Hank Crumpton The Art Of Intelligence Summary

In his memoir, The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA’s Clandestine Service, Hank Crumpton details his time with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), from his early years of dreaming to work with the agency, to his 24 years of service as a CIA operative, and lastly, his more recent position in a more policy-based position. Crumpton was appointed the position of deputy director over the Counterterrorism Center and head of the National Resources Division during his time in with the agency. He is heavily revered for his efforts in pioneering the initial invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S, merely weeks after the tragedy of 9/11. In his book, Hank shares how his personal experiences have shaped his view of the CIA, Department

Compared to our class discussions, Crumpton seems to hold a more pessimistic view. Where I imagined that the intelligence community was stellar at collaborating, Crumpton revealed that this was not always the case. It is sad to think that tragedy had to strike for the intelligence community to truly unite behind a singular, greater cause. Likewise, I would even incorporate more concepts that we have discussed in class, such as the rise in global power competition and smaller states’ desire to gain influence, as additional reasons for why the intelligence community have become more collaborative internally. Concerning the ethics of the intelligence community, I believe that our classroom discussions are more aligned with what Crumpton shares as his perspective. Ethics in the field of intelligence presents an eternal dilemma, due to the level of severity, urgency, and necessity of confidentiality within this

I agree with this view that he holds, and I believe that our class discussions also have aligned with this view. The greatest threat that transnational terrorist networks and extremist groups pose to our nation is their ability to exploit the politics and economy of their state. This not only strengthens the recruitment and organization of such groups, but it also provides financial assistance to their cause, granting them weapons, defense, and greater technological capabilities. As discussed in class, such groups become dangerous once they develop the ability to compete with the U.S. Whether that be through be having the financial means to influence spies, the technological means to develop weapons, or the political means to expand propaganda across a state, development within extremist groups poses a serious issue to the U.S. The intelligence community must utilize their capabilities to focus on eliminating such exploitations by enemy groups. I believe this will require direct and deep investigations into not only enemy groups, but also the governments of the state that they reside