The Department Develops Its Own Professional Intelligence Workforce

The Department and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) have come a long way since I arrived in late 2005, when we could only provide our workforce with external training classes offered by the Intelligence Community (IC). Our Intelligence Training Branch has grown since then, and has begun to develop homeland security-centric courses for our DHS intelligence personnel and our state, local and tribal partners at our own Homeland Security Intelligence Training Center in Ashburn, Va. In fact, the Training Branch was recently a recipient of the Secretary’s award for team excellence.

Professional development opportunities are essential to recruit, develop and retain a cadre of intelligence professionals, who possess standardized knowledge and competencies across the DHS intelligence enterprise. These professional development opportunities help to build a common culture among our departmental intelligence workforce; and also to provide for enhanced collaboration among the intelligence offices of the department’s components.

To support DHS’ diverse intelligence mission, I directed the Training Branch in late 2005 to begin a number of strategic planning activities to strengthen departmental intelligence capabilities. One key area requiring substantial attention is the training and development of the Department’s entry-level intelligence professional workforce. To that end, the Training Branch has developed (or is in the process of developing) the following courses:

• Principles of Intelligence Writing and Briefing
• Critical Thinking and Analytic Methods
• Vulnerabilities and Threat Risk Assessment
• Intelligence Enterprise/Intelligence Community Overview
• Law Enforcement Intelligence Operations

All of the above intelligence training courses are less than one week in length and are delivered by well-qualified instructors. They are open to personnel in the DHS intelligence enterprise and to our state, local and tribal partners. These courses, set within a homeland security-centric exercise framework, make up our five-week, entry-level Basic Intelligence and Threat Analysis Course (BITAC), which confers a Homeland Security Intelligence Officer designation. The BITAC has the added benefit of offering unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and networking across the DHS intelligence enterprise. I am pleased to say that a study that compared BITAC to the national Intelligence Community’s Analysis 101 course found that BITAC met the analytic standards of Intelligence Community Directive Number 203.

To date, the Training Branch has offered five iterations of the five-week course, reaching 110 students from across the DHS intelligence enterprise, including state and local personnel, and even a student from the Canadian government. The first BITAC was piloted in January 2007, and the most recent was completed in November 2008. BITAC has proven popular with the enterprise components, and I&A has received rave reviews for the guest speakers, the curriculum, and the instructors. I’ve had the pleasure of addressing several of the BITAC graduations, where I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the young DHS intelligence officers.

As a follow-on to BITAC, I am proud to say that we completed our first pilot of the Mid-career Intelligence and Threat Analysis Course (MITAC) on Sept. 26, 2008, with 16 journeyman-level students. MITAC was developed as a response to a request from DHS intelligence enterprise chiefs for an enterprise-wide training program to meet the needs of our mid-career intelligence workforce. MITAC is the next step in a DHS intelligence enterprise professional’s career development. Unlike BITAC’s modular format, this course is designed in a block format around critical leadership skills, as follows:

■ Block 1 – Collaboration
■ Block 2 – Best practices
■ Block 3 – Critical thinking
■ Block 4 – Mentoring and communication
■ Block 5 – Applications and exercises

I am pleased to take this next step in establishing a uniform training regimen for all department intelligence professionals. We are looking forward to holding three more BITACs and three MITACs in FY 2009. In addition, another next step following MITAC will be the Senior Intelligence Leaders Course, which is planned for the future.

In addition to training BITAC and MITAC at our Homeland Security Intelligence Training Center, we have also taught 30 analysts in Critical Thinking and Analytic Methods (CTAM) and Principles of Intelligence Writing and Briefing. The five-day CTAM course teaches the basic analytical methods and critical thinking skills required to meet the IC Analytic Standards in a collaborative, homeland security-centric environment. For FY 2009, I am pleased that we will be able to offer four more CTAM courses and two more Principles of Intelligence Writing and Briefings courses.

We are also working to implement the intelligence training provisions from the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 through courses like the BITAC and MITAC in order to establish a common intelligence culture and intelligence-officer skill sets throughout the department. In addition to these two programs, for example, we have partnered with the DHS Office of Security to provide department employees with platforms to develop an understanding of critical types of information and intelligence that can enhance their on-the-job effectiveness.

Our state, local and tribal partners who wish to take any of our courses, such as BITAC and MITAC, are provided assistance from the Grant Programs Directorate within the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These courses are provided at no cost to our partners, and the Grant Programs Directorate may provide grants that cover the cost of travel. This has provided a wonderful opportunity for our state, local and tribal partners to develop and further their analytical skills.

We have also instituted Intelligence Oversight training for everyone (federal employees, contractors, and detailees) who is assigned or detailed to I&A. This is mandatory training to ensure that the constitutional rights and privacy of U.S. persons are protected. In addition, we also have a dozen other web-based training opportunities in such diverse topics as Ethics, Computer Security, Sensitive Compartment Information Refresher, Operations Security, and Equal Employment Opportunity that have been made available through the Training Branch’s registrar desk. These courses are mandatory for I&A personnel, but are available for anyone in DHS who wants to take Web-based professional development courses.

The natural complement to an effective training program is an aggressive effort to retain talented employees through professional development programs. I&A participates in several formal programs, including the joint Intelligence Community duty assignments program and the DHS intelligence rotational assignment program. We are also providing opportunities for our people to take high-caliber leadership and management courses, to participate in Office of Personnel Management and IC professional development training, and to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s-level degree program. I&A has an excellent relationship with the National Defense Intelligence College, which accepts DHS employees for pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Intelligence or a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence. These are outstanding educational opportunities that are provided at no cost to I&A federal employees.

I am also enthusiastic about offering the Pat Roberts Intelligence Scholarship Program to new employees. In the past two years, I&A was granted 10 such scholarships annually for our employees who are new (within two years) to the IC. These scholarships are worth $25,000 each and can be used to finance continuing education or to pay off existing college loans. This has proven to be a wonderful tool to retain good employees.

We look forward to improving upon our successful training program this year and to continue developing I&A’s employees professionally because we understand that only well-trained professionals can produce the intelligence our leaders need to keep America safe.

Charlie Allen
Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis and Chief Intelligence Officer

The Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Community of Interest

What began as a pilot program between the department and six states two years ago has grown into the first nationwide network of intelligence analysts focused on homeland security ever created in the United States. It is called the Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Community of Interest (HS SLIC), and it allows intelligence analysts in 45 states, the District of Columbia and seven federal agencies to share sensitive homeland security intelligence information and analysis on a daily basis. We expect it to expand to all 50 states soon, and become a key element of the National Fusion Center Network that I wrote about earlier.

When I came to the Department in late 2005, DHS did not have a dedicated intelligence information sharing channel with the intelligence analysts at the state and local fusion centers. I asked my staff to travel to the leading fusion centers around the country to understand and document their requirements for a direct partnership with the department's integrated intelligence enterprise.

When President Bush issued guidelines for information sharing between the federal and state and local governments in December 2005, I asked my staff to develop a pilot program that would meet these requirements and enable federal, state and local intelligence professions to gather and share accurate and timely intelligence information and strategic analysis that would help protect nation. From March to September 2006, we tested this program with six states – Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Virginia. The pilot demonstrated that a full, open and equal partnership among federal, state, and local intelligence professionals could be developed and trusted by all its members.

With the support of the pilot states — their fusion center and intelligence leadership and the respective homeland security advisers — we have turned that pilot into the Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Community of Interest (HS SLIC). Today, intelligence analysts from the homeland security, intelligence and law enforcement communities in 45 states, the District of Columbia and seven federal agencies share sensitive homeland security intelligence information and analyses on a daily basis. The HS SLIC enables them to meet, avert or respond to current, emerging and future threats to homeland security.

Every week, HS SLIC members meet virtually via a secure Internet portal to discuss emergent threats and analytic topics. Annually, DHS also hosts a national HS SLIC analytic conference and regional conferences at the classified level to discuss important analytic topics and threat trends, such as border security or threats to critical infrastructure. And most importantly, all of this collaboration is being done securely while supporting and upholding federal, state and local laws and policies to protect civil liberties and the privacy rights of our citizens.

By all accounts, the HS SLIC "virtual community" has been a tremendous success. Information is shared as never before, and shared responsibly; state and local needs for information are being met; analytic products are being jointly written; and analysts are seeing trends and patterns across information stovepipes that they were not able to see before. Together with the DHS State and Local Fusion Center program and its deployment of DHS intelligence officers and intelligence technology to the fusion centers, the HS SLIC has made significant strides toward increasing the flow of intelligence information and collaborative analysis at all levels of government. The beneficiary is the American people we all serve.

Charlie Allen
Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and Chief Intelligence Officer

Arabic Speakers Graduate from Innovative Internship

Attracting Arabic speakers is one of the federal government’s most pressing needs. Since 9/11, senior leaders in the Administration, Congressional committees, blue ribbon panels such as the 9/11 Commission and media reports have emphasized that there is an unacceptable shortage of federal employees who speak Arabic. The Department decided to tackle this problem in a very practical way – in partnership with the FBI and the George Washington University, we created the “National Security Internship” program. Today, August 7, we graduate our first class of 21 students.

The National Security Internship program is not just another typical summer program for young people looking to get experience in Washington. It is an intensive, nine week, full-immersion program that combines studies in Arabic, homeland security, and intelligence with on-the-job training at the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. The students earned twelve college credits through George Washington University through this demanding program.

To even qualify for the program, students had to pass rigorous language tests and demonstrate a basic proficiency in the language. The National Security Internship was also restricted to applicants who were able to qualify for a top-secret clearance, which was investigated and adjudicated by the FBI.

Every morning, the students took language and security courses at the university. Every afternoon, the students worked at either the FBI’s intelligence division or DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (two students worked at TSA headquarters).

The objective of the program is to create a direct career path for these students, and others like them who will follow in upcoming years, into DHS and the FBI. With their language skills, academic studies, work experience, and security clearances, these students are prepared to make major contributions immediately upon their graduation.

It is important to note that it is not just the language skills that we need – there is also a great need for the cultural competencies that “heritage speakers” bring. This program does not seek to create a cadre of linguists. Rather, it aims to increase the pool of young people entering federal service who are culturally proficient, speak a foreign language, and have a demonstrated interest in public service.

We need more people in the federal workforce who have a deep knowledge of the culture, the history and the traditions of people who speak Arabic. For example, a CBP officer who speaks Arabic and implicitly understands the culture will be more effective in screening travelers who have just arrived on a flight from Riyadh. An ICE officer who speaks Arabic and understands the commercial life in that region of the world will be more effective in investigating the flow of money to terrorist networks.

In future years, we can expand the program to students who will study Farsi, Mandarin, Urdu, and other specialized languages that are in short supply within the federal workforce.

One of the most satisfying elements of the program has been our close partnership with the FBI. Working with Assistant Director John Raucci and his extraordinary team has been a pleasure. By collaborating, we have seen the increased efficiencies that come from pooling our recruiting, community relations, procurement and security clearance efforts. There is no doubt that this joint project has deepened the working relationships between our two agencies.

In addition to their studies, the interns have met with Cong. Darrell Issa, FBI Director Mueller, DHS Undersecretary for Intelligence Charlie Allen, DHS Chief of Staff Chad Sweet, and others who have cast a vision for the need for government professionals with their backgrounds, skills and experiences.

We expect that many of the 21 students who participated this summer will, in the upcoming years, begin careers in the federal government. If we are able to retain even 10 new Arabic speakers each year, we will make a major impact on both DHS and FBI. Within only a few years we will have doubled the size of the entire Arabic speaking workforce in these agencies. Seeing the success of this innovative program will no doubt be a catalyst for other efforts like it.

We are already beginning to recruit for next year, and information on the program is available at www.nationalsecurityinternship.com. We pass along our congratulations to the graduating students for a job well done through a very hectic summer, and look forward to future classes of students who will help make our country more secure.

Daniel W. Sutherland
Office of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

A National Fusion Center Network

The Department and states have made a lot of progress in making the State and Local Fusion Center Program -- a key provision of the 9/11 Commission Implementation Act -- a success in the last three years. Now we are committed to building on that success by supporting the implementation of a National Fusion Center Network.

What do I mean by that? Working with our colleagues in the Department of Justice, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Program Manager-Information Sharing Environment, the National Fusion Center Network strategy will connect more than 50 state and major city fusion centers and the federal government in a partnership to protect America.

I envision a community of state, local and federal intelligence and law enforcement professionals working together – supported by appropriate tools – to achieve a common goal: protection of the nation.

These men and women would leverage federal as well as state and local networks; move relevant information and intelligence quickly; and enable rapid analytic and operational judgments. That is what this National Fusion Center Network is all about.

Our ability to move, analyze and act on information is our greatest strength. We must use the network and the information in that network to push our defensive perimeter outward. That’s what the National Fusion Center Network will do for us.

We in the federal government recognize that state and local authorities have been working at this for years. We, particularly those of us in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and the rest of the National Intelligence Community, must aggressively support the states in this endeavor and become a committed partner in creating the National Fusion Center Network.

That is exactly what we are doing.

Intelligence officers equipped with exiting capabilities are helping local authorities as needed and appropriate. In addition, information once only available in cities and states can be shared with the federal government and used to protect the nation as a whole.

This is all very new and different for the Intelligence Community. We are working hard to educate ourselves on the information needs of our state, local and tribal partners, as well as increase our ability to provide them information.

And we all must do this while paying the utmost respect to the civil liberties and privacy of our citizens.

Creating this National Fusion Center Network is a challenging but achievable task. We are doing many things for the first time, and will likely make mistakes. But we will learn from those mistakes, do better, and create what the country should have had before 9/11.

Charlie Allen

Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis