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IC BRIEF

Current as of 0945 EDT (UTC-04), Wednesday 25 March 2026

Contents

10 stories from 17 sources across 15 organizations

Leadership & Organization

New NSA Director Rudd Introduces 'YESFORN' Initiative at First All-Hands, Urges Allied Intel Sharing

Gen. Joshua Rudd used his first all-hands meeting as NSA Director and Cyber Command chief on March 24 to urge expanded intelligence sharing with U.S. allies, coining the term 'YESFORN' as a deliberate counter to the 'NOFORN' classification marking. Rudd told personnel to work with allied countries 'until it hurts' and outlined three cultural priorities: accelerated speed, enhanced integration, and rapid innovation with emphasis on near-real-time intelligence collection. Rudd also reassured staff that NSA should maintain focus on Russia and China despite the administration's emphasis on southern border security. The message may reassure Five Eyes and other partners after months of unease over how White House policies have reshaped intelligence-sharing relationships. Rudd assumed command March 10 after the post sat vacant for nearly a year, inheriting a workforce that recently shed 2,000 positions.

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DHS Shutdown Hits Day 40: New Secretary Mullin Sworn In as CISA Acting Director Set to Testify on Cyber Gaps

The DHS partial shutdown entered its 40th day on March 25, with approximately 100,000 employees working without pay across the department. Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the 9th DHS Secretary on March 24 after Senate confirmation in a 54-45 vote, with his first public statement declaring ending the shutdown a 'national security' priority. CISA Acting Director Nick Andersen is scheduled to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday at a hearing titled 'Funding Lapse and Security Gaps,' alongside officials from the Coast Guard and FEMA. CISA continues operating at approximately 38% staffing (888 of 2,341 personnel). More than 450 TSA officers have resigned since the shutdown began on February 14, callout rates exceed 11% nationally, and ICE agents have been deployed to at least 11 airports to supplement security screening. TSA officers are set to miss their second full paycheck this weekend if Congress does not act before the two-week recess.

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Gabbard Finalizing Plan to Shift In-Q-Tel Oversight from CIA to ODNI

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is finalizing a plan to become the primary federal steward of In-Q-Tel, the CIA-backed venture capital firm that has funded intelligence community technology for over 25 years, according to six people with knowledge of the effort. If approved, the move would shift IQT oversight away from the CIA, which chartered the fund in 1999, and nest it under DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The plan represents the latest element of Gabbard's sweeping ODNI 2.0 restructuring, which has already dissolved the Foreign Malign Influence Center, the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, and the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center. IQT has made 591 investments across its portfolio and recently backed Advanced Navigation's $110 million Series C for GPS-alternative positioning technology and Prometheus Hyperscale, a Wyoming-based data center developer, in rapid succession. Moving IQT under ODNI would give Gabbard direct influence over the IC's primary technology scouting function.

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Operations & Intelligence Failures

Coordinated Drone Swarms Breach Restricted Airspace at Barksdale AFB and Other Strategic Installations

U.S. Northern Command deployed its 'Flyaway Kit' counter-drone jamming system against multiple drone incursions at strategic military installations since Operation Epic Fury began February 28. At Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, home to B-52 nuclear bombers, security forces documented waves of 12-15 drones operating over the flight line between March 9-15. The drones displayed non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links, and resistance to jamming. A confidential briefing document noted the drones entered and exited the base in patterns suggesting attempts to 'avoid the operator(s) being located.' Separate drone sightings were reported at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., where Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth reside. NORTHCOM stated 'there have been several incursions, but we have not determined nefarious intent' and declined to address whether the incursions connect to Iran or foreign actors, citing operational security.

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Congressional Oversight & Policy

Judge Lin Tells Pentagon Its Anthropic Ban 'Looks Like Attempt to Cripple' the Company; Ruling Expected This Week

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin told the government during a 90-minute preliminary injunction hearing that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk 'looks like an attempt to cripple' the company. Lin questioned why the Pentagon could not simply stop using Claude if genuinely concerned, rather than applying a designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries. She called the government's conduct 'troubling' and noted the actions 'don't really seem to be tailored to the stated national security concern.' Fortune quoted Lin calling it 'attempted corporate murder.' The judge asked both sides to file additional evidence by Wednesday and indicated she would rule before end of week. The supply chain risk designation is the first time it has been applied to a domestic U.S. company. The ruling directly affects Maven's 8,000+ Iran targeting actions that currently use Anthropic's Claude AI.

Sources:

Prior Reporting - [Anthropic Challenges Pentagon Claims in Ongoing AI National Security Dispute](https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/03/23/anthropic-challenges-pentagon-claims-in-ongoing-ai-national-security-dispute/) (2026-03-23) - [Elizabeth Warren calls Pentagon's decision to bar Anthropic 'retaliation'](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/elizabeth-warren-calls-pentagon-decision-152257281.html) (2026-03-23) - [Anthropic challenges Pentagon's national security risk claim in reply to suit](https://startupnews.fyi/2026/03/22/anthropic-challenges-pentagons-national-security-risk-claim-in-reply-to-suit-2/) (2026-03-22) - [Breaking Down Amicus Briefs in Anthropic's Fight with the Pentagon](https://www.techpolicy.press/breaking-down-amicus-briefs-in-anthropics-fight-with-the-pentagon/) (2026-03-23) - [Anthropic and Pentagon head to court as AI firm seeks end to 'stigmatizing' supply chain risk label](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/03/anthropic-and-pentagon-head-to-court-as-ai-firm-seeks-end-to-stigmatizing-supply-chain-risk-label/) (2026-03-24) - [Judge says government's Anthropic ban looks like punishment](https://www.npr.org/2026/03/24/nx-s1-5759276/anthropic-pentagon-claude-preliminary-injunction-hearing) (2026-03-24) - [Judge says Pentagon's Anthropic ban looks like 'attempt to cripple' company](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5799357-anthropic-challenges-pentagon-designation/) (2026-03-24)

Senate Defeats Third Iran War Powers Resolution 47-53; Democrats Vow Continued Forced Votes

The Senate blocked a third war powers resolution on Iran Tuesday evening in a nearly party-line 47-53 vote, with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) sponsoring this round. Murphy told the Hartford Courant that forced floor votes represent 'our only opportunity to debate the war, which is tragic,' and criticized Republican committee leadership for deeming hearings 'counterproductive.' No public hearings have occurred with Trump administration officials on the conflict's legal basis or endgame. Democrats are escalating their strategy of compelling public votes to build a political record, with Murphy stating that Republicans' refusal to authorize testimony 'speaks to the indictment of the preparation.' The prior two resolutions, sponsored by Kaine and Booker respectively, failed by similar margins with only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) crossing party lines and Sen. Fetterman (D-PA) voting against.

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FISA Section 702 Vote Slips to April as SAVE Act Poison Pill and Conservative Revolt Complicate Reauthorization

House Republican leaders postponed the FISA Section 702 reauthorization vote to April after internal opposition prevented swift passage, with the authority set to expire April 20. Speaker Johnson confirmed plans to move a 'clean extension of FISA for at least 18 months,' but faces a two-front revolt: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) announced plans to attach the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) to the bill, while multiple Republicans oppose any 702 renewal without warrant requirements. Trump has signaled he will not sign legislation until Congress passes the SAVE Act separately, creating a legislative collision. 'Any bill connected to the SAVE Act, including a FISA extension, is guaranteed to fail,' Sen. Wyden warned. Fox News reported that Johnson can only lose one GOP vote during the procedural rule vote to advance without Democratic support. NSA has assessed that 60% of the President's Daily Brief contains Section 702-enabled intelligence.

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Technology & OSINT

Pentagon Formalizes Maven AI as Permanent Program of Record; NGA Oversight Transfers to CDAO

Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg signed a March 9 memo directing military leaders to designate Palantir's Maven Smart System as an official program of record, mandating adoption across all service branches by September 2026. Maven's investment has grown from $480 million in 2024 to $13.4 billion in fiscal year 2026. Oversight of the platform will transfer from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office within 30 days, with future contracts managed by the U.S. Army. Maven fuses satellite imagery, drone feeds, radar data, and signals intelligence into a single interface, then classifies targets and generates strike packages in near real time. The system uses Anthropic's Claude AI and holds Impact Level 6 accreditation for classified environments. The formalization comes as the Pentagon simultaneously designated Anthropic a supply chain risk for refusing to allow autonomous weapons use, creating an unusual situation where a mandated platform depends on technology from a blacklisted vendor.

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Palantir CTO Calls Iran War 'First Major Conflict Driven by AI'; Bloomberg Reports AI Boom Split Risk

Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar told Bloomberg on March 24 that the Iran war represents 'the first major conflict driven by artificial intelligence,' with Maven processing over 8,000 targeting actions since Operation Epic Fury began. The system enabled identification and engagement of approximately 1,000 targets within the first 24 hours. Separately, Bloomberg's March 25 analysis warned the Iran war could 'split the AI boom in two,' with Middle Eastern investment in AI infrastructure now at risk as Gulf states that pledged billions for data centers face direct military conflict. The convergence of AI-powered targeting with the Anthropic supply chain risk designation, the Minab school strike attributed to stale DIA intelligence rather than AI error, and the Pentagon's simultaneous mandating and blacklisting of its own AI vendor creates what Foreign Policy called conditions 'lurching toward an AI doomsday' in the military applications domain.

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Hiring & Workforce

Russia and China Actively Recruiting Cleared Federal Workers Displaced by DOGE Layoffs

Russian, Chinese, and other foreign intelligence services are actively targeting U.S. federal workers who lost their jobs in DOGE-directed layoffs, according to multiple reports. Adversaries are using LinkedIn, TikTok, RedNote, and Reddit to identify recently terminated personnel with security clearances. At least one foreign intelligence officer ordered an asset to create a company LinkedIn profile with a job posting specifically to attract cleared personnel. The risk is compounded by the scale: with 300+ FBI national security agents departed, CIA buyouts ongoing, NSA down 2,000 positions, and ODNI staffing cut 20%, the pool of recently cleared, potentially disgruntled former IC personnel is historically large. 'Every former federal worker with knowledge of or access to sensitive information or systems is a potential target,' one analysis noted, 'and when thousands leave at the same time, it creates both many targets and a counterespionage challenge.'

Sources:

Prior Reporting - [DOGE Layoffs Create 'Perfect Recruitment Environment' for Foreign Intelligence Services](https://fortune.com/2025/03/24/doge-gutting-federal-agencies-opportunity-america-enemies-recruit-informants/) (2026-03-20)
UNCLASSIFIED // OPEN SOURCE