Statement
of
Robert S. Mueller, III
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Before the
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice, Commerce,
and Related Agencies
March 28, 2006
Good
afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Congressman Mollohan, and
Members of the Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity
to appear before you today to discuss the President's
FY 2007 budget for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
I also would like to thank you for passing the FY
2006 Katrina supplemental which included $45 million
for the FBI. Our employees in the Gulf region endured
great suffering and devastating property loss in the
aftermath of Katrina. In addition to the horrific
personal toll the storm took on the people of the
Gulf region, the FBI offices in New Orleans, Beaumont,
Gulfport and Pascagoula were either severely damaged
or completely destroyed. However, your funding is
helping to rebuild our offices, put our employees
back to work, and enable us to bring our capabilities
back to pre-Katrina levels.
With
this Committee's help, the FBI was able to establish
Katrina Fraud Task Forces, in Lake Charles and Lafayette,
Louisiana, to investigate and prosecute those unscrupulous
individuals who seek to benefit from this national
tragedy. We intend to continue this important work
as the Gulf region recovers.
Your
support and expeditious work is also appreciated on
the FY 2006 Global War on Terrorism Supplemental.
2007
Budget Request
The
FY 2007 budget totals 31,359 positions and $6.04 billion.
The net FY 2007 program increases total 75 positions.
Our FY 2007 budget is focused on enhancing and improving
our infrastructure. Since September 11, the FBI has
undergone significant reorganization and tremendous
personnel growth. However, FBI Headquarters (HQ) facilities
and infrastructure programs have not kept pace with
our transformation from a law enforcement entity to
a key player in the Government's war against terrorism.
As
an agency, we must find the proper balance between
expanding our workforce and supporting on-board employees
with the technology and infrastructure necessary to
accomplish our dual mission as both a law enforcement
and an intelligence entity. I believe the FY 2007
budget will go a long way in rectifying the gaps between
our rapid growth in personnel and our current infrastructure.
Improving
Physical Infrastructure
The
FBI's space for handling and storing classified information
is currently inadequate. We are formulating a strategy
to address Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility
(SCIF) space requirements. The primary objective of
the FBI's plan is to provide SCIF space and SCI connectivity
to key national security field facilities by the end
of calendar year 2007 which will be accomplished using
resources requested in the FY 2007 President's Budget.
In
FY 2007, the FBI is requesting $33 million in construction
funding for SCIF expansion. This funding would allow
for information sharing between the FBI and our partners
within the Intelligence Community (IC), as envisioned
by the President and Congress. Without this SCIF expansion,
the FBI cannot ensure an adequate intelligence infrastructure
to achieve our strategic goals. In the FY 2006 conference
report you requested that we develop a plan to prioritize
our SCIF expansion program. This report is currently
under Administration review and we look forward to
discussing it with the committee once it is released.
We
are also requesting $8.8 million to acquire additional
space for an FBI Headquarters Annex which would be
located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Most of FBI's Headquarters components operate in fragmented
and overcrowded office space. The FBI must secure
an additional 150,000 square feet of useable space
in order to accommodate the needs of new personnel
coming on-board through FY 2007.
The
current FBI Academy training facilities located at
Quantico, Virginia are inadequate to address the training
needs of our analysts and Special Agent personnel.
Most of the Academy's facilities were designed in
the late 1960s to accommodate small groups in a traditional
classroom training setting. However, given the FBI's
growth and dual mission requirements, the Academy
can no longer support our expanding needs or provide
us the forum to develop a world-class cadre of intelligence
professionals.
After
the September 11 terrorist attacks, the FBI developed
and implemented professional training for Intelligence
Analysts (IA) throughout the FBI. In October 2001,
the Center for Intelligence Training (CIT), formerly
known as College of Analytical Studies, was established
at the FBI Academy. The CIT was established to improve
the FBI's analytical capabilities to meet our present
and future investigative responsibilities. All courses
delivered by the CIT are designed to support the FBI's
Counterterrorism (CT), Counterintelligence (CD), and
analytical missions. The CIT experienced significant
growth during its first years of operation and, based
on expected hiring levels of new IAs, the FBI expects
the CIT to continue to expand its operational and
training missions.
In
the FY 2007 budget, we are requesting $6.3 million
to upgrade our CIT facilities by beginning the process
of designing the CIT training center at the FBI Academy
complex in Quantico, Virginia. The CIT will be a major
element in continuing to promote and develop the FBI's
leadership training for FBI-wide, state/local, and
international law enforcement personnel.
We
are also requesting $11.9 million for interim space
at the FBI Academy for the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team
(HRT). Although HRT's current space was built to accommodate
only 50 employees, there are currently more than 200
staff members using this limited space. As with many
FBI units, HRT's responsibilities have increased enormously
since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Over the
past three years, the HRT has been deployed on 159
occasions, of which over 62 percent were related to
counterterrorism. The HRT was also utilized in support
of search and recovery efforts in the aftermath of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Much of HRT's work is
sensitive in nature and must be conducted in a secure
area.
Information
Technology
We
continue to upgrade and enhance our technological
infrastructure. In our FY 2007 budget, we are requesting
$100 million for Sentinel. Sentinel will leverage
technology to reduce redundancy, eliminate inefficiencies,
and maximize the FBI's ability to use the information
in its possession. Our objectives for Sentinel include
the following: (1) Deliver a set of capabilities that
provide a single point of entry for investigative
case management and intelligence analysis; (2) Implement
a new and improved FBI-wide global index for persons,
organizations, places, things, and events; (3) Implement
a paperless information management and work-flow capability;
and (4) Implement an electronic records management
system.
I
want to stress that the Sentinel program is not a
reincarnation of the Virtual Case File. In the past
few years we have struggled with our information technology
programs. However, we have learned hard lessons from
our missteps and we are doing things very differently
this time. Each phase of the Sentinel contracting
process is being closely scrutinized by a team of
FBI technical experts, the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget,
and the Department of Justice's Chief Information
Office and Inspector General. Furthermore, at this
Committee's recommendation, we have also engaged outside
experts to help us review and assess the implementation
of Sentinel.
On
March 16, 2006, we announced the award of the contract
for development of the Sentinel to Lockheed Martin.
Under the terms of the $305 million, 6-year contract,
Lockheed Martin and its industry partners will use
proven commercial off-the-shelf technologies to produce
an integrated system that supports processing, storage
and management of the FBI's current paper-based records
system. The program includes an incremental development
and delivery of Sentinel capabilities including $73
million for operations and maintenance activities.
Now
that the contract has been awarded, we are moving
forward with phase one of the development process.
Each of the four phases will introduce new stand-alone
capabilities and will be user-focused. As each phase
is implemented, existing information will be transferred
to new systems and old legacy systems will be retired.
As a result, Sentinel will replace a number of legacy
applications including: Automated Case Management
System (ACS); ASSET; Criminal Informant Management
System; Bank Robbery Statistical Application; and
Financial Institution Fraud and Integrated Statistical
Reporting Analysis Application (ISRAA).
I
will continue to update this committee on the progress
of Sentinel and I expect and welcome your strong Congressional
oversight of this program.
NGI
and IAFIS/IDENT Interoperability
We
are also requesting funding for major enhancements
to our Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification
System (IAFIS). IAFIS is the ten-rolled fingerprint
identification system that was successfully deployed
in 1999 and is used by federal, state, and local law
enforcement and authorized non-criminal justice agencies
to identify subjects with criminal history information.
While IAFIS was a state-of-the-art system at its inception,
technology has since advanced, and we must update
IAFIS in order to meet the needs of our customers.
The
FBI intends to meet these new requirements by implementing
a Next Generation Identification system (NGI). We
are currently conducting a comprehensive requirements
study that will produce an Implementation/Strategy
Plan, baseline Systems Requirement Document (SRD),
Functional Requirements Document, and Requirement
Traceability Matrix.
Once
we have completed the planning effort, we will design,
develop, and implement modular builds with each module
providing improved functionality, such as improved
accuracy and speed. The FBI is requesting $38 million
to support development of NGI.
Along
with improvements to IAFIS, the FBI is developing
interoperability with the Department of Homeland Security's
(DHS) Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT).
DHS's IDENT program is a two-flat fingerprint identification
system. Various legislative acts have required the
FBI and DHS to ensure that the systems are interoperable
and that the criminal and immigration information
that they contain is accessible to, and shared among,
other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
In 2002, the FBI began providing DHS with extracted,
partial data from IAFIS. This is a temporary solution
until full interoperability can be achieved.
Interoperability
efforts between IAFIS and IDENT are advancing. A multi-agency
Interoperability Integrated Project Team (IPT) was
established to address the problem. In June 2005,
FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS),
DHS United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator
Technology (US-VISIT) and the Department of State
signed a charter which established cooperative guiding
principles for IPT. IPT is aggressively pursuing different
interoperability models to find a solution to the
problem. For FY 2007, the FBI is requesting $33 million
to purchase hardware, software, and contract services
to support this interoperability initiative.
Human
Resources
During
FY 2005, this Committee provided the FBI with the
legislative authority and resources to help us compete
with other homeland security and Intelligence Community
(IC) organizations who often recruited employees away
from the FBI. The funding allowed us to provide recruitment
bonuses for potential new hires, retention and relocation
bonuses to existing employees with job offers from
other government entities, and increased funding for
our University Education Program and student loan
repayments. Thanks to your support, the FBI used approximately
$22 million for these purposes during FY 2005, including
almost $5 million on recruitment initiatives, $1.6
million on employee retention and relocation bonuses,
and $14.9 million on degree programs and student loan
repayments.
The
additional funding this Committee provided as an extension
of these authorities is allowing the FBI to extend
relocation bonuses to agents assigned to high cost
of living offices. Each of these incentives is providing
us with the leverage to retain a high-caliber workforce
to better serve the nation in our fight against terrorism.
Additionally,
this Committee provided for the establishment of our
Sabbatical Program. Last year, the FBI sent participants
to the St. Andrews Program for International Security
Studies and to Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of
Government. This year, we added several new partners
to our Sabbatical Program and are able to provide
opportunities for FBI employees to attend Mercyhurst
College; the George C. Marshall Center; the National
Defense University; the Naval Postgraduate School;
the Marine Corps University; and the Naval War College.
Students will benefit from receiving various certificates
and degrees ranging from Applied Intelligence to National
Resource Strategy.
The
FBI is developing programs designed to recruit, train,
develop, and retain professionals who have the skills
necessary for the success of its national security
missions. Among these workforce programs are the Special
Agent career path and the Intelligence Career Service.
These programs are designed to enhance the national
security workforce and to create training and development
opportunities for agents, analysts, linguists, and
surveillance specialists in the FBI's national security
programs. Last year, the FBI trained 589 new agents
and over 1,000 Intelligence Career Service professionals.
The
FBI will expand current in-service and virtual intelligence
training initiatives for FBI employees and our partners
in other federal, state, local, and tribal agencies.
Efforts are underway to assess our training and to
develop the capabilities we need as we go forward.
Revisions to New Agents and Cohort training programs
are also underway. We are requesting $5 million in
FY 2007 to provide advanced intelligence training
curriculum development and $1 million to establish
our Intelligence Officer certification program.
National
Security Branch-CT/CI/DI
Over
the past four years, the FBI has developed its intelligence
capabilities and improved its ability to protect America
from threats to national security. We have built on
our established capacity to collect information and
enhanced our ability to analyze and disseminate intelligence.
Implementation of the National Security Branch (NSB)
is the next step in the FBI's transformation.
On
June 28, 2005, in response to the findings of the
Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the
United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD Commission), President Bush directed the FBI
to create a "National Security Service"
within the FBI. The FBI implemented this directive
through the creation of a new entity-the National
Security Branch (NSB)-that integrates the FBI's primary
national security programs under the leadership of
a single Executive Assistant Director and through
policies and initiatives designed to enhance the capability
of the entire FBI to support its national security
mission.
The
mission of the NSB is to optimally position the FBI
to protect the United States against weapons of mass
destruction (WMD), terrorist attacks, foreign intelligence
operations, and espionage by integrating investigative
and intelligence activities against current and emerging
national security threats; providing useful and timely
information and analysis to the intelligence and law
enforcement communities; and effectively developing
enabling capabilities, processes, and infrastructure,
consistent with applicable laws, Attorney General
and Director of National Intelligence guidance, and
civil liberties.
The
FBI's NSB was established and is making significant
progress in integrating the missions, capabilities,
and resources of the Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence,
and Directorate of Intelligence (DI) programs. The
NSB builds on the success of the DI and other initiatives
already underway by helping to integrate the FBI's
intelligence mission more fully into the FBI and into
the IC, so that the IC can better understand FBI operations,
while enhancing the FBI's ability to protect the nation.
The
NSB essentially puts one face on the FBI's intelligence
mission to stakeholders, including Congress, other
IC agencies, and the general public. The FBI is currently
working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the
Administration to ensure that the NSB meets the directives
set forth by the President and is responsive to the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
A
major part of our counterterrorism work has been supporting
the war on terror overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The FBI's responsibility there is to protect U.S.
interests and persons from terrorist attacks by conducting
investigations and acquiring intelligence that would
prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operatives
targeting America. The U.S. military and IC are partners
with the FBI in this mission.
As
a result of our intelligence gathering overseas, IC
reports indicate al Qaeda has declared its intent
to execute a WMD attack against the U.S. A successful
attack using a WMD device consisting of a chemical,
biological, radiological, or nuclear payload would
have catastrophic consequences. Preventing the detonation
of a WMD device through an effective, coordinated,
and technically proficient response program is an
FBI responsibility defined by Presidential Decision
Directive-39. The FBI is requesting $25.8 million
to provide resources to respond to terrorist threats
and incidents such as WMD and other explosive devices.
The
DI oversees the Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs).
FIGs are central to the integration of the intelligence
cycle into field operations. The FIGs coordinate,
manage, and execute all the functions of the intelligence
cycle. FIGs include Special Agents and Intelligence
Analysts as well as officers and analysts from other
intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The establishment
of FIGs in every field office during October 2003,
and the issuance of initial guidance for their operations,
laid the groundwork for enhancing the FBI's intelligence
capability in the field. From January 2004 through
January 2006, Intelligence Analyst staffing increased
on the FIGs 61 percent, from 617 to 995. Work will
continue with the implementation of a plan to more
fully integrate the intelligence cycle into FBI field
operations through standardized processes, pilot implementation
projects, specialized training, and refinement of
roles and responsibilities. We have also assessed
our field-wide intelligence collection capabilities
to include human, technical, and physical collection
posture. Our FY 2007 budget request reflects our need
for resources to close gaps identified in our Intelligence
Program infrastructure.
In
addition to overseeing the national security operations
of the CT, CD, and DI, the NSB is also accountable
for the functions carried out by the other FBI divisions
that support the national security mission, such as
language translation support and Field Intelligence
Group program management.
Today's
FBI linguist cadre is 69 percent larger than it was
on September 11. The three languages with the largest
growth are Somali, Pashto, and Turkish, each with
an increase of over 400 percent. This growth was made
possible by the resources provided by this Committee.
Another
way we are providing support to counterterrorism and
counterintelligence investigations is through the
West Virginia Translation and Analysis Center. The
Center provides field offices with an alternative
to processing their Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act audio collections. Analysts at the Center listen
for pertinent English conversation containing intelligence
material and provide English summaries and occasional
full transcripts.
The
National Virtual Translation Center (NVTC) is an excellent
example of the continuous transformation efforts underway
at the FBI: creative and aggressive recruiting; interagency
resource sharing and collaboration; and streamlined
methods for serving agencies across the U.S. government
in support of the war on terrorism. The NVTC was established
with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) resources under
the authority of the USA PATRIOT Act to provide accurate
and timely translations of foreign intelligence material
to the IC.
During
2003, the CIA awarded the FBI executive agency authority
over the NVTC. Together with the CIA, we have recruited
translators from the military and colleges, and secured
added assistance through civilian contract staff.
We continue to benefit from the interagency sharing
of translation resources, collaborative use of human
and automated translation capabilities, and parity
in translation workload across various IC elements.
Additional
FY 2007 enhancements to the NSB include:
