Covert Action Definition

During WWII the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) conducted itself as an independent intelligence agency that functioned to collect and analyze beneficial intelligence. The OSS conducted paramilitary, espionage and counterespionage operations. The strength of the OSS was the Research and Development branch that housed the best minds in the US. The OSS was thought to be the organization that should continue to carry out foreign field espionage, and special operations. With the onslaught of the Cold War the realization that a centralized intelligence agency such as the OSS was needed came to fruition. At this time the relationships between the Army and Navy was poor in terms of collaboration and efficiency. It was the National Security Act of

Covert action is defined as an operation that is designed to influence foreign policy in a way that is not attributed to the promoter, concealing identity and allowing for plausible deniability. Covert action can be associated with political, economic, propaganda or paramilitary activities. It is asserted that counterterrorism intelligence activities within the DOD only conducts “clandestine activities” and are not regulated by law requiring the provision of presidential findings and notification of the intelligence committees in congress. Clandestine activity is defined as an activity that is a “preplanned secret intelligence collection activity or covert political economic propaganda or paramilitary action conducted so as to assure the secrecy of the operation”. The line between DOD covert activity and clandestine activity is certainly blurred and that the traditional role of the CIA and DOD are crossing. There are some that believe that DOD operations should be limited to clandestine activity so that if revealed there would less of a problem in acknowledging the activity and would have legal guidelines under the Geneva Convention that would protect the US

Code 413b defining how covert action is approved and defines what covert action is and what actions could be considered as exceptions. The Department of Defense (DoD) legal framework for the U.S. military defines roles and missions under Title 10 U.S. Code 113. The purposes for these legal frameworks are to provide accountability of covert activity through presidential and congressional oversight and definition of the responsibility of the DCI and Secretary of