Intelligence Chiefs Diverge From Trump On Main Threats to US

The things that worry America’s intelligence community can’t be stopped by a wall.

These are the words uttered by Dan Coats in an address to congress on global security two days ago.

U.S. intelligence heads went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday and described the threats facing America in terms quite different from those offered by the White House.

From China and Russia cyber threats to North Koreas continued development of WMDs. Or ISIS steady ongoing growth the message from our intel community is very different from the message that trump wants you to believe.
His continued pushing back of the intel community makes it seem like he is playing into the hands of our enemies.
While the threats from the middle east and the far east represent the greatest threats to the country trump continues to focus on the southern border which apparently received little interest in this symposium.
The list of threats from Russia and China continues.

Coats wrote that China and Russia, which play starring roles in the Defense Department’s National Defense Strategy as America’s main competitors, are growing closer than ever. They are “more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950,” much to Washington’s discomfort, he said.

The threats from North Korea never wavered...

North Korea is still committed to developing nuclear missiles. ISIS, though weakened, still commands thousands of fighters. China’s reach into the global telecommunications industry presents an intelligence and security concern. Russia continues to sow disinformation to undermine the United States and its allies. It was a list of security problems that defied easy solutions. Agency heads and lawmakers seemed unsure what to do about the disconnect, besides talking more in a closed session. The issue of North Korea provided the starkest disconnect between the intelligence community and the White House. Emerging from list June’s unprecedented summit with leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump triumphantly declared, “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.” The president has since curbed his boasts — yet speaking to the United Nations in September, still tried to paint North Korea’s cessation of missile testing as evidence of a reduced threat. (Pyongyang has said that their ICBMs are now reliable enough to need no further tests.)

ISIS continues to spread its threats...

Coats painted a grim picture of the conflict with ISIS, which continues to command thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria. The group maintains eight branches, a dozen-plus networks, and followers around the world. In his written testimony, he highlighted the danger of a precipitous troop withdrawal from Syria, albeit indirectly. “The group will exploit any reduction in [counter-terrorism] pressure to strengthen its clandestine presence and accelerate rebuilding key capabilities, such as media production and external operations. ISIS very likely will continue to pursue external attacks from Iraq and Syria against regional and Western adversaries, including the United States,” he wrote[/exnewwww.defenseone.com...]




www.defenseone.com...

President Donald Trump lit into the U.S. intelligence community on Wednesday, telling his intel chiefs to "go back to school" just one day after they publicly contradicted him on several of his foreign policy priorities. "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran," Trump wrote on Twitter. "They are wroTrump’s tweets were a direct rebuttal of the public testimony his top intelligence chiefs gave Tuesday morning while discussing the gravest threats to the U.S. worldwide.

edit on 1312019 by Sillyolme because: (no reason given)

edit on 1312019 by Sillyolme because: (no reason given)

a reply to: Sillyolme

Did you miss the memo, trump is leading with divine intervention, god has his back and also is his advisor, no need for the intelligence community when you are in with a higher power...

How is it that this man is in direct opposition to the thousands of intelligences agents risking their lives the world over to gain information?
When he gets all of his information from Fox News.
He refuses to deal with any facts at all.
Oh and in his admonishment to the intel chiefs whom he said should probably go back to school it needs to be pointed out that he used the wrong spelling of their in his tweet when referring to Iran's economy. Ironically...

Here we go again... Just one more subject you guys have chosen to ignore this week.

www.defenseone.com...

Right, trump taking on and criticizing the intelligence community...what could possibly go wrong?

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

I missed that memo

discombooberated

😆

a reply to: Sillyolme

My favorite part was when he said "time will prove me right...probably".

I beg to differ. I am not saying their are not security threats at the Southern border. However, why are we ignoring the people who are in charge of security threats?

originally posted by: olaru12
Right, trump taking on and criticizing the intelligence community...what could possibly go wrong?

What are they going to spy on him MORE now?

a reply to: olaru12

what happens when we really need to depend on him to tell us the truth about a real threat?
Who is going to believe the boy who cried wolf but ignored the real wolves at the back door.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Truth you say?
Really?

a reply to: Sillyolme



Is was quite the memo..

a reply to: Sillyolme

Isn't this the thing, where Trump The Illiterate, the 1st
Twittered about how the intelligence agencies should go back to school

a reply to: Sillyolme

I'm guessing you watched Madcow's "report" and got scared, what would YOU do if China and Russia hack the electricity and gas! In the middle of winter!!!

That woman is starting to make Alex Jones look sane.

a reply to: Sillyolme

I saw this on TV the other day. I thought to make a post about it here on ATS b but I figured why bother....? Some people here on ATS seems to embrace ignorance when it comes to Trump.

a reply to: Vector99

I'm guessing that you, like many, have never watched
Active Measures

You do realize that the private sector tends to handle the cyber defense stuff more often than the feds do right? Should the government have that capability, absolutely! Will they ever pay enough money to retain the talent and infrastructure needed? HAH! They only have just over 1% of the defense budget allocated to cyber, the private sector recommends at minimum 5% of budget be utilized in that fashion. As for the ISIS and NK threats, not my area of expertise, yet I don't stay up at night worried about them either. The potential holes in cyber security in this country on the other hand should scare the bejezzus out of everyone.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Ten years ago a leftist was likely to be opposed to the farcical War on Terror, and other Neocon insanity like starting New Cold War's.

But Obama warped the"liberals" into de facto Neocon "Globalists" (IMPERIALISTS), and Trump seems to be more focused on NATIONAL defense, so away they go into hypocrisy land.

The CIA worried about ISIS they can send their partners AL QAEDA after them. Al Qaeda they invented, which in turn invented ISIS, which came in as the perfect boogeyman when Obama needed a massive distraction to keep people diverted from what was going on over there.

But whats more important than any of these "dangers" mentioned, is how the bulk of our Intelligence & Political & Military apparatus are traitors committed treason unparalleled in our history, by partnering (again) with AL QAEDA who supposedly did 911 causing the War on Terror that the Arab Spring Operation was rationalized for (and wrecked Syria for no good reason). The Story of the Decade, yet no media, no republicans, no democrats, like it isnt even something worth talking about everyone so brainwashed on this. Where the reality of the implications of it if you were trying to smear Trump you should be slamming him for not doing anything about it. All he would have to do is one really well worded tweet and the entire citizenry would be in an uproar about it, but since he wont the way the MSM helped cover up the Al Qaeda in Syria reality of it for so long with their ISIS BOOGEYMAN / "moderate rebels (al qaeda) good guys meme diversion, then when it was the obvious truth of the matter I guess since the MSM still hasnt bothered doing a story about its MAJOR thing etc well then it isnt? Maybe sometime this year one of them will finally make it into "an actual story"......

In all honesty, I think Trump has been compromised. That would explain some of his decisions.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Regurgitated news from the 2017 and 2018 intel community. Big Boogey Man always around every corner. Job security for them.

The same America’s intelligence community who lied about Iraq, Libya and so forth.