William R. Richardson: “Mr. Chairman, let me first express my most heartfelt appreciation to Chairman Combest for his support in allowing me to…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me first express my most heartfelt appreciation to Chairman Combest for his support in allowing me to undertake several initiatives in the intelligence and foreign policy arena. Mr. Combest has been very accommodating since assuming the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee and I want to commend him for his stewardship. Second, I would like to congratulate the chairman for crafting a bill in a nonpartisan fashion that catapults our intelligence community into the future armed with the necessary tools to perform an ever changing and diverse mission. In past years, the focus of our intelligence operations and efforts were rightfully targeted predominately at the former Soviet Union. With the demise of the cold war and the splintering into several independent states of the Soviet Union, new and different requirements have been leveled on the intelligence community. No longer can we concentrate solely on issues concerning Soviet force strength and military concept of operations. Today's policy makers need accurate intelligence information on global issues such as proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, narcotics, terrorism and world economies. I am confident that the bill crafted by the chairman and ranking democratic member Norm Dicks, prepares the community to meet the challenges posed by their new missions and requirements.”