Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a significant reorientation of U.S. intelligence collection, prioritizing border security and counternarcotics operations. This marks “the biggest shift in collection priorities in ODNI history,” she stated at the GEOINT 2025 Symposium.
Gabbard explained how the Trump administration’s national security agenda will reshape the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, placing unprecedented emphasis on domestic surveillance while maintaining global capabilities. “A focus on border security, counterterrorism and counternarcotics is a new front in many ways,” Gabbard said. “There hasn’t been an emphasis on collection in this area, so immediately we will be ramping up that focus.”
This shift will affect thousands of intelligence professionals, particularly in the geospatial intelligence sector. Gabbard clarified that President Trump’s foreign policy shouldn’t be seen as isolationist, despite his statement that the U.S. shouldn’t be the “world’s police.” The realignment will increase focus on both the southern and northern borders, demanding unprecedented interagency coordination. “It’s collection, but it is also fusion and complete understanding that requires our national intelligence capabilities working very closely with federal, state and local law enforcement,” she added. “We can’t have these silos in information and intelligence.”
Gabbard acknowledged ongoing funding cuts and workforce reductions, noting that while “parts of the government have seen severe cuts,” intelligence priorities have been “largely protected so far.” Drawing on her military and congressional experience, Gabbard addressed frustrations regarding intelligence delivery. “As someone who served in uniform for over 22 years and served in Congress for eight years on the foreign affairs and armed services committees, I had been a customer of intelligence for a long time, and had a lot of first hand frustrations based on the products that were being delivered,” she said. She emphasized the need for timely, relevant, objective, and unbiased intelligence.
While impressed by innovations at the symposium, Gabbard noted barriers to adopting commercial solutions within government. Her office will streamline contracts to eliminate duplication and “save a lot of money and make sure that our IC elements are getting the most bang for the buck.”
Gabbard also stressed the need to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, acknowledging apprehension about its role. “It is the buzzword, everybody’s talking about it,” she said. “There’s no replacement for humans in life or work, including in geospatial intelligence, but we have to look at this challenge as an opportunity to change our roles.” She urged analysts to “understand, engage in direct AI for the amplification and maximization of their own work and capabilities,” addressing fears stemming from a lack of understanding.
Finally, Gabbard advocated for greater integration of open-source intelligence (OSINT) with traditional disciplines. “OSINT is an area of relatively new focus from Congress,” she said, noting limitations imposed by current authorities. “Human intelligence, signals intelligence, and geospatial intelligence should all be integrated, as well as OSINT,” she stated. “We can really maximize maintaining that qualitative edge when we are maximizing all of our collection capabilities across the board.”