It's Thursday, the 29th of October. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Iran's military has been significantly degraded. Its weapons factories have been bombed, and its supply lines are under severe pressure. Yet the regime is still replenishing its missile and drone arsenals. Now, a new investigation may have uncovered how they're doing it. Later in the show, another massive cyber breach within the U.S. government, this time at the Department of Homeland Security, with the exposure of more than 41,000 employees and contractors, including undercover investigators. Now, at this point, are there any U.S. federal employees who haven't had their identities exposed? But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iran has spent the past eight months under some of the heaviest military and economic pressure that the U.S. has ever brought against the Islamic Republic, or really any nation. American and Israeli forces have hit missile sites, drone factories, launchers, air defense systems, and military infrastructure across the country. Washington has also imposed a naval blockade, titan sanctions, and tried to cut Iran off from the international financial system. And yet, Iran is still firing missiles and drones. So, how is Tehran continuing to replenish their weapons stockpiles? Well, a new Reuters investigation may have found an answer. According to Reuters, Iran has spent years building a massive, largely hidden international procurement system tied directly to Iran's defense ministry. At the center of that system, more than 5,000 numbered military agencies. Now, their names begin with the letters M.O.D., that would be for Iran's Ministry of Defense, followed by a string of numbers. Reuters says those agencies have helped Iran import at least $2 billion worth of military-related hardware, explosives, chemicals, and heavy-duty vehicles since January of this past year. Now, I'll bet the citizens of Iran probably could have used that $2 billion for -- I don't know -- schools, and roads, and quality of life resources. That's just a thought. Now, within this group of 5,000, one agency alone appears to be doing business on an extraordinary scale. It's called M.O.D., 346-428. That's a very catchy name. Reuters says that single-ended de-imported roughly $2.3 billion worth of military hardware between January 2025 and June of this year. The purchases included ingredients used in rocket propellant, explosives, detonators, aircraft, engine parts, titanium electronics, and sophisticated industrial machinery. Iran also imported hundreds of heavy-duty trucks that can be converted into mobile missile launchers or used to transport drones and other military equipment. Of course, the regime can argue that many of those individual items have possibly legitimate civilian uses, but taken together weapons and sanctions experts who reviewed the records told Reuters that the materials could obviously support the industrial scale production of missiles and drones. And this system is not something that Iran just threw together after the war began. Most of the numbered agencies appear to date back more than a decade when the Iranian regime is already struggling under international sanctions. The agencies in question share the same Tehran address as Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces logistics. While that's convenient, some are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and to the powerful quasi-government foundations, known as Bonyads, that control major pieces of Iran's economy. The agencies then work through frontmen and shell companies overseas to purchase goods on Iran's behalf. And here's one of the more interesting parts of this. Reuters says that 97% of the shipments it reviewed were settled without a conventional international money transfer. Instead, money earned from elicit Iranian oil sales was apparently held outside the country. Trusted intermediaries could then use that money to purchase equipment abroad and ship it back to Iran. That allows Tehran to avoid one of the places where western sanctions are strongest, and that would be the international banking system. Former Treasury official Miyad Nileki described the arrangement this way, quote, "This is the complete ecosystem of the Iranian military's trade business," end quote. And the system appears to have continued functioning even after the war began on the 28th of February. While Iranian military imports did fall sharply during the first month of fighting, Reuters says they began increasing again by May. Equipment continued entering Iran by cargo ship across the Caspian Sea from Russia. There's a surprise by freight aircraft from China, oh, another surprise, and by truck through Central Asia. Some shipments were also recorded as originating in the UAE and European countries. A June shipment from Russia included $1.9 million worth of detonators that could be used to trigger explosives of course in missile and drone warheads. Materials recorded as originating in China included titanium, nitrocellulose, and chemicals and categories that include ingredients used in rocket propellant. Now China says it's unaware of the shipments we have no idea what's going on. Described by Reuters and rejects with a straight face, claims that China is supporting Iran's war effort. Russia did not respond to Reuters questions. The findings create an interesting contrast with comments that President Trump made earlier this month. On October 12, Trump said he did not believe China or Russia were providing meaningful support to Iran, which is White House speak for, well, I'm sure they're providing support, but I really don't want to make an issue of it with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. He added that if they were providing support, the US would know about it very quickly. Okay, well, somebody should inform the White House that Russia and China have been supporting Iran. Do we have any PDB listeners in the Oval Office vicinity? Reuters investigation now shows that military-related materials originating in both countries have continued reaching Iran. And then there are the trucks. Iran has imported hundreds of Iveco heavy-duty vehicles and thousands of Toyota pickups and SUVs through this procurement system. Iranian forces have modified commercial vehicles like these into mobile missile launchers, drone transports, and weapons platforms. Sencom footage released in March, showed an American strike, destroying what the military described as a disguised Iranian mobile missile launcher mounted on an Iveco truck. Reuters could not determine whether that particular vehicle came through the agency, M-O-D-346-428, but analysts of James confirmed it was the same type of truck that Iran has been importing. And here's another interesting finding. Reuters says it could find no evidence that any of the thousands of numbered M-O-D agencies uncovered in the investigation have themselves been individually sanctioned by Western governments. So while Washington has spent years targeting Iranian military organizations, banks, shipping companies, and front businesses, much of the machinery behind Iran's procurement system appears to have remained largely out of sight. Well, that brings us back to the larger military problem. The US and Israel can destroy Iranian missile factories, launchers, warehouses, and production facilities. But Iran's ability to rebuild those systems depends on whether it can continue importing the chemicals, metals, machinery, and vehicles needed to replace them. One expert who reviewed the data described what Reuters uncovered as an industrial scale effort to rebuild or expand Iran's missile and drone forces. Which means the question is no longer simply how much of Iran's arsenal the US can destroy. It's whether Washington can destroy it faster than Tehran's hidden procurement network can replace it. All right, coming up, Homeland Security is dealing with what one former ICE director calls a nightmare scenario. Hackers have exposed information on more than 41,000 employees and contractors, creating a searchable database they could put undercover investigators and ongoing criminal cases at risk. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, every AI expert and there are a lot of them seems to recommend something different these days. 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A massive breach of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has exposed more than 41,000 employees and contractors, and the danger goes beyond just stolen records. Their identities and contact info are now in a database that anyone can search, including the gangs and cartels that these investigators are pursuing. The Washington Post examined the database published Wednesday and checked the information with current and former DHS officials. Among those identified are undercover investigators. The records span immigration and customs enforcement, customs and border protection, and U.S. citizenship and immigration services. So, how was that information accessed? Well, a group calling itself the Department of Peace claims it got into secure DHS databases through the single sign-on service that employees use to access internal agency systems. Now, that name, the Department of Peace, is surfaced before. Back in March, the group claimed responsibility for leaking DHS contracting records, which were also published by distributed denial of secrets. That's a nonprofit that publishes leaked and hacked materials. The message it sent the department at the time was blunt. Quote, "How does it feel to be hunted?" This time, the group shared personal records, including employees, offices and assignments with that same nonprofit and a Swiss hacker known online as Maya Arson CrimeU. Now, CrimeU then took those records and organized them into something called ICE Pick. And that's the database that makes the information searchable. And there's some history here, too. Back in 2021, U.S. prosecutors indicted CrimeU on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft over alleged intrusions into corporate and government systems. Those charges were allegations, not a conviction. CrimeU has described previous hacking activity as, quote, "fun anarchism." Oh, well, there's nothing more fun than anarchism. But for the impact of DHS personnel, the potential consequences are serious. Now, there are limits to what we know about these records. The publisher's acknowledged that the database is incomplete and may contain inaccuracies. The reporting also does not establish that every record is current. Even with those limitations, though, current and former DHS officials told the post that they'd seen nothing on this scale in the agency's history. Former acting ICE director John Sandweck, who served during the Obama administration, called it, quote, "nightmare scenario." He warned that exposing officers and agents' names put them, quote, "in great jeopardy" and could endanger criminal investigations into gangs and drug cartels. That warning comes as DHS continues to carry out President Trump's mass deportation agenda. Now, we've talked about the backlash endured by DHS workers before, such as protests and attacks on officers. Some DHS personnel began wearing masks last year to conceal their identities amid concerns about retaliation. Now, information published online threatens to undo the anonymity that those officers were trying to maintain in the field, which is obviously the intent of the Department of Peace and hackers like crime you. The hackers have made their political motivation clear. The Department of Peace pointed to Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin's 17 July statement that he was, quote, "turning up the heat." Well, the group answered with, quote, "this is what happens to ICE when you do that." The organizations behind the release are presenting their hacking and data breaches as "government oversight." They claim ICE pick offers a first-ever look into DHS's organizational structure and lets the public research individual agents and officers. Now, this gets to a long-standing dispute. ICE and other agencies have withheld some employee identities for national security reasons. Activists argue that the secrecy can shield misconduct. But putting sensitive personal information into a searchable database also makes it available to a wide variety of criminal organizations, cartels, and gangs. So the so-called oversight, as described by the hackers, does nothing to protect the officers whose identities have been exposed. So, you ask, what is DHS doing to protect the people affected? Well, the Department said Wednesday night that it was, quote, "aware of a potential breach." And, quote, "well, that's nice." It also said, "we take all security threats against our employees and officers seriously, and we'll work to ensure all are properly protected." Now, there was an internal warning too. The former ICE official told the post that the Homeland Security Investigations Intelligence Unit had issued an alert. For DHS, the immediate task is to establish whose information was compromised, whether investigations have been affected, and what protection exposed personnel may require. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, the 29th of October. Now, if you have any questions or comments, just reach out to me at
[email protected]. And to listen to the show Add Free, it's very easy to do, just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. I want to take a moment to tell you about a great company out there, making amazing hoodies and rain jackets and coats. I'm talking about Bear Skin. That's B-A-E-R-S-K-I-N, Bear Skin. Now, we've all been caught outside at times in sudden bad weather. You know what I'm talking about and without the right outdoor gear. The weather doesn't wait for you to be ready, right? One minute it's clear and the next temperature drops and rain moves in. Well, Bear Skin's hoodie and rain jacket combo, for example, ensures that you are always prepared. Their variety is fantastic. The quality is excellent. Look, I was out walking my retriever Hendrix. He's a wonderful dog, not the brightest, but a wonderful dog the other morning when the clouds rolled in and the sky opened up, but no worries. I had my Bear Skin gear on. Their Micro-Flease hoodie is warmer than standard hoodies, wind resistant and incredibly light and functional. Right? When they were heavy rain yet, I just zipped the rain jacket directly onto the hoodie. It's that simple, one seamless system with total protection, plus it features 12 pockets, including a secure inner pocket for your cash and cards. It's no wonder over a million have been sold. That's right, a million with more than 40,000 5 star reviews on trust pilot. Right now, you can buy any two Bear Skin hoodies and get the rain jacket thrown in for free. Just text PDB to 36912 and Bear Skin will send you a link. Again, text PDB to 36912 and if you're on the move, well, they'll hold the deal so it's there when you're ready. Text PDB to 36912. Check them out. Bear Skin.
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