The hundreds of museum items, some of which have been on display since the 1980s, are all declassified. Neises said the agency does from time to time loan some to presidential libraries and other non-profit museums.
On view for those cleared to visit: the AKM assault rifle toted by Osama bin Laden the night U.S. Navy SEALs killed him in a raid of his Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound in 2011, and a leather jacket found with former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein when he was captured in 2003.
Other exhibits range from flight suits worn by pilots of Cold War-era U-2 and A-12 spy planes to a wood-framed saddle, similar to those used by members of CIA's Team Alpha as they navigated Afghanistan's mountainous terrain by horseback shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
None of the items, all of which are considered U.S. government heritage assets, have been assessed for value.
"Our museum is operational," Neises said. "It's here for our workforce to learn from our successes and failures."
