U.S.’s Waning Scientific Leadership is a Contributing Factor in Threats to the Intelligence Community

Daniel Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, in conjunction with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence recently released a “Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community”. The report lays out what is has identified as the top global threats to the U.S., as well as a list of threats by region.

Directly linked to the threats, is the U.S.’s waning leadership in science and technology (S&T) with the report noting, “For 2019 and beyond, the innovations that drive military and economic competitiveness will increasingly originate outside the United States, as the overall US lead in [S&T] shrinks; the capability gap between commercial and military technologies evaporates; and foreign actors increase their efforts to acquire top talent, companies, data, and intellectual property via licit and illicit means.”

Looking ahead to 2019, China and Russia are indicated as the top countries to watch, due in part to Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s tendency to “view strong indigenous science and technology capabilities as key to their country’s sovereignty, economic outlook, and national power.”

Coats formally released the assessment at a recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

To view the document in full, click here:  https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/os-dcoats-012919.pdf