A U.S. Counterintelligence Agent Reports: Why and How We Are Lied to About Iraq
Let me begin by saying that as far as I can tell there is no malicious intent in the part of anyone, including President Bush, in their pursuit of war in Iraq. The United States was involved in Operation Southern and Northern Watch over Iraq for 12 years before we invaded in 2003. There was some intelligence hinting to the storage of WMDs in Iraq. All this was followed by an attack that will forever scar our memories in 9/11. The President, our Leader, was forced to do “something.” I have been in Command. The sense of responsibility for your people is quite overwhelming. Having said that, the decision to react in this way was the wrong move.
My experience with the Middle East began in 1996 when I became the Counterintelligence Agent assigned to 5th Group Special Forces. I began to follow Osama Bin Laden long before his name was synonymous with terrorism in every household in America. I was later Commissioned as an Intelligence Officer and was assigned to a MineWarfare Squadron whose area of operations (AOR) was also the Middle East. The world of explosives and imagery really was an exciting learning curve. Before my final assignment as a Commanding Officer of a Reserve Center, a required and mainly administrative role, I was in charge of Counterintelligence Force Protection Source Operations (CFSO) in Bahrain, a small Island Nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia. I was in the Middle East working Counterintelligence for the military during 9/11. Recently, I have been in Iraq as a Contractor since 2004 working Counterintelligence, Force Protection, and Interrogations of Iraqi Detainees. I know a thing or two about what’s going on.
Having ground-level experience is quite different than the purported experts who love to comment on television. I have learned to temper my comments whenever speaking to those who will translate my words into something that can be peddled on television. I have learned a thing or two about the media. The main point learned is why these professionals, these Generals, and all these experts report the news the way they have been.
As a military officer I know the importance of being “successful” in one’s endeavors. Its a system that was well-bred during the Clinton years when competition, plain survival, in the military was fierce. The system is still very much alive today. The Generals of today were the junior and mid-level leaders of yesterday. These guys are extremely sensitive to what is titled success and failure. They want to hear the positive and will go to great lengths to measure it. Whatever may seem as a failure, will and are categorized as momentary challenges. Surely, it is a positive concept and to my fellow Soldiers, could be recognized as part of the warrior’s code. However, this is all working against us and against our political leadership. To further the problem, our political leaders are also stuck in a system that depends on their success and thus their own survival. They too need to report the success element to a greater extent.
So what happens? We have a conflict between unclear or incomplete reports from the field and testimonies from those we are supposed to trust. Field reporters have an immensely difficult job. For the most part, they do not have the classified intelligence required to find the baseline information. Even if they did, it would be too dangerous to report it. They can not travel with the Force Protection necessary to accumulate the number of interviews and photos necessary. The military does not share their classified sources. They can not for many reasons. The CIA must follow the same basic principle. News media are at a terrible disadvantage. In the end, what is reported are continuous annunciations about children approaching Soldiers asking for candy or food. Specific instances, full of positive images, of Iraqis shaking the hands of Soldiers are also reported. The imaginative highlight of construction projects, such as hospitals, in different areas of Iraq are popular. My favorite, is the constant reminder of the number of Iraqis who voted in the last election. How can a third-party, even the media in-country, dispute these so called facts? If ever Benjamin Disraeli was correct when he said about statistics, “there are three kinds of lies, lies, damn lies, and statistics,” he really hit the nail on the head for this scenario.
There is a way to really help the Iraqis, if that’s what our intent is. If by helping the Iraqis we are helping ourselves, then we need a different approach. We need to press the reset button. We need to allow people like me to speak freely without the fear of clear imprisonment by disclosing classified information. Moreover, we need courage to change direction and act quickly.
