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$43bn for US intelligence
30/10/2007 21:15 - (SA)
Washington - The US government spent $43.5bn on intelligence in 2007, according to newly declassified intelligence budget.
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell released the figure on Tuesday because the law implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission required it.
In a statement, the DNI said there would be no other disclosures of classified budget information beyond the overall spending figure because "such disclosures could harm national security".
The intelligence agencies have fought multiple legal attempts to disclose spending for the 16 intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the Defence Department, the Treasury Department and the Homeland Security Department, among others. They have argued that adversaries can divine secrets about intelligence activities if they can track budget fluctuations year to year.
By law, overall intelligence spending must be disclosed 30 days after the close of the fiscal year, which ended September 30.
The CIA voluntarily disclosed the number only twice, in 1997 and 1998 when the budgets were $26.6bn and $26.7bn, respectively.
A top intelligence official inadvertently disclosed the budget two years ago at a conference in San Antonio, Texas, that was open to the public. She said it was $44bn.
National security analysts outside the government usually estimate the annual budget at about 10% of the total US defence budget. Around 80% of the intelligence budget is consumed by military intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office.
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