US Gov Houthi Target War Plans Compromised?

After White House officials were involved in a group chat this week on military operations against the Houthis in Yemen that was leaked after the operation was executed, the world’s media has since had a frenzy on the subject. Every talking head possible has had his/her opinions shared on live TV news. Was it war plans or was it not? Was it classified or was it not?

Was the group chat classified?

In my view, given the subject matter, yes, of course it was. There are reasons just why certain groupings of military go into isolation prior to an operation…to preserve the operation’s integrity.

However, that’s all I have to say about that particular group chat.

What I’d like to concentrate on is how many people on that chat have a long-term corporate background, yet are now straight into politics and making key decisions on overseas military operations. I say this because for a few years now I have been dabbling into an interesting hobby. Listening in on corporate meetings.

Given my background, at the ripe old age of 70 I just can’t help myself. Since becoming an old age pensioner and a retired person, I’ve got myself into a routine.

Get up early, walk the dog, then go to a local popular cafe for breakfast before rolling into my day.

This is now my third regular cafe, breakfast and the coffee is great, but the corporate information gained while eating and drinking is even better.

Really, no matter the cafe, there will always be the individual sitting at a table for four alone. Computer open in front of him/her, papers spread all over the table, a bag on another chair, and speaking loudly on the phone. The downside for me is that this scenario gives me only one side of the conversation.

Then you have the table with two or more people, using the cafe as an office also, but then you get all sides of the conversation.

I’ve even seen tables hurriedly put together…this is breakfast time in a cafe! Oh, but they all buy a coffee.

By the time I’ve eaten my porridge and drank my coffee, I’ve learnt heaps about why they’re sitting there. So much so, that after Googling their company, I could sell what I’ve gathered to their competitors, and go on easily making a living out of it.

In fact, a few years ago I was so incensed by their lack of awareness, I got up from my table and took my chair over to their meeting.

They were gobsmacked! One person asking what the hell I was doing?

I mentioned that I’ve come to the cafe for my breakfast. And I’ve ended up in a corporate meeting. As I was sat at my table alone, they had come in next to me, put three tables together and got on with it…loudly.

I said that given that it’s a cafe on the street, surely I’m within my right to pitch in on the conversation that I couldn’t get away from in any part of the cafe…so, here I am.

I then spoke about opsec…yes it applies to the corporate world too. I gave them a few bits of info that I’d gleaned from just listening while having my breakfast. I then told them that I could be there to eavesdrop, although a deaf person (which I’m not far from being) wouldn’t have to eavesdrop as the information was pouring into everyone’s ears whether they wanted to hear it or not in the cafe. I told them that I had enough info to go off now and sell…or instead you can all learn from what I’ve said…and buy me the breakfast that I’ve just eaten. They all seemed to know better, pissed them off I certainly did, but breakfast wasn’t paid for, and a thank you wasn’t forthcoming either. But did they learn…maybe one or two did?

I have no doubt that this behaviour happens all over the world, not just here in the USA. In fact I know it does, I’ve seen it time and time again. They’re corporate people, they can’t help themselves…otherwise they’d realize that in a cafe on the street at breakfast time, that there are others who really do exist, going there to eat…not to hold meetings.

I treat it as a bit of a giggle. It’s corporate after all. I have no tech kit to listen in on…just my old beaten up hearing. If I wanted to, I could easily make a living out of corporate espionage just from sitting having breakfast.

So, when corporate people are put straight into high level jobs in government, they’re not going to change, no matter how many rungs of the ladder they’ve managed to climb. Even if a couple of them have served for five minutes in the military the corporate way of profit above all has taken over. Therefore, nobody else exists outside of their fiefdom.