NewsReal Blog Interview with SpyCruise® speakers:

Michael Hayden, the former CIA Director, has always asserted that “the war on terrorism is inherently an intelligence war.”

This November, the “SPYCRUISE®” will be sailing. On the cruise everything you wanted to know about intelligence but could not ask will be discussed, that is except classified information.

NewsReal Blog interviewed four of the speakers to get their take on what will be discussed.

Porter Goss: He served sixteen years as a Congressman from Southwest Florida. His duties included chairing the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 1997 until his nomination as DCI in August, 2004, and co-chairing the joint congressional inquiry into the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. From 2004 to 2006 he was the Director of the CIA.

General Michael Hayden: His positions included Deputy Director of National Intelligence. In this capacity, he oversaw the entire intelligence community, including the CIA, NSA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. General Hayden became the longest-tenured NSA (National Security) director, serving from 1999-2005. He became director of the CIA in May of 2006.

Peter Brookes: He served with the CIA, the State Department at the United Nations, and in the private sector defense and intelligence industry. He is also a columnist for the New York Post, Boston Herald, and Townhall Magazine. Currently he is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Bill Harlow: He is a writer, consultant and public relations specialist. He has served seven years as the top spokesman for the Central Intelligence Agency and four years at the White House handling national security media matters. In 2008 Harlow joined forces with long-time NBC TV correspondent Fred Francis to form “15-Seconds.” He has also written two books, At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA (co-authored with George Tenet) and the novel, Circle William

Andre Le Gallo: He was CIA Chief of Station in Mali, Romania, Israel and Belgium managing collection, counterintelligence, and special operations. He has extensive experience on each side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. While at CIA Headquarters, he held senior positions in the Near East, Latin America, West Europe Divisions, the National Intelligence Council, and in the Inspector General Staff. Le Gallo is the author of The Caliphate, a novel published in January 2010, which draws on his career with the CIA in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

NEWSREAL BLOG: What are you going to discuss?

Porter Goss: I will talk about the Congressional oversight, the new bureaucracy, the DNI, and a debate about who we are and what we are going to do.

Michael Hayden: I am going to talk about Iran, counter terrorism, the similarities and changes between the past two administrations, and the role of espionage in a democratic society.

Peter Brookes: I am going to discuss the threat from North Korea. I will talk about North Korea’s unprovoked attack on the South Korean warship last spring, their nuclear weapons program, the ballistic missile program, and life in North Korea.

Bill Harlow: My business partner and I will discuss the difficulty for the government to keep a secret and if so how they go about doing it.

Andre Le Gallo: I will speak about my book. Its fiction but is based on my career. I was under cover for thirty some odd years. I will talk about my experiences which I reflected on in the book.

NRB: Can you give a few highlights of what you plan to say?

Goss: Are we going to follow policy and pull back where we are all equal and homogeneous and there will be no super powers or are we going to be a place where countries go to get help and salvation as the world’s super power? Those are societal questions that need to be debated now. If you are going to be the world’s super power you need to have a good intelligence organization out there. What is the President’s vision for the US? The real issue that should be debated with constructive results is what should be America’s position in the globe and how do we go about doing it?

Hayden: Take Iran for example. Time is running out and the options are falling off the table as time moves on. There are very tough choices that have to be made if we are not going to accept an Iran with a nuclear capability. The other issue is change: this administration has initiated some changes which have not gone well for them. The president ended the CIA interrogation and detention program. He did not replace it with anything. Since we do not have an interrogation program we really did not get useful intelligence with the Detroit terrorist or Mullah Baradar. This administration has also revealed a lot of his predecessor’s covert action program with regard to interrogation. It makes CIA officers worry and cautious.

Brookes: I will point out that just two years ago the Israelis destroyed a nuclear reactor in Syria that was being built by the North Koreans. There is also the concern about the cooperation between North Korea and Iran on nuclear weapons and missiles. In fact, the Iranian Shahab missile is essentially a North Korean No Dong missile. I have actually been to North Korea so I have some insights about the country. It is definitely a Stalinist country, one of the last Communist states left in the world today. The big question is whether they are really willing to talk about their nuclear program or just using it as leverage to get the goodies to ensure survival of the Kim regime-it’s top priority.

Harlow: Are there too many secrets out there? If the government was more judicious about what they declare secret they would be able to make a good case that what remains should stay classified and not leaked.

Le Gallo: I will point out that as station chief and a clandestine officer it was not a 9 to 5 job. You had to live it every minute of the day and night. When I was in Israel we worked together on joint operations against terrorism. We were trying to keep people from getting killed. We were very focused on the trade craft and what was happening on the ground. I will discuss the job and how a foreign national can be recruited. I will also touch on my experiences. For example when I was in Iran the embassy was overrun twice, in February of 1979 and November of 1979.

NRB: What is the goal for someone who signs up for the cruise?

Goss: Everyone will be very accessible. Someone will be able to learn about intelligence and what it does. There will be an awful lot of information and history. People will be able to kick around ideas, learn something and get acquainted with some of the very important challenges that our country is facing at the moment.

Hayden: People will learn that there is a lot of continuity between the past two Presidents. The continuity gives a lot of legitimacy to what President Bush deemed appropriate. Goss, Harlow, and I have actually been on the inside so someone can get a lot of insight and understanding of how things work. There should be a lot of exchange of ideas.

Brookes: It is an opportunity for people to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the challenges that face our national security. Besides the economy people should have concerns about our foreign policy today as well. I hope people will understand that what happens overseas can affect us at home as was so evident by the tragedy of 9/11.

Harlow: Everyone will definitely touch on whatever is relevant in the news at the time. During the discussion of current events people should not just be passive recipients but should share their passionate views. It gives them a chance to play in the big leagues.

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