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Last week, the new DNI delivered his first address to Congress, as well as provided the Annual Threat Assessment of the Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Below are some key threats that Blair highlighted. In addition, Walter Pincus of The Washington Post pointed out that Blair used more “moderate language” regarding Korea, where as the Bush administration used stronger, more pointed language. Here’s what Pincus wrote:

“Blair, in his rundown of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, said, ‘Pyongyang probably views its nuclear weapons as being more for deterrence and coercive diplomacy than for warfighting.’ He went on to say that the intelligence community’s assessment is that ‘Pyongyang probably would not attempt to use nuclear weapons against U.S. forces or territory unless it perceived the regime to be on the verge of military defeat and risked an irretrievable loss of control.’”

“That seemed like new, moderate language, given the Bush administration’s rapid push almost seven years ago to have a missile defense system in place against a possible nuclear attack launched by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. But a year ago, Blair’s predecessor, Mike McConnell, used almost the exact same language in his prepared statement for the 2008 worldwide threat hearing. The difference is that McConnell talked not of Pyongyang’s “nuclear weapons ‘”but of its “capabilities.’”

So, what is going on here? We all knew that Obama would move away from the “either you are with us, or you are against us” mentality of diplomacy from the previous administration. It certainly seems that the Obama team views diplomacy as something that is NOT “black and white.” In addition, although Blair seems to be taking a more moderate stance, he is not blind to the multitude of threats that face our nation and the world.

Here’s a quick run down of what he highlighted:

- Notable progress in Muslim opinion turning against terrorist groups like Al Qaeda;
- The fact that, despite setbacks, Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain dangerous, adaptive and
intent on attacking U.S. interests worldwide, including the US homeland;
- The need for sustained pressure against Al Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to further degrade the organization;
- Positive security trends in Iraq;
– Noted increase in attacks in Afghanistan, both in scope and frequency;
- Continued concerns related to Iran’s nuclear intentions and regional posture;
- Potential for an Iran-Israeli confrontation or crisis;
- The need for a more effective non-proliferation strategy with our partners; and
– U.S. concerns regarding Russia, China, Venezuela and other global powers.

Click here to access the official statement from the ODNI.

Tags: DNI Blair, Intelligence, Intelligence Community, ODNI, Threat Assessment