INTELLIGENCE
REFORM IN AMERICA
Director Mueller Testifies Before the Senate
09/08/04
This
month the U.S. Congress has been weighing the report and recommendations
of the 9-11 Commission, considering how best to protect Americans from
national security threats today and in the future.
To that end, on September
8, Director Mueller appeared with Acting Director of Central Intelligence
John McLaughlin before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs to
discuss their agency's views on intelligence reform and to respond to
issues under consideration by the Committee.
First the big picture.
All
efforts for reform, Director Mueller says, must be driven by the goal
of building a national intelligence capability that is specifically postured
for success against the adversaries of the 21st Century.
The key
to building such a capability?
Integrating intelligence
and operations. In Director Mueller's words: our Office of Intelligence
[now migrating into a "service
within a service" Directorate of Intelligence] manages intelligence
production, apportions resources, and sets standards...the actual
production of intelligence occurs within our 56 field offices,
400 resident agencies, our four operational headquarters divisions,
and perhaps most importantly, by our 800,000 partners in state,
local and tribal law enforcement.
Some
of the core principles to guide reform?
1. The role
of the National Intelligence Director across the 15 Intelligence
Community components.
2. The relationship
of intelligence analysts to sources who provide intelligence information.
3.
The operational relationships and chain of command between the field
offices that collect and analyze information and the counterterrorism
and counterintelligence divisions that oversee and coordinate
counterterrorism and counterintelligence programs.
4.
The protection of civil liberties in the course of investigations that
seek intelligence on the streets of America.
What
about an update on FBI intelligence initiatives?
They're
spelled out in the testimony too.
We urge you:
Please take the time to read the whole
document. The stakes are high: the safety and protection of Americans
everywhere.
