by Gouda » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:31 am
Tangentially related, but might be worth keeping an eye on, these obscure new offices springing up within agencies within the privatized corporate "Intelligence Community" (IC) with oversight of and responsibility for assessing "national security risks" requiring linkage to private vendors... <br><br>Remember "CARC" (Intelligence Community Acquisition Risk Centre), which favorably vetted the pending Dubai Ports World deal after assessing possible risks?<br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=1097504§ion=news&src=rss/uk/worldNews">Reuters:</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Obscure US intelligence agency assessed ports deal</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Thu Feb 23, 2006 02:23 AM GMT<br> <br>By David Morgan<br><br>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal that allows an Arab-owned company in Dubai to manage six major U.S. ports was scrutinized for security risks by an obscure intelligence agency that has existed for only four months, American officials said on Wednesday.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The Intelligence Community Acquisition Risk Centre, or CARC, overseen by the office of intelligence chief John Negroponte,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> was asked by the government committee that vets foreign investments in the United States to look into the ports deal soon after it came to its attention in early November.<br><br>U.S. officials approved the sale of British-based P&O to Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates on January 16, giving the Arab-owned firm a green light to take over port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami.<br><br>But the deal has since unleashed a political firestorm from both Republicans and Democrats, who see it as a potential risk to national security.<br><br>The White House sought to stem criticism on Wednesday by saying the port takeover had been reviewed by intelligence agencies, including counterterrorism experts.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"The intelligence community did assessments to make sure that there was no national security threat," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>But intelligence officials said CARC, which has little to do with counterterrorism activities, was formed just last October as the agency mandated to assess security risks posed by companies that do business with the intelligence community.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Only a small part of the center's resources are devoted to vetting commercial deals, officials said.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>CARC's first director, William Dawson, was appointed in January, more than a month after the centre had been asked to begin work on the Dubai Ports World acquisition.<br><br>Dawson had been a senior information technology official for the intelligence community prior to his appointment.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>A spokesman for Negroponte acknowledged the intelligence community provided an assessment but declined to discuss specifics.<br><br>Intelligence officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about CARC, said many of the center's functions were transferred to Negroponte's office from the CIA in 2005 as a result of congressionally mandated intelligence reforms.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> Similar info here: <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.therant.us/staff/grassi/03022006.htm">www.therant.us/staff/grassi/03022006.htm</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br>More on <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/20_10/federal/26258-1.html">Dawson, in <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Washington Technology</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> :</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Behind the curve</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, By ROSEANNE GERIN<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Intelligence agencies must adopt cutting-edge technologies to promote information sharing</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>...<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>William Dawson</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, deputy chief information officer for the intelligence community, said the enterprise architecture for information sharing is in place, but analysts need tools to help them extract and break down data instead of having to search for reports. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"That's where the vendors come in to help us,"</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> he said.<br><br>Dawson was part of a five-person panel at the Information Technology Association of America's May 12 symposium on information sharing and the intelligence community. Other participants were Liz Sampson, deputy director for community interoperability and information sharing, Office of Director of Central Intelligence; Robert Myhill, professional staff member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Gordon Lederman, counsel on the special bipartisan staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee; and Sam Visner, a national security and intelligence expert, who was consultant to the President's Commission on Intelligence Capabilities of the United States.<br><br>The symposium addressed the critical role of technology in improving the country's intelligence capabilities. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The commission's report on the intelligence shortcomings that led to the Iraq war showed that better information sharing between intel agencies and other organizations was needed.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>The Intelligence Community Systems for Information Sharing is "the glue that ties various community mission architectures together so we can share across the board and send information back and forth," Dawson said. But this system needs to be able to share with those at other levels, to make information accessible to all, including state and local government and first responders, Dawson said.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.washingtontechnology.com/newspics/ITAA_Panel.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=gouda@rigorousintuition>Gouda</A> at: 4/25/06 4:33 am<br></i>