Editing Dale Holmgren (section)

==Civil Air Transport==
Holmgren’s entry into the intelligence world came through his role as a flight services manager for [[Civil Air Transport]] (CAT), a CIA proprietary airline established in the late 1940s to support U.S. operations in Asia. CAT, based in Taiwan, was instrumental during the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, and later the Vietnam War, providing covert logistics such as transporting supplies, personnel, and, allegedly, opium in the Golden Triangle region (Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar). By the 1960s, CAT evolved into [[Air America]], continuing similar operations under CIA control.

As a flight services manager, Holmgren coordinated critical aviation logistics, likely managing flight schedules, maintenance, or operational support for CAT’s missions. These missions often supported CIA-backed anti-communist efforts, including supplying warlord Vang Pao’s forces in Laos, where Air America was implicated in drug trafficking to fund covert activities. Holmgren’s role placed him directly within the CIA’s Special Activities Division, giving him intimate knowledge of the agency’s covert networks in Southeast Asia. While specific details of his activities remain classified or undocumented, his position suggests involvement in sensitive operations, requiring both technical expertise and discretion.