Secret U.S. military ops in MidEast

Dick Taffe — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:58:31 +0000

The New York Times reports that Gen. David Patraeus, the top American commander in the Middle East, has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity across the region in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats. International Relations Professor Joseph Wippl, director of the BU Center for International Relations and a 30-year CIA operations officer, says the U.S. Armed Forces and the CIA have always had different areas of responsibility and he presumes Defense Secretary Gates knows the boundaries.

“The problem is balancing, on the one hand, the need for tactical intelligence to defend the United States with, on the other hand, the temptation to engage needlessly with U.S. military forces.”

Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

Director of national intelligence quits

Dick Taffe — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:18:16 +0000

Retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair resigned as national intelligence director after only 16 months on the job — pushed out by President Obama who will name a successor. Political science Professor Joseph Wippl, director of the BU Center for International Relations and a 30-year CIA operations officer, said it’s an impossible job because it doesn’t have budgetary or personnel authority over all 16 intelligence agencies.

“Expect another U.S. military man to become DNI. The military is always good for hopeless causes in civilian leadership.”

Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

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Secret U.S. military ops in MidEast

Director of national intelligence quits