Nelson Presses DoD Officials on Military Intelligence Reform Bill

NELSON PRESSES DoD OFFICIALS ON MILITARY INTELLIGENCE REFORM BILL
Nebraska's Senator working with officials to streamline information gathering and coordination

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a Senate hearing today examining the Department of Defense Intelligence budget, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson pressed Defense officials on his bill to reorganize the way the Department of Defense gathers and shares intelligence.

Nelson questioned Stephen Cambone, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on the Defense Department's internal systems for handling, sharing and analyzing intelligence.

Nelson, along with Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, has introduced bipartisan legislation to streamline the coordination of military intelligence gathered by the eight military intelligence components within the Department of Defense. By creating a new four-star commander to oversee military intelligence and be a single source for the new National Intelligence Director, Nelson and Chambliss are trying to improve the flow of intelligence and analysis.

"Senator Chambliss and I are concerned about how the new DNI will work in coordination with all eight of the defense department's intelligence agencies and the other non-defense intelligence agencies," said Senator Nelson.

"I think we've made some important strides in accomplishing the objectives of the bill," said Undersecretary Stephen Cambone. Cambone went on to describe measures the Department has taken in an effort to streamline intelligence procedures including consolidating human intelligence and technical operations under the directors of certain intelligence components.

Cambone expressed concern among the existing combatant commanders about the impact a new INTCOM would have on the ability of their commands to access information centralized outside their commands. He indicated that the combatant commanders must be part of the intelligence reform discussions.

Nelson agreed. "Eighty percent of all intelligence that's gathered is used by the military in war-fighting or in similar activities; I do think there must be recognition of the importance of that intelligence information to the users. There's no question about it," he told Cambone. "We felt that enhancing the collection, as well as the sharing, coordination, under a single joint command, INTCOM, would probably not only expand the availability of that, but also the use of the intelligence."

Nelson and Chambliss will continue to work with the Department of Defense on their bill to ensure that intelligence operations are working at peak efficiency and information is shared in a timely and appropriate fashion.

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