[theprodigy]

CIA and the pentagon love thinkers and people with very analytical minds. The pentagon's job is to dream up the future of the world and war and prepare for it.

So as an analyst or grand strategist you would be tasked with studying how such and such technology will change global politcal and economic rule sets, etc and what america needs to do to take advantage of it or prepare for it. You can also be a person that researches the latest and greatest technology.

These military agencies were the people who developed the initial need for technological innovations like the internet and the database.

Also, you would go out talk to all these opinion leaders and participate in various think tanks with super smart people and create research that can influence the entire history of the world if compelling enough.

It is a lot of fun if you really want to contribute to the world and make a difference.

[puredemo]

Most think tanks are very politically charged. Members aren't supposed to do original research, rather they are tasked with penning opinions that align with and justify predetermined political positions.

Secondly, your post overall just doesn't ring true to me. If the pentagon is really this keen on hiring the best and the brightest, wouldn't we have made great strides towards, say, ending our dependence on foreign oil?

There are too many examples like the above for me to believe that the pentagon is at all effective in preparing for the future. If they were, the financial meltdown wouldn't have happened, we wouldn't continue to subsidize corn like we do, we would be moving towards massive subsidies for sustainable farming, the Ogallala Aquifer wouldn't be getting empty, and so on.

[starkfist]

The DoD/Pentagon has nothing to do with farming subsidies or the subprime crisis or inventing new energy sources.

[jarek]

In other words, they figure out how to invade countries, not why.

[puredemo]

Point still stands. Most wars are related to resources, in one way or another. We tend to squander our resources.

The DoD may not have direct control but they do have some influence, even if only indirect.

[graugrau]

What is the working environment like at the CIA and Pentagon? I've always imagined that government work is about as far from a startup atmosphere as you can get.