I'm here to say the warning lights are blinking red again. Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack.
Dan Coats
The Public Record
Dan Coats is a former United States Senator from Indiana, serving from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Coats previously held the same Senate seat from 2001 to 2005. Before his Senate career, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1989. Coats has been involved in various policy areas, including national security and foreign relations, and has been a vocal advocate for a strong defense policy. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush.
I know others have talked about that here today, but when you and I had a chance to talk earlier in the last couple weeks, I mentioned one of my real concerns about China.
You'll need to demonstrate to the American people that the Intelligence Community deserves their utmost confidence as a source of truth and insight.
One of the first things you can do--at this hearing, even--is to make a strong statement of support for professionalism in the IC and pledge that you will not tolerate politics influencing the analytical process.
You will need to inspire a workforce that has unfortunately been hollowed out by years of firings, and remind them that their mission is critical--and still noble.
I believe the top of the list will be to reinforce the prime imperative for our Nation's Intelligence Community: to find the truth and to speak truth to power, without fear of political retribution.





