Article Entry
16 Jun 2009
Comments:1
Bureaucratic Battles in Intelligence Community Date Back to 1947 National Security Act
Added by USGIF Category: Daily Intelligence Brief
You all may have seen our recent post that analyzes whether or not turf battles and bureaucratic red tape in the intelligence community are caused by human nature, or the environment. We came the conclusion that these challenges were all a product of the current structure of the intelligence community — meaning the environment. But, when did all of these challenges start happening? They say that the best way to understand the present and future is to take a look at the past. So, let’s break out the history books.
Actually, rather than doing that, let’s look at a recent Atlanta Journal Constitution article by Bob Barr that offers an excellent summary of the intelligence community and how/why we got to where we are today. He references Chinese military genius Sun Tzu in the fifth century B.C and George Washington who fully understood the value of good intelligence in achieving military objectives.
Then, things started to get a bit dicey in the aftermath of WWII when President Truman signed the National Security Act — as a strategy for meeting the challenges of the Cold War. The National Security Act essentially created the CIA and the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) post. In theory, the CIA Director was to serve both as head of the CIA and the DCI.
Throughout the years, the DCI served in a critical role in our nations security and overall intelligence capabilities. The one downside of this position is that the DCI was often blamed for intelligence failures, even in times when the White House could have been culpable, or did not pay attention to sound intelligence that the DCI presented.
In 2004, President Bush abolished the DCI position and created the Director of National Intelligence position. And many think that this created/maintained the bureaucracy we know today and has fostered the turf battles that are going on right now between Dennis Blair and Leon Panetta.
What do you all think? The Intelligence Community is a very complex thing with many moving parts set in an environment where information is mostly shared on a “need to know” basis. Is there anyway to change the current structure? Or, if there was a massive change, would we fall back on having turf battles because — we were wrong — human nature drives this behavior?
Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, DCI, Dennis Blair, GEOINT, Intelligence Community, Leon Panetta, National Security Act, Turf Battles, United Stateds Geospatial Intelligence Foundation
From Linked-In:
In reviewing this document, the question that comes to mind is what is the definition of intelligence that you are referring to? Is it the actual Intelligence of people involved, or is it just a department that took over the term “intelligence”? I would beg to differ with the opinion presented in the article. It is not environment that has changed things, it is the people involved. Our most important security agencies have been ransacked and taken over by people who do not truly have “Intelligence”. This is not to demean their ability to think… it is referring to Gifts given them so that they Know things other people don’t know… This country has done testing on people, and allowed foreign governments to do testing on the “intelligence” of the citizens of these United States, for years. This is not a secret, but a well known fact. There is documentation of it all over. Instead of cherishing the citizens with “intelligence” and recruiting them to protect our country, many are drugged up and locked up. What people do not experience themselves, they discredit in others… or are afraid of.
I went to the FBI building in the city near where I live now and asked to give an agent a Message. An agent came out and took the Information I had and asked where I had gotten it. I told her “telepathy”. She looked at me with the most scared look and said, “get out of here, now!!”… It actually makes me laugh! I Love my country… I am very concerned for it. The information I receive has never turned out to be incorrect and is Always way ahead of time.
My father’s generation was the last to really call on people with Gifts for Guidance, people with True Intelligence. Time will tell if Mr. Obama’s administration will again call on the Gifted for help to protect this country. Let’s Hope that we don’t sink before then.