WASHINGTON—The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led by Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., Thursday considered the nomination of Caryn Wagner, nominated to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security.
Wagner’s public service in the area of intelligence began in the Army Signal Corps, and includes positions at the Defense Intelligence Agency and at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence at the time of its creation, following Congressional approval of legislation authored by Lieberman and Collins in response to recommendations from the 9/11 Commission.
Wagner also served on the staff of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, including most recently as the Committee’s budget director.
“Ms. Wagner is prepared to take on the challenges facing both the Department and our country as a whole. She has a strong background in the intelligence community and strong management experience that will allow her to be an effective leader at I&A,” Lieberman said. “The important of I&A’s work was demonstrated most recently and most impressively in the terrorism investigations leading to the arrests of Najibullah Zazi, David Headley and Tahawwur Rana. DHS is also playing a critical role in building a well integrated and effective national network of fusion centers.”
Collins said the Wagner nomination “comes at a time when our understanding of threats to our security is rapidly evolving. Recent events serve to remind us that the threat of terrorist attacks no longer comes only from countries half a world away, but also from within our borders. The arrests of plotters like Najibullah Zazi in New York, the indictment of 14 individuals in Minneapolis connected with recruiting Somali-Americans to fight with a terrorist group in Somalia, and the shooting rampage at Fort Hood have underscored a key finding of this Committee over the course of a four-year investigation. The threat of violent Islamist radicalization occurring in this country is real—and it is happening now.
“Detecting and responding to this threat does not fall to the FBI alone,” she said. “An effective response requires a coordinated effort backed by the support of the hundreds of thousands of state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers on the front lines every day. The Office of Intelligence and Analysis plays a critical role in that effort.”
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