CYNTHIA M. GRABO

 
CYNTHIA M. GRABO  November 7, 1915 - August 17, 2014  
Cynthia M. Grabo, a former senior intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army and the Defense Intelligence Agency, died August 17, 2014 at the age of 98. A resident of Springfield, VA, she had lived in Arlington for 58 years. Ms. Grabo was born in Chicago, IL and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Chicago. In 1942, she was recruited by Army Intelligence as an analyst on Latin America. In 1949, she transferred to the Soviet branch and was assigned to analysis of Communist military threats. From 1950 to 1975, she was a researcher and writer for the U.S. Watch Committee, the interagency intelligence committee responsible for warning of threats to the U.S. and its allies. She subsequently served on the Intelligence Community's Strategic Warning Staff. Ms. Grabo was a recognized authority in the field of strategic warning, and she wrote and lectured extensively on the subject in the Intelligence Community. Her work included a textbook for the training of analysts in the field. Originally classified, this work was condensed, declassified and reissued in 2004 under the title Anticipating Surprise: Analysis for Strategic Warning. She also wrote the article on intelligence indications and warning for Brassey's International Military and Defense Encyclopedia (1993). Her awards included the Defense Intelligence Agency's Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, the Sherman Kent award for outstanding contribution to the literature of intelligence, and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement. After her retirement in 1980, she was a member of the board of Directors of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. She was also a member of the Women's Committee for the National Symphony, the Arlington Historical Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the President's Council of the University of Chicago, and Phi Beta Kappa. Survivors include nieces and nephews Cynthia Turner and Stephen Moyer of Santa Fe, NM, Elizabeth Durning of Annandale, Michael Moyer of Fairfax, two great- nephews and two great- nieces. At Ms. Grabo's request, there were no services.