President Obama has been most disappointing on issues related to the Intelligence Community, so it’s good to have some good news to report:
President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill designed to strengthen oversight of sensitive spy operations.
Top intelligence officials in the Bush administration had been faulted for not fully informing Congress about highly classified programs, such as a secret plan to target terrorist leaders that CIA Director Leon Panetta ended last year.The bill signed Thursday also attempts to satisfy lawmakers’ desire for more intelligence information by ensuring that all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees receive a “general description” of intelligence briefings.
They had previously threatened to veto the bill, but they were able to work out their differences with the Congressional Intelligence Committees. The ACLU is pleased. We haven’t passed an Intelligence Authorization Bill since 2004, even though they were passed every year before that since the reforms of the 1970’s.
These reforms are modest, but they are a step in the right direction, and that’s something that’s been sorely lacking in the area of oversight and civil liberties.
The 2010 Intelligence Authorization Act, passed by a 244-181 House vote, subjects intelligence agencies to many of the same oversight measures that other executive branch agencies have, including a newly created inspector general for intelligence, access by the Government Accountability Office, comprehensive assessments of contracting practices, and strict congressional notification requirements when acquisition program cost thresholds are exceeded.
The intelligence measure covers 16 agencies, including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
The measure also directs the Defense secretary to terminate within 12 months a controversial merit pay system called the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS)…
…The bill also would expand the community of lawmakers who are informed of sensitive intelligence matters. Previously, only the so-called “Gang of Eight” — the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence and appropriations committees — would get access to routine briefings about actions in the intelligence community. The bill requires that the full membership of the intelligence committees be informed about the briefings.
There also will be greater oversight of major acquisition programs and scrutiny of whether they are within budget and on schedule to achieve program goals. Program directors will be required to submit quarterly reports detailing the status of the systems, but reporting could be more frequent if a program is at serious risk of failing.
This is the first time Congress has required the intelligence community to report regularly, although there has been case-by-case oversight, said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council, which represents federal contractors.
There are goals in place to reduce the number of contractors supporting the CIA, Chvotkin said, and the bill — to some degree — supports those efforts.
The bill is “an effort at more transparency than it is control, but I’m confident that with transparency will come control,” said Chvotkin. “There has been some assertion that the IC doesn’t know the number of contractors and how many people support IC.”
Another provision of the bill would empower the GAO to conduct audits and investigations of intelligence agencies and programs.
This is an example of Congress reasserting their authority and the president acquiescing in that process.
