Introduction
John O. Brennan's memoir "Undaunted" traces his remarkable journey from a working-class upbringing in New Jersey to becoming the Director of the CIA under President Obama. With over three decades of experience in intelligence and national security, Brennan provides an insider's look at some of the most pivotal moments in recent American history, from the hunt for Osama bin Laden to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
More than just a career retrospective, "Undaunted" is Brennan's passionate defense of American ideals and institutions in the face of threats both foreign and domestic. Even after leaving government service, Brennan has remained an outspoken critic of what he sees as attacks on democracy, particularly from the Trump administration. His book offers a compelling argument for the continued importance of a nonpartisan intelligence community dedicated to truth and the national interest.
Early Life and Entry into the CIA
John Brennan grew up in a blue-collar Irish-American family in Hudson County, New Jersey, just across the river from New York City. His father Owen had immigrated from Ireland in 1948, seeking better economic opportunities. Though the family was not wealthy, Brennan's parents instilled in him strong values of hard work, education, and public service.
As a child, Brennan was fascinated by American history and developed an early interest in espionage after reading about Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale. He took on various part-time jobs to earn spending money, developing a strong work ethic from a young age. At his Catholic school, an unconventional teacher encouraged Brennan to think critically and question authority - skills that would serve him well in his future career.
In college, Brennan studied international relations and politics, but it was philosophy and theology courses that left the deepest impression. He was particularly intrigued by the just war theories of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, ideas that would inform his later work in national security.
Brennan's first taste of life overseas came during a summer trip to Indonesia, where his cousin worked at the U.S. embassy. The experience opened his eyes to a whole new world and sparked his interest in diplomacy and foreign affairs. Soon after, inspired by news of political intrigue in the Middle East, Brennan decided to study abroad at the American University in Cairo.
His time in Egypt proved transformative. Brennan fell in love with Cairo's vibrant atmosphere and the warmth of the Egyptian people. He began learning Arabic and traveled to other parts of the region, including Jerusalem and the West Bank. These experiences laid the foundation for his future focus on Middle East affairs.
After graduating college, Brennan spotted a CIA job advertisement and decided to apply. Though initially told to complete graduate school first, his interest in academic work waned and he submitted his application early. The CIA hiring process involved extensive vetting, including a polygraph test where Brennan candidly admitted to having once voted for a Communist Party candidate as a protest vote. To his relief, this honesty was seen as a positive.
Brennan was ultimately offered a full-time position as an analyst in the CIA's Office of Near Eastern and South Asian Analysis (NESA). It was an ideal fit given his background and interests in the Middle East. Though the job required long hours and extreme secrecy, Brennan was excited to begin his career in intelligence.
Rising Through the Ranks
Brennan's early years at the CIA involved significant personal sacrifices, including a two-year posting to Saudi Arabia that was challenging for his wife Kathy. But the experience provided valuable insights into embassy operations and Middle Eastern politics.
Back in the U.S., Brennan and Kathy started a family with the birth of their son Kyle in 1986. Professionally, Brennan took on increasingly important roles, including drafting major intelligence reports on issues like the Iran-Iraq War. He was soon tapped to lead the Issues Branch focusing on regional topics like extremism and nuclear proliferation.
Brennan's career accelerated further after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. He was assigned to the CIA's Counterterrorism Center and began giving intelligence briefings directly to President George H.W. Bush. This high-level exposure continued when Brennan was selected as one of the daily briefers for incoming President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in 1992.
During this period, Brennan also developed an important relationship with George Tenet, who would go on to become CIA Director. Tenet, known for his gregarious personality, took Brennan under his wing and appointed him as his executive assistant and later chief of staff. This put Brennan at the center of CIA operations heading into one of the most consequential periods in the agency's history.
9/11 and the War on Terror
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks profoundly changed both the nation and the CIA. As chief of staff to Director Tenet, Brennan had a front-row seat to the agency's transformation in the aftermath.
One controversial program that emerged was the Rendition, Detention, and Interrogation (RDI) program, which authorized harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding on terrorist suspects. While Brennan believes some valuable intelligence was obtained through the program, he came to regret not speaking out more forcefully against methods he saw as going too far.
The War on Terror also exposed structural weaknesses in how intelligence was shared across agencies. To address this, President Bush ordered the creation of a new National Counterterrorism Center to centralize terrorism-related intelligence. Brennan was tasked with designing and building this new organization from the ground up - a major professional challenge he ultimately met successfully.
After 25 years at the CIA and feeling ready for a change, Brennan left government service in 2005 to work in the private sector. But his time away from public service would prove short-lived.
Return to Government Under Obama
In early 2008, while visiting Dubai, Brennan happened to see a televised speech by Senator Barack Obama after his win in the South Carolina primary. Inspired by Obama's vision and rhetoric, Brennan decided to get involved with his presidential campaign as a national security advisor.
After Obama's victory, Brennan was offered the position of CIA Director. However, controversy over his past role during the RDI program led him to withdraw from consideration. Instead, Obama appointed him as Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism - a White House role that didn't require Senate confirmation.
In this new position, Brennan faced a steep learning curve on policy issues beyond his intelligence background. He had to tackle diverse challenges like the H1N1 flu pandemic. Brennan also became the key liaison between Obama and the intelligence community on sensitive operations like drone strikes against terrorist targets.
But the most momentous operation Brennan witnessed in this role was undoubtedly the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Starting in 2009, Obama had ordered the CIA to redouble efforts to locate the al-Qaeda leader. By late 2010, intelligence pointed to a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan as bin Laden's likely location.
Brennan was one of just a handful of officials privy to the highly classified intelligence and planning for a potential raid. On May 1, 2011, he joined other senior officials in the White House Situation Room to monitor the operation in real time. When word came that bin Laden had been killed, there were no cheers - just a sense of grim satisfaction that justice had finally been served nearly a decade after 9/11.
CIA Director Under Obama
As Obama's first term drew to a close in late 2012, Brennan was planning to leave government. But the sudden resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus opened the door for Obama to again nominate Brennan for the role. This time, he made it through Senate confirmation.
As CIA Director, Brennan saw an opportunity to drive major reforms at the agency. He focused on several key priorities:
Improving diversity and inclusion, commissioning external reviews and implementing action plans to create more opportunities for women and minorities.
Enhancing digital and cyber capabilities by creating a new Directorate of Digital Innovation.
Reorganizing the CIA's structure to break down silos between different specialties, replacing the old directorate system with ten integrated mission centers.
Addressing ethical concerns, including ending the practice of spreading disinformation which Brennan saw as contrary to American values.
While these changes faced some internal resistance, Brennan believed they were crucial to modernizing the CIA and improving its effectiveness.
However, Brennan's biggest challenge as Director stemmed from the ongoing fallout of the controversial RDI program. Though the program had ended years earlier, Senate Democrats launched an extensive investigation into its practices and effects.
This led to heated clashes between the CIA and Senate Intelligence Committee staff over access to classified documents. A particular flash point arose over the so-called "Panetta Review" - an internal CIA assessment that some believed was more critical of the RDI program than the agency's official stance.
When it appeared Senate staff had improperly accessed this document, the CIA conducted a limited search of the shared computer system set up for the investigation. This was portrayed by some as the CIA "spying" on the Senate, though Brennan maintains it was a legitimate security review that inadvertently accessed a handful of Senate staff emails.
The controversy strained relations between the CIA and its Congressional overseers. While Brennan publicly apologized for the CIA's actions, he felt frustration over what he saw as politically motivated attacks on the agency's integrity and professionalism.
Dealing with Russia
As CIA Director, Brennan had to navigate increasingly fraught relations with Russia. His first meeting in Moscow with Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia's FSB intelligence service, set the tone. While Bortnikov was outwardly friendly, Brennan delivered stern messages about Russian transgressions like assaults on Americans in Russia.
Tensions escalated further over conflicting approaches to the Syrian civil war. Russia provided extensive military support to the Assad regime, repeatedly violating ceasefire agreements. Brennan saw this as part of a pattern of Russian aggression and disregard for international norms.
But the most alarming development was Russia's multi-pronged effort to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Through cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, and targeted social media operations, Russian intelligence services sought to damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy and boost Donald Trump.
Brennan and other intelligence leaders worked to piece together Russia's actions and motivations. They concluded that beyond simple anti-Clinton sentiment, Putin saw Trump as someone he could more easily manipulate to Russia's benefit.
The CIA and other agencies debated how to respond, including potential cyber counterattacks against Russia. Ultimately, they focused on gathering and analyzing intelligence to understand the full scope of Russian interference.
Post-CIA Advocacy and Criticism of Trump
Brennan left government service shortly after Trump took office in January 2017. However, he quickly realized he could not stay silent in the face of what he saw as threats to American democracy and institutions.
His first public break with the new administration came after Trump's speech at CIA headquarters on his first full day in office. Standing in front of the CIA's Memorial Wall honoring fallen officers, Trump used the occasion to boast about his election victory and inauguration crowd size. Brennan felt compelled to release a statement condemning Trump's self-aggrandizing performance as disrespectful to the CIA's mission and sacrifices.
This set the tone for Brennan's role as one of the most prominent critics of the Trump presidency. He has spoken out against:
- Trump's deference to Vladimir Putin and refusal to acknowledge Russian election interference
- The firing of FBI Director James Comey and other actions seen as obstructing the Russia investigation
- Attacks on the credibility and patriotism of career intelligence professionals
- Policies like the travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries
- The president's inflammatory rhetoric and disregard for democratic norms
Brennan's outspoken criticism has come at a personal cost. He has faced angry attacks from Trump on Twitter and elsewhere. His security clearance was revoked in what many saw as political retaliation. He has lost speaking engagements and other professional opportunities.
But Brennan remains committed to defending the principles and institutions he served for decades. He sees Trump as a unique threat to American democracy and feels a duty to continue speaking out, regardless of the consequences.
Key Themes and Takeaways
Several important themes emerge from Brennan's account of his career in intelligence and national security:
The importance of public service: Throughout the book, Brennan emphasizes his deep commitment to serving his country. From his working-class upbringing to his decades at the CIA, he was motivated by patriotism and a desire to keep America safe. He argues for the continued need for dedicated, non-partisan public servants in intelligence and other fields.
Balancing security and ethics: Brennan grapples with the moral complexities of intelligence work, particularly around issues like interrogation techniques and drone strikes. While staunchly defending the CIA's overall mission, he acknowledges times when lines were crossed and expresses regret for not speaking out more forcefully against excesses.
The value of diversity and inclusion: As CIA Director, Brennan made improving diversity a key priority. He argues that bringing in people with different backgrounds and perspectives ultimately leads to better intelligence analysis and decision-making.
Threats to American democracy: Brennan sees defending democratic institutions and norms as a vital extension of his lifelong mission to protect national security. He is deeply alarmed by what he views as authoritarian tendencies in the Trump administration and efforts to undermine public faith in intelligence agencies.
The need for intelligence reform: From his efforts to break down silos at the CIA to his support for the creation of the National Counterterrorism Center, Brennan has been a consistent advocate for modernizing and improving intelligence capabilities to meet evolving threats.
Speaking truth to power: Throughout his career, Brennan sought to provide unvarnished intelligence assessments to policymakers, even when the conclusions were unwelcome. He argues this truth-telling function is essential for sound decision-making and that political leaders who reject intelligence they don't like put the nation at risk.
Conclusion
John Brennan's memoir offers a compelling insider's account of American national security over three tumultuous decades. From the shadows of the intelligence world to the highest levels of White House decision-making, Brennan played a role in confronting threats from al-Qaeda to Russian election interference.
His story is in many ways the story of how America's intelligence and national security apparatus evolved to meet new challenges in a rapidly changing world. Brennan is candid about mistakes made and lessons learned, while staunchly defending the overall mission and dedication of intelligence professionals.
But "Undaunted" is more than just a career retrospective. It is a passionate argument for protecting the nonpartisan integrity of intelligence work and defending democratic institutions against what Brennan sees as unprecedented internal threats.
By continuing to speak out after leaving government service, often at significant personal cost, Brennan demonstrates the meaning of the book's title. He remains undaunted in his commitment to the principles and ideals that motivated his entire career in public service.
Whether one agrees with all of Brennan's views or not, his book offers invaluable perspective on recent American history and the ongoing challenges of keeping the nation safe while staying true to its core values. At a time of deep political polarization, Brennan makes a compelling case for the continued importance of ethical, nonpartisan intelligence work as a pillar of American democracy.