CBP reorganizes intelligence offices

CBP reorganizes intelligence offices U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Oct. 1 created the Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination.
   The move stems from Commissioner Ralph Basham’s desire to create an intelligence-driven enforcement and border security agency.
   The Intelligence and Operations Coordination office includes the legacy Office of Anti-Terrorism, the Office of Intelligence and contingents from the Office of Field Operations and the Border Patrol.
   The new office is headed by Assistant Commissioner Rodney Snyder. The deputy is Al Gina, who was director of the Secure Freight Initiative pilot program to study the feasibility of scanning high volumes of ocean containers at a handful of overseas ports. Richard DiNucci was promoted to acting director of the Secure Freight Initiative.
   The idea behind having operations staff in an intelligence office is so that intelligence officers can use the information they receive to help coordinate activity to mitigate vulnerabilities and risk in the field, Gina explained. Basham believes the agency can achieve greater efficiency by getting enforcement and intelligence people to work together on a daily basis, he said.
   The office is also responsible for coordinating the agency’s response to a natural or terrorist incident.
   Snyder previously served at an unnamed U.S. embassy, according to his biography on the CBP Web site. Before that Snyder helped create the National Counterterrorism Center, had a role in nuclear weapons inspection and was an executive assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence.