The Washington Post published a report on Monday, July 19, about the Intelligence Community, in public and private sectors. The report, Top Secret America, has began many discussion going. 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 does not paint a flattering picture
The Washington Post spent two years compiling Top Secret America. The amount of agencies, bureaus and contractors working on intelligence has grown exponentially since September 2001. Because the Intelligence Community relies on secrecy and non-transparency, the total cost of all these new agencies and contracts cannot be calculated. The report also questions the intelligence business and it is ability to create a consensus, focus on objectives, or even cooperate among themselves. The piece references an interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who lamented the barriers in the way of cooperation and focus within the intelligence apparatus.
Intelligence Community fires back
The Intelligence Community responded easily following the publication of the report. David Gompert, Director of Intelligence, issued a press release in which he stated the report was not reflective of the Intelligence Community as a whole, and also the intelligence field was continuously working on improving itself.
The results of the report
The report may have a major effect, and it may have none at all. The nature of the intelligence business is that it is clandestine. A truly successful spy operation may never be known. The US Intelligence Community has certainly had some pathetic failures. The Bay of Pigs invasion, WMDs which were never discovered in Iraq, etc. The authorities were alerted about the Christmas bomber, and the only reason he didn’t succeed was his bomb didn’t go off and passengers decided to beat him into submission. The Fort Hood shooter, a U.S. Army Major, had been communicating with anti-American groups. Despite the public failures, some public successes would maybe restore many faith in the system.
More details on this topic
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/ (PDF)
