House Intelligence Committee Issues Report on Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2021 (Part 1 of 11)
Purpose
The purpose of H.R. 7856, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 (the Act), is to authorize funding for the activities of the 17 elements comprising the
Compliance With Classified Schedule of Authorizations and With Unclassified and Classified Committee Direction
Because most of the intelligence budget involves classified programs, the bulk of the Committee's explanatory and directive language for each fiscal year is found in the classified annex accompanying the bill. The classified annex also includes the classified schedule of authorizations as well as explanatory and directive language.
The classified schedule of authorizations is incorporated directly into the legislation by Section 102 of the bill. The Executive Branch shall strictly comply with all Committee direction and other guidance set forth in this report and in the classified annex.
The classified annex and classified schedule of
authorizations shall be made available for review by all Members of the
Scope of Committee Review
The bill authorizes
Committee Views
H.R. 7856 ensures the IC has the resources needed to compete against the Nation's strategic adversaries--like a rising
The Committee also has sought to focus IC and public attention on non-traditional threats, like climate change and global pandemics. In that regard the bill makes permanent the
National security threats are increasingly diffuse, and we must take address what we are seeing every single day--from the devastating wildfires affecting the West, to hurricanes battering the
H.R. 7856 also prioritizes the protection of civil liberties and human rights, at home and abroad. To that end, the bill imposes limitations and transparency requirements on intelligence support to domestic law enforcement responding to protests or civil disturbances. It requires a report on
resident and journalist,
We conclude with some observations about our Minority colleagues' opposition to the bill. We believe the Committee's Minority members voted "no" because a handful of the IAA's provisions are intended to address abuses related to the Intelligence Community and election security, which were committed by or involved
The provisions in question advance good-government principles about which, until now,
Committee Views Regarding China
Government and the
These proposals in part respond to the speed and nature of
The last decade has shown those expectations to have been deeply misplaced. Belief in the inevitability of democratic liberalism blinded Western policymakers to the
Perhaps most consequential of all,
The country's people are monitored around the clock through their phones and an ever-growing network of surveillance cameras equipped with facial-recognition technology. Initially fueled by stolen
Its authoritarianism is hardly the only threat emanating from
By seeking to preserve its domestic political stability and international image--in lieu of fostering a transparent and effective approach to public health--
The confluence of the widespread, if not yet fully understood, global impact of COVID-19, the prolonged, excessive allocation of American intelligence resources to counterterrorism,
To that end, the Committee undertook its "deep dive" which sought to comprehensively review the IC's posture vis-avis
The Committee's central finding is that the IC has not sufficiently adapted to a changing geopolitical and technological environment increasingly shaped by a rising
Committee Views Regarding the
Even as
At the same time, efforts by two successive Administrations to end the conflicts in
To this end, the bill includes several provisions drafted to address some of the diplomatic, military, and economic issues at the heart of the
It directly addresses, for example, the disastrous Saudiled military campaign in
Accordingly, the bill as approved by the Committee insists that the Intelligence Community share this information with the American people and
The past year also saw a resumption of Saudi-linked terrorist attacks on American citizens, when in
With that in mind, the Committee is concerned by reports that the Saudi government is not cooperating fully with the
While the Administration has focused on undermining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with
In that vein, the Committee-passed bill directs the Intelligence Community to provide a detailed report assessing
Given the urgency of the issue, the Committee would urge the Intelligence Community to dedicate additional resources to scrutinizing
In the economic sphere,
Separately, the Committee is concerned that the
Notwithstanding the potential for the
Of great concern,
Finally, public reporting in recent years, meanwhile, has detailed the role of
values or national security interests. They contrast with the
Unclassified Committee Direction
Diversity and Inclusion
Significantly increasing diversity and inclusion within the IC is vital to the protection of
While the Committee acknowledges the marginal increase in overall representation of minorities, women, and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the IC, such groups are scarcely represented at pay grades above GS/GG-13, the full performance marker. At the
Seeking to address such challenges, the IC has taken various steps: conducting early outreach; expanding authorities for grants to and partnerships with academic organizations from the elementary school through the collegiate levels; holding regional IC-wide recruitment events and virtual career fairs; implementing a cloud-based platform; as well as accelerating impactful security clearance reform. Senior leaders across the IC also have committed to buttressing retention, promotion, employee resource groups, and accountability programs.
Despite these efforts, the statistics continue to be bleak.
Among other things:
White males make up 84% of the IC's SIS and SES positions, despite making up 70% of the top leadership positions in the civilian labor force; The number of minorities and women serving as managers and supervisors within the IC has decreased from 2017 to 2019;
Minority departures from the IC steadily have increased from 2016 to 2019;
PWD departures from the IC increased in 2019, despite significant decreases since 2016.
Like the rest of the government, the IC must do far better.
It is imperative that the IC hire, retain, and promote diverse candidates, including those with experience and expertise in Science, Technology,
Therefore, the Committee directs that, by no later than
Further, the Committee directs that the ODNI submit to the Intelligence Committees by
Finally, the Committee directs the Director of National Intelligence, by no later than
Emerging Technologies
This Committee remains dedicated to ensuring that the Intelligence Community (IC) has the resources and authorities necessary to maintain
2. Proposes a plan to launch a three-year pilot of the Public-Private Talent Exchange, and annual reports to the congressional intelligence committees on progress of the pilot program;
3. Assesses the viability of a fellowship program for recent graduates of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs to work in the IC for a limited period of time;
4. Identifies each IC element's use of
5. Identifies any gaps or limitations in the ability of the IC to interact with academic institutions; 6. Addresses the sufficiency of the IC's relationships with the
7. Identifies existing areas of collaboration with foreign intelligence partners on scientific and technological research and development activities, and identifying areas for growth and any limitations preventing further collaboration;
8. Proposes a plan to improve remote and telework opportunities for the IC workforce, and specifically to make such opportunities available to individuals who have accepted an offer of employment but have not completed the security clearance process; and
9. Assesses the viability of creating an advisory board modeled after the Defense Intelligence Board.
Report to
The Committee is concerned that the medical records of the forty (40) remaining detainees at
Therefore, in order to assist its oversight of the classification of medical records, the Committee directs that the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and with such heads of elements of the Intelligence Community that the Director deems appropriate, and by not later than
The report shall include, at a minimum:
1. A list of every method that a
detainee or his representative can use to request that (a) medical records be provided to the detainee or his representatives and (b) full and complete medical records be provided to the detainee or his representatives;
2. A detailed discussion of the purposes for which medical records can be released to the detainee or his representatives, including use in litigation, to inform independent medical assessments of the detainee unrelated to litigation, to enable a detainee's representatives to advocate for more effective medical care, or any other purpose;
3. Lists of (a) which of the above purposes would allow for a detainee to receive full and complete medical records, and in each case for which purposes full and complete records were provided and (b) detainees who have been provided full and complete medical records, and in each case for which purposes full and complete records were provided;
4. The number of detainees who have been provided with full and complete copies of their medical records; 5. A description of how long each process for record review takes from start to finish and potential changes that could speed up the process;
6. A step-by-step description of the process for review of detainee medical records for production to the detainee or his representatives in habeas corpus litigation;
7. A step-by-step description of the process for review of detainee medical records for production to the detainee or his representatives in military commission litigation;
8. A step-by-step description of the process for review of detainee medical records for production to the detainee or his representatives pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act;
9. A step-by-step description of the process for review of detainee medical records for production to the detainee or his representatives as part of the Periodic Review process established pursuant to Executive Order 13567;
10. A step-by-step description of the process for review of detainee medical records for production to the detainee or his representatives pursuant to any other process that could result in the provision of such records to the detainee or his representatives; 11. The risks and benefits of creating a separate process by which a detainee or his representatives can request medical records for the purpose of advocating for more effective medical and psychological care of the detainee during his continued detention;
12. A description of every basis for withholding information pursuant to any of the processes described in items 4-8, including classification, Controlled Unclassified Information, executive privilege, or force protection; and
13. A list of every category of classified information used to redact information from medical records, including an identification of which agency 'owns' the information redacted pursuant to the category.
Any step-by-step description shall include identification of who may make the request pursuant to the process, how the request is made (and to whom), a description of how records are gathered for processing, a description of each step that the records make along the way to a final releasable product (including the agency conducting the review, the specific office tasked with the review, the type of information that that office is tasked with redacting from the records), a description of who receives the records at the conclusion of the process, a description of any controls on further dissemination that the records are subject to at the end of the process, and a flow chart or other graphical depiction of the process from start to finish.
The report shall be unclassified, but may include a classified annex.
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Program Management
The Committee supports the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD(I&S)) performing a limited program management or incubation role for programs which may provide unique value to the
Therefore, the Committee directs the USD(I&S), by no later than
IC/CSA Framework
Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act and corresponding Intelligence Authorization Act directed the USD(I&S) and ODNI to create a framework to more effectively manage elements of the IC that are also Combat Support Agencies (CSAs).
While the Committee strongly supports the GAMECHANGER tool and is encouraged by its promising capabilities--which include enabling interagency lexicon, policy reconciliation and streamlining policy development--this tool alone does not fulfill the FY 2018 direction to create a framework for managing IC elements that are also CSAs.
The Committee is particularly interested in the validation and refinement of such a framework; identification of any necessary amendments to existing policies and relevant processes, authorities, command and control constructs; and the definitions underpinning the framework. Finally, the reconciliation of variances in the definitions used by the
Therefore, the Committee directs the USD(I&S) and ODNI to present to the congressional intelligence and defense committees, by no later than
The Committee is generally supportive of the flexibility provided within the
Therefore, the Committee directs that USD(I&S) prioritize funding which may be made available from the ISR TF to accelerate or facilitate projects, platforms, and capabilities aligned with service or department strategy documents directly or indirectly supporting the National Defense Strategy.
Defense Intelligence Analysis Program (DIAP) Staffing Levels The Committee supports the
Therefore, the Committee directs the USD(I&S), in coordination with the Director of the
Hypersonic Aircraft
The Committee is also aware of ongoing private sector efforts, independently and in partnership with federal agencies and departments, to develop aircraft capable of flying at speeds even beyond Mach 5. These aircraft have the potential to enhance the IC's and the Defense Intelligence Enterprise's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
Therefore, the Committee directs the USD(I&S), in coordination with the Secretary of the
1. The capability gaps that high Mach and hypersonic aircraft can fill;
2. An acquisition strategy for such capabilities; and 3. An overview of the roles and responsibilities for this strategy.
The
The China Strategic Initiative is an effort within the Department that seeks to inform and broaden the Department's understanding of
Therefore, the Committee directs the Department to analyze requested funding levels for the China Strategic Initiative across the future years defense program and to resource the program at a level commensurate with the value that the program provides to the Department.
Continues with Part 2 of 11
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