Ishmael Jones (a pseudonym) is a very experienced non-official cover (NOC) officer who left the CIA and wrote an excellent book, The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture (Encounter Books, 2008). The lessons from his experience are available directly from him to DoD clients that wish to avoid CIA's many mistakes.
Hello Robert, thanks for your note and I comment as follows:
I certainly agree with Tom on bad management being the cause of poor intelligence collection. Bad management in the intelligence field thrives within bureaucracy, which is easy to create in the Washington, DC area. Today, more than 90% of CIA employees live and work entirely within the United States because bad management finds it convenient to do so. Employees learn skills which advance them within bureaucracy but which do not contribute to intelligence gathering. The lack of on-the ground focus on foreign lands leaves major intelligence gaps unfilled.
Best regards, Ishmael Jones
2012 Tom Briggs on The Human Factor
