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01/02/04
 With
another year behind us -- and another challenging one now
upon us -- it is a good time to look back, see what has been
accomplished, and take stock of where the FBI is headed in
the coming weeks and months.
2003
was another busy year for the FBI: from round-the-clock
efforts to run down threats and head off terrorist attacks
... to supporting our troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan;
from lending a hand in investigations of major terrorists
attacks in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia, Gaza,
and elsewhere ... to the lengthy, multi-agency investigation
and ultimate trial and conviction of the D.C. area snipers.
Through
it all, it was a year of continuous change, of progress
on many fronts, and of partnerships that reached new levels
locally, nationally, and internationally. Whether the FBI
was offering support or receiving it, whether it was playing
a leading role or a secondary one, the level of teamwork was
a deciding factor in virtually every major effort and investigation.
Among
the highlights:
- The
capture of al Qaeda's operational mastermind, Khalid
Shaikh Mohammed, and several other key terrorist financiers
and operatives;
- Guilty
pleas by or convictions of dozens of terrorist supporters
in the U.S., including places like Buffalo,
Portland,
Ohio,
and Northern Virginia;
- A
new, stronger Intelligence
program, led by an long-time expert from the NSA and
featuring new local intelligence groups in each FBI field
office;
- Three
new interagency initiatives aimed at speeding the flow of
information and better integrating the nation's fight against
terror: the Terrorist
Threat Integration Center, the Terrorist
Screening Center, and the National
Virtual Translation Center;
- Two
major nationwide crackdowns on Internet crime and fraud:
Operation
E-Con and Operation
Cyber Sweep;
- A
bevy of major corporate fraud convictions/indictments, including
executives of Enron,
Merrill
Lynch, HealthSouth,
and Credit
Lyonnais; and
- A
new nationwide alert system that notifies senior law enforcement
leaders of urgent terrorism-related information through
secure text messages on computers, cell phones, and pagers.
What's
in store for the FBI in 2004? You can expect:
- A
continued overarching focus on disrupting terrorist networks,
preventing attacks, drying up sources of funding, and supporting
local, national, and international partners in the global
war on terror;
- Improved
capabilities in gathering, analyzing, and sharing intelligence,
with an emphasis on identifying and filling in any gaps
in intelligence so that information is collected more strategically
and responses are targeted more effectively;
- A
greater international presence, including more FBI offices
overseas, as the age of globalization and transnational
crime continues to advance;
- Important
new technologies coming online, including the Virtual Case
File and the Integrated Data Warehouse, to digitize and
centralize investigative information so that it can be searched,
shared, and managed more effectively.
Stay
tuned to this page throughout the year for details!
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