Civilian special agents from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command are set to gain expanded powers to carry out searches, issue warrants, and arrest individuals beyond the confines of military installations. This announcement was made by the leadership of Army Counterintelligence during a media roundtable on October 15, held at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C.

As per Title 10 U.S. Code Section 7377, included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2025, civilian CI agents of the Army will now have legal authorities akin to those of civilian law enforcement officers for operations outside military facilities. Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale, shared these updates with journalists.

The implementation of these new authorities by the Department of Defense is pending approval from the Attorney General.

Lt. Gen. Hale expects the approval from the Attorney General to be finalized by the end of this calendar year.

The primary role of Army CI agents is to detect and counteract espionage efforts by foreign adversaries. They frequently collaborate with both federal and local law enforcement across the nation to address national security threats. Their activities are primarily focused on counterintelligence and safeguarding against international terrorism.

This change not only allows Army Counterintelligence agents to follow up on leads beyond military bases but also enhances their capacity to assist other law enforcement bodies.

According to an ACIC spokesperson, these new powers enable Army Counterintelligence Special Agents to aid other law enforcement agencies in investigating federal crimes, as dictated by Department of Defense regulations and collaborative agreements.

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The decision to deputize ACIC special agents depends on the specific mission and authority of the supporting agency, as stated by an ACIC spokesperson.

Limited Jurisdiction

Historically, Army CI agents were restricted from conducting searches, issuing warrants, or making arrests outside military grounds due to legal constraints related to the Army’s jurisdiction within the U.S. and the nature of their investigative work.

The limitations have posed significant challenges in preventing potential foreign espionage activities, as many individuals under investigation reside outside military premises, explained by Hale.

Relying on external law enforcement to provide necessary authorities often led to a backlog of cases and restricted the CI agents’ ability to actively pursue espionage leads, according to Hale.

Hale pointed out that many ongoing cases might not attract the attention of law enforcement agencies due to the lack of critical information needed to escalate them.

He added that the new powers will allow CI agents to seize devices and conduct forensic analyses to advance their investigations.

“Even with the newly enhanced authorities, ACIC will continue to coordinate with the FBI and other law enforcement entities as necessary for counterintelligence investigations,” an ACIC spokesperson told Military Times. “Approximately 65% of ACIC investigations are conducted jointly with the FBI due to the overlapping jurisdictions of both agencies.”

Southern Border Support

Hale informed Military Times that transnational criminal organizations pose a significant threat, especially given the substantial number of soldiers stationed along the southern border.

“If you are impacting their livelihood, then you are a threat to them [the transnational criminal organization],” said Hale. “So if you are causing them to make less money, if you are preventing them from trafficking humans across the border, if you are stopping them from receiving weapons from a criminal organization, or whatever the merchandise or goods that they’re moving, then I would submit to you that you have a threat [from the TCO].”

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Moreover, Hale revealed that Army CI agents are currently deployed along the southern border as part of Task Force Southern Border and U.S. NORTHCOM, with NORTHCOM having requested Army counterintelligence support.

International Threats

“Our adversaries are gathering intelligence on us daily, no matter where we are,” Hale stated. “Name an adversary, and they are out there collaborating. Our mission, from the perspective of the Army and the Army Counterintelligence Command, is to confront and thwart these adversaries every day, maintaining a frontline presence.”

With over 3,000 Army CI agents working tirelessly to protect national security interests from threats, Hale emphasized their ongoing battle against cunning adversaries.

“Discussing counterintelligence and the capabilities of our adversaries might seem alarming, but I assure you, as the operational commander of this organization, that I’d match our team against any of our foes, confident that we would prevail.”