Tulsi Gabard, director of National Intelligence, is surrounded by about 40% of his office staff – the latest head Trump change Slated for intelligence agency.
The office of National Intelligence, or Odney Director, is planning to cut their headcon to about 1,300 employees, below 2,000 in February and below 1,500 in mid -August, according to a senior official.
ODNI cuts are expected to save about $ 700 million annually, estimated to Gabbard’s office statementTotal budget for all American intelligence agencies More than $ 100 billion Last year.
Gabbard said that the Odney “has become bloated and disable, and the intelligence community prevails with the misuse of power.”
One in Fact sheet On changes – “Odney 2.0” dubbed – The agency said that many departments argued that they were meaningless, they would be rebuilt. These include National Flagism and Bio Safety Centers, which monitor the weapons of collective destruction; The foreign fatal impact center, which describes its mission as “reducing the dangers for democracy”; And the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, which handles cyber security.
The agency plans to close the National Intelligence University, merging with the National Defense University of Pentagon. And this would shut down the external research council and strategic futures groups, which Odney made biased allegations.
ODNI was created on 11 September 2001 in response to terrorist attacks, the investigators say that was before one lack of communication Between American intelligence agencies. Its duties include overseeing dozens of agencies that form intelligence communities and advise the President on intelligence matters. After the installation of Odney about 20 years ago, some members of both sides have Supported change To the agency.
Arkansas’s Republican Sen Tom Cotton, who presided over the Senate Intelligence Committee, welcomed the reorganization plans of Gabard. Earlier this year, cotton A bill introduced This will cap number the number of full -time ODNI employees at 650.
Cotton said in a statement, “Congress made ODNI a lean organization, which used small employees to coordinate and execute specific, important tasks in the intelligence community. Today’s announcement is an important step towards ODNI to return to that original size, scope and mission.”
At the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen Mark Warner of the top Democrat, Virginia criticized Gabbard’s footsteps in a statement. He pointed to the “comprehensive, bipartisan agreement that the director of the Director of National Intelligence needs a thoughtful improvement.”
Warner said, “But in view of the track record of director Gabbard, the track record of intelligence – with his decisions yesterday to cancel the security approval from the National Security Officers of Career – I have no confidence that he is the right person to fulfill this weighty responsibility.” Announcement canceled on Tuesday Security approval for dozens of current and former government officials, accusing them of “politicization or weapons of intelligence”.
Since she was Confirmed In February, as the leader of the Odney, what Gabard has seen as the politicization of intelligence to portray pushbacks from Democratic critics. In some cases, that is Rules the year -old political battle In the 2016 election, Russian intervention, releasing documents, that he questions the government’s findings, which Russia tried to promote President Trump’s campaign.
Last month, He arrested documents dating back in 2016 And accused the Obama administration officials of being engaged in “years of coup” against Mr. Trump-suggesting that there may be “criminal implications”.
A spokesperson of former President Barack Obama called the allegations “bizarre” and “ridiculous”. And Democratic MPs have condemned the release of the document, casting them as a distraction and warning, they can put an intelligence sources at risk.
