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bemildred

(90,061 posts)
Thu Aug 29, 2013, 01:51 PM Aug 2013

U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary

Source: WaPo

U.S. spy agencies have built an intelligence-gathering colossus since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but remain unable to provide critical information to the president on a range of national security threats, according to the government’s top secret budget.

The $52.6 billion “black budget” for fiscal 2013, obtained by The Washington Post from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, maps a bureaucratic and operational landscape that has never been subject to public scrutiny. Although the government has annually released its overall level of intelligence spending since 2007, it has not divulged how it uses those funds or how it performs against the goals set by the president and Congress.ntelligence Program details the successes, failures and objectives of the 16 spy agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, which has 107,035 employees.

The summary describes cutting-edge technologies, agent recruiting and ongoing operations. The Washington Post is withholding some information after consultation with U.S. officials who expressed concerns about the risk to intelligence sources and methods. Sensitive details are so pervasive in the documents that The Post is publishing only summary tables and charts online.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/black-budget-summary-details-us-spy-networks-successes-failures-and-objectives/2013/08/29/7e57bb78-10ab-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html

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U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary (Original Post) bemildred Aug 2013 OP
How safe am I if I have to starve to fund the Intelligence Services? Downwinder Aug 2013 #1
No no, all we need is a new super-weapon and we can go on just like before. nt bemildred Aug 2013 #2
Most scientific and technological break throughs come at a young age. Downwinder Aug 2013 #4
Yeah, exactly, that's why we need the super-weapon to protect us. nt bemildred Aug 2013 #5
21,575 CIA case officers, 35,000 NSA code breakers, $500 billion since 9/11. jsr Aug 2013 #3

Downwinder

(12,869 posts)
1. How safe am I if I have to starve to fund the Intelligence Services?
Thu Aug 29, 2013, 03:00 PM
Aug 2013

How secure is a country that can not afford to educate its youth because of the expense of its spooks?

Education is a National Defense issue
Health is a National Defense issue.

Downwinder

(12,869 posts)
4. Most scientific and technological break throughs come at a young age.
Thu Aug 29, 2013, 03:54 PM
Aug 2013

Without education no new super-weapon.

Might be a good thing.

On the other hand education will be necessary if we have to evacuate 7 billion people off a dying planet.

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