# Why does the CIA get involved in combat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952 "2009-09-21T15:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/21 "2009-09-21T19:15:27Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > NASA does stuff like [this.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-53) And the majority of astronauts are active-duty Navy and Air Force officers. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/22 "2009-09-21T19:44:28Z")
Side note : I always thought it was interesting that Neil Armstong was not active duty military when he was an astronaut. He served 3 years as a pilot in the Navy and 8 more in the Naval Reserve but after 1960 he was out of the military. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/23 "2009-09-21T19:56:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > At this point it might just be a matter of inertia, they have done this stuff for so long nobody wants to tell them to stop. Well, that and the National Security Act of 1947 specifically allows the CIA to undertake covert actions with the approval of the President. What is a covert action? Good question, and the law answers it: > [@](#): > > As used in this title, the term ‘‘covert action’’ means an activity or activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly, but does not include— > (1) activities the primary purpose of which is to acquire intelligence, traditional counterintelligence activities, traditional activities to improve or maintain the operational security of United States Government programs, or administrative > activities; > (2) traditional diplomatic or military activities or routine support to such activities; > (3) traditional law enforcement activities conducted by United States Government law enforcement agencies or routine support to such activities; or > (4) activities to provide routine support to the overt activities (other than activities described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3)) of other United States Government agencies abroad. > (f) No covert action may be conducted which is intended to influence United States political processes, public opinion, policies, or > media. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/24 "2009-09-21T20:29:21Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Side note : I always thought it was interesting that Neil Armstong was not active duty military when he was an astronaut. He served 3 years as a pilot in the Navy and 8 more in the Naval Reserve but after 1960 he was out of the military. To hijack a hijack: According to [this biography](http://www.amazon.com/First-Man-Life-Neil-Armstrong/dp/B000FCKGWK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253564848&sr=8-4), his civilian status may have played a large part in his being chosen as the first man on the moon. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/25 "2009-09-21T21:18:07Z")
Get Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” and read the section on spying. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/26 "2009-09-22T01:06:40Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The US has banned assassinations except that policy does not apply during a war. So there would be no need to keep that secret in Iraq or Afghanistan. Unless the operation was across a border with a country either friendly too, or equally unfreindly but will turn a blind eye so long as the proper forms are observed. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/27 "2009-09-22T01:19:13Z")
> [@Nom\_de\_Plume](#): > > I have always wondered about this as well. As I understand it, the CIA’s role is to _gather_ information. It should be the role of the Defense Department to act on it , if necessary – or the role of the State department to use that information in negotiations. > Why do we allow the Central _Intelligence_ Agency to act operationally? Not all of the information that the CIA gathers is military in nature, most of what the DOD gets is collected by the NRO with satelite overflights of countries and its what keeps the threat board updated. Where the CIA gets involved specifically , is trends and intentions. They make a guess based on economic factors like someone buying up a shitload of oil, back tracking front companies to see who is buying up sensitive dual or single purpose equipment and they share a human inteligence pool (humint) with a variety of allied nations and sister agencies like the DEA. I would imagine that if it was a direct threat like 911, it would be passed up the chain to the daily presidential briefing, but quite a bit of what they monitor is between third party nations, for example before the coup in Honduras, its customary to consult with US authorities for permission, and the CIA field officers are usually tapped to serve that role. As to why they are allowed , it provides a deniable cloak for the US to engage in diplomacy or war when inconvienent rules apply. Declan ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/28 "2009-09-22T02:04:53Z")
The DoD has their own intel folks, the Defense Intelligence Agency, lesser known than the boys from Langley, and they like it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Lore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Monkey\_Lore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Lore)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952/29 "2009-09-22T06:42:35Z")
The CIA apparently has Predator drones. Besides using them to spy on people, they also seem to be using them to fire missiles at Al Qaeda: [http://www.foxnews.com/printer\_friendly\_wires/2008Feb01/0,4675,PredatorGlance,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2008Feb01/0,4675,PredatorGlance,00.html) [http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=6938365&pid=3029941](http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=6938365&pid=3029941) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-cia-get-involved-in-combat/510952.md?page=1)