From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 3): Pentagon to send hundreds of additional
spies overseas: report
The Pentagon will send hundreds of additional spies overseas as part of an
ambitious plan to assemble an espionage network that rivals the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) in size, a newspaper report said on Sunday.
The five-year project is aimed at transforming the Defense Intelligence
Agency (DIA), which has been dominated in the past decade by the demands of the
two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, into a spy service focused on emerging threats
and more closely aligned with the CIA and elite military commando units, The
Washington Post said in its report.
Once the DIA expansion is complete, it will have 1,600 "collectors" deployed
around the world -- something unprecedented for the agency, said the report.
In addition to military attaches and others who do not work undercover, more
clandestine operatives will be deployed overseas. They will be trained by the
CIA and often work with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, but they will
get their spying assignments from the Department of Defense.
"This is a major adjustment for national security," DIA Director Michael
Flynn said at a recent conference while outlining the changes.
The sharp increase in DIA undercover operatives is part of a far-reaching
trend: a convergence of the military and intelligence agencies that has blurred
their once-distinct missions, capabilities and even their leadership ranks,
according to the report.
The DIA overhaul, combined with the CIA expansion since the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks, will create a U.S. spy network of unprecedented size. It
reflects the Obama administration's affinity for espionage and covert action
over conventional force, said the report.
Pentagon officials added that sending more DIA operatives overseas will shore
up intelligence on subjects that the CIA is not able or willing to pursue.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=476488
Interesting article. U.S. military intelligence assets are a finite resource. Out of necessity, the need to support combat forces engaged in two wars forced military intelligence organizations to prioritize their collection efforts much to the detriment of operations outside of the two combat zones. The winding down of the two wars will allow these agencies to refocus assests on emeging issues outside of Iraq and Afghanistan.
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