PROPOSED INTELLIGENCE CENTER WILL EITHER IMPROVE OR CONFUSE CIP
Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and other counterterrorism activities could be improved by creation of single intelligence analysis entity, panelists told Senate Govt. Affairs Committee at hearing Fri. U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century Co-Chmn. Warren Rudman said Bush Administration’s plan to develop Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC) had potential to enhance govt.-wide efforts to make sense of an “overwhelming amount of domestic terrorism intelligence.”
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However, TTIC plan, which President Bush first made public in his State of Union address, is “still very much an embryonic proposal” and there are “more questions than answers right now” about details of project, Rudman said.
Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has an Information Analysis & Infrastructure Protection Directorate, but TTIC would include representatives from broader number of entities and therefore would expand existing efforts, Rudman said. TTIC would collocate with CIA Counterterrorism Center, which is supported by FBI staff, while extending participation to Dept. of Defense component intelligence units and state and local agencies, he said: “I don’t think it’s a duplication. It’s a broadening, an improvement.”
Rudman said Administration must be careful how it developed and carried out TTIC plan. Rather than coalescing intelligence analysis initiatives, wrong approach could “end up with confusion” rather than usable threat data, he said: “There has to be some sharp delineation” between DHS intelligence directorate and TTIC to avoid such problems, he said.
Committee Chmn. Collins (R-Me.) raised issue of whether legislation was needed to carry out TTIC project to “help ensure the protection of civil liberties.” She pointed out that White House officials hadn’t planned to float legislation to create TTIC. “Should they?” she asked.
Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities Chmn. James Gilmore said in hearing that Administration probably wanted to experiment with concept of TTIC. Rather than initiate project legislatively, Bush would attempt it administratively to avoid creating bureaucratic hurdles, he said.
Collins said she planned 2nd hearing on issue, giving Administration more time to offer specifics on TTIC proposal. Ranking Democrat Sen. Lieberman (Conn.), who in past expressed support for Bush proposal, said he was “looking forward to discussing this with the Administration’s representatives at the earliest date possible.”
Separately, Sen. Edwards (D-N.C.) late last week introduced bill to create an Office of Homeland Intelligence (OHI) within DHS, move that also would seek to terminate FBI’s intelligence community “functions and responsibilities.” OHI director would be appointed by President and confirmed by Senate under Edwards plan, know as Foreign Intelligence Collection Improvement Act. OHI also would get an Office of Privacy & Civil Liberties Protection, whose chief could be removed only by President, bill said.