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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCIA's anti-terrorism effort called 'colossal flop'
Source: Los Angeles Times
... Twelve years after the CIA began a major push to get its operatives out of embassy cubicles and into foreign universities, businesses and other local perches to collect intelligence on terrorists and rogue nations, the effort has been a disappointment, current and former U.S. officials say. Along with other parts of the CIA, the budget of the so-called Global Deployment Initiative, which covers the NOC program, is now being cut.
"It was a colossal flop," a former senior CIA official said in sentiments echoed by a dozen former colleagues, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a classified program.
Spurred by Congress after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the CIA rushed to put its eyes and ears in gritty corners of the globe where Al Qaeda and other adversaries operate or recruit. The risk was considerable: Unlike CIA officers in embassies, NOCs have no diplomatic immunity if caught, and could face imprisonment or worse.
The CIA spent at least $3 billion on the program, and the number of specially trained spies grew from dozens to hundreds. The entire clandestine service is believed to total about 5,000 people. But because of inexperience, bureaucratic hurdles, lack of language skills and other problems, only a few of the deep-cover officers recruited useful intelligence sources, several former officers said.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-cia-spies-20131208,0,1187596,full.story
MADem
(135,425 posts)per diem to screw off! A few got caught...
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-cia-spies-20131208,0,3603017.story#ixzz2mtm9N4Ex
On the one hand, I suppose we should commend their efforts to try to balance the books with a bit more HUMINT assets, but on the other hand, you'd think they'd work harder recruiting locals or native speakers, rather than relying on the "businessman" paradigm--that construct is so shopworn that even genuine businessmen get the hairy eyeball and are suspected, wrongly, of being spies.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)that the CIA per se is a colossal flop and always has been.
Expensive, provocative and ineffective--unless you count their ability to produce blowback. Enough already.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)The nazi core was quite successful in advancing their agenda: saving the world from democracy.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)If so, I agree totally. That's what they've been about from the gitgo: destroying social democracy the world over before it could interfere with the profits of "our" corporations.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Totally fascist, constructed from tainted talent via Operation Paperclip. The Dulles brothers were carrying on in the finest traditions of America's Friendly Fascism that has it's roots in Manifest Destiny.
But, that's my opinion
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)and my recent reading bears that out. Funny how a little behind-the-scenes information can alter one's whole perspective on the last 60 years of our history. For example, it seems we were not the stalwart defenders against crazy people in the Cold War....
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)a country and spy. You discover that what you are doing isn't spying for terrorism, but for industrial and commercial spying. Suddenly, you don't hear shit for five years, get paid big bucks, and exit the program.
That includes computer languages with the ability to merge with locales.