Is The CIA Headed In The Wrong Direction?

CIA Headed In The Wrong General Direction -- Roy A. Harrell Jr.

Agency should not be paramilitary force.

More than 50 years ago, my resignation from the Central Intelligence Agency was effectuated. The Company, as it had always been known, had become a bit too militarized and was not what some of its founders such as Allan Dulles envisioned.

Intelligence was collected but rarely analyzed coherently so as to contribute to enlightened policies. Much of what was collected by the Company lay unused, some of us feeling it is too expensive to collect this data, not to mention the risk involved.

Moreover the trend was in the direction of militarization, a task that could be more expertly done by the Department of Defense.

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My Comment: I know that the U.S. military has the means to do the job that the CIA is doing right now (i..e having a paramilitary force that can quickly execute certain operations) .... but aside from certain legal reasons on why the CIA is doing this work, I believe that the Oval Office and those who run the CIA like the ability (and option) to use the CIA in executing covert military operations and/or drone strikes against targets like Al Qaeda leaders. Is this the proper job for the CIA .... I do not know .... but they are doing the job and their masters (the politicians) appear to be happy with their performance.

Why President Obama Should Not Appoint A General To Run The CIA

Why Generals Shouldn't Run The CIA -- Amy B. Zegart, Foreign Policy

As the Petraeus scandal unfolded, we got a crash course on the Tampa social scene, General Allen's superhuman ability to write 20,000 to 30,000 pages of "potentially inappropriate" e-mails, and the romantic attraction of the six-minute mile. What we did not get was a serious discussion of whether it was a good idea to let a warrior-general run the CIA in the first place.

The real Petraeus story is about much more than a seedy tabloid sex scandal. It's about what he did on the job — his brief tenure at Langley and the militarization of intelligence it represents.

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My Comment: I have always been of the opinion that the reason why President Obama's chose General Peraeus to run the CIA was because he wanted a military orientation to the CIA. therefore .... my prediction for Petraeus' replacement will be someone like Petraues, but without the personal and emotional baggage.

Will President Obama Rethink The CIA?

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a memorial service at the CIA in Langley, Va., Feb. 5, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Time To Rethink The CIA? -- Walter Pincus

President Obama should pause before choosing a successor to CIA Director David H. Petraeus and rethink the role of the nation’s primary intelligence agency. Its main focus for the past decade has been fighting terrorists and insurgents.

The first question to ask: Has the CIA become too much of a paramilitary organization? The second: Should this be the time to put the agency’s main emphasis on being the premier producer and analyst of intelligence for policymakers, using both open and clandestine sources?

That doesn’t mean losing its counterterrorism role. Terrorists remain a threat, but the rest of the world is changing so fast that the president and policymakers down the line need the best information available.

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My Comment: I suspect that such a debate probably happens every year .... wars and conflicts are always shifting. But will President Obama now take the opportunity to rethink the CIA .... I doubt it for the simple reason that the CIA as an institution is now exactly where he wants it.