The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) recently released the 2023 National Intelligence Strategy, detailing six goals for the Intelligence Community (IC).  These goals were developed to provide current and future guidance for the insurance of national security and development.  The main factors to consider in drafting the 2023 strategy include increased international competition, domestic social and economic influences, and various global challenges, such as climatic changes and disruptive technologies.  According to the 2023 strategy, the following goals should be pursued:

• Position the IC for intensifying strategic competition
• Recruit, develop, and retain a talented and diverse workforce that operates as a united community
• Deliver interoperable and innovative solutions at scale.
• Diversify, expand, and strengthen partnerships
• Expand IC capabilities and expertise on transnational challenges.
• Enhance resilience.

Published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, this new report discusses the transitional period for the U.S. counterterrorism (CT) enterprise. During this time, the United States has had to navigate, and adapt U.S. CT posture and approaches to, a shift in U.S. national security priorities; a complex, diverse, and ever-evolving threat landscape; and ongoing technological change that is transforming the worlds of extremism, terrorism, and CT. The United States finds itself in a new CT era that is shaped by three primary characteristics:  multiple priorities; a broad range of threats, including mixed ones; and a more diverse CT landscape.  How well the United States responds and adapts to the change and challenges that are occurring across these three areas will have an important bearing on the future effectiveness of U.S. CT. This report outlines characteristics that define the compound era of U.S. CT and the utility associated with this framing. The body of the report then explores some of the key trends and factors that have been impacting and driving change across the extremism, terrorism, and CT landscapes. The report also discusses some of the implications of these trends and outlines 11 priorities that can help guide the U.S. CT community’s evolution during this new era.

Published by the Office for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), this article discusses how some law enforcement agencies are seeking alternative methods of response to nonviolent 911 calls.  Among those that have implemented a successful alternative response program are Texas’s Harris County Public Health and Harris County Sheriff’s Office, which both serve the greater Houston region outside of the city.  Their program has had remarkable success in its nearly 18 months of operation. This article details the success of this new program.

Hosted by the National White Collar Crime Center and funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this webinar covers the fundamentals of investigating fake cryptocurrency exchanges and “pig butchering.” This webinar will also discuss best practices, and blockchain analytic tools will be utilized in real-world scenarios, as well as other open-source intelligence investigative techniques for the various ways these criminals defraud their victims.

When:  Thursday, September 28, 2023
Time:  1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., ET

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), this article details the success story of the FBI-led sweep which rescued more than 200 victims of sex trafficking during a nationwide enforcement campaign last month that also included the identification or arrest of more than five dozen suspected human traffickers and 126 individuals accused of child sexual exploitation and trafficking offenses. The FBI-led “Operation Cross Country,” which involved nearly every FBI field office and their respective state and local partners, also located 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and another 59 children who had been reported missing.