To be successful in its counterintelligence mission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) depends on informed citizens and on State and local law enforcement agencies to assist in the identification process. The public's perception of the Soviet threat, however, has changed considerably in recent years. In June 1989, public opinion polls conducted in the United States indicated that 65 percent of Americans no longer consider the Soviet Union to be an immediate threat. Also in 1989, 50 percent of West Germans said they were more threatened by the United States than by the Soviet Union. What the American public often fails to realize is that the Soviets continue to spend a large amount on espionage and intelligence collection activities in an attempt to close the gap with the West in microelectonics, computers, and sophisticated weapon systems. One of the most effective strategies developed by the FBI to counter the activities of hostile foreign intelligence services is the Development of Espionage and Counterintelligence Awareness (DECA) Program. DECA links the FBI's counterintelligence program to security countermeasures employed by defense contractors. The DECA Program has been expanded to include U.S. firms not engaged in classified government contracts and the public in general. The Industrial Security Awareness Council (ISAC), formed in 1988, is a joint government/private sector working group whose membership includes the Defense Investigative Service, the FBI, and 11 defense contractors. ISAC's goal is to promote security awareness in the defense industry by focusing on the collective resources of industry and government. 6 footnotes