Case Study #2 – Budget Issue the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has raised the issue whether all the various intelligence activities within the Department of Homeland Security should be included within the National Intelligence Program and brought under the management control of the Director of National Intelligence. The OMB proposal cites the definition of national intelligence in the IRTPA and the increasing integration of Homeland Security elements into a national system for countering terrorists and other international criminal organizations. Their initiative also recommends that the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) be moved into the Department of Homeland Security. Your “boss” (chairman of the senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee) ask you to prepare a briefing paper on (Moving all DHS component intelligence and intelligence related funding (in a change from the present concept of a non-NIP HSIP) into the NIP). “he want to know whether he should support this. He wants to be assured this will result in better intelligence.” Do some research on the purpose of the various intelligence activities within the Department of Homeland Security (see Randol’s article) and of the NCTC. In briefing paper format provide the arguments to your (chairman of the senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee) “boss” or principal for or against the assigned propositions. One important element in your paper should be responsibilities and equities of your (assigned) organization; e.g. would the impact be negative or positive. Briefing paper instructions are the same as already provided; the maximum length of the paper is two pages.
Randol, Mark A. (2010). The department of homeland security intelligence enterprise:
Operational overview and oversight challenges for congress.
Elkins, 4-12 to 4-22, Chap 6.
The formate should be a briefing format, instructions on how to write briefing format is provided below.
Memorandum for: [enter recipient’s name or title]
Subject: [enter a descriptive title]
One page. A briefing paper is intended for a senior official who does not have time to read the “great American novel.” A briefing paper should be as succinct as possible, typewritten, in Times New Roman font that is no smaller than size 12, or Arial font, no smaller than size 11.
o Long briefing papers tend not to be read, with consequent detrimental impact on the message.
Findings and conclusions up front. A busy executive wants to know the conclusions and recommendations more than the process and the detail. So put the findings and conclusions at the beginning of the paper.
Briefing paper format. This format allows the eye to quickly discern the major points and the supporting information. Supporting information is in bulleted paragraphs following the main topic paragraph.
o You may use headings, underlined text, italics, bolding, different fonts, and color as you see fit. (Note: color works well with originally printed material but is lost in photocopying, and therefore should be used with caution.)
o These instructions appear in an acceptable briefing paper format.
Append back-up materials. Additional explanatory information can be appended to a briefing paper. This, however, is not required.
o If a topic requires a detailed explanation of how a conclusion was reached, this explanation is best put at a tab. In the briefing paper note at the end of the relevant paragraph that there is more detail, for example: (Tab A).
o Tabs should also be as brief as possible. One page is ideal; two is acceptable. Ten pages are ridiculous.