Intelligence
Inside America’s next information war
Washington is paring back its defenses against influence operations, even as adversaries supercharge them with AI. Much of the fight is shifting to the private sector.
DHS intelligence office sent deferred resignation offers to shed staff in recent months
The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working to incrementally reduce the size of its workforce, following plans for mass cuts that faced severe pushback from stakeholders over the summer.
DOD would curtail long-term intelligence work during government shutdown
Routine spying activities conducted by NSA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and others would continue, but some forward-looking intelligence planning would be halted, a department document shows.
Exclusive
Suspected Chinese operation aims to recruit former feds with job postings, research shows
Researchers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies uncovered a network of likely fraudulent China-linked websites operating as far back as 2021. One has very recently tried to recruit former federal workers and policy experts.
Private letter warned cuts to DHS intel office would ‘create dangerous intelligence gaps’
The International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts said in a previously unreported missive that staffing cuts that were initially planned for DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis would “undermine” and “degrade” various intelligence-sharing functions.
DHS intelligence office halts staff cuts after stakeholder backlash
Pushback from law enforcement associations and Jewish orgs came after Nextgov/FCW first reported plans to shed most staff within a core DHS intelligence unit.
Reconciliation bill includes measure to help civilian intel analysts cover moving costs
The policy aims to ease the financial burden on non-military intelligence workers by aligning their moving expense tax benefits with those already afforded to military personnel.
Trump admin faces multi-front pushback on reported plans to cut most of DHS intel bureau
Jewish community and law enforcement organizations have asked the Trump administration’s top security chiefs to preserve the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis after Nextgov/FCW reported its plans to severely reduce its workforce.
Exclusive
DHS plans to shed most of its intel office workforce
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis plans to reduce hundreds of its staff, per people with knowledge of recent plans communicated to employees. It’s faced scrutiny over past domestic surveillance abuses.
Fresh evidence shows Iran’s nuclear program was ‘severely damaged,’ CIA director says
The claim follows reports of a DIA assessment that had determined the program was set back by only a few months.
US strikes didn’t fully wipe Iran nuclear program, early intel assessment says
A preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report says Iran’s nuclear program has only been set back by some months, undercutting public claims from the White House that the nation’s nuclear capabilities were obliterated after a bombing run over the weekend.
US spy chief wants intel community to get away from building its own tech
Speaking at the AWS Summit in D.C., Tulsi Gabbard pushed for industry to provide the U.S. spy community with tech tools, and said AI systems have already been helping analysts with major tasks like document declassification.
Featured eBooks
AWS launches second secret cloud region for defense, intel customers
The company intends to have the new region live by the end of the year.
Intelligence agency employee arrested for trying to share classified info with foreign government
Nathan Vilas Laatsch was allegedly disgruntled by the Trump administration and willing to share sensitive data with the foreign country. The FBI set up a dead drop operation to intercept the classified materials.
US spy chief fires heads of intelligence body that disputed Trump’s Venezuela gang claims
The National Intelligence Council assessment undercuts claims from President Donald Trump that Tren de Aragua is carrying out an “invasion” overseen by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
Intel agencies doubled use of US person-tied search terms under disputed spying power last year
The number of U.S. person-linked search terms used by spy agencies under Section 702 of FISA skyrocketed last year. But direct FBI queries of U.S. persons decreased as reforms came into place.
China is trying to recruit current and former feds, intelligence document warns
The notice is one of the first public acknowledgements from the U.S. intelligence community showing how adversaries are leveraging DOGE-led layoffs to target the government.
Intelligence officials remain defensive on Signal debate
House testimony followed release of full group-chat transcript — including attack times and weapons.
US spy chief probing classified chat rooms to pursue leakers
Tulsi Gabbard said recent examples of unauthorized leaks involve data about Iran, Israel, U.S.-Russia relations and activities in ODNI’s counterintelligence office.
Elon Musk paid a visit to NSA, Cyber Command amid DOGE-led overhauls
Musk’s trip to the signals intelligence office and combatant command is the first recorded instance of him visiting an intelligence agency since President Trump assumed office.
