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Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing Hardcover – Bargain Price, May 6, 2008

by Tim Shorrock (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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In Spies for Hire, investigative reporter Tim Shorrock lifts the veil off a major story the government doesn't want us to know about -- the massive outsourcing of top secret intelligence activities to private-sector contractors.

Running spy networks overseas. Tracking down terrorists in the Middle East. Interrogating enemy prisoners. Analyzing data from spy satellites and intercepted phone calls. All of these are vital intelligence tasks that traditionally have been performed by government officials accountable to Congress and the American people. But that is no longer the case.

Starting during the Clinton administration, when intelligence budgets were cut drastically and privatization of government services became national policy, and expanding dramatically in the wake of 9/11, when the CIA and other agencies were frantically looking to hire analysts and linguists, the Intelligence Community has been relying more and more on corporations to perform sensitive tasks heretofore considered to be exclusively the work of federal employees. This outsourcing of intelligence activities is now a $50 billion-a-year business that consumes up to 70 percent of the U.S. intelligence budget. And it's a business that the government has tried hard to keep under wraps.

Drawing on interviews with key players in the Intelligence-Industrial Complex, contractors' annual reports and public filings with the government, and on-the-spot reporting from intelligence industry conferences and investor briefings, Spies for Hire provides the first behind-the-scenes look at this new way of spying. Shorrock shows how corporations such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, CACI International, and IBM have become full partners with the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Pentagon in their most sensitive foreign and domestic operations. He explores how this partnership has led to wasteful spending and threatens to erode the privacy protections and congressional oversight so important to American democracy.

Shorrock exposes the kinds of spy work the private sector is doing, such as interrogating prisoners in Iraq, managing covert operations, and collaborating with the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans' overseas phone calls and e-mails. And he casts light on a "shadow Intelligence Community" made up of former top intelligence officials who are now employed by companies that do this spy work, such as former CIA directors George Tenet and James Woolsey. Shorrock also traces the rise of Michael McConnell from his days as head of the NSA to being a top executive at Booz Allen Hamilton to returning to government as the nation's chief spymaster.

From CIA covert actions to NSA eavesdropping, from Abu Ghraib to Guantánamo, from the Pentagon's techno-driven war in Iraq to the coming global battles over information dominance and control of cyberspace, contractors are doing it all. Spies for Hire goes behind today's headlines to highlight how private corporations are aiding the growth of a new and frightening national surveillance state.

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  1. Print length
    448 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    May 6, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    9.4 x 6.54 x 1.39 inches
  6. See all details
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Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They find it easy to read and understand, making it a must-read for anyone interested in modern intelligence. The book is timely and prescient, providing good value for money.

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10 customers mention "Information quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They say it provides a deeper insight into the topic and is an important work. The conclusion is especially powerful.

"...The conclusion was especially powerful. Highly recommended." Read more

"...At any rate, this is an important work, and my views of Shorrock's book are almost isomorphic with those contained in the reviews by Steele and "..." Read more

"This is an interesting and timely book...." Read more

"This was a very informative look at how much of our national security has been farmed out to the private sector...." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They say it's an excellent book well-researched and written.

"...presented Clearly written for lay person...... Therefore.. Easily read & understood Made a compelling read..." Read more

"This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the world of modern intelligence. Very well researched and written." Read more

"Excellent book..." Read more

"Very Good Read..." Read more

4 customers mention "Timeline"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's timely and prescient timeline.

"This is an interesting and timely book...." Read more

"Slick and quick." Read more

"Prescient book..." Read more

"Timely, Must read..." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it's in good condition and reasonably priced for a hardback.

"...I would tell anyone to purchase this book.It is well worth the cash.I just love it.That is if you like cia,and spy news.Buy it if you can...." Read more

"...I haven't read the book yet, it was in great condition and priced right for a hardback...." Read more

"This is a real eye opener. Great info on cost and who is involved. Read this if you want great information." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Barry Eisler
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Book the Wash Post Ripped Off
    Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I first learned about Spies for Hire from various people I follow on Twitter, who were amazed Dana Priest and William Arkin didn't cite it in their Top Secret America series. I decided to see (or rather, read) for myself, and can now say having read both the book and the Priest/Arkin articles that yes, Shorrock was all over this story years ago, and in far greater depth than the Post piece, which functioned largely as an update of what Shorrock had already reported in this book and elsewhere. I don't have a problem with the Post updating Shorrock's reporting, but it's pretty lame of them to pretend they weren't in his debt. Anyway, if you care about the corporatism that's slowly strangling our democracy, there's no better book I know of than this one. The conclusion was especially powerful. Highly recommended.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Arkansaw Traveler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Subject, Many Facts, But Not Impartial
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Author Shorrock does the nation a great service in providing a basis for discussion of the out-sourcing of intelligence and IT support functions to private industry by federal agencies. For this I would have given him five stars, but it is evident his theme is that such out-sourcing is generally a subversion of the proper function of government and its control by representatives of the people. To this end, he seems to select those incidents that favor his viewpoint, rather than presenting the situation in an impartial manner for the reader to draw his own conclusions. By this I do not mean that the author should not present his own analysis and conclusions -- only that the facts should not be presented with perjorative adjectives and snide comments concerning personal and corporate motives. As an ex-intelligence officer, I certainly would have moved into a private corporation where my skills could have been used to help fulfill the security mission of the Federal Government had personal circumstances not intervened, and I like to think my motives would have been more aligned with satisfaction in accomplishing the mission than for personal profit.

    At any rate, this is an important work, and my views of Shorrock's book are almost isomorphic with those contained in the reviews by Steele and "Retired Reader."

    With respect to the issue of private corporations being restricted to not breaking the law (either international, US, or any any other country's), one must realise that the gathering of covert HUMINT essentially ALWAYS involves breaking someone's laws. If a contractor is expressly forbidden to do this or is to be held accountable for such trangressions, then contractors cannot perform positive intelligence gathering functions. Unfortunately, at the present time the CIA and all other agencies involved in covert intelligence gathering are clearly incapable of fulfilling their missions in this regard without using private contractors. Regardless of the reasons for this lack of in-agency capability, to eliminate private contractors as the author seems to desire, would be to put America's security at grave risk.

    There are solutions to this problem, but the author seems more intent on promoting his leftist agenda than in addressing the issues with the clear goal of improving America's intelligence. Yes, the use of private contractors has gone too far, but what level of private contracting and for what functions would be appropriate? And how do we get to that appropriate level? Alas, these questions were missing in this book, and unfortunately I have not found them yet in any other.

    Lastly, allow me to register my disappointment with the reaction to this book. To date, there have been only six reviews and judging from the ratings pro and con on the reviews, I would estimate that the number of readers of the reviews are not more than forty. That's pretty insignificant when one considers the importance of the book's topic, and shows the lack of public interest in this subject. Something is terribly wrong with the US reading public when banal books like those by Friedman and Zakaria promoting the U.S.'s submission to international organizations and globalism receive thousands of reviews and ratings and books on the condition of the CIA and intelligence out-sourcing draw almost no interest.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Retired Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Intentions, Bad Results
    Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This book appears to be a compilation of articles that together reveal the excessive use of private contractors by the major agencies of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). According to its author, the IC public officials in many cases have abdicated their duties to the public in favor of private contractors whose loyalties are divided between the public good and corporate profits. In any type of expose' it has to be asked how accurate are the charges and is the author really providing the whole story? Well the answer in this case is yes and no.

    The close relationship between the mega U.S. intelligence agencies (CIA, DIA, NGA, NRO, and NSA) and private contractors is indisputable. What this book tries to do, but fails, is show this relationship is also corrupt and dangerous to national security. He does provide many examples of intelligence agency employees moving to the private sector and lavish use of contractors on key intelligence agency projects. Yet he clearly has not spent much time considering the real problems affecting contractor-intelligence client relations.

    First there are really three types of contractors currently serving the IC. The first are that body of contractors who provide consulting, advisory, and training services. The second are those contractors that provide technical support services such as development of information systems, IT infrastructure construction or enhancement, and other services that the clients lack the in-house expertise to perform. Finally there are the contractors who supply staffing for the core functions of collection and analysis, because their clients don't have the in-house personnel to fill all of the billets that they are authorized.

    This latter use of contractors for core mission assignments is the most often criticized by folks within and out of the IC. But as with all things there are two views of this. For example, John Brennan President of The Analysis Corporation (former CIA officer, mentioned in this book) is in point of fact an honest and patriotic IC contractor who strongly supports the use of contractors to fill core positions. Of course that is his business, but he appears sincere in this belief. (This reviewer had a polite dust-up with Brennan on this issue and ended up agreeing to disagree).

    In the end, the use of any type of contractor by the IC is a neutral phenomenon. Contrary to the contentions in this book, contractors while wishing to make a profit also generally want what is best for their clients. Their clients really want to meet their mission requirements and look to contractors to help them accomplish this. The problem with the concept of out-sourcing lays with the execution not the concept itself. Far too often it turns out that the clients are not competent to draw up the technical requirements or do not understand the goals they are articulating. And too often contractors will take the money without pushing back and telling their requirements are worthless (politely of course) or sit down with the client to clarify goals and purposes.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • オーナーオブ・ロンリーハーツクラブバンド
    3.0 out of 5 stars 非常に真面目且つストイック
    Reviewed in Japan on September 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    クリントン時代、予算の削減や民間事業の創出を目的にITを含む政府による諜報（Intelligence）業務を民間へ外部委託するようになり、9/11で飛躍的に拡大、現在では予算の70％（！）もを占めているそうです。歳出削減等のメリットがある一方、諜報活動はそもそも民間のビジネスには馴染まないし、議会等の監視も届かないといった指摘があります。

    この手のノンフィクション小説は「作者の意図に沿った事実」だけを紡いでいくパターンが多いのですが、作者は敢えて白黒をつけず、事実だけを淡々と公平にレポートします。小説というより寧ろ論文やクロニクルに近く天晴れとも言えますが、延々と読まされる方はやや疲れます・・・。

    CIAがファンド会社（In-Q-Tel社）を立ち上げて、民間ハイテク諜報産業に投資・育成（incubate）した～Google Earthの前身も含む～というのが実にアメリカ的で面白かったです。キャッチーなタイトルに反して、非常に真面目且つストイックな本でした。
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  • G. Potts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intresting Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    An intresting if troubling read that seemed to show a scary world of 'independant contractors' that command exessive saleries and are not bound by government regulations.

    I would recommend reading just to provide a backgound to inteligence and those who think about investing in any 'public' security companies.

    I enjoyed the update issued at the back that informed the reader of the situation at a later date and how things have changed.
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  • Geoff Hill
    1.0 out of 5 stars A poor effort at dealing with such a vital topic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book looks like the real thing, but Tim Shorrock doesn't get into the multi-billion-dollar spook market including Kroll, Aegis, Alaco, G3 and the rest.

    In fairness, the trade has grown of late so maybe he need to write an update.
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