DNI's Strategic Plan Outlines New Missions

Counterintelligence, Cybersecurity Stressed

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Courtesy Of The Washington Post

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."