STATEMENT
OF
MAUREEN
A. BAGINSKI
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
INTELLIGENCE
FEDERAL
BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
BEFORE
THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SELECT COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
August
17, 2004
Introduction
Good
afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee.
It is my pleasure to come before you today to discuss
the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission, specifically
information sharing issues that face the Federal Bureau
of Investigation and other members of the Intelligence
and Law Enforcement communities. As Director Mueller
has said, the FBI has worked closely with the Commission
and their staff throughout their tenure and we commend
them 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
their critiques seriously, adapted our ongoing reform
efforts, and have already taken substantial steps to
address their remaining concerns. We are gratified and
encouraged that the Commission has embraced our vision
for change and has recognized the progress that the
men and women of the FBI have made to implement that
vision. Our work to date has been on strengthening FBI
capabilities so that we can be a strong node on the
information network of those who defend the nation.
Vital information about those who would do us harm is
not produced by the federal government alone. We are
proud to also be part of an 800,000 strong state, local,
and tribal law enforcement community who are the first
to encounter and defend against threats.
On August 2nd, the President announced his intention
to establish a National Intelligence Director (NID)
and a National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC). We look
forward to working with you on these vital reforms.
Our core guiding principle at the FBI is that intelligence
and law enforcement operations must be integrated. Under
the direction of Director Mueller, the FBI has moved
aggressively forward in this regard by implementing
a comprehensive plan that has fundamentally transformed
the FBI. Director Mueller has overhauled our counterterrorism
operations, expanded our intelligence capabilities,
modernized our business practices and technology, and
improved coordination with our partners.
A
prerequisite for any operational coordination is the
full and free exchange of information. Without procedures
and mechanisms that 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, and is my personal responsibility as the FBI
executive for information sharing. We have made great
progress and we have much work ahead of us.
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. Building on already
strong FBI intelligence capabilities, Director Mueller
created in January 2003 the position of Executive Assistant
Director (EAD) of Intelligence and an Office of Intelligence.
I was honored to join the FBI in May 2003 as the first
EAD Intelligence.
Core
Principles
We
built the FBI Intelligence Program on the following
core principles:
-
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.
-
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.
-
Focused Strategic Analysis: The Office of Intelligence
sets strategic analysis priorities and ensures they are
carried out both at headquarters and in the field. This
is accomplished through a daily production meeting that
I chair.
-
Integration
of Analysis with Operations: Intelligence analysis is
best when collectors and analysts work side-by-side in
integrated operations.
Concept
of Operations
Concepts
of Operations (CONOPs) guide FBI intelligence processes
and detailed implementation plans drive specific actions
to implement them. Our CONOPs cover the following core
functions: Intelligence Requirements and Collection
Management; Intelligence Assessment Process; Human Talent
for Intelligence Production; Field Office Intelligence
Operation; Intelligence Production and Use; Information
Sharing; Community Support; Threat Forecasting and Operational
Requirements; and Budget Formulation for Intelligence.
Accomplishments
What follows are some of our key accomplishments:
-
We
have issued the first-ever FBI requirements and collection
tasking documents. These documents are fully aligned with
the DCI's National Intelligence Priorities Framework and
we have published unclassified versions for our partners
in state, local, and tribal law enforcement.
-
We are full members of the National Intelligence Collection
Board and the National Intelligence Analysis and Production
Board, and soon will be participating in the drafting
of National Intelligence Estimates and the National Foreign
Intelligence Board.
-
We
have created a collection capabilities database that tells
us what sources we can bring to bear on intelligence issues
across the FBI.
-
We
have created FBI homepages on INTELINK, SIPRNET, and
Law Enforcement Online (LEO) for dissemination and evaluation
of our intelligence product.
-
We
have established a daily Intelligence Production Board
to ensure that timely decisions are made regarding the
production and dissemination of all analytical products.
The Board reviews the significant threats, developments,
and issues emerging in each investigative priority area,
and identifies topics for intelligence products.
- We
have completed the first-ever FBI intelligence dissemination
manual.
- We
have proposed and are building an Intelligence Officer certification
program for Agents, Analysts, Surveillance Specialists and
Language Analysts. Once established this certification will
be a pre-requisite for advancement to Section Chief or Assistant
Special Agent in Charge, thus ensuring that all FBI senior
managers will be fully trained and experienced intelligence
officers.
- We
have completed and begun to implement the CONOPs for Intelligence
Analysts. We have set unified standards, policies, and training
for intelligence analysts. In a new recruiting program veteran
analysts are attending events at colleges and universities
throughout the country and we are offering hiring bonuses
to analysts for the first time in FBI history.
- We
are in the process of changing the criteria on which Agents
are evaluated to place more emphasis on intelligence-related
function.
- We
are on course to triple our intelligence production this
year.
-
We
have placed reports officers in our Joint Terrorism
Task Forces (JTTFs) to ensure vital information is
flowing to those who need it.
-
We
have developed detailed metrics to judge the results of
our intelligence initiatives and are prepared to regularly
report performance and progress to Congress and other
stakeholders, partners, and customers.
-
We
have established Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs) to integrate
analysts, Agents, linguists, and surveillance personnel
in the field to bring a dedicated team focus to intelligence
operations. As of June 2004, there are 1,450 FIG personnel,
including 382 Special Agents and 160 employees from other
Government agencies. Each FIG is under the direct supervision
of an Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
- From
October 2003 to April 2004, the FBI participated in more
than 10 recruitment events and plans to add at least five
additional events through September 2004. A marketing plan
also was implemented to attract potential candidates. In
February 2004, an advertisement specific to the Intelligence
Analyst position at the FBI was placed in The Washington
Post, The Washington Times, and the New York Times, and
has since been run several more times. Our National Press
Office issued a press release that kicked off an aggressive
hiring campaign.
- The
College of Analytic Studies (CAS), established in October
2001, is based at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Since FY 2002, 264 analysts have graduated from the College's
six-week Basic Intelligence Analyst Course. 655 field and
headquarters analysts have attended specialty courses on
a variety of analytical topics. 1,389 field and headquarters
employees have attended specialized counterterrorism courses
offered in conjunction with CIA University, and 1,010 New
Agent Trainees have received a two-hour instructional block
on intelligence.
- The
Basic Intelligence Course currently offered by the CAS is
being revised and updated to incorporate key elements of
our intelligence program. Upon completion of this effort,
the course will be retitled: Analytical Cadre Education
Strategy I (ACES I) as outlined in the Human Talent CONOPS.
An intermediate course entitled ACES II is anticipated in
the future that would target more experienced analysts.
Practical exercises and advanced writing skills will be
emphasized, as well as advanced analytical techniques.
- The
ACES I course will incorporate seven core elements of intelligence
relevant for new agents and new analysts. Additionally ACES
I will focus on assimilation, analytic tradecraft and practice,
thinking and writing skills, resources, and field skills.
- Complementing
ACES I and ACES II, the Office of Intelligence, in coordination
with the FBI Training and Development Division, will identify,
facilitate, and exploit training partnerships with other
government agencies, academia, and the private sector to
fully develop the career choices of FBI analysts. Whether
an analyst chooses the specialized, interdisciplinary, or
managerial career path, s/he will have the opportunity to
attend courses offered through the Joint Military Intelligence
Training Center, other government training centers, and
private companies.
- The
Office of Intelligence is also establishing education cooperative
programs where college students will be able to work at
the FBI while earning a four-year degree. Students may alternate
semesters of work with full-time study or may work in the
summers in exchange for tuition assistance. In addition
to financial assistance, students would benefit by obtaining
significant work experience, and the FBI would benefit through
an agreement requiring the student to continue working for
the FBI for a specific period of time after graduation.
This program will be implemented in FY 2005.
- An
Analyst Advisory Group has also been created specifically
to address analytical concerns. I established and chair
the advisory group B composed of Headquarters and field
analysts. The group affords analysts the opportunity to
provide a working-level view of analytic issues and to participate
in policy and procedure formation. They are involved in
developing promotional criteria, providing input for training
initiatives, and establishing the mentoring program for
new FBI analysts.
- The
Career Mentoring Working Group of the Analyst Advisory Group
is creating a career mentoring program to provide guidance
and advice to new analysts. Once implemented, all new Intelligence
Analysts will have a mentor to assist them. The career mentor
will have scheduled contact with the new analyst on a monthly
basis throughout the analyst's first year of employment.
- As
of this year, the Director's Awards will feature a new category:
the Director's Award for Excellence in Intelligence Analysis.
Nominees for this award must display a unique ability to
apply skills in intelligence analysis in furtherance of
the FBI's mission, resulting in significant improvements
or innovations in methods of analysis that contribute to
many investigations or activities, and/or overcoming serious
obstacles through exceptional perseverance or dedication
leading to an extraordinary contribution to a significant
case, program, threat, or issue.
-
Turning
to intelligence training for our agents, we are now working
to incorporate elements of our basic intelligence training
course into the New Agents Class curriculum. We expect
that work to be completed by September. A key element
of this concept is that agents in New Agents Training
and analysts in the College of Analytic Studies will conduct
joint training exercises in intelligence tradecraft. The
first offerings to contain these joint exercises are expected
in December of this year. In addition to this, we are
in the process of changing the criteria on which agents
are evaluated to place more emphasis on intelligence-related
functions and information sharing.
-
On
March 22, 2004, Director Mueller also 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. In our Special
Agent hiring, we have changed the list of "critical
skills" we are seeking in candidates to include intelligence
experience and expertise, foreign languages, and technology.
-
Our
language specialists are critical to our intelligence
cadre as well. The FBI's approximately 1,200 language
specialists are stationed across 52 field offices and
headquarters, and are now connected via secure networks
that allow language specialists in one FBI office to work
on projects for any other office. Since the beginning
of FY 2001, the FBI has recruited and processed more than
30,000 linguist applicants. These efforts have resulted
in the addition of nearly 700 new linguists with a Top
Secret security clearance. In addition, the FBI formed
a Language Services Translation Center to act as a command
and control center to coordinate translator assignments
and maximize its capacity to render immediate translation
assistance.
Information
Sharing - Our Relationship with the Intelligence and Law
Enforcement Communities
The
FBI shares intelligence with other members of the Intelligence
Community, to include the intelligence components of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through direct
classified and unclassified dissemination and through
websites on classified Intelligence Community networks.
The FBI also shares intelligence with representatives
of other elements of the Intelligence Community who participate
in Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) in the United States
or with whom the FBI collaborates in activities abroad.
FBI intelligence products shared with the Intelligence
Community include both raw and finished intelligence reports.
FBI intelligence products shared with the Intelligence
Community include Intelligence Information Reports (IIRs),
Intelligence Assessments, and Intelligence Bulletins.
To support information sharing, there is now a Special
Agent or Intelligence Analyst in the JTTFs dedicated to
producing "raw" intelligence reports for the
entire national security community, including state, municipal,
and tribal law enforcement partners and other JTTF members.
These reports officers are trained to produce intelligence
reports that both protect sources and methods and maximize
the amount of information that can be shared. It is the
responsibility of the FIGS to manage, execute and maintain
the FBI's intelligence functions within the FBI field
office. FIG personnel have access to TS and SCI information
so they will be able to receive, analyze, review and recommend
sharing this information with entities within the FBI
as well as our customers and partners within the Intelligence
and law enforcement communities.
In addition,
classified intelligence and other sensitive FBI data are
shared with cleared federal, state, and local law enforcement
officials who participate in the JTTFs. The JTTFs partner
FBI personnel with hundreds of investigators from various
federal, state, and local agencies, and are important force
multipliers in the fight against terrorism. Since September
11, 2001, the FBI has increased the number of JTTFs from
34 to 100 nationwide. 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. The FBI will continue to create new avenues
of communication between law enforcement agencies to better
fight the terrorist threat.
The FBI has also established a robust channel for sharing
information with the Terrorist Threat Integration Center
(TTIC) by providing direct electronic access to classified
and unclassified internal FBI investigative and operational
databases, with narrow exceptions for certain types of sensitive
domestic criminal cases unrelated to terrorism. TTIC also
has direct electronic access to internal FBI headquarters
division websites and e-mail capabilities on the FBI's classified
intranet system. Both FBI and non-FBI personnel assigned
to TTIC have access to this information.
The FBI has agreed to provide a substantial permanent staff
to TTIC. TTIC's mission is to enable full integration of
terrorist threat-related information and analysis. It creates
a structure to institutionalize sharing across appropriate
federal agency lines of terrorist threat-related information
in order to form the most comprehensive threat picture.
Although the FBI retains authority to approve dissemination
of raw FBI information by TTIC to other agencies, the FBI
authorizes the TTIC to share FBI intelligence products by
posting them on the TTIC Online website on Intelink-TS.
The TTIC Online website provides additional security safeguards,
and access is granted to Intelligence Community users who
have a need-to-know for more sensitive classified intelligence
on international terrorism from the FBI and other agencies.
The FBI also authorizes the National Counterintelligence
Executive (NCIX) to share FBI counterintelligence products
on the Intelink-CI(iCI) website with similar safeguards
and access by users who have a need-to-know for more sensitive
classified counterintelligence products.
In
addition to this, the Bureau also fully contributes intelligence
analysis to the President's Terrorist Threat Report (PTTR).
These products are coordinated with the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA), DHS, and other federal agencies. In addition
to the PTTR, the FBI provides Presidential Intelligence
Assessments directly to the President and the White House
Executive Staff.
The FBI is also committed to providing those tools which
assist law enforcement in intelligence-led policing -- from
the National Crime Information Center, the Integrated Automated
Fingerprint Identification System, and the Interstate Identification
Index, to Law Enforcement Online (LEO), a virtual private
network that reaches federal, state, and law enforcement
agencies at the Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) level.
LEO user's total nearly 30,000 and that number is increasing.
That total includes more than 14,000 state and local law
enforcement members. LEO makes finished FBI intelligence
products available, including Intelligence Assessments resulting
from analysis of criminal, cyber, and terrorism intelligence.
Our LEO Intelligence Bulletins are used to disseminate finished
intelligence on significant developments or trends. Intelligence
Information Reports also are available on LEO at the Law
Enforcement Sensitive classification level. The FBI also
recently posted the requirements document on LEO, which
provided state and local law enforcement a shared view of
the terrorist threat and the information needed in every
priority area.
LEO
also has secure connectivity to the Regional Information
Sharing Systems network (riss.net). The FBI Intelligence
products are disseminated weekly via LEO to over 17,000
law enforcement agencies and to 60 federal agencies, providing
information about terrorism, criminal, and cyber threats
to patrol officers and other local law enforcement personnel
who have direct daily contacts with the general public.
The FBI will use an enhanced LEO as the primary channel
for sensitive but unclassified communications with other
federal, state and local agencies. LEO and the DHS Joint
Regional Information Exchange System (JRIES) will also be
interoperable.
In
the spring of 2002, the International Association of Chiefs
of Police (IACP) met and agreed that a collaborative intelligence
sharing plan must be created to address the inadequacies
of the intelligence process that, in part, led to the failure
to prevent the events of September 11. In response, the
Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global),
which is a Federal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Attorney
General, formed the Global Intelligence Working Group (GIWG).
The GIWG is comprised of experts and leaders from local,
state, and federal law enforcement, including members from
the FBI. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the National
Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP).
On February 11, 2004 the Attorney General announced the
creation of the Justice Intelligence Coordinating Council
(JICC). I currently chair this Council, which is comprised
of the heads of Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies with
intelligence responsibilities. The Council works to improve
information sharing within DOJ, and ensures that DOJ meets
the intelligence needs of outside customers and acts in
accordance with intelligence priorities. The Council will
also identify common challenges (such as electronic connectivity,
collaborative analytic tools, and intelligence skills training)
and establish policies and programs to address them.
On February 20, 2004 the FBI formed the Information Sharing
Policy Group, comprised of Executive Assistant Directors,
Assistant Directors, and other senior executive managers.
I serve as the co-chair. This group is establishing the
FBI's information and intelligence sharing policies.
At the same time, we have intelligence analysts from other
agencies working in key positions throughout the Bureau.
The Associate Deputy Assistant Director for Operations in
the Counterterrorism Division is a CIA detailee. This exchange
of personnel is taking place in our field offices as well.
We have also worked closely with DHS to ensure that we have
the integration and comprehensive information sharing between
our agencies that are vital to the success of our missions.
The FBI and DHS share database access at TTIC, in the National
JTTF at FBI Headquarters, in the Foreign Terrorist Tracking
Task Force (FTTTF) and the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC),
and in local JTTFs in our field offices around the country.
We worked closely together to get the new Terrorist Screening
Center up and running. We hold weekly briefings in which
our Counterterrorism analysts brief their DHS counterparts
on current terrorism developments. The FBI and DHS now coordinate
joint warning products to address our customers' concerns
about multiple and duplicative warnings. We designated an
experienced executive from the Transportation Security Administration
to run the TSC, a DHS executive to serve as Deputy Director
of the TSC, and a senior DHS executive was detailed to the
FBI to ensure coordination and transparency between the
agencies.
In
order to improve the compatibility of information technology
systems throughout the Intelligence Community and increase
the speed and ease of information sharing and collaboration,
the FBI's information technology team has worked closely
with the Chief Information Officers of DHS and other Intelligence
Community agencies, to develop our recent and ongoing technology
upgrades to ensure the interoperability of the various information
systems. To facilitate further coordination, the FBI Chief
Information Officer (CIO) sits on the Intelligence Community
CIO Executive Council. The Council develops and recommends
technical requirements, policies and procedures, and coordinates
initiatives to improve the interoperability of information
technology systems within the Intelligence Community.
The CIO is also working with DOJ on interfaces between the
Intelligence Community System for Information Sharing (ICSIS)
and the Law Enforcement Information Sharing (LEIS) initiative,
with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)
Division, to increase the sharing of intelligence-related
information to and from state and local officials.
In conclusion, the FBI has a responsibility to the nation,
Intelligence Community, and federal, state, and local law
enforcement to disseminate information, and to do so is
an inherent part of our mission. Sharing FBI information
will be the rule, unless sharing is legally or procedurally
unacceptable.
Next Steps
We have made great progress, but we have much work to do.
Our plan is solid and we believe we are heading in the right
direction. We have enjoyed much support from your committee
and we are very appreciative of the time your staff has
spent in learning about our initiatives and giving us advice.
What we need more than anything else is your continued support
and understanding that a change of this magnitude will require
time to implement. With your help, we will have that. Thank
you for allowing me the opportunity to testify before you
today and I will be happy to entertain any questions you
may have.
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