Intelligence Transformation: Meeting New Challenges in the Middle East and Beyond

By Michael Jacobson

Yesterday afternoon, the Washington Institute hosted Lt. Gen. (Ret.) James Clapper, the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, as part of a speaker series we've been running since December 2007 with senior US government counterterrorism and intelligence officials. General Clapper offered his perspective on how the US military is adapting to respond to the new threats and challenges the US and its allies are facing. General Clapper also spoke about the impact of intelligence reform on the defense intelligence establishment and on his relationship with the Director of National Intelligence. General Clapper's observations and insights on how the current threat compares to what the US was confronting during the Cold War era were particularly interesting, in light of his 46 years of service in the intelligence field, which included nine years heading the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (now known as NGA).

Here is an excerpt from his remarks:

"We have, you know, a lot of challenges in . . . both Afghanistan and Pakistan. I was there about six weeks ago . . . it was a real interesting and very useful tour for me, since we did a heavy focus on special operations capabilities and locations. . . . The whole political arrangement there, the terrain, the size of the country, the very undeveloped infrastructure, lines of communication, makes for a very challenging, very daunting environmental situation. . . . My own view is that this is . . . built for a classic counterinsurgency kind of thing. I think we're going to win this on a village-by-village, valley-by-valley basis. And there's . . . potential for success, depending on how we manage the whole spectrum of special operations -- not just taking out high-value individuals or high-value targets, but sort of the nation-building thing, providing security locally in Afghanistan. . . . The old saw about all politics being local really applies."

To read his entire prepared remarks, click here: