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Classified US Intel Budget Revealed Via Powerpoint

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the woops-they-did-it-again dept.

Atario writes "In a holdover from the Cold War when the number really did matter to national security, the size of the US national intelligence budget remains one of the government's most closely guarded secrets. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the highest intelligence agency in the country that oversees all federal intelligence agencies, appears to have inadvertently released the keys to that number in an unclassified PowerPoint presentation now posted on the website of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). By reverse engineering the numbers in an underlying data element embedded in the presentation, it seems that the total budget of the 16 US intelligence agencies in fiscal year 2005 was $60 billion, almost 25% higher than previously believed."

4 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Here's something to consider... by tkrotchko · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The only people this was a secret from was the American people.

    Every government on earth (and the "bad guys" as well), knew the size of the budget. Or did someone think Putin was going to look at this powerpoint, smack his forehead with his hand and say "ah ha! now I know!"?

    --
    You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
  2. Re:Stargate by fm6 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I thought the Stargate program pays for itself (indeed, even turns a profit) by selling off all the technology they brought back.

    I've always been amused by the premise of this franchise. It comes from one a (supposedly) non-fiction book called The Stargate Conspiracy, which claims that a secret cabal is bringing back alien technology through a portal dug up in Egypt, and trading it for money and power. The amusing thing is that the TV show makes the same people who were the evil conspirators in the book into the good guys!

  3. Re:RTFA ! by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Interesting

    70 % of the budget from FY95 to FY06 (up to August 31), in tens of millions of dollars,
    third column for 100% : So, between 25 to 30 before 9-11, and then between 55 and 60 after.

    Basically, their budget doubled as a result.
    Thanks for RTFA and giving me the bit I wanted :)
    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  4. Re:Guess the DoD changed their security policy by turing_m · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Obviously you've never heard of Operation Mincemeat then. You know, the one where the Allies put fake landing plans on a dead guy left to wash up on a Spanish beach.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat

    If they can successfully go to those lengths, how hard is it to accidentally-on-purpose leave some bogus figures in a Powerpoint presentation?

    --
    If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.