Finding balance was an overarching theme of this week’s Batten Hour speaker, Under Secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security Kenneth Wainstein, who discussed election security and the role of his organization in bridging information gaps among all levels of U.S. government.

The conversation, “Safeguarding the Homeland,” was hosted by UVA Batten’s National Security Policy Center, Karsh Institute of Democracy and the Miller Center. The event was moderated by Ashley Deeks, director of UVA’s National Security Law Center and a Miller Center faculty senior fellow.

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“The threats we’re dealing with now don’t know borders,” Wainstein told the audience, noting that the transnational effects of threats such as drug trafficking and human trafficking trickle down to the most local levels of government.

This is where his agency comes in — the intersection of foreign and domestic intelligence threats. Formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the mission of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I & A) is to provide information to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and intelligence partners.

“It’s not intuitive for most Americans what we do,” Wainstein said, but the work in connecting the dots is critical, particularly as the threat landscape involving cyber terrorism and domestic violent terrorism grows.

Wainstein, a former federal prosecutor who worked across multiple spheres of federal government and took on the role at I & A in 2022, said this is a stark departure from the context that gave rise to the Department of Homeland Security.

“There’s a convergence of threat which creates convergence of need,” Wainstein explained, stating the law enforcement partnerships that now exist between all levels of government is “stronger than it was 20 years ago.”

The most persistent, lethal terrorism threats facing Americans today, he said, are from individuals and small groups who have been radicalized by ideologies and then act out those ideologies domestically.

“There are a lot of people agitating up until the election, and that’s fine, that’s the American way, but there are some who have taken their views to the point of trying to disrupt the election,” he said, and referred to threats to election workers and attempts to hack into voter databases. The Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2020, was a case-in-point of violent disruption of the election process, Wainstein said.

This is where the work of balance comes into play — distinguishing “bravado with actual threats,” he said. Deeks asked Wainstein to elaborate on how his agency navigates the line between information gathering and maintaining constitutional rights and then procedurally making the right decision on how to proceed.

“That topic takes up a huge percentage of our time,” Wainstein replied, noting that because the I & A gathers intelligence in the domestic sphere, it is bound by the U.S. Constitution’s protections of individual rights. Harking back to his experience as a federal prosecutor —when his job was to prosecute cases to the best of his ability while also protecting the rights of all involved, including witnesses and defendants — he said that sticking to the rule of law, and the facts, is where the balance can be found.

“That same dual hatted-ness applies to the intelligence space,” he said.

Wainstein highlighted two key aspects of the I & A’s work: the apolitical nature of national security and intelligence work — “the mission is more important than the politics,” said Wainstein, who has held appointed positions under Republican and Democratic presidents — and the balance between transparency for the good of democracy and safeguarding information to keep Americans safe.

As for students who are interested in pursuing a career in intelligence, Wainstein’s advice invoked striking balance, too.

“Have fun in college, enjoy college, but do a couple things. Surround yourself with intellectually vibrant people, that’s some of the best training you’ll ever get.”

He also urged students to take advantage of summer internship opportunities in Washington D.C., on Capitol Hill and in administrative departments that provide a “glimpse into the national security space.”