Special Activities Division

In 1948, within NSC 10/2, George Kenna surmised that covert actions are “planned and conducted that any U.S. government responsibility for them is not evident to unauthorized persons and that if uncovered the U.S. Government can plausibly disclaim any responsibility for them” (Johnson 2007). This statement entrenched a high standard for future covert operations to strive to remain clandestine, which is a seemingly improbable feat to achieve. Indeed, most covert operations have the intention to…

On April 18th, 1961, CIA paramilitary groups landed on a beach in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Initially, they overwhelmed the local militia, however, within a few days, they surrendered and were put into Cuban prisons. On April 21st, President John F. Kennedy acknowledged the failure of the mission and laid the blame on himself. However, I argue that by evaluating the Bay of Pigs Invasion through the lens of the cognitive approach, we will be better able to understand the failure of the mission and…

An epigraph appearing at the start of The Hurt Locker states ‘The rush of battle is often potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug’ – Chris Hedges, this quote sets the scene for the movie as we see the negative consequences that war has on the people involved. Kathryn Bigelow has directed the two war films, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty in which she has a very clear style which can be analysed to make meaning of the texts. Both texts explore the idea of voyeurism and are focussed on…

Transnational terrorism consists of individuals and or groups who organize acts of violence across national boundaries. These individuals are not native to the country in which they attack but are the ones responsible for the missions. For example, on September 11, 2001 the was carried out by 19 Islamic radicals who were members of the infamous terrorism group Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda was managed and controlled by a Yemeni Kindite national known as Osama bin Laden who was known as the leader of…

From Nicaragua to Guatemala, The Philippines to The Middle East, U.S. covert operations have played a significant role in past conflicts. The implementation and impact of these operations can be seen in many different instances, but the most noteworthy occurred during the Vietnam War. From 1963 to 1975 The CIA, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam(MACV), and other defense and intelligence agencies planned and conducted countless counterinsurgency and covert operations in Vietnam and the…

On May 2, 2011 a team of U.S. Navy Seals invaded a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where they found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Since then People have condemned the invasion saying it was not moral for the Americans to go under cover and perform this secret act of retaliation to violence. This act of violence is morally permissible and can be proven through natural law theory and utilitarianism. It started back in 1993 with several bombings throughout the years on U.S. military…

CHAPTER FOUR: AQ’S CURRENT PLANS AND THEATRES OF OPERATION This chapter explores the current plans of AQ. To this end, it argues that the organisation might be planning to use either AQ in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or al Nusra to carry out a terror attack in the West. With the increased movement of youthful fighters from the West to Syria and Iraq, it is highly likely that these could be part of the AQ plan to launch an attack in the West. The chapter also explores the theatres of operation…

I have always found interest in the way the brain functions. It is one of the primary influences on my decision to study psychology. As a psychology major I have learned all about why humans act as they do. One interesting concept is the way the body responds to stress. Stressors initiate the fight or flight response in the body. This is your brain’s way of telling your body whether it should stay or flee in a perceived or potentially dangerous situation. Cases in which the body does not have…

Slayden Hayes expresses that Islamic fundamentalists continued to oppose the government. With help from the United States, camps were set up in order to provide the proper training on how to use the mass of large weaponry they also received. They saw themselves fighting in a "Holy War" and the Arabs joined in to try to help them out and hopefully defeat the Soviet Union (33). The people who most opposed the form of government chosen by the Soviets did have some help from outside groups and…

the U.S. began more covert operations in hopes of securing a safe future for Saigon. Early Operations in Vietnam The earliest covert operations in Vietnam had very broad goals and definitions. One simple definition describes covert action as “any activity in which the United States conceals its responsibilities.” The benefits of concealing responsibility are seen in the added “flexibility” of maneuvering as policy decisions do not need to be shared with the public and retaliation becomes…