Statement
Of John S. Pistole
Executive Assistant Director
Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
Before The
House Judiciary Committee
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
"Creating a National Intelligence Director"
August 23, 2004
Good
afternoon Chairman Coble, Ranking Member Scott and members
of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to speak
to you today regarding the 9/11 Commission's Recommendations,
specifically those recommendations that focus on the creation
of a National Intelligence Director, creating a specialized
and integrated national security workforce at the FBI, and
targeting the networks that provide material support to
terrorism. The FBI has worked closely with the 9/11Commission
and its staff and we commend it for an extraordinary effort.
Throughout this process, we have approached the Commission's
inquiry as an opportunity to gain further input from outside
experts. We took its critiques seriously, adapted our ongoing
reform efforts, and have already taken substantial steps
to address its remaining concerns. We are gratified and
encouraged that the Commission has embraced our vision for
change and recognized the progress that the men and women
of the FBI have made to implement that vision. We agree
with the Commission that much work remains to be done, and
will consider its findings and recommendations as we refine
our continuing transformation efforts.
Transformation
of the FBI
Under
the leadership of Director Mueller, the FBI has moved aggressively
forward to implement a comprehensive plan that has fundamentally
transformed the FBI with one goal in mind: establishing
the prevention of terrorism as the Bureau's number one priority.
No longer are we content to concentrate on investigating
terrorist crimes after they occur; the FBI now is dedicated
to disrupting terrorists before they are able to strike.
Director Mueller has overhauled our counterterrorism operations,
expanded our intelligence capabilities, modernized our business
practices and technology, and improved coordination with
our partners.
At
the FBI we are taking full advantage of our dual role as
both a law enforcement and an intelligence agency. As we
continue to transform the FBI to address the priorities
articulated by the Director, a number of steps have taken
place to enhance operational and analytical capabilities
and to ensure continued sharing of information with our
partners at the federal, state, local, tribal, and international
levels. As a result:
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We
have more than doubled the number of counterterrorism
Agents, intelligence analysts, and linguists
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We
created and expanded the Terrorism Financing Operations
Section which is dedicated to identifying, tracking, and
cutting off terrorist funds.
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We
are active participants in the Terrorist Threat Integration
Center (TTIC) and the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC),
which provide a new line of defense against terrorism
by making information about known or suspected terrorists
available to the national security, homeland security,
and law enforcement communities.
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We
have worked hard to break down the walls that have sometimes
hampered our coordination with our partners in federal,
state and local law enforcement. Today, the FBI and CIA
are integrated at virtually every level of our intelligence
operations. This cooperation will be further enhanced
as our Counterterrorism Division continues to co-locate
with the DCI's Counter Terrorist Center and the multi-agency
Terrorist Threat Integration Center.
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We
expanded the number of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF)
from 34 to 100 nationwide.
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We
created and refined new information sharing systems, such
as the FBI National Alert System and the interagency Alert
System that electronically link us with our domestic partners.
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We
have sent approximately 275 FBI executives to the Kellogg
School of Management at Northwestern University to receive
training on executive leadership and strategic change.
We
centralized management of our Counterterrorism Program at
Headquarters to limit "stove-piping" of information,
to ensure consistency of counterterrorism priorities and
strategy across the organization, to integrate counterterrorism
operations domestically and overseas, to improve coordination
with other agencies and governments, and to make senior
managers accountable for the overall development and success
of our counterterrorism efforts.
Recognizing
that a strong, enterprise-wide intelligence program is critical
to our success across all investigations, we have worked
relentlessly to develop a strong intelligence capability
and to integrate intelligence into every investigation and
operation across the FBI:
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We
stood up the Office of Intelligence, under the direction
of a new Executive Assistant Director for Intelligence.
The Office of Intelligence sets unified standards, policies,
and training for analysts, who examine intelligence and
ensure it is shared with our law enforcement and intelligence
partners. The Office of Intelligence has already provided
over 2,600 intelligence reports and other documents for
the President and members of the Intelligence Community.
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We
established a formal analyst training program. We are
accelerating the hiring and training of analytical personnel,
and developing career paths for analysts that are commensurate
with their importance to the mission of the FBI.
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We
developed and are in the process of executing Concepts
of Operations governing all aspects of the intelligence
process - from the identification of intelligence requirements
to the methodology for intelligence assessment to the
drafting and formatting of intelligence products.
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We
established a Requirements and Collection Management Unit
to identify intelligence gaps and develop collection strategies
to fill those gaps.
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We
established Reports Officers positions and Field Intelligence
Groups in the field offices, whose members review investigative
information - not only for use in investigations in that
field office - but to disseminate it throughout the FBI
and among our law enforcement and Intelligence Community
partners.
Preventing
Terrorism at Home and Against U.S. Interests Abroad
The
FBI's JTTF Program continues to have primary operational
responsibility for terrorism investigations that are not
related to ongoing prosecutions. Since September 11th, the
FBI has increased the number of JTTFs nationwide from 34
to 100. The JTTFs are comprised of FBI Special Agents and
personnel from other federal, state, local and tribal government
and law enforcement agencies. We also established the National
Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF) at FBI Headquarters,
staffed by representatives from 38 federal, state, and local
agencies. The mission of the NJTTF is to enhance communication,
coordination, and cooperation by acting as the hub of support
for the JTTFs throughout the United States, providing a
point of fusion for intelligence acquired in support of
counterterrorism operations.
In
addition, we continue to grow the Field Intelligence Groups
(FIGs) established in every FBI field office and are on
track to add some 300 Intelligence Analysts to the FIGs
in FY 2004. The FIGs conduct analysis, direct the collection
of information to fill identified intelligence gaps, and
ensure that intelligence is disseminated horizontally and
vertically to internal and external customers, including
our State, local and tribal law enforcement partners.
We
have also improved our relationships with foreign governments
by building on the overseas expansion of our Legat Program;
by offering investigative and forensic support and training,
and by working together on task forces and joint operations.
Finally, the FBI has expanded outreach to minority communities,
and improved coordination with private businesses involved
in critical infrastructure and finance.
Intelligence
Program
At
the FBI, we recognize that a prerequisite for any operational
coordination is the full and free exchange of information.
Without procedures and mechanisms that both appropriately
protect the privacy of information and allow information
sharing on a regular and timely basis, we and our partners
cannot expect to align our operational efforts to best accomplish
our shared mission. Accordingly, we have taken steps to
establish unified FBI-wide policies for sharing information
and intelligence both within the FBI and outside it. This
has occurred under the umbrella of the FBI=s Intelligence
Program.
The
mission of the FBI=s Intelligence Program is to optimally
position the FBI to meet current and emerging national security
and criminal threats by (1) aiming core investigative work
proactively against threats to US interests, (2) building
and sustaining enterprise-wide intelligence policies and
human and technical capabilities, and (3) providing useful,
appropriate, and timely information and analysis to the
national security, homeland security, and law enforcement
communities.
We
built the FBI Intelligence Program on the following core
principles:
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Independent
Requirements and Collection Management: While intelligence
collection, operations, analysis, and reporting are integrated
at headquarters divisions and in the field, the Office
of Intelligence manages the requirements and collection
management process. This ensures that we focus intelligence
collection and production on priority intelligence requirements
and on filling key gaps in our knowledge.
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Centralized
Management and Distributed Execution: The power of
the FBI intelligence capability is in its 56 field offices,
400 resident agencies and 56 legal attaché offices
around the world. The Office of Intelligence must provide
those entities with sufficient guidance to drive intelligence
production effectively and efficiently, but not micro-manage
field intelligence operations.
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Focused
Strategic Analysis: The Office of Intelligence sets
strategic analysis priorities and ensures they are carried
out both at headquarters and in the field.
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Integration
of Analysis with Operations: Intelligence analysis
is best when collectors and analysts work side-by-side
in integrated operations.
Concepts
of Operations (CONOPs) guide FBI intelligence processes
and detailed implementation plans drive specific actions
to implement them. Our CONOPs describe the Intelligence
Requirements and Collection Management system and are supported
by lower-level collection and collection support processes
and procedures defined in our Intelligence Requirements
and Collection Management Handbook. These concepts and
processes complement FBI operations and are enhanced by
the Commission's recommendations.
What
follows are some of our key accomplishments:
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We
have issued our first ever FBI collection tasking for
international threats, including international terrorism.
We based those requirements on the National Intelligence
Priorities Framework and, in cooperation with the Intelligence
Community, issued an unclassified version for our partners
in state and local law enforcement.
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We
have inventoried our collection capability. We created
an on-line inventory of all our collection sources. This
tells us what we could know about all threats.
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We
are now comparing the intelligence requirements to our
capabilities and identifying gaps in our ability to produce
information described in our requirements. Dedicated targeting
analysts at headquarters and the field then analyze how
we could fill those gaps by developing new sources. Source
development tasks are given to each Field Intelligence
Group (FIG) to execute.
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As
a result of this process, we then produce information
- both raw intelligence reports and finished assessments
- in response to requirements. Each intelligence report
requests customer feedback. Based on what we learn, we
adjust collection and production.
Counter
Proliferation
In
the area of counter-proliferation, our Counterintelligence
Division is currently in the process of creating a counter-proliferation
unit in each of its region and issue-oriented operational
Headquarters sections. While we currently work diligently
on proliferation matters, this will further the emphasis
our fifty six field divisions place on counter-proliferation
investigations through a more robust Bureau-wide orientation.
These new units will also form the basis for the future
creation of a new Counter-proliferation Section at FBI Headquarters.
This enhanced organizational architecture will enable the
FBI to meet the growing challenges of world-wide WMD proliferation
and to continue to protect our national security.
The
New Workforce
The
FBI is actively working to build a workforce with expertise
in intelligence. While much remains to be done, we have
already taken steps to ensure this transformation.
On
March 22, 2004, Director Mueller adopted a proposal to establish
a career path in which new Special Agents are initially
assigned to a small field office and exposed to a wide range
of field experiences. After approximately three years, agents
will be transferred to a large field office where they will
specialize in one of four program areas: Intelligence, Counterterrorism/
Counterintelligence, Cyber, or Criminal, and will receive
advanced training tailored to their area of specialization.
We are working to implement this new career track.
Director
Mueller has also approved a proposal to establish a formal
Intelligence Officer Certification that can be earned through
a combination of intelligence assignments and training.
Once established, this certification will be a prerequisite
for promotion to the level of Section Chief at FBIHQ, or
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) at the field level,
thus ensuring that all members of the FBI's highest management
levels will be staffed by fully trained and experienced
intelligence officers.
We
have implemented a strategic plan to recruit, hire, and
retain Intelligence Analysts. The Bureau has selected veteran
analysts to attend events at colleges and universities,
as well as designated career fairs throughout the country.
We executed an aggressive marketing plan, and for the first
time in FBI history, we are offering hiring bonuses for
FBI analysts.
In
our Special Agent hiring program, we have updated the list
of "critical skills" we are seeking in candidates
to include intelligence experience and expertise, foreign
languages, and technology.
The
FBI's Executive Assistant Director for Intelligence has
been given personal responsibility for developing and ensuring
the health of the FBI intelligence personnel resources.
It is important to note that the FBI's intelligence cadre
is not limited to intelligence analysts, but also includes
agents, language analysts, surveillance specialists, and
others. It takes all of these specialists to perform quality
intelligence production at the FBI. The FBI's plan to create
a cradle-to-grave career path for intelligence professionals
at the FBI parallels the one that has existed and functioned
so well for our agents and has been codified in our Concept
of Operations (CONOP) for Human Talent for Intelligence
Production.
National
Intelligence Director and National Counterterrorism Center
On
August 2nd, the President announced his intention to establish
a National Intelligence Director (NID), to take on the responsibility
of principle intelligence advisor and head of the Intelligence
Community, and a National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC).
While the details of these two new entities still need to
be fleshed out and discussed, the FBI does agree that operations
and intelligence need to be intertwined and complementary
to each other. We believe that concerns regarding civil
liberties must be appropriately addressed in all that is
proposed. This will require paying particular attention
to legal and historical differences regarding the collection
of information in the United States and overseas. We look
forward to working with you on the functions of both the
NID and the NCTC.
As
the Commission points out, we have much work still to do,
but we have made great progress and continue to move forward
in accordance with a clear plan. With the support and understanding
of lawmakers and the American people, I am confident that
we will successfully complete our transformation and ultimately
prevail against terrorists and all adversaries who would
do harm to our Nation.
The
FBI looks forward to an ongoing public discussion of ways
to support the Intelligence Community's counterterrorism
mission and capabilities and to further enhance information
sharing and collaboration within the Intelligence and Law
Enforcement Communities. The Commission's recommendations
will enhance the FBI's capabilities by providing a more
robust, intelligence-focused organizational structure, work
force and infrastructure.
The
FBI thanks the 9/11 Commission for its public service and
I thank you for inviting me here today to testify before
the Committee. It will be my pleasure to answer any questions
you may have at the appropriate time.
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