Home
| 2007 U.S Spying spendings: $43.5 billion |
|
|
| Written by Mike4freedom | |
| vendredi, 02 novembre 2007 | |
|
Tue Oct 30, 2007 By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said it had spent $43.5 billion on spying in fiscal 2007, as it bowed on Tuesday to a law ordering disclosure of a figure the government has kept secret for most of the past 60 years. "Disclosure of the amount of the budget is a good first step toward accountability," said Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, which has campaigned for publication of the annual intelligence budget. The figure, which is roughly equal to the entire economy of Croatia or Qatar, dwarfs the estimated intelligence budgets of any other country including the closest U.S. ally, Britain, which spends about 10 percent of the amount, he said. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence published the figure for overall U.S. intelligence spending in fiscal 2007, which ended last month. Congress mandated the disclosure in a law passed in August to implement recommendations of a commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 attacks. The intelligence office said it would keep secret other details about the budget. Intelligence agencies had long resisted disclosing their budgets on the grounds that enemies could learn from the information. The $43.5 billion is about what outside experts had expected, Aftergood said, and is about 50 percent more than the government is believed to have spent in 2001. "That's a large increase in spending that is difficult to spend wisely," Aftergood said. He said the figure does not include an estimated $10 billion or more in military intelligence spending. The CIA, which previously oversaw all U.S. intelligence gathering, released a budget total of $26.6 billion in 1997, including for military intelligence, in response to a suit by the federation. Including the CIA there 16 U.S. agencies that are considered to be involved in intelligence gathering, such as the National Security Agency. In 1998 the CIA also released its budget but the agency fought against disclosing its 1999 budget and won. Subsequent efforts to force a budget disclosure also failed. The budget disclosure will help put intelligence spending in perspective, and inform public and congressional debate, Aftergood said. The figure is about 1.6 percent of the total U.S. budget for 2007 and equal to roughly 10 percent of the regular military budget before extra war spending is counted. The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Democrat John Rockefeller of West Virginia, said in a statement, "The American people have a right to know what their government's priorities are and whether we're spending too much or too little on intelligence matters." The disclosure law requires release of the 2008 spending figure, but after that the U.S. president can waive the requirement for a valid national security reason, Aftergood said. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN3020622720071030?pageNumber=1 
Mike McConnell was sworn in as the nation's second Director of National Intelligence on February 13, 2007. Before his nomination as DNI, McConnell had served as a Senior Vice President with the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, focusing on the Intelligence and National Security areas. From 1992 to 1996, McConnell served as Director of the National Security Agency (NSA). He led NSA as it adapted to the multi-polar threats brought about by the end of the Cold War. Under his leadership, NSA routinely provided global Intelligence and Information Security Services to the White House, Cabinet officials and the Congress in addition to a broad array of military and civil intelligence customers. He also served as a member of the Director of Central Intelligence senior leadership team to address major intelligence programmatic and substantive issues from 1992 until 1996. Prior to his service at NSA and during Desert Shield/Storm and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, McConnell worked as the Intelligence Officer (J2) for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. In 1996, McConnell retired as a Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy after 29 years of service - 26 as a career Intelligence Officer. He holds a M.P.A. from George Washington University, is a graduate of the National Defense University (Global Telecom), the National Defense Intelligence College (Strategic Intelligence), and holds a B.A. in Economics from Furman University. In addition to many of the nation's highest military awards for meritorious service, he holds the nation's highest award for service in the Intelligence Community. He also served as the Chairman and CEO of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. http://www.dni.gov/aboutODNI/bios/mcconnell_bio.htm Here are the 16 U.S. agencies that are considered to be involved in intelligence gathering 
|
|
| Last Updated ( vendredi, 02 novembre 2007 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
