CIA families face burdens like the military

[unhappycamper]

CIA families face burdens like the military
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 22, 2008 17:53:58 EST

When Central Intelligence Agency officials began publishing an unclassified, informational newsletter for families last year, they found it “gets tricky,” said Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the Director of Central Intelligence.

The idea is to inform families about changes to programs such as insurance, relocation and other benefits. “But we have to publish it in a way so that it doesn’t reveal the affiliation of the newsletter with the CIA, so officers can actually bring it home,” said Hayden, who spoke Feb. 21 at the National Military Family Association’s Leadership Luncheon.

He drew parallels between the challenges of military families and families of CIA officers who are often serving next to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and other unnamed hot spots.

CIA families are important to the agency’s success just as military families are important to the Defense Department mission, he said. But Hayden said he has seen that CIA officers’ families carry some unique burdens.

Like military families, CIA families are bearing the brunt of the increased operational tempo since Sept. 11, 2001. But CIA families just can’t talk about it — at least, to most people.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_022208w_ciafamilies/