Intelligence Goes On The Offensive

[David]

AP


The federal government suspects more than 2,000 Chinese companies of operating in the United States to steal secrets and wonders whether more than 300,000 Chinese visitors are really here for study and research.

These concerns about who might be swiping U.S. information extend to several departments - from Defense to Energy to State - and officials say it underscores the need for pre-emptive action embodied in President Bush's plan for a new, national counterintelligence strategy.

As soon as this month, Bush is expected to direct U.S. intelligence agencies to go on the offensive to prevent the loss of secrets and technology, a policy consistent with the pre-emptive military strategy the administration developed in 2002.

National Counterintelligence Executive Michelle Van Cleave provided a broad outline of the unclassified strategy - the Seven Pillars of U.S. Counterintelligence - at a conference last weekend in Texas. A leading goal is to shift from reactive counterintelligence operations - finding spies and other sources of leaks after they've done significant damage - to offensive operations.

"No longer will we wait until we have been harmed to act," Van Cleave said.

Intelligence experts say the task will be difficult, given the espionage threats from China, Russia and other countries, as well as terrorist groups and other interests determined to penetrate the United States.

Government officials say there are counterintelligence successes every day that are never made public. Some cases involve suspected spies who are given "full transactional immunity" for details of their activities - a rare government promise to avoid prosecution in exchange for full disclosure. The individual's career may end, but he or she will avoid jail time.

But some experts say the unfortunate reality is that only one truly major espionage case has ever been unraveled through classic detective work: the case of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames. He helped devastate U.S. intelligence operations against the Soviets by selling them secrets between 1985 and 1994.

"It is very rare for counterintelligence, using analysis and conventional detective work, to unearth spies," said Keith Melton, a historical consultant to the U.S. intelligence community for more than 20 years. "Most spies are detected as a result of defectors or betrayal" by others.

Counterintelligence is the government-wide effort to protect against foreign espionage and intelligence collection. It defends against nations and groups, as well as companies, seeking everything from national security secrets to U.S. policy plans to sensitive industrial technology.

With the nation's largely open borders, the trend toward globalism and advancements in technology, preventing threats from abroad is an increasingly difficult task.

Consider the penetration from Chinese nationals alone, which repeatedly came up during a two-day U.S. counterintelligence conference, open to professionals, students and the media:


Lisa Bronson, a Defense Department deputy undersecretary for technology, security and counter-proliferation, said China has 2,000 to 3,000 front companies in the United States to steal and exploit U.S. technology. "It's very, very difficult to go ahead and assess where China has gotten what they have right now," she said.

Defense Nuclear Counterintelligence, said between October 2003 and October 2004, her department hosted more than 18,000 visits by foreigners to its sites - the largest number from China, followed by Russia.


Counterintelligence officials wonder just what to do about more than 300,000 Chinese students in the United States to study, and, in some cases, gain access to sensitive information.

When asked about Chinese espionage Tuesday at a congressional hearing, FBI Director Robert Mueller said, "It is ongoing, and it is substantial. It's a priority for us to disrupt that effort."

He wouldn't go into detail in public.

Wen Ho Lee, who was never charged with espionage, is one of the more high-profile cases involving China. The nuclear scientist was indicted in December 1999 on 59 felony counts alleging he mishandled nuclear weapons information at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He was held in solitary confinement for nine months, then was released in September 2000 after pleading guilty to a single felony count.

Then-President Clinton apologized for Lee's treatment.

Senior officials can't say exactly how much is spent on counterintelligence each year. The number is classified and, even if it weren't, money that goes toward protecting classified information is spread over numerous government programs.

And so are the secrets and the people who maintain them.

Richard Haver, a former assistant defense secretary for intelligence, notes that the number of Americans with access to sensitive information is massive.

At Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's request during early 2001, Haver tabulated that 11 million people historically had been granted security clearances, either in government or private sector jobs.

In 2001, there were 900,000 active clearances.

[vetgirl]

you never know, do you?

[David]

It is going to be hard to safeguard anything with all of the outsourcing of American jobs and importing of foreign labor.