Statement of Francis X. Taylor Nominee for Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security Before the U. S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence February 25, 2014 * * * Thank you Senator Feinstein, Senator Chambliss, and Members of the Committee. I am honored and extraordinarily humbled to appear before you today as the President's nominee for Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) at the Department of Homeland Security. I would first like to recognize my oldest son, Jacquis, and his wife MaryAn, who are here today representing our family. Unfortunately, my wife was unable to be here today due to a previously scheduled trip to visit with our daughter, Shari, who is studying in London to become a Solicitor. Seeing my family here today helps underscore one of the main reasons we accept challenges like this, and the importance of making sure we are getting it right. During my last period of government service, I was privileged to work with Governor Ridge and his team as they endeavored to establish the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. DHS has come a long way, and its mission and responsibilities have evolved from those early days. This position and the team I would be privileged to hold and to lead, if confirmed, constitute crucial links between both the Federal Government and the Intelligence Community, and our State, Local, Tribal, Territorial (SLTT) and private sector partners who are on the front lines every day protecting our country and our citizens from an ever-evolving threat. As we learned in the aftermath of 9/11, securing our nation requires effective and intentional collaboration at every level. As envisioned by the Congress, I&A’s role is to enable effective information sharing among the Federal Government and its State, local, tribal, and private sector partners, ensuring all involved have a clearer understanding of the nature of the threats that we face collectively. I remain haunted by the fact that at least one of the 9/11 hijackers was engaged by local law enforcement before the attack, and the fact that there was certainly potential for action against that individual before the attack. This is the type of coordination that must take place if we are to be successful, and if confirmed, I will work to strengthen and improve the processes and partnerships necessary to identify and mitigate potential threats to our country and our citizens. If confirmed, I intend to bring my 43 years of law enforcement, security, intelligence, and crisis management experience to bear in further refining and advancing the efforts of my talented and dedicated predecessors. I have had the distinct honor to serve our country as a U.S. Ambassador, leading and directing diplomatic counterterrorism (CT) and diplomatic security operations. I also had the privilege to work as the Chief Security Officer for the General Electric Company, a Fortune 10 global U.S. conglomerate. In each of these challenging but distinctly different roles, I assumed responsibility for mission execution and success, and I believe my record indicates consistently successful results. I have also had experience working both line and staff roles, developing and implementing policy, creating and managing budgets at every level, and leading operational activity to mitigate risks to our country, as well as to an American economic giant, and I understand the interdependency of the two. While the I&A mission is different from any organization I have led before, I will have to endeavor to learn the organization, its unique customer requirements, and its strengths and shortcomings. Following a week of intense briefings and meetings, I am pleased to share that my initial assessment is very positive. I believe the organization is grounded upon a solid foundation, and I hope to continue to build on that foundation, particularly regarding the further strengthening of DHS’ bond with the National Network of Fusion Centers, enhancing I&A’s analytic contribution to the Intelligence Community of information derived from departmental, State and local sources, as well as working to eliminate duplicative efforts among I&A, other DHS components, and our IC partners. What makes I&A unique in the Intelligence Community is its mission to link the US intelligence community with first responders across our country. The Network of State and local Fusion Centers provide I&A with a critical beachhead from which it delivers information and analytic resources to our nation’s 18,000 police entities. Caryn Wagner, as well as the current I&A Leadership Team, began that process with aggressive deployment of I&A personnel to the fusion centers and the development of a program of analysis that will guide the future production of analytical products. If confirmed, I will work relentlessly to execute these plans, ensuring all stakeholders understand that the critical importance of supporting our State, Local, Tribal and public sector partners. No organization can live on its reputation or hide behind its mission statement. Organizations must evolve and improve to meet the changing environments in which they operate. Mission assessment, the development of clear objectives, and the implementation of rigorous metrics will help I&A stay focused on both the present and the future. While my initial briefings on I&A were impressive, they now constitute the baseline from which I will use, if confirmed, to set future expectations and measure effectiveness and accomplishment. To better serve the Department and the Intelligence Community, the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis must also embrace the role of Chief Intelligence Officer and work with the DHS components to synergize intelligence activities across the Department. I am impressed with the potential of what DHS calls the Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise, and believe it is the right approach to implement intelligence integration across the Department. If confirmed, I intend to work aggressively with the DHS intelligence components to further develop that model, and I look forward to working with Congress to identifying other ways to further build the DHS Intelligence Enterprise. I also would like to share my thoughts on an equally important topic: supporting and leading the dedicated public servants working every day to help I&A achieve its mission objectives. Over the course of my 43 years of service, I have developed a fairly consistent management philosophy. I believe in setting clear objectives to satisfy mission priorities, implementing measurable and repeatable processes to implement those objectives, and applying concrete metrics that measure progress and allow for appropriate adjustment. If confirmed, I intend to bring this same philosophy to I&A. A key part of this is an unrelenting focus on the customer and other stakeholders. I&A has many customers and stakeholders, to include the Congress, and I intend to listen intently to all. I am impressed with where I&A is on its journey, but I intend to press further, so that in the future, I will be able to report to you and to the American people on the efficiency with which I&A is expending their tax dollars and the results that we’ve been able to achieve. As I mentioned, this overall effort is a team sport. If I am confirmed, I intend to ensure that our relationships within the Intelligence Community, with the FBI, and with our state and local partners are transparent, collaborative, and complementary. I have no organizational objective other than to make I&A a consistent and effective partner at all levels. Where duplication and overlap exist, I pledge to work proactively with our partners to identify and eliminate it. Finally, this Committee and your colleagues have been big champions for I&A, and if confirmed, I pledge to continue to work with you in shaping the direction of this important organization. I believe in full transparency and an open and candid dialogue on issues that we all care about so deeply. Thank you once again for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am happy to answer any questions you might have.