John Brennan
John Brennan is the senior counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama. He was a career Central Intelligence Agency officer, and was under consideration for appointment as Director of National Intelligence or Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCIA). During the campaign, he had been Obama's adviser on intelligence matters. The administration faced opposition from Senators based on Brennan's involvement with the controversial interrogation of terrorist suspects, and chose to put him in a position where Senate confirmation was not required.[1] He reports to Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs James Jones, working with the National Security Council.
His role has similarities to that held by Richard Clarke, but he has a greater avoidance of bureaucratic infighting. According to DCIA Leon Panetta, ""John understands how intelligence and policy support one another -- that's a major asset...He is a vital link between the CIA and the NSC." Brennan rejects the pure "hard power" assumption implicit in the term war on terror.[2]
He was involved in setting up several interagency counterterrorism groups, such as the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, which were intended to break through the "stovepipes" that may have prevented information sharing that conceivably could have averted or reduced the 9/11 Attack. Testifying to the 9/11 Commission, he spoke of a need for cooperation between intelligence and law enforcement. [3]
His CIA assignments included Station Chief in Saudi Arabia and Executive Assistant to the Director.
References
- ↑ Glenn Greenwald (25 November 2008), "Exceptional news: John Brennan won't be CIA Director or DNI", Salon.com
- ↑ Spencer S. Hsu and Joby Warrick (6 August 2009), Washington Post
- ↑ John O. Brennan, Director, Terrorist Threat Integration Center on Law Enforcement and the Intelligence Community (14 April 2004), Statement on Law Enforcement and the IC (Intelligence Community_, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States