The Pentagon is planning to cut most of the military support it provides to the CIA’s counterterrorism missions by Jan. 5.
According to ABC News, the Pentagon has already informed the CIA of its plans. The network news attributed its information to a former senior administration intelligence official.
The decision, described as both surprising and unprecedented, was reportedly detailed in a letter by Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller to CIA Director Gina Haspel.
The CIA’s Special Activities Center has its own paramilitary force to carry out counterterrorism operations. However, it often relies on the military for transportation and logistical support, according to ABC News.
The Defense One website had reported Wednesday that Pentagon officials were reviewing the Defense Department’s support to the CIA
According to the report, political appointees at the Pentagon have been trying to determine whether military personnel “detailed” to the CIA would be used instead for mission related to competition with Russia and China
"If these stories are true, they mark the end of a very strong and effective relationship between the CIA and the Defense Department," Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, told ABC News.
"A relationship that has resulted in countless successes in the last 20 years, especially in the area of counterterrorism such as the Bin Laden and al-Baghdadi operations, but also in many that will remain unknown.
"This could increase the risk to CIA officers until it can be readdressed by the incoming administration."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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