[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E705-E707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   LETTERS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON STRENGTHENING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I want to share the following letters that I 
have sent to President Obama urging him to implement four bipartisan 
proposals to strengthen our national security. It is disappointing that 
the administration has not adopted these proposals that would make our 
country safer.

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                                 January 12, 2010.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     President,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: ``National Security is too important to 
     become a partisan issue.'' This sentence was the opening line 
     in a January 11 USA Today op-ed jointly authored by Lee 
     Hamilton and Thomas Kean, co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission. 
     Last week, you, too, said, ``Now is not a time for 
     partisanship, it's a time for citizenship--a time to come 
     together and work together with the seriousness of purpose 
     that our national security demands.'' I could not agree more 
     with this sentiment.
       No nation, including America, can hope to win this long 
     battle against al Qaeda and like foes if the war effort is 
     marked by partisanship. Sadly, not only has partisanship 
     infused the rhetoric surrounding national security 
     discussions, it has actually obstructed the critical role of 
     congressional oversight. Too often in recent months 
     partisanship has resulted in withholding of information, 
     unanswered letters and briefings denied by this 
     administration.
       The stakes are too high and the cost of failure is too 
     great for petty politics to rule the day. The White House has 
     a moral obligation to actively and consistently reach out to 
     the minority party in Congress, to be forthcoming with 
     information and to provide access to all levels of 
     government.
       Hamilton and Kean go on to write, ``We intend to monitor 
     the implementation of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations 
     and report on new national security threats.'' I urge you to 
     encourage this effort by bringing back these two co-chairs 
     for a six-month period to conduct a formal review and 9/11 
     Commission follow-up. They would be charged with evaluating 
     which of the Commission's original recommendation have been 
     implemented and to what end, and which have failed to be 
     implemented and at what cost.
       This past weekend, The Washington Post featured an op-ed by 
     Bruce Hoffman, respected professor of security studies at 
     Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the U.S. 
     Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center. Hoffman wrote, 
     ``(W)hile al-Qaeda is finding new ways to exploit our 
     weaknesses, we are stuck in a pattern of belated responses, 
     rather than anticipating its moves and developing preemptive 
     strategies. The `systemic failure' of intelligence analysis 
     and airport security that Obama recently described was not 
     just the product of a compartmentalized bureaucracy or 
     analytical inattention, but a failure to recognize al 
     Qaeda's new strategy. The national security architecture 
     built in the aftermath of Sept. 11 addresses yesterday's 
     threats--but not today's and certainly not tomorrow's. It 
     is superb at reacting and responding, but not at 
     outsmarting . . . a new approach to counterterrorism is 
     essential.''
       Distinct from temporarily bringing back the two 9/11 
     Commission co-chairs, I also urge the creation of a ``Team 
     B.'' As you may know, historically the phrase ``Team B'' 
     refers to a group of outside experts, commissioned by the 
     Central Intelligence Agency in the 1970's and headed by 
     Richard Pipes, to analyze the threats posed by the Soviet 
     Union to the United States and counter the positions of 
     intelligence officials within the CIA, known as ``Team A.'' 
     In your remarks last week following the review of the 
     attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack, you rightly 
     referred to our enemy as ``nimble.'' Too often our response 
     to the evolving threat posed by al Qaeda, and others 
     sympathetic to their murderous aims, is anything but.
       The Team B concept has been successful in previous 
     administrations when fresh eyes were needed to provide the 
     commander-in-chief with objective information to make 
     informed policy decisions. I believe it can work now, too, 
     and suggest that among the individuals, but not exclusively, 
     whose expertise and forward-thinking would be well-suited to 
     a Team B are: Bruce Hoffman; Andrew McCarthy and Patrick 
     Fitzgerald, both of whom were involved in the prosecution of 
     Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman in the first World Trade Center 
     bombings; Fouad Ajami, professor at the School of Advanced 
     International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University; Jean 
     Bethke Elshtain, professor of social and political ethics at 
     the University of Chicago; economist Judy Shelton, National 
     Endowment for Democracy board member; foreign policy 
     columnist and author Anne Applebaum; Andrew F. Krepinevich 
     Jr., author of Seven Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist 
     Explores War in the 21st Century; Elliot Cohen, professor of 
     Strategic Studies at SAIS; Philip D. Zelikow, diplomat and 
     author who worked as executive director of the 9/11 
     Commission, and Joshua Muravchik, formerly a scholar at the 
     American Enterprise Institute and presently a Foreign Policy 
     Institute fellow at SAIS.
       The 9/11 Commission report was issued nearly six years ago. 
     Even if every recommendation had been implemented, which it 
     has not, our enemy has evolved since that time. Our current 
     intelligence infrastructure is at times overwhelmed by data, 
     information and the urgency of daily events, and as such is 
     unable to dedicate the time and resources necessary to think 
     outside the box and better comprehend this multidimensional 
     threat. ``Team B'' would possess the necessary expertise but 
     would be free from these daily pressures. The team would 
     represent a ``new approach to counterterrorism'' which 
     focuses not just on connecting the dots of intelligence, but 
     which seeks to stay a step ahead in understanding how to 
     break the radicalization and recruitment cycle that sustains 
     our enemy, how to disrupt their network globally and how to 
     strategically isolate them.
       I also believe there is an urgent need to make the 
     Transportation Security Agency (TSA) administrator a long-
     term position. Since TSA's inception following the 9/11 
     attacks, there have been six Transportation Security Agency 
     administrators and acting administrators. For a position of 
     this import to turn over with such frequency and to 
     automatically change hands with each new administration 
     simply does not make sense. I am introducing legislation that 
     mirrors the language used to establish a 10-year term and 
     Senate confirmation for FBI directors. I am hopeful that 
     members of both parties will see the merits of this proposal 
     and I urge your support for this change.
       America is a great nation facing an enemy unlike any other 
     we have ever known. We must steel ourselves for the struggle 
     ahead, frankly assessing the nature and scope of the threat 
     we face and guarding against partisanship at all costs. The 
     people of this country deserve nothing less.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                                February 17, 2010.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     President,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Over the last year, I have written you 
     and members of your administration numerous letters 
     concerning terrorism. In these letters, I have proposed a 
     series of actions that should immediately be taken and that 
     would make the country safer and receive strong bipartisan 
     support. I have compiled these proposals into a single letter 
     for your convenience and urge you to take swift action. The 
     American people are looking for strong bipartisan leadership 
     on matters of national security and I believe these proposals 
     could be an important start.
       I believe that these amendments would garner bipartisan 
     support from the American people. The proposals and requests 
     are as follows:


I. Bring back 9/11 co-chairs for a review of progress and update report

       In 1998, I authored language that created the bipartisan 
     National Commission on Terrorism, also known as the Bremer 
     Commission--which released its final report in 2000, 
     tellingly featuring the World Trade Center ``Twin Towers'' on 
     its cover. The report was ignored by administration and 
     congressional leaders--both Republican and Democrat--until 
     after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Again, in 
     2005, I authored language creating the Iraq Study Group whose 
     report included the recommendation for the counterinsurgency 
     troop ``surge'' in its final report. Both of these 
     experiences have been illustrative in how an independent 
     review of complex national security matters can help identify 
     critical gaps and innovative ideas on policy that could 
     strengthen our security.
       I have urged the administration to bring back 9/11 
     Commission co-chairs Lee Hamilton and Thomas Keane for a six-
     month period to conduct a formal review and 9/11 Commission 
     follow-up. They would be charged with evaluating which of the 
     commission's original recommendations have been implemented 
     and to what end, and

[[Page E706]]

     which have failed to be implemented and at what cost.
       The 9/11 Commission report was issued nearly six years ago. 
     Even if every recommendation had been implemented, which has 
     not happened, our enemy has evolved since that time. Our 
     current intelligence infrastructure is at times overwhelmed 
     by data, information and the urgency of daily events, and as 
     such is unable to dedicate the time and resources necessary 
     to think outside the box and better comprehend this 
     multidimensional threat.


        II. Create a ``Team B'' to bring ``fresh eyes'' to U.S. 
                       counterterrorism strategy

       Distinct from temporarily bringing back the two 9/11 
     Commission co-chairs, I also urge the creation of a ``Team 
     B.'' The Team B concept has been successful in previous 
     administrations when fresh eyes were needed to provide the 
     commander-in-chief with objective information to make 
     informed policy decisions.
       ``Team B'' would possess the necessary expertise but would 
     be free from the daily pressures that federal agencies face. 
     The team would represent a ``new approach to 
     counterterrorism'' which focuses not just on connecting the 
     dots of intelligence, but which seeks to stay a step ahead in 
     understanding how to break the radicalization and recruitment 
     cycle that sustains our enemy, how to disrupt their network 
     globally and how to strategically isolate them.
       I believe it can work now, too, and suggest that among the 
     individuals, but not exclusively, whose expertise and 
     forward-thinking would be well-suited to a Team B are: Bruce 
     Hoffman, professor of security studies at Georgetown 
     University and a senior fellow at the U.S. Military Academy's 
     Combating Terrorism Center; Andrew McCarthy and Patrick 
     Fitzgerald, both of whom were involved in the prosecution of 
     Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman in the first World Trade Center 
     bombings; Fouad Ajami, professor at the School of Advanced 
     International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University; Jean 
     Bethke Elshtain, professor of social and political ethics at 
     the University of Chicago; economist Judy Shelton, National 
     Endowment for Democracy board member; foreign policy 
     columnist and author Anne Applebaum; Andrew F. Krepinevich 
     Jr., author of ``Seven Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist 
     Explores War in the 21st Century;'' Elliot Cohen, professor 
     of Strategic Studies at SAIS; Philip D. Zelikow, diplomat and 
     author who worked as executive director of the 9/11 
     Commission, and Joshua Muravchik, formerly a scholar at the 
     American Enterprise Institute and presently a Foreign Policy 
     Institute fellow at SAIS.


     III. Make statutory improvements to TSA administrator position

       I have introduced legislation, H.R. 4459, to establish a 
     10-year term of office for any individual appointed to serve 
     as the administrator of the Transportation Security 
     Administration (TSA), akin to the appointment process for the 
     director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
       I believe a 10-year term for the administrator of TSA will 
     help provide the agency with the qualified, long-term and 
     independent leadership it needs at this time, Since its 
     creation following 9/11, TSA has had six administrators, 
     averaging terms of just 1.5 years. This bill further 
     strengthens our nation's homeland by ensuring stable 
     leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and 
     improving the TSA administrator position to assure agency 
     professionalism over political fidelity.


   IV. Try Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other detainees before military 
                               tribunals

       I have introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4556, with 
     Sen. Lindsey Graham to prohibit the use of Department of 
     Justice funds for the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik 
     Mohammed and his co-conspirators in any community in the U.S. 
     However, it would still allow for a military commission at 
     Guantanamo Bay or on a secure military base inside the U.S. 
     This is a reasonable approach that allows the administration 
     to try these terrorists in an appropriate military 
     commission.
       Prior to announcing plans for a New York City trial last 
     November, the Justice Department did not consult with any 
     local leaders, including New York City Police Commissioner 
     Raymond Kelly or Mayor Michael Bloomberg. If it had, there 
     would have been a better understanding of the dangers and 
     cost of this approach, The trial, as planned, is estimated to 
     cost taxpayers at least $250 million per year--for a total 
     expected cost of more than $1 billion.


 V. Make the HIG operational within 30 days and brief Congress on its 
                              authorities

       Following the handling of the interrogation of alleged 
     Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, there has 
     been considerable confusion among agencies as to what their 
     role was, what their role should have been, whether the High-
     Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) should have been 
     involved, whether the HIG is intended to operate inside the 
     United States, and even whether the HIG exists. There is 
     clearly an urgent need for action and clarification to ensure 
     that future interrogations are conducted properly and 
     effectively.
       Toward that end, I urged the administration to formalize a 
     new interrogation plan with relevant agencies, ensure that 
     congressional committees are fully briefed, prepare an 
     addendum to the president's review of the Christmas Day case 
     that deals specifically with the facts concerning Mr. 
     Abdulmutallab's interrogation, and move expeditiously to 
     establish the HIG staff at the National Counterterrorism 
     Center within 30 days.
       Last month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a 
     report, ``Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia: A Ticking Time 
     Bomb,'' that is particularly concerning in light of the 
     failed attack on Christmas Day and growing al Qaeda 
     activities in Yemen. The committee reported that, ``As many 
     as three dozen U.S. citizens who converted to Islam while in 
     prison have traveled to Yemen, possibly for Al Qaeda 
     training. As many as a dozen U.S. citizens who married Muslim 
     women and converted to Islam also have made their way to 
     Yemen . . . Described by one American official as 'blond-
     haired, blue eyed-types,' these individuals fit a profile of 
     Americans who Al Qaeda has sought to recruit over the past 
     several years.'' Additionally, the State Department told me 
     that approximately 50,000 American citizens are currently 
     visiting, studying, or living in Yemen currently.
       As al Qaeda has changed and adjusted its tactics, so too 
     must the U.S. An outside review of our counterterrorism 
     strategy, combined with an independent review by the 9/11 
     Commission co-chairs, will ensure that we our revisiting our 
     assumptions, strategy, and programs to fight the al Qaeda of 
     2010, not the al Qaeda of 2001.
       Thank you for your consideration. I believe each of these 
     proposals would receive broad bipartisan support in Congress. 
     I stand ready to assist you in championing these proposals in 
     Congress.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                                   April 27, 2010.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     President,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Since January, I have repeatedly urged 
     you and senior members of your administration to implement 
     several bipartisan efforts to strengthen our nation's 
     security. To date, these proposals have been dismissed 
     without explanation. It's almost as if any idea that comes 
     from Congress is a bad idea; and if it comes from a 
     Republican it's viewed as a really bad idea. This is 
     unfortunate, given the gravity of our current national 
     security challenges.
       I have always sought to work in a bipartisan manner. In 
     1998, I authored language that created the bipartisan 
     National Commission on Terrorism, also known as the Bremer 
     Commission--which released its final report in 2000, 
     tellingly featuring the World Trade Center ``Twin Towers'' on 
     its cover. I again authored language in 2005 creating the 
     Iraq Study Group to develop bipartisan solutions to help 
     secure Iraq.
       My previous letters urged the administration to create a 
     ``Team B'' to bring ``fresh eyes'' to U.S. counterterrorism 
     strategy. The team would represent a ``new approach to 
     counterterrorism'' which focuses not just on connecting the 
     dots of intelligence, but which seeks to stay a step ahead in 
     understanding how to break the radicalization and recruitment 
     cycle that sustains our enemy, how to disrupt their network 
     globally and how to strategically isolate them.
       I want to share the enclosed piece from respected 
     Georgetown University professor Bruce Hoffman, who endorses 
     this approach, saying, ``One important yet currently 
     languishing congressional initiative that would help counter 
     this strategy is Representative Frank Wolf's proposal to 
     institutionalize a ``red team'' or ``Team B'' 
     counterterrorist capability as an essential element of our 
     efforts to combat terrorism and in the war against al-
     Qaeda.''
       Can someone from your administration explain to me the 
     continued reluctance to implement such an effort? I believe 
     the ``Team B'' effort would receive strong bipartisan 
     support.
       I was disappointed that the administration failed to adopt 
     the other proposals in my previous letters, including 
     bringing back the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission--Lee 
     Hamilton and Thomas Kean--for a six-month period to evaluate 
     what progress has been made since the commission released its 
     report. I spoke with former Congressman Lee Hamilton and he 
     agreed that this was a good idea. To date, I have seen no 
     effort by the administration on this front.
       I also urged the administration to support legislation to 
     establish a more professional and independent administrator 
     of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), by 
     setting a 10-year term, akin to the appointment process for 
     the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 
     After two withdrawn nominations, I have seen no effort by the 
     administration to consider this--and the position remains 
     vacant.
       Additionally, I have urged the administration to collocate 
     the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) at the 
     National Counterterrorism Center to facilitate information 
     sharing and cooperation among intelligence agencies. Again, I 
     have seen no effort by the administration to do so.
       I urge you to move quickly to establish a ``Team B'' and 
     appoint America's best and brightest counterterrorism 
     strategists to serve on it. I stand ready to assist you in 
     this important effort.

[[Page E707]]

       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.

                          ____________________