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| House Passes Intelligence Authorization Bill |
April 26, 2006 |
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Subcommittee Chair: “Exceptional intelligence is our first line of defense.”
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today welcomed House passage 327-96 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (H.R. 5020), and said the bill is necessary to prevent terrorist attacks.
“Exceptional intelligence is our first line of defense,” said Wilson, who serves as Chair of the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence.
Congress relies on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, on which Wilson serves, to oversee the classified programs that protect our nation.
“Since September 11, 2001, we have not had another terrorist attack on our soil. Not because they haven’t tried, but because of the courage of our soldiers and the quality of our intelligence,” Wilson said. “The Intelligence challenge is more difficult than it was during the Cold War. The Soviet Union was powerful, but predictable and knowable. Al Qaeda is deadly, but amorphous, adaptive, parasitic and suicidal. The Intelligence problem is more difficult. And we have to be honest with the American people: it is highly likely that we will have another terrorist attack on our soil by individuals we have not previously identified.”
“We spy on our enemies. We want to provide our intelligence community with the tools to keep us safe. We also want to be sure these powerful tools are used within the constraints of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to keep Americans both safe and free.”
The bill authorizes funding for activities that are essential to America’s security, although much about the specific programs remains classified.
“In the Technical and Tactical Intelligence Subcommittee we oversee complex, often costly systems,” Wilson said. “This bill raises the standard for program planning.”
The bill requires broad missions, like Ballistic Missile Technical Collection, to develop coordinated plans across multiple agencies so that we have a clear picture of what we need to know and how we plan to collect it so that we get what we need without costly duplication. Several key programs are required to provide cost, schedule and program information before all funds are made available.
The bill also requires several programs to strengthen life cycle planning.
“We want intelligence capabilities, not science projects,” Wilson said. “Technical intelligence capabilities need to plan for ways to task, process exploit and disseminate information to trained people, who need information.”
The bill also addresses deficiencies in technical architecture.
“There is an essential program that has not been successful. Every path forward to replace that capability has risks,” Wilson said. “This bill authorizes the resources to develop a long term, comprehensive solution.”
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