Intelligence spending figure revealed

Urged by the September 11 commission and Congress the National Intelligence Director, Mike McConnell, declassified the fiscal 2007 national intelligence agency budget on Tuesday. The figure shows the total amount the nation’s various intelligence agencies have spend over $40 billion this past fiscal year. Military intelligence operation spending was not included in the figure. McConnell also added that “beyond the disclosure of a top-line figure, there will be no other disclosures of currently classified budget information because such disclosures could harm national security.”

The fiscal national intelligence agency budget figures have only been declassified by in 1997 and 1998 while former CIA Director George J. Tenet was commissioned. The figure for 1997 and 1998 was 26.6 billion and 26.7 billion respectively. But prior to 1997 and after 1998 the figure remains classified until now. The current figure shows that there is a dramatic increase in intelligence spending since 9/11, almost doubled since the last declassified figure in 1998.

According to McConnell the release was due to legal matter pertaining to Section 601 of the law. Section 601 requires certain intelligence funding information be available to the public. The law was passed in July.