On October 24, the Pentagon issued an updated version of DoD Directive 5143.01 defining the role of the Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence), the Department’s principal intelligence advisor and manager of military intelligence programs.
The new directive is about 30% longer than the 2005 version that it replaces.
The differences between the two directives reflect changes in the global environment as well as in the intelligence mission, and in the role of the USD(I) in particular.
Cybersecurity. Insider threats. Unauthorized disclosures of classified information. Biometrics. None of these terms and none of these issues were even mentioned in the 2005 edition of the DoD intelligence directive.
But all of them and more are now part of the expanded portfolio of authorities and responsibilities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, who also serves as Director of Defense Intelligence and principal advisor to the DNI on defense intelligence matters.
Meanwhile, intelligence spending has been on a downward slope for the past few years, and the FY2015 request for the Military Intelligence Program was about $1.3 billion below the request for the previous year, which was $18.6 billion. (The FY2014 intelligence appropriations for national and military intelligence programs are due to be disclosed this week.)
“Intelligence is a major source of U.S. advantage. It informs wise policy and enables precision operations. It is our front line of defense. The challenges we face, however, are increasing and becoming more complex, and our resources are declining,” said Michael G. Vickers, the current USD(I), at an April 4 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.
“We have five defense intelligence operational priorities: countering terrorism, particularly countering the threat posed by al-Qaida; countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and associated delivery systems; countering the actions of repressive governments against their people, such as in Syria; countering state-on-state aggression; and countering cyberthreats,” he said then.
“To address the intelligence gaps that exist within these operational priority areas, we are focused on enhancing defense intelligence capabilities in five areas: enhancing global coverage; improving our ability to operate in anti-access/area denial, or A2AD, environments; sustaining counterterrorism and counterproliferation capabilities; continuing to develop our cyberoperations capabilities; and strengthening our counterintelligence capabilities and reforming our security clearance processes to minimize insider threats,” Mr. Vickers testified.
The position of Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence) was established by the defense authorization act for FY 2003 to improve management and coordination of defense intelligence programs. The office has previously been occupied by Stephen Cambone and James R. Clapper, Jr., the current DNI.
The new DoD directive authorizes the Under Secretary to “communicate with… members of the public… and non-governmental organizations.” However, “communications with representatives of the news media” are to be conducted through the Office of Public Affairs, the directive said.
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