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Executive Order 12333. LAT:
"The Bureau, NSA, DOD, etc. they all want the same thing -- to be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want regardless of its effectiveness, its level of stupidity or how it may hurt the larger US interest," comments one former senior US intelligence officer. "They have sensed weakness since 9-11 and they will not stop in this effort. Hayden tried to get this while he was still at NSA and current law was being debated. [FBI Director Robert] Mueller also tried and DOD tried to just get rid of the [chief of station] position entirely. State also wants to do it because they want the embassy [deputy chief of mission] to be in charge.A Bush administration plan to issue new orders realigning the chain of command over U.S. spy services has triggered turf-related skirmishes across the intelligence community.
The changes could erode the CIA's standing as the nation's lead spy service abroad by requiring agency station chiefs in certain countries to cede authority to officials from other U.S. spy agencies, officials said. ...
Drafts of the rewritten order -- known in intelligence circles by its number, 12333 -- have been circulating among top intelligence officials in recent weeks, prompting last-minute lobbying efforts by affected agencies.
A spokesman for Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell declined to comment on the revised order but said it was expected to be completed in mid-June.
The most controversial component of the new order would reshape the roles of the CIA's station chiefs, the agency's top representatives in other countries.
Station chiefs have traditionally operated with significant autonomy, serving as the main intelligence advisors to U.S. ambassadors, controlling clandestine operations in their countries, and acting as the main point of contact for foreign intelligence services.
Under the proposed plan, the station chiefs would remain in position but could be required to cede some of their authority to officials from other agencies, including the NSA or the Defense Intelligence Agency.
"There will always be a station chief," said a second U.S. intelligence official familiar with the proposal. But the director of national intelligence "may choose a different representative."
The CIA has resisted the move, with CIA Director Michael V. Hayden saying in recent interviews that a realignment could create confusion in locations where swift decisions are often required and foreign governments want a trusted point of contact.
Other officials have warned that the idea might lead to interference, or jeopardize secrecy.
If the order is approved, officials from different agencies "would have the ability to turn off or make decisions about the CIA's in-country activities," said a former U.S. intelligence official who has seen drafts of the document. That other official "would also have visibility into sensitive CIA operations. It's kind of a slippery slope."