| Central Intelligence Agency | P.O. Box 12727, Arlington, VA 22209-8727 |
| www.cia.gov | (703) 482-0677 |
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Cloak and dagger
Founded in 1947 to collect and analyze intelligence and to conduct other operations related to national security, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been busy remaking itself for the post-Cold War era. The agency's present goal is to combat drug trafficking, terrorism, and the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, as well as to eliminate rogue regimes in the Middle East, Sudan, and North Korea. The agency's Directorate of Operations, otherwise known as the "clandestine service," is the cloak-and-dagger division people think of when they think "CIA." But there are many other facets of the agency. Its Directorate of Science and Technology, for example, is charged with developing and maintaining the technical systems related to intelligence activity. The National Photographic Interpretation Center is responsible for the processing and analysis of intelligence photographs. The Directorate of Administration provides day-to-day administrative support, and the Directorate of Intelligence operates five regional offices to monitor the activities of governments all over the globe.
Mishaps and secrecy
Still deeply entrenched in Cold War-type bureaucracy, the CIA is endlessly (but deservedly) criticized by observers in Washington. While the types of threats facing the nation have changed dramatically over the years, the agency and its approach to intelligence has not. Beyond a few benign organizational shuffles, the CIA has been unable to shake its own rigid heirarchy. Meanwhile, the agency jealously guards its monopoly on clandestine human intelligence programs (as opposed to spy satellites and other high-tech surveillance methods).
Consolidation + lack of competition = trouble
Announced in March 1995, Bill Clinton's Presidential Decision Directive 35 called for a consolidation of intelligence operations and a more direct focus on high-priority missions. The idea was to eliminate waste through redundancy, but instead, the consolidation has left the CIA with a bunch of holes in its operations. The threats the agency failed to anticipate over the past few years were ones that did not fit into an established category. And since it has no competition, the CIA has little impetus for innovation.
Observers and critics from all political circles assert that redundancy in the national security and political community (for example, the CIA, FBI, State Department, and the military) - especially in intelligence collection - would force the agency to get more creative. Additionally, if the CIA were more open to input from outside experts, less information would fall between the cracks. For example, several non-government experts predicted the nuclear testing in India last year. Though India's newly elected Bharatiya Janata party had made campaign promises to begin nuclear testing, the CIA believed such tests were improbable. Three months after dismissing the issue, the agency learned it was mistaken.
Ignorance yields danger
There have been numerous other cases where the agency has been caught off guard - by threats that no one even knew existed. For example, intelligence officials failed to anticipate the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991. In fact, the agency had no idea that Iraq even had a nuclear weapons program. Likewise, in February 1999, the agency finally admitted it was caught by surprise in August 1998 when North Korea tested a three-stage missile, indicating that the country is on the road to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Spies gone sour
The CIA's public image has also been scarred by two recent incidents of spies gone sour. In 1994, CIA operative Aldrich Hazen Ames was found to be a KGB mole. Two years later, turncoat Harold J. Nicholson sold the names of three classes of graduates from the CIA's internal school for spies, making it impossible for any of them to serve overseas.
Stuck in a political quagmire
Moreover, in recent years, a number of journalists have speculated over the agency's complicity in cases of torture and murder in Central America, as well as its involvement in Latin American drug-smuggling rings. In addition, several female case officers have sued male superiors for sexual discrimination. Then, of course, there was also the CIA's deployment of the "accidental" bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during the NATO air campaign to force Yugoslav forces out of Kosovo in 1999. The U.S. is still trying to mend its relationship with China for that mistake.
Say goodbye
Wracked by scandal, low morale, and questions of credibility, it is not surprising that the world's most famous secret service has had a problem with employee retention. In the past decade, no CIA director has stuck around for more than two years. And according to The New York Times, the agency has lost close to 4,000 members since 1992. Losses have been most pronounced in the agency's Directorate of Operations (DO) - otherwise known as the unit with spies. About 1,000 of these employees have left, most of them experienced officers in their 30s and 40s.
Improvement
Today, the agency is hoping to rise from the muck of scandalum magnatum collected over its long history and to erase the negative image of its "shroud of secrecy." The CIA is finally acting on its technological needs by forming the venture capital firm In-Q-Tel. Part of the firm's function, is, of course, to find the safest computer security out there and find a secret way to surf the Web, but it also is seeking to invest in cutting-edge technology and bring them to market.
"We represent America and want to be representative of America"
Deep in the midst of the most aggressive recruiting effort in its history, the CIA is looking to create a league of brilliant, technologically gifted, culturally fluent - and most of all, patriotic - intelligence experts. George Tenet, the agency's director, wants to build a CIA "bigger than it was at the height of the Cold War." So far, he has successfully been increasing the nation's clandestine cavalry, expand its operations, and launch more foreign bases. By eradicating the CIA's blue-blood image, he also hopes to increase the number of women and minorities among its ranks. In particular, the CIA wants to attract the children of immigrants and others with foreign language experience and exposure to various cultures. The agency's tag line: "We represent America and want to be representative of America." And now that even means gay America. Once an openly homophobic organization, in June 2000, the CIA held a gay pride celebration at its Langley headquarters and last year the Office of Equal Opportunity officially recognized ANGLE-the Agency Network of Gay and Lesbian Employees-which was formed in 1996.
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The CIA advertises job opportunities on its job hotline (1-800-JOBS-CIA) as well as on its new souped-up employment Web page, located at www.cia.gov. The employment page spells out the application process, as well as offering a virtual tour of the headquarters in Langley, VA. As part of its recent recruiting effort, the agency has been recruiting hard-core on college campuses, and posts advertisements in publications including The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
While the agency's "clandestine service" training program leads to the life of espionage that has made the CIA famous, the agency also recruits computer experts, language instructors, psychologists, and even leather and fabric artisans. The CIA requires a bachelor's degree, and the agency favors applicants who have foreign travel experience, military experience, an advanced degree, or proficiency in a Central Eurasian, East Asian, or Middle Eastern language. In addition, the CIA is reportedly eager to hire Asian-American and African-American candidates. Successful candidates must undergo medical and psychiatric examinations, a polygraph test, and a background check that digs up the dirt from the last seven years of their lives.
Insiders say the recruitment process "is very relaxed." But they do remind applicants that "security is a big issue with the CIA" and "there will be an extensive background check done on you." One insider warns, "do not hide or omit even the slightest bit of information that is asked of you. You would be very surprised at the information about your past that can be found."
The CIA wants candidates with a variety of capabilities and "a burning interest in international affairs." A good knowledge of history is also extremely important. One contact adds that "travel experience is beneficial, and anyone with a second or third language can go places." More specifically, "there is an ever-growing need" for people who speak Arabic.
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Thrills and kills
CIA insiders are "enthralled" by the mystique that permeates everything they do at the CIA. While the emphasis on "constant secrecy" is both a "thrill" and a "burden," our informants appreciate having the chance to play a "key role in foreign affairs" as well as the opportunity "to know the news before the newspapers do." Most employees find themselves working in countries of extreme internal conflict. Notes one effusive contact: "It's a very patriotic job with little reward other than knowing you are doing your best to help keep America strong."
"Unwavering professionalism"
Recent hires praise their colleagues, "unwavering professionalism" and like working with a "more talented and educated workforce than one ever finds in the private sector." In accordance with its new hiring initiative, the agency is "very open toward minorities and women." Asserts one insider, "I have seen no inequalities since I've been employed here. [The agency does] not put up with any kind of harassment."
Pay, hours, and attire
While some insiders claim "the pay is not too shabby," others describe salaries as "reasonable," though "hardly competitive with what corporate America offers." Entry level salaries range from $25k to $70k - reasonable for a recent college grad. Work schedules vary by position, of course, though one contact notes that "the vast majority of the administration works hours like any other government office." However, one insider notes that a federal government job is better paying than a state government position plus "job security is very good with opportunities always waiting for the right person." The dress code is "professional, for the most part," with "casual Fridays in some offices."
And a haircut too
The CIA offers all employees an extensive array of perks and conveniences. These include an on-site barber shop, credit union, travel agency, dry-cleaning services, and a "modern" cafeteria. Employees can let off steam (or work off extra pounds) at the company's two fitness centers, on the jogging track, or by strolling the picturesque walking paths surrounding the Langely, Virginia HQ. The agency also sponsors two "helpful and responsible" developmental child care centers for children from three months to five years.
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If we told you, we'd have to kill you.
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KGB; Saddam Hussein; Osama bin Laden
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