Privatizing the CIA Could Ease Clearance Shortage

In an article in the February 5, 2007, Weekly Standard, an American Enterprise Institute scholar argues that “privatizing” the Central Intelligence Agency would improve the quality of intelligence analysis by promoting accountability while easing the shortage of professionals who hold the proper security clearances necessary for analysis work.

Expanding the pool of professionals who hold security clearances would have auxiliary benefit. Not only would it enable more opinion and debate without the costs of salary and pension; but, in the long term, it would also erode the clearance lag…

At present, the CIA spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to screen and train analysts who may leave government service after only a couple of years. Making it easier for the U.S. government to employ such people would increase return on investment.

Filed Under: Reform