Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 6, 1992 TAG: 9202060062
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
PLAN UNVEILED IN CONGRESS FOR STRONGER SPY CHIEF
The chairmen of Congress' intelligence committees on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping reorganization plan to put all of America's worldwide spy operations under a new and stronger intelligence chief.The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. David Boren, and his House counterpart, Rep. Dave McCurdy, both Oklahoma Democrats, said their proposal was an attempt to stimulate bolder action from the Bush administration as it conducts its own study of U.S. intelligence.
The proposed restructuring of agencies from the CIA to military intelligence and electronic spying was aimed at reshaping America's intelligence capability to fit a post-Cold-War world.
"The world has changed, and the intelligence community must change with it," Boren said.
The announcement received a bland CIA response, which noted past statements by agency Director Robert Gates about the need for reforming the intelligence agencies.
The statement said Gates is considering a variety of sweeping recommendations from various task forces he had created and "looks forward" to working with the oversight committees.
Among Congress' proposed changes are:
Creating a national intelligence center whose director would be what McCurdy termed an intelligence "czar with teeth," with stronger authority over collection, analysis and clandestine operations than the CIA director has now.
Cutting the CIA in half, limiting its activities to clandestine human spying and covert operations.
Abolishing the supersecret National Reconnaissance Office, which designs, launches and operates signals and photo satellites. In its place would be the National Imagery Agency, which would collect and analyze satellite pictures.