PROTECTING THE U.S. AGAINST TERROR
In the Trenches with Our Troops
11/11/06
You
know that FBI agents, intel analysts, and
bomb techs work 24/7 within our nation’s
borders to prevent terrorist attacks. But
what you may not know is this: we do the
same overseas, working right alongside
American military forces in war zones around
the globe.
It’s
all part of our post 9/11 mission to
use the full sweep of our investigative
and intelligence capabilities to prevent
terrorist attacks, wherever U.S. citizens
or interests are threatened.
 |
Dr.
Louis Blazy |
In
a Veterans
Day speech
in the Virginia suburbs on Saturday, Dr.
Louis Blazy—one
of our top information technology execs and
a veteran himself—described this new
world where we work shoulder-to-shoulder
with military personnel on the front lines
to fight terror.
“The FBI is in the
trenches in Afghanistan and Iraq, ducking
gunfire, securing villages, analyzing improvised
explosive devices, helping wounded soldiers,
and dismantling terrorist groups,” he
said in prepared remarks.
Our primary form of
support comes in the form of intelligence. Dr.
Blazy—who’s responsible for
operating a global information technology
infrastructure in the FBI to support our
counterterrorism, intelligence, and crime-fighting
missions—explained why.
“[A] terrorist safe
house in Afghanistan might contain documents
that discuss a potential terrorist operation
that targets U.S. citizens or interests worldwide.
It might contain latent fingerprints, incriminating
photos or electronic media, or other suspicious
items. One tiny scrap of evidence—a
fingerprint, a fuse, a computer disk, a cell
phone—could be the key to preventing
another terrorist attack,” he said.
“As the veterans
here can attest, in the midst of a sensitive
military operation, you don’t always
have the luxury of time. … Once our
soldiers kick in the door of that safe house,
they need to gather information and process
evidence quickly. That is why it is so valuable
to have FBI personnel working alongside them.”
Dr.
Blazy—who comes
from a military family and has a son currently
serving as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy—also
praised the more than 48 million American
veterans past and present. “We [here
today] honor every man and woman who has
guarded a post, led a mission, or tended
a wounded soldier. We honor every private
and pilot, every airman and ensign, every
sergeant and Seal.”
And so do all of us
in the FBI. We’re proud to have
so many veterans and reservists as part
of our family…and to support our
extended family in the armed forces every
day.
To
learn more about our work with and support
of the military: please
read the full
text of Dr. Blazy’s
speech
and see the following stories:
