Bush Approves New Counterintelligence Strategy

Quietly yesterday, President Bush approved sweeping new changes in counterintelligence operations that will both better coordinate public and private efforts as well as modernize intelligence to respond better to preventing devastating hacker attacks to government or private sector enterprises.

The latest report came from the office of the NCE. The National Counterintelligence Executive Agency which is headed by executive chairman, Joel F. Brenner was established in 2002 in response to some damaging spy actions which hurt the American intelligence community. It appears that both private as well as foreign intelligence agency computer hacking efforts arfe seen as a source of any future intelligence threats, where American security could be hurt by high tech hacking rather some spy infiltration. Hacking unfortunately gives foreign powers access to a wide array of military, economic or other important data and information and presents the most likely source of information loss in this modern age.

In previous years, agents who were covertly working as double agents for Russia, China or Cuba who infiltrated American security agencies were once the largest known threat. But now the computer age and high tech hacking efforts have replaced these older double agent threats.

Even the American business community faces substantial threats from hacking operations to extract trade or business secrets to advance foreign competition in many areas. American military contractors could be at substantial risk as hacking efforts could undermine U.S. defensive products and put American soldiers at risk.

Deeply disturbing is that even in conflicts like Iraq, adversaries find holes in U.S. defensive capabilities and exploit these with relatively low tech devices such as roadside bombs launched by garage door openers. As the U.S. military adapted to jamming devices to prevent such devices deadly effects, the insurgent forces continue to find new ways to adapt.

Both intelligence and military community efforts are a constant struggle to remain one step ahead of new threats, high tech or not that compromise these important agencies.

The American intelligence, military and business sector will always remain at risk and have to adapt to evolving threats as a covert "cat and mouse" struggle continues with many world adversaries.