Tequila; great post. Here are some additional notes of interest I pulled from a DIA Discussion Paper by a Major Glenn J Voelz, USA.

The bottom line up front is that the intelligence gaps we have now are really nothing new. Instead, it turns out to be a constant issue that every generation falls short in mitigating. The shortfalls we have in HUMINT, CI, Language, Recon, etc have been part of our history since the founding of this nation...sad, but true.

Although outsourcing has gone out to some that would cause concern, I would venture to say a good portion of those parties partaking in these activities are former govt intel types. There is no doubt that monitoring needs to occur, but the reality of solving these constant gaps will likely continue to go unfilled.


-General George Washington used ~ 10% of his budget to help constitute his intelligence staff during the Revolutionary War. source: http://www.cia.gov/csi/books/940299/art-1.html

-During the Mexican-American War, the "Mexican Spy Company" consisted of personnel hired by the U.S. Govt to fill in HUMINT, CI, Linguistic and Reconnaissance and Surveillance gaps. Brook A. Caruso, The Mexican Spy Company: United Staes Covert Operations in Mexico.1991

-Similar elements were hired in the Civil War to fill the same gaps for the almost all of the same reasons. The Secret War for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War by Edwin Fishel.

events go on and on til today.


V/r and Cheers, Bob