U.S. Boys in Defense: Useful Asset or Useful Idiot?

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said a few days ago, “Our young men and women are our assets.” So Mark, would you call Jack boy a useful asset or useful idiot?

Boys, either way, “the guard missed the block and the Quarterback got sacked.” REPLAY? My turf, my rules → OMG! Boy Toys, Ready to Play? Game On!

Seems just about any healthy high school graduate and pretty young boy can join the National Guard where “THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO BE GREAT.”

Sure looks like Jack boy found a way. Funny thing is, Jack may have committed to “be a keeper of the American dream,” yet, it was the keeper of American intelligence he had trouble with.

Two key questions: How did the National Guard let this happen and why grant Intel access? First, let’s not get ahead of the game. Viewed two ways we find two vantage points:

1. Giving low level recruits access to Intel may be risky, especially given what happened with a high level Snowden in NSA. Perhaps this was the intent all along? Facilitate penetration and await the asset to flood the online airways with purposeful ‘bad intel.’ Come on, you mean to tell me with all the surveillance gadgets you agencies have, you didn’t keep ‘tabs’ on these boys? Still, in exposing spies, lies, and improper surveillance, Snowden is said to have disclosed classified information, but only to journalists, not foreign agents.
2. No, you really did screw up. Intel leaked. But why no consistent oversight if Defense’s budget is in the trillions? Reallocation or redirecting funds? Either way, DOD can turn it into a great PR stunt to attract the few, the proud PYBs. Jack, I’m sure they’ll welcome you back with open arms. Yep, ‘boys will be boys.’

Foreign and Domestic Response to ‘Leaks‘

West demanded, “whatever it takes.” East commands Kingdom↔Dynasty↔Empire in alignment. Pearl of India brilliantly and wisely follows its compass.

Allies and Adversaries, looks like you ain’t seen nothing yet when it comes to Intel leaks. Or have you? Seeing the visible flaw in America’s Pandora Box did you offer her “sweet nothings”?

Sure, it come as no surprise that U.S. had one eye on Taiwan and the other on Ukraine with a ‘third eye’ on China. Russia, as NATO welcomes yet another member in its alliance game, ready to face a NPTO?   

Americans, imagine if the information was in front of you all along. And unlike my Eastern friends, you were naïve and distracted all along. Now, imagine if you were to discover the gambit that began in Iraq led to Afghanistan led to New York and led back to Iraq actually began in…………..   A long and costly trajectory led by the surveillance and satellites of a so called superpower? Now, open your eyes and face what comes next or await the whistle to blow!

First, in my October 2019 paper, Blowing the Whistle on CIA, NSA and U.S. President I point to a December 2018 meeting held on Intelligence Community Accountability where among the issues discussed were leaks and whistleblowers.

According to Michael Morell, former Deputy & Acting CIA Director, “Nothing I briefed Congress ever leaked.” Leaks and blowing the whistle are seen differently. Depending on who does it, what’s disclosed and who benefits, will result on whether it’s seen positively or not.

Referencing his book, Permanent Record, Snowden states, “The reason you’re reading this book is that I did a dangerous thing for a man in my position: I decided to tell the truth. I collected internal IC documents that gave evidence of the US government’s lawbreaking…”  But who really benefited from Snowden’s leak to the press?

In the case of Snowden, Morell notes that “two of the programs that Snowden disclosed had multiple oversight.” So how did the NSA drop the ball?  Did the agency overlook proper vetting of Snowden because of their need for technical skills?  

Answer: easily and yes. One could argue that that is precisely why he and others like him are hired. Technical vs critical thinking skills needed. Don’t ask questions and just follow orders.

Second, back to Jack…

Is he a Public Servant or Public Enemy? What’s the mission, I ask in my August 2022 paper, Operation Snowman: Scouts Tracking Informant. Hunt high & low ↨ joint operation targeting Informant Shooting the Messengers → Snow Job of “Bastard Patriotism”

Jack, trial will tell us if the NG prepared you for “when impossible obstacles stare you in the face.” Do you have the “will to achieve something bigger?” My guess is it doesn’t matter.

You see, Jack boy, dishonorable actions taken by a National Guardsman appear to be no different than students/recruits at West Point or Air Force. Tim Bakken, West Point Law Professor’s book points to The Cost of Loyalty: Dishonesty, Hubris, and Failure in the U.S. Military.

In my May 2022 paper, US Air Force “Blue Max” is AWOL! I point to “Honor Among Thieves” and Cheats.” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall admitted, “It was reported that following a lengthy investigation, the Air Force Academy had identified 245 Cadets of suspected cheating.”

It’s a sorry state of affairs. But hey, if all you need is a bunch of warm bodies, you’re in luck that these poor bastards don’t give a fuck.

“Force2Serve”?

The days of the ‘few and proud’ are over. Instead of recruiting the best, it’s whomever they can get (all under veil of ‘diversity’) as recruitment numbers are low and falling. My guess, U.S. has looked into implementing Israel’s defense policy. Recall the hearing on Mandatory Service I highlighted in my May 2019 paper, Mavericks: U.S. Drafting New “Top Guns”?

“In 2017, Congress created NCMNPS to review the selective service system and whether women should be required to register as all 18-25 year old males are required to do so. They also are charged with suggesting ways to create a universal expectation of national military, national or public service.”

Reportedly, once mandatory service is approved, an integrated system would pull data from those having applied for school loans and DMV applications prompting registration requirement notifications. Hmm, I see an opportunity for GOV to get back unpaid student loans in the form of forced service.

So WTF happened? The overarching criticism from the public was that if the recommendation was to enforce mandatory service, then the website “inspire2serve” should be changed to read “force2serve.”  Pushback from the public halted Mandatory Service, for the time being.

But as recruit numbers, standards continue to hit the floor hard. Kendall’s says: “There’s been a lot of changes in all the academies honor systems over the years…It used to be you make one mistake and you’re out automatically. We don’t take that approach anymore. I think that’s probably a positive change.”

Kendall, in light of what’s occurred with Jack, Sir, I ask you again, what’s positive about National Guardsmen leaking information? Air Force justification for lowering their standards? Says Kendall, “People that come in from the current culture don’t have the same value system that people might have had 50 years or so ago when I came in. That’s just a fact of life.”

U.S., you forget one important fact: “to the technician, the nation is nothing more than another sphere in which to apply the instruments he has developed.”

Creating Boy Toy Soldiers or Spies

DOD, you expect young men to play your ‘war games’ spending hours in virtual worlds and not be confused as to what is ‘classified’ and ‘misinformation’?  And all along ‘protect our information’?

From Hanssen to Snowden, it appears U.S. spy agencies are in the wrong business. In his 2004 book, Inside, A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling Inside the FBI, Former Special Agent at the FBI, I.C. Smith states “the FBI, with principal responsibility for detecting spies in the United States, had not detected [Robert] Hanssen for well over a decade.”

Former National Intelligence Council Chair Gregory Treverton may agree. On February 26, 2020, Treverton spoke on the “Future of Intelligence.”

“Even if you’re a good spy, that spy may not be in the right meeting or may not be able to get information out safely so my experience, particularly if you look at American spies for foreign countries…”

Useful Asset or Useful Idiot?  Russia arrests U.S. journalist for allegedly collecting intelligence AND U.S. arrests National Guardsman for his connection in the “unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information,” stated Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

Treverton’s words fittingly ring true of Jack, “they were all in a category of people who knew about technology, or assets right things that the Russians or others would like to know about tomorrow or the next day if they couldn’t find out about it today.”

U.S., ready for another swap? Your journalist in exchange for Jack boy, the PYB useful asset?

Next time, don’t send a man or recruit a boy when a girl can get the job done AND not get caught.

FBI and DOJ, recall my words when I knocked on the Google door of ALPHABET in August 2019? “It pays to know our ABCs and CIAs.” 

Until then boy toys, catch me if you can! 🙂