The Department of War is seeking to build a more robust deep-cover spying program to wage economic warfare against China and other nations deemed adversaries of the US. 

A half-dozen sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that the Pentagon hopes to develop a next-generation espionage program that includes spies posing as business executives without any official affiliation with the US government.

The Pentagon plans to employ spies known as “nonofficial cover officers,” or NOCs, who operate without an official US government affiliation. Operating under nonofficial cover can be more dangerous than working under diplomatic cover because NOCs lack diplomatic immunity if they are caught.

The program raises legal questions because the Pentagon plans to operate under its Title 10 military authorities, which it uses to conduct intelligence activities, including intelligence preparation of the battlefield. Multiple former officials told the Post that the new program would be operating under “Title 60.” The outlet describes Title 60 as a “half-joke” about the Pentagon combining its Title 10 authorities with the CIA’s Title 50. 

The sources explained that the program is in the planning phase, but not operational. However, the Pentagon has already taken steps to develop the new operation, including naming Tom Rakusan, a 39-year CIA veteran and now senior adviser to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, as the head of the program, assigning people from the Pentagon’s intelligence service, and hiring former CIA officials.

Some former CIA officials told the Post that the move to establish the operation inside the Pentagon has irked some in Langley. “Rakusan just wants to build his own CIA down in the Pentagon,” said a former senior CIA official.