SUB-SAHARA AFRICA SPECIALIST CADRE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82T00285R000200050010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2006
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: May 18, 1979
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2006/12/113 A 11 82T00285R000200050010-8
OIA-47/79
18 May 1979
MEMORANDUM FOR NFAC
SUBJECT : Sub-Sahara Africa Specialist Cadre
REFERENCE : NFAC Memorandum 2170-79, 27 April 1979
1. This memorandum is in response to your request for infor-
mation regarding the number of positions and related training
OIA projects will be needed for work on sub-Sahara Africa over the
next five years. For background purposes, in 1978 OIA spent the
equivalent of about five manyears on issues related to sub-Sahara
Africa--two on conventional forces, two on nuclear proliferation/
strategy delivery system programs, one in support of DDO and DDS&T
collection and operations programs, and a trace on industries and
transportation. (5)
2. Over the next five years, we project that an additional
six positions--for a total of.11--will be required to provide NFAC
adequate imagery-derived intelligence on issues related to sub-Sahara
Africa, and service DDO and DDS&T collection and operations programs.
The resources would be used as follows: six on conventional forces,
two on industries and transportation, two on nuclear proliferation/
strategic delivery system programs, and one on support to DDO and
DDS&T collection and operations programs.. The grade levels of these
positions would center around our journeyman level--presently GS-12
and hopefully after our Office audit by PMCD--GS-13. The grade spread
would be something like three. positions at the GS-13/14 senior
analyst level, five at the GS-12/13 journeyman analyst level, with
the remaining three at the GS-11 and GS-09 junior analyst level. (S)
3. We would need analysts with various academic backgrounds
to work the different substantive topics. The conventional forces
analysts should have some courses in international relations and
African affairs, and some military experience would be helpful. The
industrial analysts should have degrees in industrial engineering,
or at least a strong background in math, chemistry and physics. The
transportation analysts should have degrees in civil engineering or
geography, and the nuclear and strategic delivery systems analysts
should have nuclear or aeronautical engineering degrees, or at
least strong backgrounds in physics, chemistry and math. Prior work
experience in these specialties would, of course, be useful. We
have found from experience, however, that we seldom can find people
with these types of academic training who are interested in working
in the imagery analyst profession. (C)
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SUBJECT: Sub-Sahara Africa Specialist Cadre
4. The training for the new analysts would be extensive. The
first year would be spent primarily learning the imagery analysis
business, and becoming familiar with the assigned substantive
specialty as well as the intelligence issues related to this
part of the world. About 80 percent of the analyst's first year
would be devoted to formal and on-the-job training. About 20 percent
of the analyst's time during the next four years would be spent
becoming expert on a substantive specialty through trips
and/or sabbaticals to private industry or relevant govern-
ment agencies, and through on-the-job training. Area familiarization
would also occur in this period in the form of a series of trips of
two to four week duration to sub-Sahara Africa. We would not require
the analysts to develop foreign language capabilities because most
of the human source materials received in OIA has been translated
into English. In addition, because English is spoken in many
of these countries, there should be no problem on the area
familiarization trips. (C)
5. I would expect the incentives for OIA analysts working on
sub-Sahara Africa would be no different from those of other analysts.
They would include the opportunity to advance, the opportunity to
develop their analytical skills through courses, sabbaticals and
trips, and the opportunity to use their initiative and imagination
in the analysis of intelligence problems. Another incentive would
be for the OIA analysts to have an opportunity to serve on a
rotational tour in some other NFAC office to broaden their perspec-
tives on the political, economic, and military issues of sub-Sahara
Africa. (C)
. 6. With the possible exception of conventional forces we
would not place these analysts. into an organizational entity--such
as a sub-Sahara Africa branch--to deal with this geographic area.
Rather, we would place these analysts within existing or newly
established functional branches. The reasoning for this is that OIA
analysts are functional experts first, and geographic or country
specialists second. I would like to discuss with you at an
appropriate time how you (or John Hicks) envision a specialist cadre
operating. For example, would a cadre be located within one compo-
nent in NFAC, and would each analyst be expected to be expert on
all substantive specialties or on all countries. (C)
Imagery Analysis
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Approved For Release 2006/12/16: CIA-RDP82T00285R000200050010-8