Intelligence Reform Law
The enactment of the intelligence reform law in 2004 was a move towards revamping the intelligence community, especially after the terrorist attacks of 2001 on US landmarks and symbols of their economy. The reform law saw commissioning of the Director of National Intelligence office. The activities envisioned in the new law saw the most significant restructuring of the Intelligence Community in over half a century. As a result of this, civil and private liberties and education for members of the intelligence community were instituted. Their scope was also widened in order to prevent such attacks on US soil or its overseas interests.
International/Domestic Environment
The treat of organized crime on the domestic scene and on a transnational organized crime and terrorism, both the international and domestic environment affect the Intelligence Community. The United States Enjoys domestic peace. While this would not have the Intelligence Community concerned, it is the terrorist threat from the international community, especially from the Middle East that posses the biggest threat. In this regard, the Intelligence Community provides information that helps the country mount offensives in the region in order to flush out terrorist rings. The intensity of their work has heightened since the terrorist attacks on the twin tours.
Technology
It is impossible to speak about the Intelligence Community without considering the influence of technology. There is increasing cyber threat because the pace at which digital technologies are being applied is faster that the understanding of the security implications involved and how potential risks might be mitigated. In this regard, technology serves both as a medium that the intelligence community uses to perform their duties and also a threat that they have to monitor constantly (Priest, 2011).
Politics
Politics has a significant effect on the intelligence community. The government that is elected into the political office makes policies that create harmony between its objectives and the work of the intelligence committee. To a large extent, these objectives affect the priorities and the intensity of the intelligence community. Additionally, the Intelligence Community provides nuanced multifaceted intelligence to political offices and their agencies in order to protect the lives of Americans and American interests worldwide.
References
Priest, D. (2011). Top secret America. The rise of the new American State. Little. Brown and Company.
