New Intel Firm Signals Major Shift in Industry: CIA Knock-Off For Rent

Cofer Black, former CIA Center for Counterterrorist (CTC)  and Vice Chairman of Blackwater USA along with some other former CIA heavy-hitters have created a new private intelligence corporation, Total Intelligence Solutions with Black as chairman.  The new firm is marketing itself as a security and intelligence solution for large corporations, with little emphasis upon government contracting except in Homeland Security, signaling a major shift in private intelligence corporations.  Former spies are prohibited by law from plying their trade to lobby the US Government on behalf of foreign governments, corporations or individuals (that's Congressional turf).  However, nothing forbids them from using their own contacts--in spy terms, agents--to get information to further the interests of clients--foreign or domestic.  The Virginia Pilot quoted Mr. Black:

"Total Intel brings the intelligence gathering methodology and analytical skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the board room," Black said in a statement Tuesday. "With a service like this, CEOs and their security personnel will be able to respond to threats quickly and confidently - whether it's determining which city is safest to open a new plant in or working to keep employees out of harm's way after a terrorist attack."

The statement said the company will operate a "24/7 intelligence fusion and warning center" that will monitor civil unrest, terrorism, economic stability, environmental and health concerns, and information technology security around the world.

The CIA is not yet for rent, but Total Intel offers the next best thing, complete with a global watch center. 

It's a brilliant move--the potential global market is enormous.  Some others have half-heartedly tried to tap into it, offering their services to private entities, while focusing upon US Government contracts.  This is the first time that a private intel firm, one of the recent breed formed in the post-9/11 intel gold rush, has so aggressively marketed itself to the Fortune 500 and beyond, complete with a rollout website in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

It's doubtful that Total Intel's private sector emphasis signals of a lack of interest in lucrative CIA contracts--with such significant rainmakers, Total Intel has little need to sell themselves to the Agency.  Given the recent spy drain, its staff is probably more experienced.

The other big news here is that this move ends what's left of Blackwater's ambitions to do serious intel work.  This part of the business never really developed beyond supplying a body here and there and now it's unlikely to recover from the loss of such talent.  It could also be that all involved, including Prince, realized it was time to call this quits and focus upon BW's many strengths.

Mr. Black has not officially resigned as BW Vice Chairman, but it's hard to imagine this not happening soon, unless, of course, a deal was cut, as in Cofer tells Erick, ""I'll do the intel and you do the kick ass stuff and we'll refer clients to one another."  If Mr. Black is steering clear of the knuckle-dragging services BW provides --as in the Total Intel mini-CIA is going to be without a mini-Special Activities Division, this could actually be an asset to BW, with Total Intel sending clients in need of heavy muscle to Blackwater.

However, also joining Total Intel is Enrique "Ric" Prado, whose last overt Agency job was Chief of Operations for the CTC and  whose earlier jobs at the Agency were in the paramilitary Special Operations Group.   We can only guess as to what his last "covert" job was, but it's not too hard to guess that it probably involved counterterrorism and paramilitary activities, his specialties.  (Needless to say, his picture does not adorn Total Intel's new website.)  Given the addition of Mr. Prado, it is well within the realm of possibilities that Total Intel also plans on developing its own paramilitary capacities, which would directly compete with Blackwater.  But the smart money is Mr. Prado is there because he was friends with his former CTC boss and the intent is to use his other talents as a case officer with a depth of overseas contacts.

Total Intel is probably in a strategic alliance with Blackwater.

Also joining Mr. Black is Robert Richer, who retired from the CIA as Associate Deputy Director of Operations and who brings a wealth of international contacts to Total Intel. 

Cofer Black is best know for capturing Carlos the Jackal and for recognizing the signs that bin Laden was about to attack in the US and tying to warn the Bush Administration two months before 9/11 through the oblivious Condi Rice. Cofer is a spy's spy. And now with the creation of Total Intel, the first corporate mini-CIA, he's the private intelligence industry's Bill Donovan--or is that Bill Gates?

Comments

[Mad Dogs]

Welcome back RJ! Been missing my spy-for-hire-fix for a bit. *g*

Wrt to Total Intel, a few questions:

1. Any sense yet how many employees they've actually got (real employees vs contractors)? For example, do they only have as of yet the half-dozen folks listed in their Personnel webpage and plan on hiring/contracting for more as the business flows in?

2. From all I can find out, this is a "private" startup company at this time. Any sense on the relative amount and sources of their startup funding?

3. As Ric Prado is Total Intel's Chief Operating Officer and yet still serves as Vice President of Special Government Programs with Blackwater USA, it sure seems like Total Intel is a "subsidiary" of Blackwater, whether formal or otherwise. I'm curious as to whether they will admit to this, but given the secretive business they're in, probably not.

BTW, I don't know if you had a chance to check these out from a comment I posted last month:

Dark Armies, Secret Bases, and Rummy, Oh My! - http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/2939

and

Spying in Baghdad: The CIA’s Real Mission Impossible - http://www.cq.com/public/20070119_homeland.html

[R J Hillhouse]

Hi Mad Dogs--nice to be missed. :)

To run down your questions:

1. If it were me, I'd hire as business came in. They have so much star power, I suspect staffing won't be a problem. They'll pull in the best, though in some cases, key rainmakers might cost a nice chunk of equity.

2. Not a clue as to startup capital, but I'm sure they're not sitting on milk crates in one of their garages. However, if they're doing a lot of contracting with the Agency, it's very likely that they'll bring in key people who come aboard with contracts in tow.

3. I don't think it's a BW subsidiary. It is, of course, possible that the Prince Group, the holding company that owns Blackwater USA and its subsidiaries, has an equity stake.

[Retired]

Oh, come on now! You're not seriously suggesting by your headline that we start calling these guys "The Rent Boys", are you?

[R J Hillhouse]

Actually, Retired, I was thinking of something more like "The Flies-Walking-Across-Their-Eyeballs Guy's Rent Boys."

[Fox]

"Cofer Black is best know for capturing Carlos the Jackal"..

May be he captured Bruce Willis,
but Carlos was arrested in Sudan by a french SOCOM team, and jailed in Paris !

[R J Hillhouse]

Mr. Black was instrumental in the capture of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, aka "Carlos the Jackal" as CIA Chief of Station in Khartoum. It's true the French provided the muscle for the final move in the capture, however, Mr. Black was the brains behind it.

See Billy Waugh and Tim Keown, Hunting the Jackal. A Special Forces and CIA Ground Soldier's 50 Year Career Hunting America's Enemies.

As to Bruce Willis, he wouldn't be a bad choice to play Mr. Black...