When I arrived
at the FBI on September 4th, it was already clear that there was
a need for change at the Bureau. Recent events such as the Hanssen
matter, the McVeigh documents matter and the Wen Ho Lee case all
brought to light certain problems that needed to be addressed.
And then came the events of September 11. The events of September
11 marked a turning point for the FBI. After 9/11 it was clear
that we needed to fundamentally change the way we do business.
As
I recently testified, responding to the post-9/11 realities requires
a redesigned and refocused FBI. New technologies are required
to support new and different operational practices. We have to
do a better job recruiting, managing and training our workforce;
collaborating with others; and, critically important, managing,
analyzing and sharing information. In essence, we need a different
approach that puts prevention above all else. Simply put, we need
to change and we are changing.
In
December I described to you a new Headquarters structure, one
designed to support not hinder the critically important work of
our employees stationed here and around the world. It is working
but obviously more needs to be done.
Today I
am presenting for Congressional consideration the second and
clearly the most important part of what must be done. It comes
after much consultation within the Bureau, with the Attorney
General and his Strategic Management Council, with Administration
officials, with state and municipal law enforcement officials,
and with Members of Congress.
And what
I am going to describe does not stand by itself. Much else needs
to change if we are to succeed, not the least of which is the
new information technology critical to conducting business a
different way, critical to analyzing and sharing information
on a real time basis. Further, we are becoming better intertwined
with our colleagues, particularly the CIA, and I appreciate
Director Tenet's willingness to share his analytical resources
as we go up the learning curve.
In
the end two things have come to symbolize that which we must
change.
First, what did not happen with the memo from Phoenix points
squarely at our analytical capacity. Our analytical capability
is not where it should be, but I believe that this plan addresses
this.
Second,
the letter from Agent Rowley points squarely at the need for
a different approach, especially at Headquarters. With that
proposition there is no debate.
Let me
take a moment to thank Agent Rowley for her letter. It is critically
important that I hear criticisms of the organization, including
criticisms of me, in order to improve the organization. Because
our focus is on preventing terrorist attacks, more so than in
the past we must be open to new ideas, to criticism from within
and without, and to admitting and learning from our mistakes.
I certainly do not have a monopoly on the right answers.
From new
priorities, to new resources, to a new structure applying a
new approach, I believe we are on the way to changing the FBI.
And while we believe these changes to be a dramatic departure
from the past, in the end our culture must change with them.
Long before me, the Bureau had years of major successes based
on the efforts of the talented men and women who make up the
FBI. It is a history we should not forget as we evolve to an
agency centered on prevention.
And we
must never forget that our actions must be undertaken according
to a constitutional and statutory framework that protects the
rights and privacy of our citizens. That too is part of our
culture, representing an appreciation unique to those who enforce
the laws. That must not get lost either.
Let me
describe to you what I have proposed and then answer your questions.
That is
the proposal I am submitting to Congress for its consideration
and, I hope, approval. I believe it will help provide the more
agile, flexible and focused FBI that we need to meet our primary
objective of preventing terrorist attacks. As I said, it is
a work in progress - we must continuously re-evaluate where
we are and how things are working. And, far more than in the
past, we must be open to new idea, to criticism from within
and without, and to admitting and learning from our mistakes.
As recent events have made all too clear, the world is a dangerous
place. Never before has this country depended so heavily on
the FBI to protect it at home. I am confident that the talented
men and women of the FBI are up to the task and I believe that
these changes will help them achieve it.
Let me
make one final point before I open up for questions. I know
that you will have many questions about the Phoenix EC and other
matters that occurred before 9/11. I'd like to take just a minute
to explain my approach to such matters. Our primary goal is
to prevent the next terrorist attack. I have been focused on
looking forward and making the changes I believe are necessary
to accomplish that. That does not mean that investigating what
happened before isn't important -- it is. And it is being done
both by the congressional intelligence committees and by the
Department of Justice Inspector General. I look forward to their
reports and will take any appropriate actions based on what
they find. But I personally have been looking forward and focusing
on prevention. I was not here at the time and I have not immersed
myself in trying to determine the details of who saw what document
when and who said what to whom. That will all be sorted out
by the ongoing investigations, but I have chosen to focus my
attention on change and prevention.