United States Intelligence Community, IC

The Intelligence Community (RS USA) was established by Government Order No. 12333, signed on December 4, 1981 by US President Ronald Reagan.

The day-to-day management of the civilian intelligence services and (partially) the intelligence services of the US Defense Ministry since 2005 has been carried out by the CIA director directly subordinate to the director of the US intelligence community (adviser to the president for intelligence).

The US intelligence community has about 16 specialized agencies and departments. Among these structures are:

• CIA,
• Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Defense (RUMO),
• intelligence of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army (ground forces),
• National Security Agency (NSA),
• FBI,
• intelligence departments of the State Department, Ministries of National Security, power and Finance.

Financing

The total budget of the US intelligence community has reached one of the lowest rates in five years, according to data released by the authorities.

In the 2014 fiscal year, intelligence funding amounted to $67.9 billion, which is 15% less than in 2010. In 2013, this figure amounted to $67.6 billion, however, speaking in general, funding has been declining since 2010.

Of the total amount allocated in fiscal 2014, $50.5 billion was allocated for the implementation of the national intelligence program, that is, the CIA and other structures. Another $17.4 billion was allocated to the military departments of the US intelligence community.

According to experts, the reduction is primarily due to the end of large-scale hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, which was the cost of a significant amount of funds. However, the Pentagon's plans for Syria could again lead to a budget increase.

US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, in turn, has a negative attitude towards the policy of reducing funding.

"We as a country, in my professional opinion, face more serious risks today than three years ago or even a year ago," he stressed^[1]

History

2023

US government buys huge amounts of American personal data

In late June 2023, it became known that a declassified report for the first time confirmed that US federal agencies were secretly acquiring a huge amount of commercial information about Americans.

A declassified report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) clearly confirms that the American government has access to all information - data from connected cars, information about browsing the web and smartphones. The ODNI report, prepared in January 2022 and released in June 2023 at the request of Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, said the data the US government acquires only provides intelligence value. But they also raise significant issues related to privacy and civil liberties.

US secretly acquires huge amount of commercial information about Americans

According to Cybernews, the declassified report is the first public disclosure that the US authorities use commercially available information (CAI) received from devices connected to the Internet and provided by data brokers for purchase. ODNI argues that if the US government can buy data, then opponents of America and hostile countries can do so. Of course, in theory, your elected officials can also use this information against citizens and give up legitimate opportunities to collect information, such as search warrants or wiretaps.

While the CAI itself can be "anonymized," it is often possible (using other CAIs) to de-anonymize and identify individuals, including American citizens, the report said. Information can be misused to penetrate privacy, destroy reputation, cause emotional distress, and threaten people's safety. Even with appropriate controls, the CAI can increase the government's ability to penetrate privacy to a level that can exceed civil constitutional traditions.

In the United States, as of June 2023, there is no data privacy or protection law governing the exchange or sale of private data of Americans. According to Senator Wyden, it is obvious that there is a lack of oversight over how this data is obtained and used. Of course, the ODNI report is not a final decision on this issue. If a lawsuit is filed against the US government in federal court, the theory that US intelligence agencies acquire and use private data of citizens is likely to be carefully studied.

The US Director of National Intelligence at the end of 2022 confirmed that the United States government is buying up a huge amount of private data from Americans. The fact that there are practically no fences around how the government collects this information should concern everyone who uses a smartphone or computer.^[2]

US intelligence almost uncontrollably monitors the daily activities of people around the world

In June 2023, it became known that the American intelligence community is taking advantage of the massive growth of commercial information and intelligence services around the world to obtain financial, telecommunications, labor and other data on persons around the world.

The acquisition and receipt of this information is carried out with few restrictions and weak coordination between the 18 agencies that are part of the intelligence community, according to a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released on June 12, 2023.

American intelligence community takes advantage of massive growth in commercial information and intelligence services around the world

The report, compiled and released in part at the urging of Senator Ron Wyden, said only a handful of intelligence agencies had internal best practices for collecting commercial data from suppliers. The report recommends that the intelligence community develop and adopt common methods to reduce the risks of collecting American personal data that would otherwise require a warrant to obtain.

The report said the boom in commercial data sourced from a variety of sources, such as mobile apps, retailer loyalty programs, real estate data, employment data and more, is a boon to the collection of open-source intelligence, and U.S. national intelligence has no intention of reducing acquisition of such data anytime soon.

As noted by FCW, among the important issues are how to prevent the de-anonymization of data and how to filter information about people within the United States from those outside them. Specific recommendations include developing a tiered process to catalog the types of commercial data acquired by intelligence agencies by examining contracts, obtaining data, and using it by agencies. FCW reports that as soon as the scale of use is understood, it will be possible to create standards for obtaining and using such data that will be adapted for different elements of the community in accordance with their different needs and tasks. As part of that effort, the report said, the U.S. Office of National Intelligence should develop more accurate guidance on identifying and protecting sensitive zones that relate to privacy and civil liberties issues.

At the same time, FCW journalists see the problem not in the scale of surveillance of the United States special services for people around the world, but in the fact that the Americans themselves can become the target of intelligence officers.^[3]

US uses radio intelligence tools to spy on allies

USA use radio intelligence tools to spy on allies. This in April 2023 became known from secret documents Pentagon that were at the disposal. CNN

According to the channel, Washington uses intelligence obtained using electronic signals and systems used by "foreign targets," including communication systems, weapons and radars. The United States thus controls the steps of the President of Ukraine, receives data on the readiness of allies, for example, South Korea and Bulgaria, to supply ammunition and equipment to Ukraine. The work of the Israeli special services is being monitored, journalists told CNN.

US Department of Defense Building

South Korea's presidential administration said it was exploring ways to respond to alleged wiretapping of its officials by U.S. intelligence by April 2023. With the leak, Ukraine has already changed some of its military plans, a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN. Diplomats of some countries, whose data also leaked to the Network, told CNN that this is unpleasant for them and very harmful to the reputation of the United States.

The Pentagon launched an investigation into the first leak on April 7, 2023. The Washington Post reports a commotion in the US military, which indicates the authenticity of the documents. The US Department of Justice is also conducting its investigation.

As noted by The New York Times, the leak complicated relations between the United States and its allied countries, since Washington "spies not only on Russia, but also on its allies." Employees of American departments related to national security fear that the number of files that have been shared may turn out to be even more, and are hastily looking for the source of the leak.

Retired senior British military intelligence officer Philip Ingram said in an interview with the British The Telegraph that the leak is "very significant" and speaks of "misses at the highest levels in the field of classified information."^[4]

See also

• United States of America (USA)

Notes