[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8964-S8965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CHAMBLISS:
  S. 2778. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for 
the establishment of a unified combatant command for military 
intelligence, and for other purposes; to the Select Committee on 
Intelligence.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
establish a unified combatant command for military intelligence within 
the Department of Defense. This bill is designed to complement several 
other pieces of intelligence reform legislation that have been, or will 
be introduced, all of which call for the creation of a National 
Intelligence Director who will oversee our intelligence community and 
be separate from the position of Director of the Central Intelligence 
Agency.
  The very essence of my bipartisan bill is to bridge the gap between 
the National Intelligence Director and the array of military 
intelligence entities that he or she will have to deal with, either 
through direct budget authority or coordination with to ensure all of 
our intelligence priorities are being properly resourced. The goal of 
my bill is to make the National Intelligence Director as effective as 
possible, ensure our military men and women get the best intelligence 
possible when they are risking their lives to protect our freedoms, and 
to better integrate our military and civilian intelligence officials 
into one team.
  Let me explain the rationale for this bill and how it will help 
strengthen the overall intelligence collection and analysis of the 
United States.
  Currently, there are 15 recognized members of the Intelligence 
Community, eight of which are in the Department of Defense. The 
Department of

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Defense is not only the largest user of intelligence; it is the largest 
collector as well. These are realities that won't appreciably change, 
regardless of how we reform our Intelligence Community.
  The centerpiece of almost all intelligence reform legislation is the 
creation of a National Intelligence Director, as proposed by the 9/11 
Commission and endorsed by President Bush. However, I strongly believe 
that to make the National Intelligence Director really effective and to 
make our Intelligence Community function more efficiently, quickly, and 
be more responsive, the vast intelligence elements and capabilities 
within the military need to be brought together under a single command.
  I want to give the National Intelligence Director one point of 
contact in the military, not eight. I want to give the Secretary of 
Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and our Unified 
Commanders one person to turn to for their military intelligence needs. 
I want the military services to resource and support a unified command 
for intelligence in the same way they are supporting other functional 
commands such as our Special Operations Command and the Transportation 
Command.
  Let me highlight some of the main provisions of this bill as they 
pertain to the responsibilities of the commander of the military 
intelligence command, especially as they relate to the responsibilities 
of the National Intelligence Director. This bill specifies that the 
military intelligence commander will: represent the Department of 
Defense in the Intelligence Community under the direction of the 
National Intelligence Director; carry out intelligence collection and 
analysis activities in response to requests from the National 
Intelligence Director; prepare and submit to the Secretary of Defense 
and the National Intelligence Director recommendations and budget 
proposals for military intelligence forces and activities; establish 
priorities for military intelligence in harmony with national 
priorities established by the National Intelligence Director and 
approved by the President; ensure the interoperability of intelligence 
sharing within the Department of Defense and within the Intelligence 
Community as a whole, as directed by the National Intelligence 
Director, and respond to intelligence requirements levied by the 
National Intelligence Director.
  Let me reiterate that this bill is designed to complement broader 
legislation creating the National Intelligence Director. I believe that 
it will make the National Intelligence Director more effective, better 
represent the needs of our warfighters to the National Intelligence 
Director, and create synergies and economies of scale within the 
Department of Defense on intelligence issues. In short, this bill will 
make our overall Intelligence Community more effective.
  The Department of Defense needs to embrace our new intelligence team, 
headed by the National Intelligence Director, not as eight separate 
members but as one. I am convinced that creating a unified command for 
military intelligence will be good for the military, good for the 
National Intelligence Director, and good for our country.
                                 ______