--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The CIA has transformed from an…" description: "\"The CIA has transformed from an organization created to recruit spies to steal secrets, into a paramilitary organization, a paramilitary force. It's no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg" --- # The CIA has transformed from an organization created to… ![“The CIA has transformed from an organization created to recruit spies to steal secrets, into a paramilitary organization, a paramilitary force. It's not supposed to be a paramilitary force. It's not good at it. It needs to return to its roots.” quote by John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg) > “The CIA has transformed from an organization created to recruit spies to steal secrets, into a paramilitary organization, a paramilitary force. It's not supposed to be a paramilitary force. It's not good at it. It needs to return to its roots.” [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes CIA's shift toward paramilitary actions, urging return to intelligence focus. **In simple terms:** CIA should refocus on espionage, not combat. Key Takeaway Restore core intelligence mission. Themes security institutional integrity military intelligence Mood critical reflective Type analysis commentary When to use this quote - policy reform debates - oversight hearings - agency restructuring Key Concepts paramilitary expansion mission drift accountability Questions to Reflect On - What risks arise when intelligence agencies become combat‑oriented? - How can oversight ensure proper mission scope? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched military mindset may be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) [Cia Transformed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia-transformed-6162192/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Organization Paramilitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization-paramilitary-6162193/) [Paramilitary Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paramilitary-organization-5377360/) [Recruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recruit/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secrets Paramilitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets-paramilitary-6162195/) [Spy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spy/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Supposed Paramilitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-paramilitary-6162194/) [Supposed to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-to-be/) [Transformed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformed/) ## Related quotes > [ “Through political opportunism and ineptitude, the city had allowed the \[police\] department to languish for years as an understaffed and underequipped paramilitary organization. Infected… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/through-political-opportunism-and-ineptitude-the-city-had-allowed-the/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [The ISI is above all a paramilitary organization. It doesn't do all that much collection of intelligence. It's not a very good spy agency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/the-isi-is-above-all-a-paramilitary-organization-it-doesn-t-do-all/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [If the CIA is going to disrupt future terrorist attacks, it needs to recruit spies to infiltrate those groups in order to disrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/if-the-cia-is-going-to-disrupt-future-terrorist-attacks-it-needs-to/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [It's not up to Google, it's not up to Apple to turn over our personal communications in order to save the country. It's up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/it-s-not-up-to-google-it-s-not-up-to-apple-to-turn-over-our-personal/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [Every one should be his own physician. We ought to assist, and not to force nature. Eat with moderation...Nothing is good for the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-one-should-be-his-own-physician-we-ought-to-assist-and-not-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The Catholic Church spends a lot of time in very poor countries trying to recruit and spread the Gospel. Let me put it that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-catholic-church-spends-a-lot-of-time-in-very-poor-countries/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [For me, motivation is a person who has the capability to recruit the resources he needs to achieve a goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/for-me-motivation-is-a-person-who-has-the-capability-to-recruit-the/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [ They \[US Administration\] have exploited hip-hop and some of the culture around it - magazines, videos, etc. - to recruit people into the military.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/they-us-administration-have-exploited-hip-hop-and-some-of-the-culture/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I've always been able to stay focused on trying to recruit good players and trying to develop those players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/i-ve-always-been-able-to-stay-focused-on-trying-to-recruit-good/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Each restorational advancement of the Army of the Lord has established denominational forts that are given responsibility to maintain the purity and power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hamon/each-restorational-advancement-of-the-army-of-the-lord-has/) [Bill Hamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hamon/) > [Every Sailor has the potential to lead," said Mullen, "I don't care if it's a seaman recruit or someone higher ranking than myself. Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mullen/every-sailor-has-the-potential-to-lead-said-mullen-i-don-t-care-if-it/) [Michael Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mullen/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [I just can't recruit where there's grass around. You gotta have a concrete lawn before I feel comfortable enough to go in and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/i-just-can-t-recruit-where-there-s-grass-around-you-gotta-have-a/) [Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/) > [I find a difference in British spy fiction and American spy fiction. In the American version, it's more militaristic, partly because the CIA has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/i-find-a-difference-in-british-spy-fiction-and-american-spy-fiction/) [Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/) ## More by John Kiriakou > [Immediately after the September 11th attacks, I volunteered to go to Afghanistan in any capacity that the CIA wanted me. Four months passed before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/immediately-after-the-september-11th-attacks-i-volunteered-to-go-to/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [It's not up to Google, it's not up to Apple to turn over our personal communications in order to save the country. It's up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/it-s-not-up-to-google-it-s-not-up-to-apple-to-turn-over-our-personal/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [I can remember only a small handful of instances in which I talked about politics with my parents. I remember my parents telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/i-can-remember-only-a-small-handful-of-instances-in-which-i-talked/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [If the CIA is going to disrupt future terrorist attacks, it needs to recruit spies to infiltrate those groups in order to disrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/if-the-cia-is-going-to-disrupt-future-terrorist-attacks-it-needs-to/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [I've never heard a White House staff say that the president was too stupid or too ill-informed to have broken the law. And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/i-ve-never-heard-a-white-house-staff-say-that-the-president-was-too/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [The truth of the matter is, we can certainly fight against terrorism and fight terrorist groups around the world without having to give up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-truth-of-the-matter-is-we-can-certainly-fight-against-terrorism/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [You can't just blurt the information out to the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador. What happens is, the information goes back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/you-can-t-just-blurt-the-information-out-to-the-russian-foreign/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [I had never really given any thought to working for the CIA, but graduation was upon me; I was getting married just a week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/i-had-never-really-given-any-thought-to-working-for-the-cia-but/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [The big issue is this incremental whittling away of our constitutional rights, our most important constitutional rights, including freedom of speech. This is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-big-issue-is-this-incremental-whittling-away-of-our/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [I think the president, very simply, has never read a copy of the Constitution. I think that that's true. He's just never bothered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/i-think-the-president-very-simply-has-never-read-a-copy-of-the/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [It's much less romantic in that you have to go to www.cia.gov and click "Apply Now." For me it was much more clandestine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/it-s-much-less-romantic-in-that-you-have-to-go-to-www-cia-gov-and/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) > [Even if torture works, it cannot be tolerated -- not in one case or a thousand or a million. If their efficacy becomes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/even-if-torture-works-it-cannot-be-tolerated-not-in-one-case-or-a/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) [Explore all 13 John Kiriakou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) ## More Cia quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I find a difference in British spy fiction and American spy fiction. In the American version, it's more militaristic, partly because the CIA has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/i-find-a-difference-in-british-spy-fiction-and-american-spy-fiction/) [Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/) > [I spent close to a decade as an undercover officer in the CIA and have spent most of my adult life collecting intelligence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/i-spent-close-to-a-decade-as-an-undercover-officer-in-the-cia-and/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“Havens turned again. Someone else passed between the trucks. That someone walked with less purpose than the other workers near the stalls. To Havens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-patten/havens-turned-again-someone-else-passed-between-the-trucks-that/) [J.T. Patten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-patten/) > [“Marcia Wilson was a good example of Omega’s core strategy for creating a New World Order. It involved placing their people, or moles, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morcan/marcia-wilson-was-a-good-example-of-omega-s-core-strategy-for/) [James Morcan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morcan/) > [As a former undercover CIA officer, I've worked with my colleagues in the 114th Congress to approach the growing terrorist threat from a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/as-a-former-undercover-cia-officer-i-ve-worked-with-my-colleagues-in/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [“On December 11, 1996 in a posting on the internet list WITCHNT@MITVMA.MIT.EDU, Dr Peter Freyd, husband of the Executive Directory of the False Memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/on-december-11-1996-in-a-posting-on-the-internet-list-witchnt-mitvma/) [Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/) > [The CIA has acknowledged that it has detained about 100 terrorists since 9/11, and about a third of them have been subjected to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/the-cia-has-acknowledged-that-it-has-detained-about-100-terrorists/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Scouting is like CIA work and investigative work. You create a lot of stuff and try a lot of stuff. Some works and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/scouting-is-like-cia-work-and-investigative-work-you-create-a-lot-of/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [“The men were smashing windows and aiming their weapons through them. The driver had opened the door and was shouting for the women and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-zlotchew/the-men-were-smashing-windows-and-aiming-their-weapons-through-them/) [Clark Zlotchew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-zlotchew/) > [The activities that went on at Camp King between 1946 and the late 1950s have never been fully accounted for by either the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-activities-that-went-on-at-camp-king-between-1946-and-the-late/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [Immediately after the September 11th attacks, I volunteered to go to Afghanistan in any capacity that the CIA wanted me. Four months passed before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/immediately-after-the-september-11th-attacks-i-volunteered-to-go-to/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) [Browse all 389 Cia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The CIA has transformed from an organization created to recruit spies to steal secrets, into a paramilitary organization, a paramilitary force. It's not supposed to be a paramilitary force. It's not good at it. It needs to return to its roots.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Kiriakou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organization-created-to-recruit-spies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organization-created-to-recruit-spies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/john-kiriakou-35426_cia_the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organiza_807528.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The CIA has transformed from an organization created to recruit spies to steal secrets, into a paramilitary…” — John Kiriakou", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Kiriakou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The CIA has transformed from an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organization-created-to-recruit-spies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/the-cia-has-transformed-from-an-organization-created-to-recruit-spies/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```