The Spy Gap

[SWJED]

19 August Washington Post - Defense Agency Proposes Outsourcing More Spying by Walter Pincus.

The Defense Intelligence Agency is preparing to pay private contractors up to $1 billion to conduct core intelligence tasks of analysis and collection over the next five years, an amount that would set a record in the outsourcing of such functions by the Pentagon's top spying agency.

The proposed contracts, outlined in a recent early notice of the DIA's plans, reflect a continuing expansion of the Defense Department's intelligence-related work and fit a well-established pattern of Bush administration transfers of government work to private contractors...

The DIA did not specify exactly what it wants the contractors to do but said it is seeking teams to fulfill "operational and mission requirements" that include intelligence "Gathering and Collection, Analysis, Utilization, and Strategy and Support." It holds out the possibility that five or more contractors may be hired and promised more details on Aug. 27...

[Pragmatic Thinker]

Nothing too surprising here since the armed forces can't recruit and retain enough intelligence personnel, DIA does the smart thing and asks for more money in hiring those who exit the services plus try to hire those straight out of college who are not interested in military service. I've spent a lot of time around DIA analysts, and the various lot of CIA, NSA, and FBI types. The one thing that makes DIA appealing is the amount of money they're willing to pay versus the other agencies. This doesn't always equate to more quality but it does mean more appeal for those who are looking at either NSA or CIA. I've seen a number of young, smart, and talented people leave NSA and CIA for the money offered at DIA. It comes down to putting food on the table and supporting your family, especially if you live in the Beltway area.

[Stan]

Nothing too surprising here since the armed forces can't recruit and retain enough intelligence personnel, DIA does the smart thing and asks for more money in hiring those who exit the services plus try to hire those straight out of college who are not interested in military service. I've spent a lot of time around DIA analysts, and the various lot of CIA, NSA, and FBI types. The one thing that makes DIA appealing is the amount of money they're willing to pay versus the other agencies. This doesn't always equate to more quality but it does mean more appeal for those who are looking at either NSA or CIA. I've seen a number of young, smart, and talented people leave NSA and CIA for the money offered at DIA. It comes down to putting food on the table and supporting your family, especially if you live in the Beltway area.

I must've retired too early with Tom
Money you say ? In my five tours I've experienced a lifetime of surprises with Clarendon and Bowling, but money was never one of them.

Jokes aside, DIA can and will fair better, her military assests are the best, bar none.

[selil]

I'd like to follow this through a little further. I have been promised funds to start a "Center" at my University. I was thinking about something along the lines of cyber-warfare but maybe I should take it to electronic intelligence gathering (either is along our core competencies). I wonder if DIA would be interested?

[Pragmatic Thinker]

I must've retired too early with Tom
Money you say ? In my five tours I've experienced a lifetime of surprises with Clarendon and Bowling, but money was never one of them.

Jokes aside, DIA can and will fair better, her military assests are the best, bar none.

Perhaps I came off a little too optimistic, but my experience tells me a former SSG/E-6 Intelligence Analyst with limited military experience and a high school diploma can walk in the door as a GG-12 maybe even a GG-13, where as I have seen brainiacs with Masters Degrees in Computer Engineering (and similar degrees) be hired on as a mere GG-9 with a certain agency that specializes in that kind of work. The disparity in what they pay for what you bring to the table seems to be in favor of those who hire on with DIA... I have also seen young men and women walk out one for the other to follow the money $$... Of course, the really smart ones take the contract dollars but sacrifice the "security" of Federal Civil Service employment. Then there are those like me who just can't seem to hang-up the uniform and keep on well after 20 for the real "big bucks"

[Old Eagle]

DIA won an award at the end of the Cold War for down-sizing to fit the new reality.

It retrained a lot of its Cold Warriors into new specialties, etc., and let many more retire. It "right-sized" for peacetime steady-state.

By the time Bosnia rolled around, DIA ops was stretched to the max, and Bosnia, as it turns out, was an easy case.

Well, multiply that by Afghanistan and Iraq, and you get a pretty decent idea of how pressed the organization is.

Now -- figure out the appropriate solution.
COA 1. This is an aberration, so best to contract for the short (even 10+ years) term. Nation can't afford a longterm plus-up.
COA 2. Admit that this is the new reality. Hire permanently a workforce needed to last well into the future. Suck up the permanent costs of training, retirement, health care, etc. Change personnel laws so that civilians can be retained past retirement, sent to combat zones, etc. We are the government. We can cover future costs with future taxation.

The issues cannot be reduced to a sound bite.