Intel Chief Tulsi Gabbard Will Ax a Cyberthreat Sharing Hub, Citing Redundancy
A Trump administration plan to dismantle a cyberthreat intelligence hub could undercut efforts to prevent the next major cyberattack on U.S. critical infrastructure, warn analysts.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently announced workforce cuts to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence – a restructuring she called “ODNI 2.0” – that would slash more than 40% of its staff and eliminate divisions including the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center.
Established in 2015, the center has been as a clearinghouse for cyberthreat analysis using
intel from across classified agencies. An ODNI fact sheet describes the center as “redundant,” citing “numerous entities” within the executive branch already handling cyber coordination. It projects $10 million in annual taxpayer savings from its elimination.
Experts told Information Security Media Group the center is essential for integrating cyberthreat data from agencies including the National Security Agency, CIA, FBI and the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. They warned that losing the center risks a return to pre-2015 conditions – when the Office of Personnel Management breach exposed coordination gaps and prompted the Obama administration to launch the integration center in a bid to end fragmentation across the intelligence community.
Gabbard’s plan would shift the center into the National Intelligence Council – a move that could streamline information sharing by cutting down the number of involved entities. But analysts warned the council lacks the operational structure to manage threat coordination.
“Obviously, there is a danger that consolidation will just mean cuts without a refocusing of effort,” said Gary Barlet, a former federal chief information officer and public sector chief technology officer for cybersecurity firm Illumio. “If roles and responsibilities aren’t redefined, there is a high chance of critical functions being dropped.”
The National Intelligence Council focuses on long-term intelligence assessments rather than fusing intelligence, said Michael Daniel, president of the Cyber Threat Alliance and a former White House cyber coordinator who helped establish the ODNI cyberthreat center. It “serves an entirely different purpose,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“The NIC’s function is to look at long-term trends, not coordinate day-to-day intelligence reporting,” Daniel said. “This action continues the trend of weakening US government cyber capabilities and reducing its ability to understand what is happening in cyberspace.”
Trump administration cuts to cybersecurity funding across multiple federal agencies throws into doubt whether the center’s functions can be taken up elsewhere. “None of this is happening in a vacuum,” said a former intelligence analyst for ODNI who requested anonymity.
The Trump administration has reportedly already eliminated a quarter of ODNI staff while other cyber teams like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have seen one-third cuts since January. “Eventually there just won’t be any bodies left to do the work,” the former official said.