Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and ranking member for their hard work on this important legislation.

Every day, America faces threats to our national security. Some threats are evolving, like cyber attacks on our infrastructure. Some are emerging, like the radicals of Boko Haram. And some are right in front of us demanding direct action.

Because we face a diverse array of threats, our security depends on an intelligence community that is equally diverse. In a 2011 address to Morehouse College, CIA Director Leon Panetta stated that we need an intelligence community with a workforce that reflects the world it engages.

My amendment helps the intelligence community meet its strategic diversity goals by providing grants to predominantly black institutions that educate future generations of intelligence experts through advanced language training, study abroad, and cultural immersion programs.

To remain globally secure, we must have human assets on the ground who can blend in easily abroad, especially in Africa and the Middle East. Overcoming cultural, language, and educational barriers is critical to achieving this goal. I ask that my colleagues support this commonsense amendment.

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