22 December - 2000Z

Standard: UK to expand land forces?

The failure to increase the size of the U.S. ground force post 9-11 was a mistake – one that the president is now correcting with his call for a larger Army and Marine Corps. Similarly, British Defense Secretary Des Browne says that they too “will have to consider increasing the size of the army.”

Telegraph: Highly-placed British corporal accused of spying. Via Sandmonkey.

A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.

Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy".

It was said he had communicated with a "foreign power" in the incident on Nov 2, believed to be Iran.

Most of the hearing at Westminster magistrates' court yesterday was held in secret and no mention was made of James's job or his address.

But The Daily Telegraph has learned that he acts as an interpreter for Gen David Richards, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan and one of the most senior officers in the Army.

Strategy Page on British corporal: Curse of the old country.

December 22, 2006: A 44 year old British Army corporal has been charged with spying for Iran. Corporal Daniel James is of Iranian ancestry, on his mothers side, speaks Pushtun (the most common tribal language in Afghanistan and Pakistan), and served as a translator for the NATO commander in Afghanistan. James was caught passing classified information to Iran.

Details of the case have not been released, but the situation is a common one faced by intelligence agencies everywhere, but especially in nations that accept a lot of immigrants. ...