[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 100 (Thursday, July 7, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H4681-H4682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1040
           IN RECOGNITION OF NCTC DIRECTOR MICHAEL E. LEITER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished 
efforts of the National Counterterrorism Center Director, Michael E. 
Leiter.
  Following his exemplary service as the Assistant Director and Deputy 
General Counsel for the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of 
the U.S. regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, Mr. Leiter continued 
his public service as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence. He was very successful in organizing 
staffing and in establishing processes for this new but critical 
office.
  As such, he was elected to become the Principal Deputy Director at 
the National Counterterrorism Center. Because of his superlative 
efforts, in June 2008, he was confirmed as the Director of NCTC where 
he has focused on counterterrorism, community development and mission 
execution. His focus has prepared the CT analysts of tomorrow to meet 
the challenges ahead, and his management style has encouraged 
information sharing and the free flow of ideas.
  Director Leiter has always understood that results mattered and that 
a success rate of less than 100 percent meant lives lost. Some of the 
center's most noticeable accomplishments will remain largely secret; 
however, Director Leiter's strategic investments will pay dividends for 
many years to come. Under his leadership, the center vastly improved 
its processes for screening CT data and deployed a new database, better 
known as TIDE, that has yielded

[[Page H4682]]

easier management, improved identity resolution and faster, more 
efficient processes.
  In the wake of the attempted downing of a passenger aircraft in 
December 2009, Director Leiter reallocated significant resources to 
develop the Pursuit Group, which is a team of highly skilled analysts 
that sifts through considerable amounts of data to identify desperate 
pieces of loose intelligence and to find linkages that identify 
terrorists, their networks and their plans before they can be executed. 
His leadership in the areas of radicalization, extremist messaging and 
in countering violent extremism is particularly noteworthy as well as 
his focus on cooperation and engagement with outside communities. This 
has laid a solid foundation for the continued success of these 
initiatives.
  Director Leiter leaves the Federal Government for some well-deserved 
time with his family and friends, and I wish him well. However, it is 
my sincere hope that he continues to use his expertise in 
counterterrorism to keep America and its citizens safe.

                          ____________________