The Coronavirus Is the Worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History

[Anon-C]

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/25/coronavirus-worst-intelligence-failure-us-history-covid-19/

The Coronavirus Is the Worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History

It’s more glaring than Pearl Harbor and 9/11—and it’s all the fault of Donald Trump’s leadership.
BY MICAH ZENKO | MARCH 25, 2020, 1:52 PM

Last September, I met the vice president for risk for a Fortune 100 company in Washington, D.C. I asked the executive—who previously had a long career as an intelligence analyst—the question you would ask any risk officer: “What are you most worried about?” Without pausing, this person replied, “A highly contagious virus that begins somewhere in China and spreads rapidly.” This vice president, whose company has offices throughout East Asia, explained the preventative mitigating steps the company had subsequently adopted to counter this potential threat.

Since the novel coronavirus has swept the world, I have often thought about this person’s prescient risk calculus. Most leaders lack the discipline to do routine risk-based horizon scanning, and fewer still develop the requisite contingency plans. Even rarer is the leader who has the foresight to correctly identify the top threat far enough in advance to develop and implement those plans.

Suffice it to say, the Trump administration has cumulatively failed, both in taking seriously the specific, repeated intelligence community warnings about a coronavirus outbreak and in vigorously pursuing the nationwide response initiatives commensurate with the predicted threat. The federal government alone has the resources and authorities to lead the relevant public and private stakeholders to confront the foreseeable harms posed by the virus. Unfortunately, Trump officials made a series of judgments (minimizing the hazards of COVID-19) and decisions (refusing to act with the urgency required) that have needlessly made Americans far less safe.

In short, the Trump administration forced a catastrophic strategic surprise onto the American people. But unlike past strategic surprises—Pearl Harbor, the Iranian revolution of 1979, or especially 9/11—the current one was brought about by unprecedented indifference, even willful negligence. Whereas, for example, the 9/11 Commission Report assigned blame for the al Qaeda attacks on the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan through George W. Bush, the unfolding coronavirus crisis is overwhelmingly the sole responsibility of the current White House.

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[gibraltar72]

1. Yeah in 2016.

[Anon-C]

3. Make Troy Great Again!

[sop]

2. Since Trump is declaring himself a "war president," comparing his bungled virus response

to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 intelligence failures is certainly warranted.

[Demonaut]

4. they knew but did little

[Caliman73]

5. Failure of leadership, not intelligence.

The information was there. President Obama tried to prepare Trump for what might happen based on having to deal with H1N1, Ebola, and Zika. They had it gamed out, but Trump's people through it in the trash.

Warnings were coming in specifically about COVID-19 despite Trump having cut funding to the CDC and terminating the Pandemic response team.

It wasn't a failure of intelligence. You can provide everything to someone and if they won't take it in, it isn't the fault of the messenger it is the fault of the recipient.

President Obama was given intelligence on Ebola, on H1N1, and Zika. He ACTED on that intelligence and listened to his exports. President Obama was a leader who cared about the people of the United States and around the world.

Trump only cares about his own benefit.

[Anon-C]

6. I agree. In this analysis we must really look at Trump's continuing efforts to cripple our...

...Intelligence Community and why that was allowed to happen.