The Pentagon has begun planning to increase spying done on high-priority targets under an approved reorganization approved last week by the Defense Secretary, Leon. E. Panetta. The new "Defense Clandestine Service" would work closely with the CIA to expand espionage operations. The plan was developed in response to a study conducted last year that concluded "military’s espionage efforts needed to be more focused on major targets outside war zones."
The realignment will affect hundreds of military operatives who work on spying assignments abroad. Many people are questioning the reasons why this organization has been created and what events have caused the Pentagon to create this unit.
So what do you guys think about this? Do you think maybe the Pentagon decided to create this organization in response to something? Or do you think that maybe the Pentagon just thought this branch of our government was lacking efficiency?
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I think that there is a pretty good chance that they created this in response to something. Maybe it's something completely classified that no one knows about. It just seems a little suspicious that they are doing this. A couple days ago, Iran claimed that they were building a replica of the drone, but I don't think that really has much to do with this. There is always something in the news, whether its Iran or North Korea or China building nuclear weapons or something. If there isn't something that prompted this, then why didn't they do this earlier? I'm sure this has been in the works for a while and has been suggested before, but why now? Or maybe someone just suggested it and everyone agreed. But I don't really think that's the case.
I think that the Pentagon just thought that they could use a specific branch that focuses on spying outside of war zones. Maybe the CIA's responsibilities are too broad and the Pentagon feels that this would help with productivity. The CIA could focus on other things while this branch does their job.
Frankly, I believe that this new unit is not a specific response to any new intelligence, but rather a preemptive action taken. It seems that a current trend of war moving away from large infantry and towards small units is overcoming global affairs. Perhaps the US only sees this trend continuing and the future may hold a civilization in which wars are fought through much more covert action and less transparent violence. Who can say whether this trend is going to be something that benefits mankind, or whether it will just do more to disillusion the American people about the workings of their government?
I think the purpose of the Pentagon reporting its new covert operation is to instill a sense of danger in foreign enemies. In WWII, the use of spies was quiet common, inspiring stories such as James Bond. Maybe the US wants to keep its enemies on its heels, or at least instill fear to slow down their operations and cause them to take more precautions during their operations. This consequently has a chance to reduce violence and criminal activity. However, like Jacob said there is some inherent danger in this approach. Many Americans are already suspicious of the government and more covert actions can only incite more feelings of distrust.
I would agree with Jacob; a trend toward covert affairs could entirely change the American public's view of its government. If our wars are fought silently and secretly (as they increasingly have been fought, e.g. drone strikes in Yemen, raid on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan), the public might become disillusioned by the perceived peace. I suppose that would only help our national unity and domestic tranquility, but there is a fine line between necessary and excess government secrets.
In regards to the purpose of the initiative, Colin specifically said "major targets outside war zones," which I imagine would consist of ascendent powers (China) and nations which near nuclear technology. I wish the Defense Clandestine Service only the best of luck, and that it would be super cool if it killed Kim Jong-un.
Just saying.
I definitely agree with Kirsten that maybe the Pentagon is expecting problems of some sort and are trying to prevent them. But maybe they are just trying to make a new group that does do spying outside warzones. I do think that it is a good idea considering we have never had anything like this before. There will always be things going on that involves some sort of spying. Hopefully this will have positive outcomes.
The Pentagon has been doing these spying operations for a long time. I think they are just trying to reorganize the agency and focus more on things not related to war zones. Besides, we are now facing other concerns in countries like Iran, China, and North Korea. According to Washington Post, this was a response to a study last year, which concluded that military’s espionage acts should be more focused on “major targets.” Right now, no one really knows what is the main reason or maybe even an ulterior motive on why this was created. I just wonder if this new unit and the CIA can work together smoothly and efficiently. I just hope that they will have a better communication system in order to avoid incorrect information. On the other hand, I wonder if this is really necessary. Will this create more security or prevent any future foreign problems? In terms of American people’s reaction on these covert actions, I think that the government has been hiding many things long before the establishment of this unit. It only becomes controversial when the secret comes out. How will people react to something that they do not even know exist/ is happening?
The meaning of the creation of this new unit is left ambiguous for a reason.Like Jan stated, people aren't sure how to react because we don't know what it is exactly made for. The best any of us can do is make an educated guess. With certain problems or controversy arising in some enemy countries, the government could be trying to protect the country or it could be used for getting new information. The government has always tried, quite successfully, to keep things secrets. That is definitely no going to change any time soon. Overall, I agree with Jan. We can't expect much information from the Pentagon on what the new unit was made for. All we can do is hope for the best possible outcome.
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