ABSTRACT
There are observers who think the post-9/11 era offers the possibility for a new golden age of covert operations. With the Bush administration having unleashed an open-ended war on terrorism and the clear need to meet Al Qaeda and affiliated groups on their own level, the potential for covert action seems clear, its utility obvious. The steady buildup of military special operations forces and reinvigoration of the CIA’s Special Activities Division have provided fresh capability in this field. There are many possible locales for action. Certainly the Department of Defense under Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has been pressing at the bit for the role, while the CIA declared war on terror as long ago as 1998 when George J. Tenet still headed the agency. So it seems foreordained that we can expect a vigorous covert campaign and the further expansion of the envelope.
