REPORT OF WORKING GROUP ON OPERATIONS CENTERS, INFORMATION FLOWS, ETC.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01737A000700020001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 13, 1973
• Content Type: MF

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13 April 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: CIA Management Committee
SUBJECT Report of Working Group on Operations
Centers, Information Flows, etc.
1. Attached herewith is the Working Group re-
port. A second report will deal with the reports
function.
2. We recommend the transformation of the pres-
ent Operations Center into a true Operations Center,
using the full data-processing facilities of the
Agency as they develop. Our specific recommendations
are in Paragraphs 18-21. If accepted, they will pro-
vide a single, central point for:
--Scanning of electrical narrative traffic
arriving in Headquarters from all sources
for items of immediate concern.
--Alerting of senior Agency officials, ac-
tion officers, and external consumers.
--Selection of important traffic for senior
Agency officers.
--Response to queries from other govern-
ment agencies when no established channel
exists.
--Crisis management and task force activ-
ities.
--Monitoring of all Agency activities in
non-duty hours.
3. We believe the steps recommended for im-
mediate action (Phase 1) with the exception of the
recommendation (181) to negotiate a National Intel-
ligence Operations Center, are desirable in themselves
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and will meet these objectives in the short term.
NIOC, however desirable, will probably not be ob-
tainable unless a decision is made to continue into
Phase III (computerized dissemination system). On
the other hand, the Agency can, and we believe should,
proceed toward Phase III whether or not NIOC is es-
tablished.
4. We are agreed on our recommendations as they
stand, but we believe there is an issue which the
Management Committee itself should decide. The last
point in Para 2 uses the word "monitoring." The
Committee should decide whether this should be "com-
mand," "control," "supervise," "monitor," "be cognizant
of," or whatever. The problem is not semantic; it is
whether the Deputies want to impose a command struc-
ture, however nominal, over their various non-duty
hours activities. An orderly mind would argue that
there should be such a structure: the rebuttal is
that we have gone along very wel without. My view
is that the present arrangement would suffice if we
never had to face another major crisis, but October
1962 should have taught us that haphazard arrange-
ments,will not hold up under real stress.
5. DDM&S has decided not to have a duty officer
because of the presence of duty officers in several
of his components. These officers are in contact with
the Operations Center, however, and the practical ar-
rangements are workable.
6. We believe our recommendations are adaptable
to any major changes in the Agency structure that may
be coming, but changes in detail will of course be
necessary.
7. Estimated costs can be summarized as follows: 25X1A
Phase I - A maximum of 20 people to man four
24-hour positions (six of these are absorb-
able; ten are interim); approximately
25X1A in one-time costs; no space.
Phase II - No additional CIA personnel;
in one-time-costs, depend-
ing on study of FMSAC/SSOC move (these
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estimates are tentative); 3,000-5,000 square
feet of space.
Phase III - Dependent on CDS.
8. We recognize the bind on space. Recommenda-
tion 18j can only be carried out by displacing SAVA,
although as a temporary quick fix some.OCI staff space
across the corridor from the present Center could be
cleared.
9. The Report has five annexes.
--Annex A is our charter from the Manage-
ment Committee.
--Annex B is the notebook containing an in-
ventory of Agency centers and their inter-
relations.
--Annex C is an initial estimate of resource
requirements.
--Annex D contains specific recommendations
for disposition of the Agency's secondary
24-hour centers.
--Annex E is the NIOC prospectus of 8 Janu-
ary. (The cost estimates in this paper are
out of date and should be ignored.)
25X1A
Richard Lehman
Director of Current Intelligence
"3r
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