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An aerial view of the Pentagon building in Washington, June 15, 2005 \u00a9 Reuters<\/p><\/div>RT.com<\/p>\n
The US military operates a vast network of soldiers, civilians, and contractors that it uses for clandestine missions both at home and abroad, Newsweek has claimed, adding that the force also manipulates social media.<\/p>\n
After a two-year investigation, the outlet reported that the undercover army consists of around 60,000 people, many of whom use fake identities to carry out their assignments. The Pentagon\u2019s agents operate in real life and online, with some even embedded in private businesses and well-known companies.<\/p>\n
The massive program, unofficially known as\u00a0\u201csignature reduction,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0is reportedly 10 times the size of the CIA\u2019s clandestine service, making it the\u00a0\u201clargest undercover force the world has ever known,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Newsweek claimed. But the true scale and scope of the shadow army remains a closely guarded secret. No one knows the program\u2019s total size, and Congress has never held a hearing on the military\u2019s increasing reliance on signature reduction. There appears to be very little or no transparency regarding the massive clandestine military force, even as its continued development\u00a0\u201cchallenges US laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct, and basic accountability,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the outlet said.<\/p>\n Around half of the signature reduction force is said to consist of special operations personnel who hunt down terrorists in war zones and work in\u00a0\u201cunacknowledged hot spots\u201d<\/em>\u00a0such as North Korea and Iran. Military intelligence specialists reportedly make up the second-largest part of the secret army.<\/p>\n However, the fastest-growing group within the Pentagon\u2019s clandestine force operates exclusively online. These\u00a0\u201ccyber fighters\u201d<\/em>\u00a0assume fake identities to gather intelligence and search for\u00a0\u201cpublicly accessible information\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on the internet. They even reportedly take part in\u00a0\u201ccampaigns to influence and manipulate social media.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Hundreds of these shadowy keyboard warriors are employees of the National Security Agency, Newsweek reported.<\/p>\n According to the outlet, the network relies on 130 private companies and dozens of little-known and secret government agencies to support its operations. The businesses, which do everything from forging documents to creating disguises, collectively make over $900 million annually to help fund the secret army.<\/p>\n While the Pentagon\u2019s agents typically remain under the radar, Newsweek claims there are several cases in which their covers have been blown. One such incident in 2013 involved American\u00a0\u201cdiplomat\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Ryan Fogle, who was arrested in Russia while allegedly trying to recruit a double agent. The case received wide media coverage and prompted considerable mockery, due to the seemingly outdated spying paraphilia that Fogle was in possession of, including wigs, sunglasses, a Moscow street map, a compass, as well as an old Nokia phone. However, an expert who spoke with Newsweek said the phone was likely concealing a highly sophisticated communications device.<\/p>\n