Perspective Chapter: Intelligence Reform – A Strategic Overhaul of the Intelligence Community

Intelligence agencies should be consolidated as part of the intelligence community's overdue strategic and operational reevaluation. The Intelligence Community (IC) is currently divided into 19 different agencies, which leads to fragmented authorities and stove-piped communications, hindering comprehensive strategic analysis. This reform aims to enable the IC to develop a learning culture suited to the twenty-first century, allowing for streamlined operations that effectively address modern challenges. The proposed consolidation includes creating a single foreign diplomatic intelligence agency under the Department of State (DOS), a unified intelligence agency under the Department of Defense (DOD), and merging the FBI and Secret Service into a single domestic intelligence agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This strategic overhaul will enhance accountability, improve public confidence, and better equip the IC to adapt to emerging technologies, ultimately strengthening national security.