The Structure and Culture of U.S. Intelligence

In this episode of All Things Policy, Abhishek Kadiyala is in conversation with Prof. Paul McGarr to unpack the evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) and its often strained, adversarial relationship with President Donald Trump. From allegations of “deep state” sabotage to growing public mistrust of intelligence briefings, we explore how this friction impacted the global strategic landscape—pushing the U.S. into an era of what some call “strategic blindness.”

The conversation also looks at the internal challenges facing the USIC, including controversial DOGE operations, a wave of senior resignations, and the consequences for long-term institutional capacity. Finally, they turn to U.S.–India relations examining how intelligence cooperation helped sustain the bilateral partnership even during political turbulence, and how intelligence relations could be answer to the current strains in the US-India relations.

All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.

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