Because of President Donald Trump, European intelligence agencies are acting cautiously in cooperation with the country's intelligence community, as Trump has had incidents of disclosing classified data. This was reported by UNN with reference to Politico.
US allies who regularly share intelligence with the US are looking for ways to protect top secret information from what they expect to be a highly leak-prone Trump administration, but their options are limited,
According to Politico, these countries have long been concerned that Trump's record of disclosing classified information will continue into his second term. This anxiety was heightened when Congress approved his controversial decisions on intelligence oversight and amid accusations that sensitive data was already being mishandled.
But cooperation in intelligence gathering and sharing runs deep - and will not be easy to overcome. Washington often gives more than it receives, and U.S. and European intelligence agencies often conduct joint collection and operations.
"You can't just turn off the switch," said a Northern European defense official, who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence relations.
Politico notes that there may be options to add more safeguards for human intelligence, the most valuable and closely guarded information obtained from agents in foreign countries whose lives could be at risk if disclosed. They could, for example, omit details in conversations with U.S. counterparts that could reveal the location or identity of an operative.
The publication cites the example of when, during Trump's first term, he tweeted a top-secret image of an Iranian missile launch site and shared highly confidential Israeli intelligence information with the Russian foreign minister.
A former senior member of Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service said that when it came to top-secret projects, the service was careful about what to disclose during the first Trump administration. MI6 declined to comment for this story.
This is always the case, mind you, under any administration, we open up data for a reason. But last time with Trump, we were even more cautious, and I find it hard to believe that the service will not be a little more cautious this time,
Politico notes that concerned foreign partners may be hoping to deal more with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and less with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration and was considered one of the less controversial candidates for the president's cabinet, despite past concerns that he politicized intelligence.
During his tenure, "the sky didn't fall," said Randall Phillips, who spent nearly three decades in the CIA's Operations Division. Ratcliffe's confirmation by the Senate last month was supported by 20 Democrats and every Republican senator.
CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons said there is "no credibility" to allegations that foreign partners may refrain from sharing intelligence under Trump's leadership, adding that the agency takes its international intelligence partnerships "incredibly seriously.
Director Ratcliffe is actively deepening them to strengthen U.S. national security, counter adversaries around the world, and promote international stability,
Gabbard, who was confirmed last week as the top U.S. intelligence official, was once skeptical of U.S. intelligence and echoed Russia's narrative on the war in Ukraine. As a member of Congress, Gabbard introduced a resolution calling on the federal government to drop all charges against former NSA employee Edward Snowden, who leaked a slew of classified documents to the press.
Although the role of the Director of National Intelligence is largely bureaucratic, she will oversee the 18 agencies that make up the US intelligence community and serve as the president's chief intelligence adviser.
In response to a request for comment on the concerns raised by current and former U.S. and foreign officials, Alexa Henning, the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Strategy and Communications, said: "These anonymous former officials...are trying to undermine U.S. national security by pushing lies to their media allies.
Politico notes that the concerns are far from hypothetical.
A month into its second term, the Trump administration has already faced accusations of mishandling classified information. The CIA reportedly sent an unclassified email listing the names and first initials of recently hired analysts and operatives, many of whom were hired to focus on China, to the Office of Personnel Management in an attempt to comply with the administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce,
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called it a "catastrophic move for national security" that would put a "direct target" on the backs of recruits for China.
This is the type of action that partners such as Five Eyes, the intelligence alliance of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, are watching closely. This group is one of the most valuable networks for intelligence sharing among the closest U.S. allies.
"The people at Five Eyes at the highest levels are going to be a little concerned by now, given the track record," said Kelly McFarland, a former analyst at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Politico notes that the imbalance of information exchanged between the US and its partners means they have more to lose by crossing Trump, given his often transactional approach to foreign affairs.
"If they did something to hide something, there would be a fear of punishment from the United States," McFarland said.
According to the newspaper, the restructuring of the federal government may result in disruptions in the exchange of information, which will also affect the intelligence services.
The United States has historically been the largest source of intelligence among the Five Eyes partners and beyond. U.S. intelligence played a crucial role in alerting and encouraging allies in Europe to the Kremlin's plans to invade Ukraine months before Russian tanks crossed the country's borders.
"It's not just about giving, it's about receiving. The eyes and ears of the United States are important for Ukraine," said the German official, who remained anonymous.
As for intelligence sharing, some continue to work as usual.
"Our policy has not changed," said Kaupo Rosin, Director of Foreign Intelligence of Estonia.
"We are concerned about many things, but not this," said another European official.
The publication notes that others were more restless.
"Political trust in the United States is eroding. This affects all elements of national security, including the IC," said a former British military official. "But on a day-to-day level with intelligence professionals, I don't think there is a problem - yet.
This is more of a political problem than an operational one. But at some point, these worlds will converge,
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