Statement for the Record by
David C. Gompert
Nominee for the Position of
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
Before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
United States Senate
October 13, 2009

Madam Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Members of the Committee, I am honored to
come before you as President Obama's nominee for Principal Deputy Director of
National Intelligence (PDDNI). If I am confirmed, it will be a privilege to serve the
Nation in this capacity, to repay the President's confidence in me, to assist Director Blair,
and to work with this Committee. I thank Chairman Feinstein and Vice Chairman Bond
for holding today's hearing at a time when Senators have so much on their plates.
The President has stressed the importance of high-quality and unbiased intelligence in
protecting America, informing U.S. policies and leadership abroad, and supporting U.S.
forces serving in harm's way. In turn, Director Blair has set demanding standards for the
performance of the Intelligence Community (IC), and is working systematically to
transform it, as this Committee has encouraged him to do. If confirmed, I will do my
utmost to meet these high expectations and standards.
My career can be summed up as three decades of work in national security, senior
executive positions in and out of government, a record of institutional reform, experience
in exploiting technology for strategic advantage, and a fierce commitment to objectivity.
I hope you will find in me both the professional qualifications and personal qualities to
fulfill the responsibilities of the PDDNI.
Those responsibilities flow from the DN!' s, which this Committee has helped
conceive and guide. The DNI exists for two fundamental purposes: to ensure that
intelligence bearing on the protection of the Nation and on matters of war, peace, and
policy is reliable, objective, and timely; and to integrate and improve U.S. intelligence
capabilities for the future. These purposes require the DNI to organize collaboration and
to remove barriers to sharing information throughout the IC and with those who depend

on the IC: policy-makers, forces in the field, and those we look to for Homeland defense.
In addition, the DNI is responsible for ensuring that intelligence resources, both technical
and human, are allocated according to national priorities. To meet pressing and diverse
needs in a turbulent world, optimizing IC-wide collection and analytic capabilities is
crucial and requires strong DNI leadership. Also, by forming, proposing, and managing
an integrated National Intelligence Program, the DNI can assure that investments in
improved capabilities are well aligned, that they work together, and that tax dollars are
wisely spent to reflect national priorities. This ambitious agenda frames the
responsibilities of the PDDNI, whether in assisting or acting for the DNI.
The PDDNI's responsibilities are also shaped by the security challenges facing the
United States. The foremost challenge is unblinking vigilance against threats of attack on
the Homeland. At present, the most acute such threat comes from terrorist groups with
strategic aims, strategic reach, and abiding hatred of the United States, the most
dangerous of which is al Qa'ida. Beyond warning and preventing attack, we must
understand, find, outsmart, strike, cripple, and defeat these terrorists. That they would
eagerly use against us any weapon they get their hands on makes this priority all the more
compelling.

Recent U.S. success against al Qa'ida is a dividend on a more integrated

national intelligence effort. Whether on the Mghan-Pakistan border or anywhere else on
Earth, the goal of intelligence must be to leave them no place to hide.
The second challenge is to prevent and counter the acquisition of weapons of mass
destruction (WMD), especially by reckless regimes and violent extremists. The recent
disclosure of Iran's enrichment facility at Qum underscores that integrated intelligence is
a prerequisite of effective counter-proliferation.

Iran and North Korea are critical

priorities in their own right and because they could spawn further proliferation.

The

wider challenge is to be able to discover the diversion of fissile material, illicit weapons
production, and trafficking in WMD materials and know-how.
The third challenge is to comprehend the implications of a changing world -- shifting
power, emerging threats, economic interdependencies, and new opportunities.

China

could become a global partner, a rival or both. India has growing capacity and clout, and
is strategically located. Cyberspace, health, climate, energy, fragile states, world trade,
and financial markets all pose security challenges, thus intelligence challenges. At the
same time, more and more countries are willing and able to partner with the United States
in tackling these problems. As Director Blair has stressed, good intelligence should
illuminate opportunities as well as dangers for U.S. policy and security.
Against this background, I would if confirmed have no greater duty than to help keep
the United States safe from attack. Even with decisive actions and successful policies
abroad, it could take many years to defeat the likes of al Qa'ida. Meanwhile, weapons of
mass destruction and delivery means could spread. These conditions place a premium on
unimpeded sharing of information, prompt threat assessment, active collaboration, and
the setting of clear priorities at every level across the IC. My goal would be to enhance
cooperation among all arms of the Ie.
I would also commit myself, if confirmed, to give our national security decisionmakers intelligence on which they can rely. The PDDNI is expected to playa supporting
role in the NSC inter-agency process while maintaining strictly the objectivity of
intelligence analysis. If confirmed, I would adopt the discipline of explaining what the
IC knows in its entirety; what it does not know; what it thinks; what is likely to happen;

and what may be unlikely to happen but is very consequential and thus crucial to watch.
For these purposes, I would rely on the best intelligence professionals and technologies in
the world, making use of secret means while making sense of a growing abundance of
open information.

I would be as ready to have my thinking challenged as to challenge

the thinking of others in the Ie.
ff confirmed, I would also work to make the IC stronger than it is now -- more
integrated, more agile, and better understood and supported by the public. Stronger also
means being more resourceful: exploiting information technology to expand sharing in
both intelligence and business functions; creating economies and efficiencies by
collaborating; and developing people who can excel in and strengthen such a community.
That we are beginning to see a positive return on the effort to transform U.S. intelligence
should makes us even more determined to press ahead with that transformation, for we
have a long way to go.
Managing the IC is a challenge. The DNI and PDDNI must accept heavy
responsibilities while at the same time empowering the agencies of the IC to facilitate
agile operations, encourage initiative, and respond to changing threats and opportunities.
The IC's decentralized structure need not be a problem - in fact, it is a strength. Having
fifteen of its elements reside within six different departments makes U.S. intelligence
more responsive to those who depend on it. Increasingly, these departments are
benefiting from the DNI's integrative efforts, and the arrangement of shared authority
between the DNI and those department heads is working better and better. Moreover, by
organizing cross-agency teaming, such as national intelligence centers and mission
management, it is possible to gain the benefits of both integration and decentralization.

The imperative of integrated intelligence requires creating shared networks, setting
common standards for handling sensitive data, and overcoming cultural barriers. In time,
sharing across all intelligence agencies should be institutionalized, resources optimized,
operations harmonized, and the Nation made safer with less need for DNI insistence and
intervention.

Meanwhile, it is up to the DNI and PDDNI to create conditions so that

responsibility remains clear, the power of decentralization is fostered, the hardest
challenges are tackled by cross-agency teaming, and collaboration becomes the norm.
To me, the Intelligence Community's oversight by and cooperation with Congress are
not only obligatory but also crucial for maintaining public trust and for the effectiveness
of U.S. intelligence. Trust between the American people and their Intelligence
Community is critical because of the secrecy that must surround its work, the potency of
its tools, natural concerns about privacy and civil liberties, and the consequences of
intelligence failure. Key to building public trust is the IC's accountability, both to the
President as the executive and to the Congress as the people's representatives.
Moreover, a close working relationship with Congress will make the IC better at
meeting the dangers the Nation faces. Strengthening this relationship is a major
responsibility of the PDDNI. It requires not only furnishing timely, full, and reliable
information on significant matters to Congress but also inviting your counsel and your
concerns. This DNI has made clear to the entire IC, and to me, the importance he places
on communications and cooperation with Congress. He and I both believe that the IC
benefits from your oversight. If confirmed, I will make myself fully available to you and
will actively seek your views.

This is both a critical and a formative time for U.S. intelligence. Success requires that
the leaders of the IC work to build the confidence of the American people. Director Blair
has said that he wants to increase public understanding of, trust in and admiration for the
Intelligence Community and its talented and dedicated people - the way our military has
earned such respect. If confirmed, I will join him in that effort. The way we work with
and answer to this Committee can be instrumental to that purpose.
Again, Madam Chairman and Mr. Vice Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing,
and thanks to all Members for considering my nomination. I welcome your questions.