Inside the largest undercover force the world has ever known: the one created by the Pentagon, with tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and contractors operating under false names, on the ground and in cyberspace.
Over the past 10 years, the Pentagon has created a secret army of 60,000 fighters hiding under false names and faces within the framework of a special program “Disguise” (signature reduction), according to the American magazine Newsweek, based on its own data obtained during a two-year investigation.
According to the newspaper, the forces of this army are more than 10 times higher than those possessed by underground employees of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). New soldiers carry out both domestic and international assignments in military status and under civilian cover. At the same time, more than half of secret servants are engaged in the pursuit of terrorists in war zones from Pakistan to West Africa. In addition, they operate in “unrecognized hot spots, including behind enemy lines in places like North Korea and Iran.”
The fastest growing group of this army, according to Newsweek, are the so-called cyber fighters and gatherers of information from the Internet. This is necessary for the United States not only to fight terrorism, but also to build up forces in order to win the “war in the gray zone” with China and Russia, the publication specifies.
One retired senior secret army officer told Newsweek that no one is exactly aware of the scope of the program. He expressed concern that the intention of the United States to become more invisible to enemies not only hides its activities from the whole world, but also makes it difficult to end conflicts.
“Most people have not even heard of the term” Disguise “, let alone what is created under it,” – the magazine quotes his interlocutor.
In addition to covert recording devices, data transmission devices and other mechanisms used by the secret army, Newsweek pointed to the methods used by soldiers to deceive biometrics. The source of the publication reported about a certain company in North Carolina, which, among other things, creates “silicon faces” that allow you to “ideally” change a person’s appearance: to age him, visually increase his body weight, or completely change his gender.
In addition, experts have developed a silicone case that fits so tightly to the hand that it cannot be detected. In addition, it is saturated with secretions from real skin. The invention allows to distort fingerprints, says the source of the publication.
In general, according to the magazine, about 130 private companies work for the secret army. They spend about $ 900 million annually on servicing the secret forces: they create false documentation for them, manufacture camouflage items, eavesdrop and photographing devices, and devices that prevent the detection and identification of soldiers.
United States, one the biggest founders and supporters of terrorism in the world.