Report - Government Executive

CHAPTER 6
THE WAY FORWARD FOR DCIPS
The DCIPS effort is designed to unify the DoD intelligence components under a single HR
management system, further enhance the high quality of their workforce, and strengthen their
ability to perform a vital mission. At the most fundamental level, however, it is about assisting
in protecting U.S. national security interests. The importance of a robust personnel system to the
ability of these organizations to defend the nation against terrorist attack, was highlighted by Lee
Hamilton, former Congressman, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, when he met with the Academy Panel
to discuss DCIPS:
[T]he necessity of defense against a terrorist attack is urgent. The threat is
evolving, and there isn’t any doubt in my mind that they want to cause disruption
and death. Therefore, I think there is an urgency. First, you have a lot of very
good people working on the problem. However, my answer is that urgency is very
important and that can only come from top leaders. Second, I am a real radical on
personnel systems. You need to have the authority to hire and fire. I served on the
Hart-Rudman Commission; the ability to hire and fire is a national security
matter….Third, you need to have incentives to produce preeminent analysts. The
best tool in terrorism is intelligence. You need to have good collection of data.
We have unbelievable capabilities in collecting data. The problem is analyzing
and managing that data. There are overwhelming amounts of data….When you
think about civilian personnel, I hope you are thinking about the importance of the
analyst in driving the actions and the direction of the agency.
Because the intelligence mission is essential to the national security of the United States, the
Panel agrees that DCIPS must be capable of attracting, retaining, and motivating the best people
to contribute their best efforts. Based upon this review, the Panel understands the intended
national security significance of DCIPS and believes the effort should proceed, but with
conditions.
The Panel applauds the effort that the USD(I) has made to bring the DoD intelligence
components closer together through the adoption of DCIPS. However, it is critical that this
effort to alter a fundamental element of the culture of those components be managed very
carefully. The attention of the workforce cannot be diverted from the performance of its mission
to the composition of its compensation.
The Panel concludes that the design of DCIPS is fundamentally sound. Nonetheless, several
major areas for further improvement are identified in this report. The implementation of the
DCIPS design has been flawed for a number of reasons, and a significant number of
recommendations for change and enhancement in that regard are also identified. Finally, it is too
early to judge the actual impact of DCIPS, but the flaws in its implementation and the effects of
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