U.S. Establishes New Organization Disguised as Businessmen to Gather Economic Intelligence

According to a report by South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo (Japanese edition) on October 22, citing disclosures from The Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Defense is advancing plans to establish a secret intelligence agency composed of operatives posing as entrepreneurs and corporate executives.

The JoongAng Ilbo cited The Washington Post, which reported that the initiative aims to conduct economic intelligence operations targeting competitive nations, including China.

Quoting sources familiar with the matter, The Washington Post stated: “The agents operating under this next-generation intelligence collection program will function under civilian business identities and will not disclose any official ties to the U.S. government.”

This initiative falls under a strategy involving so-called “non-official cover” (NOC) operatives. The project is led by Tom Lakshan, who spent 39 years at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Lakshan currently serves as a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary of Defense David S. Van Berg and previously held the position of Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA—a key role overseeing overseas covert operations.

According to reports, the project includes experts from various military organizations within the Department of Defense and the Office of the Under Secretary for Intelligence and National Security, as well as retired CIA personnel. At present, the initiative remains in the planning phase, and its exact organizational structure has not yet been finalized.

The Washington Post noted that options being considered include establishing independent penetration operations and expanding existing programs already run by the Department of Defense to collect intelligence through clandestine human sources. However, the U.S. Department of Defense has denied the existence of such a project.

The use of NOC operatives carries significant risks. These individuals cannot rely on government facilities—such as embassies—as operational bases, nor can they claim diplomatic immunity if captured. Particularly when military personnel are used as undercover agents, maintaining plausible deniability becomes increasingly difficult.

The Washington Post observed: “Hiding a military background is extremely challenging. With advances in biometric technologies and the proliferation of digital footprints, using aliases to conceal identity has become progressively harder.” “Due to distinct postures and behavioral patterns associated with military service, many Pentagon undercover agents are easily flagged as suspicious.”

Another concern is that expanding the Department of Defense’s clandestine intelligence capabilities may provoke friction with the CIA. Former CIA officials have criticized the effort, alleging that Lakshan is attempting to create a parallel intelligence apparatus within the Defense Department. Historically, the CIA has maintained a strong stance against other government agencies encroaching on its core mission of human intelligence collection. They also assert that intelligence activities in specific countries should be centrally coordinated by the CIA.

This move aligns with the Trump administration’s policy of treating economic competition as a central component of national security. While the administration has employed tariffs and export controls, it has also sought to expand collaboration with private capital, invest in critical domestic resources and technologies, and strengthen the defense industrial base. Gathering economic intelligence is a key element of this strategy—particularly targeting Chinese companies, which are seen as primary focus areas for U.S. intelligence efforts.

Last month, Michael Ellis, Deputy Director of the CIA, revealed that the United States is broadening its intelligence activities focused on China, with particular attention on enterprises in artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and advanced semiconductors.

Some argue that economic intelligence should be leveraged to enhance the competitiveness of American businesses. David Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA, advocated for sharing intelligence-derived economic secrets with leading U.S. technology firms to secure commercial advantages. He stated: “We have been collecting sensitive economic information for years,” and added, “We should provide American companies with intelligence that gives them a competitive edge.”

Under this policy framework, the Department of Defense established the Economic Defense Unit (EDU) this year, tasked with using economic tools to deter, intercept, and disrupt adversarial actors. In February, Deputy Secretary Van Berg appointed George Cotteris, then a senior advisor at the Defense Department, as director of the EDU. The organization subsequently announced plans to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds toward oil refineries and mining-related enterprises both domestically and abroad. Of this, $750 million was specifically allocated by the U.S. Department of Defense to protect Brazil’s major rare earth mineral deposits.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1879731770896396/

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