一名前政府高级情报官员表示，五角大楼采取了一项令人惊讶的举措，告诉中央情报局，它正在权衡结束对该机构反恐任务的大部分军事支持。
尚不清楚这一决定将如何影响该间谍机构的全球反恐任务，这些任务通常依赖美国军方的后勤支持和人员。
代理国防部长克里斯托弗·米勒给中央情报局局长发了一封信吉娜·哈斯佩尔这位前官员概述了这一决定，他认为这一行动既令人惊讶，又史无前例。
中央情报局的特别活动中心进行秘密行动，并有自己的准军事部队进行反恐行动。虽然他们是一支独立的部队，但他们经常依靠军队提供运输和后勤支持。
有时这意味着军事人员最终会被派去支持中情局的反恐行动。
国防一号是首先报告五角大楼正在审查其对中央情报局的支持。
在线国防新闻机构援引多名官员的话说，此举背后的意图是看看国防部向中央情报局“详细说明”的人员是否应该从反恐任务转向与俄罗斯和中国竞争有关的任务。
国防部发言人表示，从支持中情局反恐任务的可能转变符合《国防战略》，该战略将军队的注意力从中东地区战争转向俄罗斯和中国等近同行竞争对手。
“作为一个负责任的行为者，国防部已经采取措施，使其资源分配更好地与2018年国防战略向大国竞争的转变相一致，”国防部发言人尤赖亚·奥兰中校说。
他补充说:“在本世纪的前二十年里，情况发生了很大变化，国防部只是与中央情报局合作，以确保国防部和中央情报局能够根据国家安全局共同应对美国面临的国家安全挑战。”"国防部还认为，与我们的合作伙伴的讨论应该迅速进行."
中央情报局发言人尼科尔·德·海伊说:“没有比中央情报局和国防部之间更强有力的关系或更好的伙伴关系了。”。“这种伙伴关系带来了显著推进美国国家安全的成就，我们相信国防部和中央情报局将在未来几年继续这种密切合作。”
“如果这些故事是真的，它们标志着中央情报局和国防部之间非常牢固和有效的关系的严重挫折，”前国防部副助理部长、退休的中央情报局准军事官员和美国广播公司新闻撰稿人米克·马尔罗伊说。“这种关系在过去20年里取得了无数的成功，特别是在反恐领域，如本拉登和巴格达迪的行动，但也在许多领域仍然未知。”
“这可能会增加中央情报局官员的风险，直到它被即将上任的政府重新处理，”他补充说。“如果不扭转这种局面，中央情报局需要增加人员和资金，以弥补继续执行关键任务的差距。”
据参谋长联席会议主席马克·米利(Mark Milley)将军称，上周，一名中央情报局准军事官员在索马里被杀。他在对一个智库的讲话中透露，这名已故的中央情报局官员此前曾在海豹突击队海军服役。
五角大楼上周宣布唐纳德·特朗普总统已经下令从索马里撤出700名美国军事人员中的大部分，尽管它表示将继续对基地组织的附属组织青年党执行反恐任务。
据推测，大部分军队的撤离已经对中情局在该国的反恐行动产生了影响。
“从中央情报局抽调国防部人员只能出于政治原因，”前海军海豹突击队和美国广播公司新闻撰稿人埃里克·奥莱希说，他指出，在过去20年里，两个组织之间的关系呈指数级增长，不仅在高调的任务中，而且在日常行动中也没有被注意到。
“基层和内部的关系是建立在坚实的基础上的，”欧勒里奇说。"拉这个支架就像割下你的鼻子来刁难你的脸. "
一名前中情局高级官员称，鉴于没有美国军事支持，中情局的反恐任务再也不能由中情局执行，五角大楼的计划“非常不正常”。
美国中央情报局反恐中心前副主任、美国广播公司新闻撰稿人达雷尔·布洛克(Darrell Blocker)表示:“国防部和中央情报局对这一倡议的抵制或缓慢推进可能会使这一提议变得毫无意义，但这一全面打击造成的损害已经造成了。”
Pentagon weighs cutting most of its support to CIA's counterterrorism missions
In a surprising move, the Pentagon has told the Central Intelligence Agency that it is weighing an end to the majority of the military support it provides to the agency's counterterrorism missions, according to a former senior administration intelligence official.
It is unclear how the decision would impact the spy agency's worldwide counterterrorism missions that often rely on the U.S. military for logistical support and personnel.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller sent a letter to CIA DirectorGina Haspeloutlining the decision, according to the former official, who characterized the action as both surprising and unprecedented.
The CIA's Special Activities Center carries out covert operations and has its own paramilitary force that carries out counterterrorism operations. While they act as an independent force, they often rely on the military for transportation and logistical support.
Sometimes that means that military personnel end up being detailed to support the CIA's counterterrorism operations.
Defense One wasfirst to reportthat the Pentagon was reviewing its support to the CIA.
The online defense news outlet cited multiple officials as saying the intent behind the move is to see if Defense Department personnel "detailed" to the CIA should be diverted from counterterrorism missions and toward missions related to competition with Russia and China.
A Defense Department spokesman indicated that the possible shift away from supporting the CIA's counterterrorism missions was in line with the National Defense Strategy that pushes the military's focus away from the regional wars in the Middle East towards near-peer competitors like Russia and China.
"As a responsible actor, the department has taken a look to better align its allocation of resources with the 2018 National Defense Strategy's shift to great power competition," said Lt. Col. Uriah Orland, a Defense Department spokesperson.
"Much has changed in the first two decades of this century, and DOD simply is working with CIA to ensure that both DOD and CIA are able to jointly confront the national security challenges facing the United States consistent with the NDS," he added. "DOD also believes that discussions with our partners should proceed quickly."
"There is no stronger relationship nor better partnership than that between CIA and DOD," said Nicole de Haay, a CIA spokesperson. "That partnership has led to accomplishments that significantly advanced U.S. national security, and we are confident that DOD and CIA will continue this close collaboration for years to come."
"If these stories are true, they mark a serious setback to a very strong and effective relationship between the CIA and the Defense Department," said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, retired CIA paramilitary officer and ABC News contributor. "A relationship that has resulted in countless successes in the last 20 years, especially in the area of counterterrorism such as the bin Laden and al-Baghdadi operations, but also in many that will remain unknown."
"This could increase the risk to CIA officers until it can be readdressed by the incoming administration," he added. "If it is not reversed, the CIA needs to be increased in personnel and funding to make up for the difference to continue their critical missions."
Last week, a CIA paramilitary officer was killed in Somalia, according to Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who disclosed in remarks to a think tank that the deceased CIA officer had previously served in the military as a Navy SEAL.
The Pentagon announced last week thatPresident Donald Trumphad ordered the withdrawal of most of the 700 U.S. military personnel in Somalia, though it said it would continue to carry out counterterrorism missions against al-Shabab, the al-Qaida affiliate.
Presumably, the removal of most of those troops would already have had an impact on the CIA's counterterrorism operations in that country.
"Pulling DOD detailees from the CIA can only be motivated for political reasons," said Eric Oehlerich, a former Navy SEAL and ABC News contributor, who noted that the relationship between both organizations has grown exponentially over the last two decades not only in high-profile missions, but daily operations that go unnoticed.
"The relationships on the ground and within the ranks is on solid ground," said Oehlerich. "Pulling this support is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face. "
A former high-ranking CIA official described the Pentagon's plans as "highly irregular" given that the CIA's counter-terrorism missions can no longer be executed by the CIA without U.S. military support.
"The pushback or slow rolling of this initiative by the Defense Department and the CIA likely renders this moot, but the damage from this shot across the bow has been done," said Darrell Blocker, a former deputy director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor.
