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11/03/03
 On
10/31, Director Mueller convened the inaugural meeting of
his Science & Technology Advisory Board. The idea
for the panel grew out of a suggestion from Congressman Frank
Wolf during a June 2002 House Appropriations Committee hearing
on the Director’s efforts to reorganize the FBI. Following
up on this suggestion, Congress authorized the Board in February.
What
specifically will the Board do? It will provide the
Director with independent, regular advice on how the FBI
can more effectively exploit and apply science and technology
to improve its operations. Board members will not be involved
in specific procurement actions or contracts; rather, they
will focus on identifying current
and emerging technologies that can maximize how the FBI conducts
investigations, collects and disseminates intelligence, and
collaborates with our law enforcement and intelligence partners.
The Board will also advise the Director on how the FBI can
strengthen its technical, scientific, and information technology
workforces at a time when cases increasingly depend on such
expertise.
Has
it focused on a first project? Yes: Wireless technology
that could allow employees to use PDAs, laptops, and similar
devices to securely communicate the results of investigations
and to send/receive Bureau email while still at crime scenes
or outside the office.
How
is the Board staffed? The Honorable Arthur Money, a former
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense
and Defense Department
CIO, was chosen by the Director in late August to chair the
panel. He brings many years of government and private-sector
experience and expertise to the position. "It is my
intention," he said, "to help Director Mueller
achieve his goal of providing agents on the street, analysts,
and all FBI employees with the best science, technology,
and tools available to get the job done."
Joining Mr. Money are seven board members who possess similar
credentials in engineering, information technology, and science...
or in the application of technology to law enforcement and
national security areas: Mr. Floyd Clarke, senior corporate
executive, and former FBI executive who served in every facet
of Bureau operations throughout his career until his retirement
as Acting Director of the FBI in 1993; Dr. Craig Fields,
director of a number of corporations; international and Congressional
consultant on technology issues; and former chair of the
Defense Science Board; Dr. John Hamre, president of the Center
for Strategic and International Studies, and former Deputy
Secretary of Defense; Mr. Darwin John, former FBI CIO and
senior corporate executive specializing in information and
communications systems; Mr. James Kallstrom, senior corporate
executive; advisor to New York Governor Pataki on Homeland
Security;
and former FBI executive with a specialty in its engineering
section, technical services, and special operations; Dr.
Paul Kaminski, chairman and CEO of Technovation; a former
undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology;
and member of the National Academy of Engineering; and Dr.
Joseph Markowitz, former director of the DCI's Community
Open Source Program Office, serving as program manager and
intelligence community principal for open source information.
How committed are these individuals to helping the FBI?
All of them are serving without any pay! Sometimes, the best
advice is free.
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