For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 6, 2004
Fact Sheet: Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction
Presidential Action:
- Intelligence collection has always been difficult against closed,
highly secretive, and regimented societies that actively seek to
conceal their conduct through denial and deception. The technical
challenges for the collection and analysis of intelligence on weapons
of mass destruction programs -- especially concerning programs carried
out by rogue states and terrorist organizations -- are even more
difficult and more complex than at any time in the past.
- To address this changing threat to our Nation, the President has
ordered a thorough review of the way our Nation collects, analyzes, and
disseminates intelligence information related to weapons of mass
destruction.
- The President's Executive Order establishes an independent and
bipartisan Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United
States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
- The President has appointed a distinguished group of experts to the Commission:
- Charles S. Robb (Co-Chair), former Senator and Governor of
Virginia. Senator Robb served on the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence, among many other committees and responsibilities in the
Senate. He also served in the Marine Corps.
- Judge Laurence H. Silberman (Co-Chair), senior Judge on the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, appointed in 1985 by
President Reagan. Judge Silberman has served as Deputy Attorney
General, Ambassador to Yugoslavia, and Solicitor of the Department of
Labor, among other government positions. From 1981 to 1985, he served
as a member of the General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and
Disarmament and served on the Department of Defense Policy Board.
- Senator John McCain, of Arizona. Senator McCain is a decorated
veteran, serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and possesses
extraordinary experience concerning the intelligence community.
- Lloyd Cutler, former Counsel to President Carter and President
Clinton. He also served as Special Counsel on Ratification of the
Salt II Treaty and Senior Consultant to the President's Commission on Strategic Forces in 1983-84.
- Richard Levin, President of Yale University. He has served since
1993 as President of Yale.
- Admiral William Studeman was Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from 1992 to 1995. He previously served as Director of Naval
Intelligence and Director of the National Security Agency.
- Judge Patricia Wald, former Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the D.C. Circuit, appointed by President Carter. She also served as
a Judge representing the United States on the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
- The Commission will have the access, funding, and time needed to
conduct a full and thorough review.
Mission:
The President has charged the Commission to:
- Assess whether the intelligence community is sufficiently authorized, organized, equipped, trained, and resourced to identify and warn in a timely manner of, and to support U.S. Government efforts to respond to, the development and transfer of knowledge, expertise, technologies, materials, and resources associated with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, related means of delivery, and other related threats of the 21st Century and their employment by foreign powers (including terrorists, terrorist organizations, and private networks, or other entities or
individuals).
- Examine the capabilities and challenges of the intelligence
community to collect, process, analyze, produce, and disseminate
information concerning the capabilities, intentions, and activities of
foreign powers (including terrorists, terrorist organizations, and
private networks, or other entities or individuals) relating to the
design, development, manufacture, acquisition, possession,
proliferation, transfer, testing, potential or threatened use, or use
of weapons of mass destruction, related means of delivery, and other
related threats of the 21st Century.
- Examine the intelligence prior to the initiation of Operation Iraqi
Freedom and compare it with the findings of the Iraq Survey Group and
other relevant agencies or organizations concerning the capabilities,
intentions, and activities of Iraq relating to the design, development,
manufacture, acquisition, possession, proliferation, transfer, testing,
potential or threatened use, or use of weapons of mass destruction and
related means of delivery.
- Evaluate the challenges of obtaining information regarding the design, development, manufacture, acquisition, possession, proliferation, transfer, testing, potential or threatened use, or use of weapons of mass destruction, related means of delivery, and other related threats of the 21st Century in closed societies.
- Compare the intelligence community's intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction programs and other related threats of the 21st Century in Libya prior to its recent decision to open its programs to
international scrutiny, and in Afghanistan prior to removal of the
Taliban government with the current assessments of organizations
presently examining those programs.
- The Commission will have full and complete access to relevant
information in the possession, custody or control of any executive
department or agency to the maximum extent permitted by law.
- The Commission will report its findings and recommendations to the
President by March 31, 2005.
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