Thursday, July 30, 2009

Info Sharing Chief Gets Rave Reviews

The outgoing chief of the federal government's intelligence-information sharing efforts told a House panel Thursday that his successor should report directly to Congress and the president without interference from any agency. Thomas McNamara, who has coordinated information sharing at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence since 2006, appeared before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment before leaving office Friday. At the hearing, he detailed the challenges ahead and laid out a roadmap for his replacement who has not been named. Read more in CongressDaily's PM Edition (subscription required).

Lawmakers who were instrumental in creating McNamara's job as part of 2004 intelligence reform legislation lauded the progress that has been made on his watch but said more must be done. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Chairman Joseph Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins told Tech Daily Dose that McNamara's was a Herculean task of creating a culture of sharing among previously siloed intelligence agencies. Collins urged President Obama to quickly appoint a replacement so the momentum will not be lost. Lieberman said state-run "fusion centers" must be improved and the problem of over-classification of data must be addressed.

"In an intelligence culture that for years has been plagued by turf protection, [McNamara] is a brave voice in the wilderness," added House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee Chairwoman Jane Harman, D-Calif. "His efforts over the years to elevate information sharing in our nation's counterterrorism toolbox have truly made us stronger and our intelligence capabilities more robust." House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson also issued a statement acknowledging progress made during McNamara's tenure but said he was concerned many enduring challenges are not new.