CIA Training
The CIA or Central Intelligence Agency is the biggest intelligence apparatus in the world serving the United States of America. Established on the foundation of the OSS after world war 2 it is an organization whose internal workings are shrouded in secrecy. There has been a great debate as to whether smaller intelligence agencies such as Mossad, MI6 are better than the two main larger counterparts, the CIA and the KGB now known as the Russian Secret Service.
The CIA has a much higher technical capability than its counterparts. In a documentary the CIA advertised a new device invented that could take samples of any one person’s voice and automatically generate speech accredited to him undetectable by speech synthesis experts. This was done more than 30 years ago.
Smaller agencies argue their better status on the implication that personnel training is more important than technology. That could be considered a valid argument due to the fact that very little technology is employed on the field where an agent has been stripped of his equipment and has lost contact with his control center. Such a scenario would lead us to believe that training of the operative agent is more important than high tech toys.
In an attempt to understand the scope of this last statement a list has been compiled of the probable fields of training an agent would receive in the aid of bettering his skill.
Advanced Military Technology
For identifying and manipulating weaponry of his target. An agent could be called on to destroy an installation or particular military equipment which is of a highly technical nature and is therefore a threat. A theoretical understanding of this is important so that the agent can have an overview of military technology.
Computer Security
Breaking into office computers for the purpose of retrieving confidential information is a very commonly used skill that is a critical part of espionage especially in a time where computers are predominantly used to store information. The primary functions of an intelligence agency operates around the use and acquirement of information.
Countersurveillance
The ability to detect and disable the surveillance capabilities of any parties involved in an operation. Although this would usually include the use of technical apparatus there are many ways to foil a surveillance operation without using any physical equipment such as speaking in code or using the enviroment to hide communications.
Art of Disguise
Although quite simple to learn it is difficult to become an expert in disguise. It is crucial for an agent to understand how he could manipulate people’s sensory perceptions by changing his appearance. Thus to aid his covert status and remain unidentified in a hostile enviroment.
Etiquette and Arts
Very commonly agents are usually recruited out of prime educational institutions. An instructor cannot teach an agent everything and so candidates are chosen depending on how intelligent they are and the amount of knowledge they posess. In addition to these supplementary programs are provided to aid the agent’s understanding of foreign cultures, etiquette and arts so as to provide a base that could be used in covert operations. The simple equation of general knowledge is that the more the agent knows the better.
Explosives Specialist
The use and improvisation of explosives is critical. Contrary to public opinion explosives are a lot easier to make and are more useful that firearms. An agent would be able to manufacture such devices in a hostile enviroment where such devices are not available. They could be used for many purposes such as distractions, assassinations and general purpose destruction.
Fake Identification and Secret Banking
Fake IDs are very difficult to forge in these days of high technology but none the less an operative should be able to identify fake documents and be able to issue or acquire his own documents if not perfect then at least passable to common inspection. A bank account accessable worldwide allows the agent to have quick access to funds in case of need and such an agent should be knowledgable in the techniques used to acquire such bank accounts and funds.
Field Medicine
The ability for an operative to self repair in cases when he cannot acquire professional medical attention. Small kits are usually issued to this purpose. Even smaller injuries such as non fatal knife wounds can be lethal in the long term.
Forensics
Forensics are not just used by police agencies but also by intelligence agencies seeking identification or to hide identification in the scene of an operation. Yet an operative in hostile territory performing the destruction of personnel would also have to avoid the local police authorities and their forensics team. This is done by first learning the techniques used in forensics and then identifying and exploiting their weak points and unfocused areas.
Guerilla Warfare
If the now declassified operations of intelligence agencies during the cold war era are studied you would notice that the majority of their activities included subverting foreign goverments by funding and aiding the local guerilla or resistance apparatus. Guerilla warafare is important in this purpose as it aids the agents advisory status to the local guerilla forces.
Hand to Hand and Knife Combat
These are crucial because in case an operative does not have any weaponry or firepower he should be able to dispose of hostile personnel using his hands or knives. Knives can be acquired easily in any location considering their capability to be very lethal and an operative with the proper understanding of sharp edged weaponry can put it to use more effectively.
Incindiary Specialist
Using matches or a fuel lighter obtained at any location worldwide an operative should be able to effectively use fire to his advantage. This tool is probably one of the more destructive in his arsenal of know how.
International and Local Law
Part of the agent’s base of general knowledge is the understanding of issues related to law. This can aid in his manipulation of local and international issues to the advantage of his cause.
Languages
Difficult and timely to learn but worth this effort. Trainees are usually educated in the languages of the regions they are targetted for. This aids in disguise and better integration with the locale.
Lock Bypassing Techniques
The majority of locks found anywhere all operate on the same principle, that of the pin tumbler lock and an agent who could bypass doors, lockers, drawers and other lock based containers would remove the ability of a moderate target to keep anything confidential even losing the security of his own home. There is currently very few magic ways of bypassing a lock and they usually include more equipment. The basic techniques would benefit the operative more due to their simplicity.
Military Strategy and Tactics
Military general knowledge on all fronts useful for insurgency operations against foreign goverments in the aid of local guerilla operations. Candidates for training are more likely to be accepted into a secret service structure if they have a background in military service.
Photography
A lot of agents choose the role of a photographer or journalist as their covert identity. Very simply a photographer can take photos of the target without arousing suspicion. A journalist can ask a lot of questions and can easily acquire a motive for his so called investigations.
Poisons Specialist
The majority of assassinations are not carried out with explosives or guns but rather with untraceable poisons that attract very little attention from investigators and the media. A death attributed to a medical condition would not attract the same attention than that of one caused by an explosion or gunfire. A bad conception among laymen is to believe that an assassin spends a lot of his time ‘shooting and blowing things up’, rather it is in the use of poisons in which he would confide.
Psychology
Definitely the more important of all the skills. Because of all the things agents do they interact with people more than anything else. And by using such social factors as sex, love and friendship to their advantage they can gain a lot more than with physical operations. One well known operation in Iraq which exposed a nuclear production facilitgy decades ago was instigated by photographing sexual contact between a scientist and an operative and then using that information for blackmailing the scientist and the relationship with his wife. This is what has to be understood about intelligence operations, the majority of them do not include violence but the manipulation of information through social factors.
Recreational Drugs
Drugs have their uses asides being used for recreational highs. They can be used to corrupt a target and extract information while he or she is under the influence or even to setup a target for arrest by the local authorities.
Sniper
One of the less common techniques of assassination are by sniper and is usually used when close quarter access to the target is unavailable. They usually attract a lot of attention and are rarely used by operatives except in war zones.
Surveillance
Probably the more important of all technical expertise as it involves the acquiring of information. A conversation caught on tape has tremendous value and can be easily used to bring down politicians and manipulate public officials and other targets. Modern technology for the use of surveillance is very sought after and is usually highly developed by intelligence and secret agencies.
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