The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI): ‘Coordinated Orchestra’ or ‘Loveless Marriage’?

As President-elect Trump vows to disrupt the intelligence community, two former leaders of the IC debate the value of the ODNI

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

WASHINGTON, DC – (L-R) FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of the National Security Agency Gen. Paul Nakasone, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill March 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Posted: December 1st, 2024

By Tom Nagorski

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief. He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

DEEP DIVE – The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a relatively recent addition to the institutional architecture of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), born in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. And in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, the ODNI is getting a lot of fresh attention.

The President-elect has vowed to remake the IC. “We will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus, he said during the campaign. “The departments and agencies have been weaponized will be completely overhauled.”

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