Thread by @NatSecAnswers

QUESTION: Recently, we learned, the CIA Worldwide Intelligence Review had been leaked. What exactly is that? We asked former CIA clandestine service member @douglaslondon5. Follow this thread for the answer.

ANSWER: "The product to which you're referring is from the world intelligence review which is a strong product from the agency’s analytical directorate that is updated daily with new articles.

It covers all issues of the world as well, geographic and functional alike. It's intended for senior policy makers below the level of the president or cabinet secretary who would receive the president's daily brief. It tends to target substantive people.

But the articles themselves are rather short, no more than a page or a couple paragraphs. They’re done by the experts for the experts.

So if you're an official in an agency like the Department of Defense, you have to show a reason to have interest and access for a particular area or issue on which the WIRE reports, in order to get its reporting."

QUESTION: The leaked report suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin was, along with senior aides, "probably directing" the influence campaign to denigrate Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden's campaign. What's the likely origin of that?

"So the report that you're referring to comes from the Russian experts in the agency and it's basically a continuation of the story that they have been telling analytically in the community about Russia's disinformation,

its desire to have Trump remain as president after working to install him -and how it's using a complex system of messaging, agents of influence contacts, and such to advance their own agenda.

What's unfortunate, I would tell you as an intelligence officer, is that it’s very a classified product. That it’s out in the press is disturbing because that's a concern for those people who cooperate with the agency and

and provide the intelligence that allows us to develop those products. But that seems to be kind of a trend these days. In terms of what it means, I think it’s that the agency is still trying to get its message heard in the community and among policy makers to do its job

-to say this isn't a hoax and this isn't fake news -the Russians are in fact working their complex program and there’s consequences for that based on what we do, and don’t do."

You can read more about Douglas London here: mei.edu/experts/dougla…

If you have a national security question, follow @NatSecAnswers, send us your question and well get the answer.