22-07-2025
It's not too late to spare this crucial intelligence agency
Ellen McCarthy is a former assistant secretary of state and led the Bureau of Intelligence and Research from 2019 to 2021.
In a world increasingly defined by uncertainty and great-power rivalry, the last thing the United States should be doing is cutting one of its most quietly indispensable assets: the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) at the State Department. And yet approximately 20 percent of the staff might soon be gone, having either been laid off or accepted deferred retirement. These cuts undermine not just the bureau, but the intelligence and diplomatic posture of the United States itself.
