Undaunted by John O. Brennan

Author:John O. Brennan [Brennan, John O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

19

THE “PACER” OF ABBOTTABAD

The operation that killed Usama Bin Ladin was the most intense, secretive, well-planned, and successful operation I ever witnessed during my national security career. I knew from my work on the transition team that one of President Obama’s highest priorities when he became president was to find Bin Ladin as soon as possible. His objective was twofold: to hold accountable the person responsible for the 9/11 attacks and, even more important, to deal a crippling blow to al-Qa’ida to further reduce its lethal capabilities and potential to kill more innocents.

To underscore his personal commitment to getting Bin Ladin, the president convened a meeting of the most senior members of his national security team in May 2009 to review the status of the pursuit. Leon Panetta, who had assumed the CIA director job only four months before, took the lead in the briefing. In efficient fashion, he walked through a series of briefing slides that acknowledged there was only scant and outdated intelligence on Bin Ladin’s possible whereabouts. Included on the slides was information on several facilitators and couriers who reportedly were used by the exceptionally security-conscious Bin Ladin to communicate with a handful of his key al-Qa’ida lieutenants. Leon explained that CIA officers had been involved in a tedious multiyear effort to find the individuals who were in direct contact with Bin Ladin. “If we can find them,” Leon said, “we will be able to follow them to Bin Ladin.” Like most attendees, I interpreted Leon’s use of the word “if” to signal that the CIA effort to find Bin Ladin was stuck.

President Obama appreciated Leon’s honesty, but he was unsatisfied with what he heard. He wanted more done. On June 2, he sent a memo to Leon directing that the CIA produce within thirty days “a detailed operational plan for locating and bringing to justice Usama Bin Ladin.” Obama knew that the CIA was giving high priority to the hunt, but he wanted to add an adrenaline boost and a signal of support from a new president, especially one who had been sharply critical of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program during the presidential campaign. Once again responding to a presidential order—this time a noncontroversial one—a CIA plan to find Bin Ladin was drafted and quickly approved by the president. The energized CIA hunt for Bin Ladin was on.

It was a little more than a year later when the CIA had meaningful new information to provide the president. In keeping with the important symbolism of the 9/11 anniversary, Leon asked to meet with the president on Friday, September 10, 2010, to provide an update on the search for the al-Qa’ida leader. CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell, a close colleague and friend whose intelligence acumen I had admired when we worked together at Langley, called me in advance of the meeting to emphasize the particular sensitivity of the information that would be discussed and the need to have the fewest possible number of White House staff present.

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