Paid Post -- Burn Notice's Spying 101

When I was in the Army (long story -- I was officially in and I am officially a veteran, but I don't EVER claim to deserve respect and admiration like those who are TRULY serving), we once did a week of infantry field exercises to get us some experience and exposure to the skills and techniques to survive in a hostile environment. Throughout the week, we would rotate squad leaders (even though we were all peers from a rank standpoint) so we would have some leadership experience during the exercises. I was the squad leader during what I considered two of the coolest exercises.

The first was a reconnaissance mission where we were to converge on a location, observe all activity, and report back to our superiors. We were told that the enemy were not actively guarding the location, but were instead in a general state of "heitened awareness." Thus, we had to move stealthily and precisely lest we be discovered and captured/"killed."

We had available to us night vision devices, long-range rifle scopes, our standard gear and our previous training, which meant we knew and understood hand signals, could identify enemy rank and equipment and had passed M-16 rifle tests (in case we failed and needed to engage the enemy (and no, we had no live rounds -- just super-advanced laser-tag training devices)). We were able to successfully complete the mission, though we failed to notice the hostage in the building (big oops) and, while we correctly identified the number of enemies at the site, we did not record enough detail to establish a regular pattern of activity (slightly smaller oops).

That exercise gave me an appreciation for those who actually have to spy in the field on a regular basis. We spent hours upon hours carefully planning and executing the mission. Real CIA operatives are required to gather information for various reasons, but often in a much more interactive environment that forces them to think VERY quickly on their feet and react in ways that aren't instinctive. Plus, they have to do it knowing that failure is likely a matter of life or death rather than a "learning experience" like my situation.

The things that CIA agents have in their corner are training and technology. Much of our spying is now done remotely through the use of electonic devices (audio and video recording and transmitting devices, satellite imagery, phone taps, etc). But, an "on the ground" agent has to be quick, intelligent and able to use their tools effectively to stay alive.

Starting June 28, USA Network's Burn Notice will take the viewer into this world through the eyes of Michael Weston, a former operative who is now a persona non grata in the eyes of the CIA. Now he's out to discover why he was left out to dry and can't use his normal network to gather information. So, he falls back on his training to gather information while remaining "invisible."