Former Trump Advisor Warns US Counterintelligence Is Falling Behind

A former top official in the Trump administration has warned that the United States is lagging in counterintelligence efforts, allowing rivals like China and Russia to gain an advantage. H.R. McMaster, who served as National Security Advisor, said that Washington has been "extraordinarily negligent" in this area since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Speaking in a recent interview, McMaster argued that America's heavy focus on counterterrorism after 9/11 left it vulnerable to intelligence threats from other nations. He pointed out that both China and Russia took advantage of this shift, using the opportunity to strengthen their own intelligence operations against the US. McMaster's comments come amid growing concerns about foreign interference and espionage. He criticized the US government for not adequately addressing these threats over the past two decades. The former advisor stressed that the country now needs to urgently improve its counterintelligence capabilities to protect national security. His remarks add to a broader debate about how the US balances its security priorities between terrorism and state-sponsored threats. McMaster served as National Security Advisor from 2017 to 2018 under President Donald Trump.