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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will be receiving national security advice directly from former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as the White House weighs critical foreign policy decisions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other hot spots.
Obama announced Wednesday that Hagel will serve as co-chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, along with former Sen. David Boren, D-Okla.
Hagel said he expects a major focus of the board to be the continuing integration of the country's intelligence-gathering operations.
He recalled senators gathering for briefings in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and being told by the directors of the CIA and FBI that the agencies had no real way to communicate with one another.
“All 100 senators were shocked as to what we heard,” Hagel said.
The 9/11 attacks represented a breakdown of the U.S. intelligence and national security systems, Hagel said, with turf battles preventing the various intelligence agencies from properly sharing information.
Although much progress has been made on those problems, more is necessary, Hagel said. He added that there are also gaps between U.S. intelligence operations and those of its allies overseas.
“We must integrate into their systems,” he said. “Their systems must integrate into ours.”
Hagel has long been rumored to be in line for a spot in the Obama administration, although speculation has tended to focus on higher-profile positions, such as secretary of defense.
Hagel, who became an outspoken critic of the George W. Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, said Wednesday that there were considerable gaps in the intelligence related to Iraq.
Despite personal ties to Republican nominee John McCain, Hagel never endorsed a candidate in last year's presidential election. Hagel's wife publicly supported Obama.
In the middle of the presidential campaign, Hagel took a high-profile trip with Obama to Afghanistan and Iraq — a trip viewed by some as tacit support for Obama's candidacy.
Obama referred to that trip when he announced Wednesday that Hagel would be leading the advisory board.
“Chuck understands that accurate and timely intelligence is essential for effective foreign policy ... and I came to appreciate his sound judgments in our travels together overseas, including to Iraq and Afghanistan,” Obama said.
The president said he expects Hagel and the rest of the national security team to provide candid advice on the accuracy and effectiveness of U.S. intelligence operations.
Hagel's new position is unpaid, and he said he will continue in his other roles: as chairman of the Atlantic Council, as a distinguished professor at Georgetown University and as a member of the policy board that offers advice to the secretary of defense.
Past chairmen of the advisory board include former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft under President George W. Bush, former House Speaker Thomas Foley under President Bill Clinton and former Texas Sen. John Tower under President George H.W. Bush.
Hagel said quality intelligence is particularly important as the threats facing the United States evolve. He said the days of nations facing off on battlefields with high-tech military hardware have been replaced with threats such as suicide bombers and trucks loaded with dynamite.
“Our intelligence agencies now must adapt to something here that we've never seen before,” Hagel said.
Contact the writer:
202-662-7270, joe.morton@owh.com
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