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| Home Front: WoT |
| CIA to head Clandestine Ops |
| 2005-10-13 |
| The CIA will lead a new clandestine service designed to coordinate all traditional U.S. spying activities overseas, including those of the FBI and Pentagon, top intelligence officials said on Thursday. Oh, no. I hope this doesn't include DoD elements. I cna't believe Rummy would do this to the country As part of an ambitious strategy to rebuild U.S. human intelligence after debilitating lapses over Iraq and the September 11, 2001, attacks, the new National Clandestine Service, or NCS, will operate out of the spy agency under a director reporting to CIA Director Porter Goss. I'd be more impressed with this idea if Goss had more hunting trophies hung on his wall The new service will act as the national authority for the integration and coordination of human intelligence operations, which involve spying by people rather than satellites and other sophisticated technology. That should help recruitment /sarcasm Intelligence experts view the service, which won President George W. Bush's approval in recent days, as an effort to restore some of the stature which the CIA lost when congressionally mandated reforms largely stripped the agency of its community role last year by establishing the position of director of national intelligence, held by John Negroponte. Screw the CIA's stature. Do what's best for the country. If CIA does the job correctly, it's starue will improve. If they screw up, we'll know nothing has changed and their stature will be that of the munchkins they always were. "I am confident that with the creation of the NCS, the U.S. government will have a more cohesive and truly national human intelligence capability," Negroponte said in a statement announcing the service. There's nothing wrong in the government that can't be fixed with a reorganization and a new level of bureaucracy. "This is another positive step in building an intelligence community that is more unified, coordinated, and effective, and is better positioned to meet the increasingly complex intelligence challenges of the future," he said. With the new clandestine service based at his agency, Goss will have a dual role as CIA director and "National HUMINT Manager." HUMINT is bureaucratic parlance for human intelligence. Goss is also leading an effort within the CIA to expand the agency's global operations and build its ability to act alone in countries where U.S. spies up to now have been more likely to act in concert with foreign intelligence services. The CIA, which orchestrated America's Cold War espionage activities against the Soviet Union, forfeited its leadership role in the intelligence community as a result of the reforms crafted to address weaknesses exposed by the September 11 attacks. Still reeling from criticism over intelligence lapses, the agency has lost some of its most senior clandestine officers in recent months. The announcement of the new clandestine service comes just weeks after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said the CIA was failing to lead U.S. human intelligence efforts and suggested Negroponte take a stronger management role. The CIA reached separate agreements earlier this year for coordinating foreign intelligence activities with the FBI and the Pentagon. Both have stepped up their intelligence activities overseas since the September 11 attacks prompted the Bush administration's war on terrorism. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #6 My only hope is that when real HUMINT is needed, someone in DoD will do what is needed and make the organization to do the deeds. Maybe I am being wishful, but is it possible that real HUMINT will be done by someone without publicity, and it will not involve some phony outfit like the NCS. I wonder if this big bureaucracy is just a diversion. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-10-13 23:21 |
| #5 CIA to head Clandestine Ops I'll end the thread by agreeing with mmurray821. we're f00ked |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-10-13 23:00 |
| #4 Mrs. Davis is exactly right. HUMIT, tactical intelligence (without a highly bureaucratic overlay) is precisely what is needed in the WoT. Besides, CIA has very, very few people on the ground. This has been Goss' admission from the onset. He is currently in a major internal battle with the Clintonoid (like hemoroids) within the CIA structure. It takes DECADES to build an effective HUMIT corp -- we ain't got no decades. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-10-13 21:50 |
| #3 Don't disagree, but there is a humint aspect to military intelligence that I do not wish to see anywhere near the CIA and the CIA has not established that it can do the balance at all. I would prefer to see a new agency set up for clandestine ops that is off books. DOD seems to be the least best place to park it because of Geneva, etc. Perhaps in the Department of Energy. If you've got a real sense of humor, put it in Education. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-10-13 20:26 |
| #2 Maybe. But the reality is that if we keep adding missions to the military's plate, sooner or later we're gonna break it. Our military is the best there is -- but that doesn't just happen out of thin air. It happens because of a major investment in training, doctrine and equipment. They've got enough on their plates right now. Doesn't mean we undo SOCOM. Just means we recognize that this stuff isn't one-size-fits-all. |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-10-13 20:09 |
| #1 Great, we are all f00ked. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-10-13 18:21 |