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97-518: The inquiry also dealt with the wider issue of WMD programmes in "countries of concern" and the global trade in WMD. Recommendations were made to the prime minister to better evaluate and assess intelligence information in the future before invoking action. Lord Butler of Brockwell headed the five-member committee which included senior parliamentarians and civil servants with military and intelligence links: The Butler Review followed procedures similar to

194-652: A Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (B.S.F.S.) and received a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University in 1978. For his first job after graduating, Tenet became research director of the American Hellenic Institute from 1978 to 1979 and worked for the Solar Energy Industries Association as Director of International Programs from then until 1982. He then began working for

291-549: A cardiologist ) and George as "loud, sloppy, and boisterous". Because of his tendency to talk constantly he was known as "the mouthpiece". Sol Winder, a family friend and later owner of their diner, said he was "the type of guy who could never keep a secret". He was also interested in the news; the host of a local current affairs host sent him an autograph in response to Tenet's letters, calling him "the future editorial page editor of The New York Times " . He played basketball and softball for his Greek Orthodox church, where he

388-729: A key role in overseeing intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction in advance of the Iraq War . A 2005 Inspector General's report found that Tenet bears "ultimate responsibility" for the United States intelligence community's failure to develop a plan to control al Qaeda in the lead-up to 9/11. Tenet has been criticized for personally authorizing the CIA's use of brutal and ineffective torture techniques during his tenure, in contravention of international law, something which he has repeatedly denied. In February 2008, he became

485-639: A managing director at investment bank Allen & Company . George John Tenet was born on January 5, 1953, in Flushing , New York , the son of Greek immigrants Evangelia and John Tenet. His father was from the ethnic Greek community of Himara , in Albania , and worked in a coal mine in France before arriving in the United States via Ellis Island , just before the Great Depression . His mother

582-588: A meeting in December 2002, he assured Bush that the evidence that Iraq had WMDs amounted to a " slam dunk case". After several months of refusing to confirm this statement, Tenet stated that it was taken out of context. He indicated that it was made pursuant to a discussion about how to convince the American people to support invading Iraq. The search following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led Coalition forces yielded no significant WMDs. In September 2002,

679-445: A nuclear bomb, and concluding that illicit "material may be hidden in the sand". Arms industry The arms industry , also known as the defense (or defence) industry , military industry , or the arms trade , is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and other military technology to a variety of customers, including the armed forces of states and civilian individuals and organizations. Products of

776-601: A number of other notable Greek Americans , he is a member of the advisory board of The Next Generation Initiative, a foundation aimed at teaching students public affairs skills. In April 2007, Tenet released his memoir titled At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA which was written with Bill Harlow . He appeared on 60 Minutes on April 29, 2007, offering much criticism of the Bush administration. The book

873-464: A personal decision and had only one basis—in fact, the well-being of my wonderful family—nothing more and nothing less." He officially left on July 11, exactly seven years after being appointed by Clinton. Former DCI Stansfield Turner said, "I think the president feels he's in enough trouble that he's got to begin to cast some of the blame for the morass that we are in in Iraq on to somebody else and this

970-490: A report written by the CIA inspector general was made public (originally written in 2005 but kept classified). The 19-page summary states that Tenet knew the dangers of Al Qaeda well before September 2001, but that the leadership of the CIA did not do enough to prevent any attacks and that Tenet personally "bears ultimate responsibility" for the intelligence community's failure to develop a plan to counter al Qaeda. Tenet reacted to

1067-504: A significant terrorist threat. The 1998 bombings of two U.S. African embassies were the latest in a string of attacks on American interests in the west Indian Ocean region. And in 2000 the USS Cole was bombed in Aden in an attempt to sink her, killing 17 naval personnel. In 1999 Tenet put forward a grand " Plan " for dealing with al-Qaeda. In preparation, he selected new leadership for

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1164-500: A similar Iraq Intelligence Commission one day earlier. The Butler Inquiry's remit did not extend to an examination of the political decision making process. The Liberal Democrats opted not to take part, because the role of politicians had been excluded from the Inquiry's remit. (Senior Lib Dem MP Alan Beith was to have been the sixth member of the panel). Explaining their position Foreign Affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell asked

1261-462: Is also a large global market in second-hand naval vessels, generally purchased by developing countries from Western governments. The cybersecurity industry is expected to be of increasing importance to defense, intelligence, and homeland security agencies. According to research institute SIPRI , the volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2010–14 was 16 percent higher than in 2005–2009. The five biggest exporters in 2010–2014 were

1358-548: Is often referred to as a defense industrial base . Entities involved in arms production for military purposes vary widely, and include private sector commercial firms , state-owned enterprises and public sector organizations, and scientific and academic institutions. Such entities perform a wide variety of functions, including research and development , engineering , production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. The weapons they produce are often made, maintained, and stored in arsenals. In 2024,

1455-485: Is presented by 5-year moving averages. Next to SIPRI, there are several other sources that provide data on international transfers of arms. These include national reports by national governments about arms exports, the UN register on conventional arms, and an annual publication by the U.S. Congressional Research Service that includes data on arms exports to developing countries as compiled by U.S. intelligence agencies. Due to

1552-421: Is scarce, but because it is difficult and expensive to enrich U235 from 0.7 per cent to the 90 per cent needed for a bomb. Enrichment plants are large, use a lot of electricity and are almost impossible to conceal. Neither British security services nor the CIA seriously thought Iraq had a functioning enrichment plant that would have justified all the noise about nuclear weapons we heard before the war. When I read of

1649-760: Is substantial. There is relatively little regulation at the international level, and as a result, many weapons fall into the hands of organized crime, rebel forces, terrorists, or regimes under sanctions. The Control Arms Campaign , founded by Amnesty International , Oxfam , and the International Action Network on Small Arms , estimated in 2003 that there are over 639 million small arms in circulation and that over 1,135 companies based in more than 98 countries manufacture small arms as well as their various components and ammunition. Encompassing military aircraft (both land-based and naval aviation ), conventional missiles, and military satellites , this

1746-618: Is the most technologically advanced sector of the market. It is also the least competitive from an economic standpoint, with a handful of companies dominating the entire market. The top clients and major producers are virtually all located in the western world and Russia, with the United States easily in the first place. Prominent aerospace firms include Rolls-Royce , BAE Systems , Saab AB , Dassault Aviation , Sukhoi , Mikoyan , EADS , Leonardo , Thales Group , Lockheed Martin , Northrop Grumman , RTX Corporation , and Boeing . There are also several multinational consortia mostly involved in

1843-456: Is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy , which seeks to persuade governments to accept such limitations through agreements and treaties , although it may also be forced upon non-consenting governments. George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is an American intelligence official and academic who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) for

1940-561: The Cold War when the United States and the USSR supplied weapons to their proxies across the world, particularly third world countries (see Nixon Doctrine ). This category includes everything from light arms to heavy artillery , and the majority of producers are small. Many are located in third-world countries. International trade in handguns , machine guns , tanks , armored personnel carriers , and other relatively inexpensive weapons

2037-664: The Franks Committee inquiry into the Falklands War . The inquiry had access to all intelligence reports and other government papers, and it could call witnesses to give oral evidence. It worked closely with the US inquiry and the Iraq Survey Group. The committee met in secret and only its conclusions were published on 14 July 2004. The British government followed US President George W. Bush who had created

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2134-508: The Joint Intelligence Committee on the limitations of the intelligence were not made clear. Overall it said that "more weight was placed on the intelligence than it could bear", and that judgements had stretched available intelligence "to the outer limits". It says that information from another country's intelligence service on Iraqi production of chemical and biological weapons was "seriously flawed", without naming

2231-576: The Kosovo War , U.S. bombers struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade , Serbia with five JDAM precision guided bombs, killing three Chinese reporters and injuring 20 others. The United States claimed the attack was accidental. In testimony before a congressional committee, Tenet later admitted the strike was the only one in the campaign organized and directed by his agency, though he still claimed it

2328-670: The National Security Council , where he served from 1993 to 1995. Tenet was implicated in an illegal wiretapping case brought by Richard Horn. The CIA invoked the state secrets privilege to force dismissal of the case. It was later reopened and settled out of court, but the sentence claimed that several people including Tenet committed fraud on the court. Tenet was appointed Deputy Director of Central Intelligence in July 1995. After John Deutch 's abrupt resignation in December 1996, Tenet served as acting director. This

2425-760: The National Shooting Sports Foundation members' ability to obtain an export license from taking a month to taking just four days. This was due to the United States Department of Commerce and agencies associated with ITAR expediting weapons shipments to Ukraine. In addition, the time it took to obtain a permit to buy a firearm in Ukraine also decreased from a few months to a few days. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs) expressed in millions. These numbers may not represent real financial flows as prices for

2522-716: The Senate , first as a legislative assistant and later as legislative director to then–Pennsylvania Senator H. John Heinz III from 1982 to 1985. He was a staff member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) from 1985 to 1988, then Staff Director of the SSCI from 1988 to 1993. Later, Tenet joined President-elect Bill Clinton 's national security transition team in November 1992. Clinton appointed Tenet Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at

2619-632: The Senate Report of Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq ) had failed to investigate the claim thoroughly; however again, the Butler Review states that in 2002 the CIA "agreed that there was evidence that [uranium from Africa] had been sought." In the run-up to war in Iraq, the British Intelligence Services apparently believed that Iraq had been trying to obtain uranium from Africa; however, no evidence has been passed on to

2716-528: The Small Arms Survey estimated that approximately one billion firearms were in global circulation; of those, 857 million (85%) were possessed by civilians, 133 million (13%) were possessed by national militaries, and 23 million (2%) belonged to law enforcement agencies. The Small Arms Survey also found that the number of firearms in circulation had increased significantly between 2006 and 2017, primarily due to increases in civilian possession. During

2813-623: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated global military expenditure at $ 2.443 trillion, the highest level ever recorded by SIPRI and the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. SIPRI further found that the combined revenues of the top 100 largest defense companies totaled $ 597 billion in 2022, with the five largest companies by revenue being Lockheed Martin , RTX , Northrop Grumman , Boeing , and General Dynamics . SIPRI's data also showed that, between 2019 and 2023,

2910-680: The Taliban . The teams would act jointly with military Special Operations units. "President Bush later praised this proposal, saying it had been a turning point in his thinking." During Tenet's directorship, President Bush authorized the CIA to use waterboarding and other forms of torture ( euphemistically referred to as "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques") during interrogations of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri , all suspected Al Qaida members. The CIA's directors (George Tenet, Porter Goss and Michael Hayden) provided inaccurate and misleading information to members of

3007-758: The University of Sussex , said the information relied upon by the Butler Review on the Niger issue was incomplete. "The Butler report says the claim was credible because an Iraqi diplomat visited Niger in 1999, and almost three-quarters of Niger's exports were uranium. But this is irrelevant, since France controls Niger's uranium mines". Dombey also noted that Iraq already had some 550 tonnes of uranium compound sitting in its gutted Tuwaitha nuclear research center: Iraq already had far more uranium than it needed for any conceivable nuclear weapons programme. ... Nuclear weapons are difficult and expensive to build not because uranium

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3104-680: The early modern period , England, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands became self-sufficient in arms production, with diffusion and migration of skilled workers to more peripheral countries such as Portugal and Russia. The modern arms industry emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as a product of the creation and expansion of the first large military–industrial companies. As smaller countries and even newly industrializing countries like Russia and Japan could no longer produce cutting-edge military equipment with their Indigenous capacity-based resources, they increasingly began to contract

3201-573: The weapons of World War I nearly defeated the allies. In 1885, France decided to capitalize on this increasingly lucrative trade and repealed its ban on weapon exports. The regulatory framework for the period up to the First World War was characterized by a laissez-faire policy that placed little obstruction in the way of weapons exports. Due to the carnage of World War I, arms traders began to be regarded with odium as "merchants of death" and were accused of having instigated and perpetuated

3298-411: The 2005 Inspector General's report, George Tenet had in fact reported the potential threat to then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice during an urgent meeting on July 10, 2001, in which his team informed her that "There will be significant terrorist attacks against the United States in the coming weeks or months." The CIA also experimented with a small remote-controlled reconnaissance aircraft,

3395-955: The Bin Laden unit visited northern Afghanistan . Once the Plan was finalized, the Agency created a "Qaeda cell" (whose functions overlapped those of the CTC's Bin Laden unit ) to give operational leadership to the effort. The CIA concentrated its inadequate financial resources on the Plan, so that at least some of its more modest aspirations were realized. Intelligence collection efforts on bin Laden and al-Qaeda increased significantly from 1999. "By 9/11", said Tenet, "a map would show that these collection programs and human [reporting] networks were in place in such numbers as to nearly cover Afghanistan". (But this excluded Bin Laden's inner circle itself.) Contrary to

3492-617: The British Government at the time its assessment was made." Taking into account the American intelligence community's findings on the matter, it is true that in December 2003, then CIA director George Tenet conceded that the inclusion of the claim in the State of the Union address was a mistake. However, Tenet believed so, not due to any compelling evidence to the contrary, but rather because the CIA (criticized concerning this matter by

3589-525: The CIA's Counterterrorist Center (CTC). He placed Cofer Black in charge of the CTC, and Richard Blee (a "top-flight executive" from Tenet's own suite) in charge of the CTC's Bin Laden unit . Tenet assigned the CTC to develop the Plan. The proposals, brought out in September, sought to penetrate Qaeda's "Afghan sanctuary" with U.S. and Afghan agents, in order to obtain information on and mount operations against Bin Laden's network. In October, officers from

3686-607: The Gatling gun. This industrial innovation in the defense industry was adopted by Prussia in its 1864, 1866, and 1870–71 defeats of Denmark, Austria, and, France respectively. By this time the machine gun had begun entering arsenals. The first examples of its effectiveness were in 1899 during the Boer War and in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War . However, Germany led the innovation of weapons and this advantage in

3783-648: The Georgetown School of Foreign service. His official teaching began in the Fall term, 2005. In October 2006, Tenet joined British defense contractor Qinetiq as an independent non-executive director. Chairman John Chisholm noted Tenet's "extraordinary track record and experience in the fields of intelligence and security." He stepped down from the board in October 2007 (his old position was taken by retired U.S. Navy Admiral Edmund Giambastiani ) as well as

3880-510: The IAEA apart from the forged documents.} The report did not blame any specific individuals. It specifically stated that John Scarlett , the head of the JIC should not resign, and indeed should take up his new post as head of MI6 . Private Eye magazine expressed misgivings against members of a committee personally appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair . The magazine was particularly critical over

3977-698: The International Atomic Energy Agency, which was responsible for prewar monitoring of Iraq's nuclear capability. In any case, the Congo's uranium mine was flooded and sealed several decades ago, which means that Iraq would not have been able to obtain uranium there even if it tried." This intelligence (which had controversially found its way into George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech) had previously (before September 2003) been thought to rely on forged documents. The Butler Review stated that "the forged documents were not available to

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4074-616: The Predator, to try to spot Bin Laden in Afghanistan . A series of flights in autumn 2000, overseen by CTC officials and flown by USAF drone pilots from a control room at the CIA's Langley headquarters, produced probable sightings of the al-Qaeda leader. Black and others became advocates of arming the Predator with adapted Hellfire anti-tank missiles to try to kill Bin Laden and other Qaeda leaders in targeted killings . But there were both legal and technical issues. Tenet in particular

4171-814: The Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. In the American Civil War in 1861 the North had about ten times the manufacturing capacity of the economy of the Confederate States of America . This advantage over the South included the ability to produce (in relatively small numbers) breech-loading rifles for use against the muzzle-loading rifled muskets of the South. This began the transition to industrially produced mechanized weapons such as

4268-510: The Senate Intelligence Committee met with Tenet in a closed-door session. Sen. Bob Graham requested a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq. Tenet responded by saying "We've never done a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq" and resisted the request to provide one to Congress. Graham insisted "This is the most important decision that we as members of Congress and that the people of America are likely to make in

4365-819: The September 11 attacks, many observers criticized the Intelligence Community for numerous " intelligence failures " as one of the major reasons why the attacks were not prevented. Tenet testified before a public hearing of the 9/11 Commission investigating 9/11, that he did not meet with Bush in August 2001, the month before the September 11 attacks. The same evening after the hearings, a CIA spokesman corrected Tenet's testimony, stating that Tenet did indeed meet with Bush twice in August. Tenet in his memoir writes of his memorable visit to Bush at Bush's ranch in Crawford , Texas, in August 2001. In August 2007,

4462-565: The U.S. Congress, the White House and the Director of National Intelligence about the program's effectiveness and the number of prisoners that the CIA held. According to a report by veteran investigative journalist Bob Woodward in his book Plan of Attack , Tenet privately lent his personal authority to the intelligence reports about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq . At

4559-623: The United States Central Intelligence Agency , as well as a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University . Tenet held the position as the DCI from July 1997 to July 2004, making him the second-longest-serving director in the agency's history—behind Allen Welsh Dulles —as well as one of the few DCIs to serve under two U.S. presidents of opposing political parties . He played

4656-691: The United States just four days after 9/11 how to attack the Afghan sanctuary and operate against al-Qa'ida in ninety-two countries around the world? This was at a meeting of the restricted National Security Councilor "war council"—at Camp David on September 15, 2001. Tenet presented the Worldwide Attack Matrix, a blueprint for what became known as the War on Terror . He proposed firstly to send CIA teams into Afghanistan to collect intelligence on, and mount covert operations against, al-Qaeda and

4753-630: The United States' version of events, although Tenet in a published work noted in a bit of black humor that in the prelude to the bombing of Iraq, China had, through unofficial channels, provided the Agency with the exact GPS coordinates of their Embassy in Baghdad so as to ensure the CIA knew the precise location. In 2001 Tenet brokered a short-lived Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire. Tenet strongly opposed releasing convicted spy Jonathan Pollard , going so far as threatening to resign if then President Clinton pardoned him. By 1999 al-Qaeda had emerged as

4850-651: The United States, Russia, China, Germany, and France, and the five biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan. The flow of arms to the Middle East increased by 87 percent between 2009–13 and 2014–18, while there was a decrease in flows to all other regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe. SIPRI has identified 67 countries as exporters of major weapons in 2014–18. The top 5 exporters during

4947-494: The arms industry include weapons , munitions , weapons platforms , communications systems , and other electronics, and related equipment. The arms industry also provides defense-related services, such as logistical and operational support. As a matter of policy, many governments of industrialized countries maintain or support a network of organizations, facilities, and resources to produce weapons and equipment for their military forces (and sometimes those of other countries). This

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5044-480: The attack". But the conversation could not have occurred on that day, because Perle was stranded in Paris, France, on September 12 and did not return to Washington until three days later. Perle later stated that the two men indeed crossed each other one morning, as claimed by Tenet, but only later in the same week and not on September 12. But Perle insisted that he and Tenet exchanged no words in that encounter. Tenet

5141-516: The board of forensic software company Guidance Software in November. He joined Qinetiq's North America board as well as becoming managing director of investment bank Allen & Company . The secretive bank did not announce Tenet's appointment, and it was unknown until it was leaked in February of the following year. Tenet is also on the boards of directors of L-1 Identity Solutions , a biometric identification software manufacturer. Along with

5238-473: The choice selection of New Labour Party politician and close acquaintance Ann Taylor , writing "Taylor is hardly a disinterested observer: she was herself involved in the famous 'September dossier' that explained Blair's reasons for going to war." On 18 September 2002 an official in Blair's office sent this memo to chief of staff Jonathan Powell and Alastair Campbell: "The PM has asked Ann Taylor to read through

5335-476: The conclusion that Zubaydah had multiple personalities. In fact, Agency psychiatrists eventually determined that in his diary he was using a sophisticated literary device to express himself. And, boy, did he express himself. Critics pointed out a factual error in Tenet's book. On the book's first page, Tenet tells of a conversation with then- Pentagon advisor Richard Perle on September 12, 2001, in which Tenet claims Perle told him in person that "Iraq had to pay for

5432-404: The country. It says that there was no recent intelligence to demonstrate that Iraq was a greater threat than other countries, and that the lack of any success in the UNMOVIC finding WMDs should have prompted a re-think. It states that Tony Blair's policy towards Iraq shifted because of the attacks of 11 September 2001, not because of Iraq's weapons programme, and that the government's language left

5529-413: The decision to go to war with Iraq. After Tenet left, John E. McLaughlin served as acting director until Porter Goss was sworn to the position in on September 24, two days after the Senate approved him. Tenet's seven-year term as Director of Central Intelligence was the second-longest in US history, after Allen Dulles . Human Rights Watch and The New York Times Editorial board have called for

5626-482: The different methodologies and definitions used different sources often provide significantly different data. SIPRI uses the "trend-indicator values" (TIV). These are based on the known unit production costs of weapons and represent the transfer of military resources rather than the financial value of the transfer. Units are in Trend Indicator Values expressed as millions of U.S. dollars at 1990s prices. These numbers may not represent real financial flows as prices for

5723-492: The dossier in draft and give us any comments. He stressed that it is for her and for her only and that no one else outside this building was seeing it in draft. I'm contacting John Scarlett to work out how this should happen – needs to be tomorrow." Taylor went to Scarlett's office at 8 o'clock the next morning, read the dossier and gave her comments to the spy chief – who then passed them on to Blair. She advised that it "needs to come across as an impartial, professional assessment of

5820-406: The end of the Clinton administration and well into the term of George W. Bush . In 1999 the Director declined to reveal the overall budget for intelligence operations (including the CIA) which was a departure from his release the previous two years. This led to criticism from government transparency advocates. Tenet embarked on a mission to regenerate the CIA, which had fallen on hard times since

5917-499: The end of the Cold War . The number of agents recruited each year had fallen to an all-time low, a 25% decline from the Cold War peak. Tenet appealed to the original mission of the agency, which had been to "prevent another Pearl Harbor ". The trick was to see where danger might come from in the post–Cold War world. Tenet focused on potential problems such as "the transformation of Russia and China", " rogue states " like North Korea, Iran and Iraq, and terrorism. On May 7, 1999, during

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6014-459: The first international arms dealers, selling his systems to governments across the world from Brazil to Japan. In 1884, he opened a shipyard at Elswick to specialize in warship production – at the time, it was the only factory in the world that could build a battleship and arm it completely. The factory produced warships for foreign naval forces, including the Imperial Japanese Navy . Several Armstrong cruisers played an important role in defeating

6111-493: The first to enter both Afghanistan and Iraq. Once in these countries these officers organized and led the Northern Alliance against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Kurds against Ansar Al-Islam and Saddam's forces in Iraq. The rebuilding of this capability and the successful employment of these elite commandos is considered one of Tenet's greatest achievements in the Global War on Terror. The increased use of paramilitary officers led to fatalities in their ranks. The first of these

6208-522: The five largest arms exporting nations were the United States , France , Russia , China and Germany (taken together, they supplied approximately 75% of the world's arms exports during this period). In some regions of the world, there is a substantial trade in firearms for use by individuals (where such trade is legal, commonly cited purposes include self-defense and hunting/sporting). Trade in small arms , both legal and illegal, may be associated with violent crime and political instability . In 2017,

6305-399: The foreseeable future. We want to have the best understanding of what it is we're about to get involved with." Tenet refused to do a report on the military or occupation phase, but reluctantly agreed to do a NIE on the weapons of mass destruction. Graham described the Senate Intelligence Committee meeting with Tenet as "the turning point in our attitude towards Tenet and our understanding of how

6402-503: The impression that there was "fuller and firmer intelligence" than was the case. The report indicated that there was enough intelligence to make a "well-founded" judgment that Saddam Hussein was seeking, perhaps as late as 2002, to obtain uranium illegally from Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo . In particular, referring to a 1999 visit of Iraqi officials to Niger, the report states: "The British government had intelligence from several different sources indicating that this visit

6499-474: The intelligence community has become so submissive to the desires of the administration. The administration wasn't using intelligence to inform their judgment; they were using intelligence as part of a public relations campaign to justify their judgment." Congress voted to support the Iraq war based on the NIE Tenet provided in October 2002. However, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Prewar Intelligence released on July 7, 2004, concluded that

6596-429: The key findings in the 2002 NIE either overstated, or were not supported by, the actual intelligence. The Senate report also found the US Intelligence Community to suffer from a "broken corporate culture and poor management" that resulted in a NIE which was completely wrong in almost every respect. Citing "personal reasons," Tenet submitted his resignation to President Bush on June 3, 2004. Tenet said his resignation "was

6693-426: The manufacturers of military equipment, such as battleships , artillery pieces and rifles to foreign government military entities. In 1854, the British government awarded a contract to the Elswick Ordnance Company to supply the latest loading artillery pieces. This galvanized the private sector into weapons production, with the surplus increasingly exported to foreign countries. William Armstrong became one of

6790-513: The manufacturing of fighter jets , such as the Eurofighter . The largest military contract in history, signed in October 2001, involved the development of the Joint Strike Fighter . Several of the world's great powers maintain substantial naval forces to provide a global presence, with the largest nations possessing aircraft carriers , nuclear submarines and advanced anti-air defense systems . The vast majority of military ships are conventionally powered, but some are nuclear-powered . There

6887-463: The monumental inquest that has been published by Sir John Chilcot.' The review was published on 14 July 2004. Its main conclusion was that key intelligence used to justify the war with Iraq has been shown to be unreliable. It claims that the Secret Intelligence Service did not check its sources well enough and sometimes relied on third hand reports. It says that there was an over-reliance on Iraqi dissident sources. It also comments that warnings from

6984-619: The period were responsible for 75 percent of all arms exports. The composition of the five largest exporters of arms changed between 2014 and 2018 and remained unchanged compared to 2009–13, although their combined total exports of major arms were 10 percent higher. In 2014–18, significant increases in arms exports from the US, France and Germany were seen, while Chinese exports rose marginally and Russian exports decreased. In 2014–18, 155 countries (about three-quarters of all countries) imported major weapons. The top 5 recipients accounted for 33 percent of

7081-418: The potential fallout if there were a controversial or mistaken strike". National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice concluded that the armed Predator was required, but evidently not ready. It was agreed to recommend to the CIA to resume reconnaissance flights. The "previously reluctant" Tenet then ordered the Agency to do so. The CIA was authorized to "deploy the system with weapons-capable aircraft". After

7178-527: The president or the nation well." Democratic Senator John Kerry said through spokesperson David Wade, "My hunch is that George Bush wasn't using the same standard when honoring Tenet and Bremer that was applied to previous honorees." Tenet spent three years as Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and Senior Research Associate in the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at his former university

7275-543: The prime minister: Don't you understand ... that following the public response to the Hutton report that an inquiry that excludes politicians from scrutiny is unlikely to command public confidence... On 1 March 2004 the Conservative Party announced that they would not be taking part in the inquiry either. Conservative leader Michael Howard said that this was because Lord Butler of Brockwell's interpretation of

7372-544: The prosecution of Tenet "for conspiracy to torture as well as other crimes." On December 14, 2004, President George W. Bush awarded Tenet the Presidential Medal of Freedom , along with Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer . Bush said that Tenet "was one of the first to recognize and address the growing threat to America from radical terrorist networks." However, Bush's decision was met with some criticism: Democratic Senator Carl Levin said, "I don't think [he] served

7469-567: The publication of this report by calling it "flat wrong", citing in particular the planning efforts of the past two years. Tenet immediately increased the size and capability of the CIA's special operations component housed in the Special Operations Group of the Special Activities Division . This force had been allowed to diminish under the early Clinton administration. These paramilitary officers were

7566-409: The supposed Iraqi purchase of uranium from Niger, I thought it smelt distinctly fishy. ... It was a gigantic red herring. London's Evening Standard daily newspaper dismissed the report's findings, under the front-page headline "Whitewash (Part Two)", saying Lord Butler had effectively thrown Tony Blair "a lifebelt" by claiming that Saddam was indeed trying to procure uranium from Niger in 1999 to build

7663-482: The terms of reference were "unacceptably restrictive". Conservative member Michael Mates stated that he would remain on the committee. Over a dozen years later, the Chilcot Inquiry report came to different conclusions. The Financial Times reported, 'Every previous inquiry into Britain's decision to invade Iraq has swiftly been condemned by the public as a "whitewash". Such a description hardly applies to

7760-491: The threat", and that the PM should "undercut critics" by explaining why Saddam should be stopped now. So the only person outside No 10 and the JIC who was trusted to help with the dossier (and who also expressed a wish to see Blair's critics undercut) is now sitting on the inquiry into its contents. One wonders why Blair didn't go the whole hog and add Alastair Campbell to Lord Butler's team of independent inquisitors. Lynne Jones (MP)

7857-451: The total arms imports during the period. The top five arms importers – Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia, and Algeria – accounted for 35 percent of total arms imports in 2014–18. Of these, Saudi Arabia and India were among the top five importers in both 2009–13 and 2014–18. In 2014–18, the volume of major arms international transfers was 7.8 percent higher than in 2009–13 and 23 percent higher than that in 2004–08. The largest arms importer

7954-400: The underlying arms can be as low as zero in the case of military aid. Arms import rankings fluctuate heavily as countries enter and exit wars. Export data tend to be less volatile as exporters tend to be more technologically advanced and have stable production flows. 5-year moving averages present a much more accurate picture of import volume, free from yearly fluctuations. This is a list of

8051-502: The underlying arms can be as low as zero in the case of military aid. The following are estimates from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Overall global arms exports rose of about 6 per-cent in the last 5 years compared to the period 2010-2014 and increased by 20 per-cent since 2005–2009. Rankings for exporters below a billion dollars are less meaningful, as they can be swayed by single contracts. A much more accurate picture of export volume, free from yearly fluctuations,

8148-467: The war for earning their profits from weapons sales. An inquiry into these allegations in Britain failed to find evidence to support them. However, the sea change in attitude about war more generally meant that governments began to control and regulate the trade themselves. The volume of the arms trade greatly increased during the 20th century, and it began to be used as a political tool, especially during

8245-464: The world's largest arms manufacturers and other military service companies who profit the most from the war economy , their origin is shown as well. The information is based on a list published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for 2022. Arms control refers to international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction . It

8342-405: Was Johnny Micheal Spann , a former Marine Corps officer killed during the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi on 25 November 2001. Tenet personally informed CIA staff of Spann's death. Tenet considered that his Al-Qaeda plan had placed the CIA in a better position to respond after the September 11 attacks. As he put it, How could [an intelligence] community without a strategic plan tell the president of

8439-459: Was Saudi Arabia, importing arms primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and France. Between 2009–13 and 2014–18, the flow of arms to the Middle East increased by 87 percent. Also including India, Egypt, Australia, and Algeria, the top five importers received 35 percent of the total arms imports, during 2014–18. The five largest exporters were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine changed

8536-565: Was also an altar server . He attended Public School 94, where he was president of his sixth grade class; Junior High School 67; and Benjamin N. Cardozo High School . In high school he played soccer and edited the school newspaper, graduating in 1971. After studying at the State University of New York at Cortland , Tenet graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1976 with

8633-543: Was also critical of Taylor's involvement in subsequent inquiries, stating: "It is self-evidently bad practice to appoint someone to a committee when their previous conclusions are under scrutiny". A piece in the Western Mail was more direct, noting of a joke that followed the publication of the report: "When you call the Butler, you get what you ordered". Nuclear expert Norman Dombey, a professor of Theoretical Physics at

8730-712: Was concerned about the CIA moving back into the business of targeted killing. And a series of live-fire tests in the Great Basin Desert in Nevada in summer 2001 produced mixed results. Tenet advised cautiously on the matter at a meeting of the Cabinet-level Principals Committee on September 4, 2001. If the Cabinet wanted to empower the CIA to field a lethal drone, Tenet said, "they should do so with their eyes wide open, fully aware of

8827-569: Was followed by the reluctant withdrawal of Anthony Lake , after it became apparent to Lake that his nomination had been successfully blocked by Republicans in Congress . Tenet was then officially appointed Director on July 11, 1997, after a unanimous confirmation vote in the Senate. While the Director of Central Intelligence has been replaced by an incoming administration since Jimmy Carter replaced DCI George H. W. Bush , Tenet served through

8924-480: Was for the purpose of acquiring uranium. Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of Niger's exports, the intelligence was credible." Stauber and Rampton, however, noted that "the Butler Report offers no details—not even an approximate date when this may have happened, thus giving no way to assess its credibility. The British have also declined to share any information about this intelligence, even with

9021-610: Was from Epirus , Greece, and had fled from the communists by stowing away on a Royal Navy submarine. Tenet was raised in Little Neck, Queens , where as a teenager, he and his older brother Bill worked as busboys in their family's diner, the Twentieth Century Diner. Despite Bill and George being fraternal twins , both had different personalities; in his book Ghost Wars , Steve Coll described Bill as "reserved, precise, and studious" (he would later become

9118-425: Was mentally unstable and that the administration had overstated his importance. Baloney. Abu Zubaydah had been at the crossroads of many al-Qa'ida operations and was in position to—and did—share critical information with his interrogators. Apparently, the source of the rumor that Abu Zubaydah was unbalanced was his personal diary, in which he adopted various personas. From that shaky perch, some junior Freudians leapt to

9215-560: Was not deliberate. Later analysis has suggested that a 100-yard (91 m) error in a military targeting database maintained by the Pentagon was not corrected or updated in a timely manner and that other systems intended to prevent such incidents failed to perform as expected. As a result of this and other incidents, systematic changes were made to pre-strike Rules of Engagement (ROE) for U.S. pilots, including checklists verifying target information and coordinates. China has never accepted

9312-447: Was one subtle way to do it." However, Bush voiced support for Tenet's efforts, stating, "I'm sorry he's leaving. He's done a superb job on behalf of the American people." James Pavitt , his Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA, announced his resignation the following day. That led to speculation that the exit of both senior intelligence officials was related to the controversy over the September 11 attacks, alleged Iraqi WMDs, and

9409-401: Was the top-selling book in sales in the first week after publication. The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of its Enemies since 9/11 (2006) by Ron Suskind claims that Abu Zubaydah , once said to be al-Qaida chief of operations, was a low-level functionary and mentally ill. In his memoirs, Tenet commented as follows: A published report in 2006 contended that Abu Zubaydah

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