August 4, 1977; 46 years ago (August 4, 1977) as various DOE intelligence and counterintelligence groups, became Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence upon 2006 merger of DOE intelligence and counterintelligence offices[1]
Superseding agency
DOE Offices of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
OICI is responsible for all intelligence and counterintelligence functions of the Department of Energy complex, including the national laboratories and nuclear weapons construction, decommissioning, assembling, storage, etc. facilities not under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense (the DoE and DoD share responsibility for the United States' nuclear stockpile).[10] In its counterintelligence role, the office safeguards intellectual property in the form of national security information and technologies and protects Department of Energy employees and scientific staff.[12] In its intelligence role, the office utilizes the Department of Energy's scientific and technical expertise to provide guidance to policymakers concerning, in addition to energy security, the national security areas of defense, homeland security, cybersecurity, and intelligence.[13]
Under U.S. law, the director must be substantially experienced in intelligence affairs and come from the Senior Executive Service or its intelligence agency equivalents, some of which require the concurrence of the DNI.[14]
The director is assisted by a principal deputy director and at least two deputy directors, one of which is the deputy director for counterintelligence.[16][17] OICI also includes a Director of Security[18][19] and deputy director of the interagency Nuclear Materials Information Program (NMIP).
The director of OICI is a member of the National Intelligence Board[20] and program manager for DOE's National Intelligence Program (NIP) funds.[7] Since June 2019, OICI directors have also been charged which determining which foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs (e.g. Thousand Talents Plan) pose intellectual property and espionage threats. Foreign governments deemed to be "of risk" will have American DOE/NNSA researchers and contractors barred from participation.[21]
The office's first director was former CIA officer Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, who joined DoE in November 2005.[22][23][24] Larssen served as director for three years before joining Harvard'sBelfer Center in 2009.[25]
From 2007-2010, Carol Dumaine, another ex-CIA officer, served as Deputy Director for Energy and Environmental Security.[26]
Former CIA officer and intelligence author Edward Bruce Held occupied the office of director beginning at least September 2012.[27][28] Charles K. Durant served as Held's Deputy Director for Counterintelligence and Eric Jackson as Director for Security.[4]
Held was succeeded as director on March 8, 2013 by Principal Deputy Director Steven K. Black,[3][16] who still held the position as of September 2021.[29][30]
Intelligence Directorate: Assesses the capabilities, intentions, and activities of foreign powers, organizations, and persons who may be targeting the Department of Energy for espionage.
Management Directorate: Houses support activities for the other two directorates, including human resource services, contract support, and facility planning.[8][32]
Cyber Intelligence Directorate: Includes the Cyber Special Programs Division.[34]
ACyber Directorate may also exist, as evidenced by OICI's Deputy Director for Cyber.[35] Other internal structures include OICI's Security Office,[18] the interagency Nuclear Materials Information Program (NMIP),[6] the Foreign Nuclear Programs Division (FNP),[6] and the Cyber Special Programs Division.[34]
OICI's lead individual for climate and environmental security analysis is a member of the Climate Security Advisory Council convened by the Director of National Intelligence and set to disband on December 20, 2023.[15]
In a September 2008 letter to then-Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and CommerceJohn Dingell, longtime counterintelligence agent and senior Energy Department counterintelligence official Terry D. Turchie strongly condemned the then-new Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence and its director Mowatt-Larssen, crediting "the dangerously chaotic state of counterintelligence within DOE" for his (Turchie's) resignation.
Much of Turchie's criticism focused on his perception that the new Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence was "restructuring around intelligence collection and away from sound counterintelligence principles" with "potentially catastrophic consequences;" for this, Turchie faulted Mowatt-Larssen, a former CIA officer he described as "intent on the primacy of intelligence over counterintelligence." He also criticized Mowatt-Larssen for alleged "purge[s]" of highly qualified counterintelligence officials for "dar[ing to] challenge [his] changes based on their concern for the rule of law or the dramatic and disastrous impact his changes would have had on DOE counterintelligence overall."[23]
