Senator Feinstein Urges Action on Legislation to Strengthen Leadership of U.S. Intelligence Community

Senator Feinstein Urges Action on Legislation to Strengthen Leadership of U.S. Intelligence Community
October 3, 2002
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Washington, DC -- At a joint session of the U.S. Senate and House Intelligence Committees, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged action on legislation to strengthen the leadership of the nation's intelligence community by establishing a Director of National Intelligence to lead all segments of the Intelligence Community.

The Director of Central Intelligence currently runs the CIA and leads the Intelligence Community as a whole. Under the legislation proposed by Feinstein in June, and cosponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), this responsibility would be split. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) would lead the all segments of the Intelligence Community and a Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCIA) would serve as head of the CIA.

"In the last weeks, the two Committees have heard hours of testimony that has illustrated a series of mistakes, missteps and failures that may have contributed to the inability to prevent the September 11 attacks. These failings have a common theme: they appear to be the result of systematic problems in the construction of our Intelligence Community, poor communication between elements of the Community, incompatible professional cultures in the various agencies that make up the Community, and a lack of Community leadership and strategic vision," Senator Feinstein said.

"This legislation is a critical step toward creating a strong and effective leadership structure to provide oversight and direction for the more than a dozen agencies that make up the Intelligence Community. The legislation would ensure that one person has the full-time job of guiding the Intelligence Community, with specific authority to formulate and administer budgets of the agencies and move personnel within and between them. While this bill will certainly not solve every problem within the Intelligence Community, I believe it to be a necessary first step towards getting our intelligence house in order."

The National Security Act of 1947 created the majority of our Cold War-era national security apparatus. Under the structure established more than 50 years ago, one person occupied two critical positions.

As head of the Intelligence Community -- which includes the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and the intelligence-gathering elements of the FBI, as well as others -- this person in this position is responsible for coordinating a multitude of agencies and harnessing their efforts to secure the overall needs of U.S. national security.

As Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the person is the CEO of the Agency charged with collecting human intelligence, analyzing all intelligence collected by the U.S. government, and conducting covert operations.

"Although this structure served us well enough in the Cold War, it is far from perfect, and I do not believe that giving both jobs to one person makes sense," Senator Feinstein said. "As a practical matter, the demands of these two full time jobs are simply too much for any one person. That is why I believe the positions should be split."

Creates the position of "Director of National Intelligence" to head the Intelligence Community.

Gives the Director of National Intelligence the responsibilities which, under current law, relate to the Intelligence Community, including the authority to:

-Set collection priorities for the Intelligence Community, ensuring that collection is directed against the targets which most threaten our countries;

-Ensure that the elements of the Intelligence Community cooperate and share information effectively;

-Coordinate Intelligence Community distribution of intelligence products to decision makers who need the information to make critical national security choices; and

-Allocate Intelligence Community resources to ensure that money and people are properly distributed and used.

Clarifies and augments the Director of National Intelligence's authorities to direct the creation of the intelligence community budget: This will ensure meaningful and effective leadership of the Intelligence Community in the area of resource allocation.

Clarifies and augments the Director of National Intelligence's authorities to reprogram intelligence community funds and personnel: This will provide for meaningful and flexible authority to expend Intelligence Community resources.

Provides the Director of National Intelligence with an Intelligence Community General Counsel and Inspector General to assist him in carrying out his duties: This will ensure that the Intelligence Community is guided by effective and independent legal counsel who answers to only the Director of National Intelligence and that there is an Inspector General with authority to investigate fraud, waste and abuse on a community-wide basis.

Creates the position of "Director of the Central Intelligence Agency" to head the CIA. This will allow the CIA to be led by a chief whose only duty is to ensure that the Agency does the best possible job in collecting, analyzing and disseminating intelligence.