Heritage Foundation's
Project 2025

Chapter 7 - Intelligence Community

• Empower the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with greater authority over budgets and personnel across intelligence agencies.
• Modify Executive Order 12333 to address cyber threats and clarify the DNI's role.
• Enhance the DNI's role in overseeing execution of the National Intelligence Program budget.
• Prioritize security clearance reform, including implementing Continuous Vetting programs.
• Refocus the CIA to an OSS-like culture with more risk-taking and field experience requirements.
• Conduct a 60-day review of current covert action findings and potentially draft new ones.
• Streamline decision-making processes for covert actions.
• Implement changes in CIA promotion criteria to reward creative thinking and quality of recruitments.
• Move various CIA directorates out of Virginia to reduce bureaucratic concentration.
• Divert resources from activities promoting "unnecessary and distracting social engineering."
• Revoke security clearances of former officials who discuss their work publicly without clearance.
• Implement stricter penalties for leaks, including removal of pension benefits.
• Rescind DOJ guidance limiting investigators' ability to identify sources of unauthorized disclosures.
• Strengthen emphasis on political neutrality in IC training programs.
• Implement restrictions on public appearances by current and former IC leaders.
• Reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), particularly Section 702.
• Enhance information sharing with private sector entities, especially in cybersecurity.
• Implement an "obligation to share" policy for cyber threat intelligence.
• Develop a real-time auditing capability for intelligence information access.
• Reform the classification and declassification system, including increased use of technology.
• Increase coordination between the IC and the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security.
• Modernize cover methods for intelligence officers in the digital age.
• Reset expectations with the EU regarding data privacy regulations.
• Refocus the President's Daily Brief and potentially change its production location.
• Require that non-CIA officers comprise at least 50% of the National Intelligence Council's membership.
• Appoint the Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer as a primary member of the DNI staff.
• Revise the timeline for implementing post-quantum encryption across government systems.
• Refocus IARPA and CIA's Science and Technology Directorate on challenging technology problems.
• Expand collaboration between IC and DOD on space-related intelligence and operations.
• Refocus space-related intelligence collection methods