Good
morning, Madam Chairman, Senator Shelby, and members of the
Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before
you today to discuss the President's fiscal 2008 budget for
the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I would also like to
thank you for your continued oversight of the Bureau and your
efforts to ensure our success as we pursue the shared goal
of making America safer.
2008
Budget Request
The fiscal
2008 budget for the FBI totals 29,373 positions and $6.4 billion.
The net fiscal 2008 program increases total 714 new positions
(231 agents, 121 intelligence analysts, and 362 professional
support) and $313.8 million. Our fiscal 2008 budget is focused
on improving the FBI's capabilities in addressing five key
challenges: combating terrorism; preventing the acquisition
of weapons of mass destruction; defeating foreign intelligence
operations; reducing child exploitation and violent crimes;
and strengthening infrastructure and information technology.
I recognize
that there are many competing requirements for limited funding.
Nonetheless, the FBI must continue the progress it has made
to implement the President's directives and the recommendations
of the 9/11 Commission and the Weapons of Mass Destruction
Commission. At the same time, the FBI must be resourced to
discharge its critical criminal investigative mission that
also contributes to the overall safety and security of the
nation.
In addition,
for the FBI to be a full partner in the intelligence community
it must have the tools, capacities, and capabilities to work
closely with other members of the community. Finally, the
FBI must find the proper balance between expanding our workforce
and supporting on-board employees with the technology and
infrastructure necessary to accomplish our mission. I believe
the fiscal 2008 budget will go a long way toward achieving
these goals.
Combating
Terrorism
The current
terrorist threat environment shows no signs of abating in
the near term. Consequently, the FBI's operational and analytical
commitment to combating terrorism is not expected to decrease.
The FBI must remain vigilant for indications of terrorist
groups shifting focus from the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan
to acts that could be carried out against United States interests
outside the current theater of operation and/or against the
United States homeland. The FBI must also continue its efforts
to deny terrorist groups and sympathizers the ability to raise
funds and to carry out other operational and logistical support
from the United States.
This
budget requests 231 new positionsincluding 126 agentsand
$44.4 million to conduct intelligence-driven terrorism investigations
and operations. Additionally, the fiscal 2008 budget proposes
the reallocation of 100 field special agents from criminal
investigations to counterterrorism.
These
resources will enable the FBI to conduct investigations to
prevent, disrupt, and deter acts of terrorism and continue
to strengthen working relationships with our federal, state,
and local partners; enhance our capacity for analyzing and
exploiting information from growing volumes of seized terrorist
digital media and communications; enhance the Terrorist Screening
Center operations center; provide support to the National
Virtual Translation Center, which serves as a clearinghouse
to facilitate timely and accurate translation of foreign intelligence
for elements of the intelligence community; and address growth
in the number of terrorism and counterintelligence-related
computer intrusion cases.
Shifting
from a reactive criminal prosecution approach to a more prevention
and intelligence-driven focus in our counterterrorism program
is taxing the FBI's physical surveillance and electronic surveillance
intelligence gathering capacities. The capacity to carry out
extended covert surveillance of subjects and targets is absolutely
critical to the FBI's counterterrorism and counterintelligence
programs.
Surveillance
capacitiesphysical and electronicgive us insight
and awareness of our adversaries. Insight and awareness, in
turn, create opportunities to identify sleeper cells, disrupt
support networks and communications, and recruit assets. We
need a robust surveillance capacity to keep on top of known
and emerging targets. Additionally, we must be able to develop
and deploy new operational technologies and techniques to
counter a more technically sophisticated adversary and to
exploit and share the information we gather.
In fiscal
2008, we seek an enhancement of 118 new positions (including
12 agents) and $65 million to strengthen surveillance and
technical collection capacities. These resources will enable
the FBI to increase the number of physical surveillance teams;
address growing workload for electronic surveillance involving
broadband and other data network and internet communications;
develop new techniques and tools to address emerging technologies;
meet demands for new audio and data collection and upgrade
existing and/or obsolete digital collection system equipment
and components; address growing workload for covert entries
and searches; and develop new techniques and tools for tactical
operations.
An integral
part of our national security program is the development and
operation of human intelligence. Our budget request includes
85 new positions (including six agents) and $22.3 million
to strengthen human intelligence capacities. This funding
will enable the FBI to provide staffing for field intelligence
groups to comply with new human source validation standards
and perform continuous assessments; continue development and
deployment of Delta to support management of over 15,000 FBI
human sources; deliver and deploy comprehensive human source
targeting and development training; and remediate human source
handling deficiencies. The intelligence derived from FBI human
intelligence source collection also enables other agencies'
success in their counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and
counterproliferation missions.
We are
fortunate that there has not been another major terrorist
attack within the United States since September 11, 2001.
This reflects positively, in part, on the hard and diligent
work of FBI employees and those individuals who work alongside
them, such as prosecutors and our partners in law enforcement
and intelligence. However, we cannot afford to lessen our
guard against the threat from terrorism. We must continue
to invest in the resources and capabilities to counter an
ever adapting and agile adversary.
Preventing
the Acquisition of Weapons of Mass Destruction/Render Safe
The National
Counterterrorism Center WMD Threat Assessment, 2005-2011,
reaffirmed the intent of terrorist adversaries to seek the
means and capability to use WMD against the United States
at home and abroad. Denying these adversaries access to WMD
is a top Administration Counterterrorism Strategy priority.
Within
the U.S. government, the FBI has been assigned responsibility
for Render Safe operations involving all WMD in the national
capital region. The responsibility to render safe WMD throughout
the remainder of the United States belongs to the FBI, supported
by the Department of Defense. To fulfill its critical responsibilities
in the area of WMD, the FBI must continue to build to the
capacities and capabilities of its WMD Directorate and the
Render Safe Program.
The WMD
Directorate was created in July 2006 to better integrate and
leverage FBI counterproliferation and WMD intelligence analysis
and prevention programs. The fiscal 2008 budget seeks 146
new positions (including 29 agents) and $19 million to continue
to enhance the directorate's capabilities to prevent, prepare
for, and respond to the threat of WMD.
These
resources will allow the FBI to enhance strategic partnerships
with foreign intelligence, law enforcement, security, public
health, agricultural, chemical, and other public and private
sector agencies and organizations that are vital to the early
detection of a potential WMD incident.
The fiscal
2008 budget also includes enhancements of nine positions (including
three agents) and $11 million to enhance the FBI's Render
Safe Mission, which encompasses both the tactical and technical
response to incidents involving WMD within the United States
and its territories.
The complete
development of a robust render safe crisis response for the
directed contingencies requires the FBI to develop command-and-control
capabilities to support deployments and to provide the FBI
and United States government leaders with the information
required to make time-critical decisions. The requested funding
will allow the FBI to enhance its national asset response
staffing beyond current minimum levels and provide program
personnel with adequate training, equipment, supplies, and
services. Additionally, the requested funding will allow the
FBI to upgrade its Render Safe technical tools so the operators
will have the latest and most effective technology at their
disposal to meet and dispose of this challenge.
Defeating
Foreign Intelligence Operations
The foreign
intelligence threat to the United States is increasing as
foreign powers continue their efforts to establish economic,
military, and political preeminence and to position themselves
to compete with the United States in economic and diplomatic
arenas. Foreign adversaries are increasingly employing nontraditional
collectorse.g., students and visiting scientists, scholars,
and businessmenas well as cyber-based tools to target
and penetrate U.S. institutions. The fiscal 2008 budget includes
119 positions (including 55 agents) and $26.5 million to address
these activities.
In November 2005, the FBI launched a Domain Management Initiative
to focus attention on whether the FBI is conducting the right
investigations to have the greatest impact on threats to national
security. Continued implementation of the Domain initiative
will provide FBI leaders with a comprehensive and context
decision-making environment. It will allow field office executive
management to examine its target and regional environment
and discuss the relative priority and focus of different activities.
In addition,
resources are needed to transform and leverage the capacities
and capabilities of the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force
into a National Security Analysis Center that would provide
expanded analytical support to all FBI National Security programs
by leveraging data and services residing in both the Foreign
Terrorist Tracking Task Force and the Investigative Data Warehouse.
Reduce
Child Exploitation and Violent Crimes
The FBI
remains committed to fighting child pornography and obscenity
and to protecting children from trafficking and other forms
of exploitation.
The fiscal
2008 budget proposes 14 new positions and $2.4 million for
the Crimes Against Children and Innocent Images National Initiative
programs. These resources will enhance field-based Child Abduction
Rapid Deployment teams that provide onsite response and investigative
and technical assistance in child abduction cases. The funding
will also enable Innocent Images, which targets child prostitution,
to enhance its capacity to disseminate intelligence regarding
unregistered sex offenders and Innocent Images investigations.
In addition
to its investigative capabilities, the FBI brings to local,
state, and national efforts against violent crime a number
of proven crime-fighting technologies, services, and tools
that are used every day by law enforcement agencies throughout
the country to solve crimes and put criminals in jail. FBI
forensic, identification, and information technologies and
tools are critical for leveraging the capabilities of our
state and local law enforcement partners in the fight against
violent crime.
Access
to these crime-solving services and capabilities is even more
important in a post 9/11 environment where the FBI may not
always able to devote the level of special agent resources
to violent crime as it has in the past. Over the past several
years, state and local agencies have been provided grant funding
to improve their digital forensic, DNA, automated fingerprint
identification, and information sharing capabilities.
One of
the consequences of these improved state and local capabilities
is increased demand for services and access to the underlying
and unifying FBI systems and connectivity. For fiscal 2008,
the FBI is requesting a total of $90.5 million to improve
its capacities and capabilities for providing forensic, identification,
and information technologies and services for law enforcement,
including IDENT/IAFIS Interoperability ($10.0 million); Next
Generation Identification ($25 million); Law Enforcement Information
Sharing/R-DEX ($5 million); DNA forensic services, including
Walsh Act implementation ($14.6 million); Combined DNA Index
System ($7 million); Regional Computer Forensic Laboratories
($6 million); and Computer Analysis Response Teams ($22.8
million).
Strengthening
Infrastructure and Information Technology
Critical
to the success of the FBI mission are a safe and appropriate
work environment and information technology. Over the past
several years, the FBI has made substantial investments to
upgrade its underlying IT architecture, including the purchase
of computer workstations and software for employees and networks
for connectivity both within the FBI and with our external
partners. Having made these investments to bring IT in the
FBI to near current state-of-the-art, it is now necessary
to keep these investments current with technology.
The fiscal
2008 budget includes $15 million to provide enterprise IT
support and prevent IT obsolescence. This funding will enable
the FBI to address increased costs of software license/maintenance
agreements, to upgrade networks and encryption to comply with
mandated intelligence community protocol, and to begin bringing
desktops, laptops, servers, and printers into a three-year
technology refreshment cycle.
Additionally,
$7.5 million is requested to continue to build and strengthen
the FBI's IT program management capabilities. The inspector
general and others have repeatedly criticized the FBI for
ineffective program management of IT projects. Funding requested
will enable the FBI to increase management and oversight of
critical IT projects, ensure compliance with FBI Life Cycle
Management Directives, and enhance FBI IT policy and planning
capacities.
The FBI
requests a total of $11.5 million to address critical space
requirements, including $7.5 million for fiscal 2008 requirements
associated with the FBI Headquarters Annex and $4 million
for the Central Records Complex. The annex will provide additional
office space to ease existing fragmentation of Headquarters
divisions and offices. This funding will support the build-out
of annex space, including furnishings, UNet and FBINet connectivity,
equipment, locks, alarms, and access control.
The Central
Records Complex will consolidate most of the FBI's records,
which are currently dispersed in FBI locations across the
nation, into one single facility. The funding requested will
support non-standard requirements associated with the construction
of the permanent records facility, such as fencing, vehicle
barriers, and guard booths. Construction of the complex, a
GSA build-to-suit/leased facility, is planned to begin in
fiscal 2008.
"Unfunded
FTE" Reduction
The fiscal
2008 budget reflects a reduction of 2,700 positions (576 special
agent and 2,124 professional support) for the FBI. This reduction
is part of a Department of Justice-wide effort to remove "unaffordable
workyears" and to recast positions and workyears consistent
with available funding. Let me assure you that the "unaffordable
workyears" reduction is being targeted against vacant
positions and that no on-board FBI employee's position will
be affected by this action. The underlying causes for the
accumulation of "unaffordable workyears" are the
results of both internal workforce management decisions by
the FBI and external decisions on the Bureau's budget.
Conclusion
Madam
Chairman, Senator Shelby, and Members of the Subcommittee,
today's FBI is part of a vast national and international campaign
dedicated to defeating terrorism. Working hand-in-hand with
our partners in law enforcement, intelligence, the military,
and diplomatic circles, the FBI's primary responsibility is
to neutralize terrorist cells and operatives here in the United
States and help dismantle terrorist networks worldwide.
Although
protecting the United States from terrorist attacks is our
first priority, we remain committed to the defense of America
against foreign intelligence threats as well as enforcing
federal criminal laws while still respecting and defending
the Constitution.
I recognize
that the fiscal 2008 request will require difficult decisions
with respect to meeting the competing demands among the Department
of Justice components as well as those of other agencies.
At the same time, even in times of fiscal restraint, there
is a strong public expectation that the government provides
our nation's safety and security. Protecting the nation from
terrorist attacks, the threat of weapons of mass destruction,
foreign intelligence agents, and violence requires a strong
and well-resourced FBI.
I ask
for your support in providing the resources requested in the
fiscal 2008 budget so that we can fulfill our mission to safeguard
the American people. I look forward to working with you on
this budget proposal and other issues.
Once
again, I thank you for your continued support of the FBI.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Congressional
Testimony | Press Room
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