Skip to main content

Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The Director of National Intelligence has indicated that the agency is aiming to cut nearly half of its workforce.

Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was established in 2004 in response to the intelligence failures leading up to the 9/11 attacks. Created by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, the ODNI was designed to coordinate and oversee the 18 agencies that make up the US intelligence community. The goal of ODNI is to ensure better communication, information-sharing, and strategic alignment across all agencies. Supporters argue that ODNI plays a vital role in preventing intelligence silos, improving national security oversight, and producing comprehensive assessments for policymakers and the President. Critics argue that ODNI has become redundant, often doing functions already handled by existing agencies and straying away from it’s original purpose.    

Tulsi Gabbard Dni

In a notable development, DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard unveiled a major restructuring plan (dubbed “ODNI 2.0”) that will take an axe to ODNI’s workforce and seek to reduce the number of employees from roughly 2,000 to around 1,300 (a 40% cut). According to an official ODNI fact sheet, the initiative is intended to eliminate redundancy, reduce politicization, and return the agency to its core coordination and oversight mission. The cuts will eliminate or consolidate some key offices, including those established to address modern threats but deemed duplicative or misaligned with ODNI’s core purpose.

Specifically, the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC) will be dissolved, with its responsibilities absorbed by the National Intelligence Council and National Counterintelligence and Security Center. The Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, which previously coordinated cyber threat information across agencies, will also be shut down due to overlapping functions with the White House and other intelligence offices. Additionally, the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, established to monitor weapons of mass destruction and biological threats, will be eliminated under the rationale that health-related threats no longer fall within ODNI’s purview post-COVID.

ODNI estimates that these reforms will save $700 million annually, with long-term plans to cut $1.3 billion in total intelligence community costs across all 18 agencies.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Keep up to date with our latest videos, news and content