The U.S. counterintelligence head says the list of threats is long and getting longer

Mike Casey, the U.S. Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, describes a daunting and expanding spectrum of threats facing the United States, including foreign espionage, cyberattacks, and economic espionage. Having served over two decades in Congress and as staff director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, Casey is intimately familiar with these challenges. NPR states, “a point Casey makes about the spying business: Never assume that you know everything and that you’ve got it all in hand.

‘We’re counterintelligence,’ Casey says. ‘Paranoia is kind of what we do.'”

He indicates that the scope of counterintelligence is widening, with traditional adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea being supplemented by private entities and cybercriminals. China, in particular, stands out for its extensive and ambitious espionage efforts, focusing on key technological and military advancements to position itself as a global leader. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to address threats from Russia, which primarily targets government and military secrets, and from smaller nations exemplified by a recent case involving a former U.S. ambassador spying for Cuba. This complex security landscape underscores the continuous and critical need for robust counterintelligence measures in the U.S.

Source: NPR