Matt Damon returns to the screen in The Bourne Ultimatum, the explosive third installment in the life of amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne. If you're already a fan, you might be curious about the government agency at the shadowy heart of the Bourne series. Here's the real intel on the CIA: what it does, who it employs, and--if you're interested in becoming a CIA operative--how you can slip through the door and into the service.
Central Intelligence Agency
At the center of the Bourne saga is the real-life organization responsible for providing US policymakers with vital national security information. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating foreign intelligence to help the president and other US policymakers make decisions of national security.
As an aspiring spy, you would most likely be interested in working for the National Clandestine Service (NCS), one of four departments that make up the CIA, and the frontline source of information on international developments in everything from terrorism and arms proliferation to military and political issues. The NCS is responsible for secretly collecting foreign intelligence, usually from human sources.
Covert Ops
As is popularly portrayed in many spy movies, including the Bourne series, the CIA is sometimes authorized to engage in covert actions. Only the president can direct the CIA to undertake such an action, usually under advisement from the National Security Council. Such covert actions are deemed necessary as a sort of middle ground for achieving US foreign policy objectives when diplomacy has failed but military action is considered too extreme. Although some CIA covert actions are paramilitary in nature, per executive order 12333 of 1981, the agency is prohibited from conducting assassinations. So much for Operation Treadstone!
Becoming a Spy: CIA Operations Officers
If you're interested in becoming a spy, the NCS is probably your best bet for finding employment. Within the NCS, CIA operations officers serve on the front lines of the human intelligence collection business by secretly recruiting and handling sources of foreign intelligence. Required skills include people and street smarts, the ability to deal with fast-moving, ambiguous, and unstructured situations (dodging bullets in a Paris safe house, for example, or evading authorities at Zurich's U.S. Consulate). Peak physical and psychological health, energy, intuition, the ability to cope with stress, and flexible hours are also required. For a CIA operations officer, a normal workweek operates on a 24/7 schedule, with work time encompassing between 60 and 80 hours. Operations officers serve the bulk of their time in overseas assignments.
Minimum requirements for a position as an operations officer include a bachelor's degree with a strong record of academic performance, pronounced interest in international affairs, and solid interpersonal and communications skills. Previous foreign travel or residency, fluency in a foreign language (especially Central Eurasian, East Asian and Middle Eastern languages), and military experience are preferred. Annual base salaries for CIA operations officers range from $52,180 to $72,421.
CIA Seeks Educated Agents
Since security is a primary concern, the CIA has tight restrictions on who can join the organization. If you want to work for the CIA, you must be eighteen years old, a U.S. citizen, and a high school graduate. For overseas officers, a college degree, preferably an advanced degree, is a standard requirement. Because the CIA's personnel needs span such a broad spectrum, the agency doesn't recommend any single academic track (although education in international economics, business and the physical sciences is a plus).
For recent high school graduates or working professionals interested in becoming a spy, this is good news. If you're already in a criminal justice or law enforcement career, many of your current skills may transfer over. Many colleges and universities offer courses that can prepare you for the more intensive training you'll undergo if you become a spy. More encouraging still, the CIA offers student internship programs and scholarships to help get you through school.
No Time like the Present
In a time of heightened national security concerns, the CIA has doubled its funding for recruitment, expanded outreach efforts and, in the last three years, doubled the number of recruits in critical languages. Between 2004 and 2006, the proportion of critical language CIA classes grew from five to eight percent. The agency is also stepping up recruitment by sharing applicant's files with other federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Administration (NSA).
With career training and the right degree, a love of foreign languages, and the right kind of personality, you could already be well on your way to becoming a spy--honing the skills of a Jason Bourne. Don't wait, though. Prospective CIA operations officers face keen competition, as they represent one of the smallest career niches in the CIA.
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