A REVIEW OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

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CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8
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T
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December 20, 2016
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June 14, 2006
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20
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March 10, 1971
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Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 MEMORANDUM FOR: Tom Karamessines Attached are: OMB's report, "A Review of the Intelligence Community"; and The Agency's comments on the Review, the original of which the Director gave to Jim Schlesinger on 20 April. LKW 30 April 71 (DATE) FORM NO. REPLACES FORM 10.10, I AUG 54 101 WHICH MAY SE USED. Approved For Release 2006iFA , LP86130020 A REVIEW OF THE INTELLIGENCE CO%:! UNIT MORI THIS PAGE 25x1 TOP SECRET March 10, 1,0 ~1 Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. II. VI. Page INTRODUCTION: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OT INTELLIGENCE COST TRENDS .................................. 3 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRODUCT .................. 10x1 ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS ...................... 13 SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES ............... 20 LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY ........... :...... 25 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE !, L.EAI?ERSI-III? ............. 34 CHANGING FUNCTIONAL BOUNDARIES AND COSTS ..... 39 TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCT ........... 44 APPENDICES Approved For Release 2006/ I. INTRODUCTION: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF INTELLIGENCE Where satellite photography is concerned, the increases have tacular increases in collection activities have occurred. gence community has almost doubled. At the same time, spec- During the past decade alone, the cost of the intelli- and overall quality of, intelligence products. ability to achieve a commensurate improvement in the scope .rise in their size and cost. The second is an apparent-in- duced two disturbing phenomena. The first is an impressive The operations of the intelligence community have pro- led to greatly improved knowledge 'abbut.the military capa- means other.than photography has not brought about a similar number of specific measures may help to bring about a closer can take place., Its principal conclusion is that while a these two phenomena and the areas in which constructive change The following report seeks to identify the causes of analysis, inference, and estimation. must be. included -- has come to serve as a proxy for improved growth in raw intelligence -- and here satellite photography and political processes of foreign powers. Instead, the reduction in our uncertainty about the intentions, doctrines, TOP SECRET 111. bili:ties of potential enemies.,' But erparded collection by Approved For Release 200(PQ6/141_. ; "-PDP86B002 relationship between cost and effectiveness, the main hope Ifor doing so lies in a fundamental reform of the intelligence community's decisionmaking bodies and procedures. This conclusion is advanced in full recognition that reorganization will, at best; only create the conditions in which wise and imaginative leadership can flourish. In the absence of reorganization, however, the habits of intelligence community will remain as difficult to control as was the per- formance of the Department of Defense prior to the Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. \ To understand the phenomenon of increasing costs, it is necessary to consider briefly the organizational history communications COMINT) and non-communications (or agent) between tactical and national intelligence, and between distinctions between military and non-military intelligence, departments. This division had its origins in traditional the basic division of responsibilities among agencies and tives (NSCIDs) of the late 1940s and early 1950s established 1947 and the National Security Council Intelligence Direc- of the intelligence community. The National Security Act of agents to collet "non-military" intelligence and produce intelligence. Thus, CIA was directed to employ clandestine "national" intelligence. The Department of State was made responsible for the.overt collection of "non-military" in- telligence. The National Security Agency (NSA) was estab- lished to manage COMINT collection. The Military Services were instructed to collect "military" intelligence as well as maintain tactical intelligence capabilities for use in wartime. All were permitted to produce "departmental" in- telligence to-meet their separate needs. While not ideal, this division of functions and responsibilities worked rea- sonably well into the mid-1950s. Approved For Release 2006/0131'T4 CIRDP86B00269l Since that time, these traditional distinctions and` the organizational arrangements which accompanied them have Approved For Release 2005](0j)11?4Ea'RDP86B002 become increasingly obsolescent. The line between "military" and "non-military" has faded; scientific and technical in- telligence with both civilian and military applications has become a principal area of endeavor. for almost all intelli- gence organizations Similarly, under the old distinctions, the national leadership -- namely the President and the NSC -- concerned itself with "national" intelligence, while pre- sumably only battlefield commanders cared about tactical in- telligcnce. But a rapidly advancing technology which has revolutionized the collection, processing, and communication of intelligence data casts doubt on the validity of the dis- tinctions. Simultaneously, technolllogical a.duanc:es have created new collection possi'.)ilities which do not fit conveniently within a structure based on traditional distinctions and were not covered in the original directives. Satellite photography, have become some of the most important a-i vital methods of intelligence collection not currently covered by any uniform national policy. The breakdown of the old distinctions and the appearance of new collection methods has been a simultaneous process raising a host of questions about intelligence organization. Is ELINT related to COMINT, is it technical or military in Approved For Release 200 j8 11,43; (qI, RI DP86B002 nature, is it of primary interest to tactical or national consumers? Where should the F1- o should analyze it? Who should be responsible for satellite photography? On the more mundane, but nonetheless critical level, questions arise about the organizational re- sponsibilities for such topics as Sihanoukville supply in- filtration, VC/NVA order of battle, and missile deployments in the Suez Canal area. Are these military or non-military issues? Is the intelligence about then: tactical or national? Who should be responsible for collectio:i and what collection resources should be tasked?" In the absence of an authoritative governing body to resolve these issues, the community has resorted to a series of compromise solutions that adversely .-Lffect its performance and cost. In general, these compromises have favored multiple .and diffuse collection programs and the neglect of difficult and searching analytical approaches. The most serious of the resulting problems are outlined below in brief form, and dis- cussed in more detail in the appendices. 1. The distribution of.intelligence functions has become .increasingly fragmented and disorganized. ? The old distinctions among national, departmental, and tactical intelligence are out of date. Today, MORI THIS PAGE Approved For Release 20061 4Si. ;`SbP86B0026~ CIA is as likely to produce intelligence relevant to, say, ?DIVA/VC order of battle as DIA or NACV, just as MACV produces many reports that are of %interest to the national leadership. broken down. CIA now engages in a wide range of 0 Similarly, the relatively neat ordering of collec- tion functions that existed after World War II has capabilities. The Services now have a full panoply of senL?c c_s to perform a variety of functions -- tactical intelligence, surveillance, early warning, and so o i. NSA has added L Table I illustrates how almost all major com- ponents of the intelligence community are in- volved in each of its various collection and production functions. TOP SECRET 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 Approved For Release 2006 J'14.` 1'QlP4`PDP86B002 2. The community's activitie are dominated by collection cram Sctiti.on and have become unproducH.vely duplicative . I telligence in 1972 will be spent on collection (Table I above). Despite past massive increases in the collection of photography, COMINT, ELINT, radar and other sensor data, sizeable additional collec- tion capabilities are planned to become operational The blurring of traditional boundaries has encouraged community members to engage in a competitive struggle for survival and dominance, primarily through new technology, which has resulted in the redundant acquisition of data at virtually all levels -- tactical, theater command, and national. ? Gross redundancies in collection capabilities have become commonplace as exemplified by aircraft in both CIA and Defense which collect photography, of thcl (budgeted for in- Approved For Release 2006/ `J'C)1.) S:I'C')t) the collection of ELINT. ? Collection capabilities remain in operation beyond their useful lives. As older systems lose their attractiveness at the national level, they are - taken over at the command or tactical level where they duplicate higher level activities or collect data of little value. ? Simultaneously, ~- I=- conparnientalization within various security systems has served to hide or obscure com- petitiv: capabilities from evaluation, comparison, and trac;eoff analysis. 3. The community's groww,wth is largely unplanned and un- guided. ? Serious forward planning i often lacking as decisions are made about the allocation of resources. ? The consumer frequently fails to specify his product needs for the producer; the producer, uncertain about eventual demands, encourages the collector to pro- vide data without selectivity or priority; and the collector emphasizes quantity rather than quality. TOP SECRET 25X1 25X1 Approved For Release 2OO6iOj%(l4: RP ,P86BOO261 4. a h. community's activities have become exceedingly ex- pans :? are important reasons why the cost of intelligence competitive drive for improved collection technology ? The fragmentation of intelligence functions and the during the past decade. ? A significant part of this cost growth is attributable to the acquisition of expensive new systems without simultaneous reductions in obsolescent collection. programs. ? In the absence of planning and guidance, internally generatE:d values pr Iedbmiria-Ee-.'i.n the community's in- stitutions. These values favor increasingly sophisti- cated and expensive collection technologies at the expense of analytical capabilities. ? Few interagency comparisons are contemplated. Po- tential tradeoffs between PIIOTINT and SIGINT, between PHOTINT and HUMINT, and between data collection and analysis are neglected. ? While the budgetary process might be used to curb some of the more obvious excesses, it cannot sub- stitute for centralized management of the community. MORI THIS PAGE TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/9 (l4 ;,Jt~PP86B00269 III. QUESTIONS 2\BOU'1' TIlE PEODUC`1' In a world of perfect information, there would be no uncertainties about the present and future intentions, capa- bilities, and activities of foreign powers. Information, however, is bound to be imperfect for the most part. Con- sequently, the intelligence community can at best reduce the uncertainties and construct plausible hypotheses about these factors on the basis of what continues to be partial and often conflicting evidence. Despite the richness of the data made available'by modern methods of collection, and the rising cots of their acquisi- tion, it is not at all clea:r'that our hypotheses about foreign intentions, capabilities, and activities have improved com- mensurately in scope and quality. Nor can it be asserted with confidence that the intelligence community has shown much in- itiative in developing the full range of possible explanations in light of available data. Among the more recent results of this failure to acknowledge uncertainty and entertain new ideas in the face of it, has been a propensity to overlook such unpleasant possibilities as a large-scale exploitation of Sihanoukville by the NVA to transship supplies, a continu- ation of the SS-9 buildup and its. possible MIRVing, or Soviet willingness to invade Czechoslovakia and put forces into the Middle East. Approved For Release 2006Ic6I14 ~;C,(L)rIROP86B00269 -ii - Difficulties of this kind wi h the intelligence product find themselves swamped with data. The consumers, at the CIA. The analysts, with a heavy burden of responsibility, strong military and civilian career incentives, even within stepchild of the community. It is a profession that lacks place to translate product criticism into. demands for en- larged collection efforts. Seldom does anyone ask if a further reduction in uncertainty, however small, is worth its cost. The inevitable result is that production remains the are all the more disturbing because the need to explore and test a number of hypotheses will, if anything, expand as the Soviets project their military power and come to play a more direct global role. Yet there is no evidence that the in- telligence community, given its present structure, will come to grips with this class of problems. The community's heavy emphasis on collection is itself detrimental to correcting product problems. Because each organization sees the maintenance and expansion of its col- lection capabilities as the principal route to survival and strengtij with the community, there is a :.trong presumption in today's intelligence set-!-upi'that?i.addi:ional data collec- tion rather than improved analysis, will provide the answer to particular intelligence problems. It has become common?- TOP SECRET Approved For Release 200C/ 7,~DP86B0026 same time, treat their product as a free good, so that demand exceeds supply, priorities are not established, the system becomes overloaded and the quality of the output suffers. As if this were not enough, production, instead of guiding collection, is itself guided by collectors and the impetus of technology. Since the military are the principal collec- tors, they are more likely to focus on the needs and interests of their own Services than on the issues of concern to the national leaderEhip, and they continue the wasteful practice of counterpart targeting. Under such difficult conditions, it is not surprising that hypotheses tend to harden into dogma, that their sensitivity to changed conditions is not articulated, and that new data are noE"sought to test them. TOP SECRET . Approved For Release 20061 'j(_'Y4 , :8i' B' iP86B0026~ 13 - IV. ORGANIZATIONAL DITA ;.MAs Questions about cost and product might exist even if the intelligence community possessed strong leadership. It is noteworthy, hoviover, that they have arisen under conditions the most marked of which is a lack of institutions governing the community with the authority and responsibility to re- solve issues without excessive compromise, allocate resources according to criteria of effectiveness, and consider the re- lationship between cost and substantive output from a national perspective. This lack of governing institutions r;tems fundamentally from the' failure of the National Security Act of 1947 to anticipate the "constitutional." needs 'of a. modern and techno- logically complex intelligence community. The primary intent of the Act, understandably, was to prevent a recurrence of the intelligence confusions and delays that occurred prior to Pearl Harbor. These problems were seen as having resulted from defects in the central processing, production, and dis- semination of intelligence. The critical need, accordingly, was to create an organization which would have access to all intelligence and report its estimates to the national leader- ship. In 1947, the size and cost of individual programs were relatively small, and the scope and nature of the management MORI THIS PAGE Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86BOO problem: associated with today' s community were not antici- pated. Consequently the issue of how to plan and rationalize the. collection of intelligence did not seem of great mor:ment, and the Act did not explicitly provide for. a mechaniYm to per- form these functions or evaluate the scope. and quality of its product. There is another reason why the 1947. Act did so little to provide strong leadership for the community: powerful in- terests in the ii4ilitary Services and elsewhere opposed (and continue to oppose).more centralized management of intelli- gence activities. Partly, this opposition arises from the belief of the Services that direct control over intelligence programs is essential if they' are to`'c'onduct successful mili- tary operations; partly, it results from bureaucratic concerns. The Services are reluctant to accept assurance that informa- tion from systems not controlled by them will be available as and when they require it. Despite such opposition, the National Security Act of 1947 did stipulate that the CIA would coordinate the "in- telligence activities" of the Government under the direction of the National Security Council. However, the Act also made clear provision for the continuation of "departmental in- telligence". Since then, three Presidents have exhorted the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to play the role of Approved For Release 2006C46P14;:`iiRDP86B002 community leader and coordinator, but his authority over the co;;arunity has remainec_ `_r.inim:Il. While the DCI has been the catalyst in coordinating substantive. intelligence production, he has made little use of such authority as he possesses to manage the resources of the comLmunity. Realistically, it is clear that the DCI, as his office is now constituted, cannot be expected to perform effectively the community-wide leadership role because: ? As an agency head he bears a number of weighty op- erational and advisory responsibilities which limit the effort he can devote to community-wide management. 0 ire bears a particularly heavy bui den for the planning and conduct of covert actions.' 0 His multiple roles as community leader, agency head, and intelligence adviser to the President, and to a number of sensitive executive committees, are mutually conflicting. 0 lie is a competitor for resources within the community owing to his responsibilities as Director of CIA, which has large collection programs of its own; thus he cannot be wholly objective in providing guidance for community-wide collection. TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006i0fi114 :; i8 Ji?P86B00269 16 - o Ile controls only sources and must therefore rely on persuasion to influence his colleagues regarding the allocation and management of the other of the community's re- appropriated to the Departinent1of Defense. Since Defense is legally responsible for these very large resources, it feels ?t-hat it cannot be bound by out- side advice on how they should be used. o The DCI is outranked by other departmental heads who report directly to the President and are his immediate supervisors on the National Security Council. In spite of these hand i''caps, the..DCl has established several institutional devices to assist him in. Icading 'the commr?.unity. They are the National Intelligence Program Evalua- tion Staff (NIPE) and the National Intelligence Resources Board (NIRB). However, the principal agencies have largely ignored or resisted the-efforts of management by these bodies. As a consequence, the I\TIPE and the NIRB have concentrated on developing improved data about intelligence programs and better mechanisms for coordination. Because of their work, both institutions could prove useful to a strong community leader; however, their contribution to the efforts of the currently constituted DCI is small. TOP SECRET Approved For Release 200rL1,'bA~=R.DP86B002 9R000400070020-8 17 - In the absence of an effective institutional framework within which one official could be hold responsible and ac- cou:table for the performance and cost of the intelligence community, the United States Intelligence Board (USIP), origi- nally established to advise the DCI, has become a sort of governing body for the community. However, the USIB has proved generally ineffective as a management mechanism for several reasons: ? It is a committee of equals who must form coalitions to make decisions. ? It is dre,_ninated by collectors and producers who avoid raising critical questions about the collection pro- grams o,':arated by their colleagues. As a result,. USI131 s collection requirements -- which are an .,jgregate of all requests, new and old --- mean all things to all agencies, thus leaving them free to pursue their own interests. ? Since policy-level consumers are not represented on the Board, they are unable to give guidance as to priority needs. Even within the Department of Defense, there is no cen- tralized management of intelligence resources and activities. Although the Assistant Secretary for Administration has been Approved For Release 2006/Q f)/,I-,4 1 .A4P86B002 given responsibility in L-,-,:Ls area, together with a small Star for resource analysis, his efforts to master the Defense intelligence complex have proved of little avail for several reasons. First, not all Defense programs come under his pur- view, and this limits his ability to do cross--program analysis. Second, he remains responsible for his functions as Assistant Secretary for Administration. Below the level of review provided by an Assistant Secretary, manac,ement leadership is sta.!'. absent. The;. Directors of DIA and NSA are themselves unable to control the activities of the components supposedly subordinate to them but operated by the Military Services. Because of a history of comp :orttises and "f' treaties'.'. the Director of the National Reconni:i ssance Office (NRO) is .similarly unable to control a large part of his program which is run by the Deputy Director for Science and Technology (DD/r&T) in CIA. This lack of lower-level leadership shows up in the fol- lowing ways: ? The current failure of NSA adequately to direct Service cryptologic activities, organize them into a coherent system, or manage FLINT activities. ? Large-scale Service-controlled tactical intelli- gence assets, inflated by the war and partly dupli- cating both national and allied capabilities, but programmed and operated outside of the community.' Approved For Release 2006/q,14ZR4P86B00269F000400070020-8 is A host of unresolved problems concerning organation 0 and the allocation of resources within both General Defense Intelligence Program (GDIP) and non--GD P activities, including: duplication in the collection of ELINT between NRO and SAC; internally overlapping activities among varous mapping, charting, and geodesy agencies, and the several investigative services; and inadequate supervision and control of counterintelligence activities. It follows from this analysis that the President's ob- jectives can be achieved only if reform addresses four or- ganizational i.sues: ? The lealership of the intelligence community as a whole. 0 The direction and control of Defense intelligence activities. 0 The division of functions among the major intelli- gence acencies. 0 The structuring, staffing, and funding of the processes by which our raw intelligence data are analyzed and interpreted. TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/06/14;CIA-RDP86B0024 Y~r` V. hTC7:1?T_C CRR:c%.NTI.0; 1 L TSSi1I, The effectiveness and efficiency of the intelligence community depend on a numbor_ of organizational variables. Among the most important of these variables are: ? The power over resources available to the leader of the communi.t How much power the leader can ex- ercise, particularly over collection programs, will determine the size of the economies that can be achieved within the community. ? The size and functions of_ the staff provided to the ?leader of tha co,umnity. The effectiveness of a national intelligence leaael Ezi_.l depend not only on his power over resources, but also on how well informed he is about issues and options within the community, which, in turn, is a function of his immediate staff. Among the potential functions for such a staff are: The planning, programming, and budgeting of resources. Control over resources once allocated. Supervision of R&D. Inspection of ongoing programs. Production and dissemination of national estimates. Annrnvarl Fnr Ralaaca 7f fl /fR11A ? rIa-RnpS2rpnn Qpnrrurn n7nr) Ltt Approved For Release 2006/0q/(14, : ,Q-k) _P86B00269 #-f3p 21 - -- Not assessments of U. S., allied, and opposing 25X1 capabilities and doctrines. ? The future role of the United States Intel "Lil Board (USIB) . As matters now stand, the USIB is both a parliament and a confederate head of the cop.-allunity. If more authoritative leadership is established, the USIB could become simply. an obstruction unless its role is specifically redefined. Since the leader of the community, however powerful, will need close and continuing relationships with prodiucers and collectors as well as consumers, one possibility would be to re- constitute the USIB so as to fornal.ize these relation- ships c'i an advi :oi.y basis. In any case the future role of USII3 should be addressed as part of a com- prehensive review of new institutional arrangements for.the functioning of a reorgan_.:.zed intelligence community. ? Future Defense Department control. over the resources under its jurisdiction. Even without changes in the community as a whole, major improvements in effective- ness and efficiency could be achieved if Defense were to master its own massive intelligence operations. However, a number of. community-wide issues would still remain, and substantially firmer Defense management MORI THIS PAGE Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86BOO , rj'op of its intelligence resources could prejudice the ability of a future leader of the core unity to ex- ercise his own authority. l'hc jurisda.ct~.on of ci.ther a national_ lea~dcr- or a Defense leader over the Ixilitary Serv:i.ces. The three military Jerv.Lces are estimated to spend about II a year on intelligence activities apart from their support of the national a encics. Yet these activities, which partly duplicate national intelli- gence programs, are reviewed in isolation from them. If the ;services retain control ever the assets for this "Lacy ical" intelligence, they can probably weaken efforts to. improve the efficiency of the community. At the same time, there is little question about their need to have access to the output of specified assets in both peace and war. How to combine overall re- source management and control with this access is an issue that will require resolution. The f_uture.functional boundaries of the major in- telli< once agencies. Collection and production activities do not now tend to be consolidated by type in particular functional agencies. Important econo- mies can. probably be achieved by rationalizing these MORI THIS PAGE Approved For Release 2006/Qpj,1~4 :rQ,a~-,RQF)86B00269 activities. However, it should be noted that economy and organizational tidiness, without concomitant strengthening ng of the community leadership, might be achieved at the cost. of creating even more pqwerful vested interests and losing diverse and usefully com- petitive approaches to collection: problems. The number and location of national analytical and estimating centers. The National estimating machinery no doubt will have to bo preserved under the leader of the community in order to continue production of national estimates and inputs to the NSSM process. The co.. inuation of'.;DIi anc . the State Departments Bureau o;_ Intelligence Research (INR) as producers is essenhial as. well. Beyond that, improvement in the intelligence product will probably depend to a large extent on increasing the competition in the interpretation of evidence and the development of hypotheses about foreign. intentions, capabilities, and strategies. This may require not only the . strengthening of existing organizations, but perhaps the addition of new estimating centers. In addition, some entirely new organizational units may be needed to perform currently neglected intelligence analysis functions, for example, to conduct research on im- proved intelligence analysis methods and techniques. Approved For Release 2006/ .q4 ; 'IR'DP86B0026 cause of the secrecy surrounding the operations of the intelligence cc))mlunity, the need for strong in- dependent review mechanisms within the Executive Branch remains particularly important. Since the President' s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFTAB) , the "40" Committee,, the Office of Science and Technology (OST) , and the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) already exi ~~t to perform this function, the only issues are how tlr).ey can be strengthened, to what extent they need larger and more permanent staffs, and whether new review boards :should be create' cl '"esrx~ci ::lly to evaluate the ana.Lytical and estimating ac-ivities of the community. form. and functional reorganization. Each is described in schematic the leadership of the community, the Department of Defense, Only the most salient options are presented with respect to nor do they exhaust the list of organizational possibilities. Subsequent sections do not address all of these issues; Approved For Release 2006/6 t4 :,C IPAnF '86800269 VI. LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY The effectiveness of a new leader of the community will depend critically on. his ability to control intelligence re- sources and make his decisions stick. Basically, there are three different roles he can play in this respect, each with different organizational implications. They are: ? As legal or direct controller of all or most intelli- gence resources.. As de facto manager of most resources even though they are not appropriated to him. As coordinator of resources.. that are appropriated el sewhe t'e , as now. Although each of the three basic approaches could be in- stitutionalized in a number of different ways, the principal options that accord with these roles are listed below. A Director of National Intelligence (Option el), with the bulk of the 1 -1 intelligence budget appropriated to his office. That office would control all the major col- lection assets and research and development activities, which are the most costly programs of the community and are most likely to yield large long-term savings. The Director would also operate the Government's principal production and national estimating center and retain the CIA's present Approved For Release 2006IO Al'Z'86B002691~ responsibility for covert action programs. Defense and State would retain production groups, both to serve their own leader- ship and to provide competing centers in the analysis of in- telligence inputs to the national intelligence process. The Defense Department would maintain budgetary and operational control over only the selected "tactical" collection and processing assets necessary for direct support of military forces, although these assets should.be subject to the DNI's review. This option affords a number of advantages: .? It pinpoints responsibility; the President knows who is in charge. ? it permits major econom1eththrough rationalization of the community's functions and through the elimination of.duplicative and redundant capabilities. ?. It establishes a management system which can deal com- prehensively with the implications of evolving tech- nology and make efficient choices between competing collection systems. ? It brings producers and collectors closer together and increases the probability that collectors will become more responsive to producer needs. ? It allows the Director to evaluate fully the con- tribution each component makes to the -l product, Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86BOO TOP SECRET enabling ready-identification of low performance elements and permitting subsequent adjustments to their mission. 0. It provides one responsible point in the community to which high-level consumers can express their changing needs. ? It facilitates the timely selection and coordination of the intelligence-assets necessary to provide in- telligence support to the President in periods of crisis. Creation of a DNI has af" least- potential d~sadvan- tages: ? It gives still further responsibilities to the DCI. A.major criticism of the present confederate organi- zation is that the DCI is overloaded and cannot be expected to perform well the many functions now assigned to him. As noted, these.include substantive advice to the President and to several high-level committees, day-to-day management of a large operating program, appearing as a witness before Congress, and running numerous sensitive collection and covert action projects. It should be noted, however, that with adequate staff and competent deputies, the MORI THIS PAGE TOP SECRET Director should be able to delegate responsibilities and ease his task. Also, under this option, the DCI?s power would be commensurate with his present responsibilities. ? This option could generate substantial resistance from the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs over the transfer of intelligence functions to a new agency. It would also necessitate fundamental changes in the National Security Act which might cause major congressional resistance and open debate on a range of sensitive national security issues. ? Even if all U. S. Governmefit--.i-ntelli gence assets were transferred to the Director,, there would remain the serious and continuing problem of finding ways to meet the intelligence needs of. Defense without, at the same time, causing the Services to reconstitute their own intelligence activities, even at the expense other programs. ? There could be adverse reaction from the news media and the public to a consolidation of such sensitive activities under the control of one man, even though so many of them already are controlled, in principle, by the Secretary of Defense. Approved For Release 2006I'3I&LP4 S B1?P86B002P9R000400070020-8 \\~ It is possible that this option will continue the present dominant influence of collectors relative to producers and consumers in the intelligence process. N A Director of Central Intelligence (O)2tion p2), with a strong Presidential mandate and a substantial staff. NSA, NRO, and DIA would remain under present jurisdiction. The CIA would be divided -- one part supplying the DCI staff and intelligence production component, the other part, principally current CIA collection organization, comprising a new agency under a separate. director. The DCI would have senior status within the Government and would serve as principal intelli- gence adviser t:) the NSC. He would produce all National Intelligence Estimates and other national intelligence re- quired by top level national decisionmakers, and would control the necessary production assets, including NPIC. This would include continued management of a national intelligence process that involved the participation, and inputs from, other intelligence production organizations. Under Presidential directive, the DCI. would review and make recommendations to the President on the Intelligence plans, programs, and budgets of his own office, a reconstituted CIA, and the Department of Defense. He would also present a consolidated intelligence budget for review by the OMB. By MORI THIS PAGE TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B0026i - 80 - this means the Director would be able to guide resource allo- cation and influence community organization. Although Option #1 offers the greatest promise of. achieving the President?s objectives, this. option has ad- vantages over it and over the present situation in the fol- lowing respects: ? The DCI would be freed from the day-to-day management tasks incumbent upon the head of a large operating agency with major collection and covert action re- sponsibilities.' This would enable him to devote most of his attention to substantive' intelligence 'matters, the tasking of collectors, and community resource management issues as'they relate to his production activities. ? This option eliminates the present situation in which the DCI.serves as both advocate for agency programs and judge in community-wide matters, a role which diminishes the community's willingness to accept his guidance as impartial. The reforms could be accomplished, without major legislation, by a reorganization plan and Presidential directives to the DCI, the Secretary of Defense, and the head of CIA. Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00261 ? This option would offer improvements in efficiency and effectiveness without the major disruptions in the community required under option one. ? It would enhance the stature of the community leader while.avoiding the potentially dance; us concentra- tion of power inherent in option one. Option r2 has several potential. disadvantages: ? Responsibility for the community as a whole would be more diffuse than under option one. ? The abi.-ity of the DCI to supervise the detailed acLivl'Lies of the vN~:.iaL.inl .paw .~_. ..~.._ 1 ? The new DCI, compared to the DNI under option one, would have to rely on persuasion and the process of budgetary review rather than directive authority in order to eliminate redundant and duplicative activi- ties, resolve trade-off issues, and reduce overhead. ? He would lack the ability to mobilize, deploy, and target collection assets in a time of crisis, unless given specific Presidential authority. A Coordinatr_ of National Intelligence (Option 1#3) , who, under Presidential mandate, would act as White House or NSC Ap~rQVed.For.Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RD overseer of the Intelligence Community, directing particular attention to: ?` Intelligence resource and management issues. Representing the concerns and needs of national policy level consumers. ? Evaluating the suitability of intelligence output in light cf consumer demand. Under this arrangement, CIA, Defense, and State intelli- gence responsibilities would remain essentially unchanged. The Coordinator would express the views and concerns of the President and the-National Security'Council on product needy and quality; he would provide guidance on present and future collection priorities; he would critique and evaluate the current performance of the community,. identifying gaps and oversights; and he would conduct studies of specific intelli- gence community activities as required. But he would not be responsible for the actual production of intelligence. Nor would he have any direct control over resources. This option offers two advantages: ? The creation of this position would provide a means for more direct representation of Presidential in- terest in the Intelligence Community. Consumer Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 1Vt" ?+lli l~.\4 1 representation in the intelligence process would be enhanced. ? No legislation would be requireda*and the President would be spared a number of bureaucratic battles. The option ha_ everal marked disadvantages: ? There is the potential for unproductive competition between the Coordinator and the White House staff. ? Achievement of the President's management and re- source control objectives is unlikely. TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/WI 4 ~ P86B00269t000400070020-8 yx~. ' DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LEADERSHIP Although the President has indicated his desire to in- stitute community-wide reform, changes within the Department of Defense alone could improve the allocation and management of resources and reduce the overall size of the intelligence budget. Provided that care-is taken in making them, these reforms need not be incompatible with subsequent decisions about the governance of the community as a whole. Within the Department of Defense, there has never been an individual with formal responsibility for management of all DoD intelligence activities. The D,.puty Secretary.of Defense historical 1U has been charged with this task; but he has very little staff to assist him and can devote only a modest amount of time to the complex intelligence issues that arise within his domain. Consequently, if the problems of Defense intelligence are to be resolved in a fashion satis- factory to the President, it will be necessary either to create a Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI) with specific responsibility for the Department's collection assets, or provide the Deputy Secretary with major staff support in the form of an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Neither of these posts would be incompatible with options two and three relating to community-wide leadership reform. However, the DDI concept conflicts with option one, in which MORI THIS PAGE Approved For Release 2006/q" 4 :p6ff P861300269 000400070020-8 - 5 - the bulk of U. S.. intelligence resources would be appropria- ted to a Director o"'iational Intelligence. A Director of Defense Intelligence would have the auth- ority and responsibility to direct and control all Defense intelligence activities. He would allocate all the Defense intelligence resources, including those for tactical intelli- gence, the funds for the NRP, and budgets for other national programs under departmental jurisdiction. He would report to and represent the Secretary of Defense in all matters re- lating to the management of intelligence resources; review the need for, and conduct of, sensitive intelligence collec- tion acid operations; review all Defense intelligence "require- ments" with resource implicdtions 1' order to evaluate need and determine priorities; serve as the principal Defense representative on the USIB; and monitor other DoD programs which have clear implications for the collection of intelli- gence. Under this option the DDI would.be able-to reorder completely the Defense intelligence collection structure as deemed appropriate. The DIA would be.involved in collection management only if so directed by the DDI, and would concentrate on the pro- duction of finished intelligence for the Secretary of Defense and other national consumers. It is important that the Director of Defense Intelligence be responsive to tasking by the community leader, who would MORI THIS PAGE TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269 be the principal substantive intelligence official of the Government. Both the-community leader and the DDI should re- ceive authoritative guidance about national consumer interests. This could be provided by a Council of Intelligence consti- tuted within the NSC and with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense as its members. The restructuring of USIB and revision of NSCIDs can help in establishing the appropriate DCI/DDI relationship. The post of DDI has great prospective advantages: ? It would provide for the concentration of resource management authority in one individual, which would allow authoritative- comparisons and decisions about competing collection programs. It would provide for the centralization of direction and control over all Defense intelligence activities, including conduct of sensitive intelligence collec- tion operations. But there are possible drawbacks as. well, in that the position would: ? Concentrate great power at a single point in Defense. This could possibly diminish the community leaders access to information, as well as his ability to TOP SECRET Aoproved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-R DP86B00269R000400070020-8 Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B002 `y nr'T)il rye 1VC _ task collection systems in support of national in- telligence production, and design balanced collec- tion programs, in support of his production respon- sibilities. Superimpose a large staff over those of other major 0 inte1lig'managers within Defense (the Directors of DIA, NSA, and NRO), although a reduction in various coordination staffs should be possible at This. option has a number of advantages: ? It allows for effective cross-program analysis within Defense. it avoids the concentration of power inherent in the DDI option, if that is considered a danger. TOP SECRET Annrnvarl Fnr Rini ca 7ffl /flF/14 ? C IA-RfPROR002EGR0004000700 d-8 the same time. An Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (ASD/I) who would act as the principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense. His responsibilities would be similar to those of the DDI, except that he would not exercise direct control over Defense intelligence collection programs, and would not be a member of USIB unless the Board were reconstituted to advise the DCI on the allocation of collection resources. Approved For Release 2006IQ J 4 : JCICARRJ~.P86BOO269 ? Compared to the DDI, an ASD/I would be more likely to respond, to the needs of the present DCI o2~ the community-wide leader established under either option two or three. The post has a number of potential weaknesses in that,;.: compared with the DDI, it would probably: .? Lack both the strong mandate. provided to the DDI and direct authority over Defense intelligence activities, including those carried out by the program managers. ? Make the ASD/I vulnerable to "end runs" by major components within tk1C DefE i se irtelligence com- munity who'might wish to appeal directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. TOP SECRET 25X1 Annrn vad Fnr RPIPasP 2006106/14 - CIA-RIlPR6B00269RO00400070020-8 Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 Q Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 Approved For Release 200k, 1~.:+ I{JJq~`Y , DP86B002 To achieve further economies, particulary without major reorganization, will be difficult for several reasons. ? Savings that we foresee as immediately feasible are likely to be, counterbalanced to a considerable degree by further pay and price increases. ? With the heavy R&D costs for proposed new systeths, there already is built into the budget a strong upward bias which may prove difficult to control, particularly considering the intense interest in high-technology and expensive new systems for SALT and other purposes. ? The U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia will permit reductions in SIGINT and HUMINT resources, but they will only partially offset the above cost increases. ? Some of the largest savings can only result from shifting and consolidating current activities in such a way as to redraw the functional boundaries of the major intelligence organizations. 'Despite these difficulties, it is the case that func- tional boundaries can be withdrawn without a major reorganiza- tion of Defense intelligence or the community as a whole. We 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/0'04 : 21 6B00269R000400070020-8 ,~~ - 41 I should stress, however, that actions of this character will still leave a number of coi;unity--wide issues unresolved and at the same time arouse all the opposition of the military Services and the Joint Chiefs-of Staff. Moreover, with the rapid evolution of technology, further changes in boundaries and comparable upheavals -- will probably have to follow in the future. With all these cautions, there are a number of specific functional actions.that can be taken at the present time. Among the most important are the establishment of NSA as a truly national cryptological service with authority over al signal, intelligence, and the consolidation of a number of activities now operated seiiarate.iy.;.hy tha Military Services. The effect of these changes should be' to achieve economies of scale, eliminate excessive duplication,. and promote com- petitionamong like activities so as to weed out the less productive programs. The following table of possible savings; while only an estimate, indicates what economies might be feasible as a 'result of redrawing functional boundaries, consolidating activities, and eliminating duplication: MORI THIS PAGE Annrnved For RPIPasP 2n16/OR/14 ? ('IA-Rf1PRRRftft7f;ARfflf14fflf17fNl7ft-R Approved For Release 2006/Q6Pl4 :,'C, t'86B0026 25X1 25X1 A major issue arises in connection with changes of such scope and magnitude. It is whether we should attempt to make the reforms now, or await more general reorganization and al- low the head of the community to exercise his judgment and authority in instituting them. Our current judgment is that reductions of this magnitude should be attempted only after .a organization has significantly improved the capabilities of the community to direct, control, and monitor program Annrnvarl Fnr RaI ca 7nn1/nA/1 ? ('IA_Rn-nRAFtnn')RQPnnnAnnn7nn^)n Q Approved For Release 2006/0q/,,l ?86BOO26gRO00400070020-8 changes. We also believe that the economies should be ef- fected over a period of years. Without these two conditions, the reductions could prove illusory or trar_si~.nt, and a heavy price in disruption and lowered morale might follow. It should be noted that the anticipated savings come primarily from collection activities; major analytical and estimating capabilities are not affected. Their improvement is the subject of the next section. Approved For Release 2006/c 69114 :d-1A l l YP86B0026!R000400070020-8 IX. TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCT Much of the emphasis by the intelligence community and the bulk of its resources go to the high technology necessary to overcome barriers to information in the USSR and China. Yet this stress on the technology of collection -- admittedly important -- comes at a time when improved analysis is even more important. Because of the keener competition from the Soviets, and the narrowing gap in relative resources devoted to defense, the U. S. must refine its evaluation of foreign capabilities, intentions, activities, and doctrines rather than assume that it has the resources to insure against all possibilities. The community must also impr~ove'its?'current political esti- mates and find ways of becoming more responsive to-national consumers and their concerns. important improvements in performance may be-feasible without major. reorganization. But preliminary investigation suggests that higher quality is much more likely to come about within the framework of a coherently organized com- munity which is focused on improving output rather than in- put. Indeed, it seems a fair assumption that the President would be willing to rebate some o the potential savings from the community if he had any hope of improved performance as .a consequence. As of now, however, he has no such assurance Annrnvarl Fnr Rala.qca 9nnI/hA/1a ? ('I PnASU-;Rnnl)rQPnnnnnmmr'lnnn 0 Approved For Release 2006IO ij : J -il J '86B0026 and may reasonably argue ;.hat, for current performance, he should at least obtain the benefit of lower costs. Evern if we knew how.to measure the benefits of intelli- gence, it would be difficult to relate specific changes in programs to improvements in performance. Nonetheless, ex- perienced observers believe that. the following steps -- all of them comparatively inexpensive --.should increase the use- fulness of the product to the.national leadership: ? Major consumer representation to and within the in- telligence community, perhaps through a restructured USIB, a high-level consumer council, or other insti- tution4lized ways of~conununicating consumer needs, priorities,.. and evaluations to intelligence producers. ? Assessment of the intelligence product through quality control and product evaluation sections within the production organizations themselves. 0 Upgrading existing analytical centers to increase the competition of ideas, including a DIA with improved organization and staffing as a major competitor to CIA in the area of military intelligence. 0 Periodic reviews by outsiders of*intelligence products. of ,the main working hypotheses within the community, and of analytical methods being used. TOP. SECRET Approved For Release 2006A OM P : 86B0026 A net assessment group established at the national level which.,.alcng with the NSSM process, will keep questioning the community and challenging it to re- fine and support its hypotheses. ? Stronger incentives -to attract good analysts, better career opportunities to hold them as analysts instead of forcing them to.become supervisors in order to achieve promotion, and a more effective use of per- sonnel already trained and experienced in intelli ? Increased resources and improved organization_ai ar- rangements within the' antl.]igence community for research on'-improved methods of analysis and esti- mation. It is probably premature to recommend the detailed measures necessary to improve the quality and scope of the intelligence product. In the near future, this issue should be considered at greater length by the leadership of a re- organized community. Indeed, the leadership should be specifically charged with the task of product improvement as a matter of the hic-_est priority. What steps will prove feasible will depend on the particular type of reorganization TOP SECRET AnnrnwP 1 Fnr RPIPacP 7nDRIORL1a - ris_RnpRRRnn7F;apnn(lannn7nn'3n_fd Approved For Release 2006/06 Cik - 86B00269R solected, and, in the present circumstances, it may be well to be guided in the choice by considerations of economy in the.use of resources. But it should be stressed, in con- clusion, that improvement of.the product, at current budget levels is simply another way of achieving the efficiency that is so desperately needed within the intelligence community as it is presently constituted. MORI THIS PAGE TOP SECRET Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 ly~ 11 u t(. p WY Lw W 'f U COMMENTS ON "A REVIEW OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY' 1. The Review raises, on behalf of the President, a valid basis fo_, examining the intelligence community, with the objectives of improving the overall quality of intelligence products and reducing the community's size and cost. While there may be differences of opinion as to the cause's of, and solutions to, the problems the Review describes, it is worth our most serious consideration to see what we can do to bring about the desired improvements. 2. The principal thrust of the Review deals with resource control and management, and it is here that the most significant improvements can be made. The law, Presidential letters, and other directives have been silent as to the role the Director of Central Intelligence was to play in resource management. Lacking clear direction toward a stronger position regarding resource requirements and allocation, the evaluation of their effectiveness, the selection of new systems, and the phasing out of the old, the Director has had little basis to balance his coordinating authority over substance with a comparable authority over resources. The Review quite properly recognizes that ercent of 25X1 the total resources are funded and controlled by the Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense must therefore be very heavily involved in any changes directed toward improvement in resource management and Approved For Release 2006/06/14: CIA-RDP86B00269R000400070020-8 M 3. The Secretary of Defense has made a good bed ;:nnimg in Secretary of Defense Z or li~...x tYni ut3'G'ition al o for cLor:sbn ting intelligence. In his poste -c statement of 9 1971, the c c C.: 8'y of Defense recon . trended t'k3