Global Security Newswire

Preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery technology remains a key objective of the U.S. intelligence community, according to a strategy document issued yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 13).

The 2009 National Intelligence Strategy is intended to set priorities for the 16 U.S. intelligence services for the coming four years. It "lays out the strategic environment, sets priorities and objectives, and guides current and future decisions on budgets, acquisitions, and operations," according to a press release from the office of National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair.

Top officials at the agencies spent months preparing and reviewing the document, which was also submitted to the National Security Council and discussed with lawmakers, Blair told reporters yesterday.

The strategy comes ahead of "other important, similar administration documents like a national security strategy, which will be published in due course," he said. "But we felt it was important to write down this blueprint and road map of what we do, and it’s fully consistent with the emerging principles of national security, which this administration is developing at the same time that it deals with these many pressing problems that it inherited and that have come up in this eight months since we’ve been in office."

The document lists six "mission objectives," including deterring WMD proliferation.

"The intelligence community must support five enduring policy objectives for countering the proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery: dissuade, prevent, roll back, deter, and manage consequences," it says.

"The [intelligence community] will work with partners inside and outside the U.S. government to improve capabilities needed to support action across all five WMD objectives."

Agencies hope to strengthen their capabilities in a number of nonproliferation areas, the strategy indicates. These include:

-- Finding "opportunities and levers" that can be used to dissuade governments and nonstate actors from seeking unconventional weapons, or to eliminate activities of "serious concern";

-- Increasingly supporting efforts by the U.S. government to keep WMD materials, technology, expertise and funding from spreading;

-- Boosting the ability to identify and undermine "adversaries’ WMD plans, intentions, and doctrines"; and

-- Helping the federal government prepare for a WMD attack through better understanding of enemies' capabilities, development of countermeasures, and increased ability to determine the source of a weapon used against the United States or its allies.

The other mission objectives listed in the report are combating violent extremism, providing strategic intelligence and warning, integrating counterintelligence capabilities, boosting cybersecurity, and aiding existing diplomatic, military and law enforcement operations.

The report also addresses a number of threats to U.S. security or areas of concern, including the nuclear and missile programs of Iran and North Korea, insurgents and terrorists.

"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," the report 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."

The document issued yesterday is meant to help U.S. intelligence agencies meet those challenges.

"The National Intelligence Strategy presents a way ahead for the intelligence community to focus on the missions the nation requires, enhance the enterprise’s agility, and improve understanding and support to our users. We must now translate this strategy into initiatives, plans, and capabilities" (Chris Schneidmiller, Global Security Newswire, Sept. 16).