Senate legislation takes on Salt Typhoon, rearrangement of Office of Director of National Intelligence
In a bid to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the broader intelligence community, Senator Tom Cotton has introduced the Intelligence Community Efficiency and Effectiveness Act. This landmark legislation aims to streamline operations, refocus missions, and strengthen oversight in response to evolving national security threats.
Key provisions of the Act include a significant reduction of ODNI's full-time staff to 650, down from the current 1,600, with the objective of cutting redundancy and streamlining operations [3]. The Act also seeks to return ODNI to its original core mission by dismantling certain major components deemed less essential and sharpening oversight on the intelligence community’s primary responsibilities [3].
The Act further proposes improvements in accountability across different intelligence agencies, requiring estimates and plans related to compliance with community directives like ICD 705 to be submitted to congressional intelligence committees [1].
In addition to streamlining ODNI, the legislation enhances cybersecurity, establishes restrictions on foreign diplomats' activities, strengthens counter-intelligence efforts, and boosts the Intelligence Community's capabilities in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology [2].
The Act also supports protections for intelligence whistleblowers and promotes greater transparency about critical issues, including the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic [2]. Amendments related to intelligence community appointments aim to refine the leadership appointments process for improved management [1].
The bill also includes the Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act, which would establish a bridge fund for IC elements to assist businesses or nonprofit organizations [4]. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed plans to reduce the size of ODNI [5].
Notably, the bill addresses "Salt Typhoon," a hacking group believed to be operated by China's Ministry of State Security, which has been connected to high-profile hacks into U.S. telecommunications networks [6]. The legislation seeks to strengthen the security of telecommunications networks by establishing baseline cybersecurity requirements for vendors of telecommunications services to the IC [7].
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed its version of the fiscal 2026 intelligence authorization bill by a vote of 15-2 [8]. However, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) voted against the Senate committee's bill due to its elimination of the requirement for the general counsels at ODNI and the CIA to be Senate-confirmed, and its exclusion of congressional oversight of intelligence community firings [9].
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has yet to release details of its intelligence authorization bill mark up [10]. The bill also includes provisions for the intelligence community's use of artificial intelligence, establishing guidelines for the IC's procurement and use of artificial intelligence [11]. It also seeks to reform the intelligence community workforce by requiring the director of national intelligence to issue standard guidelines for Intelligence Community personnel to document and report Anomalous Health Incidents [12].
The bill would also ban intelligence community contractors from collecting or selling the location data of IC personnel [13]. A Department of Homeland Security bulletin details how Salt Typhoon infiltrated an Army National Guard network undetected for months starting last March [14].
This comprehensive reform bill reflects a bipartisan consensus on the need for an agile, efficient intelligence community better equipped for today's challenges and future threats [2].
- The Intelligence Community Efficiency and Effectiveness Act, introduced by Senator Tom Cotton, aims to reimagine the federal workforce within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), targeting a reduction of full-time staff from 1,600 to 650 to streamline operations.
- The bill also enhances cybersecurity within the intelligence community, establishing baselines for cybersecurity requirements for vendors of telecommunications services, and addressing threats like the hacking group Salt Typhoon, believed to be operated by China's Ministry of State Security.
- In addition to focusing on cybersecurity, the legislation highlights the importance of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and biotechnology, to fortify the Intelligence Community's capabilities.
- The bill also addresses policy and legislation, emphasizing the need for accountability across different intelligence agencies, strengthening oversight on intelligence community's primary responsibilities, and reforming the intelligence community workforce through standard guidelines for personnel.
