United States Intelligence Community - Essay Example

? United s Intelligence Community After the world the end of World War II, the US congress, its military and the other bodiesof the government have in the dilemma on what changes to make to the intelligence community. This has been happening because matters of security are very important. The community is involved in the collection of vital information but their performance integrity in scrutiny over time. This paper seeks to find out the critical changes that have occurred since the establishment of the body in after World War II by President Truman. The United States Congress has been very instrumental in reorganizing this body during the times of crisis. It is these crises that have formed the basis for the reorganization of the intelligence community. The scandals and the critics faced by the organ since it was formed is also highlighted in this context Post War era President Truman in collaboration with the Congress did find out that the United States could not meet their security needs without a defined structure for decision making. They had to find a way to deal with intelligence issues in the country. On this note, the president, in 1947 , did sign the “National Security Act”, which was a part of legislation on the intelligence community. The present day intelligence structure was formed from this simple structure. The USA had the mechanism to do so. Its public also supported this move and it was further boosted by allies who saw to it that America was helped to achieve its goals. USA in the first place took their satellites into the space to help them watch vast areas of the world. The other initiative was the use of spy planes1. They moved into their air space to ensure that their territory was not invaded. Many posts were placed strategically all over the world. The intelligence team then listened to the messages relayed on these stations. The country took the responsibility of training and developing manpower for example: analysts, 2technicians, program managers. Much work was done to train these people on foreign languages. USA invested more in the area and space studies which would come to help them develop the intelligence community in years to come. Post Cold War era It saw the endless efforts to make DCI to be the hub of intelligence community. The media undermined their efforts with series of disclosures on their cases. In the better part of the decade, the community underwent many changes. They came up with new reforms and their oversight also changed. For example, President Nixon (1970) gave the directive to find out how the structure of the body should be changed to ensure efficiency in information collection. Several commissions were formed to help inquire about the best ways to ensure efficiency. Among them were the Rockefeller commission, the church commission, the pike committee and the Murphy commission. These commissions would form the basis of this body. In 1975, implementation of Rockefeller commission was ordered by President Ford. Out of the 30 recommendations, 20 of them had to be implemented. The commission had recommended increased supervision of the CIA activities. Its restrictions on the domestic activities were toughened. They were provided with a prohibition on the mail openings and wire taps were removed. The community had been accused of abusing tax information. They were therefore banned from this act. The most outrageous was using drugs on people without their knowledge. The president made it possible to describe the structure of the IC in the public and their responsibilities and well defined in the presidential document which was always made public. This order also set up a committee known as the Foreign Intelligence and was to be part of the “National Security Council”. The DCI chaired the council. He was to report to the president directly, concerning resource allocation on the intelligence activities. Many restrictions were made. An example of such is barring the intelligence from using assassinations that were part of the US policy. The Select Committee on in intelligence was created in the year 1976. A year later, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence was created. These two committees authorized the expenditure of the intelligence activities. Both the committees were to be fully informed of the activities and had to make sure that intelligence was under watch. In the year 1977, DCI made a quick and controversial move when it announced the intention to reduce “CIAS directorate of operations by 800 people”. To the dismay of the nation, he did so in 1977 late into the year, when 200 officers were sent off. This reduced the human resource work force. The information collection was obviously affected. When President Ronald Reagan came into power, he had the intelligence community in mind. Their budgets were increased with less spying on them. Soon the America state experienced numerous scandals. To counter this he made changes in the unit by ensuring that the DCI would a position in the cabinet. The spy era also saw changes. The intelligence had been investigated to have leaked information to the soviet unions. This led to the probe of the case. The government further tightened their watch on the intelligence department. Most important was the spying era. The cold war was at the brink of falling. The proliferation clause had been signed but countries were still producing weapons. Weapons of mass destruction like nuclear and atom bombs were being produced. USA was wary of Russia. It was busy producing these weapons. The intelligence community had to strategise and know the tactics of Russia. Secrecy increased in the community.3 The information age and the post 911 era In this era, the changes in the information technology have also affected the intelligence community in a great way. This section of the government deals with information and investments in this sector will help in investigating the cases. The 911 incidence exposed the community as ill prepared. After that, this department had to take necessary precautions as it patterns security and national safety. The first change was when President George bush enforced a law that allowed the intelligence officers to frisk citizens without their consent. Confidential information like financial transactions was looked at by the officers without asking them to comply. Spying into the public was allowed by the law. Those who were suspected of terrorists’ activities were to be detained or deported out of the country in secret. This led to outcry by the civil societies and after a year the law was abolished The then President George bush in secrecy had wiretapped phones that were acquired legally. New York Times unearthed this after 3 years. It stated that “President George Bush had secretly enacted a law in 2002 that allowed phone service providers to wiretap phones”. This gave phone service providers the advantage of terrorizing the public. After long battles, in 2008, the congress again revoked George Bush law that saw the phones being bagged again. War on Iraq also put the intelligence community, especially the CIA on the spot. They are the ones who had advised on the use of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There were also revelations of CIA's pre-war activities in Iraq. They knew what was bound to happen and did not inform the public about the coming event. President Bush went ahead and enacted an order allowing the secret service to try any foreigner who was charged with terrorist activities to be charged in Guatemala. This was known as the military tribunal and it relied on mere hear says and eavesdrops to try suspects The post war era saw the intense dependence on technology by the intelligence service. Very powerful technologies have been used to collect information secretly. For example, use of special cameras that can take videos in darkness. This era has seen the community recruiting the most qualified human resources to help collect information. Difficulties have also been experienced since some officers have betrayed the sector. Good example is the Guatemala case where some of the officers destroyed evidence. The federal government has developed “department of homeland security act 2002”. The post of secretary was created. Its duty was to ensure that the country was not threatened by terrorists. It coordinated with national agencies to provide security. In 2011, “the national terrorism advisory system” was formed. This recent body has been concerned with providing information on terrorism and security measures to the public. In a nutshell, the United States intelligence community has gone through many changes to reach us today. It evolved from a simple structure initiated by President Truman to the complex organization that is present today. It has experienced challenges especially during the Nixon and ford era where the community that had been criticized of having many scandals. Many bodies and organs have been added to the intelligence community to have a comprehensive system of investigation that covers the United States and beyond4. After the September 11 attacks, George Bush is seen to be making controversial decisions in the name of safeguarding the national security. The public is against harassment by different secrete officers who have been given too much power to scrutinize them. It is evident from this finding that the changes in the intelligence system have taken place in three stages. The first stage saw the initiation of the intelligence system to provide for the security needs of the country. Information was mainly collected using satellites and spy planes and report stations. This was known as the postwar era. The second is the cold war eras. The congress found hard time shaping and organizing the community. It is the era most faced with scandals. Many changes took place after president Nixon retired. One of the major changes being the domestic mailing system that the president was using for his own political benefits. The third era is the after the September 11 attacks. America was caught unaware and unprepared for this attack. This made president bush to enact critical laws including the decision to wiretap phones. Bibliography Sims, E. Vaults, Mirrors, and Masks: Rediscovering U. S. Counterintelligence. Georgetown: University Press, 2008. Read More