John Brennan worked as a CIA employee from 1980 to 2005 in different parts of the agency.
“from 1980 to 2005, I was a CIA employee serving in different parts of the agency”
Person
John Brennan
1 episodes · 24 quoted claims
John Brennan was President Bill Clinton's daily intelligence briefer in the mid-1990s.
“I also had the great honor and privilege to be, uh, President Clinton's daily intelligence briefer in the mid 1990s.”
John Brennan served as the U.S. government's chief intelligence officer in Saudi Arabia from 1996 to 1999.
“served as the chief intelligence officer, uh, for the U. S. government in Saudi Arabia from 96 to 99”
John Brennan served eight years in the Obama administration, first as homeland security advisor and deputy national security advisor for homeland security and counterterrorism.
“I served eight years, uh, in the Obama administration, uh, 1st as, uh, his homeland security advisor and deputy national security advisor for homeland security and counterterrorism.”
John Brennan retired from government for the second and final time on January 20, 2017.
“retired, uh, for the 2nd and final time on January 20th of 2017”
As deputy executive director, John Brennan helped spearhead a pay-for-performance system for CIA employees.
“I was heavily involved in spearheading a change in how agency employees are compensated. It's called the pay for performance system.”
In 2003, President George W. Bush and CIA Director George Tenet asked John Brennan to stand up the National Counterterrorism Center.
“in 2003, I was asked by, uh, President George W. Bush and the director of of Central Intelligence, George Tenet, to stand up, uh, what is called the National Counterterrorism Center.”
The National Counterterrorism Center combined the networks, databases, expertise and authorities of the CIA, FBI, NSA, State Department, Defense Intelligence Agency, Secret Service, Coast Guard and others.
“bring together the networks, the systems, the databases, the expertise, the authorities of the CIA, FBI, NSA, State Department, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Secret Service, Coast Guard and others”
When John Brennan joined the CIA in 1980, the agency had no personal computers and relied on hard-copy documents.
“When I started out in the agency in 1980, we didn't have personal computers, everything was, you know, hard copy it.”
Brennan said the CIA started in 1948 and had worked in a certain way for more than 60 years before his reorganization.
“the agency, you know, St started in 1948, so there was a long period of time, over 60 years”
Brennan spent his first year as CIA director assessing the agency and concluded change was needed because its structure had stayed largely the same for 50 to 60 years.
“for the 1st year, I basically assessed and my impressions, uh, reinforced my view that change was needed because the agency structure basically had stayed the same over the last 50, 60 years.”
Brennan assembled a group of respected officers from across the CIA and took them off their regular jobs to assess the agency's structure.
“I decided to pull together a group of people who I respected from different parts of the agency and took them off their full-time positions.”
Brennan cited the Defense Department's reorganization under the Goldwater-Nichols Act as an influence on his thinking about the CIA.
“I was in the agency when the Defense Department went through its own transformation reorganization as a result of the Goldwater Nichols Act.”
The CIA task force presented three reorganization proposals, low, medium and high, and Brennan chose the high option.
“The task force came up with 3 proposals, a low, a medium and a high.”
The CIA modernization created mission centers that combined analysis, operations, science, technology, cyber and digital expertise.
“that's when we put together what's called mission centers, where we would bring together the different expertise and capabilities of the agency analysis, operations, science, technology, cyber, digital.”
Under Brennan, the CIA created a new Directorate of Digital Innovation for the first time.
“but we created a new directorate of digital innovation. It was one of the things that I recognized that this digital domain i is so profoundly impactful on all our lives.”
The CIA set up ten mission centers and Brennan had to choose ten people to lead them.
“we set up 10 mission centers, and so I we had to tap 10 people to head up these organization, these mission centers”
Brennan removed his close friend, the head of the directorate of operations, from his post because he opposed the transformation.
“I was going to be relieving him of that command position”
Brennan said the CIA lacked change-management expertise and brought in outside private-sector help to design and carry out the transformation.
“we do not have the expertise in change management that was necessary, either coming up with ideas about how to change an organization”
The CIA uses a building called Scattergood for conferences and offsites, where Brennan held step-back sessions during the transformation.
“at the agency, we have a, a building's called Scattergood, and it's been reported in the in the press that this is a place where you have conferences.”
Brennan said much of the criticism of his reorganization came from retired CIA officers outside the agency.
“a lot of the criticism came from the retiree community, the ones who were outside”
Brennan said a large portion of the CIA workforce joined after the modernization began and knows only the new structure.
“a large portion of the agency workforce has joined since the modernization process began.”
Brennan said the digital domain exploded in the 1990s with the internet and has profoundly changed intelligence work.
“the digital domain basically exploded in the 1990s, you know, with the internet and and everything that's out there now.”
A British counterpart advised Brennan when he became CIA director not to delay senior personnel decisions.
“He said, John, if if there are senior personnel decisions that you feel need to be made, don't delay it because, um, you pay a price.”