Posted on 01/22/2017 1:47:23 PM PST by Kaslin
The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming. This all started when Hillary Clinton reversed what Barack Obama had started four years earlier in a debate with Mitt Romney who actually stated the Russians were a problem. The only thing is that she stated that all 17 intelligence agencies agreed that the Russians had hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Though technically correct there are “17” intelligence agencies, Ms. Clinton knows that these agencies “agreeing” is a hoax.
My initial reaction to the statement was a logical and rational one. I stated Mr. Trump should have replied to her: “Why do we have 17 intelligence agencies and why can they not stop the Russians from hacking?” I thought this issue would go away after Hillary was sent into retirement, but the sore loser Democrats keep making a big deal about this.
There are actually 17 government entities considered part of our “Intelligence Community.” That is if you consider the Office of the Director of National Intelligence one of them. That position goes back to 1955 when our sprawling intelligence community was determined to be too big and too diverse so they needed another person (and all their staff) to oversee all the operating entities. Ten of the 17 agencies were formed after the director position was established. The coordination did not seem to work because Attorney General John Ashcroft stated his biggest challenge after 9/11 was synchronizing efforts between the various intelligence agencies.
The 17 agencies are broken into three groups. The first are ones within the different arms of the military. There is the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and that could be considered warranted, but why do we need separate departments within every branch and why would they not just be considered part of the DIA? The Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard do not need separate intelligence departments. No wonder we can’t get anything right when just our Defense Department has eight separate intelligence agencies.
If we go back to the claim that all 17 agencies agreed it was the Russians who were hacking, please explain to me what information the Coast Guard had on that. Or, for that matter, any of the other four wings of our armed forces. Why would they be following domestic matters like this? That would seem improper or illegal to me.
Then there are the agencies that are part of cabinet departments. Energy, State, Treasury, Homeland Security and Justice all have intelligence agencies. Why do any of these departments except for maybe Homeland Security need their own agency? The Justice Department, which has the FBI (an important domestic intelligence agency), has another agency (Office of National Security Intelligence) that was created in 2006 under the DEA. What a waste. All these departments should have their efforts coordinated through one entity – the FBI. If the FBI needs people assigned to these departments they should do so, but everything should run through one central point.
Back to the Clinton claim, why would the agency under the DEA have any knowledge about Russian hacking of the DNC? Or the agency in the Energy Department? Again, obviously a ridiculous claim.
Then there are the Big Five of the intelligence community. They are the CIA, DIA, National Security Agency (NSA), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (GEOINT). We all know what the CIA does (as much as we are allowed to know). But why is there the DIA and NSA? They are both part of the Defense Department. The NSA was formed in 1952 and the DIA in 1961 and I cannot tell why it exists. It seems we allow our government to create overlapping entities so they can all miss out on accomplishing their mission.
The ones that baffle me totally are the NRO and the GEOINT. GEOINT states “Geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, is the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically-referenced activities on the Earth. GEOINT consists of imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial information.” What exactly is that? Maybe this should be a separate agency feeding the others, but they should be under either the CIA or NSA and not another separate operation.
When you look at the description of what the NRO does it certainly seems like it is splitting hairs between what it does and GEOINT. Both are part of the Defense Department and provide services to other intelligence agencies. These are certainly two entities that by definition should have no clue whether the Russians hacked the DNC nor an opinion.
In conclusion, there maybe should be three or four separate intelligence agencies: CIA, FBI, NSA and maybe the director of national intelligence. The other agencies should be folded into these. One would be independent (CIA), one part of Justice (FBI) and one part of Defense (NSA). All the confusing overlap and inefficiency will be eliminated. There will be enough infighting within those remaining agencies.
Also, maybe four of the 17 could have or should have had an opinion on the Russian hacking. The rest having an opinion is either because of coercion or it is simply false that they had any direct knowledge of the hacking of the DNC by anyone.
Democrats and neocon nuts need who work for the CIA need to be fired.
Here is a list of the 16 members of the US “Intelligence Community”. As of 2010 there were 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies in 10,000 locations in the United States that are working on counterterrorism, homeland security, and intelligence.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Twenty-Fifth Air Force
Intelligence and Security Command (Army)
Office of Naval Intelligence
Marine Corps Intelligence
Defense Intelligence Agency
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Reconnaissance Office
National Security Agency
(note: The NSA Director simultaneously serves as the Commander of the United States Cyber Command and as Chief of the Central Security Service.)
HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard Intelligence
Office of Intelligence and Analysis
INDEPENDENT
Central Intelligence Agency
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
STATE DEPARTMENT
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Well put.
from my experience in US Army Intel, these service intel agencies
Twenty-Fifth Air Force
Intelligence and Security Command (Army)
Office of Naval Intelligence
Marine Corps Intelligence
Defense Intelligence Agency
(list courtsey of yefragetuwrabrumuy, post #22)
focus on tactical, operational, and strategic MILITARY FORCE threats in their area of expertise. Their focus is NOT on the of the “fake news/disinformation” of the type behind the “17 agencies....” balderdash.
These need not be freestanding.They need one administration and one cabinet officer.We are BROKE.Need to slim down on bureaucraps . NOW!!
You made my day! Thanks! ROFL.
The fact that she was aware there were 17 means that she was carefully crafting her obfuscation.
I have several opinions and guesses as to why.
4. Her donors are hopping mad that the candidate they thought was bought, paid for, and in their pocket, is now just a granny in Depends and completely out of the loop. No power to sell. She can’t deliver and she can’t give them a refund. She needs a plausible excuse.
3. Nothing is ever her fault. She needs someone to blame.
2, This was a pre-emptive strike so that she would have plausible deniability in the event that there is an investigation into election fraud. Since 99% of election fraud is perpetrated by democrats, she is attempting to misdirect responsibility from the democrats to the Russians.
And the #1 reason:
1. She, and many, many others, desperately need to distract attention from Pizzagate in order to avoid long jail sentences.
GOOD INFO.
Lots of doors to break into but then one could say it helps to compartmentalize
vigilance is needed and a throwing out of political correctness.
Put this in the same category as “97% of climate scientists”, as both use a phony “consensus” to get all their unquestioning bobble-head followers to nod-in agreement and instantly dismiss any contrary arguments, because ... but ... but ... THE CONSENSUS!
On the surface, the real oddball just outside of the DoD group is Coast Guard Intelligence. While on the surface it belongs in Homeland Security, it is also hand and glove with the U.S. Public Health Service, under HHS, especially the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
That is, before foreign ships can dock in US ports, they must be inspected both by the Coast Guard and by the USPHS, to insure no smuggled or prohibited cargo or weapons or communicable diseases.
Early on, the Public Health Service realized that foreign sailors didn’t care one whit about civilians inspecting them, and only paid attention to naval uniforms, which is why they, up to the Surgeon General, now wear the uniforms of commissioned officers sometimes.
So the Coast Guard has to ferry the doctors as well as carry out their own duties. Oh, and if the foreign ship has some nasty disease on it, the Coast Guard ship is tasked with preventing it from approaching the US until the all clear as given, implicit that the same rule applies to the CG ship if any of their personnel are taken down.
And in some cases, the Coast Guard is bundled with the Merchant Marine, which in time of war is under the Navy as auxiliaries, but in peacetime is either civilian or federally owned ships.
Of course, most of CG Intelligence is about drug interdiction, so lots of ties with the DEA under the Justice Department. Complicated, but it works.
Keyboard spew alert
Bureaucracy is always wasteful.
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