[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 19, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON PREVENTING TERRORISM

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I want to share the following letter that I 
have sent to President Obama urging him to implement several bipartisan 
proposals that would strengthen our national security. These proposals 
include bringing back the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission for a 6-
month period to review the implementation of the commission's 
recommendations and creating a ``Team B'' of experts outside of 
government to review our counterterrorism strategy.
  In light of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's report of 
the 14 ``points of failure'' with regard to the attempted Christmas Day 
bombing, it is disappointing that the administration has not adopted 
these proposals that would make our country safer.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                Congress of the United States,

                                     Washington, DC, May 19, 2010.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     The President, The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Yesterday, the Senate Select Committee 
     on Intelligence (SSCI) released an unclassified summary of 
     its report on the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas 
     Day. In reviewing the report's conclusions, including the 14 
     specific ``points of failure'' in U.S. intelligence prior to 
     the attack, it occurred to me that many of these ``points of 
     failure'' could have been prevented through greater outside 
     review of our national counterterrorism operations and 
     strategy.
       As you know, over the last five months I have repeatedly 
     urged your administration to adopt four bipartisan proposals 
     that would strengthen our national security. These ideas 
     include bringing back the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission 
     for a six-month review, making the Transportation Security 
     Administration (TSA) administrator a set 10-year term to 
     bring greater stability and expertise to the agency, 
     collocating the new High Value Detainee Interrogation Group 
     (HIG) at the National Counterterrorism Center, and creating a 
     ``Team B'' of outside counterterrorism experts to review and 
     challenge our strategy and assumptions across the 
     intelligence community.
       In reviewing the 14 ``points of failure'' identified in the 
     SSCI report, I believe many of the operational missteps could 
     have been prevented if the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission--
     former Rep. Lee Hamilton and former Gov. Thomas Kean--had 
     been able to conduct a 6-month review of the implementation 
     of the commission's original recommendations. Specifically, I 
     believe that points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 
     13, listed in the enclosed report could have been mitigated 
     by a follow-up review of the 9/11 Commission's 
     recommendations.
       Additionally, I believe that points 7 and 14, 
     ``Intelligence Analysts Were Primarily Focused on Al-Qaeda in 
     the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Threats to U.S. Interests in 
     Yemen, Rather than on Potential AQAP Threats to the U.S. 
     Homeland,'' could have been mitigated if a ``Team B'' of 
     outside experts had been able to challenge institutionalized 
     assumptions throughout the intelligence community. 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.
       Last month, I wrote you to share a recent article from 
     respected Georgetown University professor Bruce Hoffman, who 
     endorses the ``Team B'' approach. He said, ``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.'' I believe that, in light of the SSCI report, such an 
     approach is needed now more than ever.
       Although we now have the benefit of hindsight, it is 
     critical that we take the lessons from the failed attack and 
     implement measures to further review our counterterrorism 
     processes and strategy. It is inexcusable that we would not 
     draw on these valuable outside experts' wisdom to strengthen 
     our homeland and ensure that these mistakes are not repeated.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.

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