CIA’s Paramilitary Reboot – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Executive Summary 

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a new emphasis on the counterterrorism mission pushed the CIA back towards its paramilitary (Office of Strategic Service) roots. This allowed for the rise of more paramilitary officers in leadership roles at Langley and in the field– including in more traditional, non-warzone assignments–infusing a larger part of the organization with strong military leadership traits.

At the same time, some paramilitary officers who rose in the ranks were less experienced in, and less energized by, more traditional espionage against strategic targets (Iran, China, Russia). The emphasis on counterterrorism also drove a trend of new operations officers being sent to war zones for their first tours, providing them with less experience in traditional HUMINT tradecraft than would be obtained in more traditional assignments. The pivot in focus came with another price–an increase in fatalities. 

In the past decade, however, the CIA has laid a corrective course and shifted focus back to long-term strategic threats like China, Russia, and Iran. In 2019, CIA Director Gina Haspel emphasized greater investment in “hard targets.” By 2021, the Agency had reformed spy training to strengthen HUMINT capabilities and better address threats from major state adversaries. [source, source]

Rest of this post is for paying members only

Already have an account?  Log in

Free Plan
Free
Secret Plan
$14.99
/ month
Recommended
Top Secret Plan
$39.99
/ month
Free Plan
Free
Secret Plan
$14.99
/ month
Recommended
Top Secret Plan
$39.99
/ month
Table of Contents

Related Content

Secret

HTS-led Syria: Security and Police Restructuring

Location:_ MENA
Secret

Ukrainian Intelligence Operations: 2025 Forecast

Secret

US Special Forces Pivot to Strategic Threats: Back to the Roots?

Location:_ North America
Secret

Arctic Forecast 2025: France

Location:_ Arctic, Europe
Secret

Arctic Forecast 2025: United Kingdom

Location:_ Arctic, Europe
Secret

Arctic Forecast 2025: China

Location:_ Arctic, Far East

Stay in the loop

Get a free weekly email that makes reading intel articles and reports actually enjoyable.

Log in

Stay in the loop

Get a free weekly email that makes reading Intelligence Reports and Articles actually enjoyable.

Table of Contents

Contact

Contact

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.