The
Power of Overseas Assets: They Helped Bring Down Osama bin Laden |
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the most prominent intelligence agencies in the world, known for its covert operations and intelligence gathering to protect America from external threats. One of the key tools that the CIA uses to gather intelligence is overseas assets. In this article, I explore how the CIA recruits overseas assets and the value they bring to U.S. intelligence.
The process of recruiting overseas assets
is complex and delicate. The CIA searches for and targets individuals who have
access to valuable intelligence and who are willing to provide that information
to the United States. It looks for individuals who have a motive for providing
information, such as a desire for financial gain, political asylum, or
protection. The CIA also looks for individuals who have a strong sense of
loyalty to the United States and who are willing to take significant risks to
provide information.
The CIA nicknames this recruitment method
"MICE," an acronym that stands for Money, Ideology, Compromise, and
Ego. CIA operatives are specially trained to identify individuals who are
susceptible to being recruited as an asset based on one or more of these factors.
Some may be motivated by money, while others may be appealed to by their
ideological beliefs. Some are compromised with incriminating information, while
others just need a stroke of their ego by appealing to their desire for
recognition or status. The MICE methods are often used in combination with
other recruitment techniques to cultivate and maintain relationships with
overseas assets.
FYI: here’s an article I wrote with a
detailed description on how the CIA
Recruits Assets Using MICE.
Once potential assets are identified, the
CIA approaches them through a variety of means, including personal contacts,
intermediaries, or even advertisements in local newspapers. The agency is
extremely cautious in its approach, as exposure could endanger the asset and
compromise the operation. The recruitment process can take months or even
years, and the CIA must build a relationship of trust with the asset before
obtaining any valuable intelligence.
The CIA applies extreme caution in
recruiting and maintaining assets, for those who are discovered receive stiff
prison sentences or worse. For example, in 2012, Pakistani authorities arrested
a Jordanian doctor named Shakil Afridi for his role in helping the CIA track
down Osama bin Laden. Afridi was a vital CIA asset for several years, providing
valuable intelligence on the whereabouts of al-Qaeda members in Pakistan.
Afridi was arrested by Pakistani
authorities after the US military killed bin Laden in a raid on his compound in
Abbottabad, Pakistan. Pakistani officials accused Afridi of running a fake
vaccination program as cover for his CIA work and charged him with treason.
Afridi's arrest and subsequent
imprisonment strained relations between the US and Pakistan, with American
officials calling for his release and accusing Pakistan of using him as a pawn
in a political dispute. Afridi remains in prison in Pakistan, and his case
continues to be a source of tension between the two countries.
The value of overseas assets to US
intelligence cannot be overstated. These individuals provide the CIA with
valuable intelligence that cannot be obtained through other means. Assets often
have access to sensitive information that is not available to the general
public, and they provide insight into the inner workings of foreign governments
and organizations. They can also provide early warning of impending threats and
help the United States prepare for potential attacks.
In the spy thriller novel MISSION
OF VENGEANCE, Lieutenant Danilo Sanchez is identified as a CIA asset
who has proven to be an invaluable asset in the Dominican Republic. The
document that Sanchez provides to Corey Pearson gives him much to go on in his
investigation of an American family slaying at a plush resort. This highlights
the importance of overseas assets to U.S. intelligence. Without Sanchez's help,
Pearson would not have been able to obtain the information he needed to track
down the killers.
One example of a real-life overseas asset
that the CIA recruited and who provided invaluable information is a Soviet
military officer, codenamed "TOPHAT". TOPHAT was a Colonel in the
Soviet Air Force who was recruited by the CIA in the late 1970s. He provided his
CIA handlers with a treasure trove of information about the Soviet Union's
military capabilities and operations, including their air defense systems and
missile deployments.
One of the most significant pieces of
information TOPHAT provided was about the Soviet Union's new RSD-10
intermediate-range ballistic missile. The CIA learned about the missile's
capabilities and deployment, which allowed the U.S. to develop countermeasures
and ultimately negotiate a treaty to eliminate the missiles.
TOPHAT's information was so valuable that
the CIA set up a special task force to manage his case. They provided him with
a safe house, security, and financial support. TOPHAT continued to provide
information to the CIA until the early 1980s when he was exfiltrated from the
Soviet Union and brought to the United States, where he lived under a new
identity.
TOPHAT's information played a significant
role in the United States' understanding of the Soviet Union's military
capabilities during the Cold War, and his contributions helped reduce tensions
between the two superpowers. His case highlights the critical role that
overseas assets can play in providing the CIA with invaluable intelligence that
can help protect American national security.
Overseas assets are a vital tool in the
CIA's arsenal for gathering intelligence and protecting America from external
threats. In MISSION
OF VENGEANCE, Lieutenant Danilo Sanchez proves to be an invaluable
asset in the Dominican Republic, just like the real-life Soviet military
officer TOPHAT, who provided the U.S. with vital intelligence during the Cold
War.
The recruitment of overseas assets is a complex and delicate process, but their insights into foreign governments and organizations can provide the United States with critical information that cannot be obtained through other means. With their help, the CIA can stay ahead of potential threats and safeguard American national security.
Robert
Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO)
and enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community. He authors the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster
series. Check out his latest spy thrillers: MISSION
OF VENGEANCE.
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