Spy Kids - Central Intelligence Agency

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At CIA, we have lots of secrets – it’s kind of what we do. Read about spy planes, robot battles, learning resources and more.

Trick-or-treat the CIA way

With Halloween right around the corner, we thought it might be a good time to talk about our own love of costumes. Of course, we use another term that you might be familiar with: disguises. Both costumes and disguises are meant to hide someone’s true identity, but the purpose behind the two of them couldn’t be more different.

When we think about costumes, we usually imagine something funny or scary. They often involve unique or bizarre makeup and clothing. Disguises, on the other hand, are made with the sole purpose of hiding someone’s true identity. Perhaps one of the most significant differences between the two is that disguises, unlike costumes, are made to be as BORING as possible, to help our officers blend in with their surroundings.

James Bond may look cool in his tuxedo, but do you really think that’s a good idea walking down the street? You would stick out like a sore thumb. When our officers plan for the perfect disguise, they are looking for something that will allow them to disappear into the crowd.

We know better than most people how difficult it can be to craft the perfect disguise. Check out the following tips and tricks to help you along the way.

Costumes vs disguises

CIA spy dog Calliope loves dressing up for Halloween! Costumes may help her get extra treats, but she definitely isn’t incognito. Maybe she needs a disguise instead?

A dog in disguise?

If you’re a CIA spy dog, a human disguise might not be the best option when going undercover.

5 ways to stay covert this Halloween

The basics: Changing your hair, height, build, clothing or age is the first step to a convincing disguise. Why? Because these are the things people usually notice first about one another. Try wearing a ball cap or hoodie to hide your natural hair. Use makeup to add a few wrinkles and a sun spot to look a little bit older. Platform shoes can give you extra height, and layers under your clothing can make you appear larger.

Think simple: If you’re on a mission in a remote part of the world, do you really have time to put on a wig, change your entire outfit, add a fake mustache, and do a full makeup routine? Probably not. Instead, opt for simple changes like adding a hat and sunglasses.

Dual-purpose: When buying clothing or props for your next disguise, look for reversible items that you can use in a variety of ways. For example, a bag with removable straps can be worn as a backpack or carried like a duffel bag. A double-sided shawl instead of a plain scarf can be worn in countless ways in a variety of outfits.

Space saving: Items that can be easily hidden or packed away are very useful for a disguise. Carrying a water bottle? Bring a collapsible one that you can hide in your pocket when empty. A jacket that can be tightly packed will save you the headache of carrying a bulky overcoat.

Be aware of your “giveaways”: No matter how hard you try, there are going to be certain features that will be hard to disguise. Maybe it’s a small limp in your step from an old injury or the nervous habit of biting your nails. Whatever it is, the best thing to do is to become self-aware. Chat with your family or friends to figure out what your unique “giveaways” might be so that you can downplay them while in disguise.

Codenamed OXCART

At a ceiling of 90,000 feet, the A-12 passed its older brother, the U-2, by 20,000 feet!

Spy Planes of the CIA, Part Two: The A-12

Did you miss Part One? Scroll down to check it out.

Research for a supersonic successor to the U-2 began while the U-2 was still in development. CIA again partnered with Lockheed’s Kelly Johnson to develop a sleek reconnaissance aircraft that would surpass the U-2 in both altitude and speed.

Codenamed OXCART, the resulting A-12 product was a true feat of aviation engineering. At a ceiling of 90,000 feet, the A-12 passed its older brother, the U-2, by 20,000 feet. And at speeds reaching Mach 3.29, the A-12 was guaranteed to be the fastest plane in the sky.

Just how fast was the A-12? Well, at Mach 3.29, it’s pretty darn fast. Let’s put it this way…

The world’s fastest man, as of this writing, is hitting a top speed of 28 miles per hour.
The mighty cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, tops out at about 58 miles per hour.
The average speed of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 race is about 200 miles per hour.
The fastest recorded speed of a car is 270 miles per hour.
A-12’s predecessor, the U2 had a top speed of 500 miles per hour.
Mach 3.29, the A-12’s top speed, is roughly 2,500 miles per hour.

How high is 90,000 feet? Think about this…

The average man stands at about 5 ft. 9 inches tall.
The average giraffe stands at 20 feet tall.
An average two-story house is about 25 feet tall.
The Empire State building in New York City is 1,454 feet tall.
A hot air balloon cruises at 3,000 feet tall.
A commercial airliner travels at 35,000 feet in the air.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is 2,722 feet tall.
Combine all of the above and you’re still nearly 3,000 ft. short of HALF the altitude of the A-12.

Spy Planes of the CIA, Part One: The U-2

Did you know that, once upon a time, CIA was in the plane-making business? It wasn’t a long career, but it certainly was an exciting one.

This story begins just a few years after the creation of CIA (1947), in the early 1950s. The United States had just entered into the Cold War against former World War II ally, the Soviet Union, and realized that it knew dangerously little about its new adversary.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked CIA to create an overhead collection program that would give the United States more insight into the military capabilities of the Soviet Union.

Eisenhower believed that overhead imagery of the Soviet Union would give U.S. policymakers and military leaders the information they needed to make well-informed decisions about how to engage with the famously secretive Soviet Union. And he thought CIA was just the group to get the job done.

Always the over-achiever, CIA – in partnership with legendary Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson – created, tested, and delivered a final product in just 18 months (and a few million dollars under-budget). That plane, a sleek power glider, would be called the U-2.

Eyes Way Up In the Sky

The U-2 boasted some pretty impressive stats. At a top speed of 500 miles per hour, it wasn’t the fastest bird in the sky, but what made this plane truly exceptional was its flight altitude. U-2 could fly at a whopping 70,000 ft., twice as high as the average modern day airliner. At this altitude, the plane was impervious to anti-aircraft weaponry, allowing it to safely travel over its targets without fear of being shot-down.

Images captured during the U-2 overflight program were essential to U.S. decision-making early in the Cold War. They provided U.S. military leaders and policymakers with timely intelligence on Soviet military capabilities.

Unfortunately, technology was moving fast at that time, and in the spring of 1960, a U-2 plane flying over the Soviet Union was shot down by new-and-improved anti-aircraft weaponry. The U-2 was no longer impervious to enemy fire.

Never the group to settle, and recognizing that it needed a capable successor to the U-2, CIA continued in its search for aviation excellence. Its answer would be the A12, codename OXCART. Learn more about this remarkable aircraft in Part Two.

Daredevil spy stories

We’re known for our daring spy missions. Like when we created a fake Hollywood production company and movie, ARGO, to help rescue American hostages in Iran in the 1980s. Or when we developed the fastest-ever secret spy plane, the A-12 OXCART, in the 1960s to avoid Soviet air defenses. Our stories sound like Hollywood fantasy, but for us, it’s real life.

Mission impossible!

We grabbed a Soviet submarine, in broad daylight, from the bottom of the ocean without anyone seeing.