Tom Gjelten

Obama Keeps Distance From Torture Debate, At Least For Now

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:55:00 +0000

In his national security speech Thursday, President Obama discussed drone warfare and the Guantanamo detention camp. But a third controversial issue went largely unmentioned: the use of interrogation methods that are tantamount to torture.

Obama banned those interrogation techniques on his second day in office. But he has largely avoided the debate over whether torture in some cases has produced valuable information.

U.S. Turns Up Heat On Costly Commercial Cyber Theft In China

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

American companies that do business with China make good money. They also lose a lot of money there to cyberthieves, who routinely hack into the computers of the U.S. firms and steal their trade and technology secrets.

China's theft of U.S. intellectual property has gotten serious enough in recent months to warrant President Obama's attention and prompt a series of visits to Beijing by senior members of Obama's Cabinet.

FBI Criticized For Failing To 'Connect Dots' In Boston Case

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was moved today to a prison hospital outside Boston. Officials say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is no longer cooperating with investigators.

Clues Suggest Boston Suspects Took A Do-It-Yourself Approach

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:13:00 +0000

As investigators look into the Boston Marathon bombings, one crucial question is whether the suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, acted alone or had help. The clues might be found in the bombs used.

From what is now known, it appears the brothers assembled a whole arsenal of explosives. Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told CNN last weekend that the suspects had at least six bombs, including the two used in the attack and one thrown at police during a shootout.

There were three bombs that weren't detonated, including one found at the Tsarnaevs' apartment in Cambridge.

Two Young Men Suspected In Boston Bombing Attack

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:18:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

We begin this hour with what we're told is an imminent news conference out of Boston. Authorities are expected to announce next steps in the Boston Marathon bombing case, and we'll bring that to you live when it begins. And while we wait, let's run through what we do know.

Venezuela's Next Leader Faces Tough Choice On Oil Program

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:23:00 +0000

As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez thought in grandiose terms, and his country's vast oil riches enabled him to act on his vision. But Chavez died before he had to deal with the flaws in his model, and some hard choices await his successor.

Key to Chavez's notion of "21st Century Socialism" was the redistribution of Venezuela's oil earnings.

Tensions With North Korea A Messaging Balancing Act For U.S.

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 09:13:00 +0000

You might think alarm bells would be sounding in Washington, given the warnings coming out of North Korea. But when they talk about North Korea, U.S. officials are sounding like exasperated parents responding to a child's tantrum.

At the White House on Friday, spokesman Jay Carney said the United States "would not be surprised" if North Korea actually carries out a missile test.

"We have seen them launch missiles in the past, and the U.N.

Is All The Talk About Cyberwarfare Just Hype?

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:12:00 +0000

U.S. government pronouncements about the danger of a major cyberattack can be confusing. The director of national intelligence, James Clapper, and the head of the U.S. military's Cyber Command, Army Gen.

Cyber Attacks, Terrorism Top U.S. Security Threat Report

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:16:00 +0000

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, went before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in a bit of a sour mood. He led off complaining that he had to speak publicly at all.

"An open hearing on intelligence matters," Clapper said, "is a contradiction in terms." And then, before getting to any international problems Clapper hit a domestic one: the spending cuts mandated under the sequestration package.

"Let me now be blunt for you and for the American people," he said.

Sanctions Bite, But Iran Shows No Signs Of Budging

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:08:00 +0000

A new round of international talks on Iran's nuclear program is under way in Kazakhstan, where the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany are asking Iran to give up any thought of building a nuclear weapon in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Western leaders do not predict a breakthrough, but they say small steps could be taken that would increase confidence on both sides.

Still, it's hard to imagine how such negotiations could proceed with lower expectations for progress.

"If you sat people down, they would tell you that in a perfect world they would love to work something o

Victims Of Cyberattacks Now Going On Offense Against Intruders

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:41:00 +0000

U.S. companies that have their networks routinely penetrated and their trade secrets stolen cannot be surprised by a new National Intelligence Estimate on the cyber-espionage threat. The classified NIE, the first-ever focusing on cybersecurity, concludes that the U.S. is the target of a major espionage campaign, with China the leading culprit.

Private firms and government agencies have struggled with cyberattacks from China and other countries for years.

In Cyberwar, Software Flaws Are A Hot Commodity

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:25:00 +0000

There have been security flaws in software as long as there has been software, but they have become even more critically important in the context of cyberweapons development.

In the past, security researchers who stumbled on a software flaw would typically report the flaw to the manufacturer of the software, so it could be fixed. That changed, however, when cyberweapon designers started looking at these flaws as vulnerabilities that could serve as a back door into a computer network.

Pentagon Goes On The Offensive Against Cyber Attacks

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:36:00 +0000

With the Pentagon now officially recognizing cyberspace as a domain of warfare, U.S. military commanders are emphasizing their readiness to defend the nation against cyberthreats from abroad. What they do not say is that they are equally prepared to launch their own cyberattacks against U.S. adversaries.

The importance of plans for offensive cyberwar operations is obscured by the reluctance of the government to acknowledge them.

Brennan Objects To Use Of Waterboarding In CIA Confirmation Hearing

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

President Obama's nominee to run the CIA has his confirmation hearing Thursday afternoon. The hearing of White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan comes as lawmakers are studying a memo on drone strikes overseas. Robert Siegel talks to Tom Gjelten.

Obama's Pick For CIA Chief To Face Senate Scrutiny

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:40:00 +0000

John Brennan, President Obama's choice to lead the CIA, can look forward to a grilling Thursday on Capitol Hill. As Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, he has been associated with some controversial policies, including the use of armed drones. Brennan's nomination comes before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and members from both parties have their questions ready.

It's unlikely that Brennan's appointment as CIA director is in trouble.

The CIA And The Hazards Of Middle East Forecasting

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Government agencies do not often acknowledge their own errors, but the CIA has done just that with the declassification of intelligence memoranda on the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

The documents show that agency analysts, down to the last minute before the outbreak of fighting, were assuring President Nixon, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other policymakers that Egypt and Syria were unlikely to attack Israel.

Those assessments, in the words of a his decision to nominate former Sen. Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense.

The top Republican on the House intelligence committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, said in a statement Monday that he looks forward to working with Brennan at the CIA.

Policymakers Planning For A Venezuela After Chavez

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:52:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Hugo Chavez has dominated Venezuela for so long that it's hard to imagine what the country would be like without him in charge. Opposition leaders are hoping for a new, more democratic system. But powerful factions in Venezuela want things to stay just as they are. Because the country is a key player in the region, NPR's Tom Gjelten says the U.S. is now making its own plans for life after Chavez.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: There's one new sign of Hugo Chavez's weakness. Markets are guessing he will not return to power.

What North Korea's Rocket Launch Tells Us About Iran's Role

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:25:00 +0000

U.S. officials say the satellite put into orbit by North Korea's rocket launch this week is wobbling, but that doesn't necessarily mean the launch itself was unsuccessful.

U.S. analysts say the North Koreans' main goal was not to put a satellite into orbit, but just to see all three stages of their rocket work, to show that the rocket could carry its payload a long distance. That it did.

The World In 2030: Asia Rises, The West Declines

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:04:00 +0000

By the year 2030, for the first time in history, a majority of the world's population will be out of poverty. Middle classes will be the most important social and economic sector. Asia will enjoy the global power status it last had in the Middle Ages, while the 350-year rise of the West will be largely reversed. Global leadership may be shared, and the world is likely to be democratizing.

But the planet may also be racked by wars over food and water, with the environment threatened by climate change.

What Should The U.S. Learn From Europe's Woes?

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:31:00 +0000

As President Obama and Capitol Hill lawmakers assess the need for spending cuts and tax increases against the risk of triggering a new recession, they might look across the Atlantic for insights from those who have already grappled with those budgetary questions.

The problem of excessive government debt has swamped economies across Europe and forced countries to take severe measures to cut their deficits. The first lesson from their "fiscal consolidation" experiences: It will hurt.

"Fiscal consolidation, which has happened in Europe much more actually than in the U.S.

Shutdowns Raise Issue Of Who Controls The Internet

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:28:00 +0000

First, it was Egypt. At the height of the protest against the Mubarak regime in 2011, authorities shut the Internet down.

This week, it was Syria.

What Gaza Says About Possible Iran-Israel Showdown

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:00:00 +0000

In the Gaza Strip fighting, where a cease-fire was reached Wednesday, the Israeli military pounded Gaza with hundreds of airstrikes. Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that rules Gaza, launched hundreds of rocket attacks on Israel.

The weeklong battle temporarily diverted attention from Iran, the archenemy of Israel and a key ally of Hamas.

After Benghazi Hearings, Flurry Of Concern Unsettled

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 10:24:00 +0000

David Petraeus' resignation from the CIA further complicated the debate over the September attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Petraeus, a key figure in the events, stepped down as director after admitting to an extramarital affair. But members of Congress were so anxious to hear from him that they brought Petraeus back to Capitol Hill on Friday to get his version of the Benghazi story.

President Obama's critics say there's much about Benghazi that reflects poorly on his administration, but this week they focused on comments by U.N.

U.S. Rethinks Security As Mideast Oil Imports Drop

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Within the next two decades, the United States may barely need any oil from the Persian Gulf, due in large part to increased domestic production. That dramatic shift could shake the foundation of U.S. interests in the Middle East.

For more than 40 years, the U.S. security presence in the region has been rooted in one reality: It is where our oil comes from. The need to keep the oil flowing has meant U.S. administrations cozy up to Saudi Arabia. It has meant the U.S. military keeps aircraft carriers stationed around the Gulf. And it has meant a U.S.

Scandals Muddles Military Recommendations

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:37:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And I'm Linda Wertheimer. We've steadily been learning more about the people at the center of a military scandal. Retired general - and CIA director - David Petraeus resigned because of an affair.

INSKEEP: The affair was discovered when his mistress confronted another woman.

WERTHEIMER: That woman, Jill Kelley, was a socialite linked to the U.S. military in Tampa.

Washington Surprised By News Of Petraeus Affair

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:44:00 +0000

Officials in Washington are still trying to make sense of the sudden resignation last week of CIA Director David Petraeus. More details are emerging about the extramarital affair that brought Petraeus down. It came to light following an FBI investigation, which was not focused originally on the CIA director but soon led to him.

Candidates Tout Different Routes To 'Energy Security'

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:32:00 +0000

The pressing energy issue in the 2008 presidential campaign was how to reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming. Four years later, the drive for "green energy" has been replaced by a new imperative: the need to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

"I will set a national goal of North American energy independence by 2020," Mitt Romney declared during a campaign speech in August.

Software, Not Just Bullets, Puts Military At Odds

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:39:00 +0000

Military commanders, government officials and members of Congress have long wrangled over which weapon systems are needed. Now, there's an argument over what computer software should be provided to soldiers in Afghanistan. It's a defense dispute for the digital age.

In recent years, the ability to analyze data has become almost as important to U.S. war-fighters as the guns they use.

"We're no longer just hurling mass and energy at our opponents," says John Arquilla, a professor of defense analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School.