Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those were military not CIA. The distinction really matters!
>The distinction really matters! to whom?
to recruiters explaining: we are the good guys!
US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
181–190 of 319 posts
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#182"Between early June and early July, as many as five individuals who worked in or closely with US Cyber Command died by suicide, based on internal communications, public records and sources. The deaths have raised concern among lawmakers and military leaders within the highly secretive command, which is responsible for defending US networks and conducting offensive cyber operations." According to https://www.gao.gov/a…
Assuming a predominantly male population, the suicide rate should be around 20 per 100000 per year. 5 people in a month gives 18x higher rate. Too short period to draw any statistical conclusions but it’s a large blip.
Suicides are not independent statistical events and sadly often come in "clusters"
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is the implication here that we should take the moral high ground and let our adversaries murder us first?
I mean it's not like we know those "adversaries" ever wanted to murder us. For example, the US has a long record of assassinating labor leaders in South America to protect our Banana Republics on behalf of Chiquita. I think it's absolutely fair to bring in skepticism towards the secrets our military keeps from us
Do you believe that "death to America" chants should not be taken seriously?
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#184This isn't Russian assassins. They kill specific notable people, not functionaries. Nor is this about not being able to talk about work. Working in these fields becomes your life. You talk about it all day. They don't want to talk about it more, certainly not at home. This is about over-qualification in a narrow field. These are people for whom there is only the one job. Then ... something happens that threatens that…
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Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
So we're to trust an anon supposed ex officer saying they're doing good things there despite all the clear evidence to the contrary?
It's possible that they think they are doing good things according to their moral framework. There are hundreds of millions of people with truly insane moral frameworks. It's possible that their particular job was, as far as they know, doing good things according to most moral frameworks. I have strong doubts that everyone who kills people by clicking on them on a computer screen thinks that what they are doing is wh…
Kills people by clicking on them? WTF?
This is about network security, defending against cyber attacks. You may or may not agree that we should have people doing that, but conflating it with imagined nonsense like this is counterproductive.
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#186I wonder whether any American civilians are losing sleep over how the current administration and its supporters' robust "race realist" rhetoric and worldview might be used by adversaries for some very cruel and effective psychological warfare on military and bureaucratic personnel from minority groups in the US.
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#187Glad to see this brought up! My entire Air Force experience is blocked to comment on besides basic training...Tech school and forward is NDA'd, read in, etc You don't really get to sneak a glimpse of operations and write a book like the SEALs seem get to (jk!)
Your tech school is not nda'd.
I’ve worked with folks from The Citadel who had parts of their studies they were not allowed to talk about. When doing a hiring reference check that was confirmed by school staff. I don’t know if it was an NDA in the traditional sense; I was just a tech interviewer.
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#188I suspect the Cold War of cyber warfare that is happening is orders of magnitude bigger than the public knows. Imagine knowing this and not being able to get emotional support from your friends and family.
This was a big thing for drone people based out of Eppley AFB in Omaha. Wake up, drive to work, attack enemies, drive home, sit there eating dinner with your family trying to pretend you didn’t kill someone and can’t talk about it. Combat troops get to lean on each other after a firefight: “dude, good shot. That guy was about to get us!” You get validation that you did something to safe you and your friends, and it’s…
Can’t speak for others but the most damaging part of direct combat is watching people that you consider to be family die or be maimed.
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#189I suspect the Cold War of cyber warfare that is happening is orders of magnitude bigger than the public knows. Imagine knowing this and not being able to get emotional support from your friends and family.
This was a big thing for drone people based out of Eppley AFB in Omaha. Wake up, drive to work, attack enemies, drive home, sit there eating dinner with your family trying to pretend you didn’t kill someone and can’t talk about it. Combat troops get to lean on each other after a firefight: “dude, good shot. That guy was about to get us!” You get validation that you did something to safe you and your friends, and it’s…
America is so obsessed with helping its own murder more and they're surprised when those doing the murdering have feelings, too. The Deer Hunter (1978) taught me this. It taught me that America will go to insane lengths to heal the wounds they cause to their own in the service of murdering others. It's a disgusting culture.
Go ahead and downvote me. I don't give a shit.
Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there any type of internal support where you're allowed to chat about it?
It’s hard to say exactly what the folks in the article are grappling with, not working with them personally. I never got to the point where I was anywhere near personal crisis from my classified work. These folks sound like they were associated with some kind of wet ops or drone programs. Not fun to deal with. I know cleared psychologists are a thing. I never tried to speak with one but I’m told demand is high, and t…
In all of my years messing with computers, I have met very few people who are as fluent with the technology and the terminology. There is virtually no one I know that I can talk to about the things I do. I do not work in IT. I do not know people in IT. I also do not go out of my way to find IT folks. For a while this bothered me a little.
On pondering this, I suppose everyone with a hobby has this same lacking. For that matter, anyone with a mind that contains unique thoughts has the the same lacking. A desire for comradery seems pretty universal.
That said, not being able to talk about it and not being allowed to talk about it is quite different!