Report - Government Executive

FOREWORD
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought the missions and roles of the United States
intelligence community into the public consciousness in ways previously unseen. Subsequent
successful and unsuccessful attempts around the world, including the 2009 Christmas Day and
the recent New York Times Square bombing attempts, have continued to demonstrate the
importance of high-performing intelligence personnel in protecting and strengthening our
nation’s security.
At the core of the intelligence apparatus are dedicated men and women entrusted with the most
important and sensitive missions related to the national security of the United States. They
include the civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) intelligence
components—50,000 strong—who work tirelessly in the public interest at the National Security
Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Defense
Security Service, National Reconnaissance Office, and the intelligence elements of the Army,
Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
These public servants work to achieve missions that are more critical than ever: defending our
nation and thwarting attack. The Academy Panel recognized that the manner in which the
performance of these employees is assessed and rewarded is as important to how—and how well
—they do their work, as it is to recruitment and retention. A culture that encourages “connecting
the dots” and finding new ways to look at “dots” cannot be built on a system that rewards
longevity over performance. The Panel concluded that a performance-based pay system that
provides recognition for individual as well as collaborative performance can produce more
robust discussion and better intelligence products that will significantly strengthen our ability to
thwart attacks.
For the past four years, DoD has engaged in the design and implementation of the Defense
Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS), which is intended to unify the DoD intelligence
components under a single human resources management system. DCIPS represents
transformational cultural change that requires paying as much attention to the system’s
implementation as to its design. The National Academy Panel recognized the soundness of
DCIPS’ design, the urgency of the effort, as well as the need to make certain changes in its
planned implementation prior to moving forward. This report provides key recommendations
aimed at encouraging greater collaboration among the intelligence components, restoring and
building employee trust in DCIPS and, most importantly, strengthening personal accountability
in the performance of agency missions. The stakes have never been higher. And, our
intelligence personnel deserve nothing less.
The National Academy was pleased to conduct this review for Congress and the Secretary of
Defense. I want to thank the Academy Panel for its excellent and diligent work and the study
team for its significant contributions. In addition, I wish to acknowledge the vital assistance
provided by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and his staff, as well as the DoD
intelligence components and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Finally, my
appreciation goes to those personnel who provided access to critical information and contributed
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