Gary Berntsen (born July 23, 1957) is an American former

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

(CIA) career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005. During his time at the CIA, he served as a CIA Station Chief on three occasions and led several of the CIA’s most important counterterrorism deployments including the United States’ response to the East Africa Embassy bombings and the 9/11 attacks. He was awarded the

Distinguished Intelligence Medal The Distinguished Intelligence Medal is awarded by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency for performance of outstanding services or for achievement of a distinctly exceptional nature in a duty or responsibility. Recipients This list includes only ...

in 2000 and the

Intelligence Star The Intelligence Star is an award given by the Central Intelligence Agency to its officers for "voluntary acts of courage performed under hazardous conditions or for outstanding achievements or services rendered with distinction under conditions ...

in 2004. He ran for the

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in 2010 for Chuck Schumer's seat, but lost the Republican primary to Jay Townsend, who in turn lost the general election.

Early life and education

Berntsen grew up in Smithtown,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, a suburb of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. When Berntsen was seventeen, he tried to join the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

but his parents would not sign the enlistment contract. He waited until his eighteenth birthday when he decided to enlist in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

. Berntsen served for four years as a Crash Firefighter in the Air Force, including tours in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. During his time in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

he became obsessed with educating himself, which he did by reading biographies and enrolling in the Air Force's self-study program, acing several courses. Berntsen also spent much of his time in the gym or skydiving. After Berntsen's time as a firefighter he became a full-time college student where he majored in Political Science and minored in Russian Studies. He attended the U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leader Class for two summers. However, before he was commissioned in the Marine Corps, he was recruited into the CIA.

CIA career

In August 1998 Berntsen led the response team to the U.S. Embassy in

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

. The subsequent investigation led to the capture of some 21 individuals involved with the planning and execution of the attacks.Copy of indictment
USA v. Osama bin Laden et al., Center for Nonproliferation Studies,

Monterey Institute of International Studies The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly known as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, is an American graduate school of Middlebury College, a private college in Middlebury, Vermont. Established ...

Berntsen went to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in March 2000 as a part of a CIA team that planned on capturing a senior

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

leader. Berntsen writes that though leaders at the CIA, particularly

Cofer Black Joseph Cofer Black (born 1950) is an American former CIA officer who served as director of the Counterterrorism Center in the years surrounding the September 11th attacks, and was later appointed Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterte ...

and

Henry A. Crumpton Henry "Hank" A. Crumpton (born 1957) is a retired Central Intelligence Agency operations officer, in his 24 year career he was appointed deputy director of the Counterterrorism Center and head the CIA's National Resources Division, which focuses o ...

"had shown a willingness to plan and execute risky missions," top US government leadership including President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

and CIA Director

George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is an American intelligence official and academic who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, as well as a Distinguished Professor in the P ...

were unprepared to take the increased risks. It is recognized that the environment for covert CIA operations in areas of Central Asia significantly shifted after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

in 2001 on New York City and Washington, D.C. The legitimacy for conducting such operations received widespread recognition and the actions carried out by CIA personnel after the attacks allowed for greater efficacy in targeting Al Qaeda personnel planning and conducting operations against US interests. Furthermore, Berntsen's mission was also undermined by a CIA station chief in a neighboring country, dubbed Lawrence, who contacted CIA Headquarters calling for the mission to be called off. The mission was never executed and the CIA's indecision would lead the Northern Alliance's leader

Ahmad Shah Massoud ) , branch = Jamiat-e Islami / Shura-e Nazar Afghan Armed Forces United Islamic Front , serviceyears = 1975–2001 , rank = General , unit = , commands = Mujahideen commander during the Soviet–Afghan Wa ...

to conclude that the US was "not serious" about fighting the Taliban. In December 2001, Berntsen served as the Commander of all CIA forces in Eastern Afghanistan and led the agency’s Jawbreaker team in

Tora Bora Tora Bora ( ps, توره بوړه, "Black Cave") is a cave complex, part of the Spin Ghar (White Mountains) mountain range of eastern Afghanistan. It is situated in the Pachir Aw Agam District of Nangarhar, approximately west of the Khyber ...

. With a new President and the United States rattled by 9/11, Berntsen returned to Afghanistan with significantly different instructions. In his 2005 book, '' Jawbreaker'', he alleges that

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

could have been captured at Tora Bora if the US military (specifically

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...

) had devoted more resources to the operation. This claim gained substantial traction due to a Senate Report on the circumstances of bin Laden's escape. According to both Berntsen's account and the Senate Committee's report, "Bin Laden and bodyguards walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area."

Recent activities

Gary released his first piece of fiction in August 2008. The book is titled ''The Walk-In'' and tells the story of an American CIA case officer dealing with an Iranian defector from the

Quds Force The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...

. The defector claims that a catastrophic attack is imminent and the American case officer must decide what to believe. In November 2008, Berntsen published ''Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Practical Guide''. This book was written to serve as a manual for the incoming president and

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

staff and includes highly specific recommendations and policy prescriptions for

human intelligence Human intelligence is the intellectual capability of humans, which is marked by complex cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and self-awareness. High intelligence is associated with better outcomes in life. Through intelligence, humans ...

and

counterterrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...

operations. Berntsen continues expressing his opinions and analysis to the news media and several government entities including police departments and federal agencies.

Campaign for US Senate

On May 23, 2010, Berntsen officially announced his candidacy for the New York Senate Seat currently held by

Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...

. Berntsen's political campaign believes his national stature, his current ability to effect public policy, and his experience as a clandestine CIA operative make him a strong candidate for elected office. On June 1, 2010, with considerable support from the New York Tea Party movement, Berntsen was named the Republican designee for

against incumbent US Senator

from New York and faced a Republican primary against Jay Townsend who received the Conservative party designation. After the GOP designation, personal endorsements from Republican leaders in New York began accumulating for the Berntsen campaign, including Representative Peter King. In addition to the Republican nomination, Carl Paladino declared Berntsen his nominee for Senate on his "Taxpayers Party" line. Jay Townsend defeated Berntsen in the September 14, 2010 primary, 55 percent to 45 percent."2 GOP Senate candidates in NY face uphill fight," Associated Press, September 15, 2010 http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/201009152_gop_senate_candidates_in_ny_face_uphill_fight/

Bibliography

* Berntsen, Gary & Pezzullo, Ralph. (2005). '' Jawbreaker: The attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda: A personal account by the CIA's key field commander''. Crown. . * Berntsen, Gary & Pezzullo, Ralph. (2008). ''The Walk-In''. Crown. . * Berntsen, Gary. (2008). ''Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Practical Guide''. Potomac Books Inc. .

Footnotes

References

* Berntsen, G & Pezzullo, R (2005). ''Jawbreaker'', Crown Publishing

External links

GaryforNewYork.com
Gary Berntsen for US Senate - Official Gary Berntsen for Senate website, providing information about his Senate campaign * (Link inactive) Berntsen National Security Review – Official Gary Berntsen Blog on National Security Issues
BerntsenGroup.com
Berntsen Group- Official Website of Gary Berntsen's Company *
Middle East Institute Book Launch with Gary Berntsen
- ''Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Practical Guide'' (October 17, 2008)
More Troops Are Nice, but More Intelligence Needed to Save Afghan War
– Jeff Stein writing for CQ Politics (October 31, 2008)
CIA Commander: U.S. Let bin Laden Slip Away
- Michael Hirsh writing for Newsweek (August 15, 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Berntsen, Gary 1957 births Living people American spies People of the Central Intelligence Agency American political writers American male non-fiction writers New York (state) Republicans People from Smithtown, New York United States Air Force airmen Recipients of the Intelligence Star Recipients of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal