NORMAN — America’s top-secret world has grown to stunning proportions since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Citizens accept the need for a better intelligence network in light of threats to the country, but evidence suggests the bloated system that has been created lacks oversight and hasn’t made the country safer.
A look inside the secretive world is revealed in a new Washington Post report, based on two years of investigation. The network is so unwieldy and secretive no one knows exactly how much it costs, how many people are involved or how many agencies overlap work.
The Post found at least 1,200 government organizations and nearly 2,000 private programs related to counter-terrorism in 10,000 locations. Some 854,000 people hold top-secret security clearance. In Washington alone there are 33 building complexes under construction for intelligence work.…
A leaner intelligence system with focus and oversight would have the dual benefit of making America safer at a much lower cost.
— The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
