WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT OF THE ELIMINATION OF THE STRATEGIC WARNING STAFF?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B01027R000200130021-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 6, 2004
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: October 1, 1978
• Content Type: SUMMARY

(Given to PARRrc3X% fQr 2004/12/22: CIA-RDP83BO1027p* 200130021-9
What Would Be the Impact of the Elimination of the Strategic Warning Staff?
1. The Strategic Warning Staff is a. central node in the national
indications and warning structure, at which longer-range trends are
married with short-term indications. It serves as a devil's advocate in
challenging the conventional (analytic) wisdom. As such, it represents
the DCI's "insurance" against another Pearl Harbor. It also conducts
research in the indications and warning field.
2. The DCI has recently set in motion a review and reorganization
of the national structure for indications and warning. As part of that
process, there will be a detailed review of the mission and factions of
the SWS.
3. We believe that elimination of the SWS would remove the only
existing mechanism by which the DCI can exercise his most important single
responsibility -- strategic warning. Once the reorganization is complete
and the functions of the SWS have been reviewed, then this question might
be reopened.
Approved For Release 2004/12/22 : CIA-RDP83BO1027R000200130021-9