THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
| For Immediate Release | October 09, 2001 |
Fact Sheet on New Counter-Terrorism and CyberSpace Positions
General Wayne Downing (U.S. Army Ret.)
Richard Clarke
The National Director for Combating Terrorism &
the Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace Security Fact Sheet
General Wayne Downing (U.S. Army Ret.) - The National Director for Combating Terrorism:
Global terrorism poses a grave danger to the national security of the United States and to the safety of all Americans at home and abroad. Our campaign against terrorism must include military, diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, and financial operations in seamless coordination with each other. Many agencies of the federal government are involved in this effort, and close coordination among them is imperative to develop and execute a strategy that draws on and integrates all available resources.
To achieve this policy, the President has established the position of the National Director and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism. The National Director will be the President's principal advisor on matters related to combating global terrorism, including all efforts designed to detect, disrupt, and destroy global terrorist organizations and those who support them.
The National Director will report to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The National Director will also report to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security with respect to matters relating to global terrorism inside the United States.
Richard Clarke - Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace Security:
The information technology revolution has changed the way business is transacted, government operates, and national defense is conducted. The United States now depends upon a complex, interdependent network of critical infrastructure information systems that are essential to our national and economic security. These networks include information systems in the government, telecommunications, banking and finance, transportation, energy, manufacturing, water, health and emergency services networks.
The United States must protect against the disruption of the operation of these systems. Any disruption that occurs must be infrequent, of minimal duration, manageable, and cause the least possible damage.
The President's Special Advisor for Cyberspace Security will coordinate interagency efforts to secure information systems. In the event of a disruption, the Special Advisor will coordinate efforts to restore critical systems.
The Special Advisor will work in close coordination and partnership with the private sector, which owns and operates the vast majority of America's critical infrastructure. The Special Advisor will be the President's principal advisor on matters related to cyberspace security and report to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
The Special Advisor will also serve as chairman of a government-wide board that will coordinate the protection of critical information systems (the President is expected to sign an Executive Order soon establishing the board).
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