THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 1, 1996

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

The President met today with the members of the Commission on Roles and Capabilities of the United States Intelligence Community to receive their report. Led by former Secretary of Defense Harold Brown and former Senator Warren Rudman, the Commission is composed of 17 members, 9 of whom were appointed by the President and 8 appointed by the congressional leadership of both parties. The mandate of the Commission -- established in October 1994 -- was to provide an appraisal of the intelligence community's current capabilities and structure, and to provide guidance to meet the intelligence challenges of the 21st century.

The Commission has reaffirmed that intelligence capabilities are a critical element of our national strength, and has suggested a number of steps to improve the organization and performance of intelligence collection and analysis. The President is in full agreement with their conclusion of the essential importance of intelligence to our national security and that there is a continuing need for a strong intelligence community as we approach the 21st century. The President expressed his appreciation for the Commission's efforts, saying that the group had developed what appeared to be a number of thought-provoking and useful proposals. He assured the Commission that he, CIA Director John Deutch and the Administration's national security team will give very serious attention to these recommendations.

The Administration expects to have a detailed response to the Commission's report shortly.

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