I thought that's what we've doing all along?
Or did the Clintonistas dismantled Counter Intel too?
THE PINGPosted on 03/07/2005 12:51:05 PM PST by anonymoussierra
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Reuters) - The Bush administration has adopted a new counterintelligence strategy that calls for pre-emptive action against foreign intelligence services viewed as threats to U.S. national security, officials said on Saturday.
The first national U.S. counterintelligence strategy, which President Bush (news - web sites) approved on March 1, aims to combat intelligence services from countries hungry for U.S. military and nuclear secrets, such as China and Iran (news - web sites), both at home and abroad, counterintelligence officials said.
Officials at a counterintelligence conference at Texas A&M University described the strategy as an extension of the post-Sept. 11 foreign policy initiative known as the Bush doctrine, which calls for pre-emptive action against nations and extremist groups perceived as threats to the United States.
"The United States has become the No. 1 target for the intelligence collection of other nations," said John Quattrocki, a private contractor who serves as executive officer in the government's counterintelligence agency.
"What we'd like to do with the counterintelligence program is what we've done with counterterrorism, which is take the fight to other guy's back yard and exploit and interdict where we can, and at home, interdict where we must."
The strategy is due to be released to the public as an unclassified document in coming days.
Officials said the plan aims to protect U.S. intelligence and information systems from foreign agents including al Qaeda by integrating counterintelligence through a recently formed agency called the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive.
Counterintelligence efforts are currently dispersed across the 15 agencies that make up the intelligence community.
"We have a great deal of bilateral cooperation between agencies. But we need strategically orchestrated operations directed against prioritized foreign intelligence threats," said National Counterintelligence Executive Michelle Van Cleave, who will oversee the plan.
REVITALIZE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
Former intelligence officials described the strategy as an attempt to revitalize counterintelligence after years of neglect and demoralization following notorious espionage cases including CIA (news - web sites) agent Aldrich Ames and FBI (news - web sites) agent Robert Hanssen (news - web sites), who were both caught spying for the former Soviet Union.
"Today we are at war and the potential harm to this country from intelligence losses is far more immediate," said Van Cleave.
The strategy marks a departure from a long-standing counterintelligence practice of waiting for foreign-sponsored agents to act against intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
"Instead of being willing to take a punch and be damaged, we in fact take the skills of counterintelligence and ... impose damage on other intelligence services," explained Quattrocki, a top aide to Van Cleave.
He declined to identify countries seen as potential targets. But other officials cited China, Russia, Iran, North Korea (news - web sites), Cuba and Libya as nations that have tried to collect U.S. secrets through means including cyber espionage.
Van Cleave's office produced the new strategy with input from the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon (news - web sites) and other agencies.
A former top intelligence official said the strategy offered an opportunity to establish a much-needed cadre of officers to carry out investigations across the intelligence community.
Much of the implementation will depend on priorities set by John Negroponte, Bush's nominee for director of national intelligence.
America Information news Ping Thank you
"The strategy is due to be released to the public as an unclassified document in coming days."What is this!!!Why?Thank you
Of course, W will continue to do nothing about the Mexican agents. None of the Mexican agents is very bright but there are several million of them!
"Where is the Bulgarian umbrella Guy when needed??"I do not know
bump!
bump / ping!
Thank you"MeekOneGOP"
THE PINGThanks Meek!
Thanks for the ping!
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