Spies Everywhere - Iranians, Cubans, Russians & Chinese

Via Wired Blog -

China's intelligence services are running wild in the U.S. and pilfering advanced American technology, Joel Brenner, the new head of the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, told the Washington Times.

Make no mistake, there are reasons to treat China cautiously, but the Bush administration and its proxies have ratcheted up the Fear ever since China's anti-satellite ballistic missile test in January. Ominous reports of a Chinese sub surfacing near U.S. Navy training exercises last fall were followed by a Dick Cheney speech in Australia this February during which the Veep blasted China's growing militancy. A different assessment of Chinese military capabilities can be found here.

Is Brenner the latest fearmonger to join the administration's lineup? Quite possibly. But what if he's right? If so, we should be scared. Very very scared. According to Brenner, we're awash in spies -- Cubans, Russians, Iranians, all of them intent on mischief most foul. The Iranians, Brenner said, have a "mature and capable service." The Cubans, trained by the KGB, are "very professional" and are schooling the Venezuelans in subterfuge. And the Russians? Well, you don't mess with the Russians. This happened to Putin critic Paul Joyal in D.C. last week. The latest on the shooting.

But it's the Chinese, said Brenner, who pose the greatest threat to the U.S., and are responsible for a "technology bleed." He cited the "honey trap" case of Katrina Leung, an FBI informant charged with spying for China in 2003. Leung allegedly used her sexual wiles to entrap two of the FBI's top counterspies. The charges against Leung were dropped in 2005, although she pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and filing a hinky tax return.

Brenner, a former NSA employee, is currently putting together a new presidential counterintelligence strategy. He hopes to develop more double agents and recruit better people to the business.

"You can't leave counterintelligence to the fanatics and paranoiacs," Brenner told the Washington Times.