FBI
Creates Structure to Support Intelligence
Mission
As
part of its on-going reorganization
efforts, the FBI has put in place for
the first time a formal structure to
prioritize intelligence exploitation
and to establish strategic plans for
intelligence collection, analysis and
dissemination. Through a series of organizational
initiatives, the FBI is elevating the
analytical process above the individual
case or investigation to an overall
effort to analyze intelligence. New
executive-level officers will be accountable
for ensuring that the FBI has optimum
intelligence strategies, structure,
and policies in place to address evolving
threats.
"FBI
investigations often yield bits of information
that, when viewed in the aggregate,
show suspicious trends that could reveal
terrorist threats," Director Robert
Mueller explained. "The new intelligence
infrastructure will help the FBI exploit
that information for its predictive
value. The steps I have announced will
ensure that this sort of information
is systematically collected and examined
for its big-picture implications."
In
earlier phases of its reorganization,
the FBI quadrupled the number of strategic
analysts, improved training, and upgraded
its information technology. For example,
all FBI field offices and resident agencies
are now connected by the state-of-the-art
Trilogy network, completed in March.
As
part of the next phase, Director Mueller
has created a new position, the Executive
Assistant Director (EAD) for Intelligence,
with direct authority for the FBI's
national intelligence program. Maureen
A. Baginski, currently the Signals Intelligence
(SIGINT) Director at the National Security
Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS),
has been selected to fill the position.
As
SIGINT Director at the NSA/CSS, Maureen
Baginski successfully established and
directed a unified program to exploit
encrypted or denied information on global
networks. She began her NSA/CSS career
as a Russian language instructor in
1979 and went on to hold various operational
management positions, including an 18-month
tour as a Senior Operations Officer
in the National Security Operations
Center. Other highlights of her career
include assignments as the SIGINT National
Intelligence Officer for Russia and
Executive Assistant to the Director
of NSA/CSS. Her senior leadership assignments
include Deputy Chief, Global Access
Program; Chief, Directorate of Operations
Customer Products and Services; Assistant
Deputy Director for Technology and Systems
and Chief, Office of the Director.
Director
Mueller said he hopes Baginski will
"enhance the already strong relationship
between the FBI and NSA."
Director
Mueller also announced creation of the
Office of Intelligence which will be
responsible for implementing FBI intelligence
strategies, and for making sure that
intelligence is properly collected,
managed, and shared within the FBI,
with state and local law enforcement
through the 66 Joint Terrorism Task
Forces, and with the Intelligence Community,
including the new Terrorist Threat Integration
Center. The Office of Intelligence will
also supervise analyst recruitment,
training, and career development, and
will provide centralized oversight of
the Bureau's human source program. Steven
C. McCraw, a twenty-year FBI veteran,
will be the Assistant Director in charge
of the office.
McCraw
is currently Special Agent in Charge
of the FBI's San Antonio field office,
and previously served as the Director
of the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task
Force.
"Maureen
Baginski and Steve McCraw bring a wealth
of experience and demonstrated successes
to these critical posts," Director
Mueller said. "They have distinguished
themselves in a number of investigative,
management, and leadership positions,
and are uniquely qualified to fill these
pivotal positions in the FBI. Baginski
and McCraw will ensure that information
which could help prevent a terrorist
attack is collected, analyzed and exploited
to protect our national security."
This
new phase of the FBI's re-organization
also includes establishment of intelligence
units in each of its 56 field offices.
In each field office, an Assistant Special
Agent in Charge for Intelligence will
have responsibility for a cadre of analysts
who will collect, analyze, and share
intelligence collected in that field
office. Reports officers - a new position
- will sift through information, remove
anything that reveals sources and methods
of intelligence gathering, and pass
it to partners in law enforcement and
in the Intelligence Community.
To
improve information gathering, Director
Mueller is finalizing a re-engineering
project focusing on the administration
and operation of human sources. Six
teams are examining ways to expand the
FBI's human intelligence base and to
provide additional oversight. A number
of steps are under consideration to
improve accountability in management
of confidential sources, increase source
development, improve efficiency of operating
sources, and better exploit source information.
Director
Mueller said these moves will "enhance
the Bureau's ability to stay ahead of
volatile threats, now and in the long
term."
