Joe Lieberman: “Yes, indeed. I respectfully disagree. I will share something because we have been talking about the National…”

“Yes, indeed. I respectfully disagree. I will share something because we have been talking about the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. GEN James Clapper spoke before us and gave some very strong views that support to military programs would not be compromised in any way by creation of a strong national intelligence director with budget and other authorities over his agency. So this is a gentleman, a very distinguished general, who is in charge of the exact agency we are talking about, who said to us directly that he was confident the support of his agency to the military would not be compromised in any way by a national intelligence director with budget authority over his agency. It was quite interesting. He described in some detail, as the Senator has spoken to, the direct support the National Geospatial Agency is giving to military operations in the nine combatant commands and increasingly to levels far below the traditional boundaries of those commands to their subordinate units. In fact, as he said, national agencies--this where it is hard to draw real hard lines--national agencies are more and more providing what might on another occasion be called tactical support. When our warfighters need imagery support, General Clapper said they get it from the NGA employees who are often right out there with them on the ground alongside their commanders.”