Democrats seek intelligence overhaul

House Democrats yesterday introduced a bill that calls for a major overhaul of the intelligence community.

“The Central Intelligence Agency was set up in 1947 to aid the Cold War, to fight an enemy that no longer exists, and the CIA director has never been given the authority to do what he or she was intended to do,” said Rep. Jane Harman, California Democrat and ranking member on the intelligence committee.

Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence submitted their plans in response to recommendations made by the congressional inquiry into the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The Intelligence Transformation Act would create a new position — a director of national intelligence (DNI) — to coordinate espionage and intelligence-gathering activities and consolidate the 11 intelligence agencies and four armed-service intelligence operations. The DNI office would have statutory control over the intelligence budget and all operational control over the intelligence community, including the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

“My personal view is that the DNI should be a Cabinet-level position. The legislation does not speak to that, but I think that is the direction we should go,” Mrs. Harman said.

The bill also would create the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, who also would double as the deputy director of national intelligence. That office will bring all of the intelligence branches of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines under one roof.

Democrats worry that there will be opposition to their proposed changes and that the agencies will oppose the measure in favor of the status quo. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, Florida Democrat, said the community must follow the model that Congress used in the Goldwater-Nickels Act in 1986, which restructured the Defense Department.

“The legislation that transformed the military was very controversial at the time, and the military resisted,” Mr. Hastings said. “In some ways, the intelligence community is in the same position the military was prior to 1986, too much duplication, too much competition, not enough coordination and not enough collaboration.”

He said another issue that must be addressed is the lack of diversity in the intelligence branches. He said the United States must recruit Middle Easterners, blacks, Koreans, Vietnamese and any other minorities to be effective in gathering intelligence in other countries.

“James Bond is not going to infiltrate Bora Bora,” Mr. Hastings said.

Porter J. Goss, Florida Republican and chairman of the intelligence committee, said there is a possibility that some of what the Democrats are calling for could be done this year.

“I intend to do an authorization bill, finish the weapons-of-mass-destruction inquiry in the next few months and then look at the architecture of the intelligence community,” he said.

Mr. Goss said he has been coordinating with Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, to insure that there will be continuity in the Senate when the House makes its move to restructure the intelligence community.