An article in The Cipher Brief in defense of Paul Redmond, a retired senior CIA counterintelligence officer, is an impressively powerful, pointed, incisive, detailed and punchy statement that successfully demolishes…
Dr. David Charney was recently interviewed by Nicole Alibayof, a TV & Film producer, journalist and documentarian, on her new Miss Producer Unfiltered Show. It was a wide-ranging, deep interview…
David Charney was a speaker at the Institute of World Politics’ Chancellor’s Council Meeting. He spoke on the topic of “Countering the Threat of Insider Spies”. Here is a video…
Dr. David Charney was part of a worldwide group of insider threat experts who were consulted for a University of Antwerp doctoral project on insider threats, which was published in…
By John Irvin NOIR Team On the face of it, insider espionage and terrorism would seem to have little in common. The insider spy and his or her handler (traditionally, but not necessarily, a foreign intelligence service) strive to keep their activities as hidden as possible, while the definitive purpose of all terrorism is to…
Dr. David Charney’s medical school alumni magazine wrote a featured article about his work in the spring 2020 issue of Upstate Medical Alumni Journal: From Patriot to Traitor: Psychiatrist David Charney Explores the Psychology of the Insider Spy (pdf) . . . . According to Virginia-based psychiatrist David Charney, MD ’68, spies often decide to…
The BBC interviewed Dr. David Charney about the psychology of spying for this article on Kevin Mallory, a former CIA officer who was arrested for spying for China. This in-depth article gives good details about his life and the spiral that led him to espionage. Kevin Mallory: The churchgoing patriot who spied for China (BBC)…
Arthur Walker, who was part of the Walker Spy Ring that got caught in 1985, recently died in jail at the age of 79. He was a month away from a parole hearing. Unlike the notorious members of the ring, spy ring master John Walker and Jerry Whitworth who passed damaging highly top secret information…
An article in The Cipher Brief in defense of Paul Redmond, a retired senior CIA counterintelligence officer, is an impressively powerful, pointed, incisive, detailed and punchy statement that successfully demolishes Baer’s book, The Fourth Man, which accuses Paul of being a Russian spy inside the Agency. Since this article was written by such a strong…
By John Irvin, NOIR Team On 17 December, 2014, President Obama ordered restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of a US embassy in Havana for the first time in more than 50 years. The announcement was met with both favorable and critical responses from a variety of interested parties. Of the many…
Dr. David Charney will be giving a lecture about his new NOIR White Paper, Prevention: The Missing Link for Managing Insider Threat in the Intelligence Community, at the Institute of World Politics graduate school in Washington, DC on Friday, February 8, 2019 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Dr. Charney’s lecture, “Insider Spies: New Ideas…
Journalist James Rosen recently produced an excellent piece called, “The Mind of a Spy,” and interviewed Dr. David Charney about Robert Hanssen, the thought process of someone who decides to spy, and the NOIR concept as a potential solution to preventing and stopping espionage. The show aired on Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. Psychiatrist…
Dr. David Charney was interviewed by Jeff Stein in Newsweek about the NOIR concept. In the article, the former head of FBI counterintelligence, Frank Figliuzzi, said of the concept: “I tried hard to find holes in Charney’s concept because I initially had a strong visceral reaction against the notion of leniency for a traitor. Yet…
By John Irvin, NOIR Team When the Roman poet Juvenal wrote the line “Who will guard the guards themselves?” he was referring to marital fidelity. In common parlance it refers to the issue of ensuring the accountability of those already in power. However, the phrase also applies to problems facing the US government’s Insider Threat…
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) just released a podcast focusing on the Anna Montes case and Dr. David Charney was interviewed for it. Montes was a senior DIA employee who for many years spied for Cuba. The podcast was very professionally done and worth a listen. This time Dr. Charney was paired up with Malcolm…
By John A. Irvin (Based on comments made during The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies panel discussion “Espionage and Intelligence in the 21st Century.”) World War II, and especially the subsequent Cold War, woke America up to the importance of continuous, institutionalized intelligence collection. Initially we followed the example of most other nations and focused…
By John Irvin and Dr. David Charney [NOTE: An edited version of this article was published by POLITICO on 25 March 2014 under the title, “Stopping the Next Snowden: The problem isn’t that he could. It’s that he wanted to“ The story is often told of how, during the height of the US/Soviet space race,…
The question “why didn’t you do it?” can be asked of those millions of individuals who possess security clearances and who have access to sensitive information who nevertheless have not engaged in insider espionage. Their names are immediately recognizable to most of the public: Robert Hannsen, Aldrich Ames, John Walker, Julius Rosenberg, Benedict Arnold …
By John Irvin, NOIR Team What does a controversial psychology experiment that took place over forty years ago regarding the causes of conflict between prisoners and prison guards have in common with Dr. David Charney’s proposal for the creation of a controversial new US government counterintelligence organization to reduce the threat of insider espionage?[1] It…
“The foundation of a counter-insider threat program needs to start with recognizing there is a person at the other end,” says Keith Lowry, former Chief of Staff to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Human Intelligence, Counterintelligence and Security at the Pentagon in this article on ZDNet: Fighting the person should be cybersecurity best practice When…
Article by Bernie Reeves in American Thinker, September 8, 2014: In the espionage business, uncovering secrets passed on to the enemy by a captured insider spy is critical to resuming normal operations. Until a thorough damage assessment is completed, intelligence agencies don’t know what data are secure, or if agents in place are safe. And while…
We recently received an email commenting on the use of AI/Machine Learning (AI/ML) to counter the insider threat. We’re sharing Dr. David Charney’s response as many have been interested in this topic: – You caught on to one of the biggest issues of the day, the push for adoption of AI/ML to just about everything…
Brian Kelley Memorial Lecture David Charney, MD attended the recent Second Annual Brian Kelley Memorial Lecture at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC on February 7, 2014. The speaker was William Nolte who talked about the future of counterintelligence following the disclosures by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden. He focused on…
David Charney was interviewed by the Washington Times about the new spy case of Jonathan and Diana Toebbe: – Money was likely not the only motivation behind a Maryland couple’s reported decision to try to sell sensitive U.S. submarine secrets to a foreign government, a leading expert in the psychology of espionage told The Washington…
The following article by John Irvin appeared under the title NOIR: Neue Strategien zur Erkennung von Insiderspionen in Vol.10, Nr.1/2016 of the Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies [JIPSS], published by the Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies [ACIPSS].[1] ACIPSS was founded at the University of Graz, Austria, in 2004, “in order…
By John Alan Irvin Proverbs are passed down over the centuries or millennia because we recognize that they contain a larger truth or a useful lesson. Circumstances change, but the proverbs stay relevant. That’s because they speak to our human nature, which hasn’t changed. As unique as we may be as individuals, as humans we’re…
Dr. David Charney, creator of the NOIR concept and author of NOIR: True Psychology of the Insider Spy and Proposing a New Policy for Improving National Security by Fixing the Problem of Insider Spies, was recently interviewed by the magazine, “Psychology Today” about NOIR. – (Psychology Today, November 2014) . . . . Of course,…
By John Irvin Those who have served in the military, especially those who served at a time when World War II-era buildings were still widely in use, are probably familiar with the concept of “painting rocks.” This was originally born out of the common practice to line either side of the walkway leading to a…
The FBI has recently released two videos about the Glenn Shriver espionage case to alert other college students who are studying abroad to the possibility of being targeted for recruitment by a foreign intelligence service or entity. What are people who are recruited to spy (clandestinely directed by foreign handlers) against the US in for?…
The psychology of Benedict Arnold. This article appeared in the May 2016 Smithsonian magazine: He was short, solidly built (one acquaintance remembered that “there wasn’t any wasted timber in him”) and blessed with almost superhuman energy and endurance. He was handsome and charismatic, with black hair, gray eyes and an aquiline nose, and he carried himself with the…
The psychology of Gregory Allen Justice, a Boeing satellite engineer with a top secret security clearance passed over for promotion. This article appeared in the Daily Beast in August 2016: . . . . Among those satellites were sensitive military systems that Justice himself had worked on at Boeing for more than 15 years. Concealed in…
By Dr. David Charney I have a friend who is a senior executive in an important Intelligence Community agency who commented on my latest white paper focusing on Prevention. Here’s what he wrote: “I am very intrigued with the “broadness” of the psychology as you described. I am finding that the “psychological perfect storm” and…
By John Irvin NOIR Team The first part of this discussion [1] concluded with the fairly controversial statement that decades of counterintelligence (CI) focus on what have traditionally been considered the key motives for insider espionage, summarized in the acronym MICE (Money, Ideology, Compromise/Coercion, and Ego, further amended with the inclusion of disgruntlement/revenge, ingratiation, and thrills/self-importance) [2]…
Building a Better Mole Trap By Jeff Stein, Newsweek 6 September 2014 The continuing leaks of National Security Agency material by Edward Snowden so dominate the news that you don’t hear much these days about Cold War–style moles burrowing through the CIA, FBI and Defense Department on behalf of foreign spy services. Yet they keep surfacing,…
By John Irvin NOIR TEAM It would no doubt be like a dream for a 62-year-old former government employee, prolific author, and recognized environmental expert to live out his retirement years on a warm tropical island with a new bride. It would be like a nightmare to instead face a potential 50-year term in federal…
Dr. David Charney, author of the white paper, NOIR: A White Paper – Proposing a New Policy for Improving National Security by Fixing the Problem of Insider Spies, was recently interviewed by James Rosen, host of the Fox News program, “The Foxhole.” The interview is about 30 minutes. Dr. Charney said this was the best interview…
Background on Delisle spy case — By John Irvin NOIR Team If it was former Canadian Navy Sub-Lieutenant Jeffery Delisle’s intention to free himself of the burden of his financial troubles and to take some decisive action to counter his sense of helplessness when faced with the collapse of his marriage, any relief he may have…
Kevin Mallory’s hatred was never for his country. It was only for himself, said Dr. David Charney in a BBC Radio documentary about this spy who worked for the CIA and spied for China. – From the BBC: Kevin Mallory lived a double life – he helped people on his street with yard work, went…
By John Irvin “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” —Albert Einstein While this is a genuine Einstein quote, he is often misquoted as having said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a…
Dr. David Charney was recently interviewed by Nicole Alibayof, a TV & Film producer, journalist and documentarian, on her new Miss Producer Unfiltered Show. It was a wide-ranging, deep interview about what makes a person decide to spy, Dr. Charney’s work with different spies that led him to develop NOIR, his life beyond work and…
By John Irvin NOIR Team In True Psychology of the Insider Spy, Part One of NOIR: A White Paper, Dr. David Charney postulates that the core psychology of the insider spy is an intolerable sense of personal failure, as privately defined by that person. It is this subjective experience that allows the would-be insider spy…
David Charney was a speaker at the Institute of World Politics’ Chancellor’s Council Meeting. He spoke on the topic of “Countering the Threat of Insider Spies”. Here is a video of his talk: TRANSCRIPT: Thank you thank you it’s good to be here. John Russo actually makes my life a little easier because he handled…
Examining the critical Spy-Handler relationship and why a NOIR can alter it to our advantage and create the opportunity for predomination By John Irvin “There are more spies in the United States today from foreign nation states than at any time in our history — including the Cold War,” stated former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.)…
By John Irvin “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is…
Dr. David Charney’s proposed National Office for Intelligence Reconciliation (NOIR) was designed to better manage the problem of insider threat and insider spying. One criticism of NOIR has been that it would not work for all insider spies. However, it must be pointed out that it was never claimed to be one hundred percent effective.…
by John A. Irvin Sometimes being able to say I told you so just isn’t that satisfying. Sometimes it’s downright depressing. An article by myself and Dr. David Charney appeared over two years ago in the 25 March, 2014 issue of POLITICO Magazine titled “Stopping the Next Snowden.” It argued that the US government’s tendency…
An idea to help former/retired Intelligence Community personnel that is along the same lines as the NOIR concept. Excerpts highlighted below; read the full article here. Comment by Dr. David Charney: Finally, a clear-minded statement about a pervasive shortfall within the intelligence community. Caruso’s article parallels my work as a psychiatrist who has studied these…
By David Charney This article first appeared on SpyTalk. I’m the psychiatrist who met with turncoat FBI agent Robert Hanssen for a whole year after he went to jail in 2001, sentenced to life for spying for the Russians. For years I’ve specialized in the psychology of so-called insider spies, alongside my day job as a psychiatrist…
Dr. David Charney’s new white paper, NOIR: A White Paper – Proposing a New Policy for Improving National Security by Fixing the Problem of Insider Spies, is available not only in PDF form on our website, but you can also buy a nicely formatted printed book on Amazon or read it on your Kindle or on…
Watch Dr. David Charney’s presentation on “Insider Spies: New Ideas to Counter the Threat” at the Institute of World Politics on February 8, 2019:
On Wednesday, February 5, 2014, David Charney, MD gave a lecture for the Smithsonian Associates at the International Spy Museum entitled, “What Makes Traitors Tick?” The lecture is based on his article, “True Psychology of the Insider Spy.”
Despite the use of increasingly advanced technical means, the deception, duplicity, and betrayal of espionage are a human problem that requires a human solution. By John Irvin, NOIR Team In all, around 3.6 million individuals were impacted by two breaches of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) electronic databases, one announced in June 2015 and the second…
By John Irvin One of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, American journalist H. L. Mencken, once wrote, “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” Decades have passed since Mencken offered that insight, yet we continue to address complex issues with self-assured opinions that are somehow…
Michael Morell, former acting Director of the CIA, interviewed Dr. David Charney on the CBS News Radio podcast “Intelligence Matters” on what drives people to commit espionage. Listen on iTunes or here: This episode will post Wednesday. All will find it fascinating. From a man who has interviewed, extensively, real world spies, including Robert Hansen. If…
By Dr. David Charney This article first appeared in Jeff Stein’s SpyTalk. What to make of George Blake, associated with the Cambridge Five, who died this week in Russia at the ripe old age of 98? Trying to understand the psychology of a mole is tougher than it first appears. The acronym MICE is bandied…
Identifying and catching CIA officer Aldrich Ames, who was spying for Russian intelligence, is looked at in-depth in this excellent NPR documentary. Many of those involved in the counterintelligence aspect of the case are interviewed. Discussed is whether technology can help catch a spy. Dr. David Charney is interviewed for this program, beginning at 36:00.
There is a new series on Netflix called “Spycraft”. Psychiatrist Dr. David Charney was interviewed in the episode, “Recruiting the Perfect Spy,” which talks about the motivations of four people who spied against the U.S. Watch the trailer and see all the epsiodes We’re delighted the producers show the NOIR White Papers when introducing Dr.…
By John Irvin The popular axiom “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – attributed to none other than Benjamin Franklin – attests to the fact that taking action beforehand to prevent a problem from arising is considerably more cost-effective than being forced to dedicate greater resources toward fixing the problem in…
All three NOIR White Papers by Dr. David Charney are now available compiled in one book. You can choose from three different formats to read the entire series of white papers: in PDF, print or Kindle. This book includes: Part 1—True Psychology of the Insider Spy Part 2—Proposing a New Policy for Improving National Security…
This excellent article was written by Anthony N. Bishop and published in CSO (Chief Security Officer) magazine in September 2016: The best IT security is not enough to protect against the determined insider The most important lesson American businesses can learn from the Montes case is that IT security measures will not be enough to prevent…
By John Irvin NOIR Team By all accounts, there’s nothing exceptional about former Canadian Navy Sub-Lieutenant Jeffery Delisle, certainly nothing that would suggest a future as a convicted insider spy. A high school friend described him as the “sort of person who just blended into the background.” [1] If he was notable in high school for…
The psychology and methodology of Brian Regan, an Air Force master sergeant turned TRW government contractor working at the NRO who tried to sell classified secrets to multiple countries. This article was published in The Guardian in October 2016: . . . . Whatever nostalgia he might have felt for his old school was tinged with…
By John A. Irvin NOIR Team When the prison doors shut on insider spy and former Canadian Navy Sub-Lieutenant Jeffery Delisle, he left behind four children and a budding relationship with a woman who loved him. Delisle had a history of marital and financial problems that included declaring bankruptcy and discovering his wife’s adultery, which…
Dr. David Charney was part of a worldwide group of insider threat experts who were consulted for a University of Antwerp doctoral project on insider threats, which was published in April 2022. The project used the Delphi technique, which is “a widely used method of gathering group consensus from a panel of knowledgeable persons”. The…
By John Irvin It seems a part of US culture to believe there are technological solutions to virtually all of our problems. That belief has a long history dating back at least to the Nineteenth Century; and who could argue that our individual lives haven’t been extended and our quality of life improved by technology?…
(Newsweek/Jeff Stein) . . . Based on a best-selling memoir by Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a founder of Hamas, The Green Prince is an engrossing documentary on how Israel’s counterintelligence agency, Shin Bet, managed to turn him into a spy against his fellow Palestinians—and his own father. It opens with a re-enactment of…
By John Irvin, NOIR Staff One of the most desirable ancillary benefits of the proposals put forth by Dr. David Charney, MD, in NOIR: A White Paper (accessible in its entirety on this website), is the potential for at least partially solving the problem of the so-called “non-prosecutable spy.” This is the individual who is…
The one constant is the human mind, the way we think, which is ultimately the source of all acts of espionage. By John Irvin A friend drove up in the classic 1960s sports car he has just purchased at considerable expense to both his personal finances and his marital relationship. It was a genuinely beautiful…