Homeland Security Science and Technology Budget Hearing

February 25, 2004 Wednesday

HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE CYBERSECURITY, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE SELECT HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: HOMELAND SECURITY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUDGET HEARING
CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE MAC THORNBERRY (R-TX)
LOCATION: 2325 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.P. M. EST

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

REP. THORNBERRY: Gentleman from Texas has questions?

REP. PETE SESSIONS (R-TX): Yes, I have and I thank the chairman.

Dr. McQueary, over the last few months, really years, we have heard a good bit about intelligence that has been gained as a result of our combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq about the threat that existed within those countries. I am interested-and this is perhaps much like Congresswoman Granger's, this is a statement not a question but perhaps, at some point-I'm interested how the Department of Homeland Security utilizing what I think has been a very effective way to identify targets and people that are enemy as it relates to cybersecurity. We got to see the flashcards or the playing cards with their pictures and names on them.

But from my bit of serving on this committee, I've not gotten a sense or a feel that we really know a lot about exactly who, where and what those people are who are our enemies as they relate to cyberterrorism. And it is my hope that in the coming year-and if I'm wrong, feel free to tell me, but I believe that we need to make sure that we know more about who the specific targets are aimed at the United States, who these people are, and what we're doing to combat them. And I have found myself-find myself today in a position of seeing each one of you put together a new department that is amazingly and I think credibly full of substance of what you're doing. But I hope you're aiming downstream at some things that we may have learned from the military about how to know who and where and what to expect, and done some intel on that.

So really it's an observation that you're going to take the money and tinker and learn, you know, the chalk and the marbles, and learn who people are. But this person on this Cyber Science and Research & Development Subcommittee would be interested at some point if that is developed during the year. We learned the name al Qaeda after the war, not before the war. We learned the name bin Laden-I think I heard about it first when British prime minister talked about the Taliban and bin Laden because they supply drugs, 80 percent of the heroin that's on the street of Great Britain. I would like to become more cogent with the threat that's out there, who the people are, what they do, how they operate, even if it's on a privacy basis, because I want to know you know too.

I thank the gentleman and I yield back.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

The gentleman from Texas have additional questions?

REP. SESSIONS: I do not, Chairman. Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT