China, Russia on CIA crosshairs
I learned that good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity, is America’s first line of defense
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Veteran US diplomat William Burns, nominated to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), pledged Wednesday to keep the agency free of politics and said China would be his main focus if confirmed.
Burns was picked by President Joe Biden to replace retiring CIA Director Gina Haspel and to help restore an air of independence after former president Donald Trump allegedly tried to manipulate the country’s spies for political reasons.
Burns told the Senate Intelligence Committee that his career in the Middle East and Russia made him appreciate the value of untainted intelligence.
“I learned that good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity, is America’s first line of defense,” he told the panel.
“I learned that intelligence professionals have to tell policymakers what they need to hear, even if they don’t want to hear it. And I learned that politics must stop where intelligence work begins.”
Burns also told the panel that China was the main challenge the country faces, echoing views stated by Biden and other top officials of his administration.
The CIA in particular has faced challenges, with China having recruited a number of US diplomats and spies over to its side in recent years and also, starting a decade ago, bringing down the CIA’s own network of informants in the country.
I learned that politics must stop where intelligence work begins.
Burns called Xi Jinping’s approach an “aggressive, undisguised ambition and assertiveness” that must be faced down in a long-term effort, in conjunction with allies that Beijing lacks.
Quizzed by lawmakers on his views of US adversaries, Burns said that while China was the premier challenge, it would be a mistake to underestimate Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
“While Russia may be in many ways a declining power, it can be at least as disruptive under Putin’s leadership as rising powers like China,” Burns said.
“And so, we have to be quite coldeyed in our view of how those threats can emerge.”