The US government spends more on spying than Pakistan’s entire government budget

The latest leak from Edward Snowden has appeared in the Washington Post and it outlines the budget of the US intelligence community. The main takeway is that spying budget is huge at $52.6 billion and that the main component is the CIA.

To put it into perspective:

• The US spends more on spying than all but 6 countries spend on their entire military
• Pakistan’s total government expenditure was $42 billion in 2012
• The CIA workforce is 21,575

For all the spending, the US is practically in the dark about its greatest foe — North Korea:

There are five “critical” gaps in U.S. intelligence about Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, and analysts know virtually nothing about the intentions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.