Free Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles by Tom Haase Page B

which they produced finished intelligence.
    He remembered watching war movies with high level military meetings to decide great things and now he was part of that system He glanced around with pride in his heart. He was one of them.
    Glenwood realized the knowledge of the participants in this room came primarily from careful research, training in-country, and contacts in a variety of academic fields. They provided the high-level decision makers with their completed analysis on political-military topics that could be used to form a basis for determining the administration’s policies. In his own mind he possessed the same credentials.
    The military members of the DIA came from different backgrounds. The DIA was the second largest intelligence agency after the National Security Agency. Both of these agencies were part of the Department of Defense. The CIA was a relatively small agency in comparison to the Department of Defense (DOD) intelligence agencies. The DOD received eighty percent of all monies appropriated by the Congress for intelligence operations.
    These military and civilian professionals, the DIA’s anti-terrorist working group at the conference table, had dedicated their lives to the concept that they must eradicate the terrorists who were conducting operations against the people of the United States. They were not mercenaries, nor were they crusaders. All knew their jobs and knew what their country expected of them. To accomplish that objective and to eliminate terrorists required them to complete their mission in the most secretive and clandestine manner possible, not only for the operatives’ safety but also for the protection of any sources who provided information. They knew the public did not have a right to know. This was not a grandstand organization nor did they look for publicity.
    He would make a difference. He knew it. Somehow, someway he planned to directly engage the terrorists who threatened his country.
     
    * * * *
     
    Matt watched as General Forsman walked up to the podium. Looking around, the general's gaze fell upon him. The general knew Matt spoke excellent Arabic and currently sported a deep tan that made his clear, winter-blue eyes stand out even more. When their eyes met, Forsman could only see cold steel blue eyes.
    “We do not know what ‘dirty oil’ means or its secret,” the general said, “I’m appointing Captain Higgins to take his team and ensure that whatever the purpose of this Beirut meeting is, it will not be accomplished. These terrorist leaders are the enemies of our country and therefore can be directly engaged by us. Our response will be a direct military operation against armed enemies. You will capture or eliminate these leaders. I want you to attempt to capture one of them, but don’t jeopardize your team in the attempt. If you cannot, then I want you to eliminate them." He walked around to the front of the podium and faced the assembly.
    "We don’t know the exact purpose of the meeting or the exact timing of the meeting—only a hotel. Your mission is to find out where and when and to take appropriate action. You have the full use of all the assets of this agency at your disposal. You will report directly to the new Director of Covert Organizations and Operations, Brigadier General Bergermeyer, who will be in charge of this mission. All analysts in DIA will concentrate on this mission and request NSA assistance in acquiring signals intelligence. Captain, do you have any questions?”
    “Thank you for the opportunity to do this. Will the Director of National Intelligence want to insert CIA or other operatives into the mission?” Matt asked the general when he looked up.
    “I will handle that and the answer is no. There will not be any other agency involved,” the general said.” Anything else?”
    “No, sir,” Matt responded.
    “General Bergermeyer will have any answers you will need when you finish your operations order and submit it to her.”
    As