ARLINGTON, Va. — Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss introduced a bill Wednesday to create a unified combatant command for military intelligence, a measure that complements a law proposed Tuesday by senators from both sides of the aisle to create a national intelligence director.
The proposed bills are in line with recommendations proposed by the commission created to investigate the U.S. government’s response to Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“We need to make the national intelligence director as effective as possible while ensuring our military men and women get the best intelligence possible when they are risking their lives to protect our freedoms,” Chambliss, who sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Forces committees, said in a statement.
If passed, Chambliss’ bill would increase to 11 the number of unified combatant commands within the Defense Department.
Chambliss’ proposal is one that has yet to be studied by the Pentagon’s leadership, spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
“I haven’t seen the proposal and as far as I’m aware, that hasn’t been given any sort of study with respect to that.”
A commander of military intelligence would:
¶ represent the Defense Department in the intelligence community under the direction of the National Intelligence Director;
¶ carry out intelligence collection and analysis activities in response to requests from the National Intelligence Director;
¶ prepare and submit to the Defense Secretary and the National Intelligence Director recommendations and budget proposals for military intelligence forces and activities;
¶ establish priorities for military intelligence in harmony with national priorities established by the National Intelligence Director and approved by the president;
¶ ensure the interoperability of intelligence sharing within the DOD and within the intelligence community as a whole, as directed by the National Intelligence Director;
¶ respond to intelligence requirements levied by the National Intelligence Director.
