[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S926-S927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session to consider Calendar No. 12; that the nomination be 
confirmed; the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table, with no intervening action or debate; that any statements 
related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate 
then resume legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nomination considered and confirmed is as follows:


            office of the director of national intelligence

       Stephanie O'Sullivan, of Virginia, to be Principal Deputy 
     Director of National Intelligence.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Ms. Stephanie O'Sullivan to be the Principal Deputy Director of 
National Intelligence or PDDNI.
  The Senate Intelligence Committee has carefully considered her 
nomination and stands strongly in favor of her nomination.
  As is the case with many deputies to principals, the Principal Deputy 
DNI is an extremely important position that has two main 
responsibilities: To assist the DNI, and to act on behalf of the DNI in 
his absence or due to a vacancy in the position.
  In broader terms, the role of the Principal Deputy DNI is a key one 
to the functioning of the Office of the DNI and in the effective and 
efficient operation of the Intelligence Community.
  If confirmed, Ms. O'Sullivan will be the fourth Principal Deputy DNI 
since Congress created the position in 2004. Like the past Directors of 
National Intelligence before him, DNI Clapper has made clear the need 
to have this position filled. The tasks of managing the Intelligence 
Community, running the Office of the DNI, and serving as the primary 
intelligence advisor to the President is more than any one official can 
fulfill. It is, at minimum, two full time jobs--hence the need to 
confirm a deputy.
  Furthermore, it is a significant and welcome development that 
Director Clapper recommended and that the President nominated Ms. 
O'Sullivan to serve in this role. As the current Associate Deputy 
Director of the CIA and long-serving CIA official, Ms. O'Sullivan's 
confirmation to the Principal Deputy DNI position should help end the 
disputes between the Office of the DNI and the CIA that we have seen in 
the past.
  Ms. O'Sullivan was nominated to be the Principal Deputy DNI on 
January 5, 2011. Ms. O'Sullivan completed the committee's standard 
questionnaire and responded to a large number of pre-hearing questions. 
She appeared before the committee on February 3 and answered all 
questions put to her. On February 15, 2011, the Intelligence Committee 
voted unanimously to recommend Ms. O'Sullivan's confirmation to the 
Senate.
  It is clear from her background that Ms. O'Sullivan has the 
experience necessary to be an effective Principal Deputy DNI. She has 
been the Associate Deputy Director of the CIA since December 2009. 
Prior to that position, Ms. O'Sullivan headed CIA's Directorate of 
Science and Technology for 4 years. In that role, she managed CIA's 
technological innovation and support to case officer operations. In 
all, Ms. O'Sullivan spent over 14 years combined in the Directorate of 
Science and Technology. Before the CIA, she worked in the Office of 
Naval Intelligence, and at TRW, which is now part of Northrop Grumman.
  Her current role in the CIA is akin to that of chief operating 
officer--similar to her position if confirmed to be Principal Deputy 
DNI. She has acquitted herself well in her current capacity and I am 
confident she will do so in the position to which she has been 
nominated.
  In sum, Ms. O'Sullivan will be a great asset to the Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence and the intelligence community as a 
whole because

[[Page S927]]

of her experience in the community and the management skills she 
developed in her leadership roles at the CIA.

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