Counterintelligence
Offensive measures using enemy information
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We include updates on COINTELPRO, Aldrich Ames, SMERSH, Abwehr, Clandestine cell system, Sexpionage, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Central Intelligence Organisation, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques, Recruitment of spies, U.S. Army and CIA interrogation manuals, Association of Chief Police Officers, Intelligence Protection Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism organizations, Intelligence cycle security ... and more.
| June 16 2025 | John Eisenberg becomes Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division under President Donald Trump, and is currently incumbent. |
| January 20 2025 | Matthew G. Olsen leaves office. |
| 2023 | Ian George Peacock was identified as the KGB mole who infiltrated ASIO, with the code name 'Mira'. |
| 2023 | Ames was mentioned in the TV series 'Billions' (Season 7, Episode 4) and the BBC TV series 'Secrets & Spies: A Nuclear Game', referencing his treason and imprisonment. |
| November 1 2021 | Matthew G. Olsen sworn in as Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division under President Joe Biden. |
| June 25 2021 | John Demers leaves office, and Mark Lesko becomes Acting Assistant Attorney General. |
| 2020 | Peter Dutton, then Minister for Home Affairs, introduced the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill 2020, which significantly expanded ASIO's powers. The bill allowed ASIO to compulsively question minors as young as 14, authorized tracking device usage without warrants, and expanded questioning powers to cover espionage, foreign interference, and political violence. The Law Council of Australia criticized the bill, comparing it to the Hong Kong national security law, though ASIO head Mike Burgess rejected claims of potential misuse against lawful protest. |
| 2019 | Aaron Nhepera was reassigned from his position as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) to different duties. |
| December 2019 | Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a report accusing the National Security Division of providing false information to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in wiretap applications, leading to a formal order from the presiding judge requiring a sworn explanation of the division's actions and plans to ensure accurate representations in future applications. |
| 2018 | Ames was featured in Ben Macintyre's book 'The Spy and the Traitor', which noted his primary motivation was monetary gain of around $4M. |
| February 22 2018 | John Demers sworn in as Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division under President Donald Trump. |
| 2017 | During the 2017 coup d'état, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) collaborated with the Airforce of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to potentially counter the army's actions, but were ordered to stand down by President Robert Mugabe to prevent a potential civil war. |
| 2016 | ASIO publicly admitted that the organization had been infiltrated by Soviet spies from its earliest years, potentially since its inception. |
| October 15 2016 | John P. Carlin leaves office. |
| 2014 | ABC miniseries 'The Assets' was based on the book 'Circle of Treason' by Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille, with Ames portrayed by Paul Rhys. |
| April 1 2014 | John P. Carlin becomes Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. |
| 2013 | ASIO reaches a staff size of approximately 1,740 employees. |
| July 23 2013 | The new $630 million ASIO Central Office, Ben Chifley Building, was officially opened by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra, named after Ben Chifley, who was prime minister when ASIO was initially established. |
| May 2013 | ABC News reported that China allegedly stole blueprints to the ASIO headquarters, revealing a significant potential security breach for the Australian domestic intelligence agency. |
| March 8 2013 | Lisa Monaco leaves office. |
| 2012 | ASIO was reported to be monitoring Australian anti-coal activists, with a focus on protests related to the Hazelwood power station in Victoria. Minister Martin Ferguson expressed particular concern about these environmental protests. |
| 2011 | Ames was portrayed by Joseph DiMartino in the television program 'Mysteries at the Museum' (Season 2, Episode 6), which chronicled his espionage story and infamous mailbox signal. |
| July 1 2011 | Lisa Monaco becomes Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. |
| January 13 2011 | David S. Kris leaves office. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, United States Department of Justice National Security Division, Central Intelligence Organisation & Aldrich Ames, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.