Throughout her first full day as director of nationwide intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard will journey to Germany for the Munich Safety Convention, the place she is going to maintain 30 bilateral conferences with counterparts, together with key U.S. allies Nice Britain, France, Australia, and Germany, Alexa Henning, deputy DNI for technique and communications instructed ABC Information.
Gabbard, who was to be sworn into workplace Wednesday afternoon shortly after the Senate voted to verify her, is anticipated to ship remarks at a luncheon in the course of the convention. She will likely be joined by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who’re additionally attending.
Throughout her affirmation listening to in January, Gabbard previewed her priorities as head of the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence (ODNI), stating that President Donald Trump’s reelection was geared toward breaking the cycle of failure inside the intelligence neighborhood, ending “the weaponization/politicization of the IC and start to revive belief in those that have been charged with the important process of securing our nation.”
To evaluate the worldwide risk atmosphere, Gabbard will determine “the place gaps in our intelligence exist, combine intelligence components, improve information-sharing, and guarantee unbiased, apolitical, goal assortment and evaluation to help the president and policymakers’ decision-making,” in keeping with a listing of priorities obtained by ABC Information.
Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of nationwide intelligence, attends to testify earlier than a Senate Intelligence Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025.
John McDonnell/AP
Her priorities additionally emphasize the necessity to finish polarization of the intelligence neighborhood, stating that her aim is to “guarantee clear mission focus to the IC on its core mission of unbiased, apolitical assortment and evaluation of intelligence to safe our nation.”
The DNI additionally stresses that rebuilding “belief by way of transparency and accountability,” is a nationwide safety crucial, in keeping with the doc.
Like many authorities businesses within the second Trump administration, Gabbard’s focus is on reforming ODNI, which was created in response to intelligence failures main as much as 9/11. She goals to “assess and tackle effectivity, redundancy, and effectiveness throughout ODNI to make sure focus of personnel and assets is concentrated on our core mission of nationwide safety,” in keeping with the doc.
Throughout the affirmation course of, the previous Hawaii congresswoman met with greater than half of the Senate over two months. Lawmakers on either side of the aisle expressed frustration with current intelligence failures, in keeping with sources with data of proceedings. Gabbard continued assembly with senators on Capitol Hill up till the eve of her nomination.
Gabbard was grilled by lawmakers from either side of the aisle about her reversal on a key surveillance instrument, Part 702 of the FISA, and her refusal to label former Nationwide Safety Company leaker Edward Snowden a traitor throughout contentious affirmation hearings on Capitol Hill final month.
The Senate confirmed her nomination, 52-48, on Wednesday. Gabbard, a former Democrat turned Republican, acquired no Democratic votes. The one Republican to vote in opposition to her was former Majority Chief Mitch McConnell, who mentioned, “The nation mustn’t have to fret that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of Nationwide Intelligence with a historical past of alarming lapses in judgment.”
One other key “no” vote got here from unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose presidential marketing campaign Gabbard endorsed in 2016 after stepping down as a vice chair of the Democratic Nationwide Committee.
Based on the doc obtained by ABC Information, Gabbard plans to work with lawmakers to make sure responsiveness to their requests for intelligence. Problems with concern embrace the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist assault in Israel; the 2024 Syrian insurgent takeover; failures to determine the supply of the COVID-19 outbreak, Anomalous Well being Incidents (AHIs), also called “Havana Syndrome,” Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — objects in air, sea or area that defy scientific rationalization — drones and extra.
Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel within the Military Reserve, has served 22 years within the Military Nationwide Guard and Reserve, together with deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Djibouti. She is the primary feminine DNI to have served within the army and plans to proceed to serve within the Reserve, which ODNI rules allow.
She plans to make use of her expertise within the army and in Congress to convey “contemporary eyes” as she assumes the position of America’s prime intelligence official, in keeping with the doc.
