FBI counterintelligence squads—specialized units dedicated to tracking and ferreting out foreign spies—have been hit with deep cuts across the country, even as the U.S. faces a growing array of adversaries intent on stealing the nation's secrets, according to five people familiar with the matter. The staffing shortages are so significant that in many of the FBI's 56 field offices, counterintelligence squads only have 50% to 60% of positions filled. In multiple field offices, the number of squads doing such work has been reduced by half.
The cuts come as the U.S. is mired in a war with Iran, and as China—a geopolitical strategic rival—wages what American officials say is a relentless campaign to steal U.S. government secrets as well as cutting-edge research and technology. Russia also remains a formidable adversary with highly capable and aggressive intelligence services. NPR spoke with five people familiar with the FBI's reduced focus on counterintelligence work.
They all spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic and for fear of retribution. "It's terrifying, honestly," one of the people said. "Threats are growing and we're facing it with less and less.
Not a recipe for success." The cuts to the FBI's counterintelligence squads aren't the result of a specific directive from Director Kash Patel to reduce such work or close down dedicated squads. Instead, it's a consequence of the current leadership's focus on violent crime and immigration, the people familiar with the matter say. Bureau leaders have made clear that resources need to be dedicated to combatting violent crime, gangs and illegal immigration—top campaign issues for President Trump.
Counterintelligence has dropped down the ladder of FBI priorities. As a result, field offices have pulled agents and analysts from counterintelligence and put them on the administration's priority issues. And special agents in charge of field offices aren't backfilling those spots, but instead putting new agents or analysts on violent crime or immigration work.
In response to questions about the manpower shortages, an FBI spokesperson said: "This is false—the FBI maintains a robust counterintelligence operation across the enterprise." The spokesperson said the bureau has expanded its counterintelligence task forces to more than 1,500 personnel, including from partner agencies and state and local law enforcement. "Anonymous sources who criticize our counterintelligence capabilities are disconnected from reality," the spokesperson said. The FBI also touted as successes the security at recent major events, including America's 250th anniversary celebrations and the FIFA World Cup.
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