WASHINGTON, D.C. – FBI Director Robert S. Mueller today announced structural changes to support the next phase of the FBI’s transformation efforts.
A key part of the reorganization is the creation of the Associate Deputy Director (ADD) position. Comparable to a Chief Operating Officer, the ADD will oversee the management of the FBI’s personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure; thereby allowing the Director and Deputy Director to focus on operations, intelligence, and liaison. As the first ADD with these responsibilities, Joseph Ford will work to ensure that the FBI’s management systems, budget, and infrastructure are aligned to support the Bureau’s missions and priorities. Mr. Ford previously served as the Bureau’s Chief Financial Officer.
Director Mueller said, “The increased size of the FBI, including growth in our workforce and budget, coupled with efforts to be more strategic in our management of human capital and technology, has presented executive management with new challenges. At the same time, the FBI’s growing role in the Intelligence Community and the pace of FBI operations have increased the need for special focus on longer-term, strategic efforts. This requires the full attention of an executive at the Associate Deputy Director level. The FBI and its employees will benefit from the creation of this position and the focus Joseph Ford will provide.”
Under the new structure there are now five branches headed by Executive Assistant Directors. As announced last month, Willie Hulon now oversees the National Security Branch (NSB) composed of the Counterterrorism Division, Counterintelligence Division, and Directorate of Intelligence. Added to the NSB will be the new Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate, which consolidates WMD and counterproliferation initiatives. This new Directorate will study the consequences of a WMD attack, increase our level of preparedness, and coordinate the Government’s response in the event of a WMD attack in the continental United States. The WMD Directorate will be headed by Assistant Director Vahid Majidi. Dr. Majidi comes to the FBI from the Los Alamos National Laboratory where he headed the Chemistry Division, including such strategic programs as nuclear weapons-related research and non/counter-proliferation. He previously served as Chief Science Advisor to the Department of Justice.
The Criminal Investigations Branch, headed as previously announced by Executive Assistant Director (EAD) Michael Mason, is composed of the Criminal Investigative Division, Cyber Division, Critical Incident Response Group, Office of International Operations, and the Office of Law Enforcement Coordination. Placing in one official the responsibility for criminal and cyber investigations, coordination with law enforcement, international operations, and crisis response, will ensure that the criminal programs receive strategic guidance and support, and that the FBI maintains its unparalleled level of excellence in criminal investigations.
The Human Resources Branch, headed by EAD Donald Packham (former Senior Vice President of Human Resources Americas for BP), combines the Human Resources Division and the Training and Development Division (TDD). This allows the FBI to restructure its human capital program and to focus on the FBI’s greatest assets – its people. The FBI is committed to recruiting, training, developing, and retaining people who will further the FBI’s reputation for excellence.
The Science and Technology (S&T) Branch, headed by EAD Kerry Haynes (formerly with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology), combines the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Laboratory, the Operational Technology Division and the Special Technologies and Applications Section (formerly part of the Cyber Division). The S&T Branch will ensure that the FBI continues to provide exceptional service to the law enforcement community and stays on top of technical innovation and developments in the sciences to support investigative and intelligence-gathering activities.
The fifth branch is the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), headed by Zalmai Azmi. While the OCIO’s current composition will not change, its place in the larger organization will more closely align it with the components handling strategic planning, finance, security, and facilities. Given the importance of IT to the FBI’s transformation efforts, this alignment is critical.
Under the new structure, there will no longer be an EAD for Administration or an EAD for Law Enforcement Services. The ADD will have direct oversight over the Human Resource Branch, OCIO, Inspection Division Division, Facilities and Logistics Services Division, Finance Division, Records Management Division, and Security Division.
Director Mueller said,
“The initial phase of our post-9/11 transformation
was our immediate response to the new terrorist threat.
The next phase focused on developing enhanced intelligence
capabilities. Today we are aligning our organization to
better support our priorities. This includes a strategic
approach to human resources, IT, science and technology,
facilities, and budget. This last phase is about institutionalizing
the changes we have made to date, and building a foundation
to support us into the future.”
Exec
photographs: Joseph L. Ford
| Michael A. Mason | Kerry
E. Haynes | Zalmai Azmi | Donald
E. Packham | Philip Mudd |
Dr. Vahid Majidi
