Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown has affected operations by the U.S. intelligence community.

Officials said the government shutdown has hampered operations of the
U.S. intelligence community. They said the community has been authorized to
recall employees, particularly those responsible foreign intelligence
collection.

“We will begin recalling CIA employees who are necessary to carry out CIA’s core missions of foreign intelligence collection, all-source analysis, covert action and counterintelligence,” CIA Director John Brennan said.

Brennan said an unspecified number of staffers were recalled on Oct. 9 to restore critical intelligence. He said President Barack Obama has not received sufficient information in his daily briefings since the shutdown began on Oct. 1.

“I have made this decision because of the potential adverse cumulative and unseen impact on our national security from the now week-long furloughing of a significant portion of the CIA workforce, as keeping our staffing at the dramatically reduced levels of the past week would pose a threat to the safety of human life and the protection of property,” Brennan said.

The recall came amid U.S. operations against Al Qaida in Libya and
Somalia. Officials acknowledged that insufficient intelligence allowed a
leading Al Qaida commander to escape a U.S. raid in Somalia on Oct. 5.

Officials said the intelligence community has not yet decided the
extent of the recall. The CIA has been deemed the leader of the community,
with Brennan regarded as close to Obama.

“This new guidance goes beyond the staffing plans at the outset of the
funding hiatus, and agency managers are in the process of determining
exactly who will be recalled under revised staffing plans,” Brennan said.
“Unfortunately, the guidance does not guarantee that we will be able to pay
our employees during the hiatus.”

The Defense Department, which includes the Defense Intelligence Agency,
has also recalled what officials said would constitute most of its
furloughed employees. On Oct. 17, Congress, at odds with Obama, faces a
deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

“I know that we are all extremely frustrated at the continuing budget
impasse, which has caused a partial shutdown of government functions and a
furloughing of hundreds of thousands of government employees, including many
CIA officers,” Brennan said on Oct. 8. “The past week certainly has been a
challenging one for CIA as well as for other U.S. government departments and
agencies, and we enter a second week not knowing when we will be able to
return to normal operating conditions.”

  CIA’s ‘core missions’ impacted by government shutdown, furloughed workers, John Brennan