The job of our nation’s leaders is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all of its enemies. America’s intelligence community plays a central role in this effort, but it is also in desperate need of reform. Through my work in the Central Intelligence Agency, I have become acutely aware of the problems that face our intelligence community and how we could best to fix them.
As a candidate for Congress in New York's 29th District, this is an issue that we as a country need to address - not just for the sake of our national security, but to improve transparency, accountability and the protection of Americans' Constitutional rights.
In the years since 9/11, we have already rearranged our intelligence agencies but it has not solved the problem. At present, there are 17 competing intelligence agencies in our national government, including the National Security Agency (NSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Half of these agencies are part of the Department of Defense and report to the Defense Secretary, Robert Gates. The CIA is the only completely independent intelligence agency, but like the remaining 16 elements within the intelligence community, it allegedly falls under the purview of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was established as part of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations.
Too much bureaucratic red tape stands in the way of our intelligence community doing its job to the fullest. Whereas lengthy official procedures for other government departments are only a nuisance, our nation is made less safe by the excessive bureaucracy in the intelligence community. That is why I am calling for meaningful and lasting intelligence reform that will end the inter-office bickering and create cohesion among disparate agencies.
I propose we create a Department of Intelligence, with a Secretary of Intelligence who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The idea of a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) while a good recommendation in theory, has not worked in practice. Instead, we need a head of our intelligence community who has sole jurisdiction over all of the agencies as well as real power to arbitrate among them. Congress should not start from scratch, but rather should reorganize and restructure the intelligence community so that it is consolidated, cooperative, and responsive to rapidly changing events.
With consolidation comes greater transparency as well. To that end, I suggest we create an independent ombudsman who would have powers within the intelligence community to investigate complaints and possible violations of civil liberties. This position would replace the current Civil Liberties Protection Officer who works for the Director of National Intelligence. The ombudsman would instead report to Congress and would have the power to take appropriate action independently from the intelligence community structure, ensuring that we protect our people and our hard-fought rights and civil liberties.
Part of this new policy includes giving to the proposed Department of Intelligence the responsibility to present one budget to Congress. Currently, each intelligence agency proposes their own budget to the DNI who does not have the authority to make real changes. This process only adds to the confusion and rivalry among the different agencies. However, the ultimate goal of further consolidating the budget would be to allow for a fair distribution of resources.
Based on my professional experience, I strongly believe that our government must streamline the intelligence community’s functions into one department. Too many of the existing agencies do nearly identical work, often doubling efforts. Only under one Department of Intelligence can we adequately address this profound waste and inefficiency. Creating this Department will strengthen the intelligence community and make it better prepared to handle the present threats that face our nation.
When elected to Congress, these intelligence reforms will be among my highest priorities - but I can't do it alone. If you agree, or if you'd like to learn more, please visit my website at http://www.ZellerForCongress.com/ and help me bring the leadership we need to Congress.