Intelligence has come a long way since the time around 1,000 BC as revealed in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and will only continue to grow in the future. The Intelligence Community (IC) will face challenges in the future, but over the next few years these will be restructuring/budget cuts, implementing cybersecurity, and preventing the proliferation of weapons of destruction massive, because a transition phase within the United States impacts intelligence operations. The intelligence community is likely to revert to its pre-9/11 requirements, thereby hindering or suppressing post-9/11 implementations and requirements. The intelligence community has been the number one priority since 9/11 and has received the most budgetary support, but will likely face a reduction due to the end of operations in Iraq and reduced operations in Afghanistan. According to the Washington Post, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper fears that a new round of federal budget cuts could hamper overall intelligence operations, as was the case in the 1990s. This refers to sequestration and, for the intelligence community, it is more common to send employees on leave to save money rather than letting them go due to budget cuts (Davidson, April 9, 2013). In 2010, the IC received $86.63 billion and over the past three years its support has declined by $13.47 billion, excluding sequestration. This same decline occurred in the 1990s, as reported by DNI James Clapper, and was reduced from about $45 billion to about $37 billion, then saw a significant spike during the September 11 period (Erwin and Belasco). Additionally, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn testified before the House Armed Services Committee...... middle of document...... April 27, 2014). Erwin, Marshall and Belasco, Amy. “Intelligence Spending and Appropriations: Questions for Congress.” Congressional Research Service: Informing legislative debate since 1914. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/R42061.pdf (accessed April 27, 2014). Pellerin, Cheryl. "United States Department of Defense." Defense.gov news article: Officials: Cuts and unstable budget threaten intelligence mission. http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=119404 (accessed April 27, 2014). “The global challenge of terrorism linked to weapons of mass destruction”. The White House. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/65477.pdf (accessed April 27, 2014). Wilshusen, Gregory. “Cybersecurity: a better defined and implemented national strategy is needed to address persistent challenges.” United States Government Accountability Office. http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/652817.pdf (accessed April 27, 2014.