Does the US need 18 intelligence agencies? | This is America

By Al Jazeera English

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President Donald Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence – and his subsequent decision to carry out mass firings – has reignited debate about the structure, size and politicisation of America's intelligence community. Pulte, a political ally with no intelligence background, now temporarily oversees an apparatus of 18 separate intelligence agencies, a system created after the failures of September 11, 2001. Critics argue the appointment highlights how much power is concentrated in one office and raises fresh questions about whether the post-9/11 reforms have delivered better intelligence or simply created a larger and more politicised bureaucracy. Since America's founding, intelligence has been a cornerstone of national security. From the Revolutionary War's Culper Spy Ring to the codebreakers of World War II, American spies have protected the nation and shaped global events. But now that system is under threat. So, what are the consequences of th

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