Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive

The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCE) was approved March 1, 2005, by President George W. Bush. Both the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive and the National Counterintelligence Board (NCIB) were created January 5, 2001, via the Presidential Decision Directive on CI-21: Counterintelligence for the 21st Century by President Bill Clinton. The two new counterintelligence entities were charged with "identifying, understanding, prioritizing and counteracting the intelligence threats faced by the United States in the 21st Century."

Michelle Van Cleave, the National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX) -- an office created under the provisions of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 -- "serves as the head of national counterintelligence for the US Government, subject to the direction and control of the President." The NCIX also chairs the National Counterintelligence Policy Board.

"The functions previously exercised by the National Counterintelligence Center (NACIC) have been assumed by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX)."

March 5, 2005, David Morgan reported on the new strategy, produced by Van Cleave's office "with input from the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon and other agencies, ... will oversee the plan."


 * The plan "marks a departure from a long-standing counterintelligence practice of waiting for foreign-sponsored agents to act against intelligence and law enforcement agencies."


 * "The Bush administration has adopted a new counterintelligence strategy that calls for pre-emptive action against foreign intelligence services viewed as threats to U.S. national security, officials said on Saturday.


 * "The first national U.S. counterintelligence strategy, which President Bush approved on March 1, aims to combat intelligence services from countries hungry for U.S. military and nuclear secrets, such as China and Iran, both at home and abroad, counterintelligence officials said.


 * "Officials at a counterintelligence conference at Texas A&M University described the strategy as an extension of the post-Sept. 11 foreign policy initiative known as the Bush doctrine, which calls for pre-emptive action against nations and extremist groups perceived as threats to the United States.


 * "The strategy is due to be released to the public as an unclassified document in coming days.


 * "Officials said the plan aims to protect U.S. intelligence and information systems from foreign agents including al Qaeda by integrating counterintelligence through a recently formed agency called the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive.


 * "Counterintelligence efforts are currently dispersed across the 15 agencies that make up the intelligence community."


 * "John Quattrocki, a senior U.S. counterintelligence official, ... declined to identify countries seen as potential targets. But other officials cited China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Libya as nations that have tried to collect U.S. secrets through means including cyber espionage."

Leadership

 * Michelle Van Cleave, National Counterintelligence Executive
 * Kenneth deGraffenreid, Deputy National Counterintelligence Executive

Contact
Crystal Square 5, Room 301 Washington, DC 20505 Telephone: (703) 682-4500 Fax: (703) 682-4510 URL: http://www.ncix.gov/

SourceWatch Resources

 * Advanced Research and Development Activity
 * Bureau of Intelligence and Research
 * Bush administration homeland security
 * cybercrime
 * cyber threat
 * Department of Homeland Security
 * ECHELON
 * Freedom of Information Act
 * globalization
 * homeland security
 * internet surveillance
 * MK-ULTRA
 * National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
 * National Intelligence Estimate
 * National Security State
 * National Security Strategy
 * Patriot Act I
 * Patriot Act II
 * political spying
 * preemptive war
 * psyops
 * Sibel Edmonds
 * surveillance