(Forge Books) is about the turf wars between the Pentagon and the CIA and the privatization of national security.
The outsourcing of intelligence has occurred in the shadows, with little national debate and or Congressional oversight and with little reflection upon the consequences. For reasons of national security, the outsourcing of intelligence lacks transparency and it's unlikely that the public will ever hear of critical problems with contractors, even though the potential for contractor abuses is great. And abuse in the most sensitive areas of national security has not only the potential to fleece the taxpayer (as in the Pentagon's famous $5000 toilet seat becomes the CIA's $5000 trench coat), but it has the potential of endangering national security.
With the CIA outsourcing key functions and contractors now performing such sensitive tasks as running agents and monitoring contracts to serving as watch officers, it's almost too late to worry about the types of problems the CIA might find itself facing as a consequence of the haphazard privatization that occurred in the rush to meet the demands of the War on Terror. Nonetheless, I'm worried. I'm particularly concerned when I look at the experience of other government agencies outsourcing national security.
The Department of Defense has a long history of working with contractors and its experience is very likely to mirror what the CIA has in store for it. Last week, the Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General issued its semi-annual report to Congress, outlining some of the problems it has experienced with contractors during a six month period of 2006. They include:
Fraud.
Defense contractor Eagle Global Logistics agreed to pay the government $4 million to resolve claims that an employee filed false claims with prime contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root.
Misuse of secret information:
The Boeing Corporation agreed to pay a $565 million civil settlement and a $50 million fine for the use of sensitive bid information from a competitor to win rocket launch contracts.
Illegal technology transfer to foreign countries:
Kal Nelson Aviation, Inc., was fined $1 million for the illegal shipment of aircraft and missile components to a company in Southeast Asia without the required export license.
ABL Aerospace, Inc. president was sentenced to five years probation and the company ordered to pay a $500,000 fine for illegally exporting missile components to China
The CIA can expect similar patterns to emerge due to the conflicts of interest posed by companies whose mission is to make money for their shareholders. In fact, the Agency is already outsourcing the logistics of its rendition program to a subsidiary of one of those cited by the DoD for abuse of sensitive information, Boeing. The question for the CIA is, does it have the intelligence to learn from the DoD's experience or is it going to continue its headlong plunge into the $5000 crapper?
Hello Dr. Hillhouse,
I stumbled on your website while Googling. I love your site. Your articles and comments are not only informative, but quite satirically humorous as well. Please keep it coming!
By the by, I was searching for information on private intelligence companies used by the CIA and our other intelligence agencies. Your story on Abraxas was enlightening and hilarious.
Hope to learn more from you and your site. Thank you and take care!
Sincerely,
C
ccie@techtakeover.com
P.S., FYI, I don't work for any of the private intelligence companies if you're wondering who I am or my intentions. I'm just someone who's interested in world affairs and thus, requiring the most accurate facts and information I can get.
Posted by: CC | February 18, 2007 at 02:48
Dear Dr. Hillhouse,
What is the best way to get into an intel position or contract?
What is the best training, experience or education one can get?
I thank you for your time.
Regards,
PAH
Posted by: Paula Angelique Hafner | July 08, 2007 at 03:22