The Washington Post published a report on Monday, July 19, about the Intelligence Community, in public and private sectors. The report is titled Top Secret America, and it has created a huge stir. Heavies in the intelligence world have already started to take issue with its findings. Among Top Secret America’s numerous claims is that the Intelligence Community, first receives the status of a proper noun and second is becoming rapidly disconnected, petty, inefficient and ineffective.
Top Secret America doesn’t paint a flattering picture
Top Secret America took two years for The Washington Post to put together. Since September of 2001, the number of agencies, bureaus, and contracting for intelligence work has grown explosively. The nature of the work also dictates the total cost and activities will never be known. The report also claims the intelligence community is not well suited to efficiency, consensus, and lacks enough focus to be truly effective. Part of the piece is an interview with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who disdains the obstructive nature of the intelligence field in this manner.
The Intelligence field comes back
There was a response from the intelligence business almost immediately. The national Director of Intelligence, David Gompert, easily issued a press release that condemned the report for not being truly reflective of the Intelligence Community, and the community itself was regularly working on improving itself.
What effect the report will have
The report may have a major effect, and it may have none at all. The nature of the spy business is that it is secretive. A truly successful spy operation may never be known. However, the U.S. Intelligence Community has had some spectacular failures. For example, there was the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Last year, the Christmas bomber almost succeeded, and authorities had been tipped off about him. The Fort Hood shooter, a U.S. Army Major, had been communicating with anti-American groups. The intelligence field may have some very visible blemishes, but it is hard to keep faith when you can’t see the successes.
Find more information on this topic
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/ (PDF)
