Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) returned to Capitol Hill to support final passage of S. 2845, the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, which the Senate is expected to pass this afternoon. The House of Representatives adopted the bill Tuesday evening. The bill unifies and strengthens the national security institutions of the United States to better protect Americans against our post-Cold War enemies.
In a speech during Senate debate, Senator Akaka applauded the bipartisan cooperation that brought about final passage of the intelligence reform bill. Excerpts of the Senator's statement follow:
"It would be naive to say that this legislation by itself will make America stronger. Americans will make America stronger. What this legislation does offer is a framework within which we can build a more secure nation if we all work together within the limits of our Constitution. In creating a Director of National Intelligence it is critical that the President pledge to make this office accountable to the American people. The DNI must be kept free of political pressures and independent of partisan policy agendas. The DNI must make civil liberties and privacy rights a capstone in the structure of this new agency.
"Passage of this legislation ensures that many of the key recommendations of the 9-11 Commission become law. Most important of these is the establishment of a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and a National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
"However, much still remains to be done. I continue to believe that the key to a stronger America lies not just in clarifying institutional lines of authority but in ensuring that we have the best and brightest on the front lines of our national defense.
"One of the important objectives driven home by the 9-11 Commission's report and in testimony before the Governmental Affairs Committee is the need to have the right people in the right places in our government, both civilian employees and military personnel, to combat future threats. We must ensure that our federal workforce remains trained and ready to respond to the challenges we may face in the future, just as federal employees have responded with courage when called upon in the past.
"There is a human capital crisis in the federal government. Not only are we losing the decades of talent as civil servants retire, we are not doing enough to develop and nurture the next generation of public servants. Nowhere is this more evident than in our intelligence services. Time and time again senior officials note the lack of trained linguists, the lack of trained analysts to evaluate information, and the lack of scientific technical expertise needed to confront these new threats.
"Staffing new inter-agency intelligence operations centers on a 24-7 basis, developing new human intelligence (HUMINT) operations and interpreting the information coming into our intelligence analysts poses management problem of massive proportions. We continue to be seriously understaffed. I have been calling attention to this problem, along with my colleague, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), for a number of years.
"I am pleased that the legislation we vote on today contains provisions similar to those in S. 589, the Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act, which I introduced and was passed by the Senate last November.
"The National Intelligence Reform Act mirrors the intent of S. 589 by establishing a program awarding scholarships to students in exchange for government service in the intelligence community. I would like to reiterate the language in the Governmental Affairs Committee report relating to this provision and urge the DNI to give special consideration to applicants seeking degrees in foreign languages, science, mathematics or a combination of these subjects.
"S. 2845 includes other aspects of S. 589 such as an incentivized rotational program for employees in the intelligence community in order to break down cultural and artificial barriers to information sharing, build a cadre of highly knowledgeable professionals, and ensure cooperation among national security agencies.
"The conference report includes language offered by Senators Bob Graham (D-FL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and myself requiring the National Intelligence Director to review existing programs to increase the number of personnel with science, math, and foreign language skills and report to Congress on the proposals to improve the education of such individuals if existing programs are found inadequate.
"These programs partially address, however, a larger national problem in our educational system that must be tackled, including at the primary and secondary level. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the next Congress to implement additional programs to solve the human capital crisis in our national security community as well as elsewhere in the government.
"In addition, I am pleased that the legislation includes language creating an Office of Geospatial Management in the Department of Homeland Security, which was added in the Senate bill through an amendment offered by Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) and myself. This language is identical to S. 1230, the Homeland Security Geographic Information Act. It will help to better coordinate the procurement and management of geospatial information within DHS and centralize activities within one office. Geospatial information has become a critical component in both assisting our war fighters and in protecting our homeland.
"However, I would be remiss not to mention areas that the legislation failed to include. I regret that the conference report did not include a Senate amendment I sponsored with Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) to create a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) within the Office of the National Intelligence Director. Our amendment would have placed the NIA under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, which requires agencies to submit audited financial statements and requires that CFOs be appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and report directly to an agency's head. This amendment is similar to legislation Senator Fitzgerald and I sponsored - now Public Law 108-330 -- which brings the Department of Homeland Security under the CFO Act and ensures a Senate-confirmed CFO who reports directly to the Director of DHS. I plan to introduce legislation that embodies our amendment because I strongly believe that this new entity must have the financial management systems and practices in place to provide meaningful and timely information needed for effective and efficient management decision-making."
