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SPECIAL ODNI/USD(I) AGENDA

Dear Intelligence Professional:

When he assumed his duties in February 2007, one of the first things Director of National Intelligence The Honorable Mike McConnell did was announce key organizational changes creating Deputy Directors of National Intelligence for Acquisition and Policy. He also rolled-out two initiatives – the 100 Day and 500 Day Plans for Integration and Collaboration – to implement the National Intelligence Strategy.   The plans are organized around six focus areas – Culture, Information Sharing, Collection and Analysis, Acquisition and Technology, Business Processes, and Authorities – each of which is meant to integrate the Intelligence Enterprise and remove the barriers to collaboration. 

Director McConnell also emphasized that in today’s global environment, the traditional lines between foreign and domestic, strategic and tactical, intelligence and operations, and customer and producer are blurring.  As a consequence, there is a strategic imperative to improve integration between National and Departmental Intelligence Programs. 

The Honorable James Clapper, Jr., assumed his duties as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) in April 2007.  He serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense regarding intelligence, counterintelligence and security matters.

He and the DNI agreed at the outset on the importance of better integrating national intelligence with operational and tactical intelligence activities undertaken by the Department of Defense. As a result, the Secretary of Defense and the DNI signed a Memorandum of Agreement that dual-hatted the USD(I) as the Director of Defense Intelligence, reporting directly to the Director of National Intelligence as his principal advisor regarding defense intelligence matters.  One of his first acts also involved organizational changes.  He restructured the USD(I) organization along functional lines, patterned after the DNI staff.  Anticipating this restructuring, Mr. Clapper stated that “This will help synchronize the Department of Defense intelligence components with the DNI.”  He added that it would promote closer coordination with counterparts in both organizations.

Both men have now been on the job for over a year and, more importantly, have less than a year to go before there is an Administration change.  It is the opportune time to assess how the integration of the two staffs is progressing.  Is there closer coordination between counterparts in both organizations?   Is there better support to the Intelligence Community shareholders? What are the accomplishments?  More importantly what challenges remain?

As a result of close cooperation between AFCEA, the ODNI, and the OUSD(I) to develop the agenda, the AFCEA Spring Intelligence Symposium will look at these questions and more.

DNI McConnell, Under Secretary Clapper, and principals from both organizations will headline the impressive speaker lineup.  In addition, other distinguished and informed commentators on U.S. Intelligence will also contribute.

We hope you will join us in the Defense Intelligence Analysis Center (DIAC), Bolling AFB, Washington, DC, on April 16-17, 2008, for this important dialogue.