Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard isn’t wasting a moment after being sworn in getting to work protecting the country.
Shortly after being sworn in on Wednesday, the former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman hopped a flight to Munich, Germany, where she will meet with U.S. allies for discussions after the Biden-Harris regime essentially hid from much of the world for four years.
On her first full day as DNI, Gabbard is set to hold 30 bilateral meetings with counterparts, including key U.S. allies like Great Britain, France, Australia, and Germany, according to Alexa Henning, deputy DNI for strategy and communications, in a statement to ABC News.
Gabbard, who was sworn into office Wednesday afternoon following her Senate confirmation earlier that day, is also expected to deliver remarks at a luncheon during the conference. She will be joined by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom will also be attending, the outlet reported.
During her confirmation hearing in January, Gabbard outlined her priorities for leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). She mentioned that President Donald Trump’s reelection was focused on breaking the cycle of failure within the intelligence community and ending “the weaponization/politicization of the IC and begin to restore trust in those who have been charged with the critical task of securing our nation.”
In order to assess the global threat environment, Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, will identify “where gaps in our intelligence exist, integrate intelligence elements, increase information-sharing, and ensure unbiased, apolitical, objective collection and analysis to support the president and policymakers’ decision-making,” according to a list of priorities obtained by ABC News.
Her priorities also include the importance of reducing the polarization within the intelligence community, stating that her goal is to “ensure clear mission focus to the IC on its core mission of unbiased, apolitical collection and analysis of intelligence to secure our nation.”
The DNI also emphasizes that rebuilding “trust through transparency and accountability,” is imperative to national security, according to the document.<
Like several other agencies in the second Trump administration, Gabbard wants to reform the ODNI role, which was created following the 9/11 attacks.
She aims to “assess and address efficiency, redundancy, and effectiveness across ODNI to ensure focus of personnel and resources is focused on our core mission of national security,” according to the document, per ABC.
During her confirmation, the former Hawaii congresswoman met with over half of the Senate over the span of two months. Lawmakers from both parties voiced frustration over recent intelligence failures, according to sources familiar with the proceedings. Gabbard continued meeting with senators on Capitol Hill right up until the night before her nomination.
She faced intense questioning from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle regarding her reversal on a key surveillance tool, Section 702 of the FISA, as well as her refusal to label former National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden a traitor during the contentious confirmation hearings last month.
She was confirmed on a vote of 52-48, with no Democratic senators voting in favor and one Republican — former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) joining them.
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment,” he said in a statement.
According to the document cited by ABC, Gabbard plans to collaborate with lawmakers to ensure their intelligence requests are promptly addressed. Key areas of concern include the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, the 2024 Syrian rebel takeover, the failure to trace the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak, Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) known as “Havana Syndrome,” Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — objects in the air, sea, or space that defy scientific explanation — as well as drones and other related issues.