Observers point to several major challenges that the Intelligence Community will likely encounter in supporting the counter terrorist effort. Signals intelligence and imagery satellites have their uses in the counterterrorism mission,but intelligence to counter terrorism depends more on human intelligence (humint) such as spies and informers. Policies and statutes are being modified to facilitate a closer relationship between the two sets of agencies, but closercooperation has raised difficult questionsabout using intelligence agencies in the U.S. and about collecting information regarding U.S. persons. The primary role for Congress will be to decide appropriatelevels of budgetary resources and to oversee Intelligence Community efforts to ensure that resources are wellmanaged and that the nation's intelligence needs aremet. In February 2001, the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) George Tenet, in prepared testimony beforethe Senate Intelligence Committee, stated: "thethreat from terrorism is real, it is immediate, and it is evolving. Furthermore, "[Osama] bin Ladin and his globalnetwork of lieutenants and associates remain the most immediate and serious threat." The September 11, 2001 attacks were successful, but other terrorist plans havebeen thwarted although few details have been revealed. Inevitably there has been public discussion of the question of whether September 11 was an "intelligence failure." (8) A joint investigation by the House andSenate intelligence committees was undertaken in 2002 by a Joint Inquiry Staff. 107-306 ) Congress also established an independent commission toreview the review the evidence developed bygovernment agencies surrounding the 9/11 attacks. (20)
A central issue for Congress is the extent to which it and the public are prepared to accept the inherent risks involved in maintaining many agents with connectionsto terrorist groups. Statutory law (21) requires thatcongressional intelligence committees be kept aware of all intelligence activities; unlike the situation in the earlyCold War years when some intelligence efforts were designed to be "deniable," it will be difficult for the U.S.Government to avoid responsibility for majormistakes or ill-conceived efforts of intelligence agencies. Intelligence-Law Enforcement Cooperation

In the past, the Intelligence Community focused on threats from the military forces of hostile countries and inlarge measure left terrorism to law enforcementagencies, especially the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A recurring concern reflected in reports about the activities of those involved in the September 11 attacks has been the perception that information about possibleterrorist involvement of individuals may not be available to immigration and law enforcement officials whoencounter the individuals. Intelligence Support to Counterterrorist Military Operations

The campaign against Afghan-based terrorists and the Iraq war of 2003 (which was characterized as related tothe war on terrorism) graphically demonstrated theimportance of changes in intelligence support to military operations since the end of the Cold War. Ensuring that data collected from amyriad of sensors is available within essential time constraints will require coordination of programs some of whichare managed by DOD and others by CIA. They argue that even as Al Qaeda and otherterrorist organizations are being dealt with,traditional geopolitical concerns remain.
For well over a decade international terrorism has been a major concern of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Collection assets of all kinds have long been focusedon Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Intensive analytical expertise has been devoted to determining such groups'memberships, locations, and plans. Intelligence agencies had been acutely aware of the danger for years. In February 2001, Director of CentralIntelligence (DCI) George Tenet publicly testified toCongress that "the threat from terrorism is real, it is immediate, and it is evolving." Furthermore, "[Osama] binLadin and his global network of lieutenants andassociates remain the most immediate and serious threat."
Nevertheless, the Intelligence Community gave no specific warning of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Although all observers grant that terrorist groups are verydifficult targets and that undetected movements of small numbers of their members in an open society cannotrealistically be prevented, serious questions remain. An extensive investigation by the two intelligence committees of the September 11 attacks was undertaken in 2002. Although the final report is not yet public, thecommittee members found that the Intelligence Community, prior to 9/11, was neither well organized nor equippedto meet the challenge posed by globalterrorists focused on targets within the U.S. A separate independent commission was established in early 2003 totake another look at the events precedingSeptember 11.
Counterterrorism is highly dependent upon human intelligence (humint), the use of agents to acquire information (and, in certain circumstances, to carry outcovert actions). Humint is one of the least expensive intelligence disciplines, but it can be the most difficult andis undoubtedly the most dangerous forpractitioners. Mistakes can be fatal, embarrass the whole country, and undermine important policy goals. Congressmakes decisions regarding the extent towhich the importance of humint outweighs the inherent risks.
Countering terrorism requires close cooperation between law enforcement and intelligence agencies; some terrorists will need to be brought to justice in courts,but others are dealt with by military forces or covert actions. In recent years, important steps have been taken toencourage closer cooperation between the twocommunities, but some believe terrorist acts may have been facilitated by continuing poor information exchangesbetween intelligence and law enforcementagencies and by blurred lines of organizational responsibility. Congress will oversee the implementation of theevolving relationship that affects importantprinciples of law and administration, and may choose to modify the roles and missions of intelligence and lawenforcement agencies.
Military operations to counter terrorism are dependent on the availability of precise, real-time intelligence to support bombing campaigns using precision guidedmunitions. The linkage between sensor and "shooters" will be crucial as will access to global geospatial databases. As defense transformation progresses,Congress will also oversee the development of increased intelligence support to military operations including,especially, counterterrorist missions.