Grp. aptly hidden in "special ops"

CIA

Think of the three-letter agency often linked to covert missions and intelligence gathering.

This clue uses a hidden-word trick where the answer is buried inside the phrase "special ops." Look closely and you’ll see the letters C-I-A appear in order within that phrase ("special ops"). The "Grp." part is just shorthand for "group," hinting at an organization—here, the CIA, which fits as a well-known special operations agency. The word "aptly" signals that the hidden letters aren’t random but meaningfully tied to the clue’s theme.