A ruthless swarm of activity by rogue and hostile nation-states and their proxies has created a long, hot summer of headaches for Western intelligence agencies, and it鈥檚 only a little more than half over.
Since late June: A mysterious nuclear explosion has killed five scientists at a military base in Russia, more than 10 North Korean missiles have been launched and Iranian military forces both have shot down a U.S. military drone and have hijacked international oil tankers.
The incidents have brought the U.S. and its allies face to face with the reality that their adversaries are gaining on them 鈥� fast.
Not surprised by its surging adversaries, one U.S. intelligence official told 海角社区app: 鈥淲e have seen that our long-standing military advantage has been declining.
鈥淭he difference between us and the next group of countries has been shrinking as China and Russia have reorganized and ramped up their technological efforts in cyber, space, AI and robotics,鈥� the official said.
The news for the U.S. got worse on Tuesday after a report from an Australian think tank was released.
鈥淎merica no longer enjoys military primacy in the Indo-Pacific and its capacity to uphold a favorable balance of power is increasingly uncertain,鈥� said , at the University of Sydney.
Specifically, and ominously, the report said China鈥檚 鈥済rowing arsenal of accurate long-range missiles poses a major threat to almost all American, allied and partner bases, airstrips, ports and military installations in the Western Pacific. As these facilities could be rendered useless by precision strikes in the opening hours of a conflict, the [People鈥檚 Liberation Army] missile threat challenges America鈥檚 ability to freely operate its forces from forward locations throughout the region.鈥�
The report also highlighted the need to quickly and methodically inject resources 鈥� both human and financial 鈥� into a program to sustain and maintain robust, reliable intelligence capabilities, as China seeks to ascend to superpower status. Its self-stated goal is to replace the U.S. as the global leader in most every military, economic and technological category by 2025.
U.S. and Canadian intelligence agencies told 海角社区app that they are taking new steps to attract the talent and resources necessary to confront the challenge.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in a statement: 鈥淭hese enhanced efforts to recruit diverse, technology minded professionals began during Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart鈥檚 tenure (2015-17) as DIA realized the need for different skills in the data-driven world being created before our eyes.鈥�
According to the statement, the current DIA Director, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, 鈥渉as sharpened the agency鈥檚 focus on this effort, making recruiting and work force development the number one strategic priority for DIA.鈥�
DIA said as well that it鈥檚 鈥渢aking extra steps to expand our ability to reach into and hire from populations with which we鈥檝e previously been unable to communicate.
鈥淲e鈥檙e finding talent in areas of the country, and in a wider variety of educational disciplines, from which we鈥檝e never before recruited.鈥�
All of the intelligence agencies 海角社区app contacted said that there is an urgent need for a larger global presence outside of their borders.
In an April speech at Auburn University, CIA Director Gina Haspel said they鈥檙e sending more people into the field. 鈥淣ot only case officers,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut analysts, technical experts and others.
鈥淚t all comes down to this: If you have a bigger footprint overseas, you can get more done where it really counts.鈥�
The CIA is making a strong pitch, and Americans are biting, Haspel said.
鈥淥ur mission demands that we draw deeply from our nation鈥檚 rich and diverse talent pool. We just had our best recruiting year in a decade, and we鈥檒l do whatever it takes to make the agency an employer of choice for all Americans,鈥� Haspel said.
The CIA declined to elaborate on its recruitment numbers.
The National Security Agency, well-known for its technology, said in a statement that 鈥減eople are our most valuable asset.鈥�
Partnerships with academia, industry and government agencies are vital to developing the talent and tools the NSA needs.
鈥淭hrough sponsoring programs like the National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE), NSA is committed to expanding the pipeline of STEM and cyber talent for the intelligence community and the nation,鈥� it said.
鈥淐AE-designated colleges and universities,鈥� it added, 鈥渕eet rigorous requirements for cyber curriculum and caliber of faculty, and they are committed to cyber education outreach in their communities and developing the profession.鈥�
The move to locate, educate and move more personnel abroad is not limited to U.S. intelligence agencies. The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) told 海角社区app they鈥檝e realized it was time for a bold move.
鈥淲orldwide incidents of terrorism, espionage, weapons proliferation, illegal migration, cyber-attacks and other acts targeting Canadians 鈥� directly or indirectly 鈥� remain ever present,鈥� said CSIS spokeswoman Tahera Mufti.
鈥淪ince the bulk of such threats originate from, or have a nexus to, regions beyond Canada鈥檚 borders, CSIS needs to be prepared and equipped to investigate the threat anywhere,鈥� Mufti said.
Alluding to modern intelligence gathering techniques, Mufti said: 鈥淕one are the days of people in beige trench coats. Diversity in background, diversity in professional experience, willingness to learn and a curious mind are the most important attributes in prospective candidates.鈥�
CSIS, she said, has added a new element to its proactive recruiting model, 鈥渂y including on-site interviews giving hiring managers valuable face-to-face time with potential applicants and, in turn, providing future hires with the opportunity to ask questions in person.鈥�
In 2018, CSIS said, it received more than 40,000 r茅sum茅s from interested individuals 鈥� demonstrating that it is an employer of choice for Canadians.
Back in the states, DIA said its mission is to provide intelligence on foreign militaries and the operational environment to prevent and, if necessary, win wars. But 鈥渃urrent databases that contain this information 鈥� the sum total of what the nation knows about adversaries鈥� capabilities, tactics and military doctrine 鈥� are now insufficient,鈥� it said in its statement.
Recognizing that data is 鈥減roliferating at the speed of light,鈥� DIA must 鈥渂uild a system capable of ingesting and managing large volumes of it, and making it available to both humans and machines.鈥�
And to do that, the agency needs 鈥渁 technology-savvy, diverse workforce with experience not only in analysis, but with an understanding of data science as well to parse the ever-expanding amount of data to keep ahead of rapidly modernizing foreign military forces who [aim] to become as capable as we are today,鈥� it said.
海角社区app spoke with other Western intelligence agencies, which declined to supply on-the-record comments. But they, like those who did speak on the record, said that technology is boosting the capabilities of adversarial and rogue intelligence actors, and that the alliance of Western agencies provides an advantage that has to be protected.
