CIA Paramilitary Operations

In addition to its role as the primary collector of human intelligence (HUMINT) for the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) maintains and fields paramilitary forces that can lead and manage Covert Action programs and collect foreign intelligence vital to national security policymakers.  After 9/11, CIA paramilitary operations officers were the first Americans into Afghanistan and, in conjunction with Army Special Forces and aided by U.S. air power, led the defeat of Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.  The book Horse Soldiers and the movie 12 Strong are popular accounts of the action on the ground, but the back story that explains how they got there within days of the attacks is less well known and goes to the core missions of the CIA.

Join us on July 28 at 5:00 p.m. to hear from our panelists, Rod Smith and J.R. Seeger, who played key roles in a legendary chapter in the CIA and military history.