The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is working to strengthen its partnership with the private sector to improve intelligence community access to insights into artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space and rare earth supply chains, among other areas, Federal New Network reported Tuesday.
Speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Summit, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said her office has new and ongoing initiatives to boost collaboration between the intelligence community and significant commercial industries, including training professionals on declassifying information for companies; developing guidance for better acquisition process and communication with external partners; and leading the intelligence community’s private sector initiatives through the Office of Partnership Engagement.
In the future, ODNI will implement additional efforts to advance its goal. Haines said performance evaluations for intelligence officers will soon include an objective focused on private sector engagement.
According to the official, bolstering ties with commercial entities is essential amid increasing geopolitical threats.
“There is no question that certain industries now wield substantial geopolitical influence, and as the threat landscape has diversified and power has become more diffuse, so has the potential impact of the private sector’s work,” Haines said. “This makes it crucial that we better understand developments in the private sector, as well as the overall balance of competitive strength and security within key sectors.”
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