Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, And National Leadership

by Berntsen, Gary; Jones, Seth G.

• ISBN13: 9781597972543
• ISBN10: 1597972541
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-31
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

The next president of the United States faces innumerable complex problems, from a possible prolonged recession to climate change. An immediate difficulty for the president will be the global conflict between the West and Islamic jihadists and state sponsors of terrorism. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission notwithstanding, the administration needs to be armed and ready to tackle much more in the areas of intelligence and counterterrorism. The president can and must assume a hands-on, informed leadership role if the United States wants to make progress in the war on terror. Gary Berntsen has written this book as a guide for an incoming president and White House staff so that they may master current human intelligence and counterterrorism operations. After reading its highly specific recommendations and policy prescriptions, the president and his or her staff will be able to draft a First Directive for the leadership of the intelligence and national security communities outlining how the administration wants those communities to proceed and to defend the nation's interests. Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership will be of interest to legislators, policymakers, and anyone concerned about intelligence and terrorism policy. With a foreword by Seth G. Jones, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and Adjunct Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is the author of In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan and The Rise of European Security Cooperation.

Table of Contents

A Little Background	p. 1
Covert Action	p. 11
Personnel: Lifeblood of the Clandestine Service	p. 18
The Polygraph: Eating Our Young	p. 24
Counterterrorism: Intelligence, Law Enforcement, and Military Power	p. 59
Language Skills: Preparing for Tomorrow Today	p. 46
Terrorist Finances and the Internet	p. 51
The Freedom Corps	p. 55
Intelligence and Force Levels in Counterinsurgency Operations	p. 60
Enemy Combatants and Interrogation	p. 67
Counterterrorism: Policy	p. 76
Weapons of Mass Destruction	p. 79
Catastrophic Event Response	p. 85
Iran, the Key State Sponsor of Terrorism	p. 90
The New War	p. 97
Paramilitary and Special Operations Capability	p. 99
The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board	p. 101
Narco-terrorism	p. 104
Conclusions	p. 108
Glossary	p. 111
Chronology of CIA Directors	p. 120
Recommended Reading	p. 121
Index	p. 124
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