Ambassador Perry's Speech

Remarks for Amb. June Carter Perry (Military Intelligence Seminar)

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Thank you all for coming today. It is heartening to see so many representatives from the Forward Intelligence Security Unit and the Ministry of Defense here to expand their knowledge of intelligence gathering, analysis, and implementation.  The United States is pleased to support Sierra Leonean efforts to safeguard the security this nation has worked so hard to achieve.  We all know that security is not easily won, but it is crucial to remember that neither is it easily maintained.  Those entrusted with the security of this nation must use all the tools available to them to protect it, and they must have the best tools out there.

Threats to national security abound in this age of mass electronic communication capabilities and easy international transport. In July, we saw Sierra Leonean security forces successfully capture a plane carrying 430 kilos of cocaine on its way from Venezuela to Europe.  West Africa has in recent years become a major transit point for illegal drugs moving from Latin America to Europe, and we stand with you in your commitment to preventing Sierra Leone from becoming a safe haven for drug traffickers.  To do that, your expertise in intelligence collection and sharing will play a crucial role.

One of the many lessons we can learn from the July 13 interdiction is that threats to a nation can come from anywhere at anytime. A nation's adversaries do not respect international borders or organizational boundaries. Instead they are networked by modern information technology, which continuously shrinks the world and blurs borders.  The drug traffickers now in custody were connected by cellphones, computers and the internet to facilitators at every stop of the way.  To combat traffickers with modern equipment, Sierra Leone must use modern, efficient, and effective prevention and reaction tactics.

How, though, can you transform the bits and pieces of information you gather into useful, actionable intelligence?  Sierra Leone needs mechanisms for disseminating that information to the people who need it – security forces, law enforcement, and national leaders -- instantly.  Those people must have the capabilities to quickly analyze it, make decisions, and take action immediately.

This requires a systematic, focused approach to incident response.  It requires close coordination across the intelligence and law enforcement communities. Effective information analysis transforms raw data into intelligence that can be used to determine courses of action.

The July interdiction was as successful as it was because the Office of National Security and the Sierra Leone Police were able to come together, share information, quickly and effectively analyze the available information and put together a successful operation.  We hope that another incident like that of July 13 will not happen in Sierra Leone, that the response of the government will act as a deterrent.  However, if criminals attempt to take advantage of Sierra Leone in the future, we are confident that you will respond with ever increasing professionalism and expertise.
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this seminar, and thank you for your commitment to the security of this nation.