NCIS and Spies

For our last field trip through the program, we had a representative from NCIS speak to us and then we went to the International Spy Museum.

 He wasn't from the show.  He was from the actual NCIS.

The NCIS speaker talked about the role of NCIS, within the Navy and internationally.  He talked about terrorists, Somali pirates, and cyber terrorism.  He had us do an exercise where we had to think like an analyst in a hypothetical situation that NCIS would be involved in.

He asked which one of us was interning at the Navy Museum and he acknowledged how he and I are “neighbors.”  We are both located on the Washington Navy Yard in southern DC, literally next door to each other.  The brown building in the middle of this photograph is NCIS Headquarters, and the long building on the east side of it is the National Museum of the United States Navy, where I am interning.

The International Spy Museum was great. We originally not going to go, but I think enough people in the program persuaded them to take us.  The museum is bigger than anticipated, so if you plan on going, be sure to plan accordingly.

In the beginning of the museum, you chose an identity from a selection of spies.  You are given five minutes to memorize details about the spy that you are later tested on in the museum.  After that we watched a short introductory video and then we were free to explore the museum as we pleased.  As I have said, the museum was huge, so I will just mention some of my favorite parts.

Also, this was another place I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, so you will have to deal with stock images.

One of my favorite parts of the museum was a model of James Bond’s 1964 Aston DB5 from Goldfinger.  Every few minutes it cycles through the various features, such as a rear bulletproof shield and rotating license plates.

 

They had a lot of artifacts from the history of spies, including different cloaking devices for messages, weapons, cameras, and microphones.

It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of interactive areas of the museum.  I would definitely suggest checking it out if you have the time and don’t mind paying to get in.

 A warning from the Spy Museum.  Basically, don't trust Anna Chapman.

Also: Julia Child worked in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).  What a wonderful woman.