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Prior to the September 11th attacks against the United States, surveillance was a kind of how do I hack a particular target in a certain geographical area science. Enemies, before 9/11 were in geographical locations that could more easily be targeted and infiltrated.
Al Qaeda was a new kind of enemy. It is an enemy based on religious ideology and as such, can survive and reproduce across geographical borders.
A new kind of spy technology was needed to conduct effective surveillance.
Is it even possible for the U.S. Intelligence community, or any spy agency, to adapt and achieve a solution to this new religious ideological global threat?
Does the CIA now recruit agents in Arabic instead of Russian? Does the CIA recruit people who are of Mediterranean or Arab decent instead of German, Chinese, or Russian?
Or has the CIA been replaced by a new secret agency unknown to most of the public?
Even if we reason that the NSA's surveillance program is still going, is it really effective at gathering surveillance on an enemy that is made up of dispersed cell networks?
Who is responsible for training the next generation of spies and are these new spies able to handle the threat from groups like Al Qaeda?
Know this. The CIA has been training Arab speakers for years because of the Oil trade. I think they are probably still recruiting and training Russian and Chinese speakers as well. What has changed is probably the allocation of agents who speak Arabic, Russian, German, Chinese, and so on. There is no doubt that 9/11 was a shock to the surveillance community and they have adapted accordingly.
I have no doubt that current surveillance and espionage is very different than it was prior to 1990 and the ending of the Cold War. But one must consider that this is because of technology and not just the horrible events of 9/11. For example, during the Cold War, agents were trained in how to use and plant a bug device. Rumor has it now that these bugs are obsolete and a new robot bug exists and flies around like an insect. So the training involves teaching agents how to assemble, use, and fly this spy bug. In this case, knowledge builds upon knowledge. The requirement of a device that can secretly "listen in" is still needed. The difference is the method of achieving that goal.
Probably the biggest change in espionage is the realization that one needs to "continually evolve" both in operational terms as well as technological. It is a race between countries to adapt faster than your opponent because he who adapts the quickest is most likely to achieve the desire results.
Also keep in mind that terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda have very limited resources in terms of technology, financial funding, and human resources. This means that they are far less effective at executing counter-espionage techniques than say the USSR is.
In regards to Delta Force and Black Ops, these are not really intelligence organizations but instead operational branches of existing military branches. They have adapted well in terms of using special bombs in Afghanistan that suck oxygen out of caves, or laser guided weaponry. Commando style tactics can be highly effective against terrorist infrastructure, if the forces employing them are provided with sufficient preliminary intelligence (which is the big challenge today). I am referring to effectiveness in both securing new intelligence assets, and delivering damage to enemy operational capabilities (again, counter-espionage is less significant in this kind of conflict).
Al Qaeda was a new kind of enemy. It is an enemy based on religious ideology and as such, can survive and reproduce across geographical borders.
A new kind of spy technology was needed to conduct effective surveillance.
Is it even possible for the U.S. Intelligence community, or any spy agency, to adapt and achieve a solution to this new religious ideological global threat?
Does the CIA now recruit agents in Arabic instead of Russian? Does the CIA recruit people who are of Mediterranean or Arab decent instead of German, Chinese, or Russian?
Or has the CIA been replaced by a new secret agency unknown to most of the public?
Even if we reason that the NSA's surveillance program is still going, is it really effective at gathering surveillance on an enemy that is made up of dispersed cell networks?
Who is responsible for training the next generation of spies and are these new spies able to handle the threat from groups like Al Qaeda?
Know this. The CIA has been training Arab speakers for years because of the Oil trade. I think they are probably still recruiting and training Russian and Chinese speakers as well. What has changed is probably the allocation of agents who speak Arabic, Russian, German, Chinese, and so on. There is no doubt that 9/11 was a shock to the surveillance community and they have adapted accordingly.
I have no doubt that current surveillance and espionage is very different than it was prior to 1990 and the ending of the Cold War. But one must consider that this is because of technology and not just the horrible events of 9/11. For example, during the Cold War, agents were trained in how to use and plant a bug device. Rumor has it now that these bugs are obsolete and a new robot bug exists and flies around like an insect. So the training involves teaching agents how to assemble, use, and fly this spy bug. In this case, knowledge builds upon knowledge. The requirement of a device that can secretly "listen in" is still needed. The difference is the method of achieving that goal.
Probably the biggest change in espionage is the realization that one needs to "continually evolve" both in operational terms as well as technological. It is a race between countries to adapt faster than your opponent because he who adapts the quickest is most likely to achieve the desire results.
Also keep in mind that terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda have very limited resources in terms of technology, financial funding, and human resources. This means that they are far less effective at executing counter-espionage techniques than say the USSR is.
In regards to Delta Force and Black Ops, these are not really intelligence organizations but instead operational branches of existing military branches. They have adapted well in terms of using special bombs in Afghanistan that suck oxygen out of caves, or laser guided weaponry. Commando style tactics can be highly effective against terrorist infrastructure, if the forces employing them are provided with sufficient preliminary intelligence (which is the big challenge today). I am referring to effectiveness in both securing new intelligence assets, and delivering damage to enemy operational capabilities (again, counter-espionage is less significant in this kind of conflict).
About the Author:
Written by Michael Scott. To learn more about spying and even how to find people from your past, go to surveillance
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