Counterintelligence plan addresses evolving threats

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) recently released a plan outlining counterintelligence approaches to threats that have evolved significantly since the last report in 2016.

The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America 2020-2022 lists five strategic objectives: protecting critical infrastructure from foreign intelligence entities seeking to exploit or disrupt national critical functions; reducing threats to key U.S. supply chains to prevent foreign attempts to compromise products and services purchased and integrated into the U.S. government, the defence industry, and the private sector; countering the exploitation of the U.S. economy; defending American democracy against foreign influence threats; and countering foreign intelligence cyber and technical operations that are harmful to U.S. interests.

“Today’s strategy represents a paradigm shift in addressing foreign intelligence threats as a nation,” NCSC Director William Evanina said. “While past counterintelligence strategies categorized the threat by our top foreign nation-state adversaries, this one focuses on five key areas where foreign intelligence entities are hitting us hardest and where we need to devote greater attention – critical infrastructure, key U.S. supply chains, the U.S. economy, American democratic institutions, and cyber and technical operations.”

The plan lists three trends in the counterintelligence threat landscape and admits the U.S. government cannot address these challenges alone.