The CIA director should be a lifelong government servant. It shouldn't be anyone in the 1% with business concerns linking them to potential adversaries.
Yes, it should be scattered to the wind. It's definitely broken in its current incarnation. Yes, military can do some spook work. No, military can't do all spook work.
I've read a couple of books on the CIA and a prevailing theme is that the CIA is shithouse at HUMINT. They had limited success in the cold war and sources and contacts were desperate to come to them in exchange for asylum. To be good at HUMINT you need to be able to shed your culture and American culture is so distinct and pervasive (thanks to the Post-WWII propaganda machine you grow up under). Military culture adds another layer to be undone so recruiting field spooks from inside the military is not going to garner many good spies. But then again, with facial recognition etc, perhaps the days of the human spy are over? Well, our spies at least. Chinese spies seems to be able to operate in our countries with impunity.
The CIA director should be a lifelong government servant. It shouldn't be anyone in the 1% with business concerns linking them to potential adversaries.
It's a sick society where this is tolerated.
Or we just dismantle the fucking thing all together and let the mil intel do the secret spy shit
Yes and No.
Yes, it should be scattered to the wind. It's definitely broken in its current incarnation. Yes, military can do some spook work. No, military can't do all spook work.
I've read a couple of books on the CIA and a prevailing theme is that the CIA is shithouse at HUMINT. They had limited success in the cold war and sources and contacts were desperate to come to them in exchange for asylum. To be good at HUMINT you need to be able to shed your culture and American culture is so distinct and pervasive (thanks to the Post-WWII propaganda machine you grow up under). Military culture adds another layer to be undone so recruiting field spooks from inside the military is not going to garner many good spies. But then again, with facial recognition etc, perhaps the days of the human spy are over? Well, our spies at least. Chinese spies seems to be able to operate in our countries with impunity.
There are something like 18 different US intelligence agencies. That’s about 15 too many.