Enhanced Security And Intelligence Measures To Make Up For "Human Errors"

President Barack Obama Thursday outlined his administrations' efforts to beef up intelligence and security systems in the wake of a failed attempt to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.

"In our ever-changing world, America's first line of defense is timely, accurate intelligence that is shared, integrated, analyzed, and acted upon quickly and effectively," Obama said in his prepared remarks.  "That's what the intelligence reforms after the 9/11 attacks largely achieved. That's what our intelligence community does every day.  But, unfortunately, that's not what happened in the lead-up to Christmas Day.  It's now clear that shortcomings occurred in three broad and compounding ways"

The President cited the failure of the intelligence community to follow up on and prioritize particular streams of intelligence related to a possible attack against the homeland, a failure to connect the dots of intelligence that existed across our intelligence community and which, together, could have revealed that Abdulmutallab was planning an attack, and shortcomings in the watch-listing system which resulted in this person not being placed on the "no fly" list, thereby allowing him to board that plane in Amsterdam for Detroit.

Obama recommended a series of "correctional steps" to address the issue.  "I'm directing that our intelligence community immediately begin assigning specific responsibility for investigating all leads on high-priority threats so that these leads are pursued and acted upon aggressively -- not just most of the time, but all of the time," he said.  "We must follow the leads that we get.  And we must pursue them until plots are disrupted.  And that mean assigning clear lines of responsibility."

"Second, I'm directing that intelligence reports, especially those involving potential threats to the United States, be distributed more rapidly and more widely.  We can't sit on information that could protect the American people."

White House Photo

"Third, I'm directing that we strengthen the analytical process," he continued, "how our analysis -- how our analysts process and integrate the intelligence that they receive.  My Director of National Intelligence, Denny Blair, will take the lead in improving our day-to-day efforts.  My Intelligence Advisory Board will examine the longer-term challenge of sifting through vast universes of intelligence and data in our Information Age."  

"And finally, I'm ordering an immediate effort to strengthen the criteria used to add individuals to our terrorist watchlists, especially the "no fly" list.  We must do better in keeping dangerous people off airplanes, while still facilitating air travel."

President Obama said the U.S. has taken a whole range of steps to improve aviation screening and security since Christmas, including new rules for how we handle visas within the government and enhanced screening for passengers flying from, or through, certain countries. But he concluded there is "no foolproof solution" to the situation. He also said he was not interested in "passing out blame." "For ultimately, the buck stops with me.  As President, I have a solemn responsibility to protect our nation and our people.  And when the system fails, it is my responsibility," Obama said.

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov