US intelligence growing unchecked

By Hao Zhou

A lengthy Washington Post report published Tuesday blasted the bloated and sometimes inefficient US intelligence network, while its online database was called a "roadmap" for US adversaries.

A Chinese analyst who is familiar with the US intelligence network told the Global Times Tuesday that the revelation won't impact the safety of the network, but it may serve to convince de-cision-makers to examine the efficiency of intelligence agencies and the national security budget.

The second segment of the three-part Post series on the intelligence bureaucracy, entitled National Security Inc, came out Tuesday, the same day that US President Barack Obama's nominee to head US intelligence efforts, retired air force general James Clapper, heads to Capitol Hill for a confirmation hearing, according to AFP.

In the first part, under the title "A hidden world, growing beyond control," it said the US intelligence network has grown so unwieldy and secretive that even principal actors within it are unable to grasp its size or scope.

Homeland security and intelligence programs take place in some 10,000 locations across the country, while the various agencies produce 50,000 intelligence reports each year, a volume so large that "many are routinely ignored," according to the Post.

An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times the number of people who live in Washington, DC, hold top-secret security clearances, according to the report, which is based on a two-year research project dubbed "Top Secret America."

"Our maps show the headquarters buildings of the largest government agencies involved in top-secret work, … but not the specific locations, companies or agencies involved," the Post said.

One anonymous Obama administration official reacted to the report with alarm. He told ABC news that "the very existence of this database ... is troubling" and described the report as "a roadmap to our adversaries."

A Beijing-based Chinese analyst, who is familiar with the US intelligence buildup and asked not to be named, told the Global Times Tuesday that the database published online will pose no threat to the security of the US intelligence agents, but many may lose their jobs when the Obama administration decides to ax the scale of the network.

"Unlike China, the US employs a great number of private companies to collect intelligence and present reports to the government," the analyst said. "The purpose of such a report is to urge the Obama administration to retrench the bloated intelligence network."

Agencies contributed to this story