WASHINGTON 鈥� Look carefully at the photo above of National Intelligence Director James Clapper. On his desk is a small red item, appearing near the bottom of the frame.
It鈥檚 an 鈥淓asy Button,鈥� a toy made popular by an office supply company, symbolizing the ease with which it can solve client needs.
鈥淚n my five and a half years in this job, I鈥檝e never had an occasion to use it,鈥� Clapper said.
On a daily basis, the stream of complex life-and-death issues flooding the U.S. intelligence community has increased dramatically since Clapper聽assumed leadership Aug. 9, 2010.
While terrorism is a progressively worsening threat, Clapper said the U.S. intelligence community must remember there are other much more potent threats.
What he said next was surprising, yet practical.
鈥淚SIL is not a mortal enemy of the United States,鈥� Clapper says. 鈥淚t causes harm and can kill our people. But it can鈥檛 inflict mortal damage to the United States. Russia can.
鈥淲hen you’re assessing adversaries,鈥� he continued, 鈥渢wo dimensions are important 鈥� capability and intent.鈥澛燙lapper says聽the group has 鈥渁 very malign intent鈥� toward the west and the U.S., though at this point, ISIL doesn鈥檛 have Russia鈥檚 destructive power.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative says Russia has 1,582 strategic warheads and 515 intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers.
The actual number of deployed Russian warheads could be higher聽鈥� up to聽1,900 operational warheads, the聽NTI data show.
Russia鈥檚 nuclear capability, if they chose to unleash it, 鈥�could render great harm to this country,鈥� Clapper said. 鈥淏ut we don’t believe they have the intent to do that.鈥�
Still, while avoiding the suggestion that Russia might be planning to target the U.S., Clapper says聽that country 鈥渉as embarked on a very impressive campaign to modernize its military in all its dimensions.
鈥淭hat is a bother,鈥� Clapper said. 鈥淭hat’s a worry 鈥� something we need to be concerned with.鈥�
No easy day
On any given day, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is consumed with developments involving cyber, espionage, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, transnational organized crime and much more.
More than 100,000 intelligence community employees around the world are gathering, analyzing and disseminating intelligence about threats facing the nation.聽Their goal is to integrate foreign, military and domestic intelligence to defend the U.S. homeland and interests abroad.
The Islamic State still caught the world by surprise. It rose quickly and seemingly out of nowhere 鈥� killing, raping and enslaving, claiming to be the savior of Muslims.
The group represents a new phase of terrorism 鈥� one based in deep-seated differences and economic stresses. This isn鈥檛 a flash in the pan.
鈥淚f it’s not [ISIL], it’ll be something else like it,鈥� Clapper said.
He believes the terror group will be defeated, but says what comes next could be worse. Clapper suggested it鈥檚 not a good idea to focus on one adversary and not watch the others.
Under his watch, the U.S. found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. Two years later, Edward Snowden leaked thousands of top secret documents to journalists, and possibly Chinese and Russian agents.
ISIL鈥檚 rise shocked the world in 2014. That same year, Clapper flew to North Korea and facilitated the release of Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller.
Threats of the future
So far in 2016, more than 1,000 people have been killed in roughly 100 terror attacks. Thousands more have been injured. Recently, an FBI intelligence official told 草莓传媒 that the U.S. is always high on the list of terror targets.
In the coming weeks, when Clapper speaks to Congress about potential threats to the nation, he鈥檒l likely be asked where the U.S. stands and which threat is the most dangerous.
鈥淚 don’t rank them in my own mind 鈥� any of these concerns that we talk about, whether transnational or regional,鈥� Clapper told 草莓传媒. 鈥淭hey’re all concerns of ours. And you have to start someplace. There’s way too much importance attached to the marching order, because in my business, any of them could be this at any time.鈥�
Through it all, Clapper said, it鈥檚 essential to be prepared.
Paper clip trail
That preparation is reflected in the photograph. Clapper has spent more than 50 years collecting the trail of breadcrumbs left behind by the nation鈥檚 adversaries.
But he鈥檚 left his own mark in the past five years. On Clapper鈥檚 desk is also a jar of paper clips, given to him by President Barack Obama, along with a joke told in April during ODNI鈥檚 10th-anniversary celebration.
鈥淚 will say that the only flaw, generally, in what鈥檚 called the [Presidential Daily Brief] that I receive is that when Jim provides it 鈥� he leaves paper clips all over my office,鈥� Obama said at the time.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e in the couch, they鈥檙e on the floor. He鈥檚 shuffling paper. And so because I knew I was coming over here, one of the things I did was return them all.鈥�
Laughter and applause ensued.
鈥淛im always gives it to me straight,鈥� Obama said at the ceremony. 鈥淗e gives me his honest assessment 鈥� free of politics, free of spin. I trust his integrity. And I can鈥檛 tell you how invaluable that is in the job that he has.鈥�
