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Message from the Director: Executive Order 12333
Statement to Employees by Director of the Central Intelligence
Agency Mike Hayden on Executive Order 12333
July 31, 2008
Yesterday, President Bush signed a revised version of
Executive Order 12333, the document that broadly defines the roles and
responsibilities of the members of our Intelligence Community. The Order, originally issued in 1981, has been
modified over the years. But the changes
to our Community since the intelligence reform legislation of 2004 made an
updated text a priority for our government.
Put briefly, the new passages formally outline the goals and
duties of the Director of National Intelligence, and place a powerful emphasis
on inter-agency collaboration. Both of
those developments are positive. The DNI
manages the Intelligence Community, providing strategic guidance without
executing operational tasks. Sound
coordination among American agencies is an absolute prerequisite to successful
intelligence collection—one in which CIA has both an obvious interest and
extensive expertise.
The Executive Order also reaffirms CIA’s statutory
authorities and its leadership in fields ranging from human intelligence to
covert action abroad. That includes
counterintelligence and the conduct and coordination of foreign intelligence
relationships. CIA has over decades earned
its central place in the Community. The Agency’s
raw information and its finished analysis, its technology and its global
support—its thinking and its actions—contribute decisively to the security of
our nation. The depth and variety of
talent, and the way in which one specialty reinforces another in a setting free
of departmental influence, make the Agency a unique asset for the United States.
Intelligence is, at its core, a practical calling. Issues such as operational coordination and
the management of foreign liaison relationships can indeed be complex. But in our profession, the guiding standard
is one of common sense. The best
solutions are those that get the job done most effectively. That, by definition, means a strong voice for
those on the front lines, those who do the day-to-day substantive work of
intelligence. CIA has unique
capabilities and an unsurpassed commitment to make our Intelligence Community
as successful as it can be.
We have been deeply involved from the start in the redraft
of the Order. We will play an equally
active role in its implementation. In
the meantime, all Agency employees, especially those in the field, should continue
to act in accord with current directives, MOUs, MOAs, and so on. We will let you know if and when any
adjustments might be needed.
Most important of all, keep in mind that Executive Order
12333 gives us a framework under which we will remain focused on what matters
most—our essential work.
Mike Hayden
Posted: Jul 31, 2008 11:58 AM
Last Updated: Jul 31, 2008 12:45 PM
Last Reviewed: Jul 31, 2008 11:58 AM