The American Central Intelligence Agency isn’t an elite group of warriors or a bunch of American James Bonds running around. They are primarily analysts with a wide swath of specialties. These specialties include accounting, law, economics, and even meteorology. However, nestled within the CIA sits the Special Activities Center, which is responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. Alongside the SAC, we have the Global Response Staff, trained to protect analysts, case officers, and more.
Those men carry guns. With that in mind, what guns do they carry? What weapons have they historically carried? It’s not always easy to know. The CIA doesn’t have an equipment page on its public-facing website. I’ve pieced together a hodge-podge list of weapons that CIA gunslingers have historically carried throughout their operations. I had to use books, memories, and news reports to figure out the chosen weapons of the CIA.
The OSS and the Colt M1903/08
The CIA’s predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services, operated worldwide during World War II. OSS operatives varied widely, and the organization commonly worked with military forces. It was responsible for deploying Marines to Europe, establishing the Jedburghs, and gathering intelligence through every avenue possible.
The OSS purchased 20,000 Colt 1903/08 pistols. The 03s were .32 ACP guns, and the 08s were .380s. These were slim, compact, and concealable pistols. These guns were called hammerless but featured an internal hammer. They were straight blowback-operated weapons and had fairly light recoil. They were simple guns but very reliable for the era. Unlike the M1911, they also chambered calibers that were common worldwide.
Korea and the Thompson and M1911
CIA Operations in Korea were a bit of a mess. The Intelligence apparatus wanted to recruit native Koreans as guerilla fighters and parachute them behind Chinese lines to create chaos. It wasn’t superbly successful, but the CIA’s lesser-known Raid forces were much more successful. The Journal of Army Special Operations History, Veritas Volume 9, No. 1 details these CIA-established Raid Forces.
These teams were combined Navy/Marine forces that were controlled by the CIA and conducted numerous special operations along the coast. One team led by LTJG George Atcheson was tasked with blowing up a railroad bridge in North Korea. He led a team of Thompson armed raiders while carrying an M1911 himself. They eliminated an enemy patrol, planted demolitions, destroyed the bridge, and even derailed and damaged a demolition train.
Vietnam and the Swedish K
In Vietnam, the CIA deployed its own trigger pullers to work with special operations forces throughout the military. This included SEALs, MACVSOG, and working with indigenous forces. One of the CIA’s weapons of choice during Vietnam was the Carl Gustav M/45 submachine gun. Its nickname, the Swedish K, came from the word kulsprutepistol, which was likely a mouthful for an American.
The Swedish K was an open-bolt, direct blowback-operated submachine gun that fired the 9mm cartridge. The weapon is straightforward but effective, reliable, and lightweight. Additionally, the gun’s 9mm cartridge made it easy to control, and it could be easily fitted with a suppressor when needed. There could be an argument of deniability since it was a Swedish gun in 9mm instead of an American weapon.
The AK
The AK series rifles are some of the most widespread weapons in the world. They commonly appear in places where American forces operate. It’s not a big surprise to see the CIA using the weapon. The use of the AK allows the operators to blend in, use weapons and ammo common in the area, and still have a reliable and rugged weapon.
It’s likely the CIA has been using AKs as long as Russia and China have been supplying them to foreign nations. In the book First In, CIA Paramilitary Officer Gary Schroen detailed that his seven-man CIA team carried sterilized AKMs in Afghanistan during the early days of the war.
The Browning Hi-Power
In Gary Schroen’s book First In, he details the sidearm of choice for his CIA team, the Browning Hi-Power. These were also sterilized, with serial numbers removed and markings scrubbed. The Hi-Power is another gun that’s spread so worldwide that it couldn’t be directly tied to the United States or even another allied force.
The Hi-Power still offered 13 rounds of 9mm in a double-stack magazine. While the gun did lag behind modern service handguns and lagged in 2001, it was still an effective weapon for combat use. It’s well-proven, reliable, accurate, and capable. The gun has been adopted and reproduced throughout Europe, Asia, and even the Middle East.
The AR Type Carbine
The modern CIA Paramilitary Officer and GRS forces most commonly use an AR-type rifle. I use AR-type so I don’t trigger the AR nerds. They use a wide swath of Stoner-designed guns. This could be the typical M4, but it might also be an Mk 18 or maybe some form of AR that our military has never used.
They’ve been using these guns as long as the United States has. The CIA’s official Twitter account will locationally tweet photos of CIA operatives with their faces obscured but their weapons clearly visible. In Operation Jawbreaker, the CIA brought boxes of cash to Afghanland, and in a famed photo, a CIA operator carries an M4 with an M203, a Trijicon reflex sight, and a classic Surefire M500 light.
If you ever specifically go searching for CIA Paramilitary operatives or GRS staff, you’ll also see tons of AR-type rifles in every configuration imaginable.
The M249 SAW
In the same photo that details the operative with the M4 during Operation Jawbreaker, we see a second CIA operative armed with an M249 SAW. The M249 SAW is America’s favorite light machine gun and utilizes the 5.56 caliber cartridge. It’s belt-fed, open-bolt, air-cooled, and fairly lightweight.
If you’re on a small team in Indian country, grenade launchers and light machine guns are the ticket. They allow for overwhelming firepower and are force multipliers in an ambush or firefight. A light machine gun is a must-have if you need to establish a fighting retreat. Unlike heavier guns, the SAW isn’t a crew-served gun and can be efficiently used by one operator.
The Secretive CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency isn’t open about its equipment choices, so we have to depend on first-hand accounts, the occasional photo, and historical records to establish some idea of the weapons the CIA used throughout its tenure in bad places with bad people. Hopefully, we’ve shown a little light on what’s historically a little-known subject.
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