Acquisition: House Intelligence Committee Perspective

1
Acquisition House Intelligence Committee
Perspective

• Stacey A. Dixon, Ph.D.
• U.S. House of Representatives
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

2
Agenda

• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  (HPSCI) overview
• HPSCI acquisition concerns
• Documented in FY 2008 Intelligence Authorization
  Bill (H.R. 2082)

3
HPSCI Overview

• Establishment
• Jurisdiction
• Duties
• Subcommittees
• Oversight
• Membership

4
HPSCI Establishment

• House Resolution 658 established the HPSCI on
  July 14, 1977
• Outlines the jurisdiction and makeup of the
  committee
• HPSCI is constituted in the House Rules for each
  Congress

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HPSCI Jurisdiction

• Intelligence and intelligence-related activities
• The organization, or reorganization of any
  department or agency that performs
  intelligence-related activities
• Direct and indirect authorizations of any
  department or agency that performs
  intelligence-related activities

6
National Intelligence Program

• Office of the Director of National Intelligence
• Central Intelligence Agency
• Department of Defense
• Defense Intelligence Agency
• National Security Agency
• Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
• Coast Guard
• Department of State
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Energy
• Department of Justice
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Drug Enforcement Administration
• National Reconnaissance Office
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Department of Homeland Security

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What does the HPSCI do?

• Review and assess Administrations intelligence
  community budget request
• Authorize funds for intelligence agencies and
  activities
• Conduct oversight of intelligence agencies and
  activities

8
Subcommittee Structure

• Terrorism/HUMINT, Analysis and Counterintelligence
  
• Technical and Tactical Intelligence
• Intelligence Community Management
• Oversight and Investigations

9
HPSCI Membership

• Chairman Silvestre Reyes, TX
• Vice Chairman Alcee L. Hastings, FL
• Ranking member Peter Hoekstra, MI

Leonard L. Boswell , IA Robert E. (Bud) Cramer,
Jr, AL Anna G. Eshoo , CA Rush D. Holt, NJ C.A.
Dutch Ruppersberger, MD John Tierney, MA Mike
Thompson, CA Jan Schakowsky, IL Jim Langevin,
RI Patrick Murphy, PA
Terry Everett, AL Elton Gallegly, CA Heather
Wilson, NM Mac Thornberry, TX John McHugh, NY
Todd Tiahrt, KS Mike Rogers, MI Darrell Issa, CA
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HPSCI Staff

• Program monitors are assigned to each agency
• Most have experience at intelligence community
  agencies
• Some have extensive Congressional experience

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HPSCI budget authorization timeline
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How else does HPSCI build its body of knowledge?

• Committee and Subcommittee hearings briefings
• Agency and contractor visits
• Fact-finding trips
• Studies of intelligence capabilities, strategies,
  plans, and challenges
• Personal relationships

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FY08 HPSCI Budget Hearings

• National Intelligence Program overview
• Military Intelligence Program overview
• Facilities and Infrastructure
• Signals Intelligence
• Geospatial Intelligence
• Counterintelligence
• Integration of Domestic Intelligence
• Research Development and Systems Acquisition
• Personnel and Security
• Human Intelligence
• All-Source Analysis and Analytic Tradecraft
• Covert Action

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Agency reporting mechanisms

• Congressional Budget Justification Books
• Annual reports
• Legislated Congressionally Directed Actions
• Questions for the Record
• Program status updates
• Congressional notifications

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Congressional Notifications

• Mandatory occurrences
• System failures causing mission interruption
• Budgetary reprogramming
• Announcement of new initiatives

• Dear Mom Dad,
• Camp is great.
• Send more cookies.

Congress
The program
money
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Why should you care what the HPSCI thinks about
acquisition?

• The HPSCI has a unique perspective on acquisition
• The Committee
• Looks across programs and sees common acquisition
  issues
• Sees all intelligence related budgets, and budget
  overruns for major programs
• Determines what programs should be authorized

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Budget mark-up tools

• Budgetary changes
• Add, cut, fence
• Reporting requirements
• Congressionally Directed Action
• Report or study
• Overarching concerns
• General provisions

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House Resolution 2082Intelligence Authorization
Act of 2008

• Authorizes U.S. intelligence and
  intelligence-related activities under the
  jurisdiction of the HPSCI

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H.R. 2082 Key Points

• Largest intelligence authorization bill
• Strengthens HUMINT
• Includes strong accountability measures
• Promotes efficiency
• Enhances oversight

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Parts of H.R. 2082

• Unclassified legislative provisions
• Unclassified general provisions
• Found in HPSCI Committee Report 110-131 in the
  Intelligence Library on HPSCI website
• http//intelligence.house.gov/
• Classified annex

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H.R. 2082 Current status

• The House of Representatives debated H.R. 2082 on
  10 May 2007
• The Bill passed on 11 May 2007

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H.R. 2082 Next steps

• Awaiting Authorization conference with Senate
  Select Committee on Intelligence
• Awaiting signature by the President following
  Authorization conference
• Watching passage of House and Senate
  Appropriations Committees Bills, conference, and
  signature into law

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H.R. 2082 HPSCI general provisions on
acquisition

• Major Systems Acquisitions
• Intelligence Program Management
• Advanced Research and Development
• Space Acquisition Personnel
• Accountability in Intelligence Contracting

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H.R. 2082 Major Systems Acquisitions Concerns 1
of 2

• Classroom vs. on-the-job training of personnel
• Lack of effective mentoring
• Contractor incentives
• Awards that do not reflect poor performance
  outcomes
• Fast rotation of program managers
• Lack of continuity
• Insufficient overlap
• Ignoring poor program management practices
• Frequent changes in baselines that impede
  performance tracking

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H.R. 2082 Major Systems Acquisitions Concerns 2
of 2

• Contractors managing contractors
• Effectiveness of firewalls
• Inefficient use of contractors
• Buying full time equivalents vs. deliverables
• Smaller industrial base
• Less independence and less competition

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H.R. 2082 Intelligence Program Management
Concerns

• Lack of consistent risk management
• Need standards, practices, and procedures to
  balance cost, schedule, and performance
• Many programs are over cost, behind schedule, and
  do not achieve key performance parameters
• Notification to Congress is delayed
• Critical when programs exceed funding by a
  specific
• Is a solution based on the Nunn-McCurdy Amendment
  of 1982 a possibility?
• Updates needed on total program acquisition costs

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H.R. 2082 Advanced Research and Development
Concerns

• Balance of near-term vs. long-term efforts
• Coordination, de-confliction, and prioritization
  of RD
• Alignment of RD with overarching strategy
• Transitioning technology to operations

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H.R. 2082 Space Acquisition Personnel Concerns

• Fast rotation of uniformed personnel
• Impacts program acquisitions
• Apparent focus on breadth vs. depth
• Impacts from military force reduction
• Example Air Force reduction on NRO
• Space cadre with limited time in space systems
• Acquisition other specialties

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H.R. 2082 Accountability in Intelligence
Contracting

• Requires the Director of National Intelligence
  to
• Inform congress of any corporate entity or
  employee investigated or under investigation by
  Inspector General in preceding fiscal year
• For waste, fraud, abuse of government resources,
  failure to perform, or criminal violations

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Other HPSCI acquisition red flags

• Lack of trade studies to support selected
  solution
• Designs with immature technologies
• Leaps in technology not supported by requirements
• Un-validated requirements
• Relaxed requirements accompanied by cost and
  schedule growth
• Relaxed milestone entrance/exit criteria

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Summary

• The FY 2008 Intelligence Authorization Bill (H.R.
  2082) was passed by the House
• H.R. 2082 is the largest intelligence
  authorization
• H.R. 2082 strengthens intelligence and Congresss
  ability to perform oversight
• HPSCI members and staff are engaged and eager to
  support the intelligence community

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Final words

• HPSCI members and staff have great respect for
  the men and women who serve as acquisition
  professionals in the defense intelligence
  community
• The nations security and technological advantage
  depend on your daily efforts

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• Questions?