ຫົວໜ້າສືບລັບຄົນໃໝ່ຂອງສະຫະລັດສັນຍາວ່າ ໜ່ວຍສືບລັບຕ່າງໆຂອງປະເທດຈະບໍ່ຖືກຂັດຂວາງໃນການປະຕິບັດໜ້າທີ່ຂອງພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າ ນຶ່ງມື້ຫລັງຈາກຫົວໜ້າຄົນກ່ອນ ແລະຜູ້ຮອງຂອງທ່ານ ໄດ້ພາກັນອອກຈາກລັດຖະບານ.
ຮັກສາການຜູ້ອຳນວຍການອົງການສືບລັບແຫ່ງຊາດ ທ່ານໂຈເຊັຟ ແມັກກວຍເອີ ກ່າວຢູ່ໃນຖະແຫຼງການທີ່ນຳອອກເຜີຍແຜ່ໃນວັນສຸກວານນີ້ວ່າ “ຫ້ອງການຜູ້ອຳນວຍການອົງການສືບລັບແຫ່ງຊາດ ຍັງຈະເພັ່ງເລັງໃສ່ການນຳພາປະຊາຄົມສືບລັບ ແລະສະໜອງຂໍ້ມູນທີ່ສຳຄັນໆ ເພື່ອສະໜັບສະໜັບຄວາມໝັ້ນຄົງແຫ່ງຊາດຂອງພວກເຮົາ.”
ທ່ານແມັກກວຍເອີ ອະດີດສະມາຊິກໜ່ວຍກ້າຕາຍເນວີຊຽລ (Navy SEAL) ຜູ້ຊຶ່ງມາຈົນຮອດວັນພະຫັດຜ່ານມານີ້ ແມ່ນຮັບໜ້າທີ່ເປັນຜູ້ອຳນວຍການ ສູນກາງຕໍ່ຕ້ານການກໍ່ການຮ້າຍນັ້ນຍັງກ່າວວ່າ “ຍິນດີທີ່ຈະປະຕິບັດຕາມເສັ້ນທາງ” ຂອງອະດີດຜູ້ອຳນວຍການອົງການສືບລັບແຫ່ງຊາດ ທ່ານແດນ ໂຄທສ໌ ຜູ້ຊຶ່ງພ້ອມກັບຜູ້ຮອງຂອງທ່ານ ທ່ານນາງຊູ ກໍດັອນ “ເພື່ອນຳພາ ປະຊາຄົມສືບລັບຜ່ານຜ່າບັນຫາທ້າທາຍ ໃນການປ່ຽນແປງຢ່າງໃຫຍ່ຂອງໂລກ ທີ່ປະເທດຂອງພວກເຮົາໄດ້ປະສົບພົບມາ.”
ພວກເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສືບລັບ ທັງໃນອະດີດແລະປັດຈຸບັນ ຈຳນວນນຶ່ງ ເບິ່ງທ່ານແມັກກວຍເອີ ຜູ້ຊຶ່ງປະສົບຄວາມສຳເລັດໃນອາຊີບວຽກການ ໃນກອງທັບເຮືອ ກ່ອນທີ່ຈະຍ້າຍມາຮັບໜ້າທີ່ ໃນດ້ານຕໍ່ຕ້ານການກໍ່ການຮ້າຍນັ້ນ ເປັນບຸກຄົນທີ່ຄວບຄຸມຕົນເອງ ສາມາດເປັນຜູ້ນຳພາ ແລະເອົາຈິງເອົາຈັງແບບງຽບໆ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ເປັນທີ່ແນ່ໃຈວ່າບັນດາອົງການສືບລັບຂອງສະຫະລັດ ຍັງສືບຕໍ່ສະໜອງ ການຊັ່ງຊາທີ່ເປັນຈິງ ແລະກົງໄປກົງມາ ຕໍ່ພວກກຳນົດນະໂຍບາຍ.
ຄວາມເຕັມໃຈທີ່ຈະ “ປະເຊີນໜ້າກັບພວກທີ່ກຳຕຳແໜ່ງສຳຄັນ” ດັ່ງທີ່ພວກເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສືບລັບມັກຈະເວົ້າວ່າ ແມ່ນສິ່ງທີ່ໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ທັງທ່ານໂຄທສ໌ແລະທ່ານນາງກໍດັອນເປັນທີ່ຮັກແລະເຄົາລົບ ສຳລັບປະຊາຄົມສືບລັບ ແລະໃນທົ່ວວົງການລັດຖະບານສະຫະລັດ.
ນອກນັ້ນ ມັນຍັງເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ມີທ່າທາງວ່າໄດ້ຊ່ວຍໃນການຈາກໄປຂອງພວກທ່ານນຳດ້ວຍ.
ໃນຫຼາຍໆໂອກາດ ທ່ານໂຄທສ໌ໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ປະທານາທິບໍດີດໍໂນລ ທຣຳ ບໍ່ພໍໃຈ ຍ້ອນໄດ້ສະແດງການຄັດຄ້ານຢ່າງເປີດເຜີຍກ່ຽວກັບການຕັດສິນໃຈທີ່ຈະພົບປະກັບເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ຣັດເຊຍ ຕາມລຳພັງ ຢູ່ທີ່ຫ້ອງການຮູບຊົງໄຂ່ ໃນທຳນຽບຂາວຫຼືການບໍ່ເຫັນພ້ອມກັບການຊັ່ງຊາຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີກ່ຽວກັບເກົາຫຼີເໜືອ ອີຣ່ານແລະກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ.
ຫຼັງຈາກການຮັບຟັງຄຳໃຫ້ການ ເມື່ອເດືອນມັງກອນປີນີ້ ປະທານາທິບໍດີທຣຳແມ່ນໄດ້ກະທັງຕ້ອງຕິທ່ານໂຄທສ໌ແລະເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສືບລັບອື່ນໆ ຜ່ານທາງທວີດເຕີ້ ໂດຍຂຽນວ່າ “ບາງທີ ພວກສືບລັບຄວນຈະກັບຄືນໄປໂຮງຮຽນໃໝ່.”
The new, top-ranking U.S. intelligence official is promising the country's intelligence agencies will be undeterred in their work, a day after his predecessor and his predecessor's top deputy were ushered out of government.
"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence remains focused on leading the Intelligence Community (IC) and providing critical information in support of our nation's security," acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire said in a statement issued Friday.
Maguire, a former Navy SEAL who until Thursday had been serving as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, also said he was "humbled to follow in the footsteps" of former National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, who along with Deputy Director Sue Gordon, "led the IC [Intelligence Community] through some of the most dynamic global challenges our nation has faced."
A number of current and former intelligence officials see Maguire, who had a distinguished career in the Navy before moving into counterterrorism, as a steady handsomeone with the leadership skills and gravitasto make sure U.S. intelligence agencies continue to provide policy makers with honest, candid assessments.
That willingness to "speak truth to power," as intelligence officials often put it, is what endeared both Coats and Gordon to many in the intelligence community and across the U.S. government.
It is also the trait that likely helped lead to their departures.
On several occasions, Coats sparked the outrage of President Donald Trump, publicly contradicting him on decisions to meet with Russian officials, alone, in the Oval Office, or disagreement with the president's assessments of North Korea, Iran and the Islamic State terror group.
[[ https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-politics/us-intel-chiefs-warn-washington-risks-losing-friends-influence ]]
After one hearing this past January, Trump even lashed out at Coats and other intelligence officials on Twitter, writing, "Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!"
[[ https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1090608986259419136?s=20 ]]
But with Coats and Gordon gone, and with the nation's top spymaster, Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel, having chosen to largely stay out of the public eye, some wonder whether politics will increasingly creep into the intelligence community's assessments.
"The departure of Coats and Gordon is most unfortunate—for the country and for a healthy intelligence-policy relationship--because their departure appears to be all about Trump's unwillingness to hear anything from the intelligence community that doesn't suit him politically," said Paul Pillar, a former senior CIA officer now with Georgetown University.
"That is a corruption of the intelligence community's mission," he told VOA.
Those concerns were heightened late last month, when Trump initially announced he was going to nominate Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe, one of the newer members of the House Intelligence Committee, to be his new, top intelligence official.
Ratcliffe ultimately withdrew from consideration following questions about his credentials and experience. The fact that Trump's first move, however, was to pick someone who was viewed primarily as a political ally sounded an alarm for some former officials.
"Obviously, the president wants someone in this position whose first priority is loyalty to him," James Clapper, who served as director of national intelligence under former President Barack Obama, said at the time.
"I worry about people in the Intelligence Community, and the impact of potentially being directed to produce intelligence analyses that comport with the president's worldview, and not their best judgement as to the facts," he added.
President Trump's supporters, though, dismiss such concerns as overblown.
"I think there's been a lot of partisan rhetoric, which is unfortunate," said Fred Fletiz, a former CIA analyst who now heads the Center for Security Policy.
"The job of the ODNI [Office of the Director of National Intelligence] is to provide to the president the most accurate, objective and non-political intelligence possible," he said. "The president's committed to that."
Fleitz, who said he has talked to the administration about the position, likewise believes whoever comes in as the next permanent leader of the U.S. intelligence community will keep many of the current efforts to stay ahead of Russia and China, and to secure the upcoming presidential elections in 2020, in place.
But he also sees the need for some changes, citing what he describes as the misuse of foreign intelligence during the 2016 presidential election.
"Intelligence officials have to admit that intelligence was weaponized in the 2016 election to defeat Donald Trump. It was abused," Fleitz said.
Fleitz, and others, allege former President Barack Obama wanted fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton to win that presidential election so badly that he and his allies came up with a plan to discredit Trump using a counterintelligence investigation in the unlikely event that Trump would win.
"We all know that this happened," Fleitz told VOA. "What's important is that intelligence officials have to admit that this happened and put in place steps to make sure that it never happens again."
Other former officials view such claims, aimed at discrediting the Russian election interference investigation, with suspicion, seeing them more as an excuse to ensure that the next director of national intelligence meets Trump's political litmus test, rather than to correct any problem within U.S. intelligence.
"It's a little bit of crazy talk," said Larry Pfeiffer, a former CIA chief of staff and former senior director of the White House Situation Room. "Nobody in the United States intelligence community, down to its lowest level worker was weaponizing intelligence to try to defeat Donald Trump in the 2016 election."
"If there really had been an effort to weaponize' intelligence for anti-Trump purposes, then there would have been all sorts of leaks, before the election, of intelligence about the Russians helping Trump, but there were no such leaks," added Pillar.
"Straightforward collection and analysis about something as important to the national interest as a foreign government's interference in U.S. elections isn't weaponization; it is doing the intelligence agencies' proper job," he said.