On September 15, 2009, the Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair unveiled the 2009 ational Intelligence Strategy - the blueprint that will drive the priorities for the nation's 16 intelligence agencies over the next 4 years.

The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) is one of the most important documents for the Intelligence Community (IC) as it lays out the strategic environment, sets priorities and objectives, and guides current and future decisions on budgets, acquisitions, and operations.

“This strategy advances our original, founding directive to achieve an Intelligence Community that is integrated and collaborative. But it really goes much further than that. It reflects a more refined understanding of the threats we face and how we’ll combat them. In describing our objectives, it prescribes methods for achieving them that can only be carried out by an Intelligence Community that is agile, adaptive, and united. Most importantly, it recognizes that national security hinges on good intelligence and it provides me with the tools I need to monitor performance and ensure accountability,” Blair said.

It identifies four IC-wide goals to: enable wise national security policies, support national security actions, deliver top-notch capabilities, and operate as a team. Finally, it explains the IC’s objectives – what the IC intends to accomplish (6 mission objectives) and how the IC will accomplish them (enterprise objectives).

The 6 “mission objectives” are: 1) Combat Violent Extremism; 2) Counter WMD Proliferation; 3) Provide Strategic Intelligence and Warning; 4) Integrate Counterintelligence capabilities; 5) Enhance Cybersecurity; and 6) Support Current Operations (ongoing U.S. diplomatic, military, and law enforcement operations).

The 7 “enterprise objectives” are: 1) Enhance Community Mission Management; 2) Strengthen Partnerships; 3) Streamline Business Processes; 4) Improve Information Integration & Sharing; 5) Advance S&T/R&D; 6) Develop the Workforce; and 7) Improve Acquisition.

“Guided by the NIS, we will succeed by harnessing our skills, work ethic, courage, and creativity. I am confident that we will become an even more agile, adaptive, and united community. And, we will operate at all times under the rule of law, respectful of privacy, civil liberties, and human rights,” Blair concluded.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, now in its fourth year, oversees the coordination and integration of the16 federal organizations that make up the Intelligence Community. The DNI sets the priorities for and manages the implementation of the National Intelligence Program. Additionally, the DNI serves as the principal adviser to the president and the National Security Council on all intelligence issues related to national security.

Download 2009 National Intelligence Strategy

PDF format, 5.8MB.

VISION FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
The United States Intelligence Community must constantly strive for and exhibit three characteristics essential to our effectiveness. The IC must be integrated: a team making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

We must also be agile: an enterprise with an adaptive, diverse, continually learning, and mission-driven intelligence workforce that embraces innovation and takes initiative. Moreover, the IC must exemplify America’s values: operating under the rule of law, consistent with Americans’ expectations for protection of privacy and civil liberties, respectful of human rights, and in a manner that retains the trust of the American people.

FORWARD
Twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down and eight years after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the United States has emerged from the post-Cold War world and post-9/11 world. We know the type of world we face, the nature of the threats, challenges, and opportunities before us, and the role intelligence can play in supporting policies that advance our national interests.

The United States faces a complex and rapidly shifting international security landscape. Events at home and abroad move quickly, often in an interconnected fashion, driven by the pace of technological change and international communications. National security priorities adapt as rapidly as these events unfold.

The Intelligence Community (IC) must keep a steady focus on enduring challenges in and among nation-states and persistent transnational issues, and also be agile in adapting to emerging threats and harnessing opportunities. The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) sets out the following guiding principles: responsive and incisive understanding of global threats and opportunities, coupled with an agility that brings to bear the Community’s capabilities.

The 2009 NIS represents several advances in the Director of National Intelligence’s (DNI) leadership of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the IC. It reflects a refined understanding of the counterterrorism challenge and elevates the importance of the challenges we face in the cyber domain and from counterintelligence threats.

This NIS also affirms priorities to focus IC plans and actions for the next four years, while providing direction to guide development of future IC capabilities. The NIS highlights areas that demand our attention, resources, and commitment. It also establishes the basis for accountability, in conjunction with an implementation plan, to ensure that the Community meets the goals of our strategy.

This document affirms the vital role that intelligence plays in our Nation’s security. We will only succeed because of the extraordinary talent, courage, and patriotism of our professionals.

Dennis C. Blair
Director of National Intelligence

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment