Inside the US Intelligence Community with Paul Clarke, Ret. Air Force Intelligence Officer

The failure to prevent the 9/11 attacks, the inaccurate assessment of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and the recent revelations about interrogation techniques have shaken America’s confidence in its intelligence services. Meanwhile, the scope of intelligence collection and analysis has expanded to include new issues like climate change and energy security, as well as terrorism. To meet these new challenges and enhance its effectiveness, the intelligence bureaucracy has been reorganized and expanded, and funding has increased. But are we any safer? Will the US Intelligence community be able to detect the next terror attack on America before it happens? Despite, or perhaps because of, numerous recent exposes, the public is presented with often conflicting visions of the nature and purposes of our intelligence community. Dr. Clarke will analyze the organization and functions of US intelligence agencies and address the many myths and misperceptions which color our understanding of the US intelligence process.