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Overt versus Covert Details
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from
the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
Niccolo Machiavelli
The Art of War (1521)
Large signature operations based on multiple layers of security are the
standard for federal agencies tasked with protective functions, such as
the Secret Service and State Department, and rightly so. The level of of-
cial they are responsible to protect and the potential political and eco-
nomic fallout that could arise from a successful assassination mandates
this type of operation. More to the point, these federal organizations have
the resources, funding, and manpower to carry out this level of operation
on a sustained basis. When coupled with state and loca ...