Defense Intelligence Agency

In the wake of the intelligence bungles that propelled the United States into the Iraq war, it's no secret that the nation's spies have been working to improve the quality of their analysis. Now the top U.S. military intelligence agency has come up with a new tool for teaching recruits critical thinking skills: video games.

Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it was awarded a prime contract in December by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). This multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract will support the Solutions for Intelligence Analysis (SIA) program.

Late July's stunner came in the form of a headline-snatching proposal from the Defense Intelligence Agency to greatly enlarge the hiring of private contractors for core intelligence tasks. Thus we would be "outsourcing" larger percentages of America's intelligence to God only knows whom, what or why!

The DIA announced calmly that it was preparing to pay $1 billion for men and women – who would not, remember, be under the direct control of the American government – to do much of our most sensitive intelligence work.