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Senior Intel Officials Warn U.S. Has Lost Its Global Reach in Spy Network
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ShareJanuary 24, 2007 3:13 PM
The United States' spy network has lost its "global reach," its ability to monitor, gather and analyze developments around the world, according to two top officials from Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Their testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday revealed that the current policy of focusing on a few hot-button issues leaves the U.S. intelligence network unprepared to monitor other areas that might emerge as crises on the horizon.
In her testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mary Margaret Graham, the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Collection, said that the U.S. intelligence apparatus does not enjoy the same "global reach" as it had in the past.
"It is because of the period of time we are in, the post-9/11 world, the demands on the intelligence community that exist today have grown exponentially," she explained.
Her comments were quickly seconded by the U.S.'s top intelligence analyst, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis Thomas Fingar. "It's very much the same situation with respect to analysts," he said.
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"The kinds of problems on which our expertise is sought require deep knowledge. And we need to be both global in coverage and to have real fire extinguisher depth on subjects," he added.
Fingar pointed to inadequate staffing and a focus on major hot spots as causes for the strain on the intelligence community.
"We are coming off a period of downsizing and also shifting resources to higher priorities that has left many gaps" in intelligence, he said.
Graham, a 27-year veteran of the CIA before assuming her post at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, offered a way forward until the U.S. is able to achieve a desired level of global reach.
"Our challenge is, until we reach that point...of getting back to a place where we can do global reach and pay attention to places that we are not perhaps, high on the list today...we have got to be able to have processes in place that allow us to lift and shift our resources when we need to," she said.
"Speaking for myself, I don't see any other answer until we are able to satisfactorily have the global reach that we want," she added.
January 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (10)
Personally, I think the CIA went corrupt badly and has participated in murders that will become public knowledge rather quickly. It could mean their demise which i think is needed with a suitable replacement that does not settle on crime because the other guys are doing it. Speaking of loss of global reach, the China test, if true, just sent your ability to conduct wars of agression out the window in case you did not notice cia chump...
Posted by: frodaddy | Jan 24, 2007 5:39:24 PM
The biggest problem I have with the CIA is that they don't conduct enough targeted hits. The dems and their leaks to the NYT are reducing our abilities to do the things that need to be done.
You nab people who you believe know something important, get the info out of them using ALL means necessary, including the most inhumane torture imaginable, and then you do with them what you want.
At the same time, we should be taking out idiots like chavez and all the extremist "religious" leaders in the UK, Europe, and even here if they slant their version of their fairy tales towards hating us and our "decadent ways". By taking out the most voal of them, they'll be quiet. Send them all on a one way ticket to allah and all the virgins and walnuts they can handle.
You dems complain about Bush, he's being too damn nice. We should take care of business now before things get too out of hand.
Posted by: The Truth | Jan 24, 2007 6:49:24 PM
DON'T BLAME ME
Posted by: SUV.Driving.Lib | Jan 24, 2007 7:36:48 PM
they've just gone underground, they're smarter...that's why we've lost our "global reach"
Posted by: eric | Jan 24, 2007 8:20:45 PM
To the "Truth". I think I read these comments before...that's right... it was a Dick Cheeney fund raising letter...except it is three years old...
Posted by: mark | Jan 24, 2007 9:33:45 PM
All of the major "terror" attacks since and including 9/11 can be traced back to western intelligence or proxy agencies like Pakistan's ISI. Bin Laden, Saddam, the London bombers, etc. all have ties with the CIA, MI6 or Mossad. Like the first writer said, I'm not sure in this age of information overflow how long this can be kept secret.
Has the "war on terror" been staged? There is very strong reason to believe it has been.
Posted by: John | Jan 25, 2007 5:31:29 PM
Why does this not surprise me? With all of the stupid restrictions the Democrats have placed on the intelligence community, not to mention their input to the New York Times, it's any wonder that we obtain any intelligence at all without the Dems telling the enemy every move or process we make or do.
Posted by: Walt Ireland | Jan 26, 2007 12:43:00 PM
I agree with Truth and Walt.
Posted by: vp | Jan 26, 2007 1:16:51 PM
You people amaze me. You blame everything on Intel failures, yet we have cut the intel capaibility and budget every year. If there are as many terrorists and insurgents as there are in Iraq, then where do you think we will be fighting them if we pull out and show we are beaten or giving up? Here in our own country, beacuse that is exactly how they operate. They look for easy targets, just like all criminals.
Posted by: Resource | Jan 29, 2007 7:54:44 AM
It seems such a simple soulution, just get the bad guys, torture them and use the info to win the war on terror. So what if we torture innocence. Don't you know
that the only thing that seperates us from the bad guys is the "RULE OF LAW". Nearly everyone who is tortured talks...but how useful is it? The CIA assassinated a democratically elected president, allowing a brutal, murderous dictator to take over Chile, We imposed the SHAW of Iran on the Iranians overthrowing a popular leader. The CIA supplied advanced weapons to Osama ben Laden in Afganistan, and who knows how many other acts that go counter to our stated morals and values. If we win at any cost, sometimes the cost is our souls.
Posted by: blackie | Jan 30, 2007 3:03:31 PM
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