ABSTRACT
In order to understand America’s current intelligence infrastructure, it is critical to understand its history. Unlike many other countries, the United States has not always maintained a strong, sustained intelligence effort. While it is fair to acknowledge George Washington as America’s first “spymaster,” it is also accurate to note that, until World War II, intelligence advanced by “fits and starts.” The United States’ first permanent, civilian intelligence agency-the CIA-was not founded until 1947. In fact, it was the Cold War that jumpstarted America’s intelligence efforts. To a large extent, the intelligence community (IC) we have today is a remnant of the Cold War. In fact, one of the IC’s biggest challenges is to transform itself from a Cold War behemoth into a flexible, agile, collaborative structure that can meet the myriad challenges of the 21st Century.
