CIA rolls out plan to beef up spy techniques

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Source: WP

CIA rolls out plan to beef up spy techniques

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
The Associated Press
Monday, April 26, 2010; 5:08 PM

WASHINGTON -- The CIA will spend millions of dollars over the next five years to improve intelligence gathering, upgrade technologies and enable analysts to work more closely with spies in the field, under a new plan laid out Monday.

The plan renews the agency's year-old goal to increase the number of analysts and overseas operatives fluent in another language - a problem that has plagued military and civilian intelligence officers throughout much of the last decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

CIA Director Leon Panetta said the changes will help the agency better battle emerging national security dangers, including terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and cyber threats. U.S. intelligence agencies have come under fire in recent months for perceived lapses that let a suicide bomber infiltrate a CIA base in Afghanistan and an alleged would-be bomber to board a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas.

According to Panetta, one key goal is to put more CIA analysts in the same location as the intelligence operatives - a system that has worked well for the agency in war zones. Historically, the two groups were separated, but that has been changing. By working in the same place, officials say, analysts and spies can exchange information and guidance more efficiently.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042603449.html