Tom Gjelten

High-Tech Surveillance Targets Evolving Terrorist Tactics

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Since public revelations that the National Security Agency is collecting telephone records and reviewing Internet communications in the U.S. and abroad, officials have been making the case that the programs are vital. They argue that the tactics match the new ways terrorists are planning and communicating.

There was a time when America's enemies conspired face-to-face, or communicated through couriers, or by leaving messages for each other somewhere.

Cyber Spying Expected To Be Discussed At U.S.-China Summit

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Today, President Obama will be turning his attention to China. He's meeting China's new President, Xi Jinping, here in Southern California. There's plenty on the agenda: trade, currency, North Korea. This year, though, a new topic may dominate: China's habit of breaking into U.S. computer networks to steal trade and military secrets.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: U.S. officials used to say only that some countries engage in cyber espionage. Everyone knew they usually meant China. They just wouldn't say so.

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.

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

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:44:00 +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.

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.

Amid Threats, N. Korea's Neighbors Rethink Defense Policies

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:35:00 +0000

North Korea has been a big headache for the United States, with the new leader there saying almost daily that his country is ready to go to war.

Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U.S.

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 21:25:00 +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.