Intelligence chief announces 100-day reform plan

The new director of national intelligence on Wednesday announced a 100-day initiative to improve "integration and collaboration" among the federal government's 16 intelligence agencies.

"This effort marks the next stage of intelligence reform," said Mike McConnell, the intelligence director. "The plan lays out specific, measurable short-term goals on important intelligence related issues, but in the longer term, this will give us the momentum to transform into a truly integrated community."

An 11-page blueprint from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that the initiative builds on the National Intelligence Strategy developed by John Negroponte, McConnell's predecessor, in 2005.

The blueprint identified six areas of focus, including clarifying and aligning the DNI's authorities by proposing "appropriate revisions to existing statutes, regulations and directives." It called for the creation of an executive committee to advise the intelligence director on coordinating the nation's intelligence activities.

The plan also called for the publication of performance appraisal requirements that will apply across the intelligence community. DNI will begin disseminating briefing materials to the workforce about a new joint duty program.

In addition, the office will publish an equal employment opportunity and diversity plan and a recruiting strategy in an attempt to move "toward creating a workforce that looks like America."

The blueprint stated that the office must give intelligence community leaders incentives to "achieve acquisition excellence, streamline acquisition policies and processes applied to [intelligence community] practices and enhance the professional capabilities of the acquisition workforce."

The stategy called for the modification of current acquisition processes by taking advantage of special DNI authorities.

Another key area will be modernizing the intelligence community's business practices. This will include reforming the system for granting security clearances.

McConnell said last week that he wanted the community to adopt a commercial sector model for issuing clearances. The plan sought the creation of a program to test an alternative security clearance process.