Today's Article
Gov't report reveals
the major
intelligence issues
for the 21st Century.
the major
intelligence issues
for the 21st Century.
The American Spark
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What Are The Top Intelligence Issues For Congress?
By Cliff Montgomery - Apr. 20th, 2007
On Feb. 27th, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a telling report on the top intelligence
issues confronting Congress in the 21st Century. The CRS reports are renowned for their clarity and lack of
bias.
These unclassified reports are currently released only to members of Congress. Their bosses--the American
people--have to search to find them however, as they are not directly released to the public.
Below we offer a few quotes from the report:
Intelligence Issues for Congress
"To address the challenges facing the U.S. Intelligence Community in the 21st century, congressional and
executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to
encourage better analysis. In December 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (P.L. 108-
458) was signed, providing for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with substantial authorities to manage
the national intelligence effort. The legislation also established a separate Director of the Central Intelligence
Agency.
"Making cooperation effective presents substantial leadership and managerial challenges. The needs of
intelligence “consumers”--ranging from the White House to cabinet agencies to military commanders--must all
be met, using the same systems and personnel. Intelligence collection systems are expensive and some critics
suggest there have been elements of waste and unneeded duplication of effort while some intelligence
“targets” have been neglected.
"The DNI has substantial statutory authorities to address these issues, but the organizational relationships will
remain complex, especially for Defense Department agencies. Members of Congress will be seeking to
observe the extent to which effective coordination is accomplished.
"International terrorism, a major threat facing the United States in the 21st century, presents a difficult
analytical challenge. Techniques for acquiring and analyzing information on small groups of plotters differ
significantly from those used to evaluate the military capabilities of other countries. U.S. intelligence efforts are
complicated by unfilled requirements for foreign language expertise.
"Intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate and Members have criticized the
performance of the Intelligence Community in regard to current conditions in Iraq and other situations.
Improved analysis, while difficult to mandate, remains a key goal. Better human intelligence, it is argued, is also
essential.
"Intelligence support to military operations continues to be a major responsibility of intelligence agencies. The
use of precision guided munitions depends on accurate, real-time targeting data; integrating intelligence data
into military operations will require changes in organizational relationships as well as acquiring necessary
technologies.
"Counterterrorism requires the close coordination of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, but there
remain many institutional and procedural issues that complicate cooperation between the two sets of agencies.
Most Recent Developments
"On February 7th, retired Navy Vice Admiral J. Michael McConnell was confirmed by the Senate as Director of
National Intelligence (DNI) to succeed John Negroponte who has been appointed Deputy Secretary of State.
"There was no intelligence authorization bill for FY2006 and in the 109th Congress the Senate did not give
floor consideration to an intelligence authorization bill for FY2007 (S. 3237) although the House passed its
version of FY2007 legislation (H.R. 5020) on April 26, 2006.
"On January 27, 2007, the Senate Intelligence Committee reported S. 372, described in the accompanying
report (S.Rept. 110-2) as nearly identical to S. 3237 in the 109th Congress. The bill would require Senate
confirmation of the Deputy Director of the CIA and the heads of three major intelligence agencies within the
Defense Department. The House is expected to consider revisiting FY2007 legislation in the near future.
"The 9/11 Commission made a number of recommendations about congressional oversight of intelligence
including creating a joint Senate-House committee or making a single committee in each chamber responsible
for authorizing and appropriating funds for intelligence activities.
"Although this recommendation has found little favor, on January 9, 2007, the House adopted H.Res. 35 which
established an intelligence panel on its appropriations committee that includes three members of the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence."
By Cliff Montgomery - Apr. 20th, 2007
On Feb. 27th, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a telling report on the top intelligence
issues confronting Congress in the 21st Century. The CRS reports are renowned for their clarity and lack of
bias.
These unclassified reports are currently released only to members of Congress. Their bosses--the American
people--have to search to find them however, as they are not directly released to the public.
Below we offer a few quotes from the report:
Intelligence Issues for Congress
"To address the challenges facing the U.S. Intelligence Community in the 21st century, congressional and
executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to
encourage better analysis. In December 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (P.L. 108-
458) was signed, providing for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with substantial authorities to manage
the national intelligence effort. The legislation also established a separate Director of the Central Intelligence
Agency.
"Making cooperation effective presents substantial leadership and managerial challenges. The needs of
intelligence “consumers”--ranging from the White House to cabinet agencies to military commanders--must all
be met, using the same systems and personnel. Intelligence collection systems are expensive and some critics
suggest there have been elements of waste and unneeded duplication of effort while some intelligence
“targets” have been neglected.
"The DNI has substantial statutory authorities to address these issues, but the organizational relationships will
remain complex, especially for Defense Department agencies. Members of Congress will be seeking to
observe the extent to which effective coordination is accomplished.
"International terrorism, a major threat facing the United States in the 21st century, presents a difficult
analytical challenge. Techniques for acquiring and analyzing information on small groups of plotters differ
significantly from those used to evaluate the military capabilities of other countries. U.S. intelligence efforts are
complicated by unfilled requirements for foreign language expertise.
"Intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate and Members have criticized the
performance of the Intelligence Community in regard to current conditions in Iraq and other situations.
Improved analysis, while difficult to mandate, remains a key goal. Better human intelligence, it is argued, is also
essential.
"Intelligence support to military operations continues to be a major responsibility of intelligence agencies. The
use of precision guided munitions depends on accurate, real-time targeting data; integrating intelligence data
into military operations will require changes in organizational relationships as well as acquiring necessary
technologies.
"Counterterrorism requires the close coordination of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, but there
remain many institutional and procedural issues that complicate cooperation between the two sets of agencies.
Most Recent Developments
"On February 7th, retired Navy Vice Admiral J. Michael McConnell was confirmed by the Senate as Director of
National Intelligence (DNI) to succeed John Negroponte who has been appointed Deputy Secretary of State.
"There was no intelligence authorization bill for FY2006 and in the 109th Congress the Senate did not give
floor consideration to an intelligence authorization bill for FY2007 (S. 3237) although the House passed its
version of FY2007 legislation (H.R. 5020) on April 26, 2006.
"On January 27, 2007, the Senate Intelligence Committee reported S. 372, described in the accompanying
report (S.Rept. 110-2) as nearly identical to S. 3237 in the 109th Congress. The bill would require Senate
confirmation of the Deputy Director of the CIA and the heads of three major intelligence agencies within the
Defense Department. The House is expected to consider revisiting FY2007 legislation in the near future.
"The 9/11 Commission made a number of recommendations about congressional oversight of intelligence
including creating a joint Senate-House committee or making a single committee in each chamber responsible
for authorizing and appropriating funds for intelligence activities.
"Although this recommendation has found little favor, on January 9, 2007, the House adopted H.Res. 35 which
established an intelligence panel on its appropriations committee that includes three members of the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence."