[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 18, 2004]
[Pages 3005-3008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on Further Strengthening Federal Bureau of Investigation 
Capabilities
November 18, 2004

Memorandum for the Attorney General

Subject: Further Strengthening Federal Bureau of Investigation 
Capabilities

    The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 
Upon the United States recommended:
      A specialized and integrated national security workforce should be 
        established at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 
        consisting of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance 
        specialists who are recruited, trained, rewarded, and retained 
        to ensure the development of an institutional culture imbued 
        with a deep expertise in intelligence and national security.
    I approve and direct you to implement the recommendation, 
recognizing that significant progress has already been made in 
strengthening the FBI's capabilities, especially with respect to the 
FBI's intelligence organization, information sharing, personnel 
development, and recruiting.
    To build upon this foundation, and to strengthen further the FBI's 
ability to prevent, preempt, and disrupt terrorist threats to and 
attacks against the United States, I direct you to implement within the 
FBI measures to:

       (1)  Continue to improve the FBI's ability to collect, process, 
            analyze, and disseminate to appropriate officials in the 
            executive branch, including appropriate officials within the 
            Intelligence Community, information relevant to national 
            security and homeland security;

       (2)  Ensure full and seamless coordination and cooperation 
            between the FBI and all other elements of the Intelligence 
            Community, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the 
            Department of

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            Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center; 
            and
       (3)  Ensure that the activities described in subparagraphs (1) 
            and (2) of this paragraph are performed in a manner 
            consistent with our national intelligence priorities and 
            constitutional protections.
    The measures directed in the preceding paragraph shall include, but 
not be limited to, measures to:
       (1)  Ensure that the Director of the FBI (Director), not later 
            than 90 days from the date of this memorandum, allocates 
            sufficient resources and authority to the new FBI 
            Intelligence Directorate to perform its assigned mission. 
            The Intelligence Directorate shall have responsibility for 
            all components and functions of the FBI judged by the 
            Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of 
            Central Intelligence, to be necessary for the performance of 
            its mission, including development of the intelligence 
            cadre, field intelligence operations oversight, human source 
            development and management, the FBI's collection against 
            nationally determined intelligence requirements, information 
            sharing and dissemination policy, language services, 
            strategic analysis, and program and budget management;
       (2)  Within resources available to the Department, create within 
            the FBI, not later than 90 days from the date of this 
            memorandum, a specialized, integrated intelligence cadre 
            (including special agents, analysts, linguists, and 
            surveillance specialists), and implement a separate career 
            track program permitting employees within the intelligence 
            cadre to pursue their entire career, including promotion to 
            the most senior positions in the FBI, within this cadre. 
            This effort shall include the establishment, not later than 
            90 days from the date of this directive, of specific 
            requirements for the following: training; career 
            development; certification, recruiting, hiring, and 
            selection; integration of the cadre into the FBI's field 
            intelligence groups and headquarters divisions; and senior-
            level field and headquarters management. These requirements 
            shall be fully consistent with the standards defined in 
            Executive Order 13355 of August 27, 2004, entitled 
            ``Strengthened Management of the Intelligence Community;''

       (3)  Recommend, as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget 
            development process, the most appropriate methods for 
            aligning the FBI's budget structure according to its four 
            main programs: intelligence, counterterrorism and 
            counterintelligence, criminal, and criminal justice 
            services;

       (4)  Recommend, as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget 
            development process, the appropriate funding levels for each 
            program to ensure that the FBI is able to:

       (a)  Carry out its overriding priority to prevent, preempt, and 
            disrupt terrorist threats to and attacks against our 
            homeland, our people, our allies, and our interests around 
            the globe;

       (b)  Collect, process, share, and disseminate, to the greatest 
            extent permitted by applicable law, to the President, the 
            Vice President in the performance of Executive functions, 
            and other officials in the executive branch, all ``terrorism 
            information,'' as defined in Executive Order 13356 of August 
            27, 2004, entitled ``Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism 
            Information to Protect Americans,'' and other information 
            necessary to safeguard our people and advance our national 
            security and homeland security interests; and

[[Page 3007]]

       (c)  Facilitate the above functions by increasing the 
            availability of secure facilities to allow for the expanded 
            use of secure systems for the storage and exchange of 
            classified materials;
       (5)  Recommend, if necessary, not later than 60 days from the 
            date of this memorandum, any amendments to statutes, 
            executive orders, or presidential directives required to 
            provide the personnel, procurement, information sharing, or 
            other authorities necessary for the FBI to meet its national 
            security responsibilities;
       (6)  Ensure that, in addition to creating a separate intelligence 
            career track, the FBI creates an intelligence officer 
            certification program and requires such certification for 
            advancement to senior FBI operational management positions. 
            This certification program shall include requirements for 
            applicable skills, training courses, assignments to other 
            intelligence, national security, or homeland security 
            components of the executive branch, and shall be fully 
            consistent with the standards defined in Executive Order 
            13355;
       (7)  Provide to me, not later than 90 days from the date of this 
            memorandum through the Assistant to the President for 
            National Security Affairs and the Assistant to the President 
            for Homeland Security, a comprehensive plan with performance 
            measures, including timelines for achievement of specific, 
            measurable progress, in each of the following areas:
       (a)  Analysis (including standards for the recruitment, hiring, 
            training, and performance of FBI analysts);
       (b)  Products (including product standards, standards for 
            measuring the responsiveness of those products to nationally 
            determined priorities, measures of the percentage of 
            products written to the lowest possible classification level 
            and the percentage transmitted and posted using secure 
            systems, measures of the effectiveness of products in 
            meeting the needs of State and local governments, as 
            appropriate, and measures of customer satisfaction);
       (c)  Sources (including standards for asset validation, asset 
            contributions to filling intelligence gaps, and new source 
            development, with particular emphasis on human sources);
       (d)  Field intelligence operations (including standards for 
            assessing staffing and infrastructure, intelligence 
            production management processes, and the number of field 
            intelligence group supervisors certified as Intelligence 
            Officers); and
       (e)  Contribution of the FBI's intelligence products to the 
            intelligence and national security information made 
            available to the President, the Vice President in the 
            performance of Executive functions, and other officials in 
            the executive branch, including the degree to which each FBI 
            Field Office is collecting against, and providing 
            information responsive to, national requirements.
            A copy of this plan will be provided to the Commission on 
            the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding 
            Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Commission will advise me 
            on the adequacy of the plan, particularly with respect to 
            any matters concerning countering the threat posed by 
            weapons of mass destruction;
       (8)  Implement, not later than 90 days from the date of this 
            memorandum, a program to ensure that the FBI's recruitment 
            and training program for agents and analysts enhances the 
            FBI's ability to target and attract individuals with 
            educational and professional backgrounds in intelligence, 
            international relations, language, technology, and relevant 
            skills;

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       (9)  Report to me, through the Assistant to the President for 
            Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of 
            Management and Budget, on the actions and investments 
            necessary to ensure that the architecture supporting FBI 
            information systems is consistent with broader information 
            architecture, and with other initiatives as I direct to 
            facilitate information sharing across Federal, State, and 
            local government agencies, and the private sector; and
      (10)  Beginning in June 2005, I direct you to report to me at 
            least semi-annually through the Assistant to the President 
            for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the 
            President for Homeland Security, and the Director of the 
            Office of Management and Budget on the progress made 
            implementing this memorandum and other relevant milestones 
            in development of the FBI's intelligence program, including 
            milestones related to analysis and the analyst workforce, 
            intelligence production, intelligence sources, intelligence 
            certification, and FBI field intelligence operations.
    This memorandum shall be implemented subject to the availability of 
appropriations and in a manner consistent with applicable law, including 
the Constitution and laws protecting the freedom and information privacy 
of Americans.

                                                          George W. Bush

Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
on November 23.