Covert Actions Definition

William Daugherty, a career CIA officer, notes that another important difference between covert actions and other intelligence disciplines is that they can be more controversial than others in the relationship between two states: “Because if the target governments accept that they are being spied on as a natural complement to a nation`s foreign or national security policy … covert action involves deliberate and planned interference with the sovereign rights of a nation, thereby violating both international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which prohibits interference in the internal affairs of other states (Daugherty 2004:1819). Covert action represents a potential policy for policymakers who want something faster or more muscular than diplomacy, but less costly and intrusive than military force. Unlike intelligence, which involves the collection and analysis of information, covert action is an active tool of foreign policy. The three main categories of covert actions include propaganda, political action and paramilitary action. Another distinct category is economic activity, in which the economy of the target state is destabilized in one way or another. Because of the secrecy inherent in covert actions, external scientists have no way of knowing how much they know or don`t know about the topic in question, and it`s also difficult to verify the information because the information comes from a variety of sources. The literature on covert actions is particularly strong in case studies of specific operations. There is also a well-developed subsection in the field that focuses on covert actions since the end of the Cold War, the role played by the Bureau of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, and the covert actions of other states. However, there are several problems in the secret action literature. These issues include the evaluation of the success or failure of certain operations and the political instrument as a whole, the material and intangible costs arising from covert actions, the ethical issues raised by carrying out covert actions, as well as specific methods and their impact on democracy, the monitoring of covert actions, and the development of the U.S. Covert Action Act. For example, when conducting covert action, the IC must generally inform congressional intelligence committees of a presidential finding outlining plans for an intelligence operation to influence political, military, or economic conditions abroad, while concealing U.S.

sponsorship. The military, on the other hand, under Title 10, has the implicit power to conduct operations that resemble covert action, but which the DOD classifies as Environmental Operational Readiness (OPE). The OPE is treated differently for surveillance purposes, although with covert measures, it shares a number of characteristics that increase Congressional interest: a serious risk of exposure, information compromise, loss of life, and a possible obligation to hide U.S. sponsorship. Another aspect of the availability of information on covert actions is to recognize that the literature on the subject is largely written by two large groups of people: scientists and external journalists, and current or, more likely, former members of the intelligence community. Aside from the relative talents of individual writers, there is an obvious trade-off. Former analysts and agents are much more likely to know and understand the inner workings of the community, but on the other hand, they are more likely to have a personal interest in the material to protect their personal reputation and that of their agencies. In addition, members of the U.S. intelligence community must submit their manuscripts to the CIA for review. While this is done officially and naturally to protect classified material, it also creates the possibility of censorship for political reasons.

Berkowitz and Goodman`s (1998) analysis focuses on the question of denial as the most important feature of covert actions and addresses two central questions: when should an operation necessarily be conducted covertly, and what does clandestineness mean for a democratic government? Mypos, a longtime American adversary controlled by a fascist dictatorship, began making military threats against its neighbors. Arondale, a close US partner in the region, fears a takeover by Myposian is imminent. Last year, the United States and its allies were unable to stop Mypos` ambitions to destabilize and dominate the region. Although previous meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) have concluded that the option of war is not on the table at this time, the US president wants to discuss whether the US should take alternative measures. Intelligence suggests that a small resistance movement exists in Mypos. However, as the country`s fascist dictator gains an audience in the countries around Mypos, the United States.