Volume 1, Issue 11
SE&M Solutions LLC publishes The In-Brief to help keep government and industry leaders aware of important issues in the personnel security, suitability, Trusted Workforce 2.0, background investigations, adjudications, counterintelligence, industrial security communities.
Articles of Interest
Tysons Casino Poses National Security Threat: Intelligence Experts
Patch reports that a potential casino in Tysons is facing backlash from the defense and intelligence industry. A plan to build a casino in Tysons poses a needless threat to national security, according to a letter signed by 109 former senior members of the defense industry and intelligence community, as well as former government officials and members of Congress. In addition, the casino that Comstock Holding Companies has said it wants to build along Metro’s Silver Line in Tysons would be near vital defense and intelligence contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Raytheon, BAE, CACI, ManTech, Booz Allen, and MITRE. Gambling debts and problems can make the defense industry and intelligence workers vulnerable to blackmail threats, leading to security leaks, the opponents said.
Judge Orders CIA Analyst Accused of Israel-Iran Leak Held Pending Trial
A CIA analyst charged with leaking top-secret details ahead of a planned Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year will remain jailed pending trial. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles overrules a magistrate who said last week that Asif Rahman, 34, of Vienna, Virginia, could be free on restrictions while he awaits trial on charges of disclosing national defense information, according to AP News. At a detention hearing, prosecutor Troy Edwards said Rahman was motivated by ideology, though he did not discuss what that ideology might be. Edwards also highlighted eight pages of notes found on Rahman when he was arrested last month in Cambodia, where he worked at the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh. Those notes included two separate “to-do” lists, one of which was largely blocks of apparently encrypted text along with an unencrypted sentence pertaining to U.S. missile capabilities.
Chinese Citizen Arrested After Allegedly Flying Drone, Taking Photos of Space Force Base
Military.com reports that federal investigators arrested a 39-year-old man after accusing him of flying a drone and taking pictures of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This arrest comes amid other high-profile drone swarms at U.S. military bases. Yinpiao Zhou, a 39-year-old Chinese citizen and U.S. resident was arrested Monday at San Francisco International Airport before an outbound flight to China, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release. The incident occurred on Nov. 30 after detection systems at Vandenberg noticed the drone and tracked it to a public park about an hour from the base. Base security arrived at the park, spoke with Zhou, and discovered he had a drone in his jacket pocket, allegedly the same one that flew over the base. “This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in the news release.
Marine Vet Who Allegedly Trained Chinese Pilots to be Extradited to US
Military Times reports that U.S. Marine Corps veteran Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators. In a 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., unsealed in late 2022, prosecutors said Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly at other times, without applying for an appropriate license. Prosecutors say he received payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) and international travel from another conspirator for what was sometimes described as “personal development training.” If convicted, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison. He denies the allegations.
Several Types of Cancer Now Eligible for Expedited Veterans Affairs Claims
Veterans diagnosed with several types of blood and urinary tract cancers who served in certain overseas locations during the Persian Gulf War and post-9/11 era now have a path to easily file claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs, reports Military.com. The VA has finalized efforts to add acute and chronic leukemias; multiple myeloma and associated diseases; and bladder, ureter, and similar cancers to the list of diseases presumed to be related to military service in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and South and Central Asia, including Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The designation means that affected veterans will not need to prove that their illnesses are service related to receive disability compensation and other benefits; they must show only that they served in a designated area and have a diagnosis.
US Soldier Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Sell Trump & Harris Phone Records
A U.S. Army soldier was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell the stolen call logs of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to Krebs on Security, an online publication run by former Washington Post reporter Brian Krebs. Federal authorities indicted Cameron John Wagenius, 20, last month on two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information, court documents show. Wagenius, which Krebs on Security identified as a U.S. soldier, is believed to be “Kiberphant0m,” a cybercriminal who’s made a name for himself online in dark web forums by selling and leaking stolen personal information from AT&T and Verizon customers, reports Military Times.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
NCMS 2024 Virtual Winter Conference Schedule
1/29/2025 – 1/30/2025
Virtual
https://ncms-seminar.org/index.php
PSC Annual Conference
4/27/2025 – 4/29/2025
The Greenbrier Resort | White Sulphur Springs, WV
Join government and industry leaders to address current issues facing the government professional and technology services industry. Join us and gain actionable insights over three days of networking and informational sessions.
NSI Impact ‘24
4/14/2025 – 4/16/2025
Westfields Marriott | Chantilly, VA
IMPACT’s interdisciplinary program energizes and equips you to stay in command of NISPOM compliance policies, issues, systems, and processes; develop a professional understanding of today’s evolving security threats and risks; optimize security programs for efficiency and cost-effectiveness; and create positive engagement and productive relationships with your internal and external stakeholders.
https://www.nsi.org/impact-home
2024 Spring Joint AIA/NDIA Industrial Security Committee Conference
5/13/2025 – 5/15/2025
Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld| Orlando, FL
This bi-annual conference brings together executive-level security leadership (e.g. Chief Security Officers) and policymakers across the federal agencies and U.S. industry to address major government security topics warranting your attendance. Closed to media.
https://www.ndia.org/events/2025/5/13/5iss-spring-isc
NCMS 61st Annual Training Seminar
6/10/2025 – 6/12/2025
Gaylord Palms| Kissimmee, FL
This Annual Training Seminar is NCMS’ marquee event, where we bring together the knowledge and talents of our government partners, industry speakers, security vendors, the NCMS Board of Directors, and our sponsors and exhibitors to provide three days of security education focused on your security program. It is our genuine desire that at the end of each day you will have learned something new that enhances your security program, networked with fellow security professionals, received beneficial professional development, and visited the great security vendors we have assembled.
https://ncms-seminar.org/index.php
Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2025
9/29/2025 –10/1/2025
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | New Orleans, LA
Security threats are evolving and becoming more complex. Elevate your knowledge and technical capabilities at GSX to rise against this shifting landscape. Access expert-led education covering critical physical and cybersecurity topics. Discover state-of-the-art innovations, products, and trends transforming security. Find inspiration in keynotes from next-level thought leaders and world-class speakers. Go where the entire global security community converges to connect, collaborate, and meet tomorrow’s challenges head on.
About SE&M
SE&M Solutions LLC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Harrisburg, PA. We are experts in personnel security, continuous vetting, Trusted Workforce 2.0 (TW2.0) policies, processes, and information technology. We offer professional services and IT support including staff augmentation, consulting, planning and implementation for clients in the federal, state, local and commercial sectors. For more information, contact SE&M at [email protected].