THE SILENT HUNT

A NOVEL BY MARK JAMESON Mark Jameson hopes you enjoy this chapter of The Silent Hunt, a thriller based on his real experiences in the CIA after 9/11. To get the entire book or blog with Mark Jameson, go to www.thesilenthunt.com.

Published by Shoot Your Eye Out Publishing http://shootyoureyeout.net Copyright Mark Jamesonl 2011 Cover art : Copyright Mary Gustafson 2011 http://marygustafson.com/ No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either prior written permission of the publisher. The Silent Hunt is a work of fiction. All incidents, dialog, and characters, with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogs concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other aspects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the CIA or any other U.S. Government agency. Nothing in these contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. Government authentication of information or Agency endorsement of the authors views. This material has been reviewed by the CIA to prevent disclosure of classified information. ISBN: 978-0-9833011-2-7 Manufactured in the United States of America

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PROLOGUE
Through the Eyes of the Enemy
Portland, Maine (September 10th 2001)
Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Holiday Inn. As

he turned onto Gorham Road from I-295, he stared at the corridor of gaudy neon signs with awe and contempt. America. This is the real And Not the steel towers of Manhattan, Ive been in this country for this is what I have seen These

or the Roman architecture of Washington. I should know. country, and

the better part of two years, all over this everywhere. Wendys, Home Depot, Starbucks. the worlds society. were the things that America contributed to Lots of money and power and instant access to material possessions. But this was a Godless way, and a soulless place. He looked forward to leaving it. He should be scared, but he Maybe it was ego, knowing take that
15

Then he thought about his journey planned for the next day. really wasnt. that enjoy he would fact history. the

an he

important was the

place

in

But that wasnt it, although he did missions

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commander, and in the last several months had become that. itself responsible for so much more than Tonights meeting was proof of that. that held the fear at bay. He

But no, it was the vision of the journey pictured himself soaring straight into the gates of Heaven. Muhammad, iwa! screamed the man in the passenger seat as he instinctively threw his arm across Muhammads chest. light and slammed on the brakes. mind at Abdul, but then just as Muhammad A brief quickly instantly saw that he was about to run a red instant of anger ashed through Muhammads shifted back to him. Thank you Abdul. in English, then Im sorry, he said to Arabic, my switched

thoughts were not where they should be. Of course, Muhammad. Arabic. That was stupid, Muhammad silently cursed at himself. for more speeding so now, in Abdul didnt know it, but Florida. all the He way had here put to There is much to think about right now, Abdul returned in

not that long ago Muhammad had been stopped everything at risk, for nothing. coming And even

Maine, putting everything in jeopardy on the

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eve of the attack. it. and Focus.

But tonight will be worth He

He put his mind back on the route. Abdul had been at it for over hours.

three

Theyd been shopping at Wal-Mart and

a few other places, had dinner at Pizza Hut, and made a couple of ATM stops, all with absolutely no signs of surveillance. Muhammad made one last circle of Maine Mall, then merged back onto I-295 and headed east to their destination. A few miles later he pulled into a gas station and lled up his rented Nissan, while really using the vantage point to scan the parking lot of the Best Western across the street. calm and normal. night. Everything looked It was, after all, a Monday

Muhammad looked at Abdul and nodded.

Abdul pulled a cell phone out of his coat pocket and dialed the number that Muhammad had charged him to memorize a few weeks Abdul earlier. This is John, is Peter home? He had received the right response. turned off the phone and nodded at Muhammad. Muhammad nished refueling the car, one less thing to worry about a few hours from now, and drove across the street to the Best Western parking lot.
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The Silent Hunt

Room 217, said Abdul as they arrived. Muhammad pulled into a spot next to some bushes that was slightly obscured from the lobby and the road. I am going to have you go rst, Muhammad said to Abdul in Arabic. and get as much sleep as you can. sure I make no mistakes. will sleep tonight. from Boston. When you I will

are done, I want you to come back to the car need you to be alert in the morning and make I do not think I Muhammad had drilled

Abdul on tomorrows timeline during the drive I picked you for this task, and the work in Boston, because you are the smartest man on my team. Thank you Muhammad. I am I honored . . . and I will not let you down. am ready for tonight, and tomorrow. Muhammad took a moment to focus on the immediate task. He quickly reviewed who would be in the room and whether they would oppose him. They did not all see eye to eye. Muhammad took a deep breath and thought to himself with assurance, I carry the word of Muhktar, is as which as good as as I word do from the It Shaykh himself. important I cannot fail tonight. what

tomorrow.

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Muhammad exited the car and pulled a large duffel bag from the trunk. Muhammad room 217. and Abdul headed upstairs casually and Abdul knocked on the door for A man with long hair in his early Muhammad 30s, likely a Saudi judged Muhammad, opened the door and shut it behind them. Denver. Sitting passed him and guessed that he was Abasi from Muhammad approached the far side of on the small couch was an older, the room and quickly scanned its occupants. diminutive Pakistani. from Toronto. He must be the Imam

Across from the Pakistani,

sitting in a swivel chair at a small desk was another Arabic looking man with short hair and a small beard. Bahraini. If the man at the door was Abasi, then this man must be Dumari, the All three were dressed in unalerting Western clothes. Muhammad turned back to the Pakistani and bowed his head in deference, Imam. Inshallah, Muhammad, the Imam said as he rose of the couch. Muhammad unslung the duffel bag and placed it on the bed. here? He looked at the other

two men and asked in English, We are all

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The man at the desk did not rise.

Who

is this? He said with suspicion and a rough Arabic accent as he pointed behind Muhammad at Abdul. He is one of my soldiers and he will y with The me, Saudi Muhammad behind said, Muhammad and and paused Abdul intentionally for effect. spoke for the rst time. why we meet. He Tomorrow. His English was So this is in front of

clear and he sounded educated. walked

Muhammad, put a hand on each shoulder and kissed Muhammad on each cheek. into a wide smile. Muhammad. Allah Uh Akbhar! Then he broke You You are Gods warrior, I am Abasi.

met my man from San Diego. Muhammad returned the smile. Las Vegas. Salem alekum. Bahraini. gesture. Dumari stared a hard stare at Muhammad and said, This is not the plan. I was with He Atef in the camps, only a few weeks ago. Yes, in He was smart, and very helpful. Muhammad turned to the other You are Dumari Al-

Arab, still sitting.

I am told you have done much good

work here, Muhammad offered as a peaceful

told me that August was the original plan, but that there were problems and that you
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would need more time. this. Brother, please. same goal. ght.

I was counting on We all work for the

He looked betrayed. You will have your chance to Atef

But Muhktar says our time is now, and But he runs the

he speaks with the Shaykhs blessing. is very important of course. war. There. And this be? Yes. with you plans the war here. speak for Khalid

Muhktar knows America and he Shaykh How can

Muhammad? Dumari asked with doubt.

My closest brother, Ramzi, sits said Muhammad with pride. But he could I meet him in Muhammad Both the

Muhktar,

Ramzi was to pilot, with me. not get a visa to here. Europe, paused. and we speak often.

Dumari looked at the others. Muhammad. Muhammad continued to Dumari. you were just there my brother, things have been happening. groups ready to go now. proceed. The Shaykh agrees.

Imam and Abasi nodded their agreement with I know but many

I have four We go tomorrow.

Muhktar wants me to

On this, there will be no more talk.

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But

what

about

all

of

our

work,

Dumari pleaded.

We are ready. No, we do need You just said you

The Imam, with a rough Pakistani clip, counseled Dumari harshly. more time. And so do you. were counting on it. stand aside. excitement. Please, the bed. him. them.

If he is ready, we must

He turned to Muhammad with slow down, Muhammad said

Tomorrow, where do you strike? Muhammad sat on

motioning the men to sit.

Abdul followed suit and sat next to Dumari looked around at all of look passed on his face, rst He sat in the them, then I can

Abasi sat on the desk and the Imam on A

the couch.

frustration, then resignation. chair and stared at Muhammad. Mutsakkir. looked at the Imam. He

thanked

First, I am sorry Imam,

but I cannot say where we go tomorrow.

tell you though, that I am not taking away from your work, and your people will not be in danger. Abasi. work. future. He turned back to Dumari and We all must Muhktar knows you have all done good It will not go to waste.

coordinate our work and make a plan for the It is Muhktar and the Shaykhs wish from what we
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that just as the Americans think they are recovering do tomorrow, he

Mark Jameson

touched Abdul on the shoulder and looked at the others, that you will hit them again. Very hard. How long must we wait, Dumari asked, clearly still frustrated. A year, maybe more, Muhammad replied. Muhktar says we can decide together, and then report back to him. How will we do this? the Imam asked. I have men that can go back, he offered. Muhammad had prepared for this moment. I think Dumari should go back. Dumari Bosnia. has been a faithful We have all since worked hard, but the Shaykh recognizes that soldier Longer than me. And he has just

been to the camps. time going back. the rigidness left

He will have the easiest Muhammad saw that some of Dumaris face and he Muhammad had just

straightened up a little. the next attack. Abasi spoke.

nominated Dumari to be the de facto leader of Potentially a bigger one. I agree. Because of my There is Muhammad saw instantly that it had worked. family, I cannot go to the camps. reenter the U.S. if I leave.

also the risk that I will not be able to Imam, you could go, but after tomorrow, you may have a hard

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time coming back to the U.S. from Canada to pass orders. Dumari rose. Imam? The Imam simply nodded his approval. Good, relieved. stood, turned said to Muhammad, the duffel greatly Muhammad bag, and I Make Let us get to work. Yes. I wish to nish the work that Muhammad will start tomorrow.

methodically emptied its contents on the bed. I have maps, les, target information. brought you all paper to take notes. sure you do not write in English. some money, what we have left. I want Abdul to speak with us rst, so he can rest for tomorrow. this place, because of him. Muhammad sat on the bed and nodded to Abdul, who pulled an 11x14 envelope out of Muhammads duffel bag. I have been in Boston with some brothers. he pointed to a photograph. collected much information One of them works This brother has on this place, We are here, in

I brought

at this place, Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant,

including how the air space is protected. There are ways to defeat it, which I will show you. There is also another plant, near

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Toronto, that was built by the same company and is very similar. * * *

Forty minutes later Abdul left the room and the others refocused on Muhammad. us look at the map. bed. Let He spread a road map of

the 48 states and southern Canada across the The others stood and gathered around Muhktar has told my brother Ramzi I have also He has done looked at brother the bed. done. much

of the work each of you, and your people, has Ramzi told this to me. target work. You have Muhammad met met with brother Issa Al-Hindi. Dumari.

with

Shukrijumah, yes? Dumari nodded. target work. Yes, we will discuss this too. there is something you must know. pilots is missing. almost a month. worried that First, One of my He has also done much

He was in Minneapolis for

training and we have not heard from him for I do not think he was ready I am is not of my pilots anyway, but this is still serious. another

ready to be a martyr, but his pilot skills are good, so I must use the tools that Allah
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The Silent Hunt

provides.

Muhktar is concerned that if we do My He

not strike now, we may miss our chance. not know that tomorrow is our attack. put a hand on Dumaris shoulder. brother, is why we cannot wait. wanted to hit moved to a America his much planes, both coasts. Muhammad shoulder stack

missing pilot does not know details and does This, my Muhktar Ten

harder.

The biggest cities. hand of from on Dumaris the bed. les

Hindi and Shukrijumah have good information on targets for planes, beyond what we will use tomorrow, in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles. My men and Abasis have information on Navy targets in San Diego. Abasis men have gathered information on the power grid in the Western U.S. and the Imams men on the power grid in the Eastern U.S. Now we have the nuclear plants in Boston and Toronto. And, perhaps, the Imam has a special group in Detroit that may nally give us the bomb. Muhammad gestured to the Imam, giving him the oor. Yes, responded the Imam, but as you say, things are not ready. place to work. bomb. real nuclear bomb. They have a safe They can make a radiation They need at least a year
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But they need detailed plans for a

Mark Jameson

to collect all the materials without raising suspicion. Perhaps longer. They are not sure how long it will take them to build a real bomb, and of course that matters not, as they are waiting for the uranium, and the design. way. We await word from Muhktar. A shipment is on the Muhammad handed the Imam is still bomb working on Im We have to I bring word. ship in 10 weeks. a folder. to start. obtaining

It will arrive in Quebec on a container It is a small amount, but enough Muhktar more detailed plans.

afraid I have no news for this. This is still wonderful news. looked Detroit. short. against at ways to get this We will be ready. Time is plan the for map. We must review targets, balance them our assets, Muhammad and make a at pointed material

Muhammad looked at his watch.

Muhktar.

Imam, we will need to understand how far along your pilots and men are in Toronto and Atlanta. Detroit. require? And the Americans in Portland and How much more training do they He completed the rhetorical The same for Your

thought and turned to Dumari. Buffalo.

your pilots and men in Phoenix, Indiana, and He turned again to Abasi.
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The Silent Hunt

men in Denver and San Diego will continue their support roles as long as they can. turned back to Dumari. attack. He Your support men in

Indiana will report back to Abasi after you

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Key Terms and Acronyms

AK TheAK-47is a7.62mmassault rifle first developed in theSoviet Union byMikhail Kalashnikov. It is also known as aKalashnikov, an "AK. Allah Uh Akbhar Arabic for "God is Great", it is a commonIslamicArabic expression, used as both an informal expression of faith and as a formal declaration. AN/PAQ-1 Infrared laser designator used by forward observers to obtain target range and designate targets. Lightweight, handheld, and battery operated. AN/PRC117F Man-portable, tacticalcombat-net radiofor the transmission of voice and data traffic up to theTop Secretlevel AN/PVS-7 Standard U.S. Army night vision goggles in the 1980s-90s Arty Artillery ASAC Assistant Special Agent in Charge AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System BTF Balkan Task Force B-52 Long range strategic bomber in service with U.S. Air Force since 1955 COS CIA Chief of Station CIA Central Intelligence Agency C/O CIA Case Officer or Operations Officer COLT Combat Observation and Lasing Team
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COPS Chief of Operations. Key position within the CIAs headquarters divisions. CT Counterterrorism CTC CIAs Counterterrorism Center CTC/UBL CTC team dedicated to analysis of / operations against Usama Bin Ladin CTC/USA CTC team dedicated to analysis of / operations against Al-Qaida inside the U.S. C-17 (Globemaster) Largemilitary transport aircraft in service with the U.S. Airforcefrom the early 1990s CH-47 (Chinook) A twin-engine,tandem rotorheavy-lifthelicopter in service with the U.S. Army since the 1960s. AKA Shithook. DAGR GPS Defense Advanced GPS (Globaly Positioning System) Receiver(colloquially,"dagger") is a handheldGPSreceiver used by U.S. forces. DCI Director of Central Intelligence. CIA Director and unofficial chief of U.S. intelligence community until creation of Director or National Intelligence post after 9/11. DEA U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency DI CIAs Directorate of Intelligence DO CIAs Directorate of Operations Di di U.S. Army Vietnam era slang meaning Lets get the hell outta here. Dragunov 7.62mm sniper rifle developed in the Soviet Union The Farm The CIAs primary training facility, located in southern Virginia FBI U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation

FISA Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 prescribes procedures for the physical and
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Mark Jameson

electronicsurveillance and collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers" (which may include American citizens and permanent residents suspected of being engaged in espionage and violating U.S. law on territory under United States control).
Force Recon U.S. Marine Corps'sspecial operations forcesthat conduct deep reconnaissance and intelligence operations FRAGO U.S. Army slang for Fragmentation Order. Shortened version of Armys standard Operations Order, typically abbreviated by changing / dangerous situations. F/A-18 (Hornet) Supersonic, carriercapable,multirole fighterjet, designed todogfightandattack ground targets. In service with U.S. Navy since the late 1980s. GITMO Slang for Guantanamo Bay, location of U.S. Marine Corps base and Al-Qaida detention facility on the island of Cuba. Glynco U.S. Law Enforcement Academy (Glynco, Georgia) GPS Global Positioning System G-3 German 7.62mm assault rifle developed in the 1950s Hallway File CIA slang for rumors / mistakes that are unshakable and follow an Agency employee throughout their career
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Han P U.S. Army slang for Han Pijesak, Bosnian mountain town that was headquarters of General Ratko Mladic (the Butcher of Srebrenica) HUMINT Human Intelligence ICE/INS Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Post 9/11 merger of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Customs Service. IMU Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan IRA Irish Republican Army IRS U.S. Internal Revenue Service ISI Pakistans Directorate for Interservices Intelligence (primary intelligence agency) JT Jamaat al Tabligh. Non-violent Muslim missionary group, often used by Al-Qaida for travel cover. JTTF Joint Terrorism Task Force Kalashnikov See AK Karzai Hamid Karzai, became President of Afghanistan in 2002 with U.S. backing KLA Kosovo Liberation Army. Also known by Albanian acronym UCK. Klick U.S. Army slang for kilometer KRL Khan Research Laboratories KSM Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, a.k.a Muhktar LT U.S. Army slang for Lieutenant LTD Laser Target Designation operations, see AN/PAQ-1 LZ Landing Zone METT-T U.S. Army planning acronym: Mission, Equipment, Troops, Terrain, Time MI-5 U.K.s counter-intelligence and security agency (internal service)
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Mark Jameson

MI-6 U.K.s Secret Intelligence Service (external service) Mogadishu Site of 1993 Blackhawk Down incident during which a U.S Army Special Forces/ Rangers operation went awry, resulting in hours of bloody street battles MP Military Police Muhj Muhjahidin. Interchangeable for Muslim holy warriors, Afghan freedom fighters. CIA slang for Islamic terrorists/insurgents. M-1 Abrams main battle tank, in service with the U.S. Army since early 1980s M-4 Shorter, lighter version of U.S. Armys primary assault rifle, M-16A2. M-4 was widely used by U.S. Special Forces in 1990s and began replacing M-16s as the Armys primary weapon after 9/11. NCO Non Commisioned Officer NE CIAs Near East Division Northern Alliance United Islamic Front, known in the West as the Afghan Northern Alliance, was a military-politicalumbrella organizationuniting Tajiks and other ethnic groups against the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War in the 1990s. NSA U.S. National Security Agency NSC U.S. National Security Council NWFP Pakistans Northwest Frontier Province OP Observation post OPCON U.S. Army acronym for Operational Control, indicating when a unit is temporarily put under control of another unit OSS Office of Strategic Services the CIAs WWII predecessor PDB Presidents Daily Brief
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PFC Private First Class PKM 7.62 mmgeneral purpose machine gundesigned in theSoviet Union in the 1960s PLO Palestine Liberation Organization QRF Quick Reaction Force Quantico FBIs primary training facility, located on Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia ROE Rules of Engagement RPG-7 Widely-produced, low cost, portable,shoulder-launched,anti-tankrocketpropelled grenadelauncher. Originally developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s. SAC Special Agent in Charge SAR Search and Rescue SATCOM Satellite Communications SECDEF U.S. Secretary of Defense SINCGARS Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System, the primary combat net radio used by U.S. military forces SF Special Forces Snags U.S. Army (derogatory) slang for locals in Bosnia SOG CIAs Special Operations Group Srebrenica Site of 1995 massacre of Bosnians Muslims by Bosnian Serbs STU Secure Telephone Unit. Family of U.S. Government securetelephones. Latest, STU III, was introduced in 1987 by theNSA. Thuraya A regionalsatellite phoneprovider widely used in the Middle East Top U.S. Army slang for the senior NCO in a unit (term of respect) UBL Usama Bin Ladin, a.k.a. The Shaykh
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UCK See Kosovo Liberation Army UHF Ultra High Frequency designates theradio frequencyrange between 300MHzand 3GHz(3,000MHz) VHF Very High Frequency designates the radio frequency range between 30MHzand 300MHz Vil U.S. Army Vietanam era slang for Village WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction 105s Slang for artillery, 105mm being one of the most widely used artillery munition calibers in the world. 10TH Mountain U.S. Armys 10th Mountain Division 101st U. S. Army 101st Air Assault Division

Authors note: The author chose to follow the practice of depicting Arabic words without the English letters e and o, a common Lebanese practice. (E.g. Usama vs. Osama, Al-Qaida vs. Al-Qaeda)

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September 11th 2001 Hijacker Teams AA Flight 11

11

UA Flight 175

12

AA Flight 77

13

UA Flight 93

Photo Images https://www.cia.gov/news-information/speechestestimony/2002/DCI_18_June_testimony_new.pdf

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About The Author

The author captures over fourteen years of unique government experience in this thriller about hunting Al-Qaida. He started as a U.S. Army officer with two tours in Bosnia. During the Armys initial deployment to Bosnia, he led a scout platoon that tracked the number two war criminal in the Balkans and kept the Serbs most dangerous units from reigniting the war. In 1999, the author joined the CIA as a military analyst and was immediately put to work on the Agencys premier analytical unit, the Balkan Task Force. For the next three years he was part of a small team that tracked Balkan insurgent groups in minute detail, wrote daily intelligence analysis for the White House and senior Washington policy makers, and forward deployed to the Balkans to aid CIA operations officers, the U.S. military, and NATO allies in turning off several brewing Balkan crises. The author received several citations for critical
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warning memos to senior policy makers and for his role in averting new Balkan wars. Shortly before 9/11, the author became a CIA operations officer. After the attacks he deployed across the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East to assist the FBI in piecing together its multitude of cases related to the attacks. In 2003 he received a commendation from the Director of the FBI for his role in combating terrorism inside the U.S. In 2006 the author left CIA for the defense industry. He has a Masters Degree in Security Policy Studies from George Washington University and lives in the St. Louis area with his wife and two children.

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