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> For nearly 25 years, neophyte spies have left Washington to attend what some call Spy U., a training base here operated by the Central Intelligence Agency to
by wyldfire 5y ago
> For nearly 25 years, neophyte spies have left Washington to attend what some call Spy U., a training base here operated by the Central Intelligence Agency to prepare its agents for real-life cloak-and-dagger work overseas.
Seems bonkers to train spies in one location like this. Much better to move the teachers/curriculum. Foreign governments must have most of their reconnaissance aimed right here, at least back in 1980.
The response from the public official at the end of the article was pretty entertaining. I picture his glee at the phone occasionally ringing.
- ARandomerDude 5y agoIt's close to Langley and therefore doubtless has many advantages, especially in the 1980s. For example, subject matter experts are a short drive away and could appear as guest speakers. I don't work for the government, so I'm just speculating here, but surely there is a reason to keep the training facility so close to the headquarters.
- paulcole 5y agoThe only thing better than training all your spies in one location is convincing the world that you’re training all your spies in one location.
- daveevad 5y agoNow that you mention it, you might as well train them all in one location. It's Spy vs. Spy all the way down.
- ipnon 5y agoIf you have ever thought, "why hasn't the CIA done this before?" then they probably have. It's like laymen discussing algorithmic finance. "Why don't people just trade the mean reversion?" They've been trading mean reversion since you were in diapers. It's important to remember the Dunning Kruger effect regarding intelligence agencies like the CIA, those in the business of what's known and unknown, because their job is to keep you and everyone else in the world on the wrong side of the curve.
- mistrial9 5y agoits also important to realize that permanently funded government activities are not infallible by definition, omniscient "since you were in diapers" or given divine rights apart from the rule of law.. in other words, Daylight is the best Disinfectant (in a Democracy)
- wyldfire 5y ago> If you have ever thought, "why hasn't the CIA done this before?" then they probably have. You're right: I figured that whoever they were bringing in to this spot so close to HQ must be someone they don't care about disclosing. Maybe "Official Cover" / Embassy personnel.
- maybelsyrup 5y ago> If you have ever thought, "why hasn't the CIA done this before?" then they probably have. Exactly. Like when they killed Fidel Castro and then prevented 9/11 and then figured out that Saddam had no WMD and then
- slavboj 5y agoIt's not that hard for someone with physical ground presence, satellite surveillance etc to figure out who CIA FTE's are, but the CIA employs numerous contractors who have no requirement to be trained or located in a particular location.