Fixing Our Intelligence Services

Thoughts on the American Intelligence Services.

The American intelligence services these days look much like a bureaucratic alphabet soup. While our traditional enemies like China, Russia, and North Korea are still very real and major threats. We now have the added bonus of Islamic Fundamentalists, I will not spar words with those who believe the terrorist threat doesn't exist or was overstated.

Terrorism by its very nature is a war of cloak and shadows, fought in the dark and the winners will be decided there to. This is the current list of organizations that do work, which I would consider to fall under the banner of intelligence services.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
National Clandestine Service (NCS)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
National Intelligence Council (NIC)
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
National Security Agency (NSA)
Office of Intelligence, Department of Energy
Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), Department of State
Office of Intelligence Support, Department of the Treasury

Indeed you would think that with so many different agencies that we would be the most well-informed nation in the world. We are not, and that is obvious because of the fact that many terrorist organizations still exist, that Osama Bin Laden is still alive among other things.

There is no easy way to do this, the reforming process will be a bloody mess that will upset many people inside and outside of the community. Yet it needs to be done, America can no longer ill afford to be flying blind in a war where our enemies blend like the mist.

I propose that we turn that alphabet soup into one agency, no longer should we have a plora of agencies with their own agendas. In an age where information is the new weapon of choice, we can no longer tolerate the traditional turf wars that plague our intelligence community.

I would like to see two committees, one made up of members of Senate and the other made up from intelligence officials from each of these agencies. Tell them to find a way to bring all these organizations under one roof.

Emphasizes on certain things must be made.

-Rebuilding Americas shattered human intelligence network, we must begin infiltrating these countries and organizations that would seek the destruction of our nation. Technology has limits, and it's time we realize that.

-We must emphasize that tracking the financial resources for these groups be a major factor, young stupid ideological children willing to die for a false cause will never be in short supply but by limiting their financial abilities, we can begin to seriously cripple them.

-Less dependance on foreign intelligence services, I'm in no way advocating that we end our partnerships with sister agencies that are our allies but I believe we also shouldn't be held hostage by them either.
-More effective integration techniques, torture by its very nature is useless because it will simply give information the torturer wants to hear and not necessarily the truth.

Now I know there is a very justifiable fear of what these intelligence agencies are doing, and for good reason. Yet even the most staunch liberal can't tell me that an intelligent service can function without secrecy.

Its very nature is secretive, that is why I propose stronger oversight from the Senate Intelligence Committee. We ensure that our agencies don't simply run unchecked, but they must be allowed to function.

We must have faith in our leaders to ensure that they are acting inappropriately, and the Senate members must be held to the highest standard in ensuring that no information is "leaked".

Freedom loving people everywhere are naturally suspicious of government secrecy, and for good reason. Still only the failures of the intelligence communities are ever seen public, we must realize that their victories but stay with them in the shadows.

Personally I don't care which party fixes it, I just wish one of them would.

I would also like to extend a thank you to those few bloggers who have left some very helpful comments. While we may not agree ideologically, we do agree that productive debate is always good for a thriving Democracy.