From Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Article by ODNI Strategic Communications
Media www.rajawalisiber.com Dr. Alan MacDougall, director of the National Counterproliferation Center, spoke with a group of senior U.S. Army officers who specialize in nuclear and counter-WMD efforts during a U.S. Army Nuclear and Countering WMD Agency professional development seminar on Feb. 2.
The group of about 50 Lieutenant Colonels in Functional Area 52, or FA52, comprise the senior ranks of the Army’s nuclear and WMD enterprise.
In his keynote remarks, MacDougall highlighted NCPC’s history and evolving role in coordinating the Intelligence Community’s counterproliferation efforts to the present day.
He also emphasized USANCA’s sustained strength in educating, training and developing the functional area in the counterproliferation space, the impact of these senior officers and their expertise throughout the U.S. Army and the interagency, and the necessity for strategic thinkers, integrators, and implementers in the counterproliferation and counter-WMD communities.
“Our adversaries are investing heavily in the WMD landscape and one of the ways we keep pace is by keeping requisite counter-WMD knowledge in our armed services, particularly in our Army,” said MacDougall. He provided examples of the positive impacts that the FA52 community has provided to the Intelligence Community on counter-WMD space from his perspective as director of NCPC, including coordinating strategic planning and posturing the IC to curb proliferation of WMD, which was also echoed by the National Intelligence Manager for Counterproliferation.
MacDougall also fielded several questions from the group related to how new technologies might challenge the counterproliferation community, the priority level of counterproliferation in intelligence, and the future for the community with the new administration. He assured the group that counterproliferation has always been and will remain a top priority for the U.S. and that the IC’s ability to provide assessments on proliferation networks and capabilities is always in high demand. MacDougall highlighted the need to develop and retain professionals focused on counterproliferation in the years to come.
NCPC has a historically strong relationship with USANCA and this engagement continued to forge the valuable and mutually beneficial partnerships between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Army.
For the U.S. Army officers in attendance, this seminar is a critical career development step to becoming senior leaders in the counterproliferation community.