Line of Sight

Rainy day at Arlington

"I'll love you forever."

"I'll love you forever."

Veterans Day service for Tech Sgt. Matlovich

The SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) held a memorial service in honor of Veterans Day at the grave site of Tech Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, "one of the first to challenge the military’s exclusion of GLBT people from the armed forces," at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, November 8, 2009.

The SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) held a memorial service in honor of Veterans Day at the gravesite of Tech Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, "one of the first to challenge the military’s exclusion of GLBT people from the armed forces," at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009.

Minister of Defense, Estonia

Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian Minister of Defense, at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 2, 2009. Estonia has soldiers in Afghanistan, but this time they are on the Afghan's side. Much different than 30 years ago.

Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian Minister of Defense, at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 2, 2009. Estonia has soldiers in Afghanistan, but this time they are on the Afghan's side. Much different than 30 years ago.

Your new Secretary of the Army

John M. McHugh, 21st Secretary of the Army, speaks during his Arrival Ceremony at Conmy Hall, Ft. Myer, VA, on Monday, November 2, 2009.

John M. McHugh, 21st Secretary of the Army, speaks during his Arrival Ceremony at Conmy Hall, Ft. Myer, VA, on Monday, November 2, 2009.

Out & In

On stage at the AUSA annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 5, 2009.

On stage at the AUSA annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 5, 2009.

AUSA’s large and international following

An international crowd at the opening ceremony of the AUSA annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 5, 2009.

An international group of military attendees at the opening ceremony of the AUSA annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 5, 2009.

So, About That Missing Russian Freighter….

barak

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hosts an honor cordons to welcome Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak to the Pentagon.

Read the Fine Print

CAM_2134

Army Linguist Payam Abrarahadi, 22, from Tehran, Iran, examines his naturalization certificate after a citizenship ceremony at the Pentagon.

Shadowland

kgb1

Former deputy chief of the KGB station at the Soviet embassy in Washington, DC, KGB Maj. Gen. Oleg Kalugin (Ret.) – reflected in a window – speaks at the Spy Museum about his 32-year long career in the intelligence trade. He oversaw Moscow’s spy network in the United States, and as head of KGB foreign counter-intelligence, he directed the KGB’s most valuable clandestine agents inside the United States, most notably the Walker case.
John Walker was a Navy communications specialist who gave the Soviets significant intelligence for almost twenty years – and was recruited simply when he walked into the Soviet embassy in DC, looking to sell a radio cipher.
Kalugin’s book has just been reissued, and Kalugin – now a U.S. citizen and a professor at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies – spoke about one of the differences between Russian & Chinese spy services versus the U.S. “We would recruit young students, and invest in a long term view. One of my students eventually joined the State department…..they take a long view of the trade, and don’t worry about the money being spent on that investment. Here, it’s like a Starbucks culture, you have to have instant results when the CIA spends money.”