Director of National Intelligence James Clapper outlines “litany of doom” in U. S. Intelligence Community’s annual worldwide threat assessment on Capitol Hill
Story and photos by Brian Murphy
Threat briefings from the U.S. Intelligence Community are in the news these days. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper spoke recently about how the IC will begin meeting with Presidential nominees during his appearance at the Christian Science Monitor Breakfast (see video). These briefings, modeled on those coordinated by the ODNI for the President, are only one way that the IC keeps our leaders apprised of potential threats to our national security. As a part of the IC’s annual assessment of worldwide threats, Director Clapper and other Intelligence Community leaders also brief Members of Congress and take questions in open session, outlining the broad array of threats to U.S. interests worldwide — in DNI Clapper’s words, a “litany of doom.”
On Feb. 9, DNI Clapper approached the witness table on Capitol Hill flanked by the top leaders of the Intelligence Community to deliver information critical to protecting the United States. The series of worldwide threat assessment hearings were likely Director Clapper’s last before his self-announced retirement at the end of this administration. The briefings laid out the myriad threats facing the U.S. The details of this “litany of doom,” as the director referred to it, resonated throughout the hearing rooms and across the country.
Director Clapper provided this year’s first unclassified testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he described the current state of intelligence and national security issues facing the United States. Director Clapper began his opening statement by characterizing the “unpredictable instability” of the global environment as a “new normal.”
As the hearing began, Director Clapper was thanked by many members of Congress for his leadership and long service in the Intelligence Community. Committee chairman, Sen. John McCain, took a moment to recognize Director Clapper’s service.
“I’d like to thank Director Clapper for over five decades of service to protecting our country.”
- Senator John McCain
“I’d like to welcome back Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, General Vincent Stewart. As this is likely his final appearance before this committee at our annual worldwide threats hearing, I’d like to thank Director Clapper for over five decades of service to protecting our country,” McCain said.
“Director Clapper, in particular, we thank you for leading the men and women who strive every day to collect and analyze the information that helps keep America strong,” McCain continued. “I thank you for being with us today, and I’ve had the honor of knowing you for a long time and I know of no individual who has served this nation with more distinction and honor, and we’re grateful for your service and we know that that service will continue in the years to come.”
During the afternoon session with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Feb. 9, Clapper’s service to the nation was once again recognized.
“Your capable stewardship of the community has driven it to be a more integrated and capable organization than at any time in history.”
- Senator Dianne Feinstein
“I want to open my comments by recognizing the significant contributions made by you, Director Clapper, as the leader of this community,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, SSCI vice chairman. “You’re the longest-serving director of national intelligence to date. And I think both the chairman and I remember when the DNI was developed and put into effect.”
“Your capable stewardship of the community has driven it to be a more integrated and capable organization than at any time in history,” Feinstein added. “So I want to personally thank you for the contributions you have made to this country’s security.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, also made the point of recognizing Clapper and the efforts of the Intelligence Community, in general.
“I want to start by thanking our panelists for being here and for the continued excellent work that their respective agencies do every day in providing world-class strategic analysis and in keeping our country safe in a world of growing and complex threats that Director Clapper so eloquently laid out twice today,” Heinrich said.
“The work done by your agencies is critical and I want to thank the men and women of those agencies who continue to do excellent work.”
- Senator Martin Heinrich
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is charged with the oversight of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which includes the intelligence and intelligence related activities of 17 elements of the U.S. government, and the Military Intelligence Program.
When Director Clapper presented the worldwide threat assessment before the HPSCI on Feb. 25, the country’s top intelligence official once again referred to the numerous threats facing the United States as a “litany of doom.”
The DNI said during his testimony, the U.S. is facing the most-diverse global threat environment — ranging from violent extremists to infectious diseases to cyber criminals — he has seen during his 55 years of government service.
He went on to highlight the geographic dispersal of violent extremism, regional political instability and the growing refugee crisis particularly in Europe. In addition, the IC’s assessment points to environmental challenges such as climate change, technological innovation resulting in growing cyber threats, and increasingly assertive adversaries as contributing factors to the erosion of global stability.
Many of these sentiments echo Director Clapper’s remarks the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, when the director addressed topics such as weapons of mass destruction and drug trafficking, as well as some less expected areas.
“I want to briefly comment on both technology and cyber specifically. Technological innovation during the next few years will have an even more significant impact on our way of life. This innovation is central to our economic prosperity, but it will bring new security vulnerabilities,” he said. “The Internet of things will connect tens of billions of new physical devices that could be exploited. Artificial intelligence will enable computers to make autonomous decisions about data and physical systems and potentially disrupt labor markets.”
“I always appreciate the opportunity to talk about the incredible work being done by the women and men of the IC.”
- DNI Clapper
Reflecting on what was likely the final annual worldwide threat assessment of his career, Clapper said, “Although televised Congressional testimony — trying to answer questions fully and at the same time protect intelligence tradecraft from our adversaries, who also tune in to watch — has not been the easiest part of this job, I always appreciate the opportunity to talk about the incredible work being done by the women and men of the IC. And at the same time, the public discussions of the past few years have taught me that, while we have to protect our sources and methods, we also need to be transparent with the American people about the things we can talk about. Open hearings are an opportunity to do just that. I do have to add, it will be a lot easier watching next year’s worldwide threat briefings on C-SPAN as a regular citizen while wishing my successor well.”
THE WORLDWIDE THREAT ASSESSMENT
Following Director Clapper’s threat briefings on Capitol Hill, his opening remarks and Statement for the Record were made available on the ODNI’s official website. The ODNI also prepared a detailed summary of the 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which you can read below. Click the cover image to begin:
