US Intelligence Budget is $43.5 Billion

For years, critics of the US intelligence community have tried various ways to get their hands on the exact amount America spends on intelligence collection, analysis, and black operations. After September 11, 2001 and an Act of Congress, the world now knows that the figure is question is $43.5 billion. The Director of National Intelligence was forced to announce it publicly yesterday despite the objections of the professional spooks who feared it would compromise national security. Quite the contrary. This journal wonders if it is enough.

In the statement announcing the figure, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote, “Any and all subsidiary information concerning the intelligence budget, whether the information concerns particular intelligence agencies or particular intelligence programs, will not be disclosed. Beyond the disclosure of the top-line figure, there will be no other disclosures of currently classified budget information because such disclosures could harm national security. The only exceptions to the foregoing are for unclassified appropriations, primarily for the Community Management Account.” Opacity rules.

Nevertheless, there are a few things that one can note about this spending. First, under Freedom of Information suits, the American Federation of Scientists did get the government to release figures for 1997 and 1998, when America spent $26.6 billion and $26.7 billion respectively. So, the top line spending has grown about 27% per year when adjusted for inflation, and one would be willing to bet that 1999 and 2000 weren't much different than 1997 and 1998 – meaning the recent rate of increase is more like 35% or more. Second, according the US News and World Report this number covers only the National Intelligence Program and not the Army, Navy and Air Force intelligence operations. The figure then might be more like $50 billion.

Given that the US is engaged in a “long war” against Fascislam, and given that the best way to fight this kind of ideology is not with tanks and bombers but with intelligence and policemen’s badges, one must ask is $50 billion enough? Prevention is far cheaper and better for society than repairing the damage after an attack, so one could argue that a few more billion here might mean several fewer billion less would be needed for the military’s weapons programs.

One cannot see how Al Qaeda or any of its fellow travelers gains by knowing this figure. Nor is it likely that the Russians, Chinese, French, British, Indians, or Brazilians were unaware that the US spent so much (at least, they are likely to have known the order of magnitude). No, the only people who gain from this disclosure are the American taxpayers, who now have some idea of what financial resources the intelligence community receives. Indirectly, the spooks might just gain as well, should more and more voters become convinced that that $43.5 billion is insufficient.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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