The United States is facing an unprecedented set of threats from foreign intelligence agencies, and some are increasing interagency cooperation to gain an advantage, according to a newly approved strategy to counter the impact of espionage.
The National Counterintelligence Strategy, signed by US President Joe Biden on Thursday (1/8), names Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the main actors of intelligence threats, and identifies Russia and China as the “most significant intelligence threats.”
The document also warns that these countries are increasingly launching more aggressive operations – and even cooperating with each other, or working with others – to undermine the US.
Cooperation among enemies
The new strategy warns that U.S. counterintelligence officials “see major adversaries cooperating more with each other and increasing the threat they pose,” adding that “much of the PRC, Russia, and Iran’s intelligence activities remain undetected… Commercial entities are playing an increasingly important supporting role,” it added.
In some cases, foreign spy services are turning to widely available products to conduct better surveillance or collect large amounts of data. In other cases, spies are using technology to infiltrate critical systems of the U.S. government and private entities.
The strategy states that “A growing number of commercial companies are flooding the market with high-quality cyber intrusion tools, expanding the pool of (foreign intelligence) actors that can threaten our networks and people.”
But US intelligence officials have previously warned that in other cases, US adversaries sometimes turn to private companies to cover up their involvement.
New instruments
Earlier this week, a US intelligence official warned that Russia was specifically turning to private Russian companies in an effort to interfere in the upcoming US presidential election.
“This includes outsourcing its efforts to commercial companies to hide its hand,” said the official, who also accused Beijing of using companies in China, the Middle East and Latin America to push disinformation campaigns and carry out other operations to influence the public.
China and Russia have repeatedly denied such allegations, and have accused the US of being the “world's largest spreader of disinformation.”
But warnings of increased intelligence sharing among America’s top adversaries echo warnings of increased collaboration in other areas. U.S. and Western officials have recently accused Russia, China, Iran and North Korea of forming a new “Axis of Evil” that is working together to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition to wage war in Ukraine.
In a press conference last July, President Joe Biden said, “This is a concern. This is a worry. That you have China, North Korea, Russia, Iran – countries that have not necessarily been coordinated in the past – who are now looking to figure out how they can have an impact.”
“There is no time to lose,” a NATO official told VOA, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the expansion of cooperation. “This has to be a top priority for all of our allies.”
The new U.S. counterintelligence strategy seeks to provide a roadmap for U.S. intelligence agencies to confront the growing threat. Part of the strategy involves investing in technology and programs to help U.S. intelligence agencies better detect plots, anticipate threats and share that information more widely with government agencies and allies.
The Role of AI
The strategy also calls for greater use of artificial intelligence, or AI, to better defend against espionage activities and launch offensive campaigns aimed at countering foreign plots.
“Foreign intelligence and security agencies, and their proxies, continue to seek our most sensitive information, technology, and intellectual property. Non-state actors are following suit,” President Biden wrote in an introduction to the new counterintelligence strategy.
That strategy, he added, “ensures that we are well positioned to counter foreign intelligence threats.” (em/jm)
