doi:10.7916/w7mj-ev80Oral history interview with John O. Brennan, 2020Brennan, John O., 1955-oral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesNational security--United StatesArab Spring, 2010-Drone warfareForeign interference in elections--RussiaForeign interference in elections--United StatesTorture--Government policy--United StatesLeaks (Disclosure of information)--Government policy--United StatesBrennan, John O., 1955-Obama, BarackSnowden, Edward J., 1983-United States. Department of Homeland SecurityUnited States. Central Intelligence AgencyJohn Brennan discusses his involvement in the national security policy of the Barack Obama presidency, first as homeland security advisor from 2009 to 2013, and as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2013 to 2017. Brennan focuses on efforts to modernize both roles to meet the national security conditions of the period of his service, including by the merger of homeland security advisor and National Security Council staffs to better facilitate interagency collaboration within the White House, and by the creation of new CIA Mission Centers to respond to regional, transnational, and novel technological threats. Brennan describes the shift from counterterrorism to counterextremism in the White House's approach to fundamentalist violence, emphasizing the socioeconomic causes of radicalization. Brennan also provides details about notable events with which he was involved, such as the Arab Spring, the Edward Snowden leaks, the expanded use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the controversy surrounding the Senate's "Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program"