Blackwater is delving into spying services

First it became a brand name in security for its work in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it’s taking on intelligence.

The Prince Group, the holding company that owns Blackwater USA, has been building an operation that will sniff out intelligence about natural disasters, business-friendly governments, overseas regulations and global political developments for clients in industry and government.

The operation has assembled a roster of former high-ranking figures from agencies such as the CIA and defense intelligence that mirrors the slate of former military officials who run Blackwater. Its chairman is famed spy Cofer Black, the former CIA head of counter-terrorism known for his leading role in many of the agency’s more controversial programs, including the so-called rendition and interrogation of Al Qaeda suspects and the detention of some of them in secret prisons overseas.

Its chief executive: Robert Richer, a former CIA associate deputy director of operations who was heavily involved in running the agency’s role in the Iraq war.

Total Intelligence Solutions is one of a growing number of companies that offer intelligence services such as risk analysis to companies and governments. Because of its roster and its ties to owner Erik Prince, the company’s thrust into this world highlights the blurring of lines between government, industry and activities formerly reserved for agents operating in the shadows.

Richer, for instance, once served as the chief of the CIA’s Near East division and is said to have ties with the king of Jordan. The CIA spent millions helping train Jordan’s intelligence service in exchange for information. Now Jordan has hired Blackwater to train its special forces.

“Cofer can open doors; I can open doors,” said Richer, who served more than two decades at the CIA. “We can generally get in to see who we need to see. We don’t help pay bribes. We do everything within the law, but we can deal with the right minister or person.”

Total Intel, as the company is known, is bringing “the skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the boardroom,” said Black, who had a 28-year career with the CIA.

RJ Hillhouse, who writes a blog on national security called the Spy Who Billed Me, said: “They have the skills and background to do anything anyone wants. There’s no oversight. They’re an independent company offering freelance espionage services. They’re rent-a-spies.”

The heart of Total Intel operations is a suite on the ninth floor of a tower in Arlington, Va., patterned after the CIA counter-terrorist center Black once ran.

Analysts in their 20s or 30s sit hunched over computers, scanning websites, databases, newspapers and chat rooms. The lights are dimmed. Three large-screen TVs play in the background, one showing Al Jazeera.

The room, called the Global Fusion Center, is staffed 24/7, as analysts search for warnings on terrorist plots, possible political unrest in Asia, labor strikes in South America and Europe, and economic upheavals that could affect a company’s business.

“We’re not a private detective,” Black said. “We provide intelligence to our clients. It’s not about taking pictures. It’s business intelligence. We collect all information that’s publicly available. This is a completely legal enterprise. We break no laws. We don’t go anywhere near breaking laws.

“We don’t have to.”