The Intelligence Community has been working for several months to prepare for the transition from the Bush Administration to the new Administration. That transition is about to enter a critical phase: the post-election - pre-inauguration phase, when we brief the President-elect's national security team on the IC and its capabilities, and the President-elect begins to designate key leaders. As we prepare to work with a new national security team, I wanted to thank you for the hard work you have done so far to lay the groundwork for a seamless transition by the Intelligence Community.
First, IC analysts briefed three of the four candidates. The work many of you put into constructing these briefings - often on short notice - was well received. Each briefing went very well, and each candidate expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Community and gained insights on the support we provide. Through these briefings we learned more about how best to serve our potential new top customers. We communicated vital information about the Global War on Terrorism and other topics, and the briefings prompted direct, incisive questions by the candidates.
The President-elect will make decisions in the coming months about how he wants to shape his Daily Brief. Under the current Administration, we have enjoyed unprecedented access and we have risen to the challenge, providing peerless products. I have no doubt that the briefings we provided the candidates demonstrated the important role intelligence plays in the day of a President. In the days following the inauguration of a new President, we will adjust to the new President's preferences. Your professionalism and talent will continue to shine as we remain a flexible and responsive Intelligence Community.
A new national security team will soon emerge. The current Administration is leaning forward to ensure that the incoming team has security clearances and access to sensitive intelligence as soon as possible. During the transition period, the IC will be responsible not only for tasks coming from the current Administration, but also the questions that may be posed by an incoming team. We will be responsive to both and will work out priorities should conflicts arise.
Traditionally, the President-elect has sent transition teams to Key Executive Branch elements to learn about their current functions and make recommendations. The team sent by the new Administration to explore the Intelligence Community most likely will have its home base at the ODNI. We are prepared to brief the team on the IC's capabilities as well as on significant intelligence issues. We are also prepared to facilitate visits to the IC agencies and meetings with key leaders.
Some of you have expressed interest about the direction a new President may take with the IC and with intelligence reform. No matter what course we take, the IC will continue to provide vital support to decision-making. To explain the progress we have made so far, the ODNI has taken a leading role in preparing materials for a transition team. These materials include assessments of where reform legislation has taken us and what remains to be done, our strides in collaboration, and the challenges that remain in achieving our mission - to become an integrated and collaborative intelligence enterprise that provides decision advantage to national policymakers, the warfighters, and law enforcement to enhance the nation's security.
Again, I appreciate your work over the past few months and thank you in advance for your efforts to further support the transition in the coming weeks.
CORRECTION: The original version of this post misstated the location of DNI's headquarters.
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