EP 1018 Questions About the CIA Answered by a Retired Executive of the Spy Agency

 Steve Hirsch, a thirty- year veteran of the CIA who held senior positions spanning counterterrorism, intelligence analysis, public affairs and organizational transformation, now retired, is working to help people like you and me understand how the agency operates, particularly given the many changes that have taken place since 9-11.  Our discussion is serious and protracted and involves critical issues about the quality of the product produced by the agency, current threats to its objectivity, the bright line between domestic activities of the FBI and foreign concerns of the CIA and other intelligence agencies, particularly when the two intersect. Given cuts under the Trump Administration and the older generation of leaders in the CIA deciding it may be time to move on, are we equipped to deal with current threats?  You may be surprised to learn what his main concerns are here at home.  It’s really worth a listen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download