The CIA: The New Shield of the Republic

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Billies]Richard Billies
In earlier times the United States Navy was known to Americans as the Shield of the Republic. Protected by two wide oceans we seemed invulnerable to attacks by our enemies. Our fleets dominated the world from the end of World War II until the beginning of the 21st century. Then came September 11th. America not only suffered physical attacks and the deaths of almost 3,000 people but our sense of safety was blown away the World Trade Center.
Enter the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Once considered an intelligence information collection agency, the CIA has gradually over the span of a decade become the new Shield of the Republic. The change in its mission has been so gradual that ordinary citizens are stunned when the changes are pointed out to them. In the netherworld of the War on Terror the CIA has become the near-ideal weapon for the United States.
The agency's Counterterrorism Center (CTC) which had a slim complement of 300 employees on 9/11 now numbers about 2,000. They now outnumber al-Qaeda's global core membership. The CTC now accounts for about 10% of total CIA workforce.
CTC employees are stationed at every major overseas post around the world. Their job is seek out information in the hunt for terrorists. This information is returned to Langley where the analytic branch of the agency collates it and targets the enemy with the agency's fleet of drones. Some 20% of the analytic branch are now "targeters". Targeting has been designated a career track within the CIA.
The CIA drone fleet has about 30 Predator and Grim Reaper drones. They are primarily used in Afghanistan and Pakistan but recent strikes have been carried out in Yemen and Libya. The CIA drones are flown by U.S. Air Force pilots from an unnamed base in the United States. The intelligence for their flights comes from a number of CIA bases in various war zones.
In an effort to downplay the part that drone strikes are in the overall mission of the CIA, the agency claims that they only represent a "sliver" of the counterterrorism effort. The agency carried out 118 drone attacks in 2010 but the point out that these acts were far outnumbered by other forms of counterterrorism. The assistance that they give to foreign intelligence agencies includes tips on the whereabouts of terrorists, assistance in arrests, briefings and other forms of non-lethal aid.
The agency has a robust para-military force, the Special Activities Division, that has developed an expanding collaboration with the Joint Special Operations Command of the United States military. It is now known that the killing of Osama bin Laden, although carried out by U.S. Navy SEALs, was planned at agency headquarters in Langley.
This lethal combination of forces have carried out both intelligence and military missions in the various war zones around the globe. Some are designed to seek out information on high-value targets, particularly in Pakistan. Others are used to eliminate the same type of targets. In Afghanistan the para-military has recruited, trained and led elite Afghan militias. These Counterterror Pursuit Teams are used for surveillance and long-range reconnaissance missions and some have been trained at CIA facilities in the United States.
Counterterrorism has become an important part of the CIA Director's daily schedule. Michael Hayden placed in first in importance on his daily work. Leon Panetta was said to have spent 30% of his daily time on counterterrorism.
Incoming CIA Director David H. Petraeus has been fully involved in counterterrorism operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan he used the counterterrorism teams and drones to seek out and either capture or kill members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
There are some on the left who decry the agency's counterterrorism tactics against those who would do harm to the United States. Hina Shamsi, the director of the National Security project of the ACLU said, "We're seeing the CIA turn into more of a paramilitary organization without the oversight and accountability that we traditionally expect of the military."
As we enter a new directorship we are seeing an expanding mission in Yemen and Somalia. President Obama recently approved the agency's new drone base on the Arabian Peninsula. Drone patrols were recently started over Yemen and were followed by a drone strike in Somalia.
It has now become apparent to both friend and foe alike the CIA as the new Shield of the Republic will use its technological advantage to strike the enemies of the United States as far from American homeland. The message has been sent to them that no place is safe for them.
Richard Billies http://allthingspoliticaltoday.com
I am a writer and blogger in central Virginia. I usually write on politics and current events.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-CIA:-The-New-Shield-of-the-Republic&id=6546102] The CIA: The New Shield of the Republic