President-elect Barack Obama got a glimpse of the challenges his administration would be facing at his first top-secret intelligence briefing Thursday, from the two of the country’s top intelligence officers - National Intelligence Director, Mike McConnell, and CIA Director, Michael Hayden - and a team of briefers.

In the hour-long briefing on national security, the main issues broached upon were the tanking global economy, and the two ongoing wars. McConnell also looked beyond the immediate future, focusing on what his analysts tell him are the challenges the world community is likely to face by 2025.

In fact, McConnell said: “After the new president-elect’s excitement subsides after winning the election, it is going to be dampened somewhat when he begins to focus on the realities of the myriad of changes and challenges we are going to face in the future.”  

During the discussions, one topic that loomed heavily, but was reportedly never broached, was who Obama would pick to advise him on the nation’s most sensitive intelligence secrets during the next four years.

The Obama camp also has offered no hints of how it plans to fill top intelligence posts. Many former and current intelligence officials believe Obama would make new appointments, but some speculate that he may keep a few top officials in place for continuity.

Within intelligence circles, the speculation centers on former intelligence officials close to the Obama team, including John O. Brennan, the former interim director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and Rep. Jane Harman, former ranking minority member of the House intelligence committee.