Executive Session
EXECUTIVE SESSION -- (Senate - April 21, 2005)
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, first, I thank the distinguished chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and his extraordinary ranking member for all their work to improve the quality of the intelligence upon which our policymakers, our men and women who are on the front lines, and all of us rely.
Last July, the Senate leaders assigned the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee the task of developing legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The committee I am privileged to chair devoted more than 5 months to this important and complex issue that is so crucial to the safety and well-being of the American people. We successfully accomplished our assignment with the enactment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which the President signed into law in December.
During the committee's inquiry into how to fix the flaws in our Nation's intelligence capability that permitted so many dots to go unconnected for so long, one remedy emerged as being among the very highest priorities. Our intelligence community--15 disparate agencies and entities, each with its own expertise and experience--clearly needed one leader. The role of this leader has often been described as that of a CEO in business, a person with the ultimate authority over the operation and with the ultimate accountability for results. An even more succinct description was offered by former Secretary of State Powell at one of our committee's many hearings. He said what the intelligence community really needed was an empowered quarterback.
The new law creates the Director of National Intelligence as that empowered quarterback, with significant authority to manage the intelligence community and to transform it into, to use President Bush's term, a single unified enterprise.
I believe John Negroponte is the right person, the right leader to be that CEO, that empowered quarterback.
Ambassador Negroponte is an accomplished diplomat, which is a vital credential in the international war against terrorism. Having served very recently as our Ambassador in Iraq, he knows firsthand how important the intelligence provided is. He has been an intelligence consumer. Throughout his distinguished and varied career in service to our country, he has demonstrated strong, decisive leadership skills. These skills will be invaluable in exercising the Director of National Intelligence authorities and in carrying out the intelligence community transformation called for in our legislation.
The Ambassador's extensive experience in national security and foreign relations is a solid foundation for the weighty responsibilities he will have in this critical position. As the first DNI, Ambassador Negroponte will not only serve a critical role immediately, he will also establish the relationships and set the precedent for future DNIs. Thus, when I met with the Ambassador, I encouraged him to aggressively use the authorities we worked so hard to secure in the intelligence reform bill. One of those key authorities concerns the DNI's responsibility for determining the budget for the national intelligence program. He also will have significant authority to execute that budget and to transfer funds, if needed, to meet emerging threats and the greatest priorities.
Today, at a hearing before the Armed Services Committee on the nomination of General Hayden to be the No. 2 person to the DNI, I raised the issue with General Hayden about the need to aggressively exercise that budget authority. The law is very clear on this point, but already we have seen some signs from the Defense Department of a potential challenge to the new DNI in exercising that authority.
I think it should be very clear, through the legislative history and in our conversations today, that the DNI has a direct relationship to the heads of the National Security Agency and the other intelligence agencies that are housed within the Pentagon but serve not only the Department of Defense but all intelligence consumers. I was pleased to hear General Hayden's understanding of the extent of that authority.
Ambassador Negroponte will be the first intelligence CEO to set the community's budget, to establish community-wide intelligence gathering and analytical priorities, and to employ financial, technological, and human resources where and when they are most needed, or, as Secretary Powell might have put it, he will be calling the plays. This is an unprecedented challenge and unprecedented authority, and I am convinced John Negroponte will meet this challenge in an exemplary manner. I am convinced he understands the need to exercise that authority to the full extent of the law.
Ambassador Negroponte will provide our intelligence community with accomplished, experienced, dedicated, and needed leadership. I wholeheartedly urge my colleagues to approve this important nomination without any delay. Again, I commend the chairman and the ranking member for bringing this nominee so quickly to the Senate floor.
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