DHS gets new intell chief

The Homeland Security Department has a new intelligence chief to lead the department’s program to use information technology to share homeland security-related information with state and local officials.

The Senate confirmed Caryn Wagner to be DHS’ undersecretary for intelligence and analysis by unanimous consent Feb. 11. Wagner’s first day as head of DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) is today.

DHS is the lead federal agency for state and local intelligence fusion centers that are owned and operated by states and municipalities and serve as a central node for the federal government’s efforts for sharing terrorism-related information with state and local officials.

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Wagner has served on the senior faculty at the Intelligence Security Academy, an organization that provides training and consulting services related to national security, according to DHS. She has also held a variety of senior government intelligence jobs.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced last September that the department was establishing a new Joint Fusion Center Program Management Office in I&A. According to DHS, at the end of fiscal 2009, I&A deployed a total of 43 of its workers to fusion centers and deployed the secret Homeland Secure Date Network to 30 locations.

Bart Johnson, DHS’ principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, had been acting as head of I&A. In September, Johnson told a House subcommittee that the intelligence office will better align its information technology capabilities with the needs of non-federal partners with whom it shares terrorism-related information.

DHS has said it directed more than $327 million in funding to the centers between fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2008.