Head of State Department's Intelligence Arm on Assessing Foreign Leaders

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ellen McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). As head of INR – the oldest all-source U.S. intelligence agency, and among the smallest, within the 17-member community – McCarthy leads a cadre of about 250 analysts at the State Department who provide assessments to the Secretary of State, relevant policymakers and the President. She explains how INR analysts arrive at their assessments of foreign leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and how their assessments can inform, but not influence, policymaking. This is the second installment of a continuing series on "Leadership of the IC," featuring currently-serving senior leadership within the U.S. intelligence community.