Washington, D.C.
A new foreign intelligence arm of the Pentagon has taken over some of the CIA’s traditional responsibilities, The Washington Post reported this week. The spy network, known as the Strategic Support Branch, was quietly established two years ago, after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resolved to end his “near total dependence on the CIA.” The Strategic Support Branch sends its own analysts and interrogators to accompany commandos operating in hot spots in the war on terrorism. “This is really a giant turf battle,” said Walter Lang, a retired Defense intelligence official.
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