CIA DIRECTORATE OF OPERATIONS TRAINING FACILITY – WASHINGTON D.C.
A description of the Directorate of Operations’ covert training facility, disguised as a regular office from Class 11: My Story Inside the CIA’s First Post – 9/11 Spy Class by T.J. Waters
When the holiday weekend ends, we move from our interim assignments to a special facility across town. In the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) analysts are schooled in the diagnostic arts at the Sherman Kent School of Analysis. The Directorate of Operations (DO) has a similar training facility in Washington. Similar, but still different.
On Tuesday morning, Dottie provides us with directions to the school with the caveat that it is an undercover facility. It’s in a typical suburban Washington office complex with a host of real companies around it. Nobody in the building or in the complex knows it’s a CIA facility. They especially don’t know it’s a training facility for spies. That is how it must remain. We have to take every precaution to protect the site’s secret. Cover for the site comes first-for ourselves, second. To dismantle the facility and move it elsewhere would cost millions of dollars. A great deal of planning and effort went into designing a site that could blend into its surroundings. The training conducted here is limited to things that can be done reasonably in a business atmosphere. Anything “cheeky” or unusual has to wait until we go to the Farm.
One by one we arrive at the appointed office complex and park in the garage. Taking the elevator up to the appropriate floor we step into the corridor. An unmarked door is open, revealing a receptionist and desk, but little else. The receptionist raises an eyebrow at us. “Can I help you?”
We identify ourselves with our driver’s licenses. She has a long list of names in alphabetical order. Once she confirms our identities, she waves us individually through a second door, a buzzing sound indicating she is unlocking it for each and every student one at a time.
“Someone will meet you inside and show you the main meeting room.” Once inside, we make small talk with one another as the class size swells to the room’s capacity and beyond. I doubt the fire Marshall gets in here very often.
At two o’clock a man about my age walks up to the front of the room and introduces himself as Steve. Steve is the course chairman for our training in the Washington area. We will be spending the next ninety days in his special facility, so he wants to g over the entire story of what’s here, what we are doing, and how we are going to do it.
“This is a covert facility. Can anyone define that?”
: Several people try, but no one gives him the answer he wants.
“There is a difference between clandestine and covert. This is lesson one. This site is covert. It appears to be one thing when in actuality it is another. We are not hiding the fact we are here; we are only hiding what we are here for. We are in the Clandestine Service. Clandestine means hiding our existence completely. We do not want to be seen or heard in any operational context. We do not disguise our operational activities; we completely hide them from view. Everything you do from this building will be covert; it will appear to be something else. There will always be some plausible explanation that does not give our neighbors any reason to think we are anything more than what we claim to be. Got it?”
Everyone nods.
“Good. This is a training facility. It is not open to the public. If anyone asks you about renting it out, please direct him or her to my secretary. She will quote them a price so outrageous, it will make the national debt pale in comparison. She will explain to the inquiring party that we mainly do government leadership training. If one point doesn’t scare them off the other usually does.”
Laughter ripples through the crowd.
“You will be assigned into two groups due to the size of the class, designated East and West. There is no difference between them; it’s just a method for managing the instructor scheduling. You will be assigned offices and officemates today. In each office there will be a packet with your name on it and an inventory of equipment that should already be in the office. If something is missing, please let one of us know.”
Steve hands out the office assignment lists.
“While you are looking these over and finding out who your officemate is, let me tell you about this facility. There is a snack area with vending machines down the main hallway. There is an office-supply storage closet with anything you might need. Please help yourself. There are two main classrooms, two computer laboratories, and several break-out meeting rooms. You are free to use these rooms unless an instructor needs them. Otherwise, this floor is all yours except for the instructors’ team room. You can’t miss it. There’s a large picture of a lion on the door.”
We file out of the room and make our way down the hallways. It is not a large complex, and we are constantly bumping into one another while moving from room to room. True to Steve’s word, I turn a corner to find a door with a huge lion’s head taped to it. Signs on either side of the door indicate that students are to keep out. A placard above the door reads LION’S DEN. Cute. Walking back down the hallway and turning down a different corridor I find my assigned office and step inside.
It is a big corner unit with large windows on two walls and desks in opposite corners of the room, facing away from each other. There is a credenza between the desks and tow file-storage cabinets. Two cork bulletin boards grace the walls above the desks. Unlike many of the other offices, the corner orientation gives it an enormous amount of floor space.
