The activities of the CIA are, obviously, largely not disclosed, but some educated guesses can be made about its activities. Like other intelligence agencies, it collects information from a variety of sources, the vast majority probably being public information in the countries concerned, but also from individuals who for various reasons including bribe?s, blackmail?, and ideology?, decide to pass otherwise secret information to the CIA. It also undoubtedly makes use of the surveillance satellites and signal interception capabilities of the NSA, including the Echelon system, and the surveillance aircraft of the various branches of the US armed forces. At one stage, the CIA even operated its own fleet of U-2 surveillance aircraft.
The Agency also operates a group of officers with paramilitary skills. Michael Spann, the CIA officer killed in November 2001 during the Afghanistan conflict, was one such individual. A small number of other CIA officers are confirmed to be working in similar roles in Afghanistan, but the other paramilitary actions of the CIA since the Bay Of Pigs are largely unknown.
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