When President George W. Bush created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to oversee all intelligence matters, he did not give this new centralized authority control over the government’s secret spy budget. But that’s about to change, now that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has agreed to turn over the intelligence budget to the ODNI, led by James Clapper Jr.

 

Beginning in 2013, the civilian—and largest portion—of the intelligence budget will be in ODNI hands. That amount currently stands at about $50 billion annually. The military’s spy budget (currently at $27 billion) will remain within the Department of Defense.

 

Supporters of the move say it will give Clapper more power to reform the government’s intelligence-gathering operation. It also may lead to more transparency, because it will be harder for the ODNI to hide “black budget” items—something the Pentagon did by using its enormous annual budget to obscure money being spent on clandestine missions.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

National Intelligence Director Says Budget Will Be Moved from Pentagon Control (by Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post)