DNI's Strategic Plan Outlines New MissionsCounterintelligence, Cybersecurity StressedBy Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The top U.S. intelligence official said counterintelligence and cybersecurity would be given new emphasis under a four-year strategic plan he unveiled Tuesday. Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told reporters that although combating extremism, issuing warnings, countering weapons proliferation and supporting military operations overseas remain major priorities, the 16 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community must also work to keep abreast of
technical innovations and developments in information technology.
The objectives outlined in the new National Intelligence Strategy, he said, "can only be carried out by an intelligence community that is agile, adaptive and united."
Blair described the strategy, the first to be drawn up under the Obama administration, as "a
muscular intelligence response to meet the nation's responsibilities so that we can provide good advice to the policymakers and in the field."
Asked about a U.S. military attack on terrorism suspects in Somalia this week, Blair said, "We are as aggressive in the intelligence world as we were before, and, in fact, in the particular area of working against groups of violent extremists . . . we can be more aggressive because we are gaining more and more knowledge."
In the past, counterintelligence was directed primarily at exposing foreign spies. Raising it to a main mission, the document says that now,
the targets are not only foreign governments but also "non-state actors, violent extremist groups, cyber intruders and criminal organizations" that are increasingly undermining U.S. interests in myriad ways.
It cites as examples attempts to "manipulate U.S. policy and diplomatic efforts, disrupt or mitigate the effectiveness of our military plans and weapons systems, and erode our economic and technological advantage."
The new strategy envisions more collaborative counterintelligence efforts across government agencies to "identify, deceive, exploit, disrupt and protect against these threats." The task is described as not only penetrating enemy intelligence agencies but also employing "counterintelligence across the cyber domain to protect critical infrastructure."
In calling for enhanced cybersecurity as another major mission, the strategy paper declares that the nation's computerized infrastructure "is neither secure nor resilient." It says foreign governments and others are "stealing, changing or destroying information," potentially undermining "national confidence in the information systems" on which the country depends.
"China is very aggressive in the cyber world," Blair said in answer to a question. "So, too, is Russia and others."
He said the intelligence community should strive to detect and identify those breaking into U.S. systems and to spot "the vulnerabilities of our adversaries." Another Blair initiative is the establishment and enforcement of "performance expectations" for the agencies under his authority. Each agency, such as the CIA or the Defense Intelligence Agency, produces a strategic plan in concert with the national intelligence strategy. Now, Blair's office will assess their progress.
This is not just an educational exercise, Blair said Tuesday, but a plan that
"allows for a scorecard on performance." -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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The National
Intelligence Strategy
August 2009
Foreword
Twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down and eight years after the tragedy of September
11, 2001, the United States has emerged from the post-Cold War world and
post-9/11 world. We know the type of world we face, the nature of the threats, challenges,
and opportunities before us, and the role intelligence can play in supporting
policies that advance our national interests.
The United States faces a complex and rapidly shifting international security landscape.
Events at home and abroad move quickly, often in an interconnected fashion, driven by
the pace of technological change and international communications. National security
priorities adapt as rapidly as these events unfold. The Intelligence Community (IC) must
keep a steady focus on enduring challenges in and among nation-states and persistent
transnational issues, and also be agile in adapting to emerging threats and harnessing
opportunities. The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) sets out the following guiding
principles: responsive and incisive understanding of global threats and opportunities,
coupled with an agility that brings to bear the Community’s capabilities.
The 2009 NIS represents several advances in the Director of National Intelligence’s
(DNI) leadership of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the IC. It reflects a refined
understanding of the counterterrorism challenge and elevates the importance of
the challenges we face in the cyber domain and from counterintelligence threats. This
NIS also affirms priorities to focus IC plans and actions for the next four years, while
providing direction to guide development of future IC capabilities. The NIS highlights
areas that demand our attention, resources, and commitment. It also establishes the
basis for accountability, in conjunction with an implementation plan, to ensure that the
Community meets the goals of our strategy.
This document affirms the vital role that intelligence plays in our Nation’s security.
We will only succeed because of the extraordinary talent, courage, and patriotism of
our professionals.
Dennis C. Blair
Director of National Intelligence
The National
Intelligence Strategy
August 2009
Foreword
Twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down and eight years after the tragedy of September
11, 2001, the United States has emerged from the post-Cold War world and
post-9/11 world. We know the type of world we face, the nature of the threats, challenges,
and opportunities before us, and the role intelligence can play in supporting
policies that advance our national interests.
The United States faces a complex and rapidly shifting international security landscape.
Events at home and abroad move quickly, often in an interconnected fashion, driven by
the pace of technological change and international communications. National security
priorities adapt as rapidly as these events unfold. The Intelligence Community (IC) must
keep a steady focus on enduring challenges in and among nation-states and persistent
transnational issues, and also be agile in adapting to emerging threats and harnessing
opportunities. The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) sets out the following guiding
principles: responsive and incisive understanding of global threats and opportunities,
coupled with an agility that brings to bear the Community’s capabilities.
The 2009 NIS represents several advances in the Director of National Intelligence’s
(DNI) leadership of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the IC. It reflects a refined
understanding of the counterterrorism challenge and elevates the importance of
the challenges we face in the cyber domain and from counterintelligence threats. This
NIS also affirms priorities to focus IC plans and actions for the next four years, while
providing direction to guide development of future IC capabilities. The NIS highlights
areas that demand our attention, resources, and commitment. It also establishes the
basis for accountability, in conjunction with an implementation plan, to ensure that the
Community meets the goals of our strategy.
This document affirms the vital role that intelligence plays in our Nation’s security.
We will only succeed because of the extraordinary talent, courage, and patriotism of
our professionals.
Dennis C. Blair
Director of National Intelligence
VISION FOR THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYThe United States Intelligence Community must constantly strive for and
exhibit three characteristics essential to our effectiveness. The IC must be
integrated: a team making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. We
must also be agile: an enterprise with an adaptive, diverse, continually
learning, and mission-driven intelligence workforce that embraces innovation
and takes initiative. Moreover, the IC must exemplify America’s values:
operating under the rule of law, consistent with Americans’ expectations
for protection of privacy and civil liberties, respectful of human rights, and
in a manner that retains the trust of the American people.
THE STRATEGIC
ENVIRONMENTThe United States faces a complex and rapidly changing
national security environment in which nationstates,
highly capable non-state actors, and other
transnational forces will continue to compete with
and challenge U.S. national interests. Adversaries are
likely to use asymmetric means and technology (either
new or applied in a novel way) to counter U.S.
interests at home and abroad. There may be opportunities
for cooperative multilateral action to meet
these challenges.
A number of nation-states have the ability to
challenge U.S. interests in traditional (e.g., military
force and espionage) and emerging (e.g., cyber operations)
ways.
•
Iran poses an array of challenges to U.S. security
objectives in the Middle East and beyond
because of its nuclear and missile programs,
support of terrorism, and provision of lethal aid
to U.S. and Coalition adversaries.
• North Korea continues to threaten peace and
security in East Asia because of its sustained
pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities,
its transfer of these capabilities to third
parties, its erratic behavior, and its large conventional
military capability.
• China shares many interests with the United
States, but its increasing natural resource-focused
diplomacy and military modernization
are among the factors making it a complex
global challenge.
• Russia is a U.S. partner in important initiatives
such as securing fissile material and combating
nuclear terrorism, but it may continue to seek
avenues for reasserting power and influence in
ways that complicate U.S. interests.
There also may be opportunities for cooperation with
many nation-states, including those cited above, in
support of common interests that include promoting
rule of law, representative government, free and fair
trade, energy, and redress of troublesome transnational
issues.
Non-state and sub-state actors increasingly impact
our national security.
• Violent extremist groups are planning to
use terrorism—
including the possible use of
nuclear weapons or devices if they can acquire
them—to attack the United States. Working in
a number of regions, these groups aim to derail
the rule of law, erode societal order, attack U.S.
strategic partners, and otherwise challenge U.S.
interests worldwide.
• Insurgents are attempting to destabilize vulnerable
states in regions of strategic interest to the
United States.
• Transnational criminal organizations,
including
those that traffic drugs, (CIA comes to mind...) pose a threat to U.S.
interests by potentially penetrating and corrupting
strategically vital markets; destabilizing
certain nation-states;
( yes... like Iran ...) and providing weapons,
hard currency, and other support to insurgents
and violent criminal factions.
A number of transnational forces and trends—from
shifting global demographics to resource struggles—
present strategic challenges to U.S. interests, but also
provide new opportunities for U.S. global leadership.
• The global economic crisis could accelerate
and weaken U.S. security by fueling political
turbulence. In some developing economies, a
sustained slowdown could induce social and
political instability, while in others it could erode
support for market-oriented liberal democracy
and
create openings for authoritarianism.
(yes, we know your plan.... )• Failed states and ungoverned spaces offer terrorist
and criminal organizations safe haven and
possible access to weapons of mass destruction
(WMD), and may cause or exacerbate starvation,
genocide, and environmental degradation.
• Climate change and energy competition may
produce second-order effects for national security
as states anticipate the effects of global
warming (e.g., by contesting water resources in
regions with limited potable sources) and seek
to secure new energy sources, transport routes,
and territorial claims.
• Rapid technological change and dissemination
of information continue to alter social, economic,
and political forces, providing new means for
our adversaries and competitors to challenge
us, while also providing the United States with
new opportunities to preserve or gain competitive
advantages.
•
As the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak vividly illustrates,
the risk of pandemic disease presents
a persistent challenge to global health, commerce,
and economic well-being.(Such a handy pandemic to have right now... )GOALS AND OBJECTIVESThe Intelligence Community has four strategic goals.
In order to meet them, we must operate effectively
regardless of where the intelligence resides, with a
clear legal framework to guide us. The first two goals,
supported by six Mission Objectives (MOs), speak
to the missions we must accomplish. The third and
fourth goals, supported by seven Enterprise Objectives
(EOs), describe what we will achieve as an intelligence
enterprise to support our Mission Objectives.
• Enable wise national security policies by continuously
monitoring and assessing the international
security environment to warn policymakers
of threats and inform them of opportunities.
We will provide policymakers with strategic
intelligence that helps them understand countries,
regions, issues, and the potential outcomes
of their decisions. We will also provide
feedback to policymakers on the impact of
their decisions.
• Support effective national security action. The
IC will deliver actionable intelligence to support
diplomats, military units, interagency organizations
in the field, and domestic law enforcement
organizations at all levels. At times, we will be
directed by the President to carry out covert
activities that we will faithfully execute within
the bounds of U.S. law.
• Deliver balanced and improving capabilities
that leverage the diversity of the Community’s
unique competencies and evolve to support
new missions and operating concepts. We must
integrate Community capabilities to reap synergies
and efficiencies, continuously reassessing
and adjusting our portfolio so that we can prepare
for tomorrow’s challenges while
performing today’s missions.
• Operate as a single integrated team, employing
collaborative teams that leverage the full range
of IC capabilities to meet the requirements of
our users, from the President to deployed
military units.
Mission ObjectivesMO1: Combat Violent Extremism
MO2: Counter WMD Proliferation
MO3: Provide Strategic Intelligence and Warning
MO4: Integrate Counterintelligence
MO5: Enhance Cybersecurity
MO6: Support Current Operations
Enterprise ObjectivesEO1: Enhance Community
Mission ManagementEO2: Strengthen Partnerships
EO3: Streamline Business Processes
EO4: Improve Information Integration & Sharing
EO5: Advance S&T/R&D
EO6: Develop the Workforce
EO7: Improve Acquisition
Full Report is here: http://www.dni.gov/reports/2009_NIS.pdf