consi!ere! if using con%entional means"
&hese monthly riefings are commissione! y the Remote 'ontrol (ro)ect* a pro)ect
of the +etwor$ for ,ocial 'hange* hoste! y O-for! Research .roup"

Special operations forces: /, special forces trainers !raw!own in (hilippines as
focus of ilateral military relationship shifts"
Private military and security companies: 0u!it fin!s that one employee of pri%ate
ac$groun! chec$ pro%i!er re%iewe! o%er 11*000 security clearances in a single
month"
Unmanned vehicles and autonomous weapon systems: 2minent tas$ force
!eli%ers !etaile! report e-amining /, !rone policy"
Cyber warfare: ,ignificant malware !istriution an! networ$ monitoring on rise
across #ra3"
Intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance: British parliament passes
4emergency5 !ata retention an! sur%eillance legislation"
,pecial operations forces
US special forces trainers drawdown in Philippines as focus of bilateral military
relationship shifts
#n late June* (hilippine !efence secretary 6oltaire .a7min announce! the !raw!own
of the /, Joint ,pecial Operations &as$ 8orce 9 (hilippines :J,O&8-(; an! the
remaining presence of a small team of a!%isors in the form of the /, (acific
'omman! :(0'O<; 0ugmentation &eam" J,O&8-( has een ase! on <in!anao for
more than 12 years" 0ppro-imately =00 /, special operations forces :,O8;
personnel ha%e een training an! a!%ising (hilippine forces primarily fighting the
0u ,ayyaf group ut also those in%ol%e! in episo!ic conflict with the <oro +ational
>ieration 8ront :<+>8; an! <oro #slamic >ieration 8ront :<#>8;"
Open Briefing | !
&he re!uction in the numer of 0u ,ayyaf fighters from 1*200 to 300 is in part attriute! to ,O8
counterterrorism an! counterinsurgency acti%ities against 0u ,ayyaf an! <+>8" ?owe%er* peace-
ro$ering efforts y the <alaysian go%ernment an! the Organisation of #slamic 'ooperation :O#'; an!
persistent negotiations etween the (hilippine go%ernment an! <#>8 also contriute! significantly to a
gra!ual re!uction in insurgency %iolence"
&he <arch 2014 signing of the 'omprehensi%e 0greement on Bangsamoro* the final peace agreement
signe! etween the go%ernment of the (hilippines an! <#>8* is highly li$ely to ha%e gi%en the /,
a!ministration the confi!ence to !raw!own ,O8 in the country" 8urthermore* the 0pril signing of the
2nhance! @efence 'ooperation 0greement* a /, e-ecuti%e to (hilippine e-ecuti%e agreement as oppose!
to a formal treaty* pro%i!es rotational stationing of /, troops an! pri%ate contractors in the (hilippines"
Aith the geopolitical conte-t of (hilippine-/, military cooperation shifting from counterterrorism to
maritime security an! natural !isaster response it is unclear whether the presence of ,O8 or con%entional
forces will e prioritise!" #t woul! e !ifficult from an operational an! resource perspecti%e for the /,
,pecial Operations 'omman! :/,,O'O<; an! military planners to !eploy ,O8 for natural !isaster
response an! maritime security" ,O8 !eployment for these operations woul! most li$ely e consi!ere!
4operational o%er$ill5" Aithin the oun!aries of /, military spen!ing priorities* it is more li$ely for
con%entional /, forces to e assigne! maritime security an! natural !isaster response roles"
"ther developments
#he initial deployment of $%% US special operation forces to Ira& for advisory and support roles will
be bolstered by a second deployment of US armed forces to protect the US embassy and 'aghdad
International (irport) &his will ring the total /, !eployment to BB0 authorise! troops" &he (entagon is
increasingly fiel!ing 3uestions aout 4mission creep5 an! the mission o)ecti%es for the ,O8 a!%isors"
<emers of the ,O8 community ha%e suggeste! that the only effecti%e role for the Joint ,pecial
Operations 'omman! :J,O'; contingent woul! e to wor$ as a targeting cell* though such a function
woul! clearly cross o%er into a comat role" 2%en with impro%e! signals intelligence an! intelligence*
sur%eillance an! reconnaissance :#,R; from !rones* J,O' are li$ely to e challenge! y any re3uirement to
only target the #slamic ,tate of #ra3 an! the >e%ant :#,#,; an! a%oi! other ,unni groups ta$ing up arms
against Bagh!a!" &he tactical re3uirement to try to a%oi! ,unni groups an! primarily focus targeting on
#,#, is in or!er to not compromise political efforts to !raw ,unni lea!ers into a more inclusi%e #ra3i
go%ernment"
Special operations trainers from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary *uard Corps+ ,uds -orce and
.e/bollah+s Unit $0%% are thought to be providing advice and support to Ira&+s armed forces and
potentially Shiite militias to help halt any southward e1pansion by ISIS and Sunni militias) ,ome
me!ia outlets ha%e reporte! that the Cu!s 8orce comman!er* Cassem ,uleimani* arri%e! in Bagh!a! in
late June an! is playing a !ominant role in shaping #ra35s security posture against #,#," (rior to 200D* Cu!s
8orce trainers pro%i!e! support to a numer of ,hiite militias* inclu!ing the <ah!i 0rmy* participating in
ongoing sectarian %iolence in post9,a!!am #ra3" #t remains to e seen the !egree to which ,uleimani will
!raw upon the militias as oppose! to the #ra3i arme! forces* gi%en the increase! in%ol%ement of ,hiite
militias may trigger greater sectarian %iolence"
Open Briefing | $
#he secretary general of the Collective Security #reaty "rganisation 2CS#"3 announced in late 4une
that the organisation was creating 5oint special operation forces to thwart cyber-attac6s) &he
purpose of the ,O8 collaoration is to counteract cyer-attac$s an! use special means to intercept signals
an! information messages* an! may in%ol%e information an! psychological operations su!i%isions" '&,O
preeminent memer* Russia* is highly li$ely to e using this announcement as strategic counter-response
to recent +0&O cyer-prepare!ness acti%ities rein%igorate! y the Russian occupation of 'rimea an!
Russian cyer campaigns against /$raine"
(lso of note
U7 special forces are 6ey recipients of increased and reassigned funding announce! y (rime
<inister @a%i! 'ameron in mi!-July" 'ameron state! 4it is not masse! tan$s on the 2uropean
mainlan! we nee!* ut the latest in cyer warfare* unmanne! aircraft technology an! ,pecial
8orces capaility5"
1

(rmy 8ieutenant *eneral 4oseph 9otel has been nominated by President "bama to replace
(dmiral :illiam ;cRaven as Commander of US Special "perations Command" #n 2011 6otel
too$ o%er the Joint ,pecial Operations 'omman! from <cRa%en who was promote! after
Operation +eptune ,pear $ille! Osama in >a!en"
Canadian Special "perations -orces Command 2C(<S"-C";3 plans to procure 1= armoured
marginal terrain vehicles valued at >?% million were cancelled in 4uly) <ilitary representati%es
suggeste! that the cancellation woul! not ha%e an impact on '0+,O8'O< capailities !espite
the current fleet of B6-20=s use! for northern operations eing o%er 30 years ol!"
USS"C"; entered into a >$!)? million agreement in early 4uly with (irbus @efence and
Space for satellite communication ser%ices* inclu!ing #nmarsat Broa!an! .loal 0rea +etwor$"
US state department has indicated that it may loo6 for a new location for the !%1A Cobra
*old military drills !ue to e hel! in &hailan!" &he !rills in%ol%e multilateral ,O8 engagement an!
training" &he announcement in late June is one of the many actions the /nite! ,tates has ta$en to
e-press its o)ection to the military coup in &hailan!"
'ulgarian special operations forces participated in landing drills with the US military
codenamed #hracian Summer !%1B in 4uly) &he !rills were focuse! on low-altitu!e !eployment
of troops an! cargo"
( :ar is 'oring post on Somalia+s counterterrorism force the *aashan has revealed the
li6ely nature of CI( and US S"- training of elite Somali soldiers to combat al-Shabaab on the
streets of ;ogadishu)
!
&he .aashan* an! its component unit 0lpha .roup :@ana;* appear to
ha%e !e%elope! s$ills in ,O8 intelligence techni3ues an! tra!ecraft* inclu!ing ,ensiti%e ,ite
2-ploitation" &here are apparently 120 /, personnel in ,omalia in training roles"


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Open Briefing | B
(ri%ate military an! security companies
(udit finds that one employee of private bac6ground chec6 provider reviewed over 1A%%% security
clearances in a single month
0 recent report y the inspector general of the /, Office of (ersonnel <anagement :O(<; has foun! that
an employee at /, #n%estigations ,er%ices :/,#,;* which is contracte! y the /, go%ernment to re%iew
fe!eral security clearances* ha! re%iewe! 11*112 cases in a single month !uring 2013"
3
0s a result* the
pri%ate ac$groun! chec$ pro%i!er has come un!er fire* as this numer is consi!ere! highly anormalE
gi%en a 40-hour wee$* it woul! mean that the employee ha! re%iewe! 1"1 cases per minute" &he inci!ent is
gra!ually gaining attention ecause /,#, also happens to e the company that processe! an! cleare!
2!war! ,now!en5s application to wor$ for the +,0"
O%erall* /,#, is man!ate! y the O(< to ensure that in!i%i!uals applying for sensiti%e fe!eral )os ha%e
the re3uire! loyalty an! integrity for such security-sensiti%e )os" /,#, personnel thus re%iew material
collecte! in pre%ious in%estigations on applicants an! !etermine whether they can e gi%en security
clearance" /,#, is primarily contracte! to ensure that the correct !ata was put together for a gi%en
applicant5s file to e re%iewe!" &he company5s impressi%e yet har!ly elie%ale spee! at which they
processe! security clearances is thought to e largely the result of the company trying :unsuccessfully; to
meet tight official re3uirements an! !ea!lines" #n fact* the /, 'ongress re3uires that H0I of clearance
cases e processe! within =0 !ays* mostly to ensure that applicants !o not wait too long efore otaining
their clearance an! therefore eing ale to wor$ effecti%ely"
&his latest !e%elopment raises 3uestions o%er the /,#,5 stan!ar!s an! wor$ ethics* which further wea$ens
the company5s cre!iility an! legitimacy following a January )ustice !epartment filing that accuse! the
company of !efrau!ing the /, go%ernment through fictitious 3uality !ata re%iews !uring <arch 200D to
,eptemer 2012" Ahile the )ustice !epartment accuse! /,#, of eing moti%e! y gree!* the company
state! that the inci!ent was the wor$ of a small group of in!i%i!uals an! that its new lea!ership woul!
ensure that this sort of issue !i! not occur again"
#t is clear that /,#, will face !ifficulties impro%ing its pulic image after this series of e%ents* particularly
that it is also hel! partly responsile for the ,now!en case" <oreo%er* /,#,5 tarnishe! image ine%italy
ris$s casting !out yet again o%er the /, go%ernment5s choices when it comes to hiring an! o%erseeing
pri%ate contractors for security-relate! )os"


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ac$groun!-in%estigations"p!f
Open Briefing | A
"ther developments
-ormer 'lac6water employees have provided their accounts of the !%%= shootings in <isour S&uare
in 'aghdad which left 1= Ira&is dead) &he contractors ha%e een gi%ing e%i!ence in the trial of three of
their former colleagues charge! with manslaughter an! a fourth charge! with mur!er :a fifth guar! has
alrea!y plea!e! guilty to manslaughter;" (re%ious testimonies ha%e inclu!e! #ra3is accusing the
Blac$water contractors of the $illings an! confronting them in court" O%erall* the trial is pro%i!ing insights
into the atmosphere among Blac$water personnel in #ra3 at the time" &he +isour ,3uare $illings are
reporte! to ha%e !ramatically affecte! the atmosphere an! trust among some of the contractors" &he
guar!s are accuse! of firing at unarme! ci%ilians without pro%ocation" &he !efence team has argue! that
the guar!s were shot at an! returne! fire fearing for their safety* while generally eing on e!ge !uring
what was one of the #ra3 war5s most %iolent perio!s"
@ra6en International is due to buy up to !0 (ero 9odochody 8-1ACD multi-role combat aircraft from
the C/ech ministry of defence) @ra$en is a /, pro%i!er of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air ser%ices*
inclu!ing military an! contract customers" &he aircraft ha%e een in long-term storage* as they were
unnee!e! surplus to the '7ech air force" @ra$en also announce! a strategic partnership with 0ero
6o!ocho!y in which the '7ech aircraft company will maintain aircraft at @ra$en5s 8lori!a facility an!
@ra$en will e-clusi%ely mar$et the >-11H an! future !eri%ati%es to customers in +orth an! ,outh 0merica"
Officially* spo$espeople on oth si!es ha%e state! that the !eal* which was negotiate! o%er a perio! of 1D
months* represents effecti%e cooperation etween the '7ech an! 0merican !efence in!ustries" Jet the
!eal may signify a wi!er commercial mo%e y @ra$en to further penetrate 2uropean !efence mar$ets" &he
recently ac3uire! >-11Hs are li$ely to e !eli%ere! soon to a 2urope-ase! facility* in %iew of @ra$en5s
reporte! !esire to e-pan! its client ase among +0&O countries"
R# has reported that deputies from the 8iberal @emocratic Party of Russia have drafted a new law
on the use of private military contractors for the Ps6ov regional legislature in northern Russia)
B
&he
lawma$ers claim that capale an! specialise! companies are necessary to enforce national interests in
cases when international politics or law pre%ent the go%ernment from using regular military forces" &hey
point out that British an! 0merican (<,'s sol%e many foreign policy prolems for Aestern go%ernments*
as well as ringing in a!!itional ta-es to their national economies" &he current Russian criminal co!e
!irectly ans the organising of or participation in non-state arme! groups* an! the fe!eral law on weapons
nee!s to e changes to allow military contractors to uy an! use firearms an! military har!ware" ?owe%er*
the regional legislature is unale to pass the law y itself* an! /nite! Russia is thought to e preparing its
own ill on pri%ate military companies together with the ministry of !efence an! the ministry of interior"
(lso of note
#he Civilian D1traterritorial 4urisdiction (ct introduced by Representative @avid Price and
Senator Patric6 8eahy aims to increase accountability for contractors and government
employees overseas) #f passe! y the /, 'ongress* it woul! a!!ress an! close e-isting loopholes
concerning prosecution for acts committe! while wor$ing aroa!" &his woul! effecti%ely result in
contractors eing hel! more accountale un!er /, law"

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Open Briefing | ?
#he US @epartment of 8abor has released new data in line with the US @efence 'ase (ct)
/n!er the /, @efence Base 0ct* /, !efence contractors are compelle! to e transparent
regar!ing war 7one !eaths an! in)uries among their employees* which also inclu!e foreign wor$ers
an! su-contractors" &he !ata is pulicly a%ailale an! accessile through the /ni%ersity of
@en%er5s (ri%ate ,ecurity <onitor"
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Private security companies are in high demand in 7enya since last yearEs al-Shabaab attac6 on
the :estgate shopping mall in <airobi) <any pri%ate security companies report a sustantial
increase in !eman! for their ser%ices from hotels* usinesses an! resi!ential property
management firms" (ri%ate security companies suggest their role will continue to e important
e%en if the threat from al-,haaa !iminishes ecause of ongoing security concerns !ue to local
criminal gangs an! politicise! %iolence"
*BS has confirmed that it will end its all its Israeli prison contracts within the ne1t three
years) &he mo%e may ha%e een triggere! y increase! acti%ism* which saw .4,5s annual general
meeting !isrupte! y protests" ?owe%er* it is highly li$ely that the company5s !ecision was !ri%en
y fear of further reputational costs for the company* following important in%estors recently
selling their stoc$s in the company"
/nmanne! %ehicles an! autonomous weapon systems
Dminent tas6 force delivers detailed report e1amining US drone policy
&he ,timson 'enter5s tas$ force on unmanne! aerial %ehicle :/06; policy release! its report offering a
holistic framewor$ for /, !rone policy on 2= June"
=
&he tas$ force was ma!e up of 10 senior-le%el
participants from sta$ehol!er constituencies* inclu!ing the /, military community* the intelligence
community* the legal community* aca!emia an! the pri%ate sector" #f a!opte!* its recommen!ations woul!
represent a significant change in /, !rone policy"
0 numer of the recommen!ations* such as transferring responsiility for the !rone programme from the
'#0 to the military* !e%elopment of an in!epen!ent commission to re%iew lethal use of unmanne! comat
air %ehicles :/'06s; an! greater after the fact pulic !isclosure on /06 stri$es* are reforms ci%il society
groups ha%e een pushing for o%er the last fi%e years"
&he report may represent the most significant 3uestioning of /, !rone policy y former e-ecuti%e ranch
officials" &he recommen!ation that /, !rone stri$es for counterterrorism e su)ect to a strategic re%iew
an! cost-enefit analysis* when rea! in the roa!er conte-t of the report* in!icates parts of the /, military
an! security estalishment ha%e significant concerns aout the potential ramifications of /, !rone policy"
&he ,timson 'enter5s report may pro%i!e the /, a!ministration with an important opportunity to re%iew
its !rone policy an! the impetus to a!%ocate norms aroun! the use of /06s on an international stage"
?owe%er* the Aashington is also li$ely to e concerne! that a re%iew of !rone policy may also generate
pressure for reconsi!eration of the 2001 0uthori7ation for the /se of <ilitary 8orce :0/<8; passe! y
'ongress after HF11 attac$s* which has een use! to )ustify targete! $illings in (a$istan an! Jemen"

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Open Briefing | =
&he a!%antages the /nite! ,tates has en)oye! through the early a!option of /06 technology are
!iminishing as /06 technology rapi!ly proliferates" 8urthermore* pulic concerns aroun! /06 stri$es as a
counterterrorism strategy ha%e significantly increase! with mounting e%i!ence of ci%ilian !eaths" 0s other
countries !e%elop or import /06 technology* the /nite! ,tates is turning to 4norms creation5 aroun! /06
use" /, national security interests may e threatene! y other state an! non-state actors a!opting the
same legal* ethical an! operational /06 policy as the /nite! ,tates has so far enacte!"
"ther developments
(l-,assam 'rigades the military wing of .amas announced in mid-4uly that it has three U(9
variants 2armed surveillance and attac6ing suicide mission3 called (babil-1) &hese were li$ely
procure! from #ran" 0l-Cassam Briga!es claime! that it ha! carrie! out three missions on 14 July* with one
test mission eing flown o%er the #sraeli ministry of !efence uil!ing in &el 0%i%* though the fact that on
oar! weaponry was not use! !uring this flight may suggest it !oes not ha%e the full capaility to carry an
e-plosi%e payloa!" &he #sraeli @efence 8orce :#@8; reporte! on 14 July that they ha! shot !own a /06*
possily an 0ail-1* with a (atriot surface-to-air missile near the coastal city of 0sh$elon" &he #@8 has
pre%iously intercepte! ?e7ollah /06s from >eanon with air force air-to-air missiles"
In addition to having ,uds -orce trainers on the ground Iran are also flying U(9 surveillance
missions over Ira& based from 'aghdad airfields) @eployment of #ran5s fleet of sur%eillance !rones in
#ra3 will pro%i!e an acti%e !emonstration of the technical a!%ancement of #ran5s fleet* though it is unclear
if arme! /06s will e use!" &he %ast ma)ority of /, /06s in #ra3 are thought to e unarme!* though some
are arme! with ?ellfire missiles* particularly those near Bagh!a! airport an! the /, emassy"
'oor!ination etween the /nite! ,tates an! #ran of /06 sur%eillance acti%ities is highly unli$ely"
( series of Washington Post articles in late 4une e1posed the number of US drone crashes
internationally and on United States+ soil)
=
One article in!icates that 4B 'lass 0 ma)or crashes occurre!
in the /nite! ,tates etween 2001 an! 2013 accor!ing to !ata from the /, arme! forces" &his figure li$ely
un!erestimate the total numer of crashes* as 'lass 0 inci!ents are crashes that inflicte! at least L2
million in !amage to the aircraft or other property" 0ll ma)or mo!els of /, !rones* inclu!ing the RC-4
.loal ?aw$* Reaper an! (re!ator* ha%e reporte!ly crashe! within the /nite! ,tates* though (re!ator
flights o%er ci%ilian areas are limite! in the /nite! ,tates !ue to its re!uce! reliaility" #nternationally the
/nite! ,tates has lost o%er 400 !rones in ma)or acci!ents since 2001" #n the last 12 months alone* two
(re!ator !rones ha%e crashe! into the <e!iterranean ,ea after coolant failure issues"
(lso of note
U< .igh Representative for @isarmament (ffairs (ngela 7ane identified a number of
emerging issues around autonomous weapons systems in a report to the (dvisory 'oard on
@isarmament ;atters 2U< "ffice of @isarmament (ffairs3 an! encourage! the oar! to ma$e a
contriution to the ongoing !iscussion aroun! lethal autonomous weapons systems an! the
implications for international humanitarian law"
D


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Open Briefing | 0
#he -rench and 'ritish defence ministers signed a two-year agreement to wor6 on the
feasibility phase of a new 5ointly-developed unmanned combat air vehicle) &he /'06 stu!y is
part of a roa!er 8uture 0ir 'omat ,ystem* which en%isages !eploying 8-31 Joint ,tri$e 8ighters
alongsi!e /'06s"
#he US defence industry is see6ing rela1ation of e1port controls on U(9s an! arguing that the
application of the <issile &echnology 'ontrol Regime :<&'R; is lea!ing to per%erse outcomes for
companies" &he /, state !epartment has ac$nowle!ge! that /06s re3uire !eeper consi!eration*
ut for the moment e-port of /06s is consi!ere! on a case-y-case asis ta$ing into account
'on%entional 0rms &ransfer policy an! international oligations such as the <&'R"
(n updated version of the Predator U(9 the Predator FP made its first flight at the US
(rmy+s Guma Proving *round Range Comple1 in (ri/ona on != 4une) &he upgra!es inclu!e an
automatic ta$eoff an! lan!ing system* impro%e! %i!eo capture an! imagery analysis software an!
an automatic i!entification system for maritime %essels"
U< use of U(9s for ISR in the @emocratic Republic of the Congo and ;ali continues to
receive strong media coverage inclu!ing the re%elation that the ,outh ,u!anese go%ernment
has refuse! the /+ permission to fly /06 #,R missions o%er its country" 0ttention is now turning to
how !ata collecte! from /06 #,R missions is share! with host go%ernments* war crimes triunals
or the /+ ,ecurity 'ouncil"
#aiwan+s army is reportedly flying a new fleet of $! commissioned U(9s from of the country5s
east :&aitung;* with the aim of monitoring the southeastern coastal areas of 'hina"
Results from the Pew Research Center+s *lobal (ttitudes Pro5ect suggests that despite
widespread opposition to US drone stri6es and mass surveillance only limite! reputational
harm has een inflicte! on the /nite! ,tates in eyes of sur%ey respon!ents"
H

US Duropean Command and <(#" completed 5oint long range ISR activities 2United 9ision
!%1B3 with *lobal .aw6 U(9s and alliance ground surveillance systems in early 4uly) &he
e-ercise was aime! at impro%ing the interoperaility of groun! sur%eillance assets an! /06s"
'(D scientists claim that $@ printers could be so advanced by !%B% that they could produce
small U(9s) &he scientists also suggeste! that technological a!%ancement in /06 technology
coul! in%ol%e !issol%ing circuit oar!s to pre%ent enemies from re%erse engineering /06
technologies"
#he University of 'irmingham has built the worldEs first ever robot security guard) +ame!
Bo* the first root security guar! was uilt as part of a MB"2 million :L12"3 million; pro)ect calle!
,&R0+@,* which wor$s towar!s ma$ing roots act intelligently an! in!epen!ently in real-worl!
en%ironments" Bo the root is ale to in!epen!ently scan an! monitor rooms* as well as
reporting any mo%ement or anormal changes ac$ to its human superiors"


H
httpEFFwww"pewgloal"orgF2014F0BF14Fgloal-opposition-to-u-s-sur%eillance-an!-!rones-ut-limite!-harm-to-americas-imageF
Open Briefing | C
'yer warfare
Significant malware distribution and networ6 monitoring on rise across Ira&
,ignificant malware !istriution an! networ$ monitoring is on the rise across #ra3 accor!ing to a report y
#ntercrawler* a /, cyer intelligence company" ,pecifically* the popular remote access tool n)R0&*
commonly use! against ,yrian opposition reels* appears to eing use! wi!ely across #ra3i internet ser%ice
pro%i!er :#,(; networ$s" &he tro)ans an! malware are !istriute! %ia malicious we lin$s* most li$ely
eme!!e! in political material on social me!ia* an! are li$ely eing use! to e-ecute screen graing an!
$ey logging acti%ities" #n a!!ition to the remote access tools* analysts ha%e note! a surge in use of the &OR
anonymity networ$ in #ra3 o%er the last few wee$s* with internet users trying to hi!e their #,( a!!resses
when un!erta$ing malicious acti%ities"
&he increase in malware an! the roa! !istriution of n)R0& raises the 3uestion of whether state-
sponsore! actors are in%ol%e!* using cyer tools to either !isrupt #slamic ,tate of #ra3 an! the >e%ant :#,#,;
communications or gather intelligence of the militant group5s mo%ements" &here is the possiility of
,yrian 2lectronic 0rmy in%ol%ement in cyer-attac$s on #,#, for the purpose of gathering intelligence on
ehalf of the ,yrian an! #ranian go%ernments" ?owe%er* this raises the further 3uestion of how such
intelligence* gathere! through R0&s* woul! e use! y state actors* such as #ra3 or #ran" 8or #ran* it is
unclear whether the intelligence gathere! through cyer operations is as actionale as #,R otaine! %ia
/06 flights o%er northern #ra3* with the implication that the allies cannot rely solely on cyer operations
for #,R" 0lternati%ely* the attac$s coul! e !irecte! at hampering #,#, communication an! information
operations* which ha%e garnere! significant gloal attention recently"
Ahile #,#, ha%e alrea!y !emonstrate! relati%ely sophisticate! an! coor!inate! use of social me!ia for
information campaigns* their capacity to !efen! an! launch cyer-ase! attac$s* !istriute! !enial-of-
ser%ice :@@o,; attac$s an! malware is not clear" ?ac$ers associate! with 0nonymous issue! an online
warning that go%ernments* such as ,au!i 0raia an! Catar* who ha%e or continue to support #,#, woul!
fin! their go%ernment wesites !eface! y 0nonymous hac$ers an! su)ect to @@o, attac$s" ?owe%er* a
few !ays after the announcement of 0nonymous5s Operation +O2#,#,* the twitter account
Nanonmessage was allege!ly hac$e! y #,#, an! use! to sprea! militant propagan!a an! %i!eos"
0n 0nonymous hac$ti%ist tol! me!ia outlets that the techni3ues use! to gain control o%er the twitter
account were similar to those use! y the ,yrian 2lectronic 0rmy" @espite 0nonymous inferring a lin$* it is
unli$ely ,20 woul! pro%i!e any assistance or ha%e any affiliation with #,#," #t is more li$ely that #,#, is
a!opting cyer tactics employe! y ,20 an! le%eraging pulicly a%ailale tools"

Open Briefing | 1%
"ther developments
US officials have recently been openly discussing cyber warfare threats) &he comman!er of /, 'yer
'omman! :/,'JB2R'O<;* 0!miral <ichael Rogers* tol! an international cyer symposium hoste! y the
pri%ate 0rme! 8orces 'ommunications an! 2lectronics 0ssociation on 24 June that 4this nation Othe /nite!
,tatesP will see either from another nation state or from a group or set of in!i%i!uals* efforts !esigne! to
cause !estructi%e cyer impacts against critical /"," infrastructure"5 Rogers* who is the !irector of the +,0*
also !iscusse! the offensi%e cyer capacity of Russia an! 'hina an! the challenges of integrating cyer
operations with $inetic military stri$es* intelligence collection an! !omestic law enforcement" @ays earlier
at a ,enate 0ppropriations 'ommittee sucommittee on !efence hearing* /, !efence secretary 'huc$
?agel officially confirme! that the /nite! ,tates elie%e! Russia ha! use! offensi%e cyer operations
!uring their anne-ation of 'rimea" &he le%el concern o%er hostile cyer capailities is e%i!ent in the /,
state !epartment5s #nternational ,ecurity 0!%isory Boar! !raft report on international cooperation on
cyer security* which re%eals a /, a!ministration see$ing the !e%elopment of international norms an!
treaty oligations"
10

<(#" is updating its cyber defence policy to clarify that ma5or cyber-attac6s on member states
could be covered by (rticle A of the <orth (tlantic #reaty the collective defence clause) &he policy
change will e put to the Aales summit in ,eptemer" &he policy !oes not clarify the threshol! that a
cyer-attac$ woul! nee! to reach to e co%ere! y 0rticle 1 or what the +0&O response woul! e*
allowing +0&O allies to !etermine the response on a case-y-case asis" &he $ey principle to e
estalishe! in the policy is that a certain intensity of cyer-attac$ an! malicious intention coul! e treate!
as the e3ui%alent of an arme! attac$" &he policy up!ate is gui!e! in part y the wor$ of 20 e-perts who
e-amine! the application of the laws of arme! conflict to cyer warfare an! pro!uce! a report title! the
Tallinn Manual* pulishe! in 0pril 2013"
11
&he cyer !imensions of recent conflicts* inclu!ing in /$raine*
an! pre%ious cyer operations in 2stonia an! .eorgia ha%e !ri%en !eman! for the cyer !efence policy"
<ew reports are emerging that cyber espionage campaigns against :estern energy utilities are
continuing and now provide attac6ers the ability to mount sabotage operations against their targets)
,ymantec ha%e pro!uce! a report on the 2nergetic Bear :a$a @ragonfly; cyer campaign against the
in!ustrial control systems of energy gri! operators* ma)or electricity generation installation operators an!
petroleum pipeline operators in the /nite! ,tates* #taly* ,pain* 8rance* .ermany* &ur$ey an! (olan!"
12
0t
present* it appears that !ata collection was the primary o)ecti%eQ howe%er it is clear 2nergetic Bear also
allowe! for saotage operations" @ue to the sophistication of the attac$s* ,ymantec has speculate! that
there was state-sponsorship of these cyer acti%ities" Base! on the hours of operation* e%i!ence! from
malware timestamps* ,ymantec suggests that the attac$s li$ely originate! in 2astern 2urope"


10
httpEFFinsi!ecyersecurity"comFiwpfile"htmlRfileS)ul2014I28cs2014K013D"p!f
11
httpEFFwww"$nowle!gecommons"inFwp-contentFuploa!sF2014F03F&allinn-<anual-on-the-#nternational->aw-0pplicale-to-'yer-
Aarfare-@raft-"p!f
12
httpEFFwww"symantec"comFconnectFlogsF!ragonfly-western-energy-companies-un!er-saotage-threat
Open Briefing | 11
(lso of note
#he US administration has alleged Chinese hac6ers gained access to the "ffice of Personnel
;anagement databases) &he !ataases inclu!e personal an! security clearance information on
/, fe!eral employees"
In early 4uly the US department of defence 2@o@3 launched a 5oint tas6force to investigate
how the @o@ information networ6 2@o@I<3 can be defended against cyber-attac6s an! how
information can still e share! across multiple agencies" &he (entagon5s <issile @efence 0gency is
also e-amining cyer ris$ to missile gui!ance systems* such as ra!ar satellites an! sensors
4apan+s government is evaluating options to address the increasing number of cyber-attac6s
on critical infrastructure) 0ccor!ing to Reuters* the country5s first cyer security white paper
release! in early July in!icate! that there were 1"0D million cases of irregular access to central
go%ernment information systems* inclu!ing outright cyer-attac$s* up from 1"0D million cases the
pre%ious year"
13
Ahile the increase is in line with gloal tren!s* (rime <inister ,hin7T 0e5s
intention to uil! a cyer security strategy hea!3uarters shows an increasing concern in &o$yo
o%er cyer threats* particularly from +orth Gorea an! 'hina"
CrowdStri6e have identified another Chinese hac6ing unit with alleged lin6s to an unnamed
Chinese government official) @ue! y 'row!,tri$e as 4@eep (an!a5* the group is allege! to
ha%e hac$e! /, targets with specific 0sian geopolitical e-pertise an! su)ect matter $nowle!ge
for years an! more recently starte! targeting /, thin$ tan$ specialists on #ra3" @eep (an!a
interest in !ocuments on #ra3 might stem from e-tensi%e ,ino interests in #ra3i oil pro!uction* with
'hina eing the largest foreign in%estor in #ra35s oil sector"
#he -rench ministry of defence is setting up their own cyber security training course to
develop its own e1perts) &he ministry has een unale to compete with the pri%ate sector to
secure cyersecurity specialists for the 8rench military"
#he Centre for International *overnance Innovation 2CI*I3 released a paper on global
cybercrime and the interplay of politics and law)
1B
&he paper e-amines the application of
!omestic law to international cyercrime* !rawing on the recent /, in!ictment of fi%e 'hinese
nationals for cyer espionage"
#he <orth 7orean military announced in early 4uly that it has nearly doubled its number of
cyber warfare personnel over the last two years with appro-imately 1*H00 personnel wor$ing
in the .eneral Bureau of Reconnaissance" &he +orth Gorean military spo$esperson also suggeste!
that some elite cyer warfare personnel were ase! in other countries* inclu!ing 'hina"
#he 'ritish government+s Centre for @efence Dnterprise and @efence Science and #echnology
8aboratory has announced a September networ6ing conference for defence science and
technology providers) One of the competitions to e launche! will e a fully-fun!e! contract for
automation of cyer !efence responses"

13
httpEFFu$"reuters"comFarticleF2014F0BF10Fu$-)apan-cyersecurity-i!/GGB+0881(>20140B10
14
httpEFFwww"cigionline"orgFsitesF!efaultFfilesFnoDK1"p!f
Open Briefing | 1!
#ntelligence* sur%eillance an! reconnaissance
'ritish parliament passes Hemergency+ data retention and surveillance legislation
&he /nite! Ging!om5s three ma)or political parties ha%e supporte! legislation that re3uires
telecommunication companies to retain customer meta!ata for 12 months an! reasserts the application
of !ata interception oligations on o%erseas communication ser%ices pro%i!ers !eli%ering ser%ices to
British citi7ens" &he /G go%ernment argue that the @ata Retention an! #n%estigatory (owers Bill is an
emergency response to the 2uropean 'ourt of Justice :2'J; ruling in 0pril that in%ali!ate! a 200= 2/
!irecti%e allowing telecommunication companies to store customer meta!ata for up to two years" &he 2'J
hel! that the !irecti%e !isproportionately interfere! with the fun!amental rights of pri%acy an!
protection of personal !ata"
&he rapi! passage of the @ata Retention an! #n%estigatory (owers Bill comes ami! rising concerns o%er
the capacity of the security ser%ices to monitor British fighters returning from ,yria an! #ra3 an!
e-pectations of critical fin!ings from the #ntelligence an! ,ecurity 'ommittee5s report into the mur!er of
sol!ier >ee Rigy in >on!on in <ay 2013" &he British go%ernment argues that the estalishment of a
(ri%acy an! 'i%il >ierties O%ersight Boar! to scrutinise sur%eillance acti%ity an! a sunset clause of
@ecemer 201= on the legislation allows the go%ernment to respon! to these issues while maintaining the
necessary o%ersight an! pri%acy safeguar!s" &he application of the legislation to o%erseas
telecommunication ser%ice pro%i!ers is particularly contentious for #,( companies who ha%e ha! their
networ$ assets compromise! y .'?C monitoring an! !ata interception" ,e%en #,(s ase! in si- countries
ha%e file! claims with the /G #n%estigatory (owers &riunal :#(&; alleging .'?C uses malware to intercept
communications across their networ$s" .'?C has pre%iously argue! that /G citi7ens accessing foreign
ser%ers is !eeme! e-ternal communications an! can e monitore! without the nee! for in!i%i!ual
warrants"
&he British legislation is the latest in a series of legislati%e reforms un!er consi!eration across the 8i%e
2yes )uris!ictions" <ost of the )uris!ictions are tying the re%iew of e-isting arrangements that facilitate
some form of ul$ collection with rising concerns o%er returning fighters from ,yria an! #ra3" Aorryingly
for ci%il lierty campaigners* the safeguar!s offere! as counteralance to increasing intelligence
collection in a particular )uris!iction may e o%ercome y the signals intelligence sharing arrangements
etween the 8i%e 2ye partners* which may enale other states to fill in the intelligence gaps of !omestic
)uris!ictions"
<ore wi!ely* the /G go%ernment5s increasing focus on #,R an! cyer capailities is clearly e%i!ence y
(rime <inister @a%i! 'ameron5s announcement of M1"1 illion pac$age 4to e3uip arme! forces for the
conflicts of this century* not the last5* which inclu!es an o%er MD00 million oost to British intelligence*
sur%eillance* an! cyer capailities"

Open Briefing | 1$
"ther developments
'ritish and US intelligence agencies are investing in new information operation capabilities
particularly across social media platforms as a way to shape public opinion and sentiment)
@ocuments lea$e! y former +,0 contractor 2!war! ,now!en show that the /G .'?C5s Joint &hreat
Research #ntelligence .roup :J&R#.; has !e%elope! a numer of information operation applications" &he
applications pro%i!e .'?C with the aility to manipulate an! alter information presentation across social
me!ia platforms* loc$ email an! wesite access* co%ertly recor! real time ,$ype con%ersations an!
retrie%e pri%ate 8aceoo$ photos" &he /, !epartment of !efence5s military research arm* the @efense
0!%ance! Research (ro)ects 0gency :@0R(0;* pre-empti%ely release! information on its ,ocial <e!ia in
,trategic 'ommunication :,<#,'; programme after re%elations aout 8aceoo$5s 4emotional contagion5
news fee! e-periment an! the J&R#. applications"
11

#he US Privacy and Civil 8iberties "versight 'oard 2PC8"'3 released its second report into <S(
surveillance activities in early 4uly focusing on electronic surveillance under Section =%! of the
-oreign Intelligence Surveillance (ct 2-IS(3)
1?
&he first report focuse! on the !omestic telephone
meta!ata collection programme un!er ,ection 211 of the /,0 (atriot 0ct" &he new report attempts to
ma$e a clear !istinction etween the ul$ meta!ata collection programme an! the B02 programme* which
in%ol%es the collection of telephone calls an! emails where the target is reasonaly elie%e! to e a non-
/, person locate! outsi!e of the /nite! ,tates ut can inclu!e /, citi7ens communicating with non-/,
targets" &he /, go%ernment oar! i!entifie! a numer of issues with +,0 targeting policies an! practices
an! accepte! that information was inci!entally collecte! on non-target in!i%i!uals" <ost importantly* the
('>OB recommen!e! changes to the proce!ures an! practices of the +,0 in searching the B02
programme !ataase for non-target names an! phone numers* which coul! constitute a form of
4ac$!oor wiretap5"
Revelations in 4uly that US intelligence agents based in *ermany were purchasing information on a
parliamentary investigation into Snowden lea6s from a low-level *erman intelligence agent have
reignited diplomatic tensions between the United States and *ermany) &his is li$ely to lea! to a
reinforce! .erman counter-espionage policy towar!s allies such as 8rance* Britain an! the /nite! ,tates"
Berlin is li$ely to in%est in greater monitoring of the allies5 listening posts in .ermany" <ore imme!iately*
the .erman go%ernment has e-pelle! the '#0 station chief in Berlin" &hese !e%elopments ha%e reignite!
!iplomatic tensions etween the two countries at a time when the fallout from the +,05s tapping of
'hancellor 0ngela <er$el5s moile phone was gra!ually aating" 0!!ing to the !iplomatic tension* the
.erman interior ministry announce! the cancellation of a contract with /, telecom company 6eri7on ami!
concerns o%er the security of signals* !ata an! information mo%ing through 6eri7on systems an!
har!ware* an! the .erman fe!eral prosecutor announce! an in%estigation into the +,05s hac$ing of
<er$el5s phone" Ahile some commentators suggest the theatrics of the !iplomatic row are in part a face
sa%ing acti%ity for .ermany* the cancellation of the 6eri7on contract may in!icate that a !eeper !istrust
has set in"


11
httpEFFwww"!arpa"milFAor$0reaF@ownloa!0sset"asp-Ri!S214B4DD011
1=
httpEFFwww"pclo"go%F0llI20@ocumentsFReportI20onI20theI20,ectionI20B02I20(rogramF('>OB-,ection-B02-Report"p!f
Open Briefing | 1B
(lso of note
#he most recent set of <S( documents lea6ed by Ddward Snowden revealed the <S(
R(;P(R#-( programme a >1=% million programme aimed at installing data interception
e&uipment on strategic fibre optic cable cho6e points) &he programme in%ol%e! the +,0
entering into thir! party access agreements with 30 countries* inclu!ing all 8i%e 2yes partners* an!
multilaterals* such as +0&O* to install the interception e3uipment" /n!er the arrangements* host
nations agree! to not access the e3uipment to monitor /, citi7ens an! the +,0 agree! to not
monitor the host5s !omestic citi7ens" ?owe%er* y securing roa! international networ$ co%erage*
these prohiitions ecame irrele%ant"
US diplomats were in <ew @elhi India in early 4uly to manage agitation over the <S(+s
surveillance of the 'haratiya 4anata Party 2'4P3 an! to ensure historical sur%eillance acti%ity
will not hin!er future ilateral relations" &he BJ( was one of si- political organisations i!entifie! in
a 2010 /, 8oreign #ntelligence ,ur%eillance 'ourt :8#,'; or!er as su)ect to +,0 sur%eillance"
( *erman media outlet revealed allegations that the <S( monitors nine 6ey servers running
the anonymity networ6 #"R an! ha%e !igital fingerprinting capailities to monitor those %isiting
the &OR rowser or &ails pri%acy-orientate! operating system wesites through their
UGeyscore sur%eillance system" &hose %isiting these wesites or using the &OR rowser are place!
on an +,0 inspection list for targete! sur%eillance"
<S( director (dmiral ;ichael Rogers suggested in an interview with the New York Times that
while the Snowden lea6s have meant some groups have enhanced their counter
communication surveillance techni&ues the Hs6y is not falling+)
1=
Rogers5 comments stan! in
star$ contrast to his pre!ecessor* .eneral Geith 0le-an!er* who sai! the ,now!en lea$s cause!
4the greatest !amage to our comine! nations5 intelligence systems that we ha%e e%er suffere!5"
( report by Intercept revealed that the <S( and -'I monitored the emails of five prominent
US activists and attorneys with ;uslim bac6grounds an! that the +,0 intelligence reports
employe! highly racist language"
10
&he Ahite ?ouse has re3ueste! that the intelligence agencies
re%iew training stan!ar!s an! policies"





Commissioned by the Remote Control Project
remotecontrolpro5ect)org






1B
httpEFFwww"nytimes"comF2014F0=F30FusFs$y-isnt-falling-after-snow!en-nsa-chief-says"html
1D
httpsEFFfirstloo$"orgFtheinterceptFarticleF2014F0BF0HFun!er-sur%eillanceF
Open Briefing | 1A
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Ae pro!uce actionale an! pre!icti%e intelligence on !efence* security an! foreign policy matters" Ae tell
you what has happene! an! what is li$ely to happen ne-t" <ost importantly* we tell you why"
Ae !o this so that etter informe! citi7ens can more effecti%ely engage in peace an! security !eates an!
ci%il society organisations can ma$e the right a!%ocacy choices" &ogether* we can influence positi%e policy
!ecisions y our go%ernments"
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'hallenge the status 3uo" &a$e intelligence into your own han!s"
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