Reorganizing U.S. Domestic Intelligence
Assessing the Options
One of the questions in the fight against terrorism is whether the United States needs a dedicated domestic intelligence agency separate from law enforcement, on the model of many comparable democracies. To examine this issue, Congress directed that the Department of Homeland Security perform an independent study on the feasibility of creating a counterterrorism intelligence agency and the department turned to the RAND Corporation for this analysis but asked it specifically not to make a recommendation. This volume lays out the relevant considerations for creating such an agency. It draws on a variety of research methods, including historical and legal analysis; a review of organizational theory; examination of current domestic intelligence efforts, their history, and the public's view of them; examination of the domestic intelligence agencies in six other democracies; and interviews with an expert panel made up of current and former intelligence and law enforcement professionals. The monograph highlights five principal problems that might be seen to afflict current domestic intelligence enterprise; for each, there are several possible solutions, and the creation of a new agency addresses only some of the five problems. The volume discusses how a technique called break-even analysis can be used to evaluate proposals for a new agency in the context of the perceived magnitude of the terrorism threat. It concludes with a discussion of how to address the unanswered questions and lack of information that currently cloud the debate over whether to create a dedicated domestic intelligence agency.
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Figure B.1
The U.S. Domestic Intelligence Enterprise
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Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 150
- List Price: $28.00
- Paperback Price: $22.40
- Paperback ISBN/EAN: 9780833045010
- Document Number: MG-767-DHS
- Year: 2008
- Series: Monographs
Contents
Chapter One
Introduction: Domestic Intelligence in Context
Chapter Two
Defining Domestic Intelligence
Chapter Three
Current Domestic Intelligence Arrangements and Their Performance
Chapter Four
A Range of Options for Improving Domestic Intelligence
Chapter Five
Assessing Structural Options
Chapter Six
Weighing Pros and Cons: An Approach for Considering the Uncertain Costs and Benefits of Organizational Change
Chapter Seven
Conclusions: The Path Forward
Appendix A
Expert Panel Participants
Appendix B
Domestic Program Map
This research was sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security and was conducted jointly under the auspices of the Homeland Security Program within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment and the Intelligence Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division.
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