SAM VICROY
November 16th, 2022, the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government hosted an unprecedented event on the state of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) today. For the first time ever, the CIA’s Director of Operations, David Marlowe, and Director of Analysis, Linda Weissgold, sat down together for a public discussion moderated by former Acting Director of the CIA and distinguished visiting professor at the Schar School, Michael Morrell. The event comes as the CIA celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, having been established in 1947. Proceedings opened with remarks by the Schar School Dean, Mark Rozell, and Hayden Center director, Larry Pfeiffer.
Weissgold and Marlowe, who spent the majority of their careers at the CIA, fielded several questions from Morrell as he broke the event into three sections: the guests’ own career paths, their view on current intelligence challenges in the world today, and the future of the CIA. In talking about their own careers at CIA, they shared the fundamental responsibilities of analysts and operations officers, as well as what the CIA looks for in potential candidates – something the audience made up of mostly students and young professionals were eager to soak in.
For analysts, Weissgold shared that it is all about delivering objective analysis of global affairs to important stakeholders in the U.S. government. The role is to inform, not to make policy – going beyond simply sharing news updates, but explaining why things have happened to give U.S. decision-makers an advantage over adversaries. She served this function at one the highest levels, having been the daily briefer to the president, often telling the nation’s leader and staff things they might not want to hear. Regarding operations officers, Marlowe says it’s all about understanding people in other countries within their own circumstances and how they see the world. He joked that “there are fewer cocktails and tuxedos” than you see in the movies, but instead highlighted the disciplined and professional nature of operations. In relation to his favorite assignment, he shared his time at a post in the Middle East, where he immersed himself in the culture of a town, living fully in Arabic and in the local culture.
Concerning world events today, Morrell covered many current global challenges. Topics discussed ranged from the war in Ukraine, China-Taiwan relations, protests in Iran, North Korean missile launches, and the threat of terrorism today. A critical element that Weissgold highlighted is that many current events are interconnected, such as Putin’s actions in Ukraine affecting how China views its possibilities towards Taiwan. They also emphasized how the discussion around China has evolved in recent years and that China is now a fully-fledged global competitor in all domains, surpassing the Soviet Union’s ability to challenge the U.S. during the Cold War.
Looking to the future of the CIA, Weissgold believes the CIA will always have an advantage in its access to critical U.S. leadership, its access to all sources of information, and the CIA’s reputation for stellar tradecraft and its ability to back up its analysis by explaining “why we think what we think.” For operations, Marlowe feels that technology today makes operational work riskier, echoing the challenge of new technology from his analytic counterpart, as analysts have to figure out how to best utilize new data analysis technology while also being wary of misinformation.
Finally, Morrell opened the floor to the audience for questions. Students asked the guests how the CIA handles public scrutiny and the challenge of maintaining a positive public image, all while speaking truth to power to policymakers. Others asked follow-up questions on their commentary on world events. Many in the crowd were further interested in the agency’s recruiting practices. Weissgold spoke about how the application process will be changing in 2023. She noted that the agency will continue to rely on its fundamental values, seeking candidates with high levels of integrity, objectivity, humility, patriotism, and expertise. The event concluded with a reception where audience members could mingle with the speakers, George Mason faculty, and CIA recruiters.
Interested readers can find the full recording of the event online at The Hayden Center’s YouTube channel.
Sam Vicroy is a student in the Masters in International Security program at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government. While at George Mason, he has interned at the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program and the Albright-Stonebridge Group’s America’s Practice.
