WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are raising concerns about reports that some allies and partner nations are curtailing intelligence sharing with the United States.
In a letter on Thursday to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, the lawmakers asked about the scaling back of intelligence sharing by Britain, the Netherlands and Colombia.
Some of the curbs have been more symbolic than of practical import. Few countries would be willing to cut off information sharing with the United States, which produces more intelligence than any other allied country.
Nevertheless, limits on sharing intelligence about the Caribbean put in place by British military intelligence reflect the growing unease among allied and partner nations over the legality of the U.S. strikes on boats purportedly carrying drugs.
Since early September, the United States has killed at least 83 people in 21 strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs.
U.S. officials have conceded that the British have had good intelligence about drug traffic in the Caribbean, at times better than American information. But the officials said British intelligence had not been used for the strikes.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview that the loss of intelligence from Colombia could have real effects.
“When Colombia says, ‘We’re no longer going to cooperate with you on counternarcotics,’ that is a massive blow to the partnership, which has actually made real progress in reducing the flow of narcotics out of Colombia,” Himes said.
In the letter, Himes and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, noted reports that Britain and Colombia had curbed intelligence sharing over the boat strikes. The lawmakers also discussed an announcement from Dutch officials that the Netherlands might also curb some intelligence sharing on Russia.
The letter said that intelligence sharing with allies was “a critical part of our national security.”
Officials from Gabbard’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But a senior intelligence official dismissed the idea that there has been any slowdown in intelligence sharing, noting that Gabbard had met with British officials and discussed the strength of their partnership. The official noted that NATO officials had also dismissed the idea that cooperation on intelligence had been affected.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.